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Leading News
Gaddafi amasses army of African mercenaries
ICC to probe his crimes against humanity
DAKAR: After decades of financing and training rebels and
liberation movements, Libya's Moamer Gaddafi is accused of
using his influence to amass an army of mercenaries from
across sub-Saharan Africa.
Liberia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Chad, Mali and Zimbabwe:
One only has to name a conflict, rebel group or despot in
Africa to find someone the Libyan leader has offered
finance, training or backing to during his 41-year reign.
He has also aided peacekeeping operations, given aid and
built infrastructure.
And now, waving oil money to the south, Gaddafi is said to
have lured some 25,000 mercenaries to quash a popular
revolt against his regime.
The head of the Libyan Human Rights League Ali Zeidan says
Chad is leading this group of foreign fighters including
citizens from Niger, Mali, Zimbabwe and Liberia who are
being paid between 300 and 2,000 US dollars a day.
Gaddafi has financed rebel movements in Chad including
that of current President Idriss Deby, and many of these
former rebels are still living in Libya today.
These include supporters of former dictator Hissene Habre
and ex-president Goukouni Weddeye. AFP
BBC News adds: The chief prosecutor of the International
Criminal Court has said he will investigate Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi, his sons and senior aides for crimes
against humanity.
Luis Moreno-Ocampo said no-one had the right to massacre
civilians.
Thousands of people are thought to have died after
security forces targeted protesters in unrest which began
in mid-February. Col Gaddafi vowed to fight on despite
losing control of much of the country.
Earlier on Thursday, his forces launched air strikes on
the oil town of Brega, sources in the town said.
The raids come a day after 14 people died in clashes
between rebels and government troops in the town.
In other developments:
Libya's oil production has been halved, National Oil
Corporation head Shukri Ghanem tells AFP
The Netherlands confirms three of its marines have been
captured by pro-Gaddafi forces in Sirte while helping to
evacuate two civilians
Libya's governing council rejects a peace initiative by
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, but the Arab League says
it is studying the proposal
Russia stands to lose $4bn (£2.5bn) in arms deals because
of UN sanctions agreed last week against Libya, says
state-owned industrial giant Russian Technologies
Mr Moreno-Ocampo said Col Gaddafi, his inner circle and
some of his sons with de facto authority would be
investigated.
"During the coming weeks, the office will investigate who
are the most responsible for the most serious incidents,
for the most serious crimes committed in Libya," he said.
But the prosecutor also said the opposition would be
investigated if it committed crimes.
Work
unitedly to free nation from illiteracy, poverty: PM
Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged the
people to work unitedly to free the nation from the stigma
of illiteracy and poverty.
She also said that conspiracy by the anti-liberation
forces is still on to foil the nation's endeavor towards
development and prosperity.
"But I am sure, the conspirators will be failed and the
patriotic people will win like 1971 liberation war," she
said while addressing a seminar marking the historic March
7 Speech of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman.
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Memorial Trust arranged the seminar titled "Time-winning
Speech of March 7 is an endless inspiration for the
nation," held at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the
morning.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the president of the trust
chaired the seminar.
She said even after 40 years of independence, Bangladesh
still could not attain cent per cent literacy rate and
eradicate poverty.
"If we can march forward taking lessons from the March 7
speech, we can attain our cherished goals," she said.
Hasina said she is ready to make any sacrifice to attain
economic emancipation of the nation.
The Prime Minister was highly critical of the previous
governments for "distorting" true history of the
liberation war.
"They (anti-liberation force) tried to misguide our young
generations distorting history of the country. But the
youths after coming to know the real history, have defied
the evil forces," she said. The Prime Minister said the
nation is now happy seeing that the young generation is
trying to know the real history of the country. UNB
Yunus
files writ petition, HC to issue order Mar 6
Dhaka: The High Court on Thursday set March 6 (Sunday) for
passing order on a writ petition filed by Dr Muhammad
Yunus challenging the validity of the Bangladesh Bank's
letter removing him from the post of Managing Director of
Grameen Bank, a microfinance institution.
After a daylong hearing on the legal dispute, an HC
division bench comprising Justice M Momtazuddin Ahmed and
Justice Gobinda Chandra Thakur set the date.
Bangladesh Bank on Wednesday removed septuagenarian Nobel
Laureate Yunus on charges of violating a special Ordinance
governing the Bank that set a retirement age of 60 for the
managing director.
Dr Yunus founded the specialised microfinance institution
Grameen Bank in 1983 to provide loans to the poor who had
been neglected by the traditional banks.
Dr Kamal Hossain, the counsel for Dr Yunus, moving the
writ petition submitted that the government has removed Dr
Yunus from the office without issuing any showcause notice
which is contrary to the civilization of thousand years.
Bangladesh Bank has no authority to remove him as he was
appointed by the Grameen Bank board of directors, Dr Kamal
said.
Opposing the writ petition, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam
said the resolution adopted by Grameen Bank board of
directors keeping septuagenarian Dr Yunus as unlimited
period Managing Director is highly illegal as it violates
the existing banking rule for the retirement age of 60.
Even the board of directors did not take approval of the
Bangladesh Bank in this regard, said the Attorney General,
referring to the Grameen Bank Ordinance. That says the
Board under section 14 (1) can appoint the MD with the
prior approval of Bangladesh Bank. UNB
Special
BCS for children of FFs under govt consideration: Ashraful
Sangsad Bhaban: LGRD and Cooperative Minister Syed
Ashraful Islam on Thursday informed parliament that the
government is actively considering special BCS
examinations for women and indigenous people, including
the children of freedom fighters.
Replying to a written question of Sadhana Hawladar (Women
Seat-32), Syed Ashraful said the matter of arranging
special BCS for female, indigenous students and children
of freedom fighters is under government consideration.
He also informed that currently 30 percent quota has been
kept preserved for the children of freedom fighters in
case of every appointment. UNB
4
railway officials injured in mob attack in Kurigram
Kurtigram: Four railway officials were injured in an
attack by an angry mob while they were demolishing a
graveyard to reclaim the railway land near Kurigram
railway station on Wednesday.
Of the injured officials, Abu Sayeed was admitted to a
local hospital in critical condition.
The railway sources said locals made a graveyard on a
piece of railway land that one Sirajul Islam took lease
from the railway authority.
A team led by magistrate Iqbal Hossain along with
Lalmonirhat Railway Division officials and police launched
a drive to reclaim the land at noon.
But some local angry people equipped with lethal weapons
attacked on the team leaving the four officials injured.
UNB
1632
workers return home
5,000 stranded at Egyptian, Tunisian borders
Dhaka: A total of 1632 Bangladeshi nationals who were
employed in Libya were flown back to the country till
Thursday evening, says the Foreign Ministry.
Among them, 1114 arrived at Shahjalal International
Airport on Thursday. Of the total returnees, repatriation
of 247 has been arranged by the employing companies while
1483 by the government in collaboration with International
Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Official sources said 482 more workers are scheduled to
arrive in Dhaka today (Friday) by different flights,
including chartered ones.
IOM officials said, 186 workers were flown back by the
organization in three flights from the Egyptian border on
Thursday.
IOM has so far repatriated 747 Bangladeshis from Libya
from February 28 to March 3. Of the total, 350 were
brought back from the Tunisian border and 397 from the
Egyptian border.
Around 5,000 more Bangladeshis are still stranded in no
man's land at the Egyptian and Tunisian borders waiting to
get access to those countries, IOM sources said.
They said all out efforts in place to clear the
overcrowded IOM reception centres and UNHCR camps, so more
people can come from Libya.
Latest information from IOM received here Thursday evening
said 843 Bangladeshis are inside the IOM reception centres
at the Egyptian border while another about 2000 are at the
at the Tunisian border.
At the reception centres, IOM is providing non-food items,
food, water, immediate medical aid, travel documents and
arranging for their onward journey.
The IOM officials in Tunisia, Egypt and Greece are in
constant coordination with the IOM office in Dhaka to
coordinate the workers' safe return.
In order to provide camp support and evacuation, the IOM
and the UNHCR have launched a global appeal for technical
and logistic supports, in addition to IOM's global 11
million dollar appeal. Donors' responses have also started
to come in. UNB
Ghorasal
power plant contract awarded to Chinese company
Dhaka: Setting an unprecedented example, the Cabinet
Purchase Committee approved a proposal on Thursday to
award the Ghorasal 200-300 MW power plant contract to a
Chinese company, which the Power Ministry itself termed a
"non-responsive bidder" and sought cancellation of the
project.
But rejecting the Power Ministry's plea, the Cabinet body
rather approved the proposal for the costly duel-fuel
power plant on the basis of the recommendation of the
tender evaluation committee (TEC).
The TEC was formed headed by an official of the Power
Development Board (PDB), which is a subordinate body of
the Power Ministry.
Now, as per the Cabinet body's decision, the Consortium of
China National Technical Import & Export Corporation (CNTIC)
and China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation
(CMC) will get the job despite being a non-responsive
bidder at a price of Tk 1350.27 crore.
There are widespread allegations that a local business
firm, owned by a Cabinet minister, represents the Chinese
company which has heavily influenced the Cabinet body
decision.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith presided over the meeting
attended by some other senior ministers including
Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain. However, State
Minister for Power Mohammad Enamul Haque was not present
in the meeting as he is now abroad.
After such a decision, when contacted, Power Secretary
Abul Kalam Azad declined to make any comment on the issue.
While forwarding the proposal to the Cabinet Committee,
the Power Division found huge flaws in the offer of the
CNTIC & CMC Consortium which it mentioned in the summary
of the project placed in the committee meeting. UNB
Back Page
Princess Anne
lauds socioeconomic development in Bangladesh
Dhaka : Visiting British Princess Anne has lauded the
development that has been taking place in the country's
socioeconomic sectors. "I'm very happy to see the changes
in the socioeconomic development in Bangladesh," she said
while paying a courtesy call on President Zillur Rahman at
Bangabhaban on Thursday.
During the meeting, Princes Anne stressed the need for
protecting the population of the Royal Bengal Tigers in
the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world,
in order to help preserve the biodiversity.
She said the United Kingdom is keen to provide support and
assistance to Bangladesh to facilitate training in the
education and health sectors.
Welcoming the Princess at Bangabhaban, President Zillur
Rahman recalled the continued British support and
cooperation to Bangladesh since the country's independence
in 1971.
"Bangladesh is committed to uphold democracy, human rights
and the rule of law in the country," he said, adding that
Bangladesh is also working to ensure world peace.
Zillur said around half a million Bangladeshis are
presently working in the United Kingdom and also playing a
role in the British socioeconomic sector. He thanked the
UK for its humanitarian aids for the country's deaf and
blind people. President's daughter Tanima Rahman, High
Commissioners of Britain, Australia, India, Sri Lanka and
Canada were present. UNB
Removal
of Yunus
Country’s image not raised but
govt had no alternative : Muhith
Dhaka : Finance Minister AMA Muhith has said that the
country's image on the global stage has not been helped by
the removal of Prof Muhammad Yunus from Grameen Bank, but
that the government had no alternative to removing the
Nobel laureate from his post as managing director.
"Our image did not rise at all, but we had no alternatives
as all government efforts to find an honourable solution
went in vain," he said, while talking to reporters at the
Finance Ministry conference room after a meeting with
diplomats and development partners convened to explain the
government's stand on the issue.
The finance minister said that the government had not done
anything illegal, and denied there was any vendetta or
political vengeance acting against the Nobel Laureate,
saying everything had been done in line with the rules.
The Finance Minister said, "Grameen Bank is our source of
pride and we also exercise our pride through micro credit.
There should be no reason to destroy it."
Asked whether the removal of Yunus would affect the
relationship of Bangladesh with the US and other
countries, the Finance Minister replied in the negative.
"Yunus founded this institution and we are proud of him."
Muhith said that they wanted to have an honourable
transition for the post of managing director of Grameen
Bank, but it did not happen.
He said that he had requested the Nobel laureate twice
formally even on Wednesday to quit from his position, but
Yunus did not agree as he believed it was legal for him to
keep holding the position.
The Finance Minister, who had come out in support of Yunus
early on in the saga, said that Yunus expressed his fear
of Grameen Bank collapsing if he quit. "But I do not think
so, and his argument doesn't look so attractive to me."
