SuNday, MAY 23, 2010 Jyestha 9, 1417, JAMADIUS SANI 7, 1431 Hijri

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Leading News

Textile sector
PM for adopting long-term plan, modern technologies

UNB, Dhaka

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday stressed the need for adopting immediate long-term plan and use of modern technologies in the textile sector to face the challenges in the near future.
"Ever-changing international textile trade, various compliance issues of buyers, environment and preservation of bio-diversity will influence the future trade of textile sectors," she said while inaugurating the three-day TexBangla-2010, a biennial event, at Hotel Sheraton in the city.
Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) organized the exhibition to display their products.
Textile and Jute Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui and Commerce Minister Lt. Col. (retd) Faruq Khan were present as special guests at the inaugural session. BTMA president Abdul Hai Sarkar also spoke on the occasion.
The Prime Minister said the government would continue its assistance and stimulus packages for the textile sector, which generates highest employment after agriculture.
She asked all concerned to take a comprehensive plan for the development of this foreign exchange-earning sector.
"As the head of the government, I am always beside you and the government would try its level best to fulfill your logical demands," she said.
The Prime Minister mentioned that her government wants to create an investment-friendly atmosphere in the country.
She said that her government already announced to provide around Tk 3,500 crore to face the adverse impact of the global economic meltdown.
"Besides, we also brought down the bank interest rate for textile sector from 13 percent to 10 percent."
Referring to the gas and electricity crisis, which greatly created obstacles for production and investment in the textile sector, she said these problems were not created during the tenure of her government.
Hasina said that each year the demand for electricity increased at a rate of eight percent. "Keeping this in mind, in our previous tenure (1996-2001) we increased power generation from 1600 MW to 4300 MW. We had also taken a mega plan for generating more power, but the next governments did not follow that plan."
She said that if the power projects that were taken during her previous tenure were implemented after 2001 the country would have at least 6000 MW of electricity by 2009. "Then we would not have faced such power crisis now."

 Candidature of Mohiuddin, Manzu’s found valid
Nominations of 4 mayor candidates, 3 female councilors for reserved seats cancelled

BSS, Chittagong

The nomination papers of two main Mayoral candidates- Citizens Committee and Awami League supported Alhaj A B M Mohiuddin Chowdhury and BNP backed Chittagong
Development Movement candidate Manzurul Alam Manzu were found valid after scrutiny Saturday.
However, the nomination papers of four intending Mayoral candidates and three female ward councilors for reserved seats were cancelled by the Election Commission. Election Commission sources said the nomination papers of two other Mayoral candidates Saifuddin Ahmed and Kamal Uddin were withheld for furnishing with relevant papers by 4:00 pm on Sunday.
Besides, the candidature of a total 12 Mayoral candidates including that of outgoing Mayor Alhaj ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury and Manzurul Alam Manzu were primarily found valid.
The Election Commission urged the two intending mayor candidates, whose candidatures were withheld, to submit the relevant documents within the stipulated time, otherwise their nominations would be cancelled.
The candidatures of Mayor aspirants M A Salam, Wahid Azgor, A Z M Haider Ali and Yakub Hossain were cancelled for loan default and submitting fake documents.
The Mayor candidates, whose candidatures were cancelled, would have the scope to appeal to the Divisional Commissioner, an appellate authority, within the next three days.
The first day of the scrutiny was held at the city's Muslim Hall institute from 10 am on Saturday.
The Election Commission completed the scrutiny of the candidatures of Mayor and female councilors for reserved seats of 15 wards out of 41 on the first day. The rest would be scrutinized today.
A total of 18 intending Mayor candidates, 322 ward councilors and 67 reserved female ward councilors of different political parties, mainly Awami League and BNP, submitted their nomination papers on Thursday, the last day for collecting and submitting nomination papers.

 Govt pushing the country to situation like Afghanistan, Iraq: Khaleda

UNB, Dhaka

Opposition leader Khaleda Zia Saturday cautioned that the country's sovereignty would be at stake if the government allows Indian soldiers to guard its High Commission in Dhaka.
"If the Indian soldiers come here, what Bangladesh's soldiers will do? Does it not construe that the government has lost confidence on our soldiers?" she questioned.
Begum Zia was speaking at her Gulshan office while giving financial support to her party members who were either killed or injured in recent attacks allegedly by Awami League activists.
The former Prime Minister said since the country's independence, no foreign missions in Dhaka had ever proposed to bring their own security personnel for guarding their missions.
Khaleda also opposed a proposal to bring Sky Marshall Security for Dhaka airport, saying that it would create further disaster for the country.
"Moves are now to push the country towards the situation like Afghanistan and Iraq," the opposition leader said.
Referring to the action programs she announced from the grand rally in Dhaka on May 19, Khaleda said the government has become perturbed at the agitation program. She warned that tougher action program would be announced if her demands are not met.
The BNP chief said the amount of harassment and torture unleashed on the opposition reflects that the government has lost confidence on the people. Even the police stations do not receive cases from the BNP workers injured by Awami League activists, she said, adding BCL activists are resorting to terrorist acts everyday throughout the country.
Khaleda said people are anxiously looking at BNP. BNP will certainly win if general elections are held now. She alleged the Awami League is enjoying the benefit of the development works done by the BNP government.
Earlier the BNP chairperson gave Tk 2.5 lakh to Sherpur BNP leader Zakir Hossain's wife Razia Sultana Rony and Tk 1.25 lakh to Zakir's mother Arzan Bibi. Zakir was killed during an attack by Awami League activists on the BNP's motorcade on May 5.
She also gave Tk one lakh to Sherpur BNP president Jane Alam for treatment of the BNP workers injured in the incident. Tk 50,000 was given to Bogra BNP leader Mostafa Ali Mukul for treatment of the injured party workers.
BNP leaders Barrister Zamiruddin Sircar MP, Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Mizanur Rahman Minu and Harunor Rashid were present at the function.

   158 killed in plane crash in south India
AFP, Mangalore

An Air India Express plane overshot a runway and crashed in flames Saturday in southern India, killing 158 people as a handful of survivors managed to scramble from the burning wreckage.
Officials said the Boeing 737-800, carrying 160 passengers and six crew on a flight from Dubai, careered off the end of the "table-top" runway at Bajpe airport and plunged into a forested gorge where it was engulfed in flames. Survivors described hearing a loud thud shortly after touchdown and said the main fuselage broke into two before filling with fire and thick smoke. The accident occurred shortly after 6:00 am (0030 GMT). Bajpe airport serves the port city of Mangalore, about 20 kilometres away and around 320 kilometres west of the Karnataka state capital Bangalore.
Officials described the landing conditions as fair with good visibility and said there had been no distress call from the cockpit.
Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, who flew to the crash site, said eight passengers had survived. Three of them were in serious condition, while four were being treated for minor injuries and one escaped totally unscathed. A young boy pulled alive from the wreckage died on the way to hospital.
It was India's worst aviation disaster since 1996 when two passenger planes collided in mid-air near New Delhi with the loss of all 349 on board both flights. One survivor, Umer Farooq, told the NDTV news channel from his hospital bed that he had heard a bang as the plane touched down.
"The plane veered off toward some trees on the side and then the cabin filled with smoke. I got caught in some cables but managed to scramble out," said Farooq, who suffered burns to his arms, legs and face. Television images from the immediate aftermath of the crash showed smoke billowing from the fuselage, as emergency crews, who had struggled down steep, wooded slopes to reach the aircraft, sought to douse the fire with foam. Stressing that it was "too early" to determine the precise cause of the crash, Patel noted that the sanded safety area surrounding the runway in the event of an overshoot was shorter than at some airports.
The plane's flight data recorder, or "black box", has yet to be recovered. Another survivor, K.P. Manikutty, said he escaped with only minor injuries.

   UGC takes Tk 681 crore project on higher education, research

UNB, Dhaka

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has undertaken a Tk 681 crore project, titled "Higher Education Quality Enhancement Project (HEQEP)", for improving the quality of higher education in the country and of research.
International Development Association (IDA), a soft lending arm of the World Bank, will provide Tk 598.48 crore while the government will finance the remaining Tk 82.56 crore to implement the five-year project with the UGC as project coordinator.
"The main objective of the project is to improve the quality and importance of the teaching and research environment in higher education institutions," said UGC chairmen Prof. Nazrul Islam while addressing a media orientation programme at the CIRDAP auditorium Saturday.
Prof Nazrul Islam presided over the programme, addressed by project director Rukonuddin Ahmed, UGC member Prof Amena Begum, Prof Tajul Islam, Prof Ehsanul Haque and Prof Monjurul Hakim.
Speaking on the occasion, Project Director Rukonuddin Ahmed said the HEQEP consists of four components - Academic Innovation Fund (AIF), Bangladesh Research and Education Network (BdREN), Building Institutional Capacity of the UGC and the universities, and project management."
"There will be two phase of proposal invitation in the duration of HEQEP," he added.
According to an UGC official, more than Tk 372 crore will be allocated in the first phase under the AIF component - 35 percent of the AIF grant available for the first phase is about Tk 130.20 crore while the remaining 65 percent will be provided during the second phase.
The AIF is designed to be awarded to participating public and private universities as non-refundable grant to promote innovative proposals for quality development.
Earlier, on April 5 last year, the government of Bangladesh and the World Bank signed a Financing Agreement (FA) to implement the project.
The development project of the HEQEP was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council on October 23, 2008.

   Villagers confine RAB members for 8 hrs in Satkhira
UNB, Satkhira

Villagers confined a 21-member team of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for eight hours in a house at Nathuardanga village in sadar upazila here Saturday when the team allegedly tried to implicate a local Awami League leader in arms possession charge.
Local sources said the RAB-6 team, led by Major Kamruzzaman, went to Shafiqul Islam's house Friday midnight in the name of recovering arms.
Shafiqul, joint secretary of Sreenagar Union AL and owner of a shrimp enclosure, claimed that the RAB members had thrown three revolvers into house through a window and asked him to open the door.
As he refused to open the door, the law enforcers entered Shafiqul's house by cutting the collapsible gate and accused him of illegal possession of arms.
Hearing hue and cry, hundreds of villagers thronged in front of his house and confined all the RAB members inside. On information, sadar thana O/C MA Hasem and upzila vice-chairman SM Shawkat Hossain reached the spot with a contingent of police, rescued the RAB team at 7:30am and recovered the arms from the spot.
Major Kamruzzaman said they went to Shafiqul's house acting on a tip-off. The person who provided us the information might have kept the arms himself at Shafiqul's house.

Back Page

People won’t tolerate power crisis after 5-6 months: Subid Ali

UNB, Dhaka

The government did not have any alternative but to go for quick rental power plant as people want solution to the prevailing electricity crisis immediately, parliamentary standing committee chairman on Power and Energy Ministry Maj Gen (retd) M Subid Ali Bhuiyan said Saturday.
"People gave their mandate in favor this government to solve the power crisis. Though they're calm today, I'm sure they won't tolerate it after five or six months. That's why we moved for quick rental power plant to ease people's sufferings," he said at a discussion.
The discussion on "Exploring the possibility of the use of solar power in high-rise buildings to encounter power crisis: Possibilities and Importance" was held at the CIRDAP auditorium in the evening with CDRB chairman Dr Mizanur Rahman Shelley in the chair.
Center for Development Research, Bangladesh (CDRB) organized the discussion where prominent scholars and experts from government, semi-government, autonomous bodies and non-government organizations on power and energy were present.
Speaking as chief guest, Subid Ali binned all criticism raised by different quarters, including opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia, and justified the government's move for quick rental power plant.
"We don't want to keep any project pending… generation of 1000-1200 megawatt of electricity through quick rental power plants will address the power crisis to some extent," he said.
The parliamentary body chairman said the government's success and failure solely depend on how successfully it can address the electricity crisis. "So, the government has decided to give top priority to the power sector in the coming budget realizing the necessity."
Mentioning the government's long-term plan to solve the electricity crisis, he said: "We've to go for renewable energy, especially solar power, gradually as our resources are limited."
He added: "We've already proposed duty free import of all solar power equipments including solar panels to popularize Solar Home System (SHS) both in urban and remote areas."
Subid Ali admitted that the industrial production has sharply declined due to the shortage of electricity and said the government is trying its best to solve the power crisis.
"As we can't solve the crisis alone, the government is now thinking on a regional context through consultation with other countries," he said.

