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Leading News
Indefinite bus strike in Dhaka
city and suburbs
UNB, Dhaka
Around 50 bus companies running more than 2,500 buses in
Dhaka City and its suburbs went on wildcat strike for an
indefinite period Tuesday causing serious problems to the
commuters.
The owners stopped plying their buses at 1pm demanding
action against illegal toll collectors at different points
in the city.
The trouble began when two buses of Satabdi Paribahan were
damaged by activists of Dhaka Swarak Paribahan Samity for
reusing tolls at Mirpur-2 at about 11am. Sharifuddin
Khandaker, owner of the Satabdi Paribahan, rushed to the
spot. He and some of his fellows were badly beaten by the
activists for declining to pay the tolls, witnesses said.
Sharifuddin who was treated in a clinic for his head
injury told UNB tonight that activists of the Paribahan
Samity has been demanding tolls for the last few days with
threat of dire consequences. They demanded Tk 70 for each
bus daily.
"The private bus companies are not members of the Dhaka
Swarak Paribahan Samity and hence were are not obliged to
pay tolls to it. We look after the welfare of our workers
and pay higher wages and fringe benefits," said
Sharifuddin.
He said they took the matter to chairman of parliamentary
standing committee on Communication Ministry Mujibur
Rahman Sheikh in the evening. "He asked us to resume bus
services with an assurance of looking into the matter,"
said Sharifuddin. The insipid attitude of Mujibur Rahman
has angered the bus company owners who met him in Sangsad
Bhavan. They immediately held a meeting in the office of
Sakalpa Paribahan Limited and decided to continue the bus
strike for an indefinite period.
The meeting, attended by 36 bus owners or their
representatives, decided not to pay tolls to Dhaka Swarak
Paribahan Samity as they are not members of it. It decided
to continue the strike until arrest and punishment to
those who damaged the buses and inflicted injuries to
Sharifuddin and others.
Mansur, joint secretary of Dhaka Swarak Paribahan Samity,
said the toll of Tk 70 for each bus was fixed by the
government. The fund is raise for welfare of the transport
owners and workers. The wildcat bus strike has created
serious problem to the commuters.
Thousands of people at the close of government and private
offices were seen standing at bus stoppages. In the
absence of buses, rickshaw pullers demanded double fare.
Some buses who are plying without ticket counters in the
city however continued services.
669
more ‘political cases’ to be dropped
Withdrawal of 3708 cases recommended, only two of
them against BNP leaders
TBT Report
The government Tuesday decided that 669 more 'politically
motivated' cases be bundled out, as the charges were
leveled against the present ruling-party persons during
the immediate-past interim regime or the previous BNP-led
coalition on political considerations.
The decision was taken at the 14th meeting of the
inter-ministerial committee formed to review the cases
filed with the intention of political harassment. With the
new recommendations, the number of cases so far dropped in
the turnaround rose to 3708.
State Minister for Law Kamrul Islam chaired the meeting.
After presiding over the meeting, committee chief Advocate
Kamrul told the reporters that a total of 1,072 cases were
produced before the committee, of which 13 cases were
filed by the Anti- Corruption Commission (ACC) and rest
1,059 were filed under the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC)
and Bangladesh Penal Code (BPC).
Among the 669 cases recommended for quashing on Tuesday
the committee recommended withdrawal of a case filed
against a group of eminent lawyers of the country
including Dr Kamal Hossain, Barrister Rokon Uddin Mahmud,
Barrister Tania Amir and Advocate Subrata Chowdhury.
The committee also recommended the withdrawal of cases
against Jahangir Kabir Nanok, AFM Bahauddin Nasim,
Asaduzzamn Noor, Mayor of Barisal City Corporation Shawkot
Hossain Hiron, former lawmaker Haji Mohammad Selim, former
chairman of Proshika Dr Kazi Faruk Ahmed and former
President of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) Liaqat Sikder.
The committee also rejected a case of former BNP lawmaker
Nasir Uddin Ahmed Pintu as it was not a politically
motivated case. The case was filed with Lalbagh Police
station for his alleged involvement in an abduction and
attempt to murder case.
Replying to a question on the recommendation for
withdrawing those cases Advocate Kamrul said, the
committee doesn't suggest the government to withdraw any
case on the basis of recommendations from any quarter.
Most of those whose cases were recommended for withdrawal
belong to the ruling party and its front organizations,
triggering resentment in the opposition BNP circles as its
leaders are also bearing loads of such cases on charges of
graft that had taken place during their rule.
The scrutiny committee on October 13 in its eighth meeting
recommended dropping one case against opposition leader
Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman and one corruption case
against former president and Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad
MP.
Earlier on August 26, one case against BNP MP Moudud Ahmed
was also withdrawn. In other wards, of the 3708 cases
recommended to be dropped 3704 are against AL leaders, 2
against BNP leaders and 1 against JP leader, and one
against lawyer.
MPs to get Tk 15 cr for development works in each
constituency
ECNEC okays 10 projects involving Tk 7844 crore
UNB, Dhaka
The MPs will get Tk 15 crore per constituency for
development works under a massive rural infrastructure
development project worth Tk 4,691 crore okayed Tuesday,
making a big stride in implementing this government's
maiden budget.
It is one of 10 development projects the Executive
Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC)
approved in its meeting today (Tuesday), involving a total
cost of Tk 7,844 crore.
Of the total development spending under the 10 projects,
Tk 6,480 crore will come from government exchequer while
the rest Tk 1,364 crore as project aid.
ECNEC chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
presided over the meeting, which also endorsed a purchase
deal for buying from South Korea a big fleet of 300 buses
which will mainly be pressed into service in the capital
city to improve its ramshackle transport system.
The Tk 4691-crore cost of the important rural
infrastructure development project, conceived "on priority
basis", will be entirely borne by the government.
"Tenured July 2009 to June 2014, the project will cover
all the country over where Members of Parliament,
irrespective of all political parties, will have an
equitable share worth Tk 15 crore each to make
infrastructure development in their respective area," said
Planning Minister AK Khandaker while briefing reporters
after the meeting.
He said that the project was approved by the ECNEC after
elaborative discussions on the objectives and ways of
smoothly doing the development works.
Answering to a question, he said the project will go
through without malpractice, like the other projects. "I
think no question regarding corruption will arise."
He told another questioner that the project was approved
after appraising all factors through holding pre-Ecnec
Meeting (PEC). Planning Division Secretary Habibullah
Majumder said the MPs have already submitted their project
proposals for the development works and after that some of
those have been approved abiding by the procedure and
proper evaluation.
Sources in the meeting said the Prime Minister directed
that the government agencies concerned have to monitor the
implementation process of the project, apart from the
Members of Parliament.
Ruling
party syndicates regulating prices of essentials: Moudud
TBT Report
BNP standing committee member and law minister Barrister
Moudud Ahmed said that the overthrow of the government
would take place due to its failure.
He was addressing a protest rally on the occasion of the
3rd imprisonment day of Tarique Rahman organised by
Jatoyatabadi Swechchasebak Dal in front of party's
Nayapaltan central office on Tuesday.
Moudud Ahmed said fifteen months of the government have
already been elapsed but the countrymen are yet to witness
any achievement of it except deleting the name of Shaheed
president Ziaur Rahman from different establishments
including Zia International Airport (ZIA). Failure of the
government will continue to take place and it will have to
pay heavily.
He said countrymen expected that the peace and prosperity
would come back in the country. Prices hike of essentials
and criminal offences will be controlled, water, gas and
electricity crises will also be resolved. But all have
already gone beyond the controlling capacity of the
government as the ruling party syndicates are regulating
the market prices of the daily commodities.
Moudud Ahmed said the government had pledged before
election that it would keep rice price at Tk10 per kg,
provide fertilizer among farmers free of cost and provide
job to one people of each family in the country. All
commitments have already been forgotten.
Erasing Shaheed president Ziaur Rahman's name from
different establishments in the country and grabbing
Khaleda Zia's cantonment residence have become the main
target of the government. In order to make the mission a
success, the name of Ziaur Rahman from ZIA has already
been deleted. Soon after the information, around one crore
votes of the ruling party have been reduced throughout the
country.
AL asks Khaleda to produce list of repressed
women to prove her claim
UNB, Dhaka
AL general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam has asked
opposition leader Khaleda Zia to prove her statement by
making public the list of women subjected to repression by
his party's youth and student wing during the last 13
months.
"If Khaleda fails to prove her claim, she must publicly
apologize to the nation for making false allegation,"
Ashraf told a press conference at the party's Dhanmondi
office on Tuesday afternoon.
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia at a party function on Monday
said 20 percent of country's women have been subjected to
repression by Jubo League and Chhatra League during the
last 13 months of Awami League rule. Throwing a challenge,
AL leader demanded of Khaleda to prove her allegation,
failing, he said, she should publicly apologize to the
nation for making false propaganda against the government.
Ashraf said Khaleda by presenting "false" statistics
before foreign guests and media has tarnished the image of
the nation and she has done this just to realize dirty
political goal.
He demanded that Khaleda Zia should provide full list of
the "repressed" women, their identities, type of
repression. If she can prove the incidents of the
repression, legal steps will be taken against the
oppressors.
Making a counter allegation Ashraf said BNP cadres and
terrorists had raped and murdered thousands of women minor
girls after coming to power in "farcical" election of
October 1, 2001.
"Only in Bhola, party cadres of BNP-Jamaat had raped
several hundreds girls and women to celebrate their win in
the election," he added.
BNP walks out
Bill deleting Zia’s name from Barisal University placed in
parliament
UNB, Sangsad Bhaban
Opposition BNP lawmakers Tuesday walked out of the House
in protest as the government placed in parliament a bill
seeking to rename Shaheed Ziaur Rahman University as
Barisal University by deleting their leader's name.
BNP leader Barrister Maudud Ahmed, who led the walkout at
3:40pm, said erasing Zia's name is a reflection of the
present government's "meanness' and "political vendetta".
"There are so many problems prevailing in the country, but
the government has no concern over the deteriorating
law-and-order situation, crisis of electricity and gas and
soaring prices," he observed. The former Law Minister
ridiculed the government's slogan for a change while
seeking electoral mandate as he said nowadays the charter
of change turned into charter of changing the name of
Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman. "People had expected a
change in their life, but now they became disillusioned,"
he said.
Maudud, a seasoned politician having rich experience in
power politics, said BNP would return to power through
next election and restore the name of Ziaur Rahman.
"You can change of the name of Zia but you can't erase his
name from the minds of crores of people," he told
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid who introduced the
bill in the House.
Refuting Maudud's contentions, the Education Minister said
the previous Awami League government had decided to
establish Science and Technology University, Barisal. He
said the last BNP-Jamaat government only changed the name
of the university without doing any work.
Power, gas, water crises disrupts city life
UNB, Dhaka
Power outages every few minutes in some areas Tuesday
disrupted livelihood while severe gas and water crises
added to the woes of public life in the greater Dhaka
area, even before the start of the peak summer.
Meanwhile, a wildcat strike by the operators of premium
bus service on the city routes put thousands of commuters
into abject misery. Over 2,500 buses run on ticket system
came to a sudden halt after toll collectors of a transport
workers' trade union assaulted and wounded one bus owner
at Mirpur earlier in the day.
Experts in the utility services apprehend that when the
prime summer will start in April-May period, the
three-pronged power-gas-water problem could take a turn
for the worse yet. They blamed poor performance of the
utility services for the cumulative crises, apart from
neglect of necessary tasks for improving the situation in
these high-priority sectors by successive governments.
"No new electricity, or gas or water has been added in to
the supply-line in the last one year, which makes the
situation worsen," said a former PDB Chairman, who
preferred not to be named.
He observed that residents of the capital city now have to
live in a situation where they could hardly enjoy half the
needs of their essential utility services.
In many areas, people don't know when they could get gas
for cocking or get water for having bath or receive
electricity for doing necessary work by running machines.
The government has decided to divert power from the urban
to rural areas for irrigation of paddies in the dry
season, but reports from many districts say villagers also
suffer a lot for want of electricity.
Back Page
Govt won’t stop pro-people projects
of BNP regime: PM
UNB, Dhaka
The present government will not stop any pro-people
projects and programs which were initiated during the last
BNP-led four-party alliance government.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said this when Director
General of World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Margaret
Chan called on her at the Prime Minister's Office on
Tuesday morning.
The WHO Director General congratulated the Prime Minister
as she has been named among the Asia's eight top powerful
women by American broadcaster CNN, said Prime Minister's
Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad.
She also lauded Hasina and her government for quick and
innovative initiatives to ensure quality but cheap medical
services for the mass people of the country.
Dr. Chan informed the Prime Minister about her experience
during her visit to a rural area of Ban-gladesh when she
saw a health official giving health advices through mobile
phone to rural people living in the remote areas.
She said she came to know that the health official daily
receives at least 100 mobile phone calls from the people
in remote areas for offering them health advices. In
reply, the Prime Minister said mobile phone services have
become widely available in Bangladesh now as her previous
government had opened the market for cell phone companies
to break the then monopoly of a particular phone company.
The WHO top official said she strongly believes that
health situation of Bangladesh will improve to a
significant level under the visionary leadership of Sheikh
Hasina.
She also hailed the government for giving importance to
the improvement of nursing services in the country by
providing modern training to the nurses.
Hasina, in reply, said the Awami League government during
its first tenure (1996-2001) started some health
development projects to bring modern medical treatment to
the doorsteps of the village people.
One of such projects, she mentioned, was setting up 18,000
community health clinics, of which 11,000 clinics across
the country were started, but the next BNP-Jamaat
government had closed the clinics and the whole project on
political ground.
However, the present government has taken steps to
re-establish all the community health clinics for greater
interest of the people, the Prime Minister said. She said
the concept of community health clinics was taken
following the health programmes of Father of the Nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's post-liberation war
government.
Besides, Hasina said Bangabandhu Memorial Trust is
continuing free medical service programme that started on
January 10 this year across the country. Under this
programme, so far some 700,000 people have been given free
treatment including eye operations.
Pak stand gets tacit US endorsement
Dawn Online, Washington
The US general who oversees the Afghan war has
acknowledged that Pakistan has a reason to be concerned
about its lack of strategic depth.
In two television interviews this weekend, Gen. David
Petraeus also said that the Pakistani "security forces,
have put a lot of short sticks into a lot of hornets'
nests over the course of that last 10 months" and they
needed to consolidate their gains in those areas before
taking up new operations.
Pakistan "has an interest that is somewhat different than
ours, and that their strategic depth is and always has
been for a country that's very narrow and has its historic
enemy to its east," he told the PBS television.