Muhith said that people are proud of Yunus as he earned
the Nobel Peace Prize for the country. "A respected man
like him should not go like this, it was not expected at
all," he added.
In a written statement served to the donors and diplomats
of different countries, Muhith said that Yunus' removal
would not harm the operation of Grameen Bank which has
established itself on a solid footing over the last 30
years. UNB
New
ambassador affirms democracy as bedrock of EU-BD relations
Dhaka : Newly appointed EU Ambassador William Hanna has
said the European Union encourages all political parties
to participate in democracy in the country, as democracy,
free media and good governance form the basis of EU-Bangladesh
development cooperation.
"EU supports strengthening of democracy in Bangladesh and
I would encourage everybody to participate in democracy,"
he said at his maiden media conference at Lake Shore Hotel
on Thursday.
The Ambassador said Bangladesh faces many challenges due
to unequal distribution of resources, land scarcity,
energy shortage, inadequate infrastructure and impact of
climate change.
Terming the EU an important political ally of Bangladesh,
Hanna said the EU is ready to work hand in hand with the
government, civil society and the private sector to create
new opportunities for trade and jobs, to fight poverty and
to give the poorest a chance to create new opportunities
for
development.
He says the EU wants to work closely with Bangladesh for
promoting democracy, rule of law and good governance as
well as forming a global alliance to address problems like
adverse impact of climate change, the solution to which
goes beyond national boundaries.
Hanna referred to EU support for Bangladesh's return to
democracy, implementation of the CHT peace accord and
development of village courts and the implementation of
the next census.
Asked about corruption, the Ambassador said corruption is
a huge cost for everybody and it creates hindrances to
development.
"We're against corruption in any country and it is
important to reduce the level of
corruption."
About extra-judicial killings, he reiterated the EU view
that opposes extra-judicial killings, and welcomed the
government's commitment to zero tolerance towards this
problem. He hoped that the National Human Rights
Commission would address this issue.
Govt tarnishes nation’s image :
Moudud
Dhaka : BNP front ranking leader Barrister Moudud Ahmed
has remarked that the government has insulted the entire
nation at home and abroad by tarnishing the image of Nobel
laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus by removing him from the
Grameen Bank.
"This has been a very wrong decision of the government.
Prof Yunus is the pride of the nation," Moudud told UNB
over phone reacting to removal of Prof Yunus from the post
of the Grameen Bank's managing director by the government.
He said the government action is unable to engage in
anything except "meanness and envy of others success".
Former Law Minister Moudud said the government has lost
its balance in administering the country. 'It only speaks
of the intellectual bankruptcy of the government." UNB
We
are deeply troubled : Moriarty
Dhaka : The US ambassador to Bangladesh James F Moriarty
on Thursday said that the US is deeply troubled by the
process of removing Prof Muhammad Yunus from the Grameen
Bank as its managing director terming it 'an unusual way
to handle a Nobel laureate'.
"We are deeply troubled by the process here by this letter
going forward trying to remove the Prof (Yunus)," he said
while talking to the reporters after a meeting between the
members of the diplomatic corps and development partners
with the Finance Minister at the Ministry conference room.
The US ambassador, however, hoped that an amicable
compromise can be reached that Prof Yunus and the
government would try to work out the disagreement.
Asked why his country feel troubled over the removal of
Prof Yunus, Moriarty said, "To remove him (Yunus) 12 years
later on an issue which is technical and difficult to
understand strikes us as unusual,"
He said that Prof Yunus is considered outside the country
as one of the greatest Bangladeshis as well as he had
brought great honour for Bangladesh. "He has done many
things to bring many people out of poverty," he added.
Replying to a question, the US ambassador said that the
solution is now to the people of Bangladesh, as well as
the government and also to Yunus of Grameen Bank. "We
don't have any role to play here,"
BNP to observe March 7 as
Tarique’s ‘Jail Detention Day’
Dhaka : BNP has chalked out a three-day programme to
observe March 7 as 'Jail Detention Day' of Tarique Rahman,
senior vice-chairman of the party.
Tarique, elder son of opposition leader Khaleda Zia, was
arrested on March 7, 2007 by the last army-backed
caretaker government. He is now in London for medical
treatment.
BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced
the programmes at a press briefing at the party's
Nayapaltan central office on Thursday noon. As part of the
programmes, BNP will arrange discussion at the city's
Mahanagar Natyamancha at 3 pm on March 6 and elsewhere
across the country on March 7. Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD)
will hold a discussion at the Diploma Engineers Institute
in the capital on March 7 while Jatiyatabadi
Swechchh-asebak Dal will hold another discussion March 9.
UNB
9
killed in road accidents
Sirajganj : Nine people were killed and twenty one others
injured in separate road accidents in Sirajganj,
Chittagong and Noakhali districts on Thursday.
Six people were killed and seven others injured in
separate road accidents in Kamarkhand, Salanga and
Ullapara police stations on Thursday. Police said a
Rajshahi bound salt laden truck from Chittagong collided
with another potato laden truck leaving truck drivers
Farook Hossain, 40, and Milon, 37, helper Hossain Ali, 29,
and another unidentified man dead at Konabari Bridge No 6
in Kamarkhand upazila at about 5am.
In another incident, an unidentified pedestrian, aged
about 30, died on the spot as a coach ran over him at near
Panchila Bazar in Salanga thana at about 9am.
Another pedestrian Musa, 35, were killed as a
three-wheeler Nosiman ran over him at Betkandi in Ullapara
upazila at the same time. In Chittagong, two women were
killed and 13 people injured in a road accident at
Lohagara on Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway on Thursday
morning.
One of the deceased was identified as Maya Rani, 55, while
identity of another deceased could not be known
immediately.
Police said the accident took place when a Chittagong-bound
microbus from Chokoria overturned as its driver lost
control over the steering and then dashed a roadside tree,
leaving 15 passengers injured at around 8:30 am. In
Noakhali, a school going boy was killed and his classmate
injured as a bus hit them in front of Sonaimuri thana on
Sonaimuri-Laksham road in Sonaimuri upazila on Thursday
morning. The deceased was identified as Arif Hossain, 5, a
play group student of Shishu Kanon Kinder Garden and son
of Selim Mia, a businessman of Sonaimuri village in
upazila headquarters. UNB
Editorial
Quality education a must
It
is being stressed repeatedly by leaders, educationists and
intellectuals that quality education is a must for national
progress and development. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid
on Wednesday said, the government considers access to quality
education necessary to reduce poverty and a prerequisite for
educational and economic development. Addressing a
policy-dialogue workshop in the city he said, human resource
development by providing need-based education is at the core
of our development efforts. The minister said the government
believes that education plays a fundamental role in
sustainable development, in promoting democracy, respect for
human rights and establishing peace and stability.
The education minister also stated that out of 150 million
people of the country, around 20 million are enrolled in
primary level, 10 million in secondary level, and 2.5 million
in higher secondary level. But, he pointed out, due to
financial constraints it becomes difficult to ensure quality
education for such a huge population. At the workshop UGC
Chairman Prof Nazrul Islam said an accreditation council would
soon be formed to ensure education standards at universities.
Quality education is our prime necessity and national priority
as well. So, the President and Prime Minister of the country
have on different occasions laid emphasis on the need for
ensuring quality education. President Zillur Rahman has been
stressing constantly on the need for ensuring quality
education for the students. He has called upon the private
universities in the country to ensure that higher education
should not turn out to be mere certificates for the students.
Speaking about the state of country's private universities,
President Zillur Rahman said over 50 private universities were
established in the country in last two decades and most of
them were established in Dhaka at rented houses. "Most of
these universities lack proper facilities and congenial
atmosphere to provide higher education," he said. The
President said the universities would have to ensure congenial
academic atmosphere for higher education.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is on record as stressing the
need for ensuring quality education to turn the population
into human resources and eradicate poverty. 'We are working
relentlessly to reach education every door steps as we think
that without proper education no nation can achieve progress
and prosperity,' she said. She viewed that quality education
based on science and technology is essential to turn the huge
population into human resource and eradication of poverty. She
said only quality education could turn the population into
human resources. That is why the government has formulated
unified modern, time befitting and scientific education
policy.
It is an open secret that most of the country's private
universities have virtually turned into shops of selling
education and issuing certificates instead of imparting
quality education to the students. Some of these universities
are so much busy in education business that they are defying
government rules to protect their commercial interests.
Against this backdrop, the speeches of the President and the
Prime Minister are thought- provoking and time-befitting and
should be taken into consideration in the interest of
improving the quality of education in the country.
The situation prevailing at the primary and secondary level is
deplorable. Everything is going on there in freestyle lacking
discipline and direction. Even the Public universities are not
working properly. Most of the teachers there allegedly devote
more time and energy to part time jobs in private universities
or consultancy service than teaching the students of their
main work place public universities. As a result general
standard of education from primary to university level suffer
seriously. This unwarranted situation must be ended and
quality education ensured at all levels in the greater
interest of the country and the nation.
War on AIDS
The
World AIDS Day was observed across the world this year
with the slogan 'Universal Access and Human Rights'. The
main objective of observing the day globally was to create
awareness among the people about this deadly disease and
ensure their protection from it. In Bangladesh also the
day was observed with due importance and a call for doing
everything possible at official as well as non-official
levels to combat this disease.
Highlighting the need for fighting the AIDS Health
Minister AFM Ruhal Haque said that thirty-nine people died
of AIDS in Bangladesh this year, taking the death toll
from the deadly disease in the country to 204.
"Thirty-nine people of the 143 who have long been
suffering from full-blown AIDS died this year," he said
adding a total of 1745 people have so far been found HIV
positive, including 250 this year, as the prevalence of
HIV/AIDS rate among drug addicts marked a rise by 9 per
cent in capital Dhaka. The Health Minister, however, said
the prevalence of HIV is still lower in Bangladesh
compared to any other country of this region. The first
HIV case in Bangladesh was detected in 1989.He urged all
to fight against the deadly disease and help raise mass
awareness about it.
It goes without saying that AIDS is a dangerous disease
and all must be aware and cautious about it . It is
reassuring that the number of AIDS patients are
proportionately smaller than that of other countries in
the region. Yet there is no scope for being complacent
about it. The campaign to create awareness among the
people about this disease should be strengthened for
attaining success in the war against AIDS. The main
responsibility in this regard lies with the government and
it must accomplish this task. Different social
organisations also should work sincerely to fight AIDS.
Analysis
Listening to the revolution
After visiting Egypt and Tunisia over the past
10 days, I am convinced that the best thing we can do is to
listen.
Catherine
Ashton
There
is a time to speak and a time to listen. After visiting Egypt
and Tunisia over the past 10 days, I am convinced that the
best thing we can do is to listen. What matters now is what
the people of Egypt are saying, and what kind of reforms the
people of Tunisia are seeking. In the era of instant
communication, the temptation is always to respond instantly:
to speak too much and to listen too little.
I went to Tunis where I met groups that had never been allowed
to be in the same room before; and to Cairo where I met the
young people who had been in Tahrir Square. My aim was to
listen and this is what I heard: "This is our country and our
revolution. We want real change - and for the system to
recognise the significance of the change." Also: "This is the
beginning. We need to take time to get the transition right."
And: "We want help. To ensure we get the first real election
of a ruler, but more than that, to get genuine democracy - not
just on the day we cast our ballots, but the weeks and months
after that too." "We want jobs, economic opportunities and
social justice. Only then can we be really free."
Listening, of course, does not exclude the need to quickly
help countries start their journey to democracy. The EU will
support the transitions now underway - such as bringing back
tourism and providing extra money for quick-impact projects -
roads, schools, energy - so that people feel change is real.
Some ask whether we should have acted sooner, opposing
authoritarian regimes instead of cooperating with them. It is
a fair question. There is no easy solution to the dilemma of
when and how to engage with such regimes - and when and how to
isolate them. For decades the general rule has been to isolate
regimes that defy the international community in specific
ways. Along with most of the world, the EU has imposed
sanctions on Iran and North Korea to prevent the proliferation
of nuclear weapons. On the other hand, it has been standard
practice to maintain diplomatic and trading relations with
countries whose domestic systems of governance we may dislike,
aiming to encourage them over time to change their behaviour.
Indeed, in the case of Libya, the Gaddafi regime was brought
in from the cold when, among other things, it abandoned its
quest for weapons of mass destruction. Might Gaddafi have been
brought down years ago had we not offered him the carrot of
trade and investment in return for these concessions? Perhaps.
