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Leading News
Female garment
worker’s death sparks violent protests in city
AFP, Dhaka
Hundreds of protesting garment workers blocked streets in
Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on Friday after a female worker
was found dead, having apparently fallen off a factory
roof, police said.
The father of the victim has filed a case with the police,
claiming that five employees of the Vertex Garment Factory
in the city's Mirpur district pushed her off the factory
roof, local police chief Kazi Wazed Ali told AFP.
"The father, in his statement, named the persons
responsible but did not mention any reason why they would
kill her," Ali said.
"We are now investigating the death of the worker," he
said. As news of the death spread, more than 1,000 garment
workers blocked a key highway in Mirpur to protest over
the incident. Police fired tear gas shells to disperse the
protesters, Ali said. "They were demanding a proper
investigation," Ali said.
The protests come at a time when the Bangladesh garment
industry, which accounts for 80 percent of the country's
annual exports, is already plagued by unrest and violent
protests over low wages.
Bangladesh's 4,500 garment factories employ 2.5 million
workers or around 40 percent of the industrial workforce,
the majority of whom are women.
UNB adds: The death of a female garment worker sparked off
violent protest in city's Mirpur thana on Friday.
The deceased was identified as Beauty Begum, 19, daughter
of Abul Kashem of north Bishil in Mirpur.
Workers said Beauty, floor-in-charge at Vertex Fashion
Limited at Mirpur-1, went to her office at 8am today when
she was handed over a transfer order to another section.
Being angered at the transfer order, Beauty locked into
altercation with a garment official Jharna Begum, who
issued the order.
Workers alleged that, at one stage, Jharna confined Beauty
in her room and tortured her and later pushed her down
from the rooftop of the factory, leaving her dead on the
spot at noon.
Angered by the death, workers vandalized the furniture of
the factory and later blocked a nearby road for about one
and half hour.
As police went to recover the body, a chase and counter
chase between angry workers and police took place, leaving
two police constables injured.
Police, however, later recovered the body and sent it to
Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.Police
arrested Jharna from the factory following a complaint
lodged by Beauty's father with thana.
Trial
of war criminals will start soon: PM
She distributes cash among Aila victims
UNB, Satkhira
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Friday said trial of war
criminals will start within a few days and offenders must
be tried on the soil of Bangladesh.
Hasina who came here to distribute money among the cyclone
Aila affected people for constructing houses made the
remarks at a public gathering at Nakipur HC Pilot Model
School. Braving storm and rain here she distributed a
total of Tk 96 crore among 48,000 Aila-hit families.
The Prime Minister said her government will take measures
to improve the livelihood of the common people. "My
politics is for you, for improving your standard of life,"
she said, adding "I will repay the debt at the cost of my
life for the mandate you have given to Awami League-led
grand alliance in 2008 elections." Hasina said people in
this region face natural calamities every year. As the
cyclone Aila hit this region, she instructed the
administration to stand by the affected people with relief
materials. The government, she said, has given highest
amount of relief to the victims. She assured that damaged
cyclone centres will be repaired and 100 new multi-purpose
cyclone centres will be built in the district.
About the damaged embankment, the Prime Minister said the
government would repair it but she urged the shrimp
traders to make out a plan to use saline water through a
particular point of the embankment instead of cutting the
embankment indiscriminately. "You will earn money from
shrimp cultivation but you will not repair the embankment,
it will not be acceptable," she told shrimp traders. Also
Hasina urged the local people to remain alert so that none
can damage the embankment.
No
option but hartal if govt obstructs democratic progarmmes:
Fakhrul
UNB, Dhaka
Main opposition BNP has threatened to go for tougher
agitation programmes like hartal if the government
continues to obstruct the party's democratic and peaceful
programmes. BNP senior joint secretary general Mirza
Fakhrul Islam Alamgir sounded the warning while addressing
a press briefing at the party chairperson's Gulshan office
at 4:15 pm on Friday.
"The way the government is obstructing our programmes of
democratic and constitutional movement, there will be no
option before us but to call hartal," Fakhrul told the
reporters.
In this regard, he mentioned the police obstruction to the
BNP's countrywide human chain on July 7, preventing JCD
from holding a rally at Muktangon on July 21 and finally
the government's refusal to give permission to use Paltan
Maidan for observing the party's previously announced mass
hunger strike on July 25.
Earlier, on Thursday, BNP announced a demonstration
programme at Muktangong at 3 pm on July 25, in protest
against the government's "undemocratic" behavior of not
giving permission to use Paltan Maidan for the mass hunger
strike.
BNP leader Mirza Fakhrul warned that tough progarmme will
be announced from Muktangon if the government obstructs
its July 25 demonstration. He alleged the government is
trying to create an unstable situation in the country by
destroying fair democratic atmosphere. Replying to a
question on the move to formulate law against hartal,
Fakhrul said hartal is a fundamental and democratic right
of the people and they will not accept it. BNP joint
secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, and BNP chairperson's
advisor MA Quayyum were also present at the briefing.
Muhith for greater role of
PPP in agriculture
UNB, Dhaka
Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Friday advocated for
greater role of Public Private Partnership (PPP)
initiatives in the country's agriculture sector, including
fisheries. "The role of PPP is generally in the
infrastructure sector but it should be expanded to other
sectors. The PPP is very limited; in fact it is not
evident in agriculture and fisheries," he said,
inaugurating the National Fisheries Fair 2010 at the
Krishibid Institution in the city.
Fisheries Minister Abdul Latif Biswas was the special
guest at the function, chaired by Fisheries and Livestock
secretary M Sharful Alam. Director General of Fisheries
Department M Mahbubur Rahman Khan gave the welcome
address.
Citing countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and India where
PPP made lot of progress, Muhith said many wealthy people
have been created in the country in the last two decades
and PPP is also necessary to properly utilize their
resources. He said that the future of the country depends
on PPP, as its greater role can extend the country's
overall investment to 30-35 percent from the present 24
per cent. The Finance Minister informed that the new
fisheries survey would be conducted soon. "Steps will be
taken to get separate information on fisheries and
livestock in the next agriculture survey," he said. On the
increase of manpower of the Fisheries Department, he said
that it would not be possible at the moment to extend
manpower of the Fisheries Department to Union level and
emphasized on selecting a certain criteria on increase of
manpower.
Mentioning that some 54 out of 260 local species of fish
have already become extinct, he emphasized providing
assistance for fish breeding and protecting fish fry as
well as the water bodies. Muhith urged the Fisheries
Ministry to take steps for halting any further extinction
of local varieties of fish and also to check cultivation
of harmful foreign fishes like Piranha.
3 cases on war crimes sent to
tribunal: Security tightened at Tribunal Building
BSS, Dhaka
Three cases on charges of crimes against humanity during
the Liberation War in 1971 have been shifted to
International Crime Tribunal from lower court in a bid to
holding the trial speedily.
Tribunal sources said the lawyers' panel and the
investigation agency would probe the cases.
Chief of the lawyers' panel Advocate Golam Arif Tipu said
as the inquiry into the war crimes is not under the
purview of the police cases on charges of killings,
raping, looting and firing incidents those were filed with
different police stations and courts would be brought
under International Crime Act-1973 for trial.
Tipu said security of the International Crime Tribunal,
which was set up at old High Court Bhaban, has been
tightened with the setting up of closed-circuit cameras in
and around the Bhaban. Besides, he said, a control room is
now monitoring movement of individuals at the Bhaban. A
deputy register of the tribunal said adequate logistic
supports were ensured. By now, responding to a plea by an
investigation officer, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of
Dhaka court AKM Enamul Haque directed the tribunal to send
the case filed with Pallabi thana against Jamaat kingpins
on charges of involving in war crimes during 1971
Liberation War. The tribunal sources said shifting of
cases to the International Tribunal has been started with
the transfer of the Pallabi thana case.
The case was filed involving 10 Jamaat kingpins including
Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Moulana Motiur Rahman Nizami,
Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid,
Nayeb-e-Ameer Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, Assistant Secretary
General M Qamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla.
3 crushed under wheels of trains
UNB, Kushtia
A man and his son were crushed under the wheels of a train
near Poradah railway junction in Mirpur upazila on Friday.
The deceased were identified as Badsha, 40, farmer of
Shimultola village of same upazila, and his son Ridoy, 12,
class II student of a local primary school.
Witnesses said Rupsha, a Rajshahi-bound train coming from
Khulna, hit them while they were crossing the rail track,
leaving them dead on the spot at noon. On information,
railway police recovered the bodies and sent it to General
Hospital morgue for autopsy. Another report from Chuadanga
adds: A man was crushed under the wheels of a train near
Chandpur rail crossing at Jibonnagar upazila in Chuadanga
on Friday morning. The deceased was identified as Shahidul
Islam, 34, son of Fakir Mondal of Andulbaria village at
the same upazila. Chuadanga rail station master Abdul
Khalek said a Goalanda bound train coming from Khulna hit
Shahidul when he was crossing the rail track, leaving him
dead on the spot. A UD case was filed with Poradah railway
thana.
Flood situation
deteriorates in northern, northeastern districts
BSS, Dhaka
The flood situation in Jamalpur, Kurigram, Munshiganj,
Sylhet and Sunamganj districts is likely to deteriorate in
the next 24 hours, a bulletin of Flood Forecasting Warning
Centre said on Friday. The Brahmaputra-Jamuna, the Ganges-Padma
and Meghna river systems are in a rising trend.
The FFWC bulletin said, of the 73 river waters monitoring
stations, 46 recorded a rise and 22 registered a fall
across the country.
Water level at three stations remained steady while it is
above the danger level at eight, it added.
The Jamuna at Bahadurabad, the Padma at Bhagyakul, the
Surma at Sunamganj and Kanaighat and Dharla at Kurigram
are flowing above 25cm, 3cm, 8cm, 6cm and 29cm
respectively.
In Kurigram, overall flood situation has deteriorated
further following continuous rises in the water levels of
the major rivers of the district. About 1,50,000 people of
different areas under seven upazilas of the district have
been marooned and a huge crops damaged in the flood.
Back Page
CWASA set to construct sewerage
system in Chittagong city
BSS, Chittagong
Chittagong Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (CWASA) has
finally embarked upon a scheme for constructing a modern
sewerage system in the port city.
"External Relations Division (ERD) of the government is
going to sign an agreement with the World Bank (WB) to
this effect on July 26 next in Dhaka .
It is difficult to believe that Chittagong city has no
modern sewerage system even after 47 years of inception of
the CWASA.
CWASA had been limping its usual way and even no sewerage
plan has been taken up in the past years as if it was
headache to none.
The WB will appoint a consultant to supervise a two-year
feasibility study for developing an underground sewerage
system at a cost of about Taka 350 crore, CWASA Chairman
Engineer AKM Fazlullah told BSS on Friday.
Sources said, ERD secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and
the WB Country Director would sign the agreement on behalf
of their respective sides.
The CWASA chairman said the WB in its board meeting on
June 23, approved Taka 1200 crore including Taka 900 crore
for Modhunaghat Water Treatment Project and the rest would
be funded for completion of an elaborate feasibility study
of the sewerage system.
"Necessary negotiation with the WB regarding construction
of drainage systems in the port city was also completed by
the CWASA," the sources added. The CWASA Chairman hoped
that the authority would be able to start physical works
for feasibility study of the sewerage system within
March-April 2011.
He said the present government under the leadership of
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is very sincere regarding the
development of Chittagong so the authority has taken
vigorous efforts to revive and give pace to the work of
pending and stalled projects through fruitful discussion
with the donors and removing internal obstacles in a
hurried manner.
The CWASA came into being on November 1963 and since then
the activities of the CWASA exclusively confined to
supplying water to the city dwellers.
Chittagong Municipality which began its journey with
formation of Chittagong Municipal Committee in 1863 though
introduced drainage system in the city but had not even
thought about the sewerage system.
As a result, human excreta and other wastage of the septic
tanks of nearly 48 lakh people of Chittagong city directly
fell into the river Karnaphuli.
Pakistan PM gives army chief Kayani
three-year extension
AFP, Islamabad
Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Thursday gave
army chief General Ashfaq Kayani three more years in the
top job, saying the country had reached a vital stage in
the battle against militants.
The premier said that the decision to give the extension
to the 58-year-old-viewed by many as the most powerful man
in the country-had been taken to ensure continuity of
command. Gilani made the announcement in a brief televised
address to the nation, underlining the importance of the
move.
"I have decided to extend tenure of army chief General
Ashfaq Kayani for three years in consultations with
President Asif Ali Zardari," the prime minister said.
He added that the decision had been taken after relaxing
the rules and keeping in view the key role played by
Kayani in the war against terror.
Kayani assumed command of the Pakistan army in November
2007 after his predecessor Pervez Musharraf relinquished
command.
Bombs and attacks blamed on Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked
militants have killed more than 3,500 people across
nuclear-armed Pakistan since government troops besieged a
radical mosque in Islamabad in July 2007. Much of the
violence has been concentrated in northwest Pakistan and
the border areas with Afghanistan, where US and NATO
troops are battling to turn around a nine-year war against
Taliban insurgents.
"As a commander and leader of his men, Kayani always
stressed that democracy is inevitable for peace, progress
and prosperity," the premier said. He added that Kayani
personally supervised and planned all offensives.
"Pakistan is passing through a very critical juncture of
its history with our people and armed forces engaged in
the war against terror," Gilani said.
He said the entire nation stood united in the war against
terrorists and the operation against them had entered a
critical stage.
Gilani said that successful military operation in
northwestern regions Swat and Malakand and the tribal
region of South Waziristan had only been possible under
the dynamic leadership of Kayani. Kayani was born into a
working class family in April 1952 in a suburb of
Rawalpindi, the garrison city where the Pakistan military
is headquartered.
His father was a non-commissioned officer from Punjab,
where the army draws much of its manpower, and Kayani's
meteoric rise after joining the army in 1971 is a rarity
in Pakistan's privilege-dominated society.
"The basic consideration of the government behind
extending Kayani's tenure is to ensure continuity of
military command and policy in the ongoing anti-terror
war," analyst Hasan Askari told AFP.
He added: "Kayani has developed good rapport with top US
and NATO military officials, which has been very helpful
for Pakistan to put across its point of view on critical
issues."
America's top military commander, Admiral Mike Mullen, has
praised Kayani for taking "bold steps", saying he has
moved troops to the Afghan border, cracked down against
militants and equipped the paramilitary Frontier Corps.
FM discusses matters of common
interests with Japanese and Myanmar counterparts
UNB, Dhaka
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni met with Japanese Foreign
Minister Katsuya Okada and Myanmar's Foreign Minister U
Nyan Win Thursday on the sideline of the 17th ASEAN
Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting in Hanoi.
The Foreign Ministers discussed matters of common concern
with them.
During the meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Dipu
Moni said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is very keen
to visit Tokyo at a mutually convenient time this year to
revitalize the bilateral relations. Emphasizing the
importance of Sheikh Hasina's visit, Okada said Bangladesh
is one of the close comprehensive economic partners of
Japan.
Japanese businessmen are taking interest to invest for
developing the socio-economic infrastructure of
Bangladesh, he said.
Okada said he was very impressed seeing the outstanding
success of ongoing projects in Bangladesh shown on
Japanese TV NHK. This symbolizes the socioeconomic
improvement of Bangladesh, he added.
Dipu Moni said that despite various constraints Bangladesh
is moving forward, and it has been possible because of the
friendly cooperation of Japan and other development
partners of Bangladesh.
She sought Japanese cooperation in power sector, disaster
management and for construction of the Padma Bridge as it
did for Bangabandu Jamuna Bridge.
