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Leading News
8
journalists injured in terrorist attack in Ctg
UNB, Chittagong
Eight journalists were injured in an attack by terrorists
in the port city's Jamalkhan area Friday.
The injured were identified as bureau chief of Prothom Alo
Mamun Abdullah, its senior reporter Ekramul Haque and
staff reporter Pranab, news-in-charge of Kaler Kantha
Rafiqul Bahar, its staff reporters Kamal Dey and Bhuiyan
Nazrul, staff reporter of the Daily Star Doipayan Ronny
and photojournalist Rabi Shankar.
Witnesses said a group of terrorists led by Tajuddin Taju
appeared at Prothom Alo office at about 4:30pm and
vandalized the motorcycle of Pranab.
Later, they went to nearby Kaler Kantha office and hurled
abusive words at journalists.
As the newsmen protested their terrorist acts, the
terrorists beat up Pranab, Kamal and Rabi
indiscriminately.
They also attacked other journalists as they came forward
to save their fellowmen.
On information, police rushed in and rescued the
journalists. The law-enforcers also arrested three
terrorists-Tajuddin Taju, Shafiuddin and Sarwar Alam-from
the spot.
The injured journalists were admitted to a local clinic.
Banoj Kumar Majumder, deputy commissioner of Chittagong
Metropolitan Police, said the attackers are drug peddlers
and muggers, who usually tease school and college girls on
the streets.
They attacked the journalists as they published stories on
their misdeeds in their newspapers, he said.
Meanwhile, Chittagong Press Club and Chittagong Union of
Journalists condemned the terrorist attack on the newsmen
and demanded punishment of the attackers.
PM
for bringing back fugitive killers of Bangabandhu
UNB, Tungipara (Gopalganj)
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday said her government
would take all the initiatives to bring back rest of the
killers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman and execute the court verdict.
"Our government is quite sincere about executing the
verdict in the Bangabandhu murder case for establishing
the rule of law at levels of the society," she said.
Hasina, also the Awami League President, made the remarks
while exchanging views with the leaders and workers of
Awami League and its associated bodies after offering
Muna-jat at the Mazar of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
here Friday morning.
Hasina visited Tungipara, the ancestral home of her father
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, for the first time
after the execution of the verdict of Bangabandhu Murder
case as five of the convicted killers were hanged soon
after the midnight of January 27.
The Prime Minister said the main objective of her
government is to bring smile on the face of the distressed
humanity by building a "Sonar Bangla" as dreamt by
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
"It is our responsibility to work together for the welfare
of the downtrodden masses to materialize the dream of
Bangabandhu."
She mentioned that the true respect would be shown to the
Father of the Nation and the Greatest Bengalee of all time
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman only if they could build
a "Sonar Bangla" free from hunger and poverty. Referring
to employment opportunities, the Prime Minister asked all
especially the young generation to prepare them properly
for getting jobs.
"Besides, we've generated self-employment for the youths
by taking various development projects including
fisheries, poultry farming and 'one farm-one homestead' (Ekti
Bari-Ekti Khamar) in the country."
Hasina called upon the young generation to be
self-employed by taking the advantage of the government's
self-employment programes.
Later, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister
Sheikh Rehana joined a Milad Mahfil at the Bangabndhu
Mazar Complex mosque after Jum'a prayers.
Later, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister
Sheikh Rehana joined a Milad Mahfil at the Bangabndhu
Mazar Complex mosque after Jum'a prayers.
This was her first visit here after the execution of the
killers of Bangabandhu.
She offered munajat there and prayed for the eternal peace
of the departed soul of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
and others who were killed on the black day of August 15,
1975.
Thousands
throng Amar Ekushey book fair
BSS, Dhaka
Weekend crowd thronged the Ekushey book fair as the annual
event drew 153 new titles to lead the list of day's
arrival on the fifth day of the month-long event on
Friday.
Sales of books were highest at the first weekend of the
fair after its opening, publishers of different publishing
houses said.
The fair drew huge crowd seen buying books at different
stalls since the morning as the fair opened at 11:00am for
weekly holiday.
The queues tailed back from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy
Commission and Doyel Square to Bangla Academy gates at
3:00pm. The security personnel were in relaxed mood and
visitors were not frisked in the evening. The visitors did
not find any space in the fair venue. At 5 pm, the queue
touched the central mosque gate of Dhaka University and
Mokarram Bhaban.
Sales persons at almost all the stalls were found busy
selling and displaying books from the morning.
Tareq Mahmud and Dulary Mahmud, newly married couple from
Mirpur, were found carrying four packets of books.
'We have come early in the morning to avoid evening rush
and spend sometime on the fair ground after buying books,'
Tareq told BSS.
The fair venue turned into human sea after the evening.
There were hardly any room for the visitors to mover
around the fair ground. Many stalls set up outside the
Bangla Academy premises continued to flout fair rules.
They were selling books that are not published by their
own publishing houses and the books published abroad. A
large number of visitors were found carrying packets of
new books they bought from different stalls of the fair.
Many moved around the fair venue after buying books. At
the Bangla Academy sales centre, demand of dictionary was
high.
Of the 153 new titles on the day, 42 are novels, 18
collections of stories, 32 collections of poems and five
collections of essays.
The Bangla Academy, as part of its regular programmes,
held a discussion on 'The Language Movement.'
Shyampur Sugar Mill closed due to scarcity of
sugarcane
UNB, Rangpur
Shyampur Sugar Mill here was closed ahead of achieving the
crushing target due to inadequate supply of sugarcane.
The mill had set a target to produce 2,225 metric tons of
sugar by crushing 29,500 mts of sugarcane in the current
crushing season. But it could produce 2082.5 metric tons
of sugar in its 33 operation days.
The mill started crushing sugarcane on December 25 in the
current season and was closed on January 27. Mill sources
said the closure of the mill would increase the loss of
the mill as it had previous loss of Tk 116 crore.
Mahbub Rahman, Managing Director of the mill said they
were forced to close the mill due to scarcity of
sugarcane.
The mills offered Tk 66 against per maund sugarcane while
the power crusher Tk 100 for the same quantity.
He blamed the power crushers of the area for preventing
the sugarcane growers from supplying sugarcane to the
mill.
He also alleged that about 200 power crushers remained
active in the mill area who make gur (molasses) by
crushing huge sugarcane everyday.
Meanwhile, the cultivation of sugarcane has significantly
decreased in recent years as the growers are largely
involved in vegetable farming instead of sugarcane
considering its windfall profit with less investment.
Sugarcane growers Momtaz, Salam and Akbar of Shyampur
Gopalpur in Sadar upazila said it generally needs 7 to 8
months from plantation to harvesting of sugarcane.
A source in the mill expressed his apprehension that the
mill would face closure in near future due to scarcity of
sugarcane if initiatives are not taken to encourage the
growers for cultivating sugarcane extensively.
"The mill has a capacity to produce 8,000 metric tons of
sugar worth Tk 36 crore annually on the availability of 1
lakh metric tons of sugarcane" a source in the mill added.
However, the Managing Director said some 6,000 hectares of
land have been brought under sugarcane cultivation in the
current season in the mill area.
He said the sugarcane seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and
loans were supplied to the farmers alongside technical
assistance in time to motivate the growers for cultivation
of sugarcane.
BNP MPs to join parliament for country’s
interest: Dr Mosharraf
TBT Report
BNP standing committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf
Hossain said party's lawmakers have decided to take part
in the parliament session for the greater interest of the
country and nation to raise their voices against
government's misdeeds and anti-nation accords signed with
India.
"The decision to take part in the parliament session has
already been taken. Our lawmakers will return to the
parliament immediately for the greater interest of this
nation and raise voice against the government's misrule
including failure in curbing price hike of daily
commodities, criminal activities and against the
anti-nation accords signed during Prime Minister's India
visit. They will also speak in the House about the
proposed Tipaimukh dam and its adverse impact," he said
after placing wreaths at Shaheed president Ziaur Rahman's
grave in the capital on Friday.
Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the ruling party has
failed in every sector in the country. In order to hide
its misdeeds, it is engaged in hatching conspiracy against
Shaheed president Ziaur Rahman and his family members.
With an aim to divert peoples' concentration, the ruling
party is making motivated comments about the dead body of
Shaheed president Ziaur Rahman. But around 30 lakh people
took part in his namaj-e-janaza held in front of the then
parliament complex. Not only that, the ruling party is
making indecent remarks against party's chairperson Begum
Khaleda Zia.
Replying to a query about the Awami League (AL) general
secretary Seyd Ashraful Islam's remark made on Thursday,
he said the AL general secretary's remark is a violation
of political etiquette as Begum Khaleda Zia is never
communal. His remark is an outcome of heinous politics and
also of inferiority complex. BNP is strongly condemning
such intentional comment.
Replying to an another query, he said formal reaction over
the execution of the long-standing death sentence of
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's killers has been reflected through
the silent role of BNP. In line with the political
strategy, the party did not make any remarks in this
regard formally.
A good number of leaders and activists led by
Jatiya-tabadi Swechchhasebak Dal President Habibun Nabi
Khan Sohel from different parts of the city went to the
grave of Zia on the occasion of forming new north and
south city unit committee of the associate body of the
party. With a fresh vow, the party men took oath there
that they will stand against all sorts of conspiracies
being hatched against the nation as well as the
nationalist forces throughout the country.
JCD
calls strike at DU tomorrow protesting Abu Bakar's death
TBT Report
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal has given a call for observance
of strike at Dhaka University on Sunday in protest against
the death of a resident student named Abu Bakar Siddique
who succumbed to his injuries received during the factioal
clash of Chhatra Legue.
Chhatra Dal general secretary Amirul Islam gave the strike
call from a press conference at the central office of JCD
in Naya Paltan on Friday. The JCD leader demanded
resignation of the vice chancellor and the proctor of DU
for their failure to ensure security of students and stop
violence by BCL.He also demanded adequate compensation for
the family of Abubakar and arrest and punishment of those
responsible for the death of Abu Bakar. to his killers.
JCD also announced a programme to stage protests in all
divisional cities on February 8 in protest against the
ongoing 'anarchy' in the educational institutions by
theBCL.
Abu Bakar, a student of Islamic Culture and History
department was injured on Monday last and he died at DMCH
on February 3.
It may be pointed outed that, Abu Bakar is the forth
victim of politics of violence being followed by
pro-government Chhatra Legaue activits who clash with
ribles both inside and outside the organization.
Back Page
50
killed in two bomb attacks in Pakistan
AP, Karachi, Pakistan
Two bombs targeting Shiite Muslims exploded in Paki-stan's
largest city Friday, one outside a hospital treating
victims from the first blast hours earlier. At least 50
people were killed and more than 100 others wounded.
Police appealed for calm following the strikes in the
chaotic city of 16 million people. Karachi has a history
of religious violence between Shiite and Sunni Muslims,
and has been tense in recent weeks due to deadly clashes
between rival political parties.
In late December, a bomb in the southern port city killed
44 Shiites attending a procession to mark Ashura, the
anniversary of the death of revered Shiite figure Imam
Hussein, sparking deadly riots. Friday's blasts coincided
with Arbaeen, the final day of the annual 40-day mourning
period for Hussein.
One of Pakistan's many al-Qaida linked Sunni extremist
groups will be suspected in the twin attacks.
The first blast targeted a bus carrying worshippers, most
of them women and children, killing 12 and wounding 49,
officials said. The bomb was attached to a motorcycle and
detonated as the bus drove to an Arbaeen procession,
witnesses said. One witness said it may have been a
suicide bombing, but that could not be confirmed.
The second bomb exploded outside the entrance to the
emergency ward at Jinnah Hospital, which was packed with
victims and relatives of those killed and wounded in the
earlier attack. It was either hidden on a motorbike or in
or close to an ambulance, a witness and a government
official said.
Government spokesman Jamil Soomro said 10 people were
killed and several others were wounded.
Shiites were also attacked in Iraq on Friday as they
attended Arbaeen commemorations. A suicide attacker
detonated a car bomb alongside a crowd of Shiite pilgrims
walking to a holy city south of Baghdad, killing at least
27 people and wounding 70. It was the third deadly bombing
this week against Shiites converging on the holy city of
Karbala, where Imam Hussein was killed in battle in 632.
In Karachi, Ashfaq Ali survived the bus attack, but lost
two sons. He sat on the floor near a pool of blood.
"I will keep sitting here because it is my sons' blood,"
he said, half-wailing. "I want the terrorists to kill me
as well." Pakistan's Sunnis and minority Shiites generally
live in peace, but extremists from the two sects have
targeted one another's leaders and worshippers. Al-Qaida
and the Taliban are Sunni extremist groups and also
despise Shiites, believing them to be infidels.
The Pakistani Taliban, whose stronghold is in the
northwestern mountains far from Karachi, have staged a
string of bombings in recent months against government,
security forces and Western targets, but not Shiite ones.
The bombings, which have killed hundreds of people, follow
a major Pakistan army offensive against the militants near
the Afghan border.
President asks
Rotarians to extend humanitarian services
BSS, Dhaka
President Zillur Rahman on Friday called upon the
Rotarians to extend humanitarian services to the remote
corner of the country with a view to building a better
world for the next generation.
"I urge you to work for the greater interest of humanity
from the core of your heart," he said while speaking as
the chief guest at the Rotary International District
Confe-rence 2010 at Banganabdhu International Conference
Centre here.
Lauding the Rotarians for their humanitarian activities
along with their professional works, the President said
the success of rotary movement against curse of polio has
been highly acclaimed all over the world.
"I am happy to note that the Rotarians are regularly
holding free eye camp, cleft lip surgery camp, conducting
illiteracy eradication programme, distributing warm
clothes and relief work after natural calamities," he
said.
Referring to the motto of Rotary International on services
to humanity the President said that he believed that the
Rotarians who are involved in humanitarian work would
remain ever shine in the memory of the people.
President Zillur Rahman also expressed his satisfaction
knowing that more than 4,000 Rotarians are working through
160 clubs across the country.
He hoped that the conference would further strengthen the
bonds among the Rotarians as well as inspire them to
involve in nation building activities.
Rotary International, President Orsecelik Balkan,
Bangladesh District governor AKM Shamsul Huda, past
District Presidents Rafique Ahmed Siddique and Salim Reza
also spoke on the occasion.
In his speech, Balkan referred to the millions of
less-fortunate people around the world and said that the
Rotarians are committed to remove the sufferings of these
people.
Balkan also said the Rotarians are now engaged in removing
the suffering of people caused by global recession.
Referring to Rotarians efforts to make Bangladesh free
from curse of polio, Shamsul Huda said that the Rotary
International has been regularly conducting polio vaccine
programme allover the country.
Conspiracy being
hatched to destroy Islamic ideology: Nizami
UNB, Dhaka
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Maulana Motiur Rahman
Nizami Friday said a deep-rooted conspiracy is being
hatched to destroy Islamic belief and ideology through
scraping the 5th amendment to the constitution.
