monday, MAY 3, 2010 BAISHAKH 20, 1417, JAMADIuL AWAL 17, 1431 Hijri

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Leading News

Govt plans to free capital from traffic congestion: PM
She lays foundation stone of 3.1 km Kuril flyover

UNB, Dhaka

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said her government has taken massive plans, including revival of commuter train services and construction of six railway flyovers, to free the capital city from traffic congestion.
She spelt out the plan at the ground breaking ceremony of 3.1 kilometer multi-dimensional Kuril flyover at Kuril intersection in the city.
The Prime Minister blamed the previous governments for their unplanned and ad-hoc activities as well as mismanagement for the present appalling condition of Dhaka city.
Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun, State Minister for Housing and Public Works Advocate Abdul Mannan Khan and local lawmaker AKM Rahmat Ullah spoke as special guests at the function chaired by Secretary in-charge of Housing and Public Works Ministry MA Hannan.
Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) chairman Engr Nurul Huq described the details of the project through power-point presentation.
The Prime Minister said that the present government has taken plans for reactivating the commuter train services so that the people from different areas around Dhaka could come easily to the capital city and return to their homes after completing their various jobs.
"We want to make this system vibrant," she said.
In this connection, she said that such commuter train services with the capital would operate between Tangail, Mymensingh, Comilla and Brahmanbaria.
The Prime Minister said they have undertaken plans to construct another six railway overpasses and more than one flyover in Dhaka city. "By constructing these quickly, I hope the problem of traffic congestion in Dhaka city will be solved."
She also said that to ease the traffic congestion in old Dhaka city, the construction of a flyover from Golapshah Mazar at Gulistan to Babubazar would start very soon.
The Prime Minister said that after assuming the office her government put utmost importance on the reducing of traffic congestion in Dhaka.
Hasina said that after the construction of the multi-dimensional flyover, the first in the country, the traffic congestion at Kuril intersection would ease to a great extent.
She mentioned that to make the city free from traffic congestion her government has taken steps to construct approach roads, elevated expressway, subway, commuter railway, ring roads and circular waterways.
She said the government is planning to provide extra facilities to the industries which would be set up outside the capital to reduce the pressure on Dhaka city.
The length of the project is 3.1 kilometer with 6.7-9.2 meter width. There will be four loops while the height of the flyover will be 14.5 meter. There will be single level unidirectional traffic movement and there will be 20 traffic directions.
The project will be completed by April 2012.

 Khaleda smells corruption in rental power contracts
UNB, Dhaka

Opposition leader Khaleda Zia has criticized the government for resorting to setting up rental power plants without tender at high cost, and brought allegations of corruption against the present administration for doing so.
"We've received allegation of corruption in allowing power plants without tender," she said while exchanging views with leaders of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal on May Day at her Gulshan office Saturday evening.
The BNP chairperson accused the government of failing to do anything in the power sector in the past 15 months. Now the government is arranging power at higher price, the burden of which will have to be borne by the common people, she said.
Khaleda said the government will not be able to continue in power for long due to its failures in all sectors. She said civil society and eminent citizens also believe that.
Questioning the fairness of the Bhola-3 by-elections, she said if BNP won, there would not have been any change in the power. But the ruling party nominated a terrorist who won the vote through terrorism. Khaleda said the Election Commission had an opportunity to show their neutrality by conducting the election in a free and fair manner but once again failed to do so.
Expressing concern over the situation on various campuses across the country, she alleged that Chhatra League workers are assaulting female students and teachers spoiling the academic atmosphere. They are also involved in extortion and terrorist activities.
The BNP chair said her party would launch anti-government agitation at an appropriate time, noting that it has experience of leading such movements in the past.
"Currently, we are observing various programs everyday for resolving public sufferings," she noted. Khaleda said the last caretaker government damaged BNP in various ways and "we're engaged in rebuilding the organization." She urged party leaders and workers to prepare the organization for a movement in the future.
The opposition leader said they wanted to cooperate with the government in dealing with national issues but the party in power ignored it. The government, she said, is running the country in 'baksali' style, in reference to the 1-party system, BAKSAL, that was initiated by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman prior to his assassination.

