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Leading News
Historic May Day today
BSS, Dhaka
The historic May Day will be observed today (Saturday) in
the country as elsewhere in the world with a renewed
pledge to protect the rights of workers and create a
labour- friendly working atmosphere.
The day is observed across the world every year since 1886
commemorating the supreme sacrifices of workers at the Hay
Market in the United States to establish the rights of
eight-hour working day and with a renewed pledge to uphold
the rights of working class.
Many working people sacrificed their lives on May 1, 1886
and the following days during series of movements, bomb
attacks, riots and police actions on agitating workers
while they were on a three-day strike at Hay Market in
Chicago.
The Hay Market incident was a source of inspiration for
people around the globe. As such, May Day has become an
international celebration of the social and economic
achievements of the labour movement. The day is a public
holiday.
President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
in separate messages greeted the working class people of
the country and wished their overall welfare. Leader of
the opposition and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia also
congratulated the working class people on the occasion of
May Day.
The Prime Minister will open the May Day programmes at 10
am in the Osmani Memorial Hall. The programmes include
discussion, seminar, cultural function and a three-day
fair. A colourful rally will be brought out at 8.00 am
from the premises of 'Shrama Bhaban' in Motijheel area and
it will end in front of the Osmani Memorial Hall via Zero
Point.
Labour and Employment and Expatriates Welfare and Overseas
Employment Minister Engineer Khan-daker Mosharraf Hossain
will lead the rally.
Newspapers will publish special supplements, while
Bangladesh Betar, BTV and private TV channels will air
special programmes highlighting the significance of the
day.
Road islands will be decorated with banners, festoons and
placards. Different political and labour organizations,
particularly the labour wings of political parties,
professional bodies and cultural organizations have
chalked out elaborate programmes to celebrate the day.
Jatiya Shramik League, the labour wing of Bangla-desh
Awami League, will arrange a worker-employee rally in
front of AL central office in the city at 10 am. The rally
will be followed by a colourful procession which will
parade different city streets.
Bangladesh Trade Union Sangha, Udichi Shilpi Goshthi,
Karmajibi Nari, Samajtantrik Shramik Front, Dhaka Union of
Journalists, Dhaka Saw Mills Workers Union, Sarak
Paribahan Shramik Federation and Dhaka Taxi Cab Drivers
Union have drawn up various programmes on the occasion.
Dhaka
hopeful of Teesta water treaty with Delhi soon: Ramesh
BSS, Dhaka
Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen on Friday said
that Bangla-desh is hopeful of singing the Teesta river
water sharing treaty with India soon.
Preparations in this regard are on to hold a secretary
level meeting in Dhaka between Bangla-desh and India soon,
he said while talking to BSS here today.
Ramesh said the meeting would discuss in detail the draft
proposals placed by India and Bangladesh in the last Joint
River Commission (JRC) meeting held in New Delhi to
prepare specific proposals for the water sharing treaty.
"The meeting in New Delhi decided that the next JRC
meeting to be held in Dhaka would focus on the Teesta
Water Sharing treaty," he said.
The Minister referred to the possible catastrophic
situation to be created in Rangpur, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon,
Kurigram and Gaibandha districts if the Teesta water is
not available there. This is a serious issue and the
Indian leadership would have to be sympathetic in this
regard, he said. In the last JRC meeting in New Delhi,
Bangla-desh and India signed a Memorandum of
Under-standing (MoU) to conclude an interim treaty on the
Teesta water sharing. There was no JRC meeting between the
two countries in five years after the minister-level
meeting held in September 2005.
Dhaka and New Delhi agreed on water sharing during Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit in January this year.
Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh
asked their concerned ministers to hold a JRC meeting
within three months.
Hasina and Nasheed for boosting bilateral relations
UNB, Dhaka
President of the Maldives Mohammed Nasheed, stayed nearly
one hour at Hazrat Shahjalal Airport here on Friday
afternoon on his way to Shanghai, China.
Nasheed had short bilateral talks with Sheikh Hasina at
the VVIP lounge of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport
in the afternoon, Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni told UNB
after the meeting.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Maldives
President Moha-mmed Nasheed arrived at the airport on
board the same flight of Bhutanese Druk airlines.
The aircraft carrying the two leaders flew from Bhutan's
Paro International Airport at 12:10 pm (local time) and
landed at the Shahjalal Airport at 12:50 pm. At the
Shahjalal Airport, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came out
of the aircraft first and later received Maldives
President Nasheed and his spouse Laila Ali Abdulla at the
VVIP lounge. Both Sheikh Hasina and Mohammed Nasheed
attended the 16th SAARC Summit held Thimpu on April 28-29
that adopted a 36-point 'Thimpu Silver Jubilee
Declaration' endorsing Bangladesh's proposal for a
"Charter of Democ-racy" for regional cooperation aimed at
strengthening good governance.
Prime Minister Hasina wished success of the 17th Summit of
the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
to be held in the Maldives.
The Maldives President also invited Hasina to visit
Maldives at her convenience.
Another death in 'crossfire'
26 extra-judicial killings in four months
TBT Report
Another leader of a outlawed party named Gono Mukti Fouj
was killed in a 'shootout' between his cohorts and police
in Shailokupa upazila of Jhenidah district on Friday.
Accoring to police, the deceased was identified as Gias
Uddin of Baroihuda village. Gias was reportedly holding a
clandestine meeting in a field of Bagura village when
police reached the spot. After a gunfight the bullet-hit
body of Gias Uddin was found on the spot and was taken to
Shailokupa upazila health complex. However, doctors
declared him dead.
With Gias, the total number of extra judicial killings
rose to 118 in nine months from August 2009 to April 30 of
2010.
With this 26 extrta judicial killings took place in first
four months of the current year of 2010.
The last incident of crossfire killing took place in
Chittagong on April 16,2010. On that occasion an alleged
notorious terrorist was killed in 'shootout' between his
cohorts and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members at
Anannya residential area under Bayezid Bostami thana in
Chittagong early on 16 April taking the total of such
extra judicial killings to 117 in eight and half months
from August 1, 2009 to April 16, 2010. With that 25 extra
judicial killings took place in the year of 2010.
BNP fearful of
outcome of Hasina-Manmohan bilateral meeting
UNB,Dhaka
Opposition BNP is fearful of the outcome the bilateral
meeting between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on the sideline of the
just concluded 16th SAARC Summit in Thimpu.
Talking to the reporters at his residence on Friday, BNP
Secretary General Khandakar Delwar Hossain said people of
Bangladesh have become afraid following the reaching of
consensus by the two prime ministers on implementing the
decisions taken and agreements signed between Dhaka New
Delhi during Sheikh Hasina's visit to India last January.
He said people do not know what is there in the agreements
while India is eager to implement the agreements as it
will be in their favour.
Delwar, however, appreciated the two agreements signed in
the 16th SAARC Summit in Bhutan.
He lamented that the SAARC, even after 25 years of its
inception, did not reach the desired goals for not
resolving bilateral issues of the member countries of the
group.
The BNP leader criticized India for what he said not
maintaining proper relations with its neighboring
countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan.
Replying to a question about Indian Prime Minster Manmohan
Singh's assurance to help Bangladesh in continuing its
democracy, Delwar said now there is no democracy both
inside and outside of parliament in the country. "Do they
(India) want to continue such democracy for its interest
keeping a puppet government in power?"
Jamaat’s meeting
comes under police attack, 20 activists injured in Pabna
UNB, Pabna
A meeting organized by Jamaat-e-Islami on the outskirts of
town came under attack by police, leaving 20 activists
injured Friday.
Local sources said Jamaat earlier rented the Town Hall
Maidan and Doel Community Centre in the town for holding
its associate member conference there at 9am on Friday.
But police at 11pm on Thursday imposed Section 144 in the
venue and around its party office, saying that they took
the actions as Bangladesh Chhatra League and Jubo League
also called their programme there same time. Being failed
to hold its scheduled programme, Jamaat started their
meeting at Rajarpur playground, on the outskirts of the
town, where large number of party activists assembled at
9am.
Later, huge number of riot police arrived at the meeting
venue, forcibly switched off the microphone and asked the
Jamaat leaders not to continue their programme. At that
time, Jamaat leaders asked police not to obstruct their
meeting and sought their cooperation in holding their
meeting.
Later, more riot police, led by Sadar thana OC Motiur
Rahman, arrived at the venue 9:30am and indiscriminately
charged baton on the Jamaat activists, forcing the
activists to run here and there for safety, leaving them
injured.
The law enforcers, at one stage, dismantled the podium.
Jamaat central Nayeb-e Ameer Maulana Abdus Sobhan,
assistant secretary general Abdul Kader Molla and
publicity secretary Tasnim Alam were scheduled to address
the meeting, but they failed to go to the venue due to
obstruction by police.
Kader Siddiqui’s
motorcade attacked, 15 injured
UNB, Tangail
A group of Awami Jubo League workers attacked the
motorcade of Krishak Sramik Janata League chief Abdul
Kader Siddiqui at Matikata in Bhuapur upazila Friday
afternoon.
The attack led to a clash between two groups leaving at
least 15 people injured, and one microbus and three
motorbikes damaged.
Police and witnesses said Kader Siddiqui went to Matikata
at about 4:30 pm to inaugurate the stockyard of his
construction farm "Sonar Bangla Engineering" and to
supervise the works of his another institution "Banu Mahal".
At that time, local Jubo League was holding a meeting at
Matikata bus stand. All on a sudden some Jubo League
workers raising "Joy Bangla" slogan attacked Siddiqui's
motorcade, leading to chase and counter-chase between the
two groups.
A local photographer Abdur Razzak while taking shots was
injured along with dozen others. Seriously injured Janata
League worker Abdur Razzak was admitted into Tangail
general hospital.
Bhuapur Upazila AL president Masudul Huq Masud claimed
that the clash erupted when Siddiqui's motorcade passed
through the Jubo League rally. Tangail Janata League
general secretary Adv Rafiqul Islam termed the attack
unprovoked.
Back Page
Mongla port turning active, starts
to earn profit
UNB, Bagerhat
Mongla port, which incurred losses since long, has started
to earn profit as some necessary steps were taken to make
it active and vibrant, port sources and officials said.
The second largest seaport of the country faced crisis as
the number of ships using the port were decreasing day by
day. The port incurred Tk 50.33 crore losses in the last
four years.
In this situation, the government took some pragmatic
measures to make it active.
Meanwhile, some mach-ines were purchased to ease cargo and
container handling and the charge for goods unloading
reduced.
Mongla Port Authority chairman Commodore M Faruq told UNB
that char-ges for goods unloading have been reduced to Tk
30 from Tk 65.
Besides, initiatives have been taken for dredging the
river to ease vessel movement. Government has given yearly
allocation of Tk 10 crore for dredging, he said. The port
started to see profit since September, 2009, sources said.
The chairman said recently some private cars and
microbuses imported from Japan were unloaded in the port.
Fertilizer-laden cargoes are also anchoring in the port,
he added.
The expense of goods unloading has come down as stevedores
are now in a position to recruit workers as per their
requirement following the abolition of dock workers
management board. In fiscal 2005-06, more than 130 ships
anchored in the port followed by 110 ships in 2006-07, 95
ships in 2007-08, and 151 ships in 2008-09.
The port incurred loss of Tk 11.09 crore in fiscal
2005-06, Tk 16.40 crore in 2006-07, Tk 16.93 crore in
2007-08 and Tk 5.91 crore in 2008-09. Mongla port was
established at Chalna in 1950. Later, it was shifted to
the bank of the Pashur River as the second largest seaport
of the country in 1954.
15 killed in road
crashes in Gazipur, Manikganj, Barisal and Habiganj
UNB, Gazipur
Five people were killed and seven others injured in
separate road accidents in Sadar upazila on Thursday
night.
Police said the first accident occurred at Nauzor as a bus
rammed into a leguna, leaving Badal Chandra Das, 40, and
Shankar Chandra, 35, dead on the spot at about 11pm.
Nine people injured in the accident were admitted to Sadar
Hospital where Harun Mia, 25, driver of leguna, and
another unidentified man died after admission. All the
victims are passengers of leguna. The bus driver along
with his vehicle fled away following the accident.
In another accident, Ziaul Haque, helper of a pick-up van,
was injured in a head on collision between a truck and his
pick-up at Bagher Bazar in Sadar upazila Thursday evening.
Later, he died on way to local hospital.
Meanwhile, two women were killed and 15 other people
injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck
at Bhatbaur on Dhaka-Aricha highway here on Thursday
night. The dec-eased were identified as Bilkis Begum, 35,
of Harirampur upazila of the district and Julekha Begum of
Pangsha upazila of Rajbari district. Police said the
Patuakhlai bound bus from Dhaka collided with a truck
coming from opposite direction at about 9pm, leaving the
two women dead on the spot. Eight of the injured were
admitted to Munnu General Hospital here. Police seized the
bus but the truck driver managed to escape with the
vehicle. A case was filed.
Besides, a school boy died when hit by a bus in a road
accident on Hatiqumrul-Bonapara highway in Tarash upazila
on Friday. The deceased was identified as Anwar Hossain, a
student of Class four and son of Younus Ali of Hamkumina
village.
UNB adds from Habiganj: An Italian tourist and three local
children were killed and five people injured in a road
accident in Companybangla area on Dhaka-Sylhet highway in
Madhabpur upazila on Friday evening. The deceased were
identified as Italian citizen Francisco Maria, 40, Panna
Begum, 7, and Kala Mia, 5, both children of Ameer Ali of
village Rasulpur in Madhabpur upazila, and Khadija Begum,
7, daughter of Hasan Ali of village Hajipur of
Brahmanbaria.
Police and witnesses said the driver of a private car,
carrying the Italian touring, lost control and smashed the
vehicle with a roadside tree, killing Francisco Maria and
the three children on the spot.
UNB adds from Barisal: Three people were killed in a road
accident at Bamrail in Uzirpur upazila on Barisal-Dhaka
highway on Friday afternoon. Of the victims, two were
identified as Kamal Hossain, 29, of Morakathi village in
Uzirpur upazila of Barisal, Ali Hossain, 35, of Razabaria
village in Nalchiti upazila in Jhalakati district. The
identity of another deceased, about 55, could not be
immediately ascertained.
Witnesses said the accident occurred at 4:30 pm when a
hired motorcycle with two passengers was going to Torki
from Uzirpur. A truck coming from the opposite direction
rammed the motorcycle, killing the three motorbike riders
on the spot.
Bangladesh’s
achievements in religious freedom lauded by USCIRF
UNB, Dhaka
The latest report released by the United States
Com-mission on International Religious freedom (USCIRF)
lauded Bangladesh's achievements in religious freedom.
According to the report, inclusion of a visible number of
members of minority communities in important political and
administrative positions, Government's persuasion to
restore the original secular character of the
constitution, initiative to repeal the Vested Propert5y
Act, diminishing trend of anti- Ahmadis violence due to
improved and more vigorous police protection, functioning
of the Independent Human Rights Commission are some of the
hallmarks of the present democratic government in
Bangladesh, said a press release of Bangladesh Emb-assy in
Washington.
