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Leading News
Bangladesh allows India use of Ctg,
Mongla seaports for transit trade
UNB, New Delhi
Bangladesh eventually agreed to allow the use of Mongla
and Chittagong seaports for movement of goods to and from
India on both road and rail routes in a swap for
transshipment of commodity consignments from Bhutan and
Nepal through Bangladesh's frontier.
The highly significant deals are carried in a joint
communique issued in the Indian capital Tuesday following
Monday's summit talks between visiting Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina and host Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
As per the agreed communiqué, Ashuganj in Bangladesh and
Silghat in India "shall be declared" ports of call in
establishing the connectivity between the two countries.
The IWTT Protocol will be amended through exchange of
letters. A joint team will assess the improvement of
infrastructure and the cost for one-time or longer-term
transportation of ODCs (Over Dimensional Cargo) from
Ashuganj. India will make the necessary investment and
both governments agreed to expedite implementation.
"Contractors from both the countries shall be eligible for
the work."
The Prime Ministers agreed that the construction of the
proposed Akhaura-Agartala railway link be financed with
Indian grants. A joint team of the railway authorities of
the two countries will identify the alignment for
connectivity.
Agreeing on the major developments on the diplomatic
front, they called for resumption of road and rail links
between the two countries-cut off through the 1947
partition of the subcontinent at the end of the colonial
British rule or following the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war when
Bangladesh was under Pakistani rule as East Pakistan
province.
Hasina and Manmohan further agreed that Rohanpur-Singabad
broad-gauge railway link would be available for transit to
Nepal. Bangladesh informed of their intention to convert
Radhikapur-Birol railway line to broad-gauge one and
requested railway transit link to Bhutan as well.
Recognizing the sufferings of the people on both sides in
the face of scarcity of lean-season flows of the Teesta
River, the Prime Ministers expressed the views that the
discussions on the sharing of the Teesta waters between
India and Bangladesh "should be concluded expeditiously".
The two premiers directed their respective Water Resources
Ministers to convene Ministerial-level meeting of the
Joint Rivers Commission in this quarter of 2010. The Joint
Rivers Commission will also discuss issues relating to
Feni, Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla and Dudhkumar
rivers.
They also agreed on taking actions for the dredging of
Ichhamati, river protection at Mahananda, Karatoa, Nagar,
Kulik, Atrai, Dharla, and Feni
The Indian Prime Minister agreed to support implementation
of strategy of Bangladesh government to dredge rivers for
flood control, navigation and access to ports. India
agreed to provide, inter alia, dredgers to Bangladesh on
an urgent basis. Bangladesh indicated the need for 9
dredgers.
Sheikh Hasina thanked Manmohan Singh for facilitating the
provision of electricity in Dahagram-Angarpota enclave and
invited India to construct a flyover across Tin Bigha
Corridor for exclusive Indian use, as agreed earlier.
They agreed to comprehensively address all outstanding
land-boundary issues keeping in view the spirit of the
1974 Land Boundary Agreement. In this context, they agreed
to convene the Joint Boundary Working Group meet to take
this process forward.
The two Prime Ministers directed their respective
Ministries and agencies to cooperate closely and implement
all decisions taken during the talks.
While recognizing the need to check cross-border crimes,
they agreed that the respective border-guarding forces
exercise restraint and underscored the importance of
regular meetings between the border forces to curtail
illegal cross-border activities and prevent loss of life.
Another
cattle traders killed by BSF
815 Bangladeshis killed on border during 9 years
TBT Report
One more Bangladeshi citizen was killed along Daulatpur
border in Benapole early Tuesday as the killing spree of
Indian Border Security Force (BSF) on Bangladesh border
continues unabated despite India's repeated pledges to
stop such killings.
With this four Bangladeshis were killed by BSF in first 11
days of 2010 taking the total number of deaths from
January 1, 2009 to January 11, 2010 to 90. The number of
Bangladeshis killed by BSF during the nine years period
from January 1, 2000 to January 11, 2010 stands at 815.
BSF also injured 857 and abducted 897 Bangladeshis in the
same period.
According to UNB News Agency, a Bangladeshi cattle trader
was shot dead by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) along
Daulatpur border in Benapole early Tuesday. The victim was
identified as Ala, 30, son of Akbar Ali of Goira village
here.
BDR sources said the BSF troops of Kaliani camp opened
fire on some Bangladeshi cattle traders while returning
from India along with cows, killing Ala on the spot. A
tense situation was prevailing in the area following the
BSF firing.
The killings of unarmed Bangladeshis by the BSF on the
border are continuing in clear violation of the spirit of
good neighborliness as well as international law and
despite repeated pledges by the Indian authorities to stop
it.
In every meeting between BSF and BDR and also between the
higher level officials of the two countries, the Indian
side assures that killing of Bangladeshis by its forces on
the border would come to an end immediately. But this
pledge is seldom implemented.
PM’s
India tour
Bangladesh gets nothing but assurances: Morshed Khan
UNB, Dhaka
Former Foreign Minister Morshed Khan Tuesday said
Bangladesh got nothing but "assurances" from Indian
leaders during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's key talks
with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi.
Giving his initial reaction over the outcome of the
Hasina-Manmohan summit talks, Khan said people in
Bangladesh wanted a solution to the longstanding issue of
sharing the Teesta waters, which was a priority issue from
Bangladesh.
"Why it could not be done, given such a warm relation," he
wondered. About the three agreements relating to crimes
and terrorism, signed capping the talks Monday, the former
Foreign Minister noted that this is one agreement expanded
to three.
On Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's assurance on
removal of non-tariff and para-tariff barriers to
Bangladeshi products, Khan, also a present vice-chairman
of the opposition BNP, said: Pranab Mukherjee has assured
this for last 15 years.
About India's one-billion-dollar credit offer to
Bangladesh for improving railway sector and dredging, he
said this offer was made much earlier and lying with ERD.
BNP holds protest rally
marking 1/11 as Black Day
TBT Report
BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain said Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit could not be able to
bring any result according to the expectations of the
countrymen, so they are dismayed.
He said this while addressing a protest rally to mark the
"one eleven as black day" in front of party's Naya Paltan
central office in the capital on Tuesday.
Khandaker Delwar Hossain said agreements including mutual
transfer of convicted prisoners have been signed during
incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit.
Memorandum of understanding on cooperation in power sector
has also been signed.
On the basis of this deal, India has gained all sorts of
authorizations for generating electricity in Bangladesh.
If the government would take step to generate electricity
applying local technology and instrument that would be
more beneficial for the countrymen. So, public benefits
and its expectorations from the Prime Minister's India
visit have not been ensured.
He said in order to destroy BNP and oust Zia's family
member from the country, some trackless army officials
ousted a legal caretaker government at gunpoint and
introduce emergency throughout the country on January 1,
2007. As part of its evil plan, the then emergency
government picked up Begum Zia and kept her behind bar for
one year illegally. They also picked up Tarique Rahman now
party's senior vice-chairman his younger brother Arafat
Rahman Coco and beat them up mercilessly.
"We, the nationalist forces are observing the day as black
day throughout the country but any programme protesting
that very day yet to be initiated by the ruling party. It
seems to me that the ruling party had moral support to the
then caretaker government. Players and collaborators of
the 1/11 changeover will have to be brought to book for
trial," he said.
Numbers of BNP standing committee members including Dr
Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Abbas, Salaudding Kader
Chowdhury, senior joint secretary general Mirza Fakhrul
Islam Alamgir, Barkatullah Bulu and good numbers of
leaders and activists from different parts of capital took
part in the rally. The rally started from in front of the
party office at about 4:30 pm and ended in front the
National Press Club.
Human-chain
demonstration for protection of national resources
UNB, Dhaka
The National Committee of protestors on Tuesday staged
human-chain demonstrations across the country on their
7-point demands, focused on preventing the lease of
country's energy turfs to foreign companies on inequitable
terms. The human chain was formed at 11 am for one hour at
150 points along the cross-country line from Teknaf to
Tentulia. In the capital city, it was observed in front of
the National Press Club and at Jatrabari, Motijheel,
Muktangan, Shahbagh, Shyamoli, Saver and some other
points.
Their 7-point demands include passing a bill in the
parliament barring export of natural resources, cancelling
the proposed model production-sharing contract (PSC) with
foreign oil companies, ditching open-pit coal mining and
expelling Asia Energy from the country and realizing
compensation from foreign gas companies for the blowouts
in Magurchhara and Tangratila gas fields.
Convenor of the National Committee to Protect Oil-Gas
-Natural Resources engineer Mohammad Shahidullah, Workers
Party president Rashed Khan Menon, CPB general secretary
Mujahidul Islam Selim, BSD president Khalequzzaman Bhuiyan,
national committee member-secretary Prof Anu Mohammad,
Tipu Biswas, Saiful Haque and Ruhin Hossain Prince
addressed a rally at Paltan crossing during the
human-chain demo.
The leaders warned the government that they would throw a
Dhaka-bound long-march programme soon if it failed to meet
the demands.
They urged the government to refrain from signing any deal
with foreign oil companies to award gas blocks. "The
people will resist any deal with foreign companies which
would export gas, coal or any natural resources,"
Shahidullah told the rally.
He alleged that like the previous governments, the present
one also continued the trend of "plundering national
wealth".
Demanding full implementation of the agreement signed
between the committee leaders and the government after the
killing of local people on August 30, 2006, during
coal-mining protests, the committee leaders reminded that
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made a commitment to support
the agreement.
"If the government does not implement that deal, it will
be a cheating with the people and breach of commitment,"
Anu Mohammad said, alleging that the government is trying
to carry out open-pit coal mining at Fulbari coal mine.
Severe cold wave sweeps country
TBT Report
The sweeping shivering cold wave coupled with blowing
strong winds and clouds paralyzed normal life across the
country especially in northern region causing untold
sufferings to the people for the third consecutive day on
Tuesday.
Met Office sources said the cold wave swept over the
country with Srimangal facing 5 degrees Celsius
temperature on Tuesday, lowest in three years.
The country earlier faced lowest 4 degrees Celsius in
2007, Dhaka Met Office sources said. The residents of
Dhaka have been experiencing 10.2 degree Celsius
temperature in the day. The cold wave will continue for
the next few days and the country may face one or two more
cold waves by this month, Dhaka Met Office sources.
The poor in the cold-struck areas are in dire need of warm
clothes, while many are also suffering from different cold
related diseases.
The situation became unbearable as the gap between the
minimum and maximum temperatures reduced to the minimum
when the minimum temperatures ranged between 7.5 and 10.6
degrees and the maximum between 13.5 and 20 degrees in the
region.
Temperature was recorded 5.8 degrees Celsius in Chuadanga,
6.3 in Ishwardi, 7.5 in Rajshahi, 7.4 in Jessore, 8.2 in
Sayedpur, 8.6 in Tangail and Dinajpur, 8.8 in Barisal, 9
in Bogra, 9.5 in Faridpur and Rangamati, 9.7 in Chandpur
and 9.9 in Feni and Bhola districts.
A severe cold wave is now sweeping over Srimangal and
Chuadanga regions while mild to moderate cold wave is now
sweeping over Dhaka, Khulna and Rajshahi divisions and the
regions of Comilla, Rangamati, Chand-pur, Swandip and
Barisal.
The severity of the cold forced thousands to stay indoors
affecting businesses, education, office and normal
activities for the third consecutive day Tuesday as the
sun has been remaining covered by fogs and clouds amid
blowing of stronger cooler winds.
Back Page
PM for poverty and terrorism-free
peaceful, justice-based society
India is with BD in crusade against terrorism:
Pratibha Patil
BSS, New Delhi
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday categorically said
that she is determined to build a poverty and terrorism
free Bangladesh by ensuring peace and justice, giving
democracy a firm footing and establishing human rights and
rule of law at all spheres of society.
"My government has taken steps to strengthen the roots of
democracy and secularism, ensure good governance, reform
public institutions, and initiate a broad spectrum of
socio-economic programs for liberating our people from
poverty, disease and illiteracy," she said. The Prime
Minister said this while receiving the prestigious Indira
Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development Award-
2009 at the Rashtrapati Bhaban here Tuesday morning.
Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil handed over the
award at an impressing ceremony in presence of
distinguished guests. Congress President and Chairperson
and Trustee of the Indira Memorial Trust, Sonia Gandhi,
chaired the hour-long function while Vice President of
India Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh,
among others, were present. The Indira Gandhi Memorial
Trust conferred this year's Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace,
Disarmament and Development Award 2009 on Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina for her contribution in promoting peace in
the region. Speaking on the occasion, the Bangladesh's
Premier said the most prestigious prize also greatly
honors Bangladesh and its people. "On this special moment
of honor, I recall with profound respect your great
leader, late Indira Gandhi, who regarded the world
economic order "based on domination and inequality," as
unsustainable," she said.
Sheikh Hasina said she (Indira) pursued a life dedicated
to peace, justice, and democracy as she said unfaltering
stand for the deprived and downtrodden was well known, and
was not confined only within the borders of India.
In this context, she recalled that when the people of
Bangladesh in 1971, were in the throes of pain,
subjugation, and bloodshed by the ruling occupation
forces, she (Indira) rallied support for the victims
within India, and around the world.
Meanwhile, President of India Pratibha Devisingh Patil
expressed strong commitment of her country to stand by the
Sheikh Hasina-led government of Bang-ladesh in its
"crusade" against terrorism and violence.
The Indian head of state came up with the promise while
conferring the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament
and Develo-pment on the visiting Bangladesh Prime
Minister, Sheikh Hasina, at Rashtr-apati Bhaban Tuesday.
"We would like to assure you, Madam Prime Minister, that
India, which is itself a target of terrorism, is
supportive of your struggle to fight these divisive
forces. We cannot and will not let them succeed," said
Pratibha.
The Indian President struck a high note in praise of the
political career of Hasina, saying that throu-ghout life,
Hasina has personified the heroic struggle against
autocracy and dictatorship, the struggle for establishing
democracy and pluralism.
