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Leading News
Death toll in Nimtali blaze rises
to 117
UNB, Dhaka
Death toll in the massive fire shot up to 117 till Friday
afternoon with the recovery of three more bodies from the
debris at Nawab Katra in old Dhaka and the death of one
burn-injured person at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
The fire broke out in a chemical factory at 42 Nawab Katra
in Nimtali area following explosion of two electric
transformers at about 9:20 pm on Thursday. The fire soon
spread to 4-5 buildings in the crammed residential area.
Dhaka Deputy Commissioner Muhibul Haque told UNB that the
rescuers made the latest search at noon on Friday and
"we're sure there is no more body lying at the scene."
Four people with burn injury died at hospital in the
morning and another died in the afternoon. Haque said 14
people with serious burn injuries were shifted to Combined
Military Hospital in the afternoon at the instruction of
the Prime Minister.
He said the administration gave Tk 10,000 to each patient
to meet the incidental expenses beyond the cost of
treatment and Tk 20,000 to meet the burial expenses of
each victim.
Besides, Haque said, the administration will also provide
household support for the families affected by the fire
and a list is being prepared.
The government announced National Mourning Day today
(Saturday) for the victims of fire at Nimtali as well as
those killed in a building-collapse on Tuesday night at
south Begunbari in the city.
Official sources said 45 charred bodies were kept at
Mitford Hospital morgue and 27 other bodies at Dhaka
Medical College Hospital morgue.
Fourteen bodies were handed over to their relatives from
the spot while 23 bodies from DMCH burnt unit. The DC said
that the bodies of the victims, who could be identified,
were handed over to their family members without
postmortem.
He said 10 bodies at DMCH and eight others at Mitford
Hospital could not be identified as those were burnt
badly. Over 42 people were admitted to DMCH burn unit with
burn injuries. Of them, condition of 10 was stated to be
critical. A doctor at the DMCH burn unit said none of the
injured is still out of danger.
Meanwhile, a three-member enquiry committee, headed by
additional secretary of Home Ministry Iqbal Khan Chowdhury,
was formed early Friday to investigate the incident. The
committee was asked to submit its report within seven
days.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited the burn-injured
people at the DMCH this (Friday) morning and cancelled all
her scheduled programmes for the day.
She announced that the government will bear all treatment
costs of the burn-injured people and the affected people
will be rehabilitated. Special prayers were offered at
mosques, temples, churches and other places of worship on
Friday seeking divine blessings for the departed souls.
Nation
observes mourning day today
UNB, Dhaka
Nation observes mourning day Saturday to commemorate the
victims of Nimtoli fire and Begunbari building collapse
tragedies that occurred in the capital within a span of
three days.
Before reeling out from the tragic deaths of 25 helpless
people in the collapse of a five-storey building at
Begunbari in Tejgaon on Tuesday, the nation was stunned by
the second tragedy on Thursday night when as many as 117
children, women and men were burned alive in the massive
fire at Nawab Katra in old Dhaka.
The national flag will be hoisted at half-mast at all
government, semi-government, autonomous and non-government
organizations and buildings tomorrow to observe the
National Mourning Day.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the people to observe
the national mourning and pray for eternal peace of the
departed souls and early recovery of the injured in the
tragedies.
Hasina cancelled her all scheduled programs on Friday and
rushed to the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Dhaka
Medical College Hospital (DMCH) to see the injured people.
Coming out of the DMCH burn unit, she said the government
will bear all medical expenses of the injured. "It is
terrible, unbearable. I' ve no language to express the
sorrows and sufferings," she told the media personnel.
The Prime Minister said all the families, which suffered
losses from the fire, will be given financial support and
other assistance.
"We will provide all types of assistance to the affected
families so that they can earn their livelihood," she
said, mentioning that "fire takes away everything."
Various political parties and professional groups as well
as foreign envoys stationed in Dhaka expressed their
profound shock at the tragic fire and prayed for peace of
the departed souls and expressed deep sympathy for
bereaved and affected families.
CCC
elections will be free, fair and credible: CEC
UNB, Chittagong
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dr ATM Shamshul Huda on
Friday said the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC)
elections will be held in a free, fair and credible
manner.
"There in no political agenda of the Election Commission
(EC). We're committed to ensure that those persons, who
are wanted by the people, are elected. We'll set an
example by holding the CCC polls in a free, fair and
credible manner," he said.
Dr Huda made the remarks while addressing a view exchange
meeting with the candidates for the CCC polls including
mayor and councilors at the Muslim Institute auditorium
here Friday morning.
The CEC visited the port city on Friday to see the
progress of preparations taken by the local election
commission to hold the June 17 city corporation elections.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Huda said although the city
corporation elections are held on non-party basis, but it
is not non-political. In some cases, violation of the
electoral code by candidates often makes the election
questionable.
He urged the candidates to maintain the electoral codes of
conduct to enable the EC to hold a free and fair election.
Referring to the law and order situation, the CEC said
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) will also be deployed in the city
corporation area from June 9, apart from Rapid Action
Battalion (RAB), police and coastguard to maintain the law
and order.
"A striking force with six company of the Army will be
deployed in the city corporation area from June 14-18.
They will work as per directive of the magistrates to keep
a peaceful atmosphere. Some 20 army men will be deployed
at every polling center," he said. He also urged the
candidates not to arrange the traditional feast, Mejban,
ahead of the polls.
CEC Huda also held a meeting in the afternoon with the
officials of district election commission, returning
officer and police officials.
BSF kills another
Bangladeshi
26 border killings in four months
TBT Report
Indian Border Security Force (BSF) killed one more
Bangladeshi along Benapole border on Friday as the killing
spree on Bangladesh border continues unabated despite
India's repeated pledges to stop such killings.
According to UNB report, a Bangladeshi cattle trader was
beaten to death by Indian Border Security Force (BSF)
along Gatipara border here early Friday.The deceased was
identified as Samir, 25, son of Nara of Gatipara village.
BDR and villagers said BSF members of Kaliani camp after a
good chase caught Samir while he was returning home from
India along with cattle.Then the Indian border guards beat
him to death and dumped his body to frontier Isamoti
River.
Being tipped-off by locals, police later recovered the
body and brought it to Bongaon thana. With this, BSF
killed 26 Bangladeshi nationals in over four months and
106 in last 13 months. The number of Bangladeshis killed
by BSF during the nine years period from January 1, 2000
to May 10, 2010 stands at 831. BSF also injured 860 and
abducted 903 Bangladeshis in the same period.
The killings of unarmed Bangladeshis by the BSF on the
border are continuing in clear violation of the spirit of
good neighborliness as well as international law and
despite repeated pledges by the Indian authorities to stop
it. In every meeting between BSF and BDR and also between
the higher level officials of the two countries, the
Indian side assures that killing of Bangladeshis by its
forces on the border would come to an end immediately. But
this pledge is seldom implemented.
5 killed, 34 injured in road crashes
UNB, Barisal
A retired BDR jawan riding on a motorcycle was killed and
two others were injured in a road accident at Rupatoli in
the city on Friday.
Police said three motorcyclists after halting the
motorcycle were talking to a man on a roadside on Dhaka-Patuakhali
road at about 10:30am when a truck rammed into the
motorbike, leaving one of them, Aziz Khan, 55, a retired
BDR jawan, dead on the spot. Two other motorcyclists---Sarwar
and Nasir--- injured in the incident were admitted to
Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital.
Police later seized the truck, but its driver Minto
managed to flee.
Being angered by the accident, local people blocked the
Dhaka-Patuakhali road for one hour halting traffic
movement on the road. The road blockade, however, was
withdrawn when police rushed to the spot and assured the
locals of taking steps against the truck driver.
UNB from Rajshahi; An official of a private insurance
company was killed as a Rajshahi University bus ran over
him in Rail gate area of the city on Thursday. The
deceased was identified as Shah Jamal Huq, 40, senior
principal officer of Fareast Islamic Life Insurance
Company. He hailed from Kushtia district.
Witnesses said the accident occurred at about 2 pm when
the court area bound student carrying bus hit Shah Jamal
while he was crossing the road. He died on the spot.
UNB adds, Narayanganj: A driver of a mobile phone company
was killed and two of its officers were injured when their
microbus fell into a roadside ditch at New Court area on
Dhaka-Narayanganj link road on Thursday morning. The
deceased was identified as Sakib Khan, 28.
Witnesses said the two officials of mobile phone company
Banglalink after completing repair work at their
Munshiganj tower were returning to their office at Jalkuri
in Fatulla thana in the morning.
But the driver lost control over the steering at the New
Court area as the gas pipe of the microbus suddenly
disjointed and the vehicle plunged into the ditch leaving
the driver dead on the spot. The injured officials Mujahid,
30, and Mostaq Ahmed, 29, were admitted to Narayanganj
200-bed hospital.
UNB adds from Rangpur: Two people were killed and 30
others injured in a road accident on Rangpur-Dhaka highway
in Mithapukur upazilla early Today. Police said a
Nilphamari bound night coach of Lucky Paribahan coming
from capital Dhaka turned turtle and then fell into a road
side ditch, killing two on the spot and injuring 30
others. One of the deceased was identified as Nipoti
Chandra, 26, resident of Kamarpara village under Jaldhaka
upazilla of Nilpahamri district. The identity of another
deceased could not be known immediately.
5 hurt in police-workers clash in
Savar
UNB, Savar
At least five people, including a cop, were injured in a
clash between agitating textile workers and police
following the closure of a textile mill here this (Friday)
morning.
Millennium Textile Mills was closed for indefinite period
this morning following demonstration by the workers over
the last three days to realize their 21-point demand.
The demands include salary increase, festival bonus, food
allowance, conveyance allowance, reinstatement of
terminated workers and an undertaking by the authorities
not to fire any worker illegally in future.
Authorities of the Millennium Textile Mills, a concern of
Southern Group, told UNB that though they have closed the
mill for indefinite period but would reopen it as soon as
normalcy returns to the factory.
The authorities hung a notice declaring the mills,
situated at Kathgora in Savar, as closed and deployed
police in the factory compound since early morning.
The mill employs over 1,500 workers. When workers came to
the factory at 9am in the morning to report to their duty,
they found the notice hanging on the mill gate and
instantly began demonstration inside the mill compound
demanding immediate reopening of the factory.
Back Page
Myanmar seeking nuclear weapons
AP/UNB, Bangkok
Documents smuggled out of Myanmar by an army defector
indicate its military regime is trying to develop nuclear
weapons and long-range missiles, and North Korea is
probably assisting the program, an expatriate media group
said Friday. The Norway-based Democratic Voice of Burma
said the defector had been involved in the nuclear program
and smuggled out extensive files and photographs
describing experiments with uranium and specialized
equipment needed to build a nuclear reactor and develop
enrichment capabilities.
But the group concluded in a report that Myanmar is still
far from producing a nuclear weapon.
On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Jim Webb announced he was
postponing a trip to Myanmar because of new allegations
that it was collaborating with North Korea to develop a
nuclear program. Webb, chairman of the Senate Foreign
Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and Pacific Affairs,
referred to documents provided by a Myanmar army defector.
Myanmar's military government has denied similar
allegations in the past, but suspicions have mounted
recently that the impoverished Southeast Asian nation has
embarked on a nuclear program. Myanmar's junta, which has
been condemned worldwide for its human rights abuses, has
no hostile neighbors. The military's prime concern is
suppressing dissidents at home and battling several
small-scaled insurgencies.
Last month, U.N. experts monitoring sanctions imposed
against North Korea over its nuclear and missile tests
said their research indicated it was involved in banned
nuclear and ballistic missile activities in Iran, Syria
and Myanmar, which is also called Burma. The DVB report
said Russia has also trained Myanmar technicians in
nuclear and missile technology.
The group, which operates Oslo-based television and radio
stations, said the defector, Sai Thein Win, was an army
major who was trained in Myanmar as a defense engineer and
later in Russia as a missile expert. It said he had access
to secret Myanmar nuclear facilities including a nuclear
battalion north of Mandalay "charged with building up a
nuclear weapons capability." It said the documents it
obtained were examined by Robert Kelley, an American
nuclear scientist and former director in the International
Atomic Energy Agency who concluded that Myanmar "is
probably mining uranium and exploring nuclear technology
that is only useful for weapons."
The group said its report was based on a five-year study
that indicated that North Korea was involved in assisting
the program. Documents obtained earlier showed that North
Korea was helping Myanmar dig a series of underground
facilities and develop missiles with a range of up to
3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles). The group said the
documents obtained from the defector show a number of
components used in nuclear weapons and missile technology,
including a missile fuel pump impeller, chemical
engineering equipment that can be used to make compounds
used in uranium enrichment, and nozzles used to separate
uranium isotopes into bomb materials.
"The total picture is very compelling. Burma is trying to
build pieces of a nuclear program, specifically a nuclear
reactor to make plutonium and a uranium enrichment
program," the report said.
Nimtali inferno plunges Runa’s sweet
dreams
into darkness
BSS, Dhaka
Twenty-five-year-old Runa on her return from a beauty
parlor with wedding delight saw her sweet dreams fade away
as she lost all her near and dear ones in Thursday night's
cruel inferno at city's Nimtali that claimed over 100
lives.
Ahead of her engagement with a neighbour that she dreamt
of since her adolescence, Runa along with her sister and a
cousin went to a nearby beauty parlor for making her more
attractive and smarter to the new relatives coming from
her would-be husband's family to adorn her with a wedding
ring.
She was supposed to return home by 9 pm as the new guests
from her would-be in-laws' house were scheduled to come by
10 pm. But there was an unusual delay in the parlor for
completing necessary preparations that forced her to come
back after 11 pm.
When reached home, she saw not only her dreams but also
her near and dear ones burnt into ashes in the terrible
inferno, the most deadliest in recent memory that jolted
the whole nation.
The tragedy took place at 43/3 Nababkatara, the rented
residence of Usman Mia, the ill-fated father of Runa, that
also came under the roaring fire. It also buried the hopes
and aspirations of many residents of Nimtali.
Those burnt in the mishap included Runa's mother Fatema
Begum, aunts Sajeda Begum and Afroza Begum and cousins
Simel and Hanifa.
The incident stunned Jamil Chowdhury, the would-be bride
of Runa, and his relatives of Hussainey Dalan. They were
in a mood of merriment and on the way to Runa's house for
participating in the engagement function.
They finally went to 43/3 Nababkatara at midnight - but
not to participate in the happy event but to express their
deep sympathy to the victims of the tragedy and to be the
witnesses to the biggest tragedy in recent history of the
country.
Cotton production reaches 70,000
bales this season
UNB, Dhaka
The country witnessed lint cotton production of 70,000
bales in the current season including 2000 bales under the
hybrid cotton cultivation.
"In the 2009-10 season, some 31,500 hectares of land were
brought under cotton cultivation and we have achieved
expected production of 70,000 bales," said Deputy Director
of Cotton Development Board (CDB) M Farid Uddin.
Talking to UNB, he said that in the current season the
cotton farmers used hybrid seeds in their fields for the
first time and the output was very good.
Farid Uddin informed that of the total land, 289.5
hectares were brought under cultivation of two hybrid
varieties - HSC-4 and DM-1. Around 3-3.5 tons of seed
cotton were harvested in each hectare (1 hectare = 2.47
acres) compared to two tons from traditional CB-9.
The lint cotton production in the 2008-09 season was not
so encouraging as some 32,600 hectares of land were
brought under the cultivation from where 50,175 bales of
cotton were harvested.
