tuesday, june 15, 2010 ashar 1, 1417, RAJAB 2, 1431 Hijri

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Leading News

China offers assistance to build deep seaport in Ctg
Also willing to help install space satellite

UNB, Dhaka

China Monday proposed to give assistance to Bangladesh for building deep seaport in Chittagong and installing the country's first space satellite.
Beijing also agreed to quick disbursement of its assistance for Pagla Water Treatment Plant and Shahjalal Fertilizer Factory.
The agreement came at the official talks between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinpeng at the PM's office in the afternoon.
During the hour-long talks the two leaders agreed to boost cooperation in political, economic and cultural fronts.
Briefing reporters on the outcome of the talks, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni said the Chinese side assured more investment in Bangladesh and reduce the bilateral trade imbalance by allowing more Bangladeshi products to have duty-free access to the Chinese market.
She said China also agreed to extend cooperation for the development of telecommunication and infrastructure in Bangladesh.
The two sides agreed to exchange data and information about the flow of the common river Brahmaputra.
The Chinese side agreed to help Bangladesh combat adverse impact of the climate change as well as extend cooperation in curbing militancy and terrorism.
Vice President Xi stressed the need for exchange of visits at the political level between the two countries.
The two sides agreed to make memorable the 35th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Bangladesh and China this year.
The talks followed the signing of an economic cooperation agreement under which Beijing will give grant of 40 million RMB to Dhaka.
Chinese Vice Minister for Commerce Chen Jiang and ERD Secretary Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan signed the deal on behalf of their respective government.
Meanwhile, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinpeng said that his country is interested to strengthen the economic, political and other participatory relations with Bangladesh.
He made the remark while speaking at the banquet hosted in his honour by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Sonargaon Hotel in the evening.
Vice President Xi noted that a relation of mutual welfare already exists among the people of the two friendly countries. "I hope, this will strengthen further and bring more prosperity for the two countries," he said.
The Chinese Vice President said his country feels proud to have a good neighbor like Bangladesh.
He said that he had a fruitful meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister on Monday.
Vice President Xi also mentioned that Bangladesh has a long historic relation with china. "Bangladesh has developed a lot after its independence and the living standard of the people is improving day by day," he said. He said that if this development could continue Bangladesh would be able to attain a big growth in the near future.
The Chinese Vice President said that after Sheikh Hasina's recent visit to China the relations between China and Bangladesh witnessed a big boost.
Speaking at the banquet, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that she believes that the visit of the Chinese Vice President would add depth and dimension to the existing bilateral relation between the two friendly countries.

 Three RMG factories closed following violence in Savar
UNB, Savar

Three garments factories were closed Monday as the garments workers went on a rampage at Jamgara here on Monday.
Police said, the workers of BGMEA president Abdus Salam Murshedy owned Envoy Garment along with the workers of three other adjoining garment factories- Ocean and Design, Green Life and Euroj Apex- pelted stones on their factories in the morning.
Authorities of Envoy Garment closed the factory for two days on Saturday following a work-abstention programme of the workers for minimum salary of Tk 5000.
On information police rushed to the spot and obstructed them while they were trying to put barricade on the road, triggering a clash that left two workers injured. Apprehending further violence authorities of Ocean and Design, Green Life and Euroj Apex closed their factories.
Earlier on Sunday, 7,000 workers of Envoy garment took to the street demanding Tk 5000 as minimum wage and clashed with police. A tense situation was prevailing in the area following the incident. Additional police have been deployed in the area to avert further trouble.

 Muhith for changing mindset towards budget
UNB, Sangsad Bhaban

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Monday advocated for changing the mindset towards budget.
Giving his winding up speech in parliament on the supplementary budget for fiscal 2009-10, he said the time has come to change "our mindset" that after the announcement of the budget the prices of different items would increase. "There is no relation to increase of
prices with the budget."
Muhith said that during the current fiscal the government would be able to go very close to implementing the ADP that allocated Tk 28,500 crore. "We will be very close this year."
He said this might be the very first time in the history of Bangladesh that the estimated revenue collection of the government was achieved. "All credits goes to the taxpayers and the tax administration."
The Finance Minister stressed the need for finding out new sources and new innovative ideas to increase the revenue collection.
He said that the public expenditure in the country was always much below the standard. During the current fiscal, the government would be able to spend only 16.9 per cent of the budget while this should be increased by 20 per cent by next couple of years. "The government expenditure is closely related with the GDP growth of a country," he added.
Muhith said it would be very tough for a government to remain in power without ensuring food for the poor people. "We are aware of this and working hard to that end."
On power and energy, he said that power and energy is the lifeblood of the government. "That's why the allocation for this sector was naturally increased."
He mentioned that the investment in the power and energy sector needs to be increased. "But the government alone could not increase the investment… we need assistance and I am sure we will get that," he said.
Referring to the government move to procure power from the rental power plats, the Finance Minister said: "We are just procuring power (from rental plants) for a very short period of three to five years." In this regard, he said the government is paying higher rate for power from the rental plants compared to the power generated from gas.

    Kholiquzzaman opposes schemes for whitening black money

UNB, Dhaka,

Eminent economist and Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) Chairman Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad on Monday opposed any move granting opportunities to validate undisclosed money in the proposed budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal.
"There is no undisclosed money, all undisclosed money is black money. Black money dispirits the tax payers from paying their due taxes.
It also makes corruption inherent," he said while addressing a press conference at the National Press Club in the city Monday noon.
National Budget Working Group (NBWG), an alliance of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), organized the press conference titled 'Proposed Budget 2010-2011: Whose side is the government on?'
During the session, Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman urged the government not to make any changes that grant opportunities to validate undisclosed money from the next fiscal, as it would not help reduce corruption in the country.
Referring to the proposed budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal, he said the government has announced the proposed budget to build a welfare state by 2021, as per the election manifesto of the ruling Awami League.
"The government is on the right path by announcing the proposed people friendly budget to achieve their goal -Vision 2021. Obviously, this is the first step to building a welfare state," he said.
Replying to a query, the economist said that the government has targeted cutting the school drop-out rate by 2011 and the government has also taken steps to achieve the target.
"Only 10 percent of children are out of school, and they are living in marginal areas like hills and haors.
The government has undertaken the school feeding programme in this regard. I hope, all children will have joined primary education by 2011 to 2012," he said.
Dr Kholiquzzaman stressed the need for formulating a farmer party to organize the long-neglected farmers and help them to acquire their rights.
Replying to another query, he said if the government is able to address the demand for power and gas, the GDP growth of the country can rise to the targeted 6.7 percent in the coming fiscal.

    Army deployed for Ctg polls
UNB, Chittagong

About 20,000 security personnel, including army, deployed in Chittagong barely three days ahead of the city polls, are patrolling the vulnerable areas for ensuring peace.
Six companies of the army comprising more than 600 troopers are stationed in temporary camps.
Election office said 120 checkposts are being set up at different points of the city. Manned by police and ansar, the checkposts will search suspected trouble mongers.
Besides, members of the coastguard will start patrolling the Karnaphuli riverside from June l6 to keep vigilance in city`s river routes.
RAB, police and two companies of paramilitary BDR have already took position at different points and started patrolling the streets.
CMP Commissioner Md Moniruzzaman told UNB that over 600 polling centres have been set up in the city. Of those, 222 have been marked as `risky`.
Meanwhile, EC issued directive that no outsiders will be allowed in the city after Monday midnight.
Scores of central leaders of ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP joined the campaign for respective party candidates.

    BSF kills another Bangladeshi
28 killed in 4 months and 108 in 13 months

TBT Report

Indian Border Security Force (BSF) killed one more Bangladeshi along Fotehpur frontier under Shibganj upazila in Chapainawabganj early Monday as the killing spree on Bangladesh border continues unabated despite India's repeated pledges to stop such killings.
According to UNB News Agency, BSF shot a Bangladeshi national to death at Fotehpur frontier under Shibganj upazila in Chapainawabganj early Monday. The deceased was identified as cattle trader Safiqul, 22, son of Belal Uddin of Fatehpur village.
Sources said Indian border troops of Subghati border camp near pillar no. 13 opened fire on Safiqul late at night as he crossed the border to purchase cattle, leaving him dead on the spot. Commander of 39 Rifles Battalion Major Nazrul Islam confirmed the incident.
He said they have sent a letter to their Indian counterparts protesting the killing and demanding immediate return of the body.
The killings of unarmed Bangladeshis by the BSF on the border are continuing in clear violation of the spirit of good neighborliness as well as international law and despite repeated pledges by the Indian authorities to stop it. In every meeting between BSF and BDR and also between the higher level officials of the two countries, the Indian side assures that killing of Bangladeshis by its forces on the border would come to an end immediately. But this pledge is seldom implemented.
With this BSF killed 28 Bangladeshis in last four months and to 108 in last 13 months. The number of Bangladeshis killed by BSF during the nine years period from January 1, 2000 to June 14, 2010 stands at 833. BSF also injured 860 and abducted 903 Bangladeshis in the same period.

    Land grabbers dare threaten govt in public: State Minister
UNB, Sangsad Bhaban

State Minister for Housing and Public Works Adv Abdul Mannan Khan Monday said in parliament that land robbers grabbing lands of the poor are daring to threaten the government in public.
Speaking on supplementary budget for fiscal 2009-10, he said a few land robbers are filling rivers, canals, ditches and beels and selling out those lands. Khan said these land robbers buy half-katha land somewhere, thereafter grab the adjacent lands and sell those at lakhs of taka through tempting advertisements.
Referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's stern instruction, he said none will be allowed to fill up rivers, ditches or canals and sell those lands. The state minister blasted the land robbers a day after hot exchanges between him and leaders of land developers, including Bashundhara Group chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan alias Shah Alam, at a meeting on Dhaka Development Plan.
He said a vicious circle in collaboration with some corrupt people in the ministry are misguiding courts with wrong information and thus misappropriating national property worth thousands of crores of taka.
Khan said some 37 false cases were filed to misappropriate property of crores of taka. In one instance, court issued rule nisi against a person for contempt of court.
He also citied couple of cases, including one where two ladies having the same name of Shahnaz Noor, are claiming a plot worth Tk 100 crore in city's Dhanmondi.

Back Page

1048 foreign nationals now in different jails of the country: Sahara

UNB, Sangsad Bhaban

Some 1048 foreigners are now languishing in different jails of the country, the Parliament was told Monday. Responding to a starred question of Golam Dastagir Gazi (Awami League-Narayanganj), Home Minister Sahara Khatun said that the foreigners kept in jails included those convicted by the courts and others facing trial.
She said that of the total number, the highest 666 are Myanmar nationals, followed by 349 Indians. There are also 21 Pakistanis, three Tanzanians, six Nepalese and one each from Japan, Malaysia and Hungary.
Sahara said that of the total number of foreigners in jail, 718 (693 male and 25 female) are under trial prisoners, 117 (108 male and 9 female) convicted prisoners and 213 others (205 male and 8 female) have completed their period of sentence but now awaiting release. She said that the foreign nationals are sent back to their respective countries on completion of their period of sentence. "Respective embassies and high commissions take care of their repatriation."
Replying to another starred question of Advocate Tarana Halim (women seat-8), the Minister said that till June 6, 2010 the number of persons in jails across the country stood at 77,805. She mentioned that till now 27 standard jails have been constructed while construction of 14 jails are going on and initiative has been taken to construct four more jails.
Replying to M Tajul Islam (AL-Comilla), Sahara said that after the present government assumed power, 88 members of banned Hizbut Tahrir were arrested. She told Mahzabin Morshed (women seat-44) that the government has taken initiative to recruit more police personnel for making the force modern.
"Recruitment of 13,391 persons in the police force is going on under the first phase of recruiting 32,031 police personnel," she said. Besides, the Home Minister said process is also continuing to recruit 3023 police personnel of different ranks for Industrial Police Force.

   RAJUK to identify 200 buildings for demolition
UNB, Dhaka

The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhkha (RAJUK) is now working out a detailed plan to identify the most vulnerable 200 buildings in the capital for immediate demolition.
Official sources said the government already instru-cted RAJUK last week to identify the 200 most vulnerable buildings, following the South Begunbari tra-gedy that killed 25 people and injured several others after the collapse of a 6-storey building. The building collapsed onto several tin-shed houses at about 10:40pm at South Begunbari on June 1. Another multi-storey building tilted in Begunbari, within days of the South Begunbari tragedy.
Later on June 5, a 6-storey building at Nakhalpara Samity Bazar in the capital tilted and its gas pipeline exploded, creating panic among the residents and local people.
Earlier in the morning on the same day, a crack developed in the beam between the second and fourth floors of the 22-storey Concord Grand building at Shantinagar in the capital.
Later the government decided to identify the most vulnerable buildings.
RAJUK officials said they have already identified over 100 buildings and hoped to complete the task of identifying the remaining buildings within this week.

    3 arrested for violating electoral rules, fined TK 75 thousand

BSS, Chittagong

Mobile courts of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) polls detained three persons, including a female, for violating election rules in the port city here on Monday.
Later, executive magistrates released the detainees after realizing TK 75 thousand as fines. The arrested persons were identified as Hosne Ara Begum, 40, Alauddin,35, and Mohammad Zillur Rahman, 32, for distributing objectionable leaflets against Nagorik Committee Chittagong (NCC) backed candidate A B M Mohiuddin Chowdhury.
The mobile court led by Executive Magistrate Gazi Salehin Tanvir arrested Hosne Ara Begum from Fay's Lake area under Khulshi thana with huge objectionable posters. Later, Hosne Ara was released after realizing TK 50 thousand. Another mobile court led by Magistrate Habibullah Chowdhury arrested Alauddin from South Patenga area with some objectionable leaflets. He was also released by executive magistrate after realizing TK 20 thousand.
Meanwhile, Detective Bra-nch of police arrested Zillur Rahman from Bandartila City Corporation market today with two leaflets. Executive Magistrate Sandwip Kumar Sirkar released him after realizing TK five thousand.

