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Leading News
HC issues rule against enforcing
fatwa
UNB, Dhaka
The High Court has issued a rule upon the government to
explain in a week why the act of extrajudicial punishment
in the name of Islamic Sharia/fatwa should not be declared
illegal and unconstitutional. Passing the order, an HC
division bench comprising
Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Gobinda Chandra
Thakur also asked the government to explain why a
direction should not be given to incorporate various
articles discouraging such act in the syllabus from
primary to university levels including madrasah education.
The High Court orders came following a Public Interest
Litigation (PIL) writ petition filed by three lawyers of
the Supreme Court-Mahbub Shafique, KM Hafizul Islam and M
Imranul Hye Sajib.
The petitioners moved the petition following a
Banchharampur (Brahman-baria) dateline report published on
May 22 in the daily Prothom Alo captioned "Damsel gets 101
floggings, 4 arrested."
The HC in its orders directed the Brahmanbaria deputy
commissioner to submit a report before the court about the
incident within seven days.
In addition, the HC asked the Brahmanbaria superintendent
of police and officer-in-charge of Banchharampur police
station to produce the fatwa-victim along with her
guardian before the court on June 2 ensuring their
security.
Besides, the HC put an embargo on the media not to
disclose the name of the victim and publish her
photograph.
Earlier, on January 1 in 2001, the High Court had ruled
that any fatwa or 'legal opinion' not given by a court is
unauthorised and illegal.
According to the HC ruling, fatwa means legal opinion
which means legal opinion of a lawful person or authority.
Legal system in Bangladesh empowers only the courts to
decide all questions relating to legal opinion on the
Muslim and other laws in force.
One
year elapses, ‘Aila’ victims still suffering
BSS, Khulna
Today is May 25, on the day last year an unprecedented
natural disaster 'Aila' devastated the South- Western
region of the country causing deaths to hundreds of people
and damaging a vast tract with unparallel ferocity.
Even after one year of the calamity, the people of greater
Khulna and Satkhira districts could not return to normal
life by overcoming their sufferings and helplessly they
remember the day when nature' fury came down on them. Over
one lakh Aila affected people of Koyra and Dacope upazila
in Khulna were not rehabilitated and leading sub-human
life under the open sky. They do not have even access to
safe water as the fresh water sources were damaged due
intrusion of saline water during storm.
Chairman of Kamarkhola Union Parishad (UP) Samresh Chandra
Roy and Chairman of Suterkhali Union Parishad(UP) Bidhu
Naryan Sarder told BSS that about 30,000 people yet to
return their homes as reconstruction of damaged
embankments is yet to be completed.
"About 27 km embankment was completely and 35 km partially
damaged, seven closers were broken, many of the damaged
educational institutions, roads, culverts were not
reconstructed after one year of the disaster. Crop fields
are still under the saline water. How the cyclone victims
return to their villages where they have a little to do,"
they said.
They also regretted that the government has allocated only
Taka 18 crore for the rehabilitation of Aila affected
people, which is a very small amount in comparison to the
massive damage.
Sources said about 80 percent of the construction works of
embankments, four closures out of seven were completed.
Three other closures Jaliakhali, Goalbunia and Nalian
canal are under construction, they said."The people of
Kamarkhola and shuterkhali unions will have to face
trouble if the rest of the reconstruction of the
embankments and closures were not completed before the
rainy season," chairmen of the two unions said.
Koyra upazila Chairman GM Mohsin Reza told the news agency
that about 80,000 people have returned to their homes.
Rest of the people are living on the roads and cyclone
shelters. He said the people of Koyra Sadar, Maharajpur,
Baghali, Maheswaripur, Uttar Bedkashi and Dakhin Bedkashi
are the worst sufferers of the cyclone Aila.
BAPEX
to add 60 to 70 mmcf gas to nat’l grid next month
BSS, Dhaha
The state run gas exploration company, is set to add a
fresh 60 to 70 mmcf gas to the national grid per day from
next month.
"We could add 25 to 30 mmcf gas from Habiganj 11 and same
amount from Titas 12 well from next month," Murtuza Farouk
Ahmed, Managing Director of BAPEX told BSS Monday.
BAPEX has taken up an vigorous augmentation plan to
increase gas production from its existing field to add 180
to 200 mmcf gas per day through repairing, casing and
changing tubes of the wells from last year.
BAPEX repaired well 12 of Titas and augmented well 11 of
Habiganj last month. Production at Well 12 of Titas has
been suspended for the last two years due to water rush.
BAPEX's MD said they are hopeful to increase more gas
production in coming days as a new rig would be included
in their equipment list.
"We could go for more exploration work when we receive new
rig, we could add this one by next month," Murtuza said.
Petrobangla, the state run oil and gas company, has
increased its production by 180 mmcfd (million cubic feet
per day) from the IOCs gas fields.
"We are now producing 1991 to 2100 mmcf gas per day, which
is 200 mmcf more compared to that of April last, " a top
official of Petrobangla said.
Petrobnagl high official said no exploration work has
taken place in last 10 years in the gas sector so the
production of gas in the pipeline has failed to match the
national demand.
Petrobnagla is now managing the situation on an ad-hoc
basis through taking some augmentation plans in different
discovered fields.
Cabinet okays
Expatriate Welfare Bank Act 2010
UNB, Dhaka
The much-expected Expatriate Welfare Bank is soon going to
start its activities as the Cabinet Monday approved
Expatriate Welfare Bank Act 2010.
The bank will be set up for providing financial assistance
to people who will go abroad for various jobs while they
will pay the loan back through earnings in the foreign
country.
"When the Expatriate Welfare Bank will start functioning
no-one will need to sell their properties to go abroad.
The Bank will give them loans for their safe migration,"
Prime Minister's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told
journalists.
The cabinet meeting held at the Bangladesh Secre-tariat
with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair also
approved Bangladesh Textile University Act 2010 following
which the present College of Textile Technology will turn
into a full-fledged university.
Abul Kalam Azad said through the bank, the expatriates
will also be able to send their hard-earned money to their
families safely and easily.
"The expatriates will also have ownership of the bank and
they will also be made directors of the governing body of
the bank," Azad said.
The Press Secretary said Prime Minister Hasina ordered the
authorities concerned to run the bank not only for profit
like other banks.
The bank will be established from fund of the Wage
Earners' Welfare Fund with main capital of Tk 500 crore.
The initial capital's 95 percent will come from the Wage
Earners' Welfare Fund while the rest will be provided by
the government.
He said the expatriate welfare bank can run commercial
activities on a limited scale and upon permission from the
Bangladesh Bank, it can run activities like other
scheduled banks.
Officials from the Foreign Ministry, Labor Ministry and
Expatriate Welfare Ministry will be the board of directors
of the bank, the Press Secretary said.
As an another important agenda, the cabinet also discussed
the framework of the 10 years' action plan of the
government titled 'Outline Perspective Plan, 2010-2021.'
Under this action plan, the government will go back to the
five-year action plan instead of short term Poverty
Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP).
Meanwhile, the cabinet also decided to sign in Rules of
Origin of Trade Preferential System among the member
states of the Organization of Islamic Conference (TPS-OIC)
while it approved offer list of Bangladesh for member
countries of Asia Pacific Trade Agreement.
Madhyapara Hard
Rock Mine workers’ strike continues
UNB, Dinajpur
Indefinite strike of Madhyapara Hard Rock Mine workers
continued for the second day Monday demanding
regularization of their jobs and payment of arrear
salaries and allowances.
They closed the main gate of the mine and took out a
procession in the morning.
Additional police and RAB were deployed in front of the
main gate to avert any untoward situation.
Mostafizur Raman, general secretary of Madhyapara Granite
Mining Company Limited Sramik-Karmachhari Union told UNB
that if the authority failed to fulfill their demands by
11am today they will close all the mining routes.
Earlier, the workers went on an indefinite strike to press
home their demands from Sunday morning.
Some 292 workers working at Madhyapara Coal Mining Company
Limited are agitating to press home their demands.
The workers said they went for the strike as the
authorities failed to accept their demand as per ultimatum
by May 18.
Mominul Haque, president of Madhyapara Granite Mining
Company Limited Sramik-Karmachhari union, said the
authorities were to regularize the jobs of workers as per
rule after a six-month training following their
recruitment in 2000. But, their jobs are yet to be
regularized, he said.
Mine sources said the jobs of the workers could not be
regularized due to financial problem and other reasons.
35 injured in AL-BNP
clash
UNB, Magura
At least 35 activists of Awami League and BNP were injured
in a fierce clash at Sarangadia village in Sreepur upazila
Monday.
Police and witnesses said there was a longstanding dispute
between Sreepur thana Jubo Dal president Ashraful Islam
Nalim and local AL leader Akmal Hossain over establishing
supremacy at the village.
As a sequel to the enmity, the two groups locked into an
altercation over a trifling matter in the morning. Later,
both the groups equipped with lethal weapons and sticks
attacked each other, leaving some 35 activists injured
from the both sides.
On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the
situation under control. Of the injured, Akhter, 40,
Mukter, 35, and Latif, 40, were admitted to Faridpur
Medical college Hospital in critical condition.
None was arrested in this connection. Additional police
forces have been deployed in the area to avert any
untoward trouble.
Two more killed in
‘shootout’
35 extrajudicial killings in over 4 months
TBT Report
Two criminals, including an outlawed party leader, were
killed in separate 'shootouts' with law enforcers in
Chittagong and Kushtia early Monday taking the total of
such extra judicial killings to 127 in over nine months
from August 1, 2009 to May 14, 2010.
With this 35 extra judicial killings took placed in the
year of 2010. Meanwhile, RAB DG recently said as many as
622 people were killed in 'crossfire' since the formation
of RAB on March 26, 2004.
UNB news agency reports: A ringleader of an infamous gang
was killed in a shootout between his accomplices and
police at city's Mohara Ananya residential area early
Monday. The deceased was identified as Ali Akkas, 35,
hailed from Sitakunda Jangal Salimpur area.
In another incident in Kushtia, an outlawed party leader
was killed in a shootout between his cohorts and law
enforcers near Kursha channel in Mirpur upazila early
Monday. The deceased was identified as Siddiqur Rahman,
35, district commander of Purba Banglar Communist Party
and son of Late Ismail Hossain of Chok village in the
upazila.
The unlawful killings are taking place despite mounting
protests by human rights activists, civil society members
and political parties and repeated assurances of the
government that such killings would be stopped and actions
would be taken against those found responsible.
Back Page
Tk 372 crore corruption in Titas Gas
JS body for action against those involved
BSS, Dhaka
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Public
Accounts Monday recommended administrative ac-tion against
those involved in corruption of Taka 372 crore in the
Titas Gas Transmission and Distribu-tion Company Ltd after
examining their files.
The committee at a meeting held at the Sangsad Bhaban here
also asked the concerned ministry to inform it within
three months about the administrative measures, a JS
secretariat press release said.
The meeting presided over by committee chairman Dr
Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir also opined that though technical
losses are acceptable for the gas system loss, the
non-technical losses are not acceptable for weak
management, lack of proper monitoring and pilferage of
Titas Gas.
The committee members suggested necessary measures against
those responsible for system loss after identifying them.
They also said that many high officials of different
departments in the country have no cars but some low class
employees of Titas Gas use expensive cars. The directed
for necessary steps against those employees after
investigating their source of money.
The meeting said that according to the Constitution,
people are the owners of underground gas. In this context,
the committee recommended to apprise it as to who have
given permission to sell underground gas through
share.Committee members Professor Ali Ashraf, MK Anwar,
Muhammad Imazuddin Pramanik, Md Sayedul Haque, Dhirendra
Chandra Devnath, Khan Tipu Sultan and Narayan Chandra
Chanda attended the meeting. Acting Secretary of Energy
and Mineral Resources Ministry and concerned officials
were present at the meeting.
