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Leading News
Work on Jatrabari-Gulistan Flyover
inaugurated
PM announces plans for expansion
UNB, Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday inaugurated the
construction work of the Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover in
capital Dhaka, the biggest project taken up so far under
the government-sponsored public-private-partnership (PPP).
Meanwhile, as per the directions of Prime Minister Hasina,
instead of the present design and plan, the flyover will
be expanded till Palashi to the north and Matuwail-Dania
to the South, and it would be linked to the highways of
Mawa, Chittagong and Sylhet.
Addressing the inaugural function at the Golapbagh
playground of the city's Syedabad, the Prime Minister said
she has given directions for the design of the flyover to
be amended in consideration of future developments, and to
coordinate it with present development plans, the Padma
Multi-purpose Bridge Project, and the proposed Dhaka-Chitt-agong
four-lane highway and expressway.
"After construction of the flyover is complete, the
highway buses bound for Chittagong, Sylhet and Mawa will
face no traffic during their journey," the Prime Minister
said.
She announced at the function that the Jatrabari-Gulistan
flyover will be named after Mohammad Hanif, the first
elected mayor of the capital.
The Prime Minister rec-alled Mohammad Hanif's contribution
to the development of Dhaka and his valiant role in saving
her during the grenade attack on an Awami League rally on
August 21, 2004 in the city.
She said her government has plans to expand the capital
city in a bid to ease traffic congestion and the burden of
overpopulation. In this regard, the Prime Minister told
the function that a committee comprising seven ministries
led by the Ministry for Local Government and Rural
Development (LGRD) has been formed to coordinate the Dhaka
expansion plan.
Terming scarcities of electricity, gas and drinking water,
as well as traffic jams and the poor sewerage system as
the most major problems facing the capital, the Prime
Minister said the government is working hard to remove the
problems as soon as possible. She announced the government
will launch 300 new CNG-run buses for the city while 100
new buses have already been launched in this regard.
The Prime Minister said the situation is such that it is
difficult to expand roads, which is why the government has
to depend on elevated expressways and subways to restore
discipline on the capital's streets.
The Prime Minister told the function that the government
has already taken in hand the construction work for the
elevated expr-essway, subway and flyover in the capital.
Besides, the government will also set up a ring road and
waterway surrounding the capital city as part of the
project to ease traffic. She said the elevated expressway
will be built linking Gazipur, Dhaka and Nara-yanganj,
while rail communication in the capital city and across
the country will be expanded.
The Prime Minister further said the government also plans
to construct the Dhaka-Mymenshing road with four lanes.
She revealed a 20-year Road Master plan has already been
approved to link the capital with all 64 districts, and to
improve links between the upazilas.
"These will be highly costly projects. Bu we have to do
this for the people's future," she said.
She said about 5 lakh vehicles ply the city streets, of
which buses and minibuses number only 17,000 and trucks
number about 30,000.
The majority of the remaining vehicles are motorcycles,
cars, auto-rickshaws and tempos, which occupy most of the
city's streets and create massive traffic congestion, the
Prime Minister said.
LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam and State Minister
Jahangir Kabir Nanak also addressed the function.
10
injured as garment workers clash with police in Savar
All RMG factories to reopen today
UNB, Savar
At least 10 people were injured as garment workers clashed
with police at Jamgara in Savar on Tuesday morning
following the closure of all apparel units in Ashulia area
for an indefinite period.
Bangladesh Garment Manu-facturers and Exp-orters
Asso-ciation (BG-MEA) earlier annou-nced the closure all
apparel units in Ashulia for an indefinite period in the
wake of Monday's labour unrest demanding minimum wages of
Tk 5,000 per month. At least 200 people were injured in
the Monday's trouble.
Finding all the factories closed on Tuesday morning, the
angry RMG workers pelted brickbats towards the factories
and put barricade on the roads.
When police tried to disperse the unruly workers, they
locked into clash with the law enforcers at various spots,
leaving at least 10 people injured. Vehicular movement on
Abdullah-pur-EPZ road and Nabi-nagar-Kaliakoir road came
to standstill.
Around 500 vehicles bound for northern and southern
districts got stranded on the roads, causing sufferings to
the passengers.
Bangladesh Garment Manufactures and Exporters Association
(BGMEA) on Tuesday night decided to reopen all closed
garment factories in Ashulia, Savar from today
(Wednesday), considering the greater interests of the
country.
The BGMEA president Abdus Salam Murshedy made the
announcement at about 8:45 pm after emerging from a
two-and-half hour marathon meeting with the BGMEA
officials, garment factory owners and local lawmakers.
Murshedy said they have decided to reopen the factories as
the government and law enforcing agencies assured them of
ensuring peaceful environment in the garment manufacturing
units.
BNP
takes all out preparations for success of June 27 hartal
UNB, Dhaka
Main opposition BNP has been taking all out preparations
particularly carrying out mass contact to make its June 27
countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal a success.
As part of the preparatory works, BNP held a meeting on
Tuesday with the party leaders of five districts adjacent
to Dhaka discussing the strategy to drum up people's
support for the day-long hartal, the first against the
17-month-old Awami League-led grand alliance government.
The meeting with BNP standing committee member Dr
Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain in the chair at the party
chairperson's Gulshan office was attended by BNP
presidents and general secretaries of Narayanganj,
Narsigndi, Gazipur, Manikganj and Munshiganj districts.
The BNP nominated candidates who contested the last
general election from the constituencies under the five
districts also attended the meeting.
BNP central leaders and standing committee members
including Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy,
Prof MA Mannan, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amanullah
Aman and Abdus Salam were present at the meeting.
Former general secretary of Dhaka city BNP Abdus Salam
told UNB that the meeting asked for carrying out vigorous
mass contact programmes at the district, upazila and union
levels to garner public support for the hartal,
underscoring that the hartal (general strike) has been
called responding to the spontaneous demand from the
people. He further said that directives have been given to
all the party units across the country to carry out
campaign and mass contact to drum up public support to
make the hartal a complete success
Meanwhile, Salam said mass contact, small processions and
distribution of leaflets are going on at different spots
in the capital city in support of the hartal.
Earlier, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia announced a three-day
programme of anti-government movement including June 27
hartal from the May 19 grand rally at the Paltan Maidan in
the city. The hartal has been called for a number of
issues and demands that include ensuring supply of gas,
electricity and water, to stop extortion, tender
manipulation and grabbing by the ruling party
'terrorists', scrap 'anti-national' agreements signed with
India and contain the price-hike of essentials. Out of the
three-day progarmme, a mass sit-in was observed in the
capital city on June 9 and countrywide demonstrations
staged on June 20.
Transport sector
business bodies worried at move to raise CNG price
UNB, Dhaka
Six business associations in the transport and CNG
(compressed natural gas) sectors at a meeting Tuesday
expressed grave concern over the government proposal to
raise the CNG price. The trade bodies are Bangladesh Road
Transport Association, Bangladesh Bus Truck Owners
Association, Dhaka Bus-Truck Owners Group, Taxi Cab
Association, Four-stroke CNG Owners Association, and
Bangladesh CNG Filling Station & Conversion Workshop
Owners Association. The meeting at Akram Tower in the
city, with secretary general of Bangladesh Road Transport
Association Khandokar Enayet Ullah, made an appeal to the
government not to raise the CNG price. The leaders of the
associations said that if the CNG price is raised, it
would subsequently lead to increase of bus fare and also
increased transportation cost of goods.
They said the move would finally lead to a drastic fall in
the popularity of the government. The leaders apprehended
that if the encouragement to the CNG sector is not
continued, it would cause an environmental disaster. While
unveiling the national budget for fiscal 2010-11, Finance
Minister AMA Muhith in his speech announced that the
government would significantly raise the CNG price.
Meanwhile, the state-owned Petrobangla last month
initiated a move to raise the price of CNG to Tk 25 per
unit (one cubic metre) from the present rate of Tk 16.75.
According to official sources, Rupantarita Prakritik Gas
Company Limited (RPGCL), a subsidiary of the Petrobangla
which is the licensing authority for CNG stations, placed
a proposal to its mother organization to forward it to the
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC). However,
it is not yet known whether Petrobangla has placed the
proposal to the BERC. As per existing law, any proposal to
raise the CNG price must be approved by the BERC.
Sources said the government's main target behind the rise
of CNG price is to contain the rapid growth of CNG-run
private vehicles in the city that has been experiencing
severe traffic congestion. The price of CNG was last
raised to Tk 16.75 from Tk 8.50 per unit by the caretaker
government in April 2008. The hike was almost 100 percent.
CNG station owners said that so far about 1000 CNG
stations were set up across the country through an
investment of Tk 4,000-Tk 5,000 crore.
This funding was mostly made by the local commercial
banks. CNG has been the most popular fuel now being used
by the motor vehicles as the most environment-friendly
petroleum. The use of CNG got a boost during the BNP-led
alliance government in 2002 with the financing of US$
72.60 million by Asian Development Bank (ADB) under 'Dhaka
Clean Fuel Project' to popularise the CNG as clean fuel
for motor vehicles to free the Dhaka city of pollution.
The fund was utilised to set up CNG infrastructure and
import of CNG kits for the motor vehicles and also for
import of CNG dedicated vehicles. As a result of the
project, about 160,000 motor vehicles have been converted
into CNG-run system while another 30,000 CNG dedicated
vehicles were imported into the country.
Manzur calls on
Mohiuddin, gets assurance of support
BSS, Chittagong
The newly elected mayor of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC)
M Manzur Alam on Tuesday called on outgoing mayor ABM
Mohiuddin Chowdhury and exchanged greetings at the
latter's residence here.
Manzur called on Mohiuddin at his Chasma hill residence
after five days of the polls and just a day after
Mohiudddin congratulated him assuring of his all out
cooperation for development of Chittagong.
The moment Manzur arrived at Mohiuddin's dra-wing room he
shake hands with Manzur and directly took him inside
Mohi-udduin's bed room dodging newsmen of print and
electronic media at around 10:30am today.
Mohiuddin instantly shut the door inside barring access of
journalists and two had a private discussion for nearly 45
minutes. Manzur After the meeting told crowded journalists
that he always respects Mohiuddin like an elder brother.
" I have sought "his advice and his cooperation to work
together for development of Chittagong" Manzur said when
asked to comment about the discussion. He added that
Mohiuddin has assured him that he will not deprive of his
long experience to run the city corporation.
However Mohiuddin refrained from talking to journalists
about the discussion. Later, the eldest son of Mohiuddin,
Barrister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Noufel, told journalists
that both spent a very cordial time together'. "My father
has assured Mr Manzur of extending all types of
cooperation for development of Chittagong," he said adding
that like in the past, his father will always stand beside
the people of Chittagong. Later, Manzur visited the first
grave of former president Ziaur Rahman at Zianagar under
Rangunia upazila of the district.
BNP vice-chairman Abdu-llah Al Noman, among other leaders
accompanied him during the visit. Mohiuddin in his message
of congratulation on Monday hoped that Manzur will
implement his unfinished work and also assured of his
assistance in any development works of Chittagong.
Back Page
Tk 19,522 cr spent in 11 months of
current fiscal under revised ADP
UNB, Dhaka
Some Tk 19,522 crore was spent in 11 months of the current
fiscal (July-May) out of the Tk 28,500 crore revised
Annual Development Programme (ADP), achieving 68 percent
implementation rate.
The recent comparative statement on monthly revised ADP
implementation progress issued by the Implementation
Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) also showed that
the implementation rate of the 11 months is 7 per cent
higher than the corresponding period of the previous
fiscal.
The ADP implementation progress for the July-May period of
2008-09 fiscal was 61 percent (Tk 14,088 crore out of
total revised ADP of Tk 23,000 crore). The implementation
progress for the same period of 2007-08 fiscal and 2006-07
fiscal was also 61 percent.
Talking to UNB, renowned economist Qazi Kholiquzzaman
Ahmad said the implementation progress for revised ADP for
current fiscal (2009-10) is good but it could have been
much better if there was no crisis of energy and power.
Emphasizing on resolving the crisis of energy and power,
he expressed the hope that the ADP for the next fiscal
year would be implemented fully.
"All-out efforts should be made from the beginning of the
next fiscal and the problems in the implementation of
development projects should be identified and addressed,"
he said.Dr Kholizuzzaman, also the PKSF chairman, hoped
that the ADP implementation progress would reach around 85
percent in the current fiscal.Talking to the news agency,
IMED Secretary Md. Abdul Malek said the ADP implementation
progress of the current fiscal till May is better compared
to the last few fiscals.
The recent comparative statement suggests that the
government will need to spend Tk 8,978 crore or 32 per
cent of the sum allocated to the revised ADP by this
June.Earlier this year, the government downsized the ADP
for the current fiscal to Tk 28,500 crore from Tk 30,500
crore sensing the poor performance rate of ADP
implementation.
Vested quarters out
to create instability in the country, alleges PM
UNB, Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday alleged that some
vested quarters are plotting to create instability in the
country to foil the government's programs for development.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of construction work
on Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover at Golapbag play ground at
Syedabad, the Prime Minister said the evil quarters do not
want people of Bangladesh get rid of poverty, hunger and
illiteracy. She was highly critical of the past BNP-Jamaat
alliance government for not taking steps to implement the
Jatrabari flyover project during its regime though the
survey work of the project was completed in 2000.
Hasina said if the BNP-Jamaat government would continue
development works initiated by the past Awami League
government, the country's people would not be facing the
present crises in various sectors including power and
energy.
Instead of working for people's development, the
four-party alliance government remained busy with amassing
huge amounts of money through corruption and looting
public money and property. She termed the past BNP-Jamaat
government as "ineligible" and said due to its corruption
and irregularities, Bangladesh's development had come to a
standstill.
Now when a democratically elected government has been
voted to power, some vested quarters have become active to
foil the government's initiatives for improving the living
standards of the people, Hasina said.
