FRIday, june 4, 2010 Jyestha 21, 1417, JAMADIUS SANI 19, 1431 Hijri

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Leading News

At least 10 burnt alive, 50 injured in city fire
UNB, Dhaka

At least ten people were burnt alive in a devastating fire at Nimtali in the old city on Thursday night More than 50 people were injured in the fire originated from a chemical factory at 9-20 pm that soon spread to adjacent house in the congested residential area.
Thirty of the injured were admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Many of them are in critical condition, said the attending doctors.
Shamsunnahar and her two minor daughters -Aditi and Saiti, Babu, Hasan Siraji, Shanu were burnt alive on the spot. The identity of others died was not immediately available. A spot report said the fire originated from a chemical factory at 9-20 pm and soon spread to adjacent houses.

 Storm in six districts
One killed, 50 hurt, 1200 houses damaged

UNB, Dhaka

A woman was killed, over 50 people were injured and over 1200 thatched houses damaged as storm swept over Sherpur, Brahmanbaria, Chapainwabganj and Jamalpur, Habiganj and Natore districts on Wednesday-Thursday.
In Habiganj, A woman was killed in lightning strike and 12 people were injured during a storm at Lakhai upazila of the district Thursday afternoon. Witnesses said Parvin Akther,35, was killed as thunderbolt struck her at Sajan village of the upazila. Around 250 houses were damaged and over 100 trees were uprooted when the storm lashed the upazila.
In Sherpur, at least 20 people were injured and over 400 houses were damaged and a violent storm lashed 12 villages of five unions early Thursday. The worst affected areas are Lataria, Bamonerchar of Charshekhpur union, Nalbaid and Namapara of Charmucharia union, Goalpara, Betmari and Ghughurakandi of Kamarerchar union and Charpakkhimari union.
Two poles of 33 KV transmission line of PDB broke down during the storm that stopped power supply in Shajabarkhila area of Sherpur town. UNO Kamal Hossain and Ilias Uddin, chairman of sadar upazila, visited the damaged areas.
In Brahmanbaria, at least 15 people were injured and over 150 thatched houses damaged as a storm lashed Dharmondal village of Nasirnagar upazila Thursday morning.
Upazila administration sources said the storm lasted for few minutes and damaged 120 kutcha houses fully and another 30 partially. The injured were admitted to Nasirnagar health complex and Habiganj hospital. UNO and district relief and rehabilitation officer visited the damaged area.
Meanwhile, over 400 houses were damaged in a storm in Gomostapur upazila of the district on Wednesday night. UNO Sajjadul Hasan said the storm swept over the upazila at 9pm and damaged houses, uprooted trees and electric poles.
Besides, a storm lashed Dangdhara union of Dewanganj upazila leaving five people injured and over 50 houses damaged.
Witnesses said the five people were injured in house collapse during the storm at Bagharchar and Tengramari villages.
UNB from Natore adds: Storm lashed five villages of Gurudaspur upazila leaving 20 people wounded in house collapse or flying saucers this evening. Four of the injured were rushed to clinics. Locals said severe storm swept through Majhpara, Charpara, Kandipara, Hashmari and Jhenaigari villages of Masinda union leaving a trail of damage. More than 150 kutcha houses were razed to the ground or blown away, trees uprooted, electric poles twisted and standing crops damaged.

 Hasina seeks more US investment
UNB, Dhaka

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged the United States to invest in Bangladesh in larger volume and laid emphasis on more US cooperation in energy and power sectors.
The request came when US Ambassador in Dhaka James F Moriarty called on the Prime Minister at her office in the morning.
The Prime Minister informed the US envoy about her government's strong stand on alleviating poverty, which is the main enemy of the South Asian region, and against terrorism.
She said that terrorism and militancy will not be allowed in Bangladesh and her government is very much firm in this regard.
Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad briefed the reporters after the meeting.
Hasina and Moriarty discussed in details the issues of mutual interest and hoped that the existing friendly relations between the two countries will be further strengthened in future.
hey also discussed the exploration of gas and coal in the country and the Prime Minister sought US cooperation in this regard. She mentioned that communal harmony is prevailing in the country and the minority community is enjoying equal rights.
Hasina said that the human rights situation is at the desired level and the government puts highest emphasis on the religious harmony. "We are committed to secure human rights in the country."
She said that the government is working hard for strengthening the parliamentary democracy in the country. "The opposition is provided with immense scope in the parliament to have their say."
The Prime Minister said that the present government believes in press freedom and the press in the country is "enjoying highest freedom at present."

   1 killed, 35 hurt in AL infighting
UNB, Pabna

A man was killed in attack and 10 others were injured in a subsequent clash between two factions of ruling Awami League in Sadar upazila on Thursday.
The deceased was identified as Abul Kashem, 42, elder brother of Abul Hashem, Jubo League president of Maligachha union in Sadar upazila.
Police and local sources said there was a longstanding dispute between Abul Hashem and Mohammad Ali, assistant general secretary of Maligachha union AL, over establishing supremacy in the area.
In a sequel to the dispute, supporters of Mohammad Ali attacked the house of Kashem at Ranigram village at about 5:30am. Later, they slaughtered him taking to a nearby field.
Following the killing supporters of the two groups attacked each other near Tebunia Agriculture Farm, 5 km away from the district town, leaving 10 people injured from both sides.
In another incident at Jhenidah, at least 25 people were injured and six houses damaged in Awami League (AL) factional clash at Bogra village in Shailakupa upazila on Wednesday morning.
Police quoting locals said there was a longstanding enmity between former UP chairmen and AL leaders Nazrul Islam and Serajuddin Makhon over establishing supremacy in the area.
Six houses were also ransacked during the clash.
Of the injured nine were rushed to Sadar hospital while others to Shailakupa health complex.

    Asian HRC urges Bangladesh to stop repression of freedom of expression

UNB, Dhaka

Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), based in Hong Kong, on Thursday urged the Bangladesh government to stop "repression of freedom of expression" and release the detained media-professionals.
AHRC in a statement narrated in details how daily 'Amar Desh' was shut down and its acting editor Mahmudur Rahman arrested on June 1, saying that the process applied by the Bangladesh government in this case "shows an extreme arbitrariness."
"This includes the sealing off of the newspaper and its printing presses; the hurried cancellation of the declaration after the alleged arbitrary detention of Mr. Hashmat Ali; the forced signatures on prepared draft statements; the complaints, arrest and detention of Mahmudur Rahman."
AHRC said: "These actions do not comply with the State's obligation to promote and protect freedom of expression."
The human rights watchdog said the international community, including the UN Human Rights Council of which Bangladesh is a member, should assess Bangladesh on the basis of the government's actions including the attacks on the journalists and the media.
"An intervention should be forthcoming by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion in the situation of Bangladesh," it said.
"Ongoing, arbitrary closure of the print and electronic media and subsequent attacks and harassment of professionals dedicated to the freedom of opinion and expression should not be tolerated," it added. AHRC further said: "The Information Minister gives the impression that the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka is alienated from the government itself. This is laughable."
It said the authorities have failed to ensure credibility of the process. And they have not yet clarified whether they will take appropriate action against the responsible officials should anything have happened beyond the government's own policy of promoting freedom of expression. AHRC observed that the cancellation of the declaration of the Daily Amar Desh is not an isolated incident in Bangladesh. It is an observable trend that has happened as a continuous process in the closing of two private television channels, and the blocking of Face Book in the country without any reasonable grounds.
"Rather, the government has been suppressing the media in fear of criticism of its own actions that threaten the democratic process and the upholding of the rule of law in Bangladesh," it said.

   CEC visits Chittagong today
UNB, Dhaka

Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamshul Huda visits Chittagong today (Friday) to see preparations for the June 17 elections to the City Corporation for ensuring the polls free and fair.
He is expected to hold meetings with the candidates contesting for the mayoral and councilors posts at Muslim Institute at about 10am. Separately, he will meet the election officials in the afternoon.
Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain will also visit Chittagong on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the district election office has finalized the list of presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and polling officers for conducting the polls.
A total of 16,725 officials have been selected for conducting polls, sources at district election commission said. They said this time none has been picked up from the CCC-run schools, colleges, and corporation office as election officials.
A total of 674 polling centers with 4748 booths under 41 wards are being set up for the voting.
Teachers and officials from different educational institutions, government and non-government, banks and government offices have been included in the list of election officials. A total of 674 polling centers with 4748 booths under 41 wards are being set up for the voting.

   2006 Gaibandha custodial death case given new lease of life at HC

UNB, Dhaka

The High Court has asked the government to close within five days the quartet of accused police personnel in a custodial death case filed in Gaibandha four years ago.
An HC division bench headed by Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury on Thursday passed the order upon a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), a rights NGO. On May 21, 2006, Sajidur Rahman Sajid, a medical representative of Gaibandha, died in police custody, according to newspaper reports.
Aminul Islam, convener of Gaibandha Nagorik Committee, had filed a murder case with the court of the judicial magistrate in Gaibandha, implicating the names of the four police personnel.
The accused are M Nurul Alam, then Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Gaibandha Police Station, now functioning at Osmani Nagar in Sylhet, then police sub-inspector Fahima Haider, now stationed at Lalmonirhat and police constables Dulal Chandra Sarker and Mizanur Rahman.
The HC in its order also asked the authorities to take departmental actions against the accused police personnel and asked the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to submit a report to the court by June 17 as to what steps have been taken against the accused.
Passing the interim orders, the HC bench issued a rule upon the government to explain why directions should not be given to police personnel to discharge their constitutional duty of protecting the people. Advocate Manzill Murshid appeared for the PIL petitioner.

Back Page

President stresses science-based education
UNB, Dhaka

President Zillur Rahman on Thursday stressed on science-based applied higher education for the tertiary students to face the challenge of the 21st century.
The President made the remarks when a three-member delegation of American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB) led by its Vice- Chancellor Dr. Carmen Z. Lamagna called on him at Bangabhaban.
The President said the opportunities of higher education should be created for the students, particularly the poor students from rural areas to speed up overall development of the country.
The AIUB delegation apprised the President that the AIUB is currently providing free education for 13 percent of the total students who are poor but talent.
They informed the President that the university has decided to award two 'Chancellor Scholarships' at each semester to facilitate the meritorious students to complete their education free of cost. Secretaries concerned to the President Office were present.

   25 bodies recovered in city building collapse; rescue operation ends

UNB, Dhaka

Rescuers officially ended their salvage operation Thursday morning with the removal of all debris from the collapsed five-storey building in city's Begunbari.
When contacted, Deputy Director of Fire Services and Civil Defense Abdur Rashid said they completed their operational task with the recovery of 25 bodies after all the rubbles were removed at about 10:45 am.
"We also rescued six people with injuries since the rescue operation started Tuesday night," he said.
The 25 recovered bodies were of 11 women, four minor boys, three minor girls and seven men.
One Sohel, hailing from Jamalpur, claimed that his brother Jewel has been missing since the building had collapsed.
He said Jewel, who worked at a garments factory, was residing at a small makeshift shanty besides the collapsed building.
The 5-storey building at Sounth Begunbari collapsed on several tin-shed houses at about 10:40pm on Tuesday night.
Several units of Fire Brigade rushed to the spot to start rescue operation immediately after the incident. About 100 members of Bangladesh Army, including one platoon from 16 Engineer Construction Battalion (ECB) and one platoon from 2 Engineer Battalion, joined the rescue operation from Tuesday midnight.

    Amar Desh Acting Editor Mahmudur Rahman interrogated at jailgate

UNB, Dhaka

Detained acting editor of the ill-fated Bengali daily Amar Desh, and ex-energy adviser to the BNP-led regime Mahmudur Rahman was quizzed at the Dhaka Jail gate Thursday (Thursday) in connection with a case filed with the Tejgaon police station.
Sub-Inspector Rezaul Karim of Tejgaon Police Station, also the Investigation Officer (IO) in the case, went to the jail gate at noon and interrogated Rahman.
When contacted, Officer-in-Charge of Tejgaon police station Mahbubur Rahman said the IO of the case questioned Mahmudur Rahman on issues relevant to the case filed against him.
The IO Sub-Inspector Rezaul interrogated him for about 15-20 minutes, the OC said.
Tejgaon thana police filed a case against Mahmudur Rahman and more than 100 others on charges of assault on police, and posing obstacles to performing government duties early Wednesday. The Amar Desh Acting Editor was arrested by Shilpanchal Thana police from his Kawranbazar office early Wednesday, in connection with a case filed with the police station on Tuesday night. Mahmudur Rahman secured bail in the case of Shilpanchal thana, but was taken into detention in connection with the case at Tejgaon thana.