"So again, we just have to appreciate this. The Pakistani
army, the Frontier Corps, the security forces have put a
lot of short sticks into a lot of hornets' nests over the
course of that last 10 months," he told CNN. "There's a
limit to how much you can do that without consolidating
the gains in some areas and then, over time, as I
mentioned, thinning out to enable you to go into other
areas."
The statements are an apparent endorsement of Islamabad's
position on two important issues: Pakistan has genuine
interests in Afghanistan which need to be protected and
Pakistan cannot send its troops to North Waziristan before
consolidating its gains in South Waziristan and Swat.
Gen. Petraeus, as head of the US Central Command, is
responsible for America's war efforts in the greater
Middle East region, which stretches from Syria to
Pakistan. His endorsement of Pakistan's positions
indicates a positive change in the Pentagon towards
Islamabad. The change is also reflected in similar
statements by other US officials, recognising Pakistan's
recent achievements in the war against terror,
particularly the arrest of half a dozen senior Afghan
Taliban leaders.
To PBS, the general said Pakistan and the US had the same
interest in Afghanistan in not allowing Al Qaeda to
re-establish safe havens. "But Pakistan also has an
interest that is somewhat different than ours, and that is
their strategic depth," he added. "This is not unique, of
course, just to Afghanistan and Pakistan and throughout
the world. We have interests, they have interests. What we
want to do is find the conversion interest, understand
where they are divergent and try to make progress
together." Gen. Petraeus also pointed to the Pakistani
government's realisation that internal extremists were
directly threatening its existence. "That has been a very
impressive counter-insurgency operation," he said of
Pakistani military forces' gains made against insurgents
in Swat Valley.
Pakistan's leaders, Gen. Petraeus said, were realising the
truth of Defence Secretary Robert Gates' assertion that
Taliban, Al Qaeda and other extremists operating in the
Afghanistan-Pakistan region share a symbiotic relationship
and belonged to a syndicate of terrorism that threatened
all law-abiding nations.
The US military commander also underlined America's
decisions not to walk away from Pakistan while talking
about Islamabad's reluctance to fully support
Wa-shington's strategy for the Pak-Afghan region.
"But, again, look, we have a chequered past with Pakistan,
and we need to be up front about it and recognise it.
We've walked away from that country three different times,
including after Charlie Wilson's war after we established
the Mujahideen," he said.
In the same interview, the Centcom chief also mentioned
that the US helped ISI create the extremists who were now
threatening both countries.
"Our money, Saudi money, others joined together, helped
the ISI, indeed, form these elements which then went in
and threw the Soviets out of Afghanistan with our
weaponry. And then we left and they were holding the bag,"
he said.
WB appreciates
progress on Padma Bridge project
BSS, Dhaka
The World Bank has appreciated the "rapid" progress of
works on the proposed Padma Bridge while it sought the
design and procurement methods a month after it confirmed
the Bank's intention to provide exceptional support of US$
1.2 billion or more.
In a letter to Communication Minister Syed Abul Hossain,
country representative of the bank Ms Ellen Goldstein said
it appreciated the government's concern to move rapidly
and have "therefore, used our position as coordinating
donor to prepare consolidated comments of all co-
financials on the draft pre-qualification (PQ) documents".
"I congratulate the Government, in particular the Ministry
of Communication and the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA)
under your leadership, for the excellent efforts over the
past months to expeditiously move with the preparatory
works that lay the foundation for us, the cofinanciers, to
proceed," read the letter as it reached the ministry
Monday.
It said as soon as the World Bank would receive revised
set of PQ documents from the government "we will move
expeditiously to carry out the necessary due diligence to
ensure that the con- tract for the main bridge can be
awarded in a timely manner and the construction can
proceed an planned".
"I assure you of our firm commitment and full support for
constructing this transformative project," the letter
added. The World Bank Vice President for the South Asia
Region Isabel M Guerrero last month met with Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina when she confirmed the World Bank's
intention to provide exceptional support of US$ 1.2
billion or more to close the financing gap for the Padma
Multipur-pose Bridge Project.
"We have seen from our earlier support for Jamuna Bridge
that this kind of transformative infrastructure leads to
greater and faster poverty reduction in surrounding
communities (and) Our expectation is that Padma Bridge
will do the same, unlocking the potential of the Southwest
Region," she said at that time."
EU concerned over
slow repair of coastal embankments battered by Aila
UNB, Dhaka
More than 700 kilometers of coastal embankments were
destroyed by cyclone Aila while the seawater flooded
villages and fields displacing over 200,000 people last
May, still leaving the victims in the lurch while the
advent of the next season of calamity is close by.
Ambassador Dr Stefan Frowein, Head of the Euro-pean
Union's Delegation to Bangladesh, narrated the sorry state
of the rehabilitation and reconstruction arrangement
Tuesday. He obs-erved many of the displaced people are
still living in appalling conditions on strips of raised
land.
He said it is essential that the repairs are completed by
the end of this March when storms and high tides come as a
natural course of weather in Bangladesh.
"Many thousands of people displaced by the Aila cyclone,
who have now been living in makeshift shelters for the
last ten months, are at risk," Frowein said on a note of
anxiety. He reminded that if the embankments aren't
repaired urgently, the huma-nitarian consequences would be
catastrophic. He said many families have already been
displaced several times since Aila struck and have lost
their homes and their livelihoods.
Cyclone Aila caused devastation in hundreds of villages,
exacerbated by the heavy monsoon rains which flooded
agricultural and shrimp-farm lands. The tidal waves
salinated land and water sources - it could take years to
recover.
Since the cyclone struck, the European Commission's
humanitarian aid department (ECHO) has allocated €9
million to help provide the people worst affected with
food, drinking water, access to sanitation, temporary
shelter and assistance with income-generating activities.
7 killed, 47
hurt in road crashes
TBT News Desk
At least seven people were killed and 47 others injured in
separate road accidents in three districts on Tuesday,
according to news agencies.
In Comilla, a man was killed and two others were injured
in a road accident on Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Shahid
Nagar in Daudkandi upazila Tuesday.
The deceased was identified as Khalilur Rahman, 26, son of
Bazlur Rahman of Ghorashal village in Muradnagar upazila.
Police said the accident took place at about 10am when a
Dhaka-bound microbus collided head on with a sand-laden
truck from opposite direction, leaving microbus passenger
Khalil dead on the spot and injuring others. The injured
were sent to capital for treatment.
In Rangpur, two people were killed and 45 others injured
in a road accident at Angrar Bridge point in Pirganj
upazila on the Rangpur-Dhaka highway Tuesday.
Police said the accident took place when a Dhaka-bound
passenger bus Uttara Express from Rangpur and a Dinajpur-bound
BRTC passenger bus from Faridpur collided head-on at about
3:45 pm.
Both the buses were badly damaged killing an unidentified
person on the spot and injuring at least 45 passengers
including women and children.
Another unidentified person succumbed to his injuries on
the way to Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RMCH).
Twenty-four injured people were rushed to the RMCH and the
others were admitted to Pirganj Upazila Health Complex.
Condition of at least four people was stated to be
critical at the RMCH.
In Dinajpur, three people, including a child, were killed
in a road accident at Hatpara in Ghoraghat upazila on the
Dinajpur-Gobindaganj Highway, police and locals said. The
deceased were identified as Tanvir, 6, Babu, 20, and
Mehedi Hassan, 19.
According to the sources, the accident took place when a
motorbike with three riders collided head-on with a
vehicle at Hatpara. Tanvir died on the spot while
seriously injured Babu and Mehedi succumbed to their
injuries at Hakimpur Upazila Health Complex.
An unnatural death case was filed with the concerned
police station.
In Narayanganj, a Rickshaw puller was killed on the spot
when a speedy bus and a train collided on the Dhaka-
Narayanganj railway track at level crossing no-2 Tuesday.
The victim was identified as Farhad, 30, son of Abdul
Gafur of village Bhoti Savar under Mymensingh district.
According GRP sources the accident occurred when a Dhaka-
bound 'Bandhan paribahan' from Narayanganj was trying to
cross the Railway track at the crossing.
A Narayanganj-bound down train from Dhaka knocked down the
bus at 7 am.
The bus was damaged in the near and the flying steel
splinters of the damaged portion of the bus hit the
Rickshaw puler on the head who was standing with his three
wheelers near by and died on the spot.
The panic striker passengers got down from the bus in co-
operation will local people. There is no bar over the
level crossing.
Editorial
BDR-BSF conference
The
Director Generals of paramilitary Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and
Indian Border Security Force (BSF) began a six-day conference
at the BSF headquarters in New Delhi on Monday. A number of
issues are being discussed at the meeting but most important
among them is the killing of Bangladeshi nationals on the
border by BSF troops. BDR chief Major General Mainul Islam is
leading a 19-member Bangladesh delegation while his BSF
counterpart Raman Shrivastava is heading his team at the
conference.
"The shootout by BSF men at frontlines is to dominate our
agenda in the talks as the earlier Indian assurance to stop it
during our talks (in Dhaka in July 2009) was not reflected in
their actions in the past months," BDR chief Major General
Mainul Islam had said in Dhaka on Saturday ahead of his
departure for the Indian capital. Accordingly the issue was
raised in the conference on the very first day. Cross-border
trafficking of illegal weapons and drugs, another major
frontier problem for Bangladesh, is also being discussed in
the meeting. Besides the "trend of occupying 'land of adverse
possession' by Indian border guards particularly in
(northeastern) Sylhet region" is likely to come up for
discussion in the meeting.
While the Indian side is expected to raise the issues like
trespass of Bangladeshi "terrorists" and involvement in
cross-border crime, formulation of joint border management
planning, trafficking of child and women and construction of
illegal establishments within the 150 yards of the zero line
in the conference.
The cross-border killings of particularly the Bangladeshis in
BSF shootouts largely dominated the director general level
border talks earlier this year in Dhaka between the BSF and
their Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) counterparts. Then the Indian
BSF DG had assured that restrain and peace would be maintained
and killing would be stopped on the border. But that pledge
was not materialised. During the period of 14 months from
January 1 to March 2 as many as 99 Bangladeshis were killed on
the border by BSF. And in over last nine years 814
Bangladeshis were killed by BSF showing that it has been a
continual process.
Besides, intrusion of Indian nationals on the Bangladesh
territory with the support and backing of BSF and also the
troops themselves have been continuing. Such incidents have
happened on Jaintiapur border in Sylhet on five occasions in
the recent past. Even on Monday, when the DGs of BDR and BSF
were holding a conference in New Delhi, 25 Indian nationals
under the protection of BSF intruded into Bangladesh territory
twice and caught fish in the Dibir Haor on Jaintapur border
for the second consecutive day.
According to press reports, India on Monday assured Bangladesh
of zero tolerance towards killings of innocent Bangladeshi
civilians on the border. The assurance came at the four -hour
talks between BDR and BSF in New Delhi on Monday. Besides, the
reports said, India would address serious concerns of
Bangladesh over intrusion by BSF and setting up of a post in
Bangladesh territory near Jaintia Hills in Sylhet region.
The assurance is good but the problem is that India seldom
honours its own commitments. The experience of Bangladesh in
this regard is very sad. The atrocities being committed by BSF
on the Bangladesh border is violation of international law and
norms and clearly against the spirit of friendly relations
between two neighbours. If India really wants good relations
with Bangladesh it will have to translate its intention by
deeds and nor by words alone.
Ensuring women’s
rights
Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said the government, if
necessary, will amend or repeal laws that are harmful and
discriminatory to women in the country. Besides, she said the
Women Development Policy formulated during the last Awami
League rule will soon be made effective to ensure
socio-economic security and development of the women.
Regarding the women development policy, the Prime Minister
said that the last BNP-Jamaat government had brought changes
"silently" in the policy. "We'll restore the previous
provisions and make the policy more up-to-date." She said
Awami League in its election manifesto also promised to ensure
women's equal rights in every sphere of life. To ensure social
dignity of women, Hasina identified two priority areas -
education and financial self-reliance of women.
On the other hand, Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia on Monday
regretted that International Women’s Day is being observed at
a time when 20 percent women of the country have been
subjected to repression by the ruling party during the last 13
months.
"The present government talks tall about women empowerment.
But 20 per cent women were repressed in the country in last 13
months. It is unfortunate," Khaleda told a function on the
occasion of International Women’s Day. Besides, rights
activists at various programmes organised in observance of
International Women's Day urged all to work together to combat
violence against women.
This year, the International Women’s Day was observed with the
slogan - Equal Rights, Equal Opportunity and Progress for All.
But equal rights of women is yet long way off in our social
perspective. Rather, women are subjected to discrimination,
persecution and deprivation in the society. The Prime Minister
has rightly pointed out that to ensure social dignity of
women, education and financial self-reliance of women have to
be guaranteed. Along with this, it should be ensured that the
women get rid of persecution, violence and discrimination in
the society. It is through these that the women's rights can
be ensured.
Analysis
The culture of respect at Dhaka University
links with the ruling party have a big role to
play in such incidents of crude
misbehavior and disrespect.
Dr. Md. Mahmudul Hasan
Recently,
one teacher of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University
was slapped on the face and another was abused by their senior
colleague at work place. At Chittagong University, a professor
was locked in an office room on 7 Mar. 2010 for nearly an hour
by the affiliates of a student organization, as their 'leader'
was not recruited as a teacher in the Department of Sociology
of the University. Obviously, links with the ruling party have
a big role to play in such incidents of crude misbehavior and
disrespect. However, this suggests the deeper truth of the
widespread and increasing degradation of the culture of
respect at the higher seats of learning of the country.
I lived in the West for a number of years and finally came
back to my beloved country with the noble ambition of serving
it through teaching my young compatriots. I had the luck to
join in a prestigious department at Dhaka University. I had no
legal obligation to come back home, as I had done by PhD in UK
on my own initiative before I joined the University. Among
other things, the putative culture of respect that the
teachers of Dhaka University are presumed to enjoy influenced
my decision to work here. However, it did not take long for me
to be disillusioned.
I enjoy the enormous respect and good behavior of my students,
especially those hailing from the rural areas. However, the
attitude of some senior teachers to their junior colleagues
(who were once their students) is somewhat condescending and
patronizing. In department meetings, the junior faculties have
to hear the monologues of their superiors and have little
chance to speak up. The way many members of the non-teaching
staff behave towards junior teachers is particularly
interesting. In most cases, their conduct is governed by a
notion that showing respect to few heavyweights who run the
University and to some selective professors will keep troubles
at bay; hence, respecting the junior teachers does not feature
very prominent in their consciousness. This goes from the
department office to the Registrar Building. Once I had the
odd experience of being embarrassed when I went to the
Registrar Building to see a high official (who is also a
professor). My feeling of self-respect was exceedingly wounded
when I found that he deemed it more important to ask some
journalist students to have their seats while he kept me
standing in front of them until I forced myself on a chair.