"The government is trying to ban politics based on Islam
through canceling the 5th amendment to the constitution in
the name of religion-based politics," he said.
He was addressing the inaugural function of National
Conference of District Majlish-e-Shura Members of the
party at the auditorium of Diploma Engineers Institute.
Nizami alleged that a deep-rooted conspiracy is there to
make Bangladesh a dysfunctional state. "The killing of
brilliant army officers through BDR mutiny is an execution
of that conspiracy," Nizami told his audience.
He said the nation has been passing through a critical
time since October 28, 2006 when innocent people were
brutally killed on a city street.
The Jamaat chief urged all who believe in Kalema,
including Ulema, to work together to foil the conspiracy
hatched against the country and Islam.
Senior Jamaat leaders Maulana Abul Kalam Muhammad Yusuf,
Maqbul Ahmad, Prof. AKM Nazir Ahmad, Ali Ahsan Moha-mmad
Mujaheed, Ma-ulana Muhammad Abdus Subhan, Maulana Delwar
Hossain Sayedee, Muha-mmad Qua-mruzzaman and Abdul Quader
Mollah were, among others, present in the conference.
Call for working with
spirit of language movement
BSS, Dhaka
Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni on Friday urged all to work
together again with the spirit of the Language Movement of
1952 to achieve our desired goal.
The Spirit of the Language Movement and Liberation War was
hampered by the evil forces after only three and half
years of achieving independence of Bangl-adesh, she told
the publication ceremony of a book titled 'Rashtrabhasha
And-olan O Dhaka Medical College' at the Jatiya Press Club
here.
State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Capt (retd)
Mojibur Rahman Fakir, Lawmakers Dr MA Mannan, Dr Mostafa
Jalal Mohiuddin, Language Veteran Prof Dr Mustafa Nur-Ul
Islam, Dr Abdul Matin, eminent sculptor Rasha and author
of the book MR Mahbub, among others, addressed the
function with Language Veteran Prof Dr Mirza Mazharul
Islam in the chair.
Describing language movement as a source of inspiration of
liberation war, Dipu Moni said, "The language movement had
inspired the people to continue the struggle of
independence and we got an independent Bangladesh in
1971." Language movement was a non-communal movement as
people of all faiths joined it for upholding the honour of
their mother tongue, she said adding but our non-communal
spirit of language movement hampered as anti-liberation
forces came to power in the country. Now time has come
again to be united against the evil forces, Dipu Moni
said, "The evil forces could not be able to defeat us if
the spirit of 21 February was alive within us."
The foreign minister said, "Language Movement is a
glorious part of our history, but we are not properly
practicing the mother tongue in terms of pronunciation,
spelling and uses of words."
She urged all to practice mother tongue giving full
respect and love to take the country forward. Mojibur
Rahman called upon all to highlight the significance of
mother tongue to the younger generation for creating love
and respect for language.
"We all have to work to establish the spirit of language
movement and war of liberation at all levels of society,"
he added. MA Mannan underscored the need for providing all
types of education through mother tongue for building a
happy and prosperous Bangl-adesh. He said many rich
nations including Japan, Germany and Russia have given
importance to their own languages as medium of education.
Other speakers said people of the country know only few
names of the martyred of the language movement. But many
names of language martyred are still remain unknown to the
people, they added.
‘Bureaucratic
hassles make the aid implementation process lengthy’
UNB, Dhaka
The Bangladesh Devel-opment Forum (BDF) 2010 will be held
here February 15-16 with government officials and
development partners discussing the country's economic
condition, development vision and strategies as well as
how to sustain development gains.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the two-day
event at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre
in the city.
Talking to UNB on Friday, Prime Minister's Economic
Affairs Adviser Dr. Mashiur Rahman said there would be
discussions at the Forum with development partners from
different countries and agencies on government policies.
"Discussions will be held on the present economic
situation of the country including its monetary and fiscal
policy," he added.
The Adviser said that Bangladesh being one of the most
vulnerable countries, the climate change issue would also
be discussed in the Forum considering the global context.
Terming the BDF meeting as an ongoing dialogue, he said
that the Poverty Redu-ction Strategy Paper-II (PRSP-II)
will also be highlighted in the meeting where the
government's theme is 'Steps towards change'.
"Discussions on the strategy paper especially about its
implementation process and the relevant government
policies will also be held."
Meanwhile, former Finance Adviser to the caretaker
government Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam said that the major
development issues should be highlighted in the BDF
meeting. "As no aid commitment is made in the BDF meeting,
there should be policy discussions on sector-based
priorities."
He identified some of the major development issues that
need to be addressed with priority. These are energy and
power, climate change, food security, and infrastructures
like port, roads and railways.
When contacted, former governor of Bangladesh Bank Dr.
Salehuddin Ahmed said the key focus should be given on the
implementation of foreign aid. "Lots of aid commitments
are in the pipeline from the World Bank and Asian
Development Bank (ADB) but the problem is implementation."
He said that the bureaucratic hassles made the
implementation process lengthy. "From the Planning
Commission to other functionaries of the government, it
takes too much time."
Dr Salehuddin opined that emphasis should be given on
infrastructure including raising production of gas and
power. Besides, the manufacturing and agriculture sector
should also be considered.
Editorial
Atrocities of BSF
There
is no end to this story. The atrocities of Indian Border
Security Force (BSF) on the Bangladesh border continues
unabated despite their repeated assurance of maintaining
restrain and obeying international norms. In the latest
incident, BSF showing aggressive posture started unprovoked
fire across the Jaintapur border at 4 pm on Thursday which was
escalated to adjacent Tamabil border and continued till
6-30pm. Earlier in the morning, a group of BSF troops
trespassed more than 50 yards into Bibir Haor in Jaintapur
upazila at 10 am, shot and abducted a wounded BDR personnel.
Nayek Mujibur Rahman of Jaintapur border outpost who was
abducted at gunpoint was returned at a BDR-BSF flag meeting at
about 8pm. Lt Col Zahirul Alam, 21 BDR battalion commander,
told UNB "BSF opened unprovoked fire wounding Nayek Mujibur
Rahman on patrol and abducted him. We wanted to resolve the
matter peacefully in a flag meeting. But BSF in aggressive
posture started firing across the border an hour before the
flag meeting scheduled for 5pm." BDR retaliated and the
exchange of intermittent firing continued till 6-30pm, he
added.
BSF commits such unwarranted activities on the border
frequently. It, rather, seems fond of trespassing inside
Bangladesh and killing innocent Bangladeshis on the border
every now and then. BSF killed yet another Bangladeshi citizen
Nazrul Islam Nazu on border on January 22 last taking the
number of such killings to 92 during the period from January
1, 2009 to January 22, 2010 and to 817 in nine years from
January 2000 to January 2010. The latest incident of killing a
Bangladeshi citizen by BSF took place on Baridaka border in
Meherpur. With this six Bangladeshis were killed by BSF in
first 22 days of 2010 showing that the killing spree of BSF on
Bangladesh border continues unabated despite India's repeated
pledges to stop such killings.
The killings of unarmed Bangladeshis on the border and
trespassing inside Bangladesh by the BSF are continuing in
clear violation of the spirit of good neighborliness as well
as international law and despite repeated pledges by the
Indian authorities to stop it. In every meeting between BSF
and BDR and also between the higher level officials of the two
countries, the Indian side assures that killing of
Bangladeshis by its forces on the border would come to an end
immediately. But this pledge is seldom implemented.
What the BSF is doing for years are against international
norms and rules and hence are unfortunate and unwarranted.
India must be true to its words and the killings of
Bangladeshis and trespassing inside Bangladesh by BSF must be
stopped forthwith. The people had expected that the issue
would be discussed at the highest level by Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina during her visit to India. But there is no
report that any thing fruitful has taken place in this regard.
Maybe India has been exploiting the negligence of Bangladesh
government in dealing with this issue strongly.
With the rest of the nation we are profoundly shocked and
aggrieved at the BSF atrocities and we find no words strong
enough to condemn these. Although India speaks loudly of
friendly relations with its neighbors, it acts with a tendency
of hegemony. We strongly protest and condemn the atrocities of
BSF on Bangladesh border. We urge the Indian government to
behave properly if it really wants good relations with
neighbors. We like to remind India that the BSF atrocities
perpetrated on Bangladeshis is unbecoming of a democratic
country like India and are destined to damage the relations
between the two neighbours seriously. Alongside, we urge our
own government to take up the issue with the Indian government
with right earnest immediately.
Waste dumping in
rivers
Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina Thursday vented serious discontent as
dropping of industrial and domestic wastes into the rivers in
and around the capital still continued while the government is
cleaning up riverbed of the Buriganga and the Turag. She
directed the authorities concerned to do whatever is necessary
to stop the unabated waste dumping in the rivers. "Huge money
is being spent on the cleaning of the riverbeds. If the
dumping of wastes continues at the same time, all attempts to
protect the rivers will go in vain. Such activities must be
stopped," the Prime Minister said. The premier also urged the
owners of mills and factories as well as the city-dwellers to
be caring to the rivers, canals and other water bodies in the
city to protect the environment.
The much needed order of the Prime Minister for stopping waste
dumping in the rivers around Dhaka city has come at a proper
time. Because, if the dropping of wastes in the rivers is not
stopped the cleaning of the riverbed at a huge cost will turn
into a futile exercise. To stop pollution of river water and
protect environment the dumping of industrial and domestic
wastes in the rivers must be stopped. It is due to the
indiscriminate dumping of wastes in the Buriganga, the Turag,
the Shitalkhya and the Balu that these rivers are drying up
and dying. So, in order to save these rivers from death,
dumping of wastes must be stopped.
Against this backdrop, it is now the turn of the authorities
concerned to implement the order of the Prime Minister to stop
dumping of wastes in the rivers and protect the environment.
It is useless to clean riverbed while dumping of wastes there
is still going on. So, it is the time of the administration to
act.
Analysis
The London non-conference
Mr Gilani had rejected Karzai's offer for
mediation on the grounds that "Pakistan does not believe in
meddling in the affairs of other countries."
Zafar Hilaly
America
entered Afghanistan eight years ago to drive out the Taliban.
Last week in London the Taliban were being invited, actually
importuned, to return and share power. And, what is more,
offered $1.5 billion over a five-year period to inveigle them
to do so. Nations are entitled to change their minds, but when
they adjust their principles some explanation is necessary.
There was none in London.
Likewise, eight years ago we were regaled with grainy
newsreels of executions of adulterous women by the Taliban in
Kabul. Those who wished could also view amputations
interspersed with stomach churning accounts and photographs of
Taliban beatings and beheadings. Indeed, such was the
revulsion generated by the constant projection of these events
that even if the Taliban had not suckled Al Qaeda the American
invasion seemed justified. Hence, NATO and America were
fighting a "just" war and only the most unfeeling could
withhold support.
But in London last week, there was hardly a reference in the
speeches of Western leaders to the barbaric practices
associated with Taliban rule. Nay, these devilish
practitioners of perverted Islam were being invited to
"reintegrate," "reconcile" and break bread with the rest of
civilised society. It was a volte face that left many
speechless.
It amounted to the second kind of hypocrisy, the kind that
some practice but do not preach, as opposed to the usual
variety, which is what some preach but do not practice.
Only last March Obama spoke of an "uncompromising core of the
Taliban which must be defeated." But in London there was no
such talk, only an unspoken admission, in the words of one
observer, that "the Afghan jihadist movement -- in one form or
another - will be part of the government in Kabul." A good
example of a truth that was once in favour now being out of
favour, which is how Washington defines a complete somersault
in policy.
Similarly, it was not long ago that Mr Karzai had scarcely a
good word for Pakistan. Just about every major act of terror
in Afghanistan was traced back to Pakistan and the ISI. Only
the drought in Afghanistan was not our fault. But what did we
hear from Karzai in London?
The politest of references to Pakistan, and in a mien that was
oh-so-gentle and pleasing. And which included an invitation,
"particularly (to) Pakistan," to help in the "process of peace
and reconciliation." A reversal of policy achieved without the
slightest inconvenience.
Of course, American officials pretended that they had no idea
that Karzai would be making such offers. "We did not know he
was going to do it," said one. "We are not here to discuss
reconciliation." He added: "We are (nevertheless) very happy
about 'reintegration.' " And to prove his point he alluded to
the fact that "reconciliation" was not mentioned in the final
communiqué.
Considering that Karzai does not stir without a phalanx of
American minders, and was selected and taught only to think
America's thoughts, the explanation stretched credulity. It
also suggested defiance, a quality not usually associated with
stooges like Karzai.
According to a prestigious US publication the outcome of the
London Conference was "the beginning of the end of the war in
Afghanistan." Perhaps that's an exaggeration, because there is
much ground to traverse, in the form of fighting and also
difficult negotiations. However, the London meeting did mark a
watershed in the war in Afghanistan -- America wants out.
American presidents are ever fearful of doing the sensible
thing. The domestic political consequences can be devastating.
But Obama has wisely chosen to bite the bullet on Afghanistan
because, to quote one of his heroes, Martin Luther King,
"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance
and conscientious stupidity." Both of which were on display in
generous measure in the manner that George W Bush conducted
policy. No one told Bush that greatness lies not in being
strong but in the right use of strength.
Of course, it is far too early to write "finis" to a war that
will continue and perhaps intensify as the "surge" gets
underway. And by refusing to engage with Karzai the Taliban
have ensured that it will be prolonged; so too the Americans
by omitting to set a date for their departure. Moreover, an Al
Qaeda attack on America, if the attack is traced back to
Afghanistan, will complicate the situation and the American
occupation may get a second wind.
However, Al Qaeda is greatly weakened in Afghanistan. Their
leaders are barely operational. An attack on America,
therefore, is more likely to be the handiwork of other Al
Qaeda platforms, for example, in Yemen, Somalia and Europe.
For Pakistan the days ahead are replete with danger, but also
opportunity. The danger springs less from the situation we
confront and more from our inner workings, that is, from our
meddlesome nature; our yearning to have, if not control of
Afghanistan then a decisive say in Afghan attachments; our
penchant for one-upmanship and for outwitting other players in
Afghanistan.
Already retired soldiers are rubbing their hands with glee at
the prospect of Pakistan once again acting as a mentor of the
Afghan Taliban and becoming a major player on the Afghan
scene, even a game changer. Refusing to accept that they
cannot play the role of an arbiter between different groups or
opinions in Afghanistan they, nevertheless, relish the
opportunity of showing off their absent diplomatic skills.
Their pretext is as always "securing our national interests,"
their reasons are very different and more sordid.
The fact is that Afghanistan is another country; its people
belong to a different society with mores and customs similar
but, in many important ways, very different to ours. Islam is
less of a binding force between Pakistan and Afghanistan than
many concede. In fact, the Islam of the Taliban and that of
Pakistan cleave us apart rather than bring us together.
Besides, few who have delved in the melange of nationalities
and tribes that comprise Afghanistan and all that divides them
emerged well off for their efforts.
