|
Leading News
RMG workers go
berserk to protest closure of factory at Fatullah
UNB, Narayanganj
Garment workers went berserk at Fatullah industrial area
protesting closure of a factory on Monday.
Police said, angry workers of Rony Dyeing and Composit
staged demonstration at the factory in Katherpool area in
the mroning seeing a closure notice hanging on the gate of
the factory.
Around 3000 workers of the factory took to the street, put
barricade on Dhaka-Narayanganj link road halting traffic
on the busy road for an hour.
Later, they withdrew the blockade on assurances by police
and local political leaders that their problems would be
solved after discussion.
The unruly workers also vandalized several factories,
leaving 10 people injured. The injured were admitted to
local clinics.
The RMG workers bought out procession and paraded
different streets of the industrial zone. They entered
into other RMG factories and tried to force workers of
those to join their demonstration.
Being panicked, authorities of 50 garment factories of the
zone declared holiday on Monday to avert trouble in their
factories.
Cabinet
approves Border Guard Bangladesh Bill
Maximum punishment death sentence for mutiny
UNB, Dhaka
The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of Border Guard
Bangladesh Bill 2010 with maximum punishment of death
sentence for mutiny.
The approval to the draft law came from a meeting chaired
by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Under the proposed law,
trial of any offence could be held at three different
tiers of court instead of one tier of court as envisaged
in the existing BDR Act.
Under the BDR Act, maximum punishment for mutiny is seven
years' imprisonment. Once the new law is passed by
Parliament, the country's border force will be known as
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), which will have a new
emblem as well as new uniform of black, maroon and ash
colour replacing the olive and maroon uniform. The draft
of the Border Guard Bangladesh Bill 2010 was first placed
in the cabinet meeting on March 1 this year. The proposed
law seeks to restructure the BDR and remove the
inadequacies in holding the trial of last year's BDR
mutiny.
The cabinet meeting approved two other proposals - the
Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill 2010
and the International Mother Language Institute Bill 2010.
The cabinet also approved in principle the draft of the
Disclosure of Information Relating to Public Interest
(Protection) Bill 2010. Under the proposed Domestic
Violence law, anyone found guilty of filing false case
over family feud will be sentenced to 10 years' in jail
and Tk 100,000 fine.
The cabinet took 498 decisions from January 2009-June
2010, of which 411 decisions were implemented - the rate
of implementation being 87 percent. Besides, he said, the
cabinet endorsed 120 draft laws, of which 100 were passed
in the parliament, 15 under parliamentary process while
five others are being scrutinized by the respective
ministries.
Trace
out missing Chowdhury Alam immediately : Khaleda
UNB, Dhaka
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday asked the government
to immediately trace out the missing DCC ward councilor
Chowdhury Alam. Otherwise, she warned the government of
further agitation.
Khaleda's demand and warning came while talking to the
reporters at 6:30 pm during a visit to the residence of
Chowdury Alam at Khilgaon Chowdhury Para in the city.
During the visit, the BNP chairperson talked with Alam's
wife and other family members and consoled them.
Chowdhury Alam, also BNP national executive committee
member, has been missing from the city's Farmgate area
since June 25, two days before the BNP sponsored
countrywide hartal. Khaleda said Chowdhury Alam is known
as a popular ward councilor.
She alleged that people of some agencies of the government
have picked up Chowdhury Alam. "So, the government will
have to find him and return him to his family," she said.
Referring to the missing of Chowdhury Alam for last 17
days, the BNP chairperson said it seems there is no
government in the country.
Replying to a question, she said: "The politics of
killing, abduction and secret killings have again started
during the present Awami League government like the
post-independence AL rule."
Khaleda said the BNP had enforced the June 27 hartal for
resolving the multifarious problems the people were facing
including that of gas, electricity and water crises,
price-hike of essentials and unemployment. She mentioned
various misdeeds of the government and of the ruling party
terrorists including extortion, repression on opposition,
tender-manipulation and corruption. "There is still time
for the government to stop such misdeeds and anarchy. BNP
will extend cooperation to the government if it stops all
these," she told the reporters.
The Leader of the Opposition said if the government
creates chaos and anarchy not only the opposition but
people will be compelled to take to the street.
BCL activist
killed by rivals in Sylhet MC College
UNB, Sylhet
A Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activist was killed by
the activists of rival BCL faction over establishing
supremacy at Shaplabagh adjacent to MC college campus of
the town on Monday.
The deceased was identified as Udayan Singha Polash, 22,
son of Biresher Singha of Vandargaon village in Kamalganj
upazila.
There was rivalry between the supporters of Sylhet
Government College BCL convener Debangsu Das Mithu and
President of MC College Tamiz Uddin over establishing
supremacy.
Witnesses said, some supporters of Mithu beat up a support
of Tamiz group, Delwar Hossain, at 11 am on Monday that
triggered tension between two BCL factions at Tilagar
area.
As a sequel to the conflict, 4-5 activists of Tamiz group
launched an attack on Polash and stabbed him, leaving him
fatally wounded at Shaplabagh at 1:20 pm.
Later, local people rushed him to Sylhet Osmani Medical
College Hospital in a critical condition where the duty
doctor declared him dead.
Police arrested Ayub, a classmate of Polash, from his mess
suspecting his involvement in the killing.
Charge sheet
against 47 Jamaat, Shibir leaders of Khulna
UNB, Khulna
Police on Monday submitted charge sheet in the court
against 47 Jamaat, Shibir leaders of Khulna accusing them
of attacking and wounding on-duty police and obstructing
traffic movement in the city on June 30.
Jamaat had organized demonstration on that day demanding
release of three top leaders including party chief Maulana
Matiur Rahman Nizami.
Police investigating officer into the case ASI Monirul
Islam submitted the charge sheet in the court of Khulna
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Barequzzaman.
Admitting the charge sheet, the magistrate sent the case
to the Speedy Trial Tribunal.
The tribunal will start trial of the case on July 14,
court officials said.
The law under which the Jamaat leaders were charged
provides for a maximum punishment of five years if found
guilty.
Those accused include Khulna city Ameer and former MP Prof
Mia Golam Parwar, city Nayeb-e-ameer Prof Abdul Matin,
Master Shafiqul Alam, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Khandker
Abdul Khaleq, Mahfuzur Rahman, Khan Golam Rasul and
Chhatra Shibir president Ataur Rahman Bachhu.
11 more
remanded in question paper leakage case
BSS, Rangpur
Eleven people out of 167 arrested in connection with
leakage of question papers of the secondary school teacher
recruitment test were taken on two-day remand on Monday
for interrogation.
The investigation officer appealed for seven days' remand
for them but the district court led by judicial magistrate
Sharmin Akhter granted two days' remand. Earlier, eight
people of the 167 were remanded for quizzing. Those
remanded on Monday are Principle Mahfuzur Rahman of
Nilphamari Mahila College, Principle Officer of Sonali
Bank of Rajbari branch Darshan Kumar Kundu, photocopy
machine-man Shafiquzzaman Sumon, Abdur Razzak, Golam
Mostafa, Jamal Uddin, Hashem Mia, Saif Uddin, Farhana
Khanam, Mamunur Rahman and Abdul Aziz.
Police arrested 167 people including 25 women on Thursday
in connection with the question paper leakage case and the
government on Friday suspended the recruitment test of
assistant teachers for the secondary schools across the
country.
Spain erupts in
nationwide fiesta as ‘dream comes true’
AFP, Madrid
A thunderous roar erupted across the Spanish capital and
fans danced in the streets chanting "Viva Espana!" as the
country's first ever World Cup trophy sparked a nationwide
fiesta.
The centre of Madrid was a sea of the red and gold
national colours as Spain celebrated its nailbiting 1-0
extra-time win over Holland Sunday. The deafening sounds
of cheering, klaxons, firecrackers and cars horns rang out
as the World Cup's perennial underachievers won the trophy
in their first appearance in the final thanks to a late
goal from Andres Iniesta. Prime Minister Jose Luis
Rodriguez Zapatero said he was "happy and emotional. In
blistering heat, more than 150,000 supporters watched the
match on massive screens in a giant fan park in a one-kilometre
stretch of the city's main thoroughfare. Said Adolfo, 25,
"It's an extraordinary feeling, of happiness and nerves."
Others crammed into bars or gathered at home for the
match, which left the country paralysed for two and a half
hours Sunday evening. Most were either wrapped in the
Spanish flag, wore the red team shirts or red wigs, or had
their faces painted red and gold.
One young woman was disguised as an octopus, in tribute to
Paul, the now famous clairvoyant cephalopod in Germany who
predicted Spain's victory.
"Spain, Spain, Spain!" screamed the daily El Mundo in a
headline on its website. "This World Cup has crowned one
of the best teams of all time." "Iniesta took us up into
heaven" after an "agonising" game, said the sports daily
Marca. "We suffered, but it was worth it."
Thousands of fans had earlier poured into the capital from
other parts of the country to soak up the atmosphere, many
travelling all night and planning to leave the next
morning after a night of revelry.
"We're going to celebrate like crazy, all night, all
Monday, until Tuesday morning," said Miguel Angel, 41, who
had traveled from the northern city of Bilbao for the
match.
Back Page
President asks pvt varsities to
provide quality education
UNB, Dhaka
President Zillur Rahman on Monday called upon the private
universities to provide quality higher education with less
tuition fees, particularly for the poor students.
The President gave the call when a three-member delegation
of the Association of Private Universities of Bangladesh (APUB),
led by its secretary general Prof Dr M Alimulla Mian,
called on him at Bangabhaban.
During the meeting, Zillur Rahman said the private
universities would have to emphasize on research
activities along side ensuring adequate academic
infrastructures for students and faculty members.
"Take steps to increase research activities at the
universities to upgrade modern and time-befitting
curriculums to keep pace with the world," he said. The
President also emphasized on establishing more private
universities outside capital Dhaka with a view to
facilitating higher education for rural students across
the country.
The APUB delegation apprised the President of various
problems of the private universities. Nearly 215,000
students are pursuing higher education at some 54 private
universities across the country, they informed.
President Zillur Rahman gave the delegation a patient
hearing and assured his all-out support and cooperation to
ensure quality higher education at the private
universities.
Secretaries concerned to the President's office were
present at the meeting.
Charge sheet against 824
people in Peelkhana carnage case
Nasiruddin Pintu of BNP and Torab Ali of AL among 23
civilian accused
UNB, Dhaka
Some 824 people including 801 BDR jawans and 23 civilians
were accused in the Peelkhana BDR headquarters massacre in
a charge sheet submitted in the Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate court on Monday.
The 7-point charge sheet was submitted by Special Police
Super of CID Abdul Kahar Akand after lengthy investigation
for more than 16 months since he was entrusted with the
task. Nasiruddin Pintu, former MP of BNP from Dhaka city
and Torab Ali, Awami League leader of Hazaribagh in the
old city, who are in custody, are among the 23 civilians
charge sheeted. They were accused of planning and
executing the killing.
Of the total 824 accused, 23 remained fugitive and the
rest are in custody.
BDR Director General Major General Shakil Ahmed and 56
army officers were killed in the rebellion in BDR
headquarters on February-25-26, 2009.
Before submitting the charge sheet in the court,
investigating officer Kahar told a press conference at the
CID office at Malibagh that Nasiruddin Pintu and Torab Ali
were charged for planning and instigating the massacre.
Replying to a question Kahar said the investigation
revealed that the BDR jawans had grievances for long. They
rebelled because of unattended accumulated demands.
He added, the rebels had planned not only to keep hostage
of officers but also to kill them. The rebels had a series
of secret meetings before executing the plan. The
civilians accused had assisted the rebels in different
ways in planning and executing.
Kahar termed the case as most complicated involving so
many people which is in the world. He along with 80 police
officers took about one and a half years to complete the
investigation.
He said as many as 1285 prosecution witnesses were listed.
The witnesses include 106 civilians. Home Minister, state
minister for law, IG of police, Army, Navy and Air Force
chiefs, heads of intelligence agencies and 182 family
members of the victims are among the witnesses.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was also interrogated for the
sake of neutral investigation but she was not named as
prosecution witness, Kahar told a questioner.
No food crisis
in country: Razzaque
UNB, Sangsad Bhaban
Food Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque on Monday reiterated in
parliament that there is no possibility of food crisis in
the country in near future.
Replying to a supplementary question during the question
hour Dr Razzaque said the government has a comfortable
stock of 4.70 lakh metric tons of rice and 7 lakh metric
tons of wheat in its godowns. Another 1.25 lakh metric
tons of rice are in the pipeline or waiting for delivery
from the port.
The Minister informed that the price of wheat is a bit
lower than the rice in the international market. The
government has decided to utilize wheat for TR, Food for
Work, VGF and such other programmes.
Regarding procurement of rice, he said the target is set
at 12 lakh metric tons. The price in the international
market is lower than it was estimated earlier. About the
domestic procurement price the Minister said farmers'
production cost of rice, as estimated by the Agriculture
Ministry, is Tk 20-21 kg. The government has fixed
procurement price at Tk 25 from the farmers and millers.
"But the price in the market is higher than the
procurement price," admitted the minister. He added, in
neghbouring India and Mayanmar rice price is Tk 30-32 per
kg.