   BNP challenges Qamrul to prove Zia was Pak spy
UNB, Dhaka

Mainstream opposition BNP on Saturday challenged the State Minister for Law to prove that late President Ziaur Rahman, the founder of BNP, was a spy of Pakistan during the Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971.
BNP senior joint secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir threw the challenge as the reporters at a press briefing wanted his comment over the allegation made by State Minister for Law Qumrul Islam on Friday that Ziaur Rahman had worked as spy of Pakistan during the Liberation War. "This comment by a state minister is quite baseless, devoid of truth and also against political norms," he said. Fakhrul said Ziaur Rahman had proclaimed the independence, joined the Liberation War and liberated the country.
About the June 27 countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the party, the BNP leader said there will be no necessity of hartal if the government accepts their demands and resolve the problems, as still nearly 40 days remained for the hartal.
The BNP arranged the press briefing at the party's Nayapaltan central office to inform the media about the violation of human rights as well as "inhuman torture" on detained BNP leader and former state minister for education Ehsanul Huq Milon.
Replying to a question, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir refuted the ruling party's allegation that BNP is pushing the country towards confrontational politics, saying that it is the government which is unleashing repression on the opposition and creating obstructions in the exercise of its democratic rights.
He said BNP chairperson and leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia, from very beginning of Awami League's assumption of power, has repeatedly offered to extend cooperation to the government on many national issues and also to help implement the government's election pledges "for greater national interest."

    Law minister rules out doubt over trial of crimes against humanity

BSS, Dhaka

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed Saturday urged all concerned to come up with recommendations to help the government make more stringent laws to prevent child marriage.
"The government will not hesitate to enact tougher laws to stop child marriage," he said, referring to weaknesses in the existing law.
The minister was speaking as the chief guest at a workshop on 'Sensitization of Adolescent Issues' organised by Concerned Women for Family Development (CWFD) at BRAC Inn Centre in the city, said an official release.
Presided over by Professor of Women and Gender Studies of Dhaka University Mahmuda Islam, the workshop was also addressed by Director General of Family Planning Department Mohammad Abdul Qayyum, CWFD Executive Director Mufawajena Khan and representatives of different government and private organisation. CWFD official Dr Mahbubul Islam presented a keynote paper on child marriage and its impact on society.
The law minister said birth registration would have to be made compulsory for all to check child marriage. Poverty and lack of education are responsible for child marriage, he said and stressed on economic development and expansion of duration to get rid of this social problem. Replying to questions from journalists, the minister said trial of crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971 must be held on the soil of this country. The government has updated the relevant laws, allocated fund, formed tribunal and appointed investigators and lawyers panel, he said and added that there should not be any doubt over the trial.
The trial process could be hampered by issuing any statement by any party, he said.

  4 killed in road crashes
UNB,Madaripur

Two motorcyclists were killed as a bus rammed into a motorbike at Shanerpar in Rajoir upazila on Barisal-Faridpur highway Saturday morning.
The victims were-Dulal,28, of Shanerpar of the upazila and Tapan,35, of Barisal district.
Witnesses said a Dhaka bound bus from Barisal hit a motorbike when the duo were going to Tekerhat in the motorbike at about 8:30 am, leaving Dulal dead on the spot and injuring Tapan.
Meanwhile, an old woman was killed and 30 others were injured in a bus accident at Bholahchong in Nabinagar upazila on Friday afternoon.
The deceased was identified as Ambia Begum, 50, wife of Khurshid Miah of Jolla village in the upazila.
Witnesses said the accident occurred Nabinagar-Companyganj road at 5pm when the driver of the Nabinagar bound bus from Brahmanbaria lost control over the steering and the vehicle hit a tree beside the road, leaving the woman dead on the spot and 30 other people injured.
Of them, seven critically injured were sent to Comilla and Dhaka on while 12 others were admitted to Nabinagar health complex.
Another report from Chuadanga adds: An unidentified old man, aged about 60, was killed in a road mishap at Damurhuda upazila headquarters on Friday evening.

    BNP’s hartal call ‘manifestation of its political bankruptcy’: Dilip Barua

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal (ML) general secretary and Industries Minister Dilip Barua on Saturday termed the BNP's call for hartal as the "manifestation of its political bankruptcy."
"BNP called the hartal to undermine the development and success of the present government in fertilizer distribution, food production, education and economical progress," he said at a workers' meeting at the party's Topkhana office.
Dhaka city unit of Samyabadi Dal organized the meeting to demand trial of the war criminals and protest the BNP's call for hartal on June 27.
Dilip Barua alleged that a conspiracy is going on to hinder Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's programme for building a self-reliant and industrialized Bangladesh and bringing smile on the face of poor people.
"Blocking the foreign direct investment by tarnishing the image of the country is the main target of this conspiracy," he said.
The Samybadi Dal leader urged all progressive and pro-liberation forces to unite under the leadership of the Prime Minister to resist the evil forces plotting against the country.
He said any move to destabilize the country through conspiracy would not succeed.
The meeting decided to hold a rally on June 6 at Muktangan to press for expeditious trial of the war criminals.
Dhaka city unit Samyabadi Dal secretary Harun Chowdhury presided over the meeting, also addressed, among others, by the party leaders Abu Hamed Shahabuddin, Dhiren Singh, Haniful Kabir and M Delwar Hossain.
Later, a protest procession led by Industries Minister Dilip Barua paraded the streets passing through Press Club and Muktangaon. The procession ended at Dainik Bangla square.

    Barrister Huq expects govt. green signal for JTV operation
UNB, Dhaka

Barrister Rafique-ul Huq, the counsel for the private satellite television channel Jamuna (JTV), now shut down, has expressed the hope that the Information Ministry would give green signal to its pending application that sought fresh no objection certificate (NOC) for resuming the JTV's operation.
Barrister Huq made the remark at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club on Saturday afternoon following the High Court judgment on the legal dispute over JTV's transmission.
On Thursday, the High Court disposed of the rule seemingly putting the last nail in the coffin of short-lived JTV.
Disposing of the rule, the High Court directed the Information Ministry to resolve the pending application filed on October 10 last year by the JTV management seeking a fresh NOC for resuming its test transmission.
Referring to the High Court judgment on the JTV, Barrister Huq told reporters that both the print and the audio-visual media misled the news about the High Court judgment.
"The High Court in its judgment did not declare valid or illegal the impugned actions of the BTRC and the government, which were challenged," Barrister Huq said.
He said that the High Court disposed of the rule with a direction towards the Information Ministry to resolve expeditiously the pending JTV petition that sought fresh NOC.

Editorial

Abduction, secret killings

The Sate Minister for Home Affairs Shamsul Huq Tuku had said a few months ago that 'nobody is safe here'. This appears to be true in view of the fact that alongside a number of murders across the country everyday, abduction and 'secret killings' are also going on unabated. In some cases the abductions are done in the name of law enforcers such as RAB and later the victim is killed. According to a newspaper report, three people were abducted in the city on Wednesday and Thursday, however one of the victims was released later after snatching away his licensed firearm. The report spoke of recent recovery of the dead body of the men abducted by people introducing themselves as RAB personnel. Officials of RAB and police in a recent meeting at Police Headquarters have expressed concern over the 'secret killings'.
Meanwhile, a national daily has reported that at least 100 people, including opposition party workers and businessmen were abducted and later killed by a group of miscreants syndicate during the last three months but the law enforcement agencies failed to protect them. This miscreants syndicate abducted these innocent people and later killed them out of vengeance and to push the government in an unwanted situation. Abduction and secret killings of political workers have increased in the capital and elsewhere across the country in recent months. Secret killings have been frequently happening after abduction in the name of different law enforcing agencies, especially RAB.
Meanwhile, Hasan Mahmud Khandaker, Director General of RAB told reporters that some miscreants are using their new techniques to suppress their opponents in the disguise of members of RAB or any other law enforcing agencies. About 50 bereaved family members lodged complaints with the Home Ministry, Police Headquarters and RAB Headquarters saying, "Clad in plainclothes, unidentified armed men- introducing them as members of RAB picked everyone up first. Later they found their abandoned bodies at different places."
These reports and allegations are very worrisome as they expose the extreme insecurity of citizens' lives in the country. These also raise a vital question as to whether these crimes are committed by influential political people or some law enforcers themselves. The government should go all out for stopping such abduction and secret killings. At the same time steps should be taken to find out who are actually working behind these heinous crimes and punish them.

  Woes of Aila Victims

One Year has elapsed, but still there is no sign of cyclone Aila victims' sufferings coming to an end. The affected people still cry for adequate food, safe water and rehabilitation, but with little effect. Journalists from home and abroad who covered the devastation of cyclone Aila on Friday called for immediate reconstruction of the damaged embankments in the affected areas and ensuring rehabilitation of the survivors. The cyclone had hit the country's coastal districts of Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira on May 25, 2009 leaving 190 people dead and thousands destitute.
Expressing serious concern over the grave humanitarian crisis prevailing there, the journalists said one year has passed since the disaster and the victims have been enduring extreme sufferings for of adequate food, water and shelter on the embankments and their fate is yet to be changed. Prominent Journalist Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul and Dr Mihir Kanti Majumder, secretary to the ministry of environment and forest, unveiled the cover of the testimony. Mihir said repairing the dykes or raising their heights is not the only solution, increasing the capacity and raising voices in the international arena is also important. Bulbul said, 'We've to set our priorities first and then go for remedy as per the priorities.'
It is painful but true that over 250,000 people are still living in makeshift homes on the embankments of three coastal districts after the devastating cyclone Aila struck southern Bangladesh last May. They cannot return to their localities to construct new houses as their areas are still at threat because the embankments have not been renovated yet. The dykes need major repairs at 138 points in the coastal districts of Satkhira, Bagherhat and Khulna. The food and disaster management minister, Abdur Razzak had said that the renovation work would be completed before the next rainy season arrives and that the procedure is underway. But his assurance is yet to be fulfilled although the rainy season is only a few weeks away.
It is good that the renovation procedure was reported to have been underway. But at the same time it is disappointing that the pace of progress is slow. One year has already elapsed since the Aila had hit the area and the affected people are still passing days under open sky. No explanation or cause is strong enough to justify this. The Aila hit people are so unlucky that they have no shelter, no food security, no safe water for drinking, no equipment for cultivation and no work to earn livelihood. Worse still, the relief and aid promised by different donor agencies after a natural calamity is hardly disbursed properly or timely much to the despair of the victims. The same has happened in case of the Aila victims too.
Against this backdrop, instead of giving lip services, the government should do something positive and effective to rehabilitate these helpless people and thus redress their sufferings. Arrangements should be made on an urgent basis for shelter, food and drinking water for the Aila victims to retrieve them from the distress and agony they have been plunged in.

Analysis

Stretching it out

While the military plan has been rolled out in the shape of the impending offensive in Kandahar - billed as the largest and most pivotal military campaign in the nearly nine year war - the political approach remains uncertain.