The present Government is the most secular and favorably
disposed toward minority rights and the parliamentary
elections in 2008 has been free of any anti-minority
violence, the report asserted. This year's report formally
released its 11th Annual Report on Thursday in Washington
DC, contains performance of 28 countries during the period
under review (April 2009 through March, 2010).
The countries were placed under various ratings on the
basis of its findings on "abuses of freedom of thought,
conscience, religion, and belief". The report shows
Bangladesh as continuing its present status i.e.
"Additional Countries Clos-ely Monitored" which represents
the 3rd category of countries of which the Commission is
least critical.
The report also made some specific recommendations for
further improvement in some areas in Bangladesh, among
other countries.
The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal
government Com-mission which makes policy recommendations
to the President, the Secretary pf State and Congress
thro-ugh its yearly reports which carries considerable
importance for the US policy- makers.
Azad seeks all out
support for govt to build digital Bangladesh
BSS, Dhaka
Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Abul Kalam Azad
called upon the people to extend support for materializing
the dream of digital Bangladesh undertaken by the
government for attaining overall economic emancipation of
the people.
The minister made this call as the chief guest at a
function marking celebration of International
Administrative Professionals Day at a city hotel here
Friday morning.
"The present government led by the Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina is working for betterment of the country and that's
why all of us should extend cooperation individually from
our respective position to make it successful", Azad said
at the function organized by the Professional Secretaries
Welfare Association (PSWA), a platform of secretaries and
administrative professionals working at different private
sector companies and autonom-ous bodies. The minister
said, "We have achieved freedom led by the father of the
nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1971, but yet
to reach the target of economic liberty."
He said the present government has declared the charter of
changes as the election manifesto depending to improve the
knowledge of Information Communication and Technol-ogy (ICT)
at all sphere of the nation aiming to turn the country
into a middle-income one within the period of 2021.
Obaida Kabir, PSWA president and former office manager of
ICDDR, B gave welcome address while the PSWA organized the
programme celebrating its 15 years of founding.
Youth killed for eve
teasing in Gopalganj
UNB, Gopalganj
A youth was killed for teasing a girl on Thursday night at
Gimadanga Pashchimpara in Tungipara upazila of the
district. The deceased was identified as Ziaul, son of
Habi Sheikh of the village.
Police quoting local sources said Zahid, nephew of Mafu
Mollah of the village, went out for a walk in the village
with his so-called wife Jahanara at about 8 pm.
An altercation ensued as Ziaul teased Jahanara.
Later, Zahid along with his cousins equipped with sharp
weapons atta-cked Ziaul, leaving him critically injured.
Ziaul was rushed to Tungipara health complex where he
succumbed at about 9 pm. Local people set ablaze the
killers' house and shop.
A case was filed in this connection.
Hanif says BNP out to
regain ‘kingdom of power’
BSS, Dhaka
Acting General Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League
Mahbub-Ul-Alam Hanif Friday said a vested quarter, which
is the beneficiary of 'Hawa Bhaban' and was rejected in
the last general elections, became crazy to get back their
'kingdom of power'.
"But the democracy-loving conscious people of the country
are determined to foil their conspiracy and build a
Digital Bangladesh," he said in a statement here today in
reply to a statement of BNP Secretary General Khodkar
Delwar in newspapers.
Hanif said BNP is making its continuous efforts to get
sympathy of people and misguide them by giving false and
baseless statements to newspapers one after another.
Recently the party started unleashing falsehood awfully,
he said.
"BNP even pointed gun at Awami League for the recent road
accident in Khulna on the day of the party's divisional
rally in which many of their workers died," he said.
Hanif said the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) sued Sayed
Iska-ndar, brother of Begum Khaleda Zia on charge of
acquiring pecuniary property beyond his know income
sources. But, Khandakar Delwar blamed Awami League for the
case and scolded Awami League as a 'fascist government'.
He reminded that BNP founder former president Ziaur Rahman
grabbed the state power by breaking all disciplines and
established the rule of fascism in the country.
Police had cordoned off Awami League central office all
the time during the last BNP-led government and restricted
entrance of party leaders and workers, he said.
"At least on one occasion the police and hired goons had
stormed into Awami League office and we were not allowed
to hold any rally peacefully in anywhere in the country,"
he said.
Mahbub-Ul-Alam Hanif said the government is pledged bound
to bring all corrupt persons whatever influential they
might be to book.
Jamaat protests govt
‘obstructions’ on its rally
UNB, Dhaka
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on Friday protested the
government "obstructions" to the practice of political
rights by the opposition parties.
Jamaat Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Moja-heed made
the protest at a press conference at the party central
office in the city this (Friday) noon.
Mojaheed said they had arranged a rally in city's
Muktangon on Thursday (Apr 29) demanding adequate supply
of electricity, gas and water for the people across the
country, but the government imposed section 144 at the
rally venue. "The present government wants to introduce
one-party rule in the country." He strongly criticized the
government for "imposing restrictions" on all opposition
members of Parliament from traveling aboard. The Jammat
leader said Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami believes in the
politics of peace, not in the polities of violence.
"Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is a legal political party in
the country. At present, it has representation in the
parliament. So, it has the right to holding political
rally and meeting like other political parties."
He demanded immediate release of Jamaat and Shibir leaders
and activists who were arrested across the country over
the last couple of months. Mojaheed also urged the
government to stop "repression" on the opposition leaders
and workers in practicing their political rights.
4 Indian militants
awarded 17 years imprisonment in Sylhet
UNB, Sylhet
A court here on Thursday convicted four Indian militants
and sentenced them to 17 years imprisonment in an arms
case.
The convicts were identified as Robin, 35, son of late
Den, Mil, 28, son of San, Over, 25, son of Ding Ma Ning,
Star, 24, son of Kerbin, residents of Meghalaya state
capital Shilong.
According to the prosecution, the members of BDR arrested
the Indian outlaws from Karabala frontier in Kanaighat
upazila on 15th July in 2005 and recovered one AK-56
rifle, two 9mm pistols, seven magazines, three grenades of
102 model, 316 bullets of AK-56 rifle, 328 bullets of 9mm
pistol and 3,000 Indian rupees and Tk 2,700 from their
possession.
BDR Subedar M Amir Khasru filed a case with Kanaighat
thana against them under Arms Act. After examining the
records and 20 witnesses Additional District and Sessions
Judge M Jalal Uddin Ahmed handed down the verdict.
Editorial
May Day
The
historic May Day is being observed across the world today (
Saturday) with a renewed pledge by the working class to
strengthen their unity and solidarity and uphold their right
causes. With the rest of the world the day is being celebrated
in Bangladesh as well in a befitting manner, but in a limited
scale . Today is an official holiday.
May Day is a celebration of the social and economic
achievements of the international labour movement. May Day
commonly sees organized street demonstrations by millions of
working people and their labour unions throughout the world -
though, rarely in the United States and Canada. The day is
celebrated every year in commemoration of the Hay Market Riot
in Chicago on first day of May 1886 when a number of workers,
demonstrating for an eight- hour working time and other
rights, were killed in police firing. The bloodbath triggered
a labour movement worldwide and subsequently May Day was
formally recognized as an annual event at the International's
second congress in 1891. The day is observed as a public
holiday almost all over the world and marked by huge street
rallies and demonstrations led by workers and their trade
unions, expressing unity and solidarity of the world's working
people.
The May Day is being celebrated in Bangladesh this year under
the lingering shadow of a serious economic stagnation marked
by skyrocketing prices of essentials following the global
economic recession. The middle class, the lower middle class,
the poor and the country's labour force, in particular, are
the worst victims of this alarming situation. A grim and
gloomy prospect and a very tough time seemingly lie ahead of
the working class as an end to the economic crisis looks a
long way off. Continued unrest in the country's vital Ready
Made Garments sector remains a major cause of concern for all
as the historic May Day is being observed today.
Yet, let us hope that the spirit of the great May Day will
provide inspiration and strength for the working class to
withstand the misfortunes and sufferings and work sincerely in
factories, agricultural fields and elsewhere to sustain the
onslaught of the hostile economic environment and ensure a
better future for themselves and the nation.
We convey our best wishes to the country's labour force on
this historic occasion. Long live the spirit of the May Day.
Time to act
Embarrassed
at the rising incidents of tender manipulation, extortion and
woman repression Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed the
home ministry to take stern action against the culprits
irrespective of their creed and colour. The situation has
reached an intolerable level rendering the government in an
embarrassing situation and tarnishing its image, noted the
directive. The directive came in the wake of media reports of
widespread tender manipulation, extortion, eve teasing and
woman repression across the country. In most cases, activists
of BCL and Jubo League, student and youth wings of ruling
Awami League, were allegedly involved in such criminal
activities.
The directive issued from the Prime Minister's secretariat to
the home secretary said the officials concerned failing in
their responsibility to take legal actions against the crimes
should be identified and punished. The directive said, of late
incidents of tenderbaji, hijack of tenderbox, extortion and
terrorism have increased to an intolerable level. Print and
electronic media have been focusing such incidents evoking
sharp criticism from all section of the society against the
indiscipline and illegal activities. It has been observed that
activists of political parties and their front organizations
are involved in such activities.
In fact, tender manipulation, extortion and eve teasing
continued to rise and reach present alarming stage mainly
because those involved in these criminal activities are
associated with and backed by political parties and leaders.
Not only tender manipulation and extortion, the incidents of
eve teasing, repression on female students and women are also
rising alarmingly. Due to such incidents a number of girls
have committed suicide in the recent days at different places
Extortion is rampant in the country nowadays as it is the
easiest way of earning money, though illegally. It has become
so irresistible and widespread that it is almost impossible to
lead the life without bowing to the extortionists. Almost
nothing can be done in the country without paying money to the
miscreants, terrorists and professional extortionists. From
construction of a house to opening s shop or running a
business, or solemnizing a marriage money has to be paid to
the miscreants who control the area. Failure to comply with
their demand may lead to any dreadful eventuality ranging from
destruction of the establishments to physical injury or even
death. Such incidents are reported in newspapers almost
regularly.
It is against this backdrop that the Prime Minister has asked
the home ministry to take stern action against tender
manipulation, extortion and eve teasing. People want such
crimes to be seriously dealt with. It is expected that the
home ministry will go for stern action to stop all such
crimes.
Analysis
At long last, a firm step forward
India and Pakistan wisely decided to transcend
the confines of nomenclature and form in the dialogue The
talks will not work if the leaders succumb to the temptation
of playing to domestic galleries.
Siddharth Varadarajan
The history of
India-Pakistan relations is full of examples of leaders from
both countries travelling to distant points on the globe -
from Tashkent and New York to Sharm el-Sheikh and Havana - to
meet each other only to end up standing still. Meetings held
in the subcontinent, on the other hand, have invariably led to
breakthroughs, big and small. Think Simla and Lahore,
Islamabad and Delhi. Each of these encounters produced
conceptual breakthroughs that briefly carried some promise of
momentum before being swamped by the forces of inertia, dead
habit, treachery or bad faith that are the constants in this
cursed relationship.
To the list of promising South Asian summits can now be added
the name of Thimphu, where Manmohan Singh and Yusuf Raza
Gilani met on Thursday. Defying naysayers within their
respective establishments and wider strategic communities, the
two Prime Ministers crafted a simple but elegant formula for
breaking the current impasse, thereby ensuring that the
process of engagement - stuck for several months - now has
some chance of moving ahead. The Foreign Secretaries and
Foreign Ministers have been tasked with meeting each other to
assess the current state of the relationship and identify the
reasons for the trust deficit. This is to be the first step in
what will eventually lead to a dialogue process aimed at
discussing and resolving all outstanding issues and disputes.
With the "composite" nature of the dialogue becoming a
political stumbling block, India and Pakistan wisely decided
to transcend the confines of nomenclature. The process they
engage in may eventually take the form of the composite
dialogue or, more likely, improve upon it. But that will
depend on two factors, both equally important: the results of
the review the two sides conduct, and their ability to reduce
the trust deficit.
For India, the restoration of trust depends on very simple
metrics. New Delhi's overarching priority is to get Islamabad
to honour its commitment to prevent terrorists from using
Pakistani territory to launch attacks on India. Mr. Gilani
reiterated this promise in Bhutan but the Manmohan Singh
government will need more than mere words in order to convince
sceptics at home. It needs the seven Lashkar-e-Taiba men
currently on trial in Rawalpindi for their involvement in the
November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai punished. And it
needs credible evidence that anti-India terrorist
organisations like the LeT and their leadership no longer have
the freedom to operate. Infiltration levels in the valley,
which have been rising over the past few months, also need to
fall.
Even within the constraints of what Pakistan's increasingly
independent judicial system is prepared to accept, there is a
lot more that the Pakistani government can and must do to
address Indian concerns. The current thaw assumes the absence
of engagement is making it easier for the military
establishment in Pakistan to justify the continuation of its
links with anti-Indian extremists. Prime Minister Singh's
decision to agree to the resumption of dialogue is based on
the principle of trust but verify. If terrorist groups
continue to speak and operate with impunity, chances are any
substantive talks the two sides begin on issues like Kashmir
or Siachen will flounder. After all, the oxygen of trust is
needed to scale those daunting heights, which no leader has
managed to ascend so far. As for water, it is hard to imagine
India agreeing to surrender rights given to it by the Indus
Water Treaty or shouldering obligations not enumerated there -
which is essentially what Pakistan would like it to do - in
the absence of trust and normality. Putting the terrorists out
of business is, therefore, very much in Pakistan's interest.
As the two sides review the relationship, they will try and
come up with a framework that can build on what the composite
dialogue has accomplished so far while transcending its
limitations. It is clear, for example, that bureaucrats and
officials have done all they could to resolve Sir Creek and
Siachen and that those discussions have reached the stage
where a dialogue between politically-empowered envoys is the
only way a settlement can be produced. Similarly on the "core
issue" of Jammu and Kashmir, the back channel has proved to be
a more effective platform for serious negotiation than the
front channel operated by the two Foreign Secretaries. Should
the Kashmir dialogue, too, be made political?
An obstacle here, of course, is that the Pakistani side
appears to have repudiated the understandings reached between
2004-2007 on maintaining the territorial status quo, making
borders irrelevant, demilitarising the area and crafting
administrative links between the two parts of Kashmir. But
even that is not the biggest problem since either party is
well within its right to walk away from the back channel.
Today, however, the real challenge in reviving and working the
back channel is the lack of clarity in Islamabad about who
Riaz Mohammed Khan - the designated counterpart of Satinder
Lambah - will report to.
Political circumstances allowed General Musharraf to work
within the dictum of l'etat c'est moi and India dealt with him
as such. But today there is no clarity. Depending on how the
wider internal politics in Pakistan plays out over the next
year, some clarity may emerge. It is in India's long-term
interest that democracy in Pakistan gets stabilised and
empowered.
This means, every effort must be made to work with Prime
Minister Gilani and his government, while keeping lines of
communication open with other political parties and leaders.
There have also been suggestions in several high-level
Track-II meetings that a dialogue between the intelligence
chiefs of both countries could serve a useful purpose. These
are issues that need to be discussed and evaluated when the
Foreign Secretaries and Ministers take stock of where the
relationship stands.