Okada said that they like to take some projects conducive
to environment in Bangladesh.
Expressing Japanese positive indication to the Padma
Bridge, he said that they would like to work together with
ADB and World Bank. He further informed that they already
signed an exchanged notes regarding Bheramara Cycle Power
Generation Plant and hoped for quick implementation of it.
Dipu Moni also had a meeting with Myanmar Foreign Minister
U Nyan Win on the sidelines of the ARF Ministerial Meeting
Thursday afternoon.
BNP-Jamaat conspire at
home, abroad to stop trial of war criminals: Khandaker
BSS, Tangail
Planning Minister Air Vice Marshal (Retd) AK Khandaker on
Friday said the present government has initiated the trial
of war criminals and proper holding of the trial is the
prime objective of the government.
The government in cooperation with the new generation
wants to complete the trial of war criminals, he said as
the chief guest at a discussion and installation of
Tangail District Sector Commanders Forum, a grouping of
veterans of 1971 Liberation War.
The first army chief of Bangladesh and member of Awami
League's Advisory Council and Vice Chairman of the central
committee of Sector Commanders Forum Major General (Retd)
KM Shafiullah Bir Uttam and former army chief and General
secretary of the central committee of Sector Commanders
Forum- Liberation War '71 Lt General (Retd) M Harun or
Rashid Bir Pratik spoke as special guests. Tangail
district President of Sector Commanders Forum, Freedom
Fighter Engineer Abul Hossain presided over the function.
The minister, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Liberation
War, who is also Chairman of the central committee of the
Sector Commanders Forum, said BNP- Jamaat has started
hatching conspiracies at home and abroad to stop the
process of holding trial of war criminals. Major General (retd)
KM Shafiullah Bir Uttam said war criminals are not alone,
as BNP is with them. Although BNP chairperson Begum
Khakeda Zia is termed as uncompromising, but she like her
husband has compromised with Jamaat to save the war
criminals.
"We have to proceed very cautiously as our opponents are
very strong," he warned.
Lt General (Retd) M Harun or Rashid Bir Pratik said it is
not possible to hold trial of war criminals with only Taka
10 crore, sanctioned by the government. BNP-Jamaat has
huge money and they have started conspiracies to stop the
trial with Taka 100 crore, he added.
‘Negotiation capacity can help win
climate talks battle’
BSS, Dhaka
Speakers at a workshop in Dhaka on Friday stressed on
building up the negotiation capacity of the developing
countries in global climate talks to win the ongoing
battle of climate change talks.
Delegates of developing countries need to better
understand the legal aspects of climate politics and
strengthen country's position at global level to enhance
their legal and political capacity, they said.
Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and Oxfam-
Bangladesh arranged the two-day workshop on "Legal
Briefing on UNFCCC Negotiation" for Bangladesh negotiation
team taking part in the UNFCCC climate talks.
About 25 participants including government officials, NGO
members and media people are taking part in the workshop
arranged aimed at strengthening capacity to be aware of
international laws with regards to global talks on climate
change.
While inaugurating the workshop, secretary of the MoEF Dr
Mihir Kanti Majumder said negotiations under the UNFCC and
the Kyoto Protocol have become ever more complex, both the
issues under discussion and the process of addressing
them.
80pc power
demand of country can be met using renewable energy:
Expert
UNB, Dhaka
Around 80 per cent of the country's demand of electricity
could be addressed by using renewable energy including
solar and wind power systems, according to an expert.
"Germany and the Latin American countries including Cuba
are now planning to generate 80 percent of their power by
setting up renewable energy systems and we should consider
these methods to address our ongoing power crisis," said
Dr Sajed Kamal, a scientist and teacher of Brandeis
University, Massachusetts in USA.
He was speaking at a seminar, titled 'Solar Energy
Resource: Bangladesh's Un-utilizing Energy Storehouse', at
Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) in the city on Friday.
Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan (BAPA) organized the seminar,
which was chaired by former adviser of the caretaker
government and BAPA vice-president Advocate Sultana Kamal.
Prof Dr Saiful Haque and Prof MM Akash of Dhaka
University, and Engr Dr Khursedul Islam also spoke at the
seminar.
Addressing the seminar as keynote speaker, Dr Sajed Kamal
in a power point presentation displayed the technology
used by the western countries for generating power from
renewable sources. He said the entire world is now giving
attention to generate power from renewable sources. "It is
high time for us to make immediate plans to generate power
from renewable sources."
He added: "Bangladesh has a great potential. We've huge
solar and wind energy, but we never consider using these
sources of energy to address our power demand."
Mentioning the reason for global warming, Dr Sajed Kamal
said the global temperature has been rising gradually due
to the use fossil energy all over the world.
Editorial
The State of FDI
The
situation relating to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flow to
Bangladesh is quite disappointing. According to media reports,
the FDI in Bangladesh has declined by 36 per cent and stood at
$700 million last year compared to 20.11 per cent decline in
South Asian countries and 14 per cent in terms of the least
developed ones, according to the World Investment Report (WIR),
2010. FDI inflows to developing and transition economies
declined by 27 per cent to $548 billion in 2009 and FDI flows
to developed countries suffered the worst decline of all
regions, contracting by 44 per cent to $566 billion in the
same year, the WIR added.
The WIR, compiled by the United Nations (UN) has been
officially released on Thursday by Board of Investment (BoI)
at its conference room. The BoI's Executive Chairman SA Samad,
Privatization Commission's Chairman Mirza Jalil and Dr. M
Ismail Hossain, Professor of Economics, Jahangirnagar
University, among others, spoke on the occasion. The BoI chief
said the global economic downswing that led to the downward
trend of global FDI is the major reason for the dismal FDI
scenario in Bangladesh last year. Dr SA Samad blamed
bureaucratic bottlenecks for a nosedive in the Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) last year. He said he did not get much
complaint from potential investors about the power and energy
crisis. But, he understands that there are still some
drawbacks in the bureaucracy, which needs to be addressed
effectively. The UNCTAD on Thursday launched the 20th World
Investment Report (WIR) at the IFO Institute in Munich,
Germany. Referring to the report, Dr Ismail hopped the inflow
would rebound if the global recovery continues and power and
energy issues are addressed effectively.
The state of the FDI inflow in the country is unsatisfactory
regardless of the reasons for it. It goes without saying that
the country is in dire need of increased foreign investment to
bolster the national economy. In view of this the government
is taking various measures. It has directed Bangladesh
missions abroad to take effective measurers for enhancing
exports and attracting foreign investment.
Taking measures for boosting exports and attracting investment
have become urgently essential as both our exports to foreign
countries and foreign investment at home are passing through a
rough weather following the global economic recession.
Moreover, it is alleged that till recently the foreign
investors were feeling discouraged to invest in Bangladesh due
to insecurity caused by political uncertainty and labour
unrest. Now that a democratic government has been functioning
in the country effectively and the political climate has
improved, foreign investors' worries are supposed to be
removed and the way for their investment in Bangladesh is
expected to have been paved.
Now, as we are desperately in need of foreign investment, no
stone should be left unturned to persuade the prospective
investors to come forward for investment in different sectors
of Bangladesh. If considerable foreign investment can be
ensured then fresh bloods are expected to be infused into the
economy much to the benefit of the country. It goes without
saying that foreign investors emphasise on congenial
atmosphere for investment and security of the sectors they
invest in and these must be ensured at any cost.
Simultaneously our missions abroad, which are often accused of
inaction and failure in accomplishing the vital tasks, must be
active and go all out for enhancing exports and attracting
foreign investment.
In the modern age, the progress of a nation is marked by its
economic advancement and so topmost priority should be
attached to the achievements of the objectives set by the
government. We feel that the government should take all steps
and provide all incentives necessary in this regard. All out
efforts must be made to improve the dismal state of FDI as
early as possible.
Flood and erosion
Flood
and erosion situation across the country has aggravated
further causing immense suffering to the affected people.
According to agency reports, the overall flood situation
deteriorated during the 24 hours till Thursday morning in
greater Rangpur and adjoining areas in the Brahmaputra basin
as the rising major rivers were flowing above their danger
marks (DM) at several points. The situation sharply
deteriorated following continuous rise in the water levels of
the major rivers due to huge onrush of hilly waters from the
upper catchments and rainfalls in the upstream during the
period. About 100,000 people of 200 low-lying char villages in
seven upazilas of Kurigram, three upazilas of Gaibandha and
Sariakandi upazila of Bogra and some other riverside upazilas
of Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari and Sirajganj have been partially
marooned so far. The erosion marked deterioration at places
following stronger river currents along the courses of the
Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla, Dudhkumar, Jamuna and their
tributaries on the Brahmaputra basin devouring some houses
with lands during the past few days.
Meanwhile, erosion by different rivers including Jamuna, Padma,
Korotoa, Brahmaputra, Dharala, Surma, Meghna and Arial Kha
rivers continue to devour vast tracts of lands at different
places of the country. The erosion affected districts include,
amomg others, Sylhet, Sunamganbj, Moulvibazar, Jamalpur,
Sherpur, Bogra, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Sirajganj,
Manikganj, Rajbari, Faridpur, Shariapur, Chandpur and
Munshiganj.
Flood and erosion have rendered huge people homeless and
destitute many of whom are passing days in untold miseries
under open sky. Many homeless people have also taken shelter
in the slums in the cities. The government should take all out
measures to redress the sufferings of the marooned people.
Everything should be done to ensure relief and rehabilitation
of the flood and erosion victims.
Analysis
Handcuffed to history in South Asia
The people of India and Pakistan, in fact the
whole of South Asia, have been paying for the myopia and moral
timidity of their leaders.
Aijaz Zaka Syed?
I
sometimes wonder if Shakespeare had India and Pakistan's
leaders in mind when he wrote those immortal lines in As You
Like It: "All the world's a stage and all the men and women
merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; and
one man in his time plays many parts."?
No matter who is in power in Delhi or Islamabad, the script of
the carefully choreographed diplomatic spectacle never seems
to change. From their famous encounter at Tashkent to the
tense handshakes at Simla and Agra, and from Vajpayee's
historic bus trip to Lahore to the bitterness of Kargil, the
more the narrative changes, the more it remains the same.
Still, the bitterness and open hostility that hung in the air
as S M Krishna and Shah Mahmood Qureshi addressed the press
conference in Islamabad took your breath away. They sat side
by side, yet avoided looking at each other like estranged
husband and wife. Tension in the air was so thick you could
have carved it with a knife. One almost felt sorry for the
soft spoken Krishna. A widely respected figure in and outside
the governing Congress for his liberal outlook, Krishna
deserved better. Never a part of India's powerful foreign
policy establishment, the former Karnataka chief minister
isn't perhaps cut out for the zero sum game that is
India-Pakistan diplomacy.
I am not sure if Qureshi, who's accused Krishna of being out
of his depth and forever being on the phone taking orders from
Delhi, was reading from the script or speaking his own mind.
But he did look and sound abrasive even to a distant observer
like me. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the
Pakistani foreign minister is younger and appears rather
fascinated with the sound of his own voice. Or maybe it's just
the way he speaks.
Whatever the explanation, the new chill and unpleasantness in
an already edgy relationship is unfortunate. And, yes, we are
back to square one, where we had been after the 26/11 terror
attacks on Mumbai landmarks - or the attack on Indian
parliament, blamed on Pakistan based groups. As usual, the
latest round of dialogue, if it can be called that, began amid
great euphoria and goodwill only to end up in bitter acrimony
with accusations and counteraccusations flying thick and fast.
It's not clear why and how things went so horribly wrong. But
as in the past, they seemingly unravelled when the Indian side
confronted Islamabad on action against militant groups like
the one led by Hafiz Sayeed, allegedly linked to the Mumbai
attacks. And Pakistan seems to have played along pointing out
it's all linked to the "core issue" of Kashmir and that the
militants cannot be reined in as long as the K question
remains hanging fire. An argument not easy to counter. It's a
vicious cycle, indeed.
While Islamabad remains preoccupied with Kashmir and begins
and ends every discussion with the K word, Delhi is prepared
to discuss everything else but the K conundrum.
Understandably, India is concerned about the terror threat
from across the border and the issue remains top of its agenda
in its engagement with the neighbour.
And the other side accuses it of not seeing the big picture
and ignoring the underlying, associated causes of the problem.
So it's like an endless merry go round. They go round and
round in circles, trying to catch their own tail, fighting
shadows and demons of an unforgiving history. The most obvious
victims of the Indo-Pak conflict and blow-hot-blow-cold war
have been the Kashmiri people, forever stuck in a limbo or
time warp, created by the conspiracy of geography and history.
They are paying for the sin of being born in the beautiful
prison that is the post Partition Kashmir. But it's not just
the Kashmiris who're paying for a crime they didn't commit. We
all are.
The people of India and Pakistan, in fact the whole of South
Asia, have been paying for the myopia and moral timidity of
their leaders. In his Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie uses
the clever and apt term "handcuffed to history" to describe
the predicament of South Asian twins. India and Pakistan are
indeed prisoners of their past.
What is more, instead of trying to break free from these
shackles, we're doing our best to strengthen and fortify them
with our selfish, petty politics. The two countries spend
trillions of precious dollars every year on arming themselves
to the teeth with fancy weapons that are never going to be
used - thank God for that-while their people crave for basics
such as food, water, housing, electricity, education and
healthcare.
According to a recent survey by the Oxford Poverty and Human
Development Initiative, more people are mired in poverty in
eight Indian states than found in the 26 poorest African
countries.
While we pat ourselves on the back for multiplying the number
of millionaires by 50 per cent over the past few years, a
whopping 421 million of the world's poorest of the poor live
in India today, more than the sub-Saharan Africa. The picture
on the other side of the border is equally depressing. While
Pakistan's cities and villages get to see power only for a few
blessed hours, inflation is touching sky-high levels. The
humble roti becomes scarcer by the day. Education still
remains a luxury and the privilege of the elite. And when it
comes to other basics that are essential for life, the
situation in Pakistan is little different from India. And to
think the neighbours are members of the elite nuclear club!
Will things ever change for the subcontinent? They can, if our
leaders change. This week, responding to my recent piece on
Kashmir, a friend Sashank Sharma wrote back saying a solution
would evade us as long as India and Pakistan do not stop
looking at their problems from an Indo-Pak prism. And it
doesn't apply just to the Kashmir knot. We see everything from
behind the blinkers that we put on our eyes when we parted
ways some 63 years ago. ?It doesn't have to be like this. With
our rich natural and human resources, we can be a great deal
different - and better. Look at Europe today. It's impossible
to imagine it as a continent that witnessed two of the
deadliest wars in mankind's history only six decades ago.
A total of nearly hundred million people perished in the two
World Wars. Germany fought bitter and devastating wars with
the entire Europe including France, Britain, Poland, Russia
(Soviet Union) and the US of course. And before that virtually
every European nation fought each other. Yet France and
Germany are the thickest of friends today. So are Russia and
Germany. They put behind their divisive shared past to build a
new, brighter and better future for their people. They vowed,
'never again' and have stuck to their promise. Travelling
freely across the borderless, peaceful and prosperous
continent today is a sobering experience. If Europe can do it,
so can we. Especially when we have so much more in common than
EU nations ever did. After all, we were one country and one
people not long ago. It's time to bury the past and look to
the future.
Aijaz Zaka Syed is Opinion Editor of Khaleej Times. Write
to him at aijaz@khaleejtimes.com
Afghanistan
shows US weakness
British troops are paying the price in Helmand, as they
did in Iraq, of a now officially subservient relationship.