Sadar
Rifles Battalion's mutiny
Feb 2 set for hearing on charge framing for trial
UNB, Dhaka
Special court-6 Monday set February 2 next year for
hearing on charge framing for trial of Sadar Rifles
Battalions mutineers.
All the 735 BDR men accused in the case were produced
before the court set up at the BDR Durbar Hall.
The three-member court chaired by BDR Director-General Maj
Gen Rafiqul Islam resumed at 10-40am and continued till
11:30am.
Two other members were Lt Col Md Nurul Alam and Maj Md Ali
Mustain Khan. DAG Adv Kazi Ijharul Haq Akand alias Sagar
assisted the court as representative of the
Attorney-General.
The court asked to produce all the 735 accused BDR men at
10 am on February 2. The special court-6, formed under the
Bangladesh Rifles Order 1972, is trying the BDR members of
Sadar Rifles Battalion who allegedly took part in the
mutiny inside the BDR headquarters on February 25-26 last
year.
At least 73 people, including 57 army officers deputed to
the border force, were killed at the BDR headquarters
during the carnage.
On Sunday complainant Subedar Major Munshi Jahangir Alam
placed allegations against 735 BDR jawans before the
court. Of them, 298 have been detained in jail and 437
kept in barracks. Prosecutor Lt Col Badrul Alam narrated
the horrendous Pilkhana massacre before the court and
sought for the "highest punishment against the mutineers".
The government set up six special courts last year to hold
trial of the accused mutineers-two courts in Dhaka and
four outside the capital.
Ex-OC of Gaibandha
thana, 2 cops accused of killing a youth in custody
UNB, Gaibandha
The district court on Monday ordered to jail hajot former
OC of Sadar thana and two other cops for killing a young
man in custody 4 years ago.
After hearing District and Sessions Judge Md Moniruzzaman
rejected their bail petitions and ordered to sent them to
the prison on charge of killing Sajedur Rahman Sajid of
Kathpatti area of the town on May 21, 2006. However,
another accused in the murder received bail.Those sent to
prison are former officer-in-charge of Sadar thana Noor
Alam, constables Mizanur Rahman and Dulal Chandra. SI
Fahima Haider was enlarged on bail. They were all
suspended from the service following series of angry
protests in the area by the locals demanding their
suspension following after postmortem report revealed that
Sajid was strangulated to death following torture.
After getting the viscera report Sajid father Abdur Rouf
filed a case with Sadar thana on May 27 accusing OC Noor,
constables Mizan, Dulal, SI Fahima and two other cops of
torturing his son to death in custody. Following
investigation, charge sheets were submitted against the
six accused before the court which issued warrants of
arrest against the accused in May this year.
But they challenged the district court order in the High
Court which upheld the lower court order rejecting their
appeal. The HC also ordered them to surrender before the
trial court immediately.Four of six accused sought bail
surrendering to the court on Monday, it ordered the trio
into jail hajot granting bail to the other.
Govt to fill
582 posts of non-cadre assistant surgeons from merit list
UNB, Dhaka
The government has decided to fill up 582 posts of
non-cadre assistant surgeons from the merit list as the
required number of candidates from 30 per cent quota
reserved for freedom fighters was not available.
The decision was taken at the 74th cabinet meeting held at
Bangladesh Secretariat on Monday with Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing journalists, Prime Minister's Press Secretary
Abul Kalam Azad said the decision to fill up the 582
vacant posts from the merit list has been taken as more
health officials are urgently needed to ensure timely and
quality healthcare.
Asked whether there is any plan to review the quota
system, he said 30 per cent reserve quota for the freedom
fighters and their offspring will continue.
Moreover, the cabinet also discussed how the quota
facilities can be extended to other family members of the
freedom fighters.
Azad said that in near future the freedom fighters and
even their offspring will not be able to enjoy the quota
facility due to age limitations. "In such a situation, the
cabinet discussed how the quota facility for the freedom
fighters can be offered to other family members."
2,257 Bangladeshis in
jails of 28 countries
UNB, Sangsad Bhaban
At present, there are 2,257 Bangladeshis in jails of 28
countries of the world with the highest 1,046 in Saudi
Arabia, Parliament was told Monday.
Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Engr
Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain informed this in reply to a
question of Noor-e-Hasna Lily Chowdhury.
He said that the number of Bangladeshis now in jails of
other 27 countries are: Bahrain (12), Brunei (02), Egypt
(07), Algeria (23), Cyprus (24), Iran (43), Japan (07),
Jordan (19), Lebanon (49), Syria (01), Myanmar (76), Oman
(161), Singapore (180), Turkey (23), Azerbaijan (03),
China (08), Maldives (32), Indonesia (09), Canada (01),
India (189), Pakistan (09), UAE (82), UK (188), Brazil
(12), El Salvador (25), Panama (12) and Peru (14).
Editorial
Controlling population
As
the country's desperate bid to control the population
explosion continues, President Zillur Rahman on Sunday laid
emphasis on reducing the population growth rate. "I urge all
to step forward with an integrated plan for further pacing up
the ongoing social movement, created under the present family
planning programme," he said while inaugurating the national
programme on the World Population Day-2010 . The President
said there is no other alternative to control the population
for building a balance environment keeping away from the
ill-cycle of poverty. Mentioning that the country has achieved
success in reducing the population growth after passing many
ups and down in implementing its family planning programmes
since 1953, he said and added that there is no scope of
complacence in this regard as we have a long way to go. The
president also said the slogan -'Not more then two children,
one is better' would have to be extended across the country to
achieve its goal. President Zillur Rahman said the population
growth has been considered as a burden as the countrymen are
revolving in the cycle of social disquiet arising out of
poverty, malnutrition, food insecurity, illiteracy and health
hazards due to its increasing population.
According to experts, country's population is increasing by
two million every year and the total population of the country
is likely to reach 220 million by 2021. About 30 percent of
total population of the country is below 15 years, which is
very alarming due to the fact that this section of population
will gradually enter into the reproductive age. The increased
population is causing massive pressure on limited resources
and reducing the per capita wealth. With the new young
generation the size of country's population will reach to 220
million even if we can bring down their total fertility rate (TFR)
to a settlement position by 2011. According to a UN study,
Bangladesh's total population now exceeded 160 million
bringing forth one new born baby in very 11 seconds. The
density of population in Bangladesh is now four times higher
than India and eight times higher than China.
In today's world population is considered everywhere as human
resource. But unfortunately, in our country our huge
population sometimes appears to be a burden due to illiteracy
and unemployment. If the country's population continues to
increase at the present rate of 1.39 per cent , the population
will almost double in the next 49 years as the country'
present total population is over 15 crore. For this,
fulfilling people's basic needs like food, clothing,
accommodation, education, health and communications
infrastructures will be more difficult.
In fact, the huge population in a small country contributes
largely to its poverty, hunger, unemployment, illiteracy,
diseases, crimes and social instability. Over 40 per cent of
our population live below poverty line and about 30 million of
them are placed in abject poverty and are suffering from
malnutrition. In other words about half of the population are
engaged in a difficult struggle just for survival. Population
explosion is the root cause of many of our problems such as
food shortage, unemployment, illiteracy, lack of medicare and
above all social instability.
In view of this, the government should step up its efforts to
control the population explosion by all possible means.
Moreover, in order to use the population as strength,
arrangements must be made for the proper education and
training of the populace.
Private University
Bill
The
country is going to get a new Private University Act., but it
falls short of the people's expectation. Parliament on Sunday
passed a bill providing for detailed rules for establishing
private university, its proper management and expanding
quality education in the country. Education Minister Nurul
Islam Nahid moved the Private University Bill, 2010 which was
adopted by voice vote abolishing the Private University Bill,
1992. According to the new bill, there must be minimum one
acre of undisputed and integrated land in the name of a
proposed private university in Dhaka and Chittagong metropolis
and minimum two acres of land in other places. Minimum reserve
fund of Tk 5 crore in the name of a proposed private
university in Dhaka and Chittagong, Tk 3 crore for other
metropolitan areas and Tk 1.5 crore in other places must be
deposited in a scheduled bank.
For getting temporary permission from the government, a
proposed private university needs to fulfill certain criteria
which include formation of a Trustee Board with maximum 21 and
minimum 9 members, and have adequate number of classes,
library, laboratory, auditorium, seminar room, office room,
student's common room and other required rooms and
infrastructures.Besides, the proposed private university will
have to fulfill certain other conditions.
But the main shortcoming of the bill, which will be turned
into an act soon after the President's assent to it, is that
it fails to empower the UGC to regulate the fixation of
tuition fees in the private universities. The exorbitant
tuition fees in the private universities is the most
contentious issue as the high cost prevents students from poor
families to avail themselves of the educational facilities
there. Besides, the new bill also lacks adequate provisions
for checking education business by the private universities in
the name of providing education.
In other words the new private university act is unlikely to
be able to stop malpractices of a section of private
universities and ensure quality education.. 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. Academic and other
facilities in most of the private universities are inadequate
and that gross irregularities are practiced there for
commercial gains.
However, despite the shortcomings new law is expected to go a
long way in removing the anomalies and education business in
private universities and improve the quality of education. As
the country's higher educational institutions in the public
sector can accommodate only a limited number of students,
private universities are welcomed for real higher education
but not for commercial purpose. Private universities should be
encouraged to function as real seat of learning and should
function in a disciplined way. To this end, the new law should
be amended if possible.
Analysis
Waterloo in Afghanistan
The Afghan and Iraq wars - cost $1 trillion -
are being waged on borrowed money when the US is drowning in
$13.1 trillion in debt.
Eric S. Margolis
The fire-breathing
US General, Stanley McChrystal, and his Special Forces
"mafia," were supposed to crush Afghan resistance to Western
occupation. But McChrystal was fired after rude remarks he and
his staff made about the White House were printed in the
American magazine, "Rolling Stone."
A more cerebral and political general, David Petraeus, quickly
replaced McChrystal. McChrystal was the second US commander in
Afghanistan to be fired, an ominous sign that the war was
going badly. Gen. Petraeus managed to temporarily suppress
resistance in Iraq. Washington hopes he will do the same in
Afghanistan, though the two countries are very different.
Last week, the usually cautious Petraeus vowed from Kabul to
"win" the Afghan War, which has cost the US nearly $300
billion to date and 1,000 dead. The problem: no one can define
what winning really means. Each time the US reinforces, Afghan
resistance grows stronger. The Soviets ran into the same
problem in the 1980's.
Afghanistan has become America's longest-running conflict. The
escalating war now costs US taxpayers $17 billion monthly.
President Obama's Afghan "surge" of 30,000 more troops will
cost another $30 billion.
The Afghan and Iraq wars - cost $1 trillion - are being waged
on borrowed money when the US is drowning in $13.1 trillion in
debt.
America has become addicted to debt and war. The US Congress,
which alone can declare and fund war, shamefully allowed
Presidents Bush and Obama to usurp this power. A majority of
Americans now oppose the imperial misadventure in Afghanistan.
Yet most politicians, save a courageous few, fear opposing the
war lest they be accused of "betraying American soldiers."
Still, dissent is breaking into the open.
Last week, Republican National Committee chairman Michael
Steele let the cat out of the bag, admitting the Afghan War
was not winnable. Pro-war Republicans erupted in rage, all but
accusing Steele of high treason. Many of Steele's most hawkish
Republican critics had, like George Bush and Dick Cheney,
dodged real military service during the Vietnam War.
Republicans (I used to be one) blasted McChrystal's sensible
policy of trying to lessen Afghan civilian casualties from US
bombing and shelling. There is growing anti-western fury in
Afghanistan and Pakistan over mounting civilian casualties. By
clamouring for more aggressive attacks that endanger Afghan
civilians and strengthen Taleban, and by backing torture,
Republicans again sadly demonstrate they have become the party
of America's dim and ignorant. President Obama claimed he was
expanding the Afghan War to fight Al Qaeda. Yet the Pentagon
estimates there are no more than a handful of Al Qaeda
small-fry left in Afghanistan.
So why is the US in Afghanistan? Obama owes Americans the
truth.
After nine years of war, the immense military might of the US,
its uneasy NATO allies, and armies of mercenaries have been
unable to defeat resistance to western occupation or create a
popular, legitimate government in Kabul. Drug production has
reached new heights. As the United States feted its
independence from a foreign oppressor on 4 July, its
professional soldiers were using every sort of weapon in
Afghanistan, from heavy bombers to tanks, armored vehicles,
helicopter gunships, fleets of drones, heavy artillery,
cluster bombs and an arsenal of high tech gear.
In spite of this might, bands of outnumbered Pashtun tribesmen
and farmers, armed only with small arms, determination, and
limitless courage have fought the West's war machine to a
standstill and now have it on the strategic defensive.
This brutal David v. Goliath conflict brings no honour upon
the Western powers waging it. They are widely seen abroad as
waging yet another pitiless colonial war against a small,
backward people for resource domination and strategic
geography.
Most Afghans yearn for peace after 30 years of war. But
efforts by the Karzai government, Taleban, and Pakistan to
forge a peace are being thwarted by Washington, some of its
NATO allies, and Afghanistan's Communist-dominated Tajik
Northern Alliance. India stirs the pot in Afghanistan while
rebellion seethes in Indian-held Kashmir.
The heretical Steele was speaking truth when he said this
ugly, pointless war is unwinnable. But Washington's imperial
impulses continue. Too many political careers in the US,
Canada and Europe hang on this war. So, too, does the fate of
the obsolete NATO alliance that may well meet its Waterloo in
the hills of Afghanistan.