 BB governor disfavours whitening of black money
BSS, Dhaka

Putting money whitening process in the bad books, Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Dr Atiur Rahman strongly suggested discontinuation of the current black money whitening facility.
"I believe the facility has not got expected response, prompting the suggestion that the next budget should not allow any more black money into the economy," the governor observed at a meeting with newsmen at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) in the city Sunday.
He also referred to the recent comment of the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) on the issue. NBR Chairman Nasiruddin Ahmed the other day said that they were reviewing the benefit of the process as it brought mere benefit to the economy.
Dr Atiur expects that the NBR would also advise for not continuing the facility, which brought almost nothing to the economy.
The governor was also critical of the delay in implementing the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects, which he believes a weakness of the current 2009-10 budget.
He, however, hoped that the next budget would give emphasis on the implementation process of the fiscal initiatives, including the projects under the PPP.
"I think the next budget will be the budget for implementation", Dr Atiur said.
He referred to the power crisis as a major issue of concern and hoped that this sector would get proper attention in the budget for 2010-11.
Besides the budget, the governor spoke about his next year's plan for the central bank and the country's banking and financial sector.
Dr Atiur Sunday finished his first year in the central bank as its chief. He joined the central bank on May 3 last year with a vow to make the BB and the banking sector pro-poor.
With this objective, he said he would try to address the financial inclusion, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and containing inflation through an inclusive monetary policy.
He said that the central bank would also work on eliminating the default culture for strengthening further the banking sector, which already showed remarkable resilience to the recent global downturn.
DRU President Shamim Ahmed presided over the meeting.

     TIB calls for revising govt decision to amend Anti-Corruption Act

UNB, Dhaka

Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) has called for changing the government decision of amending the Anti-Corruption Act-2004, saying it will weaken the constitutional body frustrating the purpose.
ACC will be rendered ineffective in curbing corruption if the government decision is implemented, said Hafizuddin Khan, chairman of TIB, at a press conference at the National Press Club Sunday.
TIB Executive Director Iftekhar Zaman was critical of the cabinet decision that provides prior-permission of the government for filing any complaint against the government officials. "It is impossible to expect such permission in the context of Bangladesh. The proposal is contrary to the constitution that enshrined equal rights to all citizens."
He deadly opposed to the government proposition to make the ACC responsible to the President and suggested the independent watchdog body may be made accountable to either an all-party parliamentary committee or the supreme judicial council or both.
He viewed that recruitment of ACC secretary as proposed by the government is intended to raise administrative control over ACC. He demanded section 36 of ACC Act should be repealed to prevent the government intervention into the ACC activities. TIB Trusty Board Member Prof Muzaffer Ahmad said the government decision to bring ACC under its control is inconsistent to Awami League's election manifesto.
He said provision of reward and punishment should be incorporated in the ACC Act.

   Ten people killed by law enforcers in April
HR report highlights extrajudicial killings

UNB, Dhaka

Some ten people were killed allegedly at the hands of law enforcers in April, according to a report prepared by the Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR).
Besides, 836 people became victims of assault allegedly by members of law enforcing agencies during the same period.
On the other hand, nine law enforcers were killed in different incidents, including accidents, while they were on-duty. Besides, 164 others were injured and one remains missing from the same month.
The BIHR report based on published reports of different dailies also revealed that 11 incidents of HR violations were reportedly committed by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) across the frontier, claiming the lives of four people and injuring six others between April 1 and 30 April.
At least 19 leaders and activists of different political parties were killed and 818 others were injured due to political violence across the country.
Of them, 11 belong to ruling Awami League and its front organisations, five belongs to main opposition BNP and its front organisations and the remaining three belong to other organisations, the BIHR said. Around 161 people, including nine women and five children, were killed in different instances of social violence across the country during the same period.
Besides, some 2732 people were injured in instances of social violence and 12 people were beaten to death across the country during the same period.
The report recorded twenty-eight incidents of HR violations against journalists across the country. One journalist was killed, 16 were injured, three received threats while one child journalist was kidnapped in April.

   HC puts Cox’s Bazar DC on standing in courtroom
BSS, Dhaka

The High Court Sunday put Deputy Commissioner of Cox's Bazar Giasuddin Ahmed on standing in the courtroom for five hours for not complying with its order.
"Giasuddin Ahmed considered himself as the lord of the district and committed offences which are not excusable," the senior judge of a two-member bench Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury said while ordered the DC to remain standing till ending of the court. Giasuddin appeared before the court on a notice issued by the bench. Counsel for Giasuddin Ahmed sought unconditional apology showing regards to the court.
On April 11, on a writ petition brought by one Maksud Miah, the court asked the DC of Cox's Bazar by issuing an order to call fresh tender bid of the ferry ghat by reviewing the rate of toll of the Bakhkhali river on Cox's Bazar-Moheskhali route canceling its earlier bid. But, the DC did not comply with the court directives, though he received the order. Moreover, he asked the upazila Nirbhahi officer (UNO) and officer-in-charge (OC) to take steps for handing over the possession of the ghat to the bidder.
The DC also ordered the local police to take action against the persons, who are creating obstructions in getting possession of the ghat.