   Govt to add 300 MW power by this month
BSS, Dhaka

About 300 MW of electricity would be added into the national grid by the end of this month.
Bangladesh Power Develo-pment Board (BPDB) is set to start commercial operation of two rental power plants and one base-load plant by this month.
'A 100-MW would come from quick rental power plant from Aggereko, 50- MW from Thakurgaon rental and 150 MW from Shikal-baha base load power plant," a PDB official old BSS on Monday. He also said the fate of Shikalbaha depends on availability of gas. The PDB official said Bheramara 100 MW is not coming into operation as the bidder apprised them it would take more time for shipment.
"We expected that it would come into operation in July, however, they will pay penalty for that," he added. Power Development Board recommended Aggrereko for 100-megawatt diesel-fired projects in Khulna, Rahimafrooz for a 50 MW diesel-fired plant in Thakurgaon.
To address next summer's huge demand of electricity, the state run power generating agency (PDB) has suggested the government to install more rental power plants, otherwise the country would experience 8 to 10 times load shedding in a day from next summer.
The country is now experiencing 1,500 to 2,000 MW load shedding on an average everyday. In order to increase generation, we have decided to install more rental power plants for generating about 1,400 MW of electricity on an urgent basis.
Earlier, the government said it would install 1,200 MW on an urgent basis that called "quick rental."

    SCBA demands immediate release of Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman

UNB, Dhaka

Echoing Sunday night's statement of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has said the perpetrators who brutally tortured detained Mahmudur Rahman, acting editor of the daily Amar Desh, in the name of police remand would be brought to justice in future.
"We are not making the statement using the SCBA as political platform, SCBA president Khondker Mahbub Hossain said Monday at a press conference to protest against the perpetrators who reportedly undressed Amar Desh acting editor and clubbed him indiscriminately in custody. Khondker Mahbub, as the spokesperson for the apex court lawyers, said they condemn such action in the name of police remand as the lawyers are always vocal in upholding the democratic rights, establishing the rule of law and ensuring the fundamental rights including freedom of press and freedom of expression as enshrined in the Constitution.
"We are examining the pros and cons of the matter in a bid to file a contempt-of-court petition against those who ignored and disparaged the higher court orders and directives over the process of remand," he said.
The SCBA president demanded immediate release of Mahmudur Rahman and withdrawal of all cases filed against him.
On June 10, the High Court, following three separate petitions filed by Mahmudur Rahman challenging his remand orders, asked the government not to torture the petitioner either mentally or physically after taking him on remand.
The Supreme Court had earlier in a judgment prescribed a guideline for the law enforcers during interrogation of an accused on remand.

    PDB imposes penalty on Rahimafrooz, Otobi for default in installing rental power plants on time

UNB, Dhaka

The state-owned Power Development Board (PDB) has imposed penalty on two local firms, Otobi and Rahimafrooz, for failure in commissioning their respective rental power plants as per contract. Otobi is the sponsor of the diesel-based 100 MW Bheramara rental power plant and Rahimafrooz is the sponsor of the 50 MW Thakurgaon plant.
As per contract, both the plants were supposed to come into operation by June 4. But none of them were able to commission the plants in accordance with the deadline.
Sources said about 55 per cent work of the Bheramara project and 90 per cent of Thakurgaon project has so far been completed. Otobi project official Rawshan admitted the delay in setting up plant. Rahimafrooz Group Director Munwar Misbah Moin would not respond to telephone calls.
The contract provided that in case of failure or default, each of the sponsors will have to pay US$ 500 per day per megawatt against their contracted plant capacity.
Now, Otobi has to pay minimum US$ 50,000 (equivalent to Tk 34.50 lakh) per day against its 100 MW Bheramara plant. Similarly, Rahimafrooz has to pay US$ 25,000 (or Tk 17.25 lakh) per day against its 50 MW Thakurgaon plant, said a PDB official.
He said they have already served notice on June 4 upon the sponsors about imposition of the penalty. The PDB signed the contracts with the two sponsors on February 4 this year asking them to install and commission their respective plants within 120 days (4 months). Both have failed.
The had PDB moved for setting up the costly eight rental power plants with a total capacity of 530 MW, setting March 30 as deadline to begin their operation.

    36 Japan funded cyclone shelters handed over
BSS, Dhaka

The construction of 36 multi- purpose cyclone shelters funded by Japan government in different areas affected by devastating cyclone Sidr has been completed to secure lives of nearly 70,000 people during natural calamities in future.
After the Sidr, the Japan government provided 10 million US dollar under its grand aid scheme to construct the cyclone shelters through Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) in line with a request from Bangladesh government, a JICA spokesman told BSS on Monday. The shelters, constructed by the government's Local Government Engineering Division (LGED) in Barguna, Bagerhat, Patukhali and Pirojpur districts were handed over to the government recently. Approximately 70, 000 people will get benefit from these cyclone shelters during disasters. Apart from this, the shelters designed to be used as primary schools will also benefit 11,000 students.
Moreover, the shelters could be used as community centers for locals to hold social programmes.
The JICA spokesman said Japan has so far built 117 cyclone centers in the coastal belt since the 1991 devastating cyclone as the country believes the number of cyclone shelters in Bangladesh is not adequate against the size of coastal population. The spokesman said if Bangladesh government makes further request in this regard the Japan government will actively consider it.
Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh Tamotsu Shin-otsuka formally handed over the key of multi-purpose cyclone shelters to Member of Parliament AKMA Awal at an inaugural ceremony in Pirojpur On June 9 last. LGD Secretary Monjur Hossain, JICA Senior Representative Shigeki Furuta and LGED Chief Engineer Wahidur Rahman were also present on the occasion. Cyclone 'Sidr' hit Bangladesh's south-western coastal belt on November 15 in 2007 and claimed 3,406 lives, left 1,001 people missing and caused colossal damage to assets and crops.

Editorial

Checking eve-teasing

Education Day programmes were observed across the country on Sunday with a vow to check eve- teasing across the country. The theme of the day was "Security to girl students" to gear up countrywide anti-eve teasing campaign.
One of the major objective of the observance of the day was to create mass awareness at the national level against eve teasing. The day was observed against the backdrop of a good number of girl students having committed suicide after being teased by derailed youths and many others having stopped their academic life."
On the day addressing a protest rally at Central Shaheed Minar Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said that the government has taken various initiatives to stop eve -teasing in the country to ensure congenial atmosphere in the educational institutions. "The government is now planning to introduce a strict law against eve- teasing," he said at the rally. He emphasized waging a strong social movement against eve teasing that has become a social menace.The education minister also called upon all sections of the society to come forward to protest the evil practice.Earlier, different schools in the city brought out processions protesting stalking and converged in front of the Central Shaheed Minar.
It is very encouraging that within a short period of time a strong movement has developed across the country against eve-teasing and stalking. From the capital Dhaka to the remote places of the country processions and demonstrations are being organized almost every day by students, teachers, social workers and human rights activists in an effort to combat eve- teasing and eradicate this menace from the society.
Unfortunately, in spite of this strong social movement and arrest of a number of offenders by police eve-teasing by misguided youths are continuing at different places. According to a human rights organization, due to the humiliation caused by eve teasing and stalking, as many as 14 girls and the father of a victim committed suicide at different places during the period from January to May 16, Besides, three people were killed and four others tortured for protesting against stalking by youths.
As stalking and sexual harassment of girls by misguided youths are on the rise, experts have expressed the opinion that apart from building resistance to these the offenders should be boycotted socially and politically. They also stressed the need for strengthening the social movement against harassment of girls to ensure a congenial atmosphere in the educational institutions. Stalking is a social curse and it is urgently needed to free the society from it to ensure participation of girls and women in different activities. It is alleged that the stalkers are often sheltered and protected by politicians and influential people. They must refrain from doing so. Massive social awareness against eve -teasing and stalking should be created and stern action against these must be taken to get rid of the dangerous social disease . In view of this the introduction of a strict law against eve-teasing will be a timely step and therefore welcomed by all as it will hopefully go a long way in checking the eve-teasing menace.

 Manpower export

There is a initiative on the part of the government to keep the flow of manpower export from the country in progress. Finance Minister Abul Mal Abdul Muhit said in his budget speech on June 10 that the target for manpower export has been set at 5,77,000 in 2010-11 over last year's 4,75,000 despite global economic recession. The government is attaching the highest priority to the manpower export and we are emphasizing more on exporting skilled manpower as there is no alternative to survival in this highly competitive market, he said. He also said that a Expatriate Welfare bank will be established soon.
Earlier, in October last, the Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain had said Bangladesh is going to send some 5 lakh job-seekers abroad by the year end, as new overseas job markets are being found out by the government. "Of them, Saudi Arab will take some two lakh Bangladeshis after the beginning of their six mega-city projects and Iraq will take more than one lakh," he added.
The revelation made by the ministers about the prospect of huge number of Bangladeshis going abroad with jobs despite the global economic meltdown is quite encouraging. Because, in the past some newspaper reports had depicted a dismal picture of the manpower export situation and said that the country's manpower export has declined by about fifty per cent in 2009 compared to the previous year's. Alongside, the number of workers who have returned home in 2009 is double than the previous year's figure. These have mainly been attributed to the global recession and lack of initiative by the government to retain the existing manpower markets and explore new ones. Because of the inefficiency and failure of the people working in our foreign missions the manpower export faced a setback. The people entrusted with the task failed to deal with the situation properly and effectively.
The situation appeared alarming specially in view of the fact that our economy is largely dependent on the remittances from the expatriates working abroad. It may be mentioned here 65 lakh Bangladeshis are working abroad including 22 lakh in Saudi Arabia alone and the remittances contribute mainly to the foreign exchange reserves. Against this backdrop, more and more export of manpower is vital for our economic progress and stability. So, the government should step up its efforts to send increased number of people abroad with jobs. If the target of 5,77,000 manpower export in the next fiscal is attained it will be a great achievement.

Analysis

An obsession worth having

Why should the people of Pakistan bear the brunt for prolonging the government's power joyride?

Ameer Bhutto

A few days ago a close friend of mine said to me, "Your obsession with Zardari reminds me of the old Pink Panther movies," referring to the movie's main character Inspector Jacque Clouseau's obsession with his criminal genius nemesis, Sir Charles Litton, the "notorious phantom". Zardari's apologists and minders have also levelled the same allegations against his critics, claiming that they are driven by personal vendetta. But the point they, and my friend, seem to miss is this: if criticism is based on issues or on Zardari's own statements and declarations made in public gatherings, and supported by factual evidence, then the criticism must be examined under the microscope of merit regardless of the motives of the critic. The fact that there has accumulated an overwhelming body of such material can only lead to the inescapable conclusion that something is rotten in the Aiwan-e-Sadar.
It is interesting to note that the ranks of Zardari's supporters are composed of those who have a vested interest in the continuation of his presidency, while almost everyone else is aligned against him in varying degrees and forms. There are very valid reasons for this: his tainted past and the stigma and baggage he carries. His undeserved rise to power, having gone from hiding behind medical certificates of mental illness to evading prosecution in Switzerland to the Aiwan-e-Sadar in the blink of an eye, that too on the strength of a highly suspect will that even Benazir Bhutto's closest confidants knew nothing about. His implication in cases corruption in Pakistan and Europe that have dragged the sanctity of his office through mud. His conduct since coming to power, including going to inordinate lengths to avoid apprehending and punishing Benazir Bhutto's killers and dodging the Swiss cases. None of these can be counted as glowing accomplishments deserving canonisation and have had the natural effect of fuelling the fires of anti-Zardari sentiments.
Zardari firmly controls the government even after the passage of the 18th Amendment which was supposed to have the Robin Hood effect of taking powers away from a powerful president and restoring them to a feeble prime minister and parliament. But nothing has changed. The powers that Zardari yielded with one hand, he grasped back with the other, as unelected party heads acquired the power under this amendment to decide the fate of parliament. The formation of the core committee that operates under the president, bypassing parliament and the prime minister, further empowers the president. Parliament and the prime minister have done nothing to flex their supposedly enhanced muscles thus far.
What is the point of hailing the 18th Amendment as an historic milestone when you have no clue about what to do with all those powers? If Zardari wishes to remain the focal point of power, then he cannot escape the responsibility for all that goes wrong and must swallow all criticism levelled against him. Such are the ways of democracy which he wanted as a revenge for Benazir Bhutto's murder.
We are told to talk about issues instead of focusing on Zardari. But the issues that face the nation have either been created by his government or have been exacerbated by it. Caliph Umar is often quoted as having said that if a dog goes hungry at night, the ruler will have to answer for it on the Day of Judgment. Things in Pakistan have moved well beyond the plight of hungry stray dogs. Who else can we blame for the prevailing stench but the government and those who run it? Fighting a proxy war for the western powers and taking dictation from them, in continuation of Musharraf's policy, may have secured power for the ruling clique with the blessings of their foreign overlords, but it has done no better for the nation than perching it on the precipice of ruin, with terrorists making us their target on the one hand, and, on the other, US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton threatening a direct military strike on Pakistani soil in the event of a successful terrorist attack in America.
Why should the people of Pakistan bear the brunt for prolonging the government's power joyride? Which natural calamity should we blame for this state of affairs if not the government of the day? Poverty and lack of opportunity have forced mothers to actually put their children up for sale in open markets. Yes, global economic conditions are difficult and resources in Pakistan limited, but how can the government justify a daily budget of Rs2.5 million for the Prime Minister's House and the Aiwan-e-Sadar at a time when babies are being sold to make ends meet?
Far from clamping down on corruption (not a single corruption case has been filed by the government), it has allowed a free ride for all. If we cannot blame the government for this, then should we hold the Hunza landslide responsible for it? From target killings in Karachi to the virtual unobstructed rule of dacoits and criminals in rural areas, lawlessness and crime have made life unliveable. Law enforcement authorities are deployed to protect the VIPs while the common man is abandoned to his own fate. The writ of law and the authority of government are non-existent. Should we hold unusual celestial alignments responsible for this, if not the government?
How can one not criticise a government whose members, instead of providing good governance, or at least governance, are busy avoiding going to prison by getting bail or presidential pardons? How can you not criticise them for closing their eyes to all norms of decent, ethical conduct and for being hell-bent to prevent the establishment of the rule of law, not to mention their unparalleled, mind-boggling incompetence? They cannot even send a lawyer to represent them in court without falling flat on their faces. A new ridiculous farce unfolds before this horrified nation every day. Is it wrong to hold accountable those responsible for this mess? Should we just bite the bullet and chalk it up to our kismet?
Pakistan is drowning in a maelstrom of corruption and incompetence. Those responsible for this horrible mess may find it easy to close their eyes to ungainly realities as long as their petty, narrow personal interests are being served, but the nation cannot afford to do the same. This land belongs not to those wily fat cats who have destroyed this country over the years and decades, but the desperate mothers who are forced to sell their children to make ends meet and the desolate fathers who are pushed by insufferable circumstances into committing suicides in record numbers.
The children being put up for sale in bazaars are the future of Pakistan. They deserve better than this. My appeal to the people is this: fight back. Take this country back from the fat cats. Do not allow them to use you. Know that the future depends on you and you are not bound by any constraining tethers of the past. Do not listen to all the cynical naysayers who, instead of playing a constructive role in bringing a greater sense of awareness and mobilising the nation, only tell you why change cannot come, like petty bureaucrats whose sole raison d'etre is to avoid change.
There is no greater political power than a nation on the move. You have seen it happen in Georgia in 2003, in Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine in 2005 and in Kyrgyzstan again in 2010. You have made it happen here in Pakistan under the leadership of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. You can make it happen again. This is the only way to save Pakistan. Now there is an obsession worth having!