"We want people to become free from illiteracy,
malnutrition and poverty. But the anti-people quarters do
not want to let us to implement the projects," she said.
But, Hasina said, the government is not afraid of any
conspiracy, it is firmly committed to continuing its
development works. "People have voted us into power and we
will continue to give our best efforts to bring peace and
prosperity in people's lives," she said.
EC to probe
arson, clashes during CCC vote counting
UNB, Dhaka
The Election Commission has decided to investigate into
the incidents of arson and clashes that occurred in the
Chittagong City Corporation areas during counting of
ballots after the polling ended peacefully on June 17.
The EC will also look into the matter why BNP leader
Salauddin Quader Chow-dhury MP was arrested a day before
the CCC polls without the Commission's knowledge, Election
Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain said on
Tuesday.
Talking to the reporters at his office, Sakhawat said the
Commission would look into the matter whether provocative
statement by any political leader had led the peaceful
situation to turn violent.
He said that as per the election code of conduct, written
allegations would have to be submitted if polling agents
are expelled from any centre and it is totally beyond the
rule to give statement on any such happening.
Election Commissioner Sakhawat mentioned that it was
alleged that polling agents were expelled from some
centers but the commission did not find any truth of such
allegations.
The EC is thinking of filing cases against the persons
responsible for presenting distorted and untrue
information, he said.
The Election Commi-ssioner said it was also alleged that
Presiding Officers at some centers abstained from signing
the result sheets and more than 50 centers were captured
by expelling the polling agents.
Foreign Minister seeks more French
investment
BSS, Dhaka
Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni has urged both public and
private sectors of France to invest more in Bangladesh by
taking advantage of lucrative offers providing by the
government to increase its Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
She made the remark while holding a meeting with France-
Bangladesh Friendship Group at French National Assembly on
Monday during her maiden bilateral visit to France,
according to a message received here on Tuesday.
The Foreign Minister arrived France on Sunday evening on a
four-day official visit.
During the meeting Dr Dipu Moni illustrated different
incentives and opportunities offered by Bangladesh
Government and requested the France-Bangladesh Friendship
Group to influence the Government of France and the
private sector of the country to accumulate more
investment in Bangladesh.
She appreciated the expansion of Bangladesh's export to
France, which for the first time crossed billion-dollar
mark in the last financial year.
Dr Dipu Moni briefed the President of the
France-Bangladesh Friendship Group Paul Giacobbi about the
democratic process of Bangladesh and different programmes
of the present government under the able leadership of
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
She mentioned about various initiatives taken by the
Government of Bangladesh towards strengthening the
multiparty democratic process, development of human
rights, women empowerment, children education and poverty
eradication.
Foreign Minister also presented to the French
parliamentary group a vivid picture of the economic
progress attained Bangladesh and the present trend of
growth.
The France-Bangladesh Friendship Group expressed its
satisfaction at the level of trade existing between the
two countries. The group assured the Foreign Minister of
its continuous support and cooperation on bilateral
political relations and economic development of
Bangladesh.
The President of the friendship group apprised the
Bangladesh Foreign Minister that the group would visit
Bangladesh to explore further scope of cooperation between
the two countries in November this year.
Bangladesh,
India officials begin meeting on power cooperation
BSS, New Delhi
Officials of Bangladesh and India began here on Tuesday
the second meeting of the Joint Working Group on
cooperation in the power sector at a city hotel.
Md. Mofazzel Hossain, Joint Secretary, Power Division, of
the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources is
leading the Bangladesh side while the Indian team is being
led by it Joint Secretary of Power Ministry, Ravi Kant.
Sources told BSS that the two sides would review the
progress of the first JWG meeting, held in Dhaka in
February, that included the status of signing of the MoU
between National Thermal Power Company (NTPC) of India and
Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
It would also review the progress of feasibility study of
coal-based power plant on nomination basis and also the
progress of establishment of coal-based power plant on
joint venture between the NTPC and the BPDB.
The sources added that the JWG would also review the
status of capacity development of the BPDB with help of
the NTPC. The Bangladesh side will also place a draft of
the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for purchasing 250-MW
from India.
"We want to bring it to the table so that investment is
secured," the sources further said.
Shafiqul
Kabir, his family members taken on police remand
UNB, Dhaka
A Dhaka Court Tuesday put senior journalist Shafiqul Kabir,
his wife, two daughters and one son-in-law on a 3-day
police remand to interrogate them for the trio 'suicide'
case.
On June 11 police recovered the bodies of Shafiqul Kabir's
daughter-in-law Farzana Kabir Rita, 35, her son Ishrat
Kabir Pabon, 12, and daughter Raisa Rashmi Payel, 10, from
their 3-storey house 'Sonartori' at Jurain in the capital.
Police suspects that Rita and her two children committed
suicide together by taking overdose of tranquilizers.
Shafiqul Kabir and members of his family are suspected as
provocateurs.
Inspector of Detective Branch (DB) Mahbubur Rahman who is
investigating into the case produced Shafiqqul Kabir, his
wife Noor Banu, two daughters Sukhon and Kabita, and
son-in-law Delwar Hossain Patwary before the Metropolitan
Magistrate court of Tania Kamal and sought 7-day remand
for each. After hearing, the court granted 3-day remand
for interrogation.
Rita's mother Majeda Begum filed the case with Kadamtoli
police station under the Prevention of Women and Children
Repression Act implicating eight people in connection with
the unnatural deaths.
Editorial
Unrest in RMG sector
The
country's Ready Made Garments (RMG) sector continues to be
restive with the workers and the owners virtually in a
collision course. In the latest incident, more than 30 people
were injured in clashes between garments workers and police in
Ashulia Industrial area on Tuesday. The unruly workers damaged
and set ablaze 5 vehicles in protest against the decision of
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA)
to close all apparel units in Ashulia for an indefinite
period. The law enforcers, charged batons on them and also
fired teargas shells to break up the demonstration.
Earlier, on Monday, BGMEA decided to close down all apparel
units in Ashulia for an indefinite period in the wake of
labour unrest that left at least 200 people injured. The
decision came at an emergency meeting of the association and
it cited as reason the continuous unrest among garment
factories. Ashulia turned into a battlefield with several
thousand garment workers staging a blockade on the road and
vandalising vehicles. The workers demanded Tk 5,000 as minimum
wages. At least 20 police personnel were among the injured
after clashes raged between the workers and law enforcers.
Garment industry owners are worried over the current workers
unrest that has been taking a heavy toll on the country's
vital apparel industry which is considered as the principal
export earner. The exporters apprehend that orders from
international buyers may slip out from them to exporters of
other countries due to production loss caused by continued
labour unrest, according to BGMEA sources. They said
production in the factories at Ashulia, Savar and Rupganj has
been affected badly by workers agitation over the last few
days. The sources claimed that the garment manufacturers had
to pay additional Tk 1,311 crore in freight charge for air
shipment of the products in five months to fulfill export
terms as they ran short of production target due to the
workers unrest.
The BGMEA has expressed deep concern over the violence and
said the workers are damaging factories over 'trifling
matters'. What is happening in Ashulia or elsewhere is a
matter of grave concern not only for the RMG mill owners, but
also for the nation as a whole. Because such violence erupts
in the RMG sector every now and then and results in heavy loss
to properties and sometimes to life also. Workers have the
right to raise their demands and stage demonstrations to press
those no doubt, but they have no right to damage the
factories, set those ablaze, vandalize and damage vehicles and
disrupt traffic movement. When they take law in their own
hands, law enforcers are left with no option but to go into
action and that ultimately leads to clashes and even loss of
valuable lives. The best possible way is for the workers to
try to realize their demands through peaceful movement and for
the law enforcers to tackle the situation without using force.
Using force on agitating works to disperse them is an extreme
measure and it must be averted.
The actions of the workers in many cases amount to excesses
which cannot be considered acceptable. But it is also true
that in most RMG mills the workers are exploited and deprived
of their rights and due salary and allowances although the RMG
owners reportedly earn quite good profit. If the mill owners
are generous enough to meet the genuine demands of the workers
the frequent unrest in the RMG sector may largely be averted.
We hope, good sense will prevail upon all sides and the
alarming situation in the RMG sector will be eased. The
government should arrange discussions between the workers and
owners to pave the way for stopping violence and reopening the
factories with a view to ending the current crisis.
Human rights
violation
Violation
of human rights in the country is rampant and in most such
cases law enforcers are allegedly involved. According to press
reports, the Human Rights Commission has received complaints
of violation of human rights mostly against the law-enforcers.
Natioanl Human Rights Commission Chairman Justice Amirul Kabir
Chowdhury is quoted as saying after a function for the
publication of the commission's annual in the city on Monday
that most of the complaints the commission received in the
last one year were against the law enforcers report. He
stressed that the agencies are run by the public funds and it
is their duty to work for the people's right. The chairman
pleaded for amending the HR Commission Act and appointment of
necessary manpower. He said the commission couldn't work on
many issues due to legal bar. The Commission was formed on
December 1, 2008 with three members, and the Human Rights
Commission Act was framed on July 14, 2009.
It is unfortunate that in most cases of human rights violation
law enforcers are involved and the violation took place in the
forms of 'croofire', 'shootout' and 'gunfight' which are xtra-judicial
killings. Sucj killing took place during the present
government despite the fact that the Prime MInister had
described the practice of controversial extra-judicial
killings as a 'culture' and as a 'crime' and pledged to stop
these. She told the Parliament on 12 February,2009 that she
had always been against the extra-judicial killings. The Prime
Minister had also assured the House that the government would
remain alert to stop extra-judicial killings and those found
to be involved in such crimes would be brought to justice. But
this assurance of the Prime Minister is yet to be materialised.
Criminals and miscreants deserve punishment no doubt, but that
must be given through legal process. Until the crime of a man
is proved before a court of law, he cannot be punished.
Killing a man by law enforcers without legal sanction is
simply brutal. So extra-judicial killings through 'crossfire',
'gunfight' or 'shootout' must be stopped in the interest of
justice and human rights. Unless such killings can be stopped,
the pledge to protect human rights will continue to be
meaningless.
Analysis
Bad news bares reality of Afghan war
But in a war
without front lines, fought in scores of small engagements
scattered throughout this stark, mountainous country, it
becomes difficult to quantify progress. Cities don't fall to
victoriousforces.
Robert Reid
In brutal calculus of
clash, more casualties are inevitable as US pours more troops
into Afghanistan Rising death tolls, military timetables
slowed. Infighting in the partner government.
War-weary allies packing up to leave - and others eyeing an
exit.
Events this spring - from the battlefields of Helmand and
Kandahar to the halls of US Congress - have served as a
reality check on the Afghan war, a grueling fight in a remote,
inhospitable land that once harbored the masterminds of the
Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.
The Taleban have proven resilient and won't be easily routed.
Good Afghan government won't blossom any faster than flowers
in the bleak Afghan deserts. Phrases like "transition to
Afghan control" mask the enormous challenge ahead to make
those words reality.
President Barack Obama may face a difficult choice next year:
slow the withdrawal of US troops that he promised would start
in July 2011 or risk an Afghanistan where the Taleban have a
significant political role.
This week's hearings on Capitol Hill revealed deep concern
within Congress over Pentagon assurances of progress in the
nearly nine-year war. Members of Congress complained of
mounting casualties - at least 53 foreign troop deaths this
month including 34 Americans.
That prompted Defense Secretary Robert Gates to complain about
negative perceptions in Washington about the war, even though
his top military officer, Adm. Mike Mullen, acknowledged "we
all have angst" about the course of the conflict.
Truth lies in both camps. Bombs and battles are far less
frequent in Kabul than in Baghdad during the height of the
Iraq war. The major Afghan cities of Mazar-e-Sharif in the
north and Herat in the west are relatively quiet.
In the countryside, however, where three-quarters of
Afghanistan's nearly 30 million people live, the insurgents
still wield power, moving freely among the population,
operating their own courts and intimidating those who support
the government.
Progress is real but scattered and incremental. All parties
here predict a tough summer. July 2011 may be too soon to
ensure success - even though the top NATO commander Gen.
Stanley McChrystal acknowledges he's under pressure to show
progress by the end of the year.
Instead of spurring the Afghans to step up to the plate, the
July 2011 date has encouraged Afghan President Hamid Karzai to
seek a deal with the Taleban despite US misgivings that the
time is right for a settlement.
"Two critical questions dominate any realistic discussion of
the conflict. The first is whether the war is worth fighting.
The second is whether it can be won. The answers to both
questions are uncertain," former Pentagon analyst Anthony
Cordesman wrote this week.
A few months ago, things seemed to have been going better.
For the first time in years the tide appeared to have been
turning. In February, the US and its allies seized the
insurgents' southern stronghold of Marjah, rushing in a local
administration and promising development aid to win the
loyalty of the people.
NATO and Afghan troops also delivered blows to the militants
in the north and west. After Marjah, the alliance shifted
attention to Kandahar, promising to ramp up security in the
largest city in the south and the former Taleban headquarters.
Within weeks, however, the Taleban were back in Marjah,
threatening and assassinating those who cooperated with the
Americans and their Afghan partners. The security effort in
Kandahar slowed to a crawl, in large part because of public
opposition to the campaign for fear it would lead to more
bloodshed.
The Taleban responded by planting more of their signature
weapon - roadside bombs that the military calls improvised
explosive devices, or IEDs.
Those hidden bombs not only account for most of the deaths
among international troops but they reduce their effectiveness
in controlling territory where the Taleban operate. With so
many bombs along roads and footpaths, troops on patrol can
cover only a limited area since they must move slowly
searching for hidden IEDs.
In April, gunmen assassinated the deputy mayor of Kandahar as
he knelt for evening prayers in a mosque. This month, a car
bomb killed the chief of the Kandahar district of Arghandab.