Perhaps, the only way remaining for the junior faculties of DU
to command respect is to become politically active (which in
my opinion should not be the choice of a good academic) or to
show some form of clout through a non-academic manner. If this
does not go with the temperament of a DU teacher, respect for
them at the campus is a mirage in the desert.
Respect for DU teachers in the wider society of Bangladesh is
encouraging. However, if what has been happening within its
groves continues, that may diminish before long. It is still
not too late to restore a good culture of respect at DU, and
that depends on the will of those who run it. Unfortunately, I
doubt that they are serious in this matter and that they will
feel its urgency soon, as they are not the direct victims of
the deterioration of the culture of respect. If my
apprehension is true, all of us may not have to wait long to
see people (within Bangladesh and beyond) laugh at our beloved
DU as they giggle at what happens in our parliament building,
the Sangsad Bhaban.
Department of English, University of Dhaka.
Redefining
contours of a peace dialogue
The motors that tip the scales in India-Pakistan
relationship are already at work.
Sherry Rehman
The
motors that tip the scales in India-Pakistan relationship
are already at work. As the secretary-level talks between
India and Pakistan wound down to a brusque finish,
headlines all over the world scrambled to draw a red line
between success or failure. The Indian prime minister's
remarks in Riyadh brought some emollient to a crusty
diplomatic stand-off, while the terrorism precondition
still hung in the balance. Islamabad's response to
coercive diplomacy remained cool.
Despite all the posturing, both sides are aware of the
need for talks to go on. New Delhi and Islamabad know that
they need to negotiate a shade of grey that invests in the
process as much as its progress. At the foreign
secretaries encounter, no date was announced for
resumption of dialogue, but no closure was stated either.
Both sides said talks must focus on stated priorities,
while neither yielded ground on tangible means. The fact
that there was no joint press conference, or even
communique, brought forth alarm from all over the globe.
No surprises, actually. Did anyone really think that the
two countries' top diplomats were mandated for even a
minor breakthrough? After three major wars, two smaller
battles, and half a century of conflict and bitterness,
choices for change are not made at any level less than the
head of both governments. The Saarc (South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation) summit in April is
where the leaders of both warring nations can either let
the ice begin thawing, or reinforce the culture of
rivalry.
By then, though, we may have many more buttons being
pushed as many countries now seem invested in this
dialogue, including a pro-active Riyadh. One critical
factor is that in the new regional equation, Pakistan
holds many of the cards. By leveraging its role as the key
neighbour in Afghanistan, Islamabad has begun to redefine
the contours of the conflict in a theatre where almost all
counterinsurgency plans by the US-Nato alliance have gone
pear-shaped. There is no denying that the only
game-changer in the battlefield can now be a shift in
anti-Taliban operations across the Durand Line. By
arresting over much of the dreaded Quetta Shura Taliban,
Islamabad has demonstrated two things: that it can swoop
down tactically where the US has been unable to tread, and
that if given the right strategic incentive, it can draw
down on fresh reserves of political will. India was at
pains to avoid the word mediation, but clearly, New Delhi
hopes that the Saudi card may give it a seat at the Afghan
table, as well open a channel as interlocutor to
Islamabad.
As it stands, the motors that work to tip the scales on
this razor-edge between war and peace are predictably
already at work. Almost as soon Pakistan's Foreign
Secretary, Salman Bashir, crossed the Wagah border into
Lahore, the debris from the Taliban attack in Kabul, where
Indians were also killed among others, infected the air.
The Jaish-e-Mohammad disclaimed their hand in it, blaming
it on a fidayeen Afghan attack, but the terrorists who
always seek to disrupt talks reminded everyone how they
can affect both headlines and deadlines in this terrain.
At the same time, New Delhi chose a bad moment to test its
$32 billion (Dh117.69 billion) war machine and its
readiness near the Pakistan border. Nor did it invite
Islamabad to send a military attache to witness the
exercises, when 30 others were called in as observers. But
in the mixed signalling so typical of both players to this
tango, the Indian prime minister opened a track by stating
that there is no alternative to dialogue with Pakistan.
So what are the prospects for building the "greater trust"
that both players seek in such a fraught environment? Even
though home-made labels do stick best, dialogue-failure
marks a long history of bilateral engagement. New Delhi is
overtly allergic to international players entering the
room, more so when Kashmir is flagged.
Islamabad is peeved about the fact that New Delhi was able
to make Washington drop Kashmir from its special agenda in
the region. And now we have the Saudis in the room.
Although New Delhi denies it, all bets are on that the US
played a quiet role in bringing the two nuclear
adversaries to the table and there's little money on the
talks going further without more prodding.
If New Delhi wants bilateralism to succeed, it must seize
this opportunity to move everyone out of a dangerous curve
in the neighbourhood. Islamabad too, must wake up to its
responsibilities and finish what it started at cleaning up
terrorist outfits at home. India must not let insecurity
fuel its responses because it sees itself strategically
finessed out of the formal Afghanistan endgame.
In any matrix for regional stability, New Delhi will still
remain a major player. It is the one looking most skittish
now and if the talks flounder on the old bedrock of
bilateral posturing, the entire region will pay the price
in further instability and greater international meddling.
Sherry Rehman is Pakistan's Former Information
Minister. She is currently Member of Parliament's National
Security Committee.
The perils of
a new intifada
Without official Arab backing, it may give Israel the
pretext to uproot Palestinians from Occupied Jerusalem.
Osama Al Sharif
Without
official Arab backing, it may give Israel the pretext to
uproot Palestinians from Occupied Jerusalem If last
Friday's incident at the Al Haram Al Sharif compound means
anything it is this: Israel's right-wing government is out
of control and is bent on executing a malicious scheme to
undermine Palestinian rights.
A series of deliberate provocations has been launched in
the past few weeks, aimed at weakening Palestinian
presence in Occupied Jerusalem, humiliating a powerless
Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and challenging Arab
and Muslim sentiments. The Friday clashes with Palestinian
worshippers came a day after Arab foreign ministers urged
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to return to peace
negotiations on US and Israeli conditions.
The so-called proximity talks, indirect negotiations
between Israel and the Palestinians through US mediation,
cancel out years of laborious haggling and free the
Israelis from previous commitments under the roadmap and
others. It will prove to be a charade, a cover-up for an
ambitious Jewish plan to confiscate land, build and expand
colonies in the West Bank, force Palestinians out of
Occupied Jerusalem and implement a unilateral scheme that
undercuts the two-state solution forever.
Even worse, the negotiations will help Israel deflect
attention from its Gaza war crimes, the Mossad scandal
associated with the killing of Mahmoud Al Mabhouh, a
leading Hamas figure, in Dubai in January, and its daily
atrocities against Palestinians in the Occupied
Territories.
The semblance of peace talks will also help Israel launch
a massive PR campaign to clean up its tarnished image
while instigating world powers against Iran and its
alleged nuclear threat to regional and world security.
It has always been a gloomy picture for the Palestinians.
But unlike in the past few years, the government of
Benjamin Netanyahu is proving to be more radical than
previously thought. It is under no illusion about the
prospects of a peaceful settlement; it disdains
Palestinians, has no regard for Arab, and by extension,
Muslim sentiments and understands fully the weaknesses of
the Obama administration.
It is also playing a dangerous game. By inciting
Palestinians and humiliating their leadership it is sowing
the seeds for a new uprising. But this is a double-edged
sword for both parties. A new intifada could very well be
the best answer to Israel's aggressive policies, but
without official backing, both Palestinian and Arab, the
new uprising could give Israel the pretext to carry out,
with impunity, a sinister ploy to uproot hundreds of
thousands of Palestinians from Occupied Jerusalem,
expropriate more land, force its hands over Al Aqsa and
the Old City and institutionalise a policy of ethnic
cleansing in and around the holy city. The simple fact is
that without direct Arab backing, a new uprising cannot
usher in a final solution to the Israel-Palestinian
conflict. And with a weak and indecisive US
administration, Israel could again get away with murder
and more.
Ending any doubts
Abbas has few cards in his pocket which he can play to
help the intifada achieve its goals and, more importantly,
make it difficult for Israel to carry out its objectives.
First of all, he can lend his support to a new peaceful
intifada, ending any doubts about an internal dispute over
the viability of a popular uprising against occupation.
Also he could take an important step by suspending
security cooperation with the Israelis.
If Israel does not bow down, Abbas could make the ultimate
move and dissolve the PNA, forcing a return to the UN and
its resolutions and enforcing the status of the West Bank
and Gaza as Occupied Territories.
Without direct political backing, a new intifada will only
afford Israel with excuses to kill Palestinians and
confiscate and colonise Palestinian lands. Regardless of
the political cost, it is up to Abbas to make the calls,
including a return to peaceful resistance and a swift
reconciliation with Hamas in Gaza.
In the meantime, Israel will continue to challenge the
Palestinians, humiliate and penalise them. More
importantly, it will try to change the status quo in its
favour by extending its authority over religious sites.
The battle for Occupied Jerusalem is taking a new shape
and unless Abbas and his aides realise this, Israel will
soon adopt new measures to fortify its control of Occupied
Jerusalem and its surroundings. A new Palestinian intifada,
with proper Arab and Palestinian backing, could probably
be the only shot left in Abbas' armoury, that and the
courage to bring an end to the PNA's unfortunate
experiment.
Two sides are hoping to make use of a new uprising to
their benefit; one of them is Israel. It would be
catastrophic if the Israelis manipulate a new intifada to
force the Palestinians into submission. The Palestinian
leadership, which has consistently favoured negotiations
to resistance of any kind, must now make a choice. It is
not an easy one. But the truth is that resumption of
negotiations will lead to nowhere. One only needs to
listen to Israeli officials and examine the latest actions
of their government to come to that conclusion. Abbas
stands to lose whatever his choice will be, but it is
better to fail while resisting occupation than to succumb
to a humiliating deal that cannot satisfy Palestinian
aspirations.
.
Osama Al Sharif is a veteran journalist and political
commentator based in Amman.
Viewpoints
Karzai receives a mixed reception in
Marjah
But
residents made it painfully clear that his government was
despised here for the corrupt, violent officials who preyed on
Marjah for much of the past decade before the Taliban arrived.
Sangar Rahimi and Richard A. Oppel Jr.
Once
a Taliban refuge, Marjah has come a long way since the Marines
invaded four weeks ago, so much so that Afghan Ppresident
Hamid Karzai, arrived Sunday with top U.S. and Afghan
officials to speak to several hundred residents crammed inside
a mosque.
But the visit made clear how much further there was to go if
the people of Marjah were ever to throw their loyalty behind
the Afghan government.
On his visit to Marjah, Mr. Karzai tried his best to play to
the crowd, and appeared to win it over on occasion with his
crisp and simple language, spoken in the accent of his native
Kandahar, the neighbouring province.
But residents made it painfully clear that his government was
despised here for the corrupt, violent officials who preyed on
Marjah for much of the past decade before the Taliban arrived.
In fact, residents say, the depredations of government
officials here largely explain why the Taliban and their more
effective administration of power and justice became so
dominant in Marjah in the first place.
"We will tell you that the warlords who ruled us for the past
eight years, those people whose hands are red with the
people's blood, those people who killed hundreds - they are
still ruling over this nation," Hajji Abdul Aziz, a leading
elder of Marjah, said, referring not to the Taliban but to
government officials. "The people here could not dare to
mention their problems."
"For so many years there were only promises," he added,
shaking his finger at Mr. Karzai as he spoke on behalf of the
people of Marjah, "and the people have run out of patience."
Mr. Aziz and others - some shouting at Mr. Karzai - recounted
past abuses by the Afghan government now vying for credibility
in Marjah, including the case of a young boy plucked off the
street and raped and imprisoned by local officials.
American presence
And they outlined newer complaints: innocent farmers arrested
by the Americans. No doctors. Destroyed irrigation canals.
Schools and homes taken over by American troops. Other homes
wrecked.
"You have said on the radio that you want our children to be
educated," Mr. Aziz said. "But how could we educate our
children when their schools are turned into military bases?
The Taliban never built their military bases in the schools."
But Mr. Karzai warned against shunning the Americans, saying
the country would fall under the influence of neighbouring
states.
"We need their help to rebuild ourselves," he said. "As soon
as we rebuild ourselves they will leave." A man shouted from
the crowd, "Are they promising to leave?"
"They would leave now, but we are holding them back," Mr.
Karzai said, drawing laughter.
Though he was a punching bag for every manner of complaint,
Mr. Karzai energised the crowd, some of whom stared at the
President wide-eyed and open-mouthed. He even managed on
occasion to turn the complaints to his favour. When a police
officer brusquely told an older man to sit and calm down, Mr.
Karzai barked at him: "Let him say whatever he wants. Don't
touch him. Don't bother him." He ordered the officer out of
the mosque.
At one point, he asked the assembly, "Are you going to stand
beside me?" And the crowd cheered. One unifying presence
appeared to be the newly appointed district chief of Marjah,
Hajji Abdul Zahir. Revelations in recent days that Mr. Zahir
reportedly served time in a German prison for stabbing his
stepson did not appear to be an issue for the Marjah residents
who, despite their dislike of the government, praised Mr.
Zahir.
"You represent the entirety of Marjah," Mr. Karzai told the
crowd, then asked, "You are happy with him?" The crowd cheered
in response; no one appeared to dissent.
Mr. Zahir continued to deny that he was ever convicted of
attempted manslaughter in Germany, calling the charge
"absolute lies."
The American-led NATO military command in Afghanistan
continues to support Mr. Zahir so long as his boss, Gulab
Mangal, the governor of Helmand province, supports him as
well.
NATO commanders have not taken any steps to remove Mr. Zahir
or to press the Afghan government to remove him, said
Lieutenant-Colonel Todd Breasseale, a spokesman for the NATO
command in Kabul, the Afghan capital.
"We're happy with the job he has done because his boss is
happy with the job he has done," Lieutenant-Colonel Breasseale
said, referring to Mr. Zahir and Mr. Mangal.
A turning
point for gender equality
Nations in the
Asia Pacific should work towards empowering women not only
as a laudable goal and a human right but also to boost
their economies.
Helen Clark
The
Asia Pacific region has made impressive progress on many
fronts, and seems poised to recover from the global
economic downturn more rapidly than other regions. Long
term, sustainable progress, however, requires that more
support is given to the empowerment of women.
Achieving equality for women is not only a laudable goal
and a human right. It is also good economics, helps deepen
democracy, and enables genuine long-term stability.
The latest Asia Pacific Human Development Report, Power,
Voice and Rights: A Turning Point for Gender Equality in
Asia and the Pacific, estimates that the under
representation of women in the workforce costs the region
about $89 billion each year - roughly equivalent to the
GDP of Vietnam.
