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Leading News
50 injured in BCL factional clash
on JU campus
Vice Chancellor and Asstt. Proctor assaulted
UNB, Jahangirnagar University
The Vice-chancellor and Assistant Proctor were assaulted
as rival groups of ruling party's student wing BCL ran
amok on the campus leaving at least 50 people wounded, 4
with bullets.
The trouble started from Al Beruni Hall at about 10-30 am
when supporters of BCL unit president Rasedul Islam Shafin
and secretary Nirjhar Alam Sammoy engaged in rowdy clash
for gaining supremacy on the campus.
Vice-chancellor Prof Shariff Enamul Kabir and Assistant
Proctor ASM Firojul Hasan who rushed to the spot to quell
the situation came under assault, eye witnesses said.
About a score gunshots were heard during the clash. Ujjal
of Kamal Uddin hall and Simul of Shahid Salam Barkat hall
were rushed to DMCH with bullet wounds.
Four activists - Bijoy, Sakil, Rajib and Amjad - were
thrown down form the rooftop of 4-storied Al Beruni Hall
leaving them in a serious condition.
In all 15 badly wounded activists, seven of them in a
serious condition, were rushed to DMCH. Others were
undergoing treatment in the University clinic. A group of
BCL activists of Bangabandhu Sheikh Muzibur Rahaman hall,
loyal to BCL unit president Rasedul Islam Shafin, attacked
Al-Beruni Hall, vandalized 30 rooms and left the inmates
wounded. They fired at least five gunshots.
Later, a rival group loyal to BCL unit secretary Nirjhar
from AFM Kamal Uddin Hall joined the fighting and attacked
SSB Hall. Six gunshots were heard during the attack in
which at least two activists were wounded. Tension
prevailed in and around the campus. Additional police were
deployed to ward off further clash. JU proctor said tough
action would be taken against the troublemakers after
investigation into the incident.
High
Court issues rule over custodial deaths
It asks police to explain their position
UNB, Dhaka
The High Court Monday asked the DMP Commissioner to submit
a report within two weeks explaining before the court
about the steps taken under the CrPC against those
responsible for alleged custodial deaths and also to
prevent such deaths.
The High Court also asked the Officers-in-Charge (OCs) of
Gulshan and Darus Salam police stations and five other
policemen to appear in person before it on July 19 to
explain their position over custodial deaths.
In addition, the HC asked the Home Secretary to constitute
in a week a probe committee without inclusion of any law
enforcer to investigate into the alleged custodial deaths.
Moreover, the HC asked the Medical College authorities
concerned to submit to the court the post mortem and
inquest reports of the victims before submitting those to
the police.
Passing the interim orders upon a Public Interest
Litigation (PIL) writ petition, an HC division bench
headed by Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury issued a rule
upon the government to explain within three weeks why
direction should not be given to take punitive steps
against those responsible for the custodial deaths and
also to take effective measures to prevent custodial
deaths.
Advocate Asaduzzaman of Human Rights and Peace for
Bangladesh (HRPB) and Advocate Elina Khan of Human Rights
Foundation jointly filed the PIL writ petition seeking
remedy following recent newspaper reports on deaths under
police custody. Advocate Manzill Murshid appeared for the
PIL petitioners.
PM
renews commitment to modernize armed forces
UNB, Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Monday renewed her
government's commitment to ensure higher training for
members of the armed forces and procure modern weapons and
equipments for their modernizations.
Addressing a function at the Headquarters of the President
Guard Regiment (PGR) marking its 35th founding
anniversary, Hasina said all steps will be taken so that
Bangladesh can send more troops to the UN peace keeping
missions.
PGR Commandant Brig Gen Humayun Khaled also spoke on the
occasion attended by Ministers, MPs and chiefs of the
three services. Praising performances of the PGR members,
the Prime Minister called upon the PGR members to continue
their training and acquire professional excellence with
high skill, discipline and loyalty. She recalled with deep
gratitude the PGR members who in the past sacrificed their
lives while performing their duties. She also assured the
armed forces' members of taking necessary measures to
remove their housing problems.
About her government's vision to turn Bangladesh into a
modern digital one, the Prime Minister vowed to serve the
people's interests at any cost.
"By voting us to power, the people have reposed a great
responsibility on us. They have kept faith and trust on
us. We will have to honor their trust at any cost," Hasina
said.
She said the government started its journey with the
'charter of change' for the wellbeing of the people and
the nation. Hasina recalled that when the present
government took the office, the country was facing severe
power crisis, high price of essentials and impacts of
global economic recession.
The Prime Minister listed several programs of her previous
government including introducing rice instead of bread in
day-time meal for soldiers and treatment facilities for
their parents and family members irrespective of their
ranks.
She also mentioned her government's initiatives to build a
500-bed hospital along with the Armed Forces Medical
College to ensure medical facilities for family members of
the armed forces. Hasina said although the hospital was
not established afterwards, now the government is
determined to build the hospital.
Hartal can’t be stopped
by enacting law: Delwar
UNB, Dhaka
BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain Monday said
enacting law to stop hartal will not help and hartal
cannot be stopped by law.
Delwar made the remark at Ziaur Rahman's mazar premises
when asked about the government's move to make a law with
provision of filing case against hartal enforcer to
realize compensation for hartal victims.
While in power, many things can be said about stopping
hartal, he added, and reminded that Awami League ruling
the country in 1996 had pledged not to enforce hartal but
did not keep the commitment.
Replying to a question, the BNP secretary general
dismissed the accusation that they stand in favour of war
criminals. He said BNP favoured trial of genuine war
criminals. But the government is trying to secure
political advantage in the name of trial of war crimes.
Delwar along with leaders and workers of Jatiyatabadi
Motshajibi Dal placed wreaths and offered fateha at the
Zia's mazar in the afternoon on the occasion of release of
Motshajibi Dal president Rafiqul Islam Mahtab who was
arrested during June 27 hartal.
143 held after
Shibir-Police clash in Ctg
BSS, Chittagong
Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) arrested 143 Jammat -
Shibir activists following the Sunday's vandalism in
Chittagong City.
Among the arrestees, 101 were picked up during over night
raids across the port city and 40 were nabbed after a
Shibir-police clash at Halishahar Boropul area in the city
on Sunday evening.
Talking to BSS here on unday Deputy Inspector General of
Chittagong range Assadurzaman Mia, said the Shibir
activists locked in a series of clash with police when
police tried them not to vandalize vehicles and shops.
"We consider it is a sabotage activities by the strikers,"
the DIG added. CMP Assistant Commissioner of
Double-mooring zone SM Tanvir Arafat confirmed BSS that
police rounded up 143 Jammat - Shibir activists from the
12 thanas of port city in last 18 hours for vandalizing
vehicles, shops and attacking on police during the clash
in last evening.
He said two cases were filed with Halishahar and
Double-mooring police stations and 130 detainees were
shown arrested in the cases after scrutiny among the
detained persons till now. The arrested persons would be
produced before the court on Monday, he added.
Earlier, 40 Shibir-men were arrested in connection of the
case of injuring 18 persons including three cops and
vandalizing nearly 50 vehicles when the Shibir activities
brought out a procession demanding release of three top
Jamaat leaders, including party chief Matiur Rahman Nizami,
at the city's Halishahar-Baropul area last evening.
2 more killed
in ‘shootout’ in Barisal
TBT Report
Two more alleged robbers were killed in a 'shootout'
between Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members and their
cohorts at Moulvikandi village under Muladi upazila of
Barisal early Monday taking the total of such extra
judicial killings to 137 in 11 months from August 1, 2009
to July 5, 2010.
With this 45 extra judicial killings took place in the
year of 2010. Meanwhile, RAB DG recently said as many as
622 people were killed in 'crossfire' since the formation
of RAB on March 26, 2004.
UNB news agency reports: A robber gang leader and his
accomplice were killed in a shootout between their cohorts
and RAB at Moulvikandi village in Muladi upazila early
Monday. The deceased were identified as gang leader Majnu
Khan, 45, and his accomplice Kalam alias Kana Kalam, 47,
of the same village. RAB said acting on secret information
that a group of robbers were taking preparation to commit
robbery at the village they encircled the area late at
night.
Sensing the presence of the elite force the muggers opened
fire on them forcing the law enforcers to fire back
triggering a gunfight. At one stage Majnu and his
accomplice Kalam were caught in the line of fire and died
on the spot. Police said they were wanted in a number of
criminal cases.
The unlawful killings are taking place despite mounting
protests by human rights activists, civil society members
and political parties and repeated assurances of the
government that such killings would be stopped and actions
would be taken against those found responsible.
11 missing in Shitalakhya trawler
capsize
BSS, Narayanganj
At least 11 garment and hosiery workers including women
have reportedly been missing when a mechanized ferry boat
capsized in the mid-stream of the Shitalakhya river
following a collision with a sand-laden trawler near
Bandar upazila on Sunday night.
Sources said, of the missing passengers three have so far
been identified as Aslam 25, Ratna 12, and Sumi, 13. They
all are garment workers, they said.
Police and eyewitnesses said the accident occurred when
the mechanized ferry-boat was carrying over 150
passengers, mostly garment and hosiery workers crossing
the Shitalakhya river towards Bandar upazila from Tanbazar
Ferry Ghat.
The boat collided with a Munshiganj-bound sand carrying
trawler in the mid-stream of the river at 10 pm on Sunday.
The boat having no light cracked into two parts and
capsized in the river. But most of the passengers swam
ashore while 11 of them missing, police said.
Police and divers of fire service, civil defense and BIWTA
rushed to the spot and started search for bodies of
missing passengers. No body has so far been recovered at
13.30 pm on Sunday police said.
Back Page
President
for increasing strength of PGR
BSS, Dhaka
President Zillur Rahman on Monday said he has a plan to
further increase the strength of his elite 'President
Guard Regiment (PGR)' considering the importance and
extent of their duty.
He said while addressing the Darbar of PGR at Shaheed
Captain Hafiz Hall at PGR Headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment
to mark its 35 founding anniversary.
PGR members are discharging their duties by providing
physical security to the heads of the state and government
of the country, and heads of the state and government of
other countries while they visit Bangladesh and also any
VIP declared by the government.
During the Darbar, President Zillur Rahman asked the
members of PGR to continue their duties showing highest
skill of professionalism and firm confidence.
"I hope you will perform your duties showing firm loyalty
to the leadership," he said.
The President said that he was impressed to see the
integrity, devotion and above all sense of discipline and
professional efficiency of all PGR members while
discharging their duties by risking their lives.
Terming the duties of PGR as prestigious but risky, the
President said range and arena of duties of PGR have
increased against the demand of time and the manpower of
regiment has been increased accordingly.
"Besides, I have a plan to further increase the strength
of the regiment," he said.
President Zillur Rahman also recalled with deep respect to
the greatest Bengalee of all times Father of the Nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who established PGR
this day in 1975 by recruiting smart officers and soldiers
from Bangladesh Army.
The President hoped that PGR would continue the standard
of this prestigious regiment in future and also
participated in nation building activities along with
their regular duties," he said. Chief of three services,
PGR Commandant, high military and civil officials were
also present on the occasion.
ECNEC sits
today to consider 8 projects
UNB, Dhaka
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC)
sits Tuesday in their first meeting for fiscal 2010-11 to
consider eight development projects, including one to
develop and reclaim Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara Lake in
the capital.
ECNEC chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will
preside over the meeting.
The Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara project under the
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) seeks to protect the
lake from illegal occupation and to reclaim and preserve
the water retention capacity of the lake as well as its
beautification.
The other projects likely to be considered in the meeting
are special development of University of Dhaka (4th phase)
under the Education Ministry, Special Rural Water Supply
Project under the Local Government Division, setting up
single line miter gauge railway tracks on
Dohazari-Ramu-Cox's Bazar and Ramu-Gundum near Myanmar
border under the Roads and Railways Division, construction
of Dirai-Shalla highway near Madanpur-Dirai-Shalla road
under the Roads and Railways Division, 2D seismic survey
under fast track programme under the Energy and Mineral
Resources Division, rural infrastructure development
project in greater Faridpur (2nd phase) under the Local
Government Division, and coordinated forest development
(2nd phase) under the Agriculture Ministry.
The meeting is also likely review the ADP implementation
progress of the Roads and Railways Division.
Minimum wage
structure for RMG workers by July 28: Mosharraf
UNB, Dhaka
Labour and Employment Minister Engr Khandaker Mosharraf
Hossain on Monday said they would be able to announce by
July 28 the minimum wages structure for the garment
workers, which he thinks is the key reason behind recent
unrest in the RMG sector.
"We discussed the matter with the concerned committee on
Monday and they assured me of finalizing the wage
structure before July 28," he told the newsmen at the
Labour Ministry after a meeting with a three-member
delegation led by Head of Delegation of European Union to
Bangladesh Dr Stefan Frowein.
French ambassador Charley Causeret and Dutch ambassador
Alphons Hennekens were the other members of the
delegation.
About the outcome of the meeting, the Minister said that
the European Union delegation expressed its concern over
the recent unrest in the country's readymade garments (RMG)
sector.
He said the wage structure, which is now under process,
would be acceptable to both the RMG workers and owners.
He said there are over four million workers engaged in the
RMG sector, who now get only Tk 1,662 as minimum wage.
"This is quite inadequate to run a family. So, the
government has taken the initiative to ensure better wage
for them."
Mosharraf informed that he talked with Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina twice in this regard.
Replying to a question, he said the government has already
taken steps to resolve the problem faced by the expatriate
workers and the foreign job seekers concerning Machine
Readable Passport (MRP) and handwritten passport.
"Now, both the MRP and the handwritten passport will be
accepted by the manpower importing countries," the Labour
Minister said.
Speaker assures
of steps to send Annie abroad for treatment
UNB, Dhaka
Speaker Abdul Hamid has assured BNP of taking necessary
steps to send abroad Shahiduddin Chowdhury Annie MP abroad
for his better medical treatment.
The assurance came when an 18-member delegation of BNP
lawmakers led by opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin
Farroque met with the Speaker at his office this (Monday)
afternoon and requested him for sending Annie abroad for
better treatment.
Badly wounded during June 27 hartal, Annie was arrested
and is now lying in United Hospital in the city under the
police custody.