Alongside this evolving process, forward movement on trade,
investment and energy sector cooperation would produce mutual
gains that could enlarge the constituency for peace in both
countries. None of this will work, however, if the leadership
in India and Pakistan succumbs to the temptation of playing to
domestic galleries. Going by the record of the past few years,
terrorists will attempt to destroy this latest attempt to
restart the dialogue. Acting with maturity and restraint in
the face of provocation will pay more dividends in the long
run. In Thimphu, both Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and
Pakistani Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi struck the
right tone even when "nationalist" questions were thrown at
them. If the dialogue process is to survive the critical early
months, leaders and officials up and down the food chain in
India and Pakistan need to exercise great caution.
The road to
peace
With the
US preparing to withdraw a major part of its forces from
Afghanistan after mid-2011, it is again becoming apparent
that history is about to repeat itself in Afghanistan.
Khalid Aziz
If
we look at our past efforts at crafting a policy for
Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the Soviet Union we
are bound to be dismayed because it is evident that we
made a mess of things in that country.
In our effort to please those who wanted to avenge Vietnam
in Afghanistan, we became complicit in prolonging the
agony of the Afghan people. Little did we realise that
evil begets evil, that it comes home to roost.
By assisting in the task of forcing the Soviets to
withdraw from Kabul and later in the murderous removal of
Dr Najibullah, we allowed the evils of weaponisation and a
drug economy to enter our land. It ruined the traditional
structure of administration in the Federally Administered
Tribal Areas.
Prior to this destabilisation the administration in Fata
was managed indirectly through the maliks and the
political agents. The tribal control mechanism collapsed
since the power shifted from the maliks to the 'nouveau
riche' created by the ISI and the CIA. These new warlords
extended their influence to the NWFP (now Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa) and corrupted the governance system from
Khyber to Karachi.
Our security agencies were pleased that they now had an
ample supply of jihadists who could be deployed in
Indian-held Kashmir to serve a shortsighted foreign policy
agenda through proxy warriors. The result today is that
Pakistan has barely survived going under thanks to the
efforts of barbaric militants who are now a formidable
international force and want to extend their control under
an ideological philosophy that projects a Takfiri-Wahabist
interpretation of Islam.
With the US preparing to withdraw a major part of its
forces from Afghanistan after mid-2011, it is again
becoming apparent that history is about to repeat itself
in Afghanistan. The question is whether or not, this time
around, we will we be wise.
There will be a change in government in Afghanistan sooner
than later because Hamid Karzai will have to leave if the
main party to this conflict, the Taliban, is to be brought
to the negotiation table. The problem here is that many of
those in our security establishment who guide Pakistan's
Afghan and Indian foreign policy are dreaming of again
influencing it so that Afghanistan has a pro-Pakistan
foreign policy under the mischievous concept of 'strategic
depth'.
Surely we must learn from our past. Pakistan should stay
away from a future role in Afghanistan at all costs or the
impending civil war in the next round will enter our land
and there will be no stopping the national nosedive to
extinction. But having said that what is the road to peace
in that unlucky land?
Afghanistan is a very difficult country to understand - it
becomes even more complicated when the dynamics of 'Pakhtunwali'
begin to intercede in the running of the state.
I agree that the ultimate solution to the problem lies in
sorting out the people's difficulties connected with
governance and security in the first place. But that
cannot happen because of the nature of UN intervention and
the Bonn Accord design implemented in Afghanistan post
9/11. It is quite flawed as it runs counter to the lessons
of Afghan history.
Ever since the time of Amir Abdur Rehman, the first modern
ruler of Afghanistan, the country was managed as a loosely
administered state. A weak central authority acted as the
pivot that connected the state and the foreign subsidies
received and directed the latter's flow to regional
influentials. The officials delivered services but allowed
local factors and traditions to provide the direction.
Since the induction of foreign assistance in the 1960s,
when USAID provided funds for the massive Helmand Valley
Authority (HVA) project, Afghanistan has become the victim
of unintended consequences. It is another story how the
HVA actually led to the creation of the communists in
Afghanistan. The 'surge', will create another cycle of
unintended consequences with disastrous security
implications in the region - especially for Pakistan.
Therefore the way forward is not by holding talks with the
Taliban, not just yet - they will come later, and also not
to place any hope in the surge of forces adroitly sold as
a panacea by Gen McCrystal, commander of the International
Security Assistance Force in Kabul - but instead to
reshape the future governance structure for Afghanistan
before anything else.
As long as Mr Karzai is president there will never be
progress either towards peace or talks with the Taliban;
he has too many things to answer for. The Pakhtun concept
of 'badal' (revenge) will hound him in whatever he chooses
to do. Thus he cannot be an effective interlocutor for
peace. The road to peace in Afghanistan lies in making a
major governance overhaul that needs to be administered by
someone who is acceptable to all the people and who is not
tainted as a 'collaborator'.
In the existing situation that someone could be from the
former King Zahir Shah's family - that person can craft an
exit strategy through which Afghanistan could re-emerge as
a peaceful country under a democratic constitutional
monarchy working under a parliament. This formulation is
likely to be acceptable to the many ethnic nationalities
in the country including the Taliban. Pakistan would do
well to encourage such a move - but from a distance.
The writer was formerly political agent, North
Waziristan, and chief sectretary, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Viewpoints
Democracy is fine in Asia
Political
crises in Thailand and Philippines notwithstanding, there are
enough instances to prove that Asians value the electoral
process.
David Pilling
On
the face of it, these are lean times for champions of Asian
democracy. Two of the most attractive democratic pin-ups of
yore, Thailand and the Philippines, are looking decidedly
haggard. Thais no longer trust parliament to sort out their
differences and have taken their grievances to the streets.
In the Philippines, which goes to the polls next month,
political violence scaled new heights with the massacre last
November of 57 people. Their offence had been to try to
register an opposition candidate.
Afghanistan went through the pain of elections last year,
though a lot of people wonder why it bothered. And Sri Lanka's
brief flirtation with post-civil war democratic inclusion
lasted roughly five minutes: Sarath Fonseka has discovered to
his cost that the price of running against the incumbent
president is jail.
Conversely, countries that many expected would move towards
greater democracy have not obliged. Former US president Bill
Clinton proselytised the idea that, in a knowledge economy,
only those states that were politically open would prosper.
China has proved him spectacularly wrong.
To rub it in, economies in countries that do not bother with
elections have generally performed better than those that
regularly go through the rigmarole of transferring power. Even
the late Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino, gunned down in 1983 for his
principled opposition to the Marcos dictatorship, said that
freedom of speech meant little to those not free from hunger.
China's growth has averaged 10 per cent a year in the past 30
years. The Philippines has not even managed 4 per cent.
A once-rock-solid faith in the so-called Washington Consensus,
which predicted the lock-step progress of economic and
political liberalism, has been shaken. If anything, the
accepted view these days has reversed. Stefan Halper's Beijing
Consensus is merely the latest book to highlight the
attractions of 'market authoritarianism' - especially to
dictators in the developing world (funnily enough).
But if Asian countries are being cited to bolster the argument
that the best-performing economies are autocratic, that view
is worth challenging. Before we scan the present landscape, it
is worth slaying a couple of shibboleths.
First, to talk about 'Asian' political systems at all is to
concede an important point. Asia, home to two-thirds of the
world's people, is as much a European fantasy as a real place.
The fact that Asia is so varied renders it hard to talk
sensibly in one breath about political systems.
There are more people living under democracy in Asia than in
any other continent.
Chinese way
Second, though some authoritarian states, notably China, have
managed their economies spectacularly well, others - Burma or
North Korea - have made a jackbooted hash of it.
What of the present? It is far from clear that the democratic
tide is in retreat. There are three obvious examples of
countries that have become more democratic, and no less
successful for it.
Taiwan, a formerly authoritarian state run by Chiang
Kai-shek's nationalists, has become a near-model democracy.
Power has been transferred from Kuomintang nationalists to the
opposition and back again. A former president has been
impeached without obvious damage to the island's democratic
foundations. Taiwan's open political system is sweeter still
for disproving the myth that Chinese culture is incompatible
with democracy.
South Korea, formerly a military dictatorship, has developed a
similarly robust democracy. Full of scandal and political
revenge to be sure, but no less dynamic or responsive to the
people's will for that.
The biggest surprise may be Indonesia which, following the
collapse of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998, was widely
predicted to be destined for chaos and extremism. Neither has
happened.
Of the bigger economies, India has proved that democracy and
fast economic growth are compatible. Even Japan, a stable
democracy for 60 years, has gone the extra mile by voting the
opposition into power.
Finally, look at China itself. It is true that, viewed from
afar, China's political system has hardly budged. But no one
paying attention could doubt that with the rise of the middle
class has come a revolution in access to knowledge and the
stirrings of a civil society.
With a little technical savvy or a dollar a week for a virtual
private network (VPN), anyone in China can breach the Great
Firewall and see the same information as freedom-surfers in
London or New York.
That is not the same thing as democracy. But perhaps Clinton
was not so wide of the mark after all.
A British
love affair with Arabia
Iqbal passionately believed in the Islamic renaissance and
argued that the rejuvenation of the civilization that
ruled the world for nearly a thousand years would start in
its birthplace at the hands of desert Arabs.
Aijaz Zaka Syed
Allama
Iqbal, one of the tallest poets and philosophers Asia has
produced, had been endlessly fascinated by the rise and
fall of the Muslims.
He had been preoccupied with the issue in both his Urdu
and Persian poetry collections, both incredibly rich in
their range and language. When it comes to the breadth of
vision, foresight and grandeur of ideas and thought, no
one comes close to the man claimed by both India and
Pakistan. The much exploited Saare jahan se achcha
Hindustan hamara is just one gem from his repertoire. I
have been constantly reminded of the poet philosopher and
what he once said about the Arabs while singing my way
through Sir Wilfred Thesiger's "Arabian Sands". Iqbal
passionately believed in the Islamic renaissance and
argued that the rejuvenation of the civilization that
ruled the world for nearly a thousand years would start in
its birthplace at the hands of desert Arabs.
Iqbal made the prediction at a time of great turmoil and
utter chaos in the Muslim world after the collapse of the
Ottoman caliphate. I've often wondered what exactly Iqbal
had in mind when he pitched for the Arabs at a time when
they seemingly offered no hope for optimism. Thesiger's
"Arabian Sands" offers the answer. Iqbal believed that the
world would rediscover the glory of Islam when the Arabs
rediscover their roots and their original simplicity,
honesty and the courage that once endeared them to the
world. Arab traders who took on high seas with their
primitive boats and traversed the world on horseback
promoted their new faith and worldview not at the sword
point, as some choose to believe, but with their actions
and the way they conducted themselves.
It was the way they did business or dealt with the world
and, more important, their message of universal
brotherhood and equality that opened the doors for Arabs
wherever they went - from Spain to Sumatra and from Africa
to the far corners of Asia.
Thesiger's book, reissued by Motivate to mark the
centenary of the legendary British traveler and explorer
this year, is a powerful tribute to those Arabs and their
way of life. Based on Sir Wilfred's fantastic journeys
across the Arabian Peninsula and the five incredible years
he spent among the desert Arabs and the Beduin - he
chooses to call them Bedu as they are known in Arabic - is
easily the best on the subject. He spent another seven
years later in Iraq, from 1951 to 1958, which led to
another book, "The Marsh Arabs". "Arabian Sands" is one of
the best books I've read and enjoyed in years - absolutely
riveting even for someone who often finds himself reading
up to 3 to 4 books at the same time.
Thesiger is no great writer. He is completely innocent of
the little games that modern travel writers play to make
their book a best seller. His language is almost always
matter-of-fact and tone dispassionate although there are
some flashes of the self-deprecating British humor here
and there. Yet it remains a pioneering, trend-setting
project to understand the Arabs, especially Bedu, their
lifestyle, culture and what makes them so different from
the rest of us. What makes Thesiger so eminently readable
and his work a reference point to generations of travelers
and Middle East experts is his genuine empathy for his
subject and passion for a region where time has stood
still for thousands of years. Or at least, it did until
the discovery of oil. While Muslims around the world hide
a soft corner for Arabs in their hearts because of their
association with the Prophet (peace be upon him), the
Arabs' image around the world, especially in the West, is
nothing to write home about. This is not a new phenomenon
and has nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks or Osama Bin
Laden. The demonization of Arabs and Muslims in Western
literature and culture is as old as the Crusades. This is
why Thesiger's love for Arabs and everything associated
with them comes as a whiff of fresh air.
For someone born and raised in the upper crest British
society with the best of the best it offered including an
Oxford education, Thesiger's passion for the desert and
nomadic lifestyle is fascinating. He gave up his career as
the queen's pampered civil servant to fulfill his lifelong
dream of exploring this ancient land. He is fascinated
with the Bedu's nomadic lifestyle shorn of all luxuries
that are taken for granted elsewhere. Even the barren,
hostile landscape, endlessly romanticized in his books,
gives him a high. Once, in 1946, Thesiger lay starving on
a sand dune in the Empty Quarter for three days, waiting
for his Bedu companions to bring back food and water and
tortured by the hallucinations of cars and lorries that
could carry him to safety. "No," he wrote later, "I would
rather be here starving as I was than sitting in a chair,
replete with food, listening to the wireless and dependent
on cars to take me through Arabia." He became the first
Westerner to cross the Empty Quarter, easily the most
dangerous place on earth at the time, not once but twice.
And several times during these crossings across the
hundreds of miles of the waterless, lifeless landscape he
and his companions had close encounters with death. Yet he
returned to the pitiless desert again and again. He was
one of those rarities who believe in enjoying the journey,
rather than pining for the destination. The mystic
explorer, who died in 2003, established a lifelong rapport
with many Arab leaders including the late Shaikh Zayed. He
stayed with the founding father of the UAE when Zayed was
very young and hadn't taken over the reins of Abu Dhabi.
His black and white portrait of Zayed on his favorite
camel is not just a magnificent photograph but opens the
window on a world and age being forgotten fast. He saw Abu
Dhabi and Dubai when they had been little more than small
fishing towns and had a population of 2,000 and 20,000
respectively. Thesiger loved the pre-oil Arabia also
because it sheltered him from senseless industrialization
and mechanization of Western lifestyle. He reserved the
word "abomination" for cars, airplanes and everything else
that came after the steam engine. He saw the Arabs as the
guardians of tradition and culture passed down for
centuries in the region described as the Cradle of
Civilization: "All that is best in the Arabs came from the
desert: Their deep religious instinct, their sense of
fellowship; their generosity and hospitality; their
dignity and the regard which they have for the dignity of
others as fellow human beings; their humor, their courage
and patience, their language and their passionate love of
poetry. But the Arabs are a race which produces its best
only under extreme hardship and deteriorates progressively
as living conditions become easier."
This, written before the blessing or the curse of oil,
perhaps explains the current state of the Arab world.
Thesiger not just fell in love with Arabs - two of them,
Bin Kabina and Bin Ghabaisha, constantly accompanying him
and to whom the book is dedicated - but also developed an
enduring fascination for the faith that united and
transformed the nomadic race as they swept out of Arabia
"under the banner of Islam and carried all before them"
including the Roman and Persian empires. Within a century
after the ascent of Islam, "their rule extended from the
Pyrenees and the shores of the Atlantic to the Indus and
the borders of China. They had established an empire
greater in extent that the Roman Empire."