Seumas Milne
British
troops are paying the price in Helmand, as they did in
Iraq, of a now officially subservient relationship. The
catastrophic illusions and acts of official betrayal at
the heart of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are being
progressively exposed, one after another.
In London, the former head of MI5 Eliza Manningham-Buller
confirmed to the Iraq inquiry this week that the security
service had indeed warned Tony Blair's government that
aggression against Iraq, "on top of our involvement in
Afghanistan", would violently radicalise a generation of
young Muslims and "substantially" increase the threat of
terror attacks in Britain.
And so it came to pass. A few days earlier, Carne Ross,
Britain's former representative at the UN responsible for
Iraq before the invasion, told the inquiry that the
British government's statements about its assessment of
the threat from Saddam Hussain "were, in their totality,
lies". In due course, those lies were brutally exposed.
It's easy to be inured to the power of such indictments
after nine years of the war on terror and its litany of
torture, kidnapping, atrocities and mass killing. But
together with a string of earlier revelations they do
combine to highlight the utter disgrace of the British
political and security establishment, which deceived the
public about a war it was well aware in advance would
expose them to great danger.
The reason for such official dissembling and recklessness
is also now clear enough. The British commitment to join
the attack on Iraq was never driven by the supposed menace
of Saddam, but by an overriding commitment to put Britain
at the service of US power, under whoever's leadership and
wherever that might take it at any particular time. The
"blood price", as Blair called it, for this subservient
relationship had to be paid.
It is now being paid again in Afghanistan, as a new
British government claims, against all the evidence, that
its troops are dying to keep the streets of Britain safe
from terrorism.
David Cameron and his ministers have strained every nerve
in recent weeks to give the impression that Britain's
commitment to the Afghanistan war isn't open-ended. On
Tuesday, in the wake of yet another international
conference on Afghanistan, the prime minister pledged to
end the British combat role by 2015 while holding out the
possibility of a start to withdrawal next year, based on
"conditions on the ground".
It's scarcely surprising he feels the need to talk
withdrawal. Up to 77 per cent of the British public want
troops out in a year. The £4 billion (Dh22.4 billion)
annual price tag is hard to justify when you're slashing
public spending. And the rising rate at which British
troops are being killed is now proportionally far higher
than their US counterparts. If it were to be maintained
for the next five years, the British death toll would rise
from 322 to over 1,000.
Pointless exercise
What would Cameron be asking those soldiers to die for?
Not a single terror attack in Britain - or plot, real or
imagined - has been sourced to Afghanistan. Al Qaida has
long since decamped elsewhere - to Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia
and Yemen. Meanwhile, the strength of the Taliban-led
guerrilla campaign continues to grow as the number of
occupation troops increases, while Afghan civilians are
dying in their thousands.
There's no reason to believe the situation will be
fundamentally different in four years' time. All that
those troops will be doing in the meantime is keeping the
Karzai government in the style to which it has become
accustomed. But as one senior political figure who's held
private discussions with Cameron about the war told me on
Tuesday, the prime minister "has taken a decision to stick
close to the Americans" and won't stray from the Obama
administration's script.
We are accustomed to the idea that Iraq has been a
disaster; now we are getting used to seeing the war in
Afghanistan in the same light. It has failed in every one
of its ever-changing objectives - from preventing the
spread of terrorism and eradicating opium production to
promoting democracy and the position of women, which has
actually deteriorated under Nato occupation according to
Afghan women's groups.
What it has now really come to be about is the credibility
of the US and Nato. There has long been an obvious way out
of the Afghanistan imbroglio: withdrawal of foreign
occupation troops, negotiated with all significant Afghan
forces, including the Taliban, as part of a settlement
guaranteed by the regional and other powers. The fact that
a solution long backed by the war's opponents is now being
taken up by its supporters is a measure of how badly
things are going on the ground.
For what is now taking place in Afghanistan has the
potential to reinforce what has already been demonstrated
in Iraq: namely the limits of US power to impose its will
by force.
If the unmatched might of the American military can be
seen off by a ragtag army in one of the poorest countries
of the world, the implications for the new international
order are profound. Which is why the US and its closest
allies will do everything to avoid the appearance of
defeat - and why many thousands more Afghans and Nato
troops will pay the price of a war their leaders now
accept can never be won.
Viewpoints
The false promise of ‘direct talks’
Pessimism is
the only possible reaction to a peace-making industry that
refuses to see Palestinian and Israeli national rights as both
equal in magnitude and deserving to be addressed
simultaneously, rather than sequentially, with Israel getting
priority.
Rami G. Khouri
Iam
not privy to the discussions that took place privately between
US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu earlier this month in the White House.
From the noise and chatter that has followed this meeting, I
believe we should start pondering the consequences of the
likelihood that there will be no resolution to the
Arab-Israeli conflict during this generation. I base this
pessimistic short-term outlook on several premises.
1. We now have a new theme, yardstick and mantra for the
Arab-Israeli diplomatic universe that continues to be largely
shaped by Israeli-defined American logistics: the parties
should move to direct negotiations very quickly.
While welcoming any opportunity for real negotiations, we
should remain sceptical of short-term expectations that are
presented to us as potential breakthroughs but end up being
little more than delaying or diversionary tactics, cruel
mirages in the desert.
The emphasis on the need to shift to direct talks, and to
transcend the "proximity talks" now taking place, represents
the triumph of procedure over substance. Israel, and the
American political machinery that Israel guides effortlessly
through its proxies in Washington, has proved skillful at
making the peace negotiating process an endless sequence of
events and mechanisms -"direct talks" is the latest example -
without seriously coming to grips with the core substantive
issues that must be resolved for both sides.
2. Reliable reports from Israel and the United States indicate
that Israel continues to approach the negotiations from the
perspective that Israel's ironclad "security" as a "Jewish
state" must be the first order of business for any
negotiations to make progress. This includes demilitarising a
future Palestinian state and maintaining a permanent Israeli
presence in the Jordan Valley.
While these are logical concerns from the Israeli perspective,
they cannot possibly be seriously considered as preconditions
and cornerstones of negotiations to reach a permanent peace
agreement.
Pessimism is the only possible reaction to a peace-making
industry that refuses to see Palestinian and Israeli national
rights as both equal in magnitude and deserving to be
addressed simultaneously, rather than sequentially, with
Israel getting priority.
3. The revived American mediating role raised intriguing
possibilities 18 months ago, but has yet to reveal its true
nature in three critical dimensions: durability, impartiality,
and the US positions on core issues like Jerusalem, refugees,
settlements and borders.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last November offered a
glimpse at Washington's position when she said that
Israeli-Palestinian direct negotiations could reconcile "the
Palestinian goal of an independent and viable state, based on
the 1967 lines, with agreed swaps, and the Israeli goal of a
Jewish state with secure and recognised borders that reflect
subsequent developments and meet Israeli security
requirements".
This wording seems reasonable at first sight, but in fact
reflects the underlying imbalances that have prevented any
breakthrough in the peace process launched at Madrid almost
two decades ago.
The Clinton statement offers Palestinians rhetorical
generalities about a "viable" and "independent" state (what
else would they expect, a Bantustan?) and no mention of their
core requirement to resolve their national condition of
refugeehood. Meanwhile, the Israelis get the specifics that
respond to their key and specific demands: the Jewish nature
of their state, its security, and maintaining the gains of
their colonial efforts in the form of their massive urban
settlements since 1967.
If this is the current American sense of a fair framework for
direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, it probably
guarantees failure. It reflects both the Israeli desire to
define how the negotiations happen and what they aim to
achieve, along with the continuing American penchant to come
down closer to the Israeli position, rather than to hold the
middle round where any credible mediator should be.
4. The Arab world continues to participate in these overall
dynamics more as interested observers than as principals to
the process, which largely explains why the Israeli-shaped
American mediating legacy remains both skewed and
unsuccessful.
As Arab governments persist in their diplomatic mediocrity and
abstinence, the vacuum in both domestic governance and
regional power politics is slowly filled by indigenous
militant and resistance groups like Hizbollah and Hamas,
activists like Islamists and nationalists, foreign parties
like Turkey and Iran, assorted other actors like tribal
associations and private sector conglomerates, and even
multinational actors like UN peace-keeping troops, the
"Quartet," or Al Qaeda.
This fragmentation of once coherent Arab countries and power
structures and the slow dissipation of their state sovereignty
bodes ill for the region, and portends more ravages like the
last wars in Lebanon and Gaza. Left unresolved, the
Arab-Israeli conflict does not go away. It only finds new ways
to transform injustice into resistance, stalemate into
provocative outbursts, insecurity into fanaticism, despondency
into destruction, and activism into savagery. Watching this
process unfold before our eyes yet? again is depressing, but
not surprising.
French
crusade against veil
The French
action also represents an affront to the values that the
western countries so dearly cherish and cry hoarse from
every convenient rooftop to propagate them and also use
them to revile and scandalise the Muslims for their
so-called intolerance.
Malik Muhammad Ashraf
The
French National Assembly passed a draft law on July 13
banning wearing of the veil by Muslim women, with all but
one member supporting the bill. This rare show of
unanimity by an otherwise divided house revolved around
the argument that the wearing of the veil was antithetical
to French culture and also oppressive to women --
frivolous grounds to warrant such discriminatory
adventure. As to the wearing of the veil being
antithetical to French culture, one fails to understand
how a micro-minority of nearly 2,000 veil-wearing women
could be a threat to the culture of a vast majority and
refuse to co-exist with it, as is the case in other
western countries? The argument also fails to substantiate
the nature of the perceived challenges that the veil posed
to French culture. As such it hardly provided any
justification for this anti-Muslim campaign. The step in
fact is antithetical to the democratic ideals.
The other premise that the veil is oppressive to women who
wear it is even more ridiculous. The assumption is
ostensibly a hypothesis invented by the legislators who
voted for the legislation. This farcical notion is
strongly falsified by the fact that ever since the
movement against the veil has raised its ugly head, the
Muslim community, particularly women wearing the veil, has
been relentlessly opposing the initiative. The question
is: has anyone conducted a survey or asked the women who
wear the veil whether they feel oppressed by wearing it or
not? The answer is an emphatic 'no'. The effort,
therefore, is a crude manifestation of the majority
coercing a minority. History is a witness to the fact that
cultural integration -- if that was the underlying idea of
this endeavour -- can never be brought about through
coercive laws and measures. Some western societies that
tried this strategy failed miserably and after realising
the futility of their indiscretions embraced
multiculturalism. In the modern era, suppression of other
cultures simply seems repulsive.
Echoes of culture-related frictions between the migrant
communities and the natives of the western countries, and
even the syndrome of hate for the former on the part of
nationalist and other groups preaching purity of race, are
not uncommon. But none of these societies or governments
has ever officially encouraged those outfits to promote
their agendas of hate and discrimination against the
migrants. The French move reflects a mindset of hate and
intolerance towards other cultures and a negation of the
fact that France is a multicultural society. It also tears
apart the myth that European societies have respect for
fundamental human rights, including freedom of choice.
Muslim women who wear the veil in France and for that
matter in any other European country do it by choice in
the best traditions of their own culture. Coercing them to
abandon the veil is outright outrageous and also a
violation of the fundamental rights enshrined in the UN
Human Rights Charter.
The campaigners against the veil and French parliament may
well regard this as a success of their crusade against the
veil and the culmination of the controversy over the
issue. But the fact remains that this will create more
fissures within the French society and may well have
serious repercussion even beyond the French borders.
France has about five million Muslims. To expect that they
will take this onslaught on their culture lying down would
be a naivety of the first order. For them the real fight
has begun now. The issue might haunt its proponents and
the French government for a long time to come. They have,
through this imprudent action, also deprived France of the
amity and strength that the diversity of cultures brings
to a society. This may also trigger unpalatable reaction
throughout the Muslim world and prove to be a diplomatic
disaster for the French government. It can even jeopardise
its economic and political interests in some cases until
and unless the French government retracts its path.
Another danger is that this could also have a ripple
effect in other European societies and encourage
anti-migrant elements to unfurl similar campaigns with all
the accompanying frictions and undesirable consequences.
The French action also represents an affront to the values
that the western countries so dearly cherish and cry
hoarse from every convenient rooftop to propagate them and
also use them to revile and scandalise the Muslims for
their so-called intolerance. Now they have one of their
own showing disdain for those values and exhibiting the
same intolerance they so intensely repudiate and blame the
Muslims for. It will be interesting to see how they view
this trampling of the western values by the French. That
will be a real test for their love for freedom of choice
and human dignity.
The writer is a freelance contributor. Email: ashpak10@gmail.com
Warriors
of the rainbow
If we are to be successful in our fight against
catastrophic climate change then perhaps we all need to
become Rainbow Warriors.
Kumi Naidoo
Twenty-five
years ago, two bombs planted by secret agents working for
the French government sank the Greenpeace ship Rainbow
Warrior in Auckland Harbour, New Zealand, killing Fernando
Pereira, a photographer and father of two.
This was a desperate move by France to stop the activists
onboard from bearing witness to its nuclear testing in the
South Pacific.
I remember hearing about the attack over my father's
transistor radio in our township outside Durban, South
Africa. The apartheid government had recently imposed a
state of emergency and it was not often that international
news made its way to us. What had happened with the
Rainbow Warrior was so outrageous that even we heard about
it.
As a young anti-apartheid activist, I was particularly
taken with two elements of the event.
The first was that a powerful, democratic government could
feel so intimidated by a small group of peaceful men and
women holding up banners on a boat that it would resort to
violence. It was my first exposure to the Quaker-inspired
tradition of bearing witness in order to shine a spotlight
on injustices or crimes that might otherwise go unnoticed.
The second was the idea that there existed people who
would eschew personal gain and dedicate their lives to the
greater good of our planet. Coming from a place where the
struggle was inherently personal, the fact that the
Greenpeace crew was planning to sail out to the middle of
the ocean to oppose nuclear testing, which would not touch
them anymore than it would touch anyone else, was an
epiphany.
Of course, Greenpeace is not alone in its struggle to save
the planet. Nongovernmental organisations and civil
society - trade unions, faith-based organisations, school
groups and others - have been working independently or
together for decades to promote the cause of social
justice and fight the great threats of the day.
A couple of years after the sinking of the first Rainbow
Warrior, Greenpeace volunteers bought a used trawler and
transformed it into a new Rainbow Warrior. Many of the
same crew then continued their struggle against the French
government until it finally gave up its nuclear testing
program in 1996. The saying of the day became: "You can't
sink a Rainbow."
While the threat of nuclear destruction is not over, a
danger barely recognised at the time has taken its place
as the No. 1 threat to our planet. Climate change has now
become the biggest threat to security and peace in the
future. Kofi Annan's Global Forum estimates that in 2008
alone, 300,000 people died of the consequences of climate
change.
Unlike nuclear testing, climate change is difficult to
"bear witness" to because its causes (carbon emissions)
lie in so many different factors and its resolution will
require major, international cooperation of business
leaders, politicians and other decision-makers. This does
not mean civil society can or should stop trying to hold
leaders accountable for changes they are unwilling to
make.
History tells us that whatever injustice we face - whether
it was apartheid in South Africa, civil rights in the
United States, a woman's right to choose - it was only
when determined men and women were willing to stand up and
say, "Enough is enough, I am prepared to peacefully break
the law and even go to prison to get our message across,"
that change finally happened.
When all other attempts at discussion or negotiation have
faltered, these organisations must have the option of
turning to civil disobedience and nonviolent direct
action.
Since September 11, 2001, we have witnessed a dramatic
shrinking of democratic space, with civil rights being
curtailed beyond measure. In the past 9 years, 65
countries have passed laws cutting the rights of NGOs and
dictating what they can and can't do.