"The Speaker has assured us of taking all necessary steps
for sending Annie abroad for his better treatment,"
opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin told reporters at the
Sangsad Bhaban media centre after the meeting.
United Hospital has recommended Annie's treatment in Mount
Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore and an appointment has
been made with the hospital for July 16, he added.
BNP lawmakers met with the Speaker include Mosharraf
Hossian, Mojibur Rahman Sarwar, Abul Khayer Bhuiyan,
Ashrafuddin Ahmed Nizan, Nazrul Islam Manju, Mahbubuddin
Khokon and Nilufar Chowdhury Moni.
JS body
discusses DAP
BSS, Dhaka
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Public
Assurance at a meeting on Monday discussed the much-
talked about Detailed Area Plan (DAP) and decided to place
the clarification of the RAJUK chairman on his alleged
indecent remarks about parliament members in the next
meeting.
Chaired by committee Chairman Md Fazley Rabbi Mian, the
meeting recommended urgent steps to be taken by the Law,
Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry to build
official residences for judges of the civil courts
including Bajitpur.
It suggested the Housing and Public Works Ministry take
prompt measures to resolve the residential problems of the
officials and employees of the Parliament Secretariat. The
committee also recommended sending a report prepared by
the director general of health on the progress of
construction of the 500-bed Mymensingh Medical College
Hospital-2 to the state minister for health and family
welfare.
It asked the concerned authorities for resolving the issue
of inaugurating Dinajpur Medical College Hospital after
discussion with the health ministry.
Committee members Md Abdul Quddus, Md Ekabbar Hossain and
Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury attended the meeting.
Acting Secretary of the Housing and Public Works Ministry
Dr Khondakar Shawkat Hossain and concerned officials of
the health ministry and parliament secretariat were
present.
BD-India Joint Boundary
Working Group to meet in next Ramadan
UNB, Dhaka
Bangladesh-India Joint Boundary Working Group (JBWG) will
meet in next Ramadan month to figure out ways to resolve
the outstanding border related problems.
Border related issues, including exchange of adverse
possessed lands and enclaves will be discussed in the JBWG
meeting. Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Rajeet
Mitter conveyed it to State Minister for Home Affairs
Advocate Shamsul Haq Tuku during a meeting at the Home
Ministry Monday afternoon.
The Indian envoy met with the State Minister for Home a
day after a violent incident when Indian Khasia backed by
BSF indiscriminately fired on Jaintapur border in Sylhet,
leaving at least 10 Bangladeshi nationals wounded with
bullet Sunday afternoon.
After the meeting, Tuku told reporters that they discussed
about Jaintapur incident, and both the countries took the
matter seriously.
He said correspondence between Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and
Indian Border Security Guard (BSF) will be increased to
avert recurrence of h kind of incident in the future.
Both Bangladesh and India reaffirmed to work together more
closely to diffuse the border tension.
Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder said many border
related problems could not be resolved as the JBWG did not
meet for a longtime. Many problems will be solved if the
JWBG sit in meeting, he noted.
Replying to a question, Tuku said trial of war criminals
must be held despite repeated threats from opposition
parties.
He said Jamaat-e-Islami has been giving threats against
holding of the trial. Even, the 4-party alliance leader
and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia has also given threat to
protect Jamaat leaders and for that they had enforced
hartal, he added.
Khoka secures
bail in graft case
UNB, Dhaka
Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) Mayor Sadek Hossain Khoka and
12 DCC officials on Monday secured anticipatory bails for
four months from High Court in a case of irregularities in
recruitment of employees for the corporation.
Granting interim bails upon separate petitions filed by
the accused appearing in person before the court, an HC
division bench issued rule upon the government to explain
why the accused should not be granted regular bail in the
case.
On June 29, Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) Assistant
Director Harunur Rashid filed a case with Shahbagh police
station against 13 DCC officials including the Mayor on
charge of appointing employees by abusing of power.
The case was filed under section 5(2) of the Anti
Corruption Act 1947 and section 109 of the Penal Code.
The ACC official mentioned in the case statement that the
Mayor, also a vice-president of BNP, recruited a good
number of officials and employees through illegal ways
from October 18, 2006 to November 20, 2006.
Due to the illegal and fake recruitment, the ACC said the
Corporation had to incur a huge financial loss.
Fire gutted 10
warehouses and huge valuables of Star Particle Board Mill
UNB, Narayanganj
A devastating fire broke out at Star Particle Board Mill
that gutted 10 godowns and raw materials worth Tk about 20
crores at Haripur village in Port upazila beside the east
side of Shitalakhya river on Monday evening.
Fire brigade and locals said the fire originated from a
pile of burnt husk of the factory at about 6pm and soon
engulfed the mill area that gutted 10 godowns of the mill
and it also burnt down raw materials worth about Tk 20
crore.
On information, the fire fighters of port upazila Fire
Service, Demra, Hajiganj and Mandalpara Fire stations to
the spot and trying to extinguish the fire till filing of
this report at about 9pm. The 8000 workers of the mill
became panicky and they came out of the mill and trying to
extinguish the fire with the cooperation of the fire
fighters. The Star Particle Board mill is owned by Partex
Group of MA Hashem.
Aziz Al Kaiser, Vice Chairman of the Partex Group rushed
to the spot and told journalists that the estimated loss
caused by the fire is Tk over hundred crore.
Editorial
BSF atrocities on
border
We
are constrained to write repeatedly on the atrocities of the
Indian Border Security Force (BSF) as it has assumed the shape
of a spectre is killing Bangladeshis along the border and
helping Indian nationals trespass illegally into Bangladesh
territory. These continue unabated despite India's repeated
pledges to stop killings and maintain peace on the border. In
the latest incident, at least 10 Bangladeshi nationals were
injured by bullet when Indians backed by BSF opened
indiscriminate fire across the Jaintapur border on July 4
afternoon. Of the injured, Kayes Ahmed, 16, Abdul Mannan, 30,
and Kamal Ahmed, 24, were admitted to Osmani Medical College
Hospital while others were undergoing treatment in Jaintapur
Upazila Health Complex.
According to the BDR source, at about 11 am Indian Khashias
entered into Minatila and Kathalbari and started tilling the
land. The villagers raised objection leading to chase and
counter-chase, Finally, the Khasias retreated. But again at
about 2 pm about 25 Khashias, armed with guns and backed by
BSF, entered the Bangladesh territory and began tilling the
land. When Bangaldeshis tried to resist, the Khashias opened
fire leaving 10 villagers wounded.
It may be recalled, there had been exchange of heavy gunfire
between BDR and BSF on Sylhet border on June 15. On the
previous occasion BDR-BSF gunfire exchange took place on
February 28 last. BSF and BDR exchanged heavy gunfire in
Jaintapur and Goainghat border in Sylhet on that day. The
firing started when Indian farmers backed by BSF trespassed
200 yards into Bangladesh and started cultivation at Noljhuri
border. Firing extended to Tamabil and Protappur borders of
Goainghat and Dibir Haor of Jaintapur border. It was the
fourth time in a month that the border skirmishes took place
as Khasia tribe on the other side of the border in Meghalaya
State deliberately crossed the border for fishing in Dibir
Haor. BSF on February 4 intruded in the area and kidnapped a
Nayek of BDR.
On February 22, a group of Indian intruders with direct
support of the BSF trespassed into Bangladesh territory on
Bibirhaor border near Jayantapur in Sylhet, but went back in
the face of strong protest by local people. The trespassers
entered two hundred years into Bangladesh territory and caught
fishes from a pond. The BSF personnel provided security to the
Indian trespassers.
Worse still, BSF killed 31 Bangladeshis in last four months
and 111 in last 13 months. The number of Bangladeshis killed
by BSF during the nine years period from January 1, 2000 to
June 21, 2010 stands at 862. BSF also injured 860 and abducted
903 Bangladeshis in the same period. In the latest incident,
BSF killed two more Bangladeshis in separate incidents on
Jhenidah border and Chapainawabganj border on June 21 last .
The killings of unarmed Bangladeshis by the BSF on the border
and trespassing into Bangladesh territory are continuing in
clear violation of the spirit of good neighborliness as well
as international law and despite repeated pledges by the
Indian authorities to stop it. In every meeting between BSF
and BDR and also between the higher level officials of the two
countries, the Indian side assures that killing of
Bangladeshis by its forces on the border and disturbances on
the border would come to an end immediately. But this pledge
is seldom implemented.
What the BSF is doing for years are against international
norms and rules and hence are unfortunate and unwarranted.
India must be true to its words and the killings of
Bangladeshis and trespassing inside Bangladesh by BSF and
Indian nationals must be stopped forthwith. With the rest of
the nation we are profoundly shocked and aggrieved at the BSF
atrocities and we find no words strong enough to condemn
these. We urge the Indian government to behave properly if it
really wants good relations with neighbors.
Fish crisis
The
country continues to face a serious fish crisis which is
aggravating day by day. Due to the short supply in the market,
the price of all varieties of fish has skyrocketed and gone
beyond the purchasing capacity of common people. Worse still,
at a time when fish continues to be dearer with every passing
day, according to press reports : At least 57 indigenous
species of sweet water fish, particularly small ones, in the
southern region are disappearing fast. These varieties may be
extinct within next ten years.
Frequent and indiscriminate use of pesticides and chemical
fertilisers on agricultural lands, farming hybrid and carp
varieties of fish are responsible for destroying the fish
resources. Sources say excessive fishing due to growing
population, environmental crises like siltation of rivers,
canals, ponds, enclosures, sharp declining of spawning,
breeding areas, pollution of water bodies by industrial
wastes, chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and lack of fish
sanctuaries led to such a situation. The most endangered
spices of fishes, out of 57, are Nandina, Ghora, Swarna Puti,
Moha Shoul, Ritha, Kajli, Ghaura, Bacha, Shilong, Pangas,
Bagha Aier, Chenua and Gila Shoul.
Climate change, deforestation and desertification are some of
the major global problems nowadays. Unfortunately, as a nation
we are affected by all these and our country is witnessing
frequent floods and other natural calamities while the forest
areas are shrinking and rivers, canals, ponds etc are drying
up. As a result, the country is running short of adequate
water bodies and water resulting in serious shortfall in fish
production.
There exists a real threat that sweet water fishes would be
extinct from the country if the government fails to take
effective steps to protect the canals, water bodies, haors and
rivers and ensure the proper atmosphere for spawning of
fishes. If we want to preserve our fish used as delicious food
items we will have to protect our canals, water bodies, haors
and rivers and take measures to protect fish.
Analysis
Endgame in Afghanistan
Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy is dictated by
its overriding concern with retaining influence in Afghanistan
and minimising India's at the same time.
Moeed Yusuf
As the endgame in
Afghanistan approaches, regional players are busy
repositioning themselves to obtain the best possible deal.
Pakistan remains the single-most important regional actor.
Interestingly, while the rest of the parties watch its every
move to assess the situation, the fact is that Pakistan is
pursuing a number of paradoxical and seemingly contradictory
policies.
Perhaps nowhere is Pakistan's dilemma more obvious than in
terms of its stance on the presence of the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and US forces in Afghanistan.
It has confused many and remains a matter of debate. It is
therefore worth examining Pakistan's outlook on the issue.
Pakistan's Afghanistan policy is dictated by its overriding
concern with retaining influence in Afghanistan and minimising
India's at the same time. Equally critical for Pakistan is the
need to limit the continuing internal backlash from the Afghan
situation.
From the Pakistani perspective this implies that a negotiated
settlement should come sooner rather than later and that it
should leave Afghanistan in a manageable state lest more chaos
cause fresh spillover into Pakistan. At the same time,
however, the settlement has to be one that allows a
substantial role in Afghanistan for actors sympathetic to
Islamabad - and not to India.
How does this tie up with Pakistan's position on the western
military presence in Afghanistan? Simply put, it leaves
Islamabad in a dilemma; to safeguard its self-perceived
objectives, it has to pursue seemingly contradictory and
unpopular policies.
The negative implications of the western military presence in
Afghanistan consume Pakistan's popular narrative on the
subject. Indeed, there is ample evidence to support the claim
that the US and ISAF presence has resulted in significant
backlash in Pakistan whose support to the US mission is
precisely what the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and similar
outfits have used to promote an 'us vs them' [Muslims vs
occupiers] discourse.
The western presence has been used to convince TTP and allied
groups to take on the Pakistani state. Ironically, it was also
the denunciation of the western presence by the Islamists that
kept the average Pakistani ambivalent for some time about the
indigenous nature of the threat their country was facing. Add
to this the costs associated with refugee inflow, further
dilution of the Durand Line and the presence in Fata of all
sorts of foreign militants.
On the face of it, the sooner the western military presence is
withdrawn the better it may be for Pakistan. But the reality
is different. The civilian and military top brass in Pakistan
realise that given where Afghanistan stands today, a premature
withdrawal of western forces would be catastrophic. The fear,
well founded, is that a withdrawal would leave a power vacuum
causing Afghanistan to fall back into an anarchic state.
Various players may find it expedient to engage in proxy wars
just as local Afghan groups set out to create new spheres of
influence. For Pakistan, such a scenario brings back bitter
memories of the post-Soviet withdrawal era when Islamabad had
to manage millions of Afghan refugees and was left with a
ravaged economy and long-term societal distortions. With the
state's capacity already weakened, the blowback is certain to
be even harsher this time round.
The Pakistani establishment then is forced to accept the
unpopularity of and lingering backlash from the western
military presence in lieu of a guarantee that its western
allies will not withdraw abruptly. Behind closed doors,
Pakistan has been categorical in demanding this.
Let us add another aspect which complicates matters further:
what does Pakistan do with the anti-West militant groups
actively engaged in the Afghan insurgency from their bases in
Fata? Another set of contradictions become obvious in
answering this question.
On the one hand, Pakistan's interest in ensuring some level of
stability at home before the endgame should prompt it to
tackle the Afghan Taliban, the Haqqani network and Hekmatyar's
Hizb-i-Islami. It has, however, resisted American pressure to
do so and has hinted at its unwillingness to reconsider.
For one, it genuinely fears that taking on these groups would
prompt them to unite with anti-Pakistan groups and encourage
greater instability in Pakistan. The concern is legitimate
though ignored by most western commentators. More importantly,
however, taking on these groups would mean that Pakistan
dilutes its leverage in the endgame in two ways. First, it
loses pro-Pakistan groups which it hopes will have some role
in the future Afghan set-up. Second, it opens up the
possibility of a settlement which leaves Pakistan peripheral
to the equation.
