|
Leading News
Amnesty International critical of
extra-judicial killings in BD
UNB, Dhaka
Amnesty International (AI) says despite Prime Minister
Sheikh Hasina's pledge to end extrajudicial executions up
to 70 people reportedly died in "crossfire" in the first
nine months of 2009.
The AI in its country report-2010 says police authorities
usually characterized suspected extrajudicial executions
as deaths from "crossfire" or after a "shoot-out".
The report noted that family members of Mohsin Sheikh,
aged 23, and Mohammad Ali Jinnah, aged 22, two Awami
League student leaders, alleged that RAB personnel shot
the two men dead in Dhaka in May last year.
The RAB claimed that the men disregarded a warning to stop
at a checkpoint. It said that in the "gunfight" that
followed, the men were shot dead. But an autopsy of the
bodies showed that none of the bullets fired by RAB
officers had gone astray, which suggested that this was a
planned killing and not a "gunfight".
Police subsequently opened criminal investigations against
10 RAB personnel, but no one was brought to justice.
The AI report touches upon BDR mutiny, repression of
dissent, indigenous peoples' rights, violence against
women, death penalty and legal, constitutional or
institutional development.
The report says women continued to be victims of acid
attacks, rape, beatings and other attacks, with little
preventive action from the authorities.
It says the BDR members launched a large-scale mutiny in
February at the BDR headquarters in Dhaka. Mutineers
killed at least 74 people, including six civilians, 57
army officers, one army soldier, nine jawans (lowest BDR
rank), and one as yet unidentified person.
The report says thousands of BDR personnel were
subsequently confined to barracks and denied all outside
contact. Reports soon emerged that scores - possibly
hundreds - of BDR personnel suffered human rights
violations, including torture, for possible involvement in
the mutiny.
It says at least 20 BDR personnel died in custody between
March and May alone. BDR officials claimed that four men
committed suicide, and 16 died from natural causes. By
October 10, the total number of BDR personnel who died in
custody was 48.
The AI report says there were allegations that torture may
have been the cause or a contributing factor in some of
these deaths. An official committee set up in May to
investigate the deaths had not submitted its report by
year's end.
On the CHT peace accord, the report says the government
began in August to disband major army camps in the
Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) to meet one of several
unimplemented agreements of the 1997 CHT peace accord.
The accord, signed by the government and CHT
representatives, recognized the rights of indigenous
peoples living in the area and ended more than two decades
of insurgency.
BUET
student’s death in bus crash sparks angry protests
18 others killed, 60 injured in separate road
accidents across the country
BSS, Dhaka
Hundreds of angry students took to the street Thursday as
a student of Bangladesh University of Engineering and
Technology (BUET) was crushed under a bus at the city's
Azimpur while he was crossing a road.
Police and witnesses said a fresher of BUET's Mechanical
Engineering Deptt Khandaker Khanjahan Samrat was run over
by a bus, moving on reverse gear in front of the Eden
Girls' College this morning.
"Doctors declared him dead as an Eden College employ
immediately took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital," a
police official said. The driver and other staff of the
bus fled the scene but hundreds of fellow students came
down on to the street as the news of Samrat's death
reached their dormitories.
The protestors torched four buses and damaged nearly 30
vehicles forcing police to divert vehicles to other roads
causing suspension of traffic movement in the area for
hours.
Meanwhile UNB adds: At least 14 people were killed and
over 40 others injured in separate road accidents in
Tangail, Brahmanbaria, Faridpur, Jhenidah and Narayanganj
districts Thursday.
In Tangail, five people were killed and 20 others injured
in a tragic road accident at Nagar Jalpai in Sadar upazila
early Thursday. The mishap occurred as a Joypurhat bound
bus from the capital fell into a roadside ditch after
hitting a stationary truck from behind. 4 bus passengers
died on the spot and 21 others were injured in the
accident that took place on the town bypass road.
In Brahmanbaria, Four people were killed and 10 others
wounded as a bus rammed into an autorickshaw at Ghariala
in Ashuganj upazila on Dhaka-Sylhet highway Thursday noon.
In Faridpur, 3 people, including a mother and her
daughter, were killed and 12 others injured as a bus
plunged into a ditch at Maligram in Bhanga upazila on
Dhaka-Barisal highway early Thursday.
In Jhenidah, two motorcyclists were killed and another was
injured as a power tiller rammed into a motorbike at Noani
bazar in Moheshpur upazila on Thursday.
In Barisal, two motorcyclists were killed and two people
injured in a head on collision between the motorcycle and
a bus in Kashipur area on Barisal-Dhaka highway early
Thursday. In Kushtia, a 4 year aged child was killed as a
three wheeler Nasiman rammed her in Doulatpur upazila.
In Narayanganj, a minor girl was crushed under the wheels
of a tank lorry on Dhaka-Chittagong highway on Shimrail
road in Siddhirganj thana here on Wednesday. The deceased
was identified as Manira, 12.
Hasina
for working together for Mohiuddin’s victory
BSS, Dhaka
Minister Sheikh Hasina Thursday gave directive to all
concerned to work together under the banner of 'Nagorik
Committee' to ensure victory of Chittagong City
Corporation mayoral candidate ABM Mohiuddin Ahmed
Chowdhury in the upcoming polls.
She made this directive at a meeting at Ganabhaban with
the local leaders of Chittagong on CCC polls.
While briefing journalists, AL Joint General Secretary
Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif said the meeting discussed about the
victory in the CCC polls. Replying to a question on
different stands of the party leaders in Chittagong, Hanif
said in a big party like AL difference in opinion is not
unlikely.
The leaders of Chittagong, he said, stated their position
before the AL President and decided to work for Mohiuddin
Chowdhury's victory. Emerging from the meeting, Mohiuddin
Chowdhury flanked by the leaders of Chittagong said all
have decided to work together after today's meeting.
AL Chittagong City unit vice-president and chairman of
mayoral election conducting committee M Ishaque Mia told
journalists that after the discussion they are now united
to win in the poll.
AL presidium member Ataur Rahman Kaisar, Adviser to the PM
HT Imam, AL Organising Secretary Ahmed Hossain, Eng
Mosharraf Hossain MP, Akhtaruzzaman Babu MP, Moinuddin
Khan Badal MP, among others, attended the meeting.
Muhith outlines
various aspects of food security
UNB, Dhaka
Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Thursday said that the
government is in the process of preparing a five-year plan
for the overall agriculture scenario of the country.
"The Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Disaster
Management along with the Planning Commission are engaged
in a process to make a five-year plan as a whole on
country's agriculture scenario," he said while addressing
the closing ceremony of the two-day Bangladesh Food
Security Investment Forum 2010 as chief guest at a city
hotel.
The Finance Minister said that the agriculture sector has
expanded a lot since the 1970's as the production of food
grains now stood at 34 million tons which was only 11
million tons in the latter part of the 1970's. Sectors
like poultry and fishery have developed and are included
in agriculture.
Terming food security as the basic subject, the Finance
Minister said that the government should not avert
attention from the overall subject. "We had to maintain
and sustain our interest in food security," he added.
Terming nutrition as a very important target for the
government, Muhith said that malnutrition depends on
partly on distribution and partly on habits.
Food and Disaster Management Minister Dr. M Abdur Razzaque,
who chaired the closing session, said attaining food
security and climate change are the major challenges ahead
of the country.
He said that 60 percent of the country's overall
population lives below the poverty line and 35 percent of
them are malnourished.
"We need investment to address poverty and other
economical issues," he added.
Speaking on the occasion as special guest, US ambassador
to Bangladesh James F Moriarty said, "We look forward to
participating in joint action and financing in support of
a Bangladesh-led and owned food security investment plan."
He said that they also look forward to learning from the
experiences of others in pursuing innovative strategies to
combat food insecurity, both in Bangladesh and elsewhere.
Citing chronic severe malnutrition threatens to deny
Bangladesh from meeting its full national potential; the
US ambassador said that without effective coordination of
food security activities and in areas like attacking
malnutrition, the hopes and dreams of many Bangladeshis
will be unfulfilled.
FAO Representative Ad Spijkers also addressed on the
occasion as guest of honour while Food Division Secretary
Barun Dev Mitra made a power point presentation on 'Food
Security: Investment and Action needed on Many Fronts'.
Khaleda starts
parleys with political allies
She seeks opinion about her action plan; BJP stresses
joint anti-govt agitation
UNB, Dhaka
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia began parleys with political
parties from Thursday, as she held meeting with leaders of
BJP, a partner of BNP-led four-party alliance on the
future course of action.
During the meeting BJP suggested Begum Zia to spell out
future anti-government agitation jointly by the alliance.
After about an hour meeting at the BNP chairperson's
Gulshan office tonight, BJP chief Barrister Andalib Rahman
told reporters that they discussed the anti-government
programs including the June 27 countywide dawn to dusk
hartal called by BNP.
He said it was discussed that partners of the four-party
alliance will join the June 9 mass sit-in in front of the
Engineers Institution, called by BNP. Replying to a
question, Andalib said BJP has already given their moral
support to the June 27 hartal and they will participate in
the hartal and all other future anti-government
agitation..
He said they stressed on regular holding of the four-party
alliance meeting and taking future anti-government
programs jointly.
After BJP, leaders of Islami Oikya Jote, another partner
of four-party alliance, led by its chairman Mufti Fazlul
Huq Amini met Khaleda Zia at about 10:30pm. The meeting
was in progress till filing of the report at 10:45 pm.
Khaleda is scheduled to hold parleys with a number of
political parties including Jamaat-e-Islami, JAGPA,
Khelafat Majlish, NDP and various professional groups like
lawyers, teachers, journalists, engineers, physicians and
agriculturists separately in different dates till June 6,
according to the party sources.
World Cup craze costs
child’s life
BSS, Chapainawabganj
A child was killed falling from the rooftop of their house
while he was hoisting the flag of Argentina at Hujrapur in
the town on Thursday morning, family sources said.
The victim was identified as Shohag,8, son of M Shamim.
Shohag, a tiny supporter of Argentina, while hoisting the
Argentinean flag on the rooftop ahead of the World Cup
football, came in touch with a live wire and fell down on
the road beside their house at around 9.30 am.
Critically injured Shohag was rushed to C’nawabganj Sadar
Hospital where he succumbed to injuries at around 10 am.
Back Page
PM calls for preventing wastage of
food
UNB, Dhaka
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday called for
preventing wastage of foods as crores of people around the
world go hungry for want of foods.
She made the call during a meeting with FAO assistant
director general and regional representative for Asia and
the Pacific Hiroyuki Konuma at her official residence
Ganabhaban.
The Prime Minister said "all of us would have to try" to
stop the wastages of food items - from the production
level to 'ready food' - and find ways to do it. "The extra
foods that will be available can be distributed among the
people who are starving," she said.
Hasina narrated the steps the government has taken during
her present tenure and the previous time (1996-2001) for
making the country food surplus from a food deficit one.
Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad
briefed the reporters after the meeting. The Prime
Minister said that her government has taken massive steps
for the development of agriculture as only this sector
could make the country self-reliant in food grains.
She mentioned that her government has reduced the price of
fertilizers three times after assuming the office and
ensured supply of power and fuel in the rural areas for
irrigation.
During the irrigation time, power supply was diverted to
the rural areas from the urban areas, she added. Hasina
said that her government has also taken steps to dredge
all major rivers of the country for increasing their
navigability as well as to contain more rain waters.
"This will also help the country to save the people from
the impact of flash flood," she said.
The FAO assistant director general, Hiroyuki Konu-ma,
praised the Prime Minister for her strong leadership in
making the country self-reliant in food.
He noted that the international leadership recognized and
praised the initiative of the Prime Minister and her
achievement in making the country food surplus.
During the meeting, it was mentioned that 2.6 (26 lakh)
million metric tons of surplus rice was produced during
the previous tenure of the Awami League government
(1996-2001) whereas the country earlier had a deficit of
4.0 million (40 lakh) metric tons.
Khaleda urges people
of all faiths to join anti-govt movement
UNB, Dhaka
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia Thursday night called upon
people of all faiths to join the future peaceful
anti-government movement to build up a prosperous and
peaceful Bangladesh getting rid off current bad situation.
"We believe in peaceful movement. We are a democratic
party and want to carryout movement in democratic
process," said Khaleda, the former Prime Minister, when
briefly addressing an opinion exchange meeting with people
of Buddha community at her Gulshan office on the occasion
of Buddha Purnima.
Khaleda alleged that the ruling party armed cadres unleash
attacks under the cover of police on peaceful processions
and rallies of BNP which are unfortunate. She said even
cases are not taken when BNP victims go to file case
rather the attackers file case against the victims as well
as harass them various ways.
Leader of the opposition Khaleda who called countywide
dawn to dusk hartal on June 27 said that the 15 month old
AL government has turned the country into such a situation
that people started to think when the government will
exit.
Referring to the World Bank country resident
representative's recent report on Bangladesh , she said
the country has lagged behind in economically in last one
year as well as corruption and terrorism are going on.
Khaleda said the county can't not advance if corruption
and terrorism are going on but the government has no
attention regarding this.
On troubled Chittagong Hill Tracts, the BNP chief said the
unrest situation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts should be
resolved and efforts should be taken so that all can live
peacefully in the CHT region. But she alleged that the
government has no attention over the matter.
Khaleda said BNP believes that people of all faiths in
Bangladesh will perform their religious activities and
rituals freely. The identity of all is Bangladeshi.
She urged people of all religions to pray for restoring
peace, happiness and welfare in the country. Khaleda
greeted people of Buddha community across the country and
world as well on the occasion of Buddha Purnima.
People of different professions of the Buddha community
led by Adv Dipen Dewan, assistant religious affairs
secretary of BNP, attended the function.
Bangladesh
delegation to visit Qatar to explore potential of LNG
import
UNB, Dhaka
A 7-member delegation of the Energy Ministry is leaving
Dhaka for Doha, the capital of Qatar, this week to gather
information about import potentials of liquefied natural
gas (LNG) from the gulf country.