The writer is vice-chairman of Sindh National Front and a former MPA from Ratodero. He has degrees from the University of Buckingham and Cambridge University.

  West’s victim complex

By some accounts, over a million lives have been lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. Other sources place this figure considerably lower. Massaging it has become a hobby of sorts.

Sunil Sharan

A wave of righteous indignation sweeps the West with every alleged act of terror, while quotidian civilian casualties in Iraq or Afghanistan are treated as a humdrum affair, barely meriting mention.
In the wake of Faisal Shahzad's arrest, Pakistan's image as a breeding ground for terrorism is consolidating in the West. Without condoning his purported actions, this essay asserts that to defuse the current conflict, the West needs to first get over its victim complex.
The present-day discord is quite often painted in simplistic terms. Ranged on one side are the good guys, the cops chasing the evil robbers, who are running afoul of every established norm of etiquette and decency and therefore must be brought to heel. Were those pointing fingers at others to look at their own selves in the mirror, they would discover multiple digits pointing back at them.
But either they disdain self-scrutiny or perhaps the mirror itself is muddied, not so much by dirt but by the fog of superiority that clouds many western minds. Bill Maher, the popular American television host, has said that Americans consider their lives superior to those of others and that the only time people dying overseas catches their attention is when American lives too are lost.
In light especially of the outpouring of American support for earthquake-ravaged Haiti, mistake not his hyperbole for gospel truth. But his argument does ring true in the case of the nearly decade-long military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Western casualties, a trickle these days, continue to generate a venting of grief in their television and print media. Any deaths on the other side, every day in the tens or maybe even hundreds, are not remarked on if combatants and unlamented if civilian. And, ever so often, unarmed civilians end up being masqueraded as fighters to make the killings more palatable.
Westerners have developed an acute consciousness of their own pain but their senses have become dulled to the suffering of those they take on. Centuries of world domination have inculcated in them a feeling of solipsism, that my hurt matters while yours does not.
The ideal of freedom, its protection at home as well as its evangelisation overseas, is repeatedly invoked to justify military interventionism, almost as if without a world vigilante constantly fanning the flames of liberty, asphyxiation would strangulate the planet's supposedly oppressed. But consider the poignant remark of a US soldier serving in Iraq: "We were sent to liberate Iraq. Instead we sure have liberated the hell out of the Iraqis."
By some accounts, over a million lives have been lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. Other sources place this figure considerably lower. Massaging it has become a hobby of sorts. It is after all just a number. Did not Benjamin Disraeli, the 19th-century British prime minister, say that there are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics?
Post 9/11, the Pentagon is reported to have devised kill ratios of 1:100 and more, in other words for every American life lost at least 100 of the enemy must perish. Only then would the other side learn a lesson it would never forget. Over 6,000 western soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, a figure quite in line with the intended accounting. It begs the question though whether the lesson itself has been conveyed adequately.
Occidentals also frequently portray the ongoing clash as one between the West and Islam, almost never as between Christianity and Islam. An air of moral superciliousness is affected, as if one religion is above violence while the other is synonymous with it.
Just before launching 'just wars', some seek divine blessing. They never tire of reiterating that the West is not at war with Islam, and never will be, for which they are acclaimed as peacemakers even as they keep escalating the conflict.
An invasion such as that of Iraq, of which the publicly declared rationale has been proven to be flawed, and the outcome of which has gone awry, is brushed off with a casual shrug of the shoulders, or at most with, 'Oops, sorry, we made a mistake in the cause of liberty'. Imagine if another country had behaved likewise.
The US would have been the first one hollering to bring its leadership to justice. But protagonists of the Iraq war and the long but fruitless hunt for jihadis in Afghanistan are frequently hailed as defenders of freedom. They are happily engaged in writing tomes on their exploits and earning millions of dollars on the lecture circuit.
Although Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general at the time of the Iraqi invasion termed it as illegal because it contravened the UN's charter, no international institution has had the courage to even broach investigating the actions of its perpetrators. In the 21st century, might is still right.
Who then will history deem the bigger terrorist? Those who indulge in attacking planes and buildings or those who lay entire countries to waste, employing the most terrifying weaponry-cluster bombs, Predator drones, Cruise missiles. It is an axiom of human nature that hate begets hate, and so is the case with love. No further point can be served in figuring out who started the current mess or which civilisation's values are loftier. For that is an endless debate. It is time to stop revelling in outraged innocence. It is time to quit imposing belief systems on others. It is time to live and let live.

Viewpoints

Era of unconditional support for Israel ends

Even traditionally sympathetic quarters could find few excuses for the action against the flotilla.

Adel Safty

After the Israeli assault on the aid flotilla that left dozens of people killed or injured, condemnation of the Israeli action was practically universal.
Only the most unconditional supporters of Israel dutifully repeated the Israeli lines of self-justification.
The Israel lobby in the United States generally blamed the tragedy on the organisers of the "provocation" whom it accused of links to terrorist organisations. The Union for Reform Judaism endorsed the Israeli position and argued that Israel had responded as a sovereign nation by exercising her right to self-defence.
Other Jewish-American organisations were critical of the Israeli action. J Street, a new Jewish American lobby that advertises itself as pro-Israel and pro-peace, was critical of the "shocking outcome" of the Israeli assault which it described as "a consequence of the ongoing, counterproductive Israeli blockade of Gaza".
"Jewish Voice for Peace" was more forceful in its condemnation of "Israel's attack and killing of members of the Freedom Flotilla aiming to bring much needed aid to the besieged Gaza Strip" and called on the Obama administration to "suspend military aid to Israel until he can assure the American public that our aid is not used to commit similar abuses".
Even the influential American media, traditionally sympathetic to Israel's positions, could find few excuses for the Israeli action. The New York Times said the Israeli blockade is unjust and criticised Obama's response to the assault on the aid flotilla as tepid. It urged the administration to state clearly that the Israeli attack was unacceptable and to back a UN Security Consul resolution urging Israel to lift the blockade.
French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, a staunch supporter of Israel, inadvertently revealed, in trying to gently criticise Israeli leaders for the tragedy, how his support for Israel like that of many of Israel's supporters is informed more by ideological convictions than by ascertainable realities. In a recent article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Levy admits that at the time of writing, he, like the rest of the world, had "only a few shreds of information about what really happened". Yet he goes on to affirm that "it will soon be learned that this so-called humanitarian flotilla was humanitarian in name only..."
One of the most perceptive criticisms of the Israeli action came from Israeli writer David Crossman, who wrote that "no explanation can justify or whitewash the crime that was committed here", which he described as "the natural continuation of the shameful, ongoing closure of Gaza...".
The era when Israel enjoyed the envious position of oppressing the people whose land it occupied and bullying its neighbours while counting on the unconditional support of the West has definitely come to an end. The recent UN Report prepared by the Goldstone Commission found that Israel had committed war crimes in its recent Gaza war. The commission also found that the Gaza blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza population might constitute crime against humanity. The assault on the aid flotilla and the killing of civilians may constitute an act of piracy and even possibly undeclared war against Turkey, the country whose flag the flotilla flew and whose citizens were killed or injured in the attack. An incensed Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayep Erdogan, is reportedly considering sending another aid ship, this time escorted by the Turkish navy and with him aboard.
Uzi Dayan, former Deputy Chief of General Staff in Israel, told Israeli army radio that should this happen Israel should sink the ship with the Turkish prime minister on it. An Israeli commentator observed that it was "unprecedented for a top-level state official to threaten a head of another state with murder". This may be unprecedented, but it would not be surprising given the utter irrationality of Israeli actions.
How else can one explain the incomprehensible defiance of not only the international community but also of Israel's principal benefactor and protector the US? This seemingly irrational intent on alienating the US moved none other than the Mossad Chief, Meir Dagan, to warn Israeli leaders about the untold consequences of their actions. Speaking before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, Dagan warned that "Israel is gradually turning from an asset to the United States to a burden."
This concern was echoed in the US where Tony Judd wrote in The New York Times that "Israel is now America's greatest strategic liability in the Middle East and Central Asia." And where Jewish American writer and activist Norman G. Finkelstein declared "Israel is now a lunatic state. It's a lunatic state with between two and three hundred nuclear devices."
Once again Israeli leaders seem to have acted with blind faith in mindless violence as the solution to all problems with total disregard for the consequences of their actions on the peace process. Once again one is hardpressed to understand how their actions can be compatible with their proclamations of a sincere desire for peace with the Palestinians.
Instead of weakening Hamas and undermining its hold on power in Gaza, the blockade is generally believed to have failed. It brought only condemnations upon Israel and focused attention on Israel's collective punishment of the Palestinians. There can be no doubt that the inhumanity and illegality of the blockade are incompatible with the quest for peace in the region. n


Adel Safty is Distinguished Professor Adjunct at the Siberian Academy of Public Administration, Russia. His new book, 'Might Over Right', is endorsed by Noam Chomsky, and published in England by Garnet.

  It’s great up north

Turkey's long isolation under de facto military rule from its Arab neighbors has ended. Istanbul is returning to its former role as the Paris of the Muslim world.