Speaking last week at an international conference on the
promotion of democracy and human rights, US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton put it well when she said,
"Democracies don't fear their own people. They recognise
that citizens must be free to come together, to advocate
and agitate."
At Greenpeace we find that even the peaceful act of
hanging banners now often comes with greater consequences.
After last December's failed UN climate talks, four of our
activists were detained for 22 days after holding up a
banner at a head of state dinner reading, "Politicians
Talk, Leaders Act."
Much has changed in the quarter century since the first
Rainbow Warrior was bombed. Fortunately, the two elements
that so impressed me at the time, are just as valid today
as they were back then: the power of people to change the
will of governments, and the dedication of those committed
to saving the planet for future generations.
According to all those who knew him, Periera did not
consider dying for his cause. Nor do the great majority of
those who speak out against injustice today. All they ask
is a space in which to be heard, a place to speak truth to
power, when those who have the capacity to make the
changes necessary to save our planet seem unwilling to do
so.
Greenpeace was founded on a prophecy from Canada's First
Nation peoples which reads: "There will come a time when
the Earth grows sick and when it does a tribe will gather
from all the cultures of the world who believe in deeds
and not words. They will work to heal it…they will be
known as the 'Warriors of the Rainbow."' If we are to be
successful in our fight against catastrophic climate
change then perhaps we all need to become Rainbow
Warriors.
Kumi Naidoo is the Executive Director of Greenpeace
International
International
Nepal parliament
makes fresh attempt to elect leader
AFP, Kathmandu
Nepal's parliament will again attempt to elect a new prime
minister on Friday amid concern that political deadlock in
the formerly war-hit country could cause fresh
instability.
After several missed deadlines and an inconclusive
parliamentary session on Wednesday, lawmakers will try to
elect either Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal or centrist
Nepali Congress chief Ram Chandra Poudel to the post.
The Maoists, who fought a 10-year battle against the state
before entering politics and winning elections in 2008,
say that as the largest single party in parliament they
should lead the government.
They have put forward Dahal, better known by his nom de
guerre Prachanda or "the fierce one." He served as prime
minister after the 2008 vote but quit in May 2009 over a
row with army.
"We are hopeful of a positive result," Maoist vice
chairman Narayan Kaji Shrestha said despite Prachanda's
failure to secure enough support on Wednesday. "All the
political parties have responded positively to our
chairman's request to support him in the PM's election."
One of the early candidates, Jhala Nath Khanal from the
Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (UML),
has now dropped out.
"Nepal desperately needs a functioning government right
now," Prashant Jha, a political commentator and columnist,
told AFP. "There are millions of things to tackle from
economic growth to peace process and law and order
situation.
"In recent days, what we have seen is a steep increase in
public cynicism and apathy towards politics, which is a
dangerous sign for a fledgling democracy like Nepal."
Nepal's parliament, or Constituent Assembly, was elected
in 2008 with a two-year mandate to complete the country's
post-war peace process and draft a new national
constitution. But it has failed to complete either task,
hampered by fierce disagreements between the Maoists and
their rivals.
The United States voiced hope Thursday that the country
would quickly form a government to get to work on pressing
concerns including the drafting of the new constitution.
"We urge Nepal's political leaders to reach agreement on a
government that will move forward quickly on the issues
that are essential for Nepal's stability and economic
development," US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley
said in Washington.
The parliamentary session was scheduled to start at 0100
pm (0730 GMT) Friday, but it was delayed.
Police, protesters clash in Indian
Kashmir
AFP, Srinagar, India
Security forces fired teargas at stone-throwing protesters
in Indian Kashmir as fresh protests against Indian rule
broke out Friday, police and witnesses said.
A major clash took place in the northern town of Kupwara,
where hundreds of residents took to the streets in
defiance of a strict curfew, prompting volleys of teargas
shells and baton charges from police.
There were also sporadic clashes in Kashmir's main city
Srinagar, and the northern towns of Palhalan and Baramulla.
Earlier, security forces had sealed off neighbourhoods in
Srinagar with barbed wire.
"There is no curfew but strict restrictions are in force
in some sensitive parts of Srinagar," police officer
Pervez Ahmed said.
Muslim separatists had urged Kashmiris to march to a holy
shrine for a protest rally, but the site was sealed off by
police.
The Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley has been in turmoil
since a 17-year-old student was killed on June 11 by a
police tear-gas shell.
Since then, security forces have been accused of killing
16 more civilians-mostly teenagers-as they struggled to
contain growing anti-India protests. The region has been
under curfew for most of the past six weeks, with a
separatist-called strike adding to the disruption of
normal life.
A two-decade insurgency by militants who oppose New
Delhi's rule in Indian Kashmir has claimed more than
47,000 lives, according to an official count. Human rights
groups say the toll is twice as high.
US, India sign counter-terror pact
AFP, New Delhi
India and the United States signed an anti-terrorism pact
on Friday, a day after Pentagon's top military officer
warned extremists could try and stage fresh attacks on the
South Asian country.
The India-US Counter Terrorism Cooperation Initiative aims
to boost security ties between the two countries,
including closer liaison between their commando and
special forces, an Indian government statement said. The
agreement came a day after top US diplomatic and military
officials warned of fresh attempts by militant groups to
push nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan into a
military conflict.
The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike
Mullen, said he feared extremists would attempt another
operation similar to the 2008 Mumbai attacks to goad India
into armed retaliation against its neighbour. India said
the pact also aims to increase "exchanges between coast
guards and the navy on maritime security" and establish
procedures to undertake joint investigations. Signed in
the form of a memorandum of understanding the accord will
enhance cooperation in tracking money laundering and the
financing of terrorism, the home ministry statement said.
India says the Mumbai assault which left 166 people dead
was carried out by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba
militant group and abetted by "official agencies" in
Pakistan. US officials said they have pressed Pakistan to
prosecute LeT extremists but have so far made little
headway.
Mullen, on a two-day visit to India, said Thursday the
rampage showed how a small group of extremists could have
a "strategic impact" and push the countries towards a
possible conflict. He added that he wanted to reaffirm a
flourishing relationship with India's military, with US
and Indian armed forces staging increasingly elaborate
joint exercises over the past eight years.
Hillary accuses N.Korea of ‘campaign’
of provocation
AFP, Hanoi
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday accused
North Korea of a "campaign" of provocation as an
Asia-Pacific security forum descended into recriminations
over tensions on the Korean peninsula.
A North Korean spokesman reacted by warning of a "physical
response" to new US sanctions and massive US-South Korean
naval exercises due to begin Sunday in the Sea of Japan,
accusing Washington of "gunboat diplomacy".
The United States and South Korea are seeking a strong
statement from regional governments at the ASEAN Regional
Forum (ARF) condemning North Korea over the sinking of a
South Korean warship in March, diplomats said.
"Here in Asia, an isolated and belligerent North Korea has
embarked on a campaign of provocative, dangerous behaviour,"
Clinton said in prepared remarks to foreign ministers
gathered at the region's biggest security dialogue.
"Peaceful resolution of the issues on the Korean peninsula
will be possible only if North Korea fundamentally changes
its behaviour."
Clinton held bilateral talks with Chinese Foreign Minister
Yang Jiechi after the forum discussions and was expected
to ask China to do more to rein in its communist ally, US
officials said.
The other four countries involved in stalled six-party
talks on North Korea's nuclear programme-Japan, Russia and
the two Koreas-are also represented at the 27-member ARF.
During a trip to South Korea on Wednesday, Clinton and
Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced new US sanctions
against Pyongyang and naval drills with South Korea as a
"deterrence" to the North's "aggression".
Tensions have escalated since the March sinking of the
South Korean warship, the Cheonan, near the disputed
border in the Yellow Sea with the loss of 46 lives.
Gates said there were indications the North would engage
in provocations as ailing leader Kim Jong-Il, 68,
reportedly prepares to name his youngest son as successor.
Pyongyang denies sinking the warship and has warned of war
if it is punished, citing a UN Security Council statement
on July 9 that condemned the incident but did not identify
a culprit.
"There will be physical response against the steps imposed
by the United States, militarily. It is no longer the 19th
century ... gunboat diplomacy," North Korean delegation
spokesman Ri Tong Il told reporters in Hanoi.
The naval drills-involving a US aircraft carrier,
destroyers, fighter aircraft and thousands of troops-were
a "grave threat to the Korean peninsula, and also the
region of Asia as a whole", he added.
Thailand to roll back emergency rule
'gradually': PM
AFP, Bangkok
Thailand's prime minister said Friday a state of emergency
in force across about one-fifth of the country would be
lifted "gradually," following fresh calls for the strict
laws to be rolled back.
"The government will proceed with gradually lifting (the
decree) but not all at once," Prime Minister Abhisit
Vejjajiva told reporters, a day after a reform committee
he himself set up recommended ending emergency rule.
He said his government believed there was still a threat
of unrest involving the anti-government Red Shirt
movement, which was behind two months of violent protests
in Bangkok that ended in a deadly army crackdown in May.
"Under the state of emergency it would be difficult for
protesters to move about as the authorities can arrest
them easily," he said.
On Tuesday the government revoked the decree in three
provinces but maintained the strict laws in 16 others, out
of a total of 76, after calls by the United States and
rights groups for an end to emergency rule.
The authorities have used the powers-introduced in Bangkok
on April 7 -- to arrest hundreds of Red Shirt suspects and
silence anti-government media.
Two months of mass rallies in Bangkok by the Reds, who
were seeking immediate elections, sparked outbreaks of
violence that left 90 people dead and nearly 1,900
injured, mostly civilians.
China, India should open wallets for
AIDS war: Global Fund
AFP, Vienna
China, India and other fast-growing economies should start
to contribute to the world's war chest to fight AIDS, the
head of the Global Fund said on Friday as the 18th world
AIDS conference wound down.
Speaking amid deepening concern about donations from
western countries, Michel Kazatchkine said a looming
funding gap could be bridged by innovative financing but
also-for the first time-help from emerging giants. Until
now, these countries have been recipients of AIDS funds,
not donors. But, Kazatchkine argued, the time was ripe for
them to make at least a first step towards providing
financial help.
"I believe that in a globalising world, in a world where
countries like China are joining, and want to join, world
governance, at a time when the G8 is becoming the G20, it
is right for these countries to take up a share of the
burden," he told AFP in an interview. Kazatchkine,
executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB
and Malaria, said he had already flown to Beijing to press
his case. "The Chinese told me they would think about it,"
he said. A trip to Delhi is scheduled for next month, he
added. Kazatchkine has also been lobbying the
petrodollar-flush economies of the Gulf.
Philippine typhoon death toll rises
to 111
AFP, Manila
The death toll from a typhoon that struck the Philippines
last week has risen to 111, but a miracle rescue offered
hope that dozens of other people still missing may
survive, the government said Friday.
The number of dead jumped from 79 after 32 bodies, mainly
those of fishermen, were found in recent days, said Benito
Ramos, administrator for the Office of Civil Defence.
Ramos said rescue workers were continuing to search for 45
other people still missing after Typhoon Conson slammed
into the country on July 13. "We are not losing hope that
some of them could still be alive. They may be adrift at
sea," he told reporters.
He cited the dramatic rescue on Monday of three fishermen
who survived on seaweed and raw fish while their damaged
boat drifted at sea for six days.
"The (army), coast guard, and others are still there
conducting search operations. They were inspired by the
story of the three, of their will to survive," Ramos said.
"The troops will not go home until they recover the
missing, whether they are already dead or still alive."
The three survivors were rescued by fellow fishermen, and
are now recovering in relatively good conditions at a
local clinic, Ramos said.
Conson directly hit Manila and other parts of the main
island of Luzon with a ferocity that caught weather
forecasters by surprise.
It left Manila and much of Luzon without electricity for
two days.
Bomb
blasts devastate Kampala night life
AFP, Kampala
Bomb blasts that killed 76 people in Kampala this month
have left the city's bustling nightlife in tatters, with
paltry crowds and dwindling drink orders curtailing
business prospects.
Suicide bombers detonated deadly explosives in the midst
of revellers watching the World Cup final on the night of
July 11 in two separate entertainment venues in the
Ugandan capital. Scores of people were also left injured.
"People thought it was a bomb that killed people. But it's
a bomb that killed also business," said Paul Kato, who
organises bands and DJs in several venues in the city's
Kabalagala district.
Kampala is known for its lively nightlife. Kabalagala,
where a suspected suicide bomber killed 15 patrons in an
Ethiopian restaurant, has the highest concentration of
bars and clubs. Locals and expatriates frequent Kabalagala
in the south of the city, where bouncers usually have a
relaxed policy towards commercial sex workers. "On
Fridays, by midnight, people would be full all over here,"
Kato told AFP, gesturing around the patio of Cafe Cheri,
situated some 200 meters (220 yards) from the Ethiopian
Village restaurant.
"We would make so much money. Even if you didn't work
these other days, as long as you make Friday or Saturday
you were OK," he said.
The first weekend after the attacks claimed by Somalia's
Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab militants saw the fewest customers
in the district in several years, Kato said. "People are
scared. It is just terrible," he said. While several
businesses on the strip made similar complaints, Kaleb
Tibebe, who manages another Ethiopian restaurant, has to
bear up with the knock-on effect. "During the time the
incident happened, most people were calling us thinking it
was our place (that was attacked)," said Tibebe.
"And even up to now everyone that passes keeps looking in
to the compound. They still think it happened here."
Tibebe said he has drastically cut back on food orders in
anticipation of a protracted lull, but believes customers
will return once they get over the shock.
He has since invested more in security, hiring a private
company to screen everyone who enters the restaurant's
compound, but even with the enhanced security, people are
still wary.
President Yoweri Museveni has vowed to go after the Shebab
who said the attacks were in retaliation for Uganda's
deployment of the bulk of troops for the African Union
peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
Medvedev urges joint
nuclear, space projects with Italy
AFP, Milan
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday urged joint
nuclear and space projects with Italy as part of his
mission to recruit top talent for a Russian Silicon Valley
outside Moscow.
Speaking after talks with Italian Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi in the northern business hub of Milan, Medvedev
invited Italian firms to help Russia develop projects in
the space, nuclear, telecoms and pharmaceutical
industries.
"Practically each of these areas is open for our friends,"
he told a joint news conference with the Italian leader.
"It is important that large European countries take part
in creating the foundations of Russia's high-tech
economy."
As part of efforts to broaden Russia's industrial base,
currently centred on oil and gas, one of Medvedev's pet
projects is the creation of a Russian version of Silicon
Valley. The government has earmarked 5.5 billion dollars
(4.3 billion euros) for the complex, to be sited outside
Moscow.
Medvedev earlier this month urged foreign diplomats to
help Russian businesses forge economic alliances with the
West, notably Italy, Germany and the United States.
Berlusconi for his part hailed growing bilateral
cooperation but said Russia should bring its infamous
bureaucracy under control if it wanted to see more Italian
investment.
"One of the obstacles is bureaucratic pressure,"
Berlusconi said, while recognising Moscow's will to tackle
the problem.
Afterward, the Italian premier, a personal friend of
Medvedev's predecessor Vladimir Putin, said he would
accompany Medvedev on a stroll in Milan's main cathedral
square and take him to his villa in nearby Arcore.
The Italian leader also said he hoped they could pop into
"some Milanese bar to have an aperitif" and visit the
Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie to see Leonardo da
Vinci's masterpiece "The Last Supper".
Medvedev said that although he has been travelling to
Italy for the past 20 years it was his first visit to
Milan.