   Govt plans to establish Bangabandhu Safari Park in Gazipur
UNB, Dhaka

The government has revealed plans to set up a safari park named after the country's founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, at the reserved forest area in Gazipur, the Bhawal National Park, in an effort to maintain the environment of the area's unique coppice shal forest (shalbon).
State Minister for Environment and Forest Dr Hasan Mahmud made an announcement to this effect at a press conference on the occasion of the 'World Environment Day' at his office on Thursday noon.
He said the Bangabandhu Safari Park will be established over an area of 4,000 acres in Gazipur to sustain the shal forest, apart from creating a place for city dwellers to enjoy some leisure time just outside the capital. Bhawal National Park covers an area of over 5000 hectares in Gazipur, 40 km north of the capital. The area was once noted for being home to various species of wildlife, most of which have now disappeared.
The area was also mostly covered by forest once, with the unique shal (shorea robusta) being the dominant species. However, over the last 50 years, illegal deforestation has meant the forest cover too has dwindled, leaving an area of only 600 sq km intact, according to a 2007 study by the Asiatic Society.
"Once we establish the park, we will be able to salvage the heritage of the Shalbon from the clutches of land grabbers," he said.
Reply to a query about the present condition of the Gazipur forest, Dr Hasan said the government has been informed that a quarter is trying to grab the forest to establish industries there at the expense of the forest.
"We will take stern action against the forest grabbers, no matter how strong they are," he vowed. Referring to Dhaka as one of the most highly polluted cities in the world, he said the city did not get polluted in a day, rather it has happened over several decades. The Minister said the government has taken a pilot project to change the habits of the city dwellers to ensure the environment of the cities.

    HC to rule on policemen behind taxicab requisition
UNB, Dhaka

The High Court has asked the three identified policemen to appear in person before it on June 7 to make known their involvement in the unusual fracas on May 13 over taxicab requisition in Farmgate, Manik Miah Avenue and Bijoy Sarani areas of the capital.
An HC division bench headed by Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury passed the order on Thursday when the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner in compliance with the court order submitted the names of the policemen behind the scene. They are constables Kabir Hossain, Abdul Malek and M Arshaduddin.
Earlier, on May 23, the High Court, following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) writ petition, putting embargo on the law enforcers from requisitioning private vehicles except in the public interest, issued a rule upon the government to explain why section 103(A) of the DMP Ordinance 1976 should not be declared illegal and ultra vires of Constitution.
The impugned legal instrument empowers the police commissioner, by order in writing (which is done very rarely), to requisition any vehicle, for a period not exceeding seven days, if such a vehicle is required in the 'public interest'.
Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) had filed the PIL writ petition following recent newspaper reports that the law enforcers requisitioned motorized vehicles plying the streets at their whim.
The police even indulged in extortion of money from the vehicle owners or drivers to spare them from requisition by abusing the law. Advocate Manzill Murshid appeared for the PIL petitioner.

    1,400 industries and 2 lakh household of southwest region to get gas by 2015

BSS, Dhaka

Thousands of industries and household of the southwestern part of the country will get natural gas connection from 2015.
To build new gas transmission and distribution pipelines to meet growing demand of less develop areas, government today signed a loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in this regard.
M. Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, Secretary Eco-nomic Relations Division (ERD) and Thevakumar Kandiah, Country Director for ADB's Bangladesh Reesident Mission signed the agreement on behalf of government and ADB respectively at ERD, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
Through increasing gas production by 120 mmcf gas per day, the government plans to support 1400 industries and two lakh households in the southwestern part of the country .
"Bangladesh Natural Gas Access Improvement Project" is expected to be completed by 2015 to expand capacity and improve efficiency in natural gas production, transmission and distribution system in the less developed areas," M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, Secretary of the (ERD) said following the loan signing agreement.
The total cost of the project is estimated at US$ 540 million. ADB will provide US$ 266 million and Korea (Export Import bank of Korea) is expected to provide US$ 45 million. Rest of the amount will be borne by the government.
"This project will address supply and network constraints to ensure sustained growth in the gas sector that is critical to the country's economic development," Thevakumar Kan-diah, Country Director of ADB said. Under the project four new wells and compressor would be installed in Titas Gas field areas.

    JS body for creation of housing facilities for female garment workers

BSS, Dhaka

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs today urged the Ministry for Labour and Employment to create residential facilities for female garment workers, increase number of female technical training centres and include domestic helps in the labour policy.
The standing committee made the recommendations at its 11trh meeting held at the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Bhaban with Committee Chairman Meher Afroz presiding, said a press release.
Committee members State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, Mohammad Sirajul Akbar, Zinatun Nesa Talukder, Alhaj Prof Dr MA Mannan, Sultana Tarun and Nasrin Ratna attended the meeting. The meeting discussed the role of the ministry in formulation of a welfare-oriented budget for women and children in fiscal 2010-2011.
It recommended establishment of schools for disabled children in every district and taking necessary measures to reduce suffering of their guardians.

Editorial

Begunbari Tragedy

It was really a bolt from the blue as the victims never thought of the disaster that befell them at dead of night. A five-storey building constructed at Begunbari in the capital without RAJUK approval collapsed on Tuesday midnight on three adjacent tin-shed houses. The death toll from the building collapse rose to 25 on Thursday as rescue workers pulled out two more bodies from the debris .The rescue workers had recovered 23 bodies till Wednesday from the rubble of the collapsed building. Army, police and fire brigade personnel continued the salvage operation
State Minister for Housing and Publics works Advocate Abdul Mannan Khan visited the spot and inquired about the rescue activities on Wednesday. Talking to reporters he said the building was constructed without maintaining the building code. Besides, it was under the Hatirjheel project. But the building could not be demolished due to a court injunction.
RAJUK on Wednesday filed a case against the owner of the building at Begunbari, which collapsed on Tuesday for erecting it in violation of the Building Construction Rules 2008.It also formed a 3-member enquiry committee to find out how the building was built without any approval from the authorities. 'The building's owner did not take any approval from RAJUK and that's why we filed a case against him in line with Building Construction Rules 2008,' RAJUK's chairman told the press. The case was filed with the Tejgaon Industrial Area police station.
What has happened at Begunbari on Tuesday night is a major human tragedy. At least 25 people have perished in their sleep for no fault of their own. The responsibility of these deaths rests with the owner of the building as well as the RAJUK for their utter negligence. The building was constructed illegally and the RAJUK authorities slept like Rip Van Winkle until the catastrophe took place. It was only after so many lives were lost that the sleep of the white elephant broke and it filed a case against the owner of the building. The question obviously arises as to where was RAJUK when the building was constructed illegally and why did it keep its eyes shut then. RAJUK has moved to take the owner of the house into task, now who will take the RAJUK into task for its negligence and failure in duty.
According to Press reports, experts and right activists have held RAJUK responsible for lack of monitoring of the buildings under construction, which has led to numerous accidents. RAJUK said that about 15,000 buildings have been constructed in the city without its approval. 'Around five per cent of a total of over 3.2 lakh buildings in the city have been constructed without taking RAJUK's approval, while some 90 per cent of buildings have been built by people who have deviated from the plans and designs approved by RAJUK'.
In the past also some buildings constructed in violation of the building code have collapsed causing deaths and injuries and similar incidents may continue to occur in the future also if stern measures are not taken against construction of illegal buildings. It is alleged that a section of corrupt officials in the RAJUK help the owners of the buildings constructed in violation of rules. Action should be taken against such officials also along with the owners of unauthorized buildings. Above all, the building code should be strictly enforced to stop construction of illegal buildings.
We are shocked at the deaths of a large number of people in the Begunbari building collapse and convey our condolence and sympathy to the members of the bereaved families. We also urge the authorities to ensure that adequate compensations are paid to the victims of this tragic incident.

  Population as strength

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday informed the Parliament that her government is not afraid of the high population growth of the country, rather she underscored the need for turning the huge population into skilled manpower. "I don't think that the huge population of the country is a burden for us, I prefer to term it as a strength for us. We just need to train the population," she said, responding to a supplementary question during the PM's question-answer hour.
In one sense the Prime Minister is justified in her observation that population is strength, because in today's world population is considered everywhere as human resource. But unfortunately, in our country our huge population sometimes appear to be a burden due to illiteracy and unemployment. It may be recalled that on the occasion of World Population Day in July last Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said if the country's population growth continued to increase at the present rate of 1.39, the population will almost double in the next 49 years as the country' present total population is about 14 crore. "For this, fulfilling people's basic needs like food, clothing, accommodation, education, health and communications infrastructures will be more difficult," she said.
In fact, the huge population in a small country contributes largely to its poverty, hunger, unemployment, illiteracy, diseases, crimes and social instability. Over 40 per cent of our population live below poverty line and about 30 million of them are placed in abject poverty and are suffering from malnutrition. In other words about half of the population are engaged in a difficult struggle just for survival. Population explosion is the root cause of many of our problems such as food shortage, unemployment, illiteracy, lack of medicare and above all social instability.
In view of this, the government should step up its efforts to control the population explosion by all possible means. Moreover, in order use the population as strength, arrangements must be made fro the proper education and training of the populace.

Analysis

US-Karzai marriage of convenience

There was some rethink in Washington about Karzai's relative importance in the US scheme of things. And this was judged to be pretty high.

S P Seth

The US relationship with President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan has taken a full turn from berating to smooching - politically speaking. Not long ago, President Obama visited Karzai in Kabul to tell him some home truths about the sorry state of his country under his leadership. Obama wanted Karzai to lift his game.
Around that time, a number of American high functionaries had expressed their impatience with the lack of governance and the widespread prevalence of corruption in Afghanistan, with Karzai's own brother, as governor of Kandahar, involved in all sorts of shady deals. Who will forget the reported undignified yelling at one time between Karzai, US vice president Joe Biden, and Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan? And the US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry described Karzai as "not an adequate strategic partner".
But all that was supposedly forgotten and washed off when Karzai paid a state visit to the US in May. He was accorded all the due state honours, met President Obama for a long conversation, this time as a friend and a partner, and without any kind of chastisement for not doing a good job.
Ambassador Eikenberry had a metamorphosis of sorts when he suddenly found that "the US and the Afghan governments have never been better aligned and had such seriousness of purpose in trying to reach our common objectives". Reflecting President Obama's revised estimation of his Afghan guest, the White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, praised Karzai as "our partner in this battle against al Qaeda and their extremist allies".
The question then is: what made the Obama administration revise its view of Karzai in a matter of a few months? Obviously, having created Karzai, they did not want to dump him unceremoniously. If needed, though, it would not have been all that difficult. But finding a replacement for Karzai would have been difficult.
Besides, since the US is keen to start withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan by the middle of next year, there is not much time to groom someone else for the job. In the meantime, Karzai has some cards up his sleeves. And he can make things pretty messy for the US, especially with the presidential elections due in 2012. Karzai is lousy at the governance of his country but smart at the Afghan game (tribal, ethnic and sectarian) of playing one against the other.
When the American pressure started on him to lift his game of governance, he clearly gave an indication of what he might be up to if pressed too hard. He threatened that he might join the Taliban-led insurgency to make it a 'national resistance' movement against foreign occupation. And he indicated that he might veto the planned US-led military invasion of Kandahar to flush out the Taliban from their stronghold. As it happens, Karzai's brother is the governor of Kandahar and is known for all sorts of double-dealings.
At the time of the US-led military operations against the Taliban-held town of Marjah, there was a strong whiff of victory as the Taliban retreated. But this was a deceptive outcome, as the Taliban returned to effectively run the town as they had done before. General Stanley McChrystal's promise of securing the population and providing them effective and honest administration was nowhere in sight. The people of the area were as scared or complicit with the Taliban as they were before.
After Marjah, the presumed successful outcome of the forthcoming Kandahar operations was supposed to put the Taliban out of business. In this heady atmosphere, Karzai did not seem fundamentally important. Describing the upcoming assault on Kandahar as "the cornerstone of our surge effort and the key to shifting the momentum'', Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, did not think that Karzai could really complicate things if he wanted to.
But the wily Karzai was planning to hold a jirga of tribal chiefs (starting soon) to discuss how best to integrate the Taliban into his administration. Whether or not this would have reached the actual point of the Taliban entering the Karzai administration is beside the point. The US did not want to conceive the possibility. It would have been like handing power on a platter to the Taliban. The US was not keen on it unless the Taliban renounced violence, and respected the Afghan constitution. Which is a non-starter.
In the midst all this, there was some rethink in Washington about Karzai's relative importance in the US scheme of things. And this was judged to be pretty high, which led to him being invited to Washington and accorded all the pomp and ceremony. Karzai now is once again the US buddy - at least on the surface.
And he is quite happy. He would not last long with the Taliban who have always regarded him as an American puppet. The Americans knew that Karzai's threats were mere bluster but they did not want to find out because he was their only visible Afghan face.
And what has Karzai got in return? He seems to have been assured that the US will not leave him and Afghanistan high and dry (even after they start withdrawing their troops in summer next year) and will continue to provide assistance with training and equipping his security forces (including police). He seems to have been also assured that Western aid for building Afghanistan's economy and infrastructure will continue over an extended period of time.
Above all, the Americans will get off his back for the time being. For the Americans, having made him feel wanted and assured, they will not have to watch him threatening to fraternise with the Taliban, even as they carry out the operations against them in Kandahar.
But this new façade is a marriage of convenience and will not last. In other words, there is no respite for the Afghan people with all the protagonists and antagonists engaged in their power games.