Days before, a suicide bomber killed 56 people at a wedding
party in the same district.
Those setbacks came as no surprise to commanders in
Afghanistan, many of whom cautioned privately after Marjah
that major challenges lay ahead. In the brutal calculus of
war, more casualties are inevitable as the US pours more
troops into Afghanistan - from about 30,000 in 2008 to more
than 94,000 now. About 10,000 more are due in August.
But in a war without front lines, fought in scores of small
engagements scattered throughout this stark, mountainous
country, it becomes difficult to quantify progress. Cities
don't fall to victorious forces. Real estate doesn't change
hands as in conventional wars.
Instead, the Afghan war is a battle for public support - a
challenge for a foreign power absent a reliable local partner.
NATO's policy of working alongside the Afghan government means
each suffers a loss of prestige from the other's mistakes.
"They should leave Afghanistan because they didn't come to
protect this country," Maulvi Sarajuddin, a leading cleric in
Baghlan province, said of the international troops.
"They came here and insecurity continues. Nothing has changed.
In the past eight years, the country is more unstable and
corruption has seized the throats of the Afghan people."
Securing a reliable local partner turned the tide of the Iraq
war when Sunni insurgents abandoned Al-Qaeda and joined with
the Americans just as the US troop surge of 2006 and 2007 was
under way.
US allies gained little reassurance about the reliability of
the Afghan government when Karzai - a key pillar of Obama's
war strategy - this month let go two respected members of his
national security team, one of whom had questioned overtures
to the Taleban.
The lack of solid local allies lies at the heart of the delays
in Kandahar. The local government is weak and under funded,
held hostage to tribal leaders and politically connected
businessmen whose wheeling and dealing have undercut support
for the central government.
Cultivating and empowering new partners takes time - a
resource the US-led force may not have. Support for the war in
the US and Europe is fading.
The Dutch plan to pull their 1,600 troops from Afghanistan by
August. Canada, with about 2,800 soldiers, plans to end its
combat role here next year. The Poles are pressing for NATO to
draw up an exit strategy. Britain's new prime minister has
expressed its support for the war but has ruled out sending
more troops. The Pentagon has been pleading for months for its
European allies to send more people to train Afghan forces.
Despite assurances to the contrary, many pro-government
Afghans fear they may be abandoned by the US after Obama's
July 2011 date to start the withdrawal. They fear that time is
too short for the coalition to train and equip an effective
Afghan force to protect the country.
"It is better for foreign forces to stay," said Aziza Misami,
a member of the provincial council in Ghazni.
"Unfortunately, when the foreign troops leave, the first
victim will be Afghan women because the Taleban don't like
women. The second victim will be the Afghan nation."
India-US
strategic dialogue
The advancing US-India alliance in the political, security
and economic spheres may impel the smaller countries of
the region to move still closer to China as a
counter-balancing measure.
Dr Rashid Ahmad Khan
In
the first week of June, India and the US held in
Washington their first ever strategic dialogue on
expanding and strengthening their long-term cooperation in
sectors ranging from counter-terrorism, nuclear security,
disarmament and non-proliferation, trade and investment,
science and technology, infrastructure development,
environmental sustainability, climate change mitigation,
energy security, food security, agriculture, health,
education and women's empowerment. From the joint
statement issued at the end of the dialogue, it is evident
that the two countries plan to broaden the scope of their
strategic partnership to include sustained consultation
and cooperation on regional and global concerns such as
terrorism and extremism and insurgency in Afghanistan. The
dialogue was held on the 35th anniversary of the US-India
Business Council and its inaugural session was addressed
by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Indian
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna.
From a broader perspective, the dialogue represents a part
of the US efforts over the last more than one decade to
deepen its engagement with not only India, but also with
other countries of the South Asian region, such as
Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. As part of the
same process, the US has acquired the status of an
observer state in SAARC and has held a similar strategic
dialogue with Pakistan. It also reflects, as Secretary
Clinton pointed out in her remarks, a continuity of
initiatives undertaken by India and the US since 2000,
when former President Bill Clinton visited India leading a
large delegation of American business executives. The
initiatives also include the July 18, 2005 joint statement
by President Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in
Washington, which established a strategic partnership
between the two countries.
The other important initiative was the Indo-US civil
nuclear cooperation deal finally and formally signed by
President Bush in October 2008. Prior to the strategic
dialogue held in Washington earlier this month, US
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Indian Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee met in New Delhi in the first
week of April and announced a new economic alliance
between their countries, called the US-India Economic and
Financial Partnership.
This initiative is also a part of the US drive to widen
its strategic partnership with India. Although the volume
of bilateral trade between India and the US still remains
far below the level of bilateral trade between China and
India, it has shown steady growth since 1993, jumping from
$ 7.32 billion to $ 14.35 billion. In comparison,
Sino-India bilateral trade was projected to touch the $ 60
billion mark by the end of 2009.
The US-India strategic dialogue could also be viewed in
the light of US foreign policy goals set forth in
President Obama's new National Security Strategy wherein
the president has said: "...We will build new and deeper
partnerships in every region" to establish an
international order that, the president says, "can resolve
the challenges of our times". The challenges identified in
the National Security Strategy document include, among
others, countering violent extremism and insurgency,
stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and securing
nuclear materials, combating a changing climate,
sustaining global growth, helping countries feed
themselves and care for their sick, and resolving and
preventing conflict. All these areas, along with others,
are covered under the US-India strategic partnership
announced in 2005.
The strategic dialogue held in Washington this month,
however, significantly enhances the level and scope of the
US-India strategic partnership to include an implicit
American commitment to support the Indian bid for a
permanent seat in the UN Security Council in a reformed
UN, and endorsement of the current Indian role in
Afghanistan, which Ms Clinton termed as a "vital
contribution to reconstruction, capacity building and
development efforts in the country". Under the Obama
administration, therefore, the US-India strategic
partnership has been given new and greater push.
The plans for broadening the scope of collaborative
initiatives between India and the US are based on the
assessment of India as a democratic and politically stable
country, having a decade of steady economic growth, with
which the US can have a political and security partnership
and substantially expanded trade and investment relations
on a long-term basis. It is also claimed that, unlike the
Cold War years, the US and Indian interests and concerns
at the regional and global levels broadly coincide. Ms
Clinton confirmed this view when she said during the
strategic dialogue that the relationship between the
Indian and the American people "is rooted in common
values, common aspirations". But the strong resolve, as it
appears, by India and the US to work as strategic partners
on regional and global developments also raises some
important questions.
The first question is, how would the whole process be
perceived by India's small neighbours, whose experience in
interaction with their big neighbour has not,
unfortunately, been very pleasant? Secondly, it is also
important to consider how the Chinese would view these
developments.
China has already expressed its concern on what it calls
the "increase in foreign influence" in the region. The
advancing US-India alliance in the political, security and
economic spheres may impel the smaller countries of the
region to move still closer to China as a
counter-balancing measure. We are already witnessing this
phenomenon unfolding in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Thirdly, it is yet to be fully determined whether India
can provide a strong and reliable social and economic base
for a long-term strategic partnership with the US, given
its underdeveloped infrastructure, energy shortages,
import restrictions in the form of tariff and non-tariff
barriers, poverty, regional disparities and threat of
insurgencies.
There are also apprehensions that the Indian failure to
maintain social peace and communal harmony internally will
adversely affect the prospects of the US-India strategic
partnership. Ms Clinton's endorsement of India's current
role in Afghanistan and Mr Krishna's emphatic statement
that India "would stay the course in that country" may
also cause concern in Pakistan, which has openly expressed
opposition to an increasing Indian role in Afghanistan.
Delhi and Washington plan to hold the next round of
dialogue in the first half of next year. President Obama
is also expected to visit India in early November this
year. These developments present both challenges and
opportunities, not only for India and the US, but also for
other countries of the region.
The writer is a professor of International Relations at
Sargodha University. He can be reached at rashid_khan192@yahoo.com
Viewpoints
Sri Lanka’s false dawn
But it is
not too late for President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government to
change course and begin to build a truly multi-ethnic society.
Indeed, the country's future depends on his doing just that.
Jamie F. Metzl and Sharmila Silva
As
the Sri Lankan government celebrates the first anniversary of
its historic triumph over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE), it is increasingly clear that the battlefield victory
will prove pyrrhic unless the legitimate grievances of Sri
Lanka's minority communities are recognised and addressed. By
failing to reach out meaningfully to the Tamil-speaking
minority, and by cracking down on opposition voices and any
kind of dissent in Sri Lanka, the government is throwing away
a once-in-a-generation ?pportunity.
But it is not too late for President Mahinda Rajapaksa's
government to change course and begin to build a truly
multi-ethnic society. Indeed, the country's future depends on
his doing just that.
The end of the civil war was an unambiguously positive
development for Sri Lanka. The Tamil Tigers led a ruthless
campaign for an independent territory against Sri Lanka's
government for most of the past three decades.
They killed not only government officials, but often Tamil
leaders willing to explore compromise solutions with the
government, as well as civilians from all ethnic groups.
Indeed, the LTTE has been accused of a range of human-rights
violations, in addition to such killings, including abduction,
child conscription, and using civilians as human shields. The
Sri Lankan army, police, and other state organs also
perpetrated major abuses during the conflict.
The final throes of the war last year were horrific, with
20,000-40,000 civilians (mostly ethnic Tamils) killed in a
period of a few months by both the Sri Lankan government
forces and the Tigers. We may never know the exact number of
casualties during the last phase of the conflict, because the
government did not allow international organisations or media
into the area.
Rajapaksa's victory in the presidential election this past
January, followed in April by a win for his United People's
Freedom Alliance in parliamentary elections, ensured a
majority for the president and his party. These victories
create an opportunity for the government to reach out to the
opposition and to minority groups to build a truly inclusive
and democratic Sri Lanka, but this has not yet happened.
Instead, government policies since the end of the war have
targeted opponents and critics, possibly laying the foundation
for a new round of conflict. Opposition candidate General
Sarath Fonseka was harassed and soon arrested after the
presidential elections. More than 250,000 Tamil civilians were
kept in virtual internment camps long after the end of
hostilities and prevented from exercising their civil rights
or returning to their homes. No significant special efforts
have been made to reach out to the T?mil-speaking minority in
order to understand better and address those legitimate
concerns that found illegitimate expression through the LTTE.
If this trend continues, Sri Lanka will become doomed to
repeat its tragic history.
Sri Lanka is blessed with brilliant people, indefatigable
civil-society organisations, decent courts and infrastructure,
and abundant natural resources. But none of these attributes
will lead to long term security, stability, and prosperity for
the country unless the government plays a more constructive
role.
A first step in the national healing process must include
exploring in a public way the grievances of the country's
minorities, both Tamil and Muslim, and discussing the
violations perpetrated by the LTTE and the government during
the conflict. As was the case in South Africa, this approach
can lay an essential foundation for a sustainable and
effective reconciliation process.
The government must open itself far more to hearing and
responding to the legitimate voices of the Sri Lankan people
across the country's political spectrum and ethnic divides. If
these grievances cannot be addressed through legitimate means,
they will find other far less healthy outlets over time.
The government must also make every effort to establish the
rule of law, including implementation of the 17th Amendment to
the Constitution, which calls for independent judicial
institutions, and of the 13th Amendment, which devolves power
to the provinces.
Reports of new amendments being drafted in order to rescind
these guarantees would be extremely disturbing if confirmed.
Sri Lanka must do far more to ensure minority rights and
protections not just because it is the right thing to do, but
because it is the best possible investment the country can
make in its future. It is not too late to embrace this future,
but soon it will be if the government does not change course
immediately.
Jamie F. Metzl is executive vice president of the Asia
Society and served in the US National Security Council under
president Bill Clinton. Sharmila Silva is the pseudonym of a
leading Sri Lankan public figure. ©Project Syndicate, 2010.
www.project-syndicate.org
A ‘shift of
axis’ by Turkey?
Erdogan and
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu are the architect of
Turkey's forceful new role in world affairs.
Rahimullah Yusufzai
A
wide, sometimes bitter, public debate has been going in
Turkey about the country's foreign policy since the death
of nine unarmed people in the May 31 attack by Israeli
army commandoes on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara, which
was part of the Gaza-bound Freedom Flotilla in
international waters. The questions being asked are
whether Ankara is turning its back on the West and drawing
closer to the East. This is described as a "shift of axis"
and there is even talk of Turkey joining a Eurasian Union
along with Russia, China and other regional countries, or
finding its moorings as leader of an Islamic bloc in the
Middle East and Central Asia.
The debate is raging in the media and at public forums.
The issue is intensely being discussed not only in Ankara
and Istanbul, but also in far-off places such as Erzurum
in north-eastern Anatolia that one was able to visit this
week, in connection with the second Turkey World Trade
Bridge meeting organised by the Turkish Confederation of
Businessmen and Industrialists (TUSKON). In fact, the
TUSKON initiative too is part of a resurgent Turkey's
efforts to put on display it's industrial and other
products and clinch mutually beneficial trade and
investment deals with business and investors groups all
over the world.
More than 2,200 businesspersons from 135 countries had
registered to attend TUSKON's summit and interact with a
large number of their Turkish counterparts in Istanbul and
in several provincial capitals. It was not only a grand
exhibition of Turkey's progress in all walks of life, but
also an opportunity to explain the Turkish values of
trustworthiness and hospitality.
The ruling A K Parti (Justice and Development Party) of
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and its supporters in
the media and civil society have been deriding as "black
propaganda" all this talk about Turkey abandoning the West
and turning its face to the East. Accusations have been
made against strong lobbies in the West of starting a
campaign against Turkey after the May 31 incident and
punishing the A K Parti government for condemning Israel
for the raid on the aid ship Mavi Marmara and demanding an
international investigation into the Israeli aggression
against civilian peace volunteers trying to defy the
blockade of Gaza.