Back Page

Nothing more shameful than admission trade: PM
UNB, Dhaka

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed serious disdain for the 'admission trade' prevailing in different educational institutions of the country.
The Prime Minister gave vent to her anger when the standing committee members of the Association of Universities of Bangladesh called on her at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Sunday morning, said the Prime Minister's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad.
Association of Universities of Bangladesh is a body consisting of all the vice-chancellors of the country's 31 public universities. Talking about the much-publicized allegations of the admission trade in colleges and universities, whereby students are admitted in exchange for money rather than on merit, the Prime Minister said she too has heard that a section of teachers are involved in such illegal activity.
"Nothing can be shameful more than this," the Prime Minister commented.
Hasina recalled the days of her student life when she was also involved in student politics, saying that back then, Chhatra League leaders and activists had to remain busy helping admission seekers in filling up their admission forms and completing other academic formalities.
"We could not imagine admission trade or things like that during our times," the Prime Minister said.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister urged the vice-chancellors and all other concerned to ensure a congenial atmosphere of study at all universities across the country.
"We do not want to see any unexpected situation prevailing at the universities," the Prime Minister said.
Sheikh Hasina said that with their spontaneous votes in the December 29, 2008 election, the country's people have reposed a great responsibility on the present government to serve them and improve their living standards.
"And in line with the people's expectation, the government is working round the clock to change the fate of the people and the country. Like all other sectors, we are strongly determined to create an ideal environment in the education sector," she said.
Reiterating her and her government's commitment to facilitating higher education for everyone in the country, the Prime Minister urged the VCs to chalk out plans for setting up more public universities across the country.
In this regard, the Prime Minister said the government wants to create scopes for higher education for every student of the country.

   Historic May Day observed
BSS, Dhaka

The historic May Day was observed in the country Saturday as elsewhere in the world with a fresh vow to protect the rights of workers and uphold their dignity.
The day is observed across the world every year since 1886 commemorating the supreme sacrifices of workers at the Hay Market in the United States to establish the rights of eight-hour working day and with a renewed ple-dge to uphold the rights of working class.
Many working people sacrificed their lives on May 1, 1886 and the following days during series of movements, bomb attacks, riots and police actions on agitating workers while they were on a three-day strike at Hay Market in Chicago.
The Hay Market incident since then became a source of inspiration for the downtrodden people around the globe.
As such, May Day has become an international celebration of the social and economic achievements of the labour movement. This year's theme of the day was 'Build Owners-Workers Unity, Build Digital Bangladesh'. The day was a public holiday.
President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in separate messages greeted the working class people of the country and wished their overall welfare. Leader of the opposition and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia also congratulated the working class people on the occasion of May Day.
The Prime Minister opened the May Day programmes at 10 am in the Osmani Memorial Hall. The programmes included discussion, seminar, cultural function and a three-day fair.
Labour and Employment Ministry undertook a three-day colourful programme to observe the day at the state level. A colourful procession was brought out in the morning from the premises of 'Shrama Bhaban' in Motijheel area and it ended in front of the Osmani Memorial Hall via Zero Point. Labour and Employment and Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Mini-ster Engineer Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain led the rally. Different political and labour organizations, particularly the labour wings of political parties, professional bodies and cultural organizations have chalked out elaborate programmes to celebrate the day.

   Lightning kills 16 people at seven different places
UNB, Dhaka

At least 16 people were killed and a score others injured by lightning in Habiganj, Mymensingh, Sunamganj, Narayanganj, Bagerhat, Sunamganj and Pirojpur on Sunday.
In Habiganj, Lightning struck to death to six persons including two women and left 4 injured at Bania-chang, Bahubal and Sadar upazila at noon.
Montu Robi Das, 40, Mohima Khatun, 32, of Haripur village in Baniachang upazila, Azimuddin of Boro Bahula in Sadar upazila, Askir Mia and Mafia Akter of Snanghat in Bahubal upazila and Russel Mia, 22 of Nabiganj died on the spot when the area was swept by rains. The injured were admitted to the Sadar Hospital.
In Mymensingh, two siblings and two were killed by thunderbolt at Haski village in Haluaghat upazila in the morning. Monir, 18, and his brother Shakil, 12, sons of Shah Zaman were struck by the lightning when grazing cows in nearby field. Two cows were also died.
In Bagerhat, farmer Yunus Ali Hazra, 60, struck dead when he was cutting grass in the field at Tengrakhali village of Kachua upazila before the evening. Fatema Begum, 30, of Maniknagar and Kualsum Begum, 22, of Pabantala village in Rampal upazila were killed in their homestead. Khadija Begum and Mariam badly injured by the lightning were admitted to Rampal Health Complex.
A report from Sunamganj said two persons were killed and 8 others injured by lightning in the morning in remote villages of Tahirpur, Sadar, Jamalganj upazila.
Anwara Begum, 44, of Rajargaon village was struck by the lightning when she was in the kitchen in the morning. Her three children were also injured. School teacher Ramanda Talukdar, 44, was killed by lightning in Rajapur village. Of the injured, Abdul Kalam and Ibrahim were admitted to Sunamganj Sadar Hospital.
UNB Gaibandha Corres-pondent said: Mofizul Haque, 30, of Kismat Bagchi village in Sadullapur upazila was killed in lightning in his home when it was raining at 10 pm Saturday.
In Narayanganj, farmer Liton Mia was struck by thunderbolt when he was working in the field at Paturia village in Sonargaon upazila.
In Prirojepur, Belayet Hossain (40) was killed by lightning in Udaykathi village of Sadar upazila.