The writer is a senior journalist and academic based in Sydney, Australia

  Obama’s security strategy

Then the shocking events of Sept 11, 2001 shattered the myth of America’s invincibility and exposed it as both vulnerable and frightened.

Tariq Fatemi

Basking in the warm glow of its victory in the Cold War, the 21st century promised continued US global dominance. America's military might and economic prowess made it appear as a colossus unlike any seen before.
Then the shocking events of Sept 11, 2001 shattered the myth of America's invincibility and exposed it as both vulnerable and frightened. Worse, it permitted the neo-cons to push then President George Bush onto the path of disastrous wars which contributed, in no small measure, to an economic crisis that has left Americans numb.
Not surprisingly, America's current predicament has renewed the debate of whether the days of its global supremacy are over and its decline inevitable. As Larry Summers, President Obama's economic advisor, warned before joining this administration: "How long can the world's biggest borrower remain the world's biggest power?" In Obama, however, the US may have a leader who has the intellect to appreciate what ails his country and the resolve to initiate possible remedies.
Obama made it clear, early on, that he stood for dialogue and engagement, with all countries and especially the Muslim world. This may not have represented a radical shift but was nevertheless a welcome change. In particular, his decision to appoint a special envoy for the Middle East was seen as evidence of his recognition that failure to resolve the Palestinian problem was a major factor in growing anti-American sentiments in the region.
Later, Obama gave fresh evidence of his ability to mix realism with idealism when in his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech last year he criticised those who inadequately appreciate the dangers to this world and those (such as his predecessor) who were too quick to set aside American values in pursuit of security.
There has, however, been an inevitable letdown after Obama's two landmark speeches in Ankara and Cairo. The former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad indignantly wrote earlier this year that Obama "has not even fulfilled one of his promises" to the Muslim world. There may be an element of truth in this, especially as the US increases its presence in Afghanistan and maintains its support to autocrats in Muslim countries, while working to bring about a regime change in Iran.
Recently, Obama's first national security strategy (mandated by Congress), brought the issue back into focus. In the first such document of his presidency, Obama sought to strike a careful balance between his campaign promises and the stark reality of challenges the US faces, both at home and abroad.
He promised to build a new partnership, reduce dependence on US military might and seek to strengthen the country's economy. To the disappointment of those who believe that military might is the solution to its problems, he argued that an America "hardened by war" and "disciplined by a devastating economic crisis" cannot sustain extended fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Of special relevance to the Muslim world was Obama's disavowal of his predecessor's attachment to unilateral military interventions, making it clear that the Bush-era doctrine that fighting terrorism should be America's over-arching object was too narrow and too traumatic a prescription.
He made it clear that the US would seek a more multilateral approach, recognising that "the burdens of a young century cannot fall on America's shoulder alone", specially as its "adversaries would like to see America sap our strength by over-extending our power".
Striking a note of harsh realism, his strategy rejects Bush's world-changing ambitions and recognises the limits of American influence. Instead, the US should accept that global power is becoming increasingly defused, as evident from Obama's move to replace the G8 with the far broader G20 that includes China, India and Brazil.
However, in deference to the views of the defence community and the intelligence agencies, Obama did not explicitly rule out the option of pre-emptive strikes on countries or non-state actors considered a threat to the US. He, however, pledged to "seek broad international support" before resorting to pre-emptive strikes.
More specifically, what does Obama's strategy mean for Pakistan? It has dropped the language of the 'war on terror' and no longer speaks of being engaged in a struggle with "radical militant Islam". It has also rejected the worldview of the liberal internationalist establishment which has long advocated the use of force to resolve America's problems. But it endorses much of existing US policy, though cautiously.
Obama's threat perception, however, remains focused on rogue nations, non-state actors and nuclear weapons, wherein its importance to Pakistan is ever-present in the strategy. While declaring the objective to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat" Al Qaeda and its affiliates, the paper warns that that "the frontline of this fight is Afghanistan and Pakistan". Lest there be any confusion, the strategy reiterates that "Al Qaeda's core in Pakistan remains the most dangerous component of the larger network".
Unlike the 2006 Bush strategy, which heaped praise on Pakistan for countering Al Qaeda, this document is sharper and starker in its prescriptions for Pakistan as evident from reports that unilateral strikes on Pakistan could be considered.
Its rhetorical support for democracy in Pakistan is tempered by its own domestic needs, the first and foremost of which is the desperate need to engineer a visibly victorious exit from Afghanistan - an objective which is unachievable without Pakistan's complete commitment.
Admittedly, the US has to address the growing perception that it is singling out Muslims for 'punishment', but the strategy is a document that should be a wake-up call for our leadership. With Obama in saddle, the time for excuses, subterfuges and alibis is over. The world is fast losing its patience with us.
The challenge confronting Pakistan is truly existential. We can thumb our noses and face isolation, ostracisation and intervention leading to fragmentation, or we can rejoin the world community as a responsible and responsive state. It is our choice that will determine our destiny.

Viewpoints

Reducing the trust deficit

Strong vested interests of the ruling elites on both sides of the border feed the trust deficit.

Dr Mubashir Hasan

At his press conference on May 24, Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh revealed that at his recent summit meeting with Prime Minister Gilani in Bhutan "we agreed that trust deficit is a major problem blocking progress in the direction of going forward and that it should be our common endeavour to reduce the trust deficit."
It is generally realised that the trust deficit has come to exist not because the armies of the two countries expect a war to break out between them, not because Pakistan calls itself an Islamic republic and India prides itself as a secular state, not because the Muslims are in majority in Pakistan and India is a Hindu-majority state, not because they subscribe to different political ideologies, and not because they had four armed conflicts in the first 24 years of their history.
There is no trust deficit between 1.25 billion poor, backward and oppressed people on the two sides of the border. The wretched of the two countries neither gain nor lose by not trusting each other. However, the ruling elites of the two countries, helped by their respective strategic communities, do harbour a strong trust deficit and make it impossible for peace-seeking political leaders to prevail. Strong vested interests of the ruling elites on both sides of the border feed the trust deficit.
The major issues concerning the peoples of Pakistan and India pertain to the normalisation of the regimes of travel, trade, transportation, free flow of information, cultural, educational and scientific exchanges and release of prisoners. These are not matters which carry much weight in contributing to the trust deficit.
Prime Minister Narsimha Rao was the first to take the bold step, one inconceivable until that time, of issuing visas to a group of more than 100 Pakistanis to hold the first convention of the Pakistan-India Forum for Peace and Democracy at Delhi (PIPFPD) in February 1995. The follow-up conventions were held in Lahore (November 1995), Calcutta (December 1996), and Peshawar (November 1998), with attendance reaching the 300 mark. The enthusiasm generated among the two peoples by the conventions did reduce the trust deficit and was certainly a factor which permitted Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and Atal Bihari Vajpaye to meet and issue the Lahore Declaration in 1999. Unrestricted issuing of visas and free flow of information, along with cultural exchanges, will greatly help in reducing the trust deficit further.
The ruling elites of the two countries, having interests different from the interests of the people, do not trust each other's intentions when it comes to entering into negotiations to resolve the issues of strategic content. Even if the negotiators forget their vested interest for a moment, they cannot believe that those facing them across the table have the power or the capability to deliver on the promise they would make at the negotiating table. To the arguments put forward by the leaders of the respective strategic communities, our weak prime ministers succumb. They fear that since the strategic communities have the capability to mobilise a section of the media and public opinion against peace efforts, their political party may lose the next general elections. If our prime ministers were statesmen they would overrule the advice from below, win the next general elections and also make their place in history.
Take the case of a resolution to the Kashmir issue, the mother of the trust deficit between the ruling elites and their strategic communities. The governments of India and Pakistan should abandon the plan of first coming to some agreement among themselves before presenting it to the people of Kashmir on both sides of the Line of Control. Such a presentation, notwithstanding any secret agreement with sections of Kashmiri leaders, will prematurely expose the governmental consensus and materially damage the consensus for the future. They will never be able to secure the agreement of all the political leaders of the former state of J&K on their joint proposal. Those who do not fall in line will hold the trump cards in their hands, for the simple reason that the bulk of the population of the former state has adversarial views on India and Pakistan.
Instead, should the two governments jointly approach the leaders of J&K to present a joint scheme to resolve the issue, simultaneously safeguarding the security and other vital interests of India and Pakistan, the J&K leaders will, to the best of my knowledge and assessment, be prepared to: (a) let India and Pakistan defend the border with China as they do now, along with access to strategic communications; (b) the line of control will stand erased (however, arrangements will be devised and international guarantees secured that neither India nor Pakistan can aggress against the boundaries of the former state); (c) the peoples of India and Pakistan shall enjoy the all privileges of travel and trade over the entire state as India enjoys today over the area lying to the east of the Line of Control; (d) the future residents of the former state will enjoy the same privileges including the use of communication systems of Pakistan and India as they do today; (e) The new model for the future internal governance of the state shall give Jammu, Ladakh and other areas as much autonomy as will ensure freedom from oppression of any one ethnic group or community over others.

The writer is a former finance minister of Pakistan. Email: mh1@ lhr.comsats.net.pk

  Success through nonviolence

Hardly any reasonably informed person outside Israel believes what the Israelis are now saying - that the ships were carrying terrorists, were shipping arms to Hamas.