Our interference in the past earned us nothing but the
unremitting hostility of the Tajik dominated Northern
Alliance, a proxy war with Iran, the distrust of the Central
Asian Republics and Russia and, eventually, the re-emergence
of Indian influence at the initiative of those who had
resented our interference and the support we extended to their
opponents.
On the other hand, acting as a facilitator, providing help and
logistical support as needed -- or counsel, if and when
requested -- and showing impartiality when it comes to dealing
with the Afghan protagonists, is a better course. But offering
our good offices before the Afghan Taliban have agreed to
engage in negotiations is clearly out of the question. It was,
therefore, gratifying to learn that Mr Gilani had rejected
Karzai's offer for mediation on the grounds that "Pakistan
does not believe in meddling in the affairs of other
countries."
The success of the army in warding off the extremists will be
of no avail if it is not accompanied by a jointly agreed
civil-military strategy to engage with the TTP. It should be
one that knows the limitations of force, because "one must
know when to blend force with a manoeuvre, a blow with an
agreement." Winning the peace is more important than winning
the war.
The writer is a former ambassador of Pakistan. Email:
charles123it@hotmail.com
Obama’s
Halfway House
Anger accumulated, frustrations and debt grew. America's
20th-century role is unravelling, albeit slowly, but its
21st-century role is not yet born.
Roger Cohen
I
had very high hopes for Barack Obama. I still do. He's
smart, curious, informed - and he has a sense of humour,
if only he'd display it more. But he inherited a nation in
a funk and, one year into his presidency, he's not found a
way to lift the mood. Americans feel mired.
At a fundamental level, that funk is about a power shift.
The United States is not what it was. It got attacked and
the response has proved draining in blood and treasure.
Anger accumulated, frustrations and debt grew. America's
20th-century role is unravelling, albeit slowly, but its
21st-century role is not yet born.
Like it or not, we are witnessing the relative decline of
the West. It's going to be a long, slow movie but I don't
think the plot is going to reverse itself.
This transition prompts a couple of reactions. One is "To
heck with the world." Many Republicans (and Sarah Palin
comes to mind) are in this my-way-or-the-highway place.
The other is: Let's adjust to the new reality through
outreach and a new modesty. Obama is somewhere in that
zone.The thing is the president needs some results. I see
him caught in a kind of halfway house. His gut tells him
the world has changed and demands new policies but
Washington politics keep him stuck in the conventional.
His first year on the world stage has offered innovative
speeches but largely unoriginal policy. I suspect he's not
yet confident enough to have the courage of his
convictions. Or perhaps he just needs more grown-ups in
the White House. The transition from a very successful
campaign to power is still a work in progress. If I get
another mass e-mailing from the White House about what
Obama's "movement" needs next, the response will be ugly.
That's not how you govern.
The issue is change. Obama has spoken of "a new
foundation." It's needed within and without, where the
vital centres of growth have shifted to China, India,
Brazil. But change is not about speeches. It's about
conviction and courage. I don't see it happening for the
moment - not with respect to Beijing, or Teheran, or
Jerusalem, or Havana, or ... Well, the list could go on.
In the 1950s, as he watched his country getting embroiled
in the conflict that would become the Vietnam War, a U.S.
official observed: "Whether the French like it or not,
independence is coming to Indochina. Why therefore do we
tie ourselves to the tail of ?their battered kite?"
Obama is still hitched to too many battered kites.
There was the $6 billion-plus arms sale to Taiwan, which
predictably enraged Beijing. No re-imagined relationship
with China is going to emerge as long as Beijing views
Washington as meddling with its core strategic interests
in this way. How Obama thinks he can double US exports by
2015 while provoking China is a mystery. How he expects
any meaningful cooperation on Iran is equally hard to
fathom.
When I was in China last month, I asked the Foreign
Ministry about Iran policy. I got a pretty clear written
response: "We think sanctions would not fundamentally
solve the problem. There are still diplomatic means that
we can try regarding the nuclear issue."
The Foreign Ministry told me China stood strongly behind
nonproliferation but called for patience in "resolving the
Iranian nuclear issue in a comprehensive and peaceful
way." That's a very considerable distance from Obama's
tone in his State of the Union address, where he lumped
Iran with North Korea (being so utterly different, they
should not be paired) and warned Iranian leaders that they
"will face growing consequences. That is a promise."
What did I say about a halfway house? Obama wants a new
relationship with China but he's stuck with the 1979
Taiwan Relations Act. He seeks a new relationship with
Teheran but is relapsing into the old, sterile
sanctions-threatening pattern at a moment of great
political fluidity in Iran when American sabre-rattling is
counterproductive. It is outreach that has unnerved the
Iranian regime; threats serve the hard-liners. I'm with
Chinese patience for now.
In the Middle East, where he wants to redefine America's
relationship with the Muslim world, and advance peace
between Israel and Palestine, Obama finds himself
listening to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's
recent vows to keep some settlements in the West Bank "for
eternity." He has been unable to change the dynamic of
ever widening estrangement between Israelis and
Palestinians. I've seen no big new ideas, just a cool
acquiescence to the Netanyahu's "nyets" that help make
"two-state solution" one of the weariest phrases on the
planet.
The only area where Obama's actions have been more
eloquent than words is in the elimination last year of Al
Qaeda fighters - "far more than in 2008," the president
said. This is a new but so far undeclared Obama doctrine:
large-scale targeted killings. It's cheaper and more
effective than ground invasions but raises issues that
can't be passed over in silence.
New foundations are needed. But they can't be built in
halfway houses.
Roger Cohen is Editor at Large of the International
Herald Tribune.
Viewpoints
For a Secure Middle East
Al Qaeda is
an unacceptable, criminal organisation that should be
combated. But the situation in Yemen is more complex than just
the Al Qaeda dimension.
Amr Moussa
In
my opinion a secure Middle East requires full appreciation of
the past, a full understanding of the present and a vision for
the future.
It is a vision of a Middle East that links up with the world
as a stakeholder in the establishment of global peace,
security and prosperity - not as a battlefield or a playground
in which conflicting international and regional interests
confront each other and consequently produce an environment
conducive to tension, violence and terrorism.
Today there is a trend in the international politics of the
Middle East to regard crisis management as a goal in itself
rather than a means of making the region a stakeholder. This
is especially evident in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Currently,
efforts are under way to bring the two parties to the table
"without conditions," without a deadline or threats to impose
sanctions. But this situation has occurred repeatedly in the
past, resulting in major losses for the Arab side as the
Israelis manipulated the endless negotiations while altering
the demographic composition and geographical character of the
occupied Arab territories. Therefore, "crisis management" - at
least as it prevails today in the Middle East - has acquired a
negative connotation.
This is exacerbated by the lack of depth and objectivity in
the calls for reforms in the Middle East, particularly in the
Arab World. The Palestinian decision to conduct elections in
2006 was greeted by fanfare everywhere. When the election
results were not to the liking of those who were preaching
democracy, they decided not to recognize them. Some even went
further, calling for rescinding aid to the Palestinians. This
episode has only served to undermine the calls for democratic
reforms across the region.
Moreover, there is an explicit double standard in dealing with
other serious problems. The most glaring is the Iranian
nuclear programme.
We all agree that the Middle East should not tolerate any
nuclear military programme. The Arab countries are
uncomfortable with any such programmes, including the reported
Iranian activities. But to ask the Arab states to take a
collective tough stance against Iran requires tackling the
issue of the Israeli nuclear programme as well. Western
countries have to clarify their position on the Israeli
nuclear situation if they want their policies on nuclear
nonproliferation to gain credibility in the region.
Selective policies have become a pattern in dealing with
security issues in the Middle East. One glaring example is
Yemen, which has been plagued with a menacing civil war
poverty and other problems common to the world's
least-developed countries. Very early on, the Arab League
called for a national reconciliation process, but we were not
supported by any foreign power. It was not the actual
situation in Yemen but the war with Al Qaeda that finally
provoked the international community to act.
Al Qaeda is an unacceptable, criminal organisation that should
be combated. But the situation in Yemen is more complex than
just the Al Qaeda dimension. Until the real causes of the
multifaceted crises in the Middle East are recognised,
international policies in the region will not gain
credibility.
Western policies are based only on how to deal with the
violent trends in Muslim society. If we really want to be
effective in containing and combating such trends, we must
also emphasise efforts to advance economic and social progress
in the Middle East. I urge Western governments, public-opinion
makers, NGOs and development institutes to follow closely the
new emphasis put by the Arab League on issues of development
in the Arab World with a view to launching a "partnership in
development."
We need a cooperation partnership, not policies of
hit-and-run, propose-and-forget, divide-and-rule.
The Arab world today is in a high state of frustration. Yet we
have decided to move on. Here is what the future requires:
A developed Arab world. The money is available. Intra-Arab
investment, trade, tourism, a labour movement, transportation
and communications are progressing, though not at the speed we
would like to see. Electricity grids have begun to link
several Arab countries. Gas grids are under construction. We
are building links with Turkey, Italy and Spain. We are
working toward an Arab customs union by 2015.
A regional cooperative security structure. We must build a
region free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass
destruction, and free of foreign occupation. The Arab League
is considering the establishment of an Arab peacekeeping force
to regain regional ownership of the resolution of its
conflicts.
A developed regional system. We should reinvigorate the Arab
League as a full-fledged regional organisation after the model
of the European Union.
I would also like to emphasise the principles embodied in the
Arab Peace Initiative. The Arab-Israeli conflict needs to be
resolved through the establishment of a viable Palestinian
state in the West Bank and Gaza strip with East Jerusalem as
its capital. If such scenarios as expressed by the United
Nations, the United States, the European Union and the Arab
world are accomplished, a new Middle East will emerge,
bringing a new era of peace and stability.
Amr Moussa is Secretary General of the Arab League. This
article is adapted from his address at a forum held by the
Académie Diplomatique Internationale and the International
Herald Tribune.
Blair’s
obfuscation on Iraq war
Such is the
man. And such was his unnecessary, immoral and illegal
war. To demand that he be tried for crimes against
humanity is assuredly right.
Jonathan Power
Britain's
official public enquiry into why the UK joined the US in
going to war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq grinds on with
the interrogation last week of the former prime minister,
Tony Blair. But whether it grinds small enough is the
question.
Last week, sporting his usual sharp advocate's brain and
bottomless charm, Blair seemed to walk out of the
hearing's doors with his head held high. He conceded very
little to his critics.
Yes, he did more or less admit that he'd given the then-US
president, George Bush, a blank check to invade Iraq, long
before the US set about trying to convince the world with
"irrefutable evidence" that Iraq did have weapons of mass
destruction (including a nuclear weapon). But all British
prime ministers as long as one can remember have done
such. Total support of America in matters of national
security is considered to be a fundamental and immoveable
pillar of British foreign policy.
Yes, Blair did shift his ground in saying, contrary to a
previous TV interview, that he would not have thought it
right to remove Saddam even had he known there were no
weapons of mass destruction (WMD) inside Iraq. However, he
did reiterate what he has said many times that the
terrorist attack of September 11 on New York "changed
dramatically" the US and UK view of Saddam. But now as
then there was no attempt to argue, much less offer any
proof, that there was a link between Saddam and Osama Ben
Laden. It was simply stated. The lie was simply left to
hang in the air. Blair's argument about September 11 is
totally specious.
The big question remains so far unanswered, although one
hopes that with future interviewing of senior diplomats
and law officers, a number of whom have already publicly
refuted the need for the war, clarification will be
forthcoming. Did Blair lie over the reason for going to
war with Iraq - the supposed stockpile of WMD that Iraq
possessed?
It depends how you define lie. If you define lie as saying
this cat is black when in fact it's white, he didn't on
the big issues. But what he did do was to give the
impression the cat was assuredly white when in fact it was
a sort of greyish black.
His intelligence services did seem to have some of the
goods on Saddam's WMD, even though later, weeks before the
US and the UK went to war, Hans Blix, the chief UN weapon
inspector, concluded that Western intelligence services
were probably wrong. In one memorable statement Blix said
that just because a man hangs out on his gate a sign that
says, "Beware of the dog", it doesn't mean he has a dog.
But as previous independent reports made by a
distinguished judge and former high civil servant have
made clear, the caveats were left out in Blair's public
announcements and the presentation was polished to the
point of serious distortion. We in the public didn't have
the pre-polished version, but Blair did and he must have
known in his mind, if not his heart, he was taking a
gamble with the evidence. That he wasn't prepared to
persuade Bush to wait a few more weeks, until the evidence
that Blix was in the midst of collecting on the ground
inside Iraq was available, was totally irresponsible.
Sanctions had Saddam boxed in. He was able to harm no one
outside his country. The earlier UN policing, following
the 1991 war, had led to ridding Iraq of all the potential
WMD. The war itself had effectively wiped out his air
force and navy and broken the back of his army.
Yet on this the word "lie" cannot quite be used, although
the opposition conservatives earlier termed it so. But in
a related matter it can. It concerns the controversy over
the naming of the Ministry of Defence's weapons' expert,
David Kelly, who shortly after he was ousted in the press
as the source of reports claiming the government's public
dossier on Iraq's weapons had been "sexed up", committed
suicide.
Although an inquiry exonerated Blair of any blame for
precipitating the suicide, a BBC interview caught Blair
out lying in a way we could all understand. He told the
interviewer: "I don't believe we had any option, however,
but to disclose his name [to the press]."
Until that interview, Blair had always maintained that it
was "completely untrue" that the government had done this.
Such is the man. And such was his unnecessary, immoral and
illegal war. To demand that he be tried for crimes against
humanity is assuredly right.
Jonathan Power is a foreign affairs commentator and
analyst based in London Courtesy : www.arabnews.com
What Americans Really Think About
Muslims
Change will depend in large part on how Americans think,
and it is therefore crucial to understand American
perceptions of Muslims and Islam.
Dalia Mogahed
The
American people and their openness to Muslim communities
will in many ways determine the success of US President
Barack Obama's global engagement initiative, which he
launched on his inauguration day a year ago by calling for
a "new way forward" with Muslims. Change will depend in
large part on how Americans think, and it is therefore
crucial to understand American perceptions of Muslims and
Islam.
How much do Americans know about Islam and Muslims? What
characteristics define Muslims in most Americans' minds?
And, perhaps most importantly, what factors make prejudice
or tolerance more likely?
A new study released last week by the Gallup Center for
Muslim Studies sheds light on these questions and many
more. The following is what we discovered when we
interviewed a thousand representative Americans on their
perceptions of several faith communities, with in-depth
analysis of their perceptions of Muslims and Islam.
Americans are more likely to admit harbouring prejudice
toward Muslims than any other faith community that Gallup
studied. Forty-three per cent of Americans admit to having
at least some prejudice toward Muslims. This is more than
twice the number that expresses some prejudice toward
Jews, Buddhists or Christians.