Leader of the delegation Energy Secretary Mesbauddin Ahmed
will leave the capital for Doha on May 29 while other
members of his team will leave on June 1 to start a 4-day
visit to the petroleum enriched country.
This will be the first tour by a Bangladeshi delegation to
explore the potential source of LNG that the government is
planning to import to meet the country's deficit and
overcome the nagging energy crisis.
Against the backdrop of the countrywide gas and
electricity crisis, the government recently announced
plans for LNG import. Presently, different countries in
the world like Qatar, Algeria and Angola export the bulk
LNG.
"Qatar is one of the largest LNG exporting country and
we'll try to gather information as to how much gas they
could export to Bangladesh and at what price.
This is our main target," said Muktadir Ali, a member of
the delegation and also the former chairman of the
state-owned Petro-bangla. Ali was recently appointed as
the head of the newly formed LNG Cell under the Energy
Ministry.
As per the government plan, about 182.500 billion cubic
feet (BCF) of LNG will be required to import annually to
meet the daily deficit of 500 million cubic feet (MMCF) of
against the present production of 1900 MMCFD.
To facilitate the import of bulk gas, Bangladesh also
needs to build up huge infrastructure including an LNG
terminal in at Bay of Bengal in Bang-ladesh territory that
will accommodate a floating storage and re-gasification
unit as well.
The government wants the infrastructure either to be
developed in private sector or under the public private
partnership (PPP). It was estimated that an investment of
US $600 million-$1 billion will be required to build a
floating LNG terminal where a CNG-carrying vessel, having
capacity of 3 billion cubic feet of gas, can unload the
fuel.
This vessel will meet 6 days' demand, with 500 million
cubic feet of gas (MMCFD) supplied from the terminal per
day.
To transport the gas from the terminal to the onshore
areas, the project will require setting up a 100 km
30-inch gas pipeline at a cost of US$ 100 million.
The state-owned Gas Transmission Company of Bangladesh (GTCL)
has already initiated move to build the gas pipeline.
Pangaon ICT to go into
operation early next year: Shipping Minister
UNB, Dhaka
The Inland Container Terminal (ICT), now under
construction at Pangaon in Keranaganj, will start
operation in the beginning of next year, Shipping Minister
Shahjahan Khan said on Thursday.
"The Pangaon ICT will open a new era in economic
development apart from reducing pressure on Chittagong and
Mongla seaports," he said while visiting the project area
to see the progress of work. Shahjahan Khan said that with
the completion of Pangaon ICT, movement of containers
through river route would expedite transportation of goods
throughout the country including the capital at reduced
cost.
He urged the local entrepreneurs to come up with
investment for building ships suitable for carrying
containers on river routes.
The Shipping Minister said that the government has started
construction of walkways on the banks of the Buriganga to
keep the river free from pollution and also from illegal
occupiers. "The government won't spare any land grabber in
future." He also announced that they would resume the
waterbus service on Sadarghat-Ashulia river route from
August.
Call for
democratic management of climate fund
BSS, Dhaka
Speakers at a seminar here on Thursday recommended for
setting up an independent institution like PKSF and IDCOL
for democratic management of the climate change fund.
The government should prepare a 'vulnerability index' and
identify the areas which are mostly exposed to climate
change, they said at the seminar organized by Equity and
Justice Working Group, Bangladesh, on Climate Change Trust
Fund: Democratic Ownership in the Management" at Jatiya
Press Club.
The speakers urged the government to undertake climate
change projects based on vulnerability index in
consultation with the local people including government
officials, climate victims, lawmakers and other public
representatives as well as civil society members.
BNP leader Lt. Gen (Retd) Mahbubur Rahman, leader of
Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon Jakir Hossain, journalist
Golam Mortuza and Salauddin Bablu took part in the
discussion. General Secretary of the Group M Shamsuddoha
presented the keynote paper while its President Rezaul
Karim Chowdhury was in the chair.
The speaker said proper investments in appropriate places
are needed to face the challenges of climate change. They
appreciated the government allocation of Taka 700 crore
for climate fund and said transparent management is very
crucial to make it sure that the fund is properly
utilized.
Referring to the project proposals submitted by different
NGOs for getting share of the fund, the speakers said
'consultancy', not needs of the climate prone areas, was
given priority while inviting these project proposals.
"The NGOs who have put in their intelligence in preparing
a project, would get the project," they said adding that
climate projects must reflect the urgent needs of the
climate victims.
The speakers called for formation of a separate body which
would res-earch and monitor the affects of climate change
and implement various projects through innovative approach
to address the climate change issues.
Over 1.17 lakh
hectares of paddy fields washed away in haor areas
UNB, Sunamganj
More than 117,417 hectares of boro paddy fields in haor
areas of Sunamganj district wasted away due to downpour
water forcing hundred of thousands of farmers' families
into an uncertain future in this area.
The people of the haor areas mainly depend on boro
cultivation. As the downpour water makes pre-flood monsoon
in the haors area damaging the large amount paddy just few
days before harvesting, farmer families are eagerly
looking for a hard future. Department Agriculture
Extension (DAE) in Suna-mganj source said a total of
193,425 hectares of land came under boro cultivation under
Sun-amganj district this year where over 117,417 hectors
of boro fields wasted away due to early downpour of water.
It was estimated that the boro paddy worth about 12 Tk
crore was damaged at haor areas in Sunamganj because of
pre-flood monsoon.
Local farmers alleged that they lost huge amounts boro
paddy due to indifference of the Water Develo-pment Board
(WDB) as the WDB could not take significant measures to
save the paddy field by repairing embankments in this
region.
Earlier, the WDB had been taken a project at cost of Tk 15
crore to reconstruct a total of 131 kilometers of polders,
but the authorities could not complete the project within
stipulated period. As a result, a good amount of paddy
fields have been damaged due to downpour this year.
Editorial
Ensuring food security
People's
food security is a major issue of concern at home and abroad.
There is enough food across the world, yet millions remain
hungry in poor countries. So, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is
right when she said that producing more food does not
guarantee access to food, and so it is rather the purchasing
capacity which has to be increased. "Producing more food does
not guarantee access to food. People must have the purchasing
power to buy food." she said while addressing the Bangladesh
Food Security Investment Forum in the city on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister said that while food is not secure for all
today, tomorrow the potential impacts of climate change are
going to make it even more difficult. She said Bangladesh has
the potential to attain high yields in agriculture, as
observed in other countries, which is necessary to eradicate
hunger. The same is the case with productivity in fisheries
and livestock products. "We have the potential. What we need
is our resolve to overcome the impediments that stand in the
way of achieving this goal." She mentioned that poverty is a
social curse and around 60 million people of the country are
poor. Hasina said that her government is committed to freeing
the country of this curse and reducing this number of poor as
fast as possible.
In the opinion of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, famine does not
mean shortage of food, but it means lack of capacity to
purchase food. Almost same is the case with food insecurity.
This is evident from the fact that huge people in our country
are facing food insecurity although there is bumper production
of food grains. There are many people who skip the night
without food not because of scarcity of food in the markets,
but because they do not have the money to procure food.
According to a recent government survey at least 39.80 per
cent of households in the country still live in food
insecurity. It also said members of most of those households
often even live without food or on borrowing to meet their
want of food. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics conducted the
Welfare Monitoring Survey (WMS) in March 2009 which was
released on May 19. The survey covered as many as 14,000
households across the country. The number of rural households
covered by the survey was 8,400, while the urban households
were 5,600. As regards food security, 60.2 per cent households
reported that food is secure while the rest reported food
insecurity. The households which reported food insecurity
mentioned that they managed such crisis by starving
,borrowing, reducing favourite food and taking less food. The
households reported that food crisis is a long-term phenomenon
for them and the main reason behind this is less income. The
survey findings revealed that poverty of around 37 per cent
households increased over the years while poverty of 40 per
cent household remained the same for several years.
The survey report depict a grim picture of the food situation
in the country and the woes of the millions who face drastic
food insecurity. Extreme poverty is the main cause behind the
food insecurity. Because, due to poverty many people are
unable to procure the food they need although there is no
dearth of food in the market. The fact revealed in the report
that many people have to starve for their inability to arrange
food is a tragic aspect of our national life.
Against this backdrop, the observation and assertion made by
the Prime Minister is encouraging. But raising the people's
purchasing power remains a uphill task as poverty is massive
in the country. With a view to accomplishing this task the
government has to boost food production on the one hand and
alleviate poverty rapidly on the other. This will be the best
way to ensure food security of the people.
BCL atrocities
A
section of the pro-government Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL)
now appears to beyond the control of both ruling AL and the
government. They are committing one after another atrocities
unbecoming of any student organization. In the latest such
incident, cadres of BCL following a factional rivalry cut off
right hand of a Jubo League activist in Kathalbari area of
Sadar upazila under Kurigram Tuesday midnight. The victim was
identified as Uzzal. Sources said there was a longstanding
rivalry between Chhatra League and Jubo League activists over
establishing supremacy in the area.
On the fateful night, a group of BCL cadres as a sequel to the
previous enmity tactfully called Uzzal out of his house and
took him to a nearby school ground where they beat him
mercilessly and at one stage they cut off his hand up to the
elbow. Hearing his shrill cry local people rushed him to Sadar
hospital. Later, following the deterioration of his condition
he was shifted to Rangpur Medical College hospital.
A move is in progress to reorganize the BCL through council
meeting in June. But, meanwhile, there is no let up in the
violence, clashes and crimes like extortion and tender
manipulation being committed by unruly BCL activists. In fact,
there seems to be no end to the factional feuds and violent
activities of the activists of the BCL mostly over supremacy
on the campus, tender manipulation and admission trade. Many
such incidents took place in the country in the recent past.
BCL is a renowned student organization having records of
glorious past. But a section of its activists became unruly
since Bangladesh Awami League won the 2008 general elections.
They started resorting to engage themselves in violence,
extortion, tender manipulation, infighting and attack on rival
student organisations at different educational institutions.
All these are going on unabated. But everything should have an
end. It is the responsibility of the AL and the government to
bring BCL under control.
Analysis
The Taleban are hitting but not winning
President Karzai's peace jirga, which will
begin in few days, will pave the way for an internal Afghan
peace process.
Anders Fogh
The
news from Afghanistan over the past few days has been
disturbing: a Taleban terrorist attack in Kabul; a failed but
dramatic attack on a NATO base; and reports of Taleban
intimidation in Central Helmand and Kandahar, where Afghan and
NATO forces are ramping up operations.None of this can or
should be dismissed. But it is important to frame accurately
what is happening in 2010.
We know that there will continue to be Taleban and other
insurgent terrorist attacks. It would be impossible to try and
stop or prevent each and every one. The point is that in 2010,
preventing each and every attack is not the point. Yes, there
is an Afghan and NATO offensive in 2010 - but ours is a
political offensive, and it is aimed right at the heart of the
Taleban.
The aim of this political offensive is, in essence, to change
the political conditions in the key strategic areas of
Afghanistan, so that the most extreme elements of the
insurgency - those that will not under any circumstances give
up terrorism and intimidation - are marginalised. Our aim is
to ensure that they will not have the political support that
they would need to pose a strategic challenge to the Afghan
government - after which they will wither on the vine. There
are a number of steps being taken to address that political
challenge. They are all Afghan-led, but NATO is providing
support across the board.
First, President Karzai's peace jirga, which will begin in few
days, will pave the way for an internal Afghan peace process.
The jirga will set out the conditions by which Afghans who no
longer wish to support the Taleban can take on a peaceful,
honorable life within ?the Afghan system.
Second, the Kabul conference, at the end of July, will agree
on the foundations for a transition to Afghan lead,
politically and militarily. Our aim is to begin that
transition process this year.
Third, there will be elections in September to give the Afghan
Parliament a new mandate. The elections must be well run and
they must be inclusive.
There is already one very encouraging sign: 20 per cent of
those who have signed up to run in the elections are women.
That is remarkable for Afghanistan, and an example for the
region.
The political and military operation in Central Helmand and
Kandahar reflects this political focus. There will be no D-Day
in Kandahar. Our effort there is a combined Afghan and
international civil-military campaign to change the political
situation, to gradually enhance security, to strengthen
governance and to expand the government's authority in key
areas of insurgent influence. It is slower than a military
assault. It is not visible in the same way as an attack on an
air base or a suicide attack in downtown Kabul. It will take
time. But three months after the launch of our effort in
Central Helmand, there are clear indications that this
political offensive can work. In an area where there had been
no governance except Taleban brutality, local leaders are now
meeting freely and regularly to chart their own future.
Twenty-two new schools are teaching over 3,000 students, of
which over 400 are girls - something impossible in that area
just a few weeks earlier. Because of better security, more
than 20 markets are now open for business. And because people
feel safer, road traffic has quadrupled in the past 10 weeks.
Of course, the security situation remains difficult. Taleban
are hiding among, and attempting to intimidate, the local
population. Their weapon of choice - the improvised explosive
device (IED) - remains a lethal threat to local residents,
government officials and our forces as well. Fortunately, the
number of IED strikes in Central Helmand is declining, while
the number of IED finds is rising, in part because local
people are tipping soldiers off about where they are being
planted.
No one has any illusions that success in Afghanistan will be
easy. We - the Afghan people and the soldiers in the NATO-led
mission - have already paid a heavy price, and there are many
difficult days ahead. But slowly and surely, the Afghan
government will continue to get stronger and more legitimate
in the eyes of its people. More and more Afghans will turn
away from the Taleban. And Afghanistan will become a place
where terrorism can find no home, no safe haven, no launching
pad and no inspiration.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is Secretary General of NATO
How soon will
US pull out?
As senior military men and diplomats have observed in
Afghanistan, the US and NATO forces have often created
more enemies than they've killed.
Jonathan Power
What
is not often realized is how deep were the reservations by
senior officers in both the US and UK armed services about
going to war against Iraq.