Jonathan Power

The unprovoked and murderous Israeli commando attack on the peace flotilla is the Selma of the Arab/Jewish struggle for the land of Palestine.
Selma, a small town in Alabama, was where Martin Luther King based his campaign to win the voting rights for disenfranchised blacks. Attempting to march to the state capital, Montgomery, the marchers were set upon by baton-wielding police as they tried to cross Pettus Bridge.
It provoked a nationwide outpouring of disgust and anger. The march continued, joined by tens of thousands of people from all over the United States, until it reached Montgomery. When King spoke it resonated around the world. Shortly after, President Lyndon Johnson rammed through Congress legislation ensuring there would be no longer impediments to blacks voting. The election of Barack Obama as president can be directly traced to that legislation.
Will the creation of a two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict be the outcome of this high seas clash? Is this the turning point when Israel is stopped in its tracks for having seized 80 percent of the land that early in the 20th century belonged lock, stock and barrel to the Arabs? It well could be.
Hardly any reasonably informed person outside Israel believes what the Israelis are now saying - that the ships were carrying terrorists, were shipping arms to Hamas and that Israel, despite its embargo, was making sure that the inhabitants of Gaza had the materials to reconstruct their bombed out towns and the medical facilities and supplies to succor a wounded population.
Many of us for decades have been trying to persuade the Palestinians and their supporters to drop the sword and use non-violence as their tactic of struggle. Like Martin Luther King showed, any state that prides itself on its moral foundations and purports to be guided by a spiritual creed when confronted by unarmed legions of protesters will find it counterproductive to use the hammer of armed suppression.
It will compel division among the majority-ruling group and it will alert outsiders more than violence ever could to the sheer wickedness of those who hammer down the hatchet rather than construct a dwelling with room for protagonist and antagonist to live peacefully side-by-side.
In the last two years under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas the Palestinians have turned increasingly to nonviolence. Although the leaders and shock troops of the breakaway faction of Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip do not support this, a majority of Palestinians appear to. Years of war and violent confrontation produced very little. Rather than driving Israel to agree to a reasonable division of the land of Palestine it provoked fear among the Israeli population and fear, as it often does, supported a hard-line politics of suppression.
It is this history that has convinced many Palestinians to support nonviolent action - of which the flotilla carrying much-needed supplies to Gaza is but one manifestation. Organizers of nonviolent action inside Palestine have organized boycotts of Israeli fruit and vegetables, besieged and isolated Jewish settlements and confronted and blocked the way of Israeli military convoys with row upon row of protesters who sit peacefully and do not throw stones or brandish weapons.
All this has unsettled Israel, and the government has been relieved to be able to confront the rocket firing and stone throwing of Hamas cadres. Those tactics have secured the voters behind Israel's right-wing government while drowning out the impact of the nonviolent protesters.
The Israelis and some American politicians are saying, with video evidence to prove it, that the Israeli commandos were attacked by militants wielding staves and knives. Just as Martin Luther King's nonviolent brigades were infiltrated by Black Power militants and followers of Malcolm X, there are always fringe elements in most demonstrations of this kind who have other ideas. But on this ship they were both a tiny minority and only modestly violent.
They didn't succeed in killing a single soldier and could have been restrained by means other than shooting them dead. The ship was 98 percent peopled by nonviolent activists, including women and children, parliamentarians and even a former American ambassador. Moreover, their cause was just, should have been acceptable and, as the British Conservative Party foreign minister pointed out, was merely aiming to make a hole in an unacceptable embargo.
The world is mad at Israel, as the Security Council debate and resolution makes clear. Even the US went along with its unequivocal language. The drama has a long way to play out. But in five years time we could well look back and see this was the moment when the world united to compel Israel to seriously compromise and allow the Palestinians to rule over a viable and sizeable state.

  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 & 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 opportunity.
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 Tamil-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

International

Chinese and Myanmar leaders sign deals, discuss border
AFP, Yangon

The Chinese premier signed major deals and discussed the thorny issue of border stability with neighbouring Myanmar's junta chief on Thursday during a visit to the military-ruled country. Wen Jiabao met Senior General Than Shwe in capital Naypyidaw during his three-day visit, which comes ahead of Myanmar's elections later this year and is the first by a Chinese prime minister to the country in 16 years.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in Beijing the two sides had "reached consensus on many issues and signed a lot of major deals which marks another step forward".
Jiang told a briefing Myanmar's premier Thein Sein was included in the talks, during which the two sides signed a series of agreements on trade, finance, energy, science and technology. China is the junta's key ally and trading partner, and an eager investor in the isolated state's sizeable natural resources. In November its top oil producer began construction of a pipeline across Myanmar.
But ties between the two countries frayed last August when fighting between Myanmar's isolated ruling junta and rebel ethnic armies in the remote northeast drove tens of thousands of refugees into China.
"Premier Wen Jiabao said China values its good neighbourliness with the Myanmar side from a strategic perspective," said the spokeswoman.
She said the premier wanted to bring relations "to a new high" on the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the countries. China Radio International also reported on Thursday that Premiers Wen and Thein Sein attended a signing ceremony for a China-Myanmar oil and gas pipelines project.
The pair were due to attend an inauguration ceremony at Myanmar International Conference Centre in Naypyidaw which was built and funded by China, before Wen returned to Yangon to fly out of the country.
He arrived in Yangon on Wednesday afternoon for what the state-controlled New Light of Myanmar newspaper said was a "goodwill visit", before visiting a school and the famed Shwedagon Pagoda.

   Pakistan evacuates 60,000 as cyclone Phet looms
AFP, Karachi

A major cyclone was closing in on Pakistan's coastline, where the president ordered immediate precautionary measures and around 60,000 residents were being evacuated Thursday, officials said. Tens of thousands were being evacuated from vulnerable coastal villages in the southern province of Sindh and another half a million could be affected in Baluchistan province if Cyclone Phet smashes into Pakistan.
President Asif Ali Zardari ordered the military and government to take "immediate precautionary measures" as the tropical cyclone approached. "Cyclone Phet has almost reached the Oman coast and could recurve towards Pakistan's coastline of Baluchistan and Sindh in the next 24-36 hours," Naeem Shah, a meteorological department official, told AFP.
Hospitals have been put on alert, medicine and equipment stockpiled, while tinned rations and clothes are being arranged, authorities said.
Forecasters warned the cyclone could uproot power and communication lines along the coast but believed there would be less impact on Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city, its financial capital and crucial sea port.
The cyclone was packing winds of 150 kilometres (90 miles) an hour but was likely to lessen by the time it reaches Pakistan.
Authorities in Sindh, of which Karachi is the capital, said they have evacuated around 60,000 people from coastal villages, where poor infrastructure and communications make them vulnerable to storms. "We have shifted them to hundreds of relief camps established in school buildings in the area," Munir Memon, a senior official in the provincial relief commission, told AFP.
"We have a better infrastructure and improved health facilities in Karachi which makes the city much safer from such catastrophes," Memon said.

  India’s bureaucracy is ‘the most stifling in the world’
BBC Online

A new report has confirmed what many Indians have long suspected - their country's bureaucratic system is one of the most stifling in the world. The Hong Kong based group, Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, surveyed more than 100 expatriate business executives in 12 Asian countries. The poll suggested India had the worst levels of excessive red tape.
Yet this seems not to have impeded performance - it has just released another set of strong growth figures. But for many foreign companies that success is despite rather than because of the system they face, the report says.
There has so far been no response to the report from the civil service.
The report ranks bureaucracies across Asia on a scale from one to 10, with 10 being the worst possible score. India scored 9.41.
Frequent promises to reform the bureaucracy, the report says, have come to nothing, mainly because the civil service is a power centre in its own right.
Starting a business in India is incredibly hard, and enforcing contracts can be nigh on impossible. There is a strong link, the report says, between bureaucracy and corruption - and a widely held belief that bureaucrats are selfish and highly insensitive to the needs of the people they are supposed to help.
None of this will come as any surprise to most Indians, or to many within the civil service itself. A recent survey of the Indian bureaucracy found large numbers of civil servants complaining of undue political interference, and a widespread fear that anyone questioning the system would be transferred to obscure postings in bureaucratic backwaters. Given the level of dissatisfaction among foreign business executives and Indians themselves, the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy report poses an interesting question: just how much better could India be doing if it were able to reduce bureaucracy?

  Malaysia to join Cobra Gold military exercises
AFP, Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia said Thursday that the United States has approved its participation in the regional "Cobra Gold" military exercises, as ties between the countries emerge from a long freeze.
Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the move was made during his meeting with Defence Secretary Robert Gates in the US last week.
"The US defence secretary had agreed to upgrade Malaysia's participation in Cobra Gold, an exercise carried out with several other countries where Malaysia was previously merely an observer," he said according to the state news agency Bernama.
The huge exercises, which have been running for some three decades, involve among others the militaries of the Philippines, Singapore, the United States, and Thailand which hosted the 2010 session.
Ahmad Zahid said Malaysia's involvement would help it improve techniques and war strategy including the use of sophisticated equipment. He said other agreements were struck with the US including on officer training and aircraft maintenance.
After long years of frostiness, relations between the US and Muslim-majority Malaysia have warmed in recent months, notably with talks between US President Barack Obama and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in May.

  Security boosted for Afghan ‘peace jirga’ after attack
AFP, Kabul

Hundreds of Afghan community leaders were debating how to bring peace to their country at a key conference Thursday, with security tightened after an attack by Taliban militants on the opening day. Around 1,600 delegates, representing Afghanistan's complex mix of tribal, ethnic, political, geographic, religious and gender interests, are attending the "peace jirga" in a massive tent in Kabul's southeastern suburbs.
At least five rockets were fired in the direction of the German-built tent on Wednesday, two as President Hamid Karzai was delivering a speech in which he urged delegates-and the uninvited Taliban-to work towards peace.
Authorities said they had shot dead two suicide bombers and captured another who had holed up in an unfinished building close to the jirga venue.
The interior ministry said the attackers were teenagers, but their ability to breach security provided by 12,000 police, army and intelligence officers was seen as an indication of the militants' determination to make their point.
The Taliban say they will not enter into peace negotiations while foreign troops, now numbering 130,000 under US and NATO command, are in the country.
Security around the jirga site was tightened on Thursday as the meetings got under way, mostly in classrooms at the Kabul Polytechnic University, said Sadeq Sadeqi, National Consultative Peace Jirga spokesman.

  S.Korea’s president suffers election setback
AFP, Seoul, South Korea

South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak suffered a setback to his tough policy on North Korea and domestic reform agenda Thursday, with voters turning against his party in local polls.
Results from Wednesday's vote showed Lee's Grand National Party (GNP) secured only six out of the 16 posts for provincial governors or city mayors nationwide, according to the National Election Commission.
The ruling party won 12 of the 16 seats four years ago.
The elections for 4,000 posts including provincial governors, mayors and councillors were widely seen as a mid-term referendum on Lee's leadership and a key gauge of public sentiment ahead of the 2012 presidential contest. The unexpectedly strong turnout by young and liberal voters, who were not happy with heightened cross-border tensions, worked unfavorably for the ruling party, analysts and newspapers said.
Turnout was 54.5 percent, the highest since the country's first local elections in 1995.
The left-leaning Democratic Party (DP) took seven mayoral or gubernatorial posts, independent candidates won two and the minor opposition Liberty Forward Party grabbed one, the election commission said.
The DP swept 21 of 25 posts for district chiefs in Seoul while the GNP managed just four. The opposition described its victory as a public verdict against the government's "arrogance and self-righteousness".
GNP chairman Chung Mong-Joon and chief presidential secretary Chung Chung-Kil tendered their resignation, taking responsibility for the losses.

  US senator cancels Myanmar trip on nuclear suspicions
AFP, Bangkok

A prominent US Senator abruptly cancelled a trip to military-ruled Myanmar on Thursday after new reports alleging the junta is working with North Korea to develop a nuclear programme. Democratic lawmaker Jim Webb, who had been due to arrive in the capital Naypyidaw late Thursday, released a statement saying it would be "unwise and potentially counter-productive" to visit in light of the latest suspicions. Previous details about possible links between North Korea and Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, prompted the United States to express concerns, even as Washington has pursued a new policy of engagement with the junta.
"News reports published today contain new allegations regarding the possibility that the Burmese government has been working in conjunction with North Korea in order to develop a nuclear programme," Webb said.
Webb said it was "unclear whether these allegations have substantive merit," but referred to a recent US accusation that Myanmar had violated a UN Security Council resolution with respect to a suspected arms shipment from North Korea.