In the current season, the farmers grew hybrid cotton
after two local business houses - Supreme Seed Company and
Lal Teer Seed - began marketing the Chinese variety of
hybrid seeds.
"The fiber length of the hybrid variety is also better
than the traditional one," said the CDB Deputy Director.
He said that the CDB is planning to increase the
production target to over 90,000 bales in the next season
(2010-11) by bringing some 42,000 hectares of land under
cultivation including hilly and plain areas.
M Farid Uddin informed that a five-year CDB project to
strengthen its research activities is also awaiting
government nod for approval.
Under the proposed project from July 2010-June 2015, the
hybrid variety of cotton seeds would be developed apart
from developing technology.
The project titled 'Strengthening Research Activities of
CDB' would be implemented at an estimated cost of Tk 18
crore, informed the CDB Deputy Director.
Besides, the manpower of the CDB would be increased
including appointing more scientists, establishing one
gene bank and two green houses.
Agitated workers
vandalize Sonali Jute Mill premises in Khulna
UNB, Dhaka
Agitated workers on Thursday night in a series of attempts
vandalized the Sonali Jute Mill of Khulna over
distributing the weekly salary of the mill, damaging huge
amount of valuables.
Eyewitnesses said that the mill authorities scheduled to
distribute the weekly salary on Thursday and nearly 500
mill workers gathered outside the mill on this afternoon
and vandalized the mill seeing a notice that the salary
will be distributed on Sunday next.
The workers vandalized valuables including 50 computers,
furnitures and fans of the several offices of the mill.
They also beat up Mill's DGM Lokman Hossain, Manager
(Administration) Aminul Haq and another employee Saddam
Hossain was beaten up mercilessly during the attack.
Later, the injured Lokman and Saddam Hossain were sent to
the Khulna Medical College Hospital in critical condition.
Managing Director of the mill Emdadul Haq Bulbul said a
section of workers with help from outsiders attacked the
administrative building and residential buildings of the
mills and damaged valuables worth approximately one crore.
He also claimed that the agitated workers cut off nearly
1,000 tree-plants from the mill premise. Police said that
on information, they rushed to spot and took the unrest
under their control. Police also arrested two persons from
the spot, accusing their involvement in this attack.
Biodiversity is in peril, says Ban Ki-moon
BSS, Dhaka
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a message
said that biodiversity, the incredible variety of life on
earth that sustains us, is in peril.
In a message on the eve of World Environment Day, he said
species are becoming extinct at the fastest rate ever
recorded. Most of these extinctions are tied to human
activities that are polluting and depleting water
resources, changing and degrading habitats and altering
the global climate.
He said from frogs to gorillas, from huge plants to tiny
insects, thousands of species are in jeopardy.
He said the theme of this year's World Environment Day,
"Many Species. One Planet. One Future", echoes the call of
the International Year of Biodiversity to stop this mass
extinction and raise awareness about the vital importance
of the millions of species that inhabit our planet's
soils, forests, oceans, coral reefs and mountains.
"Our health, well-being and sustainable future depend on
this intricate, delicate web of ecosystems and life," he
added.
Mentioning that the global host of the 2010 World
Environment Day celebration is Rwanda, he said: "This
small country in the Great Lakes region of Africa is
rapidly earning a reputation as a green pioneer.
"Home to 52 threatened species, including the rare
mountain gorilla, Rwanda is showing how environmental
sustainability can be woven into the fabric of a country's
economic growth.
"Despite its many challenges, including poverty and
widespread land degradation, the 'land of a thousand
hills' is working to reforest, embrace renewable energies,
pursue sustainable agriculture and develop a green vision
for the future. "This year, Kigali will be the heartbeat
of a global, multicultural, intergenerational celebration
of our planet, its millions of species and the countless
ways in which life on earth is interconnected."
"On World Environment Day, I appeal to everyone - from
Kigali to Canberra, from Kuala Lumpur to Quito - to help
us sound the alarm," he made the call.
"Get involved, speak out. Learn and teach others. Show
leadership and help clean up. Reconnect with nature, our
life force," he said, adding: "Together, we can develop a
new vision for biodiversity: Many Species.
Police injured in bomb
blast in city’s Dayaganj
UNB, Dhaka
Five people including one police constable were injured in
a bomb attack allegedly unleashed by a suspected JMB man
at Dayaganj in old Dhaka Friday afternoon.
The injured were identified as police constable Waliur
Rahman, 26, pedestrians Kamal, 25, Habib, 12, and rickshaw
puller Masum, 26 and suspected JMB man Shawkat Ali, 25,
son of Abdus Salam of Araihazar in Narayanganj.
Police and witnesses said Shawkat Ali who was traveling by
a rickshaw hurled the homemade bomb at the police when he
was intercepted by police at Dayaganj at about 5-30pm,
leaving five people injured.
Police with the help of locals caught Shawkat Ali. Injured
police constable was admitted to the Police Hospital and
suspected JMB and other were admitted to Dhaka Medical
College Hospital.
Pakistan to crack down on banned
militant groups
AP, Islamabad
Interior Minister Rehman Malik says law enforcement
agencies throughout Pakistan have been told to crack down
on banned militant groups.
Malik said Friday that such groups would not be allowed to
stage protests and individual militants would face "strict
action." Malik said the crackdown applies to all major
cities but he did not give further details.
The directive comes a week after militants attacked the
Ahmadi religious sect in Lahore, killing nearly 100
people. Many militant groups banned by the government
still stage public meetings and demonstrations without
retribution. Pakistan's commitment to a crackdown has been
questioned as the country was perceived as wanting to
avoid confronting militants that focus outside its
borders.
Editorial
Nimtali Tragedy
It
is difficult to find words strong enough to express the sorrow
and grief of the nation at the tragic event that are taking
place one after another. The capital Dhaka appears to have
become a city of tragic deaths as people are dying here at the
hands of criminals, in road accidents and worse still, in
house collapse and dreadful fire incidents. The city dwellers
are yet to overcome the shock and grief caused by the deaths
of 25 people in the house collapse at Begunbari on Tuesday.
Again, on Thursday night 114 people have been killed in a
devastating fire at old City's Nimtali. This is perhaps the
worst and the most fatal fire incident in country's recent
history. The fire broke out in a chemical factory at 42 Nabab
Katra, Nimtali, in the old part of the Dhaka city following
explosion of two electric transformers. The fire soon spread
to several adjacent houses in the congested residential area.
At least 114 people, mostly women and children, were burned
alive and about 150 more wounded in the devastating fire in
the Old city. Rescuers pulled out bodies from several houses
and about 20 shops that had been razed to ashes by the fire,
possibly the biggest in country's history. The charred bodies,
many of them beyond recognition, were seen lying at different
places of the shops and houses. The cause of the fire could
not be known for certain. According to newspaper report,
hundreds of locals joined the rescue operations. They fought
the fire with whatever they could find near, recovered bodies
and rescued the wounded. After the fire was doused, fire
fighters and locals started pouring in corpses wrapped in
clothes from shops and houses. Some charred beyond
recognition, some dead due to smoke inhalation. Most of the
bodies were found trapped inside rooms. Soon the air filled
with grief as hundreds of people were trying to identify their
near and dear ones. Many who could identify bodies burst into
tears while some bodies were too charred for identification.
Rescuers called off the search for survivors early Friday as
the death toll rose to 114. The government has declared one
day of national mourning on Saturday across the country while
special prayers were offered on Friday at mosques, temples,
churches and pagodas for the departed souls in the devastated
fire. The government has extended financial and other
logistics support for the burial of the victims and proper
treatment for the injured. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
visited the fire victims at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital
(DMCH) in the morning. President Zillur Rahman expressed his
profound shock at the loss of life in the fire. Earlier on
Friday, Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia visited the
hospital. Meanwhile, a three-member enquiry committee, headed
by additional secretary of Home Ministry Iqbal Khan Chowdhury,
was formed early Friday to investigate into the incident.
Apparently it was an accident, but the whole truth will come
out only after the investigation is completed. Whatever is the
reason behind the fire incident, the losses caused by the
blaze specially in terms of human lives are irreparable. Those
dead, will never come back and the sorrow and grief of their
relatives will never be overcome. So, it is difficult to write
anything about such major catastrophe and more difficult to
speak about the mental condition of the survivors and the
relatives of the dead. Yet, with the rest of the nation, we
mourn the deaths in the blaze and convey our sympathy to the
injured and the members of the bereaved families. Finally, we
urge upon the government to improve our disaster management
system and strengthen the arrangements for rescuing quickly
the people in danger during an accident.
Housing for RMG
workers
The
Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Women and
Children Affairs on Thursday 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 11th meeting held at
the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Bhaban.
The Parliamentary committee has made a very important
recommendation as the female garment workers are facing acute
housing problem. Not only them, as a whole the working women
in the city are plunged in a state of deep agony and
uncertainty as their residential accommodation problem
continues to worsen instead of being resolved. More and more
women are being employed in different organisations. Besides,
thousands of women are working in the garment sector. But the
accommodation facilities for the working women in the city is
very scanty.
Majority of the working women do not get residential
accommodation in the working women's hostels. There are only
three such hostels run by the government and a few others by
private organisationas. In the government- run hostels the
number of seats are inadequate to accommodate the working
women and the rent in the hostels run on commercial basis is
very high. As a result most of the working women have to opt
for making private arrangements for staying in the capital.
But this is not an easy task. Moreover, the garment workers
are so poorly paid that it is almost impossible for them to
pay private house rent.
Against this backdrop, the residential problem of the working
women in the city is aggravating day by day. In order to
resolve this problem the government should construct a number
of more hostels for the working women and arrange special
housing at nominal rent for the female garment workers.
Analysis
An irreversible trend
One result has been the feeling that this
government is now terminally dysfunctional and the other that
ours is less a state than a criminal enterprise.
Zafar Hilaly
Pakistanis are
finally coming to grips with the real enemy - ourselves. None
has caused us greater harm. Arrogance and contempt cost us
half the country and, utterly unspoiled by failure, we are
well on our way to ensuring that wilful ignorance, vanity,
intolerance and obstinacy will lose us the rest. How we became
our own worst enemy requires not a thousand words, to which
one is confined, but a thousand pages. But what is the point?
Many will read them, like they read history, but only in order
to learn how to repeat the same calamities all over again.
Out of the crooked timber of our society no straight thing can
ever emerge. Consider, for example, the convoluted
constitution. How more confusing can it appear to the common
man? Is Prime Minister Gilani now all-powerful, he asks. Yes,
in theory, but not in fact, is the true answer. Is President
Zardari only a figurehead? Yes, but actually no. Is the
judiciary now truly independent? Yes, but seldom has it been
accused of greater bias. Is the media finally free? Yes, but
never as irresponsible. By which time the common man, one
imagines, is neither interested in understanding nor
supporting a system that has caused so much confusion and
wasted so much valuable time.
Of course, now and then he can get straight, unqualified
responses. Have politicians and bureaucrats learnt their
lessons about serving the people and not lying, cheating or
looting? No. Do Pakistanis now believe that they must pay
their taxes? No. Do murderers continue to roam free because
some lower court judges are scared to convict them? Yes. Can
judgement precede a trial? Yes. (As demonstrated by the FIA
report, which squarely lays the blame for Benazir Bhutto's
murder on five of Baitullah Mehsud's hit-men and a couple of
absconders, some of whom, according to a journalist, were
already in custody prior to her assassination). Surely, by now
any lingering hope or interest that the common man may have
left about the system should have evaporated.
Removing these flaws, now deeply entrenched, and making sense
of governance is well nigh impossible in the absence of
leadership. And it is not that we do not have self-styled,
self-appointed and elected leaders. We have many. The problem
is that in troubled societies such as ours, the rot starts at
the top and works its way down. All our Caesars contain in
their very person the national decay. They mirror the malaise
that afflicts society. Hence, they can only spread the
contagion and not curb it, as time has shown.
Consider Benazir Bhutto. She entered into negotiations to
share power with those who she identified as responsible for
her murder. The fact that she negotiated with those who could
as easily murder her as conclude an agreement did not seem to
bother her or anyone else. What can better illustrate the
'anything goes' society that we have become?
Consider further a report in a national daily of June 1, which
quotes the president as having sent a strong message to the
(intelligence) quarters concerned saying, "Confront (me) out
in the open instead of picking on my friends." The president
was responding to the abduction of a friend by unknown men on
the busiest road in the busiest city of this land. If true
(and no denial has been issued), it beggars the imagination
that such a challenge can issue from a supreme commander to
his own troops. One result has been the feeling that this
government is now terminally dysfunctional and the other that
ours is less a state than a criminal enterprise.
To right the mess, mere tinkering with the current value
system, a reordering of priorities, a tack here and a stitch
there and slight adjustments to our present way of life,
living and governance accompanied by dollops of patience will
not do. From the evolutionary point of view, the system has
stopped moving. About the only thing happening are ingenious
tricks to reconcile the irreconcilable and to explore new ways
of increasing efficiency to loot. Frankly, we have reached the
end of our tether.
Already, the privileged and the people form two nations within
Pakistan. The former fattened on commissions, kickbacks,
plots, licences, jobs, sinecures, access, postings, travel,
upgrades, front seats, etc and, uniquely in Pakistan, of never
to be repaid bank loans. The other live on the hope that God
cannot be mocked forever and that the people will at last come
into their own.
Or, perhaps, that if we hold firm to the present system,
repeated elections will wash away the flotsam that
dictatorships invariably throw up and that, given time,
Pakistan will emerge stronger for the experience. However, it
is time what we do not seem to have. A handful of wars and
operations loom on the horizon. The economy is barely above
water. Without emergency foreign assistance it would be in a
free fall. Inflation has steadied but at an unaffordable 13
percent and joblessness is rife. Besides, the nation's unity
is fraying.
Clearly, we have to do something we have not done before in
terms of civil-military relations and of bringing the
mainstream parties and the military on the same platform in
some creative, innovative way. And to fashion a government
that will work with reasonable competence and sensitivity in
order to save this nation from itself. Or else we will create
a situation so desperate that the people will clamour for yet
another military takeover.
With the way things are going, we stand to lose everything,
perhaps even our existence as a nation. Thus far we have been
our own worst enemy and perhaps the time has come to get the
best out of those on whom we must depend and who, in the final
analysis, will determine our fate, and this lot happen to be
ourselves.
The writer is a former ambassador of Pakistan. He can be
reached at charles123it@hotmail.com
Pak-India war
in Afghanistan
Pakistan started helping the Afghan government while India
changed its allies and started supporting anti-Karzai
elements. India is now busy spoiling every Afghan
initiative
for reconciliation.
Saleem Safi
The
Pakhtun belt along the Pak-Afghan border has often been
the scene of internal conflict after invading foreign
forces have left the region. Historically, world powers
have chosen the Pakhtun belt for their struggles for
domination, such as Russia and Britain. Of late, the US
and its allies and their Arab and non-Arab adversaries
have also used Pakhtuns. Therefore, Pakhtuns are always
divided into two opposing camps supported with money and
arms by their respective supporters. War has become their
business. They feel proud of defeating superpowers and
preserving freedom and independence, though at the cost of
blood, loss of property and lost generations of Pakhtuns.
All other international and regional players have had to
leave the scene to quit the game, but India and Pakistan
have had no pause since 1947. Because of Afghanistan's
refusal to recognise Pakistan from day one due to the
Durand Line issue and India's attempts to exploit this
animosity, the proxy war has not come to an end. As
against its treatment of other states in its immediate
neighbourhood, India has been more generous to
Afghanistan. Not for love of Afghans but because of its
ambitions to use Afghanistan for settling scores with
Pakistan. In response, the Pakistani establishment always
looked at Afghanistan in the context of the country's
animosity with India.