The result is that Pakistan while opposed to a premature
withdrawal is also simultaneously raising the costs for the US
and ISAF by leaving anti-West Afghan groups untouched. That
said, it is still attempting to keep these costs manageable
for the western states involved by allowing US drones to
strike targets in Fata and sharing intelligence with its
western counterparts. It is doing so to keep the Afghan groups
on a leash while not allowing reason enough for the US to
pursue direct intervention options in Pakistan.
The silver lining in all this is that no matter how we
approach the situation, it is becoming increasingly clear that
no sustainable conclusion can be achieved in Afghanistan until
both these sides are on board. Pakistan and the US both want
Afghanistan to become relatively stable before the western
presence is withdrawn; both have an interest in seeing this
happen sooner rather than later; and there is also a growing
realisation that the end-state would involve a 'broad-based'
government in Kabul.
Pakistan's parallel strategy to raise western costs, and
western reluctance to agree to a future role for pro-Pakistan
groups per se are irritants which flow from the lack of mutual
trust. Both parties are caught in a dilemma which is not
allowing them to show their hand due to the fear of being
outmanouevred. Constant dialogue and positive assurances that
this will not happen can allow them to overcome this trust
deficit and subsequently lead them to an agreeable common
end-state.
Double
standards, from BP to Bhopal
Union Carbide put profit for the corporation above the
lives and health of millions of people. Dow Chemical,
which took over Union Carbide, is attempting to distance
itself from all responsibility.
Bill Quigley & Alex Tuscano
When
US President Barack Obama went after BP and demanded a $20
billion fund be set up for victims of the Gulf oil spill,
the people of India were furious. They saw a US double
standard. The US demonstrated it values human life within
the US more than the lives of the people of India. BP
should pay $20 billion in compensation, probably even
more.
The people of India agree with that. But people are angry
because the US is treating the oil spill, called the worst
environmental disaster in US history, in a radically
different way than the US treated the explosion of a
US-owned pesticide plant in Bhopal India, which some call
the worst industrial ?disaster in history.
The 1984 Bhopal explosion released tons of toxic chemicals
into the air, claimed the lives of between 15,000 and
20,000 people within two weeks, and disabled hundreds of
thousands of others many still suffering from physical
damage and genetic defects.
The plant that exploded was operated by Union Carbide
India Limited, a corporation owned by Union Carbide of the
United States.
The disaster occurred in a thickly populated area close to
the central railway station in Bhopal, an urban area of
1.5 million in the heart of India. Most people in the area
lived in shanty huts. Thousands of dead humans and animals
filled the streets of Bhopal. Survivors complain of
genetic damage which has caused widespread birth defects
in children and even grandchildren of those exposed.
The soil and water of Bhopal remain toxic with heavy
pesticide residue and toxic metals like lead, mercury,
arsenic, cadmium and chromium.
While President Obama displayed outrage at BP officials
over the 11 deaths from the US oil spill, the US has
refused to extradite Warren Anderson, the chair of Union
Carbide, to face charges for his role in the Bhopal
disaster. Recall too that Obama advisor Larry Summers,
then chief economist at the World Bank, stated in an
infamous 1971 memo. "Just between you and me, shouldn't
the world Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty
industries to the Less Developed Countries?... I've always
thought that under-populated countries in Africa are
vastly UNDER-polluted""
Obsolete and hazardous industries have been systematically
transferred to the third world countries to not only
exploit the cheap labor but also to avoid disastrous
impact of these industries on the ?advanced countries.
Union Carbide put profit for the corporation above the
lives and health of millions of people. Dow Chemical,
which took over Union Carbide, is attempting to distance
itself from all responsibility.
In India there were two Bhopal developments this month.
The Indian government announced a compensation package of
$280 million for Bhopal victims, about $22,000 for each of
the families of the deceased, according to the BBC, and
seven former Indian managers of the Bhopal plant were
given two year jail sentences for their part in the
explosion. These legal developments are a mockery of
justice for one of the world's greatest disasters.
We call on the people of the US and the people of India to
join together to demand our governments respect the human
rights of all people, no matter where they live. Together
we must bring about change in corporate development.
We have to emphasise social production for the needs of
people and improved social relations. If we continue to
value some lives more than others, and to allow
corporations to spoil some areas with impunity, our world
will not last.
Unless we respect the human rights of all people and
demand corporations do that as well, we will be damned to
live out the Cree Indian prophecy "Only when the last tree
from this earth has been cut down, only when the last
river has been poisoned, only when the last fish has been
caught, only then will humankind learn that money cannot
be eaten."
Bill Quigley is the Legal Director of the Center for
Constitutional Rights and a law professor at Loyola
University New Orleans. Alex directs Praxis, a human
rights organisation in Bangalore India
Predicting
long life
Many of the genetic markers the scientists found stave off
common, and often lethal, age-related diseases, such as
heart disease, dementia and high blood pressure.
Ian Sample
A
Genetic test that can predict whether a person is likely
to live long enough to see his 100th birthday has been
developed by scientists. Researchers at Boston University
claim the test can identify those who can look forward to
an exceptionally long life with 77 per cent accuracy.
They designed the test after a major study into the
genetic makeup of centenarians highlighted a host of DNA
variants that boost a person's chances of reaching a ripe
old age.
Many of the genetic markers the scientists found stave off
common, and often lethal, age-related diseases, such as
heart disease, dementia and high blood pressure.
The US researchers investigated the genetic secrets of a
longer life after studies showed that living beyond 100
often runs in families.
"These families might share healthy lifestyles, but it
also suggests there is a strong genetic background to
exceptional longevity," said Professor Paola Sebastiani, a
biostatistician at Boston University school for public
health.
Lifespan is governed by a complex interplay of genes,
lifestyle and environment, with factors like smoking,
diet, exercise and pollution all having a role, but many
scientists believe living beyond the mid-90s is largely
down to having good genes. Sebastiani and colleagues
scanned the genomes of 1,055 centenarians and compared
them with scans from 1,267 normal, healthy people. They
found 150 DNA variants that were more common in the
old-age group and seemed to make their bodies healthier
and more resilient.
The centenarians could be divided into 19 groups based on
their genetic makeup. One of these groups was particularly
resistant to age-related diseases and contained nearly
half of all the centenarians that lived to 110 years or
more.
"There are particular combinations of these genetic
variants that allow people to live not only a longer life,
but also a healthier life. In centenarians, disability and
disease tend to be delayed until the very end of their
lives," Sebastiani said.
The study, published in the US journal Science, will help
researchers unravel why and how the body ages and
potentially lead to drugs that can slow down the ageing
process.
"If we can pinpoint genetic variants that delay the onset
of diseases, it could have very important medical
implications for the population in general," said
Sebastiani.
One intriguing finding in the study was that gene variants
that raise a person's risk of disease may matter less than
genes that protect against disease. The scientists found
centenarians had roughly the same number of high-risk
genes as the rest of the population, but had more
protective genes to cancel them out.
Viewpoints
Victory for civil society and
Palestine
Also on the
winning side is Turkey. Unlike the Arab states, it translated
its tough anti-blockade stand into active solidarity with
civil society organisations.
Praful Bidwai
When
Israel's leaders ordered their commandos to attack the Freedom
Flotilla carrying humanitarian assistance to Gaza in
international waters, they couldn't have imagined they would
have to relax the three years-long blockade in less than three
weeks. Yet, the global public revulsion at the murderous
assault on the Mavi Marmara-even among Israel's allies and
supporters-forced them to do so.
Two-thirds of Israelis disapproved of the attack-more because
it disgraced their country, than out of moral outrage at its
illegality and brutality. Now, Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu disowns the three-year-old blockade as an
inheritance from the past. This is a clear confession by a
macho Right-wing leader that Israel's Gaza strategy has
politically failed.
This is a major victory for the international civil society
mobilisation against Palestine's occupation by Israel. The
fact that 600 activists from over 50 countries organised the
flotilla impressed many people. Says Phyllis Bennis, a West
Asia expert and an organiser of the US Palestinian solidarity
movement: "The fact that so many non-Palestinians were killed
… highlighted the willingness of global activists to take
risks on behalf of human rights that governments and the UN
were unwilling to defend. It provided a powerful image of an
increasingly empowered civil society with the capacity to
transform events directly."
What gave the peaceful mobilisation special moral legitimacy
was its basically non-violent character and its advocacy of
international law. Bennis says: "Israel was not condemned
because its commandoes were mean and brutal, [but] because the
attack on … a civilian ship carrying certifiably humanitarian
goods in international waters, was a violation of
international law. … [T]he flotilla held Israel's entire
blockade of Gaza up to the scrutiny of international law-and
found it wanting…."
Also on the winning side is Turkey. Unlike the Arab states, it
translated its tough anti-blockade stand into active
solidarity with civil society organisations. Nineteen Turks
(including a Turkish-American) were killed in the attack.
Turkey acted firmly and convincingly. It recalled its
ambassador from Tel Aviv, cancelled military exercises with
Israel, and demanded-and obtained-the immediate release of all
those captured.
Turkey has emerged from the crisis as a self-confident Middle
Power with the courage to confront the US. Turkey's stock has
risen politically. It is looking to a more ambitious role in
regional affairs. Turkey and Brazil recently agreed with Iran
to give it medium-enriched material for its research reactor
in return for low-enriched uranium. This will promote
accountable behaviour on Iran's part. Until recently, Turkey
had good economic and military relations with Israel both
within and outside NATO. Turkey even voted for Israel's entry
into the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development. Now, Israel has lost Turkey, its only friend in
the Muslim world.
Turkey's changed posture may motivate other countries to play
a less pro-US role. As will the raid's condemnation even by
the conservative UK and French governments, which declared it
"indefensible". The UN Security Council chair statement also
unequivocally criticised the attack. Malaysia and Ireland have
stepped up humanitarian efforts for Gaza. The first ship to
carry aid to Gaza after the flotilla was received peacefully.
It was named the Rachel Corrie, after the young woman mowed
down by Israeli bulldozers in 2003 for peacefully protesting
the demolition of Palestinian homes.
By not condemning Israel's flotilla attack, the US lost an
opportunity to earn goodwill in the Islamic world. If the US
persists with its present policy, including a $30 billion
10-year aid package to Israel, the political costs of
apologising for and cleaning up after Israel could become
exorbitant. This may hopefully drum some sense into
Washington's policy-makers.
The relaxation of the Gaza blockade won't change ground
realities-barring a minor improvement in food availability and
living conditions. Israel will still control Gaza's borders
and airspace, and movement of people and goods. But as a Gazan
puts it: "We don't need food or clothing; we don't want money.
We need to be free to come and go. We need to feel human.
People in Gaza are like you-not from another planet."
The real impact of the relaxation of the blockade will be
political. Israel will increasingly be seen as a state with
roguish proclivities. This will accelerate worldwide
recognition that Israel's occupation of Palestine is unjust,
illegal and cruel, and reinforce its isolation.
Israel has long behaved like a lawless state. It has ignored
the highest number of Security Council resolutions among all
countries. It has invaded its neighbours and occupied
territories in Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. It
assassinates political opponents and massacres refugees.
Israel has at least 200 nuclear weapons. It had
nuclear-weapons collaboration with apartheid South Africa.
Israel wrecked the Oslo peace process and continues to expand
its illegal settlements in Palestine, including East
Jerusalem.
The process of Israel's international isolation began with the
bestial Sabra-Chatilla massacres in Palestinian refugee camps
in 1982. A turning point was the first Intifadah of the late
1980s, during which Palestinian children fought Israeli tanks
with stones. Those images transformed the world's perception
of Israel: from a tiny nation threatened by hostile Arab
states, to a ruthless aggressor. The 2008 Gaza invasion
further confirmed Israel's criminality. After the flotilla
episode, Israel will be increasingly regarded as a pariah or
outlaw state, which must be reined in-just as apartheid South
Africa was.
UN Special Rapporteur for the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Richard Falk, an eminent US jurist, whom Israel has barred
from visiting Palestine, puts the issue in perspective: "In
the end, the haunting question is whether the war crimes
concerns raised by Israel's behaviour in Gaza matters, and if
so, how. I believe it matters greatly in what might be called
'the second war'-the legitimacy war that often ends up shaping
the political outcome more than battlefield results.
"The US won every battle in the Vietnam War and lost the war;
the same with France in Indochina and Algeria, and the Soviet
Union in Afghanistan. The Shah of Iran collapsed, as did the
apartheid regime in South Africa, because of defeats in the
legitimacy war." Adds Falk: "It is my view that this surfacing
of criminal charges against Israel during and after its
attacks on Gaza resulted in major gains on the legitimacy
front for the Palestinians. The widespread popular perceptions
of Israeli criminality, especially the sense of waging war
against a defenceless population with modern weaponry, has
prompted people around the world to propose boycotts,
divestments and sanctions" (BDS).
The BDS campaign is gathering strength in many countries-but
regrettably, not in South Asia. India in particular is
building close relations with Israel. It is allowing its arms
purchase relationship to guide its foreign policy. This is a
historic blunder. New Delhi must correct course-radically and
quickly. To start with, India, along with other South Asian
states, must demand an independent external inquiry into the
flotilla attack. As argued earlier, Pakistan must cease and
desist from making clandestine contacts with Israel. However,
none of this will happen unless political parties and civil
society organisations build a BDS campaign in South Asia,
which educates the public and mobilises strong, principled
support.
The writer, a former newspaper editor, is a researcher and
peace and human-rights activist based in Delhi.
Email: prafulbidwai1@yahoo.co.in
British
Muslims: Countering negative images
58 per cent of
those questioned saw a link between Islam and extremism or
terrorism while 68 per cent said it was anti-women.
Hasan Suroor
58
per cent of those questioned in Britain saw a link between
Islam and extremism or terrorism while 68 per cent said it
was anti-women.
Even the most blasé seen-it-all British Muslim must have
been jolted by a recent poll, according to which an
overwhelming majority of Britons associate Islam with
extremism, repression of women and lack of equity and
justice. Few believe that Britain's 1.6 million Muslims
have a positive impact on British society.