 Chinese military reluctant to forge ties with US: Gates
AFP, Singapore

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed disappointment Thursday at China's decision to call off his planned visit, saying the country's military was reluctant to engage in a dialogue with the United States.
Gates told reporters before landing in Singapore for a security conference that it was his "opinion that the PLA (People's Liberation Army) is significantly less interested in developing this relationship than the political leadership of the country".
China has denounced US arms sales to Taiwan unveiled in January, and the move by Beijing appeared to fit a familiar pattern of stepping back from exchanges with the American military to convey displeasure.
Gates defended the weapons sales, saying it was nothing new and had not affected political or economic ties with Beijing.
"The reality is these arms sales go back to the beginning of the relationship," he said, referring to the normalisation of US-China ties in 1979.
The sales have always been "carefully calibrated" to provide Taiwan with defensive weapons, he told reporters aboard his plane.
"It depends on whether the Chinese want to make a big deal out of it or not," he said. "It's been there for over a generation."
Selling weapons to Taiwan has "not inhibited the development of the political and economic relationship" with China, he added.
President Barack Obama's administration in January approved a 6.4 billion dollar arms package for Taiwan, including helicopters, Patriot missiles and mine-hunting ships.
Gates had planned to visit Beijing as part of an Asian tour this week, which kicks off with an annual security conference in Singapore attended by senior military officials including from China.
He held up as a model a decades-long military dialogue between Washington and Moscow, which he argued had helped avoid misunderstandings.
"So I'm disappointed that the PLA leadership has not seen the same potential benefits from this kind of a military-to-military relationship as their own leadership and the United States seem to think would be of benefit," he said.
Before Gates spoke on his flight to Singapore, China confirmed no arrangements had been made for him to visit Beijing.
"We attach importance to military exchanges between the two departments of defence but there are no specific arrangements yet," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters, declining to comment further.
Last week, the deputy head of the PLA general staff, Ma Xiaotian, said US arms sales to self-ruled Taiwan-which China sees as part of its territory-were the "foremost obstacles" to US-China military ties.
General Ma is scheduled to attend the Singapore conference, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, but US officials said Gates would not be meeting the general because they said the delegation was not at a high enough level.
The Pentagon chief said there had been hints that China would cancel the visit despite an earlier invitation, and US officials were told last week in Beijing that it "would not be a good time for me to come."
He said US-China relations were moving forward on all fronts "with the sole exception of the military-to-military relationship."
"Whether this is a result of pushback by the PLA or there is some other factor, it's very difficult for us to tell."
With North Korea's alleged sinking of a South Korean warship expected to dominate the Singapore conference, Gates acknowledged that face-to-face talks with Chinese military leaders on the crisis would have been helpful.
"But we're not interested if they're not interested," he said.

   Emotion high as Turkey buries its Gaza flotilla dead
BBC online

Emotions are running high in Turkey at funerals for nine activists, all Turkish or of Turkish orgin, killed in Israel's raid on the Gaza aid flotilla. The bodies were flown from Israel to Istanbul, along with more than 450 activists, to a heroes' welcome.
Israel has said there is no need for an international inquiry into the incident, insisting its own will meet the "highest international standards". The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) voted earlier to set up an investigation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his troops had no choice but to stop the ships and argued that the flotilla had been aiming not to deliver humanitarian aid to Gazans, but to break Israel's blockade.
It was Israel's duty to prevent rockets and other weapons being smuggled into Gaza to Hamas by Iran and others, he said.
Turkey, one of Israel's few allies in the Muslim world, recalled its ambassador after the incident on Monday. Its President, Abdullah Gul, said relations between the two countries would "never be the same".
This incident has left an irreparable and deep scar" on relations, he told reporters in Ankara. In a fiery speech at Istanbul airport, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc accused Israel of "piracy" and "barbarism and oppression". Crowds of people, some wearing Palestinian-style scarves, gathered in the city to meet the coffins, swathed in Turkish flags, at the Ottoman-era Fatih mosque.
The funerals were taking place in a strongly Islamist part of the city and emotions were running high, reported the BBC's Bethany Bell. One of the bodies was due to be buried in Istanbul while the other eight would be taken to their home towns, AFP news agency reported. Turkish post-mortem examinations found all nine of the dead had been shot, some at close range. The funerals are taking place at a historic Istanbul mosque
The dead include a 19-year-old Turkish citizen with an American passport - hit by four bullets in the head and one in the chest - and a national taekwondo athlete, Turkish media say. The bodies arrived, along with the 450 activists, in three aircraft chartered by the Turkish government at Istanbul airport in the early hours of Thursday, after several hours of delays.
Mr Arinc said his government saluted the Turkish Islamic charity, the Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief (IHH), which played a leading role in organising the convoy - a charity Israel has accused of supporting terrorism.
IHH leader Bulent Yildrim, said upon his arrival back in Istanbul that he believed the death toll could be higher than nine, as his organisation has a longer list of missing people. British activist Sarah Colbourne told the BBC: "I couldn't even count the amount of ships that were in the water. It was literally bristling with ships, helicopters and gunfire. It was horrific, absolutely horrific."
Consular staff were on hand in Istanbul to help the activists from other countries. They include 34 people who hold British passports. The MV Rachel Corrie is expected in the blockade area within days .

  UN official criticises US over drone attacks
BBC Online

The use of targeted killings with weapons like drone aircraft poses a growing challenge to the international rule of law, a UN official says.
Philip Alston said that the US in particular was doing damage to rules designed to protect the right of life.
Mr Alston, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, feared a "Playstation" mentality could develop.
His report to the UN Human Rights Council also brings renewed scrutiny of Israel and Russia.
Both nations are also reported to have carried out targeted killings of alleged militants and insurgents. President Barack Obama has increased the use of Predator drones to attack militants in Pakistan.
The UN report comes days after the US hailed news of the death of Sheikh Sa'id al-Masri, al-Qaeda's third in command in Pakistan, who was reportedly killed by a drone strike in May, along with his family. Mr Alston reserves particular criticism for CIA-directed drone attacks, which he said had resulted in the deaths of "many hundreds" of civilians.
"Intelligence agencies, which by definition are determined to remain unaccountable except to their own paymasters, have no place in running programmes that kill people in other countries," the report says.

  Israeli raid unlikely to change US policies
AP, Washington

Amid the uproar over Israel's deadly raid on the flotilla bringing aid to the Gaza Strip, it's important to note what is not happening.
The White House does not expect the violent incident to sink already-minimal relations between Israel and the Arab world. Arab support would be essential to the long-sought Israeli-Palestinian peace accord.
Nor is the United States, unlike most of the world, chastising Israel for forcibly halting an aid flotilla bound for Gaza. Quite the opposite.
"You can argue whether Israel should have dropped people onto that ship or not, but the truth of the matter is, Israel has a right to know - they're at war with Hamas - has a right to know whether or not arms are being smuggled in," Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview with PBS' Charlie Rose on Wednesday. A day earlier, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs did not question Israel's motives in trying to enforce its 3-year-old blockade of Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, designated by the State Department as a foreign terrorist organization. The aim, he pointed out at a White House briefing Tuesday, is to keep weapons, not food, out of the territory. Gibbs said the U.S. is "working to improve the humanitarian conditions" in Gaza. At the same time, he stressed the administration was "greatly supportive" of Israel's security and "that's not going to change."
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also did not call for an end to the blockade, but she pressed Israel to allow greater access to humanitarian relief supplies.
In New York, meanwhile, the deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Alejandro Wolff, suggested to reporters that the flotilla "may have been intended to provoke."
The impact on efforts to promote a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians may be minimal.

  US 'confident' that Pak will not use weapons against India
PTI, Washington

The US, which is offering a range of sophisticated weapons to Pakistan to fight terrorists, is confident that these will not be used against India "in any way" and promised to ensure that the armaments are not misused through end-use monitoring.
"They are not to be used against India in any way," Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake has said.
"This is a question I often receive, and I'd like to reassure all of our friends in India that whatever military assistance we are providing to Pakistan is to be used in its fight against terrorism - particularly in its border areas with Afghanistan," Blake said yesterday during a webchat ahead of the US-India Strategic Dialogue here.
He acknowledged that the Obama Administration was providing a range of counterterrorism platforms and counterinsurgency platforms to Pakistan.
"And these are things, really, that are going to be used against the militants who are based in these border areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They are not to be used against India in any way," he asserted. "So, again, I'd like to reassure all of our participants in this dialogue that that is the purpose for which we are transferring arms to Pakistan.
He also said that the US will also undertake "through" end-use monitoring so that whatever weapons are transferred to Pakistan are used for the purposes for which they were sold.
There have been reports that the US may supply sophisticated laser-guided bomb kits, 12 surveillance drones and 18 F-16 fighters to enhance Pakistan military's capability to strike at Taliban and al-Qaeda targets located in remote tribal areas of Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
He also said that the overall character of US assistance programme to Pakistan was changing very rapidly and pointed out that through the Kerry-Lugar legislation, Washington was providing USD 1.5 billion a year in economic assistance to Pakistan to help that country to meet its economic and energy challenges of its fast-growing population.
"So, that's really where I would put the focus. Not so much on the military side," Blake said.
He also said that the US was "very encouraged" that the Pakistani army has redeployed troops away from the Indian border.
"We do not see India as a threat to Pakistan and so we would encourage that process to continue. And that's why we attached such great importance to improved relations between India and Pakistan," he said, adding that Washington will continue to work hard on and will continue to remain a very high priority.

  UK police look for motive in shooting spree
Internet

British detectives searched for clues Thursday to the motive behind a taxi driver's murderous rampage across a tranquil part of rural England, which left 12 people dead and 11 wounded before the gunman committed suicide. More than 100 detectives were scrutinizing why Derrick Bird, 52, decided to go on a three-hour shooting spree Wednesday in the northwestern county of Cumbria.
Some reports said Bird had argued with fellow cab drivers the night before the killings; others suggested a family dispute. But Cumbriapolice did not disclose a motive and urged patience, saying the investigation is "a difficult and slow process."
The killing spree was Britain's deadliest mass shooting since 1996, and it jolted a country where handguns are banned and multiple shootings rare.
Eight of the wounded remained hospitalized Thursday, with four listed in stable condition and the other four in good condition.
Police identified one of the victims as Kevin Commons, a lawyer who did work for Bird's family. The BBC and other media reported that Bird's twin brother, David, was among the fatalities.
The first shootings were reported Wednesday morning in the coastal town of Whitehaven, about 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of London. Police warned residents to stay indoors as they tracked the gunman's progress across the county.
Witnesses described seeing the gunman driving around shooting from his car window. Police said there were 30 separate crime scenes. Bird's body was found in woods near Boot, a hamlet popular with hikers and vacationers in England's hilly, scenic Lake District. Police said a shotgun and a .22-caliber rifle fitted with a telescopic sight were recovered from the scene. Officials confirmed Bird held licenses for both weapons.
In Whitehaven, groups of residents gathered at the local market to remember those who died - and recount tales of near-misses.
Michael Murray, who is also a taxi driver, was standing near the front of cab stand when Bird, known affectionately as "Birdie," first approached. "I saw Birdie pull up beside me and he was waving a shotgun out of the window," Murray said. "I ducked to the floor before I could see if he was pointing at me.
"I always got on with Birdie, he had no grudges against me, I suppose that's what saved me. He was a sound guy and a private guy." June Lamb, a housewife, said she knew Bird "very well." "Derrick didn't mix with people very much," she said. "He was very quiet, but not a loner as such. He would lark about with people."

Business/Economy

Exporters set to earn $1b from Indian market
BSS, Dhaka

Bangladeshi exporters have chalked out a plan to get a bigger piece of share in India to achieve an annual US$ 1 billion earning target by 2011, eying their apparel and fast growing ICT markets.
Business leaders and financial analysts said they expect the target to be fulfilled with promotion of Bangladeshi garment products in Indian market and joint ventures in ICT sector as the obstacles of tariff and non-tariff barriers were likely to be eased further in coming months to boost the trade ties.
Officials of India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI), which set the target of the US $1billion export three years ago, said a delegation from ICT sector would visit Kolkata on June 14 where they would have meetings with the representatives of different software companies for making strategic partnerships. Another business delegation from the garment sector will leave Dhaka for Kolkata on June 18. The delegation of the leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) will have discussions with the leading Indian importers including some chain store operators for getting greater and ensured market access at the retail level.
IBCCI officials said similar business teams from ICT and RMG sectors would also visit Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore this year for exploring bigger market there while they were coordinating the business tours and the meetings. "We are expecting some significant outcomes from the planned business tours and discussions as we are now trying to expand market for our RMG products through engagements with famous chain stores and partnership with Indian IT industry," IBCCI President Abdul Matlub told BSS.
The companies may include software giant Infosys and up market chain store operators for clothing-Pantaloon and Westsides, he said. Abdul Matlub said the visits would help exporters to increase the export earnings to US $1 billion by 2011 from the present US $ 500 million of over US $ 250 billion Indian market. The export to India, however, grew by over 100 percent in the past three years while the value of export was US $ 230 million only in 2007. Indian commerce ministry data showed a decline in import bills last year due to recession fallout, but recent media reports suggested a rebound in consumer spending and domestic demands.
Ahmed said the opportunity has now created to increase Bangladesh exports to India as New Delhi accepted Dhaka as a strategic partner for its own growth after the recent bi-lateral head of state level talks.
"Both the tariff and non-tariff barriers are also going down through discussions between the countries, and as business community we are hopeful about further increase in export earning from Indian market in near future," he said.