We also discovered that being prejudiced toward Jews makes
a person more likely to express prejudice toward Muslims
than any other factor studied. Of all the variables we
looked at, from age to education to perceptions, the
factor that was most strongly associated with anti-Muslim
prejudice is not level of education, whether or not one
knows a Muslim, or even one's opinion of Islam, it is
anti-Jewish prejudice. These results suggest that
anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim sentiment are related
phenomena, and that organisations fighting these social
ills must work more closely together since they appear to
be fighting for a common goal.
Frequent religious service attendance makes Americans half
as likely to express extreme prejudice toward Muslims. For
example, frequent church attendance makes someone less,
not more likely to express prejudice toward Muslims. The
survey also revealed that prejudice, or the lack thereof,
is more strongly associated with one's opinion of Islam
than with whether or not someone personally knows a
Muslim. If someone does not know a Muslim personally, it
does make him or her more likely to express extreme
prejudice toward the group. But, perhaps surprisingly,
knowing a Muslim does not increase the likelihood of a
person expressing no prejudice. What these results suggest
is that knowing a Muslim may help soften extreme
prejudice, but it is not enough to eliminate it.
Our survey results also tell us that American perceptions
of what Muslims think are sometimes significantly
different from what Muslims really do think. Roughly eight
in ten Americans (81 per cent) believe that most Muslims
do not value gender equality. However, according to Gallup
research in Muslim-majority societies around the world,
the majority of Muslims, including 85 per cent of Saudi
Arabians and 89 per cent of Iranians, do believe that men
and women should have equal legal rights. Despite what may
seem like negative results, the polls indicate that
Americans' views of Muslims and Islam have generally
improved over the past two years. Moreover, roughly seven
out of ten Americans also say that greater interaction
between the West and Muslim communities is more of a
benefit than a threat. The majority of Egyptians, Saudis
and Indonesians share this view. In fact, overall, Muslim
approval of the United States and its leadership is on the
rise.
Ultimately, this study demonstrates that perceptions are
not permanent, which is promising. But the public needs to
be educated about Muslim beliefs. For example, Americans
who believe that most Muslims support equal rights between
men and women are twice as likely to express no prejudice
toward them, indicating that we require a greater
awareness of the fact that most Muslims worldwide support
gender equality. We also know from the results of the
study that prejudice is not isolated to one group,
creating an opportunity for greater interfaith partnership
to help address this issue.
The majority of both Americans and the world's Muslims
want engagement over isolation, a process that starts at
home - through greater understanding of our own
perceptions.
Dalia Mogahed is Executive Director of the Gallup
Center for Muslim Studies and co-author with John Esposito
of Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really
Think (Gallup 2008). She also serves on the US President's
Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood
Partnerships. Distributed by the Common Ground News
Service
International
Meaningful
dialogue to resolve Kashmir dispute: Gilani
APP, Islamabad
Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Friday said
meaningful dialogue is a necessity to resolve the Kashmir
dispute in accordance with UN resolutions. The Prime
Minister was speaking at a Kashmir Convention here in
connection with Kashmir Solidary Day at Pakistan National
Council of the Arts."Pakistan has always emphasized the
necessity of a meaningful dialogue to resolve the Kashmir
dispute," he said adding Pakistan believes that the
Kashmir issue should be resolved in accordance with
relevant UN Resolutions.
He expressed the government's resolve to continue
extending moral and political support to the people of
Kashmir in their just struggle.
He reminded that Kashmir dispute is the root cause of
tension in South Asia.
He said the government and people of Pakistan are in
complete solidarity with their Kashmiri brethren.
"We shall always stand with our Kashmiri brothers and
sisters for the realization of their fundamental and
inalienable rights. Together we shall succeed."
Gilani said for more than 60 years, the people of Kashmir
have been waging a valiant struggle for realization of
their inalienable right to self-determination.
Their right has been recognized by the international
community. It stems from international law and has been
legitimized by resolutions of the United Nations, he
added.
"The people of Kashmir were among the first to be promised
their right to self-determination by the UN. Yet, Kashmir
remains an unfinished agenda," he recalled and regretted
that unfulfilled promises over the years have taken a
heavy toll of the Kashmiri people.
"They have faced oppression and blatant abuse of human
rights. The list of their martyrs continues to grow.
Despite all odds, the Kashmiri people have steadfastly
continued their struggle for achieving their legitimate
rights," he added.
He lauded the resolve, determination and faith of the
Kashmiris and said violence in Indian-occupied Kashmir
emanates from the massive human rights violations
perpetrated by Indian occupation forces acting with
impunity. These violations have been well documented by
international human rights organization.
India, Pakistan may lay out
talks agenda on Monday
Dawn Online, New Delhi
Indian and Pakistani officials are likely to meet on
Monday to decide the agenda of bilateral talks proposed by
India after a two-year interval following the attacks in
Mumbai.
New Delhi blamed the November 2008 assault, which killed
166 people, on Pakistan-based militants and broke off
peace talks until Islamabad acted against the planners of
the strike.
But India has come under international pressure in recent
months to re-engage Pakistan and help the West stabilise
Afghanistan, where the two countries are involved in a
proxy battle for influence.
New Delhi's offer of talks comes after global powers
endorsed in London last week an Afghan plan to seek
reconciliation with the Taliban, a process in which
Pakistan is expected to play a key role.
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao will meet Pakistan's
High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik to agree on "where
to talk, when to talk and what to talk", a foreign
ministry official said.
India has offered "open-ended talks on all outstanding
issues affecting peace and security", emphasising
counter-terrorism. Pakistan has called for resumption of
the broader peace process called the "Composite Dialogue"
on a range of issues, including the disputed Kashmir
region.
The two sides have in the past argued over the agenda of
talks, with Pakistan insisting that Kashmir top the
discussions, while India sought a broader dialogue to
cover all outstanding issues that have marred ties for
more than 60 years.
Taliban reject ‘deal’ with
Afghanistan, West
Reuters, Kabul
The Taliban have said they will not enter into any "deal"
with the Afghan government or the West to bring peace to
Afghanistan, and their fighters will continue to die to
achieve a victory they say is around the corner.
At a conference in London last month, Afghan President
Hamid Karzai invited the Taliban to a peace council and
set out plans to lure fighters down from the hills in
return for cash and jobs.
But in a statement posted on the Islamists' website (alemarah.info/english)
on Thursday, the Taliban vowed to "collude" with no one.
The statement made no specific reference to Karzai's
proposed talks. The Taliban had initially told Reuters
they would decide "soon" on whether to take part in talks.
The Islamists have repeatedly rejected previous offers of
talks before all foreign troops are withdrawn.
"During the past eight years, the Islamic Emirate has not
shown any willingness to reach collusion with any party as
regards the Jihad, the country and the people, national
and Islamic interest," the Taliban said.
"Now, it is not ready to have any illegitimate, valueless
deal about the victory, which is near at hand."
The statement was entitled "The impracticable decision of
the London conference" and addressed to the meeting's
"conveners and donors."
Indian forces seal-off
Srinagar ahead of protests
AFP, Srinagar
Indian troops sealed off neighbourhoods in
Indian-administered Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar on
Friday and arrested dozens of activists to block planned
protests over the death of a Muslim boy.
The 14-year-old child was struck by a teargas shell fired
by police on Sunday during a separatist demonstration. His
death has sparked days of angry protests against Indian
rule over the region.
About 150 protesters and policemen have been injured in
clashes.
The lockdown by thousands of Indian troops was enforced
for a second day in most parts of Srinagar where
demonstrations have evolved into a wider anti-India
agitation, reminiscent of huge street protests of 2008.
"Troops have asked us not to venture out as a curfew is in
force," resident Abdul Gani told AFP.
Police denied imposing a curfew.
"We are only enforcing strict restrictions on civilian
movement in order to maintain law and order," police
officer Pervez Ahmed said.
Police and paramilitary forces have carried out raids
across Srinagar and arrested over 75 people who
participated in protests, a police officer said, adding
more arrests were in the offing.
Senior separatist leaders were either jailed or confined
to their homes, as shops, businesses and most government
offices in Srinagar were closed and public transport
stayed off the roads for a fifth day.
Kashmiri separatists have been holding regular rallies,
which often turn violent, since 2008. More than 60
protesters have died in the protests since then, most of
them as a result of police firing.
Sri Lanka launches
offensive against army deserters
AFP, Colombo
Sri Lankan police and troops began a crackdown Friday
against thousands of military deserters after a large
number failed to heed a surrender call, military officials
said.
Some 1,400 soldiers who were absent without leave turned
up at military camps Thursday to take advantage of an
amnesty declared to coincide with Sri Lanka's national
holiday marking the island's 1948 independence.
But thousands more were still listed as deserters, a
military official said.
"From today (Friday), the army and the police will step up
search operations to arrest deserters," the official, who
declined to be named, said.
Military spokesman Udaya Nanay-akkara confirmed that 1,422
troops who were listed as deserters surrendered Thursday
but added others were yet to respond.
In a bid to clean up its rolls, Sri Lanka's military
formally discharged last October nearly 25,000 army, navy
and airforce personnel who deserted at the height of
fighting with Tamil rebels.
But since then more troops have left the security forces
without permission.
The clean-up of the military rolls came after government
forces defeated the Tamil Tiger separatists in May 2009
following decades of bloody ethnic conflict.
Even though fighting has ended, the military still wants
to recruit new troops to fill vacancies in the
200,000-strong army and deploy them in areas of the north
and east captured from the Tamil rebels.
Navies of 13 countries in
joint exercise off Andaman islands
Internet
The navies of 13 Asia-Pacific countries gathered off
India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands Friday for a regional
exercise in coordinated disaster response, news reports
said. Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, India, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines,
Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam are to
participate in the manoeuvres, IANS news agency reported
from Andaman capital Port Blair.
"It is more of a coming together not as security bloc but
a forum where we can bring security forces together and
fight natural and man-made disasters," Admiral Nirmal
Verma, the head of the Indian navy, told reporters.
Verma said the Indian Navy's initiative to bring together
different countries was not an attempt to create hegemony
in the region.
The Indian Navy was monitoring the increased activities of
countries in the Indian Ocean region, he said, but stopped
short of mentioning China or North Korea by name. Neither
country was scheduled to participate in the joint
exercise.
"We take into account what is happening in our region. We
are certainly building conventional capability to counter
it. But multilateral exercises like this are more of a
coming together in terms of disaster relief," Verma said.
The biennial naval exercise was first held in 1995 between
four countries. "The increased participation shows the
tremendous credibility and standing the exercise has come
to command," Verma said.
"No country will be able to deal with humanitarian crisis
single-handedly, especially in the initial stages."Nine
countries contributed ships to the exercise, with the
others sending personnel.
Indonesia’s controversial
Obama statue to be moved
AP, Jakarta, Indonesia
A statue of a young President Barack Obama that drew a
public backlash after it was given a prominent position in
a Jakarta park will be moved to the elementary school he
attended while living in the Indonesian capital, officials
said Friday.
The decision by Jakarta's government to move the 43-inch
(110-centimeter) statue of a 10-year-old Obama holding a
butterfly comes as the president prepares for his March
visit to Indonesia, where he lived for several years as a
child.
Despite his widespread popularity among Indonesians, the
statue drew criticism after it was placed in a park in
December, with protesters arguing Obama is not a national
hero. More than 56,000 Facebook members joined the
Indonesian-language Facebook group "Take Down the Barack
Obama Statue in Taman Menteng Park."
On Friday, Jakarta Gov. Fauzi Bowo was quoted by the
Detik.com news Web site as saying he "agreed with the
suggestions" of those who wanted the statue moved from
such a public area.
Nur Rochman, a city government spokesman, confirmed
officials had ordered the relocation of the statue, and
hoped to have it installed at the school before Obama's
arrival. "I think that is the most appropriate place for
his statue," he said.
Heru Nugroho, founder of the Facebook campaign to remove
the statue from the park, praised the decision.
"It's good - a little too late," he said. "But I
appreciate it."
Nugroho said he doesn't hate Obama or the United States,
but believes statues in Indonesia should be reserved for
those who have made significant contributions to the
country. "Obama is a very good man, he's a good dreamer,"
Nugroho said. "But he has no contribution for Indonesia."
Iran
attends Munich meeting, new focus on atomic row
Reuters, Berlin
Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki attends
Germany's Munich Security Conference which starts on
Friday, the organisers said, putting the Islamic
Republic's disputed nuclear programme centre stage.
At the three-day annual event, top world politicians and
diplomats will discuss security issues in the Middle East
and elsewhere in a series of speeches and panel
discussions, and some will hold informal talks with each
other.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will give the opening
speech on Friday afternoon. A permanent member of the U.N.
Security Council, China is a major player in the dispute
with Iran over its nuclear activities.
A conference spokeswoman said it had been confirmed that
Mottaki would take part but she gave no details of when he
might speak. An earlier programme had not mentioned
Mottaki.
Senior Iranian officials have attended the conference in
the past and sometimes held bilateral meetings with
European officials.
A spokesman for Germany's foreign office said he could not
exclude the possibility that Mottaki would meet Foreign
Minister Guido Westerwelle or other senior officials, but
that there had been no decision yet.
Iran is facing a possible fourth round of U.N. Security
Council sanctions over its uranium enrichment work which
Western nations believe is designed to develop a nuclear
bomb.
Tehran denies this and says its atomic programme is only
for civilian purposes.
Westerwelle said on Friday Iran had been using delaying
tactics instead of taking action to resolve the dispute
over its nuclear programme.
Dubai to seek Israel PM
arrest if Mossad behind Hamas death
AFP, Dubai
Dubai will issue an arrest warrant for Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu if Israel is found to be implicated in
the murder of a top militant Palestinian in the emirate,
The National newspaper reported on Friday.
Dubai police chief Dhahi Khalfan has said that Israel's
spy agency Mossad could have been behind the January 20
killing of Mahmud al-Mabhuh, a founder of the military
wing of the Palestinian movement Hamas, in a luxury hotel
room.
Netanyahu "will be the first to be wanted for justice as
he would have been the one who sig-ned the decision to
kill al-Mabhuh in Dubai," The National quoted Khalfan as
saying.
"We will issue an arrest warrant against him," said the
English-language newspaper published in Abu Dhabi.
It quoted Khalfan as saying Mabhuh was killed using a "Mossad
method," but did not elaborate.
The police chief had said Mossad "has carried out
operations" previously using similar methods as those used
in the Mabhuh murder.
The paper quoted police sources as saying Mabhuh arrived
in Dubai on January 19 at 3:15 p.m., and was dead within
five hours.
His killers had been in the country less than 24 hours
before the murder and left before the body was discovered
at the luxury Al Bustan Rotana hotel near the airport.
Mabhuh was in charge of arms purchases for the Ezzedine
al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamist Hamas
group that rules the Gaza Strip.
Over the years, several Hamas leaders have been killed in
what Israel calls "targeted killings."
Car bomb kills 41 Shiite
pilgrims in Iraq
AP, Baghdad
A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb Friday alongside a
crowd of Shiite pilgrims walking to a holy city south of
Baghdad, killing at least 41 people and wounding 60, Iraqi
police officials said.