It's a miracle of history, Thesiger points out, that the
desert Arabs with the power of their new faith, created a
new civilization, uniting into one society the
incompatible cultures of the Mediterranean, Persia, India
and Far East. He says: "Wherever I went among Muslims,
whether it was in Nigeria or in China, I found much that
was familiar to me in the pattern of their lives. If the
civilizations of today were to disappear as completely as
those of Babylon and Assyria, a school history book two
thousand years hence might devote a few pages to the Arabs
and not even mention the United States of America."
Will the Arabs ever rediscover the qualities and the glory
that once conquered the world? I don't know but I wish
this British love affair with Arabia would never end.
Aijaz Zaka Syed is Opinion Editor of Khaleej Times.
Write to him at
aijaz@khaleejtimes.com
The trite age of Twitterati
The demise of the professional political commentator and
the advent of the TV political debate have drawn them into
this election in a big way. Now they may well decide who
wins. It can only be good for democracy.
Phillip Knightley
One
of the most exciting features about the general election
campaign currently being fought in Britain has been the
relegation to the sidelines of the media, especially the
political commentary writers. This has been due partly to
the introduction of TV debates between the leaders on the
three parties, Labour, Conservatives and Liberals, and
partly to the intervention of the Internet, particular the
Twitterati.
How the political leaders must be ruing the day that they
agreed to the TV debates. And how the political
commentators must be kicking themselves for failing to
realise that the debates would make them redundant.
For election after election the public has relied on the
political commentators to tell them how the candidates
were doing, what they stood for and why they should or
should not vote for them. This made these media people all
powerful. Suddenly this power has been taken away from
them, never to be returned. Instead everyone who watched
the TV debates could learn for themselves what the
candidates policies were, how well they were presented and
get an impression of whether their political masters were
to be trusted to keep their promises. The intermediaries
were removed.
They put up a fight, of course. The moment the debates had
ended the TV coverage switched to the various political
party rooms where the media interviewed the party spin
doctors who tried to put the best possible face on their
masters' performances. It was embarrassing to watch as, of
course, each spin doctor claimed a victory for his boss.
It was also embarrassing because we, the viewers, were
able to compare the reality of what we had just seen to
the fantasy world that the spin doctors and political
commentators painted for us. The thought inevitably came
to us that perhaps there had always been this gap.
The media tried to blame the leader of the Liberals, Nick
Clegg, for their sidelining. There had been a swing to him
because he was "TV friendly" and had handled the demands
of the medium brilliantly. But behind the panic was the
realisation that Clegg's platform includes the
introduction of a fairer voting system and a more
transparent party funding system.
If Clegg should win or hold a balance of power, the media
would suffer. As George Monbiot, one of the few
progressive columnists covering the election, put it: "The
press barons would no longer be able to push an
unrepresentative party into office or easily manipulate it
once it's there.
"The liberal press claims to provide an antidote to these
powers, but it still allows them to frame the question. It
is obsessed by Westminster politics and the narrow range
of interests that divide the main parties, while
neglecting both the external forces that limit political
choice and the grassroots movements that seek to confront
them."
Simultaneously, we have the arrival of twitter on the
political scene. Some of Clegg's most fervent supporters
can be found on Twitter and the other parties will ignore
them at their peril. The more the conventional political
press has turned on Clegg, the greater has been his
support on Twitter.
Tweeters used the social networking site to lampoon the
Conservative press, particularly the Daily Mail, Daily
Telegraph and Sun, which had been running scare stories
trying to blame Clegg for all Britain's ills. The big
thing about all this is that the tweeters are young. Many
have not voted before. Many did not plan to vote this time
around. But the demise of the professional political
commentator and the advent of the TV political debate have
drawn them into this election in a big way. Now they may
well decide who wins. It can only be good for democracy.
Phillip Knightley is a veteran London-based journalist
and commentator. For feedback, write to opinion@khaleejtimes.com
International
Water dispute
fuels India-Pakistan tensions
AP, Gujrat, Pakistan
A bitter dispute over limited water resources is fueling
India-Pakistan tensions at a time when the South Asian
neighbors are trying to rebuild trust and resume peace
talks.
It's a long-running feud that has worsened in recent
months as a dry spell focuses attention on Pakistan's
growing water shortage. Three days of talks in March ended
with both sides trading barbs and failing to reach a
resolution.
The issue was raised Thursday when the leaders of the two
countries met at a regional summit in Bhutan and agreed on
the need to normalize relations, the Pakistani side said.
Further complicating the situation, Islamic extremists are
trying to capitalize on allegations that India is stealing
water from glacier-fed rivers that start in the disputed
territory of Kashmir.
Independent experts say there is no evidence to support
those charges, but they warn that Pakistani concerns about
India's plans to build at least 15 new dams need to be
addressed to avoid conflict.
"If you want to give Lashkar-e-Taiba and other Pakistani
militants an issue that really rallies people, give them
water," said John Briscoe, who has worked on water issues
in the two countries for 35 years and was the World Bank's
senior water adviser.
Farmers in Pakistan's central breadbasket are certainly
angry. "India has blocked our water because they are our
enemy," said Mohammad, a 65-year-old farmer in the town of
Gujrat who goes by only one name.
His farm sits a few miles (kilometers) from the Chenab
River, which residents say has been shrinking since India
completed a hydroelectric dam in its part of Kashmir in
2008. In some sections, water flows in only a tenth of the
river bed, and nearby irrigation canals have dried up.
Indian officials blame any reduction on natural variation
and climate change, which have hurt India as well. They
add that Pakistan's antiquated irrigation system wastes
large quantities of water.
"Preposterous and completely unwarranted allegations of
stealing water and waging a water war are being made
against India," the Indian ambassador to Pakistan, Sharat
Sabharwal, said in a speech in April.
The animosity over water could make it more difficult to
resolve the signature dispute between the two countries:
the decades-long struggle over Kashmir.
UN sounds alarm on Pakistan
aid funding
Dawn Online, Geneva
Lack of funds is threatening aid programmes providing
housing, food and health care to hundreds of thousands of
people in some of the most tense areas of Pakistan, the
United Nations said on Friday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA) said UN agencies and non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) faced a serious shortage of funds jeopardising
basic life-saving activities in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
province, formerly known as the North West Frontier
Province, and the semi-autonomous Federally Administered
Tribal Areas (Fata).
The two regions, bordering Afghanistan, are a focus of the
Pakistan government's efforts to battle al-Qaeda and
Taliban militants in support of the US-led war in
Afghanistan.
"It's a really big funding problem for Pakistan and it has
consequences - new programmes cannot be launched and
existing programmes are already being cut back for lack of
money," OCHA spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs told a briefing.
Fighting has recently displaced a further 300,000 people
in the Fata districts of Orakzai and Kurram who require
food, water, sanitation, health care and shelter, OCHA
said.
Meanwhile, 1.3 million people already displaced by
fighting in the area have still not returned home and
require help.
US to continue reassuring
Pak that it faces no threat from India
ANI, Washington
A top US official has said that Pakistan must recognise
the fact that by taking on the Taliban and other extremist
groups threatening its very existence, it is not exposing
itself to any risk from India.
Michele Flournoy, the Under Secretary for Policy in the
Department of Defence, told a Congressional hearing that
Pakistan has moved 100,000 troops from its eastern border
to bolster the anti-Taliban operation in the restive
tribal areas, and that it must be reassured that it does
not face any threat from India.
"We must continue to reassure Pakistan that as it combats
the terrorist threat, it is not exposing itself to
increased risk along its eastern border," Flournoy told US
lawmakers.
Just a day ago the Pentagon confirmed that Islamabad has
shifted 100,000 troops from the Indian border to its
western border, which marked a clear shift in its
strategy.
The Pentagon told the Congress that the massive shift of
troops is an acknowledgement of the fact that now
terrorism and internal insurgency were posing the greatest
threat to Pakistan.
"More than 100,000 troops were moved from the eastern
border with India. This unprecedented deployment and
thinning of the lines against India indicates that
Islamabad has acknowledged its domestic insurgent threat.
The Nation quoted the Pentagon, as saying in its latest
periodic report to the Congress on Afghanistan.
Earlier, testifying before the House Armed Services
Committee, Flournoy said Pakistan has also raised concerns
over the increasing India-US relationship.
Sharifs have turned Pak
Punjab into terror ‘bomb’ ready to explode: Governor
ANI, London
Blaming the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for
harbouring militants in the region, Pakistan's Punjab
province governor Salman Taseer has said that the PML-N
under the direct guidance of its leadership (Nawaz and
Shahbaz Sharif) has turned province into a 'bomb', which
is ready to explode.
Taseer charged the PML-N of 'tolerating' and 'supporting'
extremists, who he said are operating 'openly' in the
province as witnessed in the recent attacks on minority
groups in the province.
"The Sharifs are creating a potential bomb here in Punjab.
These (militant) groups are armed and dangerous. There is
no way you can accommodate these people. There has to be
zero tolerance," The Guardian quoted Taseer, as saying.
The extent of jihadi groups' grip on the region can be
gauged from the fact that during the recent by-elections
in Jhang, PML-N leaders were seen wooing the banned
sectarian group Sipah-e-Sahaba.
Punjab"s Law minister, Rana Sanaullah, was pictured on the
campaign trail with the alleged head of the group, Ahmed
Ludhianvi.
It is also believed that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
has deep links with the Sipah-e-Sahaba, which is blamed
for the deaths of hundreds of Shias in the region.
Sheikh Waqas Akram, an opposition member of parliament
from Jhang, compared Punjab's situation with that of the
Swat Valley, where the Taliban had established a virtual
parallel government. "There can be 10 Swats in Punjab, if
you don"t check them (extremists)," the newspaper quoted
Akram, as saying.
However, Sanaullah has countered all charges against him
and the PML-N, saying that though banned terror groups
operate in the region, there is no such 'Talibanisation'
of Punjab.
India, Japan to establish a
working group on civil nuclear cooperation
ANI, New Delhi
In a landmark development yesterday, India and Japan have
agreed to put aside past differences on the nuclear issue,
and will now work towards a civil-nuclear treaty with the
establishment of a Joint Working Group (JWG) on
civil-nuclear cooperation.
This key decision is said to have been finalized during a
meeting between the Deputy Chairman of the Planning
Commission of India, Montek Singh Alhuwalia, and Japan's
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. Masayuki Naoshima
during the fourth ministerial-level meeting of the
India-Japan Energy Dialogue here.
The Japanese industry is basically pushing its government
to consider engaging India in nuclear trade, as companies
from the United States, France and Russia seem to have
already acquired a head start in terms of cornering Indian
nuclear business.
The chairmen of leading Japanese companies like Toshiba,
Mitsubishi and Hitachi, who are accompanying Minister
Naoshima on his current visit to India, form the
core-lobbying group, which is encouraging the Japanese
Government to work out a civil nuclear deal with India.
During the dialogue, both Alhuwalia and Naoshima welcomed
the progress made so far in Working Group discussions by
Japanese and Indian officials on energy efficiency,
renewable energy, coal and electricity, and power
generation.
While welcoming India's formal joining of the
International Partnership for Energy Efficiency
Cooperation (IPEEC) last year, both recognized that a
viable and vibrant energy policy can contribute to
addressing both energy requirements and reducing the
negative impact of climate change.
Burma PM ‘applies to form
new political party’
BBC Online
Burma's Prime Minister Thein Sein has applied to register
a new political party ahead of elections scheduled for
later this year, say reports.
The move comes after Thein Sein and some 20 other
ministers in the junta retired from their military posts.
Under Burma's new constitution, a fixed number of seats
are allocated to the military and to civilians.
Critics say the ministers' move is a way of ensuring a
greater military presence in the future government.
No date has yet been set for the elections - the first in
Burma for 20 years - but they are expected some time this
year.
Thein Sein and 26 others applied to register the Union
Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) with the electoral
commission on Thursday, Burma's state media reported.
Its name appears to confirm the long-expected view that
members of the military junta would form a party under the
auspices of the junta's mass organisation, the Union
Solidarity and Development Association (USDA).
The USDA says it has some 24 million members, but many are
thought to have joined under coercion.
The BBC's South East Asia correspondent Vaudine England
says the USDA is accused of being involved in the violent
suppression of protests led by monks in 2007 and of an
attack on opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in 2003.
An official told the AFP news agency the new party would
be led by Thein Sein, who appears to still hold the post
of prime minister but is no longer refered to by his
military title in state media.
Indian army foils Kashmir
infiltration bid, three dead
AFP, Srinagar, India
The Indian military Friday said it had killed three
suspected militants and foiled an attempt by rebels to
enter Indian Kashmir from the Pakistani side of the
disputed region.
The fresh violence came a day after the prime ministers of
India and Pakistan agreed to work towards resuming their
frozen peace dialogue when they met in Bhutan for their
first direct talks in nine months.
"The army has foiled an attempt by militants to infiltrate
into (Indian) Kashmir from across the Line of Control (LoC)
by killing three militants," army spokesman Lieutenant
Colonel J.S. Brar told AFP.
He said the clash took place early Friday in the northern
sector of Machil.
The heavily militarised 760-kilometer (470 mile) LoC
divides Kashmir between nuclear-armed rivals India and
Pakistan, who both claim the whole territory and have
fought two wars over it.
The army says militant attempts to cross the ceasefire
line into Indian Kashmir increase in the summer as snow
melts on mountain passes.
Islamabad denies New Delhi's charges of arming and funding
the militants, and has pledged to do its best to stop
insurgents from crossing over.
The insurgency launched against Indian rule in 1989 has
claimed more than 47,000 lives by the official count.
Iran
warns Israel against attacking Syria
AFP, Damascus
Iran will "cut off Israel's feet" if the Jewish state
attacks Damascus, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Rida
Rahimi vowed on Friday at the end of a two-day visit to
key regional ally Syria.
"We will stand alongside Syria against any (Israeli)
threat," Rahimi said at a news conference with Syrian
Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri. "If those who have
violated Palestinian land want to try anything we will cut
off their feet," he said in reference to the Jewish state.
Rahimi described Syria as a "strong country that is ready
to confront any threat" and pledged that Tehran "will back
Syria with all its means and strength."
On Tuesday, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates accused Iran
and Syria of arming Hezbollah with increasingly
sophisticated rockets and missiles which he said
undermined stability in the region.
And on Thursday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against the risk
of sparking a regional war if he supplies long-range Scud
missiles to Hezbollah.
"President Assad is making decisions that could mean war
or peace for the region," she warned. Earlier this month,
Israeli President Shimon Peres claimed that Syria was
supplying the militant Shiite group Hezbollah with Scud
missiles.
Syria has denied the charges.
Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, fought a
month-long war with Israel in 2006 during which it fired
more than 4,000 rockets on the Jewish state.
Belgium votes to ban burqa
in public
AFP, Brussels
Belgium became Europe's first country to vote for a ban on
the full Islamic veil or burqa, sparking dismay on Friday
among Muslims and warnings of a dangerous precedent with
France set to follow suit. The bill-which also drew fire
from human rights group Amnesty International-will not
enter force for weeks and may have to be re-examined if
early elections are called as Belgium battles a political
crisis.