Dr Maleeha Lodhi

After months of rocky relations Washington rolled out the red carpet for President Hamid Karzai during his recent visit in an effort to repair strained ties between the uneasy allies.
Behind the carefully scripted pageantry were unresolved issues about the strategy of the struggling US-led mission in Afghanistan. The military strategy is still dictating and outpacing a faltering political strategy. This policy gap and the lack of Afghan civilian capacity continue to cast a shadow over the approaching Afghan endgame.
While the military plan has been rolled out in the shape of the impending offensive in Kandahar - billed as the largest and most pivotal military campaign in the nearly nine year war - the political approach remains uncertain.
The limits of a military focused approach were again underscored in February by the US campaign in Marja in Helmand. Taleban forces were driven out but with no local administration to take over governance Marja has been slipping back under the Taleban's sway.
An assessment prepared last month by the Pentagon underscored this dire situation. This not only found that the insurgency had spread but its decentralised nature made it a more daunting challenge.
Against this backdrop, the Karzai visit was aimed at putting relations back on track at a decisive moment in the Afghan war. The American public's growing war weariness imposes a constraint on Obama that he can ignore only at his peril with crucial mid-term Congressional elections looming in November 2010. This is why at his joint press conference with Karzai, President Obama reiterated the pledge - first made last December - to start drawing down US combat forces from Afghanistan in July 2011, little more than a year from now. Although he said this would not compromise America's long-term commitment to Afghanistan's security, he vowed to stick to this timetable. A key objective President Karzai sought to accomplish by his Washington visit was to elicit President Obama's public backing for his outreach to the Taleban embodied in his reintegration and reconciliation plan, whose details have yet to be evolved. A peace jirga announced for May 2 was delayed till May 29 in order to secure Washington's approval.
President Obama endorsed the reintegration plan but he also set out three 'redlines' or caveats for the strategy to win over disaffected Taleban supporters: disavow Al Qaeda, cease fighting against the government and accept the Afghan constitution, including respect for human rights.
Although these redlines have been mentioned before by American officials, this was the first time they were spelt out as a policy pronouncement by the President. They will become even more relevant when Washington decides to seek a negotiated end to the war. There was little indication that the administration had arrived ?at this point. Privately US officials have long acknowledged the need to talk to Taleban leaders at some stage. But no internal consensus has yet emerged ?on the timing and modalities for serious negotiations with top echelon Taleban leaders.
While the substance of talks between President Obama and Karzai on the reconciliation plan have not been revealed, the two leaders publicly agreed that the war will intensify in the coming months as the US offensive proceeds in the traditional Taleban heartland.
"There is going to be some hard fighting over the next several months", said President Obama. The success of these efforts he added would enable Karzai to negotiate from a position of strength with Taleban insurgents.
This seemed to reaffirm Washington's continuing preference for a fight-first-talk-later strategy. Opinion within the 46 nation US-led coalition in Afghanistan has increasingly been divided between those who argue that continuing the war will not appreciably strengthen the hand for eventual talks and those who believe intensified military pressure can alter the course of the war sufficiently to force the Taleban into negotiations.
Within the US administration too both points of view can be found. But the one that is ascendant at present rests on the premise that the military operation in Kandahar will be able to weaken the Taleban and provide the upper hand to the coalition to pursue a political solution in an Afghan-led process. The campaign for Kandahar is increasingly being depicted by American officials as less of a "single-blow, full fledged assault" than a "gradual process" that could last a year. This leaves open the possibility for serious 'reconciliation' efforts to proceed.
Thinking within the administration certainly continues to evolve on this count. But there seem to be more in house discussions than decisions so far. For instance no decision has been taken on how the three 'redlines' on "reintegration" will apply to 'reconciliatory' negotiations. Are these pre-conditions for engagement or objectives to be secured in the course of negotiations? Will they form part of reciprocal obligations between the parties at the conclusion of talks?
Absent a clearly articulated framework for a political strategy of engagement, it is unlikely that President Karzai's planned outreach will yield any spectacular results. The Taleban leadership may have little incentive to negotiate unless they see the US fully and overtly behind the process. It is possible that the US may have quietly indicated to Karzai, which Taleban groups he can or cannot talk to. Karzai is believed to have been told by American officials to work with Pakistan on his political outreach effort. He has publicly announced his willingness to do so but privately conveyed to the US that Pakistan cannot determine or run this process - something that Islamabad in any case has no wish to do.


Maleeha Lodhi served as Pakistan's ambassador to the United States and the United Kingdom.

  Staying with the basics

The US has fine-tuned the art of getting rid of troublesome allies-Diem, Noriega, etc. But Zardari is no trouble. He is tailor-made for American requirements. Why would they want to get rid of him?
 
Ayaz Amir

Who will take note of the targeted killings in Karachi? Not, for obvious reasons, the dominant political group there, with its unique talent for looking at things through doctored eyes.
The Supreme Court (SC) has a sharp eye for many things. Somehow the frightening political murders of Karachi have failed to register on its radar screen.
Equally curious is the selective accountability zeal to be seen since the death of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). Revived as a result of that judgment are over 8,000 cases, many of them relating to grave criminal charges. What's becoming of them? We really don't know. Attracting all of the attention is the figure of President Asif Zardari and some of his close associates, none more so than that jack-in-the box figure, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, who in a career full of surprises has gone from one thing to another.
Needless to say, the powerful should be the first to be called to account. But it would help if judicial enthusiasm, instead of appearing to be selective, travels also a bit left and right-for the sake of credibility, if nothing else.
Admittedly, the President makes for an engaging target. There is a Pakistani version of the Godfather waiting to be written here. And with an added twist: Don Corleone in the movie thrived on his political connections, judges and politicians firmly in his pocket. In the Pakistani version of the movie, the Godfather would not just be a fixer but the top honcho himself.
The SC, however, has a problem. It is trying to live up to a somewhat inflated account of what it must and can do. If many of its wilder partisans are to be believed-partisans who emerged out of their mostly well-deserved retirements during the course of the lawyers' movement-it should be not just the highest court but also a revolutionary tribunal out to cleanse society of its evils.
Laudable aim, but is it also achievable? More to the point, is it in line with constitutional commandments?
A court can do much good but within limits. If it takes too much on its plate there will be many things it will not be able to enforce. The SC during Musharraf's days stopped the sale of the Steel Mills. What good did it do? The Steel Mills is a bigger white elephant today. The SC has tried fiddling with petroleum prices, not to much avail. My Lord the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, well on his way to giving a whole new meaning to judicial activism, tried fixing the price of sugar, with less than happy results. Reacting to newspaper headlines, and attracting media attention, can be quite a high, but may not be quite the role envisioned by the Constitution.
Which doesn't mean the SC should hang up its gloves as far as suo moto jurisdiction is concerned. But for this authority to be effective it must be used sparingly, and in the most extreme of cases, or in time it will begin to lose its deterrent character. The nation struggled for the restoration of the rightful judiciary. It is in the interests of the higher judiciary to see that nothing hurts its standing among the masses.
In a somewhat different context, the time may have come to assess the outcome of the moves set in motion last summer to get rid of the President. Involved in these moves were some shrill and powerful voices in the media; covert hands from the usual suspects in Aabpara and its environs; and the full force of the non-voting middle class which imagines itself as the standard-bearer of liberal values but which, historically speaking, ends up being the herald of every authoritarian intervention.
Even if unsure of methods and tactics these elements were pinning their hopes on (1) their own rampant enthusiasm, and (2) judicial activism.
Here we have to get some basics right. The securitisation (if I may use this awkward word) of the Presidency has not happened because of any extraordinary skill emanating suddenly from that quarter. This is one miracle not likely to occur any time soon. The Presidency is benefiting from circumstances. As long as Afghanistan remains on the boil, the White House, the Pentagon, the CIA, Centcom, and NATO Headquarters in Kabul, don't want things unsettled in Pakistan. This doesn't suit them.
Our allies, Shylocks in their own way, want three things of us: our army to remain engaged in FATA, at current rates of pay of course; our government to continue to play a supporting role; and, to avoid diversions, no tension on the Pakistan-Indian border. From the US point of view the best thing about the Pakistan army is that it is the most effective fighting force in the entire Afghan theatre and, given American levels of support, also the cheapest. Since 2001 the best bargain the US has driven is with Pakistan.
And because Generals Kayani, Petraeus and McChrystal are on the same page as far as these issues of war and peace are concerned-of course with differences of emphasis here and there-the destabilisation of democracy is part of no one's agenda. It doesn't make sense. This is less commitment to democracy than an acceptance of reality. War is a distracting business. Peacetime provides the right environment for the usual intrigues against democracy. GHQ, currently, has not that luxury.
Pakistan is caught up in the vortex of events not entirely in its control. We cannot yank ourselves out of the American alliance. We can't get up one fine morning and say that no NATO containers will pass through Pakistani territory. Yes, we can negotiate better deals and seek advantages here and there, and speak with a clearer voice with our allies (and paymasters). But geography precludes the comfort of isolationism. Our strategic location is both an asset and a curse. It has drawn us into adventures, which it would have been worthwhile to avoid.
Zardari, we should understand, is part of this larger design. He hasn't happened fortuitously. Musharraf didn't quit the Presidency just like that. The Americans wanted him out because by then he was of no use to anyone. Zardari did not force his way into the Presidency. He was aided by outside forces, which haven't lost their relevance.
The moves against him were thus bound to fail. The US has fine-tuned the art of getting rid of troublesome allies-Diem, Noriega, etc. But Zardari is no trouble. He is tailor-made for American requirements. Why would they want to get rid of him?
So the collision theory of institutions should be kept in some perspective. The government and the SC are on a collision course but when it comes to counting the days of the present dispensation we shouldn't lose sight of the larger picture.

Ayaz Amir is a distinguished Pakistani commentator and Member of National Assembly (parliament).

Viewpoints

Internalising impunity in Afghanistan

The key to lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan is not in encouraging the culture of rewarding bullies and strongmen, but in providing justice and so winning public support.

Wazhma Frogh 

A woman is yelling in pain but the man continues to beat her on her back with a whip. With every lash, her body jolts, moving up and down while she cries for forgiveness. A large number of men, and some women, are gathered around her, watching the scene. With each lash, the man shouts at her, "Shame on you...You must be punished...Others should learn a lesson from your punishment." The flogging continues for around three minutes in this video that was shown on the national television channels in Kabul on February 18, 2010 and we are told that there was another woman who would be flogged afterwards.
Given the video's content, one tends to assume that the incident must have taken place in a Taliban-controlled community. After all, a similar incident of public lashing of a young girl is known to have taken place in Swat Valley last year. But the assumption is incorrect, because this particular incident took place recently in a district of Ghor province. The district is not under Taliban control and the man who carried out the flogging is in fact an imam of a local mosque. The flogging itself was ordered by one of the local commanders, popularly known as warlords. Community members said that there have been a number of similar incidents ordered by the same commander. The commander had issued the orders even though he had no official designation giving him the authority to request punishment for members of the community. He runs the district's affairs simply because he has guns and men who spread terror.
In mid-February 2010, when the incident took place, this was just a news story, which was soon forgotten. We never found out whether the mullah and the commander had been arrested or whether the incident was investigated. But the incident represents far more than a news story. It is an illustration of the legacy of the impunity that was granted to warlords after the Bonn Agreement in 2001. Today, this same impunity is being offered to the Taliban, with various Afghan leaders insisting that this represents a key to peace in Afghanistan.
The Amnesty Law granting impunity from prosecution to all parties involved in the wars up to 2001 echoes this view. The law has been gazetted and published by the Afghan Ministry of Justice. Given the warlords' track record, the law is likely to encourage further violations of human rights as exemplified in the illegal public flogging of the woman in the video. The debate on how best to end the conflict has brought to the fore two distinct but contradictory views. A majority of analysts believe that the negotiation and granting of amnesty to insurgents is the key to creating peace in Afghanistan. But critics of this view rightly point out that the provision of justice is an essential prerequisite for peace and the rule of law. Afghanistan's recent history has shown that the co-option of self-appointed strongmen and commanders in the government has backfired. The strongmen who were offered impunity and positions in the government failed to deliver services and their failure has directly led to increase in support for the insurgency. In addition, the impunity granted to them has allowed them to feel a sense of entitlement to power. As a consequence, they continue to pose a threat to security if faced with losing out on opportunities.
Granting impunity to those whose crimes are well known and recorded might bring about an appearance of relative peace and security. But as the flogging incident in Ghor shows, in reality, such policies lead to further instability because the warlords' indiscriminate violation of human rights turns the public against the government for allowing such individuals to oppress the people with impunity. It is this resentment against the government that has allowed the Taliban to intensify their insurgency. After all, the Taliban's guerrilla warfare relies on local support for food and shelter and Afghan villagers are known to provide such support simply because the Taliban promise them justice. The Taliban famously gained initial support for their movement because they publicly punished local commanders who oppressed villagers and in doing so, showed that they were capable of ensuring justice. The key to lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan is not in encouraging the culture of rewarding bullies and strongmen, but in providing justice and so winning public support. Afghanistan's history is evidence of the fact that sacrificing justice for the sake of an illusory, temporary peace is likely to only delay further more serious destabilisation. Let us learn from history.



Wazhma Frogh is an Afghan civil society activist currently a postgraduate fellow at Warwick University, United Kingdom.

  Just drop the arrogance with Iran

Iran's crime, in the eyes of its main critics in Washington and Tel Aviv (they are the two that matter most, as other Western powers play only supporting roles), is not primarily that it enriches uranium, but that it defies American-Israeli orders to stop doing so.