Later in the day the Russian president may head to Italy's
Cervinia resort near the border with Switzerland for a
weekend of skiing before returning to Moscow on Sunday,
several Kremlin officials said.
"Everything will depend on the weather," one spokesman
told AFP. The forecast is for stormy weather in Cervinia
on Friday, followed by weekend sunshine.
Kosovo verdict no secession
precedent: analysts
AFP, The Hague
Separatist groups, emboldened by the top UN court backing
Kosovo's 2008 split from Serbia, will soon realise that
the verdict paves no legal path which they can follow,
analysts said Friday.
The International Court of Justice's non-binding opinion
was deliberately limited to the specific facts of the
Kosovo case, and conferred no right on minorities to
declare their own independence, they said. "For minority
groups considering to secede, the opinion is something
that seems useful at first sight. But legally speaking it
does not help them at all," said Willem van Genugten,
legal analyst at the Netherlands' University of Tilburg.
"The advisory opinion is restricted to Kosovo in more or
less every paragraph, and the court avoids whatever
implication for other minority groups." On Thursday, ICJ
judges decided by 10 votes to four that "the declaration
of independence of Kosovo adopted on 17 February 2008 did
not violate international law."
Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said after the
verdict: "From now on there are going to be people in the
world tempted to write declarations of independence that
are obviously, according to the court, in their narrow
sense OK with international law". But others disagree with
that view. While finding that international law did not
prohibit declarations of independence, the court also did
not say it was legal to do so.
"The court found an elegant way out by not creating a
precedent," said Jean D'Aspremont, international law
analyst at the University of Amsterdam. "In a legal sense,
the advisory opinion doesn't help minority groups because
there is no entitlement to be found." Marko Prelec, a
senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the
court's finding would create much political interest, "but
legally, I don't think it changes very much."
Lebanon on edge after Hezbollah
revelation on Hariri probe
AFP, Beirut
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah's disclosure that his
party is likely to be implicated in the assassination of
ex-premier Rafiq Hariri could send the country sliding
back to chaos, analysts warn.
"This new situation is very alarming," said Paul Salem,
head of the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Centre.
"Hezbollah is in a very worrisome position and the
tribunal is just one symptom of this position," Salem told
AFP in reference to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL),
a UN-backed court tasked with finding and trying Hariri's
killers. "If there is movement towards peace in the
region, then Hezbollah has a problem," he added. "If
there's movement toward war, Hezbollah has a problem. And
now if the tribunal moves forward, they will also have a
problem."
Oussama Safa, who heads the Lebanese Centre for Policy
Studies, estimates Lebanon has a "50-50 chance" of
descending into yet another round of violence in the light
of Nasrallah's surprise announcement late on Thursday. In
a rare press conference, the Shiite leader said Prime
Minister Saad Hariri, son of the slain ex-premier, had
informed him months ago that Hezbollah members would be
accused by the STL. He said Hariri had also assured him
that he would publicly avow that it was "undisciplined"
Hezbollah members, and not the party itself, who were
implicated.
"The country could go towards a confrontation and it could
also go towards a way to contain this -- certainly not by
stopping the indictment," Safa told AFP. "But I think all
parties have an interest in containing this."
Politicians and judges, including STL president Antonio
Cassese, have said they expect an indictment by the end of
the year, sparking fears of a repeat of the violence in
May 2008 that brought Lebanon close to a new civil war.
More than 100 people were killed that month when Hezbollah
staged a spectacular takeover of mainly Sunni west Beirut
following a crackdown on the party.
Opposition boycotts Burundi
parliament election
AFP, Bujumbura
Burundi on Friday held a parliamentary poll, the latest
instalment in a chaotic electoral marathon which has been
boycotted by the opposition and heightened tensions.
Certain victory for President Pierre Nkurunziza's ruling
party and the fear of violence threatened turnout however.
Police patrols have been intensified in Bujumbura and the
main beach on Lake Tanganyika was closed to the public.
"After the attacks in Uganda, security measures have been
reinforced across the country," army spokesman Gaspard
Baratuza told AFP. "For the moment, no disruption was
reported. Voters are going to polling stations quietly.
The system is generally the same as for the previous
votes." Polls close at 1600 GMT. Somalia's
Al-Qaeda-inspired Shebab group claimed responsibility for
July 11 suicide blasts that ripped through crowds watching
the World Cup final in the Ugandan capital, killing 76
people. The Shebab said the bombings were in retaliation
for Uganda's role in the African Union force in Somalia
and warned Burundi, which also has troops in Somalia, it
could be the next target. Despite the security fears,
nothing seems likely to stop the president's party winning
the new election.In May, official local election results
gave Nkurunziza's ruling CNDD-FDD party a comfortable
edge, prompting the opposition to cry foul, alleging
rigging by the regime and bias by the electoral
commission.
Thousands delayed by security alert
at London airport
AFP, London
Thousands of travellers were delayed at the start of
Britain's summer holidays Friday after police held a man
for trying to take an illegal substance onto a plane which
turned out to be cleaning fluid.
Police said the arrest at London's Luton Airport was not
thought to be related to terrorism, but it forced the
closure of airport check-in desks for several hours just
after the end of the school term.
"An unknown substance has been spilled in the baggage area
of the airport and as a precaution, the area has been
evacuated whilst investigations take place," a spokesman
for Luton Airport told AFP. "It was subsequently
identified as cleaning fluid by Bedfordshire Fire and
Rescue Service." Sixteen flights had been due to leave
during the period affected by the check-in closure but
there would also be a "knock-on effect" on flights for the
rest of the day, he said later-potentially affecting
thousands of people.
Escaped Iraq detainees are Qaeda
suspects: police
AFP, Baghdad
Four prisoners who escaped from a jail on the outskirts of
Baghdad are suspected Al-Qaeda members, two of them
believed to be leaders of the group's Iraq front
organisation, a police source said on Friday.
The four who escaped from the Cropper detention facility
were the Islamic State of Iraq's self-styled minister of
justice and minister of finance, along with a "judge" and
another Al-Qaeda member, the source said. Justice Minister
Dara Nurredin Dara said on Thursday that the four had
escaped from the facility two days before.
The police source said that all four were arrested by
American forces in the main northern Iraqi city of Mosul
in 2008.
"They are accused under anti-terrorism laws," Dara said,
adding: "An investigation is being carried out in order to
find out what mistakes were made and who helped them."
Dara told AFP that the warden of the Cropper detention
facility had also gone missing but declined to say whether
he had been involved in the escape.
The United States is working with the Iraqi justice
ministry to investigate the escapes, the US deputy
commanding general for operations in Iraq, Lieutenant
General Robert Cone, told journalists on Friday.
"We are working with the Iraqi ministry of justice to do
an investigation to determine how this exactly could have
happened," Cone said, adding that the incident "certainly
is disturbing."
Kirkuk police chief badly wounded by
Iraq car bomb
AFP, Kirkuk
A car bomb in Iraq's ethnically divided northern oil hub
of Kirkuk seriously wounded its police chief and killed
his son on Friday, a police officer said.
The blast, which struck at around 1:45 pm (1045 GMT) in
the city, 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Baghdad,
also wounded another policeman and eight passersby.
"Kirkuk police chief Borhan Habib Tayeb was seriously
wounded and his son, Lieutenant Wissam Borhan Habib, was
killed ... by a car bomb targeting their convoy in the
south of the city," police Colonel Ghazi Mohammed Saleh
said. Kirkuk has a mixed population of Arabs, Kurds and
Turkmen. Longstanding Kurdish demands for the city to be
incorporated into their autonomous region have fanned
ethnic tensions.
US and Iraqi officials have warned of the dangers of an
upsurge in violence as negotiations on forming a new
governing coalition have dragged on, giving insurgent
groups an opportunity to further destabilise the country.
More than four months after a March 7 general election
which gave no single bloc an overall parliamentary
majority, the two lists which won most seats are still
bickering over who should be the next prime minister.
Business/Economy
World
trade to grow 10 pc in 2010: WTO
AFP, Geneva
The World Trade Organization raised on Friday its forecast
for growth of global commerce to 10 percent this year,
with its director general saying that even this might yet
"turn out to be too low."
WTO chief Pascal Lamy said: "Our forecast for world trade
this year is plus 10 percent in volume after the minus 12
(percent) we registered in '09."
Lamy was speaking to reporters, at the launch of the trade
body's annual report on the sidelines of the Shanghai
World Expo.
In a separate speech at Shanghai's Institute of Foreign
Trade, the WTO's director general said that after last
year's dramatic slump, "trade growth is coming back fast,
thanks in no small measure to the continuing dynamism of
China and the others."
"Unless there are unanticipated negative economic impacts
in the second half of 2010, this estimate (of 10 percent)
may even turn out to be too low," he added.
The WTO's latest forecast marks a rise from the 9.5
percent issued in March. The secretariat had warned then
that the figure could prove too optimistic as markets were
at that point unsettled by Europe's sovereign debt crisis.
In the trade body's annual trade report, the WTO focused
on the issue of trade in natural resources.
It called for greater global cooperation on such trade,
warning that a failure to work together could spark new
tensions. "I believe not only that there is room for
mutually beneficial negotiating trade-offs that encompass
natural resources trade, but also that a failure to
address these issues could be a recipe for growing tension
in international trade relations," said Lamy in the
report.
The value of world trade in natural resources-including
fisheries, fuels, forestry products and mining-reached 3.7
trillion dollars in 2008, close to a quarter of world
merchandise trade.
Trade in such products had surged more than six fold
between 1998 and 2008 mainly due to sharp rises in fuel
prices, noted the WTO.
Russia topped the list of leading natural resource
exporters, with a share of 9.1 percent in 2008. Saudi
Arabia was the next biggest exporters, with a share of 7.6
percent. The United States meanwhile is the biggest
importer, buying some 15.2 percent of natural resources
traded in 2008.
Japan was the next biggest importer with 9.1 percent and
China a close third with 8.6 percent.
But as natural resources are finite or requires time for
natural replenishment, resource-rich countries typically
restrict their export volumes through export taxes or
quotas, said the WTO.
Such measures help to improve conservation of resources
and can help push countries to diversify their exports
away from the natural resource sectors. However, the WTO
warned that such trade barriers can be problematic. They
can lead to retaliation or rising world prices. Rather,
Lamy pushed for "well designed trade rules" to address
environmental protection and management of natural
resources.
"We would greatly enhance our chances of positive action
in this area if we were to come to a prompt closure of the
Doha Round," he said, referring to the long-stalled trade
talks for a global free trade deal.
Launched in 2001 in the Qatari capital, the talks have
foundered as developed countries and developing ones fail
to agree on lowering tariffs and subsidies. While not
specifically targetting natural resources trade, the Doha
package includes pertinent issues like fisheries
subsidies.
India
develops $35 ‘laptop’ for schools
AFP, New Delhi
India has come up with a 35-dollar touch-screen "laptop"-a
computing prototype that it aims to make available to
students from elementary schools to universities.
The gadget, developed by the elite Indian Institute of
Technology and the Indian Institute of Science, is part of
a push to give students a better education and technical
skills needed to boost India's economic growth.
The first users are expected to be university students
with introduction of the Linux-based computing device
targeted for next year.
The ministry is going to install broadband Internet at all
of its 22,000 colleges so students can use the 1,500-rupee
(35-dollar) device, government spokeswoman Mamta Verma
told AFP on Friday in New Delhi.
The tablet gadget, which can be run on solar power, is
equipped with an Internet browser, video-conferencing
capability and a media player, among other facilities.
"This is part of the national initiative to take forward
inclusive education," Human Resource Development Minister
Kapil Sibal told reporters on Thursday. "The solutions for
tomorrow will emerge from India," he said.
Sibal said the cost of the motherboard, chip, processing
and other components cost a total of around 35 dollars but
the government may subsidise 50 percent of the price for
students. Sibal said the government, which hopes the cost
of the device can eventually fall to 10 dollars, is in
discussions with global manufacturers to start mass
production of the device.
India, whose 63 percent literacy rate lags far behind many
other developing nations, such as China with 94 percent,
is making efforts to improve its troubled education
system, which lacks investment in schools and teachers.
Sri Lanka on
track for record tea crop
AFP, Colombo
Sri Lanka, one of the world's biggest black tea exporters,
produced nearly 30 percent more tea in the first half of
the year and is on track for a record crop, an official
said Friday.
Tea is Sri Lanka's biggest cash crop and is sold in
overseas markets as "Pure Ceylon Tea". The industry
suffered a setback last year due to a drought and fall-out
from the global commodities crash of 2008.
But this year tea output for the six months to June rose
27.8 percent compared to the same period last year to
166.9 million kilos (367.18 million pounds), the Sri Lanka
Tea Board said. Favourable weather, better fertilizer use
and an absence of labour unrest all helped, said the
board's director general, H.D. Hemaratne.
Strong demand from key buyers in Russia and the Middle
East helped Sri Lankan tea exports earn 399 million
dollars for the four months to April, compared to 300
million dollars earned in the same period in 2008.
Tea production in June 2010 alone was up 18 percent at
29.5 million kilos (64.9 million pounds) compared to the
same month a year earlier, board figures showed.
"If things continue, our total crop is on track to exceed
320 million kilos (704 million pounds) this year,"
Hemaratne told AFP.
In 2009, total output fell nine percent to 289.7 million
kilos (637.34 million pounds), after hitting a record
318.6 million (700.92 million pounds) in 2008.
Colombo, which stages the world's largest weekly tea
auction, has seen prices rise to an average of 3.37
dollars a kilo due to supply shortages in neighbouring
India, brokers said. India's tea exports rose by 20
percent in the first five months of the year to 71.2
million kilos but overseas sales may slow due to heavy
rains hurting output in the main tea-growing area, Assam,
Indian tea industry officials say.
Taiwan eyes closer Japan trade ties after China
pact
AFP, Taipei
Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou said Friday he hoped to
boost economic ties with Japan, following the recent
signing of a major trade pact with China.
"We hope to cooperate with Japan in the areas of trade and
economy to further boost our ties after the signing of
ECFA," a statement from Ma's office quoted him as saying
while meeting a delegation of Japanese politicians.
He was referring to the Economic Cooperation Framework
Agreement, the most sweeping ever between Taiwan and the
mainland, which marked the culmination of Ma's
Beijing-friendly policy.
Ma had also said Taiwan was eyeing a free trade agreement
with Japan, its second largest trading partner after
China.
Taiwan's minister without portfolio, Yiin Chii-ming, is
due to leave for Japan on Sunday to kick off a government
initiative to attract more overseas investment.
Yiin told reporters that he was scheduled to meet
executives from leading Japanese corporations such as
Sony, Mitsubishi and Hitachi in the hope that Taiwan and
Japan can "jointly explore the mainland market."
Japan, like most countries, officially recognises Beijing
instead of Taipei, but Taiwan maintains friendly relations
with Japan.
Taiwan has assured Japan it has nothing to fear over the
island's warming ties with China, which it split from in
1949 after a civil war.
The Japanese chamber of commerce in Taipei has called for
a free trade agreement with the island and supported
Taiwan's trade pact with China, saying it could benefit
Japanese businesses on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Singapore dollar to strengthen amid expanding
economy: IMF
AFP, Washington
The Singapore dollar is expected to strengthen as the
island's economy rapidly expands, the IMF said Friday.
Singapore, unlike many other economies, uses the exchange
rate rather than interest rates to conduct monetary
policy.
In a report after annual consultations with the Singapore
authorities, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said
the Singapore dollar "would likely strengthen in real
effective terms over time as reforms promote faster
productivity growth and the domestic economy continues to
expand."