Some felt that the process of discovering whether Saddam
Hussein's Iraq did have weapons of mass destruction had
not run its course. Others felt that Saddam Hussein was
pretty well contained already and that his military
machine remained broken following his defeat in the first
Gulf War.
The UN had done a very good job of disarming Iraq after
the first Gulf War that ended in 1991. Nevertheless, true
to Tennyson's poem of the Crimean War, "Ours not to reason
why, ours but to do and die," the top officers went along
with obeying the orders they were given.
The big question now is how to withdraw "with honor" from
Iraq. That is important to the soldiers. President Barack
Obama has promised to be out by next year. How he sees it
today, given the post election infighting in Iraq, is
unclear.
When he was a senator he told a Congressional hearing that
if the US wanted to totally eliminate Al-Qaeda from Iraq
and have a solid Iraqi state they would be there for
decades but "if our criteria is a messy, sloppy status
quo, but there's not huge outbreaks of violence, there's
still corruption, but the country is struggling along but
it's not a threat to its neighbors and is not an Al-Qaeda
base, that seems to me an achievable goal within a
measurable time frame."
The best book on the war in Iraq is "The Gamble" by The
Washington Post's military correspondent, Thomas Ricks,
who has interviewed almost everybody in senior positions.
He concludes, "The quiet consensus emerging among many
people who have served in Iraq is that we will likely have
American soldiers engaged in combat until at least 2015."
In his penultimate paragraph he quotes former American
Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker as saying, "The story of
the new Iraq is going to be a very, very long time in
unfolding ... What the world ultimately thinks about us
and what we think about ourselves I think is going to be
determined much more by what happens from now on than
what's happened up to now." Ricks' final sentence is
unsettling: "In other words, the events for which Iraq war
will be remembered probably have not yet happened."
If that is a sober judgment based on a great deal of
research it is also a frightening one. As senior military
men and diplomats have observed in Afghanistan, the US and
NATO forces have often created more enemies than they've
killed. Doesn't this apply to Iraq too? Won't it be even
truer the longer the occupation goes on? It surely will
be.
Iraqi voters may not demand leaders who insist on an
instant US exit tomorrow but one can be sure that if
Ricks' words were read to them they would throw up their
hands in despair knowing that it is an untenable
conviction and one that can only be counterproductive -
enabling the politicians to put off the day of biting on
the bullet of real compromise and giving Al-Qaeda a new
lease of life in the country. (After all it doesn't need a
base in Iraq in order to attack America and therefore
would probably withdraw its cadres if the Americans were
gone.)
When I talked to Zbigniew Brzezinski (a former US national
security advisor and a mentor to Obama) I got a very
different take on the subject. He wants to see a political
conclusion without too much delay, precisely because an
ongoing conflict is inherently dynamic and in the
internationally unstable conditions of the Gulf it could
embroil us in a collision with Iran. "We must start
talking to Iraqi leaders, all of them, not just those in
the Green Zone, about jointly settling a date for American
disengagement.
"... (The president should) use the fact of an
American-Iraqi dialogue termination date as the point of
departure for approaching all of Iraq's neighbors about
regional talks about assisting Iraqi security problems
upon our departure. Every one of its neighbors, including
Syria and Iran, has a stake in Iraq not exploding. And,
beyond that, try to engage other Muslim countries -
Morocco, Egypt, Algeria etc., - in being willing to assist
post-occupied Iraq with some military security. And last,
but not least, some major international effort, probably
using the UN to that end, to undertake a really
large-scale rehabilitation of Iraqis."
To my ears this proposal, in effect, is based on the
template of a classic UN peacekeeping formation. Contrary
to prejudiced myth it often works - as in the Congo today,
in Liberia after the ouster of Charles Taylor who is now
being tried by the UN War Crimes Tribunal and, in earlier
years, in Lebanon, Cyprus and the Golan Heights.
President Obama should do what Brzezinski has advised. I
have a feeling that once Obama forces them to reflect many
US senior commanders would agree to a fairly fast
withdrawal. After all, many of them never thought the US
should be there in the first place.
Jonathan Power is a foreign affairs commentator and
analyst based in London
Terrorism’s
real nature
Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are fighting this war
professionally and cover all fronts of the war, while the
US and Pakistan are fixated on a single point of armed
response to the threat.
Saleem Safi
The
basic faults in the strategy against terrorism will make
success in the war against terror irrelevant at best.
While devising a strategy both the US and Pakistan have
missed the point: it is a multi-dimensional problem.
Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are fighting this war
professionally and cover all fronts of the war, while the
US and Pakistan are fixated on a single point of armed
response to the threat. They ignore the ideological,
social, political, economic and strategic aspects of the
problem.
Terrorism in the region sprouts from ideological and
religious sentiments. Al-Qaeda and affiliates believe in a
certain interpretation of the Islamic concepts of jihad,
state, crusades, non-Muslims and killings of Muslims who
support non-Muslims in this conflict. The Afghan war ended
but the ideology survived for more than 30 years and a
whole generation was brought up on this theology. Al-Qaeda
has now shouldered the burden of propagating this ideology
through mosque leaders, the internet, CDs and all other
means of communications, not only in the region but in the
whole world.
Contrary to the ideology of Al-Qaeda and others, the
traditional Islamic interpretations eulogise love for
humankind, sympathy, peace, respect for life and property
of every man and a belief in peaceful means of preaching
and propagating Islam. The US and Pakistan needed to
counter the Al-Qaeda through promotion of this true
interpretations of the concepts of jihad, state, crusades
and Muslim-non Muslim relations shared by an overwhelming
majority of ulema. The majority of people who oppose
Al-Qaeda's interpretation of Islamic concepts are either
terrorised into silence or are indirectly used for
promotion of that ideology. Only a few, though at the cost
of huge threats to their lives, are fighting the Al-Qaeda
ideology.
This specific interpretation of jihad and state has formed
the basis of Al-Qaeda's ideology. For instance, this
ideology preaches that state authority or approval is not
needed in waging jihad against infidels. Similarly, it
advises its adherents that helping Muslims in trouble in
any part of the world is not only necessary but an act of
faith. Such thinking effectively negates the sanctity of
nation-state boundaries. It is precisely in accordance
with this thinking that the borders of Pakistan were
opened for Afghans who were allowed to carry out their
activities inside Pakistan. All mosques leaders faithfully
played the role of advancing the Afghan cause. The arrival
was facilitated for fighters from all over the world,
including Osama Bin Laden and his top leadership, to come
here with the financial and technical support of the US.
Pakistan not only welcomed them as state guests, but also
hailed them as heroes.
This ideology also stipulates, as an act of faith, that
evil should be put down with force. This thinking has
permeated mainstream religious political parties attacks,
which results in attacks on New Year's Eve parties, the
defacing of signboards in Peshawar and many other
incidents. This interpretation is still current among the
majority of Muslims youths and in the general masses. They
are convinced of its correctness. The same political and
religious leaders who oppose Al-Qaeda and its affiliates
at public platforms privately adhere to the same narrow
interpretations of jihad, state and Islam. Resultantly, an
overwhelming majority of people in Afghanistan and
Pakistan support Al-Qaeda's struggle against the US and
allies.
In Pakistan, the mainstream political parties are not only
convinced of this interpretation, but also propagate and
preach this ideology. The faith and Islamic knowledge of
those who disagree with this ideology are questioned even
by mainstream religious elements. So here a dilemma,
unanswered to-date, arises as to why the preachers and
propagators of this ideology are not targeted while those
who practice it are chased till death or incarceration in
this "crime"? In this situation, how could these militants
be defeated?
When it comes to the US, not only the religious parties
but also the mainstream secular political parties are
propagating the view (which is true to some extent) that
the US and allies are the worst enemies of Islam. The
intentions of the US and its allies towards Pakistan are
also not good. In the Islamic world, not only the common
man but the majority of the elite holds this view. In the
Arab world, the elites in government hail the US as an
ally, but after retirement or in private conversations
they would call the US an enemy of Islam. This line of
thinking gives rise to sentiments of hate and revenge
against the US and its allies, which are exploited by the
militants for their own purposes.
For the last nine years, the US ignored all calls for
improving its image in the Muslim world and
reconsideration of the repercussions of its policies that
strengthen these views. On the other hand, Al-Qaeda and
the militants are skilfully exploiting this environment
against the US and its allies through all possible means.
In Pakistan, the sentiments against the US are running
high. Therefore, any government seen close to the US cause
as a frontline state is least expected to get public
support in the campaign against Al-Qaeda and the
militants. And as the latter groups, in the public view,
is leading a campaign against the US and its allies, the
majority of people are least interested in helping the
Pakistani security forces and the government in this fight
against militants.
The writer works for Geo TV. Email: saleem.safi @janggroup.com.pk
Viewpoints
Ban the smearing of global image
We must also
realise that directing energies towards tasks such as
attempting to shut down websites with mass appeal serves no
purpose at all. Indeed, the principle of free access to
information, which lies behind the Internet, must be
respected.
Kamila Hyat
In
a frenzy of activity triggered by the Lahore High Court
verdict to temporarily ban Facebook, the Pakistan
Telecommunications Authority (PTA) has over the past few days
taken hundreds of pages off the Internet.
The result has left people everywhere discovering new ways to
access the popular social networking site and also other sites
that have been shut off. In today's world, net-savvy
youngsters have quickly found ways round the ban by going
through proxy servers. Short of closing down the Internet
altogether, there are few means today to completely block off
sites. All the PTA action does is make things a little more
complicated and a little more frustrating for almost everyone
concerned.
While Eric Schmidt, the chief of the search engine giant
Google, has said that suppression of political criticism is a
likely factor behind the ban, there must be some degree of
doubt on this. It seems more probable that the entire ban
effort, with the Pakistani ministry of IT immediately setting
up a special free "complaint" number and email address in an
unexpected demonstration of efficiency, is just a symptom of
the haphazard governance we are victim to.
After all, if the same level of diligent dedication could be
directed towards controlling the prices that are spiralling
upwards again, bringing crime in control or tackling the power
prices that disrupt life and commercial activity on a daily
basis, we would be quite significantly better off than we are
now. But such tasks, of course, require a degree of genuine
thought, planning, action and administrative ability. This is
not something our leaders possess in abundance. It is far
easier to issue a few orders to close down web pages, even
though this measure is largely meaningless and does not go
beyond the symbolic.
There are also other questions. What, after all, has been
achieved by the ban? It has left a number of Facebook addicts
facing withdrawal symptoms. Office managers who must control
the use of the site at workplaces have meanwhile heaved a sigh
of relief. In some cases families have been able to sit
together around their dining tables for the first time in
months. But all this, in real terms, of course means very
little. The questions that need to be asked are far bigger and
more difficult to find answers to.
The first among these questions is why we, as a society, seem
to have gradually lost all sense of balance. It is quite true
that the competition put up by a Facebook page was both
insensitive and pointless. But ignored, it would have gone
away and been forgotten. The action taken has merely both
highlighted the existence of the contest and re-focused
attention on Pakistan in a negative fashion.
It is also a fact that we must learn to live in a world where
all kinds of views and opinions exist. In the age of the
Internet and cable TV channels that beam into more and more
homes, it is inevitable that we will be exposed to modes of
thought different from our own. Some, of course, are
distinctly unsavoury and even offensive. But we need to learn
somehow to live with them. This is part of the challenge of
being a global citizen.
In other parts of the world too the same challenges are being
faced. The European Parliament at Strasbourg recently directed
its attention to Pakistan's blasphemy laws as a source of bias
and violence in society which has at times led to grotesque
discrimination against non-Muslims. The observation regarding
the blasphemy laws is, of course, not inaccurate. Within the
country too there have been many calls for these laws to be
done away with. Even governments which see the wisdom behind
this, at least in part, lack the courage required to take
action. They fear the inevitable outcry from religious groups
which have since the 1950s used their power to create havoc on
the streets to bring about specific changes in law.
But we must ask what it is that the Europeans fear and why
their legislators are not equally concerned about intolerance
at home. The ban on facial veils that both France and Belgium
are moving towards is, in many ways, no less unenlightened
than the burqa requirement imposed by the Taliban in
Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan. The real issue, after all,
must be the right of people to choose how to dress.
Restricting this amounts to a basic denial of liberties. The
ban on minarets in Switzerland also stems from a basic bias
against Muslims that seems to be growing around the world.
For Pakistan, several tasks must stand at the forefront of
priorities. In the first place we need to take steps to
project a somewhat altered image to the world. Only then can
we benefit from the potential Pakistan has as a nation where
the community of Internet users is rapidly growing and where
much else can be developed and expanded. To achieve this we
need to build tolerance and a greater sense of equilibrium.
Senseless events played out in the vast realm of cyberspace,
such as the competition on Facebook, should not shake or upset
us to this extent. They are, after all, basically non-events.
We must also realise that directing energies towards tasks
such as attempting to shut down websites with mass appeal
serves no purpose at all. Indeed, the principle of free access
to information, which lies behind the Internet, must be
respected. The very nature of the new media means it is almost
impossible to deny it anyway. Instead, we should focus on
offering something that resembles governance and gives people
the things that truly matter in their lives. These include
access to an improved quality of life and to the opportunity
that is so often denied to people everywhere. Such measures
would serve a far more useful purpose than the ban attempt
that has made headlines-while in concrete terms serving no
purpose at all.
The writer is a freelance columnist and former newspaper
editor.
US approach
has failed
A policy of non-engagement with Syria has achieved nothing
over six years.
James Denselow
This
has been a busy month so far for the Syrians. The US
Congress blocked Obama's attempt to appoint Robert Ford as
ambassador following reports of Syrian Scud missiles being
transferred to Hezbollah, and on May 3 Washington renewed
economic and diplomatic sanctions on Syria that have been
in place since 2004.
While the US remains unwilling or unable to reach out to
Damascus, the Russians have no such worries, prompting
concern that the first visit of a Russian leader to Syria
since 1917 could trigger a new Middle Eastern cold war.