Any Afghan politician or ruler who was close to India
became the enemy of Pakistan. During the Cold War, India
always dominated the game, but after the Soviet withdrawal
and the fall of the Najibullah regime in Kabul, Pakistan
was all set to pay India back in the same coin. However,
the Indian policymakers outsmarted Pakistani policymakers
when they befriended some Afghan Mujahideen factions.
Pakistan responded by fully supporting Taliban fighters in
their occupation of Kabul, thus ousting India from the
game. To achieve this objective, at a huge cost in the
form of structural dislocation of our economy, the
Westernised and clean-shaven Pakistani generals befriended
the Taliban, who considered the beard and wearing of the
turban as acts of faith.
9/11 changed the scene altogether. India gained ground on
the strength of some Pakistan-bashing political figures of
Afghanistan's Northern Alliance and the US, which
considered India a strategic partner to balance out the
rising China. In the changed calculations, the Indian
status of a rising economic giant also played its role. On
the other hand, our policymakers committed blunders that
cost us Pakistan's relevance in Kabul.
For the last nine years, India has invested more than 1.3
billion dollars in Afghanistan in various fields, like
education, agriculture, culture, health and defence. On
the contrary, Pakistan's share was next to negligible.
However, for the last two years, Pakistan has made its
presence known through some token projects. But during
this period, some hate-Pakistan Northern Alliance figures
and the US afforded India an open field to woo
disenchanted Baloch secessionists for the creation of
troubles in Balochistan and sneak into Taliban ranks to
avenge alleged Pakistani excesses against them. In return,
Pakistan adopted the policy of either non-cooperation with
the Afghan government or overlooking the activities of the
Afghan Taliban, who proved to be a thorn in Kabul's side.
Now, for the last two years Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Gen
Ahmad Shuja Pasha and the Pakistani ambassador in Kabul,
Muhammad Sadiq, have played their cards very cleverly.
They not only convinced the US to stop India's
anti-Pakistan activities from Afghan soil but also to help
Pakistan win over some anti-Pakistan Afghan political
figures. In the last presidential elections, Pakistan
extended firm support to Hamid Karzai, which also helped
us mend fences with former Indian friends like Marshal
Faheem, the Hazara community leadership and Rasheed Dostum.
Here the game has taken a new twist.
Pakistan started helping the Afghan government while India
changed its allies and started supporting anti-Karzai
elements. India is now busy spoiling every Afghan
initiative for reconciliation. One of the reasons for the
delay in the convening of the Grand Jirga summoned by
Afghan government for outlining a consensus plan for
reconciliation with Taliban is Indian efforts. These were
in collaboration with Abdullah Abdullah, Yunus Qanooni and
other anti-Karzai elements, to sabotage the initiative. On
the other hand, Pakistan is helping the Afghan government
to make the event a success.
India has also taken another U-turn by establishing links
with the Afghan Taliban and is busy convincing them that,
unlike Pakistan, India has never betrayed any Afghan
factions, including the Taliban. Astonishingly, India
seems to have made inroads into Taliban ranks as some
Afghan Taliban are now speaking the same language against
Pakistan. The arrest of Mulla Baradar and some other
measures taken by Pakistan indicate the increasing
distance between Pakistan and the Taliban. What remains to
be seen now is how Pakistan and Hamid Karzai handle this
new situation, and what the new shape will be of the
historical fight of sorts between India and Pakistan in
the Pakhtun belt.
The writer works for Geo TV. Email: saleem .safi@janggroup.com.pk
Viewpoints
It's time for action
Now
President Barack Obama and his fellow Americans have to decide
where they stand. Are they on the side of justice, freedom
and an individual’s right to live dignity or are they on the
side of Israel.
Aijaz Zaka Syed
Just
when you think Israel cannot descend any lower, it surprises
you with ever new depths of depravity. If anyone ever needed
any more evidence about the absolutely evil, sick and
homicidal nature of this regime, they got it this week.
And if anyone still nurtured innocent hopes of peace and
Israel's commitment to the peace process, dialogue, two-state
solution and all that balderdash, Israel showed them what it
thinks of their fond hopes and aspirations.
Little did we realise the dangerous nature of the mission
undertaken by Huwaida Arraf, the fiery spirit behind the Free
Gaza campaign, still in Israeli detention, and numerous other
peace activists and conscience keepers of the world.
Perhaps not even those 700 plus noble souls on board the
Freedom flotilla who defied great odds and put their own lives
on line to save those imprisoned in Gaza ever suspected that
Israel could go to the extent of attacking ships full of
foreign peace activists and humanitarian aid.
But when you are dealing with Israel anything is possible.
From Dair Yassin massacre to the mass slaughter of Palestinian
refugees in Sabra and Shatilla camps in Lebanon, and from the
Jenin refugee camp carnage to the total destruction of Gaza in
2008-'09, Israel sets a new precedent with every new atrocity.
Every crime appears to create a new history of oppression and
abuse of human dignity. But what the Israelis have done this
time around is shocking even from their own standards.
Even Nazis and the most depraved mass murderers in history
respected certain red lines. They spared international
peacemakers, the Red Cross and relief agencies. But then when
it comes to the State of Israel, there are no red lines.
Nothing is sacrosanct.
From the shock-and-awe attack on the USS Liberty, a battle
ship belonging to its own ally, friend and protector that
killed scores of US Marines, to this assault on the Gaza
relief flotilla killing 19 peace activists, most of them from
another ally and friend, Turkey, Israel routinely kills at
will and casually annihilates everyone and everything in its
way.
More important, it always gets away with murder, just as it
did earlier this year in Dubai using the passports and
identities of friendly countries to assassinate a top Hamas
commander.
The question is how long will this go on? When is enough is
enough for Israel's protectors and the international
community? How long can a tiny state with the population less
than that of New York hold the entire world its hostage?
Just like in those Hollywood features when a couple of
lunatics hijack a plane full of passengers threatening to blow
it up in air, Israel has hijacked our world and threatens to
destroy it with its reckless actions and dangerous policies.
Unless someone comes forward to take control of the plane
before it blows up in air or crashes down to the ground, you
can be as sure as hell we are all headed for the certain doom.
The brazen attack on the Freedom flotilla carrying 10,000
tonnes of food, medicines and other essentials to a starving,
desperate population in Gaza is the plainest sign yet - if
anyone ever needed it-that Israel is a clear and present
danger to the peace and stability of our world.
This is not about Palestinian rights or their never-ending
persecution at the hands of an evil regime. This is now about
the shared future of our world. Israel has become a cancer not
just for the Middle East but the entire civilised world. If
the international community does not act now, it will pay a
huge price-perhaps even higher than it paid in the last two
Great Wars. It's time to save the world from Israel and save
the Zionist state from its own destructive self.
The terror on high seas has understandably outraged the world.
This outrage of the global conscience must be channelled to
confront the Zionist regime and end the seven decades of
suffering of Palestinian people.
Just as the Soweto massacre gave birth to a global movement
against the Apartheid regime in South Africa, eventually
leading to its overthrow, this latest Israeli outrage and the
sacrifices of numerous soldiers of peace must unleash an
international movement against the Zionist oppression.
Tide has already turned against Israel, manifesting itself in
millions of people around the world coming out on the streets,
from Toronto to Tokyo, in spontaneous protests following the
attack on the Gaza aid mission. It's these voices of
conscience that may have forced Israel's European friends to
condemn the terror on high seas in unequivocal terms.
Now President Barack Obama and his fellow Americans have to
decide where they stand. Are they on the side of justice,
freedom and an individual's right to live dignity or are they
on the side of Israel, no matter how many innocents it kills
and no matter what new lows of degeneracy it plumbs in its
hubris?
Is President Obama willing to stand up for what he believes
in, as he has long claimed, and earn his Peace Nobel? Or would
he rather play safe to end up as yet another wimp in the White
House dancing to Israel's tunes? Whatever he eventually does,
he must remember British historian and intellectual Edmund
Burke's warning: "All it takes for evil to triumph is for good
men to do nothing."
Aijaz Zaka Syed is Opinion Editor of Khaleej Times. Write
to him at aijaz@khaleejtimes.com
Is ‘ijtihad’
a closed deal?
The process of
lawmaking in Islam has been most dynamic and spread over
nearly six centuries. It represents one of the greatest
lawmaking ventures in human history.
Asghar Ali Engineer
After
the recent fatwa from Dar-ul-Uloom, Deoband, (some deny
that a fatwa was issued) saying that a Muslim woman cannot
work with strange men and if she did her earnings would be
haram (prohibited), a debate is raging on the need for
ijtihad (reinterpretation of Sharia laws).
It is suggested that the doors of ijtihad that were closed
after the sack of Baghdad in the year 1258 must be
reopened. It must be pointed out here that there is no
church in Islam; thus, there is no single authority which
can issue its diktats to keep the practice of ijtihad
closed or to reopen it. When Ibn Taymiyyah issued the
fatwa on jihad after the sack of Baghdad he went against
his Hanbali school and gave the fatwa based on his own
authority. The Hanbali school requires submission to the
ruling authorities.
Let us also point out that ijtihad has been part and
parcel of the process of lawmaking in Islam. The root
meaning of ijtihad (derived from jahada) is to strive, to
make an effort. Ijtihad is the process whereby a scholar
makes his utmost intellectual effort to understand a new
phenomenon and find a solution to it that is acceptable to
Islam.
Technically, ijtihad was first applied by Maadh bin Jabal,
who was appointed as the governor of Yemen by the Prophet
(PBUH) of Islam. When asked how he would govern when he
did not find a clear ruling in the Quran or the Sunnah, he
said "Ana ajtahidu", i.e. "I will strive" (to understand
the problem myself and find a way out). The Holy Prophet
approved of this reasoning.
All great imams and founders of different schools of
Islamic law practised ijtihad to arrive at solutions of
various problems they confronted in their own time. The
word fiqh, which is often used for Islamic jurisprudence,
also means to know, understand and comprehend. Hence fiqh
became an integral part of Islamic jurisprudence; experts
of Islamic law are referred to as faqih.
The process of lawmaking in Islam has been most dynamic
and spread over nearly six centuries. It represents one of
the greatest lawmaking ventures in human history.
When Islam spread to non-Arab cultures in Asia and Africa,
the ulema were faced with new problems and often baffling
challenges. They exerted themselves intellectually and
tried to find solutions in the light of Quranic
pronouncements and values and the sunnah of the Prophet.
They also invented useful tools like qiyas (analogical
reasoning) and ijma, i.e. consensus among experts.
Why were these tools necessary? Because often the ulema
could not find solutions directly in the Quran and the
Sunnah to the problems that arose in their respective
times. The process of lawmaking had begun right in the
beginning when conquests brought Muslims face to face with
new problems and varying social practices. Thus, the
dynamic spirit of Islamic law was suffused in the very
process.
It never ignored objective conditions and new situations
that arose from time to time in societies that were not
Bedouin and tribal (in which Islam was born). The
stagnation in the process of ijtihad was not because of
the sack of Baghdad but a result of stagnation in Muslim
societies after the sack.
A new process of change began again during colonisation of
Muslim lands when Islamic thinkers came, once again, face
to face with modernity. Modernity posed new challenges
before them and many great Islamic thinkers rose to the
occasion and began to reformulate specific injunctions.
There were shining examples of brilliant thinkers, like
Muhammad Abduh who rose to be the grand mufti of Egypt. He
issued a series of new fatwas on postal saving interests,
a fatwa for South African Muslims allowing them to eat
meat of permissible animals slaughtered by Christians, the
necessity for modern education and so on. He was one of
the most dynamic thinkers of the 19th-20th century. Rashid
Raza, his disciple, though not as bold, continued his
work.
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan (and his team) in India also did
commendable work during the 19th century. His commentary
on the Quran is a seminal contribution and represents the
dynamic spirit of ijtihad and fresh theological thinking.
But unfortunately he had to discontinue writing after
facing stiff opposition from conservative ulema. What we
have of his commentary (which was not available earlier)
has been republished by the Khudabakhsh Library, Patna, in
two volumes.
Sir Syed's work was continued by great scholars like
Maulvi Mumtaz Ali Khan, Maulvi Chiragh Ali and several
others who once again infused a dynamic spirit in Islamic
law. So what is needed today is solid scholarship and
intellectual courage to break the stagnation of Islamic
law instead of lamenting that ijtihad is a closed deal. It
is not; it must be undertaken to address the many new
issues Muslim societies are facing today.
The writer is an Islamic scholar who also heads the
Centre for Study of Secularism & Society, Mumbai.
Too early for euphoria
Obama might be sincere about seeking to break with the
Bush legacy, but eventually it is the unrelenting
challenges of America's global outreach that will
determine his actions.
Shamshad Ahmad
President
Barack Obama's "National Security Strategy" signals a
break from the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive use of force,
the rationale for his war on terror. In the 52-page
document, Obama lays out a new grand strategy, based on a
fresh doctrine of "security through peace, not war." It is
a welcome statement of intent, but there is no room for
any euphoric illusions.
Through his first formal policy declaration, President
Obama appears to be correcting the direction of America's
global behaviour. His new vision does not provide for the
US to strike first or take unilateral military action.
This, indeed, marks a new approach which, unlike that of
some of his predecessors, puts an emphasis on global
cooperation, building wider security partnerships and
helping other nations defend themselves.
While the new Obama strategy retains the option for the US
to act unilaterally in certain situations (Pakistan is a
classic example), it envisages the use of military force
"only as a last resort when all other options are
exhausted and the costs and risks of action have been
weighed against the costs and risks of inaction." It draws
up a considerably more complex and distinctly more
intelligent concept of the world where new partnerships
need to be forged through dialogue and engagement and
necessary space created for emerging powers.
The strategy departs from past practice in citing the
threats of homegrown terrorists, cyber security and
climate change. While signalling a break with the Bush
legacy, the document falls short of its outright
repudiation, which is bound to disappoint those in the
Democratic camp who expected a more direct rejection of
the doctrine of pre-emptive war. Republicans, on the other
hand, are critical of the policy's new emphasis on
diplomacy and development aid.
In his introductory remarks, President Obama says: "Our
strategy begins by recognising that our strength and
influence abroad begin with steps that we take at home." A
key tenet of his domestic agenda is creating what he calls
a "new foundation" for America's future through economic
growth, deficit and debt reduction, better education, a
stronger and clean energy industry, greater scientific
research and a revamped healthcare system. Obama stresses
that success in these areas is crucial to maintaining US
influence abroad.
President Obama and his Democratic Party are conscious of
the midterm elections in November and their likely impact
on his second-term prospects. Obama's new national
security manifesto is striking for its domestic policy
content and is full of State of the Union-style promises.
It looks like a statement on how to cut down the long
checklist that will be used in the coming elections to
judge on his unkept promises.
Obama's favoured foreign policy buzzword "engagement" is
used 42 times in the 52 pages. The term denotes "active US
participation in relationships beyond its borders. It is,
quite simply, the opposite of a self-imposed isolation
that denies us the ability to shape outcomes." At the same
time, the strategy makes it clear that the US will not
abdicate its unrivalled global military power and
capability.
A noteworthy aspect of Obama's new global outline is the
effort to move from a monomaniacal focus on Al-Qaeda.