Shiite pilgrims have been targeted by several bombings in
recent days, and Friday's attack struck during the
culmination of a pilgrimage in which hundreds of thousands
walked to the city of Karbala to mark a Shiite holy day.
The blast occurred shortly after noon just east of one of
three main entrances to Karbala, a police official said.
At least 60 were wounded in the explosion, he added.
Two mortar rounds hit the same area after the car bomb
exploded, the official said, adding that the death toll
was likely to rise.
The attack came at the height of the pilgrimage when the
roads around Karbala, 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of
Baghdad, were clogged with people trying to reach the city
by Friday, another police official said.
All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because
they were not authorized to release the information.
The Arbaeen holy day marks the end of 40 days of mourning
after the anniversary of the death of Imam Hussein, a
revered Shiite figure.
The attack was just a short distance from where a
motorcycle bomb exploded two days earlier, killing dozens.
On Monday, a female suicide bomber killed at least 54
pilgrims in an attack just north of Baghdad.
International Protest of
‘Made in Sri Lanka’ Products on Feb. 6
Internet
Protesters concerned about human rights will gather in
front of stores that carry clothing "Made in Sri Lanka" on
February 6, 2010. Protesters are asking shoppers to check
the label and boycott anything "Made in Sri Lanka." Events
will take place in 16 major US cities outside GAP and
Victoria's Secret stores, where up to half the clothes
come from Sri Lanka. Boycott protests will be held in the
UK, Canada and Australia as well. Stamford, CT (PRWEB)
February 5, 2010 -- Protesters concerned about human
rights will gather in front of stores that carry clothing
"Made in Sri Lanka" on February 6, 2010. Protesters are
asking shoppers to check the label and boycott anything
"Made in Sri Lanka." Events will take place in 16 major US
cities outside GAP and Victoria's Secret stores, where up
to half the clothes come from Sri Lanka. Boycott protests
will be held in the UK, Canada and Australia as well.
"A boycott and divestment campaign succeeded in changing
the racist apartheid government of South Africa, and we
believe that Americans will be just as concerned about
abuses in Sri Lanka," said the Boycott Campaign's
spokesperson, Dr. Ellyn Shander.
In 2009, the Sri Lankan armed forces killed 25,000 Tamil
civilians with indiscriminate bombing and forced
starvation. Although the civil war ended over six months
ago, over 400,000 Tamils have not been allowed to return
home and the Tamil areas are saturated with Sri Lankan
soldiers, who are Sinhalese. The government has not kept
its promises about the resettlement of these Tamil
civilians and has ignored repeated pleas by humanitarian
agencies, the UN, and the US State Department for
adherence to international norms and standards.
Gaza: UN chief Ban Ki-moon
rules evidence ‘incomplete’
BBC Online
There is not yet enough evidence to say whether Israel and
the Palestinians are complying with UN demands to probe
the Gaza conflict, the head of the UN says.
In a report, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said
submissions by both parties remained incomplete.
He said a ruling was not possible as Israel's
investigations was ongoing and the Palestinians only began
recently. They were asked to respond by Friday to last
year's Goldstone report, which accused Israel and Hamas of
war crimes.
"No determination can be made on the implementation of the
(UN) resolution by the parties concerned," Mr Ban said in
a report to the UN General Assembly.
The General Assembly has demanded that both Israel and
Hamas launch independent investigations into their conduct
during the 22-day Israeli operation which began in
December 2008.
Denials
Israel and the Palestinian Authority Both submitted
dossiers to the UN before the end of January, and Israel
says its army has disciplined two officers for their
conduct during the operation. Goldstone accused Israel of
using "disproportionate force" in Gaza.
A former international war crimes prosecutor, Mr Goldstone
investigated the offensive and said crimes had been
committed on both sides.
He accused Israel of deliberately targeting civilians and
civilian infrastructure during the conflict, in which
human rights groups say about 1,400 Palestinians and 13
Israelis died.
American 10 face jail in
Haiti after kidnapping charge
AFP, Port-Au-Prince
Ten American Christians charged with child abduction and
criminal conspiracy faced lengthy jail times in a Haitian
prison Friday after trying to take 33 children out of the
country.
The country's Justice Minister Paul Denis insisted the 10
should be brought before Haitian courts, instead of being
returned to the United States.
"It is Haitian law that has been violated," Justice
Minister Paul Denis told AFP. "It is up to the Haitian
authorities to hear and judge the case.
I don't see any reason why they should be tried in the
United States." The group were formally charged with
"kidnapping minors and criminal association" on Thursday,
their lawyer Edwin Coq said.
Mayor vows continued
crackdown in China’s west
AP, Beijing
China's crackdown on suspected separatists in the western
region of Xinjiang will continue in order to maintain
social stability following last year's deadly ethnic
riots, a top regional official said.
Urumqi Mayor Jerla Isa-mudinhe pledged vigilance against
what China has called the "three forces" - terrorism,
separatism and extremism - by stepping up monitoring of
migrants, former convicts and "suspicious people."
"Urumqi faces an arduous fight against separatism now and
for years to come, after last year's riots," Isamudinhe
said Thursday in a report to the local People's Congress,
the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Riots between minority Turkic-speaking Uighurs and
majority Han residents in Urumqi last July left nearly 200
people dead and 1,600 wounded, according to the
government, in the worst ethnic unrest in China in
decades.
China has repeatedly blamed overseas exile groups for
instigating the protests by organizing local Uighurs. So
far, courts in Urumqi have sentenced about two dozen
people to death for involvement in the riots, including
nine who have already been executed. Isamudinhe said the
government would improve its emergency response capacity
in the region, building up additional security at district
and county levels.
"We should be vigilant and high-handed in our fight
against terrorism, separatism and extremism," he said. "We
should stop all sabotage activities and attempts
beforehand."
Earlier this week, the government announced a plan to
recruit 5,000 special police officers in Xinjiang "to help
prevent unrest." Recruits would be given a month of
intensive training and serve alongside special police sent
from other parts of China.
Business/Economy
Setting up cuisine training institutes can meet UK’s
demand for 30,000 jobs
BSS, Dhaka
Setting up of cuisine training institutes in the country
could open up a new opportunity of huge overseas jobs with
handsome salaries for Bangladeshi youths as the British
curry industry has now a demand for 30,000 skilled cooks
and kitchen staffs.
"The globally-acclaimed UK's curry industry is now
suffering from the shortage of cooks and kitchen staffs.
Bangladesh could easily take over the opportunity if
cuisine training institutes are set up," president of the
UK-based Bangladesh Caterers Association (BCA) Bajloor
Rashid said in an exclusive interview with BSS.
He said considering the industry's substantial
contribution to the UK's economy, the British government
has of late simplified the immigration rules allowing
foreign skilled kitchen staffs to the Britain.
The shortage occupation list has been amended in the
simplification after BCA's strong lobby with the British
government that paved the way of recruiting foreign
kitchen staffs, he said. Asked about the reason behind the
shortage of employees, he said post of cooks and kitchen
staffs have remained vacant as a good number of kitchen
staffs went on retirement and some others are going to be
retired in the curry industry in the UK. The BCA has
decided to replace the vacant posts with young and
energetic people but there is a compulsion of necessary
training on cooks and kitchen.
Thus, he said, setting up cuisine training institutes is
inevitable to cater the demand for cook staffs sooner than
the other competing countries such as India and Pakistan
in the Britain.Rashid, however, recommended the government
to take steps to set up training institutes through the
initiative of the Public Private Partnership (PPP).
There can be a state-level bilateral accord to take over
the jobs in the UK's curry industry and if the government
come forward to initiate the process of setting up cuisine
training institutes through the PPP, the BCA is ready to
cooperate with the government in doing so, said BCA chief.
The BCA at its own initiative has undertaken a plan to set
up a training institute dubbed 'London School of Curry (LSC)
in the UK' and which already got the UK government's
approval. Rashid also advocated that the government
initially set up training institute with introduction of
two years course so that intending Bangladeshi graduates
could study in the LSC on completion of one-and-a-half
year in the proposed government-run training institute.
The association leaders already conveyed the UK's proposal
to Adviser to the Prime Minister Prof Dr Syed Modasser Ali
and as a follow up of the appraisal the government already
gave necessary directives to concerned authorities for
land accusation.
The BCA represents some 1,200 Bangladeshi restaurants with
over 5,000 active members and the industry almost entirely
operated by Bangladesh-origin entrepreneurs and
contributes 3.5 billion pound starling to the British
economy.
The UK has become the fourth largest source of remittances
to Bangladesh next to the Saudi Arabia, the USA and the
UAE. Some five-lakh Bangladeshis living in the UK has
remitted more or less US$1000 million or 15 percent to
Bangladesh during last year 2008-09.
Electronic
home appliances attract visitors at DITF
TBT Economy Desk
Pavilions of refrigerators and televisions at the Dhaka
International Trade Fair (DITF) in the city's
Sher-e-Banglanagar see overcrowding of customers, and
sales of those items have geared up at the last days of
the fair.
According to sources, during the month-long fair customers
have gathered information about the prices and facilities
of different brands of products, and they are now
thronging the pavilions to buy their choice of products at
the last time of the fair. Besides, most of the pavilions
have offered special price reductions, different
facilities and gift items on the occasion of the fair.
The eye-catching Walton pavilion is seen after entering
from the main gate of DITF that is experiencing growing
turnout of customers from the first day of the fair, and
the number of customers has increased at the last days of
the fair, sources said.
From the first day, sales of Walton brand products have
peaked as the company has offered a price reduction and a
magic offer programme on the occasion of international
fair. On the occasion of the fair, RB Group of Companies
has significantly reduced the prices of its Walton brand
products. Walton brand refrigerators are being sold from
Tk 18,700 to Tk 28,900.
Every refrigerator is being sold at reduction price at the
fair compared to its market price. Prices of different
models of Walton brand refrigerators at the fair are Tk
18,700 while outside fair price is Tk 19,800, Tk 21,900
outside Tk 23,200, Tk 21,000 outside Tk 22,250, Tk 23,700
outside Tk 25,100, Tk 24,700 outside Tk 26, 200, Tk 25,700
outside Tk 27,250, Tk 26,400 outside Tk 28, 000 and Tk
28,900 outside Tk 31,900.
A 21-inch Walton colour television is being sold at Tk
13,300 at the fair while the same is being sold outside at
Tk 14,000. Prices of different models of Walton
televisions are: a 21-inch television at Tk 13,500 outside
of the fair at Tk 14,300, Tk 13,700 outside Tk 14,500, Tk
12,000 (colour TV) outside Tk 13,500 and Tk 8,400
(14-inch) outside Tk 8,900.
On the occasion of DITF, Electra International has brought
Samsung brand refrigerators from Korea. One of the main
attractions of the Electra International pavilion is the
new brand of Samsung refrigerator- Freshtech. 9cft to
28cft Samsung brand refrigerators are being sold from Tk
29,800 to Tk 1,08,000. Different models of 21-inch ultra
smifit EG View televisions are being sold from Tk 15,200
to Tk 21,000 at the Electra International pavilion. In
addition to, different models of Samsung brand 29-inch
televisions are being sold from Tk 30,800 to Tk 37,700.
Samsung brand LCD televisions are being found from Tk
84,000 to Tk 2,10,000. On the occasion of DITF, mostly all
the pavilions have offered special price reductions,
different facilities and gift items, in addition to
warranty and after-sales-service.
Walton pavilion has offered a magic offer programme under
which after every purchase of any Wanton brand product,
customers are getting a wide rage of high quality gift
items including 125cc motorcycle, LCD monitor TV,
refrigerator, microwave oven, DVD player, digital lamp,
etc.
Food inflation rises to 17.56pc in
India
PTI, New Delhi
Costlier potatoes and pulses pushed food inflation higher
to 17.56 per for the week ended January 23 and economists
expect prices to rise further in the next two to three
weeks.
This is the second week in a row that food inflation has
increased, after easing for three successive weeks. For
the week ended January 16, it stood at 17.40 per cent.
Food inflation, which was easing after touching decade's
high of about 20 per cent in December, rose mainly because
potatoes became dearer by 44.91 per cent and pulses by
44.43 per cent over the previous year.
According to economists, food inflation could rise in the
next two to three weeks and thereafter it could moderate.
"Due to poor monsoon, food inflation may rise in the next
two to three weeks, though the increase would be marginal.
However, on expectations of good Rabi harvest, it could
fall thereafter," Axis Bank economist Saugata Bhattacharya
said. He expects that overall wholesale inflation could
rise to 8- 9 per cent by March from 7.31 per cent in
December.
"This 8-9 per cent range is without factoring in the hike
in fuel prices. If fuel becomes dearer, overall inflation
could touch 10 per cent by end of this fiscal," he added.
On the weekly basis, the index for food articles declined
by 0.1 percent, mainly due to lower prices of tea (5 per
cent), arhar (3 per cent) and urad, fruits & vegetables,
ragi and eggs (1 per cent each
However, prices of coffee rose by 5 per cent, gram by 2
per cent, while wheat, moong, barley and jowar moved up by
1 per cent each over the previous week.
The index for non-food articles group declined by 0.5 per
cent due to lower prices of groundnut seed and raw rubber.
HDFC Bank economist Jyotinder Kaur said, "On the weekly
basis, food prices have moderated. However, food inflation
is expected to be higher in coming days."
She further said that fuel price inflation is the main
concern. It has increased by 0.2 per cent on weekly basis
due to higher prices of light diesel oil and furnace oil.
Obama orders cabinet group to
spearhead export drive
AFP, Washington
President Barack Obama, facing pressure to boost jobs to
help an economic revival, unveiled a broad initiative
Thursday to pry open foreign markets for US exports,
targeting emerging economies like China, India and Brazil.
Under a plan to double US exports in five years, a
comprehensive strategy will be developed to identify
markets for fast-growing sectors such as environmental
goods and services, renewable energy, healthcare and
biotechnology, officials said.
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, releasing details of the
new National Export Initiative, said Obama ordered a
cabinet level group to oversee the strategy with a
vigorous effort to remove trade barriers and make
accessible export financing to US firms. "This initiative
will correct an economic blind spot that has allowed other
countries to slowly chip away at the United States'
international competitiveness," Locke said in a statement.
Obama's export drive is aimed at helping create two
million jobs in the United States, still reeling from
double digit unemployment that threatens to dampen its
economic recovery. The new policy will see the creation of
an "export promotion cabinet" reporting to the president,
including leaders of the Commerce, State and Agriculture
departments and the office of the US Trade Representative.
The move "represents the first time the United States will
have a government-wide export promotion strategy with
focused attention from the president and his cabinet,"
Locke said.
US exports for the first 11 months of last year amounted
to 1.411 trillion dollars, compared to 1.827 trillion
dollars for the whole of 2008. "But while the US is a
major exporter, we are underperforming," Locke said. "US
exports as a percentage of GDP are still well below nearly
all of our major economic competitors."