In the context of Turkish politics, those sympathising
with AK Parti and many independent media commentators
believe the pro-Israel and pro-West lobbies have recruited
anti-AK Parti and anti-Erdogan forces and neo-nationalist
groups to run this propaganda campaign based on lies and
slander. Their argument is that, despite repeated rebuffs,
Turkey under the leadership of AK Parti is still committed
to becoming a member of the European Union, and to this
end, far-reaching reforms have been carried out on a scale
never seen before.
This "black propaganda" campaign appears multi-pronged. As
AK Parti has Islamic roots, it is accused of having a
hidden agenda of reshaping Turkey's traditional pro-West
foreign policy into one based on Islamism. It is charged
with pursuing a neo-Ottamanist foreign agenda and
following a neo-caliphate policy. AK Parti critics believe
Erodagan and his colleagues are gradually abandoning the
principles of secularism defined by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk
and attempting to Islamise Turkish society. The Ergenekon
case--in which members of a clandestine terrorist
organisation including serving and retired military
officials, businessmen and media professionals have been
accused of conspiring to overthrow the AK Parti
government--has contributed to the tension between the
Islamic-rooted ruling party and the secular opposition and
made the "black propaganda" debate even more bitter.
Dozens of Ergenekon members are currently in jail pending
trial, and their fate will have a profound impact on the
course of Turkish politics. The government is keen to
punish those who plotted to undermine AK Parti and pave
the way for a military takeover by assassinating prominent
figures, mostly non-Muslims, to create chaos and bring the
ruling party under internal and external pressure.
The judgement by the Constitutional Court examining a
series of AK Parti-sponsored constitutional amendments
passed by parliament could also impact the direction of
Turkish politics. The judiciary is monopolised by the
secular elite that have often been accused of conniving
with the powerful military in the past to keep in check
the democratic forces, particularly the Islamic-oriented
parties. However, the situation has changed and most Turks
want parliament to be supreme, instead of remaining under
the tutelage of the judiciary and the military.
AK Parti's impressive electoral performance in the last
two general elections and its formidable democratic
strength have enabled it to carry out the far-reaching
reforms needed to make Turkey a member of the EU, and, as
its confidence grew, to pursue constitutional amendments
in parliament to strengthen democracy and reduce the
authority of non-democratic forces.
Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu are the
architect of Turkey's forceful new role in world affairs.
The latter, who took up his job a year ago, has been
trying to build and consolidate Turkey's growing
reputation as an increasingly important regional and
global player.
Though the present crisis in Turkey's relations with
Israel gave an impetus to its efforts to pursue an
independent course in its foreign policy, unencumbered by
US demands, this secular and moderate Islamic country has
long presented itself as a bridge between the East and the
West. Its membership of Nato and its close ties with the
US placed it in a unique position to bridge the widening
gulf between the West and the Islamic world. However, this
hasn't happened, primarily due to the unilateral US policy
of using force to settle disputes and its unconditional
support for Israel despite that country's blatant
violation of international laws and occupation of
Palestinian territories.
Membership of Nato, friendship with the US and old ties to
Israel should have enabled Turkey to succeed in its
mission of becoming an EU member. These factors didn't
help, and Turkey's dream of EU membership appears unlikely
in the near future. In fact, recent events could have
reduced Turkey's chances of attaining EU membership.
One has to praise Ankara's perseverance in not giving up
effort to join the EU. Vocal groups in Turkey have voiced
suspicions about the EU, but the economic benefits the
country could obtain through EU membership have far
outweighed other considerations and prompted all state
institutions to pursue this goal. Rather, the AK Parti
government is being advised by well-wishers to pursue
Turkey's EU bid with stronger emphasis to counter the
"black propaganda" against it.
Apart from Turkey's feud with Israel and the obvious US
uneasiness over Ankara's strong criticism of Tel Aviv's
atrocities against the Palestinians, another issue that
has raised alarm in the West concerns Turkey's friendly
relations with Iran. Turkey has been pragmatic in its
approach to Iran, a neighbour and a major supplier of its
energy needs. It has opposed economic sanctions against
Iran and, together with Brazil, unsuccessfully proposed a
peaceful solution of the dispute concerning Tehran's
nuclear programme. This has certainly increased mistrust
in the relations between Turkey and the West.
Erdogan's references to Iranian president Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad as "my brother," his defence of Hamas and his
forceful pleading of the case of Gaza's 1.5 million
blockaded Palestinians cannot endear him to Western
powers, even though the pursuit of such causes have made
him a hero in the Arab and Islamic world. However, the
fact remains that Erdogan and Turkey aren't about to jump
ship and say goodbye to the West.
Some of the actions of Erdogan and AK Parti are also
geared to gaining advantage in Turkish politics by
responding to popular public demands. Henceforth, Turkey
will definitely pursue a more independent foreign policy
that could be annoying for the US and the West. But it
will neither give up its bid for EU membership nor
undertake the so-called "shift of axis."
The writer is resident editor of The News in Peshawar.
Email: rahimyusufzai@yahoo.com
Atlantic lessons for America
Europe overall has managed to reduce its ecological
footprint to half that of the United States for the same
standard of living.
Steven Hill
With
toxic black ooze spreading throughout the Gulf of Mexico,
it may be time for the Obama administration to think
seriously about national energy policy. It could learn
plenty by looking across the Atlantic. The average
European today emits half the carbon of an average
American and uses far less electricity. It takes 40 per
cent more fuel for an American car to drive a mile than a
European car.
Europe overall has managed to reduce its ecological
footprint to half that of the United States for the same
standard of living.
How has Europe managed this? Through smart, strategic
government policy, working closely with the private
sector, to advance incentives and regulations that
encourage the necessary behaviour from consumers,
households and businesses.
While the US has resorted to ill-fated strategies to
secure more oil - including recent calls for more offshore
drilling - the European landscape has been slowly
transformed. Picture windmills, tidal turbines and solar
panels on rooftops dotting the European landscape, and
vast solar arrays with tens of thousands of panels that
have tracking technology to follow the sun.
Then add "smart" energy-efficient buildings that monitor
the temperature and sunlight to open and close window
panels and blinds automatically. Imagine harnessing the
body warmth of 250,000 daily commuters to produce heat for
a nearby office block, with high-speed trains circling it
all, linking major cities, whisking passengers in
carbon-friendly efficiency. All of these inventions and
more are becoming reality in Europe.
Europe leads the world in the production of wind power -
the US has less than half of Europe's wind capacity and
China barely a third. Solar power has also surged, with
photovoltaic capacity in the European Union growing at an
annual rate of 70 per cent. Other energy forms are being
developed, including geothermal, biomass and small-scale
hydro. Captain Nemo's dream of power from the sea has
taken the form of large cylindrical "sea snakes" bobbing
in the ocean, transforming wave motion into electric
power, as well as underwater "seamills" - turbines
churning in the currents, producing carbon-free power.
Renewable energy technologies have proliferated in Europe.
Energy companies are required to pay producers of wind and
solar power three times more per kilowatt than they pay
for conventional power. That has created economies of
scale allowing renewable technologies ?to expand. Most
European advances result from just better ways of boosting
conservation. Since the mid-1990s, all new construction
has had to meet requirements for energy efficiency,
incorporating green principles into everything from
building design to urban planning to low-flush toilets.
Buildings account for 50 to 70 per cent of total energy
use in today's cities, so EU directives pushing widespread
use of low wattage light bulbs, motion sensors that
automatically turn off lights and reductions in "standby
power" used by household appliances, have been important
tools in the battle to reduce energy use.
Europe also has been pioneering what is known as
"cogeneration," which recaptures the vast amounts of
wasted heat belched up a power plant's smokestack.
Millions of homes and buildings are warmed by recycled
heat transported in insulated pipes from power plants.
Recycled energy from cogeneration amounts to 40-50 percent
of all energy used in Denmark, the Netherlands and
Finland, and 20 per cent in Germany and Poland - but only
8 per cent in the United States.
The average American building uses roughly a third more
energy than its German counterpart. Improving energy
efficiency in buildings would translate to a whopping 25
per cent reduction in America's carbon emissions.
In the transportation sector, Europe is leading in the
development of mass public transit, high-speed trains and
fuel-efficient autos (including vehicles such as electric
plug-ins and hydrogen-fueled cars). It also encourages
bicycling and walking with thousands of kilometers of bike
and pedestrian paths.
For all these reasons, while the US has seen a 21 per cent
rise in oil consumption since 1980, most European
countries have seen significant drops. If the United
States matched Europe's energy productivity, Americans'
demand for oil would be cut by nearly 20 per cent - a huge
amount given that the US consumes about a quarter of the
world's total.
Europe has created hundreds of thousands of new "green
jobs," and green exports to global markets have increased,
showing that sound environmental policy does not have to
hurt the economy. Europe has set a course outlined by its
ambitious 20-20-20 Plan, with its goals of reducing carbon
emissions by 20 per cent and increasing use of renewables
to 20 per cent of the overall energy mix by 2020 (the US
generates only 6 per cent of electricity from renewables).
Certainly Europe has its energy challenges, many of them
stemming from the instability of Middle Eastern and
Russian energy sources. The current economic crisis adds
?an additional trial.
But Europeans have discovered what a previous generation
of American leaders once knew: that investment in
infrastructure pays dividends in multiple ways that pave
the way for the future.
Steven Hill is the author of Europe's Promise: Why the
European Way is the Best Hope in an Insecure Age
International
NATO setbacks in
Afghanistan as US summons commander
AFP, Kabul
NATO faced major setbacks in Afghanistan Tuesday as the
White House summoned US General Stanley McChrystal to
explain pointed criticism of the president and senior
advisers in a magazine interview.
In an extraordinary article published in Rolling Stone,
the commander of the 142,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan
was quoted as denouncing the US envoy in Kabul while his
aides dismissed President Barack Obama and mocked his
deputies.
Frictions are emerging in the more than 40-nation alliance
that is trying to put down a nearly nine-year Taliban
insurgency, with the British special envoy taking extended
leave and casualties mounting.
McChrystal, a widely respected former special operations
chief, has enjoyed mostly sympathetic US media coverage
since he took over the NATO-led force last year with a
mandate from Obama to launch a major anti-insurgency
offensive.
But the article appeared to catch him and his staff in
unguarded moments, forcing a swift apology from McChrystal.
"It was a mistake reflecting poor judgement and should
never have happened," he said in a statement. "I have
enormous respect and admiration for President Obama and
his national security team."
In the Rolling Stone profile, McChrystal joked
sarcastically about preparing to answer a question
referring to Vice President Joe Biden, known as a sceptic
of the commander's strategy of hurling thousands more
troops into the fray.
He imagined ways of "dismissing the vice president with a
good one-liner" and told the magazine that he felt
"betrayed" by the US ambassador to Kabul, Karl Eikenberry,
in a White House debate over war strategy last year.
Referring to a leaked internal memo from Eikenberry that
questioned McChrystal's request for more troops, the
commander suggested the ambassador had tried to protect
himself for history's sake.
A top US official told AFP that McChrystal had been
ordered to attend a meeting on Wednesday "to explain to
the Pentagon and the commander in chief his quotes in the
piece about his colleagues".
McChrystal normally appears at the monthly meeting on
Afghanistan and Pakistan via secure satellite
teleconference, but has this time been told to attend "in
person", the official said.
S Korea accuses N
Korea of ‘blackmail’
AFP, Seoul
South Korea's foreign minister accused North Korea Tuesday
of blackmailing the international community to avoid any
censure for the sinking of a South Korean warship in
March.
Tensions have risen sharply on the Korean peninsula since
the South accused the North of torpedoing the Cheonan, a
corvette destroyed near their disputed maritime border
with the loss of 46 lives.
Seoul has announced its own reprisals, including cutting
off most trade with the North, but is still pushing the UN
Security Council to censure Pyongyang for the attack.
Both China and Russia, two of the council's five
veto-wielding members, have yet to declare their support
for any censure of the North, which has vehemently denied
carrying out the attack. Foreign Minister Yu Myung-Hwan
told parliament that China and Russia were concerned about
the North's possible reaction to any UN moves "rather than
the truth" about the Cheonan.
Yu termed the North's rhetoric in response to accusations
that it sank the Cheonan, which included threats of
military reprisals, as "blackmail".
But he added that China and Russia would not want to be
"orphans" when the international community decides on its
response.
South Korea will continue efforts to win over China and
Russia, Yu said, adding that 58 countries have so far
condemned Pyongyang for the attack on the Cheonan and
expressed support for Seoul. He said Seoul would consider
discussing a resumption of six-party disarmament talks on
the North's nuclear programmes only after the North had
received a stern international response over the Cheonan
incident.
The North's ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun meanwhile
accused US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of what it
called "brigandish sophism" for describing Pyongyang as a
threat to world peace.
It said the United States was the party endangering peace
by planning naval exercises with the South at a time when
"an all-out war may break out any moment".
The commentary carried on the official news agency
referred to Clinton only as "Hillary".
Pakistan not bound by US
sanctions against Iran: Gilani
Dawn Online
Pakistan will go ahead with a plan to import natural gas
from Iran even if the US levies additional sanctions on
the country, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said.
Gilani's comments Tuesday come two days after the US
special envoy to Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, cautioned
Pakistan not to "over commit" itself to the deal because
it could run afoul of new sanctions against Iran.
The deal has been a constant source of tension between the
two countries, with Pakistan arguing that it is vital to
its ability to cope with an energy crisis and the US
stressing that it would undercut international pressure on
Iran over its nuclear program.
Gilani said Pakistan would reconsider the deal if it
violated UN sanctions, but the country was "not bound to
follow" unilateral US measures. He said media reports that
quoted him as saying that Pakistan would heed Holbrooke's
warning were incorrect.