Eric Margolis is a veteran US journalist who reported from
the Middle East and Asia for nearly two decades.
Our own
muddle
After the usual round of condemnation following the
blasts, what has emerged as a national political response
is even more tragic.
Shahzad Chaudhry
Mian
Nawaz Sharif, the twice elected former prime minister and
leader of the party in power in Punjab, the PML-N, could
only make it to Data Darbar, the unfortunate site of the
July 1st blasts that killed 44 devotees and injured over
150, on the fifth day after the blasts. This, when he is
located in Lahore, the city housing Data Darbar as well as
his party headquarters. His younger brother, Shahbaz
Sharif, heads Punjab as its chief minister; so much for
sibling support, or perhaps security concerns, and even
more damaging and misplaced political expediency. The
prime minister, belonging to the PPP, the party in power
at the Centre, did however visit the shrine the next day
after the tragedy. This was a smart political move.
There are, without doubt, two extremely dangerous
long-term threats to Pakistan's integrity: terrorism and
the religious divide. Terrorism, a devouring, fire-spewing
monster, feeds on the religious divide with equal relish,
and that is why acts of violence are targeted to fan
intolerance, hatred and heighten the acute sense of
religious ethnicity. Recourse to this primordial sense
generates its own response cycle, bringing death and fire
into the cities of Pakistan.
Who would do such a thing? If the answer must be based on
political logic, it has to be an entity desiring
Pakistan's eternal unravelling. That is when one hears,
immediately after such destructive events, the popular
recourse to blame India's RAW, the US's Blackwater and
therefore the CIA, and Israel's Mossad - the KGB and the
Afghan KHAD having retreated into their shells. Credence
is implicit because of Lahore's unique location smack on
the border with India, and thus a natural article of
interest. What more may an enemy ask than to paralyse the
heart of Pakistan, Lahore, and debilitate Karachi, the
financial and economic capital of Pakistan. Both are under
this terrible wave of tragedy, Lahore more so, Karachi, of
a different nature. The theory of disabling Pakistan's
vitals, therefore, seems plausible giving strength to the
most popular and most believable sentiment of a
trans-frontier conspiracy by RAW. In the conspiratorial
frame of contemporary Pakistani thinking, this all seems
pretty probable.
The other party interested in pushing Pakistan towards a
battle of reverse front - diverted from the main front of
war and focused in the rear hinterland of its own base of
power - should be none other than the insurgent groups,
the TTP-affiliated groups such as the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ)
and the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), who have formed a
conglomerate of interests ever since Pakistan decided to
turn its back on groups that were earlier alleged to carry
some official nod. These groups, in alliance with the TTP
in FATA, are threatened with elimination or, at the very
least, a seriously diminished capacity to operate and
therefore are in a battle of survival with the state.
These same groups were in the forefront when the GHQ came
under attack, and come into the forefront when other icons
of national or state power in Lahore get targeted. It is
not some glorious ideological underpinning or an elevated
sense of purpose that they pursue; it is a plain and
simple fight to keep their turf of influence and power.
Money has badly infested these groups and power is
necessary to secure it as well as to keep it coming; hence
the desperation. What it might do to the national cause,
or the security of both the state and the nation, does not
bother them. It does, however, keep them in play and
relevant to the scene for spoils.
Regardless of who may be behind it, both Lahore and
Karachi burn - Lahore in a conflagration and Karachi at a
steady boil. If this is not serious business, what is?
After the usual round of condemnation following the
blasts, what has emerged as a national political response
is even more tragic. The PPP found it most opportune to
zero in on the PML-N's reluctance to accept Punjab as a
hotbed of domestic terrorism, even though there is a
history of Shia-Sunni divide that has marred harmony in
southern Punjab now for decades. When there was nothing
else in terms of terrorism, there was this sad and
lamentable Shia-Sunni fight claiming its own share of
blood. Talk about stonewalling. The PML-N rebounded with
allegations of a lack of strategy and policy at the
Centre. Just as it seemed that a Centre-province divide
might ensue, the prime minister brokered peace yet again.
He agreed to Nawaz Sharif's proposal to hold an
All-Parties Conference (APC) on the issue of terrorism and
seek a consensual policy and strategy. Immediately after,
he invited the four chief ministers and their
law-enforcement officials for a security moot and declared
official peace between the Centre and the provinces.
Discussion on security measures and better coordination
must have accompanied. It was also agreed to hold the APC
but no dates were given. Neither was the agenda
identified. It is quite clear now that the Centre is
unlikely to follow up the APC proposal because it would
not like to be seen as kowtowing to the PML-N's dictation.
Nothing much is expected from such politically driven
measures.
Terrorism is not a new threat; it has only grown as the
ultimate threat. While the army fights insurgency,
attention to its twin sister, terrorism, goes a-begging.
The government first needs to understand that these are
two different beasts and defeating insurgency in FATA will
not automatically mean the elimination of terrorism too.
The government did well in instituting the National
Counter-Terrorism Authority (NACTA). It is about time we
put it to work. Without there being a clear conception and
understanding of the nature of a threat, you can neither
have the requisite resources - manpower, equipment,
training, intelligence, legal instruments, investigation
and prosecution expertise - nor a resolute commitment to
eliminate what is likely to unravel the idea of Pakistan.
But is it really a lack of intellectual capacity to
appreciate what spells doom or a clear and deliberate
aversion to take on what will also translate into the
ultimate fight? Politics supersedes any sense of
foreboding. Southern Punjab is where the political control
of the province will be wrestled for in the next
elections. Anyone carrying the south is expected to carry
Punjab - the north pretty much neatly carved - and when
you have Punjab, you have more than half of the national
election resolved. The prominent political leadership of
both the PML-N and the PPP, in the current milieu, comes
from southern Punjab, and is unlikely to ruffle feathers
there. That is why the blame game between the two while
Punjab and Pakistan burns. This is manna for the southern
Punjab militants who continue to operate at will and
weaken the foundations of Pakistan.
The 18th Amendment circus, the NAB/NRO fracas, fake
degrees, attacks on the media and the Irfan Qadir letter
instead rule the roost and retain the focus in evening
talk shows. These issues take away from serious failures
of governance and inadequacies in conception and resolve
to fight what threatens Pakistan eternally. Our
politicians remain masters in obfuscation.
Shahzad Chaudhry is a retired air vice marshal and a
former ambassador of Pakistan.
Viewpoints
The adoration of Bibi Netanyahu
What we
witnessed this week at the White House was words of praise for
the leader of a government that has strategically deceived the
US for more than six decades.
Jeff Gates
It's
impossible to know what goes on in the Oval Office. All the
public sees is photo-ops and scripted comments. Was Barack
Obama's adoration of the Israeli prime minister meant as a
subtle manipulation? Was this "keep your friends close and
your enemies closer?"
If so, that would be good news for the US provided he grasps
that he's been played for a fool with the help of his top
advisers. His political career is a product of the Chicago
Outfit, including his presidency. Can he rise above that? I
need to believe that he can.
What we witnessed this week at the White House was words of
praise for the leader of a government that has strategically
deceived the US for more than six decades. Yet President Obama
assured us that he now "trusts" a spokesman for Israel's
ultra-right Likud Party.
Was this presidential subtlety? Perhaps Obama praised "Bibi"
Netanyahu a bit too much? Isn't that what a commander-in-chief
would say if he was trying to lull an Israeli leader into a
false sense of security so he would misstep?
It's not like Obama could just blurt out: "Hey Bibi, here's
the new deal. We're going to endorse the one-state solution,
declare Jerusalem a cultural heritage site under UN
protection, recover for Palestinians their occupied land and
safeguard them with 30,000 troops that we're airlifting in
from Afghanistan. Oh, and we're going to secure your nuclear
arsenal tomorrow."
That may be too rational for such an emotional issue. After
all, Americans have yet to sort facts from fiction when it
involves "the promised land," the Exodus mythology and the
heroic saga of the long-suffering "Israelites" in search of a
"homeland."
Should you get discouraged, try putting this duplicity in
historical perspective. After all, Zionists were deceiving US
presidents long before this latest president was born. They
duped Harry Truman into recognizing their extremist enclave as
a legitimate state back in 1948. Much like Truman, Obama's
political pedigree traces its Chicago roots to organized
crime.
The Missouri version of the Chicago Outfit was Kansas City's
Pendergast political machine. Its operatives profiled, picked
and produced Truman, grooming him first as a county judge in
the 1920s before placing him in the US Senate in 1934.
He never won an election. Not really. Even his re-election as
president in 1948 is traceable to the same trans-generational
syndicate that brought Obama to political prominence six
decades later. The only difference is the sophistication of
their electoral operation.
In 1929, the Pendergast machine was represented by Johnny
Lazio at the first-ever meeting of the National Crime
Syndicate when it convened in Atlantic City. In 1931, 24
exclusive territories were allocated at a Jews-only conclave
at the Franconia Hotel in Manhattan. Then as now, Chicago and
New York were major nodes in this transnational network.
Like Republican G.W. Bush a half-century later, Democrat Harry
Truman was an avid Christian Zionist who famously read the
Bible cover-to-cover five times by age 15. Ministers in
Missouri consulted the Bible-obsessed youngster on scripture.
In 2000, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright named the State
Department after Truman. That incident remains an inside joke
in Israel because Truman is best known abroad as the US
president who rejected the advice of his Secretary of State
George C. Marshall when the World War II general opposed US
recognition of the Zionist enclave as a legitimate state.
Marshall knew this entangled alliance would prove the undoing
of US national security. The Joint Chiefs of Staff cautioned
Truman about the "fanatical concepts of the Jewish leaders"
and their plans for "Jewish military and economic hegemony
over the entire Middle East."
Thus the need-then as now-for Israeli leaders to deploy
strategic duplicity. In 1997, Albright announced an "epiphany"
that she was Jewish. That personal revelation came only after
she was named Bill Clinton's secretary of state. Dr. Glenn
Olds, who had known her family since she was a teenager in
Colorado, offered his candid assessment of her epiphany: "That
is simply not believable."
What can we believe? Who can we believe? Barack Obama?
What do Americans dare believe about this meeting between an
Israeli prime minister and a White House occupant with a
"Chicago" political lineage?
This much can be said with confidence: So long as Obama adores
their leaders, the Israelis will not assassinate him. Could
that explain his Israel-first behavior?
Netanyahu spoke at length of his concern about a worldwide
movement to delegitimize Israel. As a lawyer, Obama knows that
this concern conveniently ignores the fraud by which that
"legitimacy" was recognized - by a political product of
organized crime.
Russian oligarchs share a similar concern - and may meet a
similar fate. They are waiting for an incredulous world to
recognize as "private property" the fruits of their massive
fraud. Former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev estimates
that $1 trillion in wealth was stripped from their economy.
The impact fell hardest on pensioners and children.
Stolen property does not become "legit" simply because you
hold onto it. Likewise for land taken under cover of what
Americans were induced to believe was a 1967 "war." In truth,
that conflict was a long-planned Six-Day Land Grab.
To portray that armed taking as the rightful spoils of war is
no more legitimate than the oligarchs defrauding Russia of
untold riches under the guise of "privatization." Six of the
top seven richest oligarchs qualify for Israeli citizenship -
in a nation whose population is less than two percent
Ashkenazim. As part of Tel Aviv's typical psy-ops preceding a
high-profile White House meeting, Americans were subjected to
a public relations blitz. The day before, the Israeli military
announced that a soldier was indicted for killing a
Palestinian who was attempting to surrender while carrying a
white flag. Here's the catch: The indictment was not for
murder but manslaughter.
Tel Aviv also announced proceedings against an officer who
ordered the shelling of the entrance to a mosque, killing at
least 15. But read the fine print: The charge was not murder
but a simple rebuke.
Not wanting to appear overly generous after these magnanimous
gestures, Netanyahu declined to extend a "partial 10-month
building freeze." Thumbing his nose at US leaders, he refused
to mention even the possibility of a two-state solution.
Then came the Obama adoration - on nationwide television. What
was he thinking?
Lest someone charge that Obama failed to drive a hard bargain,
he promised that, after 43 years of Israeli occupation,
proximity talks with the Palestinians may yet mature into
direct negotiations!!! Of course that means Israel must first
agree to cease the building of settlements on Palestinian
land.
That's a non-starter for the "Israelites" who consider
themselves Chosen-by a god of their own choosing. That
self-proclaimed status entitles them to take land that their
god gave them thousands of years ago. No one could make this
up; they truly do believe this. Truly.
Obama then declared a renewed commitment to the US-Israeli
"special relationship," proclaimed again an "unshakable bond"
with the Zionist enclave, and assured Tel Aviv there was no
shift in US policy on Israel's nuclear arsenal, a stance
profoundly out of synch with our professed support of the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Tehran take note. Are you
too looking for the silver lining in these otherwise dark
developments?
Do you find yourself wondering for whom Obama is working?
Are you confused about just whose interests he represents as
our president?
You are not alone. No one is more concerned than US military
commanders.
The Obama adoration meant even more bad news for senior
Pentagon personnel. Obama's behavior was particularly galling
for those aware of the common pro-Israeli source of the phony
intelligence that induced us to war on false pretenses.