"We're the first country to spring the locks that have
made a good number of women slaves, and we hope to be
followed by France, Switzerland, Italy, and the
Netherlands; countries that think," said liberal deputy
Denis Ducarme. In the lower house of the federal
parliament on Thursday night, 136 deputies supported a
nationwide ban on clothes or veils that do not allow the
wearer to be fully identified, including the full-face
niqab and burqa. There were two abstentions. No one voted
against. The ban will be imposed in streets, public
gardens and sports grounds or buildings "meant for public
use or to provide services" to the public, according to
the text of the bill. People who ignore it could face a
fine of 15-25 euros (20-34 dollars) and/or a jail sentence
of up to seven days.
All governing parties and the opposition agreed on the
move-most for security reasons linked to the fact that
people cannot be recognised while wearing the clothing. In
Le Soir newspaper, the Islamic scholar Michael Privot said
Belgium "now joins Iran and Saudi Arabia in that exclusive
but unenviable rare club of countries to impose a dress
code in the public domain."
Vietnam celebrates 35th
anniversary of war's end
AP, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Vietnam marked the 35th anniversary of the Communist
victory in the Vietnam War with a grand military parade
Friday through the former Saigon, with the government
basking more in its economic achievements than its
historic military defeat of the United States.
The city is now named for Ho Chi Minh, the father of the
revolution, but signs of the burgeoning market economy are
everywhere, with Communist banners competing for space
with corporate ads and logos.
Some 50,000 invitees, many waving red and gold ruling
party flags, crowded the parade route. They marked the day
that North Vietnamese tanks smashed through the gates of
the former Presidential Palace in Saigon and ousted the
U.S.-backed South Vietnam government - the culmination of
one of the most seismic military achievements since World
War II.
The parade brought back vivid memories for Do Thi Thanh
Thuy, 49, who watched the tanks roll by her home on April
30, 1975, when she was a junior high student. She and her
neighbors on the outskirts of the city had run into the
streets to cheer.
"When I saw those tanks, I felt so happy," said Thuy, who
on Friday carried a hammer and a sickle flag. "The South
had been liberated, the country was united, and the war
was over." The fall of Saigon marked the official end of
the Vietnam War and the decadelong U.S. campaign against
communism in Southeast Asia. The conflict claimed some
58,000 American lives and an estimated 3 million
Vietnamese.
The war left divisions that would take years to heal as
many former South Vietnamese soldiers were sent to
Communist re-education camps and hundreds of thousands of
their relatives fled the country.
China eyes targeted
sanctions on Iran
AP, Beijing
The European Union's foreign affairs chief said Friday
that China is willing to discuss sanctions on Iran as long
as they are carefully targeted and bolster efforts to curb
the Iranian nuclear program.
EU Foreign Affairs High Representative Catherine Ashton
said her discussions with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao show
that China's position has evolved from agreeing in
principal to discuss sanctions to recognizing that
targeted sanctions play a role.
"We weren't discussing whether or not. We were discussing
what sort" of sanctions, Ashton told reporters. She said
that Wen wants to make sure that the sanctions are not so
broad as to affect large segments of the population, but
rather are targeted.
As a permanent U.N. Security Council member with veto
power and a major customer for Iran's oil and gas, China
occupies a pivotal position in efforts to curb the Iranian
nuclear program. Diplomats involved in trying to persuade
Beijing to support sanctions previously thought that at
best China would abstain in a Security Council vote and
not back them - a lack of unanimity that might encourage
more foot-dragging by Tehran.
Publicly, China has given no sign that it is moving beyond
its stated position that dialogue rather than sanctions
offer the best chances for success. Ashton said that she
too supports a negotiated settlement but not endless talk.
In recent days, Ashton said, ambassadors she did not
further identify have passed her messages that Tehran
wants to re-engage and if so Iran must show that more
talks are not just a delaying tactic.
Prostate cancer vaccine
wins US approval
BBC Online
A "vaccine" which harnesses the body's own immune system
to fight prostate cancer has been approved for use by US
drug regulators.
Provenge - which is designed to be used in men with
advanced disease - is the first of its kind to be accepted
by the Food and Drug Administration. Each dose has to be
individually tailored and it is an expensive treatment at
$93,000 per patient. It will add to, rather than replace,
existing treatments, said experts.
Doctors have been working on therapies that prompt the
immune system to fight tumours for decades.
Potential success stories include an experimental vaccine
for melanoma which is in the late stages of development.
This latest therapy is made by collecting special blood
cells from each patient that help the immune system
recognise cancer as a threat.
These are then mixed with a protein found on most prostate
cancer cells and a substance which kick-starts the immune
response.
Advanced disease
The drug is not a "cure" but is used in advanced prostate
cancer that has spread to other sites in the body and is
no longer responding to standard hormone treatment.
Clinical trials showed that the treatment extended the
lives of patients by four months. This compares with an
average of three months with chemotherapy.
Dr Phil Kantoff, an oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute who helped run the studies of Provenge said:
"The big news here is that this is the first immunotherapy
to win approval, and I suspect within five to ten years
immunotherapies will be a big part of cancer therapy in
general."
Chinese diplomat beaten,
injured by Houston police
AP, Beijing
China said Friday that a Chinese diplomat in the U.S. was
beaten and injured by Houston police and urged an
investigation to ensure diplomatic practices are not
violated.
The U.S. State Department was taking the matter very
seriously and findings of the investigation would be
shared with China "as soon as appropriate," said Susan
Stevenson, spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
She referred further questions to Houston police, which
did not immediately return calls seeking comment Friday
morning.
The statement from China's Foreign Ministry said police
harassed and beat a deputy consul-general while he was
driving to the Chinese Consulate in Houston. The statement
said a family member also was involved, but did not say if
that person was injured.
According to a CBS News report, Houston police last
Saturday tried to stop a car which was missing a license
plate. When the car didn't stop, they pursued it into a
garage without realizing the garage belonged to the
Chinese Consulate. Police handcuffed and arrested the
driver, injuring him, the CBS report said.
Under international practice, the premises of foreign
embassies and consulates are outside the jurisdiction of
local law enforcement, and diplomats have legal immunity.
"China urges the U.S. ... to quickly investigate the
details of this incident and to look into the persons
responsible to ensure that the Chinese diplomatic and
consulate personnel and premises are not violated," said
the statement attributed to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Jiang Yu.
Germany, Mexico trying to
push climate talks ahead
AP, Berlin
Five months after the troubled United Nations conference
in Copenhagen, Germany and Mexico are teaming up in an
effort to break the deadlock in negotiations on a global
climate deal.
They will co-host a three-day meeting in Bonn starting
Sunday of representatives from a selected 45 countries
with hopes of building trust and clearing some of the
rubble left from Copenhagen, German Environment Minister
Norbert Roettgen said this week. "The most important thing
is to get the process moving again," he said.
Momentum in the drive to control global warming has slowed
in some countries. The United States still has not tackled
its domestic energy bill, which climate negotiators
believe will provide a critical signal about U.S. global
intentions; and Australia - one of the world's biggest per
capita polluters - put off for as long as two years
legislation setting up a carbon trading scheme. Roettgen
said Germany and others have not entirely given up on
striking a deal at the next U.N. climate summit in Cancun,
Mexico, Nov. 29-Dec. 10. "We want to pave the way to a
good result in Cancun," he said adding that "nobody wants
another big disappointment."
The Copenhagen conference with representatives from some
190 countries last December was originally intended to
produce a new global treaty to cut greenhouse gases and
set up mechanisms to deal with the worst effects of global
warming. Yet, the two-week meeting came up with far less
than hoped, setting back the schedule for action possibly
by years. President Barack Obama and a few dozen other
major players drafted the so-called Copenhagen Accord
which calls for global warming to be limited to below 2
degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) compared with
preindustrial times.
Business/Economy
Adequate
power can boost international, domestic market of plastic
items
UNB, Dhaka
Adequate supply of power can boost to a great extent the
domestic and international markets of plastic items, which
will play an important role in the country's economy.
But the country's plastic industries are now facing
serious setbacks due to power crisis, said Ferdous Wahed,
the president of Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers &
Exporters Association (BPGMEA).
Talking to UNB, he said that power is a big factor in the
plastic industry - a heat consuming industry.
"Load shedding has really been a massacre for the plastic
industry and still there is no sign of improvement,"
Ferdous said adding that they had to often incur loss of
production due to power disruption.
He said that after the major export-earning Ready Made
Garment (RMG) sector, the plastic sector could raise its
potential as its value addition is very high. "There is no
labour unrest and complaints about salary, as the workers
are getting good salary. It's a growing industrial sector
having growth rate of 20-30 percent a year."
He, however, said that the expected growth in the current
fiscal could not be achieved due to power crisis.
Ferdous informed that the BPGMEA in its recent budget
proposal to the NBR suggested to include plastic industry
among the highest priority sectors in export as there has
been an international market of around Tk 1600 crore
including Tk 400 crore in direct form and Tk 1200 crore in
deemed form (indirect export). Besides, the domestic
market size of plastic goods is around Tk 4,000 crore.
He also demanded withdrawal of the NBR circular on 'Import
Under Bond, Not For Sale', as he thinks this is a
hindrance on the growth of the plastic sector. He said as
the multinational petrochemical companies like BASF, SCG,
Chevron, Basell and Remex refused to supply raw materials
as per the NBR circular, "we had to give 100 percent bank
guaranty for which a bulk of our working capital remains
blocked with the Customs."
The BPGMEA president also emphasized promoting recycling
of plastic wastes, so it could reach 100 percent compared
to existing recycling rate of 60 percent in the country.
"Even with 60 percent recycling, we could make a savings
of US$ 400 million in the year 2005 by avoiding import of
virgin resin," he said.
Ferdous informed that private entrepreneurs from India,
China, Taiwan and Thailand are very keen to invest in
Bangladesh's plastic sector, but these investments would
come only if uninterrupted power supply is ensured.
The export of plastic items began in the later part of the
1980's in the form of indirect export (deemed export)
mainly as backward linkage for RMG sector, he said.
According to statistics provided by the Export Promotion
Bureau (EPB), the export earnings of plastic items totaled
US$ 56.78 million in the 2008-09 fiscal and US$ 54.14
million in 2007-08 fiscal.
The major export destinations for the Bangladeshi plastic
items were China, Poland, UK, Belgium, France, Germany,
USA, Canada, Spain, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Australia, Sri
Lanka, Japan, Malaysia, UAE, Hong Kong, Bahrain, Italy,
New Zealand and the Netherlands.
Some 1 million workforces are now directly and indirectly
employed in some 3,000 small, medium and large plastic
goods manufacturing units.
Although plastic goods are exported in direct and deemed
way, some directly exported plastic items are PVC Pipes,
PVC bags, insulator (rubber), polythene sheet, plastic
hanger, hand gloves (rubber), synthetic ropes, plastic
waste, V belt, polyester thread, computer accessories, and
video and audio cassette.
Inflation
up, jobless numbers also on the rise: EU
AFP, Brussels
Annual inflation rose to 1.5 percent in April across the
16 countries that share the euro currency as the
unemployment rate remained at a record high 10 percent in
March. Official figures Friday showed that inflation in
the common currency area, up from 1.4 percent in March,
was also at its highest since December 2008.
The figure has risen, almost continuously, since standing
at 0.5 percent last November as the bloc emerges from the
worst recession since the 1930s.
While energy and food prices are rising faster than
others, analysts do not expect inflation to accelerate
radically in the short-term and especially not with more
than 100,000 more people joining the ranks of the jobless.
"The unemployment rate is expected to rise further over
the coming months, albeit at a slower pace than in
previous months," said economist Clemente De Lucia of BNP
Paribas. "This could continue to exert downward pressure
on wage growth, one of the main drivers of inflation."
The unemployment rate for the common currency area,
unchanged from February, is now running at the highest
since the euro came into being in 1999 -- with almost 1.4
million more people out of work than 12 months earlier,
the EU's Eurostat data agency said.
March's increase "suggests that the eurozone labour market
is not yet on the point of turning around, although the
situation is likely to vary markedly between countries,"
said IHS Global Insight's Howard Archer. The labour market
figures revealed huge divergences, showing Spain, the
latest eurozone country to come under pressure in the
fallout from the Greek debt crisis, with a jobless rate of
19.1 percent, higher than anywhere save Latvia, on 22.3
percent.
By contrast, Germany, Europe's leading economy, improved
to 7.3 percent from 7.4 percent, the only European Union
country to post better figures.
Germany has managed to limit job losses by offering
subsidies to companies putting workers on shorter hours
rather than laying them off directly.
Archer said that the data, taken together, would not
unduly concern the European Central bank. At the same
time, he noted that "the risk that the Greek crisis and
contagion effects could increasingly weigh down on
eurozone economic sentiment and activity, reinforces the
case for the ECB to keep its finger off the interest rate
trigger."
Archer said the "odds still favour" inflation remaining
under the central bank's target rate of 'close to but just
below two percent' through 2010 and, very possibly, 2011
as well."
Spain jobless rate tops 20pc adding to debt
worries
AFP, Madrid
Spain's jobless rate topped 20 percent in the first
quarter, national statistics institute INE said Friday,
fueling fears over the country's public finances which
have rattled global financial markets.
The number of unemployed jumped by 280,200 to 4.61
million, more than in Germany which has nearly twice
Spain's population, for a jobless rate of 20.05 percent.
The unemployment rate rose from 18.83 percent in the
fourth quarter.
The last time the unemployment rate topped 20 percent in
Spain was in the fourth quarter of 1997 when it hit 20.11
percent.
Spain's jobless rate has soared since the global credit
crisis hastened the collapse of its labour-intensive
construction industry at the end of 2008. The country has
the highest unemployment rate in the 16-nation eurozone
and accounts for half the region's job losses over the
last two years, according to the European Union's
statistics office Eurostat.
The rise in unemployment during the first quarter means
Spain's socialist government, which has vowed to protect
social welfare spending, will face an even bigger bill for
jobless benefits as it tries to rein in a public deficit
that hit 11.2 percent of Gross Domestic Product last year.
Ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut the country's
long-term sovereign credit rating on Wednesday to "AA"
from "AA+" amid concerns about the country's growth
prospects, sending the euro and global stock markets
tumbling on fears Madrid faces similar problems to
debt-stricken Greece.
"We now believe that the Spanish economy's shift away from
credit-fueled economic growth is likely to result in a
more protracted period of sluggish activity than we
previously assumed," S&P's credit analyst Marko Mrsnik
said.
The Spanish economy, Europe's fifth largest, contracted
0.1 percent in the fourth quarter from the previous three
months, even as the entire eurozone, the United States and
Japan emerged from recession.
Spain has proved especially vulnerable to the global
credit crunch because growth relied heavily on
credit-fuelled domestic demand and a property boom boosted
by easy access to loans that has collapsed.
French investment bank Natixis estimates that prior to the
crisis 30 percent of Spain's working population worked
directly or indirectly for the construction industry.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Wednesday
that unemployment had likely peaked in the first quarter
and would now begin dropping.
In January Zapatero unveiled a 50 billion euro austerity
plan intended to bring the public deficit to within a
eurozone limit of 3.0 percent by 2013.