CEC seeks support of
political parties to further strengthen EC
UNB, Dhaka
Ruling out opposition BNP's demand of resignation, Chief
Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda on Monday sought
support and cooperation of all political parties with a
view to institutionalizing the Ele-ction Commission.
"The Election Commission is an institution, consisting of
three human beings, for five years' tenure," he said at
function at Sonargoan Hotel in the afternoon.
The United Nations Dev-elopment Programmes (UNDP)
organized the function to launch an independent study
titled 'Election in Bangladesh 2006-2009: Transforming
Failure into Success'. Addressing the function, the CEC
said the commission needs support of the country's
political parties. "We can commit mistakes… keep patience
and support us," he said, adding that time is needed to
remedy the mistakes. The CEC was very critical about the
notion of independence of the Election Commission, saying
that there should be "check and balance" in all public
institutions, including the Election Commission.
"We want that the EC should be audited by the Comptroller
and Auditor General…the EC staffs should be recruited by
the Public Service Commission (PSC)," he said, describing
the term independence as one's willingness and ability to
perform something independently.
He mentioned that the EC has already opened up its
business for all including the media with a view to
ensuring transparency.
TIB trustee board chairman Prof. Muzaffer Ahmad, PKSF
chairman Quazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Prof. Imtiaz Ahmed of
Dhaka University and former president of Fair Election
Monitoring Agency (FEMA) Munira Khan were panel
discussants at the function.
Election Commissioners Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain
and M Sohul Hussain, EC officials and members of civil
society were present.
Presenting the UN study on election, the authors of the
study narrated that the electoral reform process in
Bangladesh leading up to 2008 national elections supported
a number of important building blocks that are now better
serving the needs and aspirations of the countrymen.
"The electoral reform process was tortuous but produce
changes that could lead to long term improvement in
governance if they are sustained and institutionalized…
good practice developed in the 2008 elections might help
other countries solve or avoid some of the same problems
faced in Bangladesh," the study said.
Promotion
to Deputy Secretary
SC overturns HC verdict, rules in favour of 75 pc admin
cadre quota
UNB, Dhaka
Overruling the High Court verdict, the Appellate Division
of the Supreme Court on Monday ruled that the 75 percent
quota reserved for the civil service (admin) cadre for
promotion to the post of deputy secretary is valid.
The appeals filed by the government are allowed in part,
said an order of the six-member Appellate Division bench
headed by Chief Justice M Fazlul Karim.
No such reservation is permissible for the promotion to
Joint Secretary and above, Barrister M Amir-Ul Islam, the
counsel for the Ministry of Establishment, told reporters
quoting the apex court ruling. On February 13 in 2002, the
High Court, upon five writ petitions filed by the
aggrieved officers from other cadres, declared illegal the
75 percent reserve quota for the administration cadre in
respect of promotion to the post of deputy secretary. At
present, there are 29 civil service cadres in the country.
The Supreme Court in its ruling also made some
observations underscoring the framing of a comprehensive
civil service act in compliance with the equality of
opportunity in public employment guaranteed under the
Constitution.
Six killed, four injured in
road crashes in N’ganj, Jessore,Chandpur, Benapole
UNB, Dhaka
At least six people including infant and woman were killed
and four others injured, in separate road accidents in
Narayanganj, Jessore, Chandpur and Jhenaidah on Monday.
In Narayanganj, auto-rickshaw driver Abdul Kader, 48 died
on the spot when the three-wheeler collided with a covered
van at Madanpur in the morning. Passenger Harun-or-Rashid,
50, assistant manager of Fakir Knitwear fatally inured
died soon after rushed to Pangu Hospital in Dhaka.
In Benapole, two young motorcyclists were killed and
another injured when it crashed with a roadside tree at
Gadakhali village on Jessore-Benapole road in the
afternoon. Mamun, 19, and Shuvo, 18, died on the spot and
badly wounded Ibrahim was rushed to Jhikrgachcha hospital.
In Chandpur, a minor girl was perished under the wheels of
a pickup van near Dhanua bazaar in Faridganj upazila at
9am. Locals angered by the death of Liza, 4, blocked the
road for about two hours. Police seized the pickup van but
the driver and helper managed to flee.
In Jhenaidah, Ambia Khatun, 42, died when a speedy truck
dashed down Nosimon she was traveling at Ishwarba village
in Kaliganj upazila at 11am. Three other passengers
injured were admitted to Kaliganj hospital.
Government to
formulate policy to minimize ‘human-animal conflict’
BSS, Dhaka
To minimize the human-animal' conflict and conservation of
wildlife, the government is finalising a draft policy to
compensate the human being in the case of death or injury
due to the attack of the wild animal.
The Wildlife Advisory Board under the Ministry of
Environment and Forests has already given its nod to the
draft of the policy with a provision of Taka 100,000 for
the death of a human being and Taka 50,000 for permanent
disability of a person from attack of the wild animal.
According to the draft, the compensation would be given to
a person, who either faces death or being injured by three
categories of wild animals- tiger, elephant and crocodile.
Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forests Dr
Mihir Kanti Majumder told BSS that the policy framed under
the Bangladesh Wildlife Conservation Act 1974 would help
minimize human-animal conflict and conserve rare and
endangered species of wild animals.
One of the main objectives is to protect the endangered
wild species, particularly the Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT),
elephants and crocodiles in the forest areas of the
country, officials said. Over the last 10 years, 2/3 RBT
and 4/5 elephants were killed every year on an average due
to human-animal confrontation, said Conservator of the
Wildlife and Nature Conservation Circle Tapan Kumar Dey.
He said a legally entrant into the government forests or a
government official or employee would get the
compensation. A person, if attacked by the wild animals
outside the forests, would also get compensation, he said.
A committee comprising concerned forest officials and
local union parishad chairmen would resolve any claim of
the family members of the victim within 15 days, the draft
said.
The Wildlife Advisory Board also approved a policy for
rearing Spotted Dear on commercial basis and establishing
commercial farms of poisonous snakes.
Magistrate
orders judicial inquiry into harassment, extortion by DB
police
UNB, Dhaka
Metropolitan magistrate court today ordered judicial
inquiry into a case of extortion and harassment of a
poultry & dairy farm owner by detective police, but did
not set time for submission of report about the serious
allegation against the law enforcers.
After hearing the petitioner on Sunday, magistrate
Shahadat Hossain had deferred the ordered till Monday.
Mohammad Zahirul Islam, a resident of south Manda in the
city, accused Assistant Police Commissioner of the
Detective Branch Matiur Rahman, Inspector Kibria and four
others of harassment and extortion of Tk one lakh.
Court sources said the magistrate has not ordered measures
for ensuring security of Zahirul who is apprehending
further harassment by detective officials who are
naturally angered by the case. Zahirul in his petition
said the detective police personnel picked him up from his
business office on the ground floor of his house at Manda
on May 18 without showing any reason. They demanded a toll
of Tk 20 lakh from him. The police took him with
handcuffed to a field at Azimpur and physically assaulted
for extorting money. Finding no alternative, he paid Tk
one lakh with promise of further payment to secure
release. Sabujbagh thana had refused to accept the case,
added the plaintiff.
Editorial
Foreign assistance
Bangladesh
continues to remain dependent on foreign assistance which
includes both loan and grant. The country received US$
1638.159 million as assistance from the development partners
for the first 10 months (July-April) of the current fiscal
year (2009-2010). Of the amount, US$ 1364.077 million came as
loan while US$ 274.082 million as grants. Of the amount, Asian
Development Bank (ADB) provided US$ 969.84 million, World Bank
(WB) $ 283.65 million, Japan provided $ 68.08 million and the
UN agencies provided $ 34.26 million. During the period,
Bangladesh made repayment of US$ 551.125 million as principal
and $ 158.766 million as interest. The development partners
earlier made a commitment of providing US$ 1868.903 million to
Bangladesh till March of the current fiscal year.
In fact, Bangladesh is in the shackles of mounting foreign
debts and it has to repay huge amount of money from the
government exchequer for these. About 5.36 percent of the
total budget was spent for payment of foreign debt and its
interest during the current fiscal year. Finance Minister Abul
Maal Abdul Muhith said this in the Parliament on April 5. He
said the government earmarked Taka 5,600 crore in the main
budget of the current fiscal year for payment of Taka 4,300
crore of the principal amount of the foreign debt and Taka
1,300 crore as its interests. However, in the supplementary
budget the total amount for payment of the overseas debt has
been raised to Taka 5,950 crore adding that the amount is 5.36
percent of the total budget.
Earlier, on January 12 the Fiannce Minister had told the
Parliament that the foreign debt of each Bangladeshi citizen
is now $149.54 or Bangladeshi Taka 1,05000. The amount is
based on a population of 142.4 million in the 2007-08
financial year, a figure provided by the Bureau of Statistics.
The minister said, the government received commitments for
$372.13 million as donations and $ 166.70 million as loans
from development partners and donor countries during the first
six months of the current fiscal.
A press report showed that during the current fiscal also the
donor countries and agencies are failing to fulfill their aid
commitment to Bangladesh. They have not disbursed even half of
the committed money while they are realising the installments
of loan and interest in full. Over the last five years they
have disbursed only 7670 million dollars as loan and grants as
against the commitment of about 15000 million dollars and,
worse still, 2480 million dollars went back to them as debt
services and as a result the actual disbursement stood at 5190
million dollars.
In fiscal 2007-08 the amount committed, disbursed and paid for
debt servicing stood at 2730 million dollars , 1950 million
dollars and 580 million dollars respectively. In 2006- 07 the
figures were 2600 million, 1610 million and 520 million
dollars respectively as against 2500 million , 1560 million
and 490 million dollars respectively in 2005-06. Thus almost
one third of the money received from the donors went back to
them for debt servicing every year. In other words, the actual
aid flow falls short of our needs. On the other hand in
exchange for the scanty foreign aid we have to fulfill various
conditions of the donors many of which are disgraceful and
contrary to the national interest .
We can not do without foreign assistance which is falling now.
Since independence huge assistance has come from abroad. But
poverty alleviation and economic stability still remain a
distant goal. Foreign assistance is very essential for a poor,
developing country, but is no panacea. And so, we shall have
to try sincerely to reduce dependence on foreign aid, mobilize
domestic resources, create job opportunities, increase
production in the fields and the factories and boost export
for attaining self reliance.
A serious charge
According
to a report published in Mondays newspapers, a businessman of
the city Sunday filed a case against 6 detective police
personnel accusing them of extortion under threat on his life.
After hearing the petitioner, Shahadat Hossain, judge of the
Chief Metropolitan Court, deferred his order. Plaintiff
Mohammad Zahirul Ismal, a resident of south Manda, in his
petition said Assistant Police Commissioner of the Detective
Branch Matiur Rahman, Inspector Kibria and four others picked
him up from Zahir Dairy Farm on the ground floor of his house
on May 18. They demanded a toll of Tk 20 lakh from him. Zahir
further said that he was handcuffed and taken to a field at
Azimpur where he was beaten for tolls. After payment of Tk one
lakh, he was set free on condition of payment of more tolls.
The petitioner said that he went to file a case with Sabujbagh
thana but the police refused to accept the case.
This is definitely a serious allegation, although not the
first one against police. In the past also allegations of
extortion by police were made on many occasions and some of
them proved to be true. In some cases police men were
convicted as well. It is very unfortunate that a section of
police personnel indulge in crimes although their professional
duty is to curb crimes and nab the criminals. It is also
alleged that the corrupt and misguided police men are
protected by the higher authorities and in some cases they go
scot free as the allegations against police personnel are
investigated by police officers.
It goes without saying that there are many honest and sincere
officials and personnel in the police department. But the
misdeeds of a few tarnish the image of the whole department.
So, in the interest of the public and also the police
department stern actions should be taken against the police
men found guilty of extortion, excesses or other offences.
Analysis
The Jones visit
And, hence,
however much Mr Zardari may jump at America’s command, America
will not succeed where all others have failed?