Afghan war should stay
out of Pakistan: Pak FM
AFP, Abu Dhabi
The war against Taliban militants in Afghanistan must be
fought inside the country itself and not spill over into
Pakistan, the Pakistani foreign minister said on Tuesday.
"The Afghan war has to be fought within Afghanistan. The
challenges within Afgha-nistan cannot be resolved in
Pakistan," Shah Mehmood Qureshi told reporters on the
sidelines of a Meeting of Special Repre-sentatives for
Afghanistan and Pakistan, held in Abu Dhabi.
"The challenge that we have in Pakistan is being faced
very bravely and very courageously by the people of
Pakistan," he said. "On our side of the border, Pakistan
is capable of looking after the problem." Pakistan faces
Taliban insurgents and militants who have killed over
2,900 people since July 2007. The insurgents are fighting
to impose a version of Islamic Sharia and also oppose
Islamabad's alliance with the United States in the
eight-year war against the Taliban in neighbouring
Afghanistan.
In his address to the conference, Afghan Foreign Minister
Rangin Dadfar Spanta said both diplomatic and military
methods were needed to bring stability to his country.
"We seek ... in addition to military means, peaceful
solutions to our security challenge," Spanta said.
"Afghanistan is fully committed to pave the way for a
return to normal life by all Afghans who are ready to
surrender arms and abide by the Afghan constitution," he
said.
On the sidelines of the forum, Spanta said the US troop
surge in Afghanistan must be part of a broader strategy
including development and strengthening state institutions
if it is to succeed. "Political reconciliation,
reintegration (of ex-fighters), capacity-building of
civilian institutions, improvement of governance and
structures inside Afgha-nistan are very important for a
forward movement or for stability and peace in
Afghanistan," he said.
Egypt's Deputy Foreign Minister Wafa Baseem expressed
similar sentiment. "We do believe that military measures
could be needed sometimes," she said. "But (in) the long
run, they are not the only solution, or the solution ...
to a conflict, especially in Afghanistan." However, both
Pakistan and Egypt expressed willingness to train Afghan
security forces.
"We've offered to train on a fast track Afghan soldiers
and Afghan policemen so that the law enforcement
operations within Afghanistan improve," Qureshi said.
And Baseem said Egypt already informed Afghanistan in May
2009 that it was ready to provide military training for
Afghan officers and soldiers. The one-day conference
brought together delegations from about 40 countries ahead
of a January 28 conference on Afghanistan in London to be
attended by Afghan President Hamid Karzai and other
international leaders.
AL to accord
reception to PM at airport today
BSS, Dhaka
The leaders, workers and supporters of the Awami League
(AL) will accord a grand reception to Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina at the airport this (Wednesday) afternoon on
her return from India after a four-day official visit.
A joint meeting of the AL central working committee and
front organisations took the decision Tuesday.
AL acting president Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury presided over
the meeting, held at the AL President's Dhanmondi office.
After the meeting, Nooh-ul Alam Lenin told journalists
that the outcomes of the Prime Minister's India visit have
fulfilled the expectations of the countrymen. Therefore,
the AL has decided to accord a huge reception to her, he
added.
Referring to the bilateral talks and agreements signed
during the Prime Minister's visit, Lenin said the visit
has been successful and met the people's expectations.
Meeting sources said the AL leaders and workers will greet
the Prime Minister standing on both sides of the roads
from Zia International Airport to Sheraton Hotel via
Banani Rail Crossing and Farmgate. Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina left home for New Delhi on a four- day official
visit on January 10. It is her first visit to India, at
the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,
after forming the government for the second time.
Sheikh Hasina will leave India for home from Joypur
Airport after performing ziarat at the mazar of Khawja
Mainuddin Chishti (Rh) in Azmer.
Cluster habitats
needed to bring rural dynamism: Muhith
UNB, Dhaka
Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Tuesday said cluster rural
habitats could usher in rural dynamism in the country and
check migration of rural people to urban areas.
"Such cluster habitats will ensure easy availability of
different services including sub contracting jobs to give
a boost to industry," he said at a policy seminar on
'Urban Poverty: Dimensions and Solutions' held at the LGED
Auditorium in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
Power and Participation Research Center (PPRC) organized
the seminar where PPRC Executive Chairman Hossain Zillur
Rahman made the keynote presentation.
BRAC Executive Director Dr. Mahabub Hossain, SAPRODEW
Secretariat coordinator Dr Syed Tariq-uzzaman, Dhaka
University Prof Mahbubullah, AKM Mozammel Haque MP,
Narayanganj Pourasava mayor Dr. Selina Hayat Ivy, BUET
Prof Sarwar Jahan and former secretary Rashidul Hai
addressed the seminar as panel discussants. Address-ing
the seminar as chief guest, the Finance Minister said: "We
will have to build cluster rural habitats, as the amount
of land we have won't be enough to feed the country's
people. This calls for our attention."
He stressed the need for strengthening the local
government and also digital initiatives to strengthen
decentralization. Referring to eviction of slums in the
city, Muhith said the slums in Sylhet city are quite
developed, operated by private initiatives. "But in the
capital most of the slums are built on government lands
and are operated by the goons."
Operations
resume at Ctg port
UNB, Chittagong
Chittagong port operations resumed on Tuesday afternoon as
dock workers suspended their nonstop siege programme until
January 25 after a meeting with the port authority.
The workers went on a nonstop siege programme in the
morning to realize their four-point demand.
The dock workers joined their work at 4pm after a meeting
with the port authority held at port office from 1pm to
4pm.
The dock leaders said they suspended their programme until
January 25 following the assurance of the Shipping
Minister, now in abroad, that he would held meeting with
them after returning home.
"He will meet with us on January 23 after his return to
the country" said the leaders.
The dock workers stop-ped loading and unloading of goods
in 13 general cargo berths from 8am today. They also held
rallies and brought out processions in and around the port
in support of their siege programme.
Their demands include reinstatement of some 2,200 workers
terminated during the last caretaker government, putting
an end to repression on workers under berth operators,
placing their jobs under the port authority and
introduction of Dock Management Board.
Council leaders said some 4,200 workers under the Dock
Management Board lost their jobs with the abolition of the
board during the army-backed caretaker regime.
Some 1,800 workers were reinstated under the private berth
operators while another 200 refused to return to their
jobs, and the remaining ones still remain jobless.
Bangabandu murder
case
SC to order today fixing date for review of judgment
UNB, Dhaka
The date for hearing on the fate-deciding review petitions
of two of the five condemned killers of father of the
nation Banga-bandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman against the apex
court reaffirmation of death sentences will be fixed today
(Wednesday).
The Supreme Court chamber judge Tuesday passed the order
upon a government petition seeking "expeditious" disposal
of the review petitions, state-engaged counsel Anisul Huq
told reporters while emerging from the court. On Sunday,
ex-army officers Bazlul Huda and AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed
(Lancer), now on death row in prison, filed separate
review petitions with the SC Appellate Division, eleven
days ahead of the January-21 deadline.
Earlier, a day before submitting the review petitions,
they both submitted separate mercy petition to the
President through the jail authorities.
Meanwhile, the three other condemned prisoners-Lt Col
(sacked) Syed Faruque Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan
Shahriar Rashid Khan and Lt Col (retd) Muhiuddin Ahmed
(artillery)--have also expre- ssed their desire through
the jail authorities to seek review of the apex court's
judgment as the last resort for commuting the death
sentences.
Editorial
Cost of higher
education
Cost
of higher education in our country is very high at all levels.
Specially the cost is unbelievably high at private
universities although the tuition fees in the public
universities is comparatively low. Against this backdrop,
President Zillur Rahman on Monday underscored the need for
increasing opportunities of higher education to the country's
poor students at the private universities by offering them
education at free or lesser cost. The President made the
remark while a three-member delegation of American
International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) led by its
Vice-Chancellor Dr Carmen Z. Lamagna called on him at
Bangabhaban.
During the meeting, the delegation appraised the President
that AIUB is presently offering education to 12.2 percent of
students at free of cost. The university is determined to
gradually increase its offers of free education to the
country's poor students. The members of the delegation said
that the AIUB is providing quality higher education at lesser
cost. They would like to change the notion of some people
about private universities that the educational expenses of
these educational institutions are very high.
While appreciating the AIUB for offering education to 12.2
percent of students at free of cost presently and for their
determination to gradually increase its offers of free
education to the country's poor students, we are constrained
to point out that this attitude is not anything common in all
the 54 private universities of the country. Rather, what is
very common in case of almost all the private universities is
to maximise profit by running education business in the name
of providing higher education to students. Bangladesh is a
poor country, but the amount of money the private universities
realise from the students as tuition fees and other charges is
very high and affordable for only limited number of people. It
is simply impossible for a poor student, whatever meritorious
he may be, to bear such huge cost. But the reality shows that
the private universities are interested more in earning money
than in imparting quality education or helping the poor
students get the opportunity there free of cost or at a lesser
cost.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is on record as saying that the
quality of education at the university level fell to an
alarming level as permission was given to set up many private
universities without maintaining proper rules and regulations
in the past. It is an open secret that a section of profit
mongers are engaged in brisk education business in the country
causing serious degradation of the quality of education. While
education in public universities are being hampered seriously
by session jam, teachers' involvement with private
universities and NGO activities etc, a section of private
universities are allegedly imparting substandard education and
selling certificates. In fact, the state of country's private
universities is far from satisfactory as most of the private
universities have virtually turned into brisk business centres
instead of seats of quality education as they are run mainly
on commercial basis. Except a few, most of the private
universities do not have even own campus, labs, sufficient
class rooms, library facilities, educational equipment and
even adequate number of teachers. Academic and other
facilities in most of the private universities are inadequate
and that gross irregularities are practiced there for
commercial gains.
Inspite of this, Private universities are unavoidable reality
in the country now as the public universities are unable to
accommodate the growing number of students. But they should
function as educational institutions and not as commercial
establishments. They are also expected to be well equipped in
all respects to impart quality education. And, as has been
advised by the president the private universities should
increase opportunities of higher education to the country's
poor students by offering them education at free or lesser
cost.
Easing Traffic
jam
The
drive of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to ease the
unbearable traffic jam in the city has been continuing but the
suffering people are yet to get any respite. In fact there is
no significant let up in the traffic congestion as the DMP
efforts are failing to yield tangible results. No doubt, in
the DMP drive the licences of some drivers are being
suspended, some vehicles are being seized and some drivers are
being arrested for violating traffic rules in the city, but
these are falling short of achieving the goal. During last one
month DMP collected over Tk 20 lakh in fine, filed 24,563
cases, seized 562 vehicles and 935 driving licences, and
arrested 146 drivers, but all these failed to improve the
alarming situation. Moreover, it is alleged that some
dishonest policemen are earning money taking advantage of this
drive.
In the recent past, a number of measures have been taken to
resolve the traffic congestion crisis, the latest one being
the introduction of automatic traffic signalling system and
the three- lane traffic system. There has been some initial
success, but by now the city has returned to the old terrible
situation. The attempts to bring some respite for the city
dwellers from tailbacks seem to have gone in vain. Now traffic
jam is the common scene in almost all the busy roads of the
city. And the city dwellers are suffering as before. Against
this backdrop, the government has to work out some new formula
to ease the traffic congestion alongside strict enforcement of
the traffic rules in the city.
Analysis
Tensions mount in Asia
India has significantly upgraded its military
prowess along the border it shares with China, deploying two
army divisions along with a squadron or top-of-the-line Sukhol
Su-30MKI warplanes
Mohammad Jamil
In
view of recent events in Arunachal Pradesh, Bharat Verma,
editor Indian Defence Review China presaged the other day that
there could be a war during the month of October 2009 between
India and China. Earlier in an interview with the Times of
India he reckoned that China would attack India in 2012. One
does not know the inside story, but his prediction of imminent
war smacks of some devious designs on the part of India.
Anyhow, claims some 90000 square kilometer of Arunachal
Pradesh, which was once a part of Tibet whereas India alsays
took the plea that it is part of India, which it inherited
from the British Raj. In 1999, Chinese Premier Zhou Enial had
written to Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru rejecting
latter's contention that the border was based on 1914 treaty
of Simla Convention adding that Chinese government had not
accepted McMohan Line as legal.
In 1962, when India tried to flex its muscles, Chinese troops
had advanced to 48 kilometers in Assam plains and also
occupied Indian forces strategic posts in Ladakh in 1962. The
border clashes with China were a direct consequence of the
Tibetan problem that crapped up when the Dalai Lama had fled
to India. Since then it has become a flashpoint that could
spark a war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Over the
years, both countries held series of negotiations to resolve
the territorial dispute but to no avail. But after British
Foreign Office clarification on 29th October 2008 admitting
that Tibet was part of China, Britain should ask India to
review its policy of intransigence. Kashmir dispute also owes
its origin to British Raji and after United Nations Security
Council Resolution, international community and especially
Britain should play its role in resolving the dispute. Before
the last World Olympics in Peking, efforts were made by the US
and the West to tarnish China's image by inciting human rights
activists to highlight human rights' abuses. When the Olympic
torch was to pass from India, protests by Tibetans were
organized to man the event and bring China into disrepute.
Tensions are mounting between China and India, especially
after US-India nuclear deal because India is basking in the
glow of strategic partnership with the US and started flexing
muscles with China and has started interfering its affairs.
Recently, Indian government lodged a protest with China over
the proposed construction of Bunji Hydro-electric Project in
Astore district of the Gilgit Balistan area. Chinese President
Hu Jintao said that China would continue to support projects
in Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas.
Chinese Government has recently strongly protested over Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. China
has also taken exception to the planned visit of Dalai Lama to
Arunachal Pradesh and Warned that there should no political
speeches. According to Indian press reports, China's soldiers,
helicopters and even fighter jets have been intruding in the
disputed territory to slowly and steadily retrieve the area.