Exports support nearly 10 million jobs in America and
almost seven million jobs in manufacturing-and
manufacturing jobs pay on average 15 percent more than the
average wage.
"And for every one billion dollars in exports, 6,250
manufacturing jobs are created or supported," Locke said.
Improving access to foreign markets will be key, he said,
adding that the government will attempt to remove barriers
preventing US firms from getting "free and fair" access to
foreign markets while pursuing "balanced and ambitious"
free trade agreements.
Obama has vowed to get tougher on countries like China to
open up their markets in "reciprocal ways" and ensure that
currency rates are not designed to blunt American trade
competitiveness.
Peter Morici, a business professor formerly chief
economist at the US International Trade Commission, said
Obama should address the "fundamental issues-the
undervalued Chinese yuan and high tariffs, and other
regulatory barriers that block US exports in much of
Asia."
Myanmar privatization move gets
momentum
Xinhua, Yangon
Myanmar's privatization move has been getting momentum
with the Privatization Commission announcing auctioning of
110 more state enterprises this year under its
privatization plan laid down 15 years ago. The sale
includes factories, warehouses and cinemas owned by 11
ministries and government departments. These state
enterprises to be sold out are scattered mainly in Yangon,
Mandalay, Ayeyawaddy and Bago divisions and Rakhine state.
Closing date for the auction is set for Feb. 26 this year.
In a bid to turn the state-owned enterprises into more
effective ones under its market-oriented economic policy,
Myanmar introduced the privatization plan in 1995 which
has been implemented through auctioning and leasing or
establishing joint ventures with local and foreign
investors.
The privatization plan also covers those enterprises
nationalized in the 1960s. The Myanmar authorities
declared early this month privatization of some port
terminals' handling business, offering at least three port
terminals in Yangon for private enterprises to tender.
In addition, the Myanmar government planned to privatize
all the state-run gas stations in the country by March 31.
Meanwhile, the Fuel Importers and Distributors Association
has been formed to take over fuel trade formerly run by
the state. The move will pave way for free trade of petrol
and diesel, putting an end to a system of buying fuel with
ration book under restricted quota. Moreover, the Myanmar
government has awarded contracts to seven private
companies to upgrade a highway connecting the two biggest
cities of Yangon and Mandalay.
US loses 20,000 jobs
AFP, Washington
US employers cut 20,000 jobs in January, while the
unemployment rate eased to 9.7 percent, the Labor
Department reported Friday.
The report fell short of expectations for a gain of 15,000
jobs that would have been a clear sign of a turnaround in
the troubled US labor market and overall economy. The
apparent contradictory moves in the unemployment rate and
payrolls reflect the two separate surveys used by the
Labor Department, one for households and the other for
companies.
Additionally, the number of "discouraged" workers who are
not counted as unemployed but not looking for work, also
rose in January. The figures also come following a
revision of 2009 data, which showed about 600,00 more job
losses than previously estimated. For December, the data
was revised to show a steep drop of 150,000 jobs instead
of 85,000 previously estimated. But November data was
revised to show a gain of 64,000 jobs instead of a rise of
4,000.
China to impose anti-dumping
penalties on US chicken
AFP, Beijing
China said Friday it would slap stiff penalties on a
variety of US chicken meat it says is being sold at an
unfairly low price, in the latest move likely to up the
pressure on strained Sino-US relations.
The commerce ministry, in a preliminary ruling, said
importers of US broiler chicken in China would have to pay
deposits based on the difference-up to 105.4
percent-between the meat's normal value and the alleged
cut price.
"Broiler products imported from the United States were
dumped (in China) and the domestic broiler sector has
suffered material damages" as a result, the ministry said
in a statement on its website.
The measure is to take effect on February 13. The ministry
did not say when a final ruling would be made on the
issue.
Dumping occurs when a foreign company sells a product in
another market at less than its normal value-generally
taken to mean either the price in the domestic market or
the production cost. China formally launched an
anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation into US
chicken meat imports in September after receiving
complaints from domestic producers. That move came a day
after the US slapped steep tariffs on imported Chinese
tyres.
The US has imposed duties on a number of other Chinese
imports, from electric blankets to steel tubes and wire
decking.
Li Wei, an analyst at the government-linked Chinese
Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation,
said the impact of the disputes that have emerged so far
were limited given the immense volume of bilateral trade.
But he warned there would be "terrible" consequences if
the rows were to escalate further.
"Trade relations are mutually dependent-one is almost sure
to take corresponding measures if the other turns
(aggressive)," he said. "The overall trade will definitely
suffer in that case."
Ties between the two nations are badly strained over a
number of issues-from the value of the Chinese yuan and
trade disputes to US arms sales to Taiwan and US President
Barack Obama's plans to meet the Dalai Lama.
On Wednesday, Obama again piqued China's ire by saying his
administration had decided to get "much tougher" about
enforcement of existing trade rules.
Beijing hit back, saying "wrongful accusations and
pressure" would not help resolve Sino-US disagreements.
The United States and China are also at odds over Internet
freedom, after Google threatened to pull out of the
communist nation following what it says were cyberattacks
on the email accounts of Chinese human rights activists.
Dubai says new oilfield could
begin production in a year
AFP, Dubai
Dubai said on Friday that a new offshore oilfield,
discovered at a time when the Gulf emirate is under
unprecedented financial pressure, could begin production
next year. The cash-strapped government announced the
discovery on Thursday, but has so far given no details
about the size of the find. The new field should "notably
increase the production of crude in Dubai, whose current
oil reserves are about 4 billion barrels," an official
statement said on Friday. Preliminary results "indicate
that commercial production can begin in one year," it
added. The oilfield, named Al-Jalila after a daughter of
Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum, could
help the emirate boost electricity output, the statement
said.
"This important discovery will provide an impetus to the
various sectors of the economy of Dubai, more so because
the emirate intends to increase its output of electricity
to 10,000 megawatts in 2012, against 7,500 megawatts at
present," the statement said. Dubai says that the new
field is east of the small Rashid field, which is some 70
kilometres (44 miles) off the coast. Dubai discovered oil
in commercial quantities in 1966 at the offshore Fateh
field, and began exporting in 1969.
The city-state's oil production reportedly peaked in 1991
at 410,000 barrels per day and has declined steadily
since, dropping to 170,000 bpd in 2000. Current official
figures are not available.
Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the UAE vice president and
prime minister, hoped the discovery would "give a strong
boost to all sectors of the local economy and provide a
new source of revenue that could strengthen the drive for
comprehensive development in Dubai," the statement said.
Dubai's economy boomed in recent years on non-oil sectors,
particularly property and construction, which attracted
huge investments, in addition to a prospering tourism
industry.
But the rapid economic growth came to a grinding halt
after the global financial crisis hit Dubai in autumn
2008, drying up foreign financing that was vital for the
overheated real estate sector.
Output slump raises fear of
uncertain German recovery
AFP, Frankfurt
Fears that uncertain recovery in Europe's biggest economy
could stall were stoked Friday when data showed that
German industrial production suffered a sharp setback in
December.
Output fell 2.6 percent from the previous month according
to seasonally adjusted figures provided by the economy
ministry, following a gain of 0.7 percent in November and
a drop of 1.7 percent in October.
On an annual basis, the fall in December was 7.1 percent,
and along with fears over eurozone debt levels, the news
helped pushed the euro to a nine-month low of 1.3648
dollars on foreign exchange markets.
Analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had expected a rise
of 0.5 percent but instead, Germany suffered its steepest
fall since February 2009 when the country was mired deep
in its worst recession since World War II.
Heavy slumps were seen in the manufacturing and
construction sectors, the ministry said in a statement,
with only consumer goods production posting an increase.
In general, "industrial production lost momentum" at end
of 2009, it said, while forecasting a "downward trend" for
the sector in light of the latest industrial orders
numbers.
On Thursday, the ministry reported that orders lost 2.3
percent in December as global uncertainty weighed on
foreign demand for German goods.
For the entire 16-nation eurozone, the European Central
Bank warned Thursday that "the recovery process is likely
to be uneven and the outlook remains subject to
uncertainty."Dubai said on Friday that a new offshore
oilfield, discovered at a time when the Gulf emirate is
under unprecedented financial pressure, could begin
production next year. The cash-strap
Global markets rout hits Asia
AFP, Hong Kong
Mounting fears about tattered government finances in
Europe drove the euro down and hammered stock markets
across Asia on Friday following New York's worst finish
since November.
The European currency sank to an eight-month low with
risk-averse investors bolting for the safe-haven dollar,
despite concern that US jobs data out later in the day
would flag enduring weakness in the world's largest
economy. "What we're seeing is a wave of panic selling,"
said Francis Lun, general manager of Fulbright Securities
in Hong Kong, where the Hang Seng index tumbled below the
key 20,000 level in early trade for the first time in five
months.
The euro dropped to 1.3670 dollars at one point in Tokyo,
the lowest level since late May 2009. In Tokyo afternoon
trade it stood at 1.3707, from 1.3726 in New York late on
Thursday. It was hovering around 1.3650 in London early
on. "European debt concerns have strengthened the US
dollar and this has stoked concerns that... risk aversion
may heighten further," Min Sang-Il of E*Trade Securities
in South Korea told Dow Jones Newswires.
The Hang Seng ended 3.33 percent, or 676.56 points, lower
at 19,665.08.
"With the sell-off on Wall Street, traders should enter
today's market with a good crash helmet," CIMB analysts in
Singapore said. Tokyo plummeted 2.89 percent, or 298.89
points, to end at 10,057.09.
The Nikkei's dive came despite a 1.06 percent rise in
Toyota shares after the recall-plagued carmaker lifted its
earnings forecast. Seoul ended 3.05 percent, or 49.30
points, down at 1,567.12. In Australia, the S&P/ASX200
plunged 2.32 percent to end at 4,514.3.
Miner BHP Billiton fell 3.5 percent to 39.55 Australian
dollars and ANZ Bank was down 2.4 percent at 20.90. The
European currency was hit by increased fears that
crisis-hit EU members such as Spain and Portugal could
face the same troubles as debt-ridden Greece. It was also
weighed by the European Central Bank's decision to
maintain record-low interest rates.
"A spike in risk aversion following renewed concerns about
the health of European sovereigns saw equity markets
pummelled," NAB Capital analysts wrote in a note to
clients. Stocks in Spain and Portugal were hammered, while
London's benchmark FTSE 100 index plunged 2.17 percent to
close at 5,139.31 points. Markets across Europe all opened
lower on Friday, with Spain and Portugal hardest-hit.
Spain still stuck in recession
AFP, Madrid
The Spanish economy remained stuck in recession in the
fourth quarter, shrinking 0.1 percent from the previous
three months and contracting 3.6 percent in 2009 as a
whole, the central bank said Friday.
The bank in its January monthly report described last
year's decline as "the sharpest in recent decades,
consistent with the contraction trends in the global
economy."
The latest figures are in line with forecasts by the
Spanish government, which is to announce its official
estimate on February 11.
Spain entered recession, defined as two consecutive
quarters of contraction, at the end of 2008.
The pace of decline eased in 2009 and the government
contends that the worst of the slump is over.
"During the first three quarters of 2009, the Spanish
economy followed the contraction pattern that was
established in the second half of the preceding year,
although the pace slowed starting in the first quarter,
when the contraction was most acute," the bank said.
The country's Socialist government has forecast a return
to growth in the second half of 2010. For the full year, a
0.3 percent shrinkage is foreseen.
The International Monetary Fund has predicted a 0.6
percent decline in gross domestic product this year.
G7 finance ministers gather in Canada
AFP, Iqaluit, Canada
G7 finance ministers and central bankers arrived in
Canada's far north Friday for two days of talks aimed at
keeping a tentative global economic recovery on course.
They will gather for a dinner meeting at 6:45 pm (2345
GMT) at a hotel restaurant in this wind-swept,
snow-covered town of 6,000. The International Monetary
Fund, the Financial Stability Board and the European
Commission will also participate. Delegates plan to meet
again the following day at the Nunavut legislative
assembly and wrap up the conference in the afternoon. Host
Canada said it wants the Group of Seven to return to its
"roots" with "smaller," informal" and "frank" discussions.
Delegates from the United States, France, Germany, Italy,
Japan and Britain were asked to leave their suits and ties
at home and wear warm sweaters instead for the gathering
some 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) north of Montreal.
In Iqaluit, the G7 will not publish an end of conference
statement outlining ideas or measures for their respective
governments to enact. This process usually dominates much
of the talks and requires substantial advance
negotiations.
S.Korea sets G20 summit for Nov 11-12
AFP, Seoul
South Korea said Friday it will hold a G20 summit in Seoul
on November 11-12, just ahead of an Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum meeting in Japan.
The government said it had fixed the schedule to allow
participants to move on to Yokohama for the following two
days. Leaders of the Group of 20 major world economies
will also meet in Canada in June but the Seoul gathering
will be its main event. Sohn Jie-Ae, spokeswoman for the
upcoming event, said Friday's announcement marks the
"start of a full-fledged voyage towards the G20 summit".
South Korea will host a meeting of G20 vice finance
ministers in Incheon west of Seoul from Febuary 27-28, the
first of a series of meetings paving the way to November.
President Lee Myung-Bak told the World Economic Forum in
Davos last month that the grouping must now focus on
setting a "post-crisis agenda" and reaffirm opposition to
protectionism.
He said Seoul would also seek agreement on a stronger
international early warning system for financial crises
and "concrete actions" to reform international financial
governance.
South Korea, which is trying to upgrade its international
status in line with its economic clout, is making great
efforts to host a successful gathering.
"All South Korean people should join hands to use the
hosting of the G20 summit to enhance national status and
upgrade our society by one notch," said Sakong Il,
chairman of the organising committee, in a statement.
National
Boro plantation continues en-masse
in N-region
BSS, Rangpur
As the Boro seedlings regained normal and healthy growths
after the recent cold injuries, the enthusiastic farmers
have now started plantation seedlings en-masse in a
festive mood in the country's northern region.
The vast tract of fields have turned into huge farm
activities where the farmers and farm-labourers have been
working from dawn-to-dusk and already planted Boro
seedlings in 4,14,899 hectares land till January 31 last.
Further reductions in fertiliser prices, subsidy in diesel
prices and distribution of 51,47,366 agricultural input
cards among the farm families, ensured smooth supply of
fertilisers, power and other inputs, have made the farmers
more enthusiastic.
Introduction of the cards has created a new era in the
country's agriculture sector to ensure fair distribution
of fertilisers, subsidies and other financial benefits to
the farmers encouraging them producing more crops onwards,
experts and scientists told BSS Friday.
Officials and experts in the DAE said comprehensive steps
have been taken by all agri-related departments, BMDA, PDB,
REB and Banks to ensure maximum facilities to the farmers
in making the Boro farming successful.
"Hectic efforts are on now for plantation of Boro
seedlings in the maximum land area within February 15 to
get the maximum yields and the overall seedling
plantations will be completed by March 15 next in the
region," they added.