Zafar Hilaly
General
Jones and Leon Panetta arrived in Islamabad earlier this week
to deliver Obama's message which was much the same as Hilary
Clinton's warning that any more attacks on America originating
from Pakistan and there would be "consequences". Exactly what
these "consequences" could be no one knows. And, as if they
would do anything but inflame the situation further. What
could the Americans do? Bomb North Waziristan? That is
happening anyway. American drones are sighted almost daily
over the area. And, if America were to send in troops, the
"consequences" would admittedly be considerable and adverse
but as much for America as Pakistan. A hostile Pakistan is an
American nightmare.
It's just as well that America did not make a song and dance
of the visit and the joint statement was reassuringly bland.
The optic of the visit was good. Both sides seemed content
that it went off well. The American administration earned
kudos from folks at home by demonstrating concern for homeland
security and racketing up the pressure on Pakistan to do more,
especially in North Waziristan; and the Pakistan army could
claim that it had not backed down by reiterating that it would
expand operations against the Taliban only when it was ready.
Actually an operation in North Waziristan has been on the army
agenda for months as the Americans are aware. Following Jones'
visit it may now be speeded up somewhat.
There was little that the visit revealed that was new. That
Faisal Shahzad had accomplices and had received some training
in North Waziristan was known a day or so after his arrest.
Also, all suspects in Pakistan have been arrested. In any
case, as the American administration has repeatedly confirmed,
Pakistan is cooperating fully in the investigation.
The Pakistan side wanted to know when the promised American
military equipment would arrive, but of this there was not a
word. The fuss and photo ops that surrounded the delivery of
two Bell helicopters purchased recently by the army were
ominous. Celebrating the arrival of what has been paid for is
only understandable in the context of the 40 F-16s purchased
in the late '80s, that were paid for but which never arrived;
nor was the money returned.
No less of interest to Pakistan is when the endless paperwork
of the civil or development component of the Kerry-Lugar Bill
will be completed because judging by the number of forms that
have to be filled and clearances sought, aid is likely to
start arriving after the war is over. And then only if
Congress, that has to vote to authorise the release of the
funds each year, does not change its mind. And who's to say
that a fickle Congress won't do so?
Apparently, Mr Zardari did tell General Jones, what many
American analysts have realised all too belatedly, that
America's best bet at containing extremism is an economically
vibrant and militarily strong Pakistan. Mr Zardari could have
added, "And not one bullied and thrust against her will into
fights for which she is unprepared". And that spending $80
billion annually on a lost cause (Afghanistan) and only $1.5
annually on a good one (Pakistan) makes no sense.
By now Mr Zardari, who is as much an American creature as
Karzai, except that he was fairly elected and Karzai was not,
should insist on being told by his American handlers what
happens when their surge fails, the American public loses its
appetite for war, NATO pulls out, the Afghan National Army
remains a ghost force and talks with the Taliban for a
political set up come to nothing. All of which is more likely
than not.
It won't help, but will it harm Mr Zardari's standing in
American eyes if now and then he stands up to them, like his
friend Karzai did, and tells them that they cannot prevail in
Afghanistan because nature has fashioned human beings to be
territorial and hence they will inevitably turn inward to
repel the invader? And that when pitted against the xenophobic
Afghans no foreign power has ever obtained political
legitimacy or prevailed militarily? Or that to the Afghans
ousting an invader is the foremost objective and that
everything else is peripheral, including religion. And,
moreover, that it is nature and Pushtunwali which shape and
drive religion in Afghanistan and not the other way round?
And, hence, however much Mr Zardari may jump at America's
command, America will not succeed where all others have
failed?
Of course, Mr Zardari will not, because there will be hell to
pay and besides neither he nor the establishment is made of
that stuff. Nor are most who read this newspaper. We have too
much to lose. At best, therefore, we will continue to play a
form of poker with the Americans, except that you can't play
proper poker if your opponent knows the cards that you hold
and also that you cannot compete if he raises the ante.
So let's take a leaf out of Mr Zardari's life manual and stop
pretending. Let's follow him. He has that sharp instinct for
self-preservation. Besides, the Americans don't intend to stay
very long and we have all our lives to fight the extremists.
Who knows, with proper leadership and knowing that the chips
are down and that we only have ourselves to depend on, we may
fare much better. For, is it not true that "Our remedies oft
in ourselves do lie, which we ascribe to heaven?"
The writer is a former ambassador of Pakistan. Email:
charles123it@hotmail.com
Itching to
fight another Muslim enemy
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs also indicated
that the new agreement would not stop the United States
from seeking harsher sanctions against Iran.
Robert Parry
Nobody
in the major US media or in politics will ever be hurt by
talking tough and flexing muscles
If you read the major American newspapers or watch the
propaganda on cable TV, it's pretty clear that the US
foreign policy establishment is again spoiling for a
fight, this time in Iran.
Just as Iraq's Saddam Hussein was the designated target of
American hate in 2002 and 2003, Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad is playing that role now. Back then, any event
in Iraq was cast in the harshest possible light; today,
the same is done with Iran.
Anyone who dares suggest that the situation on the ground
might not be as black and white as the Washington Post's
editors claim it is must be an "apologist" for the enemy
regime. It's also not very smart for one's reputation to
question the certainty of the reporting in the New York
Times, whether about Iraq's "aluminum tubes" for nuclear
centrifuges in 2002 or regarding Iran's "rigged" election
in 2009.
It's much better for one's career to clamber onto the
confrontation bandwagon. Nobody in the major US media or
in politics will ever be hurt by talking tough and flexing
muscles regarding some Muslim "enemy." And, if the
posturing leads to war, it will fall mostly to
working-class kids to do the fighting and dying while the
bills can be passed along to future generations.
Even groups that should know better - like Votevets.org
representing veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars - have
been piggybacking on the organized hate campaign against
Ahmadinejad and Iran to advance other political agendas.
In cable TV ads, Votevets.org uses Ahmadinejad's face and
Iran's alleged manufacture of some Improvised explosive
devices to press the case for alternative energy.
Indeed, looking at this American propaganda campaign
objectively, you would assume that the only acceptable
outcome of US differences with Iran is another Iraq-like
ratcheting up of tensions, using Washington's influence
within the UN Security Council to impose escalating
sanctions, leading ultimately to another war, as if the
lessons of Iraq have already been forgotten.
This warmongering attitude was on display again Monday,
when a possible breakthrough regarding Iran's refining of
nuclear material - its agreement to ship a substantial
amount to Turkey in exchange for nuclear rods for medical
research - was treated more as a negative than a positive.
The New York Times promptly framed the agreement reached
by Iran, Turkey and Brazil as "complicating sanctions
talk," while the Washington Post rushed out an analysis
with the headline, "Iran creates illusion of progress in
nuclear negotiations."
The Post's analysis followed a Saturday editorial
denouncing Brazil's President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva
for even trying "yet another effort to 'engage' the
extremist clique of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad." The Post's neocon editorial writers reprised
the usual anti-Iran propaganda themes with all the
arrogance that they once showed in declaring as flat fact
that Saddam Hussein possessed stockpiles of WMD. After the
US invaded Iraq and found no WMD caches, the Post's
editorial page editor Fred Hiatt acknowledged to Columbia
Journalism Review that if there indeed were no WMD, "it
would have been better not to say it."
(More than 4,300 American soldiers and hundreds of
thousands of Iraqis are dead, in part, because of Hiatt's
mistake.)
On Saturday, an unchastened Hiatt and his crew were back
again spouting more fictions, this time about Iran, like
the oft-repeated claim that the Iranian election last June
was "fraudulent," apparently because the Post's preferred
candidate, Mir Hossein Mousavi, lost.
An analysis by the University of Maryland's Program on
International Policy Attitudes earlier this year found
that there was little evidence to support allegations of
fraud or to conclude that most Iranians viewed
Ahmadinejad's reelection as illegitimate.
Not a single Iranian poll analyzed by PIPA - whether
before or after the June 12 election, whether conducted
inside or outside Iran - showed Ahmadinejad with less than
majority support. None showed the much-touted Green
Movement's candidate Mousavi ahead or even close.
"These findings do not prove that there were no
irregularities in the election process," said Steven Kull,
director of PIPA. "But they do not support the belief that
a majority rejected Ahmadinejad."
So, while many in the West may agree that Ahmadinejad is
an unpleasant politician who foolishly questions the
historical accuracy of the Holocaust and makes other
bombastic statements, it is nevertheless a propaganda
fiction to continue asserting that he was not the choice
of most Iranian voters.
The point is not insignificant, because the claim about
Iran's "fraudulent" election has been cited repeatedly as
fact by the Post, the Times and other major US news
outlets, feeding the rationale of Israel and US neocons in
demanding "regime change."
If Ahmadinejad was actually elected - even if the process
had flaws - then the goal of "regime change" would involve
ousting a popularly chosen leader, much like the CIA
helped do in 1953 when another anti-Western Iranian
leader, Mohammed Mossadegh, was removed from office and
replaced by Washington's preferred choice, the Shah of
Iran.
But the American hostility toward Ahmadinejad - and the US
media's annoyance at any rapprochement between Washington
and Tehran - present other dangers, particularly now that
Iran has agreed to a previous Western demand that it
transfer 1,200 kilograms of low-enriched uranium out of
the country, in this case to Turkey, where it would be
stored.
The Iran-Turkey-Brazil agreement would then give Iran the
right to receive about 265 pounds of more highly enriched
uranium from Russia and France in a form that could not be
used for a nuclear weapon, but could be put to use for
peaceful purposes, such as medical research.
Even though this new deal parallels a plan that the Obama
administration favored last October, US officials have
indicated that they might balk at the agreement now
because the 2,640 pounds of low-enriched uranium
represents a lower percentage of Iran's total supply than
it did last fall, possibly more like half than two-thirds.
"The situation has changed," one diplomat told the New
York Times.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs also indicated
that the new agreement would not stop the United States
from seeking harsher sanctions against Iran.
"The United States will continue to work with our
international partners, and through the United Nations
Security Council, to make it clear to the Iranian
government that it must demonstrate through deeds - and
not simply words - its willingness to live up to
international obligations or face consequences, including
sanctions," Gibbs said.
The Washington Post's analysis by Glenn Kessler portrayed
the new agreement as "a victory" for Iran that has allowed
it to create "the illusion of progress in nuclear
negotiations with the West, without offering any real
compromise to the United States and its allies."
However, perhaps the bigger concern among American neocons
is that the Iran-Turkey-Brazil accord might weaken the
rationale for pressing ahead either with a military attack
against Iran's nuclear facilities or with a "regime
change" strategy that would use sanctions and covert
political operations to turn the Iranian people against
their government.
By reducing the prospects of Iran building a nuclear
weapon - something that Iran has vowed that it has no
intention of doing and that US intelligence agencies
concluded in 2007 that it wasn't doing - the new agreement
could remove the scariest claim that Israel and its
supporters have used in justifying a confrontation with
Iran.
So, what might otherwise appear as good news - i.e. an
agreement that at minimum delays the possibility of an
Iranian bomb and could be a first step toward a fuller
agreement - is presented as bad news.
"The Obama administration now faces the uncomfortable
prospect of rejecting a proposal it offered in the first
place - or seeing months of effort to enact new sanctions
derailed," Kessler explained.
As usual, too, the articles by the Washington Post and the
New York Times left out the relevant fact that Israel,
which has been aggressively pushing for greater
transparency from Iran over its suspected interest in
nukes, itself has one of the world's most sophisticated -
and undeclared - nuclear arsenals.
Even as President Barack Obama has demanded more nuclear
transparency from all countries, he himself continues the
longstanding charade of US presidents, dating back to
Richard Nixon, pretending that they don't know that Israel
has nuclear weapons.
In line with that history of double standards,
Washington's neocon opinion leaders now are framing what
could be a positive step toward peace - the
Iran-Turkey-Brazil accord - as another failure.
But the larger truth may be that the neocons are simply
chafing under the possibility that their hunger for a new
conflict in the Middle East might be delayed indefinitely
and that - heaven forbid - cooler heads might prevail.