Though Chinese media has never created hype about its
territorial dispute with India however recently Chinese
diplomats, intellectuals and leaders of the public opinion
assert claims over Arunachal Pradesh. According to news
carried by international media in May 2009, India has
significantly upgraded its military prowess along the border
it shares with China, deploying two army divisions along with
a squadron or top-of-the-line Sukhol Su-30MKI warplanes at a
critical base in the north-east. Three Awacs
command-and-control aircraft was also deployed to boost
India's ability to track troop and equipment movements on the
Chinese side of the border. In August 2009, during Pakistan
President Asif Ali Zardari's visit to southern China, the two
countries signed a deal to work together to build a 7,000 MW
hydro power project in Bunji in Northern Areas. President
Zardari also sought Chinese assistance and invited companies
to help develop hydel and thermal projects in the region.
Indian Foreign Office spokesman Vishnu Prakash said on last
Wednesday that Beijing was fully aware of India's concerns
about China's help in projects and had asked China to take a
"long term view" of relations between the two countries and to
stop activities in what it called Pakistan. Occupied Kashmir,
China is a trusted friend of Pakistan it has helped Pakistan
in economic and defence fields in the past China was involved
in a variety of projects including Gwadar port project and
Saindak Copper Project in Baiochist6an and has extended full
cooperation to make Pakistan self-reliant by providing
know0how a view to ensuring territorial integrity and
sovereignty of Pakistan it would not be an exaggeration to any
that Pakistan's stability has always been the comer stone of
China's foreign policy always. Former president Pervez
Musharaf and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao had held and
hour-long meeting in Shanghai during his visit to attend
Shangai Cooperation Organization (SCO). China and Pakistan
signed a deal in 2003 to upgrade the Karakoram highway, which
runs from the trading city of Kashgar in China's far wester
Xinjang region to Gilgit in Pakistan and on to Islamabad
Recent events in Tibat and Sinjiang however have sparked
regional concerns. There are ominous forebodings. Bharat Verma
editor of the Indian Defense Review in an interview with Time
of India claimed that China would attack India before 2012 to
divert the attention of its own people from unprecedented
internal dissent, growing unemployment and financial problems
that are threatening the hold of Communication in that
country. This sounds a part of propaganda to exact further
concessions and help from the US and the West to strengthen
Indians armed forces. Chinese leadership is well composed. It
neither bullies other countries non accepts any nonsense even
from the super power. But China would never accept
independence of Taiwan, which has been armed to the teeth by
the US and the West Belling is indeed making preparations of
that eventuality and building up its military strength to
project power not only regionally but also to contend the US
as a major player in global politics.
Nevertheless Chinese leaders hope that frictions cab be
contained and overwhelmed by the two nations shared interest
in prosperity.
Chinese leadership also understands that economic power is the
most important and most essential factor in comprehensive
national power, which is why China has all along focused on
increasing its economic strength keeping in mind that the
military strength depends on the former. Chinese leadership
has never reacted reflexively even when it was a question of
its rights over Hong Kong and Taiwan, Despite acts of
provocations such as arming Taiwan to the teeth and the US
efforts to contain China, the latter always signaled that it
would not fight on US terms Even western analysts reckon that
China would be the leading industrial power and perhaps a
superpower by 2009. Indeed China was once a great
civilization, and even when degeneration had crept in the
society was never dead, as the revolutions could not occur in
a dead society. Nevertheless the Marxist ideology under the
leadership of Mao Tse Tung inspired the degenerated society
and it was back on the tract to enlightenment and development.
The new experiment of market economy monitored and controlled
by the Communist party was unique and Dang Xiao Ping was
architect of this policy. After he had taken over control, he
observed that China could not go forward unless it got western
technology. For this purpose there was no way out but to mend
the fences with the West He formulated policy of coexistence
with the West, and it is due to his vision and foresight that
China is progressing by leaps and bounds.
Lessons we
must learn
It should worry the US and its allies that Muslims the
world over find it difficult to trust western nations.
Rahimullah Yusufzai
There
are lessons to be learnt from the recent suicide bombing
at the secret CIA station in Afghanistan's Khost province
bordering Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region. A
Jordanian medical doctor of Palestinian origin with a
Turkish wife teamed up with other Arab nationals from Al
Qaeda and sought the help of Pakistani, and possibly
Afghan, Taliban to carry out this attack and inflict the
heaviest loss to the premier US spy agency in 26 years. It
showed how widespread the animosity is among Muslims
against the US given its policies and explained the way
Islamic militants transcending borders are increasingly
joining hands to fight what they perceive as a common
enemy.
One is sure no lessons will be learnt from this event. In
the manner of the 9/11 attacks, the US would embark on
another costly mission to hunt down the attackers. The CIA
has pledged to avenge the loss of its seven agents who
were killed in Khost, and the six others injured and
apparently out of action for a long time. There would be
more missile strikes by the CIA-operated drones in
Pakistan's tribal areas and greater pressure on the
Pakistan military to launch action against the militants
in North Waziristan. Already, influential US Senators John
McCain and Joe Lieberman after recent meetings with top
Pakistan government officials are saying that Pakistani
security forces are preparing to undertake some action in
North Waziristan. In the heat of the moment, no thought
would be given to the consequences of such a militaristic
approach to the already volatile situation.
Dr Humam Khalil Abu Mulal al-Balawi, the Jordanian suicide
bomber came all the way from Zarqa to Waziristan to attack
CIA's Khost base. It isn't clear if he came via
Afghanistan or Pakistan, but the way he gained unchecked
access to the CIA station was evidence enough that he
already knew his Jordanian handler, Captain Ali bin Zeid,
an operative of his country's intelligence agency and
member of the royal family who was also killed in the
suicide attack, and through him the CIA agents. It is
possible he had already paid visits to the CIA base in
Khost and earned the trust of his handlers. The Jordanian
and American spies thought they had someone in their
control who could lead them to Al Qaeda leaders,
particularly Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri who has figured as the
real or imagined target in most US missile strikes in
Bajaur and Waziristan in recent years. The more plausible
explanation is that he had been infiltrated from
Afghanistan into North Waziristan, and from there to South
Waziristan where his farewell video tape, while seated
beside the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) head Hakimullah
Mehsud, was recorded.
It was a properly done tape with Balawi first holding a
weapon outside and then shown sitting in a room with
Hakimullah and making his statement in Arabic and English.
The young bearded man in military fatigues is seen
describing the CIA and Jordanian intelligence as enemies
of the Muslim nation and arguing that "God's combatant
never exposes his religion to blackmail and never
renounces it, even if he is offered the sun in one hand
and the moon in the other." And then he describes late TTP
leader Baitullah Mehsud as his amir (head) and tells him
that he won't be forgotten, and his blood would be avenged
in and outside America. Balawi then says that Baitullah
paid with his life for offering to protect Osama bin Laden
if he came to South Waziristan.
From Balawi's statement, it seems as if he was being
offered money to spy on the militants and assist the CIA
and Jordanian intelligence in tracking down important Al
Qaeda and Taliban figures. Taliban sources are claiming
that Abu Dujana al-Khorasani, the name Balawi used as a
fighter, rejected Jordanian and American intelligence
offers of millions of dollars for spying on the 'mujahideen.'
They also insist that he shared US and Jordanian state
secrets with the militants. Both the CIA and the Jordanian
spy agency suffered embarrassment due to the intelligence
failures and security lapses in this incident. As if
trying to cover up, the CIA Director Leon Panetta claimed
in a recent article that Balawi was about to be searched
when he detonated his explosives.
By trying to lure or manipulate Balawi and use him to
track down Al Qaeda figures, the CIA and its allied spy
agencies also revealed their desperation. They haven't
made any major breakthrough despite years of efforts to
infiltrate the militant organisations such as Al Qaeda and
Taliban. Offers of record rewards for capturing the wanted
men are also not making any headway. It was thus a
desperate move to trust someone like Balawi with a history
of sympathising with Al Qaeda and start believing that he
had changed and could be used to get the world's most
wanted man bin Laden, his deputy Dr Zawahiri and others.
It shows that all talk of Bin Laden or Zawahiri hiding in
this or that place in the Pak-Afghan border areas is mere
speculation as there has been no confirmed sighting of
these individuals since December 2001 when they reportedly
escaped to Tora Bora in eastern Afghanistan and then
vanished.
Balawi had to say what he said in his farewell video-taped
message, but the statements made by his Turkish wife,
Dafne Bayrak, are instructive. The young woman who married
Balawi while studying in Istanbul in 2001 holds a degree
in journalism and has written articles for Islamic
publications and also a book entitled Osama bin Laden: Che
Guevara of the East. She expressed pride in her husband's
mission and recalled that he regarded the US as an enemy.
Denying that Balawi was an American agent, she argued that
he only could have used America and Jordan to reach his
goal.
However, she declined to call Balawi a martyr and instead
prayed to Allah to accept his martyrdom. This is how a
highly educated, scarf-wearing woman from secular and
westernised Turkey, which is the only Muslim country to be
a member of NATO, thinks about the US and admiringly looks
at the fight being waged by militants against America and
it's allies.
Balawi's father Khalil al-Balawi also said he was proud of
his son even though his death broke his heart. He appeared
satisfied that his son killed some of those in the
intelligence agencies who manipulated him. Balawi, he
reminded, was a doctor who saved lives, but was sucked
into the whirlpool of the intelligence agencies instead of
being able to serve his people. This was not only the
anguish of a father, but also a strong indictment of the
working of intelligence agencies that manipulate and
blackmail people into doing unwanted spying work.
Reports in the Arab press explain how Balawi was
radicalised by the US occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
His wife said that in particular he was disturbed by the
US treatment of Iraqi prisoners in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib
prison and the destruction of Fallujah city in November
2004. The Israeli war on Palestinian territory of Gaza,
often described as the biggest open air jail in the world,
also upset him. He reportedly tried to go to Gaza to offer
medical care to the Palestinians but was stopped by the
Jordanian authorities. This is believable since his family
originally belonged to Beershaba in Palestine, from where
Israel under its ethnic and religious cleansing policy
since 1948 has been uprooting Palestinians and annexing
territory with backing from Western countries. It isn't
surprising that Palestinians have been radicalised to no
end and many of them have been active in hard-line
organisations ranging from Fatah to Hamas and even Al
Qaeda.
The Pakistani Taliban as one of their commanders Qari
Hussain claimed may have facilitated Balawi in carrying
out the suicide bombing at the CIA's Khost base and the
video in which the bomber and Hakimullah are seated
together is evidence of their close ties, but it is
difficult to believe that they could have accomplished the
mission without the support of Afghan Taliban,
particularly the powerful Haqqani network dominant in
Khost. It could have been a joint operation with Balawi
having links to Al Qaeda receiving explosives and some
training from the Taliban and then embarking on a mission
that was primarily facilitated by the unwary Jordanian and
CIA intelligence agents.
It should worry the US and its allies that Muslims the
world over find it difficult to trust western nations.
This is benefiting the militants and providing
justification to their cause. The CIA agents were attacked
because they were directing US drone attacks that kill
some Al Qaeda and Taliban members and many more civilians
in Pakistan's tribal areas. The fact that Islamic
militants from different countries and cultures have been
planning and conducting joint operations against western
targets should be a matter of concern for the US and its
friends. There should be some soul-searching on the part
of all sides to the conflict to think of other and
preferably peaceful options instead of embarking on
revenge and continuing this vicious circle of death and
destruction.
The writer is resident editor of The News in Peshawar.
Email: rahimyusufzai @yahoo.com
Viewpoints
China Considers Kashmir a Separate
Entity
India must
realize that Kashmir is a disputed territory deserving
resolution at all costs.
Dr. Manwar
Kashmir
is a disputed territory representing core political conflict
between India and Pakistan. The people of Kashmir are
suffering in the hands of Indian illegal occupation and their
oppressive rule. Pakistan keeps on voicing her concerns to
persuade India to resolve the Kashmir issue as per the will of
the Kashmiri people and in accordance with the UN resolutions
on the issue. Unfortunately Indian has never been comfortable
to Pakistani suggestions and has always jealously attempted to
show Kashmir as its integral part.
China as a regional power has taken a different position on
Kashmir based on principles and philosophy of ethical
diplomacy. China considers Kashmir as a separate entity and is
ready to extend all sorts of help and moral support to
Kashmiri people to improve upon their present state of
affairs. Chinese Embassy has been issuing visas to some
Kashmiris on a separates sheet of paper instead of passports.
Like in the case of those hailing from Arunachal Pradesh on
which Beijing lays its claim. The visas are stamped on
separate papers which are stapled to the passport. The
prentice of issuing such visas on separate papers has been
there for years. India has recently lodged a protest against
such a Chinese visas issuing practice. On the other hand China
maintained that they have issued valid visas to the people of
Indian held Kashmir and that the problem laid with Indian
immigration authorities who do not wish to allow Kashmiris to
proceed abroad for higher education.
Reportedly, Mr. Shakil A Romshoo an Associate professor of
university in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) has been stopped
from flying to China by Indian immigration authorities New
Delhi after the Chinese visa was granted to him on a separate
document and not on his passport. This prompted the Indian
government to protest against the Chinese practice. China has
disregarded Indian protest stressing that the visas issued to
IOK citizens are correct and valid. They farther contained
that this was not a new practice and has been done even in the
past.
More recently, China's foreign office reiterated its stance on
4th November 2009 that it would continue issuing stapled visas
to Kashmiris without bringing any change in policy adding that
due to its historical nature, the Kashmir dispute could not be
put into cold storage and it should be settled through
dialogue.
According to media reports, majority of the affected of this
new development are students and academician. Irrespective of
Chinese intentions to help students and academicians by
extending the facility to get visas for study tours in China
India has seen the issue in a very myopic fashion. Indian
oblique angle vision has construed that China is issuing visas
to Kashmiris, on behest of Pakistan. They have failed to see
the personal benefits which the students and knowledge seekers
can get by studying in China at comparatively low cost. Indian
government has tried to politicize a non issue to score points
against China.