Eric Margolis

World leaders seem to spend much of their time these days jetting from one exhausting conference to another. Russia's Vladimir Putin and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have just arrived here in Istanbul for a summit with Turkey's increasingly influential Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkey is rapidly emerging as an important regional political and economic power. Ankara no longer automatically follows Washington's direction, as it did in the past. PM Erdogan's opposition to Israel's blockade of Gaza and his refusal to punish neighboring Iran has made him a hero across much of the Muslim world.
Turkey's long isolation under de facto military rule from its Arab neighbors has ended. Istanbul is returning to its former role as the Paris of the Muslim world. This boisterous, fascinating, magical metropolis pulsates with intellectual energy, exciting films and music, and superb food. Western ways are in constant clash with traditional Islamic culture.
However, the most important issue facing Turkey and the rest of Europe today is not the Mideast but the financial storm raging around the continent. Turkey is so far weathering the tempest fairly well, in part because it was not integrated into the global financial system. But many other European nations face grave problems.
Hungary, Latvia, Romania are in financial turmoil. Greece is racked by riots, protests and strikes by angry civil servants. There is no way Greece will be able to reduce its unsustainable debt load from 13.3 per cent of GDP to 3 per cent, as Athens promises.
Greece will likely default on its bonds over coming years, just like debt-strapped Argentina. It's hellishly difficult for democratic governments to massively slash public spending, raise taxes, and purge bloated bureaucracies.
The only way out for Greece is to default, withdraw from the euro zone, and bring back its wobbly drachma which will quickly devalue.
Greece is a lamentable example of what happens when governments don't collect taxes, stuff the bureaucracy with supporters and relatives, grant absurdly generous concessions to unions, and close their eyes to massive corruption and chicanery.
However, there is some good news from Europe. Germany's economy is picking up speed, aided by the weak euro which dropped below US $1.20 last week. Some bankers think the euro may drop to parity with the US dollar - which would be a good thing for Europe.
Britain's new government is about to attack the monstrous debt left by Labour, equal to 12.9 per cent of GDP. Britain's over-valued pound sterling should also drop to parity. Spain, Europe's fourth largest economy, is slashing spending in a desperate race to head of insolvency.
Members of the European Union have realised they must shrink their debts and construct a central financial authority with enforcement powers. They face war with their powerful public sector unions, particularly in France.
I just attended a conference in Switzerland that featured noted economist Nouriel Roubini, who predicted the American crash of 2008. Nicknamed "Dr. Death," he warns of grim economic times ahead: deflation; rising unemployment; increased taxes; overcapacity; and negative growth.
The United States, 25 per cent of the global economy, can't rein in its spending or cut debt. President George Bush created the biggest deficit in US peacetime history.
Now, President Barack Obama is making matters worse by piling on more unsustainable debt, just as Japan did so ruinously.
Government stimulus efforts were a "waste of money" says Roubini. The only way to escape this debt trap is to make economies more productive and shrink governments. But slashing government spending will depress debt-addicted economies in the short-medium term, making matters worse. Dangerous inflation lies ahead in the long term.
Most alarmingly, Roubini warns China has massively overspent on infrastructure, exporting its excess capacity. Beijing has "front-loaded 15 years of capital spending," says Roubini.
As this column keeps warning, China has massive over-capacity in industry, and a real estate bubble. When these dangerous bubbles burst, the globe ?will tremble. China has got to boost domestic consumption, which is now only 36 per cent of GDP versus America's nearly 70 per cent.
Canada, rarely in the news, is being hailed across Europe as a model of debt reduction by slashing public spending from 1994-1999. As a result, when the financial tsunami struck in 2008, Canada's healthy economy weathered the storm. Europeans now say they must follow Canada's example.


Eric Margolis is a veteran US journalist who reported from the Middle East and Asia for nearly two decades.

  Going on summer vacation in India

India now has a significant number of people in 25 cities who would be middle class in the European sense of the term. My guess is that they would number five crore (50 million).

Aakar Patel

One of the rituals of middle-class Indian life is the summer vacation. The weather is brutal in most parts of India before the middle of June, when the monsoon comes.
Schools are shut in this period and most long leave from office is taken at this time. Women also need a break and that's why they go to their mother's house, where they are cared for and restored for a month before being pressed back into service. My mother would cook and clean for 11 months of the year (she still does) and then run off, with us still clinging on, to her mother's house in May.
I was born in Bombay, and since our relatives lived in Surat, vacations were always spent there. We moved to Surat when I was nine and after that vacations were spent in Bombay, or, more often, in Surat and so I did not see much of the world till I was older.
Vacation generally meant not doing what you would otherwise be doing, which was going to school. My memories, and I suspect a lot of other middle-class Indians' memories, of vacation consist mainly of long afternoon hours staring at the ceiling fan.
Thirty years ago, middle class in India meant not being poor, though that definition is no longer true. India now has a significant number of people in 25 cities who would be middle class in the European sense of the term. My guess is that they would number five crore (50 million).
But in the 1970s and 80s, middle class meant that you could get by comfortably, though you didn't have enough money to travel abroad. Those who did would be regarded with awe in school. Unlike Pakistan, India prohibited import of most everyday consumer items till the 1990s, and so even little things brought from abroad, watches, shoes, toys and clothes and household things, would be objects of fascination and passed around for inspection.
While there was no question of going abroad, there was, however, travel.
About 10 days of the vacation were actually spent vacationing, and that was the best part, because you saw new places, like hill stations. The British built dozens of little towns on Indian mountains, where they spent summer months. There's Simla in the north, where after 1864 the capital of India would actually transfer till Delhi got cooler. It's also the place where Indira Gandhi and Bhutto signed the accord that the people of both nations should read more often.
There are British hill stations in every part of India. The north has over a dozen including Manali, Mussourie, Gulmarg and Dalhousie, the east has Darjeeling and Kalimpong, the south has Ooty, Kodaikanal and the west, where I live, has the more modest Matheran, Panchgani and Mahabaleshwar.
The great Indian author Ruskin Bond lives in Dehra Dun, another north Indian hill station settled and made beautiful by the British. I was moved by a story I read a few months ago, which reported Bond, who is 76, walking across the Mall in his town and begging drivers not to honk so much. You have to be made of something special to be that age and yet optimistic about changing Indians.
We have ruined Dehra Dun as we have the other hill stations, though some are still quite pristine. One is Kasauli, where writer Khushwant Singh has his summer bungalow. Kasauli is pretty because there are restrictions about who can build and where.
Gujarati families who are travelling, on vacation or otherwise, can be identified by the enormous quantities of snacks that they pull out, pass around and begin munching on. Like all middle-class Indians -- Hindus and Muslims -- Gujaratis are family-oriented and move around in tight clusters.
You could be at any railway station in India during the summer, and at any airport in the world -- Europe, America, Australia -- and pick out Gujarati families who confidently and unselfconsciously dig into their mounds of food.
Gujaratis are very conscious, however, about what it is that they eat. They are vegetarian because of the strong influence of Jains on their mercantile culture (which is where Gandhi's idea of non-violence also comes from). And within their vegetarianism they are quite parochial and only eat mainly Gujarati food. The clients of India's tour operators, who cart large groups around the world, are mainly Gujarati. One such operator advertised its package tour with the line: Rome ma ras-puri, Paris ma patra. That means eat mango-juice and pooris in Rome and patra (a sort of fried snack) in Paris.
Indians, incidentally, are among the biggest patrons of Paris's Moulin Rouge cabaret and Gujarati families -- mummy, papa, dada, dadi and the kids -- will all take a table to see the women perform.
The most adventurous of all Indian vacationers are Bengalis. They travel everywhere around India and they travel light. One reason could be that they are carnivorous and can eat any sort of food. But they are also excited by the idea of travel. Bengalis are not rich but families save up on money and vacations are taken quite seriously.
While we have been mainly looking at middle-class families, this isn't to say that the poor have no vacation. The man who drives me around, and has little work because I walk to the office, takes his family to Tamil Nadu every year for a month. His salary is Rs8,500 (Pakistani Rs15,500), and he wouldn't be considered middle-class here. But he's off on vacation too. He's Tamilian and I'm Gujarati so the only language we have in common is broken Hindustani.
The language of vacationers in India is Hindi or English, except in the south of India where the neutral language is only English.
One place that exhibits its vacationing customers through the use of language is Goa. It's very popular for holidaying, but not summer vacations. A glorious state that is very different from the rest of India because it has a Portuguese history and a very Catholic culture. The food and drink in Goa is first rate, but it's by the Arabian sea and too hot to visit in summer.
Goa is home to one of the world's strangest rites of passage. Israel has the draft and everyone, male and female, must serve in the army on turning 18 till 21. After three years in the army, about 75 per cent of all Israeli soldiers, about 30,000 people I think, come to India to spend a year. I once asked Shimon Peres, when he was foreign minister, why that was. He said: "After three years of the most disciplined existence imaginable, the kids are aching to go to the most undisciplined place on earth (India)."
The Israelis come with little money and ride around on Enfield motorcycles. They spend most of their time in Goa, where often hotels are advertised only in Hebrew. Now there are also those hotels with signs only in Russian, because of the migration into Israel from Eastern Europe.
Travel makes us liberal. It is impossible to understand India without seeing Europe and countries like Thailand because otherwise we'd think that the rest of the world was also like us.
During the summer vacations it's pleasant to get work over and done with in the early, cooler, part of the day.
One of the things I have been doing these days is rising at six, and writing 30 local news reports for mobile phone users. Our firm has hired someone to do this, but he's only joining at the end of June, so I'm doing them for now. I enjoy writing them because it gives me a glimpse into what's happening. The stories are delivered as a text message, or an SMS as we call them in India. Each story's length may be no longer than 300 characters, about 55 words, and so writing one does not take long. But this morning (I'm writing on Saturday) I came across a story that made me stop and I spent more time than I otherwise would on crafting it. It was about a 19-year-old girl from Gujarat's Surendranagar region. She died of heat stroke while working for a government scheme guaranteeing everyone 100 days of employment a year. Workers are paid Rs125 a day. The girl had been digging a pond in the afternoon when she turned dizzy and then began vomiting. There was no shade or drinking water. She was sent home, where she died. Her parents are entitled to Rs25,000 as compensation. Her name was Poonam, which means the night of the full moon.


The writer is a director with Hill Road Media in Bombay. Email: aakar @hillroadmedia.com

International

Special planes to bring Pakistanis back from Kyrgyzstan
DAWN Online

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday said the government was in the process of sending special planes to bring back home the Pakistani students stranded in Kyrgyzstan.
"There are some formalities and as soon as we are given clearance from the concerned country our planes would take off to bring back the students home," he said.
More than 269 Pakistanis, mostly medical students, were stranded in Kyrgyzstan where ethnic riots broke out between ethnic Kyrgyz and minority Uzbeks, leaving 113 dead and injuring hundreds others.
Qureshi said the foreign ministry was trying its maximum to bring back the students to Pakistan.
All Pakistanis have been asked to gather at the airport in Osh. The list of stranded Pakistanis had also been handed over to Kyrgyz authorities and the Kyrgyz government was providing full support in this regard.
Three C-130 planes will take off any time to bring back Pakistanis trapped in Kyrgyzstan, government sources told DawnNews earlier.
Foreign Minister Qureshi also denied reports suggesting that 10 Pakistani students had been taken hostage during ethnic clashes in Kyrgyzstan. He further said that some 30 to 40 students had reached to safer places in Osh.
Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said the FO was in constant contact with Kyrgyz officials.
"The Pakistani embassy in Bishkek is trying to gather all nationals toward the airport in Osh," he added.
Two Pakistani students were reportedly killed and at least 10 others were said to be taken hostage during the violence.
Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan's Ambassador to Pakistan on Monday said only one Pakistani was killed in clashes.
"According to our information, 200 Pakistani students are currently trapped in Kyrgyzstan," the ambassador said.
Ubaidullah Ansari, a student of medical science at the Osh State University, who has returned to Jacobabad, told Dawn on Sunday that more than 500 Pakistanis were stranded in the Central Asian state.
He said a female student of final year at a medical university and Ali Raza, a fourth-year student of engineering, were killed and more than a dozen others taken hostage in the south of Kyrgyzstan.
Earlier on Sunday, Foreign Minister Qureshi said the government was in touch with Kyrgyz officials to gain access to Pakistanis and ensure their evacuation.
"We have conveyed our concern to the Kyrgyz government and are trying to contact the students in order to get them safely evacuated."
Talking to PTV, Mr Qureshi said "our first priority is to ensure the safety of our brethren stranded there".
Mr Ansari said he and his friends had gone for a picnic to Uzgin, 30km from Osh, on June 8, as summer vacations had begun at their university on June 1.
When they were returning to Osh on Thursday, they saw many buildings, shops and vehicles on fire and army personnel patrolling streets.
They contacted their friends by phone and were advised not to enter the city.
Mr Ansari said he and 14 other students hired taxis to reach Bishkek and took a flight of the Uzbek Airlines for Lahore.
In reply to a question, he said the students had been instructed to carry their passports whenever they went out and their visas were valid till October.
Ali Raza, the Pakistani student who lost his life, hailed from a village in Toba Tek Singh district.
Abdul Qayum Jatt, his father, told reporters that Ali Raza was a final-year student of an engineering university in Osh city.
Ali Raza was at his home when a mob belonging to an ethnic group shot him. Local people and Pakistanis tried to take him to a hospital, but he died on the way.

   Foreigners recruiting Malaysians for holy war abroad
AFP, Kuala Lumpur

Ten foreigners have been deported from Malaysia for trying to recruit students to wage holy war overseas, a top police official said Monday.
Musa Hassan, inspector-general of police, said the militants were detained earlier this year for trying to revive the defunct Jemmah Islamiyah (JI) terror group by attracting new members from Malaysian universities.
The regional organisation has been linked to Al-Qaeda and blamed for major attacks in Southeast Asia including the 2002 Bali bombings.
"The JI members, who were harboured by locals, were arrested at various locations six months ago and have been deported," Musa was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.
Musa did not disclose the nationalities of the 10 suspects or say when they were deported. He could not be reached for comment.
The JI members had tried to recruit 20 to 30 university students and youths to take part in a holy war abroad, he said.
"This trend is very worrying as it shows that these militant elements have changed their tactics and strategies in recruiting new members," Musa said.

  Britain will not ‘lose nerve’ on Afghanistan: Fox
AFP, London

Britain will not lose its nerve over Afghanistan and expects to see "significant progress" there by the end of the year, Defence Secretary Liam Fox said Monday.
Fox's comments came shortly after Prime Minister David Cameron returned from his first trip to Afghanistan in the job amid questions over Britain's role in the conflict there.
On his trip, Cameron ruled out sending more troops and said he hoped for swift progress so Britain's roughly 9,500-strong deployment could return home.
A total of 295 British personnel have died in Afghanistan since operations started in 2001 and there is growing public pressure for withdrawals.
"Nobody wants British troops to be in Afghanistan a moment longer than is necessary," Cameron said during the trip.
But in a speech at Royal United Services Institute think-tank in London, Fox stressed that the situation in Afghanistan would take time to resolve.
"This is no time for us to lose our nerve and we must find the language to persuade the British people to stick with us," he said. "We cannot allow Afghanistan to be used again as a haven for terrorism."
He added that "by the end of the year, I expect that we will be able to show significant progress" through accelerated training of Afghan troops and consolidated progress in Helmand province, where much of the worst fighting has taken place.
Fox also warned of tough decisions to come when Britain's strategic defence review concludes later this year, in an atmosphere of government belt-tightening across the board as it seeks to slash a massive budget deficit.
"We face some difficult, delicate and politically-charged decisions. There are competing priorities, risks to manage and budgets to balance," Fox said. "We must act ruthlessly and without sentiment."
The new defence secretary caused controversy last month by commenting that he would like British troops to "come back as soon as possible" and referring to Afghanistan to "a broken 13th-century country".
Cameron's coalition government only took power last month.