The UN has levied four sets of sanctions against Iran for
failing to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that can
produce fuel for a nuclear weapon. The latest set of UN
sanctions was approved earlier this month.
The US has also applied a number of unilateral sanctions
against Iran, and Congress is currently finalising a new
set largely aimed at the country's petroleum industry.
Both houses have passed versions of the sanctions and are
working to reconcile their differences.
Pakistan and Iran finalised the gas deal earlier this
month. Under the contract, Iran will export 760 million
cubic feet of gas per day to Pakistan through a new
pipeline beginning in 2014.
The construction of the pipeline is estimated to cost some
$7 billion.While US officials have expressed opposition to
the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline deal, the issue is
complicated by Washington's reliance on Pakistan's
cooperation to fight al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
The US also acknowledges that Pakistan faces a severe
energy crisis and has made aid to the energy sector one of
its top development priorities. Electricity shortages in
Pakistan cause rolling blackouts that affect businesses
and intensify suffering during the hot summer months.
Malaysia and Singapore to
finalise land deal in September
AFP, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia and Singapore said Tuesday they expect to agree a
land swap deal in the next three months to resolve a
decades-old territorial problem. Visiting Singapore
Premier Lee Hsien Loong said both countries would finalise
the deal as part of an agreement to relocate a railway
station from downtown Singapore to the border with
Malaysia by 2011.
"We look forward to settling the matter in three months,
it's something we want to clear expeditiously," he told
reporters.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said his country was
looking to resolve the long-standing dispute quickly and
that he would be going down to Singapore for a "final
resolution" on the issue.
Singapore was ejected from the Malaysian federation in
1965, but Malaysia still occupies railway land in
Singapore leading to Malaysian territory, including the
station on the fringes of Singapore's banking district.
Under the latest plan, Malaysia's state railway-KTM-will
move its Singapore terminal to an industrial zone just
across a narrow strait from southern Malaysia's Johore
state by July 1, 2011.
Last month, the two leaders announced plans to jointly
redevelop the railway's valuable real estate in the
city-state, and Lee's visit to Kuala Lumpur Tuesday was to
provide a proposal for swapping the railway land for other
choice parcels.
"The overall concept is to swap the three plus three
pieces of the (Malaysian railway) land with parcels of
land in Marina South and or (the) Ophir-Rochor (area),"
Lee added.
A company to be known as M-S Pte Ltd will be set up to
take ownership of the vacated area, with 60 percent of the
equity held by Malaysian investment agency Khazanah
Nasional Berhad and 40 percent by Singapore's Temasek
Holdings.
Dow Chemical rejects blame
for India's Bhopal tragedy
AFP, New Delhi
US group Dow Chemical said efforts to tie it to the 1984
Bhopal gas disaster were "misdirected" amid media reports
the Indian government will try to extract compensation
from the company.
Dow bought Union Carbide in 1999, whose local
51-percent-owned Indian unit was responsible for the
catastrophic gas leak that killed thousands instantly and
tens of thousands over the following years.
Union Carbide struck a 470-million-dollar out-of-court
settlement with the Indian government in 1989, which
absolved it of further responsibility for the medical
costs or clean-up of the polluted site.
"There are some who continue to try to affix
responsibility for the Bhopal tragedy to Dow, but the fact
is that Dow never owned, operated, nor inherited the
facility in Bhopal," company spokesman Scot Wheeler said
in an email to AFP Monday. He said efforts to attach
responsibility to Dow "are misdirected" given that Union
Carbide had sold its Indian unit at the time of its
takeover by Dow.
A panel of senior Indian ministers on Monday finalised its
recommendations for fresh action over the Bhopal tragedy
after an upsurge in public anger over the case.
The impetus came from the first convictions earlier this
month of the local managers held responsible for the leak,
which focused attention on the government's much-criticised
handling of the disaster.
The ministers' recommendations include pursuing the
fugitive American former chief executive of Union Carbide,
who is retired in the United States but wanted in India,
as well as increasing compensation for victims.
Local media reports say the government will continue to
pursue Dow in court for compensation as the owner of Union
Carbide, and will also challenge a Supreme Court ruling
that downgraded the charges faced by the managers. "We do
have sympathy for the plight of those who are victims of
the tragedy and its aftermath and we would all agree that
their issues do need to be addressed," Wheeler added.
"The solution to this problem, however, rests in the hands
of the Indian central and state governments."
Indonesian court jails
militants over hotel bombings
AFP, Jakarta
An Indonesian court on Tuesday jailed two Islamic
militants for their involvement in suicide bomb attacks on
two luxury hotels in Jakarta last year that left seven
people dead.
Supono, alias Kedu, was sentenced to six years while
Rohmat Puji Prabowo, alias Bejo, was given seven years and
six months in separate trials at the South Jakarta
district court. Supono, 34, was involved in transporting
late terror leader Noordin Mohammed Top to Jakarta to
carry out the July attacks on the JW Marriott and
Ritz-Carlton hotels, said chief judge Kusno.
Noordin was killed in a police raid in September, ending
one of Southeast Asia's biggest manhunts.
Supono also took part in preparations for a plot to attack
the convoy of Indonesian president Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono, the judge added.
"He provided a pickup vehicle to be used for the plot,"
the judge said. Outside court, Supono told reporters:
"Actually I only accept punishment from God. This
punishment came from a human being." In a separate
hearing, Rohmat Puji Prabowo, 34, was jailed for hiding
with Noordin in the wake of the bombings in a house in
Solo, Central Java.
"He stayed there with Noordin for six days," said chief
judge Syamsudin. The judge said the defendant had also
gone to Jakarta with Noordin with explosives used in the
bombings.
Police patrol as slain Thai
protest leader mourned
AP, Bangkok
Security forces converged on a Buddhist temple in
Thailand's capital where thousands of mourners were
expected to pay their final respects Tuesday to a renegade
general assassinated at the height of last month's
anti-government protests.
Police feared the cremation of Maj. Gen. Khattiya
Sawasdiphol, shot in the head by a sniper while giving
interviews to foreign journalists, would draw Red Shirt
opposition supporters from across the country.
"The funeral is a time for mourning, but it's also a time
to show solidarity," said Pongsak Phusitsakul, a
provincial protest leader who planned to attend with other
Red Shirts from his province.
The Red Shirts staged ten weeks of protests during which
nearly 90 people were killed - most of them protesters
shot by soldiers - and more than 1,400 injured before
security forces drove them from the enclave in downtown
Bangkok they had occupied. The protesters were demanding
that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva - who they see as
illegitimate because his party did not win the last
elections - dissolve Parliament and call early elections.
Khattiya, better known as "Seh Daeng," was singled out by
the government as the leader of a militant wing of the Red
Shirts and a key organizer of rudimentary bamboo-and-tire
defenses around the area they occupied.
His slaying on March 13 enraged the protesters and led to
a final showdown with army troops six days later.
The government claimed that the use of force was necessary
to combat so-called "men in black," armed Red Shirts
security believed to be trained by Khattiya.
Boat capsizes off Malaysia;
1 dead, 14 missing
AP, Kuala Lumpur
A boat carrying suspected illegal immigrants from
Indonesia to Malaysia capsized Tuesday leaving one woman
dead and 14 other people missing.
Authorities rescued seven other Indonesians and were
searching for the missing, said Baljeet Singh, a district
police chief in southern Negeri Sembilan state. Rizal
Ramli, the state's marine police chief, said all the
passengers were believed to be Indonesian illegal
immigrants trying to enter Malaysia. Dozens of Indonesians
and illegal immigrants of other nationalities have died in
boat accidents in recent years while traveling between
peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia's Sumatra island, which
are separated by the Malacca Strait, with a reputation for
rough seas. Most of the boats are overcrowded and rickety.
Ban
on two UN inspectors is ‘notice’ to IAEA chief: Iran
AFP, Tehran
Iran said on Tuesday its barring of two nuclear inspectors
serves as "notice" to the head of the UN atomic agency but
added Tehran was ready for talks with the IAEA as
suggested by France.
"This action (banning the inspectors from entering Iran)
is in reality a regulatory notice to (Yukiya) Amano to be
careful so that the agency's inspectors do not violate the
international entity's charter," Foreign Minister
Manouchehr Mottaki said, quoted by the official news
agency IRNA.
"Amano should manage the agency professionally," he said,
referring to the chief of the UN atomic watchdog, the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
On Monday, Iran announced it was barring two IAEA
inspectors from entering the country, accusing them of
filing a "false report" and "leaking information" about
Tehran's nuclear programme which the West suspects masks a
weapons drive.
The Islamic republic says its nuclear programme is purely
for peaceful purposes.
Iran's atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi said Tehran told the
IAEA at its latest meeting that the inspectors had filed a
"totally wrong report" and called for them to be replaced
by two other inspectors for visits to the country.
Iran's arch-foe Washington quickly criticised Tehran,
saying the ban on the inspectors was "symptomatic of its
longstanding practice of intimidating inspectors."
"Reducing cooperation with the IAEA will only deepen the
world's concern with respect to its nuclear programme,"
State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said in
Washington.
The ban on inspectors came less than a fortnight after the
UN Security Council imposed new sanctions against Iran
after a resolution sponsored by the United States.
Top US lawmakers further pressured Iran on Monday as they
reached a deal on a series of unilateral punitive measures
against Tehran, separate from the UN sanctions.
The US legislation targets firms that provide Iran with
refined petroleum products-like gasoline or jet fuel.
Oil-rich Iran relies heavily on imports of petroleum
products because of a lack of domestic refining
capability.
The European Union too has imposed separate sanctions
against Iran.
But French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose government
backed the UN sanctions, has offered to hold talks with
Iran at the IAEA over its atomic programme, including a
proposed nuclear fuel swap deal.Mottaki, in a state
television interview reported by IRNA, welcomed Sarkozy's
offer."We believe there are serious signs that France is
willing to conduct an independent action," Mottaki said.
Bomb kills five in
Istanbul as Kurdish violence flares
AFP, Istanbul
A roadside bomb blew up a bus carrying military families
in Istanbul, killing four soldiers and a girl, as Kurdish
rebels stepped up their separatist attacks.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed the blast on
the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which had
threatened to spread violence to urban areas after a
string of bloody attacks on the army in the southeast.
"The terrorist organisation knows very well that it will
not get anywhere with such attacks... This is a dead end,"
Erdogan said in parliament in Ankara.
There was no formal claim of responsibility for the bus
bombing and nobody was immediately detained, officials
said. The bus, carrying soldiers and their families, was
passing through Halkali, a suburb on Istanbul's European
side home to military lodgings, when the bomb went off
early Tuesday.
"This is a terrorist attack," Istanbul Governor Huseyin
Avni Mutlu told reporters. "According to initial
information, it was a remote-control bomb planted at the
side of the road."
The governor said the blast killed three soldiers, on
their way to work at the headquarters of Istanbul's
paramilitary police, and a 17-year-old girl, the daughter
of an officer, and wounded 12 people, two of them
seriously.
The death toll reached five later Tuesday as a soldier
succumbed to his injuries in hospital, Anatolia news
agency reported.
The Turkish army meanwhile said seven PKK militants were
killed overnight in two separate clashes.
Five were shot dead after they attacked a gendarme station
in southeast Turkey, killing one soldier. Two others were
killed in a security operation in the northwest.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of
the international community, threatened attacks in Turkish
cities as it killed 12 soldiers over the weekend.
Most of the troops died when dozens of rebels attacked a
border unit at the Iraqi frontier, prompting a Turkish air
raid on PKK hideouts in northern Iraq, where the rebels
have long taken refuge.
Angry protesters
confront Kyrgyzstan’s interim leader
AFP, Nookat
Angry protesters confronted Kyrgyzstan's interim leader
Roza Otunbayeva Tuesday as authorities pushed forward with
plans for a constitutional referendum despite deadly
ethnic clashes.
Authorities also announced they were moving parliamentary
elections forward by a month to September in order to
bring in a legitimate government as quickly as possible
after the regime of former president Kurmanbek Bakiyev was
ousted in riots in April. About 1,000 furious
demonstrators greeted Otunbayeva with boos and shouts as
she emerged from an administrative building in the
southern town of Nookat, where she had met with local
leaders and residents to discuss plans for the vote.
Otunbayeva has insisted the vote on a new constitution, to
be held Sunday, is essential to ensuring stability in the
Central Asian country, which was rocked by ethnic clashes
this month between the Kyrgyz majority and Uzbek minority
that may have killed up to 2,000 people.
Otunbayeva was rushed by security guards to a waiting car
after being confronted by protesters and she refused to
make any comments to journalists.
Protesters said they were angry over falling living
standards since the interim government took power and were
demanding elections instead of the referendum.
"Since the provisional government came to power the prices
for everything have gone up, for butter, for flour, for
petrol. We are not living like normal people, we are
living very, very badly," said protester Abdi Altbayev,
67.
"We want a real election to be held, not a referendum, but
a presidential election so we can choose a legitimate
government," he said.
Authorities dismissed the protest as a "provocation"
organised by forces seeking to sow unrest.
"This was a provocation by forces who want to destabilise
the situation in the region," a government spokesman told
AFP.
The government said Tuesday it was moving the date of
planned parliamentary elections from October to September
in a bid to ease tensions. "The parliamentary elections in
Kyrgyzstan will be held not in October but in the first 10
days of September," the deputy head of the interim
government, Omurbek Tekebayev, said on national
television.
General apologizes for
remarks criticizing Obama, officials
AFP, Washington
The US commander in Afghanistan apologized for a magazine
profile that quotes him denouncing a top diplomat while
his aides dismiss President Barack Obama and mock his
deputies.
Tensions between General Stanley McChrystal and the White
House are on full display in the unflattering article in
Rolling Stone, although the general said in a statement
late Monday that it was all a mistake.