Indian decision to stop Professor Shakil A Romshoo to visit
China has sent distressing signals to Kashmiri students
desiring to study in China. It has simply infused
discontentment amongst Kashmiri sufferers who can expect
nothing good from Indian authorities. The issue has also added
to the already existing tension between Indian and China.
There have been Indian media reports about Chinese maps for
tourist visiting Tibet and sale of globes in India depicting
Kashmir as separate entity. India must realize that Kashmir is
a disputed territory deserving resolution at all costs.
Quadrilateral
ties
Although
Pakistan and the US have worked with one another for
decades, the nature of this relationship was transformed
by 9/11.
Shahid Javed Burki
One
important component of the developing global structure is
the evolving relationship among four countries: China,
India, Pakistan and the US. Three of these countries are
in Asia, the fourth is still the only superpower in the
global economic and political systems.
The most important of these relations are between the US
and China, between India and China, between India and the
US, between Pakistan and the US and between India and
Pakistan. Each of these has its own dynamics. That said
they together form a quadrilateral relationship that is
inherently unstable. The challenge for these countries is
to bring about stability to this relationship in a way
that it serves the interest of all four countries.
Three relatively recent developments and two that go back
several decades have created a web of dependency in this
quadrilateral relationship. Although Pakistan and the US
have worked with one another for decades, the nature of
this relationship was transformed by 9/11.
While the attention of the West is likely to shift to
Yemen following the botched attack on an American plane on
Christmas day by a Nigerian man who was allegedly working
for Al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula, Pakistan is likely
to remain the epicentre of global terrorism. At the time
of his inauguration as president, Barack Obama made it
clear that "our nation is at war against a far-reaching
network of violence and hatred and … we will do whatever
it takes to defeat them and defend our country, even as we
hold the values that have always distinguished America
among nations". Pakistan was at the centre of this
network.
The second recent development behind the evolving
relationship was the rapid economic rise of China,
accelerated by the way it handled the recent crisis in the
global economy that experts now call the 'great
recession'. Beijing was able to use the economic power of
the state to stimulate the economy much more effectively
than was done by the leaders of other large economies. The
result of its more successful approach was that 2008 and
2009 saw a mild slowdown in the rates of economic growth
and change. The Chinese economy is now returning to the
high growth rates that have marked its performance over
the last quarter of a century. It is likely to overtake
Japan in 2010 as the second largest economy in the world.
The third development was the election of Barack Obama as
US president. After his inauguration in January 2009,
President Obama has shown remarkable willingness to accept
that his country will not remain as dominant a player in
the global system as was expected after the collapse of
the Soviet Union in 1991. He remarked repeatedly during
his November 2009 visit to East Asia that he was willing
to work towards a global system in which the US would be
closely aligned with China to lead the world towards
sustained economic prosperity and peace.
In fact, he began to lay the foundations of a G2
arrangement that will sit on top of other multilateral
arrangements such as G20, the World Bank and the IMF. What
seems to be evolving is a three-tier global structure with
G2 at the top, G20 in the middle and everybody else at the
bottom.
The two developments that go back for decades and will
inform this quadrilateral relationship involve Pakistan.
The first of these is the long enduring hostility between
India and Pakistan that is the consequence of the enormous
differences in the two ideas of statehood they represent.
The idea of India is the belief that it is possible to
construct economic, political and social systems that
would provide for different religious, linguistic and
social groups in a way that none would wish to opt out.
This idea was espoused by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first
prime minister of India, but was rejected by Mohammad Ali
Jinnah whose idea of Pakistan was built around the belief
that the Muslims of British India needed a state of their
own to prevent their identity from being submerged by
those who followed different systems of beliefs.
To these differences in the two ideas was added the
problem of Kashmir that has defied resolution since it is
anchored in these two conflicting meanings of statehood.
The other old development that will influence the
evolution of this quadrilateral relationship is the 'all
weather friendship' between Beijing and Islamabad. Its
foundation was laid by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in the
mid-1960s to counter the growing influence of the US on
Pakistan. Bhutto considered that relationship to be
unequal, countering President Ayub Khan's claim that his
country was a friend and the US was not a master in the
arrangement that he had worked out. Bhutto said that that
claim was a myth. With China brought in to balance the US,
it has remained there while the environment in which
Pakistan functions has been through several serious
convulsions.
These included the break-up of Pakistan when its eastern
wing emerged as the independent state of Bangladesh and,
more recently, the destruction wrought by the rapid rise
of Islamic extremism in the country.It is quite normal -
in fact it is expected of nations - for countries to
pursue their own interests in working out relations with
other states. Economists have a concept they call 'Pareto
optimality' according to which multiparty relationships
can only become stable when all parties gain and none
loses.
Applying this to international relations, the question
arises as to how this goal can be achieved. One way of
doing this would be to get the four countries involved to
sit around the table - a G4 arrangement - to work out how
they can move forward so that none is hurt but all
benefit. Given the centrality of some of the concerns that
surround this group of countries, a working relationship
between them will bring large dividends to the rest of the
world as well.
Changing the rules of the energy game
With the launch of a major oil pipeline from Eastern
Siberia to the Pacific Ocean, Russia can now ship oil to
not only its traditional customers in Europe but also the
ever-growing energy markets in Asia.
Vladimir Radyuhin
The
year 2010 will see the global energy map redrawn as
Russia, the world's largest producer of hydrocarbons,
reorients its oil and gas flows from Europe to Asia. On
the eve of the New Year, Russia launched a major oil
pipeline from Eastern Siberia to the Pacific Ocean (ESPO).
For the first time, it is able to ship oil not only
westward to its traditional customers in Europe, but also
to the ever-growing energy markets in Asia, which already
account for a third of t he global oil consumption.
Initially, the new pipeline will move 30 million tonnes a
year, but in four years the throughput is projected to
increase to 50 million tonnes and then to 80 million
tonnes, or about a third of Russia's current export
volumes. Today, more than 90 per cent of Russian oil
exports goes to Europe and only 3 per cent to Asia. Last
year, Russia overtook Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest
producer and exporter of oil. The ESPO pipeline will help
Russia ramp up oil output to an all-time record of 530
million tonnes by 2030 despite declining production at the
mature oilfields of Western Siberia.
So far, the first 2,757-km stretch of the East
Siberia-Pacific Ocean (ESPO) has been completed. It runs
from Taishet in the Irkutsk region to Skovorodino near the
Chinese border, where a 64-km spur to China has been
built. The spur will carry 15 million tonnes of oil by
2012 when a 1,000-km pipeline on the Chinese side will
connect it to Daging. Another 15 million tonnes will be
hauled by rail from Skovorodino to the newly built Pacific
terminal at Kozmino 2,100 km further east. By 2014, Russia
will extend the pipeline from Skovorodino to Kozmino and
build more pump stations along the 4,188-km ESPO pipeline.
It is symbolic that the first tanker loaded with Siberian
oil headed for Hong Kong. China will be the main winner of
the new Russian export route. Under a $100-billion
contract signed last year, it will receive 300 million
tonnes of oil via the ESPO pipe alone over the next 20
years. Deliveries may double as ESPO ramps up capacity.
The ESPO project will further cement strategic ties
between Russia and China. But Beijing will not be able to
tell Moscow what to do as the new pipeline gives the
latter a choice of customers. When the project was still
on the drawing board, China and Japan fiercely lobbied
Russia to get exclusive access to the Siberian oil riches.
The way the ESPO was eventually routed will allow Russia
to sell oil to the highest bidder, be it China, Japan,
South Korea or even the United States.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Russia looked forward
to winning a much bigger share of the Asian oil market
than its current 5-6 per cent compared with nearly 70 per
cent for Gulf-originated crude. East Siberian crude, to be
marketed under the name of ESPO, is similar or even
superior to the Middle East crude and the new pipeline
will take it close to Asian customers.
India also stands to benefit from the new pipeline, as it
will be linked with oilfields in Western Siberia,
including the Tomsk region where India's Imperial Energy
has operations. Imperial Energy, bought by ONGC-Videsh
from British owners a year ago, plans to quadruple the
output to 25,000 bpd by the end of this year. The company,
which has 13 licences in Tomsk, plans to bid for more
Russian oil assets. During Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's
latest visit to Moscow in December 2009, Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev promised to grant India access to several
other oil reserves, including the Trebs and the Titov
fields in the Timan Pechora region in Russia's north.
The ESPO pipeline will give a powerful boost to the
development of Eastern Siberia. The region is fabulously
rich in hydrocarbons and other minerals, but their
exploration has been hampered by a lack of infrastructure
aggravated by hostile climate conditions. According to
Transneft Vice-President Anatoly Bezverkhov, who oversaw
the ESPO construction, practically all infrastructures for
ESPO had to be built from scratch as the route passed
through uninhabited territories that lacked roads,
electric lines or any other communication. Hundreds of km
of the new pipeline were laid across permafrost; the
builders had to cross more than 500 rivers and lakes,
blast their way through solid rock and work in freezing
temperatures of minus 40 degrees C.
Geologists believe that only 35 per cent of Russia's oil
reserves have been discovered so far. In Eastern Siberia
alone, a thousand of likely oil and gas holds have been
identified. The construction of the ESPO pipeline is
expected to attract multibillion foreign investments in
oil exploration in Eastern Siberia that will transform the
region.
The ESPO pipeline is set to change the rules of the energy
game in Europe as well. For years, the European Union has
been trying to dictate its will to Russia taking advantage
of Europe being the only market for Russian oil and gas.
The EU proposes to ban Russian companies from its retail
energy market and moots the setting up of an "energy NATO"
to stop Russia from flexing energy muscles. Europe has
been planning for years to reduce its dependence on
Russian oil and gas supplies, but, ironically, it is
Russia that has moved to diversify its energy exports away
from the European market. By 2012, Russia's natural gas
monopoly Gazprom will build a gas pipeline alongside the
ESPO oil pipeline. Another gas-pipeline system, Altai,
will be built to deliver gas from Western Siberia to
China.
At the same time, Russia is working to consolidate its
position as Europe's irreplaceable energy provider by
coordinating its energy strategy with China and former
Soviet states of Central Asia in the framework of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's "energy club." A gas
glut on the European market provoked by the global crisis
has forced Russia to scale down its plans to buy all of
Turkmenistan's gas for re-export to Europe, but whatever
resources have thus been freed will now go to China and
Iran via newly built pipelines. There will be little left
for the U.S.-lobbied Nabucco pipeline designed to bring
Central Asian and Caspian gas to Europe bypassing Russia.
In a further blow to Nabucco, Russia last October reached
a deal to buy gas from Azerbaijan, the only gas-exporting
ex-Soviet state which previously had no contract to sell
the fuel to Russia. On January 1, Azerbaijan also started
selling gas to Iran across a Soviet-built pipeline with a
throughput capacity of 10 bcm a year.
Even as Russia undercut European efforts to build the
Nabucco pipeline, it pressed forward with expanding it own
pipeline network to supply gas to Europe - the Nord Stream
that would connect Russia and Germany across the Baltic
Sea and the South Stream running across the Black Sea to
south Europe. The new pipelines will bypass transit
countries -- Ukraine, Poland and Belarus which have a long
history of acrimonious price disputes with Russia. The
same goal - to avoid the transit route - motivated Russia
to build a major oil pipeline and a terminal on the
Russian coast of the Baltic Sea.
Alternative export pipelines give Russia greater leverage
in negotiations with the West on not only the price of its
energy resources, but also the far more important issues
of Russia's strategic interests in the former Soviet Union
and access to the West's cutting edge technologies that
Russia needs to modernise its economy.
The diversification of export routes that reached its high
point with the launch of the East Siberia-Pacific Ocean
pipeline last month is a key part of Mr. Putin's energy
strategy set in motion after he assumed Russian presidency
in 2000. In the earlier phases, Mr. Putin reasserted state
control over the oil and gas sector, cancelled the hugely
unprofitable production-sharing arrangements with foreign
majors and limited their access to major Russian oil and
gas fields.
The next big goal in Mr. Putin's plan is to challenge the
U.S. dollar-denominated oil trade by switching trade in
Russian oil to roubles. Mr. Putin first declared Moscow's
intention to use rouble in its oil and gas transactions in
his 2006 state of the nation address. The following year,
Russia began trading Russian oil for roubles at the
Russian Fuel and Energy Exchange set up for the purpose in
St. Petersburg. The scheme failed to make an impact partly
because the new mix offered for rouble trade, West
Siberia's REBCO (Export Blend Crude Oil), could be
supplied only in small volumes.
The East Siberia-Pacific Ocean pipeline could act as a
game-changer. Tens of millions of tonnes of East Siberia's
ESPO blend supplied along the pipeline to Asian markets
would establish a new pricing benchmark and pave the way
for large-scale oil trading in roubles. This would
generate tectonic shifts in global power equations.
National
Govt introduces two hybrid
varieties to boost cotton production
BSS, Dhaka
The government has taken an initiative to boost fibre
cotton production in the country by introducing hybrid
cotton varieties among the farmers to meet commercial
demand of cotton and ensure financial benefit of the
farmers.
Under the initiative, the production of seed cotton would
rise up to nearly 1.5-2 times higher than the country's
existing level of output, said the source of the Cotton
Development Board (CDB) here Tuesday.
Now the country's annual cotton production is around 50
thousands bales while the initiative would help to
increase the output up to one lakh bales in phase.
The Ministry of Agriculture has already awarded permission
to the private sector seed importers and dealers for
marketing hybrid cottonseed like HSC-4 and DM-1
respectively by the Supreme Seed Company Limited and the
Lal Teer Seed Limited.
Presently, the farmers are quite encouraged for cotton
production as the cotton cultivation area has been
increased by 200 hectares across the country during the
2008-09, simultaneously the production also would rise
drastically, said the CDB officials.