EU eyes Greek rescue
deal this weekend
AFP, Brussels
The six-month saga of whether EU partners would grant
Greece a bailout will reach a conclusion this weekend, a
raft of European sources said on Friday.
The sprint to the finish comes as tension mounts in Athens
ahead of major May Day rallies, following pitched battles
between police and protesters on Thursday, and market
speculators began to stalk other weak eurozone economies
led by Portugal and Spain. Asked if round-the-clock talks
in Athens between the European Commission, the
International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and
the Greek government could be wrapped up on Saturday, the
commission's monetary affairs spokesman Amadeu Altafaj
Tardio said: "That enters into the realms of the
imaginable."
Negotiations were "continuing today" but "the end is in
sight," he told reporters.
Finance ministers from the 16 euro countries will hold
talks on Sunday to address the Greek debt crisis, French
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told reporters during a
visit to China.
Earlier, the group's head, Luxembourg premier Jean-Claude
Juncker, was quoted by his spokesman as saying he was "not
ruling out" a weekend Eurogroup meeting. Subsequently, a
spokesman with the German finance ministry said tele-conference
talks were already taking place on Friday afternoon, after
his minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble, "had cancelled
pre-arranged meetings."
"We are approaching this from the basis that the IMF plan
will be available," he said, suggesting ministers come
together for "a first evaluation" after individually
scanning a deal.
"We have no reason to be pessimistic," he underlined.
The aim is to greenlight the terms and conditions for euro
partners to loan Greece up to 120 billion euros (160
billion dollars) over three years, in conjunction with the
IMF.
The commission, in tandem with the ECB, both of whom sit
in as Eurogroup members, must first issue their opinion,
to say if an agreement meets the test set by European
Union leaders of safeguarding the financial stability of
the euro currency area. Then, in theory, the plan should
go to heads of government or state for Greece's 15 euro
partners-at which point the money can be physically
transferred to Athens. A diplomatic source said the
"mechanism would be activated by leaders, probably on May
7, after going through the Greek and German parliaments."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to leave for a trip
to Moscow on May 8 and 9.
However, another source said that no such formal summit
may in the end be necessary-with Greece having warned
loudly this week that it is in danger of defaulting on its
debts if markets are allowed to sustain their attacks in
the run-up to a critical May 19 deadline. "We are on
standby," this source said. The summit "might not take
place, or on another date, probably sooner."
The upper Bundesrat chamber in Germany is expected to give
its legal assent next Friday, two days before a key
regional election on May 9 that had been seen as an
obstacle for many weeks until Merkel gave her blessing
this week.
India restricting Chinese telecom purchases
AFP, New Delhi
India has blocked its fast-growing telecom sector from
buying some Chinese-made equipment, an Indian mobile
operator said Friday, in a move set to stoke trade
tensions between the emerging giants. An executive of a
Indian mobile operator said his company had received a
letter from the Indian government saying it could not buy
equipment from UTStarcom, a US-based company that
manufactures in China. "We were told we could not buy
equipment from UTStarcom. I believe most operators have
received such letters," the executive of one of India's
larger mobile operators, who asked not to be identified,
told AFP.
A manager at UTStarcom, the leading provider of hardware
for Internet television services in Asia, said he could
not immediately comment. Earlier Friday, a Chinese trade
body complained that telecom equipment makers in the
country were being prevented from selling to Indian
telecom companies on security grounds.
Last December, India said it was probing whether the use
of Chinese-made telecom equipment in sensitive border and
insurgency-hit areas could hurt national security.
A spokeswoman for the China Chamber of Commerce for Import
and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products Chinese
industry group declined to identify the companies affected
by New Delhi's restrictions.
But India's Business Line newspaper reported earlier in
the week New Delhi had also told mobile operators not to
import any equipment made by such Chinese vendors as
Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp. Trade relations are
already tense between the neighbours with Indian firms
complaining the country's market is being flooded with
cheaper Chinese-made products.
India's mobile sector, the fastest-growing in the world
with 15-20 million new subscribers each month, has become
an important source of revenue for Chinese companies. An
Indian government official said there was no blanket ban
on purchases of telecommunications equipment from
suppliers in China or elsewhere, but added all companies
must meet security regulations. India's intelligence
agencies have warned Chinese products could have embedded
elements enabling China to launch a cyber attack or shut
down equipment, according to Indian media reports.
World stocks rise on Greek bailout hopes
AFP, London
Global equities rose on Friday after heavy losses earlier
this week, and the euro pulled further away from recent
lows as crisis-hit Greece appeared to edge closer to a
bailout, dealers said. The London stock market gained 0.25
percent, Frankfurt added 0.78 percent and Paris won 0.26
in late morning European trade.
All three main markets had rallied Thursday on news that a
Greek debt bailout was near, with sentiment also lifted by
positive company results. "Expectations of an announcement
about a joint EU-IMF bailout of Greece within days have
helped soothe investor anxiety about an imminent Greek
default," said CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson. "And
(this) has seen the euro continuing to pull away from this
week's 12- month lows," he added.
The euro jumped as high as 1.3307 dollars, up from 1.3244
dollars in New York late Thursday, and after striking a
one-year low of 1.3115 on Wednesday.
Asian stocks rallied at the end of a tough week, with
sentiment boosted by hopes that a Greek bailout is in
sight. Tokyo bounced 1.21 percent higher and Hong Kong won
1.59 percent in value. Greece, the European Union and the
International Monetary Fund are "very close" to agreeing
austerity measures needed to secure badly-needed loans,
and a deal will be announced by Sunday, a Greek government
source told AFP.
Fears over debt-laden Greece and the fiscal health of the
eurozone have hammered global financial markets this week.
Markets were rocked on Tuesday after Standard & Poor's
slashed Greek debt ratings to junk status.
They took another heavy knock from rating downgrades to
Portugal and Spain that sparked fears of contagion from
the crisis in Athens. "Reports suggest that some form of
agreement has been reached in the negotiations on the
Greek rescue package, involving additional budget cuts for
24 billion euros, or ten percent of Greek GDP, spread over
the next three years," said Citi analyst Giada Giani in a
note on Friday. "However, doubts remain about the ability
of the Greek government-already facing strong opposition
from trade unions -- to implement such draconian measures
over such a short period of time." Social tensions mounted
in Greece on Friday as the embattled government negotiated
over the huge cuts in spending needed to save the country
from a debt default. Aside from Greece, traders were on
tenterhooks before publication of US gross domestic
product growth figures for the first three months of 2010.
Shanghai celebrates
launch of World Expo
AFP, Shanghai
Shanghai kicked off the six-month World Expo on Friday
with a star-studded gala ceremony set to end in a lavish
blaze of fireworks and light along the city's riverfront.
Still basking in the glow of its successful staging of the
2008 Beijing Olympics, China is treating the Expo as an
equally important showcase for its growing political and
economic clout.
From the United States to North Korea, a total of 189
countries will take part in the six-month display of
ideas, culture and technology expected to attract at least
70 million visitors-the vast majority of them Chinese.
"Expo 2010 Shanghai is now open!" Chinese President Hu
Jintao declared, after the national anthem rang out in the
Expo cultural centre and the flags of all participating
countries were paraded through the giant hall.
Hong Kong action film star Jackie Chan serenaded thousands
of guests including 20 world leaders to open the event.
The gala-set to end with a fireworks and light show
planned by the team behind the opening and closing
ceremonies for the Vancouver Winter Olympics-was a
departure from past World Expos, with an all-star line-up.
Italian pop tenor superstar Andrea Bocelli, Chinese
pianist Lang Lang and the Soweto Gospel Choir from South
Africa were expected to join Chan as part of the
extravagant festivities.
"We look forward to stunning the world," said Ignatius
Jones, the artistic director of the ceremony, which is to
feature huge fireworks and a chain of searchlights along a
3.5-kilometre (two-mile) stretch of Shanghai's riverfront.
Once Expo's gates open to visitors on Saturday,
participating countries will vie to outdo each other in
presenting the best they have to offer the world-with a
particular eye on China's market of 1.3 billion people.
Denmark has made a splash by bringing its "Little Mermaid"
statue out of Copenhagen for the first time, France has
impressionist paintings and Rodin sculptures, while Italy
is showing works by Renaissance master Caravaggio.
India is bringing a cast of Bollywood stars and Canada's
pavilion will bear the imaginative touches of contemporary
circus troupe Cirque du Soleil.
Past Expos are remembered for leaving architectural
landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Space
Needle in Seattle, and introducing the television and
electric lighting to a mass audience.
In Shanghai, the spotlight will be on the cutting-edge
design of the national pavilions at the
5.3-square-kilometre site.
Highlights include China's red inverted pyramid, Britain's
stunning dandelion-like "Seed Cathedral", Spain's "Big
Basket" made of 8,500 wicker panels, and Switzerland's
three-story-high "meadow"-complete with chairlift.
China has bolstered security for Expo, deploying
paramilitary police, randomly checking foreigners'
identification and searching car and rail passengers
entering and leaving the city. Ships will also be
searched.
Food inflation eases on rabi arrival in India
PTI, New Delhi
Food inflation eased by over one percentage point to a
month's low of 16.61 per cent for the week ended April 17,
as pressure on prices declined with the arrival of rabi
crops in the markets.
However, the fall in food inflation does not call for any
celebration as the price pressure will remain till June
with inflation spreading to manufactured items, economists
warn.
Besides rabi crops, the government is pinning its hopes on
reports of normal monsoon for further decline in food
prices. Reports of normal monsoon this year has also
calmed aggressive speculative activities, analysts said.
Earlier this month, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)
had forecast a normal monsoon across the country.
Over the week, inflation declined from 17.65 per cent as
prices of masur, jowar, fruits and vegetables fell by 2
per cent and that of wheat by 1 per cent. However, moong,
urad and fish- inland became costlier. "Fall in food
inflation is on expected lines. The supply situation is
easing. The government, too, has indicated of a declining
food inflation...both with the arrival of rabi and on
expectation of good monsoon. We see food prices to
moderate considerably," said Abheek Barua, chief
economist, HDFC Bank. On an annual basis, potatoes saw a
significant fall of 28 per cent in prices on glut in
supplies in various parts of the country and onions became
cheaper by 10 per cent. However, pulses remained expensive
by about 30 per cent, milk by 22 per cent and fruits by
about 10 per cent over the last year.
Asia-Pacific airlines to lead recovery
AFP, Kuala Lumpur
Asia-Pacific airlines are expected to spearhead the
recovery in the aviation industry in 2010 due to improved
economic conditions in the region, the head of an industry
group said Friday.
"Economic conditions showed welcome signs of improvement
in the latter part of 2009, with a rebound in
international trade and renewed consumer and business
confidence, led by strong growth ...," Andrew Herdman,
director general of the Association of Asia Pacific
Airlines (AAPA) said.
"Positive sentiment has been maintained into the first
quarter of 2010, and both cargo and passenger demand are
close to returning to the levels seen before the
recession," he said in a statement.
Painting a bright outlook for the aviation industry which
suffered two years of heavy losses, Herdman said he
expected Asia-Pacific airlines to post better financial
results this year.
"Provided the current momentum is sustained, Asia-Pacific
airlines are poised to spearhead the recovery in the
aviation industry, with an anticipated further improvement
in financial performance for the year 2010 following two
years of heavy losses," he said. Herdman made the remarks
after Asia-Pacific carriers posted lower losses last year
amid falling fuel prices and effective cost control
measures.
Airlines in the region faced an aggregate loss of 2.0
billion dollars in 2009 compared to 8.8 billion dollars
the year before, AAPA said. It said the combined revenues
for Asia-Pacific carriers fell from 136.1 billion dollars
in 2008 to 114.2 billion dollars last year while operating
costs fell by 19.8 percent to 112.1 billion dollars.
"Asia-Pacific carriers were particularly hard hit by the
sharp declines seen in the premium business travel and air
freight markets," Herdman said.
AAPA said fuel expenses, the single largest cost item for
airlines which accounted for 29 percent of operating costs
last year, dropped by 34.9 percent to 32.2 billion dollars
in 2009 due to the fall in oil prices. Herdman recently
said Asia-Pacific airlines had lost an estimated 40
million dollars a day from the closure of European
airspace due to ash clouds spewing from a volcano in
Iceland.
Thousands of flights had been cancelled and hundreds of
thousands of passengers were stranded worldwide.
Oil extends gains in Asian trade, stays above
$85
AFP, Singapore
Oil prices extended gains in Asian trade Friday on
optimism over the US economic recovery following positive
jobs data along with easing global fears about Greece's
debt crisis, analysts said.
New York's main contract, light sweet crude for June
delivery, rose 43 cents to 85.60 dollars a barrel.
London's Brent North Sea crude for June delivery was up 21
cents to 87.11 dollars per barrel.
Prices were supported by rising equity markets in Asia
after a rally on Wall Street following encouraging US
company results. Hong Kong shares were 1.30 percent higher
in early trading and Tokyo's Nikkei was up 1.35 percent by
noon. Falling claims for US unemployment benefits had
lifted the oil market Thursday.
The US Labor Department said initial jobless claims fell
for the second straight week, by 11,000, in the week
ending April 24.
The claims were higher than expected but still "suggests
some sort of recovery in the US economy, giving support to
crude oil prices", Serene Lim, a Singapore-based analyst
with the ANZ bank, told AFP.
Thai growth to fall two percent if protests last
AFP, Bangkok
Thailand's finance minister warned Friday that if mass
street protests in the capital last until the end of the
year they may reduce 2010 economic growth by two
percentage points.
"The rally has already affected gross domestic product by
0.5 percent," Korn Chatikavanij told reporters during a
visit to Bangkok's Silom business district, on the edge of
a protest site in the capital's commercial heart. Growth
was previously predicted to reach 4.5 percent this year.
Korn predicted Thailand's first quarter growth-to be
officially announced on May 24 -- will hit nine percent
year-on-year, in line with the central bank's prediction
and on the back of economic recovery in Europe. But he
said the "Red Shirt" demonstrations would hit second
quarter growth, in particular the vital tourism sector,
but also consumer spending and investment.
Anti-government protesters have been rallying in the
capital since mid-March in a campaign for immediate
elections to replace a government they regard as elitist
and undemocratic.
Eurozone economic confidence hits two-year high
in April
Xinhua, Brussels
Economic confidence in the eurozone hit a two- year high
in April, despite the worsening Greek debt crisis, a
survey conducted by the European Commission showed
Thursday.
The economic sentiment indicator for the 16-nation bloc
sharing the euro improved significantly by 2.7 points to
100.6, the highest level since February 2008, while in the
27- nation European Union (EU) it rose by 2.1 points to
101.9.
The Commission said the index is now exceeding its
long-term average, but further sustained improvements are
still required for economic activity to reach its
pre-crisis level.
The surveys are conducted in different sectors of the
economy, namely industry, services, construction and
retail trade, as well as among consumers.
Regarding individual sectors, sentiment in industry
increased by 3 points in the eurozone and by 2 points in
the EU, mainly due to the substantially better order
books.
Services and retail also registered significant
improvements and consumer confidence regained its
momentum, largely attributed to easing unemployment fears
in Germany.