Rami G. Khouri 

The agreement on Iran's nuclear fuel announced on Monday after mediation by the Turkish and Brazilian governments should be good news for those who seek to use the rule of law to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation. From both the American and Iranian perspectives the political dimension of the current dynamics is more important than the technical one. The accord should remind us that the style and tone in diplomatic processes is as important as substance.
Iran and its international negotiating partners have not reached agreement on Iran's nuclear programs in the past half-decade, to a large extent because American- and Israeli-led concerns have been translated into an aggressive, accusatory, sanctions-and-threats-based style of diplomacy that Iran in turn has responded to with defiance.
Iran's crime, in the eyes of its main critics in Washington and Tel Aviv (they are the two that matter most, as other Western powers play only supporting roles), is not primarily that it enriches uranium, but that it defies American-Israeli orders to stop doing so. (The Iranian response, rather reasonable in my view, is that it suspended uranium enrichment half a decade ago and did not receive the promises it expected from the United States and its allies on continuing with its plans for the peaceful use of nuclear technology. So why suspend enrichment again?)
The Iranians are saying, in effect, that this issue is about two things for them, one technical and one political: The technical issue is about the rule of law on nuclear nonproliferation and the right of all countries to use nuclear technology peacefully. The political issue is about treating Iran with respect, and negotiating with it on the basis of two critical phenomena: First, addressing issues of importance to Iran as well as those that matter for the American-Israeli-led states; and, second, actually negotiating with Iran rather than condescendingly and consistently threatening it, accusing it of all sorts of unproven aims, and assuming its guilt before it is given a fair hearing.
The political imperative in the agreement announced this week is clear, and repeats the basic principles that Iran and American-led negotiators agreed on in principle last autumn: Sending abroad Iran's low-grade enriched uranium and transforming it into fuel rods for use in Tehran's research reactor. The political dynamics should also be clear: Iran is willing to negotiate seriously and enter into agreements that respect the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, if such talks are conducted in a noncolonial manner and also acknowledge Iran's own national interests.
The first paragraph of the 12-point agreement is the most important, with Brazil, Turkey and Iran stating that: "We reaffirm our commitment to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons and in accordance with the related articles of the NPT, recall the right of all State Parties, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy (as well as nuclear fuel cycle including enrichment activities) for peaceful purposes without discrimination."
Article 2 speaks of looking ahead to a "positive, constructive, nonconfrontational atmosphere leading to an era of interaction and cooperation."
These suggest that a win-win option is available (and always has been, in my view and that of many others in this region) that respects sovereign rights on nuclear development while preventing nuclear weapons proliferation. Whether this option will be pursued reflects political, rather than technical, dictates. The signs are that the Obama administration remains committed to its schizophrenic policy of reaching out to Iran while also sermonizing to it with condescension and even some disdain.
This was most recently reflected in Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's statement a few days ago, after she predicted, incorrectly, that the Turkish-Brazilian mediation would fail: "Every step of the way has demonstrated clearly to the world that Iran is not participating in the international arena in the way that we had asked them to do, and that they continued to pursue their nuclear program."
This presumptuous, aggressive approach has failed to change Iran's nuclear strategy, while the Turkish-Brazilian approach has been more successful. The coming days and weeks will clarify if the US-Israel-led side finally grasps the important political lessons of the Turkish-Brazilian mediation: Drop the arrogance and double standards, negotiate fairly and realistically, and accept that Iran is a power that is at once strong, technically proficient, and proud of its sovereignty; and on that basis agree to lock in its respect for existing nuclear non-proliferation standards and conventions.
Iran and Turkey represent something novel and historically significant in the Middle East: Muslim-majority countries that are politically self-confident and dare to stand up to the US, Israel or anyone else who encroaches on what they see as their strategic national interests. Washington and Tel Aviv remain confused on how to deal with such new phenomena.


Rami G. Khouri is the editor-at-large of Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper.

  Transformation of Turkey

Erdogan's AKP (Justice and Development Party) has swept two national elections and commands a 325 seat majority in the Ankara parliament's despite successive challenges to its power from the generals and the judiciary.

Matein Khalid 

Prime Minister Recep Erdogan is not only the most powerful statesman in 21st century Turkish politics, but arguably the most transformational leader of the Republic founded by Kemal Ataturk in 1924 from the Anatolian carcass of the Ottoman sultanate. Erdogan's greatest achievement is sheer survival since a short-lived predecessor Islamist civilian government was overthrown by the military high command in 1997.
However, Erdogan's AKP (Justice and Development Party) has swept two national elections and commands a 325 seat majority in the Ankara parliament's despite successive challenges to its power from the generals ?and the judiciary.
Erdogan engineered a constitutional revolution that incorporated minority rights for the ethnic Kurdish citizens, democratic freedoms to fast forward the Turkish accession path to the EU and subordinated the powerful generals, the self-styled guardians of Ataturk's secular legacy, to the elected leadership.
I remember successive visits to Istanbul on the eve of AKP's landslide win in the 2002 elections. Turkey was an economic basket case at the time. The Turkish lira had collapsed amid hyperinflation and the failure of dozens of private banks. Recession had taken its toll on a country that had endured a generation of weak coalition governments, political violence, an inflation death spiral, military coups, IMF shock therapy programmes and a bloody civil war against Abdullah Ocalan's PKK Kurdish secessionists in eastern Anatolia that claimed 30,000 lives ?in the 1990's.
Turkey had threatened to invade Syria to punish it for hosting Ocalan in Damascus and was on the brink of war with Greece over Cyprus, where a Turkish invasion had divided the island in 1974. The election of the untested, allegedly Islamist AKP seemed to me only to increase the risk of yet another military coup that would relegate the Turkish Republic to the minor leagues of a Third World failed state, albeit one under IMF and NATO diktat. Thankfully, Erdogan's Turkey has emerged as anything but a failed state in the past eight years. The Anatolian tiger is now the Islamic world's most vibrant democracy and an emerging economic powerhouse. Erdogan has resurrected Turkish influence in the Arab world on a scale not witnessed since the geopolitical death spasm of the Ottoman Empire a century ago.
Economic reform has underwritten Turkey's spectacular return to grace on the international stage. Erdogan's government slashed inflation into single digits for the first time in modern history, reengineered a historic currency reforms that saw the lira lose five zeros against the dollar, committed Ankara to EU mandated reform on subsidies and competition, and, above all, attracted $80 billion in FDI, more foreign investment than all his predecessors had managed since the establishment of the Turkish Republic.
While the Kemalist elites in the military, academia, big business and judiciary viewed the AKP with suspicion, and even contempt, as the political voice of orthodox Muslim traders and petty bureaucrats from the Anatolian heartland, Erdogan used his economic reforms and enthusiastic embrace of the EU as a hedge against another military coup d'état. It is a pity that visceral French and German opposition to Turkish membership in the EU (too populous, too poor, too Muslim) were the endgame of Erdogan's policies. In fact, the flip side of the EU's glacial response to Ankara's application for membership has been the escalation in the Kemalist military high command's penchant for political intervention, including successive judicial attempts to ban the AKP and even an abortive plot to seize power in a coup d'état.
The only reason that ambitious Bonapartist generals were not been able to dislodge Erdogan is that AKP commends an undisputed mandate to rule from the population and a grass roots national political vote bank. After yet another confrontation with the generals over their refusal to accept Abdullah Gul as the Turkish President, Erdogan called an early election in 2007 and won a landslide win on an epic 84 per cent turnout.
The 2007 election was a milestone event in Turkish politics, a de facto referendum on Erdogan's transformational economic, political diplomatic and constitutional policies.
Erdogan has openly spoken out against Israeli atrocities in Gaza, refused to allow George W. Bush to use Turkish territory to invade Iraq in 2003, and sought rapprochement with Iran's ruling Ayatollahs. Turkish "soft power", symbolised by the soap opera Noor and the hordes of Arab tourists in the palaces and mosques of Istanbul's Sultanahmet district on the Bosphorus, has swept the Middle East. Erdogan has forged close ties with Syria and acted as a mediator with Israel for a settlement on the Golan Heights and established economic ties with both the Iraqi government in Baghdad and the Kurdish ?regional elite. This is a revolutionary policy U-turn since the Turkish generals had once threatened to invade both Syria and Iraq. Erdogan has sought historical reconciliation with the Kurds and the Armenians, transformed Istanbul as a hub for Caspian oil and Egyptian LNG, attracted multi-billion petrodollar investments from Saudi Arabia and the ?Gulf states.
Under Recep Erdogan, Turkey is no longer an impoverished EU supplicant, the Pentagon's gendarme in the Mediterranean saddled with a cultural lobotomy where the state's elite aggressively denies the population's Muslim heritage under the prism of an anachronistic ideology. Turkey is the Islamic model of a successful, reformist, and democratic Muslim state - unique in the history of the Middle East.


Matein Khalid is an investment banker based in Dubai. For comments, write to opinion@khaleejtimes.com

International

Hunza lake villagers mob Pakistan PM’s convoy
BBC Online

Pakistani villagers have blocked the prime minister's convoy, angry over the government's failure to compensate residents displaced by a landslide.
PM Yousuf Raza Gilani did not announce any new relief measures during a visit to the northern town of Aliabad. After he left, the villagers blocked his ministers' convoy and hurled insults at the visiting dignitaries.
Thousands have been moved into camps amid fears that a lake formed after the landslide could burst its banks. The lake was formed in January when a landslide blocked the River Hunza, and the waters have steadily risen since then.
Some 36 villages lie in a valley that could be flooded.
Helicopter rescue
On Friday, Mr Gilani and some of his cabinet ministers visited Altit village, where about 1,300 displaced people have been housed, some 15km (9 miles) east of the new lake.
Soon after he left, some in the 400-strong crowd began shouting anti-government slogans, upset at how little was being done to help them, the BBC's Aleem Maqbool reports from Islamabad. They dispersed after the officials assured them that the government would announce compensation and help them to re-settle.
Experts say that the depth of the 18km-long lake is increasing by 1.03m (3.4ft) daily. They say that the lake only has to rise by another 3.65m before it begins to overflow.
On Thursday, the armed forces started an emergency helicopter service to evacuate some villages.

   Indo-Pak talks will succeed if Kashmir is made the main issue: Mirwaiz

ANI, Srinagar

The Chairman of the moderate faction of the Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, has said the composite dialogue process between India and Pakistan will not succeed if the Kashmir issue is not addressed, and charged New Delhi with putting it on the backburner.
"We expect the Government of India to go ahead on a solid basis if they want to proceed with the composite dialogue. The main issue of the composite dialogue is Kashmir. India is trying to put the Kashmir (issue) on the second or third position," claimed Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
"They want to make terrorism the main issue. We want to say that if Kashmir is not made the central issue, if Kashmir is not made the main issue, the composite dialogue will not succeed," he warned.
He also demanded the release of all political prisoners, demilitarization of the state, abolishment of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and a comprehensive political package. "A comprehensive political package should be announced, the objective of which should be resolution of the Kashmir issue through dialogue with Kashmir, Kashmiri people and Pakistan," he said.
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has said that terror continues to be the core issue of talks between India and Pakistan, and it would be one of the most important issues that would be taken up between the two nations during his forthcoming visit to Pakistan beginning July 15.
Relations between India and Pakistan has gone into a diplomatic freeze after New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based militants for the 26/11-Mumbai terror attacks.

  India ready to trust Pakistan: Krishna
Dawn Online, New Delhi

In a significant softening of a posture that had stymied resumption of peace talks with Pakistan, Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna was quoted on Friday as saying that New Delhi was now ready to trust Islamabad in the battle against terrorism.
In an interview to Times of India, Mr Krishna said: "We feel Pakistan will not encourage terror-related activities anymore."
Asked how Pakistan could be trusted given India's suspicion of its "track record" of complicity in fomenting terrorism, Mr Krishna said: "We proceed on the basis that the Pakistanis are serious about fighting terror. Of late, there have been a number of terror attacks in Pakistan itself directed against the military establishment, like in Rawalpindi."
The newspaper described Mr Krishna's latest comments as "reflecting" India's new confidence that the spate of terror attacks at home may have "finally woken Pakistan to the folly" of its policy towards terror groups.
However, Mr Krishna expressed disappointment at Pakistan's apparently unyielding response to India's demand for action against cleric Hafiz Mohammad Saeed who has been identified by New Delhi as one of the masterminds of the Mumbai terror plot.
The minister "brushed aside" Islamabad's stated position that evidence gathered by India on Saeed was not strong enough. "We feel that the evidence in the dossier we have prepared makes for a foolproof case which can be used to bring Saeed to justice."
Mr Krishna was said to have expressed doubts in the interview that Pakistan's security and intelligence agencies had conducted any investigation at all on the basis of the evidence handed over by India. He wondered if the dossier on Saeed had been even shared with the judiciary. "I think there are certain grey areas," he said.
In spite of a "backdrop of evidence of continued operation of 40-odd terror camps, rise in infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir and no let-up in the efforts by terror groups to attack mainland targets", the Times said that Mr Krishna seemed to be willing to trust the intent of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

  UK defence minister calls for Afghan troop withdrawal
AFP, Kabul

Senior British officials, including new Foreign Secretary William Hague arrived in Afghanistan Saturday with a warning that Britain wants to withdraw its troops as soon as possible.
Hague, Defence Secretary Liam Fox and International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell are set to meet President Hamid Karzai in their first visit to to the country since a new coalition government took power in London this month.
Hague described Afghanistan-where around 10,000 British troops are helping fight a Taliban-led insurgency well into its ninth year-as "our most urgent priority" in comments released from London as the party touched down.
In an interview with The Times newspaper before arriving in Kabul, Fox made clear the visit would focus on speeding up the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan, and that no new troops would be deployed.
"We need to accept we are at the limit of numbers now and I would like the forces to come back as soon as possible," he was quoted as saying.
"We have to reset expectations and timelines.
"National security is the focus now. We are not a global policeman. We are not in Afghanistan for the sake of the education policy in a broken 13th-century country. We are there so the people of Britain and our global interests are not threatened," Fox said.
With Karzai having promised that Afghan forces will take on responsibility for the country's security by 2014, Fox said he would see if training could be accelerated to that end.
"I want to talk to people on the ground, our trainers, to see whether there is room to accelerate it without diminishing the quality," he said.
His frank comments came as Britain's defence ministry announced the death of a Royal Marine in southern Afghanistan on Friday, bringing to 286 the number of British soldiers killed in the country since 2001.