Officials of the seed companies and CDB said, two hybrid
seed varieties like HSC-4 and DM-1, both the varieties are
being imported from China, would provide around 3-3.5
tonnes of cotton in each hectare compared with two tonnes
from traditional variety CB-9, a local variety invented by
the CDB.
Besides this, the local variety is ultimately long
duration as it requires minimum seven months after seed
sowing on June-July period, but the hybrid varieties
require less than five months.
Mostaq Ahmed, a farmer of village Dhankhola under Gangni
upazila of Meherpur district told the BSS over telephone,
" I have cultivated hybrid variety on four bigha of land
and got Taka 17,000 as profit in each bigha. But the
profit in case of local variety is only Taka 8,000 while
the cost of production for per bigha of land is Taka
10,000."
Regarding the cotton production increase, the deputy
director of CDB, M Farid Uddin said the country has to
import around 25-lakh bales raw cotton annually from the
abroad while around 350 spinning mills in the country
consume around about 30-lakh bales raw cotton every year
where local production can meet only 3-5 per cent of the
national demand.
The CDB official however stressed on government initiative
to develop the high yielding variety in locally as
low-yielding variety and long duration are a major
constraints on the way of increasing local cotton
production. Bangladesh has as much as 2 lakh hectares
suitable land for cotton production but over emphasis on
other crops rather than the cotton production drastically
reduces the overall cotton output.
Govt. focuses on giving
firm footing of local governments
BSS, Dhaka
The government has been focusing on agendas to give firm
footing to the local government institutes, especially the
oldest tier of local government, the Union Parishads, a
senior government official said Tuesday.
The official, however, said the supports from the local
government division would only be extended initially to
the Union Parishads, which have already proved worthy and
have taken their own initiatives to stand by their through
self financing.
"Its time for Local Government Institutes especially UPs
to focus on more revenue collection instead of looking at
the central government," Shams Uddin Ahmed, deputy
secretary of LGD, told BSS on the sidelines of a
thermostatic workshop in the city Tuesday.
The Local Government Division (LGD) and the Water and
Sanitation Programme (WSP) of World Bank organized
workshop on Participatory Planning and Revenue Collection
from Own Sources'. A number of Union Parishad and Upazila
chairmen as well as Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) joined
the workshop.
Shams Uddin said a number of Union Parishads have been
proved worthy to generate sizable amount of revenue from
their own sources through the involvement of local people
in development planning. The local people, he said, were
earlier ignored by the elected representatives, but things
have been changing quietly in some areas.
He referred to the great success of Omarmajid Union
Parishad of Rajarhat Upazila of Kurigram District and said
Hakim Chairman and his colleagues have broken the myth
that elected representatives might loss their popularity
if they ask for taxes.
WSP sources said all the seven Union Parishads of Rajarhat
were inspired with the Omarmajid UP and together they made
great success to increase their revenue by seven folds
between the fiscals of 2006 and 2009. The Omarmajid UP
made exception success by raising holding and other taxes
up to 10 times higher than that of the previous years
before 2006.
Mark Allery, regional water and sanitation expert of WSP,
said an estimated 60 UPs have shown positive results in
revenue collection towards standing on their own footing.
He said the most successful UP, Omarmajid, has increased
its tax collection to Taka 398,552 from merely 40,000 per
annum last year.
Gas
line to be expanded in five places of Fatullah
BSS, Narayanganj
Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd, has
undertaken a plan to supply gas in five places under
Fatullah police station by expanding new gas lines.
Sources at Narayanganj Titas Gas said, Masdair, Kashipur,
Bhuiyarbag, Deobhug and Chandmari would be brought under
new gas connection network.
A regulatory station would be installed at a convenience
place for distribution of gas in those areas and check the
pressure of gas.
The planning department of Titas Gas has already surveyed
the places to see the feasibility of new distribution line
and submitted their report to the authorities.
The people of the areas have been demanding supply of gas
for the last two months and they even put barricade on
Dhaka- Munshiganj road a fortnight ago.
When contacted General Manager Md Amir Ahmed told BSS that
gas connection would be provided to 50,000 people of the
areas. There are 1,000 commercial, industrial and captive
power connection covering Narayanganj district and
Munshiganj town.
He said 144 million cubic feet of gas in required to meet
the demand of Narayanganj and Munshiganj per day. But the
people here are getting only 75 million cubic feet of gas.
Ousted Proshika chief Faruque’s men retake
office in nighttime putsch
UNB, Dhaka
Ousted Proshika chief Qazi Faruque Ahmed's men retook the
big NGO's office in a nighttime putsch on Monday night
while his rival Wadud faithful took position Tuesday for a
fight-back.
Police and witnesses said 25-30 supporters of Qazi Faruque
Ahmed forcibly entered the Proshika Bhaban at Mirpur in
the capital jumping over its boundary wall and took its
control on Monday midnight.
They also allegedly confined around 10 to 15 employees to
the office.
The supporters of present Proshika chairman Dr Abdul Wadud
took position outside the NGO headquarters area on Tuesday
morning in a bid to retake its control.
Witnesses said the 40-50 supporters of present Proshika
chief took position on the west side of the office at
about 9am to take control again, "creating a
confrontational situation between the two groups".
On information about the late-night brawls, police rushed
in and took position outside the building at about
00:30am.
Additional police were deployed in and around the Proshika
Bhaban to fend off any trouble.
The supporters of the former and present chairmen chanted
slogans on behalf of their chiefs.
Last year, the governing body of Proshika, a major
non-government organization, removed Qazi Faruque and
appointed Abdul Wadud as its chairman.
The High Court, upon a revision petition filed by Qazi
Faruque, had ordered him not to go to Proshika Bhaban with
any gathering for maintaining peaceful atmosphere and
security of the office.
A tense situation was prevailing in and around Proshika
Bhaban following the encounter.
Call to ensure democratic, academic atmosphere
in JU
BSS, Jahangirnnagar University
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Education, Social
Development and Political Affairs and former Vice
Chancellor of JU Prof Dr Alauddin Ahmed Tuesday called all
concerned to come forward for ensuring the educational
institutions of the country free from communalism,
fundamentalists, undemocratic and gender discrimination.
He was addressing the 39th founding anniversary of
Jahangirnagar University as chief guest while Chairman of
University Grants Commission (UGC) Professor Nazrul Islam
addressed as special guest at the campus here Tuesday.
Dr Alauddin underscored the need for a collective effort,
mutual trust and cooperation of students and student
organizations across the educational institutions to
enhance quality of the education.
The advisor hoped that Jahangirnagar University would be
top among the universities around the world and assured to
have special grants in this regard.
He called all the students to uphold the spirit of
liberation war and representing legal demand of the
students in due manner to the government.
JU VC Prof Dr Shariff Enamul Kabir sought all-out
cooperation from the government to make the university as
modern one around the world in line with the vision of
Digital Bangladesh declared by Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina.
Addressing the JU administration, the advisor vowed to
assist the university to make a center of excellence named
"Wazed Mia Research Center" and two dormitories for male
and female students.
UGC Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam asked all concerned to
ensure the quality of higher education and urged
government to attach priority allocation on research based
education. Seeking due utilization of development fund of
UGC, he endorses the JU authority to make the university
in higher standard of the country in relation with its
residential facility and large landscape.
Abu Ahsan’s birthday
today
TBT Report
The 56th birth anniversary of Lalon researcher,
litterateur, educationist and the professor Dr Abu Ahsan
Chowdhury will be observed today (Wednesday) at the
department of Benagli, Islami Universsirty and Dhaka, says
a press release.
Born at Majampur in Kushlia town in 1953, he started his
literary works inspired by his father Fazlul Bari
Chowdhury who was an honourary magistrate.
As many as 60 books of Abu Ahsan Chowdhury were published
from different organizations, including Bangla Academy,
Jatiya Grohon-thokendro and Bangladesh National Museum.
Besides, many books were also published from abroad
including West Bengal. He received many awards for his
research work, especially on Lalon Shah, Mir Musharraf
Hossain, Kangal Horinath and folk-culture.
International
Row in NA over
‘fightback’ by President Zardari
Dawn Online
The government of Pakistan and the opposition crossed
swords over a perceived political fightback by President
Asif Ali Zardari at the start of a National Assembly
session on Monday after both sides agreed to put off a
debate on Karachi violence until Wednesday.
Strangely, at least two members of the Pakistan People's
Party (PPP) from Karachi walked out of the house to
protest over the handling of the situation in the
country's commercial capital where more than 35 people had
been killed in four days of violence until Sunday.
Opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan initiated the
move to postpone the debate because of the absence of
Interior Minister Rehman Malik due to his prolonged
presence in Karachi, to which he objected, after Deputy
Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi had fixed the last two hours of
the sitting to discuss the situation as demanded by two
opposition adjournment motions.
But Mr Khan later used a point of order to lash out at
what he saw as the president's talk of danger to him from
undemocratic forces, alleged threats for the use of the
so-called "Sindh card" in his defence and recent
resolutions passed by the provincial assemblies of Sindh,
the NWFP and Balochistan expressing confidence in Mr
Zardari.
However Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister
Babar Awan came out with an equally rhetorical rejoinder
to the opposition leader's tirade against recent speeches
made by the president in an apparent move to counter a
hostile propaganda campaign against him and alleged
threats from unspecified non-parliamentary sources.
The minister particularly defended the resolutions of the
provincial assemblies which he said had supported an
elected leader rather than a dictator or somebody like the
ancient Roman emperor Nero to whose fabled fiddling (when
Rome was burning) Mr Khan had referred while speaking of
the president's moves. "There is a difference between Nero
and a hero."
Mr Awan dismissed allegation that the president sought to
use "Sindh card" in his defence, saying the PPP had no
such desire and pointed out that the party not only led
the coalition governments in the centre and Sindh and
Balochistan but was also a coalition partner in Punjab and
the NWFP.
Drone attacks intensified
after Khost blast: US
Dawn Online
A US general, who oversees America's war efforts in the
Pakistan-Afghan region, has acknowledged that there has
been an increase in drone attacks at suspected militant
targets inside Fata since the assassination last month of
seven CIA agents.
Separately, the US military chief has said that a
relationship with Pakistan is 'absolutely critical' to the
United States and that's why he has invested so much in
grooming up this relationship.
"We don't talk about the source of the explosions in
western Pakistan. But certainly, many commentators have
noted the considerable pressure that has been brought on
the leadership, in particular, of Al Qaeda and also of
some other important extremist elements there," Gen David
Petraeus told CNN when asked if the United States had
increased drone attacks inside Fata after the CIA blast.
Seven CIA employees were killed and six wounded in Khost
on Dec 30 when a suicide bomber associated with Al Qaeda
exploded a bomb inside a US base.
US officials later identified the bomber as Humam Khalil
Abu Mulal al-Balawi, a Jordanian national with links to
both Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
Gen Petraeus was also asked to comment on a video which
showed the Jordanian double agent sitting beside the
Pakistan Tehrik-i-Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud.
Balawi claims that he blew himself up in the CIA base to
avenge the death of former TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud in a
US drone attack.
"Well, first of all, Baitullah Mehsud and his organisation
carried out horrific attacks inside Pakistan, and that is
what I think should concern the Pakistanis, as certainly
it concerns us," said Gen Petraeus.
Replying to a question, he said: "There will be loss of
innocent life in war, but we have got to make sure that we
minimise it and that we try to avoid it just about at all
costs."
In an interview to CNN, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of
Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said the campaign in South
Waziristan was very challenging and forced Gen Kayani to
shift his forces over there.
Hillary plays down row over
US air base in Japan
AFP, Honolulu, Hawaii :
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought to defuse a
dispute over a US air base in Japan as she arrived in
Hawaii for Tuesday talks with her Japanese counterpart
Katsuya Okada.
Launching her fourth Asia tour since becoming the chief US
diplomat a year ago, Clinton also said Washington intends
to "exercise influence" in Asia for another century and
serve as a stabilising force against China's rising power.
Clinton, speaking to reporters on the way to Honolulu on
Monday on the eve of talks with Okada, played down the
dispute over the relocation of the Futenma Air Base on
Okinawa that has caused tension in the post-war alliance.
"The significance of our meeting is to reaffirm the
centrality of our 50-year-old alliance," Clinton said on a
tour that will also take her to Papua New Guinea,
Australia and New Zealand.
"It (the alliance) provides stability for the region. And
I think it's much bigger than any one particular issue,"
Clinton said, suggesting the alliance trumped the problem
of the base.
Tokyo's relations with its most important ally have been
strained over the Futenma base, which Prime Minister Yukio
Hatoyama has suggested should be moved off the southern
island of Okinawa or even outside Japan altogether.
The centre-left Hatoyama, who took power in September, has
pledged to review past agreements on the US military
presence, including plans to shift Futenma within Okinawa,
and to deal with Washington on a more "equal" basis.
Pakistan seen becoming more
Islamist, anti-US
Reuters, London
Pakistani society is likely to become more Islamist and
increasingly anti-American in the coming years,
complicating U.S. efforts to win its support against
militant groups, a report released on Tuesday said.
The report, which looks at Pakistan over a one-to-three
year time horizon, rules out the possibility of a Taliban
takeover or of it becoming the world's first nuclear-armed
failed state.
"Rather than an Islamist takeover, you should look at a
subtle power shift from a secular pro-Western society to
an Islamist anti-American one," said Jonathan Paris, who
produced the report for the Legatum Institute, a
London-based think tank.
Paris forecasts that Pakistan is most likely to "muddle
through", with its army continuing to play a powerful role
behind the scenes in setting foreign and security policy.
"Speculation of a Taliban takeover dramatically
overestimates the willingness of the political and
military elites to surrender power to the Taliban," says
the report, the result of months of research on the
outlook for Pakistan.
Paris, who also works for the Atlantic Council of the
United States, nonetheless sees Pakistan slipping away
from the West at a time when Washington needs its support
in Afghanistan.