As well, inequalities in the workforce and obstacles to
women's advancement there persist. For example,
agricultural jobs account for more than 40 per cent of
women's jobs in East Asia and 65 per cent in South Asia.
Yet, only seven per cent of the farms in these regions are
controlled by women.
The inequalities do not stop there. There are large gaps
worldwide between the political participation of men and
of women. In the Asia Pacific, however, these gaps are
among the largest in the world. The Pacific sub-region
alone has four of the six countries in the world with no
women legislators at all.
In South Asia, on critical issues such as health, adult
literacy, and economic participation, the gaps between men
and women are very large by world standards.
According to this latest Human Development Report, almost
half the adult women in South Asia are illiterate, a
higher proportion than in any other region in the world.
Women in South Asia can expect to live five fewer years
than the world average of 70.9 years.
South Asia also has the highest malnutrition rates in the
world - two out of every five children are underweight,
compared to one in four in sub-Saharan Africa.
More women die in childbirth in South Asia - 500 for every
100,000 live births - than in any other part of the world
except for sub-Saharan Africa. To remove these obstacles,
far reaching changes are needed in the interlinked areas
of economics, social policy, politics, and the law.
In the realm of economics, policies which ensure that
women and men have the same inheritance rights and rights
to land title will put assets in the hands of women, and
significantly improve their ability to make their voice
heard inside and outside the home.
The Human Development Report estimates that increasing the
proportion of women in the workforce to 70 per cent,
equivalent to the rate of many developed countries, would
boost annual GDP in India by 4.2 per cent, in Malaysia by
2.9 per cent, and in Indonesia by 1.4 per cent.
Political reforms
Political reforms are needed so that more women can enter
legislatures and positions of power. This region has
produced a number of women Presidents and Prime Ministers.
More women in power at every level will ensure that
women's needs get higher priority than they currently do.
Nations in the Asia Pacific committed to achieving real
progress for women when they signed the Millennium
Declaration in 2000 and backed the Millennium Development
Goals. In countries where the needs and status of women
are given low priority, there is the least progress on the
goals. If women's status is lifted, that greatly improves
the prospects for achieving the MDGs.
Reducing maternal mortality will also have positive spill
over effects on the goal of improving children's health
and access to education, and of reducing poverty and
hunger. Providing girls with education will, in time, be
positive in reducing child mortality, and improving child
nutrition and health for future generations. Tackling the
scourge of sexual and gender-based violence not only
addresses a basic human right, but also helps reverse the
spread of HIV/AIDS.
The Millennium Development Goals summit at the U.N. this
September is a major opportunity to show how prioritising
meeting the needs of women can transform development
progress. As we commemorate International Women's Day, we
can all commit to these goals and to ensuring that women's
needs are elevated, not marginalised.
The author is a former Prime Minister of New Zealand
and is the Administrator of UNDP and the Chair of the U.N.
Development Group
Central Asia Critical to the US War
Today Russia, no longer imperial and no longer Soviet,
remains nevertheless worried that it could be denied that
strategically needed access, crucial for its navy and its
defenses.
Claude Salhani
Between
the early 1800s and the early 1900s Great Britain and the
Russian Empire were engaged in a political tug-of-war,
which at times did turn violent, for control of swaths of
Central Asia.
Each side wanted to control the all important corridor
leading up from the warm waters of the Gulf and northwards
through Iraq, Iran and what is today Pakistan and
Afghanistan. Imperial Russia, much like its successor the
Soviet Union, needed an outlet to a warm water port that,
unlike the Baltic ports, which freeze during the long
harsh winters, could be used all year round. This led to
the great diplomatic rivalry and occasional clashes
between the two super powers of that time. Not unlike
today, some of the battles were fought by proxy.
Fast forward to today and in fact little has changed in
that part of the world. Foreign powers are still fighting
over the same land, and at times by proxy. And Russia is
still struggling for access to a warm water port. It was
in fact this very need by Moscow to gain access to warm
waters that led to the invasion of Afghanistan by the
Soviets.
Today Russia, no longer imperial and no longer Soviet,
remains nevertheless worried that it could be denied that
strategically needed access, crucial for its navy and its
defenses.
Moscow's major naval facility on the Black Sea in the
Ukrainian port of Sevastopol in Crimea is currently being
leased from Ukraine. The lease runs out in 2017. What
happens then? For the moment and so long as the current
president remains in power in Ukraine, Moscow has little
to fear. However, Russia cannot hope that the same
Ukrainian government will forever remain in power. Ukraine
is now a democratic country where elections are held at
regular intervals and Moscow has no guarantees how long
the government in Kiev will remain friendly. The previous
government had already asked the Russians to pack-up and
go.
If things are changing on Russia's western flank, back in
Central Asia very little has changed in the centuries-old
fight for control of the land known today as Afghanistan,
a vital link between routes crossing from west to east and
north to south. Of course, Britain is no longer the great
power it once was and the primary Western power is the
United States. And the now democratic Russia continues to
struggle to protect its interests now more than ever with
NATO on its Western flank and China - the new player in
the east - whose influence is growing in leaps and bounds.
Just how influential China is in Central Asia is obvious
by the way Beijing has cornered the market in Kazakhstan,
for example. Just about everything one finds in Kazakh
stores, from computers and furniture to notebooks and
electronics and imitation iPhones sold at about one-eight
the price of the genuine article now comes with a 'Made in
China' label.
And for the first time oil from the Central Asia nation of
Kazakhstan is going to be flowing east to China. Until now
all the oil from Kazakh fields flowed west to Russia,
Ukraine and Europe. Now, 2,228 kilometers of pipelines
takes the oil from Kazakhstan to China. The pipeline is
owned by China and the Kazakh oil company runs from
Kazakhstan's Caspian shore to Xinjiang in China.
"This is Kazakhstan's most important oil export pipeline
now and in the future," said Julia Nanay, an analyst with
the Washington-based PFC Energy, a company specialising in
global energy strategy. In this great political game being
played out on a giant chessboard that is Europe, the
Middle East and Central Asia, Moscow is uneasy, as is
Washington who seems to have no clear policy regarding the
region, except as it relates to the war in Afghanistan.
Confusing, isn't it?
Claude Salhani is editor of the?Middle East Times and
is currently?on assignment in Kazakhstan
Rest your Past
The problem with the times gone by is that they remind you
of nothing but the crisis and dilemmas that you would
rather forget.
Akif Abdulamir
I
am beginning to think that people with good memories lead
a very miserable life. No offence meant but who would like
to remember every little detail of the past? We have
enough problems dealing with the present without letting
the past muddle up our thoughts.
Though I have a lot of respect for people who keep a diary
but I would personally not like to take a peek into my
past. This is the reason why I would never write my
memoirs because the past to me is fast becoming a very
distant blur. The problem with the times gone by is that
they remind you of nothing but the crisis and dilemmas
that you would rather forget.
Don't get me wrong. I like history but not my own. Wars
that have been won by the heroes of the past make
fascinating reading but personal battles scrolled in a
diary do not. The greatest lesson we can learn from
history books is that nobody bothers to read them twice.
Why would you want to recall your school days and be
reminded of a bully who gave you a rough time?
The past has no good memories.
Even a happy family trip can remind you of times that you
can never get back. Why waste time delving deep in the
recesses of your memory when you have a lot to accomplish
right now? Although experience is the product of the past
but it is best forgotten once lessons have been learned.
Letting memories linger on is like leaving an injury
untreated to remind you of the fall that you should have
avoided.
If you look closely, we sometime hesitate in making
progress when we remember an incident that happened a
while ago.
The mistakes of the past and the fear of the future are
usually the two pivotal reasons that keep us locked within
ourselves. If there is no willingness to change then the
state of one's mind becomes more receptive to pessimism.
When dark moods begin to settle even the usual sparkle of
life starts to die down, and, with it goes the real reason
to stay alive.
Unfortunately, not all of us have the ability to lift our
heads from the gloom of the past. It strikes hard when we
least suspect it and spreads its darkness to smoulder all
hopes. Usually, the seemingly strongest people become
victims while the weak come through unscathed. The signs
are always there, though at times it may be difficult to
diagnose the symptoms. We can help if we see a change of
routine or a drastic shift of one's disposition. No one
would come forward and say," I'm depressed." It is not
that simple because depression is a result of some aspects
of the past not dealt successfully with.
So should we let our pasts rest in peace? I certainly
think so. Clinging to it hampers our ability to move on. I
know of a man who is now in his late seventies and looks
fifteen years younger. His secret is simple. He gets rid
of anything that is more than five years old in his home,
except of course, his family. He never has the time for
memorabilia's or souvenirs. He says that he never even
remembers what he had for lunch the day before. Why should
he remember it? He stays thoroughly focused on the present
and that's what really matters, doesn't it?
It remains that you never have any control of the past so
steering away from it makes sense. The only thing you need
to remember is your wife's birthday and the ATM pin
number.
Akif Abdulamir is an Oman-based writer.
International
Taliban
reintegration to be key agenda of Pak-Afghan talks
Dawn Online, Islamabad
Taliban reintegration and the political solution of Afghan
crises are likely to be the key agenda of Pak-Afghan
consultations as Afghan President Karzai is due to arrive
in Islamabad on Wednesday.
Karzai is likely to ask Islamabad for the extradition of
Mullah Baradar for trial in Afghanistan and will also get
the latest information on the retrieval of kidnapped
Afghan diplomat Abdul Khaliq Farahi.
Foreign Office sources told DawnNews that during his
two-day state visit, Karzai will meet President Asif Ali
Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and members of
the civil society.
Sources said counter-insurgency, anti-terrorism campaign,
US troops surge in Afghanistan, repatriation of Afghan
refugees and development in the war torn country will be
on the talks agenda.
Sources maintained that Pakistan is expected to raise the
issues of its nationals in Afghan custody along with Dr.
Aafia's missing children and cross border infiltration of
terrorists.
Gates praises troops in
southern Afghanistan
AP, Forward Operating Base Frontenac
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told a hard-hit battle
unit Tuesday that its heavy losses have helped the U.S.
begin to push back against the Taliban in southern
Afghanistan.
Gates visited a small, remote outpost 30 miles north of
Kandahar, where the Fort Lewis, Washington-based Stryker
unit has lost 22 men and suffered an additional 62 wounded
since arriving here last summer.
The latest injuries came Monday night, and the latest
death three days ago.
"You all have had a very tough time," especially at the
start of the tour, Gates told members of the 800-soldier
unit. "You came into an area totally controlled by the
Taliban. You fought for a critical battle space, you bled
for it and now you own it."
He told the troops that as the fight shifts toward
securing Kandahar itself later this year, they will again
be "at the tip of the spear." Brigade commander Lt. Col.
Jonathan Neumann explained one of its missions: securing a
highway that locals use to bring crops to market in
Kandahar.
"If people can't move freely on the highway," Neumann
said, "they'll never feel connected to their government
and like they are out from under the thumb of the
Taliban."
Neumann said his troops also protect the local population
from bandits and extortionists who try to waylay travelers
and exact illegal tolls. He said it can be hard to measure
success when it means subtle changes of heart and
intention among the locals instead of something dramatic,
like taking a city. "The metric that stares you in the
face is our casualties," Neumann said.
Gates later walked a dusty street in Now Zad, where
Marines pushed out the Taliban last year with help from
some of the first reinforcements ordered by President
Barack Obama last year.
Pak leaders blame 'foreign
hands', RAW for Lahore attack
ANI, Islamabad
Continuing their old policy of blaming 'foreign powers'
for terror attacks in the country, Pakistani leaders have
once again pointed fingers toward involvement of foreign
hands in Monday's suicide bombing at the office of the
Special Intelligence Agency in Lahore in which at least 11
persons were killed.
Talking to media persons here, Interior Minister Rehman
Malik blamed the Taliban for the attack, saying the banned
extremist outfit was working as 'mercenaries' in Pakistan.
"Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has been involved in all
terror attacks in the country... they are hired killers
and want to destabilise Pakistan," Malik said.
Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah went a step ahead and
directly blamed India's external intelligence agency, the
Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for the suicide attack.
Sanaullah also pointed fingers towards Israel, and other
countries.
"India's Research and Analysis Wing was involved in
Monday's suspected suicide car bomb attack on a special
investigation unit. Besides other neighbouring countries,
India's RAW is also involved.
Israel and other countries could also be involved," The
Nation quoted Sanaullah, as saying.
Japan confirms Cold War-era
'secret' pacts with US
AP, Tokyo
Japan confirmed for the first time Tuesday the existence
of once-secret Cold War-era pacts with the U.S. that
tacitly allowed nuclear-armed warships to enter Japanese
ports in violation of Tokyo's postwar principles.
While declassified U.S. documents have already confirmed
such 1960s agreements, Tuesday's revelation broke with
decades of official denials.
The investigation by a government-mandated panel is part
of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's campaign to rein in the
power of bureaucrats and make his government, which was
elected to power last year, more open than that of the
long-ruling conservatives, who repeatedly denied the
existence of such pacts.
"It's regrettable that such facts were not disclosed to
the public for such a long time, even after the end of the
Cold War era," Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada told a news
conference, adding that the investigation was meant to
restore public trust in Japan's diplomacy.
The panel examined documents surrounding four pacts,
including Tokyo's tacit permission that U.S. nuclear-armed
warships could make calls at Japanese ports - a violation
of Japan's so-called three non-nuclear principles not to
make, own or allow the entry of atomic weapons.
There is strong aversion to nuclear weapons in Japan, the
only country to suffer atomic bombings - in Hiroshima and
Nagasaki at the end of World War II.
Speculation about the existence of such secret agreements
have been swirling in Japan for years so the panel's
findings most likely will simply confirm public suspicions
rather than shock or anger people.
Sri Lanka's opposition
leader ends hunger strike
AP, Colombo
Sri Lanka's detained opposition leader has ended a hunger
strike after just one day after authorities allowed him to
use a telephone again, a party official said Tuesday.
Former army chief Sarath Fonseka was arrested a month ago,
accused of sedition, after he lost a January presidential
election to incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
He is detained in a naval complex in Colombo. Only his
wife, lawyer and doctors are allowed to visit him.
Fonseka began a hunger strike on Sunday after being barred
from using a telephone his wife brings.
Tiran Alles, an opposition party official, said that
Fonseka stopped his fast Monday night after authorities
allowed him to use the phone to talk to his two daughters,
who live abroad. He refused to use a phone provided by the
military.
Fonseka's office said his use of a telephone is supported
by a court ruling but the military says it is just a
concession from the current army commander. The army says
that Fonseka is only allowed to use the phone to talk to
his daughters. Despite his detention, Fonseka plans to
contest a seat in April 8 parliamentary elections at the
head of a six-party alliance.