How much longer will US commanders be willing to order that
Americans die for Jewish extremists? Knowing the depth of
corruption and complicity within our civilian leadership, to
whom do military commanders owe their allegiance?
When our command and control system is this corrupted at the
top, what then for those who took an oath to defend this
nation from all enemies, both foreign and domestic?
Has our entangled alliance with religious extremists eroded US
democracy from the inside out? Are our military leaders
obliged by their constitutional oath to challenge the remnants
of democracy in order to restore it?
The Pentagon is not pleased that America's inevitable showdown
with Israel was delayed - yet again. Perhaps this is Obama's
version of the calm before the storm. Maybe-just maybe.
No-drama Obama will emerge as the agent of change that he
promised his supporters. Absent a dramatic shift in US-Israeli
relations, infamy could be his legacy.
Meanwhile Tel Aviv will resort to its two preferred
strategies: Outrage and entropy. We can expect another round
of settlements. Or some killings. No one dares call them
murders. Any provocation will do so long as the reaction
enables the Israelites to be portrayed as victims.
The likelihood of an entropy strategy always lurks in the
background. Obama was repeatedly reminded of the fragility of
Netanyahu's governing coalition. Its collapse would leave the
US with no government to negotiate. Though it's difficult to
imagine anything could be worse than Netanyahu, that outcome
might well be. Tel Aviv knows this.
For Israeli war-planners, the force-multiplier effect is
palpable. In practical game theory terms, the most right-wing
parties in the Netanyahu coalition now shape US foreign policy
in the Middle East. For the US to maintain a stable Netanyahu
government, our policies must please right-wing Likud
stalwarts, including Israel's ultra-orthodox extremists.
In short, George Marshall was correct. So was George
Washington when he cautioned us against entangled alliances,
particularly where, as here, there is a "passionate
attachment."
It gets worse.
After a meeting with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the
Likud Party leader announced that the US pullout from Iraq
could leave Israel vulnerable. Therefore, US troops must
provide security along the Jordan Valley as part of any
final-status agreement with the Palestinians.
What he failed to mention is that then Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon assured Obama's predecessor that if the US invaded
Iraq, Israel would make peace with the Palestinians. That
agreement is no longer mentioned.
Adding insult to six decades of grievous injury, the Israeli
news service Haaretz published a next-day headline that read,
"Israel won't attack Iran without coordinating with the US."
That caption implies that Obama gave the blessing of the US
for an Israeli attack, ensuring that Americans can once again
be portrayed as...guilty by association.
Anyone who believes that Israel wants peace fails to grasp how
Israel wages war. Peace would preclude Zionism's pursuit of
its hegemonic agenda for the region. The Joint Chiefs
cautioned Harry Truman against this alliance 62 long years
ago.
Americans - and the US military - have been played for the
fool. For more than six decades, transnational organized crime
has been setting our agenda in the region at a steadily rising
cost in blood and treasure.
The adoration must end for US national security to begin. The
next few weeks will determine whether we have a fool or a
leader as commander-in-chief.
Is
speculating on food dangerous?
Several factors contributed to the crisis, including high
oil prices, high demand for crops from the bio-fuel
sector, falling global stockpiles of food commodities, and
lower cereal production.
Denis Drechsler, George Rapsomanikis and Alexander Sarris
The
prices of many staple foods increased dramatically during
2007-2008, creating a food crisis for many poor and
developing countries. International prices of maize, rice,
and wheat, for example, reached their highest levels in 30
years, causing political and economic instability - and
leading to food riots - in many countries.
Several factors contributed to the crisis, including high
oil prices, high demand for crops from the bio-fuel
sector, falling global stockpiles of food commodities, and
lower cereal production. Strong economic growth and
expansive monetary policies further boosted the trend, as
did protectionist measures, such as export restrictions.
While these factors undoubtedly placed upward pressure on
food prices, they alone cannot explain the steep hikes.
Some believe that the crisis was amplified by speculative
trading in commodity futures, which have become an
integral part of food markets. Commodity futures are
formal agreements to buy or sell a specified amount of a
commodity at a specified future date for a specified
price. They thus provide an important instrument for
hedging price risks in commodity markets. By entering into
a futures contract, both buyer and seller gain certainty
as to the price of their subsequent transaction,
independent of actual developments in the market.
Commodity futures are generally traded before their
expiration date. Indeed, only 2per cent of contracts end
in the delivery of the physical commodity. Thus, the
market also attracts investors who are not interested in
the commodity, but in speculative gain. In fact, commodity
futures have become increasingly appealing to
non-commercial investors, as their returns seem to be
negatively correlated with returns on equities and bonds.
The growing presence of non-commercial investors has
provided important liquidity to the market, as speculators
assume risks related to commodity prices that hedgers wish
to avoid. But their presence has also raised concerns that
speculation in commodity futures could result in higher
price volatility.
Economists generally consider commodity futures to be the
solution to higher price volatility, not its cause. They
argue that traders of commodity futures merely react to
price signals that ultimately depend on market
fundamentals. In this way, speculation accelerates the
process of finding an equilibrium price and stabilising
the physical market.
But what about trend-following investors, or those with
market power? In fact, in the short term, an investor
might be attracted by the increasing price of a commodity,
although the price is not based on any fundamental data.
These speculative investments can further strengthen the
trend and push futures price further away from market
equilibrium, especially if many investors follow suit or
those who invest have sufficient funds to influence the
market. Index funds are an example of such powerful
investors. They have become key players in the market,
holding about 25-35 per cent of all agricultural futures
contracts. Besides investing large amounts of money, they
hold futures contracts for a long time, which might make
them less likely to react to changes in market
fundamentals.
Empirical evidence yields no clear answer concerning which
hypothesis is correct. For each study that finds a
significant connection between speculative trading and
market volatility, there is at least one that claims the
contrary. There are three main reasons to believe that
speculation was not the main driver of the recent
food-price surge:
● Although index-fund investments are important compared
to the positions of other futures participants, their
behaviour is predictable, as they publicly announce both
their commodity portfolio and the timing of their
transactions;
● Price volatility has also been high for commodities that
are not traded in futures markets (copper, iron, and ore),
or for which these markets are not important (steel and
rice);
● As excess demand in well-functioning futures markets can
easily be met by sufficient supply (i.e., by issuing new
futures contracts), the effect of speculation on the
equilibrium price is relatively small and short-lived
compared to price swings of a physical asset, for which
supply might be less elastic or even fixed in the short
term. Given these findings, trading in futures markets
seems to have amplified price volatility in the short term
only. Longer-term equilibrium prices, however, are
ultimately determined in cash markets where buying and
selling physical commodities reflect the fundamental
forces.
Futures markets have evolved historically in response to
market participants' need to manage price risks, and they
are an indispensable marketing tool for many commodities.
Limiting or even banning speculation in futures markets
might therefore be costly and have unintended
consequences.
Proposals to create an international fund to counteract
price hikes in futures markets, for example, might divert
speculators from trading and thus lower the market
liquidity available for hedging purposes. Moreover, such a
fund would require exorbitant resources to be operational,
not to mention the tremendous challenges in determining a
price level that would trigger its intervention.
Given the important role that commodity futures play for
many market participants, regulatory measures should aim
at enhancing confidence in the functioning of the market.
This can be achieved by increasing transparency and the
amount of available information on futures trading. Recent
initiatives by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission
point in the right direction.
In order to counteract suspicious behaviour - such as
traders requesting permission to invest amounts that are
above their speculative-position limits - the Commission
lifted exemptions for two firms trading in maize, wheat,
and soybean futures. Such measures will contribute to
shaping a more stable market environment and ensure that
commodity futures reduce risks and volatility.
Denis Drechsler is a policy analyst at the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). George
Rapsomanikis is an economist with FAO's Trade and Markets
division. Alexander Sarris is Director of FAO's Trade and
Markets division. © Project Syndicat
Intellectual
hawks
Plenty of other historical examples - Napoleon in Spain,
the French in Algeria, and the Americans in Vietnam--
illustrate that a determined band of guerrilla fighters
can annul the technical superiority of foreign invaders.
Pankaj Mishra
Some
days ago, a former senior official from Scotland Yard
accused the Labour government of slavishly following the
American neocon view of Islam and terrorism. According to
him, the Anglo-American assault on Iraq and Afghanistan
and British complicity in torture of suspects at
Guantanamo greatly increased the risks of terrorist
attacks on the UK.
Reading his impassioned statement of the obvious, you
could be forgiven for wondering why he, like many of the
great and good at the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war
being held in London, hadn't spoken out previously - when
it may have mattered.
The "heady poison" of war creates, as the US critic
Randolph Bourne once put it, "its own antitoxin of ruin
and disillusionment." Wars as misconceived as those in
Iraq and Afghanistan - two of the longest in British and
US history - are likely to generate many testimonies to
folly and ineptitude. Lately in the US, there has been a
flurry of confessions, accusations and counter-accusation
from both officials who prosecuted the wars, and the
intellectuals who cheer-led them from the sidelines. The
chastened mood, deepened by economic decline, is summed up
by the title of a recent bestseller by Peter Beinart, one
of the strident liberal 'hawks': The Icarus Syndrome: A
History of American Hubris (Harper). What's remarkable
about these long, tormented mea culpas is that they reveal
little that the average newspaper reader does not already
know. It was no secret that the invasion of Iraq had been
conceived as a punitive expedition in the old-fashioned
imperial style, in which economic and geopolitical aims
were subordinate to the demonstration of firepower.
Nevertheless, men like Beinart concluded that the Bush
administration was going to war for precisely the reason
he and other intellectuals had insisted it ought to: to
vanquish 'Islamofascism' (never mind that Saddam Hussein
was a secular despot) and thereby making the Middle East
safe for liberal democracy.
As for Afghanistan, its modern history furnished plenty of
cautionary tales against foreign invasions. Enraged by the
9/11 attacks, and seeking a suitably spectacular revenge,
the US could be excused for not paying sufficient heed to
them. But Britain could draw upon the memory of three
Afghan wars, which mostly proved disastrous even though it
then did not have to worry about a significant Muslim
population at home.
Plenty of other historical examples - Napoleon in Spain,
the French in Algeria, and the Americans in Vietnam--
illustrate that a determined band of guerrilla fighters
can annul the technical superiority of foreign invaders.
So what has persuaded Britain to remain embroiled in a
hopeless imperial adventure in the early 21st century?
After all, most ordinary citizens long turned against it,
and their conviction of its futility hardens with every
new casualty in Afghanistan. New Labourites weren't the
only politicians to be neoconned - the present British
education minister was among the busiest retailers of
neocon fables. But the incompetence of politicians and
officials is not as shocking as the moral truancy of many
intellectuals - the professionals paid to intelligently
interpret the contemporary world.
International
Afghan monitor
says 2010 worst year of war
AFP, Kabul
This year has been the most violent since the Afghan war
began in 2001 and civilian deaths have risen slightly with
the increased insecurity, a local rights group said
Monday.
A massive US-led increase in troops has failed to quell
the Taliban-led insurgency, Afghanistan Rights Monitor
(ARM) said. "In terms of insecurity, 2010 has been the
worst year since the demise of the Taliban regime in late
2001," it said.
"Not only have the number of security incidents increased,
the space and depth of the insurgency and
counter-insurgency-related violence have maximised
dramatically," ARM said.
In late December, US President Barack Obama ordered an
extra 30,000 American troops into Afghanistan as part of a
new counter-insurgency strategy designed to reverse the
Taliban momentum and speed up an end to the nine-year war.
But ARM's mid-year report "Civilian Casualties of
Conflict" said Obama's policy of intensifying operations
against the Taliban has not disrupted, dismantled or
defeated the insurgents.
On the contrary, it says, "the insurgency has become more
resilient, multi-structured and deadly".
About 1,074 civilians were killed and more than 1,500
injured in war-related incidents in the first six months
of 2010, compared with 1,059 killed in the same period
last year, ARM said.
"Up to 1,200 security incidents were recorded in June, the
highest number of incidents compared to any month since
2002," it said. Military commanders had warned that
boosted troops numbers would lead to more battles, and
subsequently higher death tolls.
But ARM said "little or no justification has been offered
as to why a defeated Taliban is gaining strength,
popularity and the ability to threaten the future of
Afghanistan" nine years after being overthrown.
In a breakdown of parties to blame for civilian deaths,
ARM says 61 percent were caused by insurgents, 30 percent
by US, NATO and Afghan forces, six percent by "criminals
and private security firms", with three percent unknown.
Pakistan orders
‘crackdown’ on militants
AFO, Lahore
Pakistan's political heartland has ordered a crackdown on
militants after a series of devastating attacks and
accusations of links to banned groups, officials said
Monday.
New Delhi and Washington have long demanded that Pakistan
root out extremist Islamist militant groups that use its
soil to launch attacks across the country, as well as in
neighbouring Afghanistan and India.
But the details and scope of the apparent crackdown-which
comes just days before Pakistan is due to host India's
Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna for talks in Islamabad-were
unclear.
"The government has ordered a policy of zero tolerance
against all these groups. There are at least 2,000 to
2,200 activists of banned outfits being closely monitored
in Punjab," police official Akram Naeem Bharoka told AFP.
"We have very clear instructions from the government that
no outlawed organisation should be allowed to continue
their activities in any part of the province," Bharoka
said.