 ADB to provide $ 266 m for gas sector development project

UNB, Dhaka

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement with the government of Bangladesh to provide $266 million in loans to help the country address its natural gas supply constraints, and thus spur economic growth and reduce poverty. Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan and ADB country director for Bangladesh Thevakumar Kandiah signed the loan agreement on behalf of the two sides at a ceremony at NEC-2 on Thursday.
The loan assistance under the 'Bangladesh Natural Gas Access Improvement Project' will be used to build new gas transmission and distribution pipelines to meet growing demand and expand coverage to less developed areas in the southwest.
The main objective of the project is to expand capacity and improve efficiency in natural gas production, transmission, and distribution systems.
The project will install compressors and metering systems to boost reliability, improve safety and strengthen the management of gas supply and demand. The project will also help improve supply efficiency by developing four new wells and installing gas processing plants at the Titas gas field to increase gas production by 120 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd).
The state-owned Petrobangla and some of its companies including Gas Transmission Company Ltd (GTCL), Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Ltd (BGFC), Sundarban Distribution Company Ltd (SDC) and Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd under the Energy Division will implement the project tenured from 2010 to 2015. Around 200,000 new households in the southwest, along with 1,400 industrial and commercial establishments will receive gas as a result of the expanded distribution network. Of the total estimated project cost of US $ 542 million, ADB will extend US $ 266 million ($261 million as Ordinary Capital Resources loan & $5 million concessional loan (ADF) to Bangladesh. In addition, the government of Korea (Export Import Bank of Korea) is expected to provide $45 million. The government of Bangladesh will provide the remaining amount of $231 million in equity and loans.
Among the schemes, the ADB will provide US$ 173 million for implementing the Ashuganj and Elenga compressor projects, key elements in the gas sector which are expected to boost gas flow across the country and provide some relief to the industry and power sectors in particular. The officials said that for the last couple of years, the drop in pressure of the gas supply has been a major problem for different industries as well as power plants in different areas of the country.

  DSE refreshes records at week’s closing
BSS, Dhaka

Dhaka stocks Thursday finished week with refreshing its records in index and market capitalization when investors were busy enough in buying shares of banking and power sectors.
The DGEN crossed 6200-point mark to finish 62.46 points or 1.01 per cent higher at 6202.66 when the market capitalization rose to its new peak of Taka 259,160 crore. Both the index and market capitalization posted new records this week on Tuesday, but declined Wednesday on profit-taking trading before Thursday's rally.
Day's volume and value of share trading, however, declined to Taka 4.45 crore and Taka 1,621 crore respectively, which were over five crore shares and more than Taka 2100 crore on Tuesday.
The index gained mainly influenced by the issues of banking and non-banking financial institutions and power sectors. Huge transactions of the big issue Beximco also contributed to the surge.
Investors were seen busy buying shares of power and energy companies in all the five trading sessions of the week. The buying spree pushed up the prices of power and energy issues, including Desco, Titas Gas, Summit Power, Power Grid, Jamuna Oil and Navana CNG. Desco made a big jump by over 4 per cent or Taka 84 per share on Thursday on a price sensitive corporate disclosure.
The company on Thursday informed the stock exchange authorities that it got the government's approval for acquisition of 16.48 acres of land of Bangladesh Water Development Board for establishing a power plant near Tongi.
Prices of other power and energy issues increased on speculative buying of investors who were expecting some positive announcements in the next national budget for infusing more fund into these sectors.
Banking issues remained another major attraction among share traders who look for short-term profits.
Some banking issues witnessed price fluctuations during the week, but most issues in this sector closed week higher.
The largest issue GP finished week slightly lower after witnessing some gain on Tuesday.
Another big issue Beximco was traded voluminously, but lost some edge on selling pressure.

  Govt not looking to slash oil prices: State Minister
UNB, Sangsad Bhaban

The government has no plans to slash the price of oil, Parliament was told Thursday.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Mohammad Enamul Huq, replying to a starred question from Mahjabeen Morshed (Woman Seat- 44), said that the price of oil in the international market is on a bullish trend. He mentioned that the government is selling diesel and kerosene at lower price in relation to their procurement price.
He said that for the welfare of agriculture, as well as farmers and the poor, the government is subsidizing kerosene and diesel.
"This has led to a huge subsidy bill for the government," he said. He also said that as the trend of oil price in the international market is bullish, the government is not thinking at all of slashing the price of oil at this moment. Replying to another starred question from Shamsul Huq Chowdhury (Chittagong-11), the Minister said that the demand for diesel, petrol and kerosene at present stand at 25 lac metric tons, 1.30 lac metric tons and 4 lac metric tons respectively.
During the current fiscal, the government imported these fuels from UAE, KSA, Kuwait , Malaysia , Maldives and Singapore at a cost of 13,961 crore.

  IMF head calls for efforts to boost growth in eurozone
AFP, Busan

The head of the International Monetary Fund said the world economic recovery now underway remains fragile and called for efforts to stimulate growth to resolve Europe's debt problems.
IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, in an email interview with Yonhap News Agency released Thursday, stressed the importance of dealing with eurozone debt problems which have roiled world stock and financial markets and sent the euro plunging.
"Policymakers in Europe have taken important steps, both as regards adjustment and financing, to lay the basis for a recovery from the current difficulties," Strauss-Kahn said.
"But it will be important that emphasis is placed on stimulating growth. Without growth, the debt problems will be much more difficult to resolve, and fostering reforms that will help support growth will be key."
The IMF chief is set to attend a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of 20 leading world economies in the South Korean city of Busan on Friday and Saturday.

  ‘Significant’ ASEAN trade barriers remain
AFP, Hanoi

Singapore is the best place in the world to carry out business but significant barriers remain in the rest of the ASEAN region, a study released in Vietnam on Thursday said.
The World Economic Forum index ranked 125 countries based on their performance in four main areas: market access, border administration, transport and communications infrastructure and general business environment.
Singapore kept the top rank it held in last year's study, but five other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) fell.
Vietnam improved from 89th to 71st largely because of its accession to the World Trade Organization three years ago, Thierry Geiger, a co-author of the study, told a news conference.
But he said barriers to trade in ASEAN "remain many and significant", primarily in border administration and transport infrastructure. The study said Malaysia "stands out positively" at 30th position, compared with 28th last time, while Thailand is at 60, down from 50 a year ago, and Indonesia ranked 68th, from 62nd.
The Philippines sunk to 92 from 82, and Cambodia hit a "very low" 102, down from 92, the study said.
Data from ASEAN's other members, Laos, Brunei and Myanmar, was not included in the study.
ASEAN is working towards establishing by 2015 a single market and manufacturing base of about 600 million people.

  SAfrica’s Zuma calls for stronger ties with India
AFP, Mumbai

South African President Jacob Zuma called on Thursday for stronger ties with fast-growing India as he visited Mumbai on his first state visit to Asia.
He told business leaders that he had an "unfaltering desire and commitment" to build on relations developed since the first Indian immigrants arrived in South Africa 150 years ago this year. Trade between the countries currently stands at 7.5 billion dollars annually but Zuma said he wanted that to grow to 10 billion dollars by 2012. Calling India a "strategic partner," he said the two countries, because of their growing economies, were well-placed to help each other in areas from financial services and information technology to infrastructure and transport.
"The economic potential is clearly evident, especially when one looks at the diversity of our sectors and industries," he said. Both India and South Africa, he added, were also in a position to challenge the traditional economic dominance of Europe and the United States, which were badly affected by the global economic downturn.

National

5,000 poor households in Dhaka brought under healthcare services

BSS, Dhaka

Over 5,000 poor households were brought under healthcare services in five wards of the capital during the last six years.
Poor adolescent girls, children and women in wards 24, 69, 74, 83 and 85 got the healthcare services including reproductive and maternal health, family planning, immunization and limited curative care.
Population Services Training Centre (PSTC), a non-government organization, took the initiative under a venture titled "Urban Community Health Care Project" (UCHCP) in cooperation with Plan Bangladesh.
This was disclosed at a discussion on 'Challenges of Health Care for Urban Poor,' organized by the PSTC, at Dhalpur Community Centre in the city.
Zonal Executive Officer (Zone-1) of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) Bimal Chandra Das spoke as the chief guest while director (community services) of PSTC FM Mostaque was in the chair. Commissioner of DCC word no 85 Badol Khandaker addressed it as special guest Head of Department of Reproductive and Child Health of Bangladesh Institute of Health Services (BIHS) Prof Rowshan Ara, Program Specialist of Plan Bangladesh Dr Saki Khandaker, Program Unit manager (Dhaka Urban Program) of Plan Bangladesh Mohammad Masud and representatives of concerned NGOs, among others, were present.
The speakers said all mothers, adolescent girls and infants in urban areas must be brought under improved healthcare services in order to attain Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in stipulated time.
Reaching to the poor people with healthcare facilities has posed a critical challenge, they pointed out and urged private organizations to extend their helping hand to help ensure healthcare services for poor people.
The government's overall development initiatives will not be successful if the poor people are not provided with better healthcare facilities, they added.

  5 JCD men held following clashes between BCL and JCD
UNB, Thakurgaon

Five activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) were arrested following separate clashes between BCL and JCD that left some 11 people injured here on Wednesday.
Shohag, a worker of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) locked into an altercation with Mohsin, a worker of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), as a female classmate of Shohag of Thakurgaon Government College complained of teasing by the JCD worker.
Later, the matter turned into a clash between two student bodies, leaving Mohsin injured. Angered by the incident, JCD activists launched attacks on BCL activists at Zila School ground and nearby Boro Maidan, leaving 10 people injured. The wounded were admitted to Sadar hospital.
Police in a raid at different parts of the town held five JCD activists - Shahjahan, Sujan, Shoeb, Ranjit and Sohel - in this connection.
Two ramdaos, five knives and five iron rods were also recovered from Fakirpara area of the town by the law enforcers.
College principal Abdur Rouf said he settled the matter after taking written undertaking from Mohsin on Wednesday after the girl's guardians complained to him about the teasing. The principal, however, said he was not aware about any clash over the matter

  Bangladesh's progress towards attainment of MDGs 'encouraging': Planning Minister

UNB, Dhaka

Planning Minister AK Khandker on Thursday said that Bangladesh's progress towards attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been 'encouraging', as it has made good progress on achieving some of the targets.
"But, sustaining the achievements of the past years, while giving additional attention to those in which we are lagging behind is a challenge," he said while addressing the national dialogue on 'MDG-1: Extreme Poverty and Hunger Eradication' held at the NEC.
Organised jointly by the General Economics Division (GED) of the Planning Commission, the World Food Program and UNDP, Planning Secretary M Habibullah Majumder addressed the occasion as special guest. GED member Dr. M Shamsul Alam presided over the function. WFP resident representative John Aylieff, and UNDP resident representative Stefan Priesner also addressed the occasion.
The Planning Minister said that Bangladesh is committed to attaining the MDGs within the stipulated date of 2015.
He said that for this, MDGs have been integrated into the Bangladeshi National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction and successive Annual Development Plans.
"Bangladesh has already initiated actions to prepare its 6th Five Year Plan (2010-2015) and Perspective Plan (2010-2021) which also focused heavily on achieving MDG within stipulated time."
Mentioning that the western part of the country is lagging behind the eastern part, the Planning Minister said that the government is interested in creation of regional growth centers, as well as building up the capacity of human resources through training, as part of its strategy to reduce the prevailing disparity.
Later in another national dialogue on 'MDG 8: Partnership for Development' also held at the same venue, AK Khandaker urged the developed countries to come forward and cooperate with the least developed countries in exploiting the potential of international trade, and to accomplishing their obligations as signatories to the MDGs.
Citing the fact that the share of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in Bangladesh's national income has declined steadily over the years - from 5.6 percent in FY 91 to just under 2 percent in the last year, the Planning Minister said that there is considerable potential for resources to be raised from development partners in the form of ODA disbursed as grants and loans.
Joint chief of the GED, Planning Commission, Md Eakub Ali made a brief presentation on MDG 8 status while Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan addressed the occasion as special guest. UNDP resident representative Stefan Priesner also addressed.