Viewpoints
The fragility of ties
If Faisal
Shahzad, a misguided youth, with little intelligence and even
less expertise, can trigger a crisis in ties there is
something fundamentally wrong with this relationship.
Tariq Fatemi
Nothing
could better demonstrate the fragility of the much-trumpeted
Pakistan-US strategic relationship than the recent episode in
New York's Times Square involving Faisal Shahzad, a US citizen
of Pakistani origin.
Only a few weeks earlier, our leaders were congratulating
themselves on having established a relationship of trust and
confidence with the US. But if Faisal Shahzad, a misguided
youth, with little intelligence and even less expertise, can
trigger a crisis in ties there is something fundamentally
wrong with this relationship.
There is no doubt that the fallout from Pakistan's involvement
in the US-led effort to oust the Soviets from Afghanistan has
been disastrous for us, destroying as it has the country's
economy and destabilising the state which is now considered
the 'epicentre' of global terror. Even close friends view us
with fear and suspicion.
The Faisal Shahzad case raises questions. For one, the
perpetrator does not fit into the stereotype profile of the
militant. His privileged upbringing and western education as
well as his long stay in the US belie the image of the angry,
illiterate, misguided, madressah-educated tribesman, or the
exploited peasant from southern Punjab. In fact, his was a
life that would be the envy of young Pakistanis.
This notwithstanding, the Obama administration's reaction too
raises question - it was hasty, confused and ill-considered.
While Janet Napolitano, secretary of the homeland department,
and Centcom head Gen David Petraeus asserted that Faisal
Shahzad was a 'lone wolf', Attorney General Eric Holder
claimed the involvement of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton chose to deliver an
apocalyptic warning of 'severe consequences' for Pakistan.
Had these statements come from the likes of George Bush and
Dick Cheney, the Pakistanis would have taken it in their
stride, but Ms Clinton's public pronouncements did not gel
with her own president's policy of a more constructive
approach to Muslim states.
The fallout from the Faisal Shahzad case may not be confined
to our bilateral ties. It is also being exploited to the hilt
for scoring domestic political points, with people such as
Senator Joe Lieberman calling on the administration to ratchet
up pressure on Pakistan, while seeking to squeeze the Muslim
community.
Instead of pausing to reflect on how the Bush administration's
policies may have contributed to the radicalisation of Muslims
within the US, Lieberman, along with Senator John McCain, has
introduced a bill to amend sections of the Immigration and
Nationality Act that would permit the US to rescind or
withdraw US nationality from any native-born or naturalised
citizen for an alleged act of treason, with the burden of
proving innocence placed on the shoulders of the accused.
These actions may appeal to Americans, but go against the
country's core values.
This reprehensible incident also came at a delicate time in
Pakistan-US relations. After years of bickering, the two sides
were finally collaborating on an agreed agenda and with a
level of understanding and trust that could actually promote
their interests. US leaders, both civil and military, had also
publicly lauded the army's commitment and resolve, as well as
its successes against the militants.
More importantly, it appeared that Washington was recognising
Pakistan's concerns on two vital issues: its concerns
regarding India and its interests in a future Afghan
dispensation. There were also reports to the effect that the
two countries had agreed on the broad outlines of a new
agreement to expand intelligence and military operations.
But all this may now be up in the air as the spotlight is back
on the military and its alleged links with militant
organisations. Even more disturbing are reports to the effect
that Washington views this as a 'game changer' and may seek to
demand expansion of military operations to North Waziristan,
although the army fears that rushing into this theatre without
consolidating earlier gains could cause a major upheaval in
the tribal areas.
There could be other 'demands' as well, hints of which were
contained in Secretary Clinton's accusation that Pakistani
officials were aware of Mullah Omar's whereabouts.
There however appears to be some realisation that Secretary
Clinton may have been too hasty in warning of 'severe
consequences' and that this could have an impact opposite to
what may have been intended. Her confidant, Ambassador Richard
Holbrooke, later claimed that Clinton's statement had not been
understood fully. He added that US ties with Pakistan had
"improved greatly in the last year" and US civilian aid had
increased. Even more important was President Obama's dexterous
handling of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's press conference
to douse the flames of this needless controversy. Mixing
judiciously both praise for Pakistan's efforts and admonition
for its shortcomings, Obama demonstrated an impressive grasp
of a complex situation, though he too had to join the chorus
of allegations when he accused Pakistan of suffering from an
'obsession' with India.
These assuring words notwithstanding, there is little doubt
that bilateral understanding and cooperation were jolted badly
by the Faisal Shahzad episode and made worse by the public
threats. The US is in a nasty mood, as reflected in comments
of Obama's trusted advisor, Bruce Riedel, who warned that if a
successful terrorist attack is traced back to Pakistan, the
two countries "could be on the road to a very difficult
confrontation".
Nevertheless, instead of reacting to US warnings in a
knee-jerk fashion and suspecting conspiracies, we should
engage in serious soul-searching. The army is performing
excellently, but what are the other stakeholders doing to
create a national consensus against terrorism?
While the international community's fears may be exaggerated,
we cannot deny that over the last two decades, Pakistan has
become a refuge for the world's scoundrels, especially for
angry, disillusioned and misguided Muslim youth. In the
process, we have ceded large tracks of the country to lawless
elements, with the writ of the state disappearing.
Such a situation would not be permitted anywhere in the world,
and certainly not here, where the ongoing militancy and a
history of nuclear proliferation are viewed in
near-cataclysmic terms.
Thailand’s
crisis goes beyond red and yellow
This is not
simply a case of city versus countryside, peasants versus
an urban elite, and republicans versus monarchists
David Pilling
Who
could think badly of Thailand? The people are lovely, the
beaches divine and the green chicken curry outstanding.
The country's apparently troubled political history of
serial coups and quick-vanishing constitutions, say its
many admirers, is not as bad as it appears. It masks an
odd kind of stability that has made Thailand a favoured
destination for foreign investment and foreign vacations
alike. True, there is poverty and great disparity of
wealth. Where in south-east Asia isn't there? But the
people appear pretty content with their lot, and at least
no one is starving. Even Oxford-educated current Prime
Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva seems like a thoroughly decent
chap, and terribly dishy to boot.
Now take a cold shower. No one would begrudge the goodwill
that many people have for the Land of Smiles. But warm and
fuzzy sentiments towards Thailand are increasingly at odds
with reality. How else to explain the relative equanimity
with which the world has just witnessed Abhisit's
government crush those calling for elections (of all
things), shooting dead more than 60 civilians?
There has been little of the international condemnation
that followed last year's crackdowns against pro-democracy
demonstrators in Iran, let alone those in Tiananmen Square
in 1989. Imagine the outcry if, in Greece, the rowdy
anti-austerity demonstrators had been mown down with
sub-machine guns.
Certainly such comparisons are imperfect. The situation,
like any messy confrontation, is far from black and white
- or yellow and red in the Thai parlance. The colour codes
do not tell the whole story. Analysts too readily reach
for simplistic explanations of city versus countryside,
peasants versus an urban elite, and republicans versus
monarchists. Doubtless too, as Abhisit's government
maintains, the red-shirt pro-democracy movement does
contain a violent fringe. Though many of the demonstrators
terrified into surrender on Wednesday were unarmed women,
some of the young men were carrying sharpened staves and
homemade explosives. Hotels and other public places have
been attacked.
Flawed poster-boy
It is also true that Thaksin Shinawatra, the ousted former
prime minister in whose name many of the demonstrators
rallied, is a deeply flawed poster-boy for democracy. As
prime minister from 2001 to 2006, he was accused of using
his power to favour the businesses of his family and
associated cronies, while Thai police were blamed for
thousands of extra-judicial killings in the name of a war
on drugs. Thailand's Supreme Court sentenced him in
absentia to two years in jail for conflict of interest.
Technically that makes Thaksin the fugitive from the law
Abhisit's government says he is.
But this is far from the whole story. Those who would now
simply call for calm and a return to the status quo ante
must face other facts. First, Thaksin was the most popular
prime minister in Thailand's history, the only one to
serve a full term and be re-elected. He was ousted, in
traditional Thai fashion, by a military coup in 2006. In
subsequent elections - after a laughably haphazard period
of military rule - a government loyal to Thaksin came to
power. That administration, and the following pro-Thaksin
incarnation, were both dissolved under dubious clauses of
the military-imposed constitution. Those who did not want
anything to do with Thaksin finally got their way in 2008
when the government of Abhisit - which has yet to win a
popular mandate - was stitched together in a parliamentary
deal.
Second, and almost more telling than the way in which
Thaksin and his political allies were bundled out of
power, is the fact that the red-shirt protesters clearly
represent legitimate social grievances. Attempts to
portray the tens of thousands of mainly poor Thais who
took to Bangkok's streets as "terrorists" or paid
mercenaries of Thaksin simply do not wash.
Thaksin was a catalyst for the political empowerment of
Thais - mainly, but not exclusively, from the north and
north-east - who had previously been excluded from the
magic circle of political and economic power. That is why
the relatively modest policies he put in place - such as
cheap health care and better access to credit - won him
almost fanatical allegiance. To brand Thaksinomics as
merely populist bribes for a rented rabble is
condescending. For those desperately seeking to cling on
to their comfortable existence, it is also self-serving.
Unlike in previous stand-offs, Bhumibol Adulyadej,
Thailand's revered king, has not acted to calm the
situation. That may be, as some contend, because he is old
and in failing health. Just as likely, he has judged that
the forces of Thailand's underclass cannot, this time, be
so easily contained. By Wednesday night the streets of
Bangkok had returned to a sort of calm. Yet few could
mistake this for any kind of resolution of the underlying
tensions. At best, such resolution will require fair
elections - and respect for the result. At worst, it will
mean more bloody confrontation, in Bangkok or in the
countryside. Even the most ardent fan of Thailand must
realise this isn't over yet.
Case for saving nature
If the goods and services provided by the natural world
are not valued and factored into the global economic
system, the environment will become more fragile.
Juliette Jowit
The
economic case for global action to stop the destruction of
the natural world is even more powerful than the argument
for tackling climate change, a report for the United
Nations will declare later this year.
The Stern report on climate change, which was prepared for
the UK Treasury and published in 2006, famously stated
that the cost of limiting climate change would be about
one to two per cent of annual global wealth, but the
longer-term economic benefits would be five-20 times that
figure.
The UN's biodiversity report - dubbed the Stern for Nature
- is expected to say that the value of saving "natural
goods and services", such as pollination, medicines,
fertile soils, clean air and water, will be even higher,
between 10 and 100 times the cost of saving the habitats
and species that provide them.
The report will advocate massive changes to the way the
global economy is run so that it factors in the value of
the natural world. The measures it will recommend include:
- Paying communities to conserve nature rather than
deplete it
- Giving strict limits to companies on what they can take
from the environment and fining or taxing more to limit
over-exploitation
- Asking businesses and national governments to publish
accounts for their use of natural and human capital
alongside their financial results
- Reforming subsidies worth more than $1tr a year for
industries such as agriculture, fisheries, energy and
transport.
The potential economic benefits of protecting biodiversity
are huge. Setting up and running a comprehensive network
of protected areas would cost $45bn a year globally,
according to one estimate, but the benefits of
preservation within these zones would be worth $4-5tr a
year.
"We need a sea-change in human thinking and attitudes
towards nature," said the report's author, the economist
Pavan Sukhdev, who is a former senior banker with Deutsche
Bank and a special adviser to the UN environment programme.
He called for nature to be seen "not as something to be
vanquished, conquered, but rather something to be
cherished and lived within".
The UN report's authors go further with their warning on
biodiversity, by saying if the goods and services provided
by the natural world are not valued and factored into the
global economic system, the environment will become more
fragile.
International
Indian
PM hints at Gandhi succession
AFP, New Delhi
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hinted Monday he
could one day step down in favour of Rahul Gandhi, heir to
the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, as he was questioned on his
possible early retirement.