"I extend my sincerest apology for this profile,"
McChrystal said in a statement issued hours after the
article entitled "The Runaway General" was released
Monday.
"It was a mistake reflecting poor judgment and should
never have happened."
McChrystal, a former special operations chief, usually
speaks cautiously in public and has enjoyed mostly
sympathetic US media coverage since he took over the
NATO-led force last year.
But the Rolling Stone article appeared to catch him and
his staff in unguarded moments.
In the profile, McChrystal jokes sarcastically about
preparing to answer a question referring to Vice President
Joe Biden, known as a skeptic of the commander's war
strategy and imagined ways of "dismissing the vice
president with a good one-liner."
"'Are you asking about Vice President Biden?' McChrystal
says with a laugh. 'Who's that?'" the article quotes him
as saying.
"'Biden?' suggests a top adviser. 'Did you say: Bite Me?'"
An unnamed adviser to McChrystal also says in the article
that the general came away unimpressed after meeting with
Obama in the Oval Office a year ago.
US urges firms to step away
from Iran
AFP, Washington
The US government urged private companies to go beyond
official sanctions and trim back questionable ties with
Iran Tuesday, as Washington eyed additional sanctions
against the Islamic republic.
A senior Treasury official said firms that decided not to
trade with government-linked Iranian companies had played
an "extremely important" role in building pressure against
Tehran, which is suspected of trying to build a nuclear
bomb.
"Voluntary actions of the private sector amplify the
effectiveness of government-imposed measures," said Stuart
Levy, the top Treasury official dealing with sanctions, in
prepared testimony for Congress.
Top US lawmakers are currently crafting Iran sanctions
aimed at piling pressure on Tehran, measures that could be
adopted as soon as this week.
The bill would target non-US firms that sell goods,
services or know-how to Iran that help the Islamic
republic develop its energy sector, including insurance,
financing and shipping companies.
It would also enable US states and local governments to
divest from foreign firms engaged in Iran's energy sector,
and would tighten the existing US trade embargo on Iranian
goods by curbing the number of exempted products.
Levy continued to emphasize the role played by private
companies in ramping up pressure on Iran.
"Once some of the private sector decide to cut off ties to
Iran, it becomes an even greater reputational risk for
others not to follow, and so often they do.
"Such voluntary reductions in ties to Iran, beyond the
requirements of the UN and US sanctions programs, in turn
makes it even more palatable for foreign governments to
impose restrictive measures because their countries'
commercial interests are reduced."
The strategy is one that is proving very successful for
the US government, according to Patrick Clawson of the
Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
East Jerusalem park plan
comes under fire
AFP, Jerusalem
A plan to raze 22 Arab homes to make way for an
archaeological park in east Jerusalem drew fire from all
sides on Tuesday, with the Palestinians calling it a
provocation and Israel's defence minister lamenting its
timing.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas urged Washington to
intervene to block the project which the Jerusalem
municipality approved on Monday.
The US administration, meanwhile, said the move
"undermines trust" and could hinder the indirect
negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians that
started in May.
Even Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak was critical of
the move, which could prove embarrassing for hawkish Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu coming just two weeks before
he is due to hold talks with US President Barak Obama.
Israeli relations with the United States plummeted in
March when the municipality announced during a visit by US
Vice President Joe Biden that it planned to build 1,600
homes for Jewish settlers in Arab east Jerusalem.
"This can't stand," Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb
Erakat told AFP in Amman, where Abbas was to meet Jordan's
King Abdullah II with the park project high on their
agenda.
"I have conveyed a message from president Mahmud Abbas to
the American administration this morning, urging their
direct intervention to revoke this Israeli order," he
said.
Barak, who was in Washington for talks with US officials,
also criticised the announcement, though his remarks
focused on the timing rather than the substance of the
decision.
"Jerusalem municipality and the (planning and building)
committee are not demonstrating any common sense or any
sense of timing-and it is not the first time," Barak said
a statement released by his office.
In March, Netanyahu asked the city to delay the project to
avoid sparking conflict in Jerusalem and further straining
ties with Washington.
But the city's planning and building committee on Monday
approved the so-called Gan Hamelech (King's Garden)
project, the Hebrew name for the area outside Jerusalem's
Old City known as Al-Bustan to its mostly Arab residents.
Under the plan, 22 homes will be razed, while another 66
would be legalised. The 88 homes all had been slated for
demolition because they were built without Israeli
permits.
A mother's tale, as Britain
marks grim Afghan milestone
AFP, Bromyard
Sitting in the sun in her garden in this town in central
England, Lucy Aldridge seems a long way from the dust of
Sangin.
Yet, as Britain passed the grim milestone of its 300th
military death in Afghanistan this week, the memories of
the young son she calls her hero are always with her.
Killed last summer just six weeks after he turned 18,
Rifleman William Aldridge was the youngest British soldier
to have died in the conflict since the US-led invasion in
the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
"He deployed three days after his eighteenth birthday and
was actually fiercely proud of being one of the youngest
serving in Helmand, if not the youngest," she told AFP.
"He was a career soldier-he knew where he wanted to go. He
had aspirations to join the SAS (Special Air Service) and
was determined to get there and I believe he would have
done.
"I was at home with my youngest child who was four when
two people dressed in plain clothes-a gentleman and a
lady-knocked at the door.
"Before they even showed their military ID I knew why
they'd come."
Aldridge died near Sangin in a series of Taliban bombs
that killed four other soldiers from 2nd Battalion The
Rifles as he tried to save his colleagues.
Nearly a year on, his mother wonders just how much longer
the conflict can go on.
"I'm just absolutely devastated that there is now this 300
milestone and that another young man has earned himself a
label. My thoughts are completely with his family and his
comrades," she said.
Business/Economy
FBCCI
for withdrawal of budget proposal reducing PSI item list
UNB, Dhaka
The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (FBCCI) has urged the government to withdraw the
proposal for reducing the Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI)
product list in the budget for fiscal 2010-11.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith in the next year's budget
proposed to reduce the PSI item list to enhance the
capacity of Customs department of the National Board of
Revenue (NBR) towards scrapping the PSI system in the near
future. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the outgoing
Vice-President of FBCCI Abul Kashem has requested the
government to withdraw the Finance Minister's proposal for
protecting the local industry and enhancing the revenue
earnings. The apex chamber body also sent a copy of the
letter to the Finance Minister.
Talking to UNB over telephone on Tuesday afternoon, FBCCI
Vice-President Abul Kashem talking said he has sent the
request to the highest authority of the government for the
interest of the country and as well as the revenue
earnings. "All the businessmen, except some dishonest
ones, want continuation of the PSI system," he said. In
this connection, he said: "Some C&F agents in Chittagong
are against the PSI system to continue their tax evasion.
Some dishonest Customs officials also support their
demand."
The letter, sent by the FBCCI Vice-President on June 17,
said the local industry would be hard hit if any abrupt
reduction of about 2500 products from the mandatory PSI
product list takes place as per the measure proposed in
the next budget. "The revenue earnings of the government
would also be affected as the proposed reduction measure
will pave the way for massive under- valuation," it said.
Presently, compulsory PSI is applicable to 4285 items. The
major items, falling under nearly 2500 items that have
been proposed to be withdrawn from the compulsory PSI
system, include industrial raw materials, milk food,
refrigerator, telecommunication equipments and electrical
items. The letter said: "Customs Department is yet to
build up their capacity and attain the required efficiency
to handle the load of valuation and inspection of imported
goods under a PSI-free regime."
Quoting a recent report of a Task Force of the NBR on PSI,
the letter said the report categorically mentioned to
continue the PSI scheme until the Customs Department
builds up their capacity at a satisfactory level.
Local
steel makers want to emerge as steel exporters to India's
Seven Sisters
UNB, Dhaka
The local steel manufacturers want to emerge as steel
exporters to neighbouring India, subject to receiving the
policy support of the government.
They claimed that presently they are utilizing just half
of their production capacity due to limited demand in the
local market.
About 300 steel and re-rolling mills are now in operation
across the country. Of those, some auto-steel mills were
set up in the country in recent years with world-class
automated and computerised machines which produce very
quality steel products.
All these auto and non-auto mills together can produce
about 4.4 million metric tons of MS (mild steel) products.
But the domestic demand is about 2.2 million tons a year.
"We're now producing 50 per cent against our actual
capacity," said Abul Quasem Majumder, general secretary of
the newly formed Bangladesh Auto Steel and Re-rolling
Mills Association (BASRM).
Steel mill industry sources, however, said some of the
mills utilise 100 per cent of their capacity and they
export their products to the seven sisters of the
neighbouring country through unofficial channels.
They noted that there is a huge growing market of steel
products, particularly MS rod, in the seven sisters- Assam
, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and
Arunachal. "But, as the duty structure is very high for
steel products to enter India, some manufacturers pursue
the unofficial channels to send their products to the
north-eastern and eastern regions of the neighbouring
country," said a steel manufacturer on condition of
anonymity.
He informed that the market operators in the seven sisters
prefer Bangladeshi products because of their cheaper price
compared to Indian products.
Britain cuts
spending, hikes taxes in emergency budget
AFP, London
Britain on Tuesday launched an assualt on its mountain of
debt as its new coalition government set out plans to
raise taxes and slash public spending by 17 billion pounds
(25 billion dollars).
Finance minister George Osborne announced that he would
slap a levy on banks, ramp up taxation on goods and
services, freeze public sector pay and slash benefits
spending in an attempt to curb the huge public deficit.
"This emergency budget deals decisively with our country's
record debts. It pays for the past and it plans for the
future," said the chancellor of the exchequer, a key
member of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.
"Yes, it is tough, but it is also fair," he told
parliament.
He added: "Because the structural deficit is worse than we
were told, my budget today implies further reductions in
departmental spending of 17 billion pounds by 2014-15."
Osborne said that the structural deficit-the level of
borrowing which can only be cut by tax hikes and spending
cuts-would be eliminated within five years.
"We are on track to have debt falling and a balanced
structural current budget by the end of this parliament"
in 2014-15, he added.
Value-added tax (VAT) on goods and services would be
lifted to 20 percent from the current level of 17.5
percent in January 2011, Osborne announced.
"The years of debt and spending made this unavoidable.
This single tax measure will generate 13 billion pounds of
extra revenues," he said. The lion's share -- 77
percent-of the deficit reduction measures will stem from
lower spending, with the remainder coming from higher
taxes.
The government will meanwhile freeze public-sector pay for
two years, and slash child and housing benefits.
World stocks
drop, all eyes on British budget
AFP, London
Global equities slid on Tuesday, as investors took
profits, awaited an austerity budget from Britain's new
coalition government and absorbed downbeat news on the
eurozone debt crisis.
Markets had staged a strong rally on Monday after China
decided to relax constraints on the yuan, in a surprise
move analysts viewed as an attempt to defuse tension
before a crucial G20 summit this weekend.
The London stock market sank 1.04 percent before an
emergency budget from British finance minister George
Osborne at 1130 GMT.
The British pound fell to 1.4703 dollars from 1.4757 late
in New York on Monday. The euro rose to 0.8352 pounds from
0.8345.
Osborne, expected to announce the heaviest cuts in public
spending for decades along with big tax rises to slash a
huge public deficit, was quoted by a spokesman as saying
he intended to balance the nation's books within five
years. "All eyes will be on the coalition's emer-gency
budget-the market will be reacting to the severity of the
spending cuts and tax increases," said Spreadex trader Sam
Wright.
Japan hikes
growth forecast, sets debt-cutting targets
AFP, Tokyo
Japan Tuesday forecast its economy would grow at the
fastest rate in a decade this fiscal year and adopted a
long-term overhaul to slash the highest levels of debt in
the industrialised world.
The Cabinet Office said it expects the economy to grow
around 2.6 percent for the year to March 2011, from an
earlier projection of 1.4 percent.
If realised, the growth would be the highest since fiscal
2000, when the world's second largest economy also
expanded by 2.6 percent, according to official data.
The government hopes that such growth will provide a
platform for its long-term fiscal management policy that
aims to achieve a primary balance surplus in fiscal 2020,
but it has also indicated looming tax increases.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan's new administration hopes to
revive confidence in Japan by introducing a new era of
fiscal discipline and beginning work on reducing the
industrialised world's biggest public debt mountain.
"I'm confident we can win the confidence of the markets"
with this plan, said economy and consumer affairs minister
Satoshi Arai.
National
Major rivers, tributaries continue
rising at most places in N-dists
BSS, Rangpur
The major rivers and tributaries marked further rises
following huge onrush of hilly waters from the upper
catchments amid moderate to heavy rains in the northern
districts during the past 24 hours till this morning,
officials said.
However, there is no flood situation anywhere in all 16
northern districts under Rangpur and Rajshahi divisions
and sporadic incidents of river erosion situation are
still remaining along the Brahmaputra and Ganges basins.
Only a very few areas of the low-lying char villages in
the remotest areas in Kurigram, Nilphamari and Gaibandha
districts are slowly becoming partially marooned due to
rises in the water levels and heavy rains, locals said.
The Teesta rose by 15cm during the period and was flowing
143cm below its danger mark (DM) at Kawnia while it fell
by 5cm to flow 25cm below the DM at Dimla of Nilphamari at
6am today, officials in the Water Development Board (WDB)
said.
Reports reaching here say that the recent flood waters of
the Teesta have already been receded from the low-lying
char areas in Dimla, Domar, Jaldhaka, Hatibandha, Kaliganj,
Aditmari and Gangachara upazilas in Nilphamari,
Lalmonirhat and Rangpur.
The WDB sources said that quantum of onrushing waters from
the upper catchments is still on the rise following
moderate to heavy showers reported from the upstream and
in the downstream in recent days in the region.
However, there are less possibilities of deterioration of
the situation and the WDB and district administrations are
continuously monitoring the situation everywhere and
taking all necessary precautionary measures at this moment
in the area, the officials said.