  Thai govt talks reconciliation, troops to pull back
Reuters, Bangkok

Thailand's government stressed national reconciliation on Saturday after the worst riots in the country's modern history but it would not commit itself to an early election date demanded by "red shirt" protesters.
Troops continued their search for explosives in the upmarket commercial area the "red shirts" occupied from April 3 until they were dislodged by troops on Wednesday, which sparked violence and arson around the capital.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva highlighted a reconciliation plan in an address to the nation on Friday but made no mention of the November election he had proposed at the start of May as a way of ending the protests peacefully. Elections are not due to be called until the end of 2011.
"He does not rule out an early election," government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn told Reuters on Saturday. "It depends on how much progress we make on the reconciliation road map. The prime minister will decide on the election date later."
Any red shirt leaders not facing charges for offences allegedly committed during the unrest would be welcome to take part in the process, he added.
A 6 sq-km (2.3 sq-mile) area extending out from the ritzy shopping district was still under military control but government spokesman Panitan said soldiers would pull back from Sunday and allow people and cars into the area again.
However, even as he spoke, a grenade was reported to have gone off in the area near the Central World shopping mall badly damaged in Wednesday's rioting.
A deputy governor of Bangkok said he understood no one had been injured. The grenade may have been set off as troops searched the area.
A curfew remains in force overnight on Saturday.

  US defends Pakistan move to block images
Dawn Online, Washington

The United States has strongly supported Pakis-tan's move to ban certain internet sites, saying the Pakistani government had the right to protect its public from offensive images and speech.
At a briefing at the State Department, Assistant Secretary of State Philip J. Crowley also noted that images on a Facebook page were deeply offensive to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
The United States, he said, was against any "deliberate attempt to offend Muslims" and respected their right to practise their faith as they willed.
Defending the Pakistani action against offensive sites, Mr Crowley also advised Islamabad to find a balance between freedoms of religion and expression.
The State Department's reaction follows Pakistan's decision to block the video-sharing site YouTube, Facebook and other pages that hurt Muslim sentiments.
Commenting on Pakistan's efforts to block the sites containing material offensive to the Muslim faith, Mr Crowley noted that this was a difficult issue for the Pakistani government.
"Pakistan is wrestling to this issue. We respect any actions that need to be taken under Pakistani law to protect their citizens from offensive speech," said the US State Department official while rejecting a suggestion from a journalist to condemn Islamabad's actions.
"At the same time, Pakistan has to make sure that in taking any particular action, that you're not restricting speech to the millions and millions of people who are connected to the internet and have a universal right to the free flow of information," he added.
Meanwhile, Scott Rubin, a spokesman for YouTube, said the site was working with Pakistani telecommunication officials to resolve the issue and that "we hope we restore service soon". He added: "This is up to Pakistan telecom authority."

 Japan, U.S. agree on base plan but hurdles ahead
Reuters, Tokyo

Japan and the United States agreed on Saturday on a plan to relocate a controversial U.S. airbase on Okinawa, broadcaster NHK said, but the deal faces resistance from local residents and the government's coalition allies.
The deal comes one day before Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama travels to the southern Japanese island, host to about half the U.S. forces in the country, to plead for local understanding.
The row over the Marines' Futenma airbase in southern Japan has been a factor behind sliding support for Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, threatening his party's chances in a mid-year upper house election that it must win to avoid policy deadlock.
During the campaign that swept his party to power last year, Hatoyama had raised hopes that the base could be moved off Okinawa, but Washington has sought to stick to a 2006 deal to move the facility inside the island.
Hatoyama later shifted gears, saying some Marines had to stay to deter threats.
"I have tried hard to ease the burden of Okinawa even a little," Hatoyama said in a message broadcast to supporters in his home constituency in northern Japan. "But I must ask the people of Okinawa to bear the burden for a while longer."
Japan and the United States agreed at talks between Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and U.S. ambassador John Roos to an outline of a plan that is not much different from an original plan which called for the base to be shifted to the less crowded city of Nago, NHK said.

 Iran to go ahead with Turkey atom fuel swap
Reuters, Tehran

Iran intends to go ahead with a deal reached with Turkey and Brazil for a nuclear fuel swap despite a new sanctions resolution against Tehran pending at the United Nations, an Iranian parliamentarian said on Saturday.
"Iran is committed to the vows that it made and wants to make them operational and will submit its letter to International Atomic Energy Agency," Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of parliament's Foreign Affairs and National Security Committee, was quoted as saying by semi-official news agency ISNA.
"The Americans' propaganda will not have any effect on Iran's decision ... We advise those countries who want to issue this resolution against Iran not to be manipulated by America."Iran's official news agency IRNA said on Friday Iran will hand an official letter to the IAEA's chief on Monday with details of the fuel swap agreement with Brazil and Turkey. The IAEA brokered the basis of the deal last October in talks involving Iran, France, Russia and the United States, but it soon unravelled amid Iranian demands for amendments.
Turkish and Brazilian representatives at the IAEA will accompany Iran's envoy during the meeting with the IAEA chief on Monday, a communique from Iran's Supreme National Security Council published on Saturday in the daily Hambastegi said.
Leaders of the three countries announced the agreement last Monday under which Iran will send 1,200 kg of its enriched uranium stocks-reducing its supply of potential atomic bomb material-to Turkey in exchange for fuel rods for a Tehran medical research reactor.

   China mulling immigration law to control foreign arrivals
AFP, Beijing

China is considering its first immigration law following a surge in the number of foreigners seeking to take advantage of the booming economy in the world's most populous nation, state press said Saturday.
Preparations are underway for a first draft of the law which would likely divide potential immigrants into categories such as skilled or unskilled workers and job and investor immigration, Xinhua news agency said.
"Judging from the history of Western developed countries, inward migration flows often reveal the appeal of a nation," the report quoted Zhang Jijiao, of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology at the China Academy of Social Sciences, as saying.
"But to have a stronger appeal and competitiveness in the global arena, a nation must properly resolve social and economic issues arising from immigration." No timetable for the law was given.
According to the Ministry of Public Security, about 2.85 million people, or more than 10 percent of the 26 million foreigners who entered China in 2007, came for employment, the report said.
That year, of the nearly 539,000 foreigners who lived in China for more than six months, more than half were workers at joint ventures and solely foreign-owned companies or were family members of such employees, it said.Although overall figures have yet to be updated, local statistics have projected a trend of more foreigners staying in China for longer periods. In December, China's largest city Shanghai announced a foreign population of 152,000 people, a 14 percent increase year-on-year.

  Obama rails against Al-Qaeda's 'small men'
AFP, West Point

President Barack Obama dismissed terror tactics of Al-Qaeda's "small men" in a rallying cry to military cadets Saturday to help shape an "international order" to resolve global problems.
"The threat will not go away soon, but let's be clear: Al-Qaeda and its affiliates are small men on the wrong side of history," Obama told graduates of the prestigious US Military Academy at West Point.
"They lead no nation. They lead no religion. We need not give in to fear every time a terrorist tries to scare us."
With the commencement address, Obama returned to the site of his landmark December speech announcing a dramatic rise in the number of US troops in Afghanistan in a bid to bring an "end-game" to the bloody war with US forces now nearing its ninth year.
"We must... shape an international order that can meet the challenges of our generation," Obama urged the graduates as he vowed to strengthen alliances with global partners in Afghanistan and beyond.
"The international order we seek is one that can resolve the challenges of our times-countering violent extremism and insurgency; stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and securing nuclear materials."
While the United States is poised to end the combat mission in Iraq in the coming months, he noted that US forces still "face a tough fight" in Afghanistan to counter an emboldened insurgency.
In December, the president set a goal of starting to pull out combat forces in mid-2011 and hand over security to Afghan forces.
As part of the strategy, Obama ordered a surge of 30,000 troops in a final bid to turn the tide in the nine-year war, stepping up the battle against the Taliban in their southern strongholds.

  Clinton courts Chinese people; tough mission nears
AP, Shanghai

Courting the Chinese people, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton tried to make the case Saturday for greater cooperation and partnership between the two countries as a difficult diplomatic assignment approached: winning Beijing's support for punishing ally North Korea.
She faces a hard sell convincing China's leaders that they should back U.N. penalties after an international investigation blamed North Korea for sinking a South Korean navy ship.
Touring the U.S. and Chinese pavilions at the World Expo, Clinton waded into crowds, shook hands and posed for photos. The underlying message in her cultural charm offense was that the U.S. and China share basic values and, as world powers, should work together to counter global problems.
At the Chinese pavilion, she gleefully greeted the Expo's mascot - Haibao, a plump sky blue cartoon figure that some say resembles Gumby. She noted they were wearing the same color and then joked, "We come from the same family." At the U.S. pavilion, surrounded by Chinese schoolchildren, she passed out souvenir teddy bears and praised the students for learning English.
"We may not always agree on every issue, but we should seek and seize opportunities like this Expo to build greater understanding between our peoples," she said later a dinner at the U.S. pavilion attended by sponsors and Chinese officials. Her visit to the massive Expo on the banks of the Huangpu River marked a respite from an otherwise hectic and intense three-nation journey to Asia. She stopped briefly in Japan on Friday, and her schedule put her in Beijing on Sunday and the South Korean capital of Seoul on Wednesday.

  Iran protests after deputy minister denied U.S. visa
Reuters, United Nations

Iran has accused the United States of abusing its position as the host of the United Nations by denying a visa to the Islamic Republic's deputy foreign minister, according to a letter released on Friday.
Iran's letter to the U.N. Committee on Relations with the Host Country said Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Mohammad Mehdi Akhondzadeh Basti was repeatedly denied a visa by U.S. authorities.
In the letter, Iran's U.N. Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee said Washington's refusal to issue an entry visa to Tehran's top official overseeing its relations with the United Nations kept him from attending events like the May 3-28 review conference on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, where Iran's atomic program is a key topic of discussion.
Khazaee said U.S. authorities were misusing the country's status as the seat of the United Nations headquarters "as political leverage to advance their political agenda against certain countries."
He said it was "nothing short of calculated political intimidation and pressure" which he said "impairs the very foundations of multilateral diplomacy."
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley declined to comment on Akhondzadeh Basti's visa. "Visa decisions are confidential," he told reporters.
Akhondzadeh Basti previously headed Iran's diplomatic missions to Pakistan, Germany and the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.
As the host of U.N. headquarters, the United States has pledged to issue entry visas to officials from U.N. member states, though it can and does deny entry permits to foreign officials for many reasons, such as failure to meet deadlines or provide proper documentation, or if espionage is suspected.

  Polish priest jailed in Brazil abuse case
AP, Sao Paulo

A Polish priest accused of sexually abusing a former altar boy in Rio de Janeiro and turning his parish home into an "erotic dungeon" has turned himself over to police and is now jailed, Brazilian news media reported Saturday.
State prosecutors have accused Marcin Michael Strachanowski of handcuffing the 16-year-old former altar boy to a bed three years ago in the parish house where the priest lived and threatening to kill the youth if he spoke of the abuse.
Strachanowski surrendered at a police station Friday night, the news media reported, displaying images of him being taken away in the back of a police car.
The 44-year-old priest was suspended from duties after the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro learned that a judge had issued an order Thursday for his arrest.
The archdiocese issued a statement Friday announcing the suspension and expressing regret over the alleged abuse.
Judge Alexandre Abrahao Dias said that investigators found "erotic material sent to the victim via Internet to seduce him" and that the priest also took other youths to the parish house, "which he converted into a kind of erotic dungeon where he submitted them, often with the use of handcuffs, to orgies."
Lawyers representing the priest did not immediately return a telephone message left Friday afternoon seeking comment.
Church officials said that Strachanowski also faces a canonical legal process by an ecclesiastical tribunal, but they declined to provide additional information about the priest, such as how long he has been in Brazil or his work history with the Church.
Sex-abuse scandals involving the Roman Catholic Church have mushroomed around the world recently, and some of the accused priests have surfaced in Brazil, home to more Catholics than any other nation.