  Indian forces to break blockade of northeastern state
AFP, Guwahati

India will send paramilitary troops on Tuesday to end a blockade of a northeastern state by tribal groups that has cut food and medical supplies for over two months, a top official said.
Several Naga tribal groups have blocked the main highways into Manipur state since April 12 to protest against a government decision preventing their separatist leader, Thuingaleng Muivah, from visiting his birthplace.
Government officials say they have only got two food convoys into the state since the start of the protest, sending food prices soaring, while hospitals have run perilously low on essential medical supplies.
"The process would begin from Tuesday and we shall see to it that food supplies reach Manipur," Home Secretary G.K. Pillai, the senior civil servant in the interior ministry, told AFP from New Delhi.
Muivah's National Socialist Council of Nagaland has been campaigning for decades for a Naga homeland to be carved out from three of India's seven northeastern states, including Manipur.
The Manipur government had banned 75-year-old Muivah's trip to his home village, saying it could stoke unrest. On May 6, six tribal protesters were killed and up to 70 injured during demonstrations over the ban.
"The central government's decision to use force to break the deadlock has come in late, but still we welcome the move," N. Biren Singh, senior minister and Manipur government spokesman, told AFP from Manipur's capital Imphal.
In New Delhi on Monday, a delegation led by Mutsikhoyo Yhobu, the president of the Nagaland Student Federation, which has spearheaded the blockade, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other top political figures.
Manipur, which has long been affected by insurgent violence, is home to dozens of tribal groups and small guerrilla armies that resist rule from New Delhi and often compete against each other.

  Thai govt mulls buying broadcaster over security fears
AFP, Bangkok

Thailand said Monday it was seeking to buy a broadcaster that aired programmes supportive of the opposition "Red Shirts" during weeks of anti-government protests.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said talks over the proposed purchase of Thaicom Plc, part of a telecoms empire founded by fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, were under way with majority owner Temasek Holdings of Singapore.
"The purchase is reasonable when you consider the security situation," he told reporters. Demonstrators stormed Thaicom's offices in April after authorities pulled the plug on the satellite firm's broadcasts of an anti-government channel, People Television (PTV), under emergency laws imposed to contain unrest.
Abhisit said any deal for Thaicom would be transparent and at a fair price, although he did not give details of a budget or time frame.
Temasek, a state-owned Singaporean investment giant, bought a 49.6-percent stake in Thaicom's parent Shin Corp. from the Thaksin family in 2006.
The tax-free deal triggered months of street protests demanding Thaksin's resignation over alleged abuse of power and corruption, culminating in a coup by royalist generals in September 2006 that ousted the tycoon-turned-premier. The subsequent military regime accused Singapore of using a subsidiary of Shin Corp. to spy on the kingdom.
At the end of April, Temasek had a direct stake of 41.7 percent in Shin Corp. and was also part of a consortium that owned 54.4 percent, according to the broadcaster's website. Shin Corp. in turn owns 41 percent of Thaicom. Thailand's two months of unrest, which left 90 people dead and nearly 1,900 injured, were brought to a bloody end with an army crackdown on May 19 on the rally of the Red Shirts, many of whom seek Thaksin's return.

  21 killed in bus crash in Philippines
AP, Cebu

A bus rented by Iranian medical students plunged into a ravine off a mountain road in the central Philippines, killing 21 people and injuring 26 others, officials said Monday.
The brakes apparently failed before the bus plummeted into a 100-foot (30-meter) ravine Sunday in Balamban town in Cebu province, police Senior Superintendent Erson Digal said. The Filipino driver and bus owner and 20 Iranians died, Digal said.
The dead, which included two boys, were brought to Cebu's Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes where they were visited by grieving
relatives, friends and Iranian Embassy officials, said Edgar Sanchez, the funeral parlor's director.
Embassy and school officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Regional military spokesman Lt. Col. Wilson Feria said 26 others were injured.
Nine of an estimated 55 passengers were unaccounted for, but the military was double-checking because it was unclear exactly how many people were on board, Feria said.
Villagers and police pulled bodies from the mangled wreckage at the rocky bottom of the ravine, while a backhoe sent by a nearby Japanese shipbuilding company attempted to lift the bus up, Feria said.
Many victims were medical students in Cebu, a bustling commercial and tourism center 350 miles (560 kilometers) southeast of Manila. They were identified by relatives and through their IDs, Digal said.
Feria said it was not clear if the Iranians were involved in a medical mission or went for an outing at one of several resorts in and around Cebu. Poorly maintained vehicles and roads, along with inadequate safety signs, railings, training and weak traffic law enforcement,are blamed for many deadly accidents in the Philippines.

 Turkey dismisses Israel’s raid inquiry, threatens measures

AFP, Ankara

Turkey dismissed Monday a commission set up by Israel to probe the deadly raid on Gaza-bound aid ships, warning of unspecified measures if a UN-led inquiry was not carried out.
"We have no trust at all that Israel, a country that has carried out such an attack on a civilian convoy in international waters, will conduct an impartial investigation," Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters.
"Any investigation conducted unilaterally by Israel will have no value for us," he said.
Turkey insists that the May 31 raid, in which eight Turks and a dual Turkish-US national were killed, be investigated by a commission "under the direct control of the United Nations... an impartial one with the participation of Turkey and Israel," he said.
"To have a defendant acting simultaneously as both prosecutor and judge is not compatible with any principle of law.
"If an international commission is not set up and if Turkey's rightful demands continue to be disregarded, Turkey has the right to unilaterally review ties with Israel and implement sanctions," he warned.
Ankara "is waiting patiently for the international community to take action in an objective manner," Davutoglu said, adding that "otherwise there might be measures that we could take."
In a pointed appeal to Washington, he recalled that the youngest victim of the raid, 19-year-old Furkan Dogan, held also US nationality.
"We believe the United States will eventually act in defence of its citizen's right to live," he said.
Israel said Sunday it had set up an "independent public commission" to probe the raid on the flotilla, which had aimed to break the blockade of Gaza and deliver supplies to its impoverished people.
It said the commission would include two observers from Canada and Ireland but they would not be able "to vote in relation to the proceedings and conclusions of the commission".
Washington welcomed the move as "an important step forward," urging a prompt investigation.
The crisis with Israel, followed by Turkey's "no" vote to fresh sanctions against Iran adopted by the UN Security Council last week, have raised concern that the AKP is abandoning Turkey's traditionally pro-Western orientation, a charge the government.

   Corpses in Osh streets as Kyrgyzstan fighting rages
AFP, Osh

Deadly gun battles raged in the Kyrgyzstan city of Osh where bodies littered the streets and tens of thousands fled escalating clashes between rival ethnic groups.
Charred corpses lay unattended in an ethnic Uzbek shop destroyed by petrol bombs and fires burned in the streets of the southern city which were strewn with shell cases and wrecked cars after more than three days of fighting.
At least 117 people have been killed and 1,000 wounded since Friday, according to an official toll, but many people fear the number of dead is higher. Some estimates say 100,000 people have crossed the border into Uzbekistan.
Kyrgyzstan is of key importance to the major powers as both the United States and Russia have military bases in the Central Asian country. There is growing international concern over the unrest.
Bodies lay on streets across Osh where buildings smouldered.
An AFP journalist was shown video footage of the burials of dozens of bullet ridden bodies that residents said they had filmed in the four days of violence.
"There are at least 1,000 dead here in Osh. We have not been able to register them because they turn us away at the hospital and say it is only for Kyrgyz," Isamidin Kudbidunov, 27, told AFP.
Shocked residents said the violence would have repercussions for generations to come. "We will never live together again," said Akbar, a local ethnic Uzbek man wandering the streets in Osh carrying a hatchet.
Intermittent gunfire was heard in Osh on Monday while further to the north in the city of Jalalabad the violence was reportedly still in full swing.

   Gaza’s besieged health system at all-time low: Red Cross
AFP, Jerusalem

Gaza's health care system is at an "all-time low" with daily power blackouts and shortages of essential medical supplies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Monday.
"The dire situation in Gaza cannot be resolved by providing humanitarian aid," it said in a statement that faulted both the Israeli blockade and poor coordination between rival Palestinian authorities in the West Bank and Gaza.
"The quality of Gaza's health care system has reached an all-time low," it said, referring to the border closures as "collective punishment" of Gaza's 1.5 million residents.
The report by the Geneva-based group came as Israel mulled its four-year blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory amid international pressure on the Jewish state to ease restrictions following its deadly seizure of a Gaza-bound aid fleet last month.
The Red Cross said power cuts of around seven hours a day "pose a serious risk to the treatment of patients," as it takes several minutes for generators to begin operating.
"As a result, artificial respirators must be reactivated manually, dialysis treatment is disrupted and surgery is suspended as operating theatres are plunged into darkness," it said.
On three occasions in the last year fuel shortages forced hospitals to cancel all elective surgery, and laundry services have been repeatedly shut down, with the situation likely to worsen over the summer, it said.
It also said 110 out of 470 essential medicines, including chemotherapy and haemophilia drugs, were unavailable in Gaza because of a lack of coordination between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

  Israel ready to ease entry of goods into Gaza: EU diplomat
AFP, Luxembourg

EU foreign ministers sought on Monday to push Israel to end its blockade of Gaza, two weeks after a deadly commando attack on an aid flotilla, with diplomats saying the pressure is working.
Israel is showing willingness to significantly ease the blockade following international concern over the attack on the high seas two weeks ago which left nine Turkish activists dead, one European diplomat said.
Israel appears ready "in weeks or months" to ease the entry of goods into the blockaded Gaza Strip via one or two land crossings, the diplomat added on the margins of a meeting of the foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
"The indications we are getting from Israel is that they are willing to go from a positive to a negative list," the diplomat said, referring to a change from a list of allowed items to a list of banned items, with many more previously banned ordinary goods allowed to go through. Israel had indicated that one or both of the Karni and Kerem Shalom crossings could be used for the deliveries.
Another European diplomat said the crossings may be monitored by the United Nations, "not by providing security but to validate the goods going in." The EU role could be "to offer support through financial aid," he added. Last week an Israeli rights group said the military is still preventing basic goods like vinegar, coriander and toys from entering Gaza as part of the crippling embargo on the Hamas-run territory.
The report by the Gisha Legal Centre for Freedom of Movement marking three years since closures were tightened said Israel permits just 97 different items to enter, as compared to more than 4,000 that entered before June 2007.

  Egypt ‘victim of police brutality’ becomes protest symbol
AFP, Cairo

A 28-year-old man reportedly beaten to death by police in Egypt's northern city of Alexandria last week has become the latest symbol of police brutality among tech-savvy Egyptian activists.
Posters of Khaled Said have been carried at demonstrations while Facebook groups dedicated to him have been created since he was allegedly dragged from an Internet cafe in front of witnesses and beaten to death in the street.
Several Egyptian activists have put Said's image as their own profile picture on Facebook, and he also has his own hashtag on Twitter.
One Facebook group, with more than 142,000 members and entitled "My name is Khaled Mohammed Said" in Arabic -- facebook. com/khaledkilled -- calls for those accused of torture to be brought to justice.
Egypt's Interior Ministry issued a statement on Saturday saying Said died after swallowing a bag of narcotics as he was approached by police.
But rights groups and witnesses reject the official account, saying the incident is proof that Egypt's decades-old emergency law, which was recently renewed for a further two years, has created a legacy of police impunity.
Graphic pictures of a bruised and battered Said have appeared on social networking websites, sparking public outcry and condemnation from local and international rights groups.
On Friday, Amnesty International called for an "immediate, full and independent investigation" into Said's death.
"The horrific photographs are shocking evidence of the abuses taking place in Egypt," Amnesty said.
"These pictures are a rare, first-hand glimpse of the routine use of brutal force by the Egyptian security forces, who expect to operate in a climate of impunity, with no questions asked."

  Kyrgyz violence poses strategic risks for Russia, US
AFP, Bishkek

A rising tide of ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan threatens crucial US and Russian interests as fears grow of the strategically vital Central Asian country descending into chaos.
For the United States the unrest threatens to destabilise what has been a pivotal transit hub for troops and supplies for the US-led war in Afghanistan.
Since 2001, a US military installation outside the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek has been a key conduit for US air refuelling tanker planes and for the giant transport planes that ferry US troops and supplies to and from Afghanistan.
Moscow has its own base in Kyrgyzstan. The violence endangers the strategic gains it made earlier this year when an interim government seen as closer to Russia took power after riots ousted President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.
Having failed to quell the unrest in the south of the country, the interim government has appealed to Moscow for military assistance, but Russia has so far only dispatched paratroopers to reinforce security at its base.
"These events have certainly made both (Moscow and Washington) very concerned and anxious... And the longer the unrest goes on in the south and the more it spreads the more concerned they are going to be," said Paul Quinn-Judge, the Central Asia project director at the International Crisis Group.
With violence concentrated hundreds of kilometres (miles) from the US base, Washington's primary worry will be whether the unrest and instability spreads to the rest of the country, he said.
"US policy in Central Asia and Kyrgyzstan has been premised on making sure that the flow of supplies to Afghanistan is not disrupted and that will be their main concern," Quinn-Judge said.