Referring to Iraq and Afghanistan, the foreign policy
paper states, "Yet these wars--and our global efforts to
successfully counter violent extremism--are only one
element of our strategic environment and cannot define
America's engagement with the world... The gravest danger
to the American people and global security continues to
come from weapons of mass destruction, particularly
nuclear weapons." Through these words, Obama seems to be
redefining America's threat perception.
During his recent commencement address at the US West
Point Military Academy, Obama had touched on many of the
themes now covered in his strategy document. He told the
graduating cadets that "the burdens of this century cannot
fall on our soldiers alone," and that the US must shape a
world order relying on the persuasiveness of its diplomacy
as well as the might of its military.
Obama's renunciation of the pre-emptive war doctrine is a
welcome gesture not only to the world at large but also to
Muslims across the globe, who feel they have been victims
of a wicked war perpetrated by George W Bush in the name
of war on terror.
The feeling is shared by American people and media.
According to The Washington Post, "in the name of the war
on terror, we have invaded and occupied a country [Iraq]
that had nothing to do with the attacks of 9/11, we have
emboldened our enemies, we have lost and taken many lives,
we have spent trillions of dollars, we have sacrificed
civil liberties, and we have jettisoned our commitment to
human dignity."
Will Obama's new grand strategy undo the wrongs done by
his predecessor? Only time will tell. Obama might be
sincere about seeking to break with the Bush legacy, but
eventually it is the unrelenting challenges of America's
global outreach that will determine his actions.
In alleviating Muslim grievances, President Obama must not
forget "the principle of justice to all peoples and
nationalities, and their right to live on equal terms of
liberty and safety with one another, whether they be
strong or weak" that President Woodrow Wilson had spelt
out in his famous 14-point congressional speech in January
1918.
Email: shamshad1941@yahoo.com
International
Pakistan
indispensable in Afghanistan: US
Dawn Online
Pakistan is indispensable for US success in Afghanistan,
although India also has a very important role in that
country, says a senior State Department official.
"Because we understood we will not be able to succeed
without the active support of our friends in Pakistan,"
said the official while explaining why President Barack
Obama formulated an 'integrated strategy' for dealing with
terrorism in the Pak-Afghan region.
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central
Asian Affairs Robert Blake, however, noted that the United
States had "strongly welcomed the important role that
India has played through its various reconstruction and
development projects" in Afghanistan.
In a web-chat from Washington with journalists in India,
Mr Blake had to face a number of very hostile questions on
what Indians saw as a pro-Pakistan tilt in America's new
policy for Afghanistan.
The journalists pointed out that there was a big concern
in India over the Afghan exit strategy of the Obama
administration, which would also figure prominently in the
US-India Strategic Dialogue in Washington.
They claimed that Pakistani intelligence agents were
harming not only Indian but also US interests in
Afghanistan and wanted to know if the US administration
was convinced that sidelining India and appeasing Pakistan
would help stabilise the situation in Afghanistan.
"It's easy to forget that Pakistan is the country that has
suffered most from terrorism and therefore it is in their
interests" as well to fight the terrorists, said Mr Blake
while explaining why the United States was convinced that
Pakistan was serious in combating the extremists.
"It remains a very high priority for Pakistan, itself,
because all of these groups that are based in Pakistan
pose a threat not only to India and Afghanistan but also
to Pakistan itself," he added.
Mr Blake noted that the United States and India closely
cooperated with each other in the fight against
terrorists.
"The attack that took place in Mumbai in November of 2008…
was really a turning point in many ways for what became
much closer counter-terrorism and intelligence cooperation
between our two countries to help counter this threat," he
observed.
The threat to US and Indian interests, he said, came not
only from Lashkar-e-Taiba but also from many other groups
that were targeting both India and the United States.
Mr Blake noted that Federal Bureau of Investigation
Director Robert Mueller was also participating in the
US-India Strategic Dialogue which, he hoped, would lead to
greater cooperation between the two countries in the fight
against extremists.
The US official rejected a suggestion that the Pakistan
Army regulars, and particularly the ISI, were involved in
terror attacks against India. "I don't think it's so much
that the Pakistan Army is involved in terror attacks; it's
more that it is terrorist organisations inside Pakistan
who have been involved in attacks, not only against India,
but against the United States," said Mr Blake.
He said the growing global scope and ambition of groups
like Lashkar-e-Taiba had increased need for the United
States, India and Pakistan to cooperate to address this
growing threat. "And we are encouraged that the Pakistani
government has said that it will not allow Pakistani soil
to be used by extremist groups like LeT to attack India or
the United States."
The US military aid to Pakistan was another subject over
which Indian journalists had serious concerns and urged
Washington to reconsider its decision to sell military
equipment to Islamabad.
"Whatever military assistance we are providing to Pakistan
is to be used in its fight against terrorism -
particularly in its border areas with Afghanistan," said
Mr Blake. "That is really the primary mission in front of
the Pakistani army and the Pakistani military" too, he
added.
Malaysian Muslims burn Israeli flag
in protest over ship raid
AP, Kuala Lumpur
Thousands of Malaysian Muslims led by opposition leader
Anwar Ibrahim rallied outside the US embassy in Kuala
Lumpur Friday to demand Israel's closest ally punish the
Jewish state over the commando raid on a Gaza Strip-bound
aid ship.
Chanting, "God is great" and "Destroy Israel," the
protestors marched through the city centre after Friday
prayers, causing massive traffic jams.
"The United States is now weak, resulting in more Israeli
aggression," Anwar said. "We urge the United States to put
an end to Israel's cruelty and listen to the world."
Malaysia has no diplomatic ties with Israel and has been a
staunch critic of its occupation of the Palestinian
territories.
Anger was fanned by Monday's raid of an aid flotilla
headed for the blockaded Gaza Strip. Nine people were
killed.
The protestors in Kuala Lumpur, who were closely watched
by riot police, carried mock coffins and burned the
Israeli flag before dispersing.
Thai leader goes abroad to salvage
country’s image
AP, Bangkok
Thailand's prime minister Friday planned his first
overseas trip since last month's bloody protests in
Bangkok, hoping to salvage the country's hammered tourism
industry and blightedimage.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's primary task will be
torestore confidence among investors and tourists when he
attends theWorld Economic Forum of East Asian leaders in
Vietnam on Sunday, the government spokesman said.
While in Hanoi, Abhisit also will meet with counterparts
from the10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations
and top businessexecutives from the region, said spokesman
Panithan Wattanayagorn.
"The theme here is recovery," Panithan said, citing thetwo-month
anti-government protests as a key reason for
economicdecline in once booming Thailand. Nearly 90 people
were killed andsome 1,800 injured during the protests,
which ended in a bloodycrackdown May 19.
The government estimates that the vital tourism industry,
whichwill take months if not years to fully recover, lost
up to $2.2billion as a result of the crisis.
In a World Economic Forum report published last month,
Thailandfell 10 places to number 60 among the 125
countries indexed. The rankings show Thailand's
competitiveness slipping, something whichcould effect the
flow of foreign investment.
During the trip, Panithan said that the prime minister
would alsoupdate the international community on the
progress of hisgovernment's reconciliation "road map".
"It is necessary for (foreign governments and investors)
tounderstand this healing process," he said.
Abhisit has been grounded in Thailand for more than two
months asRed Shirt protesters demanding new elections
occupied Bangkok'sprime commercial district, sending
tourists packing and shopsclosing.
Since then, Abhisit has tried to mend Thailand's image,
meetingwith diplomats and the foreign media to brief them
on the politicaldevelopments.
Although the situation in Bangkok has calmed down in
recent days,the capital and 23 other provinces are still
under emergency decreesand many analysts say the deep
rifts in Thai society will not be easy to fix.
Pakistan: Evacuations begin as
Cyclone Phet closes in
AFP, Karachi
As coastal areas in the southern Pakistani provinces of
Sindh and Balochistan braced for Cyclone Phet, currently
approaching Oman, authorities began evacuating 60,000
villagers.
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 move towards Pakistan's
coastline of Balochistan and Sindh in the next 24-36
hours," Naeem Shah, a meteorological department official,
told the media on 3 June.
Concern is also rising in Balochistan. "We are doing
everything possible to cope with the situation. We could
begin moving people away if there is immediate danger,"
Muhammad Hassan Baloch, head of the disaster management
authority in the province, told IRIN. Baloch said 500,000
people living in coastal areas could be affected.
"The sea is getting really choppy and stormy. Things don't
look good at all," Shabbir Ahmed, 60, a resident of
Karachi, provincial capital of Sindh, told IRIN. "There is
really very little preparedness in Karachi. People have no
idea what to do." In a statement, the Pakistan Fisherfolks
Forum said a search was on for about "160 boats at sea
that have not returned". Between 5,000 and 6,000 people
are believed to be on the boats. The Pakistan navy has
been assisting with search operations, according to media
reports.
"My husband and sons have stayed off the sea. I am glad
they are safe even though this means a loss of income. The
Pakistan Met Office said coastal areas were vulnerable to
the cyclone, but forecast that Karachi - Pakistan's
largest city with a population of more than 15 million -
would not be badly affected. Authorities in the city have
put hospitals and emergency services on alert.
Pakistan's Maritime Security Agency said it had ordered
all boats to remain in harbours.Sindh and Balochistan were
hit in July 2007 by Cyclone Yemyin, which killed at least
250 people, left 1.2 million homeless a nd destroyed
250,000 houses. Cyclone Phet has already reportedly caused
heavy rains in some parts of Sindh.
Pakistani captain of hijacked ship
killed
AP, Nairobi
Security forces from Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland
region stormed a hijacked cargo vessel early on Thursday
and outgunned the pirates holding it after they fatally
shot the ship's Pakistani captain, authorities said.
Authorities decided to try and free the Panama-flagged
ship by force after pirates refused pleas to surrender and
instead killed the captain, said Saeed Mohamed Raage, who
is the minister of marine transport and ports in the
region.
"We can't afford letting pirates capture Somali-charted
ships. If we don't act so decisively they will continue
hijacking all Somali-bound cargo ships," Raage said.
Two officers were wounded during a brief shootout with the
pirates and ultimately all seven pirates were detained, he
said.
While rescue operations by Somali ragtag security forces
are rare, it's not the first time they have tried to free
a ship. In 2008, they stormed a hijacked ship carrying
food to the war-ravaged, poor country, rescuing the
hostages and arresting seven pirates.
The QSM Dubai had been hijacked on Wednesday in the Gulf
of Aden while headed for a port in the breakaway northern
region of Somaliland.
The crew aboard the ship hailed from Egypt, Pakistan,
Bangladesh and Ghana.
US commander says no sign North Korea
plans another provocation
AP, Singapore
The top U.S. military commander in the Pacific says there
is no sign now that North Korea is planning another strike
or provocation against South Korea.
Adm. Robert Willard calls the sinking of a South Korean
warship an egregious attack, and out of the norm even for
the unpredictable North Koreans.
Willard says there are no indications that the North is
massing troops or preparing another nuclear test. The
North has already demonstrated a crude nuclear capability.
Willard told reporters Friday that he has ordered his own
forces to be especially vigilant because of the attack.
He would not give details of a planned upcoming joint
military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea.
Japan’s new prime
minister’s unusual background
AP, Tokyo
The government of Japan, which has had four prime
ministers in a row from political dynasties, got a new
face Friday.
Naoto Kan is an activist-turned-lawmaker who was chosen to
helm Japan's government with votes Friday in his
Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and parliament, becoming
the country's fifth premier in four years. He is to face
daunting tasks just one month before an upper house
election.
He was chosen to replace the DPJ's Yukio Hatoyama, who
resigned after his dithering saw his public approval
ratings slide. Kan, known as a sharp-tongued political
veteran, appeared more decisive.
"My task is to rebuild the country," he said Friday as the
world's second-largest economy seeks to recover from its
worst postwar recession while dealing with unemployment,
deflation and an ageing population.
Unlike most former Japanese premiers, Kan, 63, took an
unusual path to the top of Japanese politics.
The country's 94th premier, who served as deputy prime
minister and finance minister in Hatoyama's cabinet, came
from an ordinary family that had no close ties to
politicians.
Before becoming a lawmaker, Kan, who graduated from the
Tokyo Institute of Technology, was involved in various
citizens movements while working as a chartered patent
agent.
In the 1974 upper house race, Kan, as campaign chairman,
worked to elect Fusae Ichikawa, a leader of the women's
suffrage movement in Japan.
Kan was first elected a lawmaker in 1980, winning his seat
in the lower house for the now-defunct United Social
Democratic Party after a strong grassroots campaign - a
past that led analysts to expect Kan to try to encourage
civil society to participate more often in the
policymaking process, which in Japan is dominated by the
powerful bureaucracy.
In 1994, Kan joined the now-defunct New Party Sakigake,
and two years later, he won widespread public and media
praise by taking on the bureaucracy.
As health minister in the Cabinet of then-prime minister
Ryutaro Hashimoto, Kan admitted the ministry's
responsibility for a scandal involving the spread of
HIV-tainted blood - an unprecedented move in the country.
New
aid ship heads to Gaza, Israel vows to stop it
Internet
An aid ship trying to break the blockade of Gaza could
reach Israel's 20-mile (32-kilometer) exclusion zone by
Friday afternoon, an activist said, but Israel's prime
minister has vowed the ship will not reach land.
The dueling comments suggest a potential new clash over
Israel's three-year-old blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza
Strip - and come only four days after an Israeli commando
raid on a larger aid flotilla left nine activists dead.
Greta Berlin, a spokesman for the Free Gaza group, says
the 1,200-ton Rachel Corrie is heading directly to Gaza
and will not stop in any port on the way. It is trying to
deliver hundreds of tons of aid, including wheelchairs,
medical supplies and concrete.
Irish Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mairead McGuire and the
former head of the U.N. Oil-for-Food program in Iraq,
Denis Halliday, are among the 11 passengers on board, she
said.
The Irish vessel is named after an American college
student crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer
while protesting house demolitions in Gaza.
Israel will not allow the aid ship to reach Gaza, Israeli
Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu told senior Cabinet
ministers late Thursday. According to a participant in the
meeting, he said Israel made several offers to direct the
ship to an Israeli port, where the aid supplies would be
unloaded, inspected and transferred to Gaza by land, but
the offers were rejected.
Netanyahu has hotly rejected calls to lift the blockade on
Gaza, insisting that it prevents missile attacks on
Israel. The Rachel Corrie's cargo of concrete is also a
problem, because Israel considers that to have military
uses.
Netanyahu also instructed the military to act with
sensitivity in preventing the Rachel Corrie from landing
and avoid harming those on board the ship, the participant
said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the
meeting was closed.
Israel has rejected demands for an international panel to
probe Monday's deadly commando raid on the aid ships,
saying it can conduct a professional, impartial
investigation on its own.
Activists say Israel sabotaged the previous aid flotilla,
and Israeli defense officials said Friday only that
unspecified "actions" were taken when the boats were still
far from Gaza.
Without explicitly confirming sabotage, the officials say
the Israeli actions only delayed the flotilla. They spoke
on condition of anonymity because the information was
classified.
In Istanbul, Turkey's deputy prime minister said Friday
that economic and defense cooperation with Israel will be
reduced amid tensions after the killing of nine Turkish
activists by Israeli commandos on an aid ship.
Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said all deals with
Israel are being evaluated.
"We are serious on this issue. New cooperation will not
start and relations with Israel will be reduced," he said.
Energy Minister Taner Yildiz has said discussions about
extending a Russian natural gas pipeline to Israel and
providing fresh drinking water to Israel from the Manavgat
river were being shelved.