National
Govt takes 5-year CASE project to
address urban air pollution
BSS, Dhaka
The World Bank would support the government in
implementing a Taka 446 core project on Clean Air
Sustainable Environment (CASE) during the next five-year
to put a clamp on air pollution in the capital.
The project proposed for interventions in the transport
sector and adopting a co-benefit approach to address air
pollution along with integrating environment and transport
concerns following the rapid urban population growth and
high level of air pollution and transport conditions.
Under the project, clean air rules will be framed for the
first time in the country bringing all emission sources
under the purview of the law with setting standard for
every source of emission, Joint Secretary of the ministry
and CASE Project Director Dr Nasir Uddin told BSS.
The project is structured into two components- one is
'Environment', which includes addressing brick kiln
emissions, and other is- 'Transport', which includes
addressing traffic management and engineering issues.
He said the traffic signaling system in Dhaka City would
be improved introducing solar technology with the signal
to keep them operational even at the time of power
disruption.
DoE will implement the Environment component aimed at
strengthening the environmental agency's capacity and
capability to effectively address air pollution issues and
demonstrate the effectiveness and efficacy of new
approaches for reducing air pollution emissions through
application to the brick industry and the transport
sector.
The project will support the newly established Air Quality
Cell (AQC) at DoE and improve air quality monitoring, data
analysis and reporting, enforcement and control for
emissions reduction and brick kilns emissions management.
The 'Transport' component of the project will focus on
reducing conflict between motorized and non-motorized
transport and congestion, as well as providing safe and
better mobility for those who walk and use public
transport, particularly, working women.
Under the project, investment will be made for Foot Over
Bridges (FOBs), traffic signals, one-way streets,
separation of motorized and non-motorized traffic, and
people-with-disability (PWD) friendly sidewalks.
To encourage a modal shift from existing transport modes
to cleaner and safer transport modes in greater Dhaka in
the long run, a bus rapid transit (BRT) route network
rationalization and franchising will be prepared under the
project.
Department of Environment (DoE), Dhaka City Corporation (DCC)
and Dhaka Transport Co-ordination Board (DTCB) will
implement the project while MOEF will be responsible for
the overall coordination.
Twenty-five new foot-over bridges would be constructed in
the city under the project while 70-km sidewalk with
streetlight would be built up at Mohammadpur area.
Potato farmers demand arrests of cold
storage owner in Rangpur
BSS, Rangpur
Potato growers of Rangpur demanded immediate arrest of the
absconding owner of Moulana Basir Cold Storage and his
associates for secretly selling preserved potato and
rotting of other huge quantities in the cold storage.
The potato farmers brought out a huge procession and
submitted memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur
Thursday to realize their demands and also sought for
compensation for their rotten and secretly sold potatoes
by the cold storage owner. While submitting the
memorandum, internationally renowned potato grower and
exporter and President of Rangpur District Potato Growers'
Association Khwaja Ahmed demanded arrests of the cold
storage owner and his associates within the next 24 hours.
He also declared next programmes including arranging huge
farmers' rally, protest processions, gheraoing of the DC
office and seizing of the main road at Katchari Bazaar
point in the city on Monday next if the demands were not
met.
The speakers on the occasion said that the farmers and
traders deposited a total of 85,000 sacs potato, mostly
quality seed potato, with due charges for preservation in
the Moulana Basir Cold Storage in Hajirhat area under
Sadar upazila in the district.
The storage owner secretly sold 65,000 sacs stored
potatoes of the farmers and potato traders and in an
alleged planned way damaged rest of the preserved potatoes
through power mismanagements to spread news that all
potatoes were rotten.
Earlier, the potato farmers knew the news about the fate
of their potatoes on last Tuesday when they blocked the
Dinajpur-Dhaka by throwing their rotten potatoes on the
highway after lifting those from the cold storage
protesting the cheating of the storage owner.
On behalf of all of the potato growers and traders, who
stored potatoes in the cold storage, one potato farmer
Abdul Jalil of Khasbag area in Mahiganj Township filed a
cheating case against the cold storage authorities with
Kotwali police station.
The plaintiff told newsmen that owner of the cold storage
preserved 85,000 sacs potato there though its maximum
capacity allow for storing only 50,000 sacs and secretly
sold 65,000 sacs potato and cheated the client potato
growers and traders.
Forecast of around 1.25 lakh tons
additional boro yield in NW-region
BSS, Rajshahi
Agricultural officials and farmers are expecting of around
1.25 lakh tons of additional boro yield in the country's
northwestern region in the current harvesting season.
The prediction has been surfaced as the farmers have
started getting bumper yield in their initial stage
harvesting which has been going on everywhere in the
region for the last couple of days. According to the
officials concerned, three early and short-duration
varieties of paddy like Parija, BRRIDHAN-28 and 45 are
being harvested at present and more or less 70 percent of
those could be completed by the next week.
Talking to BSS here, Deputy Director of Department of
Agriculture Extension (DAE) Mohsin Ali said the harvesting
activities are being progressed smoothly amidst the
prevailing favorable climatic condition.
Besides, he said the farmers are getting cherished yield
in spite of some constraints including seedling crises in
the initial stage, prolong drought and frequent load
shedding faced by them during the farming period.
He viewed that the drought and the power crises could not
affect the ultimate yield and hoped that there will no
yield hamper.
‘Mosquitoes can easily be
controlled in natural way’
BSS, Savar, Dhaka
Mosquitoes can easily be controlled in a natural way by
using frogs and dragonflies instead of harmful chemicals
at their breeding grounds, says a mosquito management
study.
The rate of success is high in controlling mosquitoes
using the preimaginal stages of dragonflies, damselflies
and cricket foxes and it could become hundred percent,
Kabirul Bashar, lead author of the study and assistant
professor of zoology of JU, told Bangladesh Sangbad
Sangstha (BSS) Friday. He said experiment in this regard
was carried out in waterbodies in different areas of the
country, including Dohar and Savar of Dhaka, Cox's Bazar,
Srimongal, Bandarban, Jhenidah, Chuadanga and JU campus.
Preimages of mosquitoes could be totally removed by nymphs
and frog hatchlings from some designated places
experimentally, the study said.
‘Dance speaks of human
feelings, emotion and cultural identity’
BSS, Rangpur
Leading cultural personalities here yesterday evening said
dance always speaks of human feelings as well as life and
living with love, affection, arts, emotion and cultural
identity of a nation.
They were addressing a discussion arranged by different
cultural organizations marking celebration of the
International Dance Day- 2010 on the premises of Central
Shaheed Minar here.
The day was celebrated with the theme 'Nritter Tale Tale,
Biswa Aaj Ek Sathe' with huge enthusiasm and festivity.
Rangpur Sound Touch, Rangpur Nrittya Sangstha, Rangpur
Nrittya Academy and Rinijhini Nrittya Academy, other
organizations, chalked out elaborate programmes on the
occasion.
The programmes included colourful rallies, receptions and
discussions, presentation of different dances, cultural
functions and other activities befitting to the occasion.
Chaired by renowned cultural personality, women activist
and Awami League leader Advocate Hosne Ara Lutfa Dalia,
the function was attended by Chief Executive Officer of
Rangpur Zila parishad Kazi Hasan Ahmed as the chief guest.
Deputy Managing Director of Rangpur Dental College AA Al
Amin, Director Major (retd) M Nasim Uddin, Deputy Director
Mafia Islam and President of Sound Touch Majedur Rahman
Jhantu were the guests of honour.
General Secretary of Rangpur Nrittya Sangstha Prof. Azizul
Islam was accorded a reception on the occasion, attended
by hundreds of artists including dancers of different
ages, cultural personalities, professionals and elite.
First year students orientation at
JU
BSS, Jahangirnagar University
First year students of Public Administration were accorded
a colorful orientation at the seminar room of central
auditorium of Jahangirnagar University (JU) here on
Thursday.
On the occasion the second year students of the department
organized daylong programme including reminiscence,
discussion session, reception of students and newly
appointed teacher and a grand cultural function and
dinner.
A documentary on campus life was screened while songs both
indigenous and distant rendered.
Prof Dr Abul Kashem Mozumdar, Chairman of the department
spoke at the function as chief guest while Nusrat Jahan
Chowdhury, Md Sayedur Rahman, Md Muinul Islam, Zebun-nesa
Chowdhury and Md Mahmudur Rahman attend.
2 minor boys die after being
electrocuted in pond water
BSS, Barisal
Two minor boys who were electrocuted with a electric wire
while they were trying to catch a fish in the pond of
upzila parishad in Agoiljhara upazila, some kilometer away
from the city.
Police said the victims were identified as Ali Fakir, 11,
son of Majibor Fakir and sohan fakir, 11, son of Halim
Fakir who resided in front of upazila parishad.
They were swimming in pond and suddenly became in touch
with a electric wire under the water when they were trying
to catch a fish. Both the victims were close friends to
each other and students of class five in Agoiljhara Sadar
Model Primary School.
A case has been filed with the police station in this
connection.
BDR seizes huge phensidyl, covered
van from Hakimpur
BSS, Rangpur
Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) seized 3,079 bottles phensidyl and
a covered van from Dhaka Mour point near Dangapara on the
Hilli- Dhaka highway under Hakimpur upazila in Dinajpur
yesterday, BDR sources said.
On a tip off, a special BDR patrol party of Joypurhat 3
Rifle battalion conducted a sudden raid at the place when
the smugglers fled the spot abandoning their covered van
loaded with the smuggled phensidyl.
After searching the van, the BDR personnel seized the huge
quantity of phensidyl, which were being trafficked to
Dhaka by the unidentified smugglers from the frontier
area, the sources said.
Sports
Bangladesh League
Muktijoddha earns victory over Shuktara
TBT report
Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra scored a lone-goal victory
over Shuktara Jubo Sangsad in the Bangladesh Football League
at Narayanganj Stadium on Friday.
With the first half failed to produce any goal, Muktijoddha
mounted pressure for a winner and came close to scoring on
several occasions in the second half proceedings.
After wasting a number of easy chances, Sahajuddin Tipu scored
the precious goal on 59 minutes to earn full points for his
relegation-threatened team.
Shuktara also carried out some vicious onslaughts to find an
equalizer but the experienced Muktijoddha players showed great
measure of team spirit to withstand the pressure, especially
their defenders played well to foil all the moves and keep
safe the citadel.
Arambagh Krira Sangha and Feni Soccer Club were settled for a
goalless draw in the other match of the day at Bangabandhu
National Stadium in Dhaka.
Afridi
wants Bangladesh to be treated like Aussies
AFP, Gros Islet
Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has told his reigning champions
to take Bangladesh as seriously as if they were Australia when
they begin the defence of their World Twenty20 title.
Pakistan faces its Asian rival at the Beausejour ground here
today before returning to the same venue 24 hours later to
wrap up its Group A campaign against Australia.
With the top two in each of the four groups going through to
the second round, both Pakistan and Australia are expected to
brush aside Bangladesh on their way into the Super Eights.
However, Afridi told the International Cricket Council (ICC)
podcast on Thursday: "Playing in this cricket, anything can
happen. It's about what happens on the day. "I want to see the
same body language whether we are playing Bangladesh or
Australia."
All-rounder Afridi, a hard-hitting batsman and leg-spinner, is
also Pakistan's leading player at this tournament. He was
thrust into the leadership after a series of suspensions
imposed following a winless tour of Australia that have cost
Pakistan the services of former captains Mohammad Yousuf,
Younus Khan, as well as Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved.
And it was in Australia where Afridi, after extraordinarily
chewing on a white cricket ball during a one-day international
in Perth, received a two-match Twenty20 ban for ball
tampering. However, the discipline of captaincy may be having
an effect.
"I think as the defending champion, there is some pressure on
me," Afridi said. "There is extra responsibility on me as
captain to set me an example.
"But we've got a good team and I'm, quite happy. This is the
right time for us to play some good cricket. That's what I am
expecting from the guys."
As if the loss of so many players through suspension was not
bad enough, Pakistan will be without Umar Gul at the World
Twenty20 after the fast bowler suffered a shoulder injury at a
training camp in Lahore earlier this month.
Gul is the most successful bowler in Twenty20 internationals
with 43 wickets in 26 matches and also returned record match
figures at this level with an astonishing five wickets for six
runs against New Zealand in the World Twenty20 in England last
year.
"Umar Gul, over the last two years, has been playing very well
in Twenty20," Afridi said, having previously explained: "He is
an expert of reverse swing. "He could have been lethal on the
slow pitches in the West Indies but all the other available
players are also equally good and eager to perform in the mega
event."
Bangladesh A
team announced
TBT report
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the Bangladesh A
squad on Friday for the first three matches of the
triangular cricket series, which also involves West Indies
A and South Africa A.
The players are advised the report at Sher-e-Bangla
National Cricket Stadium today.
The team: Shamsur Rahman (Captain), Uttam Sarker,
Nazimuddin, Roqibul Hassan, Marshal Ayub, Faysal Hossain,
Nazmul Hossain Milon, Dhiman Ghosh (Wicketkeeper), Alok
Kapali (Vice Captain), Dollar Mahmud, Nazmul Hossain,
Talha Zubaer, Nabil Samad and Saqlain Sajib.
Ai Miyazato seizes
lead
AFP, Morelia
Japan's Ai Miyazato fired a first-round 63 Thursday to
seize the spotlight at LPGA star Lorena Ochoa's farewell
event. Miyazato's 10-under effort was the best round of
her LPGA career in relation to par and the player who won
the first two events of the LPGA season positioned herself
for a run at the Tres Marias Championship title.
Spanish rookie Azahara Munoz opened with a 65, and world
number one Ochoa, who will retire after this event in her
home country, tied for third with American Michelle Wie
with a 66. Miyazato won the Evian Masters last season -
her first LPGA Tour victory - and has risen to fifth the
world rankings.
Although she doesn't hit long off the tee, she's accurate
and needed just 22 putts on Thursday.
"I don't feel like I'm playing so much better all of a
sudden," Miyazato said after a round that included 10
birdies. "I feel like this is just one step at a time and
building up my confidence. Last year gave me a lot of
confidence. Just right now I am showcasing what I can do."
Ochoa asked to be paired Miyazato and former University of
Arizona teammate Natalie Gulbis in the first two rounds.
Ochoa grew up in junior golf with Gulbis and called
Miyazato "the nicest girl on the tour."
"I have played with her so many times since I have been on
the tour, but today was really special," Miyazato said.
"Natalie and Lorena were really relaxed, so they had an
effect on me and I played really relaxed."
Bangladesh A struggles with 128 for 3
UNB, Dhaka
Bangladesh A team was struggling with 128 for 3 in 39.2
overs in the first innings, against South Africa A team's
1st innings total of 482 for all in 127.3 overs, on the
2nd day of the 2nd four-day unofficial test at BKSP in
Savar on Friday.
The 2nd string Proteas side resumed the first innings
today (Friday) with overnight 360 for 5 and posted huge
total of 482 runs giving a strong challenge to the home
side.
Earlier, South Africa A team earned a comprehensive
innings and four-run victory over their Bangladeshi
counterpart in the first four-day match at Mirpur Stadium
after scoring a massive 676 runs in the first innings that
featured three centuries.