  Obama on fourth visit to Gulf oil spill region
AFP, Washington

President Barack Obama sets off Monday on a fourth visit to states stricken by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill in a sign of the seriousness of the disaster both for the country and his presidency.
The visit comes ahead of a rare White House prime-time televised address on the subject on Tuesday, marking a significant elevation in the Obama administration's strategy on the oil crisis.
The White House said meanwhile that Obama ordered BP to set up an escrow account to pay legitimate claims and let an independent panel oversee the process.
"The president is going down to the Gulf on Monday and Tuesday to the states he hasn't visited -- Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. When he returns he will address the nation from the White House," top Obama aide David Axelrod said Sunday.
"We're at a kind of inflection point in this saga. He wants to lay out the steps we'll take from here to get through this crisis," Axelrod, Obama's senior adviser, told NBC television's "Meet The Press" program.
US presidents usually reserve the formal setting of a prime-time televised address from the White House for moments of national crises, including wars and disasters.
Obama has yet to give an Oval Office address to the American people, though it had not been decided whether he will appear at the presidential desk flanked by US flags when he speaks at 8:00 pm Tuesday (0000 GMT Wednesday).

Business/Economy

Increase credit flow, simplify lending procedures for SME sector
Dilip Barua urges banks, FIs

UNB, Dhaka

Industries Minister Dilip Barua on Monday urged the banks and financial institutions (FIs) to increase credit disbursement flow and simplify disbursement process for country's Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector to ensure enriched economic growth.
"It appears difficult for the entrepreneurs to get loan most of the times following complex procedures. So, loan disbursement process will have to be simplified for ensuring entrepreneurs' easy access in getting loan," he said while addressing as chief guest at a workshop held at the conference hall of Bangladesh Bank today.
Small and Medium Enterprises Sector Development Program (SMESDP) under the Industries Ministry and the SME and Special Programme Division of the central bank jointly organized the workshop titled "SME Lending and Training Intervention." Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Atiur Rahman was the special guest at the inaugural session.
Urging banks and financial institutions to change their old mindset in lending loans for the SME sector, Minister Barua said banks and financial institutions need to take entrepreneur-friendly policy and programmes for the SME sector's development.
He suggested the central bank governor to take initiative for simplifying loan lending procedures so that the entrepreneurs can have easy access to loan. The Industries Minister thinks the country could not see the desired growth of heavy industry due to absence of stable political environment, lack of skilled entrepreneurs, experiences and adequate capital.
"Labor-intensive industrialization is the best alternative for ensuring economic safety of Bangladesh," he said.
Speaking at the workshop, Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Atiur Rahman said the government is determined to come out from the default culture and urged the banks and financial institutions to introduce 'cluster development policy' for giving loan in SME sector.
He directed the banks and financial institutions to strengthen loan disbursement flow at rural-level for the sustainable development of the SME sector.
"Public and private sectors, NGOs, banks and financial institutions, specialized institution like SME Foundation, different associations, chambers and women entrepreneurs will have to work together for the development of SME sector," the BB governor said.
He informed that Bangladesh Bank has recently introduced a separate SME and Special Programme Department, which will formulate policy for SME loan disbursement and monitor SME loan.
Dr Atiur said the government has already identified advanced technology and higher growth as the driving force of economy for sustainable economic development. "The government is working to ensure 40 percent contribution of industry in country's total economy by 2021." Additional secretary of the Industries Ministry ABM Khorshed Alam, deputy governors of Bangladesh Bank, heads of SME department of different banks and financial institutions, and women entrepreneurs joined the workshop, among others.

 Budget proposal positive, targets achievable: BKMEA
BSS, Dhaka

Leaders of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) on Monday described the proposed budget as positive and said it could be implemented.
At a press conference here, BKMEA president Fazlul Haque lauded the proposed additional allocation of Taka 2,000 crore saying it will help exporters face the post-recession period.
BKMEA Vice-presidents Abdur Rashed, AKM Jahidul Haque Bhuiyan, MA Rahman and MA Baset were, among others, present at the press conference. Side by side with the proposed stimulus support of Taka 2,000 crore, Haque said, more progressive decisions could have been taken in the budget proposal for widening trade and commerce in the country.
H appreciated the increased allocation to power and energy sectors and observed that the allocation is not adequate for overall macro economic development. Haque, however, criticized the increase in export tax.The BKMEA leaders demanded that the government withdraw the decision. They also said prices of essentials would go up if the income tax is increased and finally it will have a negative impact on export trade.

  Britain cuts forecasts before emergency budget
AFP, London

Britain revised down its economic growth and borrowing forecasts on Monday, setting the tone for the new government's emergency budget due next week.
British gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow by 2.6 percent in 2011, according to a new independent fiscal watchdog set up by Prime Minister David Cameron's coalition.
That compared with the 3.25-percent expansion forecast by the previous government, which lost power at a general election last month.The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) added in a statement that the economy was expected to expand by 1.3 percent in 2010, which marked a slight upward revision. State borrowing was meanwhile forecast to stand at 155 billion pounds in the current 2010/2011 financial year. That was lower than the previous estimate of 163 billion pounds.
The new forecasts were published ahead of an emergency budget on June 22 due from British finance minister George Osborne, who is widely tipped to unveil deep spending cuts and large taxation rises to fix the public purse.
OBR Chairman Alan Budd, speaking to BBC television, admitted that the new growth forecasts were gloomier than the previous figures, but added that the recession had not caused "permanent" damage to the British economy.
"When one says they're a lot gloomier, they are somewhat gloomier, but again these are all within the normal range of uncertainty," Budd told the BBC.

  Citi sends positive signal to global investors on budget
BSS, Dhaka

Analysing the proposed budget, the US banking giant Citi Group seemingly sent a positive signal to the potential investors across the global.
Citi's global research team regularly analyses budget and overall economic conditions of different countries and shares the reviews with its clients, economists, media and policy-makers through its broad-based global network. These reviews and analyses influence the Citi's clients in different countries in making decision on business, trade and investment, giving them an idea about the direction of the particular economy.
The cautious investors, out of Citi's clientele's network, often consider the reviews before choosing a country for business and investment. The latest review on Bangladesh budget is expected to encourage more investment from overseas as it portrays the government's fiscal target for vigorous development in the infrastructure sector, the prime area of investors' attraction.
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith last week proposed the budget for the next fiscal year, keeping agriculture, infrastructure and human resource development on top of development agenda. The Citi review also found the agriculture and infrastructure as the key thrust areas of the budget and observed the fiscal measures was also aiming to encourage investment under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) programme.
It made references to the increased allocation to the power sector and setting up of the Infrastructure Finance Fund with a corpus of Taka 1,600 crore, which reflect the country's capacity to facilitate more foreign investments. The Citi earlier forecast 6.1 per cent growth for the next financial year. It now termed Muhith's target of 6.7 per cent growth as "slightly optimistic estimate".
It said that the revenue growth target is based on assumption of a significant rise in income taxes and VAT when on the expenditure front, the budget targets huge development spending under the Annual Development Program (ADP).
"Similar to the past, the budget relies significantly on external financing (2 percent of GDP), while domestic financing comprises 3 percent of GDP," the Citi review said.

  Europe, US interest rate hikes not expected before 2011
AFP, Geneva

European and US interest rates are unlikely to rise before next year so as not to hurt a global economic recovery that is being weakened by Europe's debt crisis, the world's top central bank body said Sunday.
"In the United States, federal funds futures and options suggested that the first rate hike was not expected to occur until late in the first quarter of 2011," said the Bank for International Settlements.
The probability of a rate increase in September and December this year is "declining," it said in its quarterly report on banking and financial market developments.
"Forward rates in Europe signalled a similar postponing of the expected first rate hike by the European Central Bank beyond 2011," said the bank for central bankers.
The BIS said this reflected indications put out by central banks that they were not expecting to raise rates, but also "investors' concerns that volatile market conditions could derail the nascent economic recovery." It added that the market was expecting fiscal belt-tightening in several countries which in turn could lead to contraction in the economy.
Central banks had slashed lending rates to record lows during the financial and economic crises to get lending flowing and to give a boost to the economy.
As the world exited from the recession, some central banks had begun raising rates.
However, the debt crisis in Europe led to a halt in these moves, with Australia's central bank citing turmoil in the markets over the debt crisis for holding its rates in early June. Both the Bank of England and the ECB held their lending rates at record lows this month.
Seeing continued fragility in the US recovery, the US Federal Reserve kept ultra-low borrowing costs at its April meeting, despite improvements in the labour and housing markets.
The 10-member panel had vowed to keep rates of zero to 0.25 percent for an "extended period," in an effort to boost growth.

  Nokia vows to defend smartphone territory
AFP, Singapore

Finland's Nokia on Momday vowed to defend its number one position in the lucrative "smartphone" business, where it is under fierce pressure from Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's Blackberry.
The Finnish giant's latest top-end device, the touch-screen N8, was unveiled at its annual Asian trade event in Singapore. The regional launch of the N8 comes exactly one week after Apple chief executive Steve Jobs unveiled an upgraded version of the phenomenally successful iPhone in San Franciso.
Smartphones are advanced handsets capable of Internet surfing, video recording and other multimedia functions on top of voice and text messaging. The N8 is based on the company's updated Symbian operation system.
"Nokia's leadership has been questioned in recent months," Jo Harlow, senior vice president for smartphones, said in an opening speech at the event.
"However, it is often overlooked that we continue to have the largest market share in mobile devices and the largest share in smartphones, which is the fastest growing segment," she said.
Nokia is still the world's top mobile phone maker but the company has struggled to find an answer to the iPhone and Blackberry in the smartphone sector, where profit margins are much higher.
In April, Nokia announced it managed to boost the company's smartphone market share to 41 percent from an estimated 40 percent in October-December 2009. In absolute figures, it meant Nokia sold 21.5 million of the 52.6 million smartphones sold globally during the first quarter. For the first quarter, Nokia's net profit rose to 349 million euros (465.6 million dollars) from just 122 million euros a year ago, when it was hit by the global economic downturn.

  BCI leaders urge govt. to shift industries from Old Dhaka
BSS, Dhaka

Leaders of Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI) on Monday urged the government to take urgent steps to shift all industrial units form Old Dhaka city.
The BCI leaders made the call when a four-member delegation of the organization led by its President Shahedul Islam Helal called on Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defence Brig Gen Abu Nayeem Mohammad Shahidullah at the latter's office here. During the meeting, they mentioned that the BCI and Plastic Association reached agreement three years back on shifting the plastic factories from there and according 50 acres were allocated in Keraniganj for the purpose, but the decision is yet to be implemented.

National

Call for collective effort to prevent women, child trafficking
BSS, Rajshahi

Discussants at a daylong divisional workshop here Monday underscored the need for concerted efforts of all government and non-government organizations concerned along with the public representatives to resist the human
trafficking, particularly the women and children.
Terming the human trafficking as a heinous crime they advocated for forging a social movement to raise a strong voice for freeing the society from the social crime. To make the effort a complete success, importance should be given to creating awareness among the public representatives and the vulnerable people especially those living in the frontier areas.
They made these observations while addressing the workshop titled "Coordinated Mechanism on Anti-trafficking Interventions" organized by Action against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children (ATSEC) Bangladesh at Nanking Darbar Hall.
Association for Community Development (ACD) and local unit of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA) jointly supported the program locally.
ATSEC Chairperson and Executive Director of BNWLA Advocate Salma Ali and its Adviser Fatema Rashid Hasan, Program Officer of International Organization for Migration (IOM) Dr Toymur Rahman and Program Officer of ACD Ehsanul Amin Emon presented four separate keynote papers in the working session saying that poverty, illiteracy, ignorance, drug- addiction and cross-border trade have so far been identified as the main reasons behind the trafficking of women and children.
Earlier, Mayor of Rajshahi AHM Khairuzzaman Liton addressed the opening ceremony as the chief guest while Deputy Commissioner Dilwar Bakhth and Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as special guests.
Mayor Liton said creation of massive awareness among general public particularly the vulnerable groups along with proper enforcement of related laws have become essential to make the nation free from the problem.
He called for strengthening networking to combat human trafficking to build a society free from trafficking and sexual exploitation.
For the sake of establishing a sound atmosphere in the society, he said the trafficking must be checked with an integrated effort of all concerned.
In this context, he favoured enhancing the number of border outposts. In this regard he also said cooperation should be extended towards the law enforcing agencies and the border guards to contain the crime to a large extent.