The pro-Palestinian activists' deaths on the aid ship
increased tensions in the Mideast, especially with Turkey,
an important ally of Israel. On Thursday, Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Israel's actions "a historic
mistake."
Israel maintains its commandos opened fire Monday as a
last resort after they were attacked, and released a video
showing soldiers in riot gear descending from a helicopter
into a crowd of men with clubs. Three or four activists
overpowered each soldier as he landed.
Ahmadinejad warns Iranian opposition
ahead of planned protests
Internet
Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad today warned the
opposition of tough measures ahead of planned protests at
next week's anniversary of last year's disputed June 12
presidential vote.
Ahmadinejad made the warning during a speech marking the
21st anniversary of the death of Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini, the Islamic Republic of Iran's founder.
Ahmadinejads, speaking at the mausoleum of Khomeini in
south Tehran, accused his opponents of deviating from
Khomeini's path and of thinking and siding with Iran's
"worst enemies."
He said that those who will "tarnish" Iran's image "will
be removed from the [political] scene."
Crowds of people shouted "God is greatest!" and "Death to
America! Death to Israel!" during Ahmadinejad's address.
The opposition has applied for permission to hold at least
one protest rally on June 12. It is widely believed the
request will be rejected.
Dozens of people have been killed in violence following
the disupted elections, while two people were executed and
six are on death row.
Autopsies reveal 9 men on
Gaza aid boat shot, 5 in head
CNN, Istanbul,
Turkey
Autopsy results by forensics experts in Istanbul revealed
that all nine of the men killed by Israeli commandoes
aboard the humanitarian convoy that had planned to dock in
Gaza died of gunshot wounds.
The autopsy results give clues about how the violence
unfolded after Israeli commandoes stormed the Turkish ship
Mavi Marmara in the pre-dawn hours on Monday.
Five of the men died with bullet wounds to the head, said
Dr. Haluk Ince, the director of Istanbul's Medical
Examination Institute, said Friday.
One casualty, a 19-year-old dual national Turkish-American
citizen named Furkan Dogan, was found to have bullet
wounds in his head and multiple bullets in his body, Ince
said.
According to the U.S. State department, Dogan was born in
Troy, New York and had been living in Turkey. American
diplomats have been extending consular services to the
deceased's family.
In one case, Ince said, a gunshot victim had been shot at
at extremely close range.
"From the analysis of the bullet distance on one of the
bodies," Dr. Ince said, "the gun was fired between 2 and
14 centimeters' distance from the victim's head."
In one month, the forensic report will be submitted to an
Istanbul prosecutor's office. There have already been
petitions from families of Turkish activists this week,
submitted to state prosecutors to sue the government of
Israel on charges of murder.
The dead activists were treated like fallen heroes at a
mass funeral held at Istanbul's Fatih Mosque on Thursday.
Crowds gathered in a courtyard, below the domes of the
centuries' old Ottoman mosque, in front of the coffins,
which were wrapped in Turkish and Palestinian flags. In
one case, a flag from the Palestinian movement Hamas lay
over a casket.
"We will remember this, what Israel did," said a young
Turkish volunteer named Muhamed Sahin, who was helping
hold back the surging crowd. "Everybody has to learn what
is going on in Gaza, on the ship, what Israel did."
Periodically, the crowd chanted "Israel, terrorist" and
"Damn Israel."
The bodies of the 9 dead, as well as more then 460
surviving passengers from the convoy arrived at Istanbul
airport before dawn on Thursday. They were treated to a
hero's welcome, particularly Bulent Yildirim, the chairman
of the Islamist, fiercely pro-Palestinian Turkish charity
the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH). IHH was one of
the main groups organizing the blockade-busting flotilla.
Australia plans toad buster tourism
AFP, Sydney
Tourists tramping the wilds of Australia's northern
tropics could soon become "toad busters" in a plan being
mulled by officials to combat a noxious plague of cane
toads.
Darwin city's Lord Mayor Graeme Sawyer wants permission
for tour operators to offer special night missions to the
spectacular Kakadu wetlands to collect the warty, toxic
pests, which have reached epidemic proportions.
Some reptile and frog species are on the brink of
extinction after eating the poison-secreting amphibians,
which number some 92 million in the Northern Territory and
are decimating food supplies for a wide range of wildlife.
"It's an unstoppable march," Sawyer told AFP.
"They'll eat basically anything that moves that's small
enough to fit in their mouth. The implications of that
biomass of toads are quite significant."
Park rangers had rejected previous proposals that tourists
hunt the pestilent creatures during overnight walks and
camps in Kakadu, but Sawyer said the scale of the problem
has made creative approaches more urgent.
"Some of the tour operators have been telling me that they
would love to take their visitors on backpacker tours
where they go camping in Kakadu for five nights or
something like that, and while they were doing night-time
walks they could pick up cane toads," Sawyer said.
"It's a fascinating look at the nocturnal wildlife in
Australia, but at the same time gives you a sense of
achievement, you're doing something to help."
Toadbusting tourists would be given gloves and bags to
help with their task and local animal workers would
collect the spoils for gassing and burial.
A similar initiative, the annual Great Toad Muster in
neighbouring Western Australia state, netted an average
50,000 toads over four weeks and was a great success, the
lord mayor said.
It was "possibly not" a pursuit for the faint-hearted, he
laughed, "although it might be a good way to overcome
those fears".
Cane toads were introduced to Australia from Hawaii in
1935 to control scarab beetles. Their poison, carried in a
sac on the back of their heads, kills pets and wildlife
and can injure humans.
Planet Triple Play: Saturn, Mars and
Venus appear together
Internet
If you live in the northern hemisphere, go out any night
this week an hour or so after sunset and look at the
western sky to catch a planetary triple play starring
Venus, Saturn and Mars.
The first thing skywatchers will see - weather permitting
- is the brilliant planet Venus, slightly north of west,
in the constellation Gemini. Look for Gemini's twin first
magnitude stars, Pollux and Castor, just above Venus.
As the sky gets darker, the planet Mars can be spotted to
Venus' left as it appears in the constellation Leo very
close to the bright, first magnitude star Regulus. Further
still to the left will be Saturn shining in the western
part of the constellation Virgo. This sky map shows how to
spot all three planets as they appear across a 71-degree
angle in the night sky. For comparison, your closed fist
held at arm's length covers about 5 degrees of arc in the
sky.
Venus, Mars and Saturn are all currently appearing
slightly north of the ecliptic, the path the sun appears
to follow over the year, shown in green in the sky map.
Note the positions of these three planets in relation to
the bright background stars, because they are beginning an
interesting journey which you will be able to follow over
the next two months.
In early July, Venus will have moved rapidly to the left,
crossing Cancer into Leo so that now it is next to thestar
Regulus. Mars, meanwhile, will have moved somewhat to the
left. Saturn appears to have hardly moved at all.
By then, the three planets will now cover only 37 degrees
in the sky, only half the spread they showed in early
June.
A month after this, in the first week of August, the
planets will be crowded into a 7-degree angle, and Mars
will now be to the left of Saturn in Virgo. Venus, too,
will have moved into Virgo. All three will fit comfortably
in the viewing field of a small pair of binoculars.
By August, Venus will still be brilliant, but both Saturn
and Mars will have faded so that they just barely reach
first magnitude. That's because Saturn and Mars are
getting farther away from Earth, while Venus is getting
closer. From the southern hemisphere, the planets will
appear in the same positions relative to each other, but
the ecliptic will be almost vertical, and the planets
arrayed one above the other, rather than forming an
oblique angle with the horizon.
UK prime minister meets survivors of
mass shooting
AP, London
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday visited
some of those injured by a taxi driver on a shooting spree
across rural England that killed 12 people and wounded 11
others.
Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May visited survivors
at West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven as police
investigated the killer's financial affairs and family
situation for clues to his rampage.
Cameron and May also planned to meet with emergency
workers, Cumbria county's police chief and other officers
investigating Britain's worst mass shooting since 1996.
The area, about 350 miles (560 kilometers) northwest of
London, is in shock from Wednesday's rampage. The gunman,
52-year-old Derrick Bird, committed suicide after the
attacks.
Police are trying to determine a motive behind the rampage
and are investigating rumors that Bird had financial
problems or family troubles.
A friend, Mark Cooper, said Bird had told him he was being
investigated by tax authorities and feared going to jail.
"He said, 'They have caught me with 60,000 pounds
($88,000) in the bank, the tax people,'" Cooper said. "He
just said, 'I'll go to jail.'"
Dutch citizen to be
deported to Peru in murder probe
AFP, Santiago
A Dutch man linked to a US teenager's disappearance in
Aruba five years ago was placed on a plane Friday after
Chile agreed to deport him to Peru, where he is wanted for
the murder of a Peruvian woman.
Local media reported that Joran van der Sloot, 22, boarded
the plane at a Santiago airfield under guard, and was to
land in Arica, Chile, before travelling overland to the
border crossing at Chacalluta, where he would be handed
over to Peruvian authorities.
He was taken into custody Thursday after being stopped in
a taxi that was driving him from the coastal resort of
Vina del Mar to Santiago, a police source told AFP.
He is wanted in Peru for the murder of Stephany Flores
Ramirez, 21, who was found Tuesday stabbed to death in a
Lima hotel room.
General Cesar Guardia Vasquez said authorities have video
footage, corroborated by witnesses, showing van der Sloot
entering the hotel with Ramirez just before her death.
The victim's father told reporters his daughter was killed
at dawn on Sunday after meeting van der Sloot in a casino.
"I hope the authorities bring him to Peru to be tried not
only for the crime against my daughter; there is a pending
crime in Aruba and we do not know how many more have gone
unpunished," Flores' father, prominent Peruvian
businessman Ricardo Flores Chipoco, said in Lima.
Peru's Interior Minister Octavio Salazar said, "We are
probably talking about a serial killer."
Furious' Obama heading to Gulf for
spill update
Internet
Determined to project both command and compassion,
President Barack Obama is returning to the Louisiana coast
for a fresh reality check on work to stanch the oil
spewing into the Gulf of Mexico and the spiraling effects
of the nation's worstenvironmental disaster. The president
underscored the mounting political implications by
abruptly canceling plans for a trip to Indonesia and
Australia later this month.
Addressing a crisis that threatens to undermine his
presidency, Obama spoke for many Thursday in declaring
himself furious at a situation that "is imperiling an
entire way of life and an entire region for potentially
years." Friday's trip will be his second to the Gulf in
eight days, answering critics in both parties who suggest
he has seemed detached from the crisis. Polls show the
public growing more negative toward the president's
handling of the spill. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs
announced late Thursday that Obama was scrapping his
foreign trip - which already had been postponed - "to deal
with important issues, one of which is the oil spill."
Speculation the president would need to rethink the trip,
set to begin June 13, mounted as the administration came
under increasing scrutiny for its handling of the Gulf
spill. The trip was first put off while Obama was making
the final push for his massive health-care overhaul.
Obama had a sensitive political decision to make: Risk
putting off two allies in a strategic part of the world
once again or endure all the downsides, including an
inevitable level of backlash, for being on the other side
of the world during a huge crisis at home. The domestic
agenda proved dominant.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia and the president
of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, both said through
spokesmen they were disappointed by the turn of events,
but understood it was necessary for Obama to stay home and
deal with the crisis.
While in Louisiana, Obama planned to meet with Coast Guard
Adm. Thad Allen, who is overseeing the response effort,
and with state and local officials, then visit Gulf Coast
communities where lives have been upended by the spill.
Business/Economy
People
inclined to invest more in savings certificates
UNB, Narsingdi
As the Savings Service Week-2010 is underway in the
country, people of the district are found inclined to
invest more in 'Sanchoypatro' (savings certificates).
The district Bureau of Savings sold various types of 'Sanchoypatro'
worth Tk 88 lakh last week ending Thursday, which was
somewhat higher than was usual at the bureau, said the
official concerned.
Marking the Savings Service Week-2010 (May 30-June 5), the
district Bureau of Savings launched a programme to
encourage people for investment under various schemes of
the National Savings.
The programme includes announcement through hailers,
distribution of leaflets, displaying posters and banners
and also advertisement through electronic media.
The theme of this year's Savings Service Week-2010 is 'No
alternative to savings for attaining self-dependence'.
Talking to UNB, the officials of Narsingdi Bureau of
Savings said people, particularly women and retired
government employees, are getting more interested to
invest in 'Sanchoypatro'.
They said people so far invested around Tk 30 crore in
various schemes of 'Sanchoypatro' sold through the
district Bureau during the current fiscal year.
The Bureau offers three categories of 'sanchoypatra' -
five-year sanchoypatra, three-monthly sanchoypotra and
pensioner's sanchoypatra.
China
hikes minimum wages as labour woes mount
BSS, Beijing
China has launched a round of minimum wage hikes to
address the nation's widening income gap, following
growing labour disputes and a string of worker suicides,
state media said on Friday. Beijing said the minimum
monthly salary in the capital will be raised 20 percent to
960 yuan (141 dollars) from July 1, the Global Times
reported. The hike is about double the average annual
increase of 10.02 percent since the city introduced a
minimum wage system in 994, the newspaper said.
Beijing is one of around 30 provinces and municipalities
across China that have raised or will increase their
minimum wages this year, the report said, citing
government figures. After recent hikes, Shanghai now has
the highest minimum salary in the country at 1,120 yuan a
month, according to the paper. This year's hikes come amid
an emotionally charged debate over China's fast economic
growth and its poorly paid labourers sparked by a spate of
suicides by frustrated factory workers in the south.
Ten workers at Taiwanese high tech firm Foxconn's giant
plant in Shenzhen have fallen to their deaths in this
year. An 11th worker died at another factory in northern
China. Separately, workers at Honda's China auto parts
factory walked out last week seeking a pay rise, bringing
vehicle production at the Japanese carmaker's joint
ventures in the country to a halt until Friday. The
incidents have raised questions about working conditions
for the millions of employees in China's factories,
sparking calls for better oversight from those who benefit
from the cheap labour. Official figures show that the
proportion of wages to China's economic growth had been
decreasing for 22 years, the Global Times reported. It
fell to 36.7 percent in 2005 after peaking at 56.5 percent
in 1983 and has not improved much in recent years, it
said.
Bangladesh exports crocodiles to Germany
BSS, Dhaka
An unconventional product was added to Bangladesh's export
basket as the country's lone crocodile farm has finally
been able to send 67 crocs to Germany through air
today, half a decade into its inception.
"A Thai Airways flight carrying the 67 frozen saltwater
crocs of different age groups left Hazrat Shahjalal
International Airport at 1.20 pm today for Germany ",
Mustaq Ahmed, Managing Director and CEO of Reptile Farm
Ltd (RFL), told BSS.
"We are very much delighted with the maiden export of
crocs from Bangladesh as our dreams were fulfilled at
last," he said, adding Bangladesh is the first country in
South Asia to export farm grown crocodiles.
Mushtaq said Germany's Heidelberg University is importing
the crocodiles for research purposes. "The export of
crocodiles from Bangladesh would fetch US Dollar one lakh,
ushering in a hope of croc business in the country," he
said.
Earlier on January 21, the Department of Forest (DoF) gave
the permission for exporting the crocodiles, Mushtaq said
thanking the media for their sincere cooperation to this
end.
He along with Mesbahul Huq, a pharmacist, set up the croc
farm on 15 acres of land at Hatiber village under Bhaluka
upazila in Mymensingh district.
After exporting 67 crocodiles to Germany, there are now
about 700 crocs in the farm, Mushtaq said.