The actual trigger takes the form of Russian arms supplies
to Syria with a deal being struck to provide Damascus with
MiG-29 fighters, truck-mounted Pantsir short-range
surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft artillery systems
and anti-tank systems.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman criticised the
deal, arguing that "weapons sales don't contribute to an
atmosphere of peace" - despite his country spending over
$15 billion (Dh55.1 billion) annually on arms, in
comparison to Syria's $6 billion (Dh22 billion). An
editorial in the Lebanese Daily Star bemoaned the arms
deal as a "tragic waste", arguing that the Syrian
government was wasting money on arms that could be far
better spent dealing with the estimated one million people
who have been displaced by drought in the past 18 months.
Yet the weapons deal is just the tip of a far greater
relationship between the two countries. Since the 1950s,
tens of thousands of Syrians have been educated in Russia,
while Russian expertise has created much of Syria's
infrastructure, with the Syrian Ministry of Economy
estimating that the Russians are responsible for 90
industrial facilities and pieces of infrastructure,
one-third of Syria's electrical power capability,
one-third of its oil-producing facilities and a threefold
expansion of land under irrigation - aided in part by
assistance with building the massive Euphrates dam.
Principal ally
Syria's military ties with the Soviet Union were
consolidated in the 1950s. The Soviets would become what
biographer Patrick Seale called "the principal ally of
[Hafez Al Assad's] presidency", in which arms sales were
part of a "framework of trust and consultation". Support
only tapered off towards the demise of the Soviet Union,
and Syria's pragmatism was confirmed when it joined the
US-led coalition to eject Saddam Hussain from Kuwait.
Now the Russians are back. Following a spat in 2008 over
Israel's support to Georgia, the Russians have been
steadily increasing their supply of weapons to Syria. In
addition, the upgraded naval base in the Syrian port of
Tartus has significantly boosted Russia's operational
capability in the region, allowing the warships based
there to reach the Red Sea through the Suez canal and the
Atlantic through the Strait of Gibraltar in a matter of
days.
Regarding economic ties, Russia's transportation minister
is reported as saying that they may open a direct maritime
connection between the Syrian port of Latakia and Russian
port of Novorossiysk on the Black Sea to ship cargo
directly, while the Russian gas giant, Gazprom, is also
expanding its presence in Syria with additional oil
exploration. Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko, who
accompanied President Medvedev to Damascus, even promised
the possibility of nuclear energy co-operation.
Yet, crucial to understanding the situation today, is how
in 1970 Assad played upon the ideas of Syria's "strategic
importance" to make simultaneous overtures to the US and
the Soviets. In the words of historian Eberhard Kienle, he
succeeded "in inducing them to outbid each other". Such a
dual strategy was reflected by Assad signing an agreement
on economic co-operation with the Soviets while pursuing a
western-oriented policy of infitah (economic opening up).
Today, Bashar Al Assad is once again reaching out in all
directions to pursue what he sees as Syria's interest.
This pragmatism should be acknowledged by an
institutionally obstinate US that must by now realise that
its policy of non-engagement has simply brought it no
reward over the past six years.
Syrian-Russian relations, which go beyond arms deals to a
range of trade and cultural ties, are not a challenge to
the US but rather should be a prompt to Washington to
accept that almost a decade of policies have failed and
that a new course must be adopted.
‘Sinking’ sense of security
The South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak, has promised to
take "stern action," but Seoul won't risk a war it can't
win. Sanctions are possible, but they won't impose
hardships the North hasn't seen before. Still, things may
be about to change.
Ian Bremmer
Following
weeks of careful investigation, South Korea has publicly
accused North Korea of an overt and deliberate act of war.
The evidence is compelling that the North torpedoed the
Cheonan, a South Korean navy ship, killing 46 sailors.
The South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak, has promised to
take "stern action," but Seoul won't risk a war it can't
win. Sanctions are possible, but they won't impose
hardships the North hasn't seen before. Still, things may
be ?about to change.
Pyongyang has done this sort of thing before. In the late
1960s, it attacked a South Korean warship, hijacked a
South Korean plane, sent guerillas to storm the South's
presidential palace, and captured a US Navy intelligence
ship, the Pueblo, holding 82 hostages for nearly a year.
In the mid-1980s, North Korean operatives bombed a hotel
in Burma to try to assassinate South Korea's president,
and blew up a commercial airliner, killing 115 people. In
1996, a North Korean submarine crew landed on southern
shores. But there has not been such a high-profile
incident since.
Why now? Rumours are flying that Kim Jong-il is dying, and
that he ordered the attack to bolster support for his son
Kim Jong-un among hawks in the country's military
leadership. That's pure speculation, not based on much.
Kim has held a series of private meetings with foreign
guests in the past few months, and their reports offer no
hard evidence of the Dear Leader's ?imminent demise. He
was also healthy enough to meet with Chinese officials in
Beijing earlier this month, spending many hours travelling
to and from by train. In any case, the military has every
incentive to hold things together even if the designated
heir isn't really in charge. But there is a much more
serious threat now generating turmoil within North Korea.
In 2002, the regime began tinkering with small-scale
experiments in capitalism.
The plan was to minimise the risk of civil unrest by
providing citizens with access to imported food and
consumer products that their government can't provide. The
flow of unregulated cellphones, radios and videotapes of
South Korean soap operas from China created a shadow
merchant class and new opportunities for official
corruption.
Early last year, the North Korean government moved to rein
in the burgeoning black market. On Nov. 30, it abruptly
ordered a currency reform to roll back private markets,
target official corruption, control market activity and
tackle rising inflation. The goal was to kill the
capitalist Frankenstein before it grew beyond the regime's
control.
The consequences were dramatic. North Korean citizens were
given one week to exchange foreign currency for North
Korean coin, with a limit of the black market equivalent
of about $40. The announcement triggered panic as citizens
dumped currency and hoarded goods. Inflation spiked. The
accumulated wealth and savings of what passes for a middle
class in North Korea - merchants, local officials,
military officers - evaporated.
South Koreans with connections inside North Korea reported
black market hyperinflation, severe food shortages and
pockets of serious civil unrest. The government quickly
suppressed the protests and tried to appease public anger
with emergency supplies of rice in the hardest-hit areas.
Then something extraordinary happened: The North Korean
government backed down. It reopened private markets and
again allowed transactions in foreign currencies. The
prime minister issued a stunning and nearly unprecedented
public apology. State planners were publicly humiliated. A
few weeks ago, North Korea's finance minister was executed
by firing squad.
In other words, succession is only one of the problems
facing the North Korean elite. The larger fear is that the
state can't isolate North Korea's people forever, that
only access to products from outside the country can ease
chronic shortages, and that all this new market activity
is raising public expectations the North Korean leadership
can't meet.
In April, the regime reportedly provided senior military
officials with foreign cars to ensure their loyalty. That
sounds a lot like the late East German leader Erich
Honecker's bid to reward his generals with weekend
shopping trips to the West - a move that only whetted
their appetite for more and hastened the country's demise.
Did North Korean torpedo the Cheonan to manufacture a
military crisis that might rally angry North Koreans to
their government? Maybe. Would the attack create unity
within the military ranks that might help smooth the
succession process when Kim Jong-il finally dies? Perhaps.
China and South Korea are right to worry that a North
Korean collapse would flood both countries with sick and
starving refugees.
But beyond the speculation, it's starting to look like
North Korea's insecurity might be approaching a tipping
point - raising the risk of another hostile act that might
send North and South Koreans forces stumbling toward a
shooting war that can only end in disaster for both.
Ian Bremmer is President of Eurasia Group and author of
The End of the Free Market: Who Wins the War Between
States and Corporations?
International
US
seeks Pakistan crackdown on Taliban
AP, Washington
Two top Obama administration officials have told Pakistan
that it has only weeks to show real progress in a
crackdown against the Pakistani Taliban, a senior US
official said Wednesday. The US has put Pakistan "on a
clock" to launch a new intelligence and counterterrorist
offensive against the group, which the White House alleges
was behind the Times Square bombing attempt, according to
the official.
White House national security adviser James Jones and CIA
Director Leon Panetta delivered that message to Islamabad
last week, said the official, speaking on condition of
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
As first reported by the Los Angeles Times, the
high-ranking US delegation presented the Pakistanis with
evidence they believe proves that Pakistani-American
Faisal Shahzad was trained and funded by the Tehrik-e-Taliban,
or TTP, as the Pakistani Taliban are known. Shahzad is
accused of attempting to ignite what turned out to be a
poorly constructed car bomb in Times Square.
The evidence also showed that two TTP members escorted
Shahzad to a training base in the lawless tribal area of
Waziristan, where he received some instruction in how to
build explosives, the US official said.
Pakistani authorities have already detained two suspects
thought to be those TTP escorts, the official said. The US
now expects to see Pakistan carry out further independent
counterterrorist operations and quietly increase other
unspecified cooperation with the Americans, the official
said.
The visiting delegation reminded Pakistani leaders that
President Barack Obama had sent them a letter in November,
asking for a tougher crackdown against al-Qaida and its
affiliates like the TTP, the official said.
So far, many US officials have rated Pakistan's progress
on that front as mixed because Pakistan has maintained a
detente with some of the al-Qaeda affiliates that operate
in its frontier provinces, like the Haqqani network.
NA panel detects scam
in PM's housing scheme
Dawn Online, Islamabad
The standing committee of the National Assembly on Housing
and Works has unearthed an alleged scam in the Prime
Minister's Housing Scheme under which over 3,000 kanals of
land has been purchased in Islamabad at an exorbitant
price.
A recent meeting of the committee was not attended by
Housing Minister Rehmatullah Kakar, which prompted the NA
pannel to ask the government to take action against the
minister for his 'indifferent attitude'.
The committee found that the housing ministry had
purchased 3,000 kanals of land from a private firm called
M/s Green Tree in Bara Kahu area (Zone-IV) at a rate of
Rs950,000 per kanal, but the market price of the land was
said to be between Rs400,000 and 500,000 per kanal in the
area.
"The committee noticed a marked difference in the market
value of the land and decided to visit the site in the
first week of June to assess the factual position," a
member told Dawn. The committee also decided to convene
another meeting next month to give a final decision.
The land was purchased last year in Zone-IV in Bara Kahu
when no housing was allowed in the area, but it was
permitted by the federal cabinet recently. The housing
scheme is a joint venture of the Federal Government
Employees Housing Foundation (FGEHF) and Green Tree
company.
The foundation paid some 65 per cent of the cost at the
time of the purchase.
According to the agreement signed between the foundation
and the company, the firm had initially offered 1,600
kanals of land on the Simly Dam Road.
Britain will stay out of
Indo-Pak dispute: FM
AFP, London
Britain's new coalition government will not "lecture"
India and Pakistan over their relationship, Foreign
Secretary William Hague said Thursday ahead of an upcoming
trip to Islamabad.
His predecessor David Miliband caused a diplomatic row
last year by linking the unresolved Kashmir dispute to the
Mumbai terror attacks, and Hague signalled he would not
make the same mistake. "It will not be our approach to
lecture other countries on how they should conduct their
bilateral relations," Hague told reporters in London.
He welcomed the improvement in ties between Pakistan and
India, including plans for foreign minister-level talks in
July on how to re-open the formal peace dialogue suspended
after the November 2008 attacks on Mumbai. "That such
relations are improved is of course important to relations
in that region and the future peace of the world," Hague
said.
"But our approach would not be to tell those countries
what to do, they must take forward their own bilateral
relations." Miliband, a member of the Labour government
which lost power to a Conservative-Liberal Democrat
coalition in May 6 elections, sparked a major row by
linking Kashmir to extremism on a trip to New Delhi in
January last year. The former British colony has
traditionally resisted any kind of outside interference in
its dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, the trigger of two
of the three wars between the two nuclear-armed rivals.
Army falsified Kargil
records: Tribunal
IANS, New Delhi
In a major embarrassment for the Indian Army, a military
tribunal has ruled that a senior commander had falsified
records of the 1999 Kargil war with Pakistan that cost a
brigadier a promotion.
The Armed Forces Tribunal has directed the army to set the
records straight and consider Brigadier (retd) Devinder
Singh, who commanded the Batalik-based 70 Infantry Brigade
during the Kargil war, for a notional promotion to major
general rank.
Lt. Gen. Kishan Pal, who headed the Srinagar-based 15
Corps, had written Singh's annual confidential report
allegedly belittling his achievements by noting that he
had only partial command of the 70 Infantry Brigade. The
15 Corps was responsible for guarding the Line of Control
in Kashmir.
Justice A.K. Mathur, in his order, ruled that 'the annual
confidential reports were not written in an objective and
unbiased manner'.
The tribunal also directed the Directorate of Military
Operations to rewrite portions of 'Op. Vijay: Account of
the War in Kargil'. A volume of the official history
asserts that while 'the commander 70 Infantry Brigade
(Singh) controlled operations on the Western Flank (Jubbar
Complex), Deputy (General Officer in Command) GOC 3
Infantry Division controlled the Stangba-Khalubar Ridge
operations'.
Singh, in his plea, had challenged the post-Kargil
operations report that stated that four of his most
successful battalions were commanded by the then Deputy
GOC of 3 Infantry Division, Brigadier Ashok Duggal.
'For reasons best known to Lt. Gen. Kishan Pal, he was
favouring and giving credit to Duggal and my command
tenure was shown in bad light.
Thailand to ask Interpol to
'seek Thaksin arrest'
AFP, Bangkok
The Thai government said Thursday it would request
Interpol's co-operation to arrest fugitive ex-prime
minister Thaksin Shinawatra on terrorism charges in
connection with recent deadly protests.
The request for help from the international police agency
would be sent "so any country that knows of his
whereabouts can notify Thailand, so Thailand can begin the
extradition procedure," said deputy prime minister Suthep
Thaugsuban.
Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and lives in
self-imposed exile to avoid a jail term for corruption,
said in a phone interview Wednesday that Interpol would
recognise the accusations were "politically motivated".