He drew a parallel with Turkey, arguing that societies in
countries traditionally dominated by pro-Western secular
elites were becoming more Islamicised, while those that
had lived under Islamic rule, such as Iran, were shifting
away.
"U.S. and UK leverage over Pakistan is not growing. It is
decreasing. Pakistani society is moving toward
anti-Americanism and toward more sharia law," he says.
Indonesian military’s ‘business
empire’ poses threat: HRW
AFP, Jakarta
Indonesia's military has failed to dismantle its
"dangerous business empire" as ordered under a 2004 law
designed to enhance civilian rule in the budding
democracy, a human rights watchdog said Tuesday.
Promises of increased oversight by President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono, a market-friendly ex-general, were
"totally inadequate" and left the military unaccountable
to government, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report.
"It's outrageous that despite the parliamentary directive
the government has no plan to take over ownership or
management of a single business," HRW researcher and
report author Lisa Misol said in a statement.
"Promising to monitor them more closely simply isn't good
enough."
Despite a 2004 law ordering the military (TNI) to get out
of the business sector by the end of 2009, the generals
still control 23 foundations and over 1,000 cooperatives
including ownership of 55 companies, the report says.
These interests had gross assets worth 350 million dollars
in 2007 and turned a profit of 28.5 million dollars,
according to official figures cited by the report.
Yudhoyono issued a decree on October 11 promising greater
oversight, but HRW said the measures merely entailed a
partial restructuring of the business entities and
required no divestment.
An inter-ministerial oversight team established on
November 11 has no clear authority, lacks independence and
is not required to report publicly, HRW said.
India, Australia hold
telephone talks over attacks
AFP, New Delhi
The foreign ministers of India and Australia spoke over
the telephone Monday to try to cool tensions over attacks
on Indians in Australia, the foreign ministry in New Delhi
said.
It said Australia's Stephen Smith telephoned his Indian
counterpart S.M. Krishna and "conveyed his condolences on
the tragic deaths of Indian citizens in Australia in
recent attacks."
The ministry in a statement said Krishna conveyed "his
deep concern" over the attacks, which included an attempt
by a group of men to set fire to a 29-year-old Indian man
in the Australian city of Melbourne on Saturday.
Krishna "emphasised to the Australian foreign minister
that non-redressal of this vital issue will cast a shadow
on otherwise excellent bilateral relations," it said.
Krishna also told Smith to ensure the Australian police
investigated the incidents with a "sense of urgency."
The Australian foreign minister on his part assured that
"his government attached the highest priority to ensure
the continued well-being of Indian students," the
statement added.
The spate of attacks, which included the fatal stabbing of
a student this month in Melbourne, has prompted a strong
reaction in the Indian press, with one newspaper likening
Australian police to the racist Ku Klux Klan.
On Sunday, Australian High Commissioner (ambassador) Peter
Varghese in New Delhi conceded the violence had soured
bilateral ties and criticised the local media for blaming
the incidents on alleged apathy of the Australian
authorities.
India has urged its media to act responsibly but several
government ministers have spoken out against the
Australian authorities.
PML-N demands regulations on security
agencies
Dawn Online
Lawmakers demand a comprehensive framework to regulate
activities of foreign security agencies in Pakistan
including DynCorp, on Tuesday.
The PML-N legislatures moved a bill in the National
Assembly demanding regulatory framework for the security
agencies.
The bill demanded formulation of the regulatory mechanism
at the interior ministry level. It said all personnel of
foreign security firms must wear uniforms and should not
enjoy diplomatic immunity.
Mover of the bill, Khurram Dastagir, claimed that
Blackwater was involved in some illegal acts in Pakistan.
He also expressed concern over the activities of other
agencies like DynCorp and XE.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik informed the house that
laws were available to deal with such agencies.
He revealed that out of around 400 Americans residing in
Islamabad, some 300 have the diplomatic status.
He did not disclose the status of rest of the Americans,
amid reports of the presence of US Marines in Islamabad.
Presently, the US Embassy is in possession of 189 houses
in the federal capital.
Iran
blames US, Israel in killing of nuke scientist
Reuters, Tehran
A remote-controlled bomb killed a Tehran University
nuclear scientist on Tuesday, state media reported, in an
attack which Iran blamed on U.S. and Israeli agents.
The blast which killed professor Massoud Ali-Mohammadi
occurred at a time of heightened tension in the Islamic
Republic, seven months after a disputed presidential
election plunged the major oil producer into turmoil.
It also coincided with a sensitive time in Iran's row with
the West over its nuclear ambitions, with major powers
expected to meet in New York on Saturday to discuss
possible new sanctions on Tehran over its refusal to halt
its atomic work. Such bombing attacks are rare in the
Iranian capital. The bomb which killed "Ali-Mohammadi, a
nuclear scientist and a committed and revolutionary Tehran
University professor, was detonated by a remote control,"
state broadcaster IRIB said on its website.
Officials blamed Israel and the United States for the
bombing. "Signs of the triangle of wickedness by the
Zionist regime (Israel), America and their hired agents,
are visible in the terrorist act," the foreign ministry
said.
"Such terrorist acts and the apparent elimination of the
country's nuclear scientists will definitely not obstruct
scientific and technological processes," it added.
Western capitals suspect that Iran's nuclear programme is
aimed at developing bombs. Tehran denies this, saying it
only seeks to generate electricity. Iranian media did not
say whether Ali-Mohammadi was involved in the country's
nuclear programme. An Internet search shows a scientist of
that name to have co-written research papers on the nature
of "dark energy", a highly theoretical area of cosmology.
Nigeria’s ailing President
Yar’Adua breaks silence
BBC Online
Nigeria's president, not seen in public since going into
hospital in Saudi Arabia for heart treatment in November,
has told the BBC he is recovering.
In his first interview since then, by telephone, Umaru
Yar'Adua, 58, said he hoped to make "tremendous progress"
and return home to resume his duties. His long absence and
speculation over his health have led to calls for him to
hand over power to his vice-president.
A protest in the capital, Abuja, has urged an end to the
political limbo. The opposition has been demanding details
of Mr Yar'Adua's health amid swirling rumours that he was
critically ill - or even dead - and unable to return to
power. His adviser Tanimu Yak-ubu Kurfi told the BBC the
president's enemies were behind the rumours.
Doctors said in December that President Yar'Adua was
suffering from acute pericarditis, an inflammation of the
lining of the heart. He is also known to have kidney
problems.
Constitutional worries
Speaking to the BBC in a three-minute telephone interview
organised by the president's office, Mr Yar'Adua said he
was making a good recovery. "At the moment I am undergoing
treatment, and I'm getting better from the treatment. I
hope that very soon there will be tremendous progress,
which will allow me to get back home," he told Mansur
Liman from the BBC Hausa service, speaking in both Hausa
and English.
BBC Hausa has a large audience in northern Nigeria, where
Hausa is the main language. He gave no indication of when
he might return to Nigeria. "I wish, at this stage, to
thank all Nigerians for their prayers for my good health,
and for their prayers for the nation."
Intensified security
measures paralyze Baghdad
Xinhua, Baghdad
Iraqi security forces blocked large parts of Baghdad on
Tuesday morning and conducted search operations in some
neighborhoods, causing large-scale lockdowns in the
capital, a military spokesman said.
"We have taken preventive security measures and blocked
parts of Baghdad districts to search some neighborhoods,"
Qassim Atta, spokesman of Baghdad operations command, told
reporters.
Hundreds of civilian cars have trapped in the morning on
many main streets of the Iraqi capital as the Iraqi Army
and police checkpoints blocked the streets, bridges and
the neighborhoods since early hours of the day.
Later in the day, Atta said that the operations command,
in charge of Baghdad security, ordered to open Baghdad
bridges and most other checkpoints to allow trapped
civilian cars to pass.
A police source told Xinhua that the Iraqi forces
concentrated their search operations on most of Baghdad
eastern neighborhoods, including the Shiite bastion of
Sadr City neig-hborhood, which has long been the
stronghold of Mahdi Army militia, loyal to radical Shiite
cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
The source could not tell the reason behind such sudden
and wide-ranging operations, but said they are possibly
based on information on bomb attacks in the capital.
Baghdad has witnessed a number of high-profile bomb
attacks in recent months, mainly targeted the government
buildings, killing and wounding thousands of Iraqis.
20% of foot soldiers unfit
to fight, MoD figures show
BBC Online
Almost 5,000 soldiers and officers-or 20% of army infantry
personnel - are unfit for frontline combat duties,
Ministry of Defence figures show.
Some are not fully deployable because of physical or
mental injury or illness, or lack of fitness, others
because of non-medical reasons.
The data from a Parliamentary written answer showed 19
battalions had fewer than 500 fully deployable soldiers.
The MoD said most classed as medically non-deployable
could still contribute. A small number include the
under-18s and pregnant female soldiers, or those unable to
deploy on compassionate grounds.
'Difficult decisions'
Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin, who obtained the
information, told the BBC: "To have 20% of the infantry
unfit for the duties they are primarily employed and
trained for is quite a staggering figure.
"This reflects the long-term effect of sustained
operations, and it's worth remembering the government may
pay for extra ammunition and other costs of operations,
but they don't fund the recruitment and training of
personnel to replace those who are left unfit for combat."
More than 1,000 servicemen and women have suffered combat
injuries in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001.
Maj Gen Patrick Cordingley, who commanded the Desert Rats
in the first Gulf War, says he is deeply concerned by the
figures and warns that difficult decisions lie ahead.
"I think if this goes on much longer in Afghanistan, and
the sad figure of soldiers who are wounded in such a way
that they can't go back to frontline rises, it will
undoubtedly become a problem unless you're allowed to
recruit a lot more people, and take the stre-ngth of the
Army above what it is now," he said.
Iranian hackers paralyse Chinese
search engine Baidu
Internet
Hackers calling themselves the "Iranian Cyber Army"
paralysed China's biggest search engine this morning,
sparking a bizarre online battle as Chinese hackers
apparently retaliated by targeting Iranian sites.
Last month the group attacked Twitter, which has been used
by Iranian opposition supporters. But Beijing and Tehran
are allies and it was not immediately obvious why hackers
targeted Baidu, which commands over 60% of the search
market in China.
Some Chinese internet users speculated that it might be in
retaliation against Chinese Twitter users who have used a
£CN4Iran hashtag to express their support for reformists.
Although Twitter is blocked in China, it is used by
several thousand people there through proxies or virtual
private networks (VPN) - networks that use the internet to
connect remote sites or users together. "It's the same
warning showed to twitter.com … but I'm not very sure how
you would connect this to £CN4Iran. Baidu is a very weird
choice," said Michael Anti, an influential Chinese blogger.
The search engine is widely regarded as having good
relations with the Beijing government and has never been
associated with sensitive content. That led other internet
users to speculate that foreign hackers were attempting to
discredit Iran. China's state-run People's Daily website
reported that Baidu's website began redirecting to a site
attributed to the Iranian Cyber Army at around 8am
(midnight GMT). The People's Daily site published a screen
grab showing a message reading "This site has been hacked
by the Iranian Cyber Army", alongside a picture of the
Iranian flag.
Other users said they could not open the Baidu site, but
it was back up and running by around 11.30am. In a
statement, the company said: "Services on Baidu's main
website www.baidu.com were interrupted today due to
external manipulation of its DNS (Domain Name Server) in
the US. Baidu has been resolving this issue and the
majority of services have been restored."
Yemen’s Somali fighters
‘impossible to monitor’
Officials worry refugees will be recruited to a
unified, regional al-Qaeda
Internet
Thousands of Somali boys and teenagers fleeing war and
chaos at home are sailing to Yemen, where officials who
have long welcomed Somali refugees now worry that the new
arrivals could become the next generation of al-Qaeda
fighters.
As the United States deepens its counterterrorism
operations in Yemen, officials are concerned that
extremists could find growing Somali refugee camps fertile
ground for recruiting. U.S. and Yemeni authorities also
fear that Islamist fighters from Somalia could slip into
the country among the throngs of refugees, deepening ties
between al-Qaeda leaders in Yemen and the particularly
hard-line militants of Somalia.
Fleeing a failed state for a failing one, the Somali
youths arrive daily in this refugee outpost, which is
filled with rickety tents and tales of misery, in the vast
desert of southern Yemen. They bring stories of brutality
and forced conscription by al-Shabab, an Islamist force
battling Somalia's U.S.-backed transitional government.
"They ordered us to fight the nonbelievers," said Abdul
Khadr Salot, 19, a burly ex-fighter with a thin scar
across his cheek who escaped from a militant training
camp. "Even if your father tells you to leave the Shabab,
you must kill him."
But this longtime haven is becoming increasingly
inhospitable since the United States bolstered its
operations here, largely in response to the Yemeni
al-Qaeda connections of the Nigerian man who allegedly
tried to bomb a U.S. airliner over Detroit on Christmas
Day, and to the links of an extremist Yemeni American
cleric to the Nov. 5 shootings at Fort Hood, Tex.
Yemen's fragile government fears that Somali fighters from
al-Shabab will swell the ranks of Yemen's Islamist
militants at a time when links between the Somali group
and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula are growing,
according to Yemeni officials and analysts.
U.S. officials to visit West Bank to
revive peace talks
Xinhua, Ramallah
Palestinian sources said on Tuesday that U.S. national
security adviser James Jones is due in the West Bank on
Thursday, followed by U.S. special envoy to the Middle
East George Mitchell, in attempts to revive the stalled
Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.
Prior to meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in
Ramallah, Jones will hold talks with several senior
officials in Saudi Arabia and Israel to discuss Middle
East political developments.
Meanwhile, the sources added that Mitchell's upcoming
visit holds new ideas to reach a two-state solution which
includes Israel's withdrawal behind the border lines of
June, 1967 within two years.