While the project is Mushtaq's brainchild, it was Haque's
investment that helped turn the dream into a reality. The
two entrepreneurs were aided in their maiden venture with
technical assistance from South Asian Enterprise
Development Facility
(SEDF) and with financial support from the Equity and
Entrepreneur fund (EEF) unit of Bangladesh Bank. RFL also
received assistance from Southeast Bank Ltd.
The duo brought 75 reptiles ranging from 7 feet to 12 feet
in lengths from Malaysia for commercial breeding of crocs
at a cost of Taka 1.25 crore. Of them, eight died on the
way to the farm established in October 2004.
Mushtaq said they set up the farm with an aim to export
over 5,000 pieces of crocodile skin annually and create a
base for earning up to US$ 5 million by 2015.
Different countries, including France, Germany, Italy and
Spain, have shown keen interest in importing croc skins
from their farm, he said, expressing hope that their farm
would be able to export 500 croc skins by next two or
three years.
He said there is a huge demand for croc skins, meat and
bones in Europe, America and other developed countries
like Australia, Japan, Singapore and China, and charcoal
made from crocodile bones is indispensable to the global
perfume industry.
Mushtaq said their farm follows the Australian standard
and fulfills the criteria of IUCN (International Union for
the Conservation of Nature) and CITES (Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species) in breeding
crocs.
Crocodiles are being commercially farmed in 40 countries
including China, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia,
and Vietnam.
Fashionable items made of crocodile hide also have great
global demand. Well-off people pay high prices for those.
A good quality crocodile leather bag is sold for US$
50,000 to US$ 55,000, and the clients are even willing to
wait for two to three years for delivery.
Crocodile teeth, and other by-products are used for making
ornaments including necklace and showpieces, which also
enjoy high international demand.
Eurozone posts
official 0.2-pc growth in quarter
AFP, Brussels
The eurozone economy posted growth of 0.2 percent in the
first quarter of 2010, narrowly up on the previous
three-month period but well short of US and Japanese
rivals, the EU said on Friday.
Compared with the corresponding period in 2009,
seasonally-adjusted gross domestic product for the 16
countries that share the euro currency showed an increase
of 0.6 percent, revised up from earlier figures. The
previous quarter's data was amended to show 0.1-percent
growth having previously been reported as having flatlined.
Throughout the 27-nation EU as a whole, which also
includes non-euro giants Britain and Poland, the first
quarter also showed 0.2 percent growth month-on-month,
with a newly-pegged expansion of 0.5 percent year-on-year.
The breakdown of national figures last month had shown
crisis-hit Greece's economy shrinking by 0.8 percent and
that of Estonia, due to enter the eurozone next year,
contracting by 2.3 percent on a non-seasonally adjusted
basis. Of the major eurozone countries, Italy had posted
the fastest growth, at 0.5 percent, while Germany was in
line with the average whereas both France and Spain lagged
narrowly behind.
The overall figures for the eurozone and the EU compared
unfavourably to first quarter growth of 0.8 percent for
the United States, a slight retreat from the previous
quarter.
Obama hopes for boost in battle against jobless
recovery
BSS Washington
President Barack Obama's hopes of slashing US unemployment
are expected to get a boost from upbeat labor figures on
Friday, but they may not be enough
to shake fears of a jobless recovery.
Facing unemployment levels of close to 10 percent, Obama's
bid to put Americans back to work is expected to be
bolstered by a new Labor Department report that hundreds
of thousands of jobs were created in May.
Obama recently predicted that Friday's report would be
"strong," as he mounted a campaign-style defense of his
economic policies with an eye on mid-term elections this
November.
Analysts predict that 500,000 jobs were created last
month, enough to force the unemployment rate down one
tenth of a percentage point to still-crippling 9.8
percent.
But experts said the likely surge in new jobs would come
mostly from temporary government hiring for the 2010
census.
"The reported payroll gain will get a huge boost from
temporary hiring by the US Census Bureau," said Andrew
Tilton of Goldman Sachs. Now, he said, the key issue will
be how well the economy transitions from government
stimulus to normal private sector growth, as Washington
gradually withdraws crisis spending.
Ahead of the report Obama received some signs that
businesses are indeed hiring again.
On Thursday, payroll firm ADP reported that private firms
created 55,000 jobs last month, the fourth straight
monthly increase.
Despite the positive trend, the rate of job growth is
painfully slow for the White House and one in ten American
workers who are unemployed and continue to stream into
government offices asking for help.
The Labor Department says almost 4.7 million Americans now
claim unemployment benefits, with 453,000 new claims in
the last .week of May alone.
That was down from the previous week, but still higher
than the pace of economic growth would indicate, according
to Andrew Gledhill, an analyst with Moody's Economy.com.
"With a few exceptions, initial claims have struggled to
fall below 450,000, which is elevated from where claims
should be at this point in the recovery," he said.
US economy creates fewer jobs than expected
AFP, Washington
The US economy created fewer jobs than expected last month
with the private sector still showing a reluctance to
rehire laid-off Americans, official figures showed Friday.
In figures that fell well below expectations-sending
markets across the world plummeting-the economy created
431,000 posts, most of them temporary government jobs for
the 2010 census. Private sector jobs rose by just 41,000.
The US unemployment rate dipped to 9.7 percent from 9.9
percent in April as large numbers of workers left the
labor market. Expectations had been high ahead of the
publication of the report, which is a key indicator of the
health of the US economy. President Barack Obama's hopes
of slashing US unemployment were expected to get a
substantial boost amid predictions that 500,000 jobs would
be created.
Friday's figures were unlikely to shake fears of a jobless
recovery.
Facing unemployment levels of close to 10 percent, Obama's
bid to put Americans back to work has been hampered by a
snail-like increase in private-sector hiring.
Obama earlier this week predicted a "strong" jobs report
as he mounted a campaign-style defense of his economic
policies with an eye on mid-term elections this November.
G20 starts meeting to shore up fragile recovery
AFP, Busan, South Korea
Finance ministers from the world's biggest economies met
Friday for two days of talks aimed at shoring up a fragile
global recovery in the face of the eurozone debt crisis.
The Group of 20 ministers were also due to debate the need
for regulatory reform to stop the world plunging into a
re-run of the 2008-2009 downturn.
They were engaged in a delicate balancing act: trying to
continue stimulating recovery while also reining in
massive deficits in some member nations.
But officials said the meeting, in preparation for a
Toronto summit on June 26-27, was unlikely to reach a
conclusion on tighter banking regulation or on a proposed
bank levy.
"It's important that we understand just how fragile the
recovery is," said Trevor Manuel, minister in the
presidency for South Africa.
"Economies around the world are raising the spectre of a
double-dip recession and this presents the opportunity to
take decisions to prevent the world from going into a
fresh recession."
World Bank chief economist Justin Yifu Lin said separately
the current recovery was the result of fiscal stimulus and
inventory buildup. "The foundation for a recovery is still
weak, especially in Europe."
Officials are wary of shifting too quickly towards
emphasising deficit cuts at the cost of growth, despite
the threat of bond markets hammering debt-hit governments.
"We shall have to achieve economic recovery, at the same
time we cannot give up fiscal prudence," India's Finance
Minister Pranab Mukherjee told AFP.
"So striking a balance between two apparently
contradictory situations is to be achieved. That is the
challenge."
China sees limited impact of euro crisis on exports
AFP, Busan, South Korea
People's Bank of China governor Zhou Xiaochuan said Friday
he remained confident in Europe's ability to tackle its
sovereign debt crisis and its impact on exports would be
limited.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Group of 20 finance
ministers' meeting, Zhou told Dow Jones Newswires he
believed the effect of the eurozone crisis on China's
export-driven economy "should not be very great".
He added that European woes were probably not to blame for
the decline in China's official purchasing managers' index
in May because any impact on production and exports would
not be felt so quickly.
"There are many factors" behind the fall in the index, he
said.
Manufacturing activity in China slowed in May, which
analysts said was due to government moves to stop the
rampant economy from overheating.
The HSBC China Manufacturing PMI, or purchasing managers
index, fell to 52.7 last month from a revised figure of
55.2 in April, an 11-month low. The bank said this
indicated that the recovery of China's manufacturing
sector lost some momentum.
A reading above 50 means the sector is expanding, while a
figure below 50 indicates an overall decline.
A separate survey released by a government agency showed
manufacturing activity had dropped to 53.9 in May from
55.7 in April.
Exporting nations have nervously eyed the eurozone crisis
and its impact on growth as tough austerity measures are
introduced. These may reduce demand for their goods which
become more expensive in a weak euro environment.
Finance ministers and central bank governors from the
Group of 20 nations are meeting in the southern port city
of Busan, South Korea, to assess the global economy and
discuss ways to achieve sustainable and balanced growth.
British airline unveils ash cloud detector plan
AFP, London
British airline easyJet announced Friday what it called a
ground-breaking device to detect ash clouds, a "silver
bullet" against the sort of flight chaos recently sparked
by an Icelandic volcano.
The budget carrier said it hopes that if tests go
smoothly, other airlines may introduce the technology,
which could detect ash clouds from up to 100 kilometres
(65 miles) away.
The group would be the first airline in the world to test
the gadget, called AVOID (Airborne Volcanic Object
Identifier and Detector), which works in a similar way to
weather radars now used on planes, it said. Test flights
are expected to be carried out by European aircraft maker
Airbus within two months. EasyJet hopes to have it
installed on a dozen aircraft by the end of the year at a
cost of around a million pounds (1.2 million euros, 1.5
million dollars). "This pioneering technology is the
silver bullet that will make large-scale ash disruption
history," easyJet chief executive Andy Harrison said in a
statement. "The ash detector will enable our aircraft to
see and avoid the ash cloud, just like airborne weather
radars and weather maps make thunderstorms visible," he
added. The Civil Aviation Authority said it welcomed
airlines' efforts to minimise ash cloud disruption.
"It is essential that the aviation community works
together to develop solutions to minimise disruption,
should ash return," said CAA chief executive Andrew
Haines. "The CAA welcomes the fact that airlines are
considering innovations such as this and we will do all we
can to facilitate them," he added. The inventor of the
system, Fred Prata of the Norwegian Institute for Air
Research (NILU), also hailed the British airline's
announcement. "AVOID enhances the theory around volcanic
ash clouds with live data," he said. "EasyJet is committed
to bring our technology to life."
Ash clouds from an Icelandic volcano forced the closure of
large parts of European airspace in April.
During Eyjafjoell's activity peak in the week after it
began erupting, it caused the biggest aerial shutdown in
Europe since World War II, affecting more than 100,000
flights and eight million passengers. In late April,
European countries drafted a temporary classification that
established a red zone where ash density prevented
flights, a grey zone where the risk was acceptable and a
clear zone. The European Commission has estimated airline
and travel agency losses from the grounding of air traffic
in April at up to 2.5 billion euros (three billion
dollars).
Harrison said that, while being first with the techn-ology,
easyJet wanted other carriers to introduce it as well.
"What we don't want to do is to gain a commercial advant-age
over other airlines so we can fly and they can't.
National
Rooftop solar power can help
tackle prevailing power crisis
UNB, Dhaka
Solar-power systems on rooftops of high-rise buildings in
urban areas can greatly help to ensure uninterrupted
supply of electricity that would mitigate the prevailing
energy crisis to a large extent, expert said. "We need a
sustainable energy source that can ensure continuous
supply of electricity," said Dr. Mohammed Ataur Rahman,
director, Program on Education for Sustainability, Centre
for Global Environmental Culture (CGEC) of IUBAT. The
government should immediately make it mandatory in the
building code for the households to install solar systems
on rooftops of high-rise buildings for generating solar
energy, which has already been mandatory in the West
Bengal of India, he told UNB.
Dr. Ataur Rahman has recently presented a paper at a
seminar on 'Solar Energy for High-Rise Buildings in Urban
Areas' at the Conference Hall of IUBAT (International
University of Business Agriculture and Technology). He
described solar energy as the ultimate energy source of
the lives on the earth having easy solution to substitute
the conventional energy sources and said all plants and
animals are using solar energy trapped by the green plants
during photosynthesis. "By trapping solar radiation and
converting it to electric energy is an answer for
sustainable energy for Bangladesh."
Dr Ataur Rahman said solar energy has been used by humans
for thousands of years and ancient cultures used energy
from the sun to keep warm by starting fires with it. "They
also kept their homes warm through use of passive solar
energy," he said, adding that buildings were designed so
that walls and floors collected solar heat during the day
and released same at night for warmth. Nearly 300
megawatts of power can easily be generated from solar
energy to feed the hungry national grid if solar-power
systems are installed on rooftops of some 20,000
multistoried buildings in capital Dhaka, he said. Dr Ataur
Rahman said solar energy is one of the most important
energy sources of the present world.
He mentioned that with the development of technology for a
modern life, especially for running the industries,
transportation, domestic appliances, agriculture, health,
education and research, food storage and transportation,
and recreation, the demand for energy is experienced at an
increasing rate. Rapid urbanization and concentration of
population in the cities have created manifest crises such
as energy, water, pollution, waste management, sanitation
and natural disasters like floods, cyclones, drought,
earthquakes and melting of glaciers of the mountains and
Polar Regions causing rise in sea level, he said.
"Therefore, it is essential to use eco-friendly, green
energy."
He cited that the cities like California, New Mexico,
Madrid, Rome, Tel Aviv, Shanghai and Hong Kong have
already started utilizing solar energy as a primary source
while in the neighboring country, the City Corporation of
Kolkata has already undertaken massive plan to make Model
Solar Townships. The sources of electrical power are
hydroelectric power station, natural gas, oil, coal,
bio-gas, solar energy, bio fuel thermal power, wind,
nuclear power, ocean current, he said. "But only solar
energy can ensure eco-friendly atmosphere in the country."
About the present scenario of electricity, Dr Ataur Rahman
said the total present requirement of electricity in the
country is some 5,500 MW compared to electricity
generation capacity of 4,120 MW - with present deficit at
1,280 MW. To overcome the present energy crisis, he
suggested the government to immediately make a policy for
installation of solar power in all high-rise buildings of
Dhaka and other cities of the country.
Solar Energy Policy should be included in the urban
Building Codes with both Photovoltaic modules and Thermal
Solar Mega-Power Towers for mass connections taken under
consideration, he said. Dr Ataur Rahman said: "Solar
energy is the best option for alternate and sustainable
energy in the context of Bangladesh.
It is true that the ultimate source of energy of the
planet earth is the sun and the plants are harnessing
solar energy through photosynthesis which is the only
source of our food energy. "Since we know the benefits, we
should start using solar energy in urban areas for our
industry, daily life, transport, and health and education
systems. As Bangladesh is an energy hungry country, it is
suffering tremendously losing the millions of working
hours due to shortage of electricity with frequent load
shedding?" He suggested the government to subsidize solar
energy package in the urban high-rise installations for
uninterrupted supply of electricity to meet the demand
towards climate change adaptation.
Fear of landslides
accompanies onset of monsoons around CU campus
UNB, Chittagong
Moderate hill and land slides in the moorland around
Chittagong University campus are feared in the coming
monsoon season, as the authorities have neglected taking
any measures to avert the mishaps despite repeated pleas
from underprivileged people.
The country's only hillside university, located on over
1250 acres of land at Hathazari Upazila in Chittagong, was
established in 1966. The university's campus is famous for
its natural beauty owing to its location in a valley.
However, experts fear that many lives may be claimed by
landslides during the coming monsoons as the university is
located in a vulnerable hilly area, and nearly 200 people
live in the hilly pockets around it.