They said that the farmers are continuing plantation of
Boro seedlings in full swing also after harvesting early
potato which will enable them in bringing more land under
Boro farming and to even cross the fixed target of Boro
cultivation this season. The farmers have now become very
happy for various pro- farmers steps taken by the present
government and engaged their all efforts to respond to the
government's call making the Boro farming successful to
ensure food security in the country.
The scientists and experts of Cereal Systems Initiatives
for South Asia (CSISA), IRRI, BRRI, BARI, BADC, DAE and
NGOs are disseminating the environment-friendly latest
agro-technologies to the farmers to ensure maximum Boro
productions at reduced costs.
Dinajpur Hub Manager of CSISA and renowned rice scientist
Dr MA Mazid told the news agency that the Boro seedlings,
which sustained cold stresses and injuries for sometime
last month, have now showing excellent and healthy growths
everywhere.
"As a result, there will be no Boro seedling crisis and
the farmers have also prepared seedbeds in 92,749 hectares
land, which is higher by 11,624 hectares that the fixed
target of 81,125 hectares this season in the region," he
said.
The early variety Boro plants are growing well in the low-
lying beds of the dried- up water bodies, beels and haors
where the farmers already transplanted seedlings much
ahead to harvest those before commencement of the next
rainy season.
Rivers in Narsingdi lose navigability
BSS, Narsingdi
All the rivers in the district have already lost their
navigability and facing threat to ruination, leaving dead
in most of the cases.
Once there were boats with setting sails, launches and
streamers in the rivers carrying goods and passengers from
one district to another district what is now out of sight.
Continues dumping of garbage and wastes of local
industries and absence of dredging operation, the bed of
the rivers filled with silt and rising up day-by-day.
Besides, a group of land grabbers occupied both the side
of the rivers and built unauthorized structures on and in
the rivers.
During the winter season, water of the rivers fall and dry
up, leaving some places of the rivers into dead canal.
Once Kalagasia river at Shibpur upazila, old Brahmaputro
river at Madhabdi area under Sadar upazila, Haridoa rivers
at Sadar and Shibpur upazila, Arial Khan river at Belabo
upazila were the busy rivers in the district. Now all the
rivers have lost their existence. Movements of boats and
launches are totally halted in these rivers.
The rivers has also lost their fishing resources due to
stoppages of water flowing after continues dumping. The
rivers are now under the possessions of land grabbers
occupied both sides of the rivers in the name of markets,
schools and madrasas.
Local people sought government help to save the rivers
from their extension by recovering the occupied lands from
land grabbers and massive dredging
operation.
Assisting climate victims
Expanded programme in char areas
BSS, Rangpur
Rangpur-Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS), a reputed national
NGO, has taken massive programme to assist the climate
victims in the remote char areas of greater Rangpur after
attaining huge success in the field last year.
Experts of the NGO Friday told BSS that the steps have
been taken as there is no alternative to adaptation with
the adverse impacts of the ongoing climate changes and
reducing emissions of green house gases for existence of
the people at risks.
They stressed for concerted GO-NGO and international
efforts to cope with the risks of devastating floods,
droughts, tornadoes, cyclones, massive river and coastal
erosions, pest attacks, short falls in crop productions
and other natural calamities.
Considering the circumstances, RDRS has taken expanded
climate adaptation activities in the char areas of 20
upazilas in greater Rangpur this year after successfully
adapting 6,400 households in fewer villages of four
upazilas
last year.
The programme was implemented under the assistances of
Norwegian Church Aid, Church of Sweden and Fin Church Aid
and the UNDP and other donor organisations have highly
appreciated the initiatives, RDRS experts said. The NGO
has expanded its ongoing 'Improving Community Coping
Mechanism to Adapt to Climate Change' project with a view
to assist thousands of climate victims in the
disaster-prone char areas to sustain under the adverse
impacts of climate changes.
Director (Livelihoods and Resources) of RDRS DR Syed
Samsuzzaman, its Head of Agriculture MG Neogi, Senior
Manager (Agriculture) KM Marufuzzman and Trainer Sumona
Sharmeen told BSS that the programme has been proved to be
very successful last year.
Barley
cultivation on the wane in northern districts
BSS, Rajshahi
Cultivation of barley, one of the most important
nutritious cereals, is on the verge of extinction in the
country's northern districts.
Scientists and researchers said despite enormous prospect
the barley farming is on the verge of extinction in the
region which earlier used to produce huge quantity of the
cereal depending on only natural resources.
They, however, opined that importance should be given to
enhancing production of the cereal in the greater interest
of meeting its domestic demand side by side with
protecting the indigenous cash crop from degradation.
Referring to various aspects of the crop, they also said
farmers must be encouraged in the grain cultivation
through providing them with financial support side by side
with modern and developed techniques of production. In
addition to having medicinal quality, barley has
tremendous importance as the main component of baby food
as it has industrial value, they added.
Principal Scientific Officer of Regional Wheat Research
Centre Dr. Israil Hossain said industrial entrepreneurs
and drug- industry owners and producers import huge barley
from abroad for manufacturing baby food every year.
Whereas, he said, the huge import could easily be reduced
through increasing domestic barley production that can
help save the hard-earned foreign currencies. He informed
that the nation produces only around 1375 metric tons of
barley on 1881 hectares of land per year, which is very
negligible compared to the domestic demand.
Barley is the fourth cereal after rice, wheat and maize in
the world and Bangladesh. The crop is cultivated in Rabi
season as secondary grain, Dr. Israil said. He said the
crop is more tolerable in excessive drought, less fertile
land and saline tract and profitable than any other major
crops. It has also been detected as low-cost cash crop in
many ways and it is not found as less standard food on the
basis food quality.
Full-fledged Child Hospital
to be built in Rajshahi
BSS, Rajshahi
A 50-bed full-fledged Shishu (child) Hospital is going to
be built in the city to fulfill the long- cherished demand
of the people of the city.
To this end, a high-powered coordination body styled "Rajshahi
Shishu Hospital Implementation Committee" led by Mayor of
Rajshahi AHM Khairuzzaman Liton has been formed. The
committee held a meeting at the City Bhaban of the mayor
Thursday afternoon.
Speaking on the occasion Mayor Liton said founding a
shishu hospital was one of his election pledges and said
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already directed the
Bangladesh Child Health Institute (BCHI) to take necessary
measures to build a shishu hospital in the Rajshahi
divisional city.
In line with the instruction, he said the activity has
been started and called for immediate implementation of
the initiative that would help the poor and marginal
people.
He urged upon the authorities concerned to devise ways and
means on where and how the hospital activity could be
launched preliminary. In this regard, he hoped that the
government allocation for construction of the hospital
building would be available if the activity were started.
He, however, said the shishu hospital could be upgraded
upto 500-bed in phases after constructing a 10-storied
building on the abandoned place of Alamgir Hostel of
Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.
6.14 lakh acres
salinity-affected land to be brought under Boro
cultivation
UNB, Pirojpur
Ministry of Agriculture has taken up an extensive scheme
to bring 6.14 lakh acres of salinity-affected and fallow
land under Boro cultivation in five southern districts of
Khulna and Barisal divisions with a production target of
952,000 metric tons of paddy in the current season.
BIRRI-47, a variety of Boro seed invented by International
Rice Research Institute by cross breeding of BIRRI-34 and
BIRRI-49 seeds, is suitable for cultivation on
salinity-affected land. The seed yields five mts rice per
hectare of land.
Government has taken up the project to cultivate the
BIRRI-47 variety on vast tracts of land in the two
divisions. Executive Committee of National Economic
Council (ECNEC) approved the scheme in 2008.
Sources said the government has allocated Tk 6.80 crore in
fiscal 2009-2010 for implementing the scheme in the
region.
Of the total land, 102,000 acres will be cultivated in
Patuakhali, 150,000 acres in Bhola, 81,000 acres in
Barguna, 101,000 acres in Bagerhat and 180,000 acres in
Pirojpur.
Dr Sirajul Islam, Director of the Agricultural Extension
Department, said in order to cultivate the BARRI-47
variety they have divided the total salinity affected
lands of Khulna and Barisal divisions into five
categories.
The ministry has already set up 90 plots for exhibition of
BIRRI-47 seeds in the five districts to encourage the
farmers for cultivating the variety. Replying to a
question how it will provide the seeds to farmers in these
districts, the director told UNB that farmers could
procure the seeds from the exhibition plots.
Besides, under the scheme several programs including
workshop, field visits, framers' training have been taken
to encourage the farmers for cultivating the variety, he
said.
Agricultural revolution could be brought in the region
using modern technology, high yielding variety seeds and
through proper management of the land, the director
further said.
More US support for BD
assured
BSS, Dhaka
Expressing satisfaction at the return of democracy in
Bangladesh, Congressman Howard Berman, Chairman of
influential House Foreign Affairs Committee assured more
support for Bangladesh in the US Congress in the coming
days.
Chairman Berman conveyed this assurance to Bangladesh
Ambassador to USA Akramul Qader when he called on Chairman
Berman at his office at the Capitol Hill on Wednesday,
according to a message received here on Friday.
Ambassador Qader explained to Chairman Berman the hefty US
tariff burden on Bangladesh and requested his support for
extending duty free access of Bangladeshi products to the
US markets.
Chairman Berman assured his best offices to bring
Bangladesh's genuine demand to the notice of his other
congressional colleagues. He also spoke highly about the
people of Bangladesh origin living in his constituency and
informed the Ambassador that he is keen to visit
Bangladesh to know more about this beautiful country in
the future.
Later in the day, Ambassador Qader also had a meeting with
Congressman Adam B. Schiff (D-CA) and discussed issues of
mutual interests. Congressman Schiff also appreciated
Bangladesh's progress towards democracy and women
empowerment.
Assuring his total support for promoting duty free access
or products from Bangladesh to USA, congressman Schiff
wished to see more strengthened trade relations between
Bangladesh and USA in particular and also with other
countries in the world.
On information, police recovered the bodies and sent those
to Sadar hospital morgue for autopsy.
Sports
Bangladesh slumps to defeat against
New Zealand
Cricinfo Online
A devastating 83 off 40 deliveries from Jacob Oram set up an
emphatic 146-run victory for New Zealand at McLean Park in
Napier, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead in the three-match series
against Bangladesh.
New Zealand was pegged back to 232 for 6 after 43 overs on a
placid pitch by a much improved Bangladesh attack, before the
batting Powerplay transformed what might have been an average
total into a daunting one. New Zealand pillaged 82 runs for
the loss of a solitary wicket during those, elevating the
total to a match-winning 336 for 9.
Oram cashed in on unimpressive death bowling, clobbering the
ball to all corners of the ground with nonchalance and a
brutal style reminiscent of the early part of his career.
Ably supported by Neil Broom, who chipped in with a well-paced
71 after being dropped by Mushfiqur Rahim on 26, Oram
dispatched even the slightest errors in length to the boundary
with domineering ferocity. Scoring heavily over long off and
midwicket, Oram and Broom added 123 for the seventh wicket, a
New Zealand record, off just 67 balls.
The pressure told on the Bangladesh bowlers, who resorted to
bowling wide outside the off stump in an effort to minimise
the number of boundaries. But Oram continued his onslaught
before finally being cleaned up by Shafiul Islam in the last
over of the innings.
Earlier in the New Zealand innings, Peter Ingram, in his first
ODI, and Ross Taylor combined for a confident 98 after losing
Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill to some excellent new ball
pressure by the Bangladesh new-ball pair.
Both batsmen made tidy half centuries, playing the ball into
gaps and picking up boundaries, but failed to convert their
starts, holing out to men in the deep in quick succession.
Ingram ended on 69 and Taylor was dismissed just after he
reached his half century, for 51.
Daniel Vettori also batted well for his 32 but was stumped off
Shakib Al Hasan, leaving the hosts wobbling at 187 for 6
before Broom and Oram came together for their explosive stand.
Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes began the Bangladesh reply
confidently, scoring at over a run a ball during the mandatory
Powerplay period. Tamim was especially impressive through the
covers, threading drives through a packed infield while Kayes
preferred to pull, twice depositing each New Zealand opening
bowler over square leg for six. A clever piece of bowling from
debutant Andy McKay, however, proved Kayes' undoing, lamely
bunting a slower bouncer through to the keeper with the score
at 71.
Mohammed Ashraful and Raqibul Hasan both failed to reach
double figures but Tamim continued playing exquisitely,
relying on skill and timing rather than power to pick up
boundaries at regular intervals.
He too, however, failed to turn his knock into a match-winning
one, allowing the New Zealanders affect him mentally by
getting caught up in a pointless psychological tug-of-war with
the opposition captain. Vettori came out on top, by having
Tamim nick one to McCullum, ending his innings for a well
made, but insufficient 62.
Shakib and Mushfiqur were both dismissed trying to up the
ante, and Mahmudullah's run-a-ball resistance for 23 was
simply delaying an inevitable New Zealand victory.
Guptill came into the attack to clean up the tail, but the
hosts are likely to be fairly content with their bowling
effort which was led yet again by Vettori, who was typically
influential in the middle overs.
Worryingly for the Bangladesh batsmen, their inability to
handle Vettori effectively was reiterated, and it is something
they will look to work on ahead of the second ODI in Dunedin
on Monday.
Bangladesh
and India settle for 3-3 draw
TBT report
India bounced back from a 2-0 first half deficit to salvage a
3-3 draw against the host Bangladesh in the 11th South Asian
Games hockey competition on Friday.
Kamruzzaman and Pushkar Khisha scored one goal each for
Bangladesh to give the hosts a 2-0 lead before the break at
Moulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium, Dhaka.
India scored three goals through V. Raghunath, Mohammad Aamir
and Dharamveer Singh in the second half to dent Bangladesh's
hopes of featuring in the final. But Golam Mustafa scored a
last-gasp goal to force India to a 3-3 draw.
India, which confirmed the final earlier winning its first
three matches in a row, will face off its next door neighbour
Pakistan in the final on February 7, while Bangladesh will
take on Sri Lanka in the bronze deciding match on the same
day.
Kamruzzaman scored the first goal for Bangladesh after 20
minutes when he pushed the ball into the net from close
following a pass from Sheikh Nannu (1-0).
Pushkar Khusha made it 2-0 scoring almost in the same fashion
after a pass from Mustafa on 30 minutes to raise hope of
winning the match.
Down by 2-0, India piled on pressure after the break and came
back into the match with scores from V Raghunath (52 minutes,
penalty corner) and Mohammad Aamir (59 minutes).
Dharamveer Singh then scored the third goal for India on 67
minutes to deflate the hosts' euphoria but Mustafa scored the
equaliser for Bangladesh just one minute before the hooter to
finish the game on level terms.
India: Mrinal, Harjit (Goalkeeper), Birendra, Belsajar,
Innocent, Varinder, Prabhedep, Vikash, Dharamaveer Singh,
Mohammad Aamir, V. Raghunath, Ajitesh Roy (Captain), Amit
Kumar, Roshan, Promod and Bikash.