Scattered erosion was reported from several areas
throughout the courses of the Teesta, Brahmaputra, Jamuna
and Dharla rivers where some riverside lands were devoured
in the rivers during the past four days, local sources
said. During the past 24 hours till 6am today, the WDB
recorded 73mm at Chilmari, 53mm at Kurigram, 102mm at
Rangpur and 42.2mm at Dinajpur points in the region.
Besides, during the previous 48 hours till 6am Sunday, WDB
recorded 50.2mm rainfalls at Kurigram, 19mm at Kawnia,
54mm at Rangpur, 132.4mm at Chilmari, 145mm at Dalia, 88mm
at Panchagarh, 66mm at Chilmari and 55.5mm at Sirajganj.
The Brahmaputra rose by 1cm during the period and was
flowing at 22.89m, which was 111cm below its DM at
Chilmari point in Kurigram at 6 am today. The same river
also marked rise by 4cm and was flowing at 24.73m, which
was 252cm below its DM at Noonkhawa point in Kurigram this
morning. The Dharla marked a fall by 17cm during the
period and was flowing at 25.43m at Kurigram point this
morning, which was 107cm below its DM today. The Karatoa
rose by 18cm at Chak Rahimpur during the period and was
flowing 346cm below its DM there and the Punorvaba rose by
23cm to flow 294cm below the DM at Dinajpur point at 6 am
on Tuesday.
The Jamuna marked rises by 11cm and 6cm at Bahadurabad and
Sirajganj points during the period and the rivers were
flowing 95cm and 108cm below its respective DM at these
points at 6 am this morning. The Jamuna by 67cm to flow
422cm below its DM at Naogaon and the Atrai rose by 84cm
to flow 305cm below the DM at Mohadebpur points this
morning.
Maximum utilization of ICT can ensure building digital BD:
speakers
BSS, Rangpur
Speakers at a seminar at Nababganj on Monday said building
of a medium income developed digital Bangladesh would be
possible through ensuring maximum utilization of
information communication technology (ICT).
They said dreams of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to build an economically developed
Bangladesh would be possible through implementation of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDG) using the ICT at the
local levels.
They put special emphasis on implementation of locally
planned need-based programmes through locally monitored,
supervised, directed and accountable management to ensure
the people's long- cherished developments.
UNO of Nababganj upazila in Dinajpur Abdul Motaleb Sarker
chaired the seminar titled 'Digital Bangladesh: Our Roles'
at Nababganj upazila parishad auditorium in Dinajpur
district and Principal Sohrab Hossain attended it as the
chief guest.
Union chairman Nazmul Haque, General Secretary of
Nababganj Thana unit of Awami League (AL) Sana Ullah,
Upazila Agriculture Officer Solaiman Ali, Nababganj
upazila vice-chairman Shah Alamgir, addressed among
others.
Government and NGO officials, political leaders and
activists, teachers, students, academicians, public
representatives, women community leaders, professionals,
civil society members, journalists, religious leaders and
elite took part in the function.
The speakers said the present government has been working
successfully for building a digital Bangladesh and has
already implemented a large number of its pre-election
pledges.
They also urged all to work unitedly in turning Bangladesh
into a middle income nation by the year 2021 through
realizing the digital Bangladesh and Vision-2021
programmes as envisioned by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Education and Information Technology Festival begins
BSS, Gaibandha
A three-day Education and Information Technology Festival
began in the district on Monday aimed at building digital
BangladeshTo celebrate the festival, Gana Unnayan Kendra (GUK)
and Udayan Shwabalambee Sangstha (USS) have arranged the
elaborate programmes.
The programmes include colorful rally, computer training,
motivational campaign, discussion meeting and cultural
function in cooperation with D-net.
A workshop on 'E-education' at the self initiative of
District Education Office was also held marking the
festival at the training centre of GUK at Nashratpur under
Sadar upazila in the district on June 21 in cooperation
with Gaibandha Govt. Girls High School, GUK and USS while
D-net and Intel patronized it. Additional Deputy
Commissioner (General) Ranjit Kumar Das attended the
function and addressed it as the chief guest.
With District Education Officer (DEO) M. Azahar Ali in the
chair, the ceremony was also addressed, among others, by
Vice Principal Mazharul Mannan, Chief Executive of GUK M.
Abdus Salam, Executive Director of USS M. Shahadat Hossain
Mondal, Joint Director of D-net Mahmud Hasan, Program
Manager of Intel Akhter Ahmed and Journalist Abu Zafar
Sabu.
The speakers in their speeches said there is no
alternative to e- education and information technology to
face the challenges of 21st century and to build digital
Bangladesh as per vision 2021 of the government and urged
all to receive e-education to attain the desired goal.
318 poor women get goats from VGDP in Gaibandha
BSS, Gaibandha
A total of 318 poor women of Sundarganj upazila in the
district got goats and related materials from a programme
of Vulnerable Group Development for Poor (VGDP) funded by
European Union and Department of Women Affairs of the
government.
Resource Integration Centre (RIC), a reputed organization,
which is implementing the programme in the upazila of the
district from January, 2009 in partnership with
Association for Social Organization and Development and
Uttara Development Programme Society, has formally
distributed the goats, sheds, feed and vaccines worth of
TK 7500 to the beneficiaries each out of targeted 1100
till May, 2010 through upazila chairman and upazila
Nirbahi officer.
Earlier, the beneficiaries were also imparted need base
training on goat rearing in different batches at the
initiative of the organization to make it a success, said
M. Jahangir Alam, district project manager of RIC.
Project coordinator Dino Bandhu Dutta told BSS that
poultry birds, sheds, feed, and vaccines worth of Tk 7500
would be distributed to each of the 1098 poor of the
upazila under this programme after imparting them training
on chicken rearing to alleviate their poverty through
involving them in income generating activities (IGAs).
Bidi workers put
highway blockade demanding tax-removal on Bidi
BSS, Rangpur
Hundreds of Bidi workers have been demonstrating their
grievances in recent times in Rangpur for realization of
their four-point demand including complete removal of
taxes from the Bidi sector.
As a part of their programmes, the Bidi workers including
women put a road blockade at Modern Mour on the Rangpur-Dhaka
highway Sunday that snapped communications of the seven
northern districts with Dhaka for two hours. During the
programme, Vice-President of Bangladesh Bidi Sramik
Federation and President of Rangpur Bidi Sramik Union
Abdul Matin, its General; Secretary Amin Uddin B.Sc,
addressed among others. Former President of Rangpur
district unit of Jatiyo party and former MP Alhaj Moshiur
Rahman Ranga also addressed the programme supporting the
four-point demand of the Bidi workers.
The speakers said that there might be some vested quarters
behind imposing of the abnormal taxes on the Bidi sector
as a part the conspiracies being hatched against the
country's Bidi industry.
The 'conspiracies' are going on to destroy the Bidi
industry where 25 lakh poor workers, including 18 lakh
women, are engaged for their livelihood in 105 Bidi
factories across the country, are now facing threat of
becoming totally jobless, they said. They alleged that the
vested quarters have engaged a section of NGOs in this
respect and demanded complete removal of the proposed
taxes on the Bidi sector considering livelihoods of
thousands of Bidi workers in the country. They urged the
government to enlist Bidi industries as handloom
industries, complete removal of taxes from the Bidi with
filters during this current national budget sessions and
taking steps for brining uniform competitions between the
Bidi and Cigarette sectors.
Three killed in separate incidents in Rangpur
BSS, Rangpur
Three persons, including a young girl, were killed in two
separate incidents at different places in the district
during the past 24 hours till last night, police sources
said.
Masuma Begum, 15, daughter of Mostafizur Rahman of village
Darirampur under Kishoreganj upazila in Nilphamari
district allegedly took poison following misunderstanding
with her parents at home. She was rushed to Rangpur
Medical College Hospital (RMCH) in a critical condition
where she died last night.
Youth Nikhil Chandra Barman, 25, son of Kamini Chandra
Barman of Matiapara area under Sadar upazila in Rangpur,
allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at
Nababganj Bazaar in the city.
One unidentified driver of a trolley was killed on the
spot when a minibus hit his vehicle at a place near
Mahiganj area on the Rangpur-Kurigram highway in the
outskirts of the city on Monday.
Separate unnatural death cases were filed in these
connections with the respective police stations, the
sources said.
Sports
Villa double seals Spain’s win over
Honduras
AFP, Johannesburg
Goals either side of half-time by Barcelona's new signing
David Villa saw Spain beat Honduras 2-0 in their Group H clash
at Ellis Park on Monday to put their World Cup back on track.
After losing their opening game 1-0 to Switzerland, the easy
victory puts Spain on course to reach the last 16, providing
Vicente Del Bosque's side can beat Chile on Friday. Honduras
rarely threatened the Euro 2008 winners and after their second
defeat are out of contention, while Spain will need to produce
a more convincing display if they are to progress far in the
tournament. "The important thing was to win this match and we
did it. We created lots of chances which we didn't make the
most of. Now we have to prepare for a big pressure match
against Chile," said Del Bosque.
"But these players are used to dealing with pressure. For them
it's another match in a very busy season." Honduras coach
Reinaldo Rueda said his players were too much in awe of the
European champions. "We had too much respect for them
especially at the start of the game," he said. The Central
American minnows looked pedestrian while Spain attacked in
waves as Villa's brilliance shone for his goals on 17 and 51
minutes, but he wasted the chance to complete his hat-trick
when he missed a second-half penalty.
The 28-year-old gave a glimpse of what was to come when he
rattled the crossbar on seven minutes from 30 metres out.
"Our defeat to Switz-erland is water under the bridge now,
there is no sense in looking back," said man-of-the-match
Villa, who was asked if Spain can win the World Cup.
England
facing World Cup D-Day
AFP, Port Elizabeth
England, with John Terry's mutiny quelled, take on Slovenia
here Wednesday knowing they must raise their game considerably
or face the ignominy of crashing out of the World Cup at the
group stages for the first time since 1958.
The opening 1-1 draw with the United States and the
uninspiring goalless stalemate with Algeria has left a team
hyped up as one of the pre-tournament favourites with little
room for manoeuvre. Three points against Slovenia will ensure
England progress to the last 16 and a possible date with
Germany.
Defeat and they will be heading for the airport, while a draw
will leave their fate hanging on the result of the United
States v Algeria game being played simultaneously in Pretoria.
The build-up to this defining moment for England and Fabio
Capello, who is widely expected to resign should they lose,
has been overshadowed by Terry's abortive challenge to the
Italian's iron-fist reign.
While the former skipper will start against Slovenia, Capello
has left no doubt that he was enraged by the Chelsea
defender's public comments of discord in the England camp.
Capello responded by demanding a "big performance" from Terry
to make up for for the player's "big mistake".
Terry's Chelsea and England teammate Frank Lampard insists
that media talk of a crisis meeting between the players and
Capello were over-hyped.
"I've not read the reports but from what I hear, I think it
has been completely overdone in terms of crisis meeting and
things like that," Lampard said, adding the players had sat
through a video of their last match.
"The Algeria game had to be addressed and it was not nice
viewing," he admitted. Underperforming Wayne Rooney, Steven
Gerrard and co. left the pitch in Cape Town on Friday night
with boos from a section of their fans ringing in their ears -
a sound even less appealing than the drone of the vuvuzela.
Capello says he is "mystified" at the gulf between England's
polished displays in qualifying and training and their
toothless performances in Group C.
Yet as they approach this defining moment England can take
heart from history.
In 1990 the Three Lions found themselves in a similar
predicament.
Under then manager Bobby Robson they had opened their Italia
'90 campaign with two draws, against the Republic of Ireland
and Holland, leaving them requiring a win against Egypt to
qualify. They made it, and went on to reach the semi-finals.
Germany
and Ghana in decisive match
AP, Johannesburg
Ghana already has one milestone behind it and now it
stands a victory away from achieving maybe an even bigger
one - sending Germany to its earliest exit from a World
Cup. Ghana became the first African team to win a World
Cup game on African soil when it beat Serbia 1-0 in its
Group D opener. Now it can ensure that Germany exits at
the group stage for the first time ever. Going into the
decisive final round, Ghana leads the group on four
points, Germany and Serbia have three and Australia is on
one, meaning all four have a chance of progressing and all
are at risk of missing out.
A win over Ghana would see Germany through, and a draw
would be enough for the Germans if Serbia fails to beat
Australia. Both sides will be eager to improve on their
previous performances: Germany suffered a surprise 1-0
loss to Serbia, while Ghana failed to capitalize on an
early red card to the Australians and was held to a 1-1
draw.
The Germans remained optimistic despite an unconvincing
display against Serbia. Coach Joachim Loew and captain
Philipp Lahm have both said Germany will advance "100
percent." "We know our qualities and have no doubt that
we'll make it," striker Cacau said Monday. The Brazil-born
Cacau is likely to start up front, as Miroslav Klose is
suspended after being sent off with two yellow cards
against Serbia.
"I can see that my teammates have the confidence that
we'll win," Cacau said.
Central defender Arne Friedrich also exuded confidence.
"We all believe we will make it, from coach Loew down. The
loss to Serbia was a blow but we still believe we'll go
through," Friedrich said. "We are in the kind of situation
when we have to prove ourselves and if we get rid of
mistakes we made against Serbia, we'll be fine. "They have
good forwards but if we put pressure on them we'll cause
them to make mistakes."
Germany has been in similar situations before - two years
ago it needed to beat host Austria in the final group
match to advance at the European Championship and it did,
then went all the way to the final. But the winning goal
against Austria came from captain Michael Ballack, who was
forced out of this World Cup by an ankle injury,
contributing to Germany having the second youngest team in
World Cup history.
Kevin-Prince Boateng, the man whose tackle in the English
F.A. Cup final took Ballack out of the World Cup, will be
on the opposite side Wednesday.