"As meteorologists are predicting a heavier and relatively
longer monsoon this year due to the global circulation of
rain, the recurrence of landslides in the hilly areas
cannot be said to be unlikely this time," says Sarder M
Shah-Newaz, a disaster management expert.
Landslides are a geological phenomenon, which may consist
of a wide range of ground movement, such as rock falls,
deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows. They are
said to typically occur in offshore, coastal and onshore
environments.
One of the principal causes of landslides is a weakening
of the slopes in hilly areas through saturation by heavy
rains, such as the monsoon rains that lash the countries
of South Asia during this part of the year.
Urban Management and Planning Researcher and former
chairman of the Geography and Environmental Science
Department at CU Dr. Maksudur Rahman said the university
authorities had built many dorms and faculty buildings by
leveling the hills around the campus, mostly without
adequate planning involved.
"The main approach road, which runs through two sliced
hills leaves students very vulnerable during the monsoons
because the fragmented landmass may come down anytime
after heavy showers," he said.
At least 12 people have been killed in three landslides on
the campus over the last decade. Over 118 people were
killed including five on the university campus, by
landslides caused by heavy showers on June 11, 2007 in
Chittagong region.
Although the university authorities pledged a number of
remedial schemes to avert any recurrence of human
casualties after the June 2007 tragedy, in reality nothing
had been done so far, a senior official of the university
claimed.
During a recent visit to the campus, it was found that
over 200 members of families of lower class employees of
the university are still living in the dangerous foothills
and hill pockets around the campus.
Mohammad Shahadat Hossain, a student of communication and
journalism at CU, said that the habitats of the
ultra-poor, mainly in the hilly pockets around the campus,
are extremely vulnerable to these mishaps.
"The low income families are exposed to landslides as they
continue to live in the risky hills, on the plea of
further costs in reconstructing their houses on the lands
earmarked by the university authorities," he said.
Meanwhile, the poor employees of the university urged the
authorities to take immediate measures to shift their
families from the vulnerable hill pockets before the
monsoons arrive in earnest.
Grass root citizens’
participations can make budget more pro-people: Speakers
BSS, Rangpur
Speakers at a pre-budget discussion held at Chilmari in
Kurigram district last evening said that enhanced
participation of grassroots citizens can ensure
formulation of a more pro-people and effective national
budget. To ensure balanced and uniform developments and
bringing the backward areas to the mainstream national
advancements, there is no alternative to involving the
grass root level people in formulating the national
budgets, they added.
They suggested for enhanced people's participation from
all walks in the society including womenfolk to formulate
and properly implement the upcoming national budget
everywhere to turn Bangladesh into a medium income nation
by the year 2021.
They said this at the discussion tilted 'Participation of
the Citizens in the National Budget Formulation' jointly
organized by Chilmari Distressed Development Foundation (CDDF)
and Democracy Watch (DW) with the assistances of USAID and
Progoti.
Held at Chilmari upazila parishad premises, the discussion
was chaired by UNO Enamul Haque while President of
Chilmari upazila unit Awami League and Chilmari upazila
chairman Shawkat Ali Bir Bikram attended as the chief
guest.
The speakers demanded enhanced participation of the local
people and representatives of all communities and adopt
their suggestions and opinions for preparing the best ever
national budget that will speak for the people, their
welfare and developments.
They said that sustainable, uniform and smooth
developments of all areas and regions would be hampered
and welfare of every citizen be affected without knowing
problems and exploring potentials and needs of every area.
They urged for coming out of the centrally prepared budget
and its controlled implementation cultures and ensure
citizens' involvements is formulating the most ideal and
pro-people budget for building a developed digital
Bangladesh. The area-based local economic potentials could
not be properly explored in the prospective agriculture,
animal husbandry, poultry, diary, weaving, handlooms,
mineral resources including coals, silk and other sectors
without taking local opinions, they said. The local people
want maximum and timely explorations of the huge natural
and manpower resources of backward northern region in
overcoming local hurdles for the purpose in boosting
country's industrializations, they said.
Taka 25 lakh raised by Lions Clubs members in aid of
Nimtoli fire victims
BSS, Dhaka
Taka 25 lakh was raised by members of the Lions Clubs
International District-315 Bangladesh at their annual
multiple district conference held at a local hotel Friday
in aid of the victims of worst fire in the city's Nimtoli
area.
A 25-member delegation of the Lions Clubs will soon call
on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and hand over a cheque for
the amount to immediately rehabilitate the victims and
provide other helps to them, Prime Minister's Adviser Dr
Sayed Modasser Ali said.
Addressing the conference as the chief guest, Syed
Modasser Ali said the amount would further go up as
members of the Lions Clubs in Bangladesh were seriously
thinking about raising more funds as soon as possible for
the humanity fallen into an unexpected distress due to the
fire incident at Nimtoli.
Sayed Modasser Ali said Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH),
especially its burn unit, and other such facilities for
medical treatment have been asked to remain open day and
night in aid of the Nimtoli fire victims. "We have also
asked Bangladesh Red Crescent Society to remain ready with
blood and other emergency materials for the victims with
fire burns," he said adding that the government is
providing the best of its services in all forms for the
fire victims of Nimtoli.
Lions Sheikh Kabir Hossain, Moslem Ali Bishwas and Qazi
Akramuzzman Ahmed were the special guests at the
conference, presided over by Council Chairperson Lion Engr
M Shahjahan Khadem.
Speakers at the conference reiterated their firm
commitment towards service to the humanity and urged all
humanitarian organizations to come forward with immediate
help for the Nimtoli fire victims and other helpless
people in society.
75 persons arrested
BSS, Rangpur
Police in separate raids arrested a total of 75 persons in
connection with different charges from various places in
the district during 48 hours till this noon, police
sources said.
The arrested include absconding convicts, warrantees and
accused persons in different cases, suspected criminals,
drug-peddlers, cheats, listed terrorists, muggers,
thieves, extortionists and other anti-social elements.
Police also recovered narcotics substances including
phensidyl, fermented wine, ganja, smuggled and stolen
goods and other illegal things during the drives.
Kawnia police arrested 3-year term absconding convict
Arshad Hossain, 40, son of Sohrab Hossain of Haragach in
Kawnia upazila and Kotwali police netted absconding 3-year
term convict Abul Kalam, 45, son of Basir Uddin of
Chankuthi area.
Kotwali police arrested 21 persons, Gangachara eight,
Badarganj four, Mithapukur 25, Pirganj eight, Pirgachha
five and Kawnia police arrested five persons during the
period. The arrested persons were sent to jail hajat, the
sources said.
Sports
Bangladesh League
Rahmatganj brushes aside Ctg Abahani 5-1
TBT Report
Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society scored an emphatic 5-1
victory against Chittagong Abahani in the Bangladesh Football
League at Bangabandhu National Stadium in the city on Friday.
Rahmatganj's striker Pashban slammed a hattrick, while Idris
struck a brace to help their side register such an emphatic
victory against the port city team.
Pashban started scoring just 15 minutes after the start to
give the capital based side an early ascendancy, while Idris
doubled the margin just on the stroke of the breather (44
minutes) to give Rahmatganj a 2-0 lead at the half time.
Rahmatganj continued to play with the same rhythm after the
change of ends, craving out attacks one after another.
Chittagong team was overawed by the big occasion and totally
outplayed against its spirited opponents. It conceded the
third goal on 68 minutes with Pashban scoring his second
(3-0).
Pashban completed his hattrick on 81 minutes, while Idris
extended the margin to 5-0 just three minutes later with his
second strike.
Tareq scored the only goal for Chittagong Abahani in the
stoppage time of the game that served as the solace for the
visitors.
Dhaka
Rifles bags two golds in National Shooting
UNB, Dhaka
Dhaka Rifles bagged two gold medals and one silver in the 24th
National Shooting Championship on the 3rd day of the 24th
National Shooting Championship at the National Shooting
Complex in Gulshan on Friday.
Of the two remaining events on the day, Bangladesh Krira
Shikkha Protisthan (BKSP), which dominated the 2nd day with
two gold and two silver medals, secured one gold medal and
Kushtia Rifles Club bagged the other gold.
Results of the day's events:
Women's 10-meter Air Rifles: Gold- Sabrina Sultana (Dhaka
Rifles Club, 490.5) Silver- Sharmin Akter Ratna (Ansar & VDP,
489.9) and Bronze- Sharmin Akter (Rajarbagh Rifles Club,
489.4).
Girls 10-meter air rifles: Gold- Tripti Dutta (BKSP, 393),
Silver- Syeda Sadia Sultana (Chittagong Rifles Club 388) and
Bronze- Jobaida Yasmin (BKSP Shooting Club, 378).
Men's 50-meter Rifles prone: Gold- Toufiq Shariar Chandan (Kushtia
Rifles Club, 586), Silver- M Ramjan Ali (Army Shooting
Association, 584) and Bronze- Anwar Hossain (Army Shooting
Club, 578).
Women's 25-meter pistol: Gold- Mitti Dewan (Dhaka Rifles Club,
541), Silver- Cynthia Naznin Tumpa (Dhaka Rifles Club, 536)
and Bronze- Antara Islam (BKSP Shooting Club, 535).
Shafiul
strikes as Tigers rock England
AFP, Manchester
Bangladesh's Shafiul Islam returned to international
cricket with two wickets after England threatened to run
riot on the first morning of the second Test at Old
Trafford here Friday.
At lunch England, who won the toss, was 92 for three, with
Kevin Pietersen 22 not out and Ian Bell unbeaten on five.
The hosts were in cruise control mode at 44 without loss
until 20-year-old pace bowler Shafiul, in only his fifth
Test and first since facing England in Dhaka in March,
took two wickets for four runs in seven balls to get rid
of Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott.
And then left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, like Shafiul
recalled after Bangladesh dropped pacemen Rubel Hossain
and Robiul Islam from the team that lost the first of this
two-Test series by eight wickets at Lord's, struck first
ball when he had opener Alastair Cook (29), pushing half
forward, caught at slip by Junaid Siddique.
Shafiul gave the Tigers - who've won just three of their
67 Tests - the control they wanted with an opening spell
of two for 18 in nine overs.
By contrast Shahadat Hossain, who took five first innings
wickets at Lord's, conceded 26 runs in his first four
overs.
England captain Strauss, carrying on from Lord's, where
the left-handed opener made two 80s, struck several crisp
boundaries off the grunting Shahadat.
But Shafiul, living up to coach Jamie Siddons's prediction
that he would "bowl good areas and be consistent", dragged
Bangladesh back into the match.
Left-hander Strauss, having made 21 featuring four four
fours, edged a good length ball from the paceman to Imrul
Kayes at second slip.
And 44 for one became 48 for two when Shafiul bowled Trott,
who made 226 at Lord's, for just three with a
well-executed off-cutter.
England gave a Test debut to Ajmal Shahzad after Tim
Bresnan, the Yorkshire paceman's county colleague, was
ruled out with a foot injury.
All the Bangladesh players wore black armbands as a mark
of respect for the more than one hundred people killed on
Friday after fire swept through an apartment block in
Dhaka.
Stosur hopes for away day
boost
AFP, Paris
Samantha Stosur believes playing a first Grand Slam final
outside her Australian hot house of expectations could
work in her favour when she tackles Francesca Schiavone in
Saturday's French Open final.
The 26-year-old, looking to become the first Australian
woman to win a Grand Slam title since Evonne Goolagong
clinched the 1980 Wimbledon crown, starts as favourite
against Schiavone, the first Italian woman to make a major
final. And Stosur is convinced that playing her first
Grand Slam final here rather than in the Australian Open
in Melbourne could work in her favour.
"It's pretty crazy at the moment, so I can't imagine what
it would be like in Australia. I don't see the papers and
don't have people coming up to me and recognising me,"
said Stosur.
"I have made the fourth round at the Australian Open twice
and never felt like I performed that badly at home. I have
enjoyed the experience although I know some players who
have struggled at home and not had good results. "So maybe
avoiding all the hype helps, maybe it makes a bit of
difference."
Stosur, who lives on the Gold Coast, is also hoping that
the Australian-style summer temperatures, which have sent
Paris into a sweat in the last few days, will also help
her quest.
On Friday, it was 28 degrees on the Philippe Chatrier
Court at the start of the men's semi-finals in early
afternoon.
Gilchrist to go
back to his roots
AFP, London
Adam Gilchrist admits he is delighted to have finally got
the chance to play in English county cricket - even if his
debut appearance didn't quite go according to plan.
Former Australia wicketkeeper Gilchrist made his debut for
Middlesex against Sussex in the English domestic Twenty20
competition at Lord's on Thursday, completing a 21-year
wait to fulfil his dream of competing in county cricket.
Despite a fantastic international career spanning over two
decades, Gilchrist, who made 96 Test appearances and
played in 287 one-day matches for the Australians, had
never been lured to the county circuit until now.
His only previous experience of playing domestic cricket
in England came in the Middlesex County League 21 years
ago with Richmond cricket club.
But that brief experience of the amateur ranks at the
start of his career was enough to convince the 38-year-old
to jump at the chance to play for Middlesex when the offer
to play in the Twenty20 tournament came late last year. "I
played in the Middlesex County League as a 17-year-old and
I felt like I was Middlesex from then on, I loved it, the
logo, everything to do with the county," Gilchrist said
before the match.
"I have never played for a county in my career, but to get
this opportunity now, it feels like I have come full
circle and might be a nice little full stop to my time in
England."
Gilchrist's presence at Lord's drew a large crowd of
around 15,000 to the home of cricket but he was unable to
rewarded the supporters with a big score.
He made just two runs from three balls before being bowled
off his inside edge by Yasir Arafat's first delivery.
Sussex had made 146-6 in their innings and, with Gilchrist
dismissed early on, Middlesex subsided to a 28-run defeat.
Spain edges South Korea
in warm-up match
AFP, Innsbruck
European champion Spain eked out a 1-0 victory over South
Korea in a World Cup finals warm-up match here on
Thursday.
The match had promised to be an exciting meeting, with
Spain hoping to exorcise the ghosts of the 2002 World Cup,
when they were stunned by South Korea in a controversial
quarter-final in which the Spaniards had two goals
disallowed.
But the two sides failed to impress during much of the
game, with just eight days to go before the tournament
kicks off, despite a late goal by Jesus Navas.
Playing before a packed house, Spain took the opportunity
to give playing time to many of their injured players,
while South Korea failed to convert some good efforts.
Korean coach Huh Jung-Moo defended his tactics after the
game.
"We tried to play very defensively, when you play against
a stronger team, you should play defensively and use
counter-attacks," he said. "We learnt a few things. We
feel we played well against Spain, we feel we did well
today."
The match started off cautiously with neither side willing
to take any risks and it mostly stayed that way in the
first half.
South Korea came closest to scoring first after 13 minutes
with a long-range shot by midfielder Kim Jung-Woo that
went wide.
The Koreans seemed in attacking mood at first, spurred on
by a loud contingent of South Korean fans.
A couple of efforts by the Spaniards however soon sparked
faster offensive play by La Furia Roja (Red Fury).
A ball from Sergio Ramos was headed away after 27 minutes,
and Cesc Fabregas, back from injury, hit the post with a
good effort after 35 minutes.
The two coaches substituted their goalkeepers at
half-time, with Spain bringing in Victor Valdes for Jose
Reina while South Korea replaced Lee Woon-Jae with Jung
Sung-Ryong.