The Singapore dollar "appears to be somewhat weaker than
its medium-term equilibrium level although considerable
uncertainty clouds this assessment," said the report by
the fund's board. In a surprise move in April, Singapore
unexpectedly revalued its currency and said it would seek
further strength to contain inflation.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the de facto
central bank of the city state, revalued upward its
targeted trading band for the currency and said it would
now allow a "modest and gradual appreciation" of its
currency, shifting from "zero appreciation." Analysts
described the MAS policy move as "aggressive" but the
central bank said it was necessary to curb inflationary
pressures.
Singapore's monetary policy is conducted via the local
currency, which is traded against a basket of currencies
of its major trading partners within an undisclosed band
known as the nominal effective exchange rate. The IMF
report forecast the Singapore economy would expand a rapid
9.9 percent in 2010 before slowing down to 4.9 percent
next year. The government last week upgraded its 2010
growth forecast to a blistering 13 to 15 percent, setting
the stage for Singapore to become the world's
fastest-growing economy this year.
The new estimate, up sharply from an earlier prediction of
7.0 to 9.0 percent, outstrips forecasts of around 10
percent growth in regional powerhouse China and comes
despite lingering worries over the US and European
economies.
The IMF said Singapore's exchange rate regime "remains
appropriate" and that the exchange-rate centered monetary
framework was an important source of stability in
challenging times.
Seven banks fail EU banking stress tests
AFP, London
Seven European banks failed the EU's stress tests for
resistance to future financial crises, the CEBS banking
authority said on Friday. The authority said national
authorities were already talking to the failed banks to
determine how they are going to shore up their finances.
According to CEBS calculations of the effect of financial
difficulties on lenders' capital strength, "seven banks
would see their Tier 1 capital ratios fall below six
percent," the body's key measure, it said in a statement.
"The competent national authorities are in close contact
with these banks to assess the results of the test and
their implications, in particular in terms of need for
recapitalisation," it added.
In all, 91 banks accounting for 65 percent of European
banking activity were tested by the Committee of European
Banking Supervisors.
Hypo Real Estate in Germany, five regional lenders in
Spain and a bank in Greece were deemed to need increased
capital. All four Portuguese banks passed the test.
European governments are expected to move fast to announce
support for the banks which have failed the tests and can
now expect to face redoubled problems in raising funds
normally from financial markets.
Governments could do this either directly or through
national bank recapitalisation.
Some banks are already being helped by exceptional
measures by the European Central Bank, including the
purchase of some government bonds.
The tests were intended to remove clouds of suspicion and
uncertainty about the true state of many banks in Europe,
and therefore the risk of a lack of confidence causing a
domino effect.
It is the first time that such an insight into the secret
entrails of leading banks, individually and collectively,
has even been published in Europe.
But the key findings are only half the story. Analysts and
investors in financial markets are highly suspicious of
the rigour of the criteria used for these crash-tests of
the ability of banks to withstand a shock.
Prior to the release of the results, analysts said the key
question on the minds of investors would be: were the
tests tough enough to convince skeptics that the banks in
question are really sound?
The broad principles of the criteria are known. But if
markets judge the details of the tests to have been too
weak, they have warned that the result could be to
undermine or even negate the objective of the examination
which is to remove uncertainty.
If the criteria pass the market test, then doubts about
the solvency of the European banking sector will be
dispelled. Banks will step up lending among themselves
and, more importantly, to businesses and the economy at
large. "If the stress tests are seen as weak then they
would lose their credibility and if they are too harsh
then the currency markets could be spooked, making a
fragile situation even worse," noted analyst Viv Jemmett
at Bell Pottinger.
South-East Europe faces contagion risk of Greek
debt crisis
Xinhua, Athens
The threat of eventual contagion of the Greek debt crisis
to South-East Europe is raised in the annual World
Investment Report of the United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released on Thursday.
The rapid expansion of Greek commercial banks in the
region for the past decade has increased the risk of a
domino effect since Greece was hit by a severe debt crisis
this year, according to the report which was presented in
Athens during a press conference co- organized by UNCTAD
and the American College of Greece, DEREE.
In 2008 Greek commercial banks' exposure in South-East
Europe stood at about 70 billion U.S. dollars, close to 22
percent of Greek GDP. Greek banks had carved out a solid
market share of up to 20 percent in the region. The recent
downgrading of the troubled Greek banks'ratings due to the
crisis, highlights the potential risk of a possible
contagion to South-East Europe, noted UNCTAD.
Furthermore, in regards to Greece, Foreign Direct
Investment (FDI) flow inward dropped by 25 percent to
3,355 million U.S. dollars in 2009 from 4,499 million U.S.
dollars in 2008, according to the latest data included in
the report. FDI flow outward was slashed by 58 percent
from 2,418 million U.S. dollars in 2008 to 1, 838 million
U.S. dollars in 2009. Despite negative figures and trends
for the past years, Greek experts expressed reserved
optimism on the future flow of foreign direct investments
to debt-ridden Greece and the overall prospects of Greek
national economy.
"I am very confident for the short-future due to the
comparative advantages of Greek economy," said Christos
Pitelis, president of the Greek Organization for Small and
Medium Enterprises and Handicrafts and professor at the
Universities of Athens and Cambridge.
General Director of the Greek Foundation for Economic and
Industrial Research, professor Giannis Stournaras noted
that the activation of the European Union- International
Monetary Fund safety net for Greece in May has boosted
possibilities of stability and development.
Deflation main
threat to Japan economy
AFP, Tokyo
Stubborn deflation and low demand from an ageing
population prone to tight-fistedness spell a difficult
future for Japan's economy, the government warned in an
annual report Friday.
Falling prices have been at the core of the lacklustre
performance of the world's number two economy over the
past two decades, said the Cabinet Office in its Annual
Report on the Japanese Economy and Public Finances.
Japan has been hit by repeated bouts of deflation since an
asset price collapse in the early 1990s that ended the
country's economic boom, later compounded by the 2008-2009
global financial crisis.
The report said Japan was now alone among leading
industrialised economies in suffering from notable
deflation, which slows the economy as consumers put off
purchases in anticipation of future price falls.
While Japan's economy has gradually been recovering from a
bruising recession since last spring thanks to improved
exports and government stimulus, the rebound is still
hampered by deflation, the report said.
The Cabinet Office economic "white paper" traces the roots
of Japan's deflation to "the negative legacies of the
bubble economy", such as bad loans and excessive debt,
which dried up funds flows and slowed growth. Japan's
heavy reliance on growth through exports has also
aggravated deflation as companies facing tough competition
have increasingly had to move production overseas, where
labour and other costs are lower, the report said.
Top Indian economic panel urges stern action on
inflation
AFP, New Delhi
An influential Indian econ-omic advisory panel pushed
Friday for the central bank to act decisively against
dou-ble-digit inflation, insisting the economy could grow
strongly even with rate hikes.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Economic Advisory Council
warned that India's inflation rate of more than 10 percent
was twice "the comfort level" and could hurt economic
growth in the medium-term.
"Further tightening is required," council chairman C.
Rangarajan said, days before a meeting Tuesday in Mumbai
of India's central bankers who are widely expected to
raise leading short-term interest rates.
Even if the Reserve Bank of India does not take aggressive
monetary action against inflation at its policy meeting
Tuesday, it can opt for a series of "baby steps,"
Rangarajan said.
His comments came as he gave the council's economic
outlook for the current fiscal year to March 2011. The
Congress government has expressed concern that too rapid
monetary tightening could derail the rebounding Indian
economy.
But Rangarajan insisted that Asia's third-largest economy
can expand by 8.5 percent this year and nine percent next
year even with rate hikes to tame inflation.
India's central bank has already raised interest rates
three times this year but inflation has remained
stubbornly high and stands at 10.55 percent, the highest
among the Group of 20 leading nations. The central bank is
expected to raise rates by a quarter point on Tuesday.
Inflation was stoked by high food prices as a result of
last year's drought-the worst in nearly four decades-but
the problem now has spilled into the wider economy.
Rangarajan said the economy, which logged 8.6 percent
expansion in the last financial quarter, "clearly shows a
strong economic recovery."
With inflation "more than twice the comfort zone, it is
important that monetary policy completes the exit process"
from earlier big rate cuts aimed at shielding India's
economy from the global financial crisis, he said.
Rangarajan forecast that inflation would start coming down
in coming months to reach seven or eight percent by
December.
He said he expected inflation to be 6.5 percent by the end
of the fiscal year in March 2011.
Cooperation on resources needed to avert tension:
WTO
AFP, Geneva
The head of the World Trade Organization called Friday for
greater global cooperation on the trade of natural
resources, warning that a failure to work together could
spark new tensions. "I believe not only that there is room
for mutually beneficial negotiating trade-offs that
encompass natural resources trade, but also that a failure
to address these issues could be a recipe for growing
tension in intern-ational trade relations," said Pascal
Lamy, WTO Director-General.
In the trade agency's annual report, Lamy pointed out that
"well designed trade rules are key to ensuring that trade
is advantageous."
"But they are also necessary for the attainment of
objectives such as environmental protection and the proper
management of natural resources in a domestic setting."
The value of world trade in natural resources-including
fisheries, fuels, forestry products and mining-reached 3.7
trillion dollars in 2008, close to a quarter of world
merchandise trade.
Trade in such products had surged more than six fold
between 1998 and 2008 mainly due to sharp rises in fuel
prices, noted the WTO. But as natural resources are finite
or requires time for natural replenishment, resource rich
countries typically restrict their export volumes through
export taxes or quotas.
Such measures help to improve conservation of resources
and can help push countries to diversify their exports
away from the natural resource sectors.
However, the WTO warned that such trade measures can be
problematic. They can lead to retaliation or rising world
prices. Rather, Lamy pushed for "well designed trade
rules" to address environmental prote-ction and management
of natural resources.
"We would greatly enhance our chances of positive action
in this area if we were to come to a prompt closure of the
Doha Round," he said, referring to the long-stalled trade
talks for a global free trade deal. Launched in 2001 in
the Qatari capital, the talks have foundered as developed
countries and developing ones fail to agree on lowering
tariffs and subsidies. While not specifically targetting
natural resources trade, the Doha package tackles
pertinent issues such as fisheries subsidies.
Oil rises close to $80
AFP, London
Oil prices rose to close to 80 dollars on Friday as
Tropical Storm Bonnie swirled towards the Gulf of Mexico,
and traders awaited European banking stress test results
for hints on the economic outlook.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for delivery
in September, hit 79.60 dollars per barrel-last seen on
May 5 -- winning support also from the weak US currency.
It later stood at 78.98, down 32 cents from Thursday's
close.
London Brent North Sea crude for September meanwhile
weakened by 36 cents to 77.46 dollars in early afternoon
deals.
"The main focus has turned to Bonnie and the eurozone
banks stress tests," said Sucden analyst Myrto Sokou in
London.
The crude market had soared on Thursday as stock markets
rallied on upbeat US company results, and as Tropical
Storm Bonnie moved towards the oil-producing region of the
Gulf of Mexico.
"If Bonnie continues to strengthen, continuing worries
about a potential disruption of oil operations in the Gulf
of Mexico, are likely to move crude oil prices higher to
test the 80-dollar area," added Sokou.
The "stress test" results from the London-based Committee
of European Banking Supervisors, due at 1600 GMT on
Friday, should for a clearer picture of the global
economic outlook.
The tests conducted by national regulators on 91 European
Union institutions that represent 65 percent of the EU
banking sector are designed to assess the capacity of
major European lenders to withstand economic or financial
crises.
Meanwhile, traders absorbed upbeat economic data in
Britain and Germany that strengthened hopes of a sustained
global economic recovery.
Europe gets growth boost before crucial bank crash
tests
AFP, Paris
Surprisingly strong German and British economic data
bolstered confidence on Friday ahead of a crucial report
on the health of the European banking system, vital to any
sustained recovery.
Analysts said the results of the so-called banking "stress
tests", due at the close of trading, were expected to be
positive overall but that the devil lay in the
detail-would they be tough enough to convince sceptics
that the banks really are sound?
If not, then disappointment will only add to concerns that
they have something to hide, denting confidence just as
the economic figures turn surprisingly good in Germany,
Europe's powerhouse, and Britain. The Ifo institute's
index of German business sentiment posted the strongest
rise for 20 years in July, jumping to 106.2 points from
101.8 points in June, trumping market forecasts for a slip
to 101.5 points.
"The rise is the biggest since German reunification. Firms
are reporting significantly more favourable business
conditions than last month," the Munich-based Ifo said.
"The German economy is in party mood again."
Analysts said the data pointed to further robust gains
too.
"The conclusion is that German economic growth not only
demonstrated huge momentum during the second quarter but
will remain robust during the second half of 2010," said
Timo Klein at Global Insight.
"This rapid rebound following the irritations caused by
the eurozone debt and euro crisis is remarkable," Klein
added.
Long-suffering Britain joined the party too, rebounding
with growth of 1.1 percent in the second quarter as it
recovered sharply from a record recession and faced up to
tough government spending cuts to balance the public
finances.
Lawmakers demand ‘major changes’ to US-S.Korea
trade deal
AFP, Washington
More than 100 US lawmakers wrote to President Barack Obama
Thursday demanding "major changes" to a landmark free
trade agreement with South Korea, which they called a "job
killing" pact.
Obama wants to finalize the deal before a Group of 20
summit in Seoul this November so that he can present it to
Congress in the few months thereafter, despite concerns
from US cattlemen and carmakers.
But 109 legislators from Obama's Democratic party in the
House of Representatives sent a joint letter to him,
seeking talks with the president to address opposition to
specific provisions of the FTA in the financial services,
investment and labor chapters.
They also "strongly object" to the non-tariff barriers to
the Korean market that they said numerous US industries,
including the auto, beef and textile sectors, faced.
"At a time when our economy is struggling to recover from
the worst downturn since the Great Depression, it is
unthinkable to consider moving forward with another
job-killing FTA," the lawmakers said.
EU extends state aid for Spanish, Portuguese banks
AFP, Brussels
European competition watchdogs announced the extension on
Friday of special measures to help the Spanish and
Portuguese banking sectors until the end of this year.
Hours before the release of "stress tests" on the ability
of European banks to withstand a crisis, the European
Commission said it had prolonged authorisation of schemes
in both countries originally set up in the wake of the
global financial crisis.
The so-called "stress tests" cover a big slice of EU
banking, including 27 Spanish and four Portuguese banks.
Top EU officials have signalled recently that for any
banks failing the tests, and having to raise new capital,
offical support would be made available. In Spain, the
EU's competition authorities extended permission for an
amended system allowing individual banks in trouble to be
recapitalised with state involvement.
A Portuguese bank guarantee scheme obliging banks there to
pay extra premiums in exchange for public guarantees in
the event of collapse was also extended.
Asia surges on Wall Street lead, Europe hopes
AFP, Hong Kong
Asian stocks surged on Friday on a strong lead from Wall
Street and optimism about the results of "stress tests" on
eurozone banks, traders said.
Japan's Nikkei index ended the day up 2.28 percent, Sydney
was up 1.91 percent and Mumbai up 0.1 percent.
Hong Kong rose 1.1 percent and Shanghai 0.38 percent,
boosted by the general mood of optimism as well as
improved confidence in Chinese economic policy. Markets
were lifted mainly by Wall Street's rebound, which wiped
out a 109-point loss suffered a day earlier after Fed
chairman Ben Bernanke warned of an "unusually uncertain"
outlook. In Japan, the yen's recent strength has generally
weighed on exporters, but with the euro firmer, exporters
out-performed the market: Sony added 4.79 percent and
Panasonic 3.29 percent, while Toyota Motor rose 1.64
percent and Honda Motor 2.16 percent.