Thailand's Criminal Court approved an arrest warrant for
Thaksin on Tuesday after the government accused him of
inciting unrest and bankrolling the rallies by opposition
"Red Shirt" protesters, many of whom seek his return to
power.
The Reds' street rallies, which were broken up last week
by the army, paralysed central Bangkok and sparked several
outbreaks of violence that left 88 people dead since
mid-March, mostly civilians, and nearly 1,900 injured.
"The Department of Special Investigation, the Attorney
General's office and the foreign ministry agreed to send
the request to Interpol to issue an alert that Thaksin is
wanted on terrorism charges in Thailand," Suthep said.
"If Thaksin thinks that he's innocent he can come to prove
himself," he told reporters.
Speaking to Australian Broadcasting Corporation on
Wednesday, Thaksin insisted he had advocated peaceful
protests, and "never, never supporting any violence."
"Interpol have their own criteria to judge, that is... to
not be politically motivated. This is clearly politically
motivated and there is no ground," he said in English.
N.Korea threatens to attack
S.Korea ships
AFP, Seoul
North Korea vowed Thursday to attack any South Korean
ships which violate their disputed border and Seoul's navy
staged its own show of strength amid continuing high
tension over the sinking of a warship.
Pyongyang's military general staff also scrapped a pact
which guards against accidental naval clashes at the
flashpoint border, and repeated threats to shut down a
joint business project.
Elsewhere in the Yellow Sea, South Korea's navy staged an
anti-submarine exercise, its first since Seoul publicly
accused Pyongyang of torpedoing one of its warships on
March 26 with the loss of 46 lives. In Seoul, an estimated
10,000 protesters shouted "Kill our enemy!" and whacked
images of the North's leader Kim Jong-Il with wooden bars.
Investigators from five countries said last week they
found overwhelming evidence that a torpedo attack by a
North Korean submarine sank the Cheonan near the border.
The South has announced a series of reprisals including a
halt to trade. The North, which denies involvement, has
responded with angry rhetoric and an announcement that it
is cutting all ties with its neighbour.
Japan, US expect to issue
joint base statement Friday
AFP, Tokyo
Japan and the United States are expected Friday to
officially resolve a row over an unpopular US airbase on
Okinawa island that has strained ties and threatened to
splinter the ruling coalition in Tokyo.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's centre-left government
said Thursday it was in the final stages of working out a
deal with its key international ally, to be released by
both nations' foreign and defence ministers and
secretaries.
Hatoyama is expected to formally announce that the US
Marine Corps Air Station Futenma will be relocated within
Okinawa, from a crowded city location to the coastal
region of Henoko, as demanded by Washington.
The premier's pacifist coalition partner the Social
Democrats strongly oppose the move, citing anti-base
sentiment on Okinawa, and have threatened to bolt the
government over the issue ahead of July upper house
elections.
Hatoyama's right-hand man, Chief Cabinet Secretary
Hirofumi Hirano, Thursday rejected calls from the Social
Democrats not to specify Henoko as the new location in the
official government decision and the bilateral
declaration.
"We are in the final phase of putting together the
agreement," Hirano said, adding that accepting the Social
Democrats' demand for a fresh round of negotiations with
Washington would be "very difficult."
"We cannot start the process all over again," he said.
Tokyo and Washington first agreed the base move within
Okinawa in 2006.
Iran
calls for immediate disarmament of nuclear states
IANS, Tehran
Iran Thursday urged all countries to take serious steps to
dismantle all nuclear weapons and called for setting a
deadline in this regard by the international community.
'We believe that nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are a necessity in
today's world. So a time limit is needed to be set for the
elimination of nuclear weapons and this issue has to be
incorporated in the final declaration of the Nuclear
Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) conference,' Mohammad
Khazaee, Iran's ambassador to the UN, was quoted as saying
by Fars news agency.
Khazaee said Iran, as one of the first countries to have
signed the NPT and which floated the idea of a nuke-free
Middle East in 1974, supports global denuclearisation as
well as free access to peaceful nuclear technology.
He said Iran calls for removal of all WMD from across the
globe.
The UN General Assembly had approved a draft resolution
proposed by Iran on nuclear disarmament in October 2009,
amid strong opposition by the US, Britain, France, Israel.
The resolution ratified in the first committee of the UN
General Assembly calls on all countries to annihilate
their nuclear weapons under the supervision of
international bodies. It also urged Israel to join the NPT
and allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to
inspect its nuclear installations.
More than 100 countries, including non-nuclear members of
the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), voted for the resolution.
Tehran also held a conference on nuclear disarmament in
April, which was attended by foreign ministers and nuclear
experts from 60 countries.
Obama's doctrine to
make clear no war on Islam-aide
Reuters, Washington
President Barack Obama's new national security doctrine
will make clear that the United States does not consider
itself to be at war with Islam, a top adviser said on
Wednesday, reports Reuters.
The White House on Thursday plans to roll out Obama's
first formal declaration of national security goals, which
are expected to deviate sharply from the go-at-it-alone
approach of the Bush era that included justification for
pre-emptive war and alienated many in the Muslim world.
Previewing parts of the document, John Brennan, Obama's
leading counterterrorism adviser, said: "We have never
been and will never be at war with Islam."
"The president's strategy is unequivocal with regard to
our posture - the United States of America is at war. We
are at war against al Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates,"
he said in a speech at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies in Washington.
Brennan's words dovetailed with Obama's outreach to the
Muslim world, where the US image under former President
George W. Bush was hurt by the US-led invasion of Iraq,
the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal and his use of
phrases like "war on terror" and "Islamo-fascism."
At West Point on Saturday, Obama laid out the broad
principles of his coming National Security Strategy, a
document required by law of every administration,
stressing international engagement over Bush's "cowboy
diplomacy."
Grappling with a fragile US economy and mounting deficits,
Obama also signaled he would place new emphasis on the
link between US economic strength and discipline at home
and restoring America's standing in the world.
Obama has been widely credited with improving the tone of
US foreign policy but is still struggling with unfinished
wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, nuclear standoffs with Iran
and North Korea, and sluggish Middle East peace efforts.
Israel sets up tents for
Gaza-bound activists
AP, Jerusalem
Israel set up three massive white tents at its main
southern seaport on Thursday to hold hundreds of
pro-Palestinian activists who hope to breach Israel's
3-year blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The activists are headed toward Gaza's waters on board a
flotilla carrying 10,000 tons of supplies. Israel says it
won't let the eight boats reach Gaza's shores, and that it
will deport or imprison the activists aboard.
The military said it would divert the boats to the Israeli
port at Ashdod, where the activists will be taken into the
tents for identification and medical attention.
Officials said 40 buses will be on hand to ferry them to
Israel's international airport for deportation or to a
nearby prison if they refuse to be deported voluntarily.
"We want to do this as quick and efficiently as possible,"
said Maya Kadosh, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.
Israeli authorities said they will make every effort to
avoid using force, but they were prepared for a military
confrontation if necessary. Speaking by satellite phone to
The Associated Press from his ship, "Free Mediterranean,"
flotilla organizer Dror Feiler was defiant. "We are on a
humanitarian and solidarity action, we intend to continue
it until we reach our goal and will not be stopped," he
said.
Feiler, 68, a musician who renounced his Israeli
citizenship, said he brought a saxophone with him and will
greet Israeli sailors boarding his boat with music "from
the time when Jews didn't have armies and police to harass
freedom fighters, when Jews were victims, and were
standing at the forefront of the fight for the dignity of
people."
Feiler said there are four passenger boats and four cargo
ships in the flotilla. He said his left the Greek island
of Rhodes on Thursday morning. Others embarked from
various European ports, organizers said.
US fighter engine war heats
up; funding vote near
Reuters, Washington
The Pentagon's top arms buyer urged Congress on Wednesday
to halt funding for a second engine for the F-35 fighter,
a day before a critical vote that could decide the future
of the program.
Defense Undersecretary Ashton Carter faced tough questions
at a closed-door briefing for 40 U.S. lawmakers and aides,
many of whom remained skeptical about handing Pratt &
Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp, a sole-source
deal for engine work valued by some at up to $100 billion.
The second engine is being built by General Electric Co
and Britain's Rolls Royce.
Carter underscored the Pentagon's opposition to what he
called "an extra engine" and said the most recent analysis
showed it did not make sense to continue competition in
the engine program, according to sources at the meeting.
Pratt & Whitney President Dave Hess and other company
executives traveled to Washington to underscore the
success of their engine, noting that 29 test engines and a
first batch of four production engines had already been
delivered, while GE and Rolls were still working on test
engines.
Pratt said its F135 engine would create more jobs in the
United States, and the company had offered the Pentagon
savings of more than 10 percent in a fixed-price deal for
the next batch of production engines.
Hess also said the total F-35 engine market was probably
worth closer to $60 billion than the $100 billion
estimated by GE and Rolls, whose executives made the
rounds on Capitol Hill earlier in the week.
Int'l conference to save
forests opens in Oslo
AP, Oslo
A multinational deforestation conference will set up an
agency Thursday to monitor aid for helping poor nations
protect their forests - a major move delegates hope will
build momentum for progress at U.N. climate talks this
year in Mexico.
The program - called REDD Plus, for Reducing Emissions
from Deforestation and Degradation - will encourage rich
nations to voluntarily finance forest-protecting projects
while coordinating that aid to avoid waste and ensure
transparency.
"Forests are worth more dead than alive. Today we commit
to change that equation, " Norwegian Prime Minister Jens
Stoltenberg said in opening the Oslo conference, attended
leaders and representatives from 52 countries.
By curbing deforestation, Stoltenberg said, the world can
achieve the "largest, fastest and cheapest cuts in global
emissions" of greenhouse gases thought to be causing the
Earth's average temperatures to rise.
Protecting the forests could account for one-third of
emissions cuts needed to keep temperatures from rising
more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above
pre-industrial levels by 2020 - which scientists say could
trigger a climate catastrophe.
A political agreement brokered by President Barack Obama
at the last U.N. climate summit in December in Copenhagen,
Denmark, called for warming to be kept below that 2-degree
mark. But the Copenhagen conference disappointed many in
failing to produce a legally binding deal for countries to
limit emissions.
UK gov't faces internal
dissent over tax hike plan
Reuters, London
British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday
there was an international consensus on the need for
urgent deficit cuts, but faced dissent from within his own
party over plans to raise taxes on asset sales.
Cameron, whose centre-right Conservatives formed a
coalition with the smaller, centre-left Liberal Democrats
after a May 6 election failed to produce an outright
winner, also called for a resumption of world trade talks
to boost the global economy.
"There is now an international consensus that dealing with
our budget deficits is vitally important. If you look at
the threats to the euro zone and the threats to our
economies around the world, excessive budget deficits are
a big part of the problem," he told BBC Radio.
Cameron's coalition outlined this week 6.2 billion pounds
($8.9 billion) of spending cuts this year. Further action
to tackle a deficit running at 11 percent of GDP-close to
that of Greece in percentage terms-is expected in an
emergency budget on June 22.
However, senior lawmakers from Cameron's party are unhappy
at plans to hike capital gains tax to bring it close to
income tax rates, a policy promoted by the Lib Dems.
The rise in the tax, levied on items such as the sale of
shares and second homes, is aimed partly at stopping some
companies and individuals classifying revenue as capital
gains, hence avoiding paying the higher income tax rate.
The issue has become a focal point for Conservatives
aghast at some of the policy compromises that have been
needed to form a coalition and could represent a first
potential fissure in an administration Cameron says is
built to last for five years.
Female rheumatoid arthritis
'on the rise'
ANI, Washington
A newly published study by researchers from the Mayo
Clinic has shown that the incidence of rheumatoid
arthritis (RA) in women has risen during the period of
1995 to 2007.
This rise in RA follows a 4-decade period of decline and
study authors speculate environmental factors such as
cigarette smoking, vitamin D deficiency, and lower dose
synthetic estrogens in oral contraceptives may be the
source of the increase.
Details of the study which includes more than 50 years of
RA epidemiology data appear in the June issue of Arthritis
and Rheumatism, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on
behalf of the American College of Rheumatology. The study,
led by Sherine Gabriel, expanded on prior research
(1955-1994) from the Mayo Clinic team, by determining RA
incidence and prevalence between 1995 and 2007.
Researchers screened medical record of 1,761 Olmsted
County, Minnesota residents 18 years and older who had
received 1 or more diagnoses of arthritis (excluding
degenerative arthritis or osteoarthritis). After thorough
review of all medical records, a diagnosis of RA was made
in 466 patients whose mean age at RA incidence was 55.6
years, with 321 females (69 percent) in the study cohort.
"We observed a modest increase of RA incidence in women
during the study period, which followed a sharp decline in
incidence during the previous 4 decades," said Dr.
Gabriel.
Results show that RA incidence in women increased by 2.5
percent per year from 1995 to 2007, while a decrease of
0.5 percent was noted for men. Researchers did not find a
disproportionate increase in RA incidence in any
particular age group over the study period.
"As expected we found an increase in RA prevalence during
the same time period," added Dr. Gabriel.
Business/Economy
S. Korea
to give Bangladesh $200 m soft loan
UNB, Dhaka
South Korea will provide US$ 200 million soft loan for
Bangladesh over three years (2010-2012) under an agreement
signed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's recent visit
to Seoul.
South Korean Ambassador in Dhaka Taiyoung Cho in an
interview with UNB chief correspondent Shamim Ahmad said
the loan will be granted from the Economic Development
Cooperation Fund (EDCF) to finance various projects in
health, transportation, construction, power transmission
line and ICT sectors in Bangladesh.
The interest rate of the soft loan is 0.01 percent while
the period of repayment is 40 years with 10 years grace
period. As of March this year, South Korea granted US$ 400
million to Bangladesh for 13 projects which are under
implementation.
The Ambassador said the Korean government has also
increased its grant assistance to Bangladesh from US$ 6.8
million to US$ 10 million annually for at least three
years from 2011. From 1991-2009, Seoul provided grants
totaling US$ 36 million. Asked about recruitment of
Bangladeshi workers under the Employment Permit System
(EPS), he said under the EPS Bangladesh's quota for this
year is 4,400 - an increase of 600 from the last year. Of
them, 1400 workers already left Bangladesh for South
Korea.