"I sometimes feel younger people should take over.... I
would be very happy to make place for anybody the Congress
party chooses," Singh said at a press conference marking
his government's first year in office.
After an alliance led by his Congress Party swept back to
power 12 months ago there was widespread speculation that
Singh, 77, might resign halfway through his term to make
way for the 39-year-old Gandhi, who has long been viewed
as a premier-in-waiting.
Singh, who underwent heart surgery last year, praised
Gandhi's work with the youth wing of the Congress party,
and insisted his absence from the current cabinet was of
Gandhi's own choosing.
"Rahul is well qualified to hold a cabinet post," Singh
said, adding that he had discussed the issue with him
several times.
"But he has always been reluctant to give a positive
answer, telling me he has duties to perform in reviving
the Congress party and he's doing a very good job."
Since India's independence from Britain in 1947, power in
Congress has passed from Gandhi's great-grandfather
Jawaharlal Nehru, to his grandmother Indira Gandhi and
later to his father Rajiv-all of whom were prime
ministers.
It now rests with his Italian-born mother Sonia, the party
president and seen as India's most influential politician.
Pressed on whether he might step down before the end of
the government's current term, Singh said his focus was on
fulfilling his responsibilities as prime minister.
"I have been given this task. It is still unfinished. Till
I finish, there is no question of retirement," he said.
NDVT adds: On his relations with Sonia Gandhi, Singh
strongly dismissed suggestions of "mistrust" and
"distrust" between him and the Congress President, saying
he receives constant advice and guidance from her.
He said there is no "iota of mistrust or distrust between
me and the Congress President."
"No question of gap in thinking between me and Congress
president...She is the leader of the UPA and she is the
president of the Congress party and I am a Congressman,"
Singh said, when asked about the reported differences
between the government and the party on a host of issues.
He said he meets Gandhi once in a week to discuss the
political developments as well as issues related to
governance.
Responding to a question about the criticism faced by his
government for its anti-Naxal strategy, the PM said, "Naxalism
remains the biggest internal security challenge facing our
country. We have not underestimated the problem of
Naxalism."
Speaking about the violence in Jammu & Kashmir, the PM
said, "I would like to appeal to all groups in Jammu and
Kashmir to shed violence and come to the dialogue table."
Speaking on the Parliament attack death row convict Afzal
Guru, the PM said the "law of the land" should be allowed
to take its course in dealing with the issue.
"There is law of the land. They should be allowed to have
their course," Singh said replying to a question over when
the death sentence awarded to Guru would be carried out.
Reopening of Swiss cases against Zardari
PPP ministers to be with Awan at SC today
Dawn Online, Lahore
Most of the federal ministers and ministers of state
belonging to Pakistan People's Party (PPP) will accompany
Law Minister Babar Awan to the Supreme Court on Tuesday to
'express solidarity with President Asif Ali Zardari'. "The
PPP leadership has asked all its ministers, except Rehman
Malik and Ahmed Mukhtar, to appear before the Supreme
Court on May 25 along with Mr Awan during the hearing
regarding reopening of cases against President Zardari in
Swiss courts," a parliamentarian told Dawn on Sunday.
He said the move would give a 'strong' message that
parliament was backing the president and any action
against him would be considered to have been taken against
the whole party, including the prime minister.
The PPP leader said the law minister would 'justify' the
inability of the government to write a letter to Swiss
courts about reopening the cases. "How can a government
ask foreign courts to open cases against its own
President? It's embarrassing," he said. According to
sources, scheduled foreign visits of some ministers have
been cancelled to ensure their presence in the court.
"Maximum presence of PPP ministers in the court will also
send a strong message to the opponents," the sources said.
The court has summoned the law minister to explain why the
government is not writing to the Swiss government to
reopen the cases against the President. After scrapping
the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) in December,
some 8,000 cases of corruption and other charges have been
reopened.
President Zardari enjoys immunity under the Constitution.
The Supreme Court is expected to interpret the legal
status of the cases in order to clear any 'ambiguity'.
Opposition moves to impeach
Thai PM; curfew stays
AP, Bangkok
Opposition leaders moved to impeach Thailand's prime
minister Monday for his handling of rioting and violence
in Bangkok, and an army official said the capital would
remain under curfew for another week as a precaution
against further unrest.
The impeachment measure and a move to censure top Cabinet
officials was expected to be easily defeated. But it
reflects deep rifts that divide the country after two
months of protests that left at least 88 dead and the Thai
capital in flames.
With traffic once again choking the Bangkok streets, the
stock exchange, schools and many offices opened for the
first time after a week of government-ordered holidays.
Thousands of residents bearing mops, brooms and rubbish
bins joined in a citywide effort to clean up from the
riots.
Still, authorities in charge of the government's crisis
response center said they would propose extending a
late-night curfew on the capital, which remains under a
state of emergency, and other volatile areas for another
week or so.
"The purpose of the curfew is to separate the terrorists
from the public," said army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd.
He said the late hours of the curfew would not cause
significant disturbances to the public.The Cabinet was to
meet Tuesday to approve the extension.
Opposition whip Wittaya Buranasiri said the motion to
impeach Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was introduced by
the opposition Pheu Thai Party - allies of ousted former
leader Thaksin Shinawatra, whom the anti-government Red
Shirt protesters generally support.
India PM says trying to
tackle Pakistan 'trust gap'
BBC Online
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says lack of trust is
the main obstacle to improved relations with Pakistan.
Mr Singh told a rare news conference in Delhi that he was
trying to narrow the gap and that India was willing to
discuss "all outstanding issues". Ties have been strained
since Pakistan-based militants attacked Mumbai in 2008,
killing more than 160 people.
Pakistan's foreign ministry told the BBC that it hoped Mr
Singh's comments were a positive development.
It said a mutual trust deficit did exist and Mr Singh's
comments underlined the importance of bridging the deficit
and solving long-standing disputes. A decades-long
conflict over the Himalayan territory of Kashmir lies at
the heart of the neighbours' mistrust.
Earlier this month India and Pakistan agreed to hold more
peace talks after a meeting between Mr Singh and Pakistani
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
The countries' foreign ministers are to meet in July after
an invitation from Islamabad.
'Trust gap'
Mr Singh made his remarks at a rare news conference - his
first since his government was re-elected last year and
one of only a few he has given since coming to power in
2004.
"India cannot realise its full development potential
unless we have the best possible relations with our
neighbours, and Pakistan happens to be the largest
neighbour of ours," he told reporters in the Indian
capital.
"The trust gap is the biggest problem."
Mr Singh said he was doing his best to bridge that gap. At
the same time, he added, he would not surrender India's
vital national interest. He said he was hopeful that the
foreign minister-level talks in July could move the
stalled peace process forward.
"This will be the first major effort to deal with the
underlying cause that is the lack of trust between our two
nations."
Talks formally resumed earlier this year but ended with
little more than an agreement to meet again. The two
countries' peace process broke down after the 2008 Mumbai
(Bombay) attacks. Delhi has publicly complained that
Islamabad has done little to crack down on elements and
groups in Pakistan who planned and executed the attack.
Korean tension a factor in
Japan base decision
AP, Tokyo
Japan's prime minister suggested Monday that heightened
tensions on the Korean peninsula contributed to his
decision to break a campaign promise and keep a key U.S.
Marine base in Okinawa. Analysts say China's growing
military assertiveness may also have played a role.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, traveling
in Beijing, commended Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama for
making "the difficult but nevertheless correct decision"
Sunday to keep Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on the
strategically important island, which is close to Taiwan
and the Chinese mainland and not far from the Korean
peninsula.
"I thank him for his courage and determination to fulfill
his commitments. This is truly the foundation for our
future work as allies in the Asia-Pacific region," she
said from Beijing.
U.S. officials traveling with Clinton, who visited Tokyo
on Friday, said the March sinking of the South Korean
warship Cheonan - blamed on a North Korean torpedo - had
deepened the understanding among Japanese officials about
the importance of the U.S. military presence in Okinawa.
The island hosts more than half the 47,000 American troops
in Japan under a mutual security pact.
Recent examples of China's military flexing its muscle may
have also been a factor in pushing Hatoyama to reverse his
stance and reach an uncomfortable decision - which could
contribute to his resignation in coming weeks or months
amid plunging approval ratings.
Aquino may have to wait as
Philippine tally begins
Reuters, Manila
Philippine lawmakers on Monday set rules for the official
tally of votes from the May 10 elections that is set to
confirm Senator Benigno Aquino as president, although the
process may take longer than earlier thought.
The president and vice president are officially proclaimed
by Congress. The special session to do so was brought
forward by a week after the better-than-expected running
of the automated polls, although some losing candidates
have since raised allegations of fraud or machine failure.
Unofficial tallies of elections commission data showed
Aquino has an insurmountable lead of more than 5 million
votes over his nearest rival, former president Joseph
Estrada, although the contest for vice president is much
closer.
Expectations that Aquino could be declared winner by late
May or early June, well ahead of the June 30 inauguration,
have been tempered by allegations of fraud, mostly at a
local level, that could delay the official tally.
"Any delay could open a lot of doubts on the credibility
of the electoral process, which could erode the political
capital of Senator Aquino," said Benito Lim, political
science professor at the Ateneo de Manila University.
"There could be fraud but I believe the numbers were not
enough to overturn the outcome of the elections."
A smooth election and the emergence of a clear winner
offering the prospect of a clean power transition were
seen as a first step towards improving long-term investor
sentiment, but challenges or a messy transition period
could undermine that.
Prospero Nograles, outgoing speaker of the House of
Representatives, said lawmakers would scrutinise the
transmitted and printed results from more than 76,000
machines, but were not there to look into protests from
losing candidates.
Tehran
gives fuel swap offer to IAEA
AP, Vienna
Seeking to evade new U.N. sanctions, Iran on Monday
formally submitted its plan to swap some of its enriched
uranium for reactor fuel and said the onus was on world
powers to defuse tensions by accepting the deal.
The development was unlikely to deter the U.S., Russia,
China, Britain and France - the five permanent U.N.
Security Council members - which last week agreed on a
draft outlining the fourth set of sanctions against Iran
for refusing to give up uranium enrichment.
But Turkey and Brazil support Iran. They are co-sponsors
of the fuel swap deal, and the International Atomic Energy
Agency said diplomats from both countries joined with an
Iranian representative in handing the proposal to IAEA
chief Yukiya Amano on Monday. Their presence at the
hand-over "is a clear indication that the brotherly,
friendly countries of Turkey and Brazil ... are supportive
all the way through," Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's chief
IAEA delegate, told the AP. "We expect others to seize
this unique opportunity," Soltanieh said in a telephone
call from the sidelines of a U.N. nonproliferation
conference in New York. He was alluding to the U.S.,
France and Russia - Tehran's direct interlocutors in
original fuel swap negotiations seven months ago - and
more broadly to the U.N. Security Council. The backing of
Brazil and Turkey is important in blunting a sanctions
push because they are elected Security Council members
that carry weight among some of the eight other countries
chosen for temporary council memberships. They have
signaled they will vote against new sanctions, which must
be approved by 10 of the 15 council members.
Beijing breaks ice
with HK opposition in democracy talks
Reuters, Hong Kong
China's leadership reached out to Hong Kong's opposition
democrats on Monday in a breakthrough move to resolve a
bitter dispute over how to realise full democracy in the
city.
Li Gang, a deputy director of Beijing's liaison office,
met senior members of Hong Kong's opposition Democratic
Party that has been highly critical of the Chinese
Communist leadership that in 1989 ordered troops to fire
on pro-democracy demonstrators in and around Tiananmen
Square.
"We hope that Li Gang ... can take our clear position to
the highest levels of the central government and hope they
make a response," said Emily Lau, one of the democrats who
met Li.
Democratic Party Chairman Albert Ho said such a meeting,
formally sanctioned by Beijing, was a first for his party.