  SUST announces Tk 32.27 crore budget for fiscal 2010-11
BSS, Sylhet

The Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) authority has announced a Taka 32.27 crore budget for 2010-11 fiscal.
Vice-Chancellor of the university Prof. Mohammad Salah Uddin Thursday announced the budget at a press conference at the conference room of the VC Bhaban.
Of the total earning of the budget, the University Grants Commission has allocated Taka 29.2 crore while Taka 3.25 crore will come from the university income.
Registrar of the university, Ishfakul Hossain, director of finance, AFM Joynal Abedin and deputy registrar, Fazlur Rahman Khan were present on the occasion.
The university sources said Taka 22.77 crore or 70 per cent of the total budget has been allocated for salary and other benefits of teachers and staff members of the university.
Taka 3.50 crore has been allocated for educational purposes while Taka 3.45 crore has been fixed for general expenditure.
Taka 1.50 lakh has been allocated for research works.

  Govt takes up pilot project to keep Dhaka, Chittagong clean
BSS, Dhaka

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has taken up a pilot project on waste management with a view to keeping Dhaka and Chittagong cities neat and clean.
The ministry would implement the project in coordination with Dhaka City Corporation and Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), State Minister for Environment and Forests Dr Hasan Mahmud told journalists at his Secretariat office here on the occasion of the World Environment Day.
This year's theme of the day is 'Many Species: One Planet' set by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The day would be observed in the country as elsewhere in the world in a befitting manner on June 5.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the day at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre at 10.30 am on June 5. Special supplements would be published in national dailies while Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar will air special programmes highlighting the significance of the day.
Three organizations would be awarded with 'National Environment Award-2010' for their contribution to promoting the government's environmental management.
Dr Hasan said, "We have to change our long-practised habit of throwing garbage here and there."
Listing the government's initiatives, he said a solid waste management policy has been formulated and a policy on shipbreaking industry is at the final stage.
The ministry has geared up its effort to preserve biodiversity, Dr Hasan said and added that it is continuing on a larger scale than any time in the past.

  Call for building social movement against illegal drug traders
BSS, Khulna

Speakers at a view exchange meeting here on Wednesday called for building a social movement against illegal drug traders as well as drug abuse in the city area.
Widespread drug abuse by the youth and illegal drug trading have created a big social problem, they said and suggested that a movement comprising people of all strata of life should be built against the drug traders.
The speakers also called for announcing Khulna City Corporation (KCC) as a drug free city and adopted an action plan to this effect.
KCC and Khulna Narcotics Department jointly organized the meeting in the conference room of KCC.
Chaired by KCC Mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque, the meeting was addressed, among others, by panel Mayor Azmol Ahmed Tapon, Additional District Magistrate Md. Mahbubur Rahman, AC of Khulna Metropolitan Police Shahidul Islam, councilors, leaders of civil society, journalists and government officials.

  36 senior officials including two DIG's and 11 Add. DIGs transferred

BSS, Dhaka

The Home Ministry Thursday made a major reshuffle in the police department by changing two Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), 11 Additional DIGs.13 Superintendents of Police (SPs) and giving charge of the Police Super to 10 Additional SPs.
According to the circular, Commissioner of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Md. Moniruzzaman was transferred to the police headquarters as its Deputy Inspector General (DIG) while the Additional Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Md. Abul Kashem was transferred to CMP) as its Commissioner. The order of the two DIGs will come into effect after the election of the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) scheduled to be held on June 17 next.
Additional Police Commissioner (in-charge) of Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) S M Hafizur Rahman was posted to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as its Add. DIG (current charge) and Mohammad Mohsin, former director of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) who recently backed from United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia was posted to the Police Training Centre (PTC), Khulna as its Commandant while Commandant PTC Khulna Add. DIG Abdullah Al Azad Chowdhury was made Add. DIG of the CID, Dhaka.
Amullaya Bhusan Barua, newly promoted Add. DIG and presently Joint Commissioner of the Detective Branch (DB) of the DMP was posted to PTC Rangpur as Commandant while Joint Commissioner (current-charge) of the DMP Md Humayun Kabir and Joint Commissioner (JC), Traffic of the DMP were confirmed to their earlier posts. Dr Md. Abdur Rahim, Additional Commissioner (current charge) of Barisal Metropolitan Police (BMP), Md. Mokbul Hossain Bhuiyan, Add. DIG of Chittagong Range (current charge) were confirmed to their earlier positions while Additional Commissioner (current charge) of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) Md. Nawsher Ali was made Acting Police Commissioner of the same unit. Besides, newly promoted Add. DIG and former Special Police Super of the Special Branch (SB) Md Mesbah Uddin was posted to the RAB as its Director while another newly promoted Add. DIG and former Special Police Super of the CID Mir Shahidul Islam was posted to the DMP as its Joint Commissioner.

Sports

Balance the key for England against Bangladesh
AFP, Manchester

England, unusually for a side that has just won a match by eight wickets, faces a selection dilemma ahead of the second and final Test against Bangladesh starting here today.
Pace bowler Tim Bresnan suffered a stress fracture of his left foot during England's comprehensive victory at Lord's, concluded on Monday, and has been ruled out, meaning England must change a winning team. England's general preference in recent times has been to go with six batsmen and four bowlers.
If they stick with that policy World Twenty20 winner Ryan Sidebottom, now at Nottinghamshire, and the uncapped Ajmal Shahzad, an unused member of England's squad in the Caribbean, face a shoot-out to replace their fellow Yorkshireman.
But there were times when, with the old ball and the sun out, England's four-man attack looked laboured at Lord's, even though fast bowler Steven Finn took nine wickets on his home debut.
That may encourage England to field a five-man attack and dispense with a batsman, in which case Ian Bell's place may be under threat.
However, England coach Andy Flower said during the Lord's Test: "I don't think the number of bowlers is the issue. "I think the way we bowled is the issue. I think the bowlers themselves would acknowledge they have not performed as they would have liked." Shahzad, unlike Sidebo-ttom, was in the original 12-man squad at Lord's and so appears to be in pole position for a call now Bresnan is unavailable.
A lively pace bowler, the 24-year-old Shahzad, the first British-born Asian to play for Yorkshire, is sure to enjoy an Old Trafford pitch that usually has more bounce and carry than the one at Lord's if given the chance.
Although his international experience is limited to a solitary Twenty20 international, Shahzad does not lack for self-confidence and is eager for a a Test debut.
"I hope I can make my debut on Friday," he told reporters here on Wednesday. "I have been back at Yorkshire and got a few overs under my belt, 29 of them in fact, and I am looking forward to it.
"I think I am ready to go if I get the nod and make my debut. I am desperate to be involved and I just want to play cricket."
But Sidebottom, the only left-arm quick in the squad, does have the advantage of a different angle of attack.
England's first innings total of 505 at Lord's was built upon Jonathan Trott's 226, a score which realised one of captain Andrew Strauss's ongoing targets for the team that batsmen should make big hundreds.
The skipper himself returned to international cricket with two scores in the 80s and will be keen to carry that form with him to Manchester.
Although this latest defeat meant Bangladesh have lost all seven of their Tests with England, there were encouraging signs for the Tigers in the performance of the top order, notably opener Tamim Iqbal's dynamic century and in a five-wicket return for fast bowler Shahadat Hossain.
Bangladesh's overall Test record now stands at just three wins from 67 Tests but the pitch at Old Trafford also has a reputation for taking turn. Bangladesh have several spinners in their side, although England off-break bowler Graeme Swann will want the pitch to stay true to form too.
An optimistic Tamim said Wednesday: "Our main strength in bowling is spin, and there was nothing in the wicket at Lord's. "So we hope Old Trafford will be better for us. "We have (captain) Shakib (Al Hasan) -- who is one of the best in the world-and if he bowls well we can do better."

  Viqarunnisa B clinches girls’ school cricket crown
UNB, Dhaka

Viqarunnisa Noon School and College B team clinched the 3rd Girls' School Cricket crown beating Par Ganderia Non-Government Primary and Junior High School by 25 runs in the final at the Dhanmondi Sultana Kamal Women's Sports Complex on Thursday.
Batting first after winning the toss, Viqarunnisa Noon School B team scored 116 runs for 3 in stipulated 20 overs with skipper Pinky Sarwar making 26 off 17 balls that featured one four and three sixes.
Besides, Marium hammered not out 24 off 17 balls with five four, opener Sadia Siddique scored 13 runs off 34 balls with a boundary, Nafia Ahmed made not out 12 off 13 balls while opener Tasnem Zerin 12 runs off 31 balls with a boundary.
Ishma Akhter grabbed two wickets for 15 runs while Nasrin Akhter took one wicket for 29 runs.
In reply, Par Ganderia High School were restricted at 91 for 8 in quota 20 overs.
One down Nazmun Nahar scored 21 runs off 24 balls with three fours whily Pinky Akhter made 12 runs off 24 balls with a boundary.
Tasnem Zerin and Nazifa Tabassum picked up three wickets each for 12 and 17 runs respectively while Marium took two wickets for 12 runs.

   Stosur out to end Aussie Grand Slam drought
AFP, Paris

Samantha Stosur is out to end a 30-year-long drought for Australian women in Grand Slam tennis following her wins over Justine Henin and Serena Williams.
The 26-year-old Gold Coast resident reached the semi-finals of the French Open for the second straight year on Wednesday with a thrilling 6-2, 6-7 (2/7), 8-6 win over the top-seeded American.
Next up is Serbian fourth seed Jelena Jankovic, whom she beat in straight sets the last time they played, with the winner of the tie between Elena Dementieva and Francesco Schiavone in prospect for Saturday's final.
A win then would make Stosur the first Australian woman to win a Grand Slam title since Evonne Goolagong won Wimbledon as a mother in 1980.
Stosur knows that she has as good a chance as anyone and taking into account her back-to-back wins over Henin and Williams, she will be the favourite in some books.
"I think I've got as good a chance as anyone," she said. "I'm in the semis now; I played two great matches. Hopefully they're both gonna help me for tomorrow's match. "Two great matches back to back for me, which is fantastic and it's not over yet. "Now I'm in the semis, and I want to definitely try and keep going.
"I made it to this point last year. If I can try and go another set further, then that would be great."

  Akhtar, Malik make Pakistan’s Asia Cup squad
AFP, Lahore

Pakistan included paceman Shoaib Akhtar and former captain Shoaib Malik in its 15-man squad for the Asia Cup to be played in Sri Lanka later this
month, selectors announced Thursday.
The 34-year-old Akhtar was found fit for the June 15-24 four-nation tournament after selectors and top Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials carried out checks on Wednesday. A medical report has also declared him fit.
Akhtar, whose 13-year career has been riddled with injuries and controversies, has not played for Pakistan since May last year because of knee problems but showed good form in a recent domestic one-day tournament.
The 28-year-old Malik had a one-year ban lifted last week, clearing his return to international cricket. He also passed a fitness test.
"Both Akhtar and Malik passed fitness tests and hence were included in the squad and it's a balanced squad," PCB chairman Ijaz Butt told reporters.
Malik was banned for one year and fined two million rupees (24,000 dollars) in March after he was found breaching the players' code of conduct during Pakistan's tour of the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Australia. His fine was halved last week. All-rounder Shahid Afridi was last week named captain for the Asia Cup and the subsequent tour of England.
Pakistan, who have won the Asia Cup title only once, will face hosts and defending champions Sri Lanka on June 15 before taking on arch-rivals India on June 19 and Bangladesh on June 21. The final of the 10th Asia Cup will be held on June 24.
Pakistan is already missing key fast bowler Umar Gul, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury for the last two months. Gul missed the World Twenty20 in the West Indies last month.
The 21-year-old left-handed batsman Umar Amin is also uncapped, while 20-year-old Shahzaib Hasan represented Pakistan in the second World Twenty20 in England last year and has yet to play a 50-over one-day match. The 24-year-old Asad Shafiq, also uncapped, came after a strong domestic season.
Former captain Younus Khan, who was banned for an indefinite period over infighting in the team but named in the initial squad, was left out as his appeal is still pending.
Akhtar said he was happy to return to international cricket. "I bowled without any problems and it's good to be back in the team," Akhtar told AFP. "I will do my best to help my team win the Asia Cup and revive my career."