Stressing that the U.S. needs to press Israel to end its
settlement activities, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb
Erekat said that President Abbas had informed the Quartet,
namely the U.S., United Nations, Russia and EU, of
Palestine's stand towards continuing the peace talks, that
is the halt of all Israeli settlement activities.
The Quartet representatives will meet later on Wednesday
to discuss the new American initiative which calls on both
sides to continue the stumbled talks.
Meanwhile, Yasser Abd Rabbo, a member of Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO)'s executive committee,
reiterated that the Palestinians want Mitchell to admit
that the negotiations should aimed at the ending of
Israeli occupation and reaching a two-state solution.
Business/Economy
Hasina
urges Indian businessmen to invest more in Bangladesh
BSS, New Delhi
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday underlined the
need for removing avoidable hindrances, initiate long
pending trade facilitation measures; ease movement of
businessmen and professionals to promote trade and
business between Bangladesh and India.
"It is now urgent to promote trade between our two
countries and to do so, we have to put in place settlement
mechanism to avoid snags, which may arise due to
differences on specific trade related matters," she said
while addressing a luncheon hosted by FICCI, Cll and
ASSOCHAM at Hotel Maurya Sheraton here.
The Bangladesh Premier said Bangladesh would certainly
appreciate India's favorable response to further duty free
access to Bangladeshi commodities to the Indian market,
removal of non- tariff barriers, and improvement of trade
infrastructures on the Indian side of the borders.
"Recently, we have agreed to open border haats for the
benefit of our peoples, living in remote areas on either
side along the border,' she said adding that decision has
also been taken, at the request of India, to open new
trade routes through Tegamukh-Demagiri and Sabroom-Ramgarh
border points.
Regarding connectivity, she said several possibilities are
being examined taking into account their bilateral and
regional dimensions. She said substantial progress has
been made, in creating favorable conditions for bilateral
trade to flourish, and for investments in Bangladesh.
"Greater people to people contacts, particularly between
businessmen, are important for expansion of trade and
commerce, as well as to widen and deepen our overall ties.
Such efforts will supplement government to government
contact," she added. In this context, she said Bangladesh
has officially agreed to be part of the Asian Highway
Network. For regional trade, and people to people
connectivity, we have proposed movement of passenger and
cargo vehicles to Nepal and Bhutan, from and to
Bangladesh.
"We are also discussing rail and road links with eastern
India, similar to that in the western side, for greater
benefits of the people of the eastern region," Sheikh
Hasina said. The Prime Minister while explaining the
favorable investment policy of the government invited the
Indian entrepreneurs to come forward to investment more in
Bangladesh and assured them for providing all possible
assistance and cooperation to this end. She also called
upon Bangladeshi business community to take advantage of
the new opportunities, to increase their business
activities with India. "I feel confident that the progress
achieved by this visit would motivate the business
communities of India and Bangladesh, to join hands in
increasing business activities, for the mutual benefits of
our two peoples," she said.
Regarding some problems exist in business related matters,
the Prime Minister said her government will take steps to
solve these problems through discussion. She said
Bangladesh and India will work together for socio-economic
development in the region.
In reply, the Indian business leaders, who spoke on the
occasion expressed their keen interest to invest more in
Bangladesh on partnership basis for the benefit of the
people of the two countries. They said that favorable
investment environment is prevailing in Bangladesh that
will help attract foreign investment to a great extent.
Among others, Indian Commerce and Industries Minister
Ananda Sharma, Past President of Cll Shekhar Datta,
Co-Chairman of ASSOCHAM Harindar Sikka and leading
businessman Rajan Bharti Mittal, among others, spoke on
the occasion.
Enhanced
income tax collection can help reduce dependence on
foreign aid
BSS, Rajshahi
Speakers at a discussion session here on Tuesday stressed
the need for boosting the income tax collection to reduce
the dependence on foreign aid to implement the country's
uplift programs.
Terming the taxpayers as the main driving force for
strengthening foundation of the state economy which is
essential to operate the government machinery smoothly
they also urged all particularly those who are eligible
for tax paying to supplement the government effort in
implementing the development programs smoothly.
International Business Forum of Bangladesh (IBFB)
organized the session styled, "Complexities in the Income
Tax Laws: A Quest for a Simpler Taxation System" at Hotel
Aristocrat.
Associate Professor Swapan Kumar Bala of Department of
Accounting and Information Systems of Dhaka University was
the keynote paper of the session putting emphasis on how
to make the current taxation system easier.
Mayor of Rajshahi AHM Khairuzzaman Liton addressed the
session as the chief guest with IBFB President Mahmudul
Islam Chowdhury in the chair.
Former Mayor Mijanur Rahman Minu, Commissioner of Rajshahi
division Hafizur Rahman Bhuiyan, Income tax Commissioner
Rokeya Khatun and President of Rajshahi Chamber of
Commerce and Industry Abu Bakker Ali also addressed the
session as special guests.
Government high officials, professionals and leaders and
delegates from different business organizations attended
the discussion session.
The speakers emphasized the need for building a good-
relations between the taxpayers and the tax collectors to
expedite the tax collection system.
They, however, said that the taxpayers have been
contributing a lot in the nation building process although
they have been facing many problems.
Mayor Liton said the amount of foreign aid had been
declined to a greater extent and noted that all concerned
should come forward in enhancing tax collections from the
internal sources in the greater interest of making the
country self-reliant.
"Adequate tax collection is the precondition to implement
any development program along with intensifying the
service- oriented activities," he said adding that
people's participation is a must in this regard.
Taking part in the discussion, some businessmen underlined
the need for brining transparency and accountability in
the taxation system to eliminate unnecessary harassments
being faced by the businessmen.
Pakistan economy expected to
grow despite militancy
AFP, Karachi
Pakistan's battered economy is showing some signs of
improvement with GDP growth expected to rise, a state bank
report said Tuesday, but it warned that the battle against
militants remained costly.
Inflation, the global recession, a crippling power
shortage and a wave of Islamist violence have all taken
their toll on Pakistan, with economic growth last fiscal
year-which ended June 30 -- the lowest since 1997-98.
"The prospects of returning to macroeconomic stability
have improved this fiscal year as most of the key
indicators continue positive trends that began in the
closing months of the last fiscal year," the quarterly
report said.
"Real GDP growth will likely to be around the annual
target of (between) 2.5 percent and 3.5 percent, higher
than last fiscal year's 2.0 percent," it said.
The state bank report said that inflation will likely
average between 10 and 12 percent this year, down from
2008-09 when average inflation was 20.8 percent. Inflation
hit a 30-year high in September 2008.
The current account deficit is targeted to be between 3.7
percent and 4.7 percent of GDP, the report said, compared
with 5.3 percent last year.
Exports are estimated to remain stable at about 19 billion
dollars and imports at about 31 billion dollars, the same
as last fiscal year.
But the report warned that increasing bombings by Islamist
fighters and the multiple offensives launched last year by
the military to try and quash Taliban strongholds in the
northwest would continue to take a financial toll.
"Given exceptional circumstances arising from the
stepped-up campaign against militants, these targets may
not be achieved due to huge expenditures on defence and
the rehabilitation of internally displaced people," it
said. "The indirect cost of war entails weaker growth in
tax collections, as industrial and trade activities-which
are the main contributors to fiscal revenue-remain dull
due to security uncertainties," it said.
Incoming EU trade chief sees WTO
deal by 2011
AFP, Brussels
Would-be new European trade chief Karel De Gucht expressed
confidence on Tuesday that a deal to free up international
commerce is attainable by next year.
"I am personally confident that we are going to conclude
the Doha round," De Gucht told European parliament
lawmakers during a question-and-answer confirmation
hearing in Brussels. "I don't know if it will be in 2010
or 2011, but I am quite confident." The Doha round began
in 2001, with a focus on dismantling obstacles to trade
for poor nations by striking an accord that will cut
agriculture subsidies and tariffs on industrial goods.
Deadlines to conclude the talks have been repeatedly
missed. Discussions have been dogged by disagreements on
issues including how much the US and the EU should reduce
aid to their farmers and the extent to which developing
countries such as India, China and South Africa should cut
tariffs.
"We have to do that deal," De Gucht added, refusing to
concede that the terms of the talks had to change to take
account of the aftermath of the global economic crisis.
"Compared with other international organisations, the WTO
is the most advanced model of global governance that
exists and we must continue to invest political capital in
it," he also said in his opening remarks.
The Belgian, who is switching from development to the
trade portfolio provided the parliament does not block the
new European Commission nominees, warned that there are
"still some basic differences of opininion on some topics,
most notably agriculture."
But he said the oft-stalled discussions had been
"conceived as a development round" and would "also have a
development outcome," although he ruled out calls for the
agenda to be widened to tackle broader climate-change
issues. "The trade components can be discussed by the WTO,"
he said. "But it is also important that (the talks) stay
focused."
WTO chief Pascal Lamy has admitted that a deal is
uncertain amid "pressure for protectionist actions" ahead
of a "crunch time meeting" in the first three months of
this year.
Optimism at Detroit auto show as
industry banks on recovery
AFP, Detroit
A revved up sense of optimism has filled the Detroit auto
show as the industry looked forward to a recovery from one
of its worst years on record.
Automakers are still reeling from a collapse in sales to
levels not seen since 1983, bankrupting General Motors and
Chrysler and dethroning the Detroit Three as the biggest
sellers in the US market.
China also surpassed the United States for the first time
as the world's biggest vehicle market, the China
Association of Automobile Manufacturers announced in
Beijing.
But the overall mood is significantly more upbeat than a
year earlier when GM and Chrysler's very existence was in
doubt as Congress sparred over providing billions of
dollars in emergency loans.
"Today is a new beginning for the automotive industry,"
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told reporters.
"When people have an opportunity to see the kind of
products that are now being manufactured and will be on
display, they will realize the auto industry is
manufacturing products people want to drive."
Ford, GM, Toyota and Honda kicked off the show by
highlighting their focus on fuel-efficient vehicles.
Ford-which managed to both stay afloat without a
government bailout and increase its piece of the shrunken
US market in 2009 -- introduced a much-anticipated update
to its compact Ford Focus sedan.
"Companies have to pay attention to the three Es: economy,
efficient and the environment," chairman Bill Ford said as
he touted the automaker's new global vehicle platforms,
which will radically reduce costs.
Toyota unveiled a prototype of a compact dedicated hybrid
vehicle-the FT-CH-while Honda revealed a hybrid sports
coupe-the CR-Z-that will hit US showrooms later this year.
GM introduced a boxy, low-lying new compact sport utility
vehicle, the GMC Granite, a "concept" aimed at young,
urban drivers if it ends up being tapped for mass market
production.
The automaker also introduced several smaller cars to be
sold under its Chevrolet brand, including the Spark mini
car and a sporty Aveo prototype.
Notably absent from the schedule was Chrysler, which had
little to present after the turmoil of a painful divorce
from Daimler, a brief takeover by private equity group
Cerberus and a quick spin through bankruptcy that left the
number three US automaker under the management of Italy's
Fiat.
Yet new chief Sergio Marchionne was on hand to speak with
the media and give lawmakers a tour of the scaled-back
Chrysler display, filled with aggressive trucks, muscle
cars, shiny new sports cars and-thanks to the alliance
with Fiat-Maserati, Ferrari and the Fiat 500 minicar.
Kuwait says oil prices ‘fantastic’
AFP, Kuwait City
Kuwait's Oil Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah al-Sabah said
on Tuesday that the price of crude oil was "fantastic," as
it stayed above 82 dollars a barrel spurred by freezing
temperatures.
Oil prices are "fantastic ... because of what is happening
with the weather in Europe and as demand is picking up,"
the minister told reporters outside parliament.
The minister said Kuwait does not want any change to
production quotas when the Organisation of Petroleum
Exporting Countries meets in March.
He also expected demand to pick up in the second quarter
of 2010 as the global economy is expected to continue its
recovery and as crude inventories decline.
Oil fell in Asian trade on Tuesday but remained above 82
dollars a barrel.
New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for
February delivery, was trading at 82.03 dollars a barrel
in the afternoon, down 49 cents from the New York close on
Monday.
The New York contract hit an intra-day peak of 83.95
dollars a barrel on Monday, its highest level since
October 9, 2008, before slipping as investors locked in
profits for the rest of the day.
China moves to rein in lending
amid overheating fears
AFP, Beijing
China pulled a pair of fiscal levers on Tuesday as
authorities sought to rein in a surge of aggressive
lending by banks that has raised fears of inflation and a
looming asset bubble.
After issuing a series of recent calls for banks to
moderate their lending activity, the central bank took
action Tuesday, hiking the minimum amount of money that
banks must keep in reserve for the first time in more than
a year.
Earlier in the day, it raised the interest rate on its
one-year treasury bills and last week raised the rate on
its three-month bills, increasing borrowing costs.
The widely expected fiscal tightening moves came a day
after state media reported banks had extended a massive
600 billion yuan (88 billion dollars) in loans in the
first week of January.
The People's Bank of China did not give a reason for its
moves but analysts said they showed the government
intended to rein in a credit expansion that has led to
concerns over inflation, economic overheating and a rash
of bad loans.
"This series of moves by the central bank provides a clear
sign that policy makers are following through on their
pledge to guide credit in order to pre-empt rising
inflation and avoid asset price bubbles," Jing Ulrich, an
economist with J.P. Morgan, said in a research note.
The central bank said in a one-line notice on its website
that the deposit reserve ratio for commercial banks would
be hiked by 50 basis points.
Sports
Sri Lanka-India final today
Cricinfo Online
After going at each other for the past two months, Sri Lanka
and India clash at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
today, and if recent encounters are any clue, India are the
favourites.
That's not a tag they have ever been comfortable with. Finals
of multi-team tournaments have long been India's dreaded
bogie, but against Sri Lanka there will at least be the
comfort of familiarity - they have played each other 22 times
in the last 19 months, with India winning 13 and losing seven
times. Since MS Dhoni took over the leadership India have
reached four finals and won two. Those two losses, against Sri
Lanka and Pakistan in the summer of 2008, left a sour taste
and India will be keen to impose their strength.