Bangladesh: Mehrab Hossain Kiron, Zahid Hossain (Goalkeeper),
Mamunur Rahman Chayan, Aasaduzzaman, Moshiur Rahman Biplob,
Imran Hasan Pintu, Taposh Barman. Russell Mahmud Jimmy, Sheikh
Nannu, Abdus Sajjad John, Mohammad Kamruzzaman, Pushkar Khisha,
Zahidul Islam, Golam Mustafa, Mohammad Ashiquzzaman, Moshiur
Rahman Feroze.
Pakistan to probe Afridi
ball-tampering
AFP, Karachi
A committee investigating Pakistan's humiliating whitewash
in Australia will also probe the ball-tampering offence by
star all-rounder Shahid Afridi, an official said Friday.
"The six-man evaluation committee will start work from
next week and we have also included Afridi's case in our
terms of reference," said Wasim Bari, head of the
committee and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief operating
officer. The probe will examine Pakistan's fateful 3-0
Test series defeat followed by a disastrous one-day series
which the Australians won 5-0 on Sunday. Pakistan is
playing the last match of the tour, a Twenty20 on Friday.
The other committee members are PCB governing board member
Wazir Ali Khoja, former team manager Yawar Saeed, PCB
director Zakir Khan, PCB legal adviser Tafazzul Rizvi and
director of the national cricket academy Haroon Rasheed.
Afridi, leading Pakistan in the absence of touring captain
Mohammad Yousuf, was caught on television cameras, twice
grasping the ball and chewing the leather to change its
condition, a serious offence in cricket.
Bari said Afridi's foul was "unacceptable and we will look
into the matter and make our recommendations."
He did not elaborate whether the all-rounder would face
further punishment than the two-Twenty20 match ban imposed
by International Cricket Council. It was Afridi's third
offence. He was initially banned for a Test and two
one-day internationals for deliberately damaging a pitch
during the Faisalabad Test against England in 2005.
He was also banned for four one-day matches for trying to
hit a spectator during Pakistan's tour of South Africa in
2007.
Bari said the committee would summon team coach Intikhab
Alam, manager Abdul Raqeeb, captain Yousuf and others for
questioning before submitting a report to PCB chairman
Ijaz Butt by the end of February.
Real looks for more inspiration
AFP, Madrid
After ending 19-year jinx at the Riazor Stadium with last
weekend's 3-1 win over Deportivo La Coruna, Real looks to
keep its perfect home record intact with victory over
Espanyol on Saturday and trys to make inroads into
Barcelona's five-point lead at the summit.
Real veteran Guti, 33, has been the talk of the Madrid
media after his audacious back heel - which has been
replayed constantly on Spanish television this week - set
up Real's standout goal against Depor and the club hope he
can produce more moments of magic as they attempt to
overtake Barca.
Barcelona has notched up four consecutive wins without
conceding a goal and entertain Getafe at Camp Nou on
Saturday before Real take to the field against Espanyol.
"It was important for us to lift the Depor curse and the
league is far from over," said Guti. "Barcelona don't seem
to drop any points so we can't afford to make any
mistakes."
Guti looked to be on his way out of the club following a
rift with coach Manuel Pellegrini earlier in the season
but that now seems to be water under the bridge and the
playmaker is even dreaming of making Spain's World Cup
despite winning the last of his 15 caps back in 2005.
Real will again be without Cristiano Ronaldo as the
Portuguese striker completes his two-match suspension but
a perfect 30 points from ten league games at home make
Madrid strong favourites for the win despite his absence.
"Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best players in the world
but we are a team and can't rely on one player," said
defender Raul Albiol.
Espanyol, down in 14th, have won just once away from home
largely due to their woeful three goals on the road but
have a habit of turning it on against the big sides.
Barcelona will be cheering on their city rivals while Real
hope their neighbours Getafe can at least take a point at
unbeaten Barcelona.
Pakistan blanks Sri Lanka 2-0
TBT report
Two second half goals helped Pakistan defeat Sri Lanka 2-0
in the 11th South Asian Games hockey competition at
Moulana Bhasani National Hockey Stadium, Dhaka on Friday.
Both sides failed to score in the drab, indolent first
half despite coming close to scoring on several occasions.
The play picked up space after the breather as both sides
carried out attacks with Pakistan dominating the most of
the second half proceedings.
Mohsin Bilal, Waqas Akbar and skipper Sabtain Raza
combined together to take control of the midfield against
the Lankans.
Mohsin Bilal broke the deadlock with a hefty flick to put
Pakistan in front just three minutes after the restart
(1-0).
Buoyed by the goal, Pakistan players pressed hard to
increase the margin and Sabtain Raza hit the board on 48
minutes after a precise pass from Abdul Qayyum from the
right (2-0).
Sri Lanka also went on to attacks but their efforts were
not enough to breach the rock-solid Pakistani defence.
Aamir Shahzad.of Pakistan was named as the 'Player of the
Match.'
Pakistan: Imran Butt (Goalkeeper), Mohammad Khalid, Wasif
Siddique, Zeeshan Ali, Mohsin Bilal, Aamir Shahzad, Waqas
Akbar, Abdul Qayyum, Abdul Khaliq, Sabtain Raza (Captain),
Naghman Ahmed, Kashif Javid, Abdul Ghaffar, Mohammad Waqas,
Zubair Ahmed, Tasawar Abbass.
Sri Lanka: Rathnasiri, Fernando (Goalkeeper), Anura
Karunarathen, Darma Dhamarathne, Sameera Perara, Pandi
Panditharathne, Diluka Weerasooriya, Getti Hettiarchchi,
Gazzaly, Anuj Hewage, Dammika Abeyarathne (Caption),
Duminda Dissanayaka, Mulaffer, Prabath Wijeyakoon,
Sangeewa and Ishanka Jayasundara.
Korea, Japan eye World Cup at East Asian meet
AFP, Tokyo
Defending champion South Korea and archrival Japan see the
men's edition of the East Asian football championship in
Tokyo as vital preparation for the World Cup in June.
The hosts and South Korea will try out home-based players
at the four-team round robin, which kicks off on Saturday
when Japan, three-time runners-up, play the 2005 champion
China.
South Korea take on little-fancied Hong Kong on Sunday,
but South Korean coach Hoo Jung-Moo will not be taking the
game-or the tournament-lightly.
"We want to get off to a very good start looking forward
to the World Cup," Hoo said. "Although we miss the
Europe-based players, we want to put on a good performance
and take home the title." "The World Cup will definitely
be on our minds when we play."
Japan will also be without the services of Europe-based
players led by influential Espanyol midfielder Shunsuke
Nakamura and CSKA Moscow's Keisuke Honda. But Japan coach
Takeshi Okada said that would not matter. "I want to try
several patterns of our attacking tactics. I also have
some ideas towards the World Cup," he said.
"We must win the championship because it's a home
competition and Japan have never won the title before," he
said. "I want to improve the team's ability one rank or
even half a rank, looking forward to the World Cup."
At the World Cup finals in South Africa, South Korea will
play Argentina, Nigeria and Greece in Group B. Japan face
the Netherlands, Cameroon and Denmark in Group E. For
China it will be a chance to save some face after again
failing to qualify for the World Cup, while the sport is
mired in controversy and allegations of match-fixing back
home.
Bangladesh moves to SAG cricket final
TBT report
Bangladesh scored a 52-run victory over Pakistan to ensure
a berth in the final of the 11th South Asian Games (SAG)
cricket on Friday.
Chasing a target of 157 to win, Pakistan managed to score
104 in 18.2 overs.
After winning the crucial match, Bangladesh captain
Mohammad Mithun said, "We are happy to be in the final. We
are now confident to win gold."
"We were a bit upset when we lost to Sri Lanka but we kept
our faith and played according to our plan," he added.
Batting first, Bangladesh scored 156 for six with Sabbir
Rahman hitting the highest 46, while Nasir Hossain
followed him with 45. Junaid Khan captured three wickets
for 20.
Nayyar Abbas scored the highest 37 for Pakistan and Junaid
Khan added 18.
Subhashish Roy, Sanjamul Islam and Nasir Hossain took two
wickets each for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh wins bronze in handball
TBT report
Bangladesh won bronze in the 11th South Asian Games
handball competition defeating Nepal 42-11 at Dhaka
Handball Stadium on Friday. Bangladesh led the first half
23-5. Mirza Saiduzzaman netted the highest nine goals for
Bangladesh, while Kamrul Islam and Asadul Islam scored
five goals each. Amar Shreshtha netted four goals for
Nepal.
In the other match of the day, Afghanistan beat Sri Lanka
47-27 after leading the first half 20-11.
Feraidoon Marzayar netted the highest nine goals for
Afghanistan, while Ahmad Zubair netted eight goals. Namal
netted highest nine goals for Sri Lanka. India faces
Pakistan in the final at the same venue today.
Bangladesh reaches final of SAG football
UNB, Dhaka
A late goal by Touhidul Alam Sabuj guided Bangladesh to
the final of the South Asian Games men's football,
eliminating India by a solitary goal in the first
semifinal at Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka on
Friday.
In the day's match, substitute forward Touhidul Alam Sabuj
scored the all-important goal for the host team in the
85th minute by a placing shot from danger zone when a
ground shot of Abdul Baten Komol came his way from Indian
custodian Gurpreet Singh.
Earlier, Bangladesh came close to scoring in the very 4th
minute, but Shakil header from inside the D-box off Yusuf
corner sailed harmlessly over the cross bar.
Indian custodian Gurpreet Singh, who showed a magnificent
performance under the bar today, foiled the attempt of
Zahid Hasan Emily's goal-bound shot from 12 yards in the
8th minute, frustrating the local fans in the big bowl.
Bangladesh got deprived of another certain goal in the
13th minute, as Nasirul Islam Nasir's right-footer from
the vantage position narrowly missed the target.
Mohammad Yusuf must conceders him as unlucky as his
close-range header off Mithun Chowdhury right wing cross
went out after kissing the crossbar in the 67th minute.
India got a real scoring chance in the very 1st minute,
but it was Nasir who stood at the goal line, cleared the
goal-bound shot taken by Indian skipper Je Je Lalpe Khlua
from top of the D-box.
Bangladesh clearly dominated the entire proceedings,
especially in the first half, and notched their deserving
victory playing an attacking football while India were
off-colored.
Earlier, Bangladesh smartly reached the semifinal as group
A Champion beating Nepal 3-0 in the opener, blanking
Bhutan 4-0 in the second match and edging past the
Maldives by 1-0 goal.
Yellow card: Milan (India)
Bangladesh: Aminul, Nasir, Faisal, Mintu, Rezaul, Meshu,
Yusuf, Enamul (Mithun), Emily (Komol), Shakil (Sabuz) and
Mamun.
India: Gurpreet, Vishal, Inderpreet, Raju, Lalrozama,
Subodh, Milan, Jewel, Lalrindika, Lalpe Khlua and Manan (Malsawn).
Italy wary of Ukraine in Fed Cup
AFP, Paris
Francesca Schiavone has warned defending Fed Cup champion
Italy that they will have to be on their toes to avoid an
upset against debutant Ukraine in the first match of its
title defence.
Italy thrashed the United States 4-0 on home soil in last
year's final and it will take the same team into the match
in Kharkiv that begins today and concludes tomorrow.
Ukraine is playing in the World Group for the very first
time after gaining promotion last year and it can call
upon the services of sisters Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko,
who are both in the world's top 35.
"It's tough because we play the first round against a big
team like Bondarenko and Bondarenko," joked Schiavone,
whose team-mates are Flavia Pennetta, Sara Errani and
Roberta Vinci.
"We have to pay attention and play very good, at a very
high level. They play at home, which is good for them. We
have to stay focused and enjoy our tennis like we did all
year last year."
The USA's defeat in last year's decider marked their first
final appearance since 2003, while the 17-time champions
are still chasing their first title since 2000.
Mary Joe Fernandez oversaw the run to the 2009 final and
she will take an inexperienced team shorn of the Williams
sisters into battle against France in the northern French
town of Lievin.
"We're playing France, without (Amelie) Mauresmo, without
(Nathalie) Dechy, because they've retired. So that's a
plus for us," said Fernandez.
"But they're still very strong, they still have a lot of
depth on their team. Alize Cornet, as we've seen in the
past, can produce some great tennis.
"We're pretty evenly matched. Home always has a little bit
of an advantage. It's on clay so that's a little more
uncomfortable for us."
Joining Ukraine in making their World Group debut this
year are Serbia, who welcome last year's semi-finalists
Russia-victors in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008 -- to the
Belgrade Arena on Saturday. The hosts will include two
former world number ones among their ranks in the form of
Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic, and Jankovic is
anticipating a tremendous atmosphere in the Serbian
capital.
Bayern hunts eighth straight win at Wolves
AFP, Berlin
Bayern Munich is expected to be without French midfielder
Franck Ribery when it hunts its eighth straight Bundesliga
win against defending champion Wolfsburg today.
Bayern's winning run has bolted it up to second in the
table, just two points behind league leader Leverkusen,
and an eighth win at Wolfsburg would keep the pressure on
with the leader at struggler Bochum today.
With Munich's Dutch play-maker Arjen Robben chasing his
third consecutive league goal after curling in free-kicks
against both Werder Bremen and Mainz in recent weeks,
Ribery should be on the bench.
With his contract set to expire in June 2011, Ribery is
expected to announce whether he will stay at Bayern in the
next few weeks, but coach Louis van Gaal is trying to
return him to the side after recovering from a knee
injury.
"Ribery is getting ever more fitter, you can see it in
training," said van Gaal.
"I must integrate him back into the team, but that is
difficult, because I must do that in a league game."
Ribery's agent has said his client is being chased by
European giants Manchester United, Real Madrid and
Barcelona.
"He would love to play alongside (Barcelona star Lionel)
Messi, that would be phenomenal," Ribery's agent Alain
Migliaccio told Spanish radio.
"There is no door closed, neither to Real Madrid nor to
Barca or to Manchester.
"With Bayern we will see how things go up to the beginning
of March."
Van Gaal insists his side have put last season's 5-1
hammering at home to Wolfsburg out of their heads and
Wolves, who sacked coach Armin Veh nearly a fortnight ago,
are chasing their first win for 10 games.
Germany striker Mario Gomez has scored six goals in his
last eight league games and is relishing facing Wolfsburg.
"For me personally, this is the best it's ever been in my
career," the 24-year-old said after scoring in last
Saturday's 3-0 victory over Mainz.
Meanwhile, Wolfsburg are desperately trying to keep hold
of their striker Edin Dzeko with their hot-shot striker
being chased by a number of top European clubs, including
Manchester United.
Wolfsburg's caretaker coach Lorenz-Guenther Koestner is
undefeated after his side drew 1-1 at Hamburg, but morale
is rock bottom at the defending champions.
Leverkusen, the only unbeaten team in the Bundesliga, are
at Bochum with the league's top-scorer Steffan Kiessling
back to scoring ways having netted in last weekend's 3-1
win at Freiburg.
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