Asked how many people had been arrested and offices
targeted, the senior official in Punjab police said only
that figures were being compiled.
A wave of deadly attacks carried out by Taliban and other
Al-Qaeda-linked extremists has killed more than 3,500
people during the last three years.
Although most of the violence is concentrated in northwest
Pakistan near the Afghan border, Punjab's capital Lahore
has suffered 10 major attacks killing more than 300 people
since March 2009.
Police confirmed raids and arrests of militants from
extremist Sunni Muslim group Sipah-e-Sihaba Pakistan (SSP)
and Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a charity seen as a front for the
Lashkar-e-Taib
Indian Kashmir on strike as
politicians seek end to killing
AFP, Srinagar
Shops, schools and offices were shut for a second day in
Indian Kashmir on Monday as politicians met to discuss how
to end weeks of violent and deadly street protests against
security forces.
Indian troops have been struggling to control a wave of
demonstrations in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley after
being accused of killing 15 civilians-many of them
teenagers-since the first death of 17-year old on June 11.
Authorities lifted a rigid curfew on Sunday across Kashmir
after an uneasy calm returned to the major towns, but all
activity ground to a halt after separatists called a
strike.
In the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, chief minister
Omar Abdullah convened a meeting of pro-India local
politicians to find a way out of the cycle of protests and
disruption.
"The all-parties meeting is underway to discuss the
current situation and find ways to end the unrest," an
official spokesman in Abdullah's office said.
New Delhi has blamed separatists and militant groups for
instigating the protests, which are seen by most people
locally as a spontaneous reaction to perceived abuses by
security forces, economic stagnation and political
deadlock.
Newspapers in Kashmir were again on stands for the first
time in four days. Passes for journalists enabling them to
travel despite curfew restrictions were cancelled by the
authorities.
Tiger countries meet in
Indonesia to map rescue
AFP, Nusa Dua, Indonesia
Representatives from 13 "tiger-range countries" met in
Indonesia on Monday to draft a global recovery plan ahead
of a summit in Russia in September.
"We're gathering here because we share concerns about the
sustainability of tigers," Indonesian Forestry Minister
Zulkifli Hasan said in an opening address to delegates on
the resort island of Bali. "It is alarming that out of the
nine tiger subspecies in the world, only six are
remaining." The plan to be drafted in Bali will be used as
the basis for discussion at a "tiger summit" in St.
Petersburg from September 15 to 18.
"In Indonesia alone, only the Sumatran tiger still exists,
while the other two subspecies have become extinct," the
minister said, referring to Javan and Balinese tigers
which were wiped out in the 1980s and 1940s respectively.
He blamed a "lack of law enforcement" for the continuing
losses of Sumatran tigers, which number only about 400 in
the wild.
Several are killed every year by poachers and villagers
who compete with them for dwindling forest resources.
WWF says the global, wild population of tigers of all
species has fallen from about 100,000 to an estimated
3,200 over the past century.
Countries invited to attend the St. Petersburg summit are
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Cambodia,
Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and
Vietnam. The pre-summit talks in Bali from Monday to
Wednesday will hear details of each country's tiger
protection plans and funding proposals.
Indonesian conservation official Harry Santoso said ahead
of the talks that Jakarta would ask for more than 175
million dollars in foreign aid to implement its plan to
double the Sumatran tiger population by 2022.
Philippines considering nuclear
energy: Aquino
AFP, Manila
The Philippines may turn to nuclear energy to solve power
shortages in the impoverished nation, President Benigno
Aquino said Monday.
"We are studying the possibility of using nuclear energy
as a source of power," Aquino, who took office on June 30,
told reporters. "I'm awaiting the department of energy
secretary's recommendations."
He said the technology could come from South Korea,
without elaborating.
But he said he was reluctant to rebuild a plant completed
a quarter of a century ago under the Marcos regime but
never used. Aquino's statement came four months after a
cousin, House of Representatives member Mark Cojuangco,
inspected a turbine generator and other nuclear equipment
being auctioned by South Korea.
Cojuangco has also said the government should seriously
consider reviving the Bataan nuclear power plant, which
was completed in 1984 after eight years of construction by
the government of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Built 60 miles (100 kilometres) north of Manila at a cost
of 2.3 billion dollars, the plant was hounded by
controversy and has never produced power.
International inspectors who visited the plant shortly
after Marcos was ousted by a "people power" revolt in 1986
declared it substandard and unsafe because it was built
near a volcano and earthquake fault lines.
Aquino said on Monday he was not keen on rebuilding the
plant, citing safety concerns and saying it would be
costly to the cash-strapped government.
"I am really bothered. I have a lot of apprehensions with
regards to the Bataan nuclear power plant," he said.
The Philippines relies mostly on geothermal and
hydroelectric dams to produce its power, but a lack of
investment in recent years has contributed to energy
shortfalls for the fast-growing population of 92 million
people.
Drought plus frequent breakdowns of facilities exacerbated
the problems this year, leading to rotating blackouts in
parts of Manila and deeper energy shortfalls in the less
developed south of the country.
Thai ‘Yellow Shirts’ to
face charges over 2008 airport siege
AFP, Bangkok
Thai police have summoned five leaders of the royalist
"Yellow Shirt" movement, along with dozens of supporters,
to face charges over the 2008 seizure of two Bangkok
airports, a spokesman said Monday.
Seventy-nine people linked to the People's Alliance for
Democracy, as the Yellows are formally known, have been
called to hear charges ranging from illegal occupation to
terrorism, Lieutenant General Somyos Phumphanmuang said.
They include PAD founder Sondhi Limthongkul and Somsak
Kosaisuk, leader of the Yellows' New Politics Party, which
has emerged as a rival to Prime Minister Abhisit
Vejjajiva's ruling Democrats ahead of elections expected
next year.
The Yellows' siege at Bangkok's two main airports stranded
hundreds of thousands of tourists and helped to topple a
government allied to fugitive former prime minister
Thaksin Shinawatra.
The group, whose 2006 rallies helped trigger the coup that
unseated Thaksin, claims allegiance to the throne and is
backed by the Bangkok-based elite who detest Thaksin, the
hero of the mostly poor and working class "Red Shirts."
Many Red Shirt leaders are in jail for their roles in
violent protests in Bangkok and the movement had
complained that the lack of charges filed against the
Yellows showed a "double standard of justice".
The Reds' two-month-long protest in central Bangkok
descended into several outbreaks of violence that left 90
people dead and nearly 1,900 injured, ending in a bloody
army crackdown in May.
Japan PM faces deadlock
after poll rout
AFP, Tokyo
Japan's premier faced an uphill battle Monday to push
through promised reforms, from reviving the economy to
whittling down massive public debt, after his party's
electoral mauling at the weekend.
Naoto Kan, who took office just a month ago as Japan's
fifth leader in four years, suffered a heavy blow when his
centre-left Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) lost the upper
house of parliament in an electoral rout Sunday.
The result, worse than predicted by opinion polls and
pundits, signalled that the world's number two economy is
in for another stretch of weak leadership as it seeks to
end two decades of economic stagnation.
The outcome was a slap in the face for the DPJ, which
ousted the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in
an election triumph last summer, only to squander much of
its political capital within 10 months in office.
"We are faced with harsh criticism. We will sincerely
accept that," Kan's top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary
Yoshito Sengoku, told a news conference.
Sengoku said he wants to open talks with opposition
parties, saying: "On many issues our outlook is not
sharply different."
The DPJ has emerged with only 106 seats in the 242-seat
chamber-far below the 122 needed for a majority, although
it still controls the lower house.
"Japan is stuck in a dense fog," said Takayoshi Shibata,
politics professor emeritus at Tokyo Keizai University.
"There will be confusion" as the DPJ looks for new
coalition partners to restore its majority in the upper
house and enable it to easily pass laws through the Diet
legislature, he said.
"This hung situation shouldn't continue for too long. I
believe somebody needs to break this impasse but the
question is: who can?"
Smaller groupings such as Your Party, one of the biggest
winners in the poll, have been named as possible coalition
partners, but its leader Yoshimi Watanabe has so far
rejected a tie-up with the wounded DPJ.
Japanese politics expert Professor Gerald Curtis of
Columbia University said the DPJ was unlikely to find
coalition partners now.
"No party is going to join this government. The DPJ is
going to have to govern as a minority government in the
upper house," he said. "No-one is going to jump onto this
sinking ship.
"What you're going to see here is true gridlock and
paralysis."
Twin
Uganda attacks kill 74 at World Cup parties
AFP, Kampala
Bomb attacks ripped through crowds watching the World Cup
final in Kampala, killing 64 and wounding scores in blasts
blamed on Al Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia, officials
said Monday.
No group claimed responsibility for the carnage at a
Kampala sports bar and an Ethiopian restaurant but Uganda
pointed at Shebab insurgents in Somalia, where Uganda has
thousands of troops deployed in an African Union mission.
At least one American was among those killed in the
explosions, which US President Barack Obama swiftly
condemned as "cowardly".
The attacks came days ahead of the July 19-27 African
Union summit in Kampala, which the government said would
go ahead as planned.
"The latest official count is 74 confirmed," Fred Opolot,
a Ugandan government spokesman, told AFP without
elaborating. The previous death toll provided by the
police stood at 64.
He said the nationalities of the victims were still being
established and added that police were trying to determine
if suicide bombers carried out the attacks.
"While there is evidence to suggest that there were
suicide bombers, at the same time it is thought that the
bombs were under some chairs," he told reporters.
A US embassy spokeswoman confirmed one American was among
the dead and an AFP correspondent saw at least three
wounded US citizens at the city's main Mulago hospital,
where dozens were rushed in for treatment.
"We just wanted to watch the World Cup. Unfortunately we
went to the Ethiopian Village," said Chris Sledge, an
18-year-old US national who suffered serious injuries to
his legs and a bruised eye. "I feel OK. I'm going to need
surgery," he said.
The attacks, which dampened the party mood around the
first World Cup tournament held in Africa, drew a barrage
of international condemnation.
France's Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner described the
attacks as "barbaric".
Iran nearing
potential to build nuclear bomb: Medvedev
AFP, Moscow
Iran is close to having the potential to build a nuclear
weapon, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday
in the clearest indication of Moscow alarm over Tehran's
atomic drive.
"Iran is nearing the possession of the potential which in
principle could be used for the creation of a nuclear
weapon," Medvedev said at a meeting with Russian diplomats
quoted by Russian news agencies.
Russia, traditionally a diplomatic and economic ally of
the Islamic Republic, has in the past taken a milder line
against Tehran than Western powers but has noticeably
hardened its position in recent months.
Iran has over the past months been announcing steady
advances in its nuclear programme, in defiance of
international calls for Tehran to freeze its sensitive
uranium enrichment operations.
Iranian atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi on Sunday said
Tehran has produced around 20 kilogrammes of 20 percent
enriched uranium.
Medvedev said that Iran "is far from behaving in the best
way".
Russian last month joined other world powers in approving
a new set of sanctions against Tehran. Medvedev repeated
his belief that sanctions often do not produce results but
he said in this case they could stimulate talks.
"Now what we need is patience and as quickly as possible
to renew dialogue with Tehran," said Medvedev.
"This is what we see as the main aim of the UN Security
Council resolution. And if diplomacy loses this chance
then this will be a collective failure of all the
international community," he added.
Parliament gives Iraq
leaders two more weeks to form govt
AFP, Baghdad
Iraqi politicians on Monday extended an inaugural
parliamentary session by two weeks to give rival blocs
more time to form a government, more than four months
after an inconclusive poll.
"The leaders of the political parties met today but they
did not find a solution so they decided to extend the
session by two weeks," a parliamentary official said,
alluding to a July 14 deadline for parliament to
reconvene.
The parliament, the second democratically elected chamber
since the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein, met briefly for
the first time on June 14 after the March 7 general
election, before going into recess.
Under the conflict-wracked country's new constitution,
there was a one-month deadline from that date for members
to reconvene.
However, a decision on when parliament meets has been
overshadowed by a lack of progress on forming a new
government, including who becomes Iraq's new prime
minister.
Iyad Allawi, a Shiite former premier, insists that as the
election's narrow victor he should become prime minister,
especially as his broadly secular Iraqiya coalition had
strong backing in Sunni-dominated provinces.
He has warned that failure to have Sunni Arab voters
properly represented in power could reignite the sectarian
violence which saw tens of thousands killed in the first
years after Saddam's ouster.
Allawi narrowly pushed serving Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's
Shiite-led State of Law alliance into second place in the
election, but the incumbent is doggedly fighting to stay
on and serve a second term.
Jamal al-Battkh, a prominent member of Allawi's Iraqiya
list, said the need for a two-week extension reflected the
lack of political progress. "Four months have passed and
we are moving in circles," he said.
"Now we extend for weeks and all we speak about is the
constitution, but we are not implementing the
constitution," he added, referring to how the 30-day
deadline for parliament to reconvene had been sidestepped.
French parliament set to
vote on veil ban
AP, Paris
As France's parliament debates whether to ban burqa-like
Muslim veils, one lawmaker compares them to muzzles, or
"walking coffins." Another proclaims that women who wear
them must be liberated, even against their will.
Amid little resistance, France's lower house of parliament
will likely approve a ban on face-covering veils Tuesday,
and the Senate will probably follow suit in September.