The figures were staggering: 58 per cent of those
questioned saw a link between Islam and extremism or
terrorism while 68 per cent said it was anti-women. Only
13 per cent associated the world's fastest growing
religion with peace, and a mere six per cent with justice.
Asked whether British Muslims did any good to British
society four out of ten said: no.
To a casual observer, it might seem like just another poll
that merely confirms a trend that, in the past decade, has
seen an unremittingly negative focus on Islam and Muslims
around the world. Yet there's something deeply worrying
about discovering that Muslims are held in such deep
contempt at a time when, on the face of, there appears to
be a lull in overt anti-Muslim prejudice. Indeed, for the
first time in many years, British Muslims feel they are
able to breathe a little more freely and say they feel
under less pressure compared to what is happening in many
other European countries, including France and Belgium
next door.
"We are lucky to be living in Britain. It is heaven
compared to other countries," one Muslim activist said.
But, clearly, the surface calm is deceptive and the
sponsors of the poll admit that they have been surprised
by the findings.
"Yes, we were surprised and it is a cause of deep
concern," a spokesperson for the Exploring Islam
Foundation which commissioned the poll said.
The Foundation has been set up by a group of young
educated British Muslim professionals (mostly of Asian
origin) concerned about the perceptions of their
community. Its stated aim is to "challenge" misconceptions
surrounding Islam and Muslims; raise awareness about
religious and cultural practices relating to Islam and
highlight the contribution of Muslims to "civilisation."
The idea, according to its mission statement, is to
"dispel the common stereotypes and myths about Islam and
Muslims by using strategic media campaigns."
"We appreciate that the relationship between Islam and
various aspects of modern life are continually under
intense scrutiny. We want to play an active part in that
debate and discuss the place of Islam in 21st century
Britain. Our ambition is to engage in stimulating and
thoughtful discussions on a spectrum of issues from
economics, politics and social customs to history, art and
spirituality," it says.
The Foundation responded to the poll by launching an
"Inspired by Muhammad" project starting with a slick
poster campaign based on texts of Prophet Muhammad's
teachings on a range of issues such as women's
empowerment, social justice, environment, tolerance and
human rights. Eye-catching posters, each with a tagline
"inspired by Muhammad" and displayed on the London
Underground, buses and taxis, feature young practising
Muslims who are also campaigners for gender equality,
environment and social justice. They proclaim that that
their lifestyles and beliefs are "inspired" by the
Prophet.
The faces featured in the posters are not professional
models but drawn from real life to illustrate how the
British Muslim youth balance their modern day life-choices
in a western country with the traditions of Islam.
One poster features a hijab-wearing woman barrister,
Sultana Tafadar, with the caption "I believe in women's
rights. So did Muhammed." Another has former MTV presenter
Kristiane Backer, a convert to Islam, declare: "I believe
in protecting the environment. So did Muhammad." Then
there is a young male Muslim charity worker Rupon Miah who
says "I believe in social justice. So did Muhammad."
A website "www.inspiredbymuhammad.com" elaborates on the
claims of the men and women featured in the posters with
actual quotations from Muhammed. On social justice, he is
quoted as saying: "The best people are those who are most
useful to others." And he described women as "twin halves
of men" whose rights were as sacred as those of men.
Emphasising the importance of protecting the environment,
the Prophet said: "All of the earth has been made to me as
a mosque". He encouraged his companions to conserve water
instructing them not to be wasteful even if they were next
to a flowing river, and stipulated the importance of
keeping public places tidy declaring: 'One of the branches
of faith is to remove litter from the street.' Campaigners
say they were prompted by their own daily experience of
widespread ignorance about Islam and the notion that it is
a regressive religion whose practices are not in sync with
the modern world. By putting their faces on public
hoardings and telling their own life stories they wanted
to show that there was such a thing as a modern 21st
century Muslim.
Ms Tafadar, who wears a hijab to work, says: "Working as a
barrister at a leading human rights firm, I often get
asked the question: how are you able to reconcile your
choice of profession with Islam's views regarding the role
of women? The question usually stems from the false
presumption that Islam sees women as unequal to men. This
could not be further from the truth. My answer is that
there is no conflict to reconcile. Rather my choice of
profession is entirely in sync with, and indeed promoted,
by Islam."
Romana Aly, who was born and brought up in Britain (her
parents came from India) and is campaigns director of the
Foundation, says young independent Muslims like her are
deeply worried about the way their community is perceived.
She holds the media largely responsible for perpetuating
the idea of Muslim separatism by reducing the debate to
what Muslim wear and suggesting that somehow being a
practising Muslim is not compatible with being proud and
patriotic British. It is an artificial construct rooted
partly in ignorance but mostly in prejudice.
"I am just as proud to be British as I am proud to be a
Muslim and have pride in my Indian heritage - and that's
true of most Muslims of my generation," she says.
Young Muslims also believe that the whole "identity crisis
business," the view that confusion among second and third
generation Muslims about their cultural identity tends to
push them towards extremism, has been exaggerated to fit a
stereotype image of Muslims. They think that much of it is
part of a political agenda, helped by the media, to
perpetuate a certain idea of Muslims. They also object to
any one group of Muslims being portrayed as
representatives of the entire community. The Muslim
Council of Britain, once patronised by the British
Government, is no more representative of British Muslims
than is the Exploring Islam Foundation, its officials say.
Up to a point these are all valid arguments. There is no
doubt that both the media and the political class - not
just in Britain but everywhere - have contributed to the
prevailing Islamophobia and, often, as part of an
insidious agenda. But what about Muslims themselves? Have
they ever asked themselves why the whole world appears to
be against them? It is a bit like the Americans who never
tire of moaning how everyone is against them but seldom
pause to ask: why? There is an appalling lack of
introspection which is compounded with a deep-seated sense
of "victimhood"- the idea that there is a grand global
conspiracy to do them in.
Ms Aly gently sidesteps questions about the Muslim
community's own role in contributing to some of the
negative images and whether it has ever pondered why it is
perceived the way it is. Rather than finger-pointing what
is more important, she argues, is to focus on countering
these negative perceptions and "fostering" a better
understanding of Muslims and Islam.
"We want to foster a greater understanding of what British
Muslims are about and our contribution to British society
which is not often acknowledged," she says.
Contrary to the popular view - and, to a degree, my own
scepticism - I should like to believe that women like Ms
Tarafdar and Ms Aly are more typical of the new generation
of British Muslims than the caricature of the angry,
alienated Muslim routinely fed to us. Despite their own
deeply-held religious beliefs, they do not spout anti-westernism,
do not appear to nurse imaginary grievances and do not
believe that anyone who is not a Muslim is an enemy of
Islam. Indeed, in many ways, they are more culturally
integrated than some of the apparently more "secular"
immigrant groups.
If this is the new face of British Muslims - and, of
course, it is a big "if"- let's embrace it. So what if it
comes in a hijab?
Oh
Arab nation, you are strong, but...
The Arab world has a deep-rooted history that is known to
all, but the enemies of the Arabs cannot stand a strong
Arab nation.
Essa Bin Mohammed Al Zedjali
No
doubt, the actual situation in the Arab world is pretty
hard and distressing. This is because we are a strong and
week nation at the same time. This might sound paradoxical
but the condition we live in is clear evidence that the
statement corresponds with reality.
"The wealth of our nation, in resources and advantages,
extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Gulf" is a
statement that has been reverberating through our
classrooms ever since educational institutions came into
existence in the Arab world. Unfortunately, it is a far
cry in the real world.
The Arab world has a deep-rooted history that is known to
all, but the enemies of the Arabs cannot stand a strong
Arab nation. They have left no stone unturned in trying to
create differences and disputes among the Arabs at all
levels and forums.
Their evil attempts are aimed at creating "conflict spots"
at every corner of the Arab world, which has held
innumerable meetings and conferences on Arab matters and
enjoys a vast area.
Our advantages can be boiled down to three things: First,
the strategic location; second, the huge size of
population - the list of Arab personalities who have
corralled achievements including the Nobel prize is pretty
long; and third, the variety and magnitude of our natural
resources, on top of which comes oil.
We still remember the solid stance taken by the wise Arab
governments when oil was used as an effective weapon
during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, something that helped
maintain the balance of power at the time. Thereafter,
however, the Arab countries under the umbrella of the Arab
League have taken decisions of only ceremonial nature
after numerous conferences and emergency meetings.
Unfortunately, their decisions haven't so far gone beyond
communiqués or condemnations. They will, in all
probability, continue to wallow in these proclamations
without making use of what they possess until and unless
they realize the seriousness of the situation. But our
hope is in the wealth and potentials of the Arab world,
though some wily foreign powers would continue to weave
their conspiracies. We, as a nation, are able to resist
such plots as long as we hold our heads high.
We need to be fully aware of what is going on behind the
scene against our nation. We should not weigh things in
light of our personal interests; we need to wise up to our
own capabilities and know that we can do a lot more under
our own steam.
We are a nation with huge powers that cannot be swatted
aside by the world. Our enemies are well aware of our
advantages and potentialities as a nation, and therefore,
they spare no effort in hatching conspiracies against us.
Unfortunately, we have enemies from within as well who are
also engaged in sowing seeds of differences lest the Arab
world unite and get stronger; they know very well that
once we sink our differences and unite as one nation, we
will not only manage our affairs in an excellent way but
will also rule the world.
There are, doubtless, various areas we can focus on to
make the required changes: First, we have to concentrate
on amendments to facilitate more political freedom;
second, we have to revamp our educational system with
modern curricula and syllabi; and third, we need to
further empower women so they can play more constructive
roles in a way that would help our nation scale even
greater heights of glory and torpedo the machinations of
Israel and its allies.
Oh, Arab nation, you are great and mighty if only you use
your power effectively and positively. Arab population is
pretty huge compared to that of other nations, but a group
of "international beneficiaries" wants to see differences
grow among us.
It is distressing to know that Arabs themselves are party
to dubious efforts by some powers in the East and West to
emaciate the Arab nation, as they detest seeing a united
Arab world. This is the reason they often speak of a
growing nuclear threat in the region; but we are able to
cut through such specious statements and detect their
selfish motives.
How do we face all such factors that help rev up the
differences in the Arab world? How do we make the Arab
League - an entity that is supposed to join all Arabs
together - more effective? With all our endeavors for
development and reform, the Arab League will one day
hopefully take effective decisions in favor of the Arab
nation; and then and only then, will we become a powerful
nation in the full sense.
International
Energy giants
fund Myanmar nuclear drive: Rights group
AFP, Paris
Myanmar's military rulers are using gas revenue from US
and French energy giants Chevron and Total to fund an
illegal bid to build nuclear weapons, human rights
monitors said in a report on Monday.
Myanmar's Yadan gas pipeline, run by the two companies
along with Thai firm PTTEP, made billions of dollars for
the military leaders, the Paris-based group EarthRights
International said, citing data from the firms.
The NGO also branded the companies complicit in human
rights abuses such as targeted killings and forced labour
at the pipeline.
It said Chevron, Total and PTTEP have generated nine
billion dollars (seven billion euros) from Myanmar's
Yadana gas pipeline since 1998, more than half of which
has gone straight to the ruling junta.
"The companies are financing the world's newest nuclear
threat with multi-billion dollar payments," EarthRights
said in a statement.
"The funds have enabled the country's autocratic junta to
maintain power and pursue an expensive, illegal nuclear
weapons programme."
The United States has voiced concerns about Myanmar's
cooperation with alleged nuclear proliferator North Korea
after the Norwegian-based news group Democratic Voice of
Burma said Myanmar was trying to build an atomic bomb.
The government of Myanmar-sometimes still referred to as
Burma-last month dismissed the claims as "baseless."
EarthRights said its investigations showed gas revenue had
found its way into offshore bank accounts and alleged they
were destined to buy arms and nuclear technology.
EarthRights, citing testimony by residents and refugees,
also alleged: "The oil companies are complicit in targeted
killings of two ethnic Mon villagers and in ongoing forced
labour."
"These violent abuses were committed by Burma Army
soldiers providing security for the companies and the
pipeline within the last year."
EarthRights demanded the companies publish details of
their payments to Myanmar's leaders.
Pakistan backs
counter-terror conference
AFP, Islamabad
Top-level government talks in Pakistan on Monday backed
growing calls for a national conference on ways to tackle
Islamist militant attacks in the nuclear-armed nation.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani chaired the meeting
attended by chief ministers from Pakistan's four provinces
and heads all concerned departments, four days after a
twin suicide attack killed 43 people at a Muslim shrine.
"We would like to convene a national conference to
formulate a national policy on terrorism," Gilani told the
meeting. In a rarity for the fractious world of Pakistani
politics, all major parties would be invited to the
conference, which will be convened to find ways to
eradicate terror and curb the problems of Islamist
militancy, he said.
A Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked bombing spree across
Pakistan has killed more than 3,400 people in three years
since government troops besieged a radical mosque in the
capital Islamabad in July 2007.
Pakistan has embarked on a series of military operations
in its tribal belt, which lies outside direct government
control along the Afghan border, and elsewhere in the
northwest in a bid to stamp out Taliban havens.
There has been concern in the United States and among NATO
allies that militant groups in Pakistan threaten to
destabilise the country and fan their nearly nine-year war
against the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Gilani said that after being "hit hard" in northwest
Pakistan, "terrorists are on the run and seeking refuge in
the urban areas of the country," where they are "attacking
soft targets and spreading sectarian hatred".
Last Thursday's attack was the latest violence in Lahore,
Pakistan's most liberal city and the capital of its
largest and most populous region Punjab.
In May, gunmen wearing suicide vests also stormed mosques
belonging to the minority Ahmadi community in Lahore,
killing at least 82 people.
India rocked by strike over
fuel prices
AFP, New Delhi
An opposition-led strike over fuel price rises disrupted
life across India on Monday, triggering transport mayhem
and sporadic violence in major cities where schools and
businesses closed down.
Flights were grounded in commercial airline hubs such as
Mumbai and Kolkata, while protesters attacked buses,
blocked roads with burning tyres and organised sit-down
protests on inter-city railway links.
Police were out in force to prevent any large-scale unrest
during the 12-hour strike called by the main opposition
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and leftist parties in a show
of strength against the Congress-led government's reform
programme. The response was mixed, with the greatest
impact felt in states with non-Congress administrations,
like West Bengal, Karnataka and Bihar.