But I am not convinced the world would now be safer or the
people of Libya better off had the West refused to negotiate
with Gaddafi. And we must calibrate our stance when
circumstances change. Hence, his outrageous behaviour in the
past few days demands we send him back into the cold.
There is a further point. Were the European Union to isolate
every government that fails to live up to the principles of
liberal democracy, we would face accusations of political
imperialism. It is better to proclaim the principles of
democracy, but deal with the world as it is.
That is how the West behaved toward the Soviet empire in
Eastern Europe before the fall of the Berlin Wall. At the same
time we engaged governments and supported groups that promoted
democratic change from within. This meant that when the Wall
fell, we had the connections as well as the ambition to help
the countries of Eastern Europe move rapidly toward democracy,
the rule of law and greater ?economic prosperity.
We have the experience to help every country that asks us now
to help them make the journey to democracy, for 10 of our own
members states have made precisely that journey in the past 20
years.
However, if we offer help only while the world's media are
paying attention, we shall fail. The European Union is in this
for the long haul. We are determined to help Tunisia, Egypt
and other countries not just to start their journey toward
democracy, but to complete it. We are listening now not to
avoid action, but to make sure the action we take over the
coming months and years is effective.
That will involve detailed, unglamorous, work on the ground -
with civil servants, local communities, the police, army and
judiciary - laying the foundations of deep democracy and then
building it up, ?brick-by-brick.
For me, nothing is more exciting than to see a new democracy
emerge. But I shall have no complaints if everything goes so
smoothly that the world's media, denied the drama of conflict
and catastrophe, grow bored and go home.
Catherine Ashton is high representative for foreign affairs
and security policy of the European Union.
ASEAN made nervous
With growing distance between the mainland and maritime
states, the likelihood of an ASEAN Community coming into
being by 2015 is increasingly slim.
Geoff Wade
Last
year the Association of Southeast Asian Nations celebrated
its 43rd anniversary with fanfare, but cracks were visible
in the organisation.
Thanks to the lopsided development of the Greater Mekong
Sub-region, propelled by China with the help of Asian
Development Bank, the area along China's border has been
transformed into a region of its own - a trend that could
permanently divide ASEAN.
The Greater Mekong Subregion, or GMS, nominally comprises
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam as well as Thailand
and two Chinese provinces, Yunnan and Guangxi. However, in
reality, China in toto is a member with national-level
technocrats engaging in GMS initiatives, and through this
massive membership imbalance, the country of 1.3 billion
overwhelms the polities and economies of mainland
Southeast Asia. About US$11 billion has been injected into
infrastructure investment in the GMS region over the last
decade with one-third coming from the Asian Development
Bank (ADB). This aid has been channeled into three
so-called economic corridors - multi-country transport
arteries now being built across mainland Southeast Asia.
The North-South Economic Corridor connects Kunming to
Bangkok, while the East-West Corridor ties the Indian
Ocean coast of Myanmar with the South China Sea ports of
Vietnam. The Southern Economic Corridor connects Bangkok
with Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City and Vung Tau. China
openly declares that GMS is the most effective economic
mechanism in the region.
The Mekong River - after which the grouping is named - is
itself a bone of contention. China already has four dams
on the upper part of the river, currently invests in three
hydropower dam projects in Laos and another in Cambodia,
and plans 12 more on the lower part.
Under a new initiative launched by Chinese President Hu
Jintao in July 2009 Yunnan province has been designated as
the bridgehead to the mainland of Southeast Asia, through
transportation routes, mines, energy infrastructure and
foreign trade production bases in mainland Southeast
Asia.The China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA, has
greatly increased Chinese trade and investment in the
mainland Southeast Asia states. In these increasing
interactions, among China's aims is the promotion of
renminbi settlement in trade exchanges with GMS partners.
Investment funds have also flowed into these countries
from China in much greater volumes. More than $8 billion
of Chinese funds has been invested in Myanmar since March
2010 in hydropower, ?oil and gas, and mining. By July
2010, Cambodia had 360 Chinese investment projects, the
value of ?agreements totalling US$80 billion. In November,
Wu Bangguo, chairman of China's National People's
Congress, visited Cambodia, and signed 16 more deals
totalling US$6.4 billion.
The degree to which Chinese interests are gaining control
over most of the upstream industrial sectors in Vietnam is
evident from the official estimate that about 90 per cent
of engineering, procurement and construction contracts are
won by Chinese firms.
This flurry of developments along its border and the
growing Chinese engagement with the countries of mainland
Southeast Asia - in effect dividing ASEAN - have not gone
unnoticed by regional powers. Japan has met with the
Mekong nations of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and
Vietnam, without including China, assuring them of
assistance. Japan's Official Development Assistance
committed to the Mekong region over the coming three years
is $5.9 billion and more private investment in the GMS is
encouraged. Korea has also declared intentions to
participate in GMS development, particularly in terms of
transforming transport corridors into full-fledged
economic corridors and addressing environmental issues. In
a July 2010 speech while in Hanoi, US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton spoke of US interests in the South China
Sea and noted that the US saw its relationship with
Vietnam "not only as important on its own merits, but as
part of a strategy aimed at enhancing American engagement
in the Asia-Pacific and in particular Southeast Asia."
Recent US inclusion in the East Asian Summit partially
aims at countering perceived Chinese hegemony in mainland
Southeast Asia.
ASEAN's most recent response to threat of division is a
call for more "connectivity" among its members. A master
plan - announced at the 17th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi in
October 2010, for physical, institutional and
people-to-people connectivity - openly recognised emerging
division: "This is not likely to be smooth sailing,
especially since the two programmes [ASEAN and GMS] have
been pursuing parallel efforts and have sunk substantial
investments in certain areas of cooperation."
With growing distance between the mainland and maritime
states, the likelihood of an ASEAN Community coming into
being by 2015 is increasingly slim. Together with China,
the mainland states are now forming a Greater Mekong
Region, and the links being developed will override those
existing and planned among ASEAN states. ASEAN is indeed
dividing. These changes may simply reflect the mainland
states' geographic proximity to China or could be a
manifestation of a long Chinese tradition to either divide
neighboring polities or incorporate them within the
Chinese polity. In either case, revival of a hierarchy is
underway in mainland Asia, a phenomenon that some perceive
as an indication of the Westphalian system's irrelevance
to Asia.
Geoff Wade is a historian with interests in
Sino-Southeast Asian relations over time and comparative
historiography.
Viewpoints
Forget Davis
Mr Davis must be
tried and we must strike at the heart of the entire
anti-Pakistan enterprise in the region which has been active
for nine years. The opening provided by Mr Davis must not go
to waste.
Ahmed
Quraishi
American
military officials are telling their Pakistani counterparts
they want to save the Pakistani-American relationship. The way
to do this, they say, is to 'forgive and forget' the Raymond
Davis debacle, one of the worst scandals to hit the Central
Intelligence Agency in years. The notion of saving Pak-US ties
is good. But the Pakistani government and military would do a
disservice to the nation by sweeping a number of urgent issues
under the carpet in the name of salvaging our ties with the
United States. Instead of putting Pakistani military under
pressure, our American friends need to help save these ties by
correcting dangerous imbalances in the bilateral relationship.
A fair and full trial for Mr Davis would be a good place to
start.
It is also time for the Washington establishment to understand
it can't secure its interests in Pakistan by simply relying on
proxies inside Pakistani government or by invoking the
Pakistani military. Their actions and policies should also
pass the test of Pakistani public opinion.
The Pakistani and American military leaderships met at a
resort in Oman last week, which is a couple of hours by plane
from Karachi. Credible sources in Islamabad confirm that US
military commanders who met General Kayani tried to push him
to come down hard on ISI and portray the Davis terror scandal
as an ISI attempt to harm Pak-US ties. Some of the American
commanders tried to portray the public outrage in Pakistan
over Davis and other CIA assets in the country as ISI-engineered.
Others are trying to allege that this outrage is limited to
religious parties. All of this indicates a dangerous American
disregard for Pakistani opinion.
It is also hilarious. If the American assessment is correct,
the Pakistani popular outrage is all ISI's fault. CIA's
advocates have the audacity to accuse ISI of exploiting the
media. Someone should draw our American friends' attention to
five years of intense anti-Pakistan campaign in the US media,
meant to destabilise Pakistan in every possible way.
A second mischaracterisation the Americans are peddling now is
that Mr Davis was simply monitoring dangerous groups. The
initial debriefings of the American prove he was not just a
spy but a military intelligence operative whose assignment
included mounting operations and not just collecting
information. His contacts with anti-Pakistan terrorists
strengthen earlier information about CIA elements helping
terrorists targeting Chinese engineers and Pakistani interests
in Balochistan. Information and piles of circumstantial
evidence also show CIA elements abetting a range of
anti-Pakistan insurgencies across western Pakistan, all of
which emerged after our American friends firmly landed in
Afghanistan in 2002.
CIA needs to be held accountable for all this. It must explain
why its hired gun was in contact with the same terrorists who
recently killed two retired ISI officers and who have mounted
spectacular attacks in Lahore and Peshawar killing a maximum
number of ordinary Pakistanis.
A third issue is the role of President Zardari, his interior
minister and his Washington envoy in facilitating the entry of
hundreds of US operatives into Pakistan over the past months.
It is clear that the US government and CIA rely on proxies to
further its agenda in Pakistan. This must come to an end. The
personal interests of individuals in the Pakistani government
must never trump national interest. The Oman meeting indicates
the goal now is to sweep all these urgent issues under the
carpet in the name of saving Pak-US relationship.
Contrary to the eloquent pronouncements of senior US
officials, Washington is not interested in any long-term
relations with Pakistan. The American focus is temporary and
limited to its regional interests in Afghanistan, India and
China. Only a few days ago the US mainstream media was awash
with US official leaks threatening Pakistan of termination of
relations. We should not kid ourselves about US intentions,
the noise of the small pro-US lobby inside Pakistan
notwithstanding.
Mr Davis must be tried and we must strike at the heart of the
entire anti-Pakistan enterprise in the region which has been
active for nine years. The opening provided by Mr Davis must
not go to waste.
The writer works for Geo television. Email: aq@paknationalists.com
18 days that shook Egypt
The slogan ‘I am an Egyptian’ may come to signify the
people's self-empowerment to reclaim their democratic
freedoms.
Adel
Safty
A
protester in Tahrir Square told a New York Times reporter
a few days before the downfall of the Mubarak regime, that
the Egyptian revolution had unified the people like never
before; Muslims and Christians, men and women, young men
and older people, religious and secular people; the
professional class as well as the working class. Then the
protester added: "Today, we are all Egyptians."
Many protesters spoke movingly about the new sense of
solidarity and national cohesiveness born during the 18
revolutionary days that shook Egypt and changed history.
By its scope and character, and by the nature of its
revolutionary spirit; by the brilliant demonstration that
a mobilised people with ordinary means could achieve
extraordinary ends; the Egyptian revolution represents a
splendid lesson in democracy that will be admired and
studied for generations to come.
By adopting a slight variation of the slogan "We are all
Egyptians" and by saying: "I am an Egyptian" a citizen
anywhere in the world at once expresses an identity that
is informed by the democratic spirit of the Egyptian
revolution. "I am an Egyptian" may well come to mean in
common parlance "I am a revolutionary for democratic
freedoms and social justice."
And that is because the Egyptian Revolution, perhaps more
than any other revolution, embodied a set of democratic
principles that represents the cumulative wisdom on
democratic governance and political, social and cultural
rights.
By mobilising literally millions of people for peaceful
political action in Tahrir Square and doing so repeatedly
even after former president Hosni Mubarak was forced to
resign, the Egyptian Revolution gave new meaning to the
democratic principle of government by the people for the
people.
Consider how the Egyptian Revolution went beyond other
notable revolutions. The American Revolution for instance
has come to symbolise resistance to tyranny; its
Declaration of Independence an affirmation of the equality
of all people and their inalienable rights to life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But the ideals of
the Revolution were not immediately translated into
political realities; and slaves, black Americans,
indigenous people and women remained for a long time
excluded from the political process. The Egyptian
Revolution, on the other hand, was consciously inclusive;
the demand for social justice and democratic freedoms were
made in the name of all the people regardless of religion,
race, gender or creed.