Polls show voters overwhelmingly support a ban. In
parliament, criticism was mostly timid, and relatively few
dissenters spoke out about civil liberties or fears of
fanning anti-Islam sentiment in a country where there are
an estimated 5 million Muslims, and where mainstream
society has struggled to integrate generations of
immigrants.
One obstacle, however, may still stand in the way of a
ban: the courts.
Law scholars say the ban could be shot down by France's
constitutional watchdog or the European Court of Human
Rights. That could dampen efforts under way in other
European countries toward banning the veils.
It would also be a humiliation for President Nicolas
Sarkozy's conservative government, which has devoted much
attention to a bill that would affect only an estimated
1,900 women in France. The main body representing French
Muslims says face-covering veils are not required by Islam
and not suitable in France, but it worries that the law
will stigmatize Muslims in general. The niqab and burqa
are widely seen in France as a gateway to extremism and an
attack on women's rights and secularism, a central value
of modern-day France. Critics say a ban is a cynical ploy
to attract far-right voters.
The government has struggled - and failed, some legal
observers say - to come up with a strong legal basis for a
ban. In March, France's highest administrative body, the
Council of State, warned that it could be found
unconstitutional. It rejected possible legal
justifications one by one, including the French tradition
of secularism, equality for women, human dignity and
concerns about public security.
Russian spies posed threat
to US : Attorney General
AP, Washington
While they passed along no U.S. secrets, the 10 Russian
sleeper agents involved in the spy swap posed a potential
threat to the U.S. and received "hundreds of thousands of
dollars" from Russia, Attorney General Eric Holder said.
"Russia considered these people as very important to their
intelligence-gathering activities," he told CBS' "Face the
Nation" in an interview broadcast Sunday.He defended the
decision to allow the 10 to return to Russia in exchange
for the release of four Russian prisoners accused of
spying for the West because the swap presented "an
opportunity to get back ... four people in whom we have a
great deal of interest." White House press secretary
Robert Gibbs, sidestepping the question of whether
Russia's espionage poses a threat to the U.S., said the
swap came amid improved relations between the two
countries."The economic discussions that President (Dmitry)
Medvedev and President Obama had just recently and the
progress that we've made in reducing nuclear weapons - and
hopefully we'll get a treaty through Senate this summer
that will further reduce nuclear weapons - means our
security is stronger and safer and our relationship is
stronger," Gibbs said on NBC's "Meet the Press." Asked
about the timing of the arrests in the U.S., Holder said
one of the Russian agents was preparing to leave the
country and there was concern that "we would not be able
to get him back." Holder also mentioned "other operational
considerations" that he declined to reveal.
The Washington Post reported Sunday that on the day before
the arrests, one of the agents, Anna Chapman, called her
father in Moscow and told him she suspected her cover had
been blown. The Post article cited anonymous U.S. law
enforcement and intelligence sources.
Holder sought to erase concern over the fate of the
children of the Russian agents, saying they all we
Fiji to expel Australian
diplomat over Pacific snub
AFP, Sydney
Fiji's regime is to kick out Canberra's top diplomat in
anger at an embarrassing snub by Pacific nations,
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said Monday,
calling the move "deeply disappointing".
Smith said acting high commissioner Sarah Roberts would be
declared persona non grata on Tuesday, after Australia
lobbied for the postponement of a regional summit in
protest at Fiji's lack of democracy. "It's unjustified and
unjustifiable and it's deeply disappointing," Smith told
reporters.
Roberts is Australia's highest-ranking diplomat in the
military-run country after the high commissioner was
expelled along with his New Zealand counterpart in
November over alleged interference in Fiji's judiciary.
Her removal comes after the five-member Melanesian
Spearhead Group (MSG) said it was cancelling this month's
leaders summit in Fiji over concerns about democracy and
"good governance".
"We made it quite clear to Fiji and to other Pacific
Islands Forum nations we regarded this (summit) as being
inappropriate," Smith said.
However, Smith suspected Fiji was also reacting to his
strong condemnation of a media crackdown which will
effectively close the country's oldest and biggest
newspaper, the Fiji Times.
Australia has been at loggerheads with Fiji since military
chief Voreqe Bainimarama overthrew the elected government
in 2006 and later postponed democratic elections until
2014, earning widespread condemnation abroad.
Fiji is already suspended from the Commonwealth and the
16-nation Pacific Islands Forum and has been hit with
sanctions by the European Union and countries including
the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
Baghdad seeks arrest of 39
Iranian exiles in Iraq
AP, Baghdad
Iraq has issued arrest warrants for 39 members of an
Iranian opposition group who have lived in a camp
northeast of Baghdad since Saddam Hussein's reign.
The development comes just days after American soldiers
shut down their base near Camp Ashraf as part of U.S.
troop drawdown. The presence of the Iranian group, which
fought alongside Saddam during his 1980s war with Iran,
has long irritated Iraq's Shiite-led government.
A senior Iraqi judiciary official said on Monday that the
wanted members of the group - known as The People's
Mujahedeen Organization of Iran - are suspected of
committing crimes while helping Saddam crush the 1991
Shiite revolt. The official spoke on condition of
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Gunmen kidnap 4 prominent
journalists: Nigeria
AP, Lagos
Four prominent Nigerian journalists have been kidnapped in
the country's oil-rich, but volatile southern delta.
Mohammed Garba, president of the Nigeria Union of
Journalists, says the reporters were kidnapped by gunmen
Sunday after attending a conference in the Niger Delta.
Garba says gunmen contacted him and demanded $1.67 million
for their release. Garba said Monday the kidnapping shows
how volatile Nigeria remains as next year's presidential
election looms.
Attacks against journalists aren't uncommon in Nigeria, a
country where corruption pervades government and business.
However, kidnapping reporters is new, worrying sign for
the restive delta. In March, gunmen kidnapped three sports
journalists working for a satellite network.
Business/Economy
Mani
Shankar invites Bangladeshi businessmen in NE region
UNB, Dhaka
Indian Congress leader and seasoned diplomat Mani Shankar
Aiyar has invited the business community leaders to take
advantage of the business opportunities in north eastern
region known as seven sisters and proposed further talks
in Agartala within six months.
"Bangladesh's both eyes are always focused on West Bengal
but there are huge business opportunities in NE which
remained unfocused to Bangladesh," the veteran Congress
leader and Rajya Sava member said urging Bangladeshi
businesspeople to put their second eye on the east.
The former Indian minister for petroleum and natural gas,
Mani Shankar, made the call while talking to the leaders
of country's apex trade body FBCCI at its conference room
on Monday. FBCCI president AK Azad presided over the
discussion attended by Indian High Commissioner Rajeet
Mitter, India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(IBCCI) president Abdul Matlub Ahmad, FBCCI first vice
president Jashim Uddin Khan, and members of NE business
delegation.
Mani Shankar viewed that Bangladesh would be highly
benefited and its growth rate might accelerate by 2
percent if it avails the opportunities as North East
Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP)
provides a number facilities including tax exemption,
capital investment subsidy, interest subsidy and
comprehensive insurance.
Mentioning the Indian government's vision 2020, Mani
Shankar said the government has allocated Rs 20 lakh crore
for its Northeastern (NE) region which lacks managerial,
technical and technological support to implement the
programme and urged the Bangladeshi businessmen to take
the advantage. "It's a huge cake (Rs 20 lakh crore).
If you get a slice of it, you will reduce trade imbalance
with India to a large extent," Mani
Shankar said. Explaining geographical advantages with long
border, Mani Shakar said
Bangladeshi businesspeople would get greater scope in the
NE region compared to Indian businessmen.
"The Indian government has planned to raise the growth to
9 percent
in the NE region which is now half of the mark. Without
Bangladesh's cooperation, it's not possible to achieve the
target," admitted the Indian leader.
He said Chittagong and Mongla ports have been made
available to India through Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's
New Delhi visit in January this year.
"Now road connectivity needs to be modernized and
well-connected for better trade relations." He also said
the prime ministers of both the countries have opened up
new opportunities allowing each other to use their lands
for transit and transshipment. Mani Shankar proposed a
follow-up meeting between FBCCI delegation led by its
president AK Azad and NE trade delegation within next six
months in Agartala to put things together for further
discussion on trade ties between them.
He proposed that India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (IBCCI) president Abdul Matlub Ahmad will
coordinate the talks.
Mani Sankar arrived in Dhaka on Saturday leading a
31-member business delegation from the Northeast region.
He aimed at using his diplomatic skills to improve trade
between the landlocked region and Bangladesh.
Asia
must brace for possible economic shocks: IMF chief
AFP, Daejeon, South Korea
Asian financial policymakers must brace for possible
further shocks given risks to the global economy such as
the eurozone turmoil, the International Monetary Fund
chief said Monday.
"Policymakers need to remain attuned to negative shocks,"
said IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, citing
a potential spillover from Europe's debt crisis, the sharp
rebound in capital inflows into Asia and the risks of
overheating. But Strauss-Kahn said he does not foresee a
global double-dip recession and the economic recovery is
on track. "I don't believe there will be a another dip.
Our baseline is that there will be a recovery," he said in
a speech to a conference in the central South Korean city
of Daejeon.
The IMF last week forecast growth for all Asia in 2010 of
7.5 percent compared to an average 4.6 percent worldwide.
Strauss-Kahn said the continent has "emerged as a global
economic powerhouse" in the wake of the global slowdown.
"As Asia's economic weight in the world continues to rise,
its stake in the economic performance of other countries
is rising too," he said, crediting reforms put in place
since the 1997-98 East Asian financial crisis.
"So, despite being hit hard initially, Asia was able to
bounce back quickly from the global financial crisis."
But with Europe and the United States expected to face a
possibly extended period of lower growth, the IMF chief
urged Asia to increase domestic investment and consumption
to counterbalance reliance on exports. "It's encouraging
that many of the changes needed to foster and sustain this
second engine of growth are already underway across the
region," he said.
These include strong social safety nets, which can help
boost private consumption, better infrastructure to
encourage private investment and more flexible exchange
rates, he said. South Korea's Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-Hyun
called for changes to the quota system of the
Washington-based IMF to reflect Asia's growing voice.
He also urged it to come up with a "detailed and
realistic" plan for tackling the volatility that can arise
from rapid international capital flows. "I believe the IMF
has an important contribution to make, by proposing and
enacting concrete and realistic measures to strengthen
financial safety nets around the globe," Yoon said.
South Korea, which will host a G20 summit in November, has
been pushing the issue of a global financial safety
net-partly to discourage the excessive accumulation of
unproductive foreign exchange reserves.
Strauss-Kahn said Asia would get a bigger say and
representation in the IMF and other international
financial organisations.
"We are now working on a second stage that will do even
more to help align Asia's representation" in the IMF, he
said, adding such work could be completed by the G20
summit. Strauss-Kahn said the international lender was
working to strengthen its effectiveness in supporting Asia
in the period ahead. The IMF can help it improve its
analysis of economic and financial risks and ease
international policy collaboration, he said.
Japan business leaders fear political stalemate
AFP, Tokyo
Ratings agency Standard & Poor's urged Japan on Monday to
get to grips with its public debt as business leaders
warned the country faces a lengthy stalemate after the
government's rout at weekend polls.
The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) on Sunday suffered a
major setback at elections to the upper house of
parliament that spell the loss of its slim majority and
create obstacles for much-need fiscal reforms.
The head of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry,
Tadashi1 Okamura, warned after the result: "We cannot
afford to delay the national policy even for a second."
"I want not only the ruling parties but also the
opposition to share the sense of crisis," said Okamura, a
former chairman of electronics and nuclear plant giant
Toshiba. Japan stood at a "crucial crossroad," he said.
Having gone into the election seeking a stable political
base from which to tackle the nation's massive debt, Prime
Minister Naoto Kan's government lost its upper house
majority in its first electoral test since he took office.
The DPJ now holds just 106 out of the 242 seats in the
House of Councillors.
Japan's fifth premier in four years, Kan has put fiscal
discipline at the core of his agenda to fix the country's
finances and slash the world's biggest public debt, which
is almost twice the size of the economy.
But he now lacks the momentum needed to push the relevant
legislation through the Diet, which could delay plans to
rein in debt as the party scrambles for new allies.
Standard & Poor's warned it might lower Japan's credit
rating if the government fails to implement "meaningful"
fiscal reform plans, after Sunday's election raised the
spectre of policy gridlock.
The prospect of legislative paralysis hit the yen in Tokyo
trade Monday. The dollar rose to 89.03 yen in Tokyo
afternoon trade, a two-week high, from 88.62 in New York
late Friday.
Kan "will face difficulties passing bills. With that, you
can't expect much yen-buying from foreign investors,"
Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking senior dealer Hideaki
Inoue told Dow Jones Newswires.
In shifting focus to public debt, Kan had warned of the
risk of a Greek-style meltdown and talked about raising
consumption tax.
This turned off voters, but business lobbies are keen to
see tax reform happen.
Japan poll sets cautious tone for Asian markets
AFP, Tokyo
Asian shares began the week cautiously on Monday with
Tokyo treading water after an election setback for the
ruling party and many traders preferring to wait for
upcoming US earnings data.
Tokyo's Nikkei index was flat-rising just 0.07 percent or
6.79 points to 9,592.11 in morning trade-while Sydney was
up 0.32 percent after lunch and Shanghai was down 0.11
percent. Hong Kong was up 0.67 percent and Singapore's
Straits Times Index was 0.20 percent higher.