  Heart attack survivors 'fear sex'
BBC Online

Heart attack survivors are highly likely to avoid sex, fearing it could kill them, US researchers say.
The team told an American Heart Association meeting that those whose doctors failed to talk to them about sex were most likely to avoid it. Dr Stacy Tessler Lindau, who led the study of 1,700 people, said the chance of dying during sex was "really small". The British Heart Foundation backed her call for doctors to discuss sex with their patients to allay their fears.
Experts say it is safe for heart attack survivors to start having sex again once they are capable of moderate exercise, such as climbing a few flights of stairs.
Sexual activity
The study of 1,184 men and 576 women who had experienced heart attacks were asked about their sexual activity prior to and after having a heart attack.
They were assessed one month after their heart attacks, and then again after a year.
The men, who had an average age of 59, were more likely to be married than the women, who had an average age was 61.
The men were also more likely to be sexually active prior to the heart attack.
But even after adjusting for these differences, patients who had been given instructions about resuming sexual activity when they were discharged from hospital were more likely to have sex in the following year.
Less than half of the men and about a third of the women had talked about their sex lives with their doctors.
And less than 40% of men and 20% of women talked to their doctors about sex in the 12 months after their heart attack.
One year on, more than two thirds of the men reported some sexual activity as did about 40% of women. But men were 30% and women 40% more likely to report having less sex a year on, compared with before their heart attack, if they had not been given information on resuming sexual activity.

Business/Economy

Cell phone subscription grows by 146pc in 4 months
BSS, Dhaka

Bangladesh witnessed a sizzling growth of its tele-density by 146 percent in the past four months with addition of nearly four million mobile phone subscribers since January this year, officials and operators said here Saturday. Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) officials said 3.93 million new mobile phone users were added between January and April, a figure that shows a sizzling growth of 164 percent over the same period last year.
"The total number of mobile phone active subscribers has reached 56.36 million at the end of April 2010," a BTRC spokesman told BSS. Telecom analysts said a stable political environment boosted the growth as they referred to two years of emergency rules until December 2008 under an interim government crucially backed by military.
Association of Mobile Telecom Operators Bangladesh (AMTOB) sources said the expansion came at a cost of huge subsidy by the country's six operators as the operators paid at least Taka 600 for every SIM card they sold to a subscriber.
The operators now sell SIM cards at Taka 150-250 each, they pay Taka 800 in flat tax to the government for every connection, they said. The AMTOB sources said the impressive growth in the first four months was also boosted by up to 50 per cent cut in call tariffs and launching of new packages by the companies.
According to the latest BTRC statistics, the number of cell phone subscribers was now 56.36 million, a figure which is 38 percent of the country's nearly 150 million population.
The number of land phone subscribers is now 1,800,000. Of Them, 1,200,000 are clients of the state-run BTTB. BTRC officials said among the cell phone operators, Robi, formerly known as Aktel, was the top seller in the past four months, adding 1.53 million new connections to take its number to 10.82 million.
Grameenphone added 1.29 million users in January-April to retain its pole position with 24.55 million subscribers while Banglalink sold 1.07 million new connections during the same period to keep its second position intact with 14.94 million subscribers.
Warid is yet to see any big leap in the subscribers' base as the company's new India-based Bharti Airtel-led management has not come up with any major new package.

 Country eyes $246.28m export earning from leather goods, footwear

BSS, Dhaka

The country has fixed a target of exporting leather goods and footwear worth 246.28 million US dollar during the current fiscal year, US$43m up from the last year.
It also exported the items valued at US$203.82 million during the 2008-09 fiscal year against US$178.47m in the previous fiscal year.
This was disclosed at the 6th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Leathergoods and Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (LFMEAB) held at a city hotel Saturday said a press release.
LFMEAB president M Saiful Islam chaired the meeting while senior vice-president of the association Nasir Khan, vice- president (finance) M Nazmul Hasan Sohel and vice-president Shakil Ahmed Khan attended the meeting.
Executive committee members of the association Kazi Rafi Ahmed, M Mahbubur Rahman Patwari, AKM Afzalur Rahman, among others, were present. The meeting reviewed the activities of the association of 2009. Six more companies joined the LFMEAB.
For the first time, the leather goods and footwear industry has exceeded finished leather sub-sector in terms of export earning. Besides, the industry has reached new export destinations including Japan, said the association sources.
Value addition of the industry is over 80 percent and it has 15 percent annual growth, they added.

  UN study backs economic changes to save natural world
AFP, London

A key UN report on biodiversity will recommend massive economic changes like company fines to help save species and protect the natural world, The Guardian reported here on Saturday.
The study, which is due for publication in the summer, will argue that global action on the topic is more powerful than the argument for tackling climate change, according to the newspaper.
The report, entitled 'The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity' (TEEB), was launched by Brussels in 2007 with the support of the UN Environment Programme, after G8 and major emerging economies called for a global study.
If nature is not factored into the global economic system then the environment will become more fragile and exposed to external shocks, placing human lives and the world economy in jeopardy, it will argue.
The TEEB report will also recommend that companies are fined and taxed for over-exploitation of the natural world, with strict limits imposed on what they can take from the environment, according to the paper.
Alongside financial results, businesses and governments should also be asked to provide accounts for their use of natural and human resources.
And communities should be paid to preserve natural environments rather than deplete them. The Guardian's report, published on the UN's International Day for Biological Diversity, added that the UN will also recommend reforming state subsidies for certain industries, like energy, farming, fishing and transport.
The TEEB study will also warn that one-third of the world's natural habitats have been damaged by humans.
The total value of "natural goods and services" like pollination, medicines, fertile soil, clean air and water, will be around 10 and 100 times the cost of saving the species and natural habitats which provide them. "We need a sea-change in human thinking and attitudes towards nature," said Indian economist and report author Pavan Sukhdev, cited by The Guardian.
Sukhdev, head of the UN Environment Program's green economy initiative, also appealed for nature to be regarded "not as something to be vanquished, conquered, but rather something to be cherished and lived within".

  Sugar mills can raise income to Tk 45cr by increasing productivity

BSS, Dhaka

The country's 15 sugar mills could raise their income to Taka 45 crore by increasing the level of productivity and efficiency by three percent, the chairman of Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC), Dr Ranjit Kumar Biswas, said Saturday.
Addressing an evaluation meeting on sugarcane production and loan distribution activities at Mobarakganj Sugar Mills in Jhenidah, he said, "We should work for raising productivity by at least three percent by checking wastage at the levels of cultivation, transporting and extracting."
With Director (sugarcane development and research) of BSFIC Md Yahiya Mian, the meeting was attended by Head of Sugarcane Procurement Department Azizar Rahman and managing directors and officials of Keru and Company, Faridpur, Kushtia and Mobarakganj sugar mills. The BSFIC chairman also called upon the officials to work with utmost sincerity and commitment to make the state-owned sugar mills profitable by raising their production.

  Agony on Wall Street over eurozone financial crisis
AFP, New York

US stocks suffered another bruising week as the eurozone's budget woes roused the specter of a new financial crisis that could derail the global economy's frail recovery from recession.
"It has been a week like we have not seen since 14 months, at least," sighed Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Jefferies & Co.
Since March 2009, that is, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged to its lowest levels since 1997.
The blue-chip index rebounded 70 percent over the following 12 months but has since run into a rough patch amid rising eurozone concerns.
Over the past week, the Dow industrials dived 4.02 percent to 10,193.39 points. The Friday session saw the Dow make a brief foray below 10,000 points, as it had in the "flash crash" on May 6.
The tech-rich Nasdaq composite index plunged 5.02 percent from last Friday to 2,229.04 points.
And the Standard & Poor's 500 index, a broad measure of the market, fell 4.22 percent to 1,087.69 points.
The anxiety on the markets crescendoed into a full rout Thursday, when the Dow plunged 3.60 percent, its steepest decline since March 2009.
That selloff brought the Dow down more than 10 percent from its highs in April, marking a technical correction.
"It's a very violent week," said Evariste Lefeuvre, chief economist at the New York office of French bank Natixis. "It's no longer of interest whether stocks are expensive of not," he added. "I wouldn't be surprised to see the market head toward what happened in March 2009. The whole market is thinking about it."
Attention was almost exclusively focused on the eurozone, where Germany sparked uncertainty Tuesday after unilaterally announcing a ban on certain speculative trading it blamed for causing "extraordinary volatility" on eurozone bonds.

  Venezuela currency crackdown may worsen economy
AFP, Caracas

Venezuela's crackdown on hard currency sales outside official channels threatens to deepen the South American nation's economic woes, some analysts and business leaders in the country say. The government of President Hugo Chavez in the past week stepped up its efforts to curb the "parallel market" for US dollars by shutting down currency dealers, making arrests and suspending some foreign currency transactions.
Chavez justified the move Thursday by citing "an exchange rate shock" that threatened the country with "an economic heart attack."
But some said the actions could have negative consequences for an economy that contracted 3.3 percent in 2009 and is hurting because of its dependence on oil exports. "The economy will suffer a severe shock, and the contraction is set to worsen due to lack of foreign exchange," economist Jose Guerra told AFP.

  US Congress faces more hard work on Wall Street overhaul
AFP, Washington

US President Barack Obama held a strategy session Friday with the two key lawmakers tasked with shepherding a sweeping financial regulatory overhaul bill to his desk in a matter of weeks.
Obama, who has made enacting the measure his top domestic goal, met in private with Senate Banking Committee chair Chris Dodd and House Financial Services Committee chair Barney Frank, both Democrats.
Dodd and Frank are set to be the point men when the Senate and House of Representatives start work on merging their rival versions of the complex legislation into a compromise version both chambers can approve.
"I understand the urgency for the financial stability of the country in getting this done quickly," Frank said after the talks, stressing "it is hard for me to think this is going to take us more than a month."
"There's not a great deal of difference. We need to take the best parts of both bills and marry them together and present our colleagues in both chambers with our final product," said Dodd.
The two versions of the overhaul both aim to curb Wall Street excesses blamed for the global financial meltdown of 2008, but differ in their approach to several key issues.

National

Erosion in N-dists as water level of major rivers receding
BSS, Rangpur

Water levels of most of the major rivers started receding causing some sporadic erosion at places in greater Rangpur and other places in the Brahmaputra basin during the past 24 hours, local and official sources said. Earlier, water levels of the rivers and most of their tributaries continued rising due to the onrush of hilly waters from the upstream coupled with moderate to heavy rainfalls at different places during the past three days in the region. However, the overall river situation and weather started improving from last night and only some drizzles were recorded during the past 24 hours in the northern districts where the sky started becoming clear from this afternoon after three consecutive days.
Official sources in the Water Development Board (WDB) said that water levels in all of the major rivers marked falls at most points with fewer exceptions at places and all of the tributaries marked sharp falls during the past 24 hours till Saturday morning in the region. Local sources and riverside people said that erosions devoured some 30 more houses with the recessions in the water levels of the rivers in Kurigram, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Bogra and Sirajganj during the period and the situation was improving. The Brahmaputra marked a sharp fall by 27 cm during the past 24 hours till 6 am today and was flowing at 22.35 m, which was 165 cm below its danger mark at Chilmari point in Kurigram.
The same river marked a fall by 34 cm during the period and was flowing at 23.81 m, which was 344 cm below its danger mark at Noonkhawa point in Kurigram this morning. The Dharla marked a fall by 4 cm during the period and was flowing at 24.66 m at Kurigram point this morning, which was 184 m below its danger mark. The Jamuna marked falls by 20 cm at Bahadurabad and by 7 cm at Sirajganj during the period and were flowing at 18.00 m and 11.93 m, which were 150 cm and 142 cm below their respective danger marks this morning at these points respectively. The Teesta marked a rise by 5 cm during the past 24 hours and was flowing at 51.95 m, which was only 45 cm below its danger mark, at Dalia point in Nilphamari district this morning.
However, the Teesta marked a sharp rise by 55 cm during the period and was flowing at 28.18 m at Kawnia point in Rangpur this morning, which was 182 cm below the danger mark. Besides, the Punarbhoba marked a rise by 19 cm during the period and was flowing at 29.69m, which was 381 cm below its danger mark at Dinajpur point Saturday morning.
On the other hand, almost all of the smaller rivers and tributaries marked sharp falls at all almost all points in the northern districts and were flowing three to five metres below the respective danger marks today, the WDB sources said.
"We are closely monitoring the overall river and erosion situations and water levels of all of the major rivers though there is no flood-like situation anywhere in the country's northern region in the river basins," the WDB officials told BSS Saturday afternoon.