Rajapaksa has faced international criticism for the arrest
of Fonseka, who led the army to its victory last year over
the long-running Tamil Tiger insurgency before resigning
his command and running in elections against the
president.
The activists and supporters of Fonseka-led Democratic
National Alliance held a protest rally on Monday,
demanding the government unconditionally release Fonseka.
Officials have said he will face a court martial for
various offenses allegedly committed before he gave up his
army command last year, including conspiracy to overthrow
the government and receiving kickbacks on arms deals.
Myanmar junta to hand-pick
election body
AFP, Yangon
Myanmar's ruling junta will appoint a body to oversee the
country's first elections in two decades, state media said
on Tuesday, sparking anger from rights groups at new laws
for this year's polls.
State-run newspapers published the details of the first of
five long-awaited laws governing the historic vote, which
is expected in October or November, although the military
regime has still given no firm date.
The last elections, in 1990, were won by Aung San Suu
Kyi's opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) but
the junta annulled the results and has kept her under
house arrest for 14 of the intervening years.
After the government enacted the new laws on Monday, state
media Tuesday printed the two-page text of the first of
the new edicts, the "Union Election Commission Law,"
signed by junta supremo Senior General Than Shwe.
The law will "form a union election commission to
supervise the practising of the Union of Myanmar people's
rights to elect or stand for election as well as the
political parties," the text said.
But it said that the junta, officially known as the State
Peace and Development Council (SPDC), would itself appoint
the commission, which will have at least five members.
All members must be over 50 and "shall be deemed by the
SPDC to be an eminent person, to have integrity and
experience, to be loyal to the state and its citizens and
shall not be a member of a political party". The
commission would have the "final and conclusive" say on
all electoral matters, it added.
Critics say the elections are a sham designed to
legitimise the ruling generals' grip on power while Nobel
Peace laureate Suu Kyi languishes in detention.
NKorea has medium-range
missile division
AP, Seoul
North Korea has recently created an army division in
charge of newly developed intermediate-range missiles
capable of striking U.S. forces in Japan and Guam, a South
Korean news agency said Tuesday.
The report came as North Korea stepped up its war rhetoric
against the U.S. and South Korea after the allies started
their annual drills aimed at improving their defense
capabilities.
The North's People's Army recently launched a division
supervising operational deployment of missiles with a
range of more than 1,860 miles (3,000 kilometers) that it
had developed in recent years, Yonhap news agency
reported, citing an unidentified South Korean government
source. The missiles could pose a threat to U.S. forces in
Japan, Guam and other Pacific areas where they would be
redeployed in time of emergency on the Korean peninsula,
Yonhap said. The report, however, didn't provide further
details such as how many missiles the new division
possesses and where they are positioned.
South Korea's Defense Ministry said Tuesday it couldn't
confirm the Yonhap report. However, a ministry document
published last year showed that the North deployed a new
type of medium-range missile believed to be the same as
one it displayed during a military parade in 2007.
If confirmed, the division's launch could suggest that the
North has succeeded in developing more medium-range
missiles since 2007 and it needed a bigger unit to manage
them, said Ohm Tae-am of the state-run Korea Institute for
Defense Analyses in Seoul.
The division's creation would also mean the North has a
unit whose primary role is to prevent the U.S. from
redeploying its troops in the Pacific to the Korean
peninsula in the event of a conflict, said Baek Seung-joo
of the same institute.
North Korea's missile program and nuclear weapons
development program are major regional security concerns.
The North conducted a long-range rocket test in April in
violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution that
prohibits the country from engaging in any ballistic
missile-related activities.
Iran
urges China to resist sanctions pressure
AP, Tehran
Iran on Tuesday urged China to resist pressure by the
United States and its allies for new sanctions against
Tehran over its nuclear program.
Washington and other Western powers are seeking a new
round of U.N. sanctions against Iran because of its
refusal to halt uranium enrichment, a process that can
produce either fuel for a nuclear reactor or a warhead.
China, which has extensive trade ties with Iran,
traditionally opposes sanctions but went along with three
earlier rounds of limited sanctions. "We are hopeful that
China will not be affected by other's demands and will
have its own independent policy. We hope such independent,
powerful countries will block bullying powers," Iranian
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said
Tuesday. China and Russia have not directly responded on
the push for a fourth round of sanctions, but they have
emphasized the need for negotiations. Last week, China's
deputy U.N. ambassador Liu Zhenmin said Beijing feels the
Iranian nuclear issue should be dealth with through "the
dual-track strategy" of diplomatic engagement and pressure
through sanctions.
Separately, Iran said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will
visit Afghanistan on Wednesday, the second visit by the
Iranian president since he came to power in 2005.
Tuesday's announcement coincided with a visit to the
Afghan city of Kandahar by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert
Gates. Gates has accused Tehran of "playing a double game"
in Afghanistan by trying to woo the Afghan government and
undermining U.S. and NATO efforts by helping the Taliban.
Mehmanparast told reporters that "God willing, Ahmadinejad
will go to Afghanistan on Wednesday." Tehran says it
supports the Afghan government and denies allegations that
it helps the Taliban. Iran also lashed out at criticism by
the top American commander in the Middle East, Gen. David
Petraeus, who earlier this week said Iran had gone from
being a "theocracy to a thugocracy" in its crackdown on a
reform movement following last year's elections.
Biden assures Israel of US
security commitment
Reuters, Jerusalem
Vice President Joe Biden assured Israel on Tuesday of
Washington's commitment to its security and preventing
Iran from producing nuclear weapons.
He said the agreed resumption of Israeli-Palestinian talks
through U.S. mediation was a "real opportunity" for peace.
Biden, who arrived on Monday, is the highest-ranking
member of President Barack Obama's administration to visit
Israel, where concern is high over Iran's nuclear program.
"We're determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear
weapons and we're working with many countries around the
world to convince Tehran to meet its international
obligations and cease and desist," Biden said after a
meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"There is no space between the United States and Israel
when it comes to Israel's security," Biden said as the two
leaders made statements to the media.
Netanyahu voiced appreciation for what he described as
Obama's efforts to lead the international community to
place tough sanctions on Iran.
"The stronger those sanctions are, the more likely it will
be that the Iranian regime will have to chose between
advancing its nuclear program and advancing the future of
its own permanence," Netanyahu said.
Israeli political sources expect Biden to make clear, as
other U.S. officials have done, that Obama wants no strike
on Iran, notably by Israel, while Washington seeks to curb
Tehran's nuclear program by means of sanctions. Netanyahu,
whose country is widely believed to be the Middle East's
only nuclear power, has called for strong sanctions to
cripple Iran's trade in oil and gas. Iran has denied it is
seeking atomic weapons, saying it only wants nuclear
power.
Baghdad holds key as Iraq
awaits initial vote results
AFP, Baghdad
Iraq awaited initial results Tuesday from polls touted as
a test of its young democracy, with Baghdad holding the
key as the prime minister's list and its top secular rival
jockeyed for pole position.
Thirty percent of votes were due to be counted by the
evening, giving Iraq's complex range of political blocs
their first official indication of how they fared in the
second general election since the 2003 fall of Saddam
Hussein. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite who
helped ease the country's deadly sectarian strife, emerged
Monday as the front-runner, according to estimates AFP
obtained from officials across the country.
But he could yet face a tough battle to cling to power
after the vote on Sunday that saw millions defy bomb,
mortar and rocket attacks which killed 38 people to cast
their ballots.
Estimates of early trends in the Baghdad region, which
with its 70 parliamentary seats could swing the result of
the vote, are not yet available. However, officials said
on Monday that Maliki's political bloc was leading the
count in nine of Iraq's 18 provinces.
His State of Law Alliance was ahead in Shiite regions,
while Iyad Allawi, a former premier who heads the Iraqiya
list, led in Sunni areas, according to estimates AFP
obtained from officials across the country.
The complete results will be announced on March 18 and the
final official results-after any appeals are taken into
account-will come at the end of the month.
Months of horse-trading are then likely before a new
government is formed.
China warns US against
selling F-16s to Taiwan
AP, Beijing
China on Tuesday warned the United States against any
future arms sales to Taiwan, including F-16 fighter jets
the island has been pushing for in hopes of upgrading its
air defense capabilities.
Foreign Ministry spok-esman Qin Gang said China is firmly
opposed to U.S. sales of weapons to Taiwan, the self-ruled
island that the communist government in Beijing regards as
part of its territory and has vowed to conquer by force if
necessary.
Asked to comment on reports that Taiwan is pushing to buy
F-16s from the United States, Qin said Beijing hoped the
U.S. would "take China's position seriously and respect
China's core interests and major concerns."
Incensed by the January announcement that the U.S. planned
to sell $6.4 billion in weapons to Taiwan, Beijing
suspended military exch-anges with the U.S. and has
threatened to retaliate agai-nst U.S. aerospace firms
involved in the deal.
Since Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou came into office in
May 2008, Taiwan has consistently pressed the United
States to supply it with 66 F-16 C/Ds, an upgrade on its
present inventory of F-16 A/Bs. The issue was underscored
last month when a Pentagon report painted a grim picture
of Taiwan's air defense capabilities, saying that many of
the island's 400 combat aircraft would not be available to
help withstand an attack from rival China.
Many observers saw the study as justification for the
possible sale of advanced fighter jets to Taiwan. The U.S.
says the F-16 request remains under study.
Despite rapidly warming relations with Beijing, Taiwan
maintains that it needs state-of-the-art weaponry from the
U.S. to help it counter China's threat to attack.
Israel, Syria announce
nuclear energy ambitions
AP, Paris
Mideast rivals Israel and Syria on Tuesday each announced
ambitions to develop nuclear energy, with Israel facing
the prospect that its plan could bring new attention to
its secretive nuclear activities.
The countries laid out their hopes at an international
conference in Paris on civilian nuclear energy - which
contributes far less to global warming than burning of
fossil fuels but still evokes many concerns about
long-term safety issues.
The announcements raise the prospect that the countries'
nuclear programs could come under the microscope of
international inspectors to ensure that they don't cross
the forbidden line into weapons programs. Iran, for
example, has come under intense pressure to show its
nuclear program is peaceful.
Iran and North Korea, whose nuclear program has also drawn
international scorn, were not invited to the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development conference.
Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau said nuclear
plants built in Israel will be subject to strict safety
and security controls, and even said his country would
like to build them in cooperation with scientists and
engineers from "our Arab neighbors."
The effort by Israel, which has long been suspected to
have a secret nuclear weapons program, runs the risk that
its nuclear energy program will draw the eyes of the
International Atomic Energy Agency.
The construction of a nuclear reactor could draw
international attention to Israel's nuclear activities.
Asked if Israel would allow IAEA inspectors to supervise
any new project, Landau aide Chen Ben Lulu said only that
Israel would follow all the relevant rules.
Troops on patrol after
Nigeria ethnic massacre
AFP, Jos
Nigerian troops were on Tuesday patrolling tense villages
near the troubled city of Jos after the massacre of more
than 500 Christians as survivors fled the threat of
further violence.
Women and children were hacked to death or burned alive in
their homes in the latest massacre. Survivors have accused
the authorities of intervening too late.
Thousands have been killed in recent years in strife in
and around Jos, which is on the dividing line between the
largely Muslim north and Christian dominated south.
Witnesses blamed the latest massacre on the mainly Muslim
Fulani ethnic group. According to media reports, Muslim
villagers were warned by text message to leave two days
before attack.
Security forces said they had detained 95 suspects in the
violence, and acting president Goodluck Jona-than has
sacked his chief security advisor but fears abound of
either more attacks by the Fulani or of Christian
reprisals.
With a six-month-old baby strapped on her back, Patricia
Silas, 30, and her two neighbours escaped from Tin-Tin
village late on Monday after funerals which saw scores of
bodies of women, children and men buried in mass graves.
"We are fleeing our village because we are afraid we might
be the next target of attack by these Fulani," she told
AFP.
"They have been making phone calls warning they are going
to attack. We take these threats seriously, we don't want
to be caught off-guard," she added.
She says the threats came from Fulanis who used to live in
their village but left after the outbreak of violence
January which left at least 326 people dead.
Russia sees new nuclear
arms treaty by April
AP, Moscow
A new treaty limiting U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear
arsenals could be signed within two or three weeks,
Russian news agencies cited Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
as saying Tuesday.
Lavrov spoke as U.S. and Russian negotiators resumed talks
in Geneva on a successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms
Reduction Treaty, which expired in December.
"We would push for a conclusion in two to three weeks,"
Lavrov was quoted as saying. "For this there is every
chance." Russian officials have said a main sticking point
concerns U.S. plans to build a defensive missile shield in
eastern Europe.
Russia has insisted that the new treaty acknowledge a link
between defensive and offensive systems, and Lavrov was
quoted as saying that a legally binding provision would be
included. The Russian and U.S. presidents agreed during
their July summit that the new treaty would contain such a
provision, but experts say negotiations had bogged down
over the language on the linkage.
Romania agreed in January to install anti-ballistic
missile interceptors as part of the revamped U.S. missile
shield, replacing the Bush administration's plans for
interceptors in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic.
President Barack Obama's decision to scrap the Bush-era
missile defense sites was praised last year by the
Kremlin, which had fiercely opposed the earlier plan as a
threat. But Russian officials have expressed irritation
over what they see as U.S. flip-flopping on the missile
plans.
Experts have said the new plan is less threatening to
Russia because it would not initially involve interceptors
capable of shooting down Russia's intercontinental
ballistic missiles.
Business/Economy
Country’s RMG and textile sectors have huge potential:
Minister
UNB, Dhaka
Textiles and Jute Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui said that
there is a huge potential for the country's Readymade
Garments (RMG) and Textile sectors as China started
increasing its concentration on hi-tech instead of RMG and
Textile sector. He also said Bangladesh could further
expedite the growth of its textile industry by using
cost-effective and world- class Italian textile machinery.
He said "China is attaching more emphasis to hi-tech than
RMG and Textile. We can avail of this advantage."
The minister made the remarks while addressing a seminar
on 'Italian Textile Technology', which was organized by
Italian Trade Commission (ICE) at Sonargaon Hotel here on
Tuesday morning.
Italian Ambassador to Dhaka Itala Maria Occhi, ICE
Representative Erica Di Giovancarlo, President of
Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT)
Dr Sandro Salmoiraghi and President of Bangladesh Textile
Mills Association (BTMA) Abdul Hai Sarkar also addressed
the function. ACIMIT Vice Presidents Rino Morani and
Raffaella Carabelli were present in the seminar.
An Italian business delegation came to Bangladesh on
Monday on a three-day visit aimed at offering Italian new
technologies to Bangladeshi companies and boost export of
Italian textile machineries.