Inspired by the American Revolution, the French
revolutionaries proclaimed the French Declaration of the
Rights of Man and the Citizen. Unlike the Russian
Revolution, the Egyptian Revolution did not provoke civil
war; was not proclaimed in the name of any single social
class. Its revolutionary demands rejected dictatorship and
authoritarian rule of any kind, and were positively
embedded in democratic principles and traditions.
In adopting as its main slogan: "The people want the fall
of the regime" the Egyptian Revolution gave a masterful
illustration of democracy: Sovereignty resides in the
people.
The Egyptian revolution rejected despotism, indicted
corruption, and reclaimed the people's right to give or
withhold consent, and to exercise democratic freedoms. Its
demands remarkably reflected the principles of democratic
governance and the principles of human rights that have
become an integral part of international law.
In this sense the slogan "I am an Egyptian" may well come
to acquire universal identity; its mere proclamation may
come to signify the people's self-empowerment to reclaim
their democratic freedoms. "I am an Egyptian" may well
come to mean I am a revolutionary; I am a democrat; I am a
self-empowered citizen; I am a fighter for social justice
and democratic freedoms.
Adel Safty is Distinguished Professor Adjunct at the
Siberian Academy of Public Administration, Russia. His new
book, Might Over Right, is endorsed by Noam Chomsky and
published in England by Garnet, 2009.
The US’s self-defeating aversion
The worst part is that the US will be clueless whom to
support or oppose.
Dr
Manzur Ejaz
The
US is always blind to the varying shades of leftist
political parties in the developing countries. Most of the
time, the leftist rhetoric in the Arab world and South
Asia is mere slogan mongering; many leftist groups are far
from being like traditional communist parties of Russia,
China or Vietnam.
Whatever happens to unprecedented revolutionary uprisings
in the Middle East, one thing is clear: the US will have
to deal with tougher parties at the other end. Whether the
religious right has its way or genuinely elected
governments take root in the Arab world, the US will lose
its traditional domineering negotiating position it held
by supporting one despot or the other. The worst part is
that the US will be clueless whom to support or oppose.
There is a high probability that in an open democratic
space the religious right will dominate the ideological
discourse and hence political power. The dictatorial rules
with the US help or urging have been very harsh on the
leftist socialist groups. Sometimes the dictators were
against religious fundamentalists, but the faith-based
parties had the advantage of the mosque. No ruler could
demolish the mosques and hence the religious right always
had an advantage of assembly and planning in dictatorial
Islamic countries.
When the ideologies have to compete in the open democratic
space, it is always a match between the religious right
and the socialist left. Since the Left has been put down
during the dictatorial rule, the religious right is always
in a better position to dominate. In addition, the old or
the new money is mostly hostile to the Left due to
understandable reasons. The key state institutions prefer
the religious right because they do not challenge the
economic status quo.
The US prefers the so-called capitalist ideology in which
free market and democratic political setup are considered
to be essential. However, the problem is in countries
where industrialisation has not taken roots, the
capitalist ideology does not work. India may be the only
exception where such an ideology has been semi-functional
but Indian bourgeoisie was very mature. Furthermore, being
an exceptional case, India is only an outlier and no
forecast can be based on this example. More likely, the
religious right or socialist left controls the political
discourse.
The US abhors the word 'leftist' and most of the time gets
unnecessarily alarmed if an uprising has even very mild
socialist shades. Due to socialist paranoia, the US uses
every tool in its arsenal to snub and eliminate the groups
with left-wing tendencies. In the end, it helps the
religious right to dominate the political discourse.
Sometimes the US is able to extend its imperialist reach
using the religious right but if this backfires then the
US has to deal with enemies like al Qaeda and Taliban.
Both in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US had a good choice to
use the remnants of leftist oriented Baath Party and
People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. In Afghanistan,
cadres of Khalaq and Parcham socialist parties were
willing to work with the US to run the government and
counter the mujahideen domination. Ironically, most of the
state functionaries were considered to be members or
sympathisers of the Afghan socialist parties. They were
the only educated group in the country and they were the
only one who could run the business of the state. The Bush
administration was advised by many to take back the Afghan
progressives but the US could not swallow the word
'ex-socialists'. Therefore, the US chose the perilous path
of giving the monopoly of political discourse to the
religious right in Afghanistan. Now, the US has to deal
with a never-ending war in that country.
The US is always blind to the varying shades of leftist
political parties in the developing countries. Most of the
time, the leftist rhetoric in the Arab world and South
Asia is mere slogan mongering; many leftist groups are far
from being like traditional communist parties of Russia,
China or Vietnam. In almost every case, the socialists in
the developing world are no more radical than the European
social democrats. And yet the US perceives them as an
emergence of another North Korea and adopts self-defeating
strategies.
The fact of the matter is that victories of the socialist
parties in South America have not harmed the US economic
interests or political power. Even China and Vietnam have
become rational and reliable business and global partners
of the US. They pose much less a problem to the US than
the countries dominated by the religious right. Therefore,
the American allergy with the word 'socialist' is
self-defeating and unwise.
The US should not make the same mistake in the Middle East
while facing people's uprisings that it has made for
decades. It should encourage the anti-religious groups,
particularly women's organisations, if it does not want
proliferation of al Qaeda and Taliban-type extreme
rightist ideologies. Most probably, the US will not heed
such advice because it is mentally challenged when it
comes to dealing with shades of the Left or socialism.
The writer can be reached at manzurejaz@yahoo.com
International
Suicide car bomb
kills nine in Pakistan: police
PESHAWAR : A suicide car bomb targeting police killed at
least nine people and wounded 31 others in a troubled
northwestern Pakistani town on Thursday, police said.
"The bomber ... blew himself up when a police patrol went
close to the car for a security check in Hangu town,"
senior local police official Abdul Rasheed told AFP.
"Nine people including three policemen were martyred and
31 wounded in the attack, which targeted the police. The
injured include 12 women and four children."
Rasheed said the bomber was carrying some 300 kilograms
(660 pounds) of explosives in his vehicle which he blew up
in the middle of a densely populated area of Hangu, which
lies some 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of Peshawar.
He added that 13 houses and shops collapsed from the
impact of the blast.
Police spokesman Fazal Naeem also confirmed the attack and
casualties, adding that "the blast created a 10-foot deep
and 15-foot wide crater."
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani strongly condemned the
attack and "deplored the loss of lives and declared it an
inhuman act", an official statement said.
Local grocer Abdul Rashid, who sustained bruises to his
face and shoulder after being knocked off his feet by the
blast, told AFP by telephone from a hospital in Hangu that
he was standing in front of his shop when the attack took
place. "I saw a blue-coloured vehicle coming close to a
policemen and blowing up," he said, adding "I fell at
least two metres away from my shop because of the very
huge impact of the blast."
Hangu has a history of sectarian clashes between
Pakistan's majority Sunni Muslims and the minority Shiites
and is located near the lawless tribal belt. The area
borders the deeply conservative tribal region of Kurram, a
lawless region on the Afghan border where entrenched
militants oppose jobs and education for women. Taliban and
Al-Qaeda-linked militants attack daily across northwest
Pakistan and the border tribal belt that Washington has
branded the most dangerous place on Earth. The United
States wants Pakistan's army to do more to combat
extremists on the border, including by launching a ground
offensive in the district of North Waziristan, where it
says key Taliban leaders reside.
The army has stalled on a ground operation, saying its
troops are overstretched.
The Taliban are engaged in a campaign of violence against
security forces in Pakistan, a key ally in the US-led "war
against terror", claiming many attacks in revenge for US
drone strikes on the rugged tribal areas. AFP
Indian anti-corruption
chief resigns amid charges
NEW DELHI : India's top anti-corruption official resigned
Thursday after the Supreme Court ruled that his
appointment was inappropriate because he faces graft
charges in a decades-old case.
The ruling is the latest blow to Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh's government, which has fought off a string of
high-profile corruption scandals.
P.J. Thomas resigned as central vigilance commissioner
after Thursday's Supreme Court ruling, Law Minister
Veerappa Moily said. Thomas, who was appointed in
September, and several other former officials in southern
Kerala state are accused of causing losses to the state by
accepting a higher-priced contract for the import of palm
oil decades ago.
The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party opposed Thomas'
appointment, saying the position should go to someone of
impeccable integrity. However, Singh's government went
ahead with the appointment, which was subsequently
challenged in court.
In their ruling, Supreme Court Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan
and Swantantra Kumar severely criticized the government
for not considering the pending criminal case against
Thomas. Moily said Singh could not be criticized for
Thomas' appointment because the civil servant had been
cleared by his predecessor, a decision the court rejected
as irrelevant.
Rajiv Pratap Rudy, a BJP spokesman, said the ruling was
"the biggest blow to Prime Minister Singh and his
government.
The larger issue, that this government is a part of all
the corruption and misgovernance, has been proven by the
court ruling." Singh's government has faced a series of
corruption scandals ranging from the country's hosting of
the Commonwealth Games last year to the irregular sale of
cell phone spectrum in 2008 that reportedly cost the
government tens of billions of dollars. Though the
government faces no immediate threat, the scandals have
dominated Indian politics for months at a time when Singh
has sought to present the country as a rising
international power.
The entire winter session of Parliament was paralyzed by
opposition demands for a probe into the telecommunications
scandal. Singh initially refused to allow an
investigation, but subsequently bowed to opposition
pressure and accepted the demand last week. AFP
Pakistan announces mourning for
slain minister
ISLAMABAD : Pakistan on Thursday announced three days of
national mourning and vowed "fool-proof" security after a
Christian government minister who decried Islamic
blasphemy laws was gunned down.
Police investigators said they were on the trail of the
suspected extremists who killed minority affairs minister
Shahbaz Bhatti outside his mother's house in Islamabad, in
a brazen attack that has drawn international outrage.
Bhatti, who left a chilling video prophecy of his
assassination, had vowed to fight to the death in defence
of Pakistan's persecuted minorities.
One police official said on condition of anonymity that
investigators were looking into the security team assigned
to Bhatti, who became the second high-profile victim among
opponents of the blasphemy law.
Two months ago, Punjab province governor Salman Taseer was
shot dead by one of his own police bodyguards, who cited
the politician's opposition to the draconian statute as
justification for killing the "apostate".
Despite official condemnation of the January killing,
Taseer's killer continues to be feted a hero by Islamist
hardliners and the government says it has no plans to
revise the law. However, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani
issued tough words as he ordered flags to be flown at
half-mast and said security would be stepped up after
Bhatti's slaying.
"Anti-state elements are making their last-ditch efforts
by targeting important personalities in the country in
order to fulfill their evil designs," Gilani told his
interior minister, Rehman Malik, according to a statement.
The extremist threat was underlined Thursday when a car
suicide bombing and an ambush by militants targeting
police in northwestern Pakistan killed 15 people including
nine policemen.
But Gilani said the "government through fool-proof
arrangements would safeguard the lives and properties of
all citizens of the country, particularly to make sure
they could play their role in the development of the
country". AFP
Nepal’s
ex-rebels agree to join new government
KATMANDU : Nepal's former communist rebels say they have
decided to join the new government formed last month,
saving it from collapse.
The former rebels, the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist),
threw their support behind Prime Minister Jhalnath Khanal
when he was elected in parliament last month. But they
refused to join his minority government after they were
not given key Cabinet positions, including the powerful
Home Ministry.
Following weeks of talks, party spokesman Dinanath Sharma
said Thursday the Maoists have now decided to join the
government. He said the names of the party's Cabinet
ministers would be announced later in the day. AP
China
warns foreign media not to cover protests
BEIJING : Chinese police are further intensifying pressure
on foreign reporters, warning them to stay away from spots
designated for Middle East-inspired pro-tests and
threatening them with expulsion or a revoking of their
credentials. The warnings show how unnerved the
authorities are by the online calls for protests every
Sunday. The appeals, which started two weeks ago, have
attracted few outright demonstrators but many onlookers,
loads of journalists and swarms of police.
Staff from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and
numerous other overseas news organizations were called in
for videotaped meetings with Beijing police Wednesday and
Thursday and told that reporters trying to film or
interview near the proposed demonstration spots in Beijing
or Shanghai this weekend would be punished.
The Foreign Correspondents' Club of China said in a
statement that some journalists reported being accused by
police "of trying to help stir up a revolution, disrupt
harmony in China and simply cause trouble."