On duty-free access to Korean market, Cho said South Korea
has already given duty-free access to 85 percent of
Bangladeshi products as requested by Dhaka. It would need
further discussion to provide duty-free access to the
remaining 15 percent.
"We've some sensitive industries too. We're now looking
into the Bangladesh's request. Duty-free coverage is being
expanded every year," he said. Cho said a Korean business
team will visit Bangladesh later this year or early next
year. The team will explore the possibility of buying more
and investing more in Bangladesh. In 2009, the two-way
trade between Bangladesh and South Korea was recorded at
US$ 1,186 million, of which the Korean export was US$
1,064 million and the import an insignificant US$ 122
million.
Asked about ROK investment, the envoy said Korean
companies are interested in putting money in various
sectors including development of coal mine and coal-based
power plants. He, however, spoke about the urgency of
finalizing the coal policy first.
Recently, he said, Hyundai Heavy Industries signed a
contract with the Bangladesh government to build a 70 MW
power plant at Bera, Pabna.
During the Prime Minister's visit, Cho said the two
countries agreed to further expand defence cooperation
including training, exchange of visits and collaboration
in the defence industry.
Asked about purchase of military hardware from Korea, he
said Seoul is willing to sell military hardware including
naval frigates. The two defence ministries need to discuss
and work on it. About the green technology, the Ambassador
said President Lee is champion of green grow, and Korea is
investing huge money in this area. Korea now has a US$ 200
million East Asia Climate Change Cooperation Fund.
US
can no longer support world economy: Geithner
AFP, Berlin
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner played down talk
here Thursday of differences with Europe on spending cuts
but stressed that US consumers could no longer support the
global economy alone.
"We all understand and we all agree that part of global
recovery, part of making sure our economies are growing
... is to commit to clear objectives for reducing our
fiscal positions to sustainable levels over the medium
term," Geithner said
"That is absolutely essential, we all agree on that," he
said in Berlin after talks with German Finance Minister
Wolfgang Schaeuble. "We are going to get there at somewhat
different paces, the magnitude of adjustment will differ,
as we all come to this from different positions, with
different underlying growth rates, different overall debt
burdens." Alongside Greece, Portugal and Spain-all of whom
have seen their borrowing costs rise sharply in recent
months as investors fret over their solvency-other EU
members like Italy and Britain have also announced
austerity measures.
Germany, Europe's biggest economy, is also set to follow
suit, reportedly leading to concerns in Washington that
the 27-nation European Union is jeopardising economic
growth. Geithner said the world economy could not rely in
the future on US consumer spending as it has done in the
past.
Tourism industry
optimistic despite subdued world recovery
AFP, Beijing
Global tourism faces a challenging year due to the
downturn but the future is bright, with a growing middle
class in emerging markets eager for travel, industry
executives meeting in Beijing say.
"We'll see middle-income classes explode-there will be two
billion more with middle income... in the world by 2030,"
Goldman Sachs economist Anna Stupnytska said at this
week's Global Travel and Tourism Summit.
"As people get rich, move to the middle class, they spend
less money on necessities... and the tourism sector
explodes."
Brazil, Russia, India and China, the world's top four
emerging markets which represent 40 percent of the global
population, are the focus of all travel professionals
looking for new clientele with money to spend.
But the industry is still trying to recover from a
disastrous year in 2009, when the wealth generated by
global travel and tourism fell by 4.8 percent.
According to James Robinson, former chief executive of
American Express and ex-president of the World Travel and
Tourism Council (WTTC), the industry accounts for nine
percent of global GDP and employs 235 million people.
The financial crisis and the H1N1 virus hit the sector
hard in 2008-9, and 2010 has already brought its own
negative surprises-the European debt crisis and huge air
traffic disruptions caused by an ash-spewing volcano in
Iceland.
The eruption of the Eyjafjoell volcano in April-and the
subsequent shutdown of European air space-caused a global
loss of 4.7 billion dollars, including 2.5 billion in
Europe, according to consultants Oxford Economics.
These losses rose to five billion dollars after the
volcano again produced a crippling ash cloud this month,
said Adrian Cooper, head of the consultancy.
Abdul Mannan
IBBL new MD
TBT Report
Mohammad Abdul Mannan has taken over the charge of
Managing Director of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited
recently, says a press release.
Mohammad Abdul Mannan was born in 1952 at Satyabhandi
under Araihazar Upazilla of Narayanganj district. An MSS
with Honors in Political Science he started his banking
career in 1983 as Public Relations Officer with Islami
Bank Bangladesh Limited. In 1995, he moved to Saudi Arabia
as Head of Marketing of the Bank in K.S.A., the Gulf
States including Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and the UAE
and played significant role in facilitating foreign
remittance to the country through banking channel.
Mohammad Abdul Mannan also took training on Global
Leadership Development in different countries in the
world.
Philippine economy expands by 7.3 pc
AFP, Manila
The Philippine economy expanded by a surprisingly strong
7.3 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2010, the
government said on Thursday. The economy grew 3.0 percent
on a quarterly basis, according to the National
Statistical Coordination Board.
Board chief Romulo Virola initially said the year-on-year
expansion was the best performance since 2000, but later
corrected it to say it was the best since the second
quarter of 2007. "This is a glorious ending for the Arroyo
administration and a good beginning for the incoming
Aquino administration," Virola told reporters.
President Gloria Arroyo is due to step down on June 30
after more than nine years in power. She will be replaced
by Benigno Aquino, who won national elections in a
landslide this month.
Virola said a strong performance from the manufacturing
sector, increased remittances from the millions of
Filipinos working abroad and higher government spending
were factors behind the big first quarter jump.
Economic Planning Secretary Augusto Santos said at the
same briefing the government was now expecting to raise
its economic growth target for the year from 2.6-3.6
percent. He did not immediately say what the new target
would be.
Arroyo, who is required constitutionally to stand down,
has said repeatedly in recent months that her economic
record as president was extremely strong.
Average annual gross domestic product growth exceeded four
percent during her tenure. But the World Bank said early
this year that economic growth over the past decade had
not made a serious dent in tackling the dire poverty
plaguing the country. Critics have also said the elite
have enjoyed most of the benefits from national economic
growth, and the rich-poor divide has only worsened. And
the strong data appeared to be boosted at least partially
by a surge in government spending aimed at beating a ban
on new projects ahead of the elections. The ban was put in
place to prevent government spending from being used to
influence voting.
The government said last month that the budget deficit
blew out by 12.1 percent year-on-year in the first quarter
of 2010.
The budget deficit in the first three months of 2010 hit
134.3 billion pesos (3.04 billion dollars), well above the
government target of 110.9 billion pesos.
‘Malaysia must cut subsidies to
avoid crisis’
AFP, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia must cut subsidies on areas such as fuel and food
in order to avoid a debt crisis in the next 10 years
similar to that seen in Greece, a minister warned
Thursday.
Idris Jala, a minister in the prime minister's department
said the subsidies were an unsustainable financial burden
on Southeast Asia's third-largest economy that the
government needed to address swiftly.
"We do not want to end up like Greece ... Our (budget)
deficit rose to record high of 47 billion ringgit (14
billion dollars) last year," he was quoted as saying by
Bernama news agency. "Malaysia could go bankrupt in 2019."
Bernama said Malaysia's total subsidy bill in 2009 was 74
billion ringgit, equivalent to 12,900 ringgit per
household.
It covered areas including social welfare (42.8 billion
ringgit), fuel (23.5 billion ringgit), infrastructure (4.6
billion ringgit) and food (3.1 billion ringgit). Greece
has been forced to go cap-in-hand to the IMF and European
Union to help it pay billions of dollars in debts, while
it has also had to impose stiff austerity measures to
qualify for the bailout.
The crisis has caused shockwaves throughout the world amid
fears it could hit other eurozone nations and derail the
global recovery. Idris, who was taking part in a roadshow
gauging public opinion on possible cuts, said: "We
desperately need an exit strategy for subsidies, as they
are unsustainable." "Even Somalians are paying much more
for petrol than Malaysians. Our subsidy bill is not
sustainable, especially in light of the rising budget
deficit," he added.
Idris said over five years Malaysia could save about 103
billion ringgit if subsidies were cut now. "The time for
subsidy rationalisation is now," he said.
However, fuel is a sensitive political issue in Malaysia,
where in 2008 about 2,000 protesters marched through Kuala
Lumpur to oppose a 41 percent hike in prices.
Malaysia's economy grew 10.1 percent year-on-year in the
first quarter, its highest jump in a decade, and is on
track for six percent expansion for the whole year.
Markets rally after China denies
review of eurozone debt
AFP, Paris
Sentiment on financial markets rallied modestly on
Thursday after China described as "baseless" a report it
might reduce its holdings of eurozone government debt.
European stocks followed Asian shares higher, reversing a
late fall on Wall Street as the Financial Times report
circulated late on Thursday, and the depressed euro also
firmed.
The Spanish parliament passed by just one vote further
tough measures to contain overspending, a move seen by
analysts as a vital for Spain to ward off a threat of
being dragged into a Greece-style debt crisis.
Highlighting the seriousness of the problem, Spanish press
reports suggested that Spanish banks are encountering
problems in borrowing money from foreign banks because of
concern about the country's public finances.
In France, trades unions were organising street protests
against a decision by the right-wing government to raise
the pension age from 60.
The measures in Spain and France are the latest in a
welter of draconian steps by European governments to
reform public finances from top to bottom, from
ministerial pay to unemployment benefits.
Market sentiment was also helped by optimistic data from
the United States and a positive outlook for the world
economy from the OECD.
But high deficits and debt in EU countries remain centre
stage, with US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner
visiting Germany on Thursday when the economy will
dominate talks.
At Dutch bank ING, analyst Padhraic Garvey, referring to
crisis programmes by European central banks in buying
government bonds, commented: "We remain in a very
difficult set of circumstances."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a pivotal figure in the
eurozone debt crisis, said Germany would push "with all
our strength" for a strong euro.
In a "very clear statement," she told business executives
in Jeddah late on Wednesday: "Germany, as the largest
exporting nation, the largest economy in the European
Union, has strongly benefited from the euro in the past.
Asian stocks extend gains on
bargain hunting
AFP, Hong Kong
Asian stocks climbed higher on Thursday as bargain hunters
moved in after recent losses, but fears lingered that the
European debt crisis and weak euro could derail the global
recovery.
Dealers were given a lift by data showing Japanese exports
soared more than 40 percent in April, while eurozone
fiscal concerns shifted from Greece to Spain.
Tokyo reversed earlier losses to end 1.23 percent higher,
closing at 9,639.72, while Sydney ended 1.67 percent up at
4,379.2.
Hong Kong closed 1.22 percent stronger at 19,431.37 and
Shanghai added 1.15 percent to 2,655.92.
Investors extended gains from Wednesday's small rally
although the eurozone's struggle to control members'
crippling debts continued to weigh heavily on sentiment,
with many fearing a knock-on effect around the world.
The troubles, which began with Greece, have dealt a blow
to the euro, hammering confidence and hurting global
exporters dependent on Europe for their sales.
However, the single unit made up some ground later in the
day in Asia and continued strengthening in Europe.
In early London trade the euro edged up slightly to 1.2264
dollars after falling sharply to 1.2175 in New York late
Wednesday on fears of contagion from the debt crisis. The
single currency fetched 110.74 yen, up from 109.46.
However, the debt issue is still weighing on dealers'
minds, which could stunt any real rally, analysts warned.
"As the eurozone issue is shifting from Greece to the
Spanish financial sector and fiscal problems, the euro is
likely to keep declining against the dollar," Barclays
Capital said in a note to clients.
Spain has become the focus of European concerns after its
central bank at the weekend rescued a local lender,
CajaSur bank, adding to strain on the country's finances.
‘Europe must do more to boost
economy’
AFP, Berlin
US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner played down talk of
differences with Europe on spending cuts here Thursday but
stressed that US consumers could no longer support the
global economy alone.
"We all understand and we all agree that part of global
recovery, part of making sure our economies are growing
... is to commit to clear objectives for reducing our
fiscal positions to sustainable levels over the medium
term," Geithner said. "That is absolutely essential, we
all agree on that," he said in Berlin after talks with
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.
"We are going to get there at somewhat different paces,
the magnitude of adjustment will differ, as we all come to
this from different positions, with different underlying
growth rates, different overall debt burdens." Alongside
Greece, Portugal and Spain-all of whom have seen their
borrowing costs rise sharply in recent months as investors
fret over their solvency-other EU members like Italy and
Britain have also announced austerity measures to reduce
their deficits.
Germany, Europe's biggest economy, is also set to follow
suit, leading to concerns in Washington that the 27-nation
European Union is jeopardising economic growth.
"US consumers are going to be less of a source of demand
for the world in the future ... The broad challenge of
making sure that global growth in the future is more
balanced and more sustainable is important and something
leaders all agreed to," he said. He pointedly praised
China for "recognising that imperative and putting in
place a very strong programme of reforms to make sure that
growth is coming more from domestic demand."
Geithner met Jean-Claude Trichet, president of the
European Central Bank in Frankfurt late Wednesday and
Bundesbank head Axel Weber on Thursday. On Wednesday he
held talks in London with George Osborne, Britain's new
finance minister.
The flurry of talks was in preparation for a meeting of
finance ministers and central bank chiefs from the G20 top
world economies in Busan, South Korea on June 4-5 and a
G20 leaders' summit in Toronto, Canada on June 26-27.
National
IDCOL to set up 12,000 Biogas
plants
BSS, Dhaka
Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), a
state-run non-banking financial institution, will observe
the Biogas Week-2010 beginning here today (Friday).
On the first day of the week, 'Majpara' union under
Atgharia upazila of Pabna district would be announced as
'Biogas Union'. IDCOL also plans to set up as many as
12,000 Biogas plants in the country, IDCOL sources told
BSS here today.