In his address, Abdul Latif Siddiqui said we can fulfill
the demands for machineries and accessories of RMG and
textile sectors and develop the sectors by maintaining a
good business link with Italy. We have been using Italian
products since long, he said.
On power crisis, the minister blamed the BNP-led alliance
government and the interim government, saying that they
did not add a single megawatt of power to the national
grids in last seven years.
He said the power crisis would not be solved overnight. He
criticized the past BNP-Jamaat alliance government for
power crisis, terming them as anti-state and
anti-liberation forces. Speaking on the occasion, BTMA
president Abdul Hai Sarkar stressed the need for strong
relations between textile companies of Italy and that of
Bangladesh for bringing latest and advanced technologies
from Italy.
He asked the visiting Italian delegation to translate
brochures about Italian companies into Bangla for better
understanding to the officials of Bangladeshi textile
companies.
ACIMIT president Dr Sandro Salmoiraghi said Bangladesh is
the 3rd largest market for Italian textile machineries and
accessories products. In 2008, Italy exported goods worth
41 million Euro to Bangladesh. However, in 2009
(January-September) the export volume came down at 18
million Euro due to global downturn, he added.
Sustainable
banking pioneers plan to reach a billion people by 2020
BSS, Dhaka
Leaders of the world's sustainable banks have wrapped the
second meeting of the global Alliance for banking on
values (GABV) here with a commitment to reach one billion
people by 2020.
The banking alliance expects to expedite the growth by
expanding the membership network up to 100 from existing
11 to adopt values-driven models and the creation of new
sustainable banks.
The GABV, a network of eleven of the world's leading
sustainable banks, came together here to try to build a
viable future for the financial industry.
Speaking at a press conference on the closure of the
meeting at BRAC Centre here, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed,
co-founder of the GABV and architect of BRAC said "The
members of the global Alliance for Banking on values have
committed to touch the lives of one billion people by
2020".
He said, members of the GABV spent three days near Dhaka
working together to help grow sustainable banking and its
impact globally, focus on joint capital raising efforts,
and build an infrastructure to support the development of
a new generation of sustainable bankers to use it. The
network's members plan to promote and demonstrate the
impact of business models, which focus on solutions to the
world's most urgent social and environmental problems, he
told the newsmen. "This is a major new pledge that could
transform lives on a truly global scale, and make a
substantial difference in our efforts to combat climate
change," said Abed.
"We believe sustainable banking- which focuses on people
and the environment as well as profit- should reach one
billion people by 2020 when a number of key international
targets converge," said Peter Blom, Chair and co- founder
of the GABV, and CEO of European sustainable bank, Triodos.
"Raising more money is needed and investment in the
sustainable bankers of the future is essential. We can use
this finance to its full potential.
This commitment is an important line in the sand. We
believe values-led banking can and should make a positive
difference to the lives of one in six people within ten
years," said Peter.
The GABV uses finance to deliver sustainable development
for unserved people, communities and the environment,
represents seven million customers in 20 countries, with a
combined balance sheet of over $14 billion. The GABV has
already announced a commitment to raise $250 million in
new capital over three years to support the expansion of
$2 billion in lending to green projects and unserved
communities around the world, at the 2009 Clinton Global
Initiative in New York.
Obama, Greek PM set to discuss
financial reforms
AFP, Washington
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou urged the United
States to crack down on currency speculators amid reports
that some US funds have placed big bearish bets against
the euro.
Papandreou and US President Barack Obama and Papandreou
hold talks Tuesday after the Greek leader raised concerns
that speculators are undermining his efforts to overcome
the country's debt crisis.
The Greek leader, who arrived in Washington after visits
to France and Germany to drum up international backing for
his debt-crippled nation, has adopted major austerity
measures in a bid to cut the 12.7 percent public deficit.
In his first public address on Monday, Papandreou said:
"Unprincipled speculators are making billions every day by
betting on a Greek default."
Reports have said hedge funds have placed major bets
against the euro, which is used by 16 European states,
including Greece.
The prospect of a possible Greek default has roiled global
financial markets, pressuring the euro, and even raising
questions about the long-term viability of European
monetary union.
The single European unit has come under market pressure
since it was disclosed that Greece's debt has mushroomed
to 300 billion euros (408 billion dollars), well above its
annual economic output.
Papandreou warned that the repercussions of any
coordinated speculative attacks on the euro would be
detrimental to the United States.
"That is why Europe and America must say 'enough is
enough' to those speculators who only place value on
immediate returns, with utter disregard for the
consequences on the larger economic system-not to mention
the human consequences of lost jobs, foreclosed homes, and
decimated pensions," he said.
China plays down concerns over US
debt holdings
AFP, Beijing
China sought Tuesday to allay concerns about a reduction
in its massive investment in US Treasuries, saying it was
a responsible investor and any changes were part of normal
market operations.
"China has substantial foreign exchange reserves and ...
the US T-bond market is very important to us," the head of
the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Yi Gang,
told reporters.
"It is normal for us to have operations with regard to our
holdings of T-bonds," Yi said on the sidelines of the
annual session of the National People's Congress, China's
rubber-stamp parliament.
The US Treasury Department released revised data last
month showing China had cut back but remained the top
holder of US debt at the end of December, after earlier
indications it had been eclipsed by Japan.
China held 894.8 billion dollars in Treasury securities at
the end of 2009 compared with a revised 929.0 billion
dollars in November, fuelling concerns in Washington about
Beijing's motives.
Some US lawmakers have warned that China's investment in
bonds is becoming a political as well as an economic risk.
China has warned of retaliation against the United States
after President Barack Obama defied Beijing by approving
an arms package to rival Taiwan and meeting Tibet's exiled
spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
But other analysts have said any serious move away from US
Treasuries by China would trigger a fall in bond prices,
ultimately hurting Beijing.
Yi told reporters that changes in China's Treasury
holdings were "purely market investment behaviour" and he
hoped it would not be "politicised".
"China is a responsible investor and we fully believe such
investment can be mutually beneficial," he said.
China Southern Airlines to raise
$1.6b
AFP, Shanghai
China Southern Airlines, the nation's biggest carrier by
fleet size, said Tuesday it plans to raise 10.75 billion
yuan (1.6 billion dollars) to repay bank loans and
replenish its capital.
The company will issue up to 1.77 billion yuan-denominated
A-shares at a minimum price of 5.66 yuan each to 10
institutions including its parent in a private placement,
it said in statements to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
China Southern will also issue up to 312.5 million
H-shares at a minimum of 2.73 Hong Kong dollars (35 US
cents) to Nan Lung Holding Ltd, a subsidiary of its parent
China Southern Air Holding Company, it said.
State-owned China Southern Air Holding Company and its Nan
Lung Holdings unit will jointly subscribe to new shares
worth at least 1.5 billion yuan-the amount of aid China's
finance ministry awarded the airline's parent.
China Southern said it would use the proceeds from the
private placement to pay back bank loans totalling 4.8
billion yuan and 1.35 billion dollars.
The repayment is expected to lower its debt-to-assets
ratio and cut its financing costs such as interest.
The share placement will help the carrier "allocate and
fully utilise their existing assets... (and) lighten the
debt burden of the company," it said.
The government has injected nearly two billion dollars
into the nation's top three carriers including China
Southern since late 2008 to help them weather the slowing
travel demand amid the global financial crisis.
The carriers have also benefited from a recovery in air
travel traffic spurred by the country's resilience during
the crisis-the world's third-largest economy expanded by a
red-hot 8.7 percent last year.
Shares of China Southern, which had been suspended since
February 23, ended up 3.5 percent at 6.85 yuan from the
previous close of 6.62 yuan as trading resumed on Tuesday.
‘Greek crisis will not hit
tourism’
AFP, Berlin
The economic and fiscal crisis engulfing Greece will not
prevent hordes of German holidaymakers flocking there this
year, the head of Germany's tourism board predicted
Tuesday.
"I won't mince my words here. I believe that it will have
barely any consequence at all," said Klaus Laepple,
introducing the world's largest travel fair which opens in
Berlin Wednesday.
"The holidaymaker is personally hardly affected by these
things."
He acknowledged there could be a slight raise in some
prices, due to hikes in sales tax announced by Athens as
part of austerity measures but said travellers should book
earlier to avoid such increases. Some 2.3 million Germans
went to Greece last year, a fall of just over four
percent, their fourth most favoured European destination
after Spain (10.1 million), Italy (5.0 million) and Turkey
(5.0 million). In general, however, Laepple painted a
gloomy picture for the German tourism industry, with
turnover down three percent in 2009 and unlikely to
recover this year.
He said 2010 "will be a challenging year but also a year
of consolidation and stability. We are cautiously
optimistic but we are not euphoric. 2011 could once again
be a normal year."
Laepple said that a "dramatic" drop in business travel due
to the global economic crisis was to blame for the
difficulties.
Earlier Tuesday, Germany's national statistics office
released data showing that the number of Germans taking
holidays abroad dropped sharply in 2009.
A total of 67.2 million Germans took flights abroad last
year, down 4.5 percent on 2008, the figures showed. The
sharpest percentage drop in passengers was on the Greek
island of Crete which welcomed nearly a third fewer German
tourists than the previous year.
National
Govt to introduce gene technology
based crops for raising production: Matia
BSS, Dhaka
Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury Tuesday said
the government would cautiously introduce gene technology
based crops varieties in the country in order to increase
food production for attaining food security.
She urged the private sector entrepreneurs for coming up
with big investments in gene technology based seeds
business for benefiting them side by side helping the
farmers increase farm output. The minister was addressing
as the chief guest while inaugurating Bangladesh Seed
Conference and Seed Fair 2010 at the Bangabandhu
International Conference Center in the city. Foreign
Minister Dr Dipu Moni addressed the seminar as special
guest. Agriculture Ministry organized the seminar with
Agriculture Secretary CQK Mustak Ahmed in the chair.
Director of SAARC Agriculture Center Dr Rafiqul Islam
Mandal, Divisional Chief of Seed Science and Technology,
Indian Agriculture Research Institute Dr Malavika Dadlani
spoke at the function.
Additional Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture Anwar
Faruque presented keynote paper. Convener of Bangladesh
Seed Association delivered welcome address.
The Agriculture Minister said the government would ensure
the interests of the farmers and protect them from any
distress situation. She urged the seed traders for doing
their seed business with the mind of serving the farmers
besides making profits. She warned that if any one has ill
motive of depriving farmers by supplying bad quality
seeds, then stern actions would be taken against them and
people would be alerted for not buying seeds from those
traders. Laying importance for establishing regional
cooperation in innovation and transfer of seeds, she said
innovation of higher yield varieties of crops should be
taken ahead through regional cooperation.
Referring to timely and bold decision of Awami League
government for the interests of the people, she said AL
government during its previous regime introduced
high-yield crops in the country, which have actually
helped the farmers in raising production.
"Since our decision was correct, people did not have to
pay, rather they were benefited," she asserted.
Dr Dipu Moni said SAARC Agriculture Center contributed in
attaining food security in the past and SAARC countries
are contributing a lot for raising crops output in the
region for this purpose. The present government has been
providing supports to the farmers for increasing food
output and as part of it subsidies were given to reduce
prices of fertilizer and costs of irrigation, she said.
FAO Representative to Bangladesh Ad Spijkers in his speech
said the growing population pressure on land and water
resources means that Bangladesh has to adopt modern,
efficient technology in order to maintain growth in
agriculture production to achieve and sustain
self-sufficiency in food production. Provision of
high-quality seed of improved crop varieties is a vital
component of the government's strategy, he said adding
that FAO, as part of its strong supports to Bangladesh,
has recently distributed 65 million tons of BR-47 rice
variety in the northern districts.
Mega plan
underway to bring 4,500 unions under ICT network
BSS, Dhaka
The government has undertaken a mega plan to bring the
country's 4,500 unions under modern information
communication technology (ICT). Bangladesh
Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) will soon invite
tenders to install optical cable in 1,000 unions.
Installation of the cable has already been completed in
259 upazilas. Installation of the cable is an important
step toward the implementation of the government's
election pledge for a digital Bangladesh, BTCL Managing
Director ASM Khabiruzzaman told BSS.
He said that a high-level meeting was held at the Prime
Minister's Office on Sunday with PM's Principal Secretary
MA Karim in the chair to review the progress of the work.
The PM's principal secretary is the coordinator of
Domestic Network Coordination Committee while the BTCL
managing director member of the body.
The meeting authorized Bangladesh Telecommunications
Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Maj Gen (Retd) Zia
Ahmed to monitor cable installation by the public and
private companies.
Concerned sources said the BTCL has undertaken a project
to install a 200-line digital exchange and optical fibre
cables in all unions at an initial cost of Taka 5,000
crore. This project would provide technical assistance to
connect all unions with capital Dhaka via internet, the
BTCL managing director said.
The BTCL has already taken some more projects, including
Taka 290-crore 'Infophone', to bring the country's 4,498
unions under a single network, he added. Taka 1700-crore
Next Generation Network (NGN) project is awaiting approval
of the Planning Commission.
A meeting was held at the post and telecommunications
ministry last week to review progress of the work on
installation of digital exchange and fibre optic cable at
the union level.
Govt. puts in maximum emphasis for completely
educated nation: Quader
BSS, Rangpur
Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Golam Mohammad
Quader has said the present government has put in its
maximum emphasis on the education sector for making a
completely educated nation at the earliest period. He also
said special importance has been given to women education
to make the country's womenfolk totally educated
everywhere with a view to ensuring their equal.
The minister called upon all teachers, students,
guardians, elite, professionals and concerned citizens for
building a congenial academic atmosphere at all
educational institutions for producing worthy citizens
with quality education. He said this while addressing a
discussion meeting on education organised by authorities
of Lalkuthi Girls' School and College as the chief guest
with president of the managing committee of the
institution in the chair Monday.
Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur BM Enamul Haque and UNO of
Sadar upazila Mostain Billah, Principal of Teachers'
Training College Mohammad Rozaine, convener of Bangladesh
Teachers' Association Masum Hassan addressed as special
guests. Besides, Councilors of Rangpur pourasabha Azmal
Hossain Lebu and Jahurul Haque, Acting Principal of
Lalkuthi School and College Saiful Islam, teachers
Mahmudul Haque, Begum Shase Ara and Ziaur Rahman Zia,
addressed.
Teachers, students, elite of the city, educationists,
professionals and guardians of the students of the
institution were present.
Intermediate first year student of the institution Keya
read out a letter in honour of the minister and also
narrated various problems that gripped the reputed
educational institution for a long time. In his speech,
the minister asked the teachers, members of the managing
committee, students and guardians of the institution for
further improving standard of education in the reputed
institution and assured of all-out supports for resolving
the problems there.