The warnings ratchet up notices from police earlier this
week that put a section of the Wangfujing shopping street
in downtown Beijing and an area near People's Square in
Shanghai off limits for foreign media. However, a British
broadcast journalist, who declined to be named in line
with company policy, said her team was told that it was
not allowed to film anywhere in China, including basic
street scenes, without prior approval.
The extreme reaction signals a retreat since restrictions
on foreign media were eased in the run-up to the 2008
Olympics.
In 2006, then Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao
announced that local officials could not intervene in the
work of foreign reporters doing interviews, though some
sensitive areas, such as Tibet, remained off limits to
reporters without special permits. AFP
North
Korea pleading for food aid: minister
SEOUL : North Korea has stepped up calls for international
food aid amid shortages caused by its economic
mismanagement and military spending, South Korea's foreign
minister said Thursday.
Kim Sung-Hwan said Pyongyang has recently been making a
"full-fledged request" to the international community for
food aid because of its "dire economic situation."
Food production in the impoverished North actually
increased last year, Kim told foreign diplomats in Seoul,
citing a report by UN food agencies. But years of
mismanagement of the state-controlled economy, the fallout
from a botched currency revaluation in 2009 and heavy
military spending meant its people were still going
hungry, he said. South Korea once provided an annual
400,000 tons of rice to its neighbour but this ended in
2008 as relations worsened.
Tensions rose further in the past year after Seoul accused
Pyongyang of torpedoing a warship and killing 46 sailors
in March 2010, a charge it denies. Last November the North
shelled a border island and killed four South Koreans,
including civilians.
International irritation at the communist country's
nuclear and missile programmes has led to a drop in
donations to UN food programmes.
The United States in 2008 pledged 500,000 tonnes of rice
but shipments stopped the following year amid questions
over distribution transparency. US special representative
for North Korea policy, Stephen Bosworth, said Tuesday the
US was assessing the case for a possible resumption but
stressed the need for monitoring.
Kim said Pyongyang was expected to take a "double-sided
tactic" of trying to blame economic failure on
international pressure while continuing to appeal for
overseas aid.
It was seeking to increase external tensions and further
tightening controls over its people, he said.
Pyongyang heightened regional security fears last November
by disclosing an apparently functional uranium enrichment
programme to visiting US experts. The disclosure signalled
that Pyon-gyang was "determined to push ahead with its
nuclear ambitions", Kim said, calling it "imperative" to
show unified opposition to the programme as a breach of UN
resolutions. AFP
Indonesia
supports E.Timor ASEAN membership bid
JAKARTA : Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
voiced support Thursday for East Timor's bid to join the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations, his spokesman
said.
"The President has asserted that Indonesia will make
diplomatic efforts and ensure that at the right time, East
Timor can become a member of ASEAN," presidential
spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said.
Indonesia is the current ASEAN chairman and it was the
first time Yudhoyono himself had endorsed the application,
although Jakarta's foreign minister had previously done
so. East Timor, a former Portuguese colony, was occupied
by Indonesia for 24 years from 1975, a period marked by
widespread human rights abuses.
The impoverished nation gained formal independence in 2002
after winning its freedom in a 1999 UN-backed referendum
marred by violence.
"Indonesia fully supports East Timor's ASEAN membership
and will use our term as ASEAN chairman to direct its
acceptance," said Faizasyah said after Yudhoyono met East
Timor foreign minister Zacarias da Costa in Jakarta.
AFP
Libya:
emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers March 10
Brussels: European Union foreign ministers were Thursday
summoned to an extraordinary meeting on Libya in Brussels
on March 10, the latest in a packed series of talks next
week on the turmoil. As the EU shifts into top gear on
Libya, the office of EU foreign policy chief Catherine
Ashton said the meeting of the 27 ministers would be held
as "a working lunch."
The informal talks will "assess ongoing developments in
Libya and the wider region" and prepare for an
extraordinary EU summit called for the next day, March 11,
a statement said.
The Friday crisis summit of heads of state and government
aims to seek a joint response on the turmoil in Libya
while thrashing out a new common policy for the future
towards Arab states on Europe's southern flank.
Also in town, as the debate continues over whether there
should be a military response to Moamer Kadhafi, will be
defence ministers from the 28-member NATO military
alliance.
On Wednesday, leading EU figures urged defiant Moamer
Kadhafi to quit.
"It is time for him to go and give the country back to the
people of Libya," said European Commission president Jose
Manuel Barroso.
"The situation we are seeing in Libya is simply atrocious
and we cannot accept it," said the head of the 27-nation
EU's executive arm.
Ashton also stepped up the rhetoric, after Kadhafi, who
seized power in a 1969 coup, warned "thousands" would die
if the West intervened to support the uprising against
him.
"I join with those who tell Colonel Kadhafi to stand
aside," she said after talks with deputy British premier
Nick Clegg. Clegg also said that long-term, EU policies
towards its north African neighbourhood need "revamped
from top to toe."
The EU has dispatched its crisis aid chief to oversee help
to the cold and hungry refugees from Libya massing on the
borders with Tunisia and Egypt Wednesday, while tripling
crisis funding from three to 10 million euros. AFP
Embattled Yemen president offered
'smooth exit'
Sanaa: Yemen's opposition and clerics have offered
President Ali Abdullah Saleh a smooth exit from power this
year, but protesters staged a new demonstration Thursday
to demand his immediate ouster. The proposal calls for a
"peaceful transition of power" from Saleh, insists
anti-regime demonstrations that broke out over two weeks
ago will go on, and demands a probe be launched into a
deadly crackdown on the protests.
"We've agreed on a settlement proposal including a roadmap
for the president's departure before the end of this
year," said opposition parliamentary spokesman Mohammed
al-Sabri.
The five-point plan, which calls for Saleh to step down by
the end of 2011 and was agreed on at a meeting of
opposition groups and religious scholars, according to
Sabri, was yet to receive a response from the veteran
leader.Once Saleh gave an answer, it would ultimately be
up to the people of Yemen to "decide whether to accept or
reject this proposal," said a statement by the Common
Forum, an alliance of parliamentary opposition.
Saleh's three decades of autocratic rule has been rocked
by a wave of protests in which at least 19 people have
been killed since February 16, according to an AFP toll
based on reports and witnesses.
But the embattled 68-year-old president has doggedly
rejected domestic calls for his resignation. Thursday's
offer from the opposition and clerics calls on him to
"highlight a number of steps by which power will be passed
on... during a period that does not exceed the end of this
year."
The plan insists "demonstrations and sit-ins will
continue," and calls for an "investigation on the crimes
committed across Yemen's various provinces throughout the
past period... bringing the killers and those behind them
to justice... (and) compensating the families" of the
victims. But thousands of protesters were seemingly
unimpressed by the joint proposal, staging a march in the
capital Sanaa and vowing to intensify protests until
Saleh's departure. AFP
West Libya's rebel
tribes strive for freedom
Jado, Libya: Rebels at heart but short on means, Libya's
Berber tribes quickly joined the uprising against Moamer
Kadhafi and seized control of the mountainous west in an
effort to secure their freedom.
The uprising launched in eastern Benghazi on February 15
spread fast to the western mountains, or Jebel Gharbi,
where within days villages fell like dominos to the
opposition movement challenging Kadhafi's regime.
The region has its own hero, a young 'martyr' shot dead
the second day of the revolt in Rujdan. But here, unlike
in the east or north where bloodshed has filled the
morgues, combats and reprisal crackdowns have been rare.
Security forces quickly defected from the regime and sided
with the people, according to Dushid, a 47-year old
merchant, who withheld his last name citing security
concerns.
"Here the revolution was waged with stones. There were
demonstrations, cars were set on fire, the symbols of the
'Green Book' were destroyed and security forces
immediately withdrew," he said, referring to Kadhafi's
political treatise.
"Policemen and soldiers are people who form part of our
neighbourhoods. There are family ties so they joined the
revolution," he added. In Nalut, army officers held a
solemn ceremony to announce their defection.
Nearby, 32 soldiers who were about to shoot at
demonstrators, deserted.
"A colonel refused to give the firing order and he was
arrested. We had a meeting and immediately decided to
defend the people. Enough oppression. The situation was
becoming unbearable," said Sami, 27, a former soldier. The
mountainous region has a long history of rebellion.
"The people of this region revolt quickly," said Yussef, a
teacher.
He recalled how all the villages in the area joined in the
revolt against the Ottoman Turks in 1850 and how 45 people
from Rujdan fought and died in Tripoli in the first battle
against the Italian invasion in 1911.
"We always had strong leadership in the mountains," said
the 55-year-old professor.
The bonds between the villages of Jebel Gharbi, the cradle
of Libya's Berber tribes, have been forged by a common
culture and shared history of oppression. "We are one big
family," said Nafuz, 40, another teacher.
Kadhafi's regime banned speaking and writing in Amazigh,
one of north Africa's Berber languages and the mother
tongue to an estimated 10 percent of Libyans, under
penalty of arrest. AFP
Islamist rebel urges 'total war' with Russia
Moscow: The Chechen Islamist rebel leader who is Russia's
most wanted man has issued an appeal for recruits for a
"total war" against the Russian state, in a new video
message posted on Thursday.
"A total war is in progress, fight the enemy where ever
you can," Doku Umarov said standing alongside two other
militants in a snow-covered forest in a video posted on
militant website hunafa.com.
As well as repeating calls for women to join the
rebellion, Umarov called on Russian Muslims from outside
the Caucasus like the Volga regions of Tatarstan and
Bashkortostan to join the insurgency.
"Jihad is becoming necessary for all of us," Umarov said,
wearing snow camouflage. "Spring has come, so, brothers, I
ask you to step up Jihad against enemies of Allah. "Today
children don't have to ask their parents for permission to
start Jihad, wives don't have to ask their husbands'
permission," he said, standing between two younger men one
of whom clutched onto a Kalashnikov rifle with a grenade
launcher.
The outside conditions appeared to prevent the full
message from being recorded as gusts of wind silenced
parts of his eight-minute address, while the person
holding the camera periodically said short prayers in a
loud whisper. "I call on you to destroy Allah's enemies
wherever you have them, wherever your hands reach you may
open a front... When there is a total war, there are no
more civilian objects or civilian population," Umarov
said, addressing Muslims outside the Caucasus region.
Umarov, whose Caucasus Emirate group aims to impose
Islamic rule throughout the Northern Caucasus, has claimed
responsibility for the Moscow airport attack in January
that killed 37 and the 2010 metro attacks that killed 40.
He and his band of guerrillas have avoided Russian troops
in the North Caucasus mountains for much of the past
decade, and officials have wrongly pronounced him dead
several times. The Kremlin fought two wars against
separatist rebels in Chechnya in the past 15 years. AFP
Russia, eyeing
new change, marks Tsarist reform
Moscow: Russia on Thursday marked 150 years since the most
significant reform of the Tsarist era, at a time when its
modern rulers are struggling to make history with a drive
to modernize the country. Tsar Alexander II on March 3,
1861 issued the decree to emancipate the serfs, a decision
which ended centuries of feudal ownership of peasants by
landlords and which would have massive historic
consequences.
The move was accompanied by other major reforms like the
creation of elected local councils and also led to the
creation of a big urban working class who would play the
key role in the 1917 Russian Revolution.
The former imperial capital Saint Petersburg was to mark
the anniversary with a conference called "Great reforms
and the modernisation of Russia" seeking to draw parallels
between the Tsarist reforms and modern politics. Meanwhile
Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church,
was to preside over a ceremony at the Church of Christ the
Saviour in Moscow.
President Dmitry Medvedev has embarked on an urgent drive
of modernisation to move the economy away from its
dependence on energy exports to an innovation-based model,
warning Russia faces an impasse if change is not made.
Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said this month that Russia
was going through a "historic moment" which would
determine within the next 5-10 years whether the country
could "kick the habit" of oil and gas dependence.
A top official from the United Russia party made the
startling admission that 150 years after the historic
decree, Russia had yet to completely rid itself of the
mentality of serfdom. "After 150 years, this sensation has
not gone away and the feeling of serfdom remains in much
of our consciousness," said the deputy head of the ruling
council of United Russia, Yury Shuvalov. AFP
Saudi hardliners disrupt book fair: Witnesses
Riyadh: Dozens of Saudi extremists descended on the Riyadh
International Book Fair late Wednesday night denouncing
the sale of books "contrary to Islam," witnesses said.