Shanghai and Hong Kong's strong performances came after
the official news agency Xinhua quoted President Hu Jintao
as saying the government would keep economic policy stable
in the second half to support fast and steady growth.
Shanghai's 6.1 percent gain for the week was its highest
this year.
Hu's comments "helped ease anxiety in the market about
further tightening measures," Hongyuan Securities said in
a note. Agricultural Bank of China was the star performer,
rising 5.45 percent in Hong Kong and 2.9 percent in
Shanghai. AgBank was trading at its highest levels since
its lacklustre dual listing a week ago thanks to news of
investments in the bank by Morgan Stanley and US
investment fund Capital Group.
Chinese banks also gained from optimism about their
first-half earnings.
Mumbai's 17.83-point rise to 18,130.98 put the 30-share
Sensex index at a two-and-a-half year high, partly due to
positive earnings data.
India's third-biggest software exporter Wipro said its
quarterly net profit had jumped a forecast-beating 31
percent and it was upbeat about revenue prospects due to
better demand for outsourcing. However after a jump of
more than four percent during the day, Wipro shares ended
down 0.84 percent on profit-taking.
JAL's turnaround plan features huge cost cut
AFP, Tokyo
Japan Airlines (JAL), which is undergoing a state-backed
rehabilitation process, plans to reduce its annual
operating costs by 440 billion yen (five billion dollars)
in five years, a report said Friday.
The turnaround plan, which includes around 16,000 job
cuts, was scheduled to be submitted to the Tokyo District
Court in late August, the business daily Nikkei reported
in its evening edition.
The plan also calls for raising the airline's annual
operating profit from the 25.3 billion yen forecast for
the current business year to 133.1 billion yen for the
year to March 2015, the report said.
It has been jointly drafted by JAL and its court-appointed
administrator, the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative
Corporation of Japan (ETIC).
Assuming that the court approves the plan by the end of
November, ETIC will inject 350 billion yen in new capital
into JAL in December, the report said.
JAL, which posted a two-billion-dollar loss for the nine
months to December, has said it will scrap 28
international routes and close 11 international bases,
while 50 domestic routes will be terminated, along with
eight offices.
Under the plan, JAL will absorb its two core units-Japan
Airlines International Co. and JAL Capital Co.-in December
as part of its streamlining effort, the daily said.
National
Govt. to provide Tk 634.25cr to
develop technical education
BSS, Dhaka
The government has taken an initiative to modernize 30
diploma and 120 vocational institutions for improving
technical and professional education as part of making the
country a digital one. It has been primarily decided to
develop the infrastructure of the institutes and also
provide financial help, Director General of Directorate of
Technical Education Prof. Dr Nitai Chandra Sutradhar told
BSS.
He said a project amounting to Taka 634.25 crore has been
undertaken for developing technical education and
expansion of technology in the country.
The project will provide training to the workers intending
go abroad and garment workers and give stipends to the
students of the vocational institutions, he added.
The ECNEC has given approval to the project in its meeting
on June 8.
Of the total amount, Bangladesh government will provide
Taka 60.85 crore while the rest of the money will be
provided by International Development Agency (IDA) as
loan, said the sources.
Professor Nitai said we would select the institutions
following eight criteria including result and total number
of students. Every institution will get a minimum Taka 20
lakh as financial help, he added.
About 26,000 teachers, students and outgoing workers will
get training under the project while about 70,000 garment
workers will come under the training, said the sources.
A total of 3,89,200 students of vocational institutions
will also get stipend under the project, the sources
added.
Tree plantation changes
lot of many people in N-region
BSS, Rajshahi
Significant numbers of small and marginal farmers and
other low-income groups are attaining economic
emancipation everywhere in the Northwest Bangladesh
following their spontaneous participation in the ongoing
tree plantation campaign.
Many farmers and educated and semi-educated unemployed
youths have become involved in nursery business and other
horticulture farming after being motivated by different
government agencies like Department of Social Forestry (DSF),
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) and Barind
Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA).
Apart from this, Bangladesh Agricultural Development
Corporation (BADC) and Bangladesh Agricultural Research
Institute (BARI) and some other NGOs are conducting
various awareness and motivational programs in this
regard.
The DSF and the DAE have been organizing tree fairs in
every upazilas and district headquarters to make the
government's tree plantation movement a total success.
According to officials concerned, local zone of the DSF,
DAE, BMDA, BADC and BARI have been implementing massive
afforestation programs in all 16 districts of the region.
On implementation of the programs, the implementing
agencies have achieved tremendous successes in alleviating
poverty and achieving self-reliance of the target groups
and other beneficiaries, particularly the poor.
The people have planted adequate saplings of various
trees, including wood, medicinal and fruit, at homesteads,
roadsides, office premises, embankments, forest areas,
religious institutions' premises and other places during
the period.
‘Visit BD 2011’ programme targets
to attract one million tourists
BSS, Dhaka
The government has targeted to attract one million
tourists next year by implementing an aggressive tourism
promotional campaign-'Visit Banglaesh-2011'.
"We are taking huge preparation for conducting promotional
campaign at home and abroad next year targeting those
foreign tourists, who are looking for new destinations of
making holidays," Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister G M
Quader told BSS on Friday. At present on an average four
lakh foreign travelers visit Bangladesh in a year.
The government has chosen the year 2011 to observe tourism
year as one of the mega events of the earth - cricket
world cup - will be hosted in the country this year, he
said. "Initially, we have set a target of receiving one
million foreign tourists during the tourism year 2011 and
expecting more than two million afterwards," he said.
The Minister said Parjatan Corporation, the national
tourism facilitating body, has already chalked out lots of
events for round the year blending with traditional,
cultural, tribal and religious festivals, he said. The
year-long programme which will initially cost Taka 150
crore also includes staging of road shows and Bangladesh
week in different countries as well as inviting foreign
renowned international travel writers and journalists to
visit Bangladesh. The promotional campaign for the tourist
year would be conducted as public private partnership. "We
are looking for private organizations for holding
international standard events as well as conducting
overseas promotional campaign," he added.
He said the tourism ministry has already selected more
than 750 places as tourist spots and taken initiatives to
develop infrastructure facilities there with the help of
local government division. The ministry is actively
considering for building some special tourist zones only
for the foreigners with foreign investment, the minister
added.
The country has lots of tourist tempting treasures in
terms of both natural beauty, culture, heritage and
archeological aspects, he said, adding but "we have never
conducted such huge international promotional campaign to
attract travelers."
Razu discusses bank loan for
expansion of Teletalk network
BSS, Dhaka
Minister for Post and Telecommunications Razi Uddin Ahmed
Razu has discussed the Chinese EXIM Bank loan proposal for
introduction of third generation mobile phone of Teletalk
and expansion of "Two Point Five Generation Network
Project" with the visiting Chinese delegation. The
discussion was held on Thursday when a three-member EXIM
Bank Delegation, led by Assistant General Manager of
Concessional Loan Department of the bank, Gao Bing, called
on the minister at his secretariat office.
Two other members of the delegation were Wang Zhijie,
divisional chief of EXIM Bank China and Fang Xin Cheng,
country manager of the bank.
Mentioning the existing excellent bilateral relations
between the two friendly countries, the minister hoped
that the relations between Bangladesh and China would be
further strengthened in the days to come.
Farmers happy with
excellent jute yields and prices
BSS, Rangpur
The farmers are happy with excellent yield rates and
present market prices of jute as its harvest has been
continuing now in full swing predicting bumper production
this season in northern Bangladesh, officials said. The
jute growers, farmers, scientists and officials concerned
told BSS that excellent yield rates and lucrative market
prices have again started reviving the past glory of the
'Golden Fibre' in the region and the country as a whole.
The farmers have cultivated jute using the latest agro-
technologies this season and all concerned departments are
extending all-out cooperation and assistances including
popularizing ribbon retting of the fibre for getting the
highest quality fibre.
The farmers are now selling the harvested fibre at rates
between Taka 1,300 and 1,800 per every maund (every 40 kg)
depending on the varieties and qualities with
possibilities of further price increase as the private
sector purchasing centres just started buying jute.
Officials in the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE)
informed that the farmers have cultivated jute on 1,99,833
hectares land, which is 44 percent higher than the fixed
target of bringing 1,38,731 hectares under its farming
this season in the region.
The officials said that jute farming target could not be
achieved even last year and the farmers this time exceeded
the target even after facing huge initial hurdles like
seed crisis, droughts, lack of soil moistures and huge
crop diversifications and intensifications.
The government quickly, effectively and very much timely
acted promptly and imported adequate quality jute seeds on
an emergency basis and timely distributed those among the
farmers.
Agri-scientist and Dinajpur Hub Manager of Cereal Systems
Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) Dr MA Mazid said that
farmers became enthusiastic as the government actively
considers re- launching the closed Jute Mills for
regaining past glory of jute under changed climates.
JCD leader killed in Rajshahi
BSS, Rajshahi
A grassroots level leader of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD)
was killed at Biraldaha Maipara Bazar under Puthiya
upazila of the district last night.
Quoting witnesses Puthiya police said Nuh Alam, Publicity
Secretary of JCD Baneshwar unit, fell pray to the armed
attack by some local miscreants at around 10 pm.
Agitated mob put barricade on the Rajshahi-Dhaka highway
for around four hours protesting the killing incident and
damaged two passengers' buses and an ambulance passing
through the area.
Police brought the situation under control and cleared off
the road at around 2 am.
Subsequently, police recovered the body and sent it to the
morgue of Rajshahi Medical College for post mortem in the
night.
Police, however, neither arrest anybody in connection with
the killing nor find any clue behind the murder as yet,
said Ziaul Islam, Officer-in-charge of Puthiya Police
Station.
It may be mentioned that Daud Ali, father of Nuh Alam, was
also slaughtered by some miscreants in same way on January
29 last year. Nuh Alam was the plaintiff of his father's
murder case.
Sports
Aamer puts Pakistan back in charge
Cricinfo
Mohammad Aamer produced another precocious spell of fast and
aggressive swing bowling to nip Australia's second-innings
revival in the bud on the third morning at Headingley, and
leave their hopes of an incredible turnaround resting on the
shoulders of their mainstay, Michael Clarke. By lunch, Clarke
had built steadily on his overnight 31 to reach 76 not out, to
leave his side with a slender 45-run lead and five wickets
still standing.
The 18-year-old Aamer resumed the attack for Pakistan in the
very first over of the day, with Australia trailing by just 34
runs overnight with Clarke and Ricky Ponting well set in their
third-wicket stand of 81. But it took just 16 deliveries for
the vital breakthrough to be made, as Ponting - who had
already fenced a streaky four through the slips off Mohammad
Asif - slashed ambitiously at a booming outswinger from Aamer,
and snicked a thin edge through to the keeper.
Buoyed by the early wicket, Aamer surged onto the offensive in
another spell that evoked justifiable comparisons with the
great Wasim Akram. Using his rapid left arm to whip a
succession of late swinging deliveries towards Clarke and Mike
Hussey, he added his second only two overs later, as Hussey
was deceived by a cutter that gripped the turf, leapt at his
gloves and ballooned tantalisingly to Umar Akmal at second
slip.
Australia by this stage still trailed by 12 runs, but they
were to lose a third before Clarke brought them into credit in
the same over that he brought up his half-century from 99
deliveries. Marcus North has an unenviable knack of
single-figure scores (12 in 28 Test innings, in addition to
his four centuries) and on this occasion, he didn't even get
off the mark, as Aamer bamboozled him with one that held its
line to snag the inside-edge and ricochet into his leg stump.
Clarke, however, persevered with a selection of shots of pure
class, not least through the covers, his favourite area on the
occasions that Aamer overpitched. With Danish Kaneria failing
to threaten in a brief two-over foray, Tim Paine joined his
vice-captain to reach 17 not out at lunch, the same score with
which he had top-scored in the first innings.
Henry
scores in US debut as Red Bulls fall to Spurs
AFP, New York
French national and former English Premier League star Thierry
Henry scored a goal in his American football debut but it
wasn't enough to get his New York Red Bulls past Tottenham
Hotspur on Thursday. Robbie Keane and Gareth Bale scored as
Hotspur rallied with two second half goals to beat the Red
Bulls 2-1 in an international friendly between Henry's Major
League Soccer side and the English Premier League club at the
Red Bull Arena. "I would say that the reception was tremendous
every time I touched the ball," Henry said.
Henry scored in the 24th minute of the first half for the Red
Bulls. He made a near-post run past Verdan Corluka and then
dove feet first in the box to deflect a cross from Estonian
national team player Joel Lindpere past goalkeeper Carlo
Cudicini. Keane equalled in the 62nd minute, tapping the ball
into an open net after Andros Townsend's corner kick was
misjudged by 'keeper Greg Sutton. Bale scored 10 minutes
later. "He was a tough player over there," Keane said of
Henry. "I'm sure he'll be a tough player over here, as well."
Henry's arrival in the USA follows his release from Spanish
club Barcelona and coincided with Henry's confirmation that he
has retired from international football after making 123
appearances and scoring a record 51 goals for France.
Henry, who turns 33 next month, signed a four and a half year
deal with the Red Bulls. He is the latest in a list of aging
veteran football stars lured to American soil with a chance to
extend their careers and the promise of a lucrative contract.
Henry, a former World Cup and European champion with France,
is the highest-profile player to join MLS since David Beckham
signed with Los Angeles three years ago.
"He'll be a massive hit here in New York I'm sure," Spurs
manager Harry Redknapp said. "He's a world-class player still.
He could play on any team in the Premier League in England.
He's still good enough." Playing his first match since France
was eliminated from the World Cup with a loss to South Africa
on June 22, Henry was received a loud ovation when introduced
in front of the crowd of 20,312. The newest Red Bull member
clapped his hands above his head to salute the crowd. It
didn't take long for Henry to impress. He had some deft
exchanges with Lindpere and executed a freeing backheel pass
and a bicycle kick that went wide.
Bruce
signs Bramble from Wigan
AFP, Sunderland, England
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce was reunited with Titus
Bramble on Friday after signing the defender from Wigan.
Bruce played a major role in rebuilding Bramble's
shattered morale when he bought the centre-back from
Newcastle to Wigan during his spell in charge of the
Latics.
He has swooped for the 28-year-old again to stren-gthen
his defensive options and Bramble, who has agreed a
three-year contract, could make his first appearance for
the Black Cats in Saturday's friendly against Hull in
Portugal.
Bramble is reported to have cost Sunderland around one
million pounds (1.5 million dollars) and Bruce is hopeful
Sunderland supporters will forget about the player's
mistake-filled five-year stay at local rivals Newcastle.
"I thought long and hard about signing him because I knew
it might be a difficult one for Sunderland fans and for
him," Bruce told the Sunderland Echo.
"But the great thing is that the lad's got plenty of
bottle - he wanted to come here, he wanted to play for me
and Sunderland, and I feel sure that Sunderland fans will
recognise that and give him a fair crack of the whip.
"If Titus shows - as I think he will - that he can make us
better, then I don't think supporters will have a problem
accepting him.
"The easiest thing would have been not to sign him and to
avoid any hassle, but I think he's a player who can
genuinely improve us.
"He had a difficult start to his top-flight career. I
think the move to Newcastle was too soon for him, it was
too big a club at too tender an age and he's had his work
cut out to shift the image of himself he created there."
Ribery not worried about sex
charge
AFP, Berlin
French footballer Franck Ribery said Friday he is not
worried about his career despite being charged this week
with having sex with an under-age prostitute, because he
did not knowingly do anything wrong.