Liton for taking
womenfolk forward to face challenges of 21st century
BSS, Rajshahi
Mayor of Rajshahi AHM Khairuzzaman Liton has called for
taking forward the womenfolk through ensuring their
legitimate and equitable rights to face the challenges of
the 21st century.
He said the women play a vital role in building family as
well as society and so emphasis should be given to
involving them in the nation building process.
Otherwise, he said the tough challenges could not be faced
with courage.
Mayor Liton made this observation while addressing a
meeting organized for awarding reception to 15
distinguished women including 10 women councilors of
Rajshahi City Corporation here Monday evening as the chief
guest.
Even after passing a century of women rights movement, he
mentioned that disparity from their life could not be
removed in addition to ensuring security. Barendra Unnayan
Forum (BUF) arranged the reception at Bhuban Mohan Park
marking the International Women's Day. Chaired by BUF
President Hasinul Islam Chunnu, the ceremony was
addressed, among others, by Social Worker Shaheen Akter
Reny, former chairman of Rajshahi Education Board Prof
Nurul Alam, BUF Secretary Foyzullah Chowdhur, local unit
chairman of Jatiya Mohila Sangstha Marjina Parween,
Divisional Coordinator of Bangladesh National Women
Lawyers Association Advocate Deel Sitara Chuni and
President of Rajshahi Union of Journalists Akbarul Hassan
Millat.
Mayor Liton said the present government of Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina has adopted various need-oriented programs
especially education and employment for uplifting the
women through ensuring their rights.
Free medical camp on Narsingdi Pourasabha office
premises
BSS, Narsingdi
The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust
organized a daylong free medical camp on the premises of
Narsingdi Pourasabha office in Sadar upazila on Monday.
Mayor of Narsingdi Pourasabha Lokman Hossain inaugurated
the camp as the chief guest.
The camp was organized as part of the countrywide
programme of the trust to provide free medicines and
medical services for the poor rural people by specialized
physicians.
Over 2,000 patients were provided with free medicines,
medical services and treatments by 22 specialized
physicians arranged by the trust. President of Narsingdi
district Awami League Advocate Asaduzzaman and General
Secretary Abdul Matin Bhuiyan visited the camp.
Secretary of Narsingdi district unit of Swadhinata
Chikitsak Parishad Dr Mozammel Haque Komal and Narsingdi
Sadar Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Abul
Hossain supervised the overall activities of the free
medical camp.
Talking to BSS, housewife Shafi Begum of Shilmandi
village, Habiba Begum of Chardigoldee village and Jahanara
Begum, mother of minor patient Rapi of West Dhattapara
village, expressed their gratitude after getting free
medical treatments from specialized doctors and free
medicines from the trust.
RCC launches new
connecting road construction
BSS, Rajshahi
The Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) has inaugurated
construction works of the long-cherished 4.89- kilometer
connecting road from Fire Brigade crossing to Naodapara
bypass road in the metropolis at an estimated cost of Taka
48.84 crore Tuesday.
Addressing the launching ceremony at Naodapara point as
the chief guest, Mayor of RCC AHM Khairuzzaman Liton
called upon the officials concerned to maintain the
highest quality of works and timely completion of the
project for the best uses of the public money.
The ultimate goal of the project is to expedite physical
and socio- economic development of the metropolis along
with its surrounding areas and to improve its
socio-economic condition and life style.
The 51-feet wide road will help serving the main
commercial areas of the city connecting its old commercial
hub-Shaheb Bazar with the Shaheed AHM Quamaruzzaman
Divisional Stadium, Mohila Krira Complex and other
important places, he added.
"We are committed to ensure transparency and
accountability in all sorts of the uplift works in the
metropolis," he said asking the officials and staffs
concerned to render their duties with utmost sincerity and
honesty to attain the goal.
In this regard, he blamed the previous RCC administration
for its massive corruption and irregularities that had let
the project towards the path of cancellation.
DMCH’s burn unit to turn into a full-fledged
institution soon
BSS, Dhaka
The 50-bed burn unit of the Dhaka Medical College and
Hospital (DMCH) would be turned into a full- fledged
institution shortly to ensure burn treatments for all,
lawmaker Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim said here Tuesday.
Speaking at the closing session of the two day Ist
International Conference of Bangladesh Society for Burn
Injuries (BSBI), Sheikh Selim, also Awami League Presidium
member, said the number of beds at the country's lone unit
would be raised to 100 with modern burn equipment.
Secretary of Health and Population Affairs of Awami League
Dr Badiuzzaman Bhuiyan Dablu spoke as special guest at the
conference held in the burn unit conference room of the
DMCH here.
Joint Secretary General of Bangladesh Medical Association
(BMA) Dr MA Aziz, project director of Burn and Plastic
Surgery Unit (BPSU) of the DMCH Dr Samanta Lal Sen also
spoke, among others.
Sheikh Selim, also former health minister, said the lone
50- bed burn unit is not adequate to provide treatments of
a huge number of burn patients in a country of 15 crore
people. In view of that, he said, the government has
embarked on a plan to add burn units at each medical
colleges of the country.
He urged physicians to work for developing reference
system of the burn unit and creating skilled manpower.
Dr Badiuzzaman Bhuiyan said Prime Minister's vision of
Charter of Change is a testimony of making a hunger and
poverty- free country with healthcare and education all
facilities.
The government's plan of setting up of burn units in all
districts is as part of the Charter of Change, he said.
Health experts on the occasion underscored the need for
imparting training on emergency burn management to
physicians to create expertise on the particular
treatment.
Experts from India, Pakistan, United Kingdom and Canada
took part in the two-day conference, first of its kind in
the country.
Maj Gen Hafiz appointed force commander in Ivory
Coast
UNB, Dhaka
Major General Abdul Hafiz of Bangladesh Army has been
appointed Force Commander of United Nations Peacekeeping
Mission in War-ravaged West African Country Ivory Coast (UNOCI).
He will take over his new charge in the capital Abidjan of
the country on March 24, said a release of ISPR.
Presently, Bangladesh is the highest troops contributing
country to the UN Peacekeeping Mission.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina highlighted the role and
contribution of Bangladeshi peacekeepers in global peace
effort while addressing the 64th session of UN General
Assembly on September 26 last year and urged the UN
authority to ensure Bangladesh representatives in policy
making body of peacekeeping operation based on ratio.
Appointment of General Hafiz as Force Commander is the
outcome of that request, the release said.
General Hafiz, fluent in French language, would further
improve Bangladesh's image in international arena by
discharging of his duties successfully.
He has already performed duties as Chief Military Liaison
Officer and Deputy Force Commander in UN Mission in Ivory
Coast satisfactorily.
General Hafiz was appointed Chief of General Staff (CGS)
of Bangladesh Army on May 2009.
A total of 7,202 peacekeepers from 42 countries of the
world have been engaged in Ivory Coast. Of them, 2,086 are
from Bangladesh.
Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre to be inaugurated
in city tomorrow
UNB, Dhaka
The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) of Indian Council
for Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi, will be formally
inaugurated here on Thursday.
ICCR President Karan Singh will inaugurate the centre at a
function where Information and Cultural Affairs Minister
Abul Kalam Kalam Azad will be the chief guest, said an
Indian High Commission press release Tuesday.
India and Bangladesh will share common heritage and
commonalities including in art, culture, literature and
language. The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre in Dhaka aims
to promote bilateral exchanges in these fields, it said.
IGCC is housed in two premises in Dhanmondi and Gulshan
areas in Dhaka. The centre has a multi-purpose hall with
exhibition gallery, a dance studio, music rooms and a yoga
hall. It has a library cum resource center with over
21,000 books including in the fields of Indian art,
culture, politics, economics and fiction.
For over the last three decades, ICCR has provided special
scholarships for 100 students from Bangladesh every year
to pursue graduate and post graduate studies in various
fields at premier institutions in India.
Over these years, thousands of deserving students from
Bangladesh have benefited by education in the fields of
music, dance, art, philosophy, engineering and business
administration.
The opening of the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre will also
contribute to further strengthening educational and
academic exchanges between India and Bangladesh, the
release added.
Sports
Three-day warm-up match ends in draw
UNB, Dhaka
The three-day warm-up match between visiting England and
Bangladesh A ended in draw at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in
Chittagong on Tuesday.
Resuming the day with overnight 131 for 3, the second string
Bangladesh side declared their 2nd innings at 362 for 5 in 77
overs setting England a 284-run victory target.
Night-watch batsman Raquibul Hasan scored 51 runs off 117
balls with four fours and two sixes while another night-watch
batsman Mohammad Ashraful, who continued his dismal
performance in the match, made 30 off 80 balls with six fours.
Later, after number six batsman Sahagir Hossain (51) retired
hurt, Shuvagoto Hom and Dollar Mahmud contributed 202 runs in
their inseparable 6th wicket partnership to steer the hosts to
a commanding position.
Shuvagoto in his 30-ball knock hammered 91 runs with 10 fours
and eight sixes while Dollar smashed 66 runs off 17 balls with
eight fours and six sixes, as both remained unbeaten till the
end of the innings.
James Tredwell captured two wickets for 57 runs while Kevin
Pietersen Ajmal Shahjad and Steven Finn took one wicket each
both conceding 20 runs.
Chasing the target, England in their second innings scored 185
for 5 in 52 overs at stumps on the 3rd and last day.
Openers Michael Carberry and Alastair Cook made a good start
scoring 57 runs in the opening stand. Carberry smashed 35 runs
off 28 balls with six fours while Cook added made 42 off 80
balls.
One down Kevin Pietersen scored 20 runs off 23 balls with two
fours and a six while two down Tim Bresnan made 36 runs off 96
balls.
Ian Bell and Jonathon Trott remained unbeaten on 21 and 7
balls as the bails were drawn for the day.
Mohammad Ashraful claimed three wickets for 76 runs while Noor
Hossain took one wicket for 36 runs.
Dhaka Mohammedan drops point
TBT report
Dhaka Mohammedan Sporting Club suffered yet another setback in
its title race in Bangladesh League when it was held to a 1-1
draw by Biani Bazar Sporting Club at Sylhet Stadium on
Tuesday.
Dhaka Mohammedan, which dropped its first point after a
goalless draw with Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra in its previous
match, now went four points behind the two-time champion Dhaka
Abahani, which is leading the table with a maximum 30 points
from 10 outings.
Bukola scored on the stroke of the first half to put the black
and whites on a 1-0 lead but a second half injury-time goal by
Benjamin forced the Dhaka giants to share points with Biani
Bazar.
Dhaka Mohammedan earned 26 points from 10 matches, while Biani
Bazar secured eight points from nine games.
Veteran striker and former Bangladesh international Alfaz
Ahmed showed a glimpse of his glorious past as he struck a
hattrick to earn a thumping 4-1 victory for Arambagh Krira
Sangha against Chittagong Abahani in the other match of the
day at MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong.
Alfaz Ahmed started scoring after 24 minutes before pulling
off the second on 39 minutes to give the visitors a 2-0
advantage before the break.
Down by 2-0, Chittagong Abahani came out of its shell and went
on to fast moving attacks. The success came on 63 minutes when
Sumon narrowed the gap to 2-1. But the hosts failed to keep up
the momentum. They were totally outplayed by the spirited
display of Arambagh players, who scored two goals more in the
last quarter of the match to end their seven-match winless
streak.
Arambagh's first victory came against Chittagong Mohammedan
Sporting Club (6-1) thanks to a hattrick from its overseas
signing Nicodemus in its opening match of the league.
However, Alfaz completed his hattrick with his 73-minutes
strike, while Nicodemus netted just two minutes ahead of the
final whistle.
Arambagh raised its tally to 10 after nine matches, while
Chittagong Abahani finished its ninth round fixture on eight
points.
Today's match: Dhaka Abahani vs Farashganj Sporting Club (Bangabandhu
National Stadium, Dhaka at 5:00pm) and Feni Soccer Club vs
Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra (Feni Stadium at 3:30pm).
Ashraful axed for Test series
AFP, Dhaka
Bangladesh has axed experienced batsman Mohammad Ashraful
for a two-Test series against England following his
inconsistent form, selectors said Tuesday.
The 25-year-old former captain, with 2,256 runs in 53
Tests, has not scored a half-century in his last 12 Test
innings. He also skipped a recent one-day series against
the tourists.
Ashraful failed to make the most of his last chance to
impress the selectors, making just one and 30 in the
ongoing warm-up game against the tourists in Chittagong.
"He did not play well in the national league and also in
the practice match against England," Bangladesh's chief
selector Rafiqul Alam told AFP.
The selectors named three left-arm spinners-Shakib Al
Hasan, Abdur Razzak and Enamul Haque-in the 14-man squad
for the Test series beginning in Chittagong on Friday.
The second starts in Dhaka on March 20.
Shakib will continue to lead Bangladesh in the absence of
Mashrafe Mortaza, who has been rested.
Test squad: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim
Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Aftab Ahmed, Mohammad
Mahmudullah, Raqibul Hasan, Naeem Islam, Rubel Hossain,
Shafiul Islam, Abdur Razzak, Enamul Haque, Shahadat
Hossain.
Germany reaches World Cup semis
AFP, New Delhi
Defending champion Germany outclassed New Zealand 5-2 on
Tuesday to join England and Australia in the semifinals of
the men's field hockey World Cup. The Germans led 2-0 at
half-time through goals by Christophe Menke in the 15th
minute and Florian Fuchs in the 28th.
Philip Witte made it 3-0 soon after the interval, but New
Zealand hit back with two goals in four minutes from Shea
McAleese and Nicholas Wilson.
The powerful Germans sealed their supremacy over the Black
Sticks when Moritz Furste and Matthias Witthaus scored
twice in as many minutes, both goals coming from rebounds
off penalty corners.
Germany, looking for a hat-trick of World Cup titles to
add to the Beijing Olympic gold medal, ended the league
stage unbeaten in group A with three wins and two draws.
The second semi-final spot from the group will be decided
after the match between the Netherlands and South Korea
later on Tuesday.
The Dutch, who have 10 points against Germany's 11, need a
draw to advance to the knock-out rounds.
The Koreans, Asia's lone survivor after India and Pakistan
crashed out early, need a big win to move to 10 points and
better the Dutch on goal difference.
Favourites Australia and European champions England have
already qualified for the semi-finals from group B. New
Zealand finished with two wins and three losses.
Rajshahi Div takes 248-run lead
over Chittagong
UNB, Dhaka
An all-round performance Sohrawardi Shuvo enabled Rajshahi
Division to take overall 248 runs lead against Chittagong
Division on the 4th day of the five-day final of the EBL
11th National Cricket League at Sher-e-Bangla National
Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
Starting the 2nd innings today (Tuesday) with 71 runs 1st
innings lead, Rajshahi Division scored 177 for 2 in 64
overs at stumps.