Turki al-Shalil, a spokesman for the powerful Saudi
religious police, told reporters that his men were not
involved in the incident.
According to one witness, dozens of bearded young men
entered the venue in the capital as the Saudi information
minister, Abdel Aziz Khoja, was touring the fair on the
first day it was open to the public. They asked Khoja "how
he could allow such a fair," and said that certain books
on display were the work "of infidels who would go to
hell," the witness said.
Another witness said that the men went around the fair
harassing women, a number of whom then departed, and also
prevented a female television presenter from doing her
job. The Riyadh International Book Fair is an annual event
attended by a number of Saudis, and censorship on books
there is less stringent than that against bookstores in
the kingdom. AFP
Three Dutch soldiers captured in Libya: Ministry
The Hague: Three Dutch soldiers were taken prisoner at the
weekend by armed men during an operation to evacuate
civilians from Libya, the Dutch defence ministry said
Thursday.
"We confirm it," a navy official told AFP when asked about
the capture of three marines Sunday reported by Dutch
daily De Telegraaf.
The paper said the three marines were captured by armed
men loyal to Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi while helping
with the evacuation from Sirte in northern Libya of two
unnamed civilians, one Dutch and another European, in a
helicopter.
The marines were attacked after the helicopter landed. The
two civilians were handed over by the Libyans to the Dutch
embassy and have since left Libya, according to De
Telegraaf.
"Intensive diplomatic discussions are underway for the
freeing of the prisoners," according to the Dutch defence
ministry quoted by ANP news agency.
The marines and the helicopter were based on board the
Dutch frigate Tromp. The warship, which was initially to
have taken part in an anti-piracy operation off Somalia,
headed on February 24 for the Libyan coast.
The failure of the rescue operation and the capture of the
Dutch marines were not made public earlier for security
reasons, De Telegraaf said. AFP
Business/Economy
Remittance faces setback amid uprising in Libya
DHAKA : Country's remi-ttance earning that witnessed a
balanced trend in recent months might face serious setback
in the coming months amid recent uprising in Libya, which
forced many Bangladeshi workers to return home.
The present crisis is likely to have further adverse
impact on Bangladesh's overseas labour market and balance
of payment.
According to the leaders of Bangladesh Association of
International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA)), over 80,000
Bangladeshis used to work in Libya in various types of
job.
Bangladesh received remittances totaling Tk 68437.80
million in December 2010 with Bangladeshis in Libya
sending Tk 3.5 million. The remittance from Libya was the
highest in August, 2010 with Tk 6.9 million, according to
Bangladesh Bank's Monthly Economic Trends, January, 2011.
Wage earners' remittance inflows increased slightly in
January this year to US$ 970.54 million (Tk 68947.20
million) from US$ 969.10 million (Tk 68437.80 million) in
December last year, according to Foreign Exchange Policy
Department of Bangladesh Bank.
"Definitely, remittance inflow will drop significantly
following the Libya crisis. It might impact on the overall
economy of Bangladesh," BAIRA president Abul Bashar told
UNB over phone. He said over 80,000 Bangladeshis, mostly
technical and skilled, had been working in Libya. The
workers from strife-torn Libya have started returning home
and if this continues Bangladesh will be deprived of huge
amount of remittance.
Replying to a question, the BAIRA chief said they talked
to the officials of some companies in Libya, who assured
that they would take back their Bangladeshi workers once
normalcy is restored in the West African country. Former
BAIRA president Ghulam Mustafa said overall remittance
inflow to the country would come down drastically if the
present crisis in Libya and some other Middle-Eastern
continues for long.
He said it will have serious impact on the country's
overall economy, including balance of payment situation
and foreign exchange reserve.
He suggested forming a National Committee with
representatives of Foreign and Labour ministries as well
as other stakeholders to cope with the situation and
explore new labour markets.
Replying to a query, Mustafa said the government should
take immediate steps to arrange sending the returnee
Bangladeshis from Libya to other friendly countries.
He informed that Kuwait has not been recruiting workers
from Bangladesh for nearly eleven years while Saudi Arabia
did not recruit Bangladeshis in the last seven years.
UNB.
3,915
metric tonnes Hilsha exported in six months
Shrimp earnings to mark record high this year
Sangsad Bhaban : In the first six months of the current
fiscal, the country exported 3,915 metric tonnes of Hilsha
fish and 30,431 metric tonnes of shrimp.
Minister for Fisheries and Animal Resources Abdul Latif
Biswas said this in reply to a question from ruling party
member Kamal Ahmed Majumder in Jatiya Sangsad during
question answer session.
The minister said the government has undertaken 19
development projects and two revenue budget projects for
development of fishery resources.
The projects helped increasing fish production in the
country.
The minister said last year the government has given
1,66,740 fishermen 30 -kilogram rice each per month to
refrain them from fishing during breeding period.
Replying to a question from another treasury bench member
Sanjida Khanam the minister said Ban-gladesh exports
shrimp in European countries, USA and Japan which are
major importers of shrimp. While Hilsha fishes were
exported mainly to India, UK and Middle East countries.
He said Bangladesh earned Taka 2,825 crore in 2009-2010 by
exporting 51,599 metric tonnes of shrimp and Taka 124
crore from Hilsha export. Last six months trend shows that
shrimp export this year would set a new record, the
minister hoped. BSS.
IBBL clarifies news on spending its profit
A news item telecast in some electronic media on Feb 28,
2011 and published in different national dailies on March
01, 2011 quoting State Minister for Home that "Islami Bank
Bangladesh Limited spends its profit on militancy" has
drawn our attention.
We like to make it categorically clear that IBBL never
spent its profit for any illegal activity nor financed any
individual or organization linked with or propagating
militancy. Besides, the Bank always spent its Zakat fund
only for the shariah approved purposes. While we deny any
involvement of IBBL in extra banking transactions, we
state that there exists no scope even for a Bank to spend
money unlawfully that are always subject to regulatory,
internal and external audit.
We reiterate that being a shariah based scheduled
commercial bank operating with full transparency and
regulatory compliance, IBBL has been a top rated bank over
the years and recognized both nationally and
internationally for its fairness, performances and welfare
activities. It is well known that IBBL with its six
million plus clients is contributing substantially in
economic uplift, poverty alleviation and national
development of Bangladesh that has by now become a role
model for Islamic Banking in the world.
As the leading Bank enjoying confidence of millions of
people IBBL expects that comments on its activities
specially those made by responsible quarters are based on
facts. It is our earnest request to all not to make any
statement that mislead the people in general and confuse
the stakeholders of a reputed financial institution in
particular, says a press release.
Industrial park
to be developed at Ichakhali char : Dilip Barua
DHAKA : A plan is underway to establish an industrial park
at Ichakhali char in Mirsorai upazila of Chittagong,
Industries Minister Dilip Barua said on THursday.
More than 17,000 acres of land would be allocated for
developing the park as per the directive of the Prime
Minister, he said while visiting the proposed Industrial
Park site at Mirsorai, said an official release.
Deputy commissioner of Chittagong Foyez Ahmed, Mirsorai
upazila chairman M Gias Uddin, officials of Local
Government Engineering Department (LGED) and local
dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Barua said local and foreign investors would be encouraged
to invest in the proposed industrial park.
The government would take plan to link the industrial park
with Chittagong port access road-Sitakunda-Fouzdarhat-Mirsorai-Muhuri
Project-Feni, he said adding that the road link would
propel the growth of shipbuilding and ship breaking
industries. BSS.
Dealers selling fertilizer at high
prices
SUNAMGANJ : Local dealers
are selling urea fertilizer at exorbitant prices in
Jagannathpur upazila, inflicting sufferings to the
growers.
Farmers alleged that the dealers are selling fertilizer at
excess rate after creating artificial scarcity in the
upazila.
Farmers of Sridharpasha village said that a dealer shop at
Sridharpasha Mohammadganj Bazaar remained closed for last
two weeks, which deprived farmers of 11 villages.
Sultan Mia, farmer of Balikandi village, said that the
dealers are selling 50 kgs of urea fertilizer between Tk
650 and Tk 700 ignoring the government fixed rate of Tk
600.
Upazila agriculture office sources said there are nine
fertilizer dealers and 23 sub-dealers in the upazila. They
were allocated 640 tons of fertilizer for the month of
February.
Siddiqur Rahman, fertilize dealer of Kalkalia union, said
that he received 30 tons till now though he was allocated
70 tons.
Hasan Bin Shaheed, upazila deputy assistant agriculture
officer, said they served show cause notice to the dealers
responsible for selling the fertilizer at high prices.
There is no dearth of fertilizer in the upazila. Steps
would be taken against those found to be creating
fertilizer crisis, he said. UNB.
Arab unrest
sends oil higher
SINGAPORE : Crude prices
pushed higher in Asian trade on THursday as unrest in the
Middle East and North Africa continued to weigh on
markets, analysts said.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for April
delivery, rose 33 cents to $102.56 and Brent North Sea
crude for April was up 30 cents at $116.65 in the
afternoon.
"Persistent uncertainty in the region continues to support
fears of contagion," said Barclays Capital in a report.
"Lost output from countries like Libya and the increasing
likelihood of a pushback in foreign investment is set to
support longer-term prices even further," it added.
As trouble hit Oman, Bahrain and Yemen, the situation in
Libya grew more tense as embattled leader Moamer Kadhafi
warned of a "very bloody war" in which "thousands of
Libyans would die" if the West supports the uprising.
Loyalist military and air attacks on the strategic oil
port of Brega, home to major petroleum operations, added
to concern, while the International Energy Agency said
more than half of Libya's crude production was not making
it to the international market.
The IEA revised upward its estimate of Libya's shut-in oil
capacity to between 850,000 and one million barrels per
day, out of a total of 1.6 million barrels-mostly sent to
European buyers. AFP
US hopes for solid jobs figures in
upcoming report
WASHINGTON : Rising oil
prices and looming gover-nment spending cuts are rattling
US business confidence, giving this Friday's unemployment
report card added importance.
Since the US recession ended in June 2009, it has seemed
like the world's largest economy has taken two steps
forward and one step back.
Last year, debt crises in Europe threatened to derail the
recovery on both sides of the Atlantic.
Today, rising global oil prices and cuts to government
spending at home threaten to make life tougher for
Americans, just as they begin to get back on their feet.
In the interim US unemployment has remained stubbornly
high and the housing market has been moribund, lea-ving
two pillars of the economy looking like Corinthian
relics-no longer fit to carry the load.
Amid these worries the Labor Department will on Friday
release its unemployment figures for February. The closely
watched indicator will be even more heavily scrutinized
than usual.
A strong jobs report would raise optimism that price rises
can be absorbed without doing too much damage to vital
consumer spending.
The Federal Reserve said in a recent report that a slight
improvement in the jobs market had already helped limit
the impact of price rises in the first two months of the
year. "Labor markets modestly improved across the
country," allowing manufacturers "greater ability to pass
through higher input costs to customers," it said. With
oil prices still rising, news of unemployment falling from
the current rate of 9.0 percent would bolster confidence.
A strong report would also increase confidence that
looming government layoffs can be offset by a resurgence
in private sector hiring. But after watching some 8.75
million jobs disappear during the recession, many experts
fear the economy remains vulnerable. AFP
18 Indian cos to
take part in US home and housewares expo
CHICAGO : About 18 Indian
companies will participate in the 2011 edition of the
International Home & Housewares Show taking place at the
McCormick Place Convention Center here from March 6 to 8.
India pavilions will be set up by the Export Promotion
Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) and Plastics Export
Promotion Council (PLEXCONCIL), which will display various
products of their member export houses at the
international exhibition, a press release by the Consulate
General of India said.
The Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts first took
part in the exhibition in 2010. Its exporters will display
a variety of Indian handloom fabrics and furnishings that
are presently being exported to several firms in the
United States and South America.
Five master craftsmen registered with the EPCH will
display intricately designed handicraft products made from
wood and other materials at the exhibition. PTI.
National
Bumper output of strawberry in
Northern-district likely
Rangpur : Harvest of strawberry has already begun with
excellent yields in the beginning predicting a bumper
production of the high- valued delicious fruit in northern
Bangladesh this season, officials and experts said.
Harvest of the fruit will get full momentum soon and
continue till May next as hundreds of enthusiastic farmers
and commoners have cultivated the fruit on commercial
basis this season in the region.