With the return of Hong Kong, a former British colony, to
Chinese sovereignty in 1997, both sides have sparred over
the pace of constitutional development, with the vocal and
highly mobilised opposition democrats condemning Beijing's
repeated delays over promised democratic reforms. The
talks come as Hong Kong gears up for a key vote on an
electoral reform package that will make elections in 2012
marginally more democratic, but far short of the one-man,
one-vote polls the democrats have been pushing for that
year. "We very much hope that we can take a fresh step in
realising electoral reforms for 2012 ... that will take us
a step closer towards universal suffrage," Li told
reporters in rare, wide-ranging comments underscoring
Beijing's desire to resolve the thorny and divisive issue
that has dominated local politics.
While Beijing has promised universal suffrage in 2017 to
elect the city's leader, it hasn't clarified key details
including threshold nomination rules that may end up
shutting out pro-democracy candidates.
Israel’s Peres denies
offering South Africa nukes
AP, Jerusalem
Israeli President Shimon Peres on Monday categorically
denied a report that he offered nuclear warheads to South
Africa in 1975, when he was defense minister.
The report published Sunday in the British newspaper The
Guardian is based on an American academic's research and
claims to cite secret minutes of a meeting Peres held with
senior South African officials.
Peres said Israel never negotiated the transfer of nuclear
weapons to South Africa.
"There exists no basis in reality for the claims published
this morning by The Guardian that in 1975 Israel
negotiated with South Africa the exchange of nuclear
weapons," the president said in an English-language
statement. "Unfortunately, The Guardian elected to write
its piece based on the selective interpretation of South
African documents and not on concrete facts."
The article is based on a series of documents the South
African government declassified in response to a request
from American academic Sasha Polakow-Suransky, who is
writing a book called "The Unspoken Alliance" about the
close relationship between the Israel and South Africa.
Appearing alongside the article, the partially censored
documents show a formal request from the South Africans
for nuclear-capable warheads, and minutes of meetings in
which then-Defense Minister Peres listed weapons available
for sale.
But they do not appear to confirm any transfer of weapons,
or any explicit offer from the Israelis to sell nuclear
materials or nuclear-capable weapons to the South
Africans. The documents accompanying the story do show
Peres' signature on minutes from a meeting where the
then-defense minister discussed payloads available in
"three sizes," one of several phrases that Peres said The
Guardian misconstrued.
Landmark overhauls may not
help Democrats at polls
AP, Washington
Anxious and angry, Americans are not in a congratulatory
mood. That's bad news for President Barack Obama and his
Democratic allies.
After winning a landmark health care overhaul earlier this
year, Obama now stands on the brink of seeing Congress
approve the most far-reaching overhaul of Wall Street
regulations since the 1930s. Democrats aim to put it on
his desk by July 4.
Yet with the economy still wobbly and the stock market
retreating, Americans remain nervous about the possibility
of a double-dip recession. They have seen few concrete
benefits yet from the slow-to-unfold health care law.
Likewise, it may be some time before Obama can point to
results from the advancing legislation to rewrite the
rules that govern Wall Street.
Senate passage last week of the financial overhaul bill
was "another big win for him. But the problem is that, in
terms of his standing in the eyes of the public, both
these enormously far-reaching pieces of legislation are
going to take quite a while to play out and to begin to
affect the lives of Americans," said Ross Baker, a
political scientist at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
In the meantime, there's plenty for people to worry about.
Despite signs of a fledgling corporate recovery,
unemployment seems stuck at just under 10 percent. Home
foreclosures continue to rise. Despite a rebound Friday,
U.S. stocks have fallen some 10 percent in just the last
month, signaling a correction to the bull market that
began in March 2009.
Facebook founder Mark
Zuckerberg pledges easier privacy
BBC Online
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has admitted that
Facebook "missed the mark" over recent privacy concerns.
In a column in the Washington Post newspaper, he said the
social network would soon make changes to users' privacy
options.
The move may placate some of the growing band of members
who had pledged to quit the social network on 31 May.
"Sometimes we move too fast - and after listening to
recent concerns, we're responding," wrote Mr Zuckerberg.
"The biggest message we have heard recently is that people
want easier control over their information.
"Simply put, many of you thought our controls were too
complex. Our intention was to give you lots of granular
controls; but that may not have been what many of you
wanted. We just missed the mark," he wrote.
The technology blogger Robert Scoble also published, with
permission, an e-mail exchange with Mr Zuckerberg from the
weekend, in which the Facebook CEO admitted "we've made a
bunch of mistakes".
Privacy concerns
Facebook has faced increasing criticism from US civil
liberties advocates, consumer groups and lawmakers.
European Union data protection officials described recent
privacy changes as "unacceptable".
Mr Zuckerberg's admission also comes after Facebook said
on Friday 21 May that it had changed how it shared data
with advertisers on the site.
The Wall Street Journal had highlighted how under certain
circumstances Facebook had been sending the user name or
ID of the person clicking on an advert to the relevant
advertiser. "We fixed this case as soon as we heard about
it," a Facebook spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal.
Australia expels Israeli
diplomat over Dubai killing
BBC Online
Australia has expelled an Israeli diplomat saying Israel
was behind the forging of Australian passports linked to
the murder of a Hamas operative in Dubai.
Australia's foreign minister said these were "not the
actions of a friend".
The UK took similar action in March, after concluding that
Israel was responsible for the use of forged UK passports
in the plot.
The Israeli foreign ministry said Australia's decision was
disappointing. Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said it was
"not in line with the importance and the quality of the
relationship between our countries".
'Sorrow not anger'
At least four forged Australian passports were used in the
killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai in January. The
originals belonged to Australians living in Israel.
The Australian government said a police investigation had
left it in no doubt that the Israeli authorities were
behind "the abuse and counterfeiting of the passports".
As a result Foreign Minister Stephen Smith asked Israel to
withdraw a diplomat, whom he did not identify "The
decision to ask Israel to remove from Australia one of its
officers at the Israeli embassy in Canberra is not
something which fills the Australian government with any
joy," he said. "On the contrary, the decision was made
much more in sorrow than in anger."
Passports from France, Ireland, Germany and Britain were
used in the operation, and in March, the British
government expelled an Israeli diplomat from London.
Hubble spots a
planet-eating star
BBC Online
The Hubble Space Telescope has captured evidence of a
Sun-like star "eating" a nearby planet.
Astronomers knew that stars were capable of swallowing
planets in orbit around them, but this is the first time
the event has been "seen" so clearly.
Although the planet was too far away for Hubble to
photograph, scientists have created an image of it, based
on analysis of the telescope's data.
The discovery was published in the The Astrophysical
Journal Letters.
The researchers say the planet, which is called Wasp-12b,
may only have another 10 million years left before it is
completely devoured.
It is so close to its star that it completes an orbit in
1.1 Earth days and is superheated to more than 1,500C.
Because of this proximity, the planet's atmosphere has
ballooned to nearly three times the radius of Jupiter and
is spilling material on to the star.
Carole Haswell from the UK's Open University led the
research team. She explained: "We see a huge cloud of
material around the planet which is escaping and will be
captured by the star."
Hubble's detection of the cloud enabled scientists to draw
conclusions about how it was generated.
Dr Haswell said: "We have identified chemical elements
never before seen on planets outside our own Solar
System."
Wasp-12 is a dwarf star located approximately 600
light-years away in the constellation Auriga.
The exoplanet was first discovered by the UK's Wide Area
Search for Planets (Wasp) in 2008.
Business/Economy
Pharmaceuticals on the cusp of big leap with first
industrial park
PM likely to inaugurate construction work in first
week of June
UNB, Dhaka
The long standing demand of country's pharmaceutical
companies to make the pharmaceutical industry globally
more competitive, cost-effective and increase export
volume through producing quality products is going to be
materialized soon through the setting up of a specialized
park for the industry.
The present government has progressed much in setting up
the country' s first specialized industrial park - Active
Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) at Gajaria upazila under
Munshiganj district for the pharmaceuticals sector which
is growing fast.
Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC),
under the Ministry of Industries, has taken up the project
in a bid to produce basic raw materials locally, enhance
local and foreign investment and to boost the foreign
currency earnings through exports. The construction work
of the park was initially scheduled to be inaugurated
formally on June 3 but the date may be changed, Industries
Minister Dilip Barua indicates.
"The fresh date of formal inauguration of the construction
work is yet to be known. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is
expected to inaugurate the construction work of the park,"
Minister Barua told UNB over phone on Monday.
The then BNP-Jamaat led alliance government came up with
the idea in November 2001 but it had failed to implement
the project. Later, the military controlled interim
government took the decision for implementation of such a
project in Munshiganj district in 2007.
As per the revised project profile, a total of 42 plots
with Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) will be
accommodated in the park with incinerators for solid and
liquid waste management where individual companies will
set up API plants.
"Each plant will have approval from the Medicines and
Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of the UK and
the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the USA so that
we can produce quality products and export it to the
global market without any barrier," General Secretary of
Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI)
and Managing Director of Incepta Pharmaceuticals Ltd Abdul
Muktadir told UNB Correspondent AKM Moinuddin. He said
currently the pharmaceutical sector imports 60-70 % of its
basic raw materials from the international market. "We'll
be able to get rid of import dependency through producing
basic raw materials locally."
Loans
agreement would restore confidence in Dubai
AFP, Dubai
Confidence would return to Dubai's financial markets once
creditors accept an offer by Dubai World to restructure
its debts, Moody's investor service said on Monday.
"Acceptance by bank lenders would go a long way towards
confirming lower than feared loan losses for the banks
involved and consequently for restoring confidence in
Dubai's financial sector," Dubai-based Moody's Middle East
said in a statement.
Dubai World, whose default fears had rocked global
markets, said on Thursday that it had reached agreement
"in principle with the Coordinating Committee"
representing 60 percent of the group's bank lenders to
restructure some 23.5 billion dollars in debt.
"Since an agreement of more than two-thirds of total
creditors could finalise this restructuring, we believe
that there is high likelihood that agreement will be
finally reached," Moody's analyst John Tofarides said in
the statement.
People’s participation in formulating national
budget stressed
BSS, Rajshahi
Speakers at a dialogue here Monday said direct
participation of the grassroots people in formulation and
implementation of the national budget and decentralization
of the budget formulation process is very essential for
balanced development of the nation.
They also mentioned that sustainable development of every
citizens, communities and regions could be the effective
tools of the cherished national development along with
poverty reduction.
Local unit of the Anti-corruption Campaign Team, a partner
organization of Promoting Governance, Accountability,
Transparency and Integrity (PROGATI), organized the
dialogue titled "We want civic participation in the
national budget" at Saikat Community Center.
Some non-government development organizations- Barendra
Unnayan Prochesta (BUP), Niskrity and Center for
Communication and Development extended necessary support
for arranging the dialogue.
Assistant Professor Shatil Siraj of Mass Communication and
Journalism Department of Rajshahi University presented the
keynote paper with Convener of the campaign team Dr FM
Zaheed Hossain in the chair.
In their welcome speech, Director of BUP Foyzullah
Chowdhury and Director of Niskrity SKL Muhammad Lalon
detailed various aspects of people's participation in the
national budget. The speakers viewed that people's
participation is a must for formulating a pro-people
budget as the centrally prepared budget lacks people's
participation.
They underscored the need for formulating district-wise
budget and demanded budgetary allocation for some vital
sectors of the region particularly agro-based and silk
industry, separate power plant and industrial policy and
loan, fertilizer factory, more use of surface water for
irrigation and environment conservation.
Britain unveils plans to cut record deficit
AFP, London
Britain's new coalition government unveiled details Monday
of some 6.2 billion pounds in cuts to "wasteful" spending,
to begin slashing a record deficit in line with a key
campaign pledge.
The cuts-immediately slammed by labour unions, but seen by
analysts as sending an essential signal to nervous
markets-include a freeze on civil service recruitment and
reductions in numerous programmes.