Boateng was born in Berlin and played for Germany's junior
teams before switching allegiance to the land of his
father. His half brother Jerome is a Germany defender.
According to Jerome, the two have not had contact since
the start of the World Cup, after Kevin-Prince had
complained that the hostile reaction in Germany to his
foul on Ballack had racist elements. "It was stupid that
something like that became public ... but I wish him the
best and I will shake his hand before the match," said
Jerome, who is unlikely to start.
US hoping for early lead against
Algeria
AP, Johannesburg
Tired of having to rally from early deficits, the United
States aims to score first and make things less
complicated when it take on Algeria in their decisive
World Cup Group C match Wednesday.
So far, the Americans have salvaged two draws, after
dropping an early goal to England and going down 2-0 in
the first half against Slovenia. It's a scenario they
would rather avoid when they face Algeria in Pretoria.
"We can all go around and say, 'hey, lets get an early
lead,' but that doesn't always translate on the field,"
said Clint Dempsey, who scored the equalizer in the
opening 1-1 draw with England. "So it's a little bit more
hard work and concentration and hopefully a little bit of
luck, we can get on the right end of the score early on."
The United States will advance to the round of 16 if it
beats Algeria. A draw would suffice if England loses to
Slovenia.
If the United States and England both draw, the Americans
would advance provided they end up with more goals scored
than the English - currently the U.S. has three goals,
while England has one. A draw will not be enough if
England wins, and a defeat would definitely send the
Americans home early.
Algeria's outlook is bleaker, with only one point after a
1-0 loss to Slovenia and a scoreless draw with England.
Anything less than victory will spell the end of their
tournament, and even if they win, the North Africans would
be eliminated if group leader Slovenia loses narrowly to
England.
Serbia, Australia fight
to stay in World Cup
AP, Nelspruit
Australia and Serbia have already experienced the highs
and lows of this World Cup ahead of their decisive Group D
encounter on Wednesday. Australia suffered a red card in
each of its opening matches, while Serbia conceded
penalties in both of its games. But on the positive side,
Serbia bounced back from an opening defeat against Ghana
to beat Germany, while Australia's 4-0 thrashing at the
hands of the Germans was followed by a battling 1-1 draw
with ten men against Ghana.
After those ups and downs, both sides are left in the
position of knowing defeat in Wednesday's match at
Nelspruit's Mbombela stadium could equal an early flight
home.
Australia needs to win and also rely on a favorable result
in the simultaneous Ghana-Germany game to reach the round
of 16. If Australia and Ghana both win, Australia is
through. If Germany wins, Australia must beat Serbia and
hope its goal difference is boosted and Ghana's reduced by
a sum of five goals. A Germany-Ghana draw would leave
Australia having to win by seven goals.
Asian teams face crunch World Cup games
AFP, Cape Town
Three of Asia's four teams at the World Cup go into their
final group games still in the hunt for a berth in the
last 16, but North Korean dreams have been shattered.
South Korea appear to have the best shot, having beaten
Greece 2-1 before losing to Argentina 4-1.
They sit on three points, the same as Greece, but while
the Greeks face Argentina next, Huh Jung-Moo's men have an
easier task against Nigeria, on paper at least, on Tuesday
evening in Durban. "The Nigeria game is now extremely
important and it will decide if we reach the round of 16,"
Huh said.
Captain Park Ji-Sung added that it was a great opportunity
to make the knockout rounds for only the second time in
their history, following their semi-final appearance on
home soil in 2002. "This is not different from any other
World Cup match. We want to win all of them. This is our
last match in our group phase so we don't want to miss any
opportunities," he said.
"What's most important is that there's going to be a lot
of pressure but we have to play to our full potential, and
we have to be confident."
Japan came into the tournament on a bad run of form, but a
1-0 victory over Cameroon and a narrow 1-0 loss to the
Netherlands has them believing again. They have a crunch
match in Rustenburg against Denmark on Thursday that will
decide their fate. The Dutch are already qualified and
Cameroon are out of the tournament with Japan and Denmark
both on three points.
Japan though have a better goal difference and a draw will
be enough.
Coach Takeshi Okada said it is going to be the "match of
their lives". "We have been given a chance to reach the
last 16," said Okada. "This is a chance in our lifetime."
Japan captain Makoto Hasebe said that Okada had told the
team to "stake everything on the next game." "There will
be few matches in our lives in which we will have a chance
to reach the knockout stages of the World Cup," said
Hasebe.
In contrast, Australia has struggled in South Africa,
ridiculed at home after losing 4-0 to Germany before a
better performance in their 1-1 draw with Ghana.
They go into Wednesday's clash with Serbia bottom of Group
D on one point needing a victory while hoping either group
leaders Ghana win by any margin or Germany hammer the
Ghanaians in the simultaneous match.
It looks a tall order for the embattled Socceroos,
although they welcome Tim Cahill back from suspension.
Skipper Lucas Neill believes they can still repeat their
2006 World Cup performance and reach the last 16.
Japan's defence ready for towering Danes
AFP, George
Japan's once-erratic defenders say they are ready to face
the towering Danes with confidence as they try to stay
alive in the World Cup on Thursday.
The Blue Samurai have yielded only one goal so far in
Group E, allowing the Netherlands to edge them 1-0 through
Inter Milan star Wesley Sneijder's second-half strike.
Japan upset Cameroon 1-0 earlier in their World Cup
opener.
It means a great improvement for Japan's defence following
their four-match losing streak in warm-up friendlies in
which they were bombarded with nine goals by Serbia, South
Korea, England and Ivory Coast.
Japan can reach the last 16 round by drawing with Denmark
as they have a better goal difference, although the two
sides are level on three points. The Netherlands are
already sure of advancing having won both matches.
But young Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner poses a potent
threat to Japan with his heading ability as the Danes
wield a considerable height advantage over the Samurai.
"We must crush his strongest points including his post
play. We should not be afraid," said centre-back Yuji
Nakazawa, one of the tallest on the Japan squad at 1.87
metres (six feet). Bendtner, who is seven centimetres
(three inches) taller, scored the equaliser when Denmark
came from behind to knock Cameroon out of contention with
a 2-1 win on Saturday.
Veteran winger Dennis Rommedahl set up the Bendtner goal
and scored one himself against the African powerhouse.
But Rommedahl will face Japan's determined full-back Yuto
Nagatomo, who has gained confidence after Japan stopped
ace strikers such as Cameroon's Samuel Eto'o and Dutchman
Robin van Persie from doing their jobs. "I was't outdone
when I played one-on-one against the Dutch players. I
didn't let them break in. I could pose a threat to them
(Denmark)," said the fleet-footed Nagatomo.
Japan coach Takeshi Okada, who has been widely ridiculed
for setting an ambitious target of a semi-final spot in
South Africa, warned against Denmark's long-ball game. "We
must cover them and prevent them from reaching Bendtner."
Okada guided Japan to their World Cup finals debut in 1998
in his first stint as national coach when they lost all
three group matches.
Australia names first Muslim player in Test squad
AFP, Sydney
Batsman Usman Khawaja became the first Muslim named in an
Australian Test squad Tuesday as selectors announced a
14-strong party for the two-match series against Pakistan,
the country of his birth.
Left-handed Khawaja, 23, admitted feeling "shocked" after
being brought in for the July Tests in England, which were
moved from Pakistan over security concerns following last
year's extremist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus. "I was
a bit shocked, I had a feeling I was close but that could
mean absolutely nothing," said the Sydney resident, a
qualified pilot who made his first-class debut for New
South Wales in February 2008.
"The feeling didn't really sink in straight away but I've
told my family and they're really excited."
Australia will play two Tests against Pakistan at Lord's
(July 13-17) and Headingley (July 21-25). Squad:
Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke (vice-captain),
Doug Bollinger, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz,
Ben Hilfenhaus, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon
Katich, Usman Khawaja, Marcus North, Steven Smith, Shane
Watson.
France face guillotine,
S.Korea eye glory
AFP, Johannesburg
Former champions France were staring a humiliating early
exit from the World Cup on Tuesday while South Korea had
their sights set on a second-round place.
Winners in 1998 and runners-up four years ago, the French
have been beset by problems since reaching South Africa,
culminating in striker Nicolas Anelka being sent home for
an expletive-laden outburst against coach Raymond Domenech.
Where the minds of the troubled 'Les Bleus' will be when
they confront fellow strugglers South Africa in a
win-or-bust Bloemfontein showdown is a matter for
conjecture.
Uruguay (plus-three goal difference) and Mexico (plus two)
lead Group A with four points each and France (minus two)
and South Africa (minus three) have one point apiece.
Should Uruguay and Mexico draw in a Rustenburg match being
played at the same time they will qualify with the former
finishing as group winners and almost certainly dodging
Argentina in the knockout second round.
However, if Uruguay or Mexico win and South Africa or
France do likewise, out come the calculators to determine
who finishes runners-up with goal difference or even goals
scored coming into play.
Cameroon need
Dutch courage
AFP, Cape Town
The Netherlands hope to welcome back star winger Arjen
Robben when they meet a Cameroon side playing on Thursday
to salvage their pride.
The fortunes of the two World Cup Group E teams could not
be more stark-the Dutch have already qualified for the
round of 16 while the Africans have been knocked out.
The Netherlands are one of the form teams in South Africa,
convincing in their 2-0 victory over Denmark and a 1-0 win
against Japan and they are keen to make it
three-out-of-three against Cameroon.
Coach Bert Van Marwijk is not concerned how his team play,
as long as they collect at least a point to top the group.
If they do, they will face the second team in Group F for
a berth in the quarter-finals, which could be either
Paraguay, Italy, New Zealand or Slovakia.
"We really want to win and are playing to win. If we can
do that playing a beautiful game, fine, but we also have
to be able to win ugly games. We've shown ourselves to be
much more stable, conceding fewer goals," he said Van
Marwijk added that his team have big ambitions in South
Africa.
The coach is hoping to see the influential Robben back in
action, but his appearance on Thursday is still not
certain.
Robben, the Bundesliga player of the season and
instrumental in Bayern Munich reaching the Champions
League final, has played no role so far after suffering a
hamstring injury in a warm-up victory over Hungary. But he
feels he is ready to make his bow.
"These last few days I have trained normally without any
problems. Now I feel like I need to play a game to
rediscover my rhythm," he said on Monday. The only other
player causing some concern is Real Madrid midfielder
Rafael van der Vaart, who is suffering from a painful
neck.
Cameroon have confidence issues to deal with, having
become the first team eliminated from the tournament after
losing 2-1 to Denmark and 1-0 to Japan. Superstar striker
Samuel Eto'o, the team's captain and a three-time African
player of the year, said they must lift their spirits and
play for pride.
The match could be the last in charge for coach Paul Le
Guen, with reports in Australia saying he is favourite to
take over the Socceroos job when Pim Verbeek quits after
the tournament. The Frenchman said he felt the team had
played well, but had been unlucky.
IOC confirms three bidders for 2018 Winter Games
AFP, Lausanne
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday
confirmed South Korea's Pyeongchang, Munich in Germany and
France's Annecy as candidates to host the 2018 Winter
Olympics.
However, IOC executive director Gilbert Felli said Annecy
was asked to review its sports sites for the next stage of
the race to host the games.
"The expert group... decided that the cities of Munich and
Pyeongchang should be retained without reservation," Felli
told journalists.
"For Annecy, it will be retained but we are asking that
the concept of its sports sites be reviewed," he added
after a meeting of the IOC's executive board.
The host region is due to be chosen by the IOC's 115
members in July 2011.
The South Korean mountain resort of Pyeongchang is making
its third attempt to host the world's top winter sports
event, after losing out to Vancouver for 2010 and the
Russian resort of Sochi in 2014 despite substantial local
investment.
Munich, which hosted the 1972 summer Olympics, is also
touting existing sports infrastructure in southern
Germany, including the ski resort of Garmisch
Partenkirchen.
Eusebio hails one of
Portugal's 'greatest ever' wins
AFP, Cape Town
Elated Portugal legend Eusebio has hailed his country's
7-0 World Cup drubbing of North Korea as one of its
greatest ever victories. Considered one of the best
footballers of all time, Eusebio is in South Africa with
the team and witnessed their goal rampage in Cape Town on
Monday.
"Fantastic, just fantastic," said the 68-year-old, who
scored four goals for Portugal when they memorably came
from 3-0 down to beat North Korea 5-3 in the 1966 World
Cup quarter-finals. "That was one of the greatest wins
I've ever seen from the national side. To score seven
goals against a team that had given Brazil a lot of work
shows the quality that Portugal have," he told fifa.com.
In reference to that classic encounter in 1966, Eusebio
said it was difficult to make comparisons. "You suffer a
lot more when you watch games than when you play in them,"
he said. "Even when we went three goals down in that 1966
match, I didn't feel as nervous as I did today, at least
until we got the second goal, and then the third and the
fourth, which came right after each other."
Federer feels luck is
finally turning his way
AFP, London
Roger Federer said Tuesday he felt his luck was finally in
this season after he scraped into the second round as he
bids to win a record-equalling seventh men's Wimbledon
title. Federer made it through to a clash with Serbia's
Ilija Bozoljac - but only after being given a real fright
by Colombia's Alejandro Falla.
The world number 60 won the first two sets and served for
the match in the fourth in what was shaping up to be one
of the biggest shocks in Wimbledon history.
But top seed Federer, who has not won a tournament since
claiming the Australian Open title in January, said maybe
lady luck was smiling on him at last this season.
"It came as a bit of a shock and it's not something I was
that prepared for, but you have to draw from experience
and physical strength. I live to fight another day," the
world number two said.
"I've lost many matches this season I should have won and
today I won a match I should have lost.
"I think I've been unlucky enough already this season, so
I needed one lucky match. We'll see how important it is,
depending on the run I go on now.
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