Bangladesh Strawberry Association launched coordinated
strawberry research and cultivation activities involving
various seed farms and nurseries in recent years that
quickly popularized its farming. The officials and experts
said that Prof Dr Manjur Hossain of the Department of
Botany of Rajshahi University (RU) first pioneered the
technology and launched strawberry farming using tissue
culture method.
Many farmers have cultivated strawberry and already
started its early harvests in Panchagarh, Thakurgaon,
Dinajpur, Nilphamari, Rangpur, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat,
Kurigram, Joypurhat, Naogaon and other northern districts
this season. Many others have also been cultivating the
fruits at their homesteads and also on their roof tops
using the tubs to have tastes of one of the most
nutritious and flavorful fruits in the region. Local
people said that commercial basis strawberry farming has
already become very popular in Haldharjyote village under
Sadar upazila of Panchagarh paving the way for its further
expanded cultivation in the area.
Strawberry expert and Deputy Secretary Mahbubul Alam and
Horticulturist Mezbahul Islam told BSS that the soil,
climate and topographic conditions of the region are very
much suitable for strawberry cultivation.
Head of Agriculture and Environment of RDRS Bangladesh Dr
MG Neogi said that expanded farming of strawberry could
open a new horizon in the rural agriculture sector if
easier marketing facilities could be ensured at the
grassroots levels.
They elaborated how Dr Manjur evolved RU-1, RU-2 and RU-3
(Rabi-1,2,3) varieties of strawberry through tissue
culture method using Semiclonal Variation Technology at
the Plant Breeding and Gene Engineering Laboratory at
Botany Department in RU.
The experts and strawberry grower Hafizur Rahman of
Panchagarh emphasised the need for dissemination of the
technological ideas and innovation of ways for its
expanded cultivation and easy marketing in the region.
BSS
Mobile court sentences five drug
addicts
Rangpur : A
mobile court sentenced five drug addicts after DB police
arrested them from different places in the city on
Wednesday, police said.
A special DB police team led by Sub-inspector Mostafizur
Rahman arrested Tomal, 24, and Comet, 23, of Pirpur
village from G L Roy road in the city while they were
drinking wine.
Besides, the same team arrested Sirajul Islam, 31, and
Ahsanur Rahman, 28, of Guptapara area and Raju Mian, 22,
of Jalkar area in the city from Stadium area while they
were smoking heroin. Later, the police produced the
arrested drug addicts before the mobile court of Executive
Magistrate Alia Ferdousi and after hearing of the cases,
the court sentenced all of them to various terms. BSS
Onion-seed farming gains momentum
in Rajshahi
Rajshahi ;
Onion-seed farming has been gaining momentum everywhere in
the country's northwest region including its high barind
tract alongside the onion farming following gradual rising
of onion demands.
Agriculturists, farmers and others concerned are expecting
bumper production of onion-seed this season due to the
prevailing suitable climatic condition.
They are predicting that around 80 to 100 mounds of seed
would be produced from per bigha of land during the
forthcoming harvesting season. In this regard, they said
per kilograms of seed was sold at Taka 600 to Taka 1000 in
the last sowing season.
Talking to BSS, some of the farmers-Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal,
Mojibur Rahman, Faruque Hossain, Akter Hossain, Younus Ali
and Jakir Hossain expressed their happiness over the
farming condition and said they could make profit of Taka
50,000 to one lakh from the outputs.
Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE)
Nurul Amin informed that some 1850 farmers cultivated
onion-seed on 50 hectares of land with total production
target of 17 metric tons in the district. Due to the
favorable climatic condition, he said that around 350
kilograms of seed would be harvested from per hectare of
land. Around 2,000 farmers would be benefited through the
seed farming this season, he hoped.
Meanwhile, he added that around 7,376 hectares of land
were brought under onion farming in the district and most
of the farmers cultivate Taherpuri variety as its yield is
higher than any other variety. BSS
Programmes
finalized to celebrate Bangabandhu’s birthday in N-dists
Rangpur : The administrations have finalised programmes to
observe the birthday of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and National Children Day on March
17 next in a befitting manner in the northern districts.
The concerned district administrations arranged separate
meetings in recent days at the conference rooms of the
concerned Deputy Commissioners with the respective Deputy
Commissioners in the chairs to finalize the elaborate
programmes. District level leaders of Awami League and
other political parties, Freedom Fighters, heads of all
government departments and educational institutions,
District Information Officers, District Education
Officers, District Children Affairs Officer, took part in
the meeting.
Senior officials, heads of different private and
professional organisations, bodies and institutions,
representatives from different socio-cultural and
volunteer organizations and NGOs, women activist and
public representatives also attended. The meetings decided
for erecting portrait of Bangabandhu at the district and
upazila level central Shahed Minars and to begin
observance of the birthday through placing floral wreaths
at the portrait at 9 am in the morning on March 17.
The programmes also include children gathering, colourful
rallies of under privileged children, drawing, handwriting
and essay writing competitions, discussion meeting, prize
distribution and cultural functions. UNB
Global
Innovation Competition launched for disaster recovery and
reconstruction
Dhaka: Three international bodies are launching a
competition aimed at capturing innovative services,
products and approaches to post-disaster recovery and
reconstruction as natural disasters continue to take a
huge toll in death and destruction.
The global Innovation Competition invites submissions that
describe practices or tools that could be replicated in
other disaster-hit areas around the world. Five of the
most innovative entrants will present their work at the
World Reconstruction Conference (WRC) in Geneva May 10-13,
said a World Bank press release.
Sponsored by the Global Facility for Disaster
Reconstruction and Recovery (GFDRR), the UN International
Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) and the World Bank,
the competition will showcase innovation in post-disaster
services, products and approaches implemented at the local
level.
"Local innovative responses have played a key role in
determining how well communities coped with a devastating
natural event. We want to learn and build on these local
experiences and solutions in the wake of natural
disasters," said Zoubida Allaoua, Director of the Finance,
Economics and Urban Development Department, which houses
the GFDRR in the World Bank.
The deadline for entries to the WRC Innovation Competition
is March 15, 2011. For more information please visit:
www.wrc-2011.org. Submissions will be judged on their
innovation, community connection, impact and feasibility
for replication and scaling up. Only already implemented
initiatives will be accepted.
The Competition is one feature of the World Reconstruction
Conference-the first ever large-scale global conference
focused on natural disaster recovery and reconstruction.
Organized by the World Bank and the United Nations, the
Conference will be held from May 10-13, 2011 within the
Third Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in
Geneva. UNB
Sports
Trott and Bell lead England to 327
Led by Jonathan Trott's 92, England's top order continued its
productive form as they posted a hefty 327 for 8 against
Ireland in Bangalore. Trott, who equalled the record for
reaching 1000 ODI runs in fewest innings by matching the 21
taken by Viv Richards and Kevin Pietersen, added 167 for the
third wicket with Ian Bell as the Irish attack struggled to
stem the scoring rate on a flat surface although late wickets
restricted the onslaught.
Andrew Strauss and Pietersen laid a strong platform by adding
91 for the first wicket although both played poor shots when
much bigger scores were on offer. Pietersen's reverse sweep
off Paul Stirling was especially disappointing after a brisk
59 but Trott isn't a man to forgo such run-scoring
opportunities so wastefully.
For the first time in the tournament England needed to set a
target after Strauss decided to bat first and Pietersen made
his intent clear with three early boundaries off Boyd Rankin.
Strauss had a nervous moment as a top edge looped over George
Dockrell at fine leg for six, but having hit such heights
against India with his 158 it wasn't surprising that his early
strokeplay lacked the clarity of that innings. However, with
Pietersen in such commanding touch it was the captain's turn
to let someone else lead the way.
Ireland were hampered by the absence of the steady Andre Botha
who took 3 for 32 against Bangladesh and struggled to maintain
control. In the build-up to the match William Porterfield, the
Ireland captain, hinted he may open the bowling with
Dockrell's left-arm spin but it wasn't until the 12th over
that the 18-year-old appeared. Pietersen was quickly down the
pitch and flicked him through midwicket to bring up fifty from
40 balls and it was all very easy for England.
Perhaps it was too easy, because both openers played needless
shots when there was a chance of copious boot-filling. Strauss
walked across his stumps to try and manufacture a shot through
fine leg and Pietersen, having crunched another six over
midwicket off Mooney, top-edged a reverse sweep in Stirling's
first over who became an unexpected weapon with his offspin.
Pietersen has never been a batsman to shine when opposition or
conditions haven't tested him but he'd thrown away the ideal
chance for his first ODI century since 2008. England, though,
continued to move along at a healthy rate as Trott started
brightly. He slotted consecutive boundaries off Mooney then
started to work the ball around neatly as he settled alongside
Bell.
Ireland nearly separated them by a run out when Trott was late
to react to Bell's call for a second to deep square and if the
throw had gone straight to the bowler's end, rather than the
keeper first, Trott would have been found short. But it was
their only alarm as they milked an unthreatening attack where
batsman error was the main form of dismissal.
Bell's was a lovely, easy, innings as he built with smart
placement and deft touches to tick off his fifty from 61
balls. The batting Powerplay, which derailed England's chase
against India, was taken at the start of the 38th over and
this time it proved more profitable with 45 runs coming, but
were also aided by some loose deliveries with both Alex Cusack
and Dockrell spearing five wides down the leg side.
Dockrell didn't quite live up to the hype with his 10 overs
costing 68 and coupled with another expensive display from
Rankin it made for a tough day, while some fumbling ground
fielding didn't help Ireland's cause. Bell fell to the final
ball of the fielding restrictions when he was well caught at
midwicket off Mooney, who continued to do a valuable job for
his team by removing Trott.
The innings didn't quite finish in the convincing manner that
England would have wanted as Matt Prior was bowled by
Johnston's slower ball and Paul Collingwood picked out long-on
three balls after clearing the same man. Johnston became the
first Ireland bowler to take 50 ODI wickets when another
slower delivery did for Michael Yardy and the final five overs
only brought 33 runs. But while 338 wasn't enough for India
three days ago England will expect to defend this with room to
spare. Cricinfo Online
 Spinner
Razzak enjoys bowling on placid wicket; takes it challenge
Dhaka: Bangladesh spinner Abdur Razzak on Wednesday said that
he enjoys bowling on placid wicket and takes it as a challenge
to get wickets from such pitch.
"Every match is a big match for us in the World Cup… we give
equal importance to all our remaining group matches whether we
face Netherlands or England," he said before a practice
session at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, the
match venue, in the afternoon.
Razzak said they had very good practice sessions in the last
couple of days and the boys are very confident to do well
against West Indies in the next match on Friday (March 4).
Replying to a question about the Bangladesh team plan for the
next match, he said the plan would be always the same - to
maintain line and length and pace variation.
Asked whether it will be tough for Bangladesh to go to the 2nd
round, Razzak said: "We are looking match by match and not the
five matches at a time… we are only thinking about West Indies
right now."
Commenting about Bangladesh's last match against Ireland, he
said:
"That match was a tight one. We lost couple of wickets despite
a good start, but we came back in the game showing good
bowling."
Asked about his performance in the last two matches, the left
arm spinner said he tried his best to deliver good bowling,
but failed to get the desired result. "I hope to regain my
form in the next match."
He said the wicket for the third match may favor spin compared
to the previous two matches."I don't feel any pressure at
all…I never think getting wicket is big achievement for a
bowler as despite bowling well many have failed to get
wickets," Razzak said.
Asked about Bangladesh's failure to make proper use of power
play in the last two matches, he said that except India in the
opening match no other team could make proper use of power
play. It may be because of weather or something else.
"I don't feel frustrated not getting wicket in the
batting-friendly wicket. Rather, I enjoy taking the
challenge," Razzak told aquestioner. UNB
Bangladesh League
Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club beat Rahmatganj MFS 2-1
Dhaka: Star-studded newcomers Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club
moved to the 3rd slot in the Grameenphone Bangladesh
League beating Rahmatganj MFS by 2-1 goals at Bir
Shreshtha Mostafa Kamal Stadium in city's Kamlapur on
Wednesday.
With the day's 5th victory, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmodi Club
shares the 3rd slot in the league table with Sheikh
Russell KC securing 18 points from nine matches.
Rahmatganj MFS went down to the 5th slot from 4th with 16
points after the day's defeat.