Minister for Fisheries and Animal Resources Abdul Latif
Biswas will inaugurate the Biogas Week. Shamsur Rahman
Sharif (Dilu) MP will be the special guest on the
occasion.
IDCOL Chief Executive Officer Islam Sharif will give the
welcome speech while its Chairman and Secretary of the
Economic Relations Division (ERD) Mosharraf Hossain
Bhuiyan will preside over the function.
Experts say the country's only three percent people living
in cities are now getting the natural gas through
pipelines for their household cooking and 70 percent of
the total population are depriving of this service.
Like other developing countries, people in remote areas of
Bangladesh use dry wood, cowdung and various other wastes
for cooking, endangering the forest resources and risking
the environment, they also say.
Under these circumstances, according to experts, there is
no alternative to going for setting up large scale Biogas
plants as a source of energy to meet the growing demand in
the country.
IDCOL has so far installed some 4, 54,170 Solar Home
Systems (SHSs) along with 31,909 small SHS and has also a
target to install 6.5 lakh this yearend and one million by
2012.
It already invested Taka 8, 00 crore and out of this Taka
6,00 crore as loans while Taka 2,00 crore as grants. It
has also Taka 1,000 crore ready for investment in coming
days, the IDCOL sources said.
The non-banking financial institution is also to set up
manufacturer solar panel by the next month with a view to
reducing the cost of Solar Home Systems (SHSs)
substantially.
Nor'wester leaves 20 injured in Chandpur
UNB, Chandpur
About 20 people were injured as a nor'wester lashed some
villages in Matlab North upazila early Wednesday.
The storm that lasted for about half an hour, lashed
Shatnol, Pachani, Sujatpur, Hanirpar, Ekhlaspur, Jorekhali,
Bororchar, Pathan bazaar, Ludhua, Amirabad, Naori,
Nischintapur, Muktirkandi, Aadurbhiti, Brahmanchak,
Chhengarchar Bazaar and the adjoining areas under the
upazila and left a trail of devastation.
During the storm, over a hundred dwelling houses were
razed to the ground. A large number of trees and Palli
Bidyut poles were also uprooted snapping electricity in
the affected villages.
Many schools, village markets and mosques were also
affected by the storm.
Shatnol UP Chairman Goljar Alam told UNB that in his union
alone some 30 dwelling houses were damaged by the storm.
The affected people most of them poor fishermen and day
labourers are living under the sky with their family
members. UNO Obaidul Islam said they are assessing the
extent of damage through the UP Chairmen.
DGM of Palli Bidyut Samity (Matlab North Zone) Mohammad
Alauddin said, "We are trying hard to restore electricity
in the affected areas."
Another report from Patuakhali adds: A young woman was
injured in a house collapse and over 200 thatched houses
were damaged by a storm that lashed different areas of
Mirzaganj and Golachipa upazilas Wednesday midnight.
The injured, Nasima, 30, of Deuli-Subidkhalai union in
Mirzaganj upazila was sent to a hospital in Barisal.
People of Char Kajol union of Golachipa upazila said six
shops and 50 thatched houses were damaged in the storm in
their area.
Substantial fall in tobacco uses
can help reduce tuberculosis: Speakers
BSS, Rajshahi
Speakers at an advocacy meeting here Thursday underscored
the need for substantial fall in tobacco uses to help
reduce the number of patients suffering from tuberculosis.
They said around 300,000 people are attacked by
tuberculosis and 70,000 of them die of the disease in the
country every year and most of them are the victims of
tobacco uses.
The advocacy meeting on "Tuberculosis and its treatment
and forging social resistance against tobacco uses: Role
of local leaders" was organized by National
Anti-Tuberculosis Association of Bangladesh (NATAB) at the
conference hall of Diabetic Association.
In his address of welcome, NATAB local unit Secretary
Advocate Shahinul Haque Moon referred to various aspects
of reducing tobacco uses along with the preventive
measures against tuberculosis.
Medical Officer of Rajshahi Tuberculosis Hospital Dr Ismat
Ara said the TB is no more a deadly disease now and it
could be fully cured if the affected patients take
medicines properly for six to eight months at a stretch as
per the suggestions of the physicians.
"The TB is an infectious disease that usually spreads out
through breathing of the affected patients. Long term,
especially for the two weeks, cough with pain in the chest
is the symptom of the disease. In that case, the affected
persons need to be diagnosed immediately", she added.
Terming tobacco as closely associated with TB epidemic,
she stated that the tobacco control efforts need to be
fully implemented in areas where the population is at high
risk of TB.
Terming TB as a curable disease, Prof Dr Mamunur Rashid,
Secretary of the Diabetic Association, said free treatment
facilities are available in all the upazila health
complexes, district hospitals, public and private medical
colleges and health centres of the country.
He urged all to extend cooperation towards the doctors and
health workers in identifying TB patients and bring them
under the popularly known Directly Observed Treatment
Shortcourse (DOTS) for building TB disease free society.
Miscreants set fire to a
teenage girl in city
UNB, Dhaka
A teenage girl was critically injured when miscreants set
her on fire pouring kerosene in city's Pallabi area on
Wednesday night.
The victim was identified as Aleya Khatun, 19, daughter of
Rashid Mia, resident of Section No 6, Block D of Pallabi.
She hailed from Jazira upazila of Shariatpur district.
Local people said terrorist Khokan of the area on several
times gave proposal to marry Aleya which she refused. They
said Khokon along with his two accomplices Babu and Rana
called Aleya at the gate of her residence at about 9pm and
set her afire pouring kerosene on her body.
Hearing her shrill cry, locals rushed to the spot and
caught Khokon red handed while his two friends managed to
flee. Later, after mass beating they handed over the
culprit to police.
Anti eve teasing programme held in
B'baria
UNB, Brahmanbaria
A procession with the participation of students and common
people on Wednesday was held in Sarail upazila for raising
awareness against eve teasing.
The procession was brought out from in front of Sarail
Pilot Girls' High School at noon and it paraded different
streets.
Organized by upazila administration, the procession was
terminated at upazila parishad premises where a rally was
also held. Local lawmaker Advocate Ziaul Haque Mridha
attended as chief guest at the rally.
UNO Nazrul Islam, public representatives, police officials
and others from different NGOs and schools took part in
the programme. Addressing the occasion, the speakers
called for socially resisting the spoiled youths who are
involved in harassing the girls' students.
Sports
Brothers Union beats Sheikh Russel 2-0
UNB, Dhaka
Brothers Union Club beat Sheikh Russel KC by 2-0 goals in a
match of the Citycell Bangladesh League at the Bangabandhu
National Stadium here on Thursday.
With this result, Brothers Union Club secured 25 points from
23 matches while Sheikh Russel KC remained at 50 points from
24 outings.
In the day's match, Murad Ahmed Milon and Tanmoy Hossain Taru
scored for the 'all-orange' Gopibagh outfit in the 30th and
59th minute respectively.
In another match, Chittagong Abahani Limited edged past Feni
Soccer Club by a solitary goal at the MA Aziz Stadium in
Chittagong today.
With this outcome, Chittagong Abahani collected 21 points
while Feni Soccer Club remained at 29 points, both playing 23
matches.
In the day's match, Shyamol scored the all-important goal for
Chittagong Abahani in the 17th minute.
After a two-day recess, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC will play
Farashganj SC on Sunday (May 30) at 4 pm at the BNS.
Trott,
Strauss give England confident start
AFP, London
Jonathan Trott's unbeaten fifty helped England recover from an
early setback as he and captain Andrew Strauss shared a stand
of 98 on the first day of the first Test against Bangladesh at
Lord's.
England, at lunch on Thursday, was 105 for one with
left-hander Strauss, on his Middlesex home ground, 40 not out
and Trott exactly 50 not out.
Trott's fifty came off 75 balls with five fours while Strauss,
after a slow start, had faced 82 balls with a six and three
fours.
Bangladesh had an early breakthrough after winning the toss in
overcast conditions when left-hander Alastair Cook, caught on
the crease, was lbw to pace bowler Shahadat Hossain to leave
England seven for one, although replays suggested the ball was
going over the top.
Strauss took 14 balls to get off the mark in what was his
first international appearance for several months after he was
rested from England's 2-0 Test series win in Bangladesh and
missed the team's World Twenty20 triumph in the Caribbean as
he has opted out of that format.
But Trott was soon into his stride, cover-driving and straight
driving Shahadat for boundaries.
And Strauss then broke the shackles when, with only his second
scoring shot, he pulled debutant quick Robiul Islam for six.
As the sun broke through the early morning clouds, Strauss and
Trott settled in against the Bangladesh attack. Bangladesh
captain Shakib Al Hasan brought himself on as first change but
his left-arm spin rarely troubled either Strauss or Trott.
It was Trott who brought up England's hundred with a cover
driven boundary off Shahadat.
England gave a Test debut to Middlesex batsman Eoin Morgan,
who effectively replaced injured Twenty20 captain Paul
Collingwood, out with a shoulder problem, and rested pace
bowler Stuart Broad from both this match and the second Test
at Old Trafford, which starts a week on Friday.
This was the first of a two-match series involving a
Bangladesh side that has won just three of its 66 Tests and
has yet to even manage a draw with England at this level.
Sufian Shakil
upsets Pogorelov in GM Chess
UNB, Dhaka
Bangladeshi FM Abu Sufian Shakil upset Grandmaster Ruslan
Pogorelov of Ukraine in the 8th round match of the 2nd
International Open Grandmaster Chess Tournament in the
Indian city of Bhubaneshwar in Orrisa on Thursday.
Bangladeshi GM Enamul Hossain Razib and FM Abu Sufian
Shakil earned 5.5 points each after the day's 8th round
matches.
Besides, FM Mehdi Hasan Parag and FM Mohammad Javed earned
5 points each, FM Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar and Debaraj
Chatterjee earned 4.5 points each, Abdullah Al Saif and
Touhidur Rahman Toffee earned 4 points each, Hafizul Islam
Chapal and M Kawsar Ali Eti earned 3.5 points each, AK
Rizvi earned 3 points and Mokaddes Hossain bagged 2
points, all playing eight matches.
In the 8th round matches, Razib beat IM Tirto of
Indonesia, Parag beat Chandrasish Majumdar of India, Javed
beat Toffee, Sagar got walk-over against Sanjit Saha of
India, Debaraj beat Dilip Das of India, Chapal beat
Pradheep Kumar of India, Saif lost to FM Vishnu Prasanna
of India, Ety lost to Puneet Jaiswal of India, Rizvi lost
to Rajesh Kumar of India and Mokaddes lost to Sidhant
Maharathy of India.
Wasteful France squeezes past
Costa Rica
AFP, Lens
Newcomer Mathieu Valbuena enjoyed a dream first run out
for his country when bagging the decisive goal in France's
2-1 World Cup warm-up win over Costa Rica here on
Wednesday.
The 1998 world champions and 2006 beaten finalists enjoyed
large chunks of possession but sterile finishing cost them
dear until Valbuena produced the late winner. Coach
Raymond Domenech elected to start Arsenal central defender
William Gallas and Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka, at the
expense of Thierry Henry, with Steve Mandanda replacing
number one keeper Hugo Lloris in goal.
For Gallas this warm-up represented a searching test of
his recovery from a calf injury that has kept him
sidelined since March.
In Henry's absence the captain's armband was worn by
Manchester United defender Patrice Evra. Franck Ribery,
suspended for his club Bayern Munich's Champions League
final defeat to Inter Milan last weekend, also figured in
Domenech's starting XI.
Domenech, who steps down after a roller-coaster spell as
manager of France after the World Cup, was booed by some
sections of the fans when his name was announced before
kick-off in his last game in charge of Les Bleus on French
soil. Costa Rica, who missed out on a trip to South Africa
when losing their two-leg play-off against Uruguay 2-1
last November, went into a surprise 12th minute lead.
The Central Americans had their more illustrious hosts on
the backfoot when midfielder Carlos Hernandez let fly from
25 metres, his shot bouncing over Mandanda's outstretched
hands.
France, who thought they had equalised four minutes later
only for Yoann Gourcuff's tap in to be ruled offside, did
deservedly draw back level in the 23rd minute when Jeremy
Toulalan set up Ribery whose shot from the left hand side
of the box was deflected for an own goal by Douglas
Sequeira past keeper Keylor Navas.
Mandanda may have been caught napping for Costa Rica's
opener but he made amends when later tipping a goalbound
shot from Bryan Ruiz, who plays his club football with
Dutch champions FC Twente, over the bar. Domenech made
three changes at the start of the second half -
introducing Henry (for Anelka), Alou Diarra (Toulalan) and
Sebastien Squillaci (Gallas).
There was a moment of concern for the lively Ribery after
the hour mark when he crumbled to the floor clutching his
right ankle after an over zealous tackle by Pablo
Barrantes.
Woods confirms title defence
AFP, Dublin
Tiger Woods confirmed Wednesday he will defend his title
next week at the Memorial Tournament, making his return to
the PGA Tour three weeks after a neck injury forced him
out of the Players Championship.
Woods withdrew from The Players Championship on May 9 with
what was later diagnosed as an inflamed facet joint in his
neck.
He confirmed on his website Wednesday that he'll play next
week at Muirfield Village, where he won his fourth
Memorial title last year.
"The doctors advised me to take a week off and rest, which
I did," Woods said. "They prescribed physical therapy,
anti-inflammatory medication and soft-tissue massages,
which I'm continuing with. Although I'm not 100 percent, I
feel much better and look forward to competing next week."
The tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus will also serve as
preparation for the US Open two weeks later at Pebble
Beach.
Woods has had a tumultuous year on and off the golf
course.
Lurid revelations of marital infidelity last November sent
him into a self-imposed exile from the tour.
He returned at the Masters in April, where he finished
joint fourth place.
In his second start of the year he missed the cut at Quail
Hollow by a wide margin, then withdrew the following week
from the Players.