  Digitized container handling system in Ctg Port from Aug
BSS, Dhaka

A digitized automatic container handling system will be introduced in Chittagong Port from August this year on test and from January 2011 in full swing at a cost of Taka 37 crore.
Talking to BSS, Shipping Secretary Abdul Mannan Hawlader said today digitization of the system would increase the rate of goods handling to provide better service for the port users.
Referring to 'Vision 2021' of the government, he said digitization process is on in various departments and wings of the shipping ministry to build up a digital Bangladesh.
About revenue earning of the Chittagong Port, he said the port earned Taka 1,133.72 crore in fiscal 2008-2009. He said an agreement was signed between the Chittagong Port Authority and the Singapore Technology and Electronics last year for helping digitized operation of the port. Meanwhile, 90 percent of the task has been completed.
The secretary said a two-tier digital security system was introduced in the port to modernize the system.
Chairman of Chittagong Port Commodore Reazuddin Ahmed said close circuit camera will be installed to monitor container scanning and handling. Modern equipment will be procured to improve the handling system.
He said the government has taken steps to dredge Karnaphuly river from Sadarghat to third Karnaphuly bridge from January 2011.
Another jetty will be set up for safe berthing of inland water transports, he said adding the shipping ministry has provided a waste remover vessel to protect environment of the port.
The Chairman said the shipping ministry proposed a Taka 198.9 crore project in the budget for trade facilitation in Chittagong Port.
Besides, he said container terminals will be set up in jetty numbers 11, 12 and 13, while multistoried terminals for imported cars and a truck terminal will also be set up in the port. Reazuddin said a floating crane with a capacity of 400 tons and a high-capacity tugboat will also be procured.

  World Education Day observed in Magura
UNB, Magura

The World Education Day was observed in the district town through holding colorful rally and discussion on Sunday.
District administration brought a colorful rally in town led by DC Sushanta Kumar Shaha in the morning. The rally paraded different thoroughfares with different festoons and placards and chanting various slogans. Later, a discussion was held at local Asadzzaman auditorium with Additional Deputy Commissioner M Tariqul Alam in the chair.
Sadar upazila chairman Abu Naser Bablu and district Awami League president Altaf Hossain were present as special guests. The discussion was also addressed by Magura Government Girls High School headmistress Hosne Ara Begum, police official Abdur Rakib Khan, M Rustam Ali and Principal Abdul Basit Mia.
The speakers urged the common people to build a healthy environment for education and protecting the girls from eve-teasing.
Another report from Satkhira adds: A colorful possession was brought out in the district town to mark the World Education Day on Sunday.
The rally that was brought out from the Collectorate office premises ended at Sadar upazila parishad premises after parading different roads in the town.
Later, a discussion was held at Sadar upazila parishad auditorium which was presided over by Sadar upazila UNO Sultan Alam.
Deputy Commissioner M Abdus Samad addressed the discussion as chief guest. It was also addressed, among others by Additional District Magistrate SM Mahfuzul Huq and District Education Officer Nasiruddin.

  CID to submit chargesheet on BDR carnage this month
BSS, Dhaka

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Police has completed its long investigation into the BDR carnage at Peelkhana and is set to submit the charge sheet to the court within this month.
"A total of 2,304 people including 39 civilians would be charged with the killing of senior BDR officials, looting of arms, ammunition, grenades, valuables, household goods, money and ornaments and repression on women and children on February 25 and 26 last year," Abdul Kahar Akond, Investigation Officer (IO) of the case, told BSS today.
"We have already completed the investigation into the carnage and are preparing the charge sheet and expecting that it would be submitted to the court within June 30," he said adding that the court has extended the time limit for the investigation several times but possibly this will be the last time.
Akond, also a Special Superintendent of CID Police, said that they have already questioned over 8,000 people including politicians, BDR, Police, RAB and Fire Service officials and surviving BDR officials and family members of the surviving and deceased BDR officials.
Of them, 2,304 people were enlisted as accused and some 800 to 1000 were made prosecution witnesses, he said adding that of the accused, 559 including 521 BDR personnel gave their confessional statements before the court under section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
Among the politicians, Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun, State Minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanok, Whip of the Jatiya Sangsad Mirza Azam, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, MP, Barrister Fazle Noor Taposh, MP, Mahbub Ara Gini, MP, Meher Afroz Chumki, MP, MM Reza, MP and Waresat Hossain Belal, MP would be included in the charge sheet as prosecution witnesses, another senior official of the CID claimed adding that 139 surviving military officials and their family members would be the vital witnesses.
"We made a list of some 3,000 evidence including blood stained cloths of the deceased military officials, household goods, looted mobile sets, grenades, various types of ornaments and seized arms and ammunition to submit with the charge sheet," the official added.

   Info on CCC election polling centers available from website, thru SMS

UNB, Dhaka

The voters of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) election can find information of respective polling centers from the website of the Election Commission or through SMS.
As per the election schedule declared by the Election Commission, the CCC polls will be held on June 17.
After opening the Election Commission website www.ecs.gov.bd , the voters will have to click the link of 'polling center information' and then follow instructions on the computer screen to get the desired information. To get information through mobile phone, message can be sent to 2233 typing ID space four digit of own birth year and 13 digit of pin number, e.g. ID OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. In reply, information on polling center will be available, but the SMS charge will be applicable. In case of problem on website or SMS, the voters are asked to call mobile phones 01730020723 or 10730020728, which remain open from 9am- 5pm as helpline.

   Bangladesh moving towards a middle-income country: Xi Jinping

BSS, Dhaka

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Monday lauded the Bangladesh government for maintaining political stability and said that the country has been moving towards a middle-income country smoothly according to the plan. "I hope that the present political stability would definitely help achieve the goal of turning Bangladesh into a middle-income country very soon," he said while exchanging views with leaders of Bangladesh-China Friendship Society at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the city.
The Chinese influential leader, who arrived here Monday on a two-day official visit, assured that his government would continue its support to Bangladesh in the future like the past.
He, however, stressed the need for deepening bilateral ties and trade as well expediting the partnership in the greater interest of the two countries.
Terming the relations between Bangladesh and China as Historic, Jinping said, "We could enhance our cooperation in different fields by utilizing the experience of 35 years of diplomatic ties."
He also expressed the hope that the excellent bilateral relations that so happily exist between the two friendly countries will continue to grow and flourish in depth and dimension to the mutual benefit of the two peoples in the years to come.
The Chinese vice president thanked the Bangladesh government for according a heartiest reception and extending warm hospitality to him.
"We are trusted and good friends and our minds are tied to the same thread," he said adding that our predecessors had sowed the seed of the friendly relations which will remain intact for ages.
Referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent visit to China, he said the tour also opened up a new horizon in terms of our bilateral relations. The leaders of Bangladesh-China Friendship Society termed China and its people as genuine friends of Bangladesh and called upon both the governments to expand the relations of cooperation between the two countries.
They also sought Chinese assistance in building the proposed deep seaport in the Bay of Bengal and establishing direct road link between Bangladesh and China.
President of Bangladesh-China Friendship Association Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain led the seven-member delegation of the association to the meeting, while members of the entourage of the Chinese vice president were also present.
Bangladesh and China will celebrate 35 years of establishing diplomatic ties this year and the two countries would hold commemorative activities in Beijing and Dhaka to further enhance bilateral friendship.

   Govt committed to reach health services at grassroots to reduce maternal, child deaths

BSS, Rangpur

Speakers at an orientation workshop held at Chilmari in Kurigram have said that the present government is committed to reach all health services to the doorsteps of every family for reducing maternal and child deaths by the year 2021.
They were addressing the workshop organised by Rangpur-Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS) and Friendship Project with assistances of Char Livelihood Programme (CLP) under its ongoing Primary Health Care and Family Planning Project in the char areas.
Held yesterday at TDHF auditorium in Chilmari, the workshop on 'Mother and Child Health and family Planning' was participated by 50 newly married couples from the remote and hardly reachable char areas on the Brahmaputra bed of Chilmari upazila.
Chaired by Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer of Chilmari Dr Motsim Billah, the workshop was attended and addressed by Chilmari UNO Enamul Haque as the chief guest.
Dr Shaikhul Islam Helal from the Ministry of Health and Family Planning, Programme Officer of Engender Health Dr Daniel Hossain, Programme Associate Kabir Hossain Bhuiyan, Abdus Salam of CLP, Project Manager of Friendship Project Ahmedur Rahman Khan, Supervisors Shafiar Rahman and Shahanul Islam, addressed.
The speakers elaborately narrated different aspects and essence of building planned families by the newly married couples in the remote char areas through adopting the safest ways and modes of family planning for a better future and happier families.
They narrated the present status and statistics of adopting family planning by the economically backward char people and the successes achieved in recent years in containing maternal and child deaths though ensuring safe deliveries of the mothers.
The participating newly married couples expressed their commitments to avail all assistances being provided by the CLP in the family planning, health services, nutrition of the pregnant women and adolescent health care to achieve the goals. They also committed to keep their family sizes smaller and ensure education, nutrition and normal growth of their future children to make them worthy citizens for building a developed a digital Bangladesh as envisioned by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Sports

Own goal prolongs Danish agony against Dutch
AFP, Johannesburg

Denmark's run of outs against European rivals Netherlands has stretched to 43 years after their 2-0 loss in Group E at the World Cup at Soccer City here on Monday.
The clinical Dutch, with official man-of-the-match Wesley Sneijder running the midfield, have not lost to the Danes in regulation time since their 3-2 reverse at a European Championship qualifier in 1967.
Technically, the Danes have since beaten the Netherlands, but that was after penalties following a 2-2 draw after extra-time in the semi-finals of Euro 1992.
It was an own goal from Dutch-based defender Simon Poulsen which sent the Netherlands on their way just after halftime and sealed by Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt five minutes from the end. Poulsen gifted the Dutch the lead within a minute of the restart when the left-back, who plays his club football for AZ Alkmaar, headed into his own goal.
Out of nothing Arsenal's Robin van Persie left goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen stranded away from the goalmouth and crossed only for Poulsen's header to hit teammate Daniel Agger's back and dribble into the unguarded Danish goal.
"Simon Poulsen was actually our best player, it happens to all players, but you want it to happen in training not in an important game like this," coach Morten Olsen said.
"I said to him afterwards that he had to look forward and not dwell on it as he played well."
Poulsen, playing in only his sixth international, saved a certain goal when he hooked clear van Persie's effort off the line in the final minutes, but the damage had been done.
Kuyt made the game safe for the Dutch with his 85th minute effort after Sneijder had put substitute winger Eljero Elia clear and his dab home hit the post for the Liverpool forward to slam home. Denmark's giant striker Nicklas Bendtner took his place in the starting lineup after Olsen had said on the eve of the match that he wouldn't play. It was Bendtner's first outing since May after suffering a groin injury in a car accident and the Arsenal striker lasted just past the hour before he was replaced by Mikkel Beckmann.
"I wasn't bluffing when I said Bendtner wasn't going to play," Olsen said. "We had a few injuries and we had to take the risk of playing him for an hour of the game. "He couldn't play any more, what we saw was fine and he will play again."
Bendtner showed off some of his amazing skill for such a big man when he tricked the Dutch with a sublime spin and turn to create a half chance early in the first half. His best effort came when his header was just wide of the post in the 27th minute. The Danes must now regroup for their next match against Cameroon in Pretoria on June 19.

  Twenty players share lead in national chess
UNB, Dhaka

Twenty players share lead in the Preliminary Phase of the 36th National Champ-ionship with maximum two points each after the 2nd round matches at the Chess Federation Hall room on Monday.
They are FM Abu Sufian Shakil, FM Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar, FM Kh. Aminul Islam, FM Syed Mahfuzur Rahman Emon, FM Mehdi Hasan Parag, FM Mohammed Abdul Malek, FM Mohammad Javed, Debaraj Chatterjee, Golam Mostafa Bhuiyan, Mahtabuddin Ahmed Robin, Saif Uddin, Anich-uzzaman Jewel, WIM Rani Hamid, Abdullah Al Saif, Mizanur Rahman Labu, Gyusuddin Mithu, M. Anwar Hossain, Obaida Nipun, Feroz Ahmed and M. Hasan Ali.
In the day's 2nd round matches, Shakil beat Shabab, Sagar beat Khairul, Amin beat Shahin, Emon beat Rauf, Parag beat Karol, Debaraj beat Siam, Melek beat Rashid, Javed beat Mainuddin, Mostafa beat Prabir, Robin beat Bardul, Mithu beat Imran, Lavlu beat Pinku, Jewel beat Shamsul, Labu beat Lipon, Anwar beat Momin, Saif beat Prince, Nipun beat Amin, Feroz beat Maleque, Hasan beat Rofiq and Rani Hamid beat Uma Sankar.

   North Korea eyes shock win against Brazil
AFP, Johannesburg

North Korean coach Kim Jong-Hun said on Monday he is plotting one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history when his side take on five-time champions Brazil in their opener.
The reclusive North Koreans are the overwhelming underdogs heading into Tuesday's clash with the South American giants in Johannesburg but Kim is unfazed by the enormity of the task in the "Group of Death."
"Our Group G opponents are very strong," the 53-year-old told FIFA's website. The other two sides in the group are Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal and Didier Drogba's Ivory Coast.
"But in football, the best teams don't necessarily win. We will give it our best. We know we need to win to reach the knockout phase, so no matter who we're up against, we'll target the three points."
The North Koreans, ranked 105 in the world, are no stranger to shock wins, causing a colossal upset in their only previous World Cup in 1966 when they shocked mighty Italy 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals in England.
The "Chollima" are renowned for their solid defence but Kim said the team can also be a threat going forward.
"Our rivals are expecting to see us focus on defence because we actually played quite defensively during qualification," he said.
"But our game is not all about playing cautiously - we can also play good attacking football when we need to."
The spearhead of North Korea's attack is Jong Tae-Se, who plays in Japan's J-League. Jong scored twice in a recent 2-2 draw with Greece and also netted during a 3-1 loss to Nigeria in the run-up to the South African showpiece.
But Kim hopes the focus on Jong will allow others to get into goalscoring positions in the match against top-ranked Brazil at Ellis Park.
"Brazil are indeed a stronger team than us, but we can use our tactics to counter them," said captain Hong Yong-Jo, who finished as his side's joint leading marksman in qualifying.
"You never know what will happen until the match is over. I have set a personal goal for myself, which is to motivate my team-mates and help my country reach the last 16," said Hong.
Kim also has the option to summon Choe Kum-Chol from the bench. He has been compared to the legendary Pak Doo-Ik, who netted that famous goal against Italy 44 years ago.
"When people compare me with our legend I can only smile," said Choe, "But we know we can all become legends in this World Cup, and this is our dream."