Two national colour strikers Zahid Hasan Emily and Enamul
scored one goal each for the winners in either half of the
match while Idris Kasirye of Uganda netted the lone goal
for the losers.
Emily put Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club ahead in the 17th
minute with a rebound shot when a powerful shot of his
attacking partner Enamul came his way from Rahmatganj
goalie Iran Sheikh (1-0)
The old Dhaka outfit Rahmatganj restored parity in the
28th minute when an angular right footer of Ugandan
striker Idris Kasirye off a Rimon pass found the net
(1-1).
Enamul scored in the 53rd minute from a penalty to double
the margin of Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club (2-1).
Cameroon midfielder Modo Hugues was brought down by the
Rahmatganj defenders and Enamul converted the spot kick in
his second attempt as his first strike was blocked by Iran
Sheikh.The 10th round match begins today with Chittagong
Abahani Limited taking on Feni Soccer Club at the Cox's
Bazar Stadium. UNB
SA
search for second win
The minnows haven't exactly covered themselves in glory so
far in this World Cup, which those who are looking for an
excuse to excise them from the 2015 tournament will use as
grounds to support their argument. But there must be an
upset brewing somewhere.
Surely there must be. Netherlands v South Africa is
unlikely to be the one, though, if the history of the two
teams is any indication.
They've met twice before, and South Africa have completed
huge victories both times - a 221-run margin in the 2007
World Cup and a 160-run win back in 1996.
This World Cup has taught us two things about the
Netherlands batting line-up. One is that they are capable
of posting big totals, as they showed with a Ryan ten
Doeschate-inspired 292 against England in their opening
game in Nagpur. The second is that express pace bowling
can be their downfall, as Kemar Roach's six-for
demonstrated in their second game. And Dale Steyn
qualifies as express, so they're in for a tough battle in
Mohali. Cricinfo Online
Lampard slows United's title
charge
London: Frank Lampard breathed fresh life into the Premier
League title race as the Chelsea midfielder's
controversial late penalty clinched a 2-1 victory over
leaders Manchester United on Tuesday.
Lampard's dramatic winner came after referee Martin
Atkinson ruled that United defender Chris Smalling had
brought down Chelsea substitute Yuri Zhirkov with 10
minutes to go at Stamford Bridge. It was a hammer blow for
United, who suffered just their second league defeat this
season despite taking the lead through Wayne Rooney's
first-half strike.
Brazilian defender David Luiz equalised with his first
goal for Chelsea soon after half-time and Lampard sealed
the points before captain Nemanja Vidic was sent off for a
second booking in stoppage time. While fourth-place
Chelsea's hopes of retaining the title are still slender
as they trail United by 12 points, their win has done a
massive favour to second-place Arsenal. The Gunners can
close to within one point of Sir Alex Ferguson's team if
they win their game in hand. Ferguson was furious with
Atkinson's penalty decision and the official's failure to
send off Luiz for a series of hard tackles. "We defended
badly for the first goal, That was a bad one to lose but
the penalty kick was so soft, deary me," Ferguson said.
"It's three years in a row that decisions have changed the
game here. It was incredible. "Luiz had done (Javier)
Hernandez off the ball and nothing was done. Then he does
Rooney, clear as day.
"You are talking about what changed the game in the second
half, these are decisions that change the game and he is
going to be refereeing every week!"
Ashley Cole, hit by revelations that he accidently shot a
student with an air-rifle at Chelsea's training ground,
was greeted with shouts of "shoot" from both sets of fans
whenever he got anywhere near United's penalty area.
Nicolas Anelka took that advice as he flashed wide from
long range.
Chelsea midfielder Ramires was lucky to escape with just a
booking for an ugly two-footed lunge on Michael Carrick
and that brutal assault sparked United into life.
Ferguson's side, who last won at Chelsea back in 2002,
threatened for the first time when Patrice Evra's low
cross narrowly eluded Rooney and should have taken the
lead moments later. AFP
Pakistan
mull changes ahead of Canada game
Pakistan are striving to strike a balance between
experimentation and momentum, always a tricky proposition,
ahead of their group game against Canada at the R
Premadasa on Thursday. Pakistan are currently unbeaten at
the top of Group A, and have fielded unchanged line-ups in
their first two games against Kenya and Sri Lanka.
Under normal circumstances they would be loath to change a
winning XI, but an injury and an opportunity to rest
senior players in what is still a long road ahead, is
likely to see them make changes in personnel, if not
strategy. Abdur Rehman is out with an adductor muscle
injury, so Saeed Ajmal has a strong chance to make his
World Cup debut.
Pakistan will also consider whether or not to rest Shoaib
Akhtar; the management are keen to handle the 35-year-old
fast bowler with care and he played a starring role in a
full ten-over performance against Sri Lanka.
Wahab Riaz would be a more than able replacement, but as a
former fast bowler, Waqar Younis, the Pakistan coach,
knows that rest is not always the best way to go.
"We haven't decided on the team yet," Waqar said. "We are
thinking about it [of resting Shoaib] but then again, at
this age or time, sometimes rest is not good, because you
want to get that rhythm and momentum going. You don't want
to take too long a rest because it is too hot and you need
to be used to that. So I'm not sure at the moment."
The magnitude of the event also means that Pakistan want
to keep their best XI playing in every game for the sake
of momentum and togetherness. "To an extent it is true but
then this is a big tournament and you don't want to take a
risk, you want to have you best team available to play
every match so that you don't lose momentum," Waqar said.
"There are a couple of niggles, like Misbah's [ul-Haq]
hamstring, but he is okay. Rehman has a problem, but the
tournament is such that we want to play our team every
match.
"I don't think there is any easy match or one that can be
taken lightly. We played well against Sri Lanka, but it's
still early days. There are bigger teams ahead. It's good
that we won against Sri Lanka, but tomorrow's another game
and we need to come out and keep the momentum going."
Pakistan have only played Canada once in an ODI, an
eight-wicket win at the 1979 World Cup, so this is
unchartered territory for both teams. They met at a
Twenty20 quadrangular tournament in Toronto in August 2008
but that is it. "We played against them last year in
Canada [2008] and we have seen a little bit of them,"
Waqar said. "We have seen the videos, so we are going to
see the game before we play them tomorrow but we are fully
prepared for every single game."
Cricinfo Online
Glory days will return, says
Windies boss
Dhaka: Former West Indies captain Richie Richardson said
on Wednesday he looked forward to another era of Caribbean
domination in world cricket, saying the journey had
already begun.
"The glory days will be back soon," Richardson told AFP
ahead of his team's crucial World Cup game against hosts
Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium on Friday. "I can
never forget those days when we dominated the world. Every
team has its up and downs, but I am confident we will get
there because we are on the right path."
Both the West Indies and Bangladesh are eyeing a crucial
win to boost their quarter-final hopes, but Richardson,
49, who now manages the visitors, refused to put his team
under pressure. "Every World Cup game is important for
us," Richardson told reporters as the West Indies trained
for three hours under the hot sun.
"We know Bangladesh have proved to be a good side in
recent years, but there is no reason why we can't match
anything they have to offer."
Richardson discounted suggestions that the West Indies
will struggle to cope with unfamiliar conditions in
Bangladesh, where they have not played since 2002.
The three senior pros in the current squad-Chris Gayle,
Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul-are the only
survivors from the tour.
"A team should be able to adjust to all conditions if it
wants to win the World Cup," said Richardson. "This
tournament is the pinnacle of the sport and we are quite
excited to be playing in Dhaka. "We have two full days to
adjust to the conditions and we won't be found wanting on
Friday."
The West Indies bounced back after their seven-wicket
defeat to South Africa, thrashing the Netherlands by a
massive 215 runs in New Delhi on Monday.
Gayle hammered 80, big-hitting Kieron Pollard smashed 60
off 27 balls and pace spearhead Kemar Roach grabbed 6-27,
including a hat-trick, to issue a stern warning to
Bangladesh. Richardson, a stylish top-order batsman,
played international cricket between 1983 and 1996 when
the Caribbean stars ruled the world under Clive Lloyd and
then Vivian Richards. AFP
Richardson
feeling very confident about West Indies
Think Richie Richardson and a few quintessential images
come to mind. There is the wide-brimmed maroon hat that
refused to give way to a helmet; the cut, that real,
violent cut; and the Calypso hook. But there is another
image: Richardson at the end of the 1996 World Cup
semi-final having just watched Courtney Walsh play an
extravagant shot and be bowled.
That left West Indies five short of a tie that would have
taken them to the final. There are three balls still to
go, but Richardson has no partner left. Sadly, that is the
enduring Richardson image.
"I have some good ones. And I have some not-so-good-ones,"
Richardson said of his memories of the last World Cup in
the subcontinent. "I feel that at one stage we were
playing well enough, and we would have beaten Sri Lanka in
the final had we gone through. I was a bit disappointed; I
have to admit, when we were beaten by Australia in the
semi-final.
I thought that we relaxed too much." You wonder if this
cannot be said of West Indies cricket in general since -
that they have relaxed too much.
Richardson is back in the subcontinent for a World Cup,
this time as West Indies' manager, and has put the past
behind him. "I was very disappointed because of that, but
that's history now, and we are focussing on what is ahead
of us.
I am just hoping that the guys continue playing positive
cricket, and we can beat every single team that comes up
against us." To listen to his press conference is to be
transported back to West Indies' heyday, so bullish and
full of confidence is it. Cricinfo online
Mayweather eyes South Africa
fight
Las Vegas, Nevada: Unbeaten US boxer Floyd Mayweather, who
is facing felony charges that could bring in 34 years
behind bars, is talking about staging a fight in South
Africa in July, his uncle Jeff says.
Jeff Mayweather, a former fighter himself, told the
website www.fighthype.com his nephew was in talks with the
family of Nelson Mandela about a possible fight around the
time of Mandela's 93rd birthday on July 18.
Having Floyd Mayweather, 41-0 with 25 knockouts, fight
anywhere has become a rare event. His last bout was 10
months ago when he won a unanimous decision over Shane
Mosley, who will fight Filipino star Manny Pacquiao on May
7.
Floyd Mayweather's only other fight since December of 2007
was a 2009 decision over Juan Manuel Marquez that ended an
18-month hiatus from the ring.
Fight fans have dreamed of a Pacquiao-Mayweather showdown,
although it is unlikely "Pretty Boy Floyd" would take on
such a fight in South Africa after a layoff and that
Pacquiao would return to the ring so soon to meet
Mayweather. A fight in South Africa in July could set the
stage for a possible November or December fight against
Pacquiao. "I know he is talking to Nelson Mandela's
daughter," Jeff Mayweather said. "Of course, in the midst
of that, they are also trying to make the fight between
Floyd and Manny." AFP
Mallorca end Espanyol jinx
with comeback win
Madrid: Real Mallorca recorded their first away win at
Espanyol in over a decade with a 2-1 comeback win at the
Cornella-El Prat thanks to second half goals from Pierre
Webo and Emilio Nsue on Tuesday.
Fifth-placed Espanyol had taken an 18th minute lead
through Alvaro Vazquez but Cameroon forward Webo headed an
equaliser on 62 minutes and Nsue netted the winner eight
minutes from time as the islanders won at Espanyol for the
first time since 2000.
It is a major setback for Espanyol's European hopes and
Athletic Bilbao, two points behind in sixth, can move
above them with a win at Real Zaragoza on Wednesday.
For Mallorca it was only their third away win of the
season as they move four points off the top six.
With just seven minutes gone Mallorca won a penalty with
centre-back Jordi Amat clipping Webo in the box. Chori
Castro stepped up but goalkeeper Carlos Kameni guessed the
right way and got down low to palm away the spot-kick.
A minute later Espanyol went down the other end and Jose
Callejon crashed a shot against the post in a thrilling
opening.
The hosts got the breakthrough on 18 minutes with Mallorca
getting their offside trap horribly wrong as Vazquez bent
his run before keeping a cool head to slot home. Mallorca
thought they had equalised on the half hour mark but
Webo's header was harshly ruled out for offside.
Livewire Webo got the goal his performance deserved with a
header to level the scores just after the hour mark.
Winger Nsue then popped up with a late 82nd minute winner
as Mallorca took the spoils.
Later on Tuesday Sevilla host Sporting Gijon aiming to
fight through the fatigue barrier and boost their hopes of
a top six finish. AFP
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