A day later, he appeared at a news conference in suburban
Philadelphia for the AT&T National, another of the
tournaments he won in 2009.
"A lot is up in the air still, which I don't like," Woods
said then. "I want to come back and defend at the Memorial
and play the US Open and obviously play here.
"But a lot of that is still up in the air right now."
Woods has since confirmed he will in the British Open at
St. Andrews July 15-18.
So far four events - the Memorial, the US Open at Pebble
Beach in June, the British Open and the AT&T National are
the only events he has commited to play.
Brazil arrives in South Africa
AFP, Johannesburg
Brazil arrived in Johannesburg Thursday to embark on a
journey they hope will take them to a record sixth World
Cup title.
Usually hot pre-tournament favourites wherever the
quadrennial international football showcase is staged,
Brazil have been downgraded by many bookmakers to second
spot behind European champions Spain.
A crisp, clear dawn in the South African economic hub
greeted the South Americans, who flew from Brasilia having
been given an official send-off by President Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva.
Landing 12 hours after the Australian 'Socceroos' became
the first qualifiers to reach South Africa, Brazil
followed the same procedure of restricted assess to select
TV crews and photographers and no interviews.
The 23-man squad, coaches and officials boarded a brightly
coloured luxury coach for a journey to a hotel in a
northern suburb golf course and the five-time world
champions plan to train at a nearby school.
Brazil are with 2006 semi-finalists Portugal, Didier
Drogba-led Ivory Coast and tournament outsiders North
Korea in Group G, labelled the 'Group of Death' after the
Cape Town draw last December because of its strength.
And should a Brazilian squad boasting stars like Julio
Cesar, Maicon, Kaka and Luis Fabiano match expectations
and top the mini-league table, they could face fellow
South American qualifiers Chile in the knockout second
round.
The South Americans are no strangers to Johannesburg
having won the World Cup dress-rehearsal Confederations
Cup tournament there last June after wiping out a two-goal
deficit against surprise finalists United States.
Coach Dunga, captain and midfield 'enforcer' in the 1994
World Cup-winning team, must hope he can banish the hoodoo
that envelopes Confederations Cup title holders in the
subsequent World Cup.
The curse has struck Brazil twice as they finished 1998
World Cup runners-up to Zinedine Zidane-inspired hosts
France, and fell to 'Les Bleus' again four years ago, this
time in the quarter-finals.
No country is more passionate about football than Brazil
and banks have been cleared to close when the national
team faces North Korea on June 15, Ivory Coast five days
later and Portugal a further five days into the
tournament.
Dunga was handed one of the most stressful posts in
football four years ago despite no managerial experience
after Carlos Alberto Parreira paid the price for the
last-eight exit.
He will be under intense scrutiny in South Africa, not
least for refusing to include 2002 World Cup winner
Ronaldinho in his squad after the AC Milan midfielder
showed a revival in form.
Adriano, Alexandre Pato, Neymar and Paulo Ganso were other
controversial omissions and knives will glisten in the
South African sun if Brazil do not clutch the World Cup
trophy and the 30-million-dollar cheque.
The first World Cup hosted by Africa kicks off on June 11
at the 90,000-seat Soccer City near the black township of
Soweto with Parreira-coached South Africa facing Mexico
and finishes with the July 11 final at the same venue.
Proteas out to wrap up West Indies
series
AFP, Roseau
South Africa will look to exploit a weakened West Indies
side, and clinch an unbeatable lead in its One-day
International series at Windsor Park here today.
South Africans leads the series 2-0, following a 66-run
victory in the first ODI last Saturday at the Vivian
Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, where it also
prevailed by 17 runs in the second ODI on Monday.
The path for a series-clinching victory for the Proteas
has been helped by injuries, which will rule out three
pivotal West Indies players.
Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, admitted his side
has not quite reached their peak, but he was satisfied
that they would enter the next two matches on the verge of
another series victory. "We have done pretty well so far
in the series," he said. "We have kept our nerve, and we
have done what we need to do to win the games. The guys
are working hard."
The left-handed opener was also happy with the way the
batsmen had made use of batsman-friendly conditions to
post challenging totals off 280 for seven, and 300 for
five in the first two ODIs.
"The pitches were very slow, and I am happy with the way
we have crafted our innings," he said. "We have built good
partnerships, our running between the wickets has been
good, and we have manipulated the fields well." "There
have not been a huge amount of boundaries on offer during
the middle of the innings, and so we have had to run hard
to keep the score moving." Medical scans have revealed
that Ramnaresh Sarwan has sustained a Grade 1 hamstring
tear that will keep him out of action for the next two to
three weeks.
Left-arm spinner Nikita Miller will also be sidelined for
the same period with a side strain, and fast bowler Kemar
Roach will rest a troublesome ankle until the start of the
Test series between the two sides.
Left-handed batsman Darren Bravo, the younger brother of
West Indies vice captain and all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, has
been brought back from the A-Team squad currently touring
Bangladesh to boost the batting reserves. All-rounder Dave
Bernard Jr has also been added to give some depth to the
batting and the bowling.
West Indies captain Chris Gayle felt the replacements were
more than capable. He however, was more concerned about
the need for the home team to rebound from the injury
setbacks, and win to stay alive in the series. "We had a
few positives in the previous match, particularly the way
Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo batted, and I am hoping that
we can carry them into the match," said Gayle.
"I think the bowlers have been doing very well, although
South Africa have made two big totals because the pitches
have been good, and they are bowling to experienced
batsmen that know how to manipulate the ball."
He added: "It's now up to us, the batsmen, to play our
part. I think we have been letdown with our batting in the
middle period of the innings, when rotation of the strike
is very important.
"Once we put that kind of pressure on ourselves at that
stage, it's always going to be difficult for the batsmen
coming lower down, so we need to work on this as quickly
as possible."
On their previous trip to the Caribbean, South Africa
completed a 5-0 sweep in the ODI series, and if the
scattered showers forecast stay away, and they can
complete a victory in the third ODI, they could repeat
this achievement.
Windsor Park hosted its first two ODIs last year, when
Bangladesh took advantage of a West Indies side ravaged by
industrial action by the leading players because of
unsatisfactory terms and conditions of engagement. In both
matches, the pitch appeared to be batsman friendly, which
sets the stage for more high-scoring.
Squads
West Indies: Chris Gayle (capt), Dwayne Bravo,
Sulieman Benn, Dave Bernard Jr, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine
Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh
Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Dale Richards, Darren Sammy, Jerome
Taylor
South Africa (from): Graeme Smith (capt), Jacques Kallis,
Hashim Amla, Loots Bosman, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher,
Abraham de Villiers, Jean-Paul Duminy, Ryan McLaren, David
Miller, Morne Morkel, Alviro Pietersen, Dale Steyn,
Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Roelof van der Merwe.
Japan coach Okada ignores
Troussier's taunts
AFP, Tokyo
Japan's World Cup coach Takeshi Okada has said he has no
plans to change his approach despite recent poor results,
brushing off taunts from former team boss Philippe
Troussier, a report said Thursday.
Frenchman Troussier-the only coach ever to take Japan to
the knockout stages of the World Cup finals-severely
criticised the team following a 2-0 defeat to Asian rivals
South Korea on Monday, saying they had a "stupid
mentality", and said Okada had "confusion in his head".
Okada came under fire for asking the head of the Japan
Football Association if he should quit in the wake of
Monday's defeat, the latest poor result for the Blue
Samurai, who also crashed 3-0 at home to a second string
Serbia side last month. Speaking after Japan's first
training session at their camp in the village of Saas-Fee,
high in the Swiss Alps, Okada said: "I think this team is
what it is."
"Sometimes you are going to have players injured or out of
condition or unavailable or whatever, but I have no
intention of making any major changes to what we have been
doing," Okada said quoted by Kyodo news agency.
"I still think this is a team that is capable of going
places. The most important thing is to keep repeating what
we have been trying to do until now." Okada took Japan to
a winless World Cup finals debut at France 1998 in his
first stint as national coach.
Troussier took the Samurai to the last 16 in the 2002
competition, co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, but four
years later they failed again to make it out of the group
stage.
Before boarding a flight with his squad from Tokyo on
Wednesday, Okada insisted he was still eyeing a semi-final
spot-an ambition that has been widely ridiculed. Grouped
with the Netherlands, Cameroon and Denmark in South
Africa, Okada's squad will train in Saas-Fee and have
warm-up matches against England on Sunday.
Scheepers stunned by French Open
breakthrough
AFP, Paris
South Africa's Chanelle Scheepers said she was so stunned
by her breakthrough victory over world number 45 Gisela
Dulko at the French Open that she didn't realise what she
had achieved.
Scheepers, ranked 86 places below her Argentine opponent,
came from behind to win 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday, making
her the first South African since Amanda Coetzer in 2001
to reach round three at Roland Garros.
"I tried not to think that it was a match point. I just
played it like another point and I think maybe a minute or
so after that I realised what had happened," said the
26-year-old from Pretoria, who faces Uzbe-kistan's Akgul
Amanmu-radova for a place in the last 16. "When that ball
went out it was just another point and I think it took a
while for me to realise what just happened." A loose shot
from Dulko, who shocked 10th seed Victoria Azarenka in the
first round, handed victory to Scheepers and prompted a
huge cheer from her watching compatriots.
"I think it got close in the third set and everyone was
happy to see that I closed it out and I had great support,
so that really helped me closing out the match," she said.
Scheepers, who had to go through qualifying, broke Dulko's
serve in the opening game of the match but the players
were then forced off the court by the first of two rain
interruptions.
The South African fended off a break point in the first
game back on court and then broke again to move 3-0 clear,
only for Dulko to break back twice in succession to level
the scores.
The Argentine held serve to move ahead for the first time
in the match and then broke Scheepers again to take a 5-3
lead before taking the set with a crosscourt forehand that
caught her opponent flat-footed.
Another heavy rain shower forced the players off Court Six
early in the second set and when play resumed there was an
exchange of five breaks that culminated with Scheepers
serving for the set at 5-3 up.
Dulko saved two set points but succumbed on the third
following a line-call that she disputed vehemently and
quickly fell 3-0 down in the decider.
"I saw she was complaining about it but I also knew that
she's experienced," said Scheepers.
Key injuries trouble Spain’s World
Cup bid
AFP, Madrid
European champion Spain has one of the most complete sides
in world football and an in-depth squad packed full of
talent, but a spate of injuries to key players is
disrupting its preparations for this summer's World Cup
assault.
Liverpool forward Fernando Torres, Arsenal playmaker Cesc
Fabregas and Barcelona's creative midfielder Andres
Iniesta all missed the tail end of their respective league
seasons due to injury leaving coach Vicente del Bosque
with a major headache.
The three youngsters were pivotal for Spain in their Euro
2008 success and del Bosque is sweating on their fitness
ahead of the 2010 South Africa showpiece.
The 26-year-old Torres, who scored the winner in the 1-0
Euro 2008 final win over Germany, had to have a knee
operation to repair cartilage torn in a Europa League
match against Benfica on April 8 and has not played since.
Torres has been plagued by injuries over the past few
seasons and faces a battle to be fit for Spain's opening
Group H match against Switzerland on June 16.
"It's been a hard year due to injuries, and it's a massive
shame that I haven't been able to play more matches," said
Torres.
"Now all I have left to look forward to is to try and be
fit for South Africa.
"I have been waiting four years for this and, if all goes
well, I do not anticipate missing it."
Arsenal captain Fabregas, 23, is another player on the
sidelines having suffered a fracture in his right leg
during his side's Champions League quarter-final first leg
match on March 31.
Fabregas, 23, suffered the broken leg taking a penalty and
missed the remainder of the season although he is
confident of making the World Cup.
"On May 24, I will join up with the Spanish national team
and should be able to join in a bit when we play Saudi
Arabia five days later," said Fabregas.
"Now I just have to be patient, making sure I come back as
strongly as I can. The timing is looking good for the
World Cup."
Iniesta, 25, is another star performer on the treatment
table after tearing a muscle in his right leg.
The Barcelona midfielder has not played since April 10 and
is fighting against the clock to be match fit for the
World Cup.
"This is one of my most difficult moments, but life has
taught me not to give up," said Iniesta.
The Spanish media has voiced its concern at the three
injuries and the latest concern is experienced Barcelona
midfielder Xavi.
The 30-year-old Xavi, a crucial player for Spain and voted
best player at Euro 2008, has been playing with a calf
injury during the title run-in to help out Barcelona.
Spain had a clean bill of health when they surged to
European championship glory under Luis Aragones, however,
his successor del Bosque has much more problems knowing
that even if the players get back fit they will lack match
sharpness having not played competitive matches.
ODI, Test moved from Jamaica to
Trinidad & Tobago
AFP, Roseau
Trinidad & Tobago will stage the fifth and final One-day
International, and the first Test between West Indies and
South Africa, which have been moved from the violence-torn
Jamaica capital of Kingston.
The West Indies Cricket Board confirmed on Wednesday that
the ODI on June 3 will be staged at Queen's Park Oval in
the T&T capital of Port of Spain, where the Test will be
staged from June 10 to 14.
The WICB spent the last few days trying to determine,
which of the venues in the Caribbean could adequately
stage the shifted matches.
Media reports indicated that Queen's Park Oval and St.
Lucia's Beausejour Cricket Ground were the front-runners.
A newspaper report in Jamaica on Wednesday reported that a
last-ditch effort to save the Test in Jamaica, and switch
the dates with Barbados, which hosts the third and final
Test, also failed because of security fears.
Over two-dozen people have reportedly lost their lives in
the Jamaica capital, following an outbreak of gun battles
between security forces and supporters of community
strongman and alleged drug kingpin Christopher 'Dudus'
Coke in the volatile West Kingston constituency.
This stems from the Jamaica government agreeing to sign an
extradition order to the United States for Coke, the
41-year-old reputed leader of the nefarious Shower Posse
gang, one of the most notorious criminal organizations in
the Western Hemisphere.
|
|