  Huge commuters fall victims to risky herbal treatment in city

BSS, Dhaka

A considerable number of commuters and passengers of public buses on different city roads are becoming sick after undergoing hazardous herbal treatment being provided by some unauthorized healthcare centres.
The so-called herbal treatment centres are providing perilous ayurvadic and herbal medicines to them causing serious damage to their health and at times even death also.
The city has long been witnessing a usual phenomenon of some women wearing burqa (yashmak) approaching the on board passengers at different bus stoppages. They distribute different leaflets and posters carrying lofty assurances of solving protracted health hazards with nominal coast.
Most of the leaflets and placards read "Hundred Percent Veshoj and Herbal Treatment: No Side Effect".
The passengers, who come to the city to meet their neighbors, friends and well-wishers, fall victim to the herbal treatment.
Herbal Medicine Centre, AB Conng Herbal, UA Herbal and Homeo Therapy and Healthcare and Shantinagar Dawakhana are some of the leading centers that provide fraudulent treatment for sexual deficiency, asthma, gastric, stomach pain, hepatitis B Virus and diabetic. Passengers often face an embarrassing situation when the women get on the buses and try to allure them saying, "Money would be paid back if your disease is not cured".

  Remote char women set example in sanitation, drinking water

BSS, Rangpur

The distressed women living in the remote char village of Kawniar Char on the Brahmaputra bed under Roumari upazila in Kurigram have set an exceptional example in improving their sanitation and safe drinking water facilities.
Being inspired and motivated by the officials of Char Livelihood Programme (CLP) of Rangpur-Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS), 93 distressed beneficiary families have set up sanitary latrines and 12 families tube wells so far at their own.
Inhabited by a total of 643 families, the NGO selected 120 have- nots group hardcore poor families there as CLP beneficiaries in 2008 to assist them in all possible ways for attaining complete economic self-reliance by them.
Of them, 93 families deposited their own money for setting up sanitary latrines and 12 more families for setting up tube wells and already completed their works to avail full sanitary and safe drinking water facilities in the hardly reachable char village.
Community Development Organizer of CLP Abu Zeyad Biplob with the help of the other CLP's field level workers, local community leaders and public representatives conducted hectic efforts in motivating the char people in doing so for a better life.
The families have now also achieved economic self-reliance through various income generating activities like animal husbandry, milk production, rearing poultry, homestead gardening and farming, handicrafts and other works under the CLP assistance there.
Talking to BSS, CLP beneficiaries Rita Khatun and Anju Ara said that the other char people are now following their footsteps in improving their sanitation and hygienic situation for building a healthier char community and driving away various diseases.

  Six leaders and workers of AL killed in two months
BSS, Jessore

Six leaders and workers of Awami League (AL) and its front organizations were murdered in the district during last two months but most of the killers are yet to be nabbed, local people alleged here Saturday.
According to the local people and district administration, the terrorists and killers have become ferocious day by day due to the lapses of the police administration. The terrors and criminals went to their hideouts just after the general elections of 2008 due to the non-stop drives and strict actions of the police, but they returned to their respective areas unleashing terrorist activities in the district again.
According to the police sources, the last target of the terrorists was Kamruzzaman Ratan, 38, Relief and Social Welfare Affairs Secretary of Sharsha Upazila Juba League. He was attacked by miscreants in the night of May 16 while returning home by a motorcycle.

Sports

Bangladesh desperate for Shakib’s recovery
AFP, Derby

Bangladesh was desperately hoping captain Shakib Al Hasan makes a speedy recovery from chickenpox after his side lost by seven wickets to England Lions on Friday.
Only Jahural Islam showed the necessary application required on a Derby pitch that helped the seamer to score an unbeaten 58 off 153 balls and was the only Bangladeshi batsman to pass 50 in the game.
Bangladesh face England at Lord's in the first Test starting on Thursday, but this match was really decided on Thursday afternoon when the tourists lost wickets to a rash of ill-judged shots to collapse to 139 for nine, a lead of just 63.
Rubel Hossain dug in to see him to his half-century and made the Lions bowlers work for the last wicket on a hot, humid morning on Friday. Jahural and Rubel continued the stand which had rescued their side from a two-day defeat and batted for another 11 overs before Ravi Bopara, pushing for an England Test recall, struck.
Bopara finished with four for 14 in the innings and seven for 23 in the match.
Lions skipper and England opener Alastair Cook then made an unbeaten 42 from 55 balls as his team easily chased down a target of 86.
Bangladesh's Australian coach Jamie Siddons said he was hopeful that Shakib would be fit for Lord's.
"He's much better. He bowled and batted today and walked some laps. I'm pretty confident he's pacing himself well and will definitely be putting his hand up to play," said Siddons.
"That's good news for us because he's an integral part of our line-up and balances our team out nicely."
On the Lord's Test, Siddons added: "We are hoping for a really good performance.
"We've played good Test cricket over the last six months and pushed England in Bangladesh and hopefully, all things being even, we will play really well at Lord's."

  Federer ready for latest chapter
AFP, Paris

Roger Federer insists he can't wait to confront a rejuvenated Rafael Nadal, written off as an injury-cursed, spent-force earlier this year, at the French Open which starts today.
World number one Federer, the holder of a record 16 majors, completed a career Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2009 with a first Paris title.
But Nadal, who had won four straight French Opens, had lost in the fourth round, his crumbling knees conspiring with Robin Soder-ling's match of a lifetime to sensationally engineer a first Roland Garros defeat.
Federer, defeated by his great Spanish rival in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 finals, stormed into the power vacuum to take the crown.
"It's one of the great rivalries in sports right now, and obviously in our game the biggest one," said Federer of his career struggle with Nadal. "He's got the better record against me, so every time I play him I try to improve on it. You never know. It could be in a couple weeks I play him again."
Nadal holds a staggering 14-7 lead in meetings with Federer, having won six of the last seven match-ups.
The Spanish world number two has claimed 10 of their 12 claycourt meetings, including reclaiming his Madrid Masters title last week. But 28-year-old Federer insists he is neither concerned by Nadal's record nor his own patchy claycourt form where his run to the Madrid final was preceded by a second round exit in Rome and a semi-final loss in Estoril.
The 23-year-old Nadal's form this spring has been breathtaking.
His win in Madrid gave him a record 18th Masters title, surpassing the previous mark of Andre Agassi, and making him the first man to win all three Masters claycourt events (Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid) in the same year.
His form has also allowed him to regain the world number two spot, ensuring that the only way he and Federer can meet in Paris is in the final.
Nadal is desperate to prove he is once again a genuine Grand Slam force, having been unable to defend his Wimbledon title last year while limping out of Janaury's Australian Open quarter-final against Andy Murray. But he refuses to be drawn into thinking about another title match-up with Federer. "For sure this year on clay I played very well, so that's important for the confidence," he said.
"I won three very important titles for me after being without a title win for 11 months. It was a hard time with the injuries and I worked a lot to be back and to win again."
Between them, Federer and Nadal have won 18 of the last 20 Grand Slam events. That staggering statistic, coupled with an injury-depleted and under-cooked chasing pack, should guarantee a fourth Federer-Nadal final in five years.
World number three Novak Djokovic, twice a semi-finalist, skipped Madrid after suffering an allergic reaction in Bel-grade, the latest health scare for the Serbian whose fragile physical condition has prompted regular dismay. Murray, who made the quarter-final in 2009, has slipped back to world number four after a promising start to 2010 which saw him reach the Australian Open final. The Scotsman's best claycourt effort this year was a last-eight appearance in Madrid.
Missing from the tournament will be Russia's Nikolay Davydenko and US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, both victims of long-term wrist injuries.
Federer opens his campaign against Australia's Peter Luczak and could face Swiss compatriot Stanilas Wawrinka in the fourth round.
However, last year's runner-up Soderling, could be a quarter-final opponent as could Latvia's in-form Ernests Gulbis, the man who beat Federer at the Rome Masters and Spain's Albert Montanes who defeated the top seed in the semi-finals in Estoril.
Should Federer make the semi-final, Murray, who has a 6-5 career advantage over the Swiss, may be waiting. Murray has an intriguing first round clash with France's Richard Gasquet.
Nadal will face French wildcard Gianni Mina, the world 653, in his first round.
Australian veteran Lleyton Hewitt, who has lost three times in four years to Nadal in Paris, is a possible third round opponent.
Nadal's Spanish compatriot Fernando Verdasco, who has a 0-10 against the world number two, is a potential quarter-final foe.

   Brothers, Shuktara play goalless draw
TBT report

Brothers Union and Shuk-tara Jubo Sangsad shared points in the Bangladesh Football League after a goalless draw at Banga-bandhu National Stadium in the city on Saturday.
Both sides, though, played aimless football during the most part of the game, they came close to scoring on several occasions but failed to pull off the breakthrough. Their forwards looked listless and apathetic to score goal, which results in a dull and dour draw.
Chittagong Mohamme-dan Sporting Club earned a sole-goal victory over Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra at MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong.
The hosts dominated the game and wasted a series of easy chance before Iamin Soumah scored the only goal of the match in the first half injury time.
Taking a 1-0 lead, Chittagong players adopted defensive tactics to preserve the lead and they were successful to prevent their Dhaka rivals from scoring goal.

  SNGHS wins in school kabaddi
TBT report

Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Government High School (SNGHS) brushed aside Dhaka Model High School 32-16 in the Standard Chartered National School Kabaddi Championship at Dhaka Kabaddi Stadium in the city on Saturday.
Faizur Rahman Ideal Institute dumped Sun Shine Pre-Cadet and High School 32-16, while Ali Ahmed High School scored a 40-32 victory over Agargaon Taltala High School in the other matches of the day.

  Kaka, Fabiano boost Brazil
AFP, Curitiba

Brazil midfield mastermind Kaka and striker Luis Fabiano should be fit for the World Cup which gets underway in three weeks' time.
Brazilian team medical chief Jose Luiz Runco said that the players' injuries are "improving well and in the time predicted". "In Kaka's case, there is nothing which is worrying us." Real Madrid star Kaka has been carrying a left thigh injury for two months, a problem which has dogged his progress in Spain after arriving from AC Milan last summer for 65 million euros.
Fabiano has been suffering from a left leg injury and was out of action on a regular basis last season, playing just 23 league games for Sevilla. Despite his poor appearance record, the 29-year-old Fabiano still scored 15 goals.
"They will train with the rest of the squad next week.... their injuries are progressing favourably," added Runco.
Meanwhile, Brazil's World Cup squad began training on Friday amid a crush of excited supporters and reporters. Seventeen of the players converged on a training centre in the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba, out of sight of camera lenses.
The other six from the 23-strong squad were absent for various reasons.
Those not present included goalkeeper Julio Cesar, right-back Maicon and centre-back Lucio, who are all due to play for Inter Milan in the final of the Champion League against Bayern Munich in Madrid on Saturday. Coach Dunga, who turned up late because of flight delays, and the Brazilian Football Confe-deration had banned media contact with the players to keep them concentrating on their game.
Brazil, five-time world champions, are among the favourites going into this year's tournament in South Africa, which starts on June 11. The Selecao have been drawn in Group G with North Korea, Ivory Coast and Portugal.

  Pakistan senators demand action on match-fixing
AFP, Lahore

Pakistani senators Saturday lashed out at authorities for not taking action against players involved in match-fixing, saying the cricket board should be disbanded to save the sport.
"The present management has failed to take any action against players involved in match-fixing and they must be removed to save Pakistan cricket," Senator Haroon Akhtar told reporters at the national cricket academy.
MPs from the lower house of parliament have summoned Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt, former captain Younus Khan, former coach Intikhab Alam and former manager Abdul Raqeeb to discuss match-fixing on Monday.
Their parliamentary committee is also planning to appoint a panel of judges to investigate the latest match-fixing allegations.
Video footage of a PCB inquiry committee meeting, which was leaked to media, showed players and former officials raising suspicions about match-fixing during the Australia tour.
Pakistan lost all three Tests, five one-day and a Twenty20 match in Australia from December to February, but their defeat in January's Sydney Test has raised doubts about match-fixing.
Australia won by 36 runs despite conceding a 206-run first-innings deficit as Pakistan failed to chase a modest 176-run target.
Wicket keeper Kamran Akmal, who dropped three catches off century-maker Michael Hussey and an easy run out of Shane Watson, came under serious doubts from Alam and his Australia tour deputy Aqib Javed.
The out-going chairman of International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption Unit, Lord Condon, on Thursday confirmed that Pakistan's Sydney Test defeat is still being investigated by the ICC, a claim denied by Butt.
Akhtar said Butt should be removed to save Pakistan cricket.
"Butt is running the PCB as a one-man show and we appeal on President Asif (Ali) Zardari to remove him to save Pakistan cricket otherwise it will be destroyed by this management," said Akhtar. Butt, who took over in October 2008, has survived previous calls from senators and MPs for his dismissal as he has enjoyed the confidence of Zardari.
Senator Tariq Azeem said PCB should throw out match-fixers.