The day of action virtually shut down the software sector
in India's IT showcase city Bangalore-the capital of BJP-ruled
Karnataka-where hundreds of software firms, including
giants like Infosys and Wipro, told employees to stay
home. In New Delhi, the government said it would not be
bullied into reneging on reform promises, and Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee insisted there was "no question"
of rolling back on the fuel price hikes.
The government scrapped petrol subsidies last month and
announced an across-the-board rise in the price of other
fuels as a key part of its strategy to rein in a yawning
fiscal deficit. The inflationary knock-on effect of the
increases is an issue that India's fractured opposition
can unite over, given popular anger over steep rises in
the cost of living. The strike was widely observed in
India's financial capital, Mumbai, where the right-wing
Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena party holds sway.
Police had rounded up 1,000 "trouble-makers" on Sunday in
a pre-emptive move to prevent unrest.
Flights to and from Mumbai airport were severely
disrupted, with domestic airlines cancelling 45 departures
and 39 arrivals.
The city's taxis were mostly off the streets, and schools,
colleges and businesses closed down, while 50 Communist
Party activists were arrested as they tried to storm the
platforms of a suburban train station.
There were clashes in several cities, with police charging
with batons and using water cannon to disperse crowds.
The Mumbai police's rapid reaction force was on alert and
some 40,000 officers were on the streets.
Security tight on
anniversary of China ethnic unrest
AFP, Urumqi, China
Security forces fanned out in China's Urumqi city on
Monday, the first anniversary of deadly unrest that laid
bare deep-seated ethnic tensions in the country's
far-western Xinjiang region.
Urumqi, the regional capital, erupted in violence on July
5 last year, as the mainly Muslim Uighur minority vented
decades of resentment over Chinese rule of Xinjiang by
attacking members of China's dominant Han ethnic group. In
the following days, mobs of angry Han took to the streets
looking for revenge in the worst ethnic violence that
China had seen in decades. The unrest left nearly 200 dead
and 1,700 injured, according to government figures.
On Monday, security personnel were concentrated in the
Uighur areas of Urumqi. Armed and riot police patrolled in
formation, and police vans made regular rounds in the
area.
Armed police with helmets and shields also marched on the
edges of People's Square in the heart of the city, where
the unrest began last year. The plaza has been shut down
for renovations, construction workers told AFP.
"It's really tense today. Look at the streets. There
aren't many people there and normally it would be bustling
at this time of day," Liu Yan, a 50-year-old Han Chinese
taxi driver, told AFP. "Uighurs, they probably don't dare
to come out because it's the sensitive anniversary date."
Hopes for peace with Afghan
prisoner releases
AFP, Logar Province, Afghanistan.
Khan Mohammad and Taher smile as they peer out of a US
military helicopter: after a year in prison as suspected
supporters of Al-Qaeda, they are nearly home.
The two men were heading back to eastern Logar province
for a "shura" ceremony that would see them return to their
communities under a reintegration programme the Afghan
government says is essential to ending the war. "This will
have a positive impact for the general situation in
Afghanistan," Brigadier General Mohibullah, head of the
detainee reintegration programme, told AFP.
There are 15,000 detainees around Afghanistan, including
around 800 at Bagram air base near Kabul, where Mohammad
and Taher were held, according to the US department of
defence and the Afghan government.
Suspected militants have been rounded up in the country
since the US-led invasion to topple the Taliban regime in
late 2001, and were at first held without any review of
their cases.
They have gradually been granted more rights, as
Afghanistan attempts to reform its prison system and the
US Supreme Court ruled Al-Qaeda suspects held at the
notorious jail in Guantanamo Bay were entitled to
hearings. Afghanistan is now accelerating hearings after a
landmark "peace jirga"-a council of elders and community
leaders from across Afghanistan held in Kabul in
June-called for the release of detainees held without
charge.
To help gain prisoner releases, local leaders promise to
help them live peaceful, stable lives. The prisoners must
sign a document of allegiance to the Afghan government and
enroll in a reconciliation programme, renouncing violence
and getting jobs.
The Afghan government and NATO forces say the initiative,
which has so far released some 130 prisoners, is the first
step toward reforming the country's legal system, which
has been plagued by allegations of abuse.
Rights groups say however the process does not address
Afghanistan's problems of arbitrary detention and that
detainees are not given access to legal representation.
"We are very happy that the indefinite detention of these
detainees is being addressed through this process, but we
have concerns," said Nader Nadery, of the Afghanistan
Independent Human Rights Commission.
"A review process needs a longer period of time to get
prisoners enough evidence to argue for release," he said.
Once home, Mohammad and Taher said they had been
wrongfully held without evidence.
Taher's son, 21-year-old Nakibullah, said that in his
father's absence he had to take time off from economics
studies to support the family of three wives and ten
children.
"One year passed without heating because we didn't have
money for wood," Nakibullah said.
Taher said someone from another tribe who held a grudge
against him in a land dispute had told NATO forces he was
a militant.
"They kept asking the same questions, like, 'why were you
trying to help Al-Qaeda and attack foreign troops?'," said
the former engineer.
Mohammad, a taxi driver who lost a leg fighting the
Soviets in the 1980s, said he was arrested in a raid on
his home while two Pakistani men were his dinner guests.
Top Thai ‘Yellow Shirt’
indicted for insulting king
AFP, Bangkok
Thai prosecutors on Monday indicted a key figure in the
pro-establishment "Yellow Shirt" movement on allegations
of insulting the country's revered monarchy, his lawyer
said.
A criminal court accepted to hear the case against Sondhi
Limthongkul, who is accused of lese majeste for quoting
from the speech of a hardcore member of the rival
anti-government "Red Shirts" in 2008, said the lawyer
Suwat Apipak.
Sondhi-who resigned as leader of the Yellow Shirts'
political wing, The New Politics Party, in May-was
released on bail for 500,000 baht (15,400 dollars) in
cash.
The protester whose remarks he repeated was sentenced last
August to 18 years in prison for insulting the royal
family at rallies seeking the return of fugitive former
premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
Lese majeste is a serious charge in Thailand. Anyone can
file a complaint, and police are duty-bound to investigate
it in a country where the king is treated with almost
religious adulation.
Thailand is largely split between the mainly poor and
working class Reds, and the Yellows, who blockaded
Bangkok's two main airports in 2008, before a
controversial court verdict removed Thaksin's allies from
power.
Two months of protests by the Red Shirts in Bangkok that
began in March this year sparked outbreaks of violence
that left 90 people dead and nearly 1,900 injured, ending
with a bloody army crackdown on May 19.
UK
announces voting reform referendum, amid split fears
AFP, London
Britain will hold a referendum on changing its voting
system next May, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg
announced Monday, in a move which could threaten the
country's new coalition government.
Clegg's Liberal Democrats demanded the vote as a key
condition for forming a coalition with Prime Minister
David Cameron's Conservatives after the Tories failed to
win a clear victory in elections two months ago.
But the two sides hold sharply different views on
electoral reform, meaning that Cameron and Clegg are set
to campaign against each other ahead of the vote. This
could split the centre-right Conservatives and centrist
Liberal Democrats, even threatening the future of the
coalition, commentators say. "The prime minister and I
have decided that the date for the referendum... will be
5th May 2011," Clegg told the House of Commons. "The
question will be simple, asking people whether they want
to adopt the alternative vote, yes or no."
The Conservatives want to stick with the current
first-past-the-post voting system, in which the
constituency candidate who wins the most number of votes
wins outright. This is also used in countries including
the the United States, India and Canada and tends to
favour a two-party system. The Liberal Democrats,
traditionally the third largest party, see electoral
reform as a touchstone policy and will support a switch to
the Alternative Vote (AV) system, as used in Australia, in
the referendum. This allows voters to rank candidates in
order of preference, although does not go as far on
electoral reform as the party would eventually like.
Respected political commentator Andrew Rawnsley said the
popular vote will offer "a moment of maximum risk for the
coalition". "Achieving a yes to AV is now seen by many Lib
Dems as the major reason -- and for some of them, the only
reason -- to be in the coalition," he wrote in this week's
Observer newspaper. "The government will be in serious
peril of collapse if the referendum is lost."
Medvedev assures
Obama on ties after spy scandal
AFP, Moscow
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has assured his US
counterpart Barack Obama that attempts to weaken relations
are doomed to failure, despite discovery of an alleged
Russian spy ring, media said Monday.
"I am sure that constructive, neighbourly relations
between Russia and the United States are in line with the
full interests of the peoples of our countries, of
security and stability in all the world," Medvedev told
Obama. "This means that attempts to belittle the meaning
of what we have achieved or interfere in our work... are
hopeless and groundless," added Medvedev.
In a letter to mark Sunday's US Independence Day,
published on the Kremlin website, Medvedev made no
explicit reference to the scandal sparked last week by the
arrest in the United States of 10 alleged Russian agents.
But daily newspaper Vremya Novostei said that the letter
was a clear attempt to keep the spy scandal separate from
a "reset" in US-Russia relations, which have seen a rapid
improvement over the last months.
"Moscow does not intend to respond to the provocation of
the US special services and go down the path of
tit-for-tat responses. This is Dmitry Medvedev's message,"
the paper said.
The Russian edition of weekly Newsweek quoted a Kremlin
source as saying that Medvedev would not explicitly
comment on the scandal so long as Obama does not do so
himself.
"For the moment we do not see a change from the policy of
detente and we ourselves do not intend to stop this
policy," the source, which was not named, told the
magazine.
"We think that Russian-US cooperation is not endangered,
at least not at the current moment," it added.
Turkey to cut ties unless
Israel apologises over Gaza raid
AFP, Ankara
Turkey ratcheted up tension with Israel on Monday, warning
it will sever ties unless Ankara gets an apology for the
raid on an aid convoy to Gaza but the Jewish state said it
will never say sorry for defending itself.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned that relations
would be cut unless Israel apologises or accepts the
conclusions of an international inquiry into the May 31
attack on the Gaza-bound aid convoy,
"They have three options: either they apologise or accept
(the creation of) an international (inquiry) commission
and its report or relations will be broken," Davutoglu
told the Hurriyet newspaper. Turkey has until now insisted
for an international probe into the raid but in a break
with that position, Davutoglu said Ankara would not reject
Israel's own inquiry if it resulted in an apology and
compensation of the victims' families, according to
Hurriyet.
"If their own commission concludes that the raid was
unjust and if they apologise, that will be sufficient," he
said, although he insisted that Turkey wanted compensation
from the Jewish state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ruled out any
apology on Friday and a senior Israeli government official
said on Monday after Davutoglu's remarks that Israel would
never say sorry for defending itself. "Israel will never
apologise for defending its citizens," the official told
AFP, echoing Netanyahu's remarks.
"Of course, we regret the loss of life but it was not the
Israeli side that initiated the violence," the official
said.
Davutoglu stressed that he had presented Turkey's position
during talks in Brussels on Wednesday with Israeli Trade
Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer, in what was the first
high-level contact since the crisis erupted.
"We will not wait to eternity for an Israeli answer,"
Davutoglu said.
"If they do not make any move (to meet Turkey's
expectations), the process of isolating Israel will
continue," he added.
Britain, Germany, UAE airports
‘refuse fuel to Iran jets’
AFP, Tehran
Airports in Britain, Germany and the United Arab Emirates
have refused to offer fuel to Iranian passenger jets after
unilateral sanctions imposed by Washington, ISNA news
agency said on Monday.
IRNA, the official state news agency, said in a separate
report that Kuwaiti airports have also declined to offer
fuel to Iranian passenger planes.
"Since last week, after the passing of the unilateral law
by America and the sanctions against Iran, airports in
England, Germany, the UAE have refused to give fuel to
Iranian planes," ISNA quoted Mehdi Aliyari, secretary of
Iranian Airlines Union, as saying. On Thursday, US
President Barack Obama signed into law the toughest ever
US sanctions on Iran, which he said would strike at
Tehran's capacity to finance its nuclear programme and
deepen its isolation.
The measures, on top of new United Nations and European
sanctions, aim to choke off Iran's access to imports of
refined petroleum products like gasoline and jet fuel and
curb its access to the international banking system.
"With these sanctions-along with others-we are striking at
the heart of the Iranian government's ability to fund and
develop its nuclear programs," Obama said at a White House
ceremony, before signing the sanctions into law.
"We are showing the Iranian government that its actions
have consequences, and if it persists, the pressure will
continue to mount, and its isolation will continue to
deepen.
"There should be no doubt-the United States and the
international community are determined to prevent Iran
from acquiring nuclear weapons."
World powers led by Washington suspect Tehran is making
nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian atomic
programme.
Iran says its nuclear programme is purely for peaceful
purposes.
US supports democratic
forces in Georgia: Hillary
AP, Tbilisi
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pledged U.S.
support for this former Soviet state, which is recovering
from an August 2008 Russian military invasion and seeking
to consolidate its democracy.
Speaking to a couple of hundred women from rights groups,
political movements and other organizations, Clinton said
the U.S. "will stand with you" in pursuit of a stronger
Georgian democracy. She did not mention Russia or its
invasion until it was raised by a member of her audience.
The invasion remains a point of contention between
Washington and Moscow and complicates U.S. relations with
Georgia. During a question-and-answer session, one woman
asked if the Obama administration has a "real democracy
agenda" for Georgia. She said her country suffers from a
range of human rights abuses and she said these were
largely ignored by the administration of President George
W. Bush.
"The United States always has a democracy agenda," Clinton
responded. "Continuing to try to perfect democracy is one
of the key challenges for any country - both its
government and its citizens." She applauded recent
progress in Georgia, but added that the administration
"raises as a friend" its concerns about limits on freedom
of expression.
"We take seriously threats to democracy, wherever they
occur," Clinton said. "So we're going to continue to
support democracy here in Georgia."
Later Clinton was meeting with President Mikhail
Saakashvili. In her give-and-take with the advocacy
groups, one woman asked about Russia's continued
occupation of parts of Georgia.
Liberals in control after
Polish presidential win
AFP, Warsaw
Bronislaw Komorowski vowed to work to ease political
tensions in Poland after foiling conservative Jaroslaw
Kaczynski's audacious bid to replace his late brother in a
presidential election.