On the other hand, Kumar Sangakkara has only won one ODI
series since he became captain in early 2009. Defeats to India
in the home tri-series and the away tour must rankle, and his
leadership has come under heavy fire of late.
A look back at the league phase, which ended on Monday with
India comfortably handing Bangladesh their fourth loss in a
row, indicates that neither they nor Sri Lanka had a tough
time reaching this point. Both batting line-ups are in form,
the fielding has improved significantly from when they played
each other in December, but it is the bowling which is still a
concern. No frontline fast bowler from either side has
averaged less than 5.38 runs an over or 31.20 per wicket, and
the most successful bowler overall has been the allrounder
Thissara Perera, whose five wickets have come at 18.20 and
4.33 an over.
Inaccurate bowling at the start and during the death overs
hampered both India and Sri Lanka in the limited-overs series
before the New Year. India's fast bowlers were lukewarm in
their first two games of this series, failing to defend a
total of 279 against Sri Lanka and allowing Bangladesh to post
296 after that.
The rookie Sudeep Tyagi has impressed in two games but is not
a certainty for the final, Sreesanth has been wayward and
expensive, and most of the responsibility has been shouldered
by Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra. Both have had more off days
than good ones.
The situation is even more worrying for Sri Lanka. Apart from
Chanaka Welegedara's five-wicket haul in the first game
against India, no pace bowler has been impressive, and the
pick of the attack has been the young offspinner, Suraj Randiv.
Their two most experienced bowlers, Nuwan Kulasekara and
Thilan Thushara, have been poor and Suranga Lakmal all over
the place. Too much pressure has been put on Randiv and Perera,
and neither can be expected to carry Sri Lanka's attack.
After Sri Lanka's defeat on Sunday, Sangakkara admitted that
the result had robbed them of some momentum going into the
final. The mantra for this series has been simple - field
first. With that in mind, the bowling will have to be
extremely proficient.
India: (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Virat
Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (capt/wk), 6 Suresh Raina, 7
Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ashish
Nehra, 10 Sreesanth/Sudeep Tyagi.
Sri Lanka: (probable) 1 Upul Tharanga, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan,
3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt./wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan
Samaraweera, 6 Thilina Kandamby, 7 Thissara Perera, 8 Suraj
Randiv, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Thilan Thushara, 11 Chanaka
Welegedara.
Bangladesh
looks for two golds in SAG cycling
TBT Report
Bangladesh expects at least two gold medals in the forthcoming
11th South Asian Games (SAG), the General Secretary of
Bangladesh Cycling Federation (BCF) Parvez Hasan said at a
news conference at Olympic Bhaban in the city on Tuesday.
"We also took part in the 10th South Asian Games in Colombo ,
Sri Lanka in 2006, but that was a token participation. This
time we prepared well for the SAG and will fight for golds
taking the full advantage of home ground," he said.
On the preparations, the General Secretary said they started
their trainings in May last under the supervision of coach
Shahidur Rahman. "The Korean coach Hyungil Kim came last month
and the preparations are going on in full swing," Hasan added.
Asked on the expectations, he said they are expecting to
strike gold in two team events - Men's 80 kilometres Road Team
Trial and women's 30 kilometres Road Team Trial. The other two
events are: Men's 170 kilometres Road Mass Start Trial and
women's 50 kilometres Road Mass Start Trial.
The cycling competitions will he held in Khulna , Bagerhat and
Gopalganj districts.
Players: Chingby Marma, Farhana Sultana, Sathi Biswas, Monoara
Khanom Sathi, Akashi Sultana (Women), Ripon Kumar Biswas,
Muslimuddin Mujibur, Shamsul Huda, Anwar Hossain and Mohammad
Ektieruddin (Men).
Officials: Hyungil Kim (Coach), Shahidur Rahman (Assistant
Coach) and Jobera Rahman Linu (Manager).
Bangladesh U-19 wins in practice
match
UNB, Dhaka
Bangladesh Under-19 team started its ICC U-19 Cricket
World Cup tourney with a happy mood when it beat Australia
U-19 team by 20 runs in the practice match at the Elmwood
Park, Christchurch in New Zealand on Tuesday.
Batting first after winning the toss, Bangladesh scored a
decent total of 230 runs for 7 wickets in stipulated 39
overs.
Skipper Mahmudul Hasan scored unbeaten 75 runs off 65
balls with five fours and two sixes, two down Saikat Ali
made 61 runs off 75 balls with three fours and two sixes
while opener Anamul Haque smashed 58 runs off 50 balls
with three fours and three sixes.
Alex Keath, Jackson Coleman and Kane Richardson captured
two wickets each conceding 26, 38 and 46 runs
respectively.
In reply, Australia U-19 team was all out for 210 in 38.4
overs. Jason Floros scored 46 runs off 52 balls with four
fours and a six while Tim Armstrong made 41 off 62 runs
with three fours and a six.
Beside, Kane Richardson (28 no) and Ben Dougal (26) were
the other notable scorers for Australia.
Kamrul Islam and Hasan Raju claimed two wickets each
conceding 15 and 41 runs respectively.
Bangladesh was placed in Group D of the Youth World Cup
with Pakistan, West Indies and Papua New Guinea.
Bangladesh will play their first match against Papua New
Guinea on Jan 16 at the Fitzherbert Park in Palmerston
North, 2nd match against West Indies on Jan 17 and the
third match against Pakistan on Jan 20 at the same venue.
Tevez treble guides City into fourth place
AFP, Manchester
Carlos Tevez scored his first Manchester City hat-trick as
it went fourth in the English Premier League table with a
4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers at Eastlands here on Monday.
Victory meant City maintained their perfect record under
Italian manager Roberto Mancini with their fourth straight
success, even if they did concede their first goal under
the former Inter Milan boss when Morten Gamst Pedersen
scored for Rovers to make it 3-1.
But the match belonged to Argentina's Tevez who was in
brilliant form as he made it 11 goals in his last nine
games.
The former Manchester United striker opened the scoring in
the seventh minute and, after Micah Richards's superb
second, Tevez struck two expert curling shots, the second
in stoppage time, to seal City's win.
City are now just seven points behind leaders Chelsea and
the big-spenders, backed by their billionaire Abu
Dhabi-based owner Sheikh Mansour, could yet have a big
influence on the destiny of this season's title.
By contrast, defeat left Rovers just three points above
the relegation zone with all the teams below them having
games in hand.
Mancini, while pleased with the victory, was "angry" at
seeing City concede a sloppy goal which came from a poor
first touch by Vincent Kompany after goalkeeper Shay Given
cleared a back-pass. "It was a good night for us. The
players played very well in this match," Mancini told
ESPN.
"Carlos Tevez played very, very well. All the team
concentrated for 90 minutes but I'm angry because we
conceded a goal. Our gift. I think it's most important we
stay focussed all the time.
"We must continue to play well and not concede one goal."
Meanwhile, Mancini tried to keep City's victory in
perspective by insisting: "We don't watch the table. We
watch the table (in) two months.
As new City signing Patrick Vieira, the former Arsenal
midfielder who signed from Serie A champions Inter Milan
last week, watched on from the stands, the hosts wasted
little time in taking the lead. Rovers and England keeper
Paul Robinson's poor punch from Martin Petrov's corner
fell to City striker Benjani Mwaruwari and the
Zimbabwean's mishit shot went into the net off Tevez's
thigh.
Serena warns her Australian Open
rivals
AFP, Sydney
World number one Serena Williams has warned her Australian
Open rivals she will be tough to beat after dropping just
three games to reach the quarter-finals of the Sydney
International on Tuesday.
The 11-times Grand Slam champion had a 70-minute workout
in temperatures topping 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees
Fahrenheit) in her first match of the season and put away
Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-1, 6-2.
Williams will have a last-eight match against 43rd-ranked
Vera Dushevina, who accounted for fellow Russian Elena
Vesnina 6-3, 6-4. The American, bidding for her fifth
Australian title this month after winning last year, is
typically supremely confident in her ability to take on
all-comers.
"I feel like I have no pressure on myself," she said. "If
I play the best I can play, I've always said I'm very
difficult to beat." Her task of landing the Sydney WTA
title has eased with the loss of seeds Caroline Wozniacki,
Jelena Jankovic and Vera Zvonareva in her half of the draw
and she has won her only meeting with Dushevina. "I don't
care who I play. Whenever I play someone they play their
best," she said.
"Whoever I play, believe me, they're gonna play like
number one on that particular day against me for whatever
reason, so it doesn't matter for me." Williams, who faces
a twin Belgian threat at this year's opening Grand Slam
from US Open champion Kim Clijsters and seven-times major
winner Justine Henin, has won her four Australian Opens in
alternate years.
"I know. Don't say that," she told a reporter. "Well, it's
not a bad thing to win every other year, so I'm not gonna
complain about that.
"So I want to win this year, but if I can win guaranteed
next year, I'm OK with that, too."
World number two Dinara Safina kept on course to face
Williams in Friday's final when she came back from 0-5
down in the opening set to beat the 10th-ranked Agnieszka
Radwanska of Poland.
The Russian, who was blitzed by Williams in last year's
Australian Open final, advanced to the quarter-finals with
a 7-5, 6-4 victory.
"Well, a little bit of slow start, but it was a start. It
was a winning start," Safina said. Third seed Svetlana
Kuznetsova crashed out to Slovak's Dominika Cibulkova 7-5,
6-2 to continue her dismal run at the Sydney tournament.
Uganda to host Holyfield-Botha bout
AFP, Kampala
Former world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield will
fight South Africa's Francois Botha here on February 20,
promoters told AFP Tuesday.
"We have been in contact with Holyfield's people for
months and while the fight was scheduled to take place in
January, we had some delays because of the festive
season," Eddie Bazira of Uganda's Baltic Pro Box
Promotions Group said.
"But the date is February 20th. Everything has come into
place," he said adding that the showdown would be an
official title bout for the WBF heavyweight crown.
Bazira said his group learned that Holyfield, 47, was
interested in fighting in Africa and made a proposal to
his representatives a year ago. "He's hungry for a title,
so we convinced him along that line," he said.
Holyfield, who is outspoken about his Evangelical
Christian faith, will likely be fighting in front of a
sympathetic crowd, as Uganda is home to a rapidly
expanding Evangelical community.
"The church is going to be a huge force in promoting this
fight," said ' Jackson Mugisha, Baltic's country manager.
Kampala's Mandela National Stadium can hold up to 100,000
people, depending on how the ring is configured, and
Bazira said he anticipates a sellout.
Holyfield had been slated to fight Ethiopian-born Sammy
Retta in Addis Ababa last year but the bout was postponed
several times.
Burkina Faso holds Ivory Coast
AFP, Cabinda
A shock-filled start to the Africa Cup of Nations
continued on Monday as title favourites Ivory Coast were
held 0-0 by Burkina Faso in the opening Group B match.
Hosts Angola sensationally surrendered a four-goal lead
when drawing with Mali in the tournament opener on Sunday
and 24 hours later Malawi rocked 2010 World Cup qualifiers
Algeria 3-0 in another Group A clash.
An Ivorian team featuring Europe-based stars like Kolo
Toure, younger brother Yaya and Didier Drogba dominated
possession throughout, but created few clearcut chances
and looked far from potential champions.
Burkina Faso set out a defensive stall and contained their
opponents with relative comfort to keep alive hopes of
finishing among the top two in a mini-league completed by
Ghana and qualifying for the quarter-finals.
Players stood silently before the kick-off to honour two
Togolese fatalities of an ambush in this restive enclave
last Friday while police, soldiers and special forces cast
a ring of steel around a complex housing the teams.
Togo, whose delegation flew home on Sunday, were
officially disqualified from the tournament when they
failed to appear for an 1830GMT fixture against Ghana,
scheduled to be the second half of a Cabinda
double-header.
"It was a difficult start. After what happened a few days
ago, it was hard to concentrate. We do not forget what
happened to Togo, but now the competition has started and
we try to focus on the games," said Drogba.
Burkina Faso Portugal-born coach Paulo Duarte confessed:
"We were not good in the first half and did not create any
scoring chances. It was better after the break for us."
Ivory Coast dominated the first half before a sparse crowd
at the new 20,000-seat Chiazi Stadium with virtually the
entire Burkina Faso team retreating behind the ball at the
slightest hint of danger.
The respect the Stallions accorded the Elephants in this
west African derby was understandable after losing 3-2 at
home and 5-0 away when the neighbours clashed in
qualifiers for this tournament.
The English Premiership duo Drogba of Chelsea and Emmanuel
Eboue of Arsenal had penalty appeals rejected by the
Tunisian referee in the stamina-sapping conditions.
There were also a couple of scares for Burkinabe
goalkeeper Daouda Diakate, who had the humiliating
experience of retrieving the ball from his net five times
in Abidjan last September.
The Cairo-based custodian spilled a hard, long-range
attempt from midfielder Didier Zokora and raced off his
line to clutch the ball as Bakari Kone dashed forward.
Cheik Tiote adopted a more subtle approach to try and
break the deadlock and it almost paid off as his gentle,
curled shot ended just millimetres off target.
Kone should have put the Elephants ahead when a deep cross
was played into his path, but failed to get sufficient
power into his shot and a Diakate parry rescued the
Stallions.
Ivory Coast resembled five-time World Cup winners Brazil
at times as they retained possession while effortlessly
stroking the ball about, but the killer instinct was
missing and half-time arrived without a goal
The Burkinabe displayed more adventure in the second half
but were lucky to survive midway through when a superb run
by Kouassi 'Gervinho' Yao created a golden chance for Kone
who shot timidly wide.
Charles Kabore squandered a late half chance in a rare
Burkinabe attack before a goalmouth collision between two
Ivorians trying to snatch a stoppage-time winner summed up
a dismal evening for the 1992 champions.
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