"I am not scared about my future or about my career,
either in the (French) national side or at Bayern Munich,"
Ribery told the German daily Bild in an interview.
"I never knowingly did anything wrong," Ribery said.
The 27-year-old, who was questioned for seven hours in
Paris on Tuesday and faces up to three years in prison if
convicted, has admitted paying for sex with Zahia Dehar
but denies knowing the call girl was under 18 at the time.
Ribery's French international teammate Karim Benzema has
also been put under investigation on charges of having
"solicited an under-age prostitute" over the Real Madrid
player's alleged relations with the same teenage call
girl.
German prosecutors said on Thursday that they had also
opened a preliminary probe, but a spokeswoman stressed
that Ribery could not be prosecuted for the same crime
twice.
Dehar has said that Ribery had her flown over from Paris
and that they had sex in a luxury Munich hotel on the
player's 26th birthday in April 2009. He has admitted
paying for her flight and hotel room.
In both France and Germany, paying for sex with a
prostitute under 18 is illegal. In Germany the maximum
penalty is five years behind bars.
Koeman out, Egervari in as Hungary coach
AFP, Budapest
Hungary national coach Erwin Koeman has been axed and
replaced by Sandor Egervari, the country's football
federation (MLSZ) anno-unced on Friday.
"While recognising the talents of Mr Koeman, the MLSZ have
ended their contract with the coach by mutual consent to
allow for the regeneration of the national team," the MLSZ
said on its website.
The 48-year-old Dutchman, who took over in April 2008, won
seven of his 20 matches in charge but paid the price for
failing to reach this year's World Cup finals.
His successor is 60-year-old Hungarian Egervari who won
the domestic championship with Dunaujvaros in 2000 and
with MTK in 1999 and 2003. He also guided Hungary to third
place in the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt last year.
Earlier this month, millionaire banker Sandor Casanyi was
elected as the new president of the MLSZ.
Wellington Phoenix rise to Argentine challenge
AFP, Wellington
Wellington Phoenix kept their two-year unbeaten run at
Wellington Stadium alive when they beat top Argentine side
Boca Juniors 2-1 in a pre-season friendly on Friday.
Boca, who last week beat A-League champions Melbourne
Victory 1-0, failed to adapt to the cold and wet
conditions and finished the game with 10 men after captain
Christian Cellay was sent off after receiving two yellow
cards.
The Phoenix did all the scoring, with new signing Dylan
Macallister finding the net in the first half while
captain Andrew Durante put the home side two up in the
second spell before scoring an own goal.
Boca did create one opportunity early in the match when
they forced All Whites goalkeeper Mark Paston to pull off
a smothering save.
Boca striker Marcelo Canete, who scored against Melbourne,
was once again his side's danger man but the Argentines
were unable to mount consistent attacks.
It was left to Macallister to open the scoring when he
latched on to a pinpoint cross from Chris Greenacre in the
24th minute to find the back of the net.
Durante stretched the Phoenix lead in the 60th minute when
he headed home a free kick from midfielder Daniel.
He then put Boca on the board in the 82nd minute when he
made a hash of a routine clearance and pushed the ball
beyond the surprised Paston and into the Phoenix net.
The game was the Phoenix's last pre-season match before
they face Gold Coast United in their A-League opener on
August 13.
Lagerback turns
down new Nigeria deal
AFP, Lagos
Swede Lars Lagerback has turned down an offer to continue
as Nigeria coach, the national football federation (NFF)
confirmed on Friday. NFF president Aminu Maigari said that
Lagerback told him he did not wish to continue in his post
despite being offered a four-year deal, with Samson Siasia
being lined up as a replacement.
"Lagerback told me he could not continue as the coach of
the Super Eagles because he feared that he might not be
able to pen a four-year deal that would keep him in
Nigeria for that long," Maigari told sports daily Soccer
Star. He thanked the NFF for the opportunity given him to
take the eagles to the World Cup. He said the experience
was worth it and that he would always remember Nigeria and
her good people."
Maigari added that Lagerback told him that his family
played a big role in his decision not to extend his
five-month contract.
Lagerback was in charge when Nigeria finished bottom of
their first round group at the 2010 World Cup in South
Africa.
However, the NFF agreed to hand the Swede a long-term deal
on the evidence of the work he put in within a short time.
The NFF top official also disclosed that Siasia will next
month be confirmed as the country's new coach on a
four-year contract. "We have had talks with Siasia. The
talks have been fruitful and all things being equal, he
will put pen to paper next month subject to negotiations,"
said Maigari.
"Siasia is the coach Nigerians want and we shall give him
all the support to succeed in this new job." Siasia led
the national team to the final of both the 2005 FIFA
Under-20 World Cup as well as the 2008 Olympics.
The former Lokeren and Nantes striker is currently
handling Heartland FC of Owerri in the CAF Champions
League. The NFF also announced that caretaker coach Austin
Eguavoen will lead Nigeria to next month's friendly
against South Korea in Seoul, before taking over the
Olympic team.
Ponting joins Tendulkar in 12,000 club
AFP, Leeds,
England
Australia captain Ricky Ponting became only the second
batsman after India's Sachin Tendulkar to score 12,000
Test runs when he reached the landmark against Pakistan
here on Thursday.
Ponting's edged four to third man off left-arm quick
Mohammad Aamer on the second day of the second Test at
Headingley gave him the 40 runs he needed to reach the
landmark in what was his 247th innings in his 146th Test.
Tendulkar also reached the 12,000 mark in the same number
of innings.
Ponting is one of the outstanding batsmen of his
generation and has scored 39 Test hundreds, second only to
Tendulkar's record mark of 47. But the India star made his
Test debut aged 16 in 1990 - five years before the
35-year-old Ponting's debut - and has played 21 more
matches at this level than the Australia batting great.
Tendulkar, 37 is the only batsman in Test history to have
scored more than 13,000 runs. His tally stands at 13,539
runs from 273 innings in 167 matches with 47 hundreds,
including a best of 248 not out, at an average of 55.48.
Roddick’s Atlanta
match to re-creates history
AFP, Atlanta
Andy Roddick resumed where he left off nearly a decade
ago, advancing with a 6-1, 6-7 (1/7), 6-3 win over Rajeev
Ram at the Atlanta Tennis Championships nine years after
his last appearance at the venue.
The top-seeded world number nine benefitted Thursday from
a first-round bye to start his week and took full
advantage in a match where he never dropped serve against
his number 149 opponent who lost his 15th of the season.
The American claimed the first title of his career in the
city at the start of the decade when he won the last
edition of the Atlanta tournament in 2001, at age 19,
beating Xavier Malisse.
The tournament was dropped after that edition but came
back to life for this season after officials bought the
sanction of the bankrupt Indianapolis event.
Roddick will face a Friday re-run of that long-ago final
in the quarter-final stage at this edition when he plays
Malisse. The seventh-seeded Belgian booked his place by
putting out Illya Marchenko of the Ukraine 6-3, 6-3.
"It's a little bit coincidental, given the history here,"
said Roddick, "We've played plenty since then. There won't
be a lot of surprises, we know each other's games well...
but it doesn't get any easier."
Roddick has never lost to Malisse in nine career meetings,
their last in the Australian Open first round last year.
The Belgian took just over two hours to defeat Marchenko,
the number 67 with three quarter-final showings this
season.
Roddick struck 15 aces against Ram, saved four break
points and broke his compatriot on three of four
occasions. Only last month, Roddick beat Ram in straight
sets in the first round at Wimbledon.
The top seed improved to 33-7 on the season after playing
his first match since a fourth-round Wimbledon defeat.
Roddick said that hothouse afternoon conditions made the
match a challenge. "This was a hot day, the States in
summer is a hot place to play.
"That's what makes tennis tough - it's outdoors in the
heat and you are running." The 27-year-old owns 2010
titles in Brisbane and at his last hardcourt tournament in
April in Miami, where he won his 29th career title.
Pizarro
still dreaming of elusive title
AFP, Rome
AS Roma's Chilean midfielder David Pizarro says he is even
more determined than ever to end the club's 10-year wait
for a Serie A crown after twice coming close in the last
three years. Last season Roma took Inter Milan to the
final day of the season, just as they did two years before
that, but both times the nerazzurri held their nerve and
Roma came up empty handed. The Rom-ans actually led the
race with four games remaining last season but a 2-1
defeat at home to Sampdoria, in a game they totally
dominated for the first 45 minutes, cost them dearly.
"We want to finally win that cursed title," Pizarro told
the club's official TV channel.
"Twice we've come close to winning the scudetto. Inter are
still very strong but we can match them as we've done
these last few years.
"I don't want to talk about dishonesty but in 2007/08
refereeing mistakes conditioned the title race. "Last
season though we lost the title with our second half
against Sampdoria."
And Pizarro believes that new signing Adriano, the
Brazilian striker, can make the difference, if he
rediscovers his form of old when both he and Pizarro were
Inter players.
"He's a shy lad, we'll have to help him to feel at home.
If he can get back to being the player I knew at Inter
then the distance between us and them (Inter) will be
reduced even more."
Olonga wants Zimbabwe return to Tests
AFP, London
Former Zimbabwe fast bowler Henry Olonga believes it is
time for his country to be allowed back into Test cricket.
Olonga, Zimbabwe's first black player, has been a
high-profile opponent of Robert Mugabe's regime and,
alongside current England coach Andy Flower, made a public
show of dissent against the President when the 2003 World
Cup came to Zimbabwe.
The pair famously wore black armbands to "mourn the death
of democracy" during the tournament, an action which
brought about Olonga's retirement at 26.
Olonga received death threats and was charged with treason
and, after travelling with the team for a World Cup match
in South Africa, he never returned to Zimbabwe.
The 34-year-old, who played 30 Tests and 50 ODIs,
eventually settled in England, where he petitioned
international teams not to tour his country as a stand
against Mugabe's human rights record.
Zimbabwe last played a Test match in 2005 after the
majority of the team's first-choice players went on strike
following a dispute with the national board.
But discussions are under way to restore them to the
five-day game as early as next year and Olonga believes
now is the time for reintegration.
"I think on the whole it is right for Zimbabwe to move
forward," Olonga said at the launch of his new book on
Thursday.
Wednesday hit with winding-up order
AFP, Sheffield, England
Sheffield Wednesday have been issued with a winding-up
petition by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the
English League One club admitted on Friday.
The action by HMRC relates to an outstanding debt of
550,000 pounds (848,000 dollars) and the order will be
heard in the High Court on August 11.
It is another blow to cash-strapped Wednesday, who were
relegated from the Championship last season, but club
officials insist the Yorkshire outfit is not about to be
wound up or put into administration.
"We have been involved in dialogue with HMRC for a number
of weeks. As such we have been somewhat surprised and
disappointed by their decision to seek a winding-up order
at this time," a Wednesday statement read.
"We understand that HMRC is taking a tougher line in
general with football clubs, but feel their actions are
disproportionate and will raise unnecessary speculation as
to the financial position of the club.
"We can inform supporters that the club, working in
partnership with the Co-operative Bank and their advisors,
will seek to settle this matter as soon as is practical."
Wednesday have struggled with financial problems since
being relegated from the Premier League 10 years ago.
The Owls are around 26 million pounds (40 million dollars)
in debt, the majority of which is owed to the Co-op Bank,
while former chairman Dave Allen is understood to be
waiting for the repayment of loans amounting to two
million pounds (three million dollars).
The club's instability during the past decade has also
been increased by several failed takeover bids.
Former chairman Lee Strafford quit at the end of last
season amid speculation of boardroom unrest and former
Wednesday manager Howard Wilkinson was installed as
interim chairman.
Bigger, but better? Adriano aims to be old self
AFP, Rome
He may be overweight and seemingly past his best but new
AS Roma striker Adriano believes he still has a lot to
offer on his comeback to Italian football.
A year and a half ago, Adriano walked out on Inter Milan
and returned to Brazil claiming he was unhappy in Italy
and needed his friends and family in Rio de Janeiro.
At the time he was much criticised for his expanding
waistline while there were frequent rumours of drink and
depression problems.
But after a largely successful season with his original
club Flamengo, Adriano is back in Italy - just bigger than
ever. When the 28-year-old was presented to the Italian
media earlier this month, he allegedly weighed 108 kilos,
around 25 kilos above his ideal weight.
And when speaking to the press from Roma's training base
in the north of Italy on Thursday, although Adriano
refused to discuss his weight, it was clear that it's
still an issue. "I prefer not to talk about numbers," he
said when asked how much weight he needs to lose. "I had
three months off.
"But I can tell you that in a month I will be close to the
right physical shape."
Adriano is convinced he can rediscover the form that once
made him one of the most feared strikers plying their
trade in Europe.
"I know I've done some things that aren't great but now
I'm here to get back to being what I once was," he vowed.
Adriano came to Europe in 2001 as a teenager and while he
wasn't yet deemed ready for regular first team action at
Inter, he was given his chance elsewhere on loan.
Following a brief spell at Fiorentina, Adriano made his
name at Parma during an 18-month stint in which he blasted
home 23 goals in 37 league appearances.
That convinced Inter to bring him back and for a couple of
seasons he was one of the most highly-rated strikers in
the world with Manchester United reportedly showing an
interest in him. But just as Inter broke out from the
shadow cast by Serie A rivals AC Milan and Juventus to
embark on a run of five straight titles, Adriano's star
started to wane.
He scored just five league goals in 2006/07 and then the
next season played just four league games before being
sent back to Brazil, on loan at Sao Paulo where it was
hoped he would rediscover his form, fitness and
motivation.
He came back to thrive briefly under Jose Mourinho in
2008/09 but soon after the mid-point in the season, and
after having had several disciplinary run-ins with the
Portuguese boss, he walked out of Italy and went home.
Many assumed that would be the last they would see of the
"Emperor" in the country but then the news surfaced
towards the end of last season that Roma were interested
in signing him.
Adriano was enjoying a return to form at Flamengo,
although he was often criticised for his lack of
commitment to training, and pre-World Cup he was even back
in the Brazil squad.
Langer sweeps into share of Senior Open lead
AFP, Carnoustie
Two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer, who has yet to
clinch a Senior title, grabbed a share of the first round
lead with a four-under par 67 at the Senior Open on
Thursday.
The German was joined at the top of the leaderboard by
America's Jay Don Blake and England's Carl Mason."I'm very
happy with it," said Langer, a former Ryder Cup captain.
"I birdied the very first hole and had some further
chances the next few holes, then had a nice run there on
seven, eight, nine when I birdied those three - there's a
lot of tough holes on the back nine."
Langer, trying to win a first over-50 Major category
title, enjoyed a birdie at the first hole and then a
hattrick from the seventh to turn in a four under par 32.
He then went level par 35 on the way home.
"I played very well. I kept the ball in play, I drove it
pretty good and hit a number of fairways," he said.Blake
turned in 35 before recording three birdies in four holes
from the tenth.
"I hit a lot of good shots," said Blake, whose only US PGA
Tour victory came 19 years ago.
"I just tried to be patient. It's a golf course that you
can't be aggressive because everything runs up to the pin
so much that you can't fly it to the flags like we are
used to over in the courses we play in America."
Mason, who is looking to win what would be a 24th Senior
Tour title, joined Langer and Blake at the top of the
leaderboard late in the day.
"If this was the 24th, that would be something special,
wouldn't it?" said Mason when asked about the possibility
of breaking Tommy Horton's Senior Tour record with a first
Major.
"There's a long way to go, and so if I can keep playing as
good as I have done today."
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