In the day's match, South Africa A team captain Thami
Tsolekile again showed his brilliance in the longer
version cricket scoring back to back century.
Night watch batman Thami Tsolekile (90) today scored his
second ton in consecutive matches scoring 111 runs off 172
balls with 10 fours. He scored 140 runs against the same
team in the first four-dayer in Mirpur Stadium.
But another night watch batsman Rilee Roussouw failed to
add any run on the 2nd day with his first day's total of
81 runs.
Besides, Alviro Petersen (92), Vernon Philander (not out
39), P Harris (39), Jonathan Vandiar (19), Dean Elgar (17)
and Quinton Friend (11), were the other major contributors
for the Proteas team.
Promising leg spinner Nur Hossain, who grabbed three
wickets on the first day, made it four today conceding 146
runs while Foysal Hossain (2/76) finished with three
wickets for 111 runs.
In reply, the 2nd string Bangladesh side opened the first
innings Friday afternoon and scored 128 for 3 in 39.2
overs to trail by 354 runs when the bails were drawn at
4:10 pm (local time) on the 2nd day due to bad light.
After the dismissal of opener Shahriar Nafees for just six
runs in 1.1 overs, another opener cum day's captain
Shamsur Rahman pairing with one down Nazimuddin
contributed 106 runs in the 2nd wicket stand.
Awards double for
Rooney
AFP, London
Wayne Rooney has completed an awards double after being
voted the English Football Writers' Association (FWA)
player of the year. Rooney, 24, claimed 81 percent of the
votes cast to follow up an equally convincing win in the
ballot for the Professional Footballer's Association
player of the year award.
FWA chairman Steve Bates said Rooney's dominance of the
voting reflected the huge impact he has had for United in
the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo's departure for Real Madrid,
which has resulted in him being deployed as an out-and-out
striker. "His tally of 34 goals so far this season is
certain to have captured the attention of our members, but
I am sure the overall improvement in his game at
Manchester United has been of equal significance," said
Bates. "Wayne's enthusiasm, hunger and desire mark him out
as a special player and we hope he can carry his club form
onto the international stage in the World Cup this summer
to help England achieve their dream." Didier Drogba and
Carlos Tevez were, respectively, second and third in the
FWA poll.
Nadal dominates as Murray crashes
AFP, Rome
Claycourt king Rafael Nadal was at his dominant best as he
trounced Romania's Victor Hanescu 6-3, 6-2 to storm into
the ATP Rome Masters 1000 quarter-finals at the Foro
Italico on Thursday.
Earlier Spanish 13th seed David Ferrer upset world number
four Andy Murray 6-4, 6-4 while world number two Novak
Djokovic had few problems in disposing of Brazilian Thomaz
Bellucci 6-4, 6-4.
Nadal blasted 31 winners and broke Hanescu three times,
winning in one hour 22 minutes, as he goes in search of a
fifth title here in six years.
He broke Hanescu to love in the fourth game of the first
set following a sumptuous backhand crosscourt pass and a
forehand winner down the line.
Having served out the set the world number three broke the
Romanian in the first game of the second after a pair of
passes, one off each flank.
When he broke again for a 4-1 lead it seemed all over for
Hanescu, although the Romanian briefly rallied but he
could not convert any of four break points in the next
game.
Nadal admitted that he had taken his foot off the gas.
"I stopped playing a little bit and relaxed. I played with
less intensity at 4-1 and I was over-confident," he said.
"It's impossible to play with less intensity at this
level, he's a good player."
Hanescu had one more break point in the final game of the
match but having saved that, Nadal sealed victory with a
smash.
The Spaniard now plays Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka
who beat fifth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling 6-3, 6-2.
"That's a big result, he's playing well and will have a
lot of confidence," said Nadal of Wawrinka.
Murray struggled badly with his serve throughout his match
on his least favourite surface, recording a pitifully low
41 percent of first serves.
That gave clay specialist Ferrer the chance to attack the
Murray second serve and he broke once in each set to
secure the victory.
The 22-year-old Scot at times appeared listless as seen on
the final point when he dropped a weak forehand into the
net. However, the Brit said he was happy with his
performance.
"I thought it was a good match, a high standard, there
were a lot of good points, I just didn't convert my
chances," he said.
"I didn't make enough returns and he served a very high
percentage so that was the only disappointing thing. I
wasn't able to create many break point opportunities
because that's normally the best part of my game." Ferrer
will face French seventh seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who
comfortably dispatched Colombian qualifier Santiago
Giraldo 6-3, 6-4.
Fulham clinches Europa League final spot
AFP, London
Fulham completed its fairytale run to the Europa League
final as the unfashionable English club defeated Hamburg
2-1 in the semifinal second leg on Thursday.
Roy Hodgson's side looked on the verge of elimination when
it trailed to Mladen Petric's first half free-kick with
just 21 minutes left at Craven Cottage.
But two goals in seven minutes from Simon Davies and
Zoltan Gera sealed a dramatic 2-1 aggregate triumph and a
place in the final against Atletico Madrid, who knocked
out Liverpool on the away goals rule, at Hamburg's own
Nordbank Arena on May 12.
"It's the most important goal I have ever scored so I'm
very, very happy. It's amazing," said Gera.
Davies paid tribute to Hodgson.
"The manager said at half-time keep playing your football
and you'll get your rewards, and we did tonight so we're
buzzing," said the Welshman.
Hodgson's team began their European adventure against
Lithuania's FK Vetra way back in July and had already
exceeded all expectations in a magical run that included
famous victories over holders Shakhtar Donetsk, Italian
giants Juventus and German champions Wolfsburg.
The Cottagers had even survived the draining effects of
their enforced 18-hour bus journey to Germany in the first
leg in Hamburg last week.
Fulham have never won a major honour at home or abroad,
but they will play in a first European final after the
most significant result in the club's 131-year history.
With so much at stake, 19-goal leading scorer Bobby Zamora
agreed to have a painkilling injection so he could start
after missing Sunday's defeat at Everton with an Achilles
injury.
Zamora had a chance to impress watching England coach
Fabio Capello, but the former Tottenham forward never
looked fit and was unable to convert a golden opportunity
in the second minute.
Gera's flick sent Zamora through on goal yet, with just
Frank Rost to beat, he shot straight at the Hamburg
goalkeeper before his effort from the rebound was
scrambled away for a corner. It proved a costly miss as
Ricardo Moniz's side gradually took control before going
ahead in the 22nd minute.
After Ze Roberto was fouled by Danny Murphy 35 yards from
goal, Croatia forward Petric stepped up and unleashed a
ferocious free-kick that caught Australian goalkeeper Mark
Schwarzer slightly flat-footed at it sped past him.
Now Fulham needed to score twice as a draw would eliminate
them on away goals. Hodgson's side had recovered from a
worse position to go through against Juventus, but the
Germans, who had sacked boss Bruno Labbadia earlier in the
week, were pushing for a killer second goal and Jonathan
Pitropia was narrowly off-target with a powerful drive
just before half-time.
Zamora began limping heavily as the match wore on and it
was no surprise when he was replaced by American forward
Clint Dempsey in the 57th minute.
Dempsey added more verve to the previously subdued Fulham
forward line and Damien Duff went close with a first-time
shot from Paul Konchesky's low free-kick.
Fulham were leaving more gaps at the back as they searched
for an equaliser and David Jarolim forced Schwarzer to tip
over after a quick Hamburg counter-attack.
There was no sign of Fulham throwing in the towel though
and Davies brought the hosts right back into the tie 69th
minute.
Murphy chipped a defence-splitting pass to Davies and the
Welsh midfielder showed great skill to turn Guy Demel
before firing past Rost.
Suddenly, Fulham could sense another remarkable European
victory and they piled forward.
Their pressure was rewarded in the 76th minute when
Davies's corner ran through to Hungary forward Gera, who
kept his composure to control and shoot past Rost as the
Craven Cottage faithful went wild.
Forlan ends Liverpool hopes
AFP, Liverpool
Diego Forlan's 102nd minute goal ended Liverpool's hopes
of a first trophy in four years as Rafa Benitez's side was
denied a place in the Europa League final by Atletico
Madrid on the away goals rule.
On a dramatic night at Anfield, Yossi Benayoun's 95th
minute goal, which gave the hosts a 2-1 semifinal
aggregate advantage, looked to have booked Liverpool a
place in its third European final in six seasons.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Alberto Aquilani had
levelled the aggregate scores with a sublime finish before
Benayoun struck early in extra time.
But former Manchester United striker Forlan, whose goal
gave Atletico a narrow 1-0 lead from the first leg, sent
the Spaniards through to face Fulham in the May 12 final
in Hamburg and left Liverpool to reflect on a fourth
successive season without a trophy.
"It didn't matter who scored tonight. It was a difficult
game and we knew they would come after us," said Forlan.
"They played well in the first half and then we settled
down. We made a mistake on their goal in extra-time, but
we knew one goal would do it for us."
Liverpool made two changes to their starting line-up from
last week's first leg as Sotiros Kyrgiakos was replaced by
Aquilani, with Javier Mascherano dropping into the back
four and Ryan Babel coming in for the injured David Ngog.
After Forlan's goal had given the Spaniards a narrow
advantage from the first leg, Liverpool desperately
required a positive start.
And they almost got it as Benayoun powered his way into
the Atletico area after Dirk Kuyt's flick on.
However, the Israeli's effort was kept out by keeper David
de Gea.
Liverpool's followers had been warmed by the fact that
Benitez's team had gone on to eliminate Lille and Benfica
in the previous two rounds after losing the first legs.
But without 22-goal leading scorer Fernando Torres they
struggled to hurt their opponents, despite carving out a
string of chances before eventually making the
breakthrough.
Aquilani, before his goalscoring contribution, was guilty
of firing straight at the keeper from a good position yet
it was Kuyt who was guilty of the most glaring miss.
The Dutchman, spearheading the attack, blazed over from
close range in front after Mascherano had whipped in a
26th-minute cross.
Liverpool were fortunate not to be dead and buried by then
after Raul Garcia had forced Jose Reina into a fine save
with a rasping long-range effort.
Daniel Agger had the ball in the net in the 32nd minute
only for the effort to be ruled out by an offside flag, a
decision that left home fans more restless.
But just one minute before half time Liverpool got the
breakthrough they craved following Aquilani's sublime
finish.
Having struggled to adapt to his new surroundings since
signing from Roma in August, Aquilani at least proved he
knows how to find the net with a terrific 15-yard strike
following Benayoun's cross.
Benitez's side were given a reminder that their work was
far from complete when Paulo Assuncao went close to
equalising in the 52nd minute.
Liverpool's defence backed off allowing the Atletico
player to have a shot from distance, Assuncao's effort
only just clearing the bar.
With the scores locked at 1-1 and extra time looming, Glen
Johnson was determined to book Liverpool's place in the
final without the need of an extra 30 minutes.
The England full-back launched a vicious 80th minute drive
towards the Atletico net only for de Gea to get his hand
in the way.
Pakistan humbled by Zimbabwe
AFP, Bridgetown
Zimbabwe humbled defending World Twenty20 champions
Pakistan with a 12-run win in their final warm-up at St
Lucia.
Zimbabwe, who defeated Australia by one-run earlier in the
week, made 143-7 from their 20 overs with big-hitting
Elton Chigumbura smashing 49 not out from 35 balls to
rescue his team from a precarious 64 for 5 in the 12th
over. Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi shone with the ball
taking 4-24.
Kamran Akmal hit 37 from 27 balls as Pakistan started
their reply, but they were in deep trouble at 67 for 5
after 10 overs.
Fawad Alam and Misbah-ul-Haq added 51 in in 7.4 overs for
the sixth wicket, before spinner Prosper Utseya turned the
game around for the Africans, getting rid of both men on
his way to figures of 4 for 15 in four overs.
Pakistan finished on 131 with Chigumbura also starring
with the ball, claiming 3 for 16 in three overs. Pakistan
begins its campaign today against Bangladesh in St Lucia
while Zimbabwe starts against Sri Lanka in Guyana on
Monday.
In Thursday's other warm-ups, Australia recovered from
their defeat to Zimbabwe by crushing the Windward Islans
by 101 runs, also at St Lucia.
David Warner hit 51, his second successive half-century,
and David Hussey made 49 as Australia piled up 189-8 off
their 20 overs before the Windwards were dismissed for
just 88.
Australia play their first group match against Pakistan in
St Lucia on Sunday.
At Barbados, England defeated South Africa by five
wickets. South Africa were limited to 125-5 off their 20
overs before Eoin Morgan top-scored with 63 from 62 balls
to lead England to victory after his side had been reeling
a 9-3. England face West Indies in Guayna on Monday while
South Africa start against India in St Lucia on Sunday.
Tevez told to stop complaining
AFP, Manchester
Roberto Mancini has told Carlos Tevez to stop complaining
about the training regime at Manchester City or look for a
new club, in the latest sign that all is not well in the
Eastlands dressing room.
Tevez angered the Italian manager in a recent interview in
which he claimed double training sessions were exhausting
the players and questioned the club's decision to dismiss
Mancini's predecessor, Mark Hughes, halfway through the
season.
The Argentinian striker's outburst has been interpreted as
a sign that he wants to engineer a summer move to Real
Madrid or another Spanish club and Mancini has now
signalled that he could get his wish. "Tevez has four
years left on his contract but if he's not happy, it would
be better to change squads," the Italian said. "If a top
player is not happy to stay here, then it's better for him
to go to another team." Mancini has held talks with Tevez
over his training methods but made it clear he would not
be amending them to fit in with one player's preferences.
"When we don't have a midweek game I always train two
times on Tuesday because it's the only way I know," he
said.
The spat with Tevez could not have blown up at a worse
time for Mancini with City battling to clinch fourth spot
in the Premier League in their final three matches of the
season and speculation rife that the manager will be
replaced if they fail.
Henin digs deep, top-seed Wozniacki crashes
AFP, Stuttgart
Former world number one Justine Henin had to dig deep on
Thursday to book a quarter-final clash against Jelena
Jankovic at the Stuttgart claycourt tournament.
Having broken her 18-month hiatus from tennis in January,
Belgium's Henin is on her way back up the rankings and
looked to be cruising to a win over compatriot Yanina
Wickmayer after taking the first set with ease.
But having raced to a 5-1 lead in the second, Henin
faltered allowing Wickmayer to win the next four games and
draw level, before the ex-world number one rallied and
closed out the tie, winning 6-3, 7-5.
"I got a bit tight in the second set," explained Henin,
who is currently ranked 24th in the world.
"I was controlling the match, but I suddenly got nervous.
It wasn't easy to stay in the match after losing four
games."
Henin, who is here on a wild card, will play fourth-seed
Jankovic in Friday's quarter-finals after the Serb beat
Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2, 6-2. "She is always
hard to beat," said Henin. "I will have to play at a high
level to win that match." Jankovic was happy with her win
over Pironkova, but said she can still improve.
"Overall, I played well," said Jankovic. "I was
aggressive, I went after my shots and I served well, there
is always something I could have done better, but I am
happy overall."
Last year's runner-up Dinara Safina played her first match
since withdrawing from the Australian Open with a back
injury with a second round win over Agnes Szavay.
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