Former Labour premier Gordon Brown warned ahead of May 6
elections that making immediate budget cuts would
jeopardize Britain's fragile recovery from the global
downturn.
But new finance minister George Osborne, whose
Conservative party struck a deal with the third-placed
Liberal Democrats to form Britain's first coalition
government since World War II, insisted the cuts were
essential. "In the space of just one week we have found
and agreed to cut 6.25 billion pounds of wasteful spending
across the public sector," he said, the equivalent of 7.2
billion euros or 8.9 billion dollars.
"We inherited a terrible economic situation and we are
going to put it right," said Chancellor of the Exchequer
Osborne, who will also present an emergency budget on June
22 to address the dire state of public finances.
Britain's finances have been ravaged by a record-length
recession that has slashed tax revenues and ramped up
expenditure, as well as by enormously expensive banking
sector bailouts.
Official data last week showed the deficit had hit 156.1
billion pounds in 2009/2010, or 11.1 percent of gross
domestic product (GDP) -- lower than the previous estimate
of 163.4 billion pounds, but still a record high level.
National
Food security to be attained
through farming of flood tolerant Aman paddy: Scientists
BSS, Rangpur
Bangladesh is going to achieve complete food security soon
through large-scale countrywide farming of flash-flood
tolerant Aman varieties from this season to ultimately
produce an additional six million tonnes paddy annually.
The farmers became happy following release of seeds of
Swarna Sub 1 as BRRI dhan 51 and BR 11 Sub 1 as BRRI dhan
52 last month by the technical committee of the National
Seed Board enabling them large-scale farming and producing
the seeds commercially. Rice scientists of Bangladesh Rice
Research Institute (BRRI) and International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) successfully completed all field level
experiments, researches and validation of these flash-
flood tolerant variety paddies in recent years.
The government went to the large-scale farming of these
paddies from this season as the experiments showed that
the varieties can sustain 10 to 17 days submergence paving
the way of producing five tonnes paddy per hectare in the
vast flash flood prone areas. The repeated successes in
getting expected production of flood- tolerant paddies in
Bangladesh and India in recent years have ushered in a new
era in the disaster-prone agriculture sector of the
country, sub- continent and other flood- prone countries.
The success was achieved through farming Swarna Sub1, BR11
Sub1, IR64 Sub1 and Sambamasuri Sub1 flood-tolerant
varieties paddy using Participatory Variety Selection
Mother Trial and Developed Agronomical Management Method
methods.
In Bangladesh, scientists and farmers successfully
cultivated the paddy in on-station Rangpur BRRI Regional
Station and on- farm farmers' fields at Rangpur, Kurigram,
Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Sirajganj and Nilphamari districts
during the past two years.
The varieties are being cultivated successfully in Uttar
Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa and other States where three
varieties except IR64 Sub 1 seeds were officially released
by the Government for large-scale farming that already
brought huge successes in India.
Scientists of BRRI, IRRI, Central Rice Research Institute
and Norendra Dev University of Agriculture Technology (NDUAT)
of India and University of California (UC, Davis &
Riverside) developed and validated the epoch-making
technology.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) have been providing
financial assistances through IRRI to increase seed
productions and disseminate the technology under its
Stress Tolerant Rice for Poor Farmers in Africa & South
Asia (STRASA) programme.
The scientists expressed confidence to overcome colossal
Aman crop losses being caused by floods in 12 lakh
hectares potential area annually in Bangladesh and 60 lakh
hectares in UP, Bihar, Orissa and West Bengal by
large-scale farming of these varieties.
Net zaps mosquitoes to
their deaths
UNB, Dhaka
People particularly living in rural areas in the country
are now acquainted with a hi-tech anti-mosquito net for
its magic action of killing mosquitoes touching the net.
The hi-tech net works against preventing malaria, dengue
and other diseases caused by mosquito-bites and other
insecticides.
The name of the modern mosquito net is Long Lasting
Insecticide Treated Net (LLIN) developed by the German
based world leading chemical company BASF.
Insects or flies do not come into the room if the LLIN
remains, even bugs go away from the bed or divan as the
net covers the divan.
Talking to UNB Shafkat Mustafa, Manager, Sales and
Marketing of BASF Grameen Ltd said The World Health
Organization Pesticide Evaluation Committee (WHOPEC) has
certified the Long Lasting Insecticide Treated Net as an
effective product for protection from mosquitoes and
insects. BASF Grameen Ltd, is a joint venture between BASF
SE and Grameen Healthcare Trust.
Shafkat said the WHO also recommended that the LLIN under
any condition is not harmful to health, even if any
newborn takes the mosquito net into mouth there will be no
problem.
He said there is no smell of the LLIN and if the net is
pulled on no mosquito remains in the room. The efficacy of
LLIN remains intact even after washing 20 times, he said
adding that usually people wash mosquito net once in two
or three months.
The chiefs of BASF and Grameen Bank signed an agreement in
2009 and formed a joint company BASF Grameen Ltd.
particularly for marketing the LLIN and another product
Multiple Micronutrient Sachet (MMS) by Grameen Health Care
Trust channel.
Firstly 20, 500 pieces of LLIN were marketed in Bangladesh
in November 2009 as a test model to see market situation,
and received good market feed-back, he added.
The first lot of LLIN were sold in the rural areas of
Narsingdi, Hill Tracts, Sylhet, Hobiganj and so on.
Replying to a question, Shafkat said BASF sold Grameen a
double bed size LLIN at Tk 500. Grameen sells these to
rural women in exchange for cash money or by providing
loan. Replying to another question he said the LLIN will
be needed by both rural and urban people. The LLIN will be
available in the open market by June he said. The BASF
will also market it through its own channel.
In a rough idea he said the market price of a LLIN will be
Tk 750.
Govt to frame poor-friendly
health policy
BSS, Dhaka
Prime minister's Health Affairs Adviser Professor Dr Syed
Modessir Ali Monday said the government decided to
formulate a "poor friendly" health policy accumulating
opinions of professional organizations.
"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is pledge-bound to reach
healthcare facilities to the people's doorsteps under a
poor- friendly health policy," he told an opinion exchange
meeting joined by health experts, doctors, officials and
representatives of donors and media. Her added "Towards
that end, we decided to formulate a health policy engaging
all stakeholders including professional organizations".
His comments came on the first day of the two-workshop
where the stakeholders gave their opinions on an already
formulated draft.
The ruling Awami League's election manifesto had promised
to update a previous 2000 health policy announced during
Sheikh Hasina's previous 1996-2001 government that had
suggested the landmark community healthcare clinics at the
union levels. Leading health expert and former president
of Bangladesh Medical Association Professor Dr Rashid-E-Mahbub,
who took part at the workshop, suggested the formation of
a national committee to formulate a health policy engaging
the stakeholders.
Sports
Pakistan to review players’ penalties
AFP, Islamabad
The Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) chief assured MPs Monday
that the body would review fines and bans imposed on seven top
players after receiving a report from a one-man arbitration
panel.
A sports committee from the lower house met to investigate
allegations of matchfixing and off-field problems on
Pakistan's recent tour of Australia that led to the penalties
against the players.
"The committee meeting was very constructive and we assured
them on reviewing the penalties on the players but after
getting the arbitrator's report," PCB chairman Ijaz Butt told
reporters.
Butt was referring to a one-man arbitration panel -- retired
judge Irfan Qadir -- who is hearing appeals lodged by six of
the players.
Former captains Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousu were banned
indefinitely on charges of "infighting which resulted in a
negative influence on the team."
Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul Hasan were banned for a year
and fined two million rupees (24,000 dollars) each for
disciplinary breaches.
Pakistan's Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal
were fined three million rupees (35,000 dollars) each and
placed on probation for six months.
Umar Akmal was fined two million rupees.
The penalties came after an evaluation committee investigated
Pakistan's tours of the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and
Australia between November 2009 to February this year.
Pakistan lost all three Tests, five one-day and a Twenty20 in
Australia, prompting the PCB to investigate the defeats.
Yousuf retired from cricket in protest, but the other players
lodged appeals with the PCB-appointed tribunal.
Butt reiterated his stance on match-fixing, insisting there
had been no wrongdoing despite allegations over Pakistan's
defeat in January's Sydney Test.
"We cannot take action against anyone on just hearsay," said
Butt.
Pakistan lost the Test by 36 runs after being in a winning
position. The tourists, who had a 206-run first-innings lead,
failed to chase a modest, 176-run taregt.
Sri
Lanka defeats NZ by 7 wickets
BSS/AFP, Florida
Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by seven wickets in the second of
two Twenty20 matches on Sunday, part of international
cricket's historic attempt to break into the US market.
Sri Lanka triumphed in the low-scoring affair with more than
four overs to spare to earn a 1-1 draw in the series.
Nuwan Kulasekara tore through New Zealand's top order, taking
three wickets in the second over as he removed openers Brendon
McCullum and Aaron Redmond along with Rob Nicol.
New Zealand were an embarrassing 13-5 at one stage.
Daniel Vettori and Nathan McCullum were the only New
Zealanders to reach double figures, but the 81 runs amassed by
New Zealand was no challenge for Sri Lanka even on the slow,
lifeless pitch.
Vettori's 27 gave New Zealand a glimmer of hope, and Nathan
McCullum's 36 took their total to 81 before they were bowled
out in the 18th over.
Mahela Jayawardene got Sri Lanka going with a 12-ball 17.
Thissara Parera added 24 and Tillakaratne Dilshan overcame his
struggles to find his timing for an unbeaten 33.
Sri Lanka had lost Saturday's opening game of the series,
which marked the first cricket games on US soil between two
ICC full members.
Li displeased
despite first round win
AFP, Paris
Chinese number one Li Na reached the French Open second
round after edging French 17-year-old Kristina Mladenovic
7-5, 6-3 here on Monday but said it had been her worst
performance of the year.
Mladenovic, the reigning junior champion and the youngest
player in the draw, held her own throughout a competitive
match but world number 12 Li eventually prevailed in one
hour and 39 minutes.
Li went into the match on the back of some impressive clay
performances, culminating in a semi-final showing at
Warsaw last week, and declared herself disappointed by her
performance against Mladenovic.
"Today was the worst I played all season," she said.
Li, who reached the Australian Open semi-finals earlier
this year, will face French wildcard Stephanie Cohen-Aloro
in the next round.
The Chinese broke her opponent's serve first but
Mladenovic broke back immediately and when Li handed her a
chance to go a break up in the seventh game, she seized it
with a pinpoint backhand return across the court.
Li, the 11th seed, levelled things up straight away by
breaking back in the next game though and took a one-set
lead when the stretching teenager slammed an attempted
forehand into the ground at 5-6 and 15-40 down.
The players exchanged breaks early in the second set
before Li hit back from 15-40 down in the sixth game to
secure the decisive break and then fought off three break
points in the final game to book her place in round two.
Fit, fresh Wozniacki shines in
Paris
AFP, Paris
Caroline Wozniacki, leading the chasing pack in pursuit of
the Williams sisters, shrugged off ankle injury concerns
to sweep into the French Open second round on Monday.
The 19-year-old Dane reeled off the first seven games of
the match before clinching a 6-0, 6-3 win over Russian
world 78 Alla Kudryavtseva, the 69-minute victory proving
a crucial confidence-booster for the third seed.
Wozniacki came into Paris having retired from the Warsaw
event last week with a recurrence of the ankle injury
which also cut short her Charleston campaign and has cast
a shadow over her entire claycourt season.
A second-round loss in Madrid sapped her optimism while
also helping Venus Williams displace her as world number
two.
Wozniacki, dressed by Stella McCartney and sporting red
nail polish, broke Dostoevsky-reading Kudryavtseva three
times in the first set, which was wrapped up in 25
minutes.
The Russian, best known for knocking Maria Sharapova out
of Wimbledon in 2008, rallied to break at 2-1 in the
second set, but Wozniacki hit back immediately before
cruising through the rest of the match.