Seoul's KOSPI index surged ahead however following fresh
positive news for the nation's economy, gaining 0.27
percent or 4.67 points, after the central bank upgraded
its 2010 growth forecast to an eight-year high of 5.9
percent.
The rise came despite a warning by IMF head Dominique
Strauss-Kahn that Asia may face further economic shocks.
Strauss-Kahn warned that policy makers needed to "remain
attuned to negative shocks" and cited a potential
spill-over from Europe's debt crisis, the sharp rebound in
capital inflows into Asia and the risks of overheating.
But, speaking at a conference in South Korea, he
reiterated that the IMF did not expect a "double-dip"
recession.
While Japanese shares lacked direction following the
Democratic Party of Japan's loss of its majority in the
Upper House, a weakening yen had an upside for exporters,
providing support to the market.
Without a majority, the party will lack the momentum
needed for fast progress in reining in the country's huge
debt, analysts say.
China hails
historic trade pact with Taiwan
AFP, Beijing
Chinese President Hu Jintao called for closer ties with
Taiwan during a meeting Monday with an envoy from the
island after the two sides last week signed a historic
trade pact.
Hu said the accord between the two long-time rivals was an
"important achievement" in developing closer relations and
showed ties had entered a "new phase", state television
said.
Hu made the comments during a meeting in Beijing with Wu
Poh-hsiung, honorary chairman of Taiwan's ruling
Kuomintang party.
Negotiators from Taiwan and China signed the Economic
Cooperation Framework Agreement in the southwestern
Chinese city of Chongqing on June 30. The pact, by far the
most sweeping between the two sides, marks the culmination
of Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou's Beijing-friendly
policy, introduced after he assumed power in 2008. Hu said
he hoped the agreement could take effect as soon as
possible, so that it could bring "substantial benefits" to
both sides. Ma had sent Wu bearing a message to Hu that
also urged closer ties. The deal will confer preferential
tariffs, and in some cases zero tariffs, on 539 Taiwanese
products, while 267 Chinese items will be placed on a list
enjoying zero or falling tariffs.
Critics of the accord on Taiwan say it will strengthen
Beijing's power over the island, marking a first step
towards reunification, an accusation rejected by Ma.
Govt officials must report incomes: China
AFP, Beijing
China has stepped up its anti-corruption rules, calling on
government officials to report their incomes, investments,
personal assets and whereabouts of family members, state
media said Monday.
The new rules-which stop short of requiring that the
incomes and assets of Chinese officials be made
public-went into effect on Sunday, the China Daily said.
Chinese President Hu Jintao has repeatedly said that
tackling official graft is a matter of life-and-death for
the ruling Communist Party and vowed to step up efforts to
combat corruption.
The new rules require officials at county-level and above
to report on an annual basis their salary, income from
other sources, property owned by the family, investments
and the occupations of spouses and children, the China
Daily said.
Officials must also report changes in marital status and
report if their family members are living abroad.
Those who fail to comply or file false data will face
"dismissal or discipline", the report said.
Corrupt officials in China have a long-history of
funnelling ill-gotten gains into the bank accounts of
relatives or to family members overseas.
National
Investment-friendly environment
helpful for industrialization in Rajshahi
BSS, Rajshahi
Infrastructural development, creation of
investment-friendly atmosphere and availability of updated
business information could help flourish different
industries in the region.
Talking to BSS, some chamber and business leaders in Dhaka
on Monday stressed the need for creating business-
friendly atmosphere in the region for bolstering its
economic position. They said economic condition of the
region could not be taken to the expected level unless its
requisite business infrastructure is ensured.
President of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI)
Abu Bakker Ali underscored the need for business expansion
through establishing the potential industrial units here
for the sake of its economic solvency.
Reviewing the existing problems related to local
enterprises and possible solutions of those he sought
cooperation of all the authorities concerned for
flourishing industrial sector in the region. He elaborated
various issues like trade and business, industry,
agriculture, power supply, import and export, SME
development and expansion and bank interest rate.
Highlighting the enormous potentiality of silk along with
establishing agro-processing industry he said the business
promotion organizations could extend financial and
technical support to this sector for proper utilization of
the agro-products.
Referring to the agriculture sector he observed that
surplus production of vegetables and other seasonal fruits
could be utilized properly through setting up agro-based
export- processing zone in the region For which, he
suggested supply of pipeline based gas to this region.
The chamber leader urged both the local and foreign
investors to set up potential industries in the region by
taking the advantage of facilities being provided by the
government to raise the production of tradable items for
creating more scopes for employment. With vast fertile
lands, excellent communication network and skilled
manpower, the speakers said, the region has a bright
future of exporting fresh vegetables and processed fruits
through establishing agro-based industries.RCCI Director
Kabirur Rahman Khan called for upgrading the Rajshahi
airport as an outlet to export fresh vegetables and
fruits, protect the existing archeological and historical
structures and provide adequate infrastructural supports
to the development of tourism industry in the region.
Besides, Khan suggested installation of coal-based power
plants as they could ensure uninterrupted power supply at
reasonable rates to the industrial units, making those
profitable and sustainable Referring to the enormous
processing prospects of some agro- products like potato,
tomato and mango, he urged the entrepreneurs to set up
agro-based and agro-processing small and medium
enterprises here for the best uses of the products.
He said the RCCI has been holding meetings and dialogues
one after another here aimed at developing industrial
sector and trade along with creating pro-investment
atmosphere side by side with devising ways and means on
how to make the region industrially developed. But no
major breakthrough has yet been attained in this regard.
Three madrassa students
held for trying to get admission to a college using fake
certificates
UNB, Manikganj
Three madrsah students were arrested as they tried to get
admission by fake certificates to Syed Kalushah Degree
College in Saturia upazila on Sunday. The arrestees were
identified as Sabbir Hossain, Nazmul Hossain and Ameer
Hossain of village Majhutia in Nagarpur upazila of Tangail
district.
College sources said the three students duly filled up the
admission forms collected earlier from the college seeking
admission to class XI and submitted those along with
necessary documents, including Dakhil certificates. But
the college admission committee after scrutiny detected
the Dakhil certificates as fake and handed over them to
the Saturia police station.
The arrested students confessed to the police that they
collected the fake certificates from Madrssah Education
Board in exchange of bribe.
Substantial afforestation
essential for ecological balance: Liton
BSS, Rajshahi
Mayor of Rajshahi AHM Khairuzzaman Liton has underscored
the need for substantial afforestation to maintain a sound
and healthy ecological atmosphere in the city and its
surrounding areas.
Besides, he also viewed that optimum tree plantation could
help make the region free from the desertification process
caused by the unilateral withdrawal of water from the
upstream point of the Padma river.
He made this observation while receiving 4,000 tree
saplings from a multinational corporate organization on
voluntary basis for the urban afforestation at the city
bhaban premises here on Monday.
Mayor Liton said the city corporation has attained the
Prime Minister's award as it had clinched the top position
in the tree plantation campaign in last year. In line with
the success, he said the corporation has adopted a massive
tree plantation program this season as it could help
stopping degradation of environment, ecology and
biodiversity to make the city a safe habitat for all.
BMA demands speedy trial of war criminals
BSS, Dhaka
Leaders of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) on Monday
demanded speedy trial of those involved in crime against
humanity during the War of Liberation in 1971.
They told a rally here that the physicians' community of
the country would continue its united movement until the
end of war criminal trial.
The rally was organized by BMA in the conference room of
the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU).
With BMA President Prof Mahmud Hasan in the chair, the
rally was addressed, among others, by secretary general of
Sadhinata Chikitshak Parishad Dr Iqbal Arsalan, secretary
general of BMA Dr. Sarfuddin Ahmed, secretary general of
Peshajibi Samannaya Parishad Prof Kamrul Hasan and BMA
Vice-President Dr Nazrul Islam.
Vice Chancellor of BSMMU Prof Pran Gopal Datta and
director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular
Diseases Abul Hossain were also present on the occasion.
The BMA leaders said public opinion should be mobilised
for speedy trial of war criminals.
The physicians' community has to work unitedly to thwart
conspiracy of war criminals and their international
collaborators against those who were involved in heinous
crimes against humanity in 1971, they said.
Referring to the determination of Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina about the trial of war criminals, the leaders said
that all pro-liberation forces have to come forward to
strengthen the hands of the Prime Minister.
Later, a procession was brought out from BSMMU which
paraded through Shishu Park and Matsya Bhaban and ended in
front of Jaitya Press Club.
Sports
Champions Spain back home, Blatter
praises SAfrica
AFP, Paris
As Spain returned to Madrid on Monday to a welcome befitting
their status as freshly-crowned world champions FIFA president
Sepp Blatter delivered a glowing appraisal to World Cup hosts
South Africa.
Spain added the global crown to their European title thanks to
Andres Iniesta's extra-time winner in the 1-0 win over Holland
in Sunday's final at Soccer City which brought the curtain
down on the first ever World Cup staged on the African
continent. The flight from Johannesburg carrying Iniesta and
his teammates touched down in Madrid at 1300 GMT with the
first to emerge from the plane team captain Iker Cassillas
clutching the World Cup trophy in his arms.
A welcoming committee of over one million Spani-ards is
expected to turn out to greet Vicente Del Bosque's side as
they parade in an open-top bus later through the streets of
the Spanish capital.
Spain's triumph triggered an all-night party in Madrid with
the centre of the city transformed into a sea of red and gold.
One group of fans chanted "Iniesta Presidente! Iniesta
Presidente!" as they marched along the centre of the Gran Via.
Blatter meanwhile, in his traditional 'end-of-term' World Cup
report, was fulsome in his praise for the way South Africa had
organised this massive global event. "I would say now they
deserve a nine on 10, and a nine on 10 at the university level
is a doctorate summa cum laude, so it's the highest," he told
a press conference. "Perfe-ction does not exist in our life,
also not in the World Cup." Critics had feared South Africa's
high crime rate and poor public transport would jeopardise the
World Cup, but the tournament went off without any major
problems. Blatter commented: "A big compliment to South
Africa, a big compliment to the people of South Africa, a big
compliment to the government of South Africa for all the
guarantees they have given and met. "They can be proud. The
benefit and the compliments have to go to South Africa and not
to FIFA."
FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said security at the
tournament had been almost flawless.
After a bruising climax to the month-long footballing showcase
Del Bosque described his country's victory as "a reward for
beautiful football". "Spain, the country, deserves this
triumph. This goes beyond sport. We have to celebrate and are
delighted to be able to offer this victory to all the people
of Spain," he added.
Del Bosque issued a warning to Germany, Brazil, and the other
vanquished footballing nations intent on gaining their revenge
on Spain at the next World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
As for the runners-up, Holland were due to land at Amsterdam-Schiphol's
airport at 15:30GMT Monday.
They will be escorted into Dutch airspace by a F-16 fighter
jet painted orange for the occasion.
Bert van Marwijk's side will be received on Tuesday in The
Hague by Queen Beatrix before parading in a boat along
Amsterdam's canals. As well as returning with the ultimate
prize in football Casillas was voted FIFA's goalkeeper of the
tournament, with Spain taking home the fair play award.
Uruguay striker Diego Forlan was awarded the Golden Ball as
the best player of the World Cup, the Atletico Madrid striker
Forlan grabbing five goals as his country finished in fourth
place. Germany's Thomas Mueller was named Young Player of the
World Cup and picked up the Golden Boot for the top scorer.
Uruguay
striker Forlan gets shock best player nod
AFP, Johannesburg
Uruguay striker Diego Forlan was on Sunday surprisingly
awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the 2010 World
Cup.
Atletico Madrid striker Forlan grabbed five goals at the
tournament as his country finished in fourth place after
losing Saturday's third-place play-off to Germany.
The former Manchester United player polled 23.4 percent of the
votes awarded by media covering the tournament with Wesley
Sneijder, of runners-up Holland, on 21.8 percent, and David
Villa, of newly-crowned champions Spain, taking 16.9 percent.
"This is award which I won thanks to my teammates," wrote
Forlan on his Twitter account, a post accompanied by a
photograph where the striker is standing with other players.
"It was taken before they threw me in the swimming pool," he
explained.
Uruguay's performance at the World Cup was the country's best
in 40 years.
Forlan succeeds Zine-dine Zidane who was named top player of
the 2006 World Cup despite his infamous red card in the final
defeat to Italy.
Forlan's victory was a surprise as five players who featured
in Sunday's final (Villa, Xavi, Andres Iniesta of Spain and
Holland's Arjen Robben and Sneijder) all figured in the list
of 10 nominees. The 31-year-old Forlan also won the Europa
League last season with Atletico Madrid. Thomas Mueller was
given two reasons to celebrate after the German starlet was
named Young Player of the World Cup and picked up the Golden
Boot for the tournament's top scorer.
Afridi
promises to unify troubled Pakistan squad
AFP, London
Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has vowed to rid his squad
of the disharmony that scarred their recent tour to
Australia.
Pakistan's ill-fated trip to Australia earlier this year
ended in a 3-0 Test whitewash and bans for four players -
including former captain Younus Khan - amid allegations of
dressing room unrest.
Khan's ban was subsequently lifted but he is not on the
current tour to England, with Afridi assuming the
leadership instead.