Kaczynski conceded defeat late Sunday when exit polls
showed he trailed liberal Komorowski in the race to
succeed his identical twin, Lech Kaczynski, who was killed
in a plane disaster in April. With 95.1 percent of votes
counted, Komorowski had 52.63 percent and ex-prime
minister Kaczynski 47.37 percent. Final results were due
later Monday. The run-off between Komorowski, 58 and
Kaczynski, 61, marked the latest chapter in a bitter power
struggle. Komorowski pledged, however, to end years of bad
blood.
"Divisions are an inseparable part of democracy,"
Komorowski said late Sunday. "But we have work to do to
ensure these divisions don't prevent cooperation."
Komorowski-who as speaker of parliament became acting
president after the April crash-is a key ally of liberal
Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Underdog Lech Kaczynski beat Tusk in a 2005 presidential
race marked by mudslinging beyond that often seen in
Polish politics. There was a nailbiting moment late Sunday
when partial results briefly put his twin by a hair's
breadth.
Analysts said the Tusk government faces a test now it
holds all the levers of state.
The liberals have underscored that Poland was alone in the
27-nation European Union in posting economic growth last
year but say more needs to be done to plug holes in state
coffers.
Israel’s Barak holds talks
with Palestinian PM
AFP, Jerusalem
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak was on Monday holding
a face-to-face meeting with Palestinian prime minister
Salam Fayyad at a hotel in Jerusalem, officials on both
sides said.
The two were meeting at the King David hotel on the eve of
talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
and US President Barack Obama at the White House.
Palestinians officials insisted the two would not discuss
any issues related to the ongoing indirect peace
negotiations, and said the focus would be on security
coordination on the ground.
Barak said the talks would focus on security coordination
and "the situation on the ground" in remarks to reporters
on Wednesday, while Fayyad's office said he would demand
Israel end the blockade on Gaza and halt incursions into
West Bank cities. "The meeting today doesn't fall within
the scope of negotiations but aims to make life easier for
our people," Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan
Khatib said in a statement. "The meeting will focus on the
means and ways of ending the Israeli siege on Gaza and
stopping Israeli attacks on West Bank cities," he said.
"It aims to enable the Palestinian security services to
provide services to citizens outside the cities."
But Hamas, the radical Islamist movement which rules the
Gaza Strip, reacted angrily to the talks, saying it proved
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was violating his own
commitment not to engage in direct talks with Israel.
Business/Economy
Export
earning maintains positive growth in May
UNB, Dhaka
Export maintained a positive growth, a comfortable 16.71
percent rise in May compared to the corresponding month of
last year, that also showed a positive sign in overall
export performance during the outgoing fiscal year.
Although the trend is positive but still remains far
behind the target - US$ 17600 million for 2009-10. Eleven
months export earnings totaled to US$ 14491.14 million.
M Fazlul Hoque, president of leading export earning
Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA),
expressed satisfaction over turning around the negative
growth, which he said quite encouraging.
"We are in way of turn around and hope that the negative
sign has been eliminated by last month (June), he said."
The export figures for the last month of the outgoing year
are yet to be tallied.
Asked about the challenges in the new fiscal, the BKMEA
president said that implementation of the wage structure
for workers would be a challenge for them apart from the
energy and power crisis as well as adverse effects of
recession.
He said that the apparel sector is recovering well
although the sector suffered negative growth in the first
six months of the outgoing fiscal.
The country's export earnings for the 11 months of the
outgoing fiscal (July-May) came well out of its negative
trend at it showed a mere 2.48 percent increase compared
to the corresponding period of the 2008-09.
According to the latest statistics provided by the Export
Promotion Bureau (EPB), export income in May was US$
1543.83 million as against the target of US$ 1619.20
million.
The July-May figures show jute goods, raw jute,
electronics, petroleum byproducts and engineering products
recorded a good export growth.
Jute goods and raw jute recorded an eye catching 79.85
percent and 36.42 percent growth respectively. Jute goods
fetched US$ 441.41 million in 11 months while raw jute US$
182.43 million.
Despite maintaining positive growth in May, the country's
major export-oriented sector, RMG or ready-made garments
including knitwear, woven garments, home textiles and
textiles fabrics, are yet to come out of the negative
trend for the July-May period, along with some other
sectors like frozen foods.
Knitwear exports for the period stood at US$ 5755.36
million - 0.93 percent less than the corresponding period
of the 2008-09 fiscal, and some 12.07 percent lower than
the target.
Export earnings from woven garments also displayed a
declining trend, with US$ 5391.00 million. This represents
a drop of 0.09 percent from the same period in 2008-09
fiscal.
Home textiles and textile fabrics hardly fared any better,
with their exports totaling US$ 263.38 million and US$
57.30 million respectively for the July-May of the
outgoing fiscal, also down from 2008-09 fiscal.
Other industries to have experienced the negative trend
include handicrafts, tea, ceramic products, vegetables and
camera parts and chemical fertilizers.
Export of frozen foods meanwhile dipped to US$ 381.18
million, over 9 percent below their target for the period
and a whopping 9.61 percent below the corresponding figure
for the 2008/09 fiscal.
Export earnings from leather amounted to US$ 200.56
million, a healthy 22.66 percent growth over 2008-09 year,
while exports of footwear earned US$ 180.83 million, 6.51
percent up from the corresponding figure of 2008-09
fiscal.
Some manufactured goods like melamine tableware, leather
bags and purses, agro-processed foods and tobacco
experienced export growth over 2008-09 performance, but
yet to reach respective target.
DSE
makes new record on GP’s rally
BSS, Dhaka
Dhaka stocks reached a new high on Monday on a sudden
rebound of GP's share apparently on speculative buying.
GP saw a straight rise in prices throughout the day and
finished with a stunning 6.48 percent increase after
suffering ceaseless fall since June 21. The traders in the
past few weeks were seen dumping this stock fearing a
massive sale after the lock-in period of its privately
placed share ends in August.
The rise in the biggest issue of the market took the price
index to its new high of 6354.68 with a 137.60 points or
2.24 percent steep rise. The previous highest record was
6332.20 on June 16 this year.
The rise of GP was speculative that the institutional
investors were buying the issue for future gain,
stockbrokers said.
Some of the investors were expecting the profitability of
the company would increase substantially as the government
planned duty-cut on SIM. Some investors, however, were
skeptical about the sustainability of the rise as the
expiry of the lock-in on private placements would create
selling pressure.
Besides GP, Dhaka Bank's share rose significantly on the
news about changing to the face value of its share.
Other banking issues also remained major attractions of
the investors because of their good profit record and
active trading on bourses.
Power and energy sector issues were also major
contributors to the rise in the index.
The liquidity on the market, however, declined on the day
when daily turnover slid to Taka 2,108 crore from Sunday's
Taka over 2,127 crore.
Brokers claimed the downward adjustment of PE ratio for
margin loan facility narrowed fund flow to the market.
Philippines hopes to
end rice imports in three years
AFP, Manila
The Philippines, currently the world's largest rice
importer, hopes to be self-sufficient in the staple in
three years, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said
Monday. Ending reliance on rice imports is the biggest
challenge contained in an agriculture sector review
ordered by newly inaugurated President Benigno Aquino,
said Alcala.
"In three years, zero imports in rice," he said. Rice
production in the Philippines already fell more than 3.0
percent last year after a series of major storms damaged
crops, the government said. The review will include a full
inventory of rice supplies and an assessment of irrigation
development, post-harvest facilities and farm-to-market
roads.
Alcala added that the review would also look at providing
more financial support to rice farmers, especially in
buying seeds, but stressed this did not mean "dole-outs"
and farmers would have to meet their financial
obligations.
Earlier this year, at a forum hosted by the International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI) based in Laguna, south of
Manila, experts agreed that the Philippines could become
self-sufficient in rice.
This would require improved varieties, fertilisers,
irrigation and more government support, they said. The
government made large tenders in a tight global market
late last year to head off possible shortages of rice, the
staple food in the impoverished nation of more than 90
million people. The Agriculture Department previously
warned that rice harvests this year could be sharply down
due to a drought brought on by the El Nino weather
phenomenon.
Taiwan activists
rally against China trade pact
AFP, Taipei
Dozens of anti-China activists protested in Taiwan on
Monday against a trade pact with Beijing which they claim
is the result of a conspiracy between the two governments.
The demonstrators assembled outside the island's
parliament, currently in recess, chanting slogans against
the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) and
the island's President Ma Ying-jeou. "The ECFA is a
conspiracy of the Ma Ying-jeou administration and the
Chinese Communist Party," said Tsai Ting-kui, the leader
of the crowd, waving his fist in the air.
"If it is so good as Ma claims, then why doesn't he let
the people decide whether or not they want it?" An
anti-Chinese party has filed a second referendum proposal
over ECFA after the first was turned down by the
government's Referendum Review Committee.
The group pledged to continue the protest over coming
weeks as parliament mulls an extra session to ratify the
agreement. The pact, signed last week in the southwest
Chinese city of Chongqing, is seen as the boldest step yet
towards reconciliation between the former arch- foes, more
than 60 years after the end of a civil war that drove them
apart. The signing of the ECFA marks the culmination of
Beijing- friendly policies introduced by President Ma
after he assumed power in 2008.
Ma has hailed the ECFA, saying it will bolster the
island's economy, but the opposition claims it will
undermine Taiwan's de facto independence.
Lower German deficit an example for Europe: Berlin
AFP, Berlin
Germany's federal deficit is set to be much lower than
expected, a draft budget suggested on Monday, as Berlin
holds up its tough line on spending as the best way for
Europe to exit its debt crisis. Helped by an unexpectedly
strong economic upturn, the deficit in Europe's top
economy will amount to about 65 billion euros (81 billion
dollars) this year compared to a previous estimate of 80
billion euros. Next year, the deficit will be 57.5 billion
euros, nearly 20 billion less than feared, according to
figures in the draft budget, obtained by AFP.
"Overall, this is a timely chink of light with respect to
fiscal woes," said Padhraic Garvey from ING bank.
The draft budget bill set to be discussed in cabinet on
Wednesday said the lesson from the debt crisis in Greece
was that countries must slash budgets to emerge from the
crisis. "The recent developments in Greece and other euro
countries are a clear sign that public budgets must not be
strained endlessly. It would be grossly negligent for
politicians to ignore these obvious warnings," says the
draft. Germany "has a role model function within the
eurozone with regards to budget consolidation," it said.
However, the estimates include revenue from taxes that
have not yet been levied including a planned financial
transactions tax from 2012 and, from next year, a new tax
on nuclear energy-neither of which is certain to be
implemented.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government is aiming
to cut at least 80 billion euros from public spending by
2014, including more than 11 billion euros next year.
Successful young
entrepreneurs to be rewarded: Faruk
BSS, Dhaka
Commerce Minister Lt Col (retd) Faruk Khan on Monday said
successful young entrepreneurs would be given 'Youth
Entrepreneurs Award (YEA)' award every year.
"The Commerce Ministry and Junior Chamber International (JCI)
will jointly introduce the YEA for encouraging young
entrepreneurs", he said when a delegation of Junior
Chamber International (JCI) called on him at his
Secretariat office here, said an official release.
JCI president M Shahid Uddin Akbar led the eight-member
delegation. Secretary General of JCI Shafiqul Islam,
adviser Data Magjur, president of Dhaka East Fahim Adnan
Khan, president of Dhaka North Jawadul Haque were on the
JCI delegation. Faruk Khan called upon the young
entrepreneurs to bring more poor but meritorious
entrepreneurs in business so that they can contribute to
the country's trade and commerce. The delegation members
informed that minister that they are working on
incorporating trade related issues to university
curriculums, IT related activities and holding seminars
and symposiums for encouragement of young entrepreneurs.
The JCI members also sought Khan's intervention in
ensuring bank loans for young entrepreneurs.
BP says oil
spill costs spike above $3b
AFP, London
BP's costs arising from the devastating oil spill in the
Gulf of Mexico have rocketed to 3.12 billion dollars (2.49
billion euros), the company revealed on Monday.
"The cost of the response to date amounts to approximately
3.12 billion dollars, including the cost of the spill
response, containment, relief well drilling, grants to the
Gulf states, claims paid, and federal costs," it said in a
statement.
The group added: "It is too early to quantify other
potential costs and liabilities associated with the
incident."
The latest estimate of costs, equivalent to 2.06 billion
pounds, is far higher than the 2.65 billion dollars that
was given one week ago.
The company's share price has collapsed by more than 50
percent since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig which the
company operated sank on April 22, two days after a blast
killed 11 workers.
National
Govt plans 20-bed burn units in 13
medical colleges
BSS, Dhaka
Against the backdrop of increasing fire incidents and
serious causalities, the government has planned
introduction of burn units in the country's 13 medical
colleges.
The health authorities are expecting the burn units, once
introduced, will help them manage emergency situation like
what was resulted after the recent devastating fire
incident at Nimoali in the city.
According to the plan, soon to be implemented, each of the
13 medical colleges would get a 20-bed burn unit. The unit
would be equipped with modern machinery and trained
physicians to deal with burn patients, the official source
told BSS here on Monday.
"The process is now underway to introduce burn units in
all 13 medical colleges to ensure proper treatment of fire
victims," Head of Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Dhaka
Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) Prof Dr M Shahidul
Bari said on the sidelines of a biennial conference.
Health and Population Affairs Secretary of Awami League Dr
Bodiuzzaman Bhuiyan (Dablu) spoke as the chief at the
conference of Bangladesh Assistant Nurses Association (BANA)
in the DMCH auditorium here.
With BANA president Delwar Hossain in the chair, Secretary
General of Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad (SWACHIP) Prof Dr
Iqbal Arslan spoke as special guest. Project Director of
100-bed Burn Unit Project of DMCH Dr SL Sen, Vice
Principal Dr Ismail Khan, Assistant Professor of Ear, Nose
and Throat Department of the college Dr Abu Yusuf Fakir
and general secretary of BANA Anisur Rahman, spoke, among
others, on the occasion.
Praising the efficient role of nurses in providing burn
treatments to the Nimtali fire victims, Dr Bodiuzzaman
said it has been proved that ensuring better healthcare is
quite impossible without the round-the-clock support of
the nurses. That is why, he said, there is no alternative
to improve healthcare system without a greater unity among
physicians and nurses.
He came down heavily on the previous government for not
recognizing the occupation of nursing and said the present
government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina has recently upgraded the posts of nurses to class
from third class.