Opener Sohrawardi Shuvo contributed 68 runs off 168 balls
with nine fours while another opener Sabbir Rahman scored
20 runs off 29 balls with four fours.
One down Jahurul Islam and two down Farhad Hossain were
batting on 67 and 13 runs as the bails were drawn for the
day.
Faisal Hossain and Kazi Kamrul took one wicket each for 47
and 48 runs.
Earlier, resuming the 4th day with overnight 266 for 6,
Chittagong Division in their 1st innings were all out for
301 in 123.3 overs in the face of disciplined bowling
attack by some Rajsdhahi bowlers especially Sorhawardi
Shuvo, who grabbed four wickets for 73 runs.
Night watch batsman Mominul Haque scored 82 runs off 219
balls with five fours while another night watch batsman
Elias Sunny made not out 46 off 149 balls with three
fours.
Apart from Shuvo's four-wicket haul, Saqlain Sajib
captured three wickets for 62 runs while Farhad Hossain,
Shahjada and Shubashish Roy took one wicket each for 23,
48 and 52 respectively.
Brief score:
Rajshahi Division - 1st innings - 372 all out in 169 overs
(overnight 208 for 5 in 90 overs); Dhiman Ghosh not out
66, Jahurul Islam 59, Khaled Mashud 55, Anisur Rahman 52,
Sabbir Rahman 41, Sohrawardy Shuvo 32, Nasir Hossain 28,
Farhad Hossain 11, extras 19, Abdullah Al Mamun 3/44,
Elias Sunny 2/73, Kazi Kamrul 2/84, faisal Hossain 1/17,
Mahmudul Hasan 1/47 and Alauddin Babu 1/71.
Rajshahi Division- 2nd innings - 177 for 2 in 64 overs,
Shuvo 68, Sabbir 20, Jahurul batting 67, Farhad batting
13, extras 9, Faisal 1/47 and Kamrul 1/48.
Chittagong Division - 1st innings -- 301 for 10 in 123.3
overs, Gazi 19, Karim 25, Mamun 0, Nazim 80, Faisal 28,
Hasan 0, Mominul 82 Elias batting 46, Irfan 0, Alauddin 1,
Kamrul 3, extras 17, Shuvo 4/73, Saklain 3/62, Farhad
1/23, Shahajada 1/48, Shubashish 1/52.
Liverpool hopes take battering
AFP, Wigan
Hugo Rodallega scored the only goal of the game as Wigan
dented Liverpool's Champions League hope with a 1-0
victory at the DW Stadium here on Monday.
Fernando Torres had already hit the post when Rodallega
made the most of poor defending from the Reds to fire the
hosts in front just after the half hour.
And there was little response from Rafael Benitez's side
as they slipped to a ninth Premier League defeat of the
season. They are still just one point off fourth place but
with nine games remaining, they are sixth in the table and
Tottenham and Manchester City above them now have games in
hand.
It was Wigan's second win of 2010 and its first in eight
matches which sees Roberto Martinez's side moves four
points clear of the relegation zone. Having beaten Chelsea
earlier this season, it was also only the second time
Wigan has ever beaten a "big four" team. Javier Mascherano
was once again asked to fill in at right back but Glen
Johnson was back on the bench after two months out.
But Argentina captain Mascherano did not seem to mind the
unfamiliar role and quickly got forward to good effect.
His cross was only half cleared by Gary Caldwell and
Steven Gerrard thumped a shot over from just outside the
area. Liverpool began strongly and produced a threat again
when Fernando Torres' volley flew wide off the post from
Yossi Benayoun's deep cross.
Titus Bramble was forced into a fine block after Gerrard
broke through midfield again and tried his uck from long
range.
But struggling Wigan recovered from their early hesitancy
and caused Liverpool plenty of problems. A strong run from
James McCarthy, who was a Liverpool target as a youngster,
was only halted by a fine tackle by Jamie Carragher on the
edge of the area.
And Wigan winger Charles N'Zogbia also sent over a couple
of dangerous crosses after beating defender Emiliano Insua
with ease.
Drought scorches World Cup host Port Elizabeth
AFP, Port Elizabeth
The green pitch at Port Elizabeth's World Cup stadium has
become an island in a sea of brown, exempt from water
limits imposed due to a drought that has scorched the land
outside. Five people work day and night to maintain the
grass inside the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, designed to
resemble a flower that now appears to blossom from the
baked earth.
"To reduce our water consumption, we water in the morning
at two o'clock. It's more economical," said Rob Hitchens,
manager at the 46,000-seat stadium that will host eight
World Cup matches.
It's the only stadium suffering from the drought along
South Africa's southern coast, and authorities are
scrambling to find solutions. "We are now implemented to
investigate the possibility of filtering the lake water or
storage tankers of water from elsewhere. Before the World
Cup, we will be using reclaimed water," Hitchens said.
"We want it as soon as possible because we are in a
crisis." Rains failed during the wet season now reaching
an end, and the 11 reservoirs that supply the city are
falling by five percent every month.
On March 1, they were at just 39 percent of capacity. The
Churchill dam, which also serves two nearby cities, was at
just 17 percent. "During the World Cup, we should be fine.
It's after July that we are running in a very bad
situation," said Barry Martin, director of water and
sanitation in Nelson Mandela Bay, the municipality that
includes Port Elizabeth.
The surge in visitors during South Africa's winter will
send water consumption five percent higher than the summer
peak, he said.
The municipality is working out a "disaster plan" to
ensure alternate water supplies, such as tapping
underground water or desalinating sea water, he added. In
October, the municipality imposed water limits on its 1.1
milllion residents, and asked businesses and hotels to
also reduce their water use.
For residents that means limits on watering gardens, no
refilling of swimming pools, and cutting water use to 500
litres per day per household, said George Efstratiou, 50,
who runs a fresh produce shop. "We buy more and more
fruits and veggies outside of Port Elizabeth because
farmers have problems," he said. Without enough water,
farm production has been falling along the Garden Route
that links the southern coastal towns that host the luxury
hotels where Japan, France and Denmark will base their
teams. "Several farms have already shut down," said
Stephan Gericke, chairman of the George Agricultural
Association, which is seeking permission to expand
reservoirs.
Beckham braced for emotional
homecoming
AFP, Manchester
Eighteen years after graduating from Manchester United's
youth academy as part of the celebrated 'class of 92',
David Beckham returns to where it all started today.
Back then, the midfielder was just one more member of
Manchester United's FA Youth Cup winning squad and still
18 months away from scoring his first goal for the club
where he was to make his name. Fast forward the best part
of two decades and the spring of 2010 finds him turning
out for AC Milan in the late autumn of a career which has
established him as a rival to Tiger Woods as the most
famous sportsman on the planet.
Floppy-haired flamboyance has given way to the chiselled
elegance of early middle age, but the handsomeness that
has helped make Beckham a global icon has not been
withered by age.
Few would say the same about his effectiveness as a
footballer. Deployed in central midfield, Beckham
floundered in Milan's 3-2 first-leg defeat, prompting
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to publicly question the
judgement of his Milanese counterpart Leonardo.
Beckham and Ferugson, of course, have significant history.
One of the Scottish manager's dressing room rages left the
player needing stitches for a wound inflicted, just above
his eye, by a flying boot. Beckham did not last long at
Old Trafford after that, Ferguson having grown tired of
the celebrity circus that surrounded a player who scored
85 goals in 394 matches for him, winning six Premier
League titles and the 1999 Champions League in the
process.
But the acrimony that surrounded Beckham's 2003 departure
for Real Madrid appears to have dissipated and Ferguson
has recently endorsed his former player's claim to be part
of England's World Cup squad in South Africa later this
year, by which time he will have passed his 35th birthday.
Beckham, for his part, has never wavered from gracious
acknowledgement of the United manager's role in his
footballing, professional and personal development and, as
a result, admits that Wednesday evening is unlikely to
pass without a tear or two dropping on to the Old Trafford
turf.
Zimbabwe
to regain initiative against West Indies
AFP, Kingstown
Zimbabwe will be looking to edge closer to becoming the
latest visiting side to make history in the Caribbean,
when the third One-Day International against West Indies
is contested today at the Arnos Vale Multiplex.
Zimbabwe has never beaten West Indies in a bilateral ODI
series, but the conditions, and its opponents' penchant
for self-destruction has combined to enhance its chances
of creating its own bit of cricket history.
The five ODI series is currently level at 1-1, after the
Zimbabweans won the first ODI last Thursday by two runs,
and the hosts rebounded last Saturday to take the second
ODI by four wickets.
The pitch at the Arnos Vale Multiplex is notoriously slow
and low, and the Zimbabwe spin bowlers should again
prosper and continue to put a squeeze on the feeble West
Indies batting.
The Zimbabweans have suffered a setback with the news that
Kyle Jarvis has been ruled out of the remainder of the
series, after suffering a stress fracture in his lower
back.
This will hurt Zimbabwe's plans of fortifying their
bowling attack, since the specialist seam bowlers they
have tried in the series have been disappointing.
Shingirai Masakadza almost cost them the first ODI, when
West Indies needed 15 from the final over, and he conceded
11 from the first three deliveries, and Christopher Mpofu
also failed to impress in the second ODI, when he was
easily the least economical bowler.
For West Indies, Dwayne Bravo and his younger brother
Darren have pushed Andre Fletcher and Dwayne Smith out of
the 14-member squad.
Ramnaresh Sarwan however, remains on the sidelines, as the
West Indies Cricket Board have decided not to rush his
return from a back injury.
All-rounder Dwayne Bravo has spent the last two months on
the periphery, after breaking a thumb when playing for the
Victoria Bushrangers in the Australia Twenty20 Big Bash in
January.
His flamboyant batting, steady medium-fast bowling, and
livewire fielding should give a boost to the home team
which has found it hard to dislodge opponents rated below
them in the World rankings.
The younger Bravo was dropped from the squad, following
the T20I between the two sides, when he played an
ill-advised pull shot for a first-ball duck.
The Arnos Vale Multiplex has been kind to West Indies in
the 17 matches they have played here.
The home team has won 14 of the matches, but two of their
three losses have come in the last two ODIs at the ground,
where Pakistan won by 59 runs five years ago, and
Australia triumphed by 84 runs two years ago.
Kashima
wins Champions League clash
AFP, Singapore
Kashima Antlers won the clash of East Asia's titans on
Tuesday with a dramatic, 2-1 AFC Champions League win over
Jeonbuk Motors, while Beijing Guoan dug deep to beat
Kawasaki Frontale.
J-League champions Kashima came from behind to beat their
K-League counterparts, with Koji Nakata and Yasushi Endo
doing the damage.
Jeonbuk, who won the AFC crown in 2006, opened the scoring
four minutes before half-time through their Brazilian star
Eninho, who made the most of his chances after being put
through by Lee Dong-Gook.
Nakata struck the equaliser in the 70th minute after
latching on to a cross from Brazilian midfielder Fellype
Gabriel and it looked destined for a draw before Endo
prodded home a last-minute winner for Kashima.
In the other Group F game, Changchun Yatai, runners-up in
last year's Chinese Super League, crushed Indonesian
minnows Persipura 9-0 in a lopsided contest.
Costa Rican Johnny Woodly Lambert and Gao Jian both scored
hat-tricks at the Jingkai Stadium, while Liu Weidong
bagged a brace and Wang Bo added a late goal to inflict an
embarrassing defeat on the hapless Indonesians.
It was an easy three points for Changchun as they bounced
back emphatically from last week's 1-0 loss to Kashima.
Chinese teams enjoyed a good night, with Super League
champions Beijing Guoan travelling to Japan and beating
Kawasaki Frontale 3-1.
Australian striker Joel Griffiths opened the scoring for
Beijing eight minutes before the break, only to see Kosuke
Kikuchi level the match three minutes later.
But two second-half goals from Wang Changqing put the game
beyond doubt to leave Kawasaki struggling with no points
from their opening two games.
Melbourne Victory also remain pointless following a 2-0
home loss to Seongnam Ilhwa, who became the first South
Korean club to win an AFC Champions League game in
Australia.
Seongnam, seven-time K-League champions, remain unbeaten
in Group E, thanks to well-taken goals from Australian
Sasa Ognenovski and fellow central defender Yun Young-Sun.
Melbourne-born Ognenovski haunted his home-town club when
he scored five minutes before half-time, rifling home from
inside the six-yard box after a goalmouth scramble.
Yun ensured Seongnam's breakthrough victory with a bullet
header past goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak off a Mauricio
Molina corner five minutes from time.
Elsewhere, Uzbek giants Bunyodkor look to build on their
strong start when they visit Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi later
Tuesday.
Brazilian legend Rivaldo, Uzbekistan winger Jasur Hasanov
and new signing Denilson were all on target as Luiz Felipe
Scolari's side opened with a 3-0 win against two-time
winners Al Ittihad last week.
Saudi giants Ittihad will be desperate to make up for
their poor start when they host Iran's Zobahan, who have
three points after beating Al Wahda 1-0 at home during
their opener a week ago.
In Group A, reigning Iranian champions Esteghlal host Al
Jazira of the UAE, gunning for a second straight win,
while Saudi side Al Ahli visit Qatar's Al Gharafa in Doha.
Valencia
draws blank against Santander
AFP, Madrid
Valencia dropped important points in the fight for a
Champions League place after it was held 0-0 at home by
lowly Racing Santander on Monday in their Spanish First
Division match.
With fourth-placed Sevilla losing, Valencia could have
opened up a six-point cushion but they were never at their
best with a number of players missing through injury and
suspension.
A make-shift defence struggled especially against the
skills of youngster Sergio Canales but they still had the
chances to see off the threat from Racing going forward.
The normally clinical David Villa shot straight at the
Racing keeper Fabio Coltorti from six-yards out and then
saw another strike come back off the post.
Racing also had their moments with Canales denied by the
Valencia keeper Miguel Moya before the break and in the
second half Santander had the better opportunities to win
the match.
Moya proved to be the hero for Valencia making several
point-blank saves notably from Manuel Arana and Mohamed
Tchite.
The pressure on the Valencia defence took its toll with
the expulsion of David Navarro for a second yellow card
late on.
"Although the balance of play was in our favour in the
first-half in terms of openings, in general we were never
comfortable and in the second-half Racing were on top,"
said Valencia coach Unai Emery.
"We were missing a lot of players though and Racing played
well so the best thing is to turn over a new page."
Racing coach Miguel Angel Portugal realised that the game
was there for the taking but was philosophical about the
result. "Sometimes when you can't win it is best not to
lose," he said.
"We were unable to finish off chances and that has cost
the team points. Maybe we had a different mentality
against a team of the quality of Valencia than we do
against sides of our level where we try and play more
football," he added.
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