Afridi, 30, is leading a relatively inexperienced side as
they prepare to play the first of two Tests against
Australia here at Lord's starting on Tuesday. But the new
captain says he is adopting an inclusive style of
man-management to ensure this tour is not damaged by
infighting. "The guys are united," Afridi told reporters
at Lord's on Monday. "I am trying to keep the guys as
close as I can. I take them for dinner and the
communication problem is not there now. "We sit together
and chat to each other. If they have any problems they can
come to me and the coach and share them.
"It is a difficult job, especially with the different
cultures, and the different cities. But the thing is I
respect these guys and whatever their problems are I
listen and talk to the management. "They are feeling good
playing with my captaincy. I am trying to be a good
man-manager." Pakistan play Australia twice before taking
on England in four more Tests, five one-day internationals
and two Twenty20 games.
Mueller claims golden boot, young
player accolade
AFP, Johannesburg
Rising star Thomas Mueller has finished South Africa 2010
as the tournament's top-scorer after golden boot rivals
David Villa and Wesley Sneijder both failed to score in
Sunday's final. The 20-year-old Mueller scored his fifth
World Cup goal in Germany's 3-2 win over Uruguay on
Saturday in the third place play-off.
Sunday, FIFA also additionally named him as the best young
player of the tournament.
Mueller claims the World Cup's golden boot ahead of
super-stars such as Holland's Sneijder, Spain's Villa and
Uruguay's Diego Forlan, who finished with five goals each,
by virtue of his three assists in the tournament.
Both Villa and Sneijder failed to score in Sunday's final
at Soccer City as Spain's Andres Iniesta hit the
116th-minute winner to break Oranje hearts.
The result leaves Bayern Munich's Mueller to follow in the
footsteps of Germany team-mate Miroslav Klose, who won the
award four years ago, to claim the tournament's golden
boot for the most goals. Ironically, while Spain were
winning the final, Mueller and the Germany team were
jetting back to Europe.
Mueller saw off Mexico's Giovani Dos Santos and Ghana's
Andre Ayew for the best young player award.
The German took the tournament by storm after scoring in
Germany's opening 4-0 win over Australia, then showed
devastating finishing for both of his two second-half
goals to seal Sunday's 4-1 rout of England in the Round of
16.
United head to
America without a host of stars
AFP, Manchester
Manchester United jetted off to America for their
pre-season tour on Monday with a host of star names
missing from Sir Alex Ferguson's squad.
Ferguson is without club captain Gary Neville due to a
calf problem, while Rio Ferdinand is still sidelined with
the knee injury he suffered just before the World Cup.
Michael Owen is unavailable as he recovers from a
hamstring injury and midfielders Antonio Valencia and
Anderson are also ruled out with ankle and knee problems
respectively.
Owen Hargreaves, who has been hampered by a series of knee
problems and will miss the start of the season after
suffering a new injury setback, completes the list of
Ferguson's walking wounded.
Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Nemanja Vidic are left
at home to recover after playing in the World Cup.
However, United fans in America will get a first glimpse
of new signings Chris Smalling and Javier Hernandez.
Smalling has completed his move to Old Trafford from
Fulham after orginally agreeing the 10 million pounds
transfer last season. Mexican striker Hern-andez will
feature later in the tour against his former club Chivas
after being granted time off after the World Cup. Portugal
forward Nani is also available despite missing the World
Cup due to a broken collarbone.
United play Celtic in Toronto on Friday before taking on
Philadelphia Union at Lincoln Financial Field on July 21,
the Kansas City Wizards at Arrowhead Stadium on July 25
and the MLS All-Stars in Houston on July 28.
Australian fiesta for jubilant Spanish fans
AFP, Sydney
Hundreds of Spanish fans sang and danced in streets across
Australia, thousands of miles from home and the World Cup
final, in an hours-long fiesta Monday after their historic
football victory.
Fans dressed in football shirts and draped in Spanish
flags gathered in Sydney and Melbourne to chant and wave
at passing cars, disrupting morning commuters.
"You watch out-this could be the start of the new
armada... Spain's going to shock and awe!" said
31-year-old Rob Castro, an Australian of Spanish descent,
sporting a red and yellow fake fur Mohican.
Thousands of fans gathered before dawn in central Sydney
to watch Spain's 1-0 win over the Netherlands on giant
screens, before spilling onto the streets after the final
whistle at about 7:00 am.
"We made history," said Ivan, a Spanish tourist, as he
sipped beer in a bar in Sydney's Spanish quarter. "We are
going to eat some tapas, drink some wine and have a party
to celebrate!"
Although spirits remained high, some fans were starting to
look a little worse for wear as midday approached. A group
of women stood unsteadily on the street corner opposite
Sydney's Spanish Club, shouting "Viva Espana!" as they
began their next round of drinks. Elsewhere across the
country, fans partied in the streets of the Melbourne
suburb of Fitzroy, where the emotion of the victory
spilled over for Pedro Iglesias and his sister Maravi, who
rang relatives at home in tears.
Casillas true hero as Iniesta steals headlines
AFP, Johannesburg
Andres Iniesta may grab the backpage headlines for his
dramatic extra-time winner in the World Cup final on
Sunday but the true match-winner was goalkeeper Iker
Casillas.
Being a football goalkeeper can be a precarious and lonely
business at times as shot-stoppers are far more often
branded as villains than heroes.
But the international goalkeeping fraternity will have
noted with delight the two vital interventions made by
Spain captain Casillas.
The Real Madrid star made two crucial one-on-one saves to
deny Holland's Arjen Robben in normal time to keep the
scores level before Iniesta smashed home the historic
winner four minutes from time.
Mandela appears at final, crowning South Africa’s
World Cup
AFP, Johannesburg
Nelson Mandela crowned South Africa's World Cup with an
appearance from the field at the closing ceremony, as 700
million viewers tuned in to watch the Dutch play Spain.
He flashed his famous smile and waved to the more than
80,000 fans as he circled the pitch alongside his wife
Graca Machel in an open-air vehicle, in a brief but proud
moment the nation had long waited for. He was greeted by
cheers of "Madiba", his clan name used affectionately by
his compatriots, which rang louder than applause for any
of the stars at the closing show that illuminated the
stands in fireworks and lights. His family had earlier hit
out at FIFA "pressure" and he only decided two hours
earlier to join 17 world leaders, royalty and a raft of
Hollywood stars who have jetted into Johannesburg.
Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela, his grandson, told AFP that the
91-year-old hero of the anti-apartheid struggle would
probably return home to watch the game. "He'll come just
before the opening to greet the fans before heading back
home."
Football's governing body FIFA has voiced hope that
Mandela could even hand the trophy to the winner,
something his grandson doubted. "My grandfather is turning
92, he is very elderly to stay at the stadium at night,"
he said.
Mandela had cancelled on the June 11 opener when his 13-
year-old great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash.
"We're also a family in mourning. We should allow my
grandfather to mourn," the grandson said earlier.
"FIFA should have taken that into consideration and stop
pressuring" for Mandela to attend, he added. The moment
inevitably recalled South Africa's 1995 rugby World Cup
victory when Mandela donned the jersey of the nation's
mainly white Springboks, in a moment now seen as a symbol
of national healing.
The Nobel laureate's spirit has loomed large over Africa's
first World Cup, which has been repeatedly compared to the
national euphoria that greeted his release from an
apartheid prison 20 years ago.
Harrington hungry for more at St Andrews
AFP, St Andrews
Padraig Harrington says he is ready to add to his major
haul and there is no course he would rather do that on
than at The Home of Golf in St Andrews.
The Irishman won three majors in the course of a brilliant
13 months, capturing the 2007 and 2008 British Open titles
followed by the USPGA crown.
That shot him into superstar status in the world of golf
and, still in his thirties, he seemed destined for more
top titles. To date, though, that has not happened as
Harrington tinkered with his swing through 2009 and he has
failed to mount a realistic challenge in the majors since
then.
Asked if he might be suffering from burnout and the sense
that winning three majors was a lifetime accomplishment in
itself, he replied: "Well, I would say I'm in the opposite
battle.
"I want to go out and win more majors, and if anything I'm
too pushy, too hard, and trying too hard, and it's all
about getting the next one.
"It's not about sitting back and doing your normal thing
and relaxing a little bit and enjoying it. I definitely
would be of the other camp of overdoing things.
"No, I haven't made it to the stage that I'm not excited
about the game. There will be a few years left for me
before that happens."
Harrington did not play at St Andrews the last time the
Open was held here in 2005, owing to the death of his
father, and he only tied for 20th in 2000.
Paul the psychic
octopus wins his own ‘World Cup’
AFP, Berlin
What do you give the global superstar who has everything?
This was the dilemma facing staff at aquarium home of Paul
the octopus whose knack for predicting World Cup games has
catapulted him to fame.
In the end, as a reward for correctly "tipping" all eight
games he predicted-seven Germany games and the final
itself-Paul's German handlers dropped a shiny golden
replica of the coveted Jules Rimet trophy into his tank.
The eight-legged oracle, who now has more than four times
as many fans on social networking site Facebook as German
Chancellor Angela Merkel, seemed particularly pleased with
his prize, wrapping several tentacles around it. In the
wake of his phenomenal success, speculation has been rife
about what Paul will do next. One tongue-in-cheek
bookmaker gave punters the chance to place a bet on Paul's
future career. They offered odds of 8-1 that he would
become a bookmaker himself, 20-1 that he would release a
record, 100-1 that he would unveil his own brand of
calamari, 250-1 that he would become Merkel's new advisor
and 1,000-1 that he would become part of a paella. A firm
of financial analysts in London wrote in an otherwise
serious research note that Paul had been headhunted to
join a major Wall Street firm in its foreign exchange
department to predict future currency moves. But aquarium
spokeswoman Tanja Munzig poured cold water on the rumours.
Woods to play
with Rose and Villegas at British Open
AFP, St Andrews
Tiger Woods will play alongside England's Justin Rose and
Colombian Camilo Villegas for the first two rounds of the
British Open at St Andrews this week.
Woods will be firmly in the spotlight as he attempts to
claim a third successive victory at the Home of Golf,
having won the title here by eight strokes in 2000 and
five in 2005. It is Woods' first appearance at the
tournament since the extra-marital affairs which caused a
storm of controversy late last year and forced him to stay
away from golf for several months.
Since his return, the 34-year-old has finished fourth in
both The Masters and US Open, but his form has been as
unpredictable as he tries to move on from the revelations
about his serial adultery.
He will tee-off at 9:09am on Thursday and 2:20pm on
Friday, with Rose, a winner of two of his last three
tournaments in America, and Villegas destined to be
overshadowed by the American. It is not the first time
Woods and Rose have been drawn together at the British
Open. Eight years ago at Muirfield, Rose out-scored Woods
68 to 70 in the first round, but followed it up with only
a 75 to the American's 68.
Woods was the reigning Masters and US Open champion at the
time, but his bid for golf's first-ever Grand Slam of all
four majors in one season was effectively ended by a round
of 81. Paul Lawrie, Britain's last winner of the Claret
Jug, will hit the opening drive of the tournament - at
6:30am on Thursday. Current Masters champion Phil
Mickelson, who has another chance to topple Woods as world
number one this week, begins his challenge alongside Colin
Montgomerie and Retief Goosen.
Sri Lanka disappointed
no review system for India
AFP, Colombo
Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said on Monday he was
disappointed that the umpire review system would not be
used for the upcoming three Test series with India.
"As a player and a team, we are very much for the umpire
decision review system," skipper Kumar Sangakkara told
reporters ahead of the Indian series starting Sunday at
Galle in southern Sri Lanka. Sang-akkara said the
International Cricket Council (ICC) should seriously
consider using the review system on a permanent basis to
avoid human error at crucial stages of the game. "At high
levels of umpiring you get things right about 92 percent
of the time. But the eight percent is also now important
at the high level the game is played these days,"
Sangakkara said.
Under the ICC rules, the host country needs the consent of
the visiting team to use the review system, Sri Lanka
Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said.
"We are very much in favour of it. When we checked with
India, they were not happy to have it," Ranatunga said.
The review system, which has courted controversy since its
implementation, was first used in the 2008 series between
the same teams.
During the Indian tour, Sri Lanka made 11 successful
reviews in the 2-1 series win, as opposed to India's one.
On their return tour to India last year, Sangakkara
lamented the absence of the review technology.
He said it cost his side "over 500 runs and a lot of
wickets" during the 2-0 defeat. To add to his frustration,
the review system was used in two series being played at
the same time.
World leaders
decry ‘cowardly’ blasts amid World Cup joy
AFP, London
World leaders Monday condemned the "cowardly" blasts that
killed 64 people in Uganda as they watched the World Cup
final, an event that was hailed as a triumphant moment for
Africa.
"These were cowardly attacks during an event that was
widely seen as a celebration of African unity," British
Foreign Secretary William Hague said of the attacks on two
restaurants in the Ugandan capital Kampala on Sunday. "The
UK will stand with Uganda in fighting such brutal acts of
violence and terror," he said in a statement.n
US President Barack Obama likewise pledged US assistance
to Uganda following the violence in which one American was
among the victims, a spokesman said.
"The president is deeply saddened by the loss of life
resulting from these deplorable and cowardly attacks, and
sends his condolences to the people of Uganda and the
loved ones of those who have been killed or injured,"
National Security Council spoke-sman Mike Hammer said in a
statement.
|
|