Dr Bhuiyan listed the government's planning including
creation of additional 500 posts of assistant nurses,
promotion of diploma-holder nurses, turning 50-bed burn
unit at DMCH into 100-bed and introduction of burn units
at upazila level.
Echoing the role of burn unit nurses in giving treatment
to Nimtoli fire victims, Dr SL Sen said about 80 percent
fame or bad image of a hospital depends on performance of
the nurses.
Extensive tree plantation can help protect Barind tract
from desertification
BSS, Rajshahi
Speakers at the inaugural ceremony of a 15-day tree
plantation movement and tree fair here today unequivocally
called for an extensive afforestation of the high Barind
tract to check desertification of the region.
In this regard, they viewed that the optimum afforestation
could help stopping degradation of environment, ecology
and biodiversity to make the country a safe habitat for
all.
Creation of more forests through tree plantations to
expand the country's forest area up to 25 percent of the
total landscape will protect Bangladesh from the possible
alarming consequences of the ongoing climate changes, they
added.
Social Forestry Division (SFD) organized the tree
plantation movement and fair-2010 at the Green Plaza of
Rajshahi City Corporation Bhaban with a call to make the
tree plantation campaign a social movement as part of the
current National Tree Plantation Drive.
Mayor of Rajshahi AHM Khairuzzaman Liton addressed the
ceremony as the chief guest while commissioner of Rajshahi
division Nurul Islam, DIG of Police of Rajshahi range
Mukhlesur Rahman, regional conservator of Forest Faruque
Hossain and president of Rajshahi Chamber of Commerce and
Industry Abu Bakker Ali as special guests with Deputy
Commissioner Dilwar Bakth in the chair.
In his address of welcome, Divisional Forest Officer Abul
Basher Mian gave an overview of the fortnight-long tree
plantation movement and tree fair.
Earlier, a colourful rally participated by the officials,
students and heads of the educational institutions, socio-
cultural activists and professionals paraded the city
roads to aware the people about tree plantation.
Mayor Liton urged the people irrespective of age, sex,
creed and cast to plant at least three saplings around
their respective homesteads or on any open space to help
maintain environmental and ecological balance, so the
region is saved from the wrath of any future catastrophe
being signaled by the global climate change.
He said there is no alternative to plant more saplings to
protect the ecological balance after facing the adverse
effect of Farakka Barrage in the region.
All concerned should put in their best effort to make the
region green by enhancing forest area.
He termed the tree plantation as a big invest and said
many people have been changing their lots through
establishing nurseries and creating garden of fruits at
present.
183 RMG workers terminated in N’ganj
Another factory closed without paying salary to
workers
UNB, Narayanganj
A garments factory 'Pioneer Sweaters Ltd' in Fatulla
terminated 183 workers paying less than they legally
deserve while another RMG unit, 'Paramount' was closed on
Sunday without paying salary to its workers.
However, the authorities of 'Pioneer' claimed that they
paid all the dues on Sunday to the 183 workers terminated
for demonstrating and beating factory manager and other
officials to press home their demands including pay hike
last week.
The dues, totaling about Tk 33 lakh, were paid to them at
Assistant Labour Director's office in Chasara, they added.
Meanwhile, authorities closed another garments, Paramount,
located at BSCIC industrial estate here on Sunday without
notifying or informing its workers and also not paying
their salary.
Sources said the authorities suddenly shut down the
factory making over hundred workers, including over 25
under-age workers jobless.
The workers, who went to join their duties at the
Paramount Sunday morning, saw the gate of the factory
closed. Later, the angry workers went to the Assistant
Labour Director's office to lodge their complaint.
Zakir Hossain, an official of Chasara Labour office said
they asked the workers of Paramount factory to be present
on July 10 to hear their grievances.
Dacoit, 3 snatchers held in Khulna
UNB, Khulna
Police in a joint drive arrested a dacoit from Arjubahar
Village in Sadar Upazila early Monday.
Police said arrested Najir Talukdar, 32, is accused in a
number of robbery cases. In another incident local people
caught three snatchers from Sreeghat area in Sadar Upazila
on Bagerhat-Khulna Highway Sunday night.
Police said three muggers riding on a motorbike were going
to Khulna from Bagerhat. In Sreeghat areas they stopped
their bike and snatched a mobile phone from one Raju
Sheikh
standing beside the road at around 9 pm.
Hearing screams of Raju, local people rushed to the scene
and held the muggers. They indiscriminately beat the
muggers, and later handed over them to police.
A case was filed with Bagerhat Sadar thana under speedy
trial tribunal act.
AMS demand immediate
trial of war criminals
BSS, Rangpur
Leaders of Rangpur district unit of 'Amra Muktijoddhar
Santan' (AMS) and sons and daughters of the Freedom
Fighters (FF) demanded immediate trial of the war
criminals to free the nation from the stigma of four
decades.
They said that the war criminals, razakars, al-badrs,
alshams and all anti- liberation forces must be tried and
punished for their crimes against humanity they committed
during the War of Liberation in 1971.
The country must be freed from the war criminals and the
people from all walks in the society must form rock-solid
unity with the spirit of the War of Liberation to try the
most heinous elements at the earliest, they said.
They also appreciated the government for arresting the top
Jamaat leaders and demanded immediate arrests of other war
criminals and said the nation this time gave an
overwhelming mandate to the present government to complete
the trial of war criminals.
They said this at a human chain programme organised by
Rangpur district unit of AMS demanding immediate trail and
execution of the war criminals at Press Club premises here
in the city on Sunday. President of Rangpur district unit
of Amra Muktijoddhar Santan Mahbubur Rahman, its
vice-president Kawsar Mahmud, General Secretary Moshiur
Rahman Bablu, Publicity Secretary Haji Maruf Ahmed and
sons of the FFs addressed the rally, among others.
The speakers said that Independence would not be secured
till completion trial and execution of the war criminals,
razakars, al-badars and al-shams, who helped Pakistani
army to kill three million innocent Bangalees and violate
two lakh mothers and sisters. They said that their brave
fathers, the best sons of the soil, joined the Liberation
War and liberated the country by fighting out a
well-trained army through a bloody war in 1971 and added
that the war criminals have no right to exist in
Bangladesh.
They said the nation forged a rock-solid unity in 1971 at
the call of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman for Independence and the same unity is a
must now to try the war criminals and ensure their
punishments.
Nagorik Committee forms human chain demanding direct train
link with capital
UNB, Rangpur
Nagorik Committee of Rangpur Monday formed a human chain
in the town demanding direct train link with the capital
Dhaka.
Presently, two inter-city trains are operating between
Lalmonirhat and Dhaka, and Dinajpur and Dhaka bypassing
Rangpur.
Apart from direct train link, the committee demands a
multipurpose bridge over the Jamuna at Balashighat in
Gaibandha for improving communication facilities between
greater Rangpur and Dhaka, develop rail communications
from Burimari landport to Kaunia and Chilmari to Kaunia.
Cross section of people spontaneously participated in the
human chain that lasted for about one and half hours from
11am and was followed by a brief rally held in front of
the press club.
The rally was addressed by central Ganotantri Party
president Mohammad Afzal, academician Banamali Paul,
Muktijoddha Muzaffar Hossain Chand, Dr. Mofijul Islam
Mantu and local leaders of different political parties and
student organizations.
Three persons killed in separate incidents in Rangpur
BSS, Rangpur
Three persons were killed in separate incidents at
different places in the district during the past 24 hours
period till Sunday, police sources said.
Yunus Ali, 50, son of Zamir Uddin of Chirirbandar upazila
town in Dinajpur district was seriously injured after
falling from a bridge there and admitted to Rangpur
Medical College Hospital (RMCH) where he succumbed on
Sunday night. Shafikul Islam, 35, son of Arab Ali of
village Khamar Noyabari under Pirgachha upazila in Rangpur
allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at home
following long-term family sequel.
Besides, Zobayedur Rahman, 25, son of Solaiman Ali of
village Taznagar under Mithapukur upazila in Rangpur took
poison after suffering from unbearable pains in his belly
due to chronic diseases.
Separate unnatural death cases were filed in these
connections with the respective police stations, the
sources said.
President emphasizes on lifestyle of Poet Sarojini Naidu
UNB, Dhaka
President Zillur Rahman on Monday said women here could
follow the lifestyle of poet Sarojini Naidu, who was one
of the pioneers in awakening women and establishing
non-communal society.
"The ideals and principles of (Sarojini) Naidu should be
practiced in our social life," he said while a six-member
of delegation of Poet Sarojini Naidu National Memorial
Council led by its chairman Kafiluddin Mahmood called on
him at Bangabhaban.
During the meeting, the President mentioned that Sarojini
Naidu had played an important role in freeing the society
from superstitions.
Kafiluddin Mahmood, also a former adviser of the first
caretaker government, apprised the President of various
activities of the Council and requested him to confer this
year's Sarojini Naidu Gold Medal awards to the recipients.
The President gave the delegation a patient hearing and
consented to attend the gold medal award ceremony.
Concerned Secretaries of the President's Office were
present at the meeting.
Divers under attack by mob, three injured
BSS, Narayanganj
An unruly mob attacked divers of the fire service and
civil defense leaving three of them grievously injured
when they were busy in a frantic search to recover dead
bodies from a sunken lunch in the Shitalakhya River near
Bandar upazila of the district.
At least 11 people were missing when a mechanised
ferryboat capsized in the mid-stream of the Shitalakhya
River following a collision with a sand-laden trawler on
Sunday night. The mob, waiting for their missing dear
ones, suddenly became unruly alleged that the divers were
rescuing in a very low pace. On boarding small boats they
started to throw bricks to the divers and left three
injured.
The police quickly rushed to the spot from the bank and
able to calm down the unruly mob within short time.
Sports
Spain determined to realise double
dream
AFP, Durban
Spain enter uncharted territory here on Wednesday as the
European Champions attempt to reach a World Cup final for the
first time.
A vibrant young German side that knocked four goals past
Australia, England and Argentina on its way to the last four
stands between Vicente Del Bosque's squad and Sunday's final
at Soccer City, Johannesburg.
While Germany have been playing out of their skins, the
Spanish have not quite reached their optimum level of
performance so far in South Africa. Yet such is the reverence
accorded to their current crop of stars, it would be regarded
as an upset if they were to fall at the penultimate hurdle in
their quest to emulate the West Germany side that became
European champions in 1972 and went on to lift the World Cup
two years later.
Remarkably for a country whose domestic league has long been
considered one of the strongest in the world, Spain have only
once before been in touching distance of sport's biggest
prize.
That was in 1950 in Brazil in a tournament which, in the
aftermath of World War II, was only able to attract 13
participants. India, famously, declined an invitation to make
up the numbers because FIFA would not let them play in bare
feet.
Spain made it to the final group stage and managed to draw
with the eventual champions Uruguay but defeats by Brazil and
Sweden left them in fourth place. Del Bosque admits the
pressure on his players to fulfil their potential is huge,
although he has played down suggestions that has contributed
to the difficulties Spain have encountered on the road to the
last four. Instead, the Spanish coach points to the fact that
three of his side's five matches have been against Latin
American opponents-Honduras, Chile and Paraguay-all of them
adept at denying opponents time and space.
Against Germany, the Spanish are hoping for a more open
encounter. "We know we can play better than we have done so
far and we hope to do that in the semi-final," Del Bosque
said.
Spain are hoping for more from Fernando Torres, who has had a
subdued tournament so far and has been eclipsed by five-goal
team-mate David Villa. Del Bosque, who has not changed his
line-up for the last three matches, has indicated that he will
keep faith the Liverpool striker. Torres scored the only goal
of the match when Spain beat Germany in the Euro 2008 final
but he insists he is not getting hung up about his failure to
find the net here. Torres added: "If I get the the chance to
score the winning goal, it'd be nice to do it again, but it
doesn't matter who scores as long as we win. "David's doing a
fantastic job. It has been his World Cup."
Both Spain's injury doubts, Carles Puyol and Cesc Fabregas,
have been given the all-clear for Wednesday while Germany will
be significantly weakened by the loss of outstanding
midfielder Thomas Mueller, who is suspended. German coach
Joachim Loew has to decide between Hamburg attacking
midfielder Piotr Trochowski and 20-year-old Toni Kroos as a
replacement and striker Miroslav Klose is confident that
either of them can plug the gap.
Klose, who needs one more goal to equal Rona-ldo's record of
15 in World Cup finals, said: "We have players in this group
capable of compensating for Thomas's absence and we will show
that in our next game."
Villa
eyes Golden boot, Klose Ronaldo’s record
AFP, Paris
Lionel Messi, Kaka and Wayne Rooney left their World Cup
shooting boots at home, but David Villa and Miroslav Klose are
on a hot streak of goalscoring form as the tournament reaches
its climax.
Both men have been averaging almost a goal a game as they
battle with Thomas Mueller and Wesley Sneijder for the coveted
Golden Boot.
Not only that, but Villa and Klose have further records in
their sights. Germany's Klose chose his 100th appearance for
Germany to claim his 13th and 14th goals at World Cup
tournaments, the same tally as compatriot Gerd Mueller and one
less than the all-time record held by Brazilian Ronaldo. It is
an astonishing turnaround for Klose, sent off in the second
group game as Germany went down to Serbia.
At that point, it seemed the 32-year-old's World Cup career
might be over, but a narrow win over Ghana in his absence
handed him a reprieve and since he returned from suspension he
has helped to bundle out England and tormented Argentina with
a brace.
Four years ago, Klose won the sharpshooter's accolade on home
soil even though his country only reached the semi-finals and
now wants to become the first man to retain the award.
Dutch
warned, Dunga axed, Maradona praised
AFP, Johannesburg
Favourites Netherlands were warned not to underestimate
Uruguay ahead of a World Cup semi-final on Tuesday while
Brazil axed coach Dunga and fans of fellow flops Argentina
want Diego Maradona to stay.
Legend Franz Becken-bauer hailed Germany as a "perfect
team" while semi-final opponents Spain heard centreback
Carles Puyol and reserve midfielder Cesc Fabregas are fit
for the other semi-final in Durban on Wednesday.
As the tournament ente-red the final straight in South
Africa leading to the July 11 Johannesburg climax,
sell-out crowds braced for individual showdowns set to
enthrall them and multi-million international television
audiences.