Further changes in the Spanish side saw Fabregas make way
for Barcelona's Xavi, playing only his second match after
a long time out through injury.
In what was one of the best chances of the game, Celtic's
Ki Sung-Yueng fired in a superb shot on goal after 67
minutes only for it to be blocked by a team-mate, who
accidentally headed the ball away.
The pace accelerated in the last 15 minutes with both
sides attacking more consistently and Sevilla winger Navas
finally netted after 86 minutes with a glorious 25-yard
strike into the top-right corner.
Spain are one of the favourites to win the World Cup in
South Africa for the first time. Until now, their best
result was a fourth-place finish in 1962.
India launches Commonwealth Games ticket sales
AFP, New Delhi
Commonwealth Games organisers began selling tickets on
Friday despite growing anxiety over delays building major
venues for the October 3-14 event in New Delhi.
New Delhi Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna received the
first ticket from organising committee chairman Suresh
Kalmadi at an elaborate ceremony at the Games headquarters
in the capital.
"The Commonwealth Games are your opportunity to explore
your passion and enthusiasm for sports, especially when a
number of our athletes are pegged to be medal winners in a
range of sports," Kalmadi told the audience. The most
expensive tickets will be for the opening and closing
ceremonies at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, ranging from
1,000 rupees (21.45 dollars) to 50,000 rupees (1,073
dollars).
Prices for the sporting events range from 50 rupees (1.07
dollars) to 1,000 rupees, while there will be free entry
to four events: marathon, walk, cycling road race and
cycling time trial.
The Commonwealth Games Federation last month warned India
on its slow progress preparing for Delhi 2010 and
expressed concern about the delay in building major
venues, including the main Nehru stadium. The stadium will
host the track and field events in addition to the opening
and closing ceremonies.
The Games, the biggest multi-sport event in India since
the Asian Games in 1982, feature 71 nations and
territories mainly from the former British empire.
With monsoon rains expected to hit New Delhi around the
first week of July, organisers are racing against time to
finish the work by a June 30 deadline.
These are the most expensive Commonwealth Games ever, with
an infrastructure and organising budget of two billion
dollars. The last Games, in Melbourne in 2006, cost 1.1
billion dollars.
Kallis and Duminy lead Proteas to cleansweep of
WIndies
AFP, Port of Spain
Half-centuries from Jacques Kallis and J.P. Duminy helped
South Africa complete a clean sweep of their One-day
International series with West Indies, when they won the
fifth and final match by one wicket here on Thursday.
The result meant that South Africa have now swept West
Indies 5-0 in each of their last three bilateral ODI
series.
Kallis, the Man-of-the-Match, hit five boundaries in the
top score of 57 at better than a run-a-ball, and Duminy
struck just one four in 51 from 75 deliveries, as the
South Africans, in pursuit of 253 for victory, reached
their target with just two balls to spare on a slow
Queen's Park Oval pitch.
Lonwabo Tsotsobe carried the Proteas over the threshold,
when he slapped a wide delivery from Kieron Pollard
through cover for four.
"It's terrific to have achieved this result, and bounce
back from the failure at the Twenty20 World Cup," said
South African captain Graeme Smith.
"It was an important time for us as a group of people, and
it was important for us to regain the faith of a lot of
the public back home.
"I think a lot of the fans back home in South Africa
support us through thick and thin, so it is nice to give
them all something about which to feel good."
Like last Sunday, the Proteas ran into late trouble, when
Charl Langeveldt was caught behind for six off the last
ball of the penultimate over to leave the visitors needing
eight from the final over.
But Roelof van der Merwe swung the first ball of the final
over from Pollard over square leg for four to ease South
Africa's tension before Tsotsobe won it for them three
balls later.
"The last few games have been too close for comfort," said
Smith. "We have chased on some pretty flat pitches, and
West Indies have controlled the games at different times,
and we have lost wickets at crucial times.
"But we have held our nerve. Winning is a habit, and when
you get into tight games, and you are used to winning, you
are able to limp over the line." West Indies skipper Chris
Gayle admitted that his side were in a bit of a rut.
"We seen to be in a bad habit of losing, and when it comes
down to these tight situations in matches, we do not know
how to handle ourselves," said Gayle. "All in all, credit
must go to South Africa. They played well. We were beaten
fair and square. We had our chances, but we did not make
use of them. "It's been tough losing this much. The good
thing is we have a few days off to put this behind us, and
hopefully, we can get a fresh start in the (forthcoming)
Test series."
South Africa had bowled with discipline to restrict West
Indies, but Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit the top score of 67
from 104 balls, and Narsingh Deonarine helped himself to a
run-a-ball 53 to lead the Windies to 252 for six from
their 50 overs.
The visitors then started their chase steadily, but Smith
was caught behind of Dwayne Bravo for 12 in the ninth
over.
The South Africans then stumbled, when Hashim Amla, who
earned the Man-of-the-Series award for his 402 runs, which
made him the most prolific batsman in the series, was run
out for 45 in the 14th over, and A.B. de Villiers was
caught at deep mid-on of Gayle in the 19th over.
Kallis and Duminy put the Proteas back on course for
victory with a stand of 58, but Kallis was dubiously
caught behind off Gayle in the 36th over, and Mark Boucher
was caught at short third man off Pollard to leave the
visitors needing 78 from the last 84 balls.
South Africa lost their way inside the last 10 overs, when
four wickets fell for 35 runs from 34 balls, but their
last wicket pair held steady.
The two sides now prepare for a series of three Tests,
with matches in Trinidad (June 10-14), St. Kitts (June
18-22), and Barbados (June 26-30).
The South Africans start a two-day tour match on Saturday
against Trinidad & Tobago at the Frank Worrell ground on
the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West
Indies.
CGames to battle cricket for viewers
AFP, New Delhi
The Commonwealth Games in October are set to compete
against India's obsession with cricket if a high-profile
home series against Australia goes ahead as scheduled.
Ricky Ponting's men are due to tour India in
September-October at the same time the four-yearly Games
take place in New Delhi from October 3 to 14.
An official of the Indian cricket board (BCCI) said
details of the tour, which is part of the International
Cricket Council's Future Tours Program, were being worked
out with Cricket Australia.
"We have requested Australia to play two Tests and three
one-day internationals instead of a series of seven one-dayers,"
the BCCI's chief administrative official Ratnakar Shetty
told AFP.
Australia are due to arrive in late September and must
return home by October 31, when they begin a home series
of Twenty20 and one-day matches against Sri Lanka.
The tour, once finalised, is certain to further annoy
Indian Olympic officials, who are already seething at the
BCCI's decision not to send the men's and women's cricket
teams to the Asian Games in China in November.
"The BCCI is not taking part because there is no money to
be made at the Asian Games," said Indian Olympic
Association chief Suresh Kalmadi, who heads the
Commonwealth Games organising committee.
"They think only of money. I am glad cricket is not part
of the Commonwealth Games."
Although New Delhi is unlikely to figure in Australia's
itinerary, millions of television viewers will be glued to
the cricket when the Games are on.
Cricket has such a strong following in India that
organisers of the field hockey World Cup in New Delhi in
March advanced the tournament by a week so that it would
not clash with the Indian Premier League.
McCullum signs
for Lancashire
AFP, Manchester
New Zealand all-rounder Nathan McCullum has joined
Lancashire for English county cricket's domestic Twenty20
competition, it was announced Friday.
The Old Trafford-based club had intended to use Shoaib
Malik as their overseas player for the tournament but that
plan was scuppered when he won his appeal against a ban
preventing him from playing for Pakistan.
McCullum, who has appeared in 22 Twenty20 internationals,
impressed for the Black Caps during the recent World
Twenty20 in the Caribbean, where he opened the bowling and
starred down the order with the bat. The 29-year-old
McCullum, whose brother Brendon is due to play for Sussex,
is set to make his debut against Northamptonshire at Old
Trafford on Wednesday, and is available for all of
Lancashire's remaining matches in the group stages of the
competition.
Nathan McCullum, in a club statement, said: "I'm really
excited at the prospect of joining Lancashire.
"Twenty20 is a form of the game I really enjoy so
hopefully we can have a successful campaign and go the
distance. I've heard great things about Lancashire as a
club and can't wait to get over there."
Lancashire cricket director Mike Watkinson, himself a
former England off-spinner, added: "It was obviously a
blow to our plans when Shoaib Malik's international ban
was overturned so close to the start of the competition.
"However, I am delighted that we have a like-for-like
replacement in Nathan. He is an experienced T20 player who
will strengthen both our middle order and spin bowling
options."
Italy faces Number 10 World Cup conundrum
AFP, Rome
Italy head to South Africa for the defence of their World
Cup title in June with a worrying problem, they're missing
a number 10.
This doesn't mean the azzurri will be playing a man short
for the tournament but merely that they have no-one whose
natural game is as a second striker.
What this means is that Italy's attacking options will be
seriously compromised, likely making them a more
predictable and less effective unit.
Coach Marcello Lippi has as good as admitted as much,
telling his players that they will be building from a
solid defensive foundation and informing the media that
his probable tactics will be one lone striker backed up by
nine outfield players who "run around and defend."
It is a major concern for the reigning world champions who
arrive at the tournament with a dearth of quality frontmen.
For a team who have in the past called on the likes of
Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Mancini, Roberto Baggio,
Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero to lead their
frontline, the current squad is a horribly poor shadow of
teams past.
And that is no more so in evidence than up front.
The likes of Alberto Gilardino, Antonio Di Natale,
Vincenzo Iaquinta, Giampaolo Pazzini and Fabio
Quagliarella would barely be fit to lace up the boots of
their illustrious predecessors.
Gilardino is many people's favourite to be asked to lead
the line in South Africa, a job he was also given four
years ago in Germany before losing his place at the
business end of matters.
But Gilardino is a player who failed at AC Milan and lost
his place to a pair of teenagers before moving to
Fiorentina two years ago.
His record of 35 goals in 71 league games over the last
two seasons is good and translates to more or less a goal
every two games, but it isn't sensational and this is an
out and out number nine: a goal poacher.
Di Natale has just finished a great season for Udinese
with a stunning 29 goals in 35 Serie A games to finish
capocanoniere, or top goalscorer.
But this season was a one off and he's been playing in a
team fighting a relegation battle.
He's 32 and he's played his whole career in mid-table for
struggling Serie A teams as well as a fair few seasons in
Serie B with Empoli.
He's quick and can be elusive but he's more of a wide
player than a forward and international defences won't be
as vulnerable to his talents as those of Serie A.
Iaquinta meanwhile is a big targetman but if Gilardino is
picked down the middle, he is likely to play out wide and
out of position where he is much less effective.
He's also been injured for much of the season, playing
only 15 league games, and despite spending several years
at Italian giants Juventus, he has never broken a goal
every two games.
He brings neither flair nor an abundancy of goals to the
table.
The other two forwards in Lippi's final 23-man squad are
Sampdoria's Pazzini, a number nine very much in
Gilardino's mould, and Napoli's Quagliarella.
Pazzini has had a good season, scoring 19 goals in 37
league games but one must not forget that he left
Fiorentina after Gilardino's arrival as he couldn't get in
the team.
Quagliarella is not a number 10 but as an out an out
striker his record has never been better than a goal every
three games.
What he does bring, though, is an ability to play wide.
Lippi, who resisted the temptation to call up creaking
veterans Totti or Del Piero, has suggested he may use
midfielder Claudio Marchisio in the number 10 role but
that is not his natural position and smacks of desperation
on Lippi's part.
It all means that no-one should be expecting much fantasy
football from Italy.
Lahm, Schweini lead Germany to final warm-up win
AFP, Frankfurt
New captain Philipp Lahm hit the equaliser and his deputy
Bastian Schweinsteiger scored two penalties as Germany
came from behind to beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-1 here on
Thursday in a friendly.
This was Germany's final World Cup warm-up game before
South Africa and the Germans responded to Edin Dzeko's
early goal with an impressive performance, but the captain
said there is still room for improvement.
"I am unhappy we didn't keep a clean sheet," said Lahm.
"We struggled to create goals in the first-half, but
luckily we worked things out. "I look forward to the World
Cup, we are in a good mood, have trained well and are
fit."
Germany have endured a difficult few weeks which have seen
them lose captain Michael Ballack, midfielder Christian
Traesch and defender Heiko Westermann all through
injuries. With Ballack out of the World Cup, Lahm will
wear the captain's armband in South Africa when Germany
open their campaign against Australia in Group D on June
13.
Coach Joachim Loew again opted to start Miroslav Klose as
the lone striker with Lukas Podokski and Mesut Oezil
providing attacking options from midfield. Bosnia - who
just missed out on the finals after losing to Portugal in
a play-off - were dangerous in the first-half, but ill
discipline cost them dearly in the second-half.
"We played well in the first half, but after the break we
didn't cope very well with a young German team," said
Bosnia coach Safet Susic.
For Germany, both Podolski and Oezil looked threatening
and crashed their shots against the Bosnian crossbar at
various times. But veteran Klose was again unimpressive up
front and is in danger of losing his place in the starting
line-up. With Germany flying to South Africa on Sunday,
Lahm led the side in Frankfurt, but it was not the type of
start he would have wanted.
He was at fault when Bosnia took the lead after he tried
to clear the ball from a Dzeko attack, but could only
watch in horror as the ball hit the Wolfsburg striker on
the chest and looped over Manuel Neuer in the German goal.
Having fallen behind to the 15th-minute goal, Germany laid
siege to the visitors goal with Oezil going close with a
couple of clear chances while Podolski rattled the
cross-bar with a fierce shot.
But the hosts finally had their patience rewarded when
Lahm went on a weaving run at the Bosnian goal and buried
his shot past goalkeeper Kenan Hasagic on 51 minutes.
Both Cacau and Oezil went close with efforts in the final
30 minutes as Germany piled the pressure on the guests'
goal.
With 20 minutes left, Werder Bremen Marko Marin came off
the bench against the country of his birthplace and was
straight into the attack, winning a penalty just two
minutes after his introduction.
He was brought down by Sanel Jahic and Schweinsteiger
netted the penalty on 72 minutes.
'Schweini' stepped up again to net the second penalty when
second-half substitute Thomas Mueller was brought down in
the penalty area on 76 minutes by Bosnia captain Emir
Spahic.
He was lucky to escape a red card as he clattered Marin in
the last six minutes and then struck the diminutive winger
on the side of the head, but the referee branded only the
yellow card.
Counties at risk over Test costs
AFP, Manchester
Lancashire's chief executive warned that counties faced
bankruptcy unless the cost of staging Tests in England was
reduced as the Old Trafford club announced annual losses
of 546,000 pounds (799,000 dollars).
Jim Cumbes believes the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)
must help Test match counties "square the circle" whereby
they require clubs to invest heavily in their facilities
without providing enough cricket to justify the outlay.
Lancashire's redevelopment of Old Trafford, which stages
the second Test between England and Bangladesh starting
Friday, and where the new Point conference centre
currently dwarfs the pavilion, has seen the club build up
15 million pounds (22 million dollars) of debt.
The north-western county has staged lucrative pop concerts
at Old Trafford, one of English cricket's oldest major
venues, in recent years while the Test match counties have
lobbied the ECB for a franchise-based Twenty20 competition
to offset their costs.
"Some grounds more than others cannot afford what is being
asked," Cumbes told reporters here on Thursday, citing
Nottinghamshire as an example.
"Trent Bridge's staging agreement (with the ECB to be
guaranteed hosting Tests) finishes next year-they're
frightened to death, because they have no other source of
income but cricket yet have a ground they've got to
maintain."
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