  Cameroon could deliver strongest threat
AFP, Johannesburg

Cautious Cameroon accepts it must clear steep obstacles just to match the 1990 World Cup showing of a place among the last eight.
An 'Indomitable Lions' team inspired by 38-year-old striker Roger Milla were the first Africans to make the quarter-finals where they fell to England in a Naples thriller that extended to extra time.
Only Senegal has equalled that feat, losing to a Turkish 'golden goal' as extra time once again proved the undoing of an African football team with aspirations of conquering the world.
The 'dark continent' craves the day one of its own raises the trophy that symbolises international supremacy and many believe Ghana or Ivory Coast can go all the way in South Africa.
But a cruel draw means neither is even guaranteed a last-16 place and Cameroon may prove the most formidable of the African sextet if they can eradicate memories of a dismal 2010 African Nations Cup campaign.
Like all the African contenders, the 'Lions' are looking more at second place than first in their group, which includes Netherlands, Denmark and Japan.
Netherlands, arguably the strongest football nation never to lift the World Cup, are outright favourites to top the table, leaving a three-way struggle to join them.
Arguments can be made for Denmark and Cameroon while it would be a shock if Japan matched the achievement of 2002 when they reached the second round for the only time, not least because of home advantage as co-hosts.
Cameroon coach Paul le Guen, the Frenchman who led Lyon to three consecutive league titles, reacted in a typical matter-of-fact way to the Cape Town draw ahead of his first World Cup assignment.
"It could have been easier and it could also have been more difficult. The Dutch are clearly favourites and there is a reason for that - they have the best team in the group.
"But although qualifying will be difficult, it is not impossible. Cameroon have some good footballers, a good spirit, and there has been a lot of improvement since I took over last year.
"This will be a special World Cup for us simply because it is in Africa. I know my players feel that, and the location could well be an advantage for us," hinted Le Guen.
His tenure has been mixed, salvaging a qualification campaign by winning four consecutive games before a limp quarter-finals exit from the African Nations Cup in Angola last January cast doubts.
Significant changes made by Le Guen include the elevation of star striker Samuel Eto'o to captain in place of veteran defender Rigobert Song, who was dropped several times but remains in contention for South Africa.
Another long-serving defender, Geremi Njitap, was an even bigger surprise in the preliminary 30-strong squad having gifted Egypt a quarter-finals goal with an act of gross carelessness.
Starting places are there to be won although goalkeeper Carlos Kameni is sure to face the Japanese in Bloemfontein and Tottenham pair Sebastien Bassong and Benoit Assou-Ekotto are likely to feature in the back four.
Alexandre Song of Arsenal and Achile Emana of Real Betis should be among those who get the nod in midfield while selecting a partner for Eto'o is problematic with the physical presence of Moha-madou Idrissou one option.

  Confident Kim retains lead
AFP, Seoul

Kim Dae-Hyun closed in on a second straight OneAsia title after a six-under-par 66 to retain a three-shot lead over fellow Korean Bae Sang-Moon going into the final round of the SK Telecom Open.
Big-hitting Kim, 22, is 20 under after three rounds at the Sky 72 Golf Club
and poised for another fierce duel with Bae, 23, who carded 66 as he fights to regain the title he won in 2007 at a different venue.
Korean legend KJ Choi, the winner in 2003, 2005 and 2008, moved to 13-under after carding a 67 at the 7,241-yard Ocean Course.
Japan Tour star Kim Kyung-Tae, the world's third-highest ranked Korean, is fourth on 12-under after equalling the course record of 64. Australian Andrew Tschudin posted a 69 to share fifth on 11-under with Hwang Jae-Min, who had a 67.
After two bogey-free rounds, Kim Dae-Hyun shot eight birdies, including on three of the par-fives, and two bogeys as he fought to hold off a determined Bae.
Bae drew within one shot on three occasions, but each time Kim fired back with a birdie on the following hole to regain a two-stroke buffer.
However, the Korean Tour's biggest hitter admitted his birdie on the par-five 18th, which Bae parred, was his most important of the day.
"I knew I needed to birdie 18 because there's a big difference between being two ahead or three ahead. Also, if he birdied and I didn't, he could have been just one behind, so I was very happy to finish like that," said Kim.
"I'll just play my usual game tomorrow. I don't get nervous," added the slim six-footer, who won OneAsia's GS Caltex Maekyung Open two weeks ago with an 18-under total.
Bae picked up shots on holes one, four, five, six and eight, but
only birdied the 14th on the more testing back nine.
Choi, who turned 40 on Wednesday, bogeyed the first hole but the seven-time PGA Tour winner bounced back with six birdies to ensure he'll again be grouped with his young compatriots in the final flight today.
Kim Kyung-Tae, runner-up to Kim Dae-Hyun two weeks ago, shot out of the blocks with four straight birdies from the second and added two more at seven and nine to go out in 30.

  Serena set for French Open
AFP, Paris

Serena Williams rates the French Open as physically the toughest of the four Grand Slam tournaments but, despite an injury-hit year, she feels she is ready to win for a second time in Paris, eight years after her first victory.
On the face of it, the American diva is facing an uphill battle as she has played just two tournaments since winning the Australian Open in January, losing to Jelena Jankovic in Rome and Nadia Petrova in Madrid.
But the signs are there that she is out to re-establish her claycourt credentials with several factors whetting her appetite.
Firstly, the French Open is the only one of the four majors that she has not won more than once and a triumph on June 5 would give her a 13th major title, taking her one past her childhood idol Billie Jean King.
It would also leave her halfway to achieving the fabled calendar year Grand Slam, last achieved by Steffi Graf in 1988, with her two favourite events - Wimbledon and the US Open to come.
And if that was not enough, sister Venus is back up to number two in the world, the first time the two sisters have filled the top two spots since May 2003, and they could meet in the final as they last did here in 2002.
Wiliams, who will turn 29 in September, arrived at her Paris apartment early after her Madrid exit and has been hard at practice on the Roland Garros courts.
Her early exits in Rome and Madrid, she said, were to be expected given her inactivity, but the matches she played during those tournaments were enough she feels to set her up for a strong run in Paris.
"I feel good and I don't feel any pressure," she said at Roland Garros on Friday.
"Actually in Rome I felt really good and in Madrid I played a long match and I was able to recover the next day and was actually able to win the doubles there, which was kind of cool and get even more matches.
"I didn't go into Rome especially thinking I would do that well and I felt okay. It really gave me a confidence booster."
Also in her favour is the fact that currently the competition is in disarray.
The Russians are struggling, with the two finalists from last year, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dinara Safina badly short of form.
Title-holder Kuznetsova is in free-fall having won just four matches in total at her past five tournaments, while Safina, who was world number one a year ago, has played barely a half dozen games since returning from a serious back injury.
Glamour girl Maria Sharapova is also taking it one match at a time as she struggles to bounce back from yet another injury - this time to her elbow.
World number three Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark has yet to show any real form on clay, while Serbia's Jelena Jankovic, although playing well of late, still has to produce her best at a Grand Slam tournament.
The big question mark will surround the form of four-time champion Justine Henin as she continues with the comeback she launched at the start of the year.
When the Belgian retired in May 2008, she was the world number one and the unquestionable queen of the claycourts. Many feel that next week she can take up where she left off.
But her hopes of a seventh Grand Slam title have been hit by a broken finger on her left hand sustained in training and a bout of sinusitis which she blamed for her first round exit in Madrid to eventual winner Aravane Rezai of France.
"It's been difficult, I would say, in the last few weeks," she said. "I feel a lot better.
"It's true that about 10 days ago, even a week ago, I was not at the top, but only able to start practicing last weekend. So it's less than a week.
"But now I feel better and better. The energy is coming back, the stamina. Of course, I need to take care of myself, because I was a bit weakened by this, but now I'm ready to enter into this tournament."
With Belgium's other comeback queen Kim Clijsters out of the picture due to injury, that leaves older sister Venus as possibly the biggest threat to Serena's Paris coronation, if she can get over her distaste for clay.

  Controversial umpire review system gets WC nod
AFP, London

Cricket's controversial umpire decision review system (DRS) will be used at the 2011 World Cup despite the technology causing splits amongst players.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), meeting at Lord's on Friday, also decided that the DRS should be introduced as soon as possible in all Test series.
"The ICC Cricket Committee recommends that DRS, subject to agreement with ICC broadcaster partners ESPN Star Sports, should be used in all matches in the World Cup 2011 in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka," said an ICC statement. As in Test cricket, each team will be allowed two referrals per innings to the third umpire who can replay the incident immediately via television pictures.
The system, however, hasn't been warmly welcomed by all teams and was at the centre of an embarrassing row in January during the Johannesburg Test between South Africa and England.
England complained after television umpire Daryl Harper failed to overturn a not out decision against South African captain Graeme Smith because Harper allegedly failed to turn up the sound on an audio feed from the stump microphone.
To help cure similar future problems, the ICC agreed that a minimum standard of technology, such as ball tracking, including in the third umpire room, should be introduced.
Amongst other decisions, the ICC Cricket Committee also supported, in principle, research into a reduction in the number of teams in the World Cup but more in the World Twenty20.
In an attempt to alter the balance of power when it comes to the switch hit/reverse sweep shot, the batsman will now be prevented from changing his grip or stance before the bowler enters his delivery stride.
Should the bowler see a batsman change his grip or stance prior to the delivery stride the bowler can decide not to bowl the ball.
The ICC also agreed that batsmen trying to steal ground when the bowler is running in to bowl should be discouraged. Regulations will be looked at that require a batsman to remain in his crease until the bowler's front foot lands.

  Faith in youth makes Chile roar
AFP, Paris

Chile's return to the World Cup after a 12-year absence owes much to the foresight of enigmatic Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa, who has overseen the emergence of some extremely promising young players.
La Roja has not graced the sport's greatest tournament since the fabled Marcelo Salas-Ivan Zamorano strike partnership took them as far as the last 16 at France 1998.
Bielsa took up the reins in 2007 and his adventurous youth policy paid immediate dividends as Chile qualified for South Africa in second place in the South American qualifying zone behind Brazil. Drawn alongside European champions Spain, Switzerland and Honduras in Group H, Chile will fancy their chances of matching their 1998 achievements and attacking midfielder Jorge Valdivia says they could surprise people.
"On the pitch it's 11 versus 11 and any side could end your tournament," said the 26-year-old, who plays for Qatari side Al Ain.
"You may have the best individual players in the world but not have a real team, so anything can happen. Chile are a good side and well capable of causing a few shocks."
Chile's football federation was founded in 1895 but they have never won a major tournament and their best World Cup result was a third-place finish on home soil in 1962.
Their current renaissance has its roots in Chile's Under-20 side, which won the prestigious Toulon Tournament in 2009, having reached the semi-finals of the Under-20 World Cup in Canada two years earlier.
Bielsa, who led his home nation to an embarrassing group-stage exit at the 2002 World Cup in Japan/South Korea, was quick to inject young blood into the ageing squad he inherited in 2007 but results, initially, were mixed.
In qualifying Chile earned their first ever point against Uruguay in Montevideo and recorded their first ever win over Argentina in a World Cup qualifier, but 3-0 home defeats to Paraguay and then Brazil were the heaviest in their history.
Gradually, though, Bielsa's attacking philosophy has borne fruit.
Back-to-back wins in Paraguay (2-1) and at home to Bolivia (4-0) last June lifted them to second in the standings and they booked their place in South Africa with a rousing 4-2 defeat of Colombia in their penultimate match.
They finished a point behind Brazil, having secured 16 of their 33 points away from Santiago, scored 32 goals-one less than Brazil-and won 10 of their 18 matches, which was more than any other side bar Paraguay.
Salas briefly came out of retirement at the age of 34 to score both goals in a 2-2 draw in Uruguay but his return was a short-lived affair.
Bielsa now places full faith in his young tyros, led by 22-year-old Boca Juniors midfielder Gary Medel, classy Sporting Lisbon playmaker Matias Fernandez and 21-year-old Udinese livewire Alexis Sanchez.
Humberto Suazo was the top scorer in qualifying with 10 goals and at 29 is the grandfather of the side.
"The most important thing at a World Cup is to make sure the players are in top form and that depends on so many different factors," said Bielsa.