Dutch duo Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben come face to
face with Uruguayan star Diego Forlan while goal kings
David Villa of Spain and Miroslav Klose of Germany square
off in another spicy cameo.
Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk has begged his players to
keep their feet on the ground and ignore the hype as they
carry the tag of firm favourites into a showdown with
injury and suspension-hit Uruguay.
"It will be a very dangerous match. The euphoria at home
is massive and maybe it is good that we are so far away
and cannot witness it because we really need to focus on
Uruguay."
Veteran Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez countered: "We are
among the four best teams at this World Cup. This is
something we would never have imagined before coming to
South Africa. My players are united." Uruguay are
handicapped by the loss of striker Luis Suarez, barred
after his red card for a deliberate goal-line handball
that prevented Ghana becoming the first semi-finalists
from Africa.
Rose hangs on for AT&T National
triumph
AFP, Pennsylvania
Justin Rose staked a claim to being the world's hottest
golfer when he won the 6.2 million-dollar AT&T National on
Sunday.
Rose recovered from consecutive three-putts early on the
back nine, parring the final seven holes to secure a
hard-fought one-stroke victory over American Ryan Moore on
a sizzling hot day at Aronimink.
The 29-year-old Engli-shman tapped in from two feet at the
final hole to clinch his second victory in three starts,
after winning the Memorial tournament last month. Rose
also led into the final round in Hartford last week, so he
quite easily could have posted a hat-trick of victories.
He received 1,116,000-dollar first prize, along with a
late exemption into next week's British Open at St
Andrews, where he was the first alternate five years ago
but did not get to play. "Having not closed out for me
last week, it was important for me to do it today," Rose
said after carding 70 to finish at 10-under-par 270, while
fast-finishing Moore shot 65 for nine-under, sinking a
12-footer at the last that kept the pressure on his rival.
Nadal soars atop
ATP rankings, Federer down to third
AFP, Paris
Rafael Nadal soared 3,840 points ahead of his rivals in
the latest ATP men's tennis rankings released Monday,
following the Spaniard's victory in Wimbledon.
Nadal, who regained the number one spot after claiming the
French Open title, now stands on 10,745 points, with
Serbian Novak Djokovic leap-frogging Roger Federer into
second thanks to his losing semi-final appearance in
Wimbledon.
Federer's fall to third place was the first time the Swiss
player, who crashed out at the quarter-final stage in
Wimbledon, has been out of the top two since November
2003.
The losing finalist in southwest London, Tomas Berdych of
the Czech Republic, rises five places to a career-high
ranking of eighth. Taiwanese Lu Yen-Hsun's quarter-final
showing there saw him jump 40 places to 42nd spot.
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 10745 pts
2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 6905 (+1)
3. Roger Federer (SUI) 6885 (-1)
4. Andy Murray (GBR) 5155
5. Robin Soderling (SWE) 4935 (+1)
6. Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) 4740 (-1)
7. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) 4395 (+1)
8. Tomas Berdych (CZE) 3845 (+5)
9. Andy Roddick (USA) 3490 (-2)
10. Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 3475 (-1)
Germans better
than ever for Franz
AFP, Johannesburg
"Germany have never before played like this," exclaimed
Franz Beckenbauer Monday as he looked forward to his
compatriots' semi-final with Spain in Durban on Wednesday.
The Germans, despite having an average age of just 25,
have swept through to the last four after thumping England
and Argentina and now the "Kaiser" thinks they can land a
fourth world title.
"The way they play, their style, is fantastic. Everybody
on the move, wanting the ball - the team spirit is
tremendous. "Nobody in Germany expected to see them play
so well. The players deserve this," said former winning
skipper and coach Beckenbauer.
"You have to go back 20 years to a see a as strong a
German side as this, playing so well - when we won the
title in 1990," he added.
"This is historic - you can always count on Germany,"
added Beckenbauer.
"We do not have players such as Pele, but there is this
sense of being ready to fight, tactical awareness and also
the capacity to concentrate to the maximum for the World
Cup." Germany have been remarkably consistent with runs at
least to the quarter-finals since 1954, the year of their
first title. Beckenbauer singled out the showing of
muscular midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who took
Argentina to the cleaners with an imperious showing in the
4-0 win. "Schweinsteiger has had an exceptional season -
he is the new superstar, the best player at the World Cup
right now."
Alluding to the multicultural element of this year's
vintage with players of Polish, Turkish, Ghanaian and
Brazilian origin in the team, Beckenbauer said: "This team
shows the new face of Germany thanks to (Mesut) Ozil, (Sami)
Khedira, (Jerome) Boateng... who were not born in Germany
but who have a German passport."
Pietersen will
come good promises Miller
AFP, London
England selection supremo Geoff Miller predicted a big
score was "just around the corner" for Kevin Pietersen
after the star batsman was left out of the squad for the
upcoming one-day series against Bangladesh.
Pietersen suffered a thigh injury while fielding against
Australia in the fifth one-day international here on
Saturday. His duck in a 42-run loss at Lord's represented
a 16th straight ODI innings without a fifty-a poor run for
any top-order batsman and certainly one of his talent.
Yet even before his injury, the selectors had decided to
rest Pietersen for the three one-dayers against
Bangl-adesh, rather than allow him the chance of scoring
runs against one of world cricket's weakest attacks.
Pietersen has barely averaged 18 in 11 ODI innings since
returning from the Achilles injury which saw him miss most
of England's Ashes series win over Australia last year.
But in May he was named man of the tournament at the ICC
World Twenty20 in the Caribbean after a series of
match-winning displays guided England to their first major
limited overs title.
First semi-final today
Dutch won’t underestimate Uruguay
AP, Durban
Having beaten World Cup favorite Brazil in the
quarterfinals, Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk has
warned his players not to take the less illustrious South
Americans of Uruguay for granted in the semifinals.
"Uruguay is a strong side and we will have to be very
concentrated," he said. "They are fighters, survivors."
Uruguay, ranked No. 16 in the world, is a two-time World
Cup winner, while the fourth-ranked Netherlands is still
trying to shake off the tag of two-time loser after
talent-packed Dutch teams lost to hosts Germany and
Argentina in 1974 and 1978. Uruguay's players won't accept
being called underdogs for Tuesday's match at Cape Town's
Green Point Stadium, despite only making the last four
thanks to Luis Suarez's hand ball on the line in the dying
seconds of extra time in the quarterfinal against Ghana.
"I suppose the press have made the Nethe-rlands favorite.
I wouldn't like to say that, it's a World Cup semifinal,"
Captain Diego Lugano said. "The Netherlands and Uruguay
play differently but we are at this stage on merit and
we'll just have to see what happens in the match." Van
Marwijk and his Uruguay counterpart Oscar Tabarez are both
having to fill holes in their starting lineups caused by
injuries and suspensions.
Chief among them will be the suspended Suarez, who knows
all about scoring against Dutch defenses - he scored 43
times in 39 games for Ajax Amsterdam last season in the
Eredivisie. Full back Jorge Fucile also is suspended after
picking up a second yellow card against Ghana, while
central defender Diego Godin missed that game with a left
thigh problem and remains in doubt. Uruguay captain Diego
Lugano also is fighting to be fit after injuring a right
knee ligament against Ghana. "The risk of pain is the last
thing on my mind," Lugano said. "Everybody wants to play
in these games but the question is whether I'm physically
100 percent to be able to play a game at this level."
The Dutch defense will have to be reconstructed, with
right back Gregory van der Wiel and defensive midfielder
Nigel de Jong both suspended after collecting their second
yellow cards of the tournament against Brazil.
However injury clouds hanging over Hamburg center back
Joris Mathijsen and Arsenal striker Robin van Persie have
disappeared, with both declared fit to play. Mathijsen has
recovered from a knee injury that forced him out of the
quarterfinal just minutes before kickoff and Van Persie
can play despite injuring his left elbow against Brazil.
Van Persie has scored just one goal in the five victories
leading into the semifinals in Cape Town, but midfielder
Wesley Sneijder has picked up the scoring slack with four
strikes, including both second half goals in the comeback
2-1 defeat of five-time champion Brazil. "We've won five
times in a row (at this World Cup) and the victory over
Brazil gives us such confidence," Netherlands captain
Giovanni van Bronckhorst said. "Now we're in the last
four, we want to play the final."
Brazil sack Dunga,
players face angry backlash
AFP, Rio de Janeiro
Brazil coach Dunga was sacked on Sunday following the
team's World Cup quarter-final exit with charismatic Luiz
Felipe Scolari, who won the title in 2002, immediately
being tipped to take over. "The cycle of work started in
2006 and which culminated with the elimination of Brazil
in the World Cup in South Africa is finished," said a
statement from the Brazilian football confederation (CBF).
"The CBF announces the dismissal of the technical
commission of the Brazilian team. The new commission will
be announced at the end of July."
Dunga, 46, who skippered Brazil to the 1994 World Cup, had
been national team coach since 2006. He had already said
that he was intending to step down after four years
following the five-time champions 2-1 defeat to Holland in
the quarter-finals in Port Elizabeth on Friday. However,
on his arrival home on Sunday, Dunga did not rule out
staying in the job.
"I am going to rest before meeting, in one or two weeks'
time, the president of the CBF, Ricardo Teixeira to talk
about it (extending his stay in charge)," Dunga told a
news conference before the CBF quickly shattered his
optimism.
Brazilian media immediately started speculating on the
identity of Dunga's successor whose job will be guiding
the team on home soil at 2014 World Cup.
The favourite is Scolari, who won the World Cup in 2002,
although he has ruled himself out saying he intends to
honour his contract with Palmeiras which runs until 2012.
"I have a contract with Palmeiras and it is here that I am
going to work," Scolari told El Dorado radio. "It would be
great to finish my career coaching a team at the World Cup
to be staged in Brazil, but I cannot respond to any offer
until after 2012."
Despite early scares,
Europe back on top
Ap, Cape Town
Europe is back on top at the World Cup and could be about
to meet an 80-year-old challenge - winning the title on
another continent.
Europe is already assured of one place in Sunday's final
since Germany and Spain meet in the semifinals on
Wednesday. If the Nethe-rlands beats Uruguay on Tuesday,
the continent's triumph will be assured.
With Brazil and Argentina eliminated, the semifinal lineup
exposes what the first three weeks of the World Cup almost
hid. The final stages have shown the supposed resurgence
of South America was just a mirage. All this, despite the
might of Brazil, the home advantage of Africa, and the
talent of Lionel Messi and Argentina. "So many good
players, such good people, such good professionals," said
Argentina coach Diego Maradona in a melancholy tone after
his star-studded team was routed 4-0 whitewash by Germany
last weekend.
It was "like getting punched by Muhammad Ali," he said.
Germany has been reinvented under coach Joachim Loew as a
sparkling, creative team instead of the regimented
steamroller of old.
The Germans are aware of Europe's status and hopes of a
first title abroad, but is understandably focused on its
quest for a fourth title.
"I don't think anybody really reckoned it would go this
way," Germany striker Miroslav Klose said. "We're not
placing any great importance on it."
Brazil and Pele won in Sweden in 1958, Dunga led the South
Americans to the 1994 title in the United States and
Brazil won again in Japan and South Korea eight years ago.
The closest Europe got to an overseas triumph was when Rob
Rensenbrink hit the post in the last minute against
Argentina in the 1978 final before the Netherlands lost
3-1 in extra time. Now the Dutch can make sure of a
European win as favorites against Uruguay.
They won their five games so far with workmanlike football
laced with a few moments of brilliance from the likes of
Wesley Sneijder, Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben.
Uruguay to miss key duo
AFP, Cape Town
Striker Luis Suarez is suspended and captain Diego Lugano,
the mainstay of one of the tournament's toughest defences,
is almost certain to miss the game through injury.
The Uruguayans must find a way to cope with the attacking
midfield trio of Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Dirk
Kuyt if they are to record their first World Cup win over
European opposition since 1970, when they beat the Soviet
Union.
The Dutch will have to put the shackles on striker Diego
Forlan, who has looked unstoppable in South Africa.
Netherlands central defender John Heitinga knows Forlan
well as the pair played together for a year at Atletico
Madrid. Heitinga's partnership with Joris Mathijsen was a
concern before the tournament started but has turned out
to be one of the Dutch team's strong points. They have
conceded only one goal from open play and two penalties so
far.
Right back Gregory van der Wiel is suspended but Khalid
Boulahrouz, his likely replacement, is also strong both
going forward and defensively. Giovanni van Bronckhorst at
left back is naturally a midfielder. Uruguay's defence has
given away only two goals in four games. But, already
likely to be short of Lugano, the suspension of Jorge
Fucile, excellent at left back, is another blow.
Mauricio Victorino should keep his place and partner Diego
Godin, who returns from injury, in central defence.
However, based in Chile and with only eight caps, he lacks
experience at this level and could find Robin van Persie a
handful.
Right back Maximiliano Pereira is solid defensively but
does not add much to the attack. Martin Caceres should get
his first start at left back but is an unknown quantity.
Choi surrenders lead
but hangs on for playoff victory
AFP, Sylvania
Na Yeon Choi made a 2 ½-foot birdie putt at the second
playoff hole Sunday to see off fellow South Koreans
In-Kyung Kim and Song-Hee Kim and American Christina Kim
in the LPGA Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.
"As I was walking toward the green today, I was thinking
about how I had won the last two tournaments and I said to
myself, 'Maybe I can do it again,'" said Choi, who birdied
her final hole to claim both of her prior two LPGA Tour
titles. Choi carded a final-round 71, and it took a
15-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole to continue her day
after she had squandered what had been a lead of as many
as five strokes.
"It was tough out there. I was nervous at times," Choi
said. "But I tried to focus on my game. Now I'm really
happy, and proud that I controlled my emotions today."
Choi had led after each of the first three rounds. She was
up by two through nine holes on Sunday, but gave up that
lead with back-to-back bogeys at 14 and 15.
In-Kyung Kim, who shot a 64, had four birdies in the last
seven holes as she posted a 14-under total of 270 that saw
her slip past Choi. Song-Hee Kim, who had a final-round
66, birdied the 17th to join In-Kyung Kim on 270, while
Christina Kim, who was five back of Choi after a double
bogey at 10, birdied the next three holes and added
another one at 17 to join the growing group at 14-under.
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