Later Monday, world number one and defending champion
Roger Federer starts his campaign for a 17th Grand Slam
title when he tackles Australia's Peter Luczak.
Third seed Novak Djokovic, laid low recently by an
allergy, takes on Kazakhstan's Evgeny Korolev while
British fourth seed Andy Murray faces a tough opener
against France's flamboyant shot-maker Richard Gasquet.
Women's top seed Serena Williams, the 2002 champion, meets
Switzerland's Stefanie Voegele.
South Korea sees off Japan in
World Cup warm-up
AFP, Saitama
Skipper Park Ji-Sung scored an early goal as South Korea
beat local rivals Japan 2-0 on Monday in a friendly in
Saitama to leave the hosts' World Cup preparations in
tatters.
Park needed only six minutes to open the scoring when the
Manchester United midfielder fired home from the edge of
the area.
Substitute forward Park Chu-Young added a penalty in
second-half stoppage time to seal the win, with both teams
hoping to avoid a repeat of four years ago, when they each
crashed out in the group stages of the World Cup.
The pressure will now be firmly on Japan coach Takeshi
Okada after this latest poor showing from his charges, who
also lost to South Korea at home earlier in the year in
the East Asian Championships.
"My players did their best but I feel sorry for the fans
that we lost to South Korea twice this year," said a
dejected Okada, whose side goes up against Cameroon, the
Netherlands and Denmark in Group E in South Africa.
"We needed the result but we couldn't get it and I feel
responsible for that," said Okada.
"We lost an early goal but I thought we would have some
chances. However, we lost a penalty to give an unnecessary
goal in the end."
In a game of few chances, Japan's best opportunity in the
first-half came in the 20th minute when Vissel Kobe
forward Yoshito Okubo shot wide, while CSKA Moscow
midfielder Keisuke Honda's shot was saved by keeper Jung
Sung-Ryong.
Korean coach Huh Jung-Moo changed his forward line at the
interval to Park Chu-Young and Kim Nam-Il, but the
visitors rarely looked like adding to their lead as the
game threatened to peter out.
As they chased an equaliser, Okada sent on Catania striker
Takayuki Morimoto to replace the struggling Shunsuke
Nakamura.
And Morimoto had a chance to score, but his sizzling shot
in the 77th minute was saved.
South Korea take on Greece, Argentina and Nigeria in Group
B at next month's showpiece.
McLeish sees his future at Birmingham
AFP, London
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is confident he will be
staying at the club with talks underway on renewing his
contract.
His current deal still has 12 months to go, but his
advisors are already in touch with Blues vice-chairman
Peter Pannu.
The former Rangers boss is optimistic the situation will
be resolved sooner rather than later.
Former Birmingham manager Trevor Francis has said that
McLeish would be "Birmingham's biggest signing" of the
summer given his outstanding record during the past two
seasons.
The 51-year-old Scotsman led City to promotion from the
Championship 12 months ago and then secured a top-10
finish in the Premier League.
"What is the situation with my contract? Peter Pannu has
been a little bit busy and my guys (advisors) were a
little bit busy before," McLeish said. "But they have made
contact now and I'm hoping that something can get done
fairly quickly.
"I don't envisage any hold ups. It doesn't matter, I am
still contracted for another season anyway.
"Hopefully we will get things tied up."
McLeish laughed off Francis's comments and joked: "I meant
to make a public announcement that Trevor is my new
agent."
The ex-Scotland coach is stepping up his bid to bring a
new striker to St Andrew's and has been linked with a move
for Valencia's Nikola Zigic.
"We are making progress in the striking department. We are
going to have to be patient," McLeish said.
"I can't divulge any names at this moment but we are
making good progress on three or four names."
Birmingham have also been monitoring Wigan's Charles
N'Zogbia and reported to have had an 8million pounds bid
rejected.
Younus wants justice
AFP, Islamabad
Former Pakistan cricket captain Younus Khan asked
lawmakers on Monday for justice after being banned
indefinitely from playing for his country, denying that he
ever created problems within the team.
"I was banned without giving a chance to clarify my
position and I want justice because I want to play for my
country again," a frustrated Younus told a meeting of the
lower house's sports committee.
The 32-year-old was one of seven players banned and fined
by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after a committee
investigated the team's dismal tour of Australia, and
preceding tours of New Zealand and the United Arab
Emirates.
Pakistan lost all three Tests, five one-day internationals
and a Twenty20 international in Australia between
December-February.
PCB chairman Ijaz Butt earlier assured the committee that
the penalties would be reviewed after receiving a report
from a one-man arbitrator who is hearing appeals from the
players.
Younus, who relinquished the captaincy and pulled out of
the New Zealand tour after differences with fellow
team-mates, was banned indefinitely along with Mohammad
Yousuf because of "infighting in the team."
Yousuf replaced Younus on the tour of New Zealand and
Australia. Younus joined the team after the Tests in
Australia and featured in the one-day matches only.
Another former captain, Shoaib Malik, and all-rounder Rana
Naved-ul-Hasan were each banned for one year and fined two
million rupees (24,000 dollars), while Shahid Afridi,
Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal were fined heavily. The PCB
said all the players were charged with discipline breaches
and "infighting within the team."
Younus said he had never created any problems or rift in
the team.
"I pointed out problems within the team to the PCB and
they banned me," said Younus, who replaced Malik as
captain in January 2009. "Malik thought that I contrived
to replace him as captain, which wasn't true."
Younus said he had received offers to play outside
Pakistan.
"My career has been derailed because of this ban and
although I am getting offers to play in England and South
Africa, I want to play for my country, for my people,"
said Younus who signed for Surrey in England.
Butt backed Younus as a player "who always played for the
country."
"Younus is a patriot and has always played for the country
and I am sad that his career was derailed by same baseless
allegations of match-fixing by a parliamentary committee
member," said Butt.
Butt was referring to allegations levelled by former
sports committee chairman, Jamshed Dasti, over Pakistan's
semi-final defeat against New Zealand in the Champions
Trophy held in South Africa last year.
Younus dropped an easy catch in that match.
Bangladesh A
scores 205 for five
UNB, Dhaka
Bangladesh A team battled bravely with West Indies A team
scoring 205 runs for 5 in 66 overs after dismissing the
visitors for 268 in the first innings on the 2nd day of
the 2nd four-day match at BKSP in Savar on Monday.
The 2nd string West Indies side earlier earned an emphatic
114 runs victory over the home side in the first four-day
match in Dhaka. Resuming the 1st innings today (Monday)
with overnight 230 for 7 in 84 overs, the Caribbean team
were all out for 268 in 95 overs, riding on 106-run
partnership by Nash and Walton in the 5th wicket stand.
Night watch batsman Brendan Nash (74) contributed team
highest 99 not out off 201 balls with eight fours while
number six Chadwick Walton scored 95-ball 70 runs with
seven fours and three sixes.
National colour pacer Syed Rasel and all-rounder
Suhrawardy Shuvo grabbed five wickets each for 59 and 85
runs respectively.
In reply, Bangladesh A team opened the first innings
before lunch today and scored 205 for 5 in 66 overs when
the bails were drawn for the 2nd day with Faysal Hossain
and wicket keeper Sahagir Hossain batting with 64 and 26
runs respectively. Earlier, skipper cum one down batsman
Nazimuddin hammered 72 runs off 123 balls with 12
boundaries and opener Mehrab Hossain made 29.
Odean Brown took two wickets for 43 runs.
Dokic vows to
keep playing despite woeful record
AFP, Paris
Jelena Dokic slumped to a dispiriting first-round exit at
the French Open on Monday, but vowed to keep playing
despite having won just one match on the main tour this
year.
The 27-year-old Australian went down to a 6-2, 6-2 defeat
against Czech 24th seed Lucie Safarova and then set her
sights on qualifying for Wimbledon, 11 years after her
famous breakthrough at the All England Club where she
stunned Martina Hingis.
"Outside of facing a top five player, this was one of the
worst draws I could have got. She's having a great
claycourt season and a great season generally," said Dokic,
the world 115.
Dokic came into the French Open having seen her season
plagued by illness and an elbow injury.
She played just one claycourt event, a low-key Challenger
in the Czech Republic. "I have only played four
tournaments all year. But I need to keep practising and
move on from this. I only started hitting three weeks ago
while others were playing."
Clarke to skipper Australia
AFP, Sydney
Michael Clarke was Monday retained as skipper of
Australia's Twenty20 squad for July's series with Pakistan
in England despite his below-par batting performances in
T20 cricket.
Clarke admitted his place in the team was under threat
after a poor run of form continued in a seven-wicket World
T20 final loss to England in Barbados earlier this month.
Clarke's top score was just 27 in the Caribbean tournament
and he ended the event with 92 runs at a meagre average of
15.33.
"There's no doubt the selectors will need to have a look
at my performances," Clarke told reporters after the world
T20 final.
"I certainly know they haven't been up to scratch through
this whole tournament and probably in Twenty20 cricket in
general.
"I'm sure the selectors will sit down and have a look and
if I'm not the right guy for number three and the
captaincy then they'll make that decision."
But selectors Monday stayed with Clarke as skipper of a
14-man squad to play Pakistan in two T20 internationals at
Edgbaston on July 5 and 6.
"We don't have any doubt that he has a definite role to
play in Twenty20 cricket, which predominantly is a little
bit different to some," chairman of selectors Andrew
Hilditch said.
"We'll be looking for him to bat through an innings when
we need it. He didn't quite do that over there (in the
World T20 in the Caribbean) but we weren't concerned about
it.
"We don't have any doubts he will be a very successful
Twenty20 batsman."
Wicketkeeper Tim Paine was dropped from Australia's squad
which played in the West Indies.
"Paine has been omitted since the selectors felt it wasn't
necessary to have a second keeping option for such a small
number of matches," Hilditch said.
"While it was disappointing to lose the ICC World Twenty20
final, Australia has made great progress in Twenty20
cricket in the last 12 months, winning an extremely high
percentage of our games and of course being the only
undefeated side in the tournament until the final."
Opener Shaun Marsh was selected in the national one-day
squad to play in England and Ireland in June-July,
replacing fellow West Australian Adam Voges, after
recovering from injury.
"Adam is very unlucky to miss selection having had only
limited opportunities last season, but Shaun deserves to
return to the side and he gives us very good options at
the top of the order in one-day cricket," Hilditch said.
Australia
snatches last-minute win over New Zealand
AFP, Melbourne
Australia snatched a last-minute 2-1 win over New Zealand
in their World Cup warm up match on Monday.
The All Whites looked set to spoil Australia's farewell
bash in front of 55,659 fans before substitute Brett
Holman scored the winner in the fourth minute of injury
time after the Socceroos had trailed for much of the
match. New Zealand, playing Australia for the first time
in five years, took the lead in the friendly at the
Melbourne Cricket Ground after a 16th-minute strike by
Middlesbrough's Chris Killen.
The Socceroos, ranked 58 places above the Kiwis in 20th
spot, equalised in the 57th minute through Dario Vidosic
and the game looked set to finish in a stalemate before
Holman's late intervention.
Holman, who plays his club football in the Netherlands,
latched on to a chip kick from Carl Valeri to beat All
Whites goalkeeper Mark Paston with the last kick of the
match.
It was a fiercely contested friendly just three weeks out
from the World Cup with five yellow cards, four of them to
the Australians, who face Germany in their tournament
opener in Durban on June 13.
New Zealand, playing in their first World Cup since 1982,
take on Slovakia in Rustenburg on June 15.
The All Whites had the better first-half chances and
rocked the Socceroos when Killen got to Shane Smeltz's
headed flick first to beat Adam Federici on his
international debut in the 16th minute. The Australians
lost their cool and had three yellow cards in seven
minutes with defensive midfielder Vince Grella fortunate
not to be sent off for his lunging two-footed tackle on
Leo Bertos.
Milligan was cautioned for bringing down Tony Lochhead and
Bertos had to be stretchered off with a gashed right leg
when he was felled again, this time by Tim Cahill.
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