  Chile seek end to long winless run
AFP, Johannesburg

Chile try again to end a 48-year winless World Cup run when they tackle Honduras on Wednesday in a Group H Nelspruit showdown.
Since defeating Yugoslavia to finish third as hosts of the 1962 tournament, the South Americans have played 13 matches at the four-yearly football extravaganza without celebrating a victory.
But hopes are high that a team which finished second behind Brazil in the qualifying competition for South Africa can not only defeat the Central Americans, but qualify for the knockout second round. The Chilean group schedule suggests they will face increasingly tougher opposition with Honduras followed by modest European rivals Switz-erland and then World Cup favourites Spain. This is a young, hungry Chilean outfit lacking household international names that has already impressed in South Africa, defeating the host nation more convincingly than the 2-0 scoreline suggests in a friendly last year.
Meticulous Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa, whose El Loco nickname hardly does him justice, favours a 3-3-1-3 system with his team swarming about the field like bees, giving rivals little time to settle.
Bielsa is as desperate for success as his footballers after failing to take his homeland beyond the first round at the 2002 World Cup with Argentina losing to England and held by Sweden - though he did guide them to Olympic success in 2004. Famous for the thoroughness of his preparations, he spends hours studying videos of his own team and opponents, looking for the one chink in the armour that could tilt the balance. While Bielsa has become a national hero in his adopted country and been offered citizenship, he is quick to pass credit to a squad captained by goalkeeper Claudio Bravo from Spanish club Real Sociedad.
"This team got to South Africa on its own. I did not take them there, rather I am going there with them," he told Chilean journalists who are regularly subjected to multi-hour news conferences as the coach answers every question.
Honduras, making a second appearance after two draws and a 1-0 loss in Spain 28 years ago, also have a foreign coach with Colombian Reinaldo Rueda enjoying the same popularity afforded Bielsa.

  Steyn leads South Africa to victory
AFP, Port of Spain

Fast bowler Dale Steyn starred again as South Africa secured a 163-run victory over the West Indies in the opening Test on Sunday.
Steyn collected three wickets for 65 runs from 15.3 overs, as West Indies, chasing 457 for victory, were bowled out for 293, just before the rescheduled close on the fourth day at Queen's Park Oval.
The South African quick ended the match with figures of eight for 94 to earn the man-of-the-match award.
Steyn bowled Nelon Pascal off an inside edge for 10, when the West Indies tail-ender tried a flamboyant one-legged pull.
Morne Morkel supported Steyn with two for 49 from 12 overs, while left-arm spinner Paul Harris took two for 91 from 26.3 overs.
The victory gave the Proteas a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series, which continues on Friday in St. Kitts.
"Our bowlers were running on fumes there at the end, and it was not made any easier for us with them struggling with the run-ups from one end, and a soft landing," said South Africa captain Graeme Smith.
"It was another hot day, and we have had to work a little bit harder. The pitch was not conducive to really exciting Test match cricket. It was about a long, hard graft, and we did that well, and we have won in three and a half days, so I am happy."
The South Africans had declared on 206 for four in their second innings an hour and 20 minutes before lunch, after Smith had fallen for the top score of 90.
The Proteas then sweated through the remainder of the day to condemn West Indies to their third straight defeat at their hands at this ground, despite a top score of 73 from West Indies captain Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo's enterprising 49, and Sulieman Benn's entertaining 42.
"It's stating the obvious that our batting was again the main problem, and getting 102 in the first innings always put us on the back-foot," said Gayle.
"I thought we started the Test fairly well on the first day, but we allowed things to slip away on the second day, and things gradually got better for South Africa."

  Germans eye Serbs after Aussie rout
AFP, Johannesburg

German captain Philipp Lahm said his side were now focused on Friday's opponents Serbia and securing their place in the last 16 after a 4-0 rout of 10-man Australia.
A win over the Serbs in Port Elizabeth would effectively put Germany into the World Cup's knock-out phase and after blitzing the Socceroos in Durban on Sunday, the Germans are on course to win Group D.
Germany flew back to their base is Erasmia, north of Johannesburg, straight after the victory, but after seeing Ghana beat Serbia 1-0 on Sunday, coach Joachim Loew's squad is focused on beating their remaining group rivals.
Goals by Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose, Thomas Mueller and Cacau sealed Germany's win as Australia's lack of pace was exposed, but Lahm says there is a long way to go as his side bids to win a fourth World Cup. "It was important to start with a win, but there's still a long way to go," said Lahm. "Now we are focused on playing Serbia."
"We had some luck right at the start of the game," added the defender, who cleared a shot off the line from Richard Garcia in the opening minutes - one of the few times when Australia threatened the German goal.
"But we have a young team here, we needed a little time and we got stronger as the game went on.
"This side has lots of quality and we created a string of chances."
Despite having their captain Michael Ballack ruled out with an ankle injury before the tournament, Loew's young side, with an average age of just 25, did not miss the Chelsea star.
Podolski and Klose both brushed off poor seasons in the Bundesliga to silence their critics with well-taken early goals before 20-year-old Thomas Mueller, plucked from Bayern Munich's reserves last August, scored the third. Stuttgart's Cacau, born in Brazil but who has chosen to represent Germany, then came off the bench and hit the back of the net just a few minutes after his second-half introduction as Germany ran riot.
The key was Germany's midfield where vice-captain Bastian Schweinsteiger and playmaker Mesut Oezil kept the Australians under constant pressure while Podolski and Mueller repeatedly asked questions of the Socceroos' defence.
"The win is good for the confidence because you can be a bit nervous beforehand and you don't know where you stand," said Schweinsteiger. "We played some good football so let's hope it continues. "There's only one target for us now and that's reaching the Round of 16 as quickly as possible."
Loew, whose contract is set to expire after the World Cup, said the Germans had done their research and picked out the weaknesses in the Australia side, which capitulated after the dismissal of Tim Cahill.
"We did our homework on Australia and we knew where they have problems," said Loew.
"The win was important for us as it will give us confidence. "We now have the opportunity to reach the Round of 16 early if we win our second match.
"That's what we're aiming for. "All players were very, very focused in their preparations. "We did lots of things well, but it was only the beginning."

  Pietersen wants to strike early blow ahead of Ashes
AFP, London

Kevin Pietersen believes England have a golden opportunity to strike an early blow in the build-up to the Ashes by defeating Australia in the forthcoming one-day international series.
England, who regained the Ashes on home soil last year, still have plenty of cricket before the first Test in Australia on November 25, with the visit of Pakistan as well as a one-day series against Bangladesh on the horizon.
But Pietersen and his England team-mates will play Australia five times over the coming weeks and the batsman is confident they can deliver another dent to their rivals morale after beating them recently in the final of the ICC World Twenty20. "It would have been nice only to play them again on November 25 after we beat them in Barbados but if we play the way we played in the Caribbean then we're moving in the right direction," Pietersen told Sky Sports News.
"A lot of our good players and experienced players are coming to the party and we're all dovetailing with each other. If one guy doesn't do well another guy does. The key to beating Australia is for all 11 to dovetail together-or all 12, 13, 14 even 15 if they get an opportunity to come in.
"Everyone talks about this word consistency but we've been doing it for a while and we have had some good results in the last 18 months so we want to continue that."
England's recent record in Australia has been poor, with their last Ashes triumph there coming in the 1986-87 tour. With that in mind Pietersen insists it was significant that England's Twenty20 win over the old enemy came not in favourable home conditions but in the Caribbean.
"It's a huge boost to beat Australia away from England and it's something we haven't done for a long time," he said.
"They always beat us in Australia and they beat us in the the semi-final of the Champions Trophy (in South Africa) too.
"Whenever I've played Australia away from home we've never really come up trumps but to win (the World Twenty20) the way we did-I think India were only team we didn't get to beat on the big stage... that will give us a lot of confidence."

  Querrey crowned king of Queen’s
AFP, London

Sam Querrey was crowned king of Queen's after defeating fellow American Mardy Fish 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 in the final of the pre-Wimbledon warm-up event on Sunday.
Querrey may never reach the heights scaled by compatriots Pete Sampras, Andy Roddick, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, but his name will always be alongside that distinguished group on the list of Queen's Club champions thanks to this gutsy win.
The 22-year-old seventh seed collected a winner's cheque worth 79,260 euros (95,841 dollars) for his efforts this week but the boost to his confidence heading into Wimbledon could be far more significant.
Querrey has risen to 23rd in the world rankings after an impressive year, with two ATP Tour titles won in Memphis and Belgrade, and is only the second player, after Rafael Nadal, to win three titles this year.
He has now won on clay, hard and grass courts in the last six months and could be a tough test for more established names at Wimbledon.
Querrey was delighted to join such an illustrious roll-call of winners at Queen's and he said: "It's an honor. All the greatest players in the world are on this trophy. It's nice to be added to that list with them. "It was very tough out there. The conditions were pretty tough, it was the windiest day of the week, and I just tried to stay level headed and keep my composure. Fortunately I got through it. "I didn't set a goal this week. I wasn't thinking about quarters, semis or anything like that. "I was more worried about my attitude and the way I played rather than how far I got in the tournament."
Fish conceded the occasion had got to him.
"I've just wanted to play well at this tournament ever since I've been coming here, and if you want something so badly, sometimes it's not a good thing," he said.
"I certainly know the history of this tournament and the names on the trophy and that definitely caught up to me."
Although this was only the second meeting between two, there would be few surprises for either man in the first all-American final at Queen's since Todd Martin beat Sampras in 1994.
Few players on the ATP Tour are firmer friends than Fish and Querrey, who live close to each other in Santa Monica, often practice together and even share the same coach, South African David Nainkin.
Fish arrived in fine form after dropping just one set and defeating world number four Andy Murray on route to the final. But the world number 90, who has now lost 11 of his 14 ATP Tour finals, wasted a golden opportunity to take control of the match early on. He earned three break points on Querrey's serve but allowed the 6ft 6in (1.98m) Californian to escape unscathed.
That was the only opportunity either player had to break in a first set dominated by impressive serving but lacking many moments of drama. What tension there was came in the tie-break as Fish looked to have stolen the momentum when he fought back from 3-0 down, only for Querrey to respond superbly and win the next four points to take the set.

  Look and learn from Messi: Japan coach
AFP, George

Former Japan coach Philippe Troussier has urged the Blue Samurai to look at Argentine star striker Lionel Messi and stop whining about their physical size at the World Cup.
"It is not basketball we are talking about here and besides, look at Lionel Messi, he is even smaller than most Japanese and he is the best player in the world," the firebrand Frenchman told Japan's Kyodo news agency in a recent interview. Messi stands 1.69 metres (5 feet 7 inches), shorter than any of the 23 players on Japan's World Cup squad.
"Japanese players are basically the same size as the Mexicans," said Troussier, who guided Japan to the last-16 round in 2002 for their best ever World Cup result yet.
"And what they lack is tactical nous and experience and the only way for them to get more experience is by playing abroad," he said as Japan prepared for their World Cup opener against African powerhouse Cameroon in Group E which also includes the Netherlands and Denmark. "Cameroon's players all ply their trade overseas but about 80 percent of Japan's play in their own country," said the 55-year-old disciplinarian, who has built his coaching career in African nations where he is remembered as a "white witch doctor."
About 10 Japanese players are playing in European clubs at present and four of them are on Takeshi Okada's World Cup squad - CSKA Moscow midfielder Keisuke Honda, Wolfsburg midfielder Makoto Hasebe, Grenoble midfielder Daisuke Matsui and Catania striker Takayuki Morimoto.

  Barcelona elects new chairman
AFP, Barcelona

Barcelona's former vice chairman Sandro Rosell was Sunday elected to replace Joan Laporta as the boss of the Spanish champions, the club announced.
Rosell, a former Nike executive who was behind Brazilian Ronaldinho's move to Barcelona in 2003, won 61.35 percent of the vote by club members, beating three other candidates to become chairman of the Catalan giants.
Laporta was ineligible to stand for election again after holding the post since 2003.
Rosell, 46, was on the club's board between 2003 and 2005 during Laporta's first term. He quit as vice chairman in 2005 because he was disillusioned with the way the club was being run, accusing it of lacking "independence, transparency and democracy". "The problem is Laporta, he has a problem with himself. The project of this group of youths has gotten lost in recent years," he said at the time.
Rosell will have urgent issues to attend to such as getting coach Pep Guardiola to agree to a contract extension and fulfilling the desire of fans to bring midfielder Cesc Fabregas back from Arsenal.
Under Laporta's guidance Barcelona won the Champions League twice - in 2006 and 2009 - and the Spanish league four times - in 2005, 2006, 2009 and 2010 - making it the most successful period in the club's history. Laporta said in January that he was considering creating a political party to seek independence for Spain's Catalonia region.
Barcelona's outgoing vice-president Jaume Ferrer was the only one of the four candidates in the race who had the backing of Laporta.