   9 BDR mutineers of 12 Rifles Battalion in Rangamati get various prison terms

UNB, Rangamati

A special court on Sunday convicted nine BDR mutineers of Rajnagar 12 Riffles Battalion in Rangadu upazila and sentenced them to various prison terms in a BDR mutiny case.
Special Court-4, headed by outgoing BDR chief Major General Mainul Islam, sat at 2:30pm and handed the verdict before ending its proceedings at 2:45pm in the district BDR headquarters. The other members of the court Lt Col Abdur Rauf and Major Golam Mostafa Al Mamun, and Attorney-General's representative Advocate Md Sohrawardy were present.
The convicted mutineers were identified as Moha-mmad Shamsul Haque, Havildar M Shibrir Ahmed, Havildar M Sohrab Hossain, Signal Man Mohammad Abdur Rahman, Sepoy Abul Kalam Azad, Sepoy Mohammad Sakhawat Hossain, Sepoy Mohammad Russel Kabir, Sepoy Mohammad Zahir Uddin and Sepoy Mohammad Sarwar Kamal.
Of them, only Shamsul Haque was given the highest seven years rigorous imprisonment while three others were given six years, one sentenced to five years, another sentenced to three years and three others given two years RI.
The court also fined all the convicts Tk 100 each and ordered that the convicts serve their imprisonment in the local jail.

   I was neither a Rajakar nor a freedom fighter: Matin
UNB, Dhaka

Chief Investigation Officer for investigating crimes against humanity Abdul Matin refuted PM advisor Dr Alauddin Ahmed's remarks that he was a member of Islamic Chha-tra Sangha, student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, during the country's liberation war in 1971.
"I was neither a Rajakar nor a freedom fighter. But, I served the then Pakistan government in 1971," he told media at his chamber in the Tribunal set up in old High Court building Sunday noon. Narrating his student career, Matin claimed he never joined any student organization or political party. In 1960 he passed the matriculation from Barisal and the Intermediate in 1962. However, he contested for the post of VP in BM College Students Union as an independent candidate in 1963.
"I did not seek any nomination from any student organization or political party," he said, adding there was no student organization named Islamic Chhatra Sangha (ICS) in Barisal in 1963. "Therefore, the question of his taking nomination from the Islami Chhatra Sangha does not arise," Matin said.
In 1965, Matin was admitted to City Law College in Dhaka and at that time too he was not also involved in any political activities. In 1968 he passed LLB and got admitted in Chittagong University for MA. After passing the MA in 1970, he said he joined the judicial service as Munsif and was posted in Mymensingh.
"Though I served the Pakistan government during the war, I had lot of sympathy for freedom fighters," he said. Asked whet-her he will quit the post following the allegation by the PM's Advisor, Matin said the government has appointed him and if the government wants, he will resign. He argued that serving the Pakistan government during the liberation war and Rajakar are not the same. "It's the moral responsibility of all including you (media) and I to try the perpetrators committed crimes against humanity," he said.

   Five killed in city road accidents in two days
BSS, Dhaka

Five people including two van drivers were killed in separate road accidents in different parts of the city during the last two days, police and hospital sources said Sunday.
Police quoting hospital sources and eyewitnesses said Babul Miah, 35 and Abdur Rahim, 30, both van drivers, received critical injuries on the Airport road, just opposite Khilhet Nikunja CNG Filling Station, at about 6-30 am Sunday when a covered van hit their vans. Pedestrians and police took them to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where the attending doctors declared them dead.
Police said Babul Miah hailed from a village under Raypura Upazila in Narsingdi District while Abdur Rahim hailed from Melandah in Jamalpur district.
In another incident, Md Tamij Uddin, aged about 70, a former employee of Bangladesh Air Force, was killed on the spot at Kabi Jasim Uddin Road under Uttara Thana at about 8-30 am when a speeding truck knocked him down. Tamij Uddin, a resident of Bawnia Embankment, met the accident when he was going to the Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport to draw his pension.
Meanwhile, Dulal Hossain, 28, a resident of Mirpur section- 6, was injured