  England arrives in South Africa for World Cup
AFP, Johannesburg

England arrived in South Africa Thursday morning hoping a favourable first-round draw can be the catalyst for a serious World Cup challenge.
Cool, clear conditions greeted some of the most watched performers in the global televised football arena when they landed at Johannesburg international airport with manager Fabio Capello.
"I hope the World Cup will be a big success for South Africa and also for my team. Thank you. It is good to be here," the Italian told reporters on the airport tarmac.
Live broadcasts of virtually all English Premiership matches mean the stars of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool are more recognisable to many South Africans than domestic equivalents. A recent survey here revealed England would be the second most popular team after Brazil among local supporters should the national side fail to go all the way in the June 11-July 11 tournament.
Tight security surrounded the grey-suited England stars as they followed Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Denmark, United States, North Korea and Nigeria in reaching the first African country to host the World Cup.
Once immigration formalities had been completed at a temporary arrival facility, England headed by luxury coach for Rustenburg, a town two hours' drive west of Johannesburg in the heart of a platinum-rich area.
It is there at the 45,000-capacity Royal Bafokeng Stadium on June 12 that England launch their Group C campaign against the USA, shock victors 60 years ago in the sole previous World Cup clash between the countries.
Unexpected qualifiers Algeria will be the second and possibly weakest first round opponents at Cape Town Stadium six days later followed by another coastal setting for the game with Slovenia on June 23 in Port Elizabeth.
While pundits harbour mixed views on how far Wayne Rooney-inspired England can go, there is unanimity that not coming first on the group table would be a massive setback.
As winners England would probably meet and defeat Australia, Ghana or Serbia for a place among the last eight - where they exited the last two World Cup tournaments - but finishing second means bogey team Germany loom large.
Since overcoming Ger-many 4-2 after extra time in London to win their only World Cup 44 years ago, England have experienced constant heartache against the decades-old rivals.
Capello confirmed this week he will lead his 'Lions' in the Euro 2012 qualifiers after media speculation linked him with recently crowned European champions Inter Milan as a replacement for new Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho.
The Italian has transformed England from a team that failed to even reach the Euro 2008 championship under Steve McClaren into 11-2 third favourites behind Spain and Brazil for the world title.
Many of the McClaren-era team remains, including central defenders Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, midfielders Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard and leading scorer Rooney.

  Farashganj draws with Arambagh
TBT Report

Farashganj Sporting Club and Arambagh Krira Sangha played to a goalless draw in the Bangladesh Football League at Banga-bandhu National Stadium in the city on Thursday.
Shuktara Jubo Sangsad and Chittagong Moha-mmedan Sporting settled for a 1-1 draw in the other match of the day at Narayanganj Stadium.
After a dull and dour first half, the play picked up pace after the breather with both sides going on forays for goal. Amadi Mosses scored on 74 minutes to give Shuktara a 1-0 lead but the hosts were not able to cling on to their sole-goal advantage.
Chittagong Mohamme-dan drew level to save a point when Lamin Soumah netted a last-gasp equaliser just one minute before the final whistle.

  Melzer stuns Djokovic at French Open tennis
AFP, Paris

Austrian journeyman Jurgen Melzer fought back from two sets down to beat third seed Novak Djokovic 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 on Wednesday and set-up a French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal.
After dropping the first two sets, the 29-year-old Melzer was also a break down in the third before he staged a spectacular recovery to become the first Austrian to reach the last four since former winner Thomas Muster in 1995.
The 22nd seeded Melzer has made his staggering breakthrough at his 32nd Grand Slam, having never got beyond the third round of a major before.
After cruising through the first two sets, Djokovic's brittle temperament came back to haunt him and in a tense final set he was broken in the ninth game when he dumped a backhand volley into the net.
Incredibly it was the 24th break point he had faced in the 4hr 17min match.
In the next game, Melzer wasted a match point when he netted a simple forehand volley with the entire court at his mercy and then another as he scrambled to reach a Djokovic drive.
But he bravely held his nerve to clinch a famous triumph when Djokovic went long with a forehand.
"It's the most incredible moment of my career," said Melzer, the oldest man left in the competition and who had never previously come back after losing the first two sets.
The 23-year-old Djokovic, who made the last four in 2007 and 2008, losing to Nadal on both occasions, dominated the first two sets.
He broke in the eighth game on his way to securing the first set and repeated the trick in the third and seventh games of the second.
By this stage Melzer looked on course for a routine defeat as he wilted under the Djokovic barrage. The world number three was then 2-0 ahead in the third set and seemingly cruising before left-handed Melzer rallied in spectacular style.
After squandering six earlier break points, Melzer finally broke through to level the set at 2-2 and then raced through the next four games to snatch the set from Djokovic whose grip on the match was suddenly loosened.
In a marathon eighth game of the fourth set, a weary-looking Djokovic fought off seven break points before Melzer served two successive love games to lead 6-5 and ratchet up the pressure.
The Serbian held on with a sweet, running backhand taking the enthralling set into tiebreak.
Melzer raced to a 6-0 lead in the breaker. Djokovic saved three set points but a misguided backhand gave the gallant Austrian the fourth set which had taken 71 minutes to complete and sent the clash into its dramatic finale.

  Pakistan to send young team to Asian Games
AFP, Lahore

Pakistan will send a young team to this year's Asian Games as their top stars will be busy in a series, the country's cricket chief said Thursday.
Cricket at the Asian Games was hit badly after India refused to send its men's and women's teams citing prior commitments, but Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt said his country will participate. "India's withdrawal is their own decision, we will send a good team of youngsters and have already selected a preliminary squad of 30," Butt told reporters.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Tuesday said it would not field either men's or women's teams at the November 12-27 Games in the Chinese city of Guangzhou because of prior commitments.
Pakistan will send a second string team as their main players will be involved in a Test and one-day series against South Africa during the Games.
Bangladesh, the other Test nation from the continent, has a home one-day series against Zimbabwe in November and will also send a second string team.
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said it was disappointed at India's decision to withdraw from the competition. PCB director general Javed Miandad also stressed the need to back Asian Games host China by sending a team.
"We will send a team to the Asian Games as it is our commitment and China is our close friend," said Miandad, also a cricket ambassador to China.

  Domenech confident in French chances
AFP, Réunion

France coach Raymond Domenech said Thurdsay he is confident that his charges can shine at this year's World Cup.
"I am setting out confident in this group," insisted Domenech, who led France to an unexpected final in 2006.
"This group has desire and has worked well. I have confidence in the group - it is solid," said Domenech, whose side will kick off against Uruguay in Cape Town a week on Friday, after a laborious qualification campaign which riled fans of the 1998 champions. Asked if the team was ready for the off, Domenech said: "I hope it is not ready - it has to be come the day of the match. We are just coming to the end of our preparations and the objective is not to say that the 11 who will start tomorrow (in Friday's friendly with China) will be the ones who start the finals."
Domenech has been tinkering in recent weeks with his side, introducing a new 4-3-3 shape that saw the French beat Costa Rica 2-1 in their opening World Cup warm-up match before a disappointing draw with Tunisia last Sunday. He insisted he would not get tangled up in tactical jargon, however. "I did not see a 4-3-3 (against Tunisia) - for me it is a 5-5 (formation). Thereafter, everyone can describe it as they wish," said Domenech, who said he believed his men had sufficient attacking firepower. "From that standpoint we have something solid and creative," Domenech told reporters in La Reunion, a French overseas territory in the Indian Ocean.
Domenech also stated clearly his position on Barcelona veteran Thierry Henry, who said earlier this week that the coach had told him he would be held in reserve rather than handed a starting slot.
"Taking a player in the 23 is a real choice - what happens after that nobody knows. That it is not necessarily him who starts constitutes sporting logic," said Domenech, who said he would see how the event unfolded regarding who had a chance of breaking into the starting eleven.
And Domenech said that regardless of whether he played regularly Henry was a leader. "Henry is there, so is (William) Gallas, (Eric) Abidal, Patrice Evra, Franck Ribery, (Nicolas) Anelka also." But "I prefer form to experience. All the better if the experienced players are on form."

  Vijay Singh given special exemption into US Open
AFP, Pebble Beach

Three-time major winner Vijay Singh of Fiji was given a special exemption into this year's US Open, the US Golf Association (USGA) announced on Wednesday.
The American governing body had also awarded a special exemption to the June 17-20 event at Pebble beach to US star Tom Watson, who won the 1982 US Open at Pebble Beach and finished second at last year's British Open.
Singh, 47, was 27th last year at the US Open and has missed the cut only once in the event, that coming in his 1993 inaugural appearance at Baltusrol. He has been nagged by injuries in recen months.
"I'm finally back to good health and really looking forward to competing at Pebble Beach," Singh said. "It's a fantastic event at a legendary venue. I appreciate the invitation from the USGA and can't wait to tee it up."
Singh won the 2000 Masters crown and the 1998 and 2004 PGA Championships. His best of seven top-10 finishes in 16 US Open starts was a share of third in 1999. He has won 34 PGA titles.
"There were many compelling reasons for us to invite Vijay Singh into the field of this year's U.S. Open, particularly his three wins in Majors in the last 12 years," said Thomas O'Toole, USGA championship committee chairman.

  Argentina hands hooligan’s list
AFP, Buenos Aires

The Argentine government said on Wednesday it has handed its South African counterparts a list of 800 football hooligans ahead of the World Cup finals.
"We have no interest in seeing these people travel to the finals," cabinet head Anibal Fernandez told Argentine television, amid reports that some 30 known troublemakers, dubbed 'barrabravas', had travelled to South Africa along with the team last Saturday.
Fernandez insisted that "any citizen can travel freely" to the event but revealed the government move to share the information on known individuals.
Coach Diego Maradona said at a news conference on Tuesday in Pretoria that he was not aware of any 'barrabravas' having travelled to South Africa on the plane carrying the team.
Argentine media reports had earlier suggested some fans with links to violence had been given financial aid via official channels to help them make the long journey from South America.

  Spain, Korea face off in 2002 World Cup replay
AFP, Vienna

European champions Spain will be seeking to erase painful memories when they play a warm-up match Thursday against South Korea, to whom they lost the 2002 World Cup quarter-final.
This will also be a chance to make up for a lacklustre performance against Saudi Arabia on Saturday in Innsbruck, Austria, where the Spaniards scraped a 3-2 victory against a side which did not qualify for the upcoming tournament in South Africa.
Plagued with injuries, many of Spain's key players will be looking for playing time a week before the World Cup kicks off.
The game will serve "to give chances to almost all those who did not play (against Saudi Arabia)," coach Vicente del Bosque said Wednesday. "It's one more step in our preparation," he said.
Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who fractured his tibia in March, is due to make his comeback at Innsbruck's Tivoli stadium.
Injured Barcelona midfielders Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez were also fully recovered, Del Bosque said. But Liverpool striker Fernando Torres will probably be rested until Spain face Switzerland in their first group stage match in South Africa on June 16.
"The important thing is that he is ok that day, not whether he plays tomorrow. We won't take any risks," said Del Bosque.
Spain will also be hoping to exorcise the ghosts of the 2002 World Cup, when La Furia Roja lost to South Korea in a quarter-final penalty shoot-out, after a disputed game in which two Spanish goals were disallowed.
South Korea, which ended top of its group in the qualifying stage without losing a single game, also has some catching up to do after losing 0-1 to Belarus in a warm-up match in Kufstein, in Austrian Tyrol, on Sunday. The Taeguk Warriors became the first Asian team to reach the semi-finals with their 2002 defeat of Spain and are making their seventh consecutive World Cup appearance this year.
Although they have a decent chance of getting into the knockout rounds, another appearance in the last four may be beyond them, however.
Thursday's friendly match will be the last for South Korea before they head south for their first group stage game against Greece on June 12. Spain play one last warm-up match against Poland in Spain on June 8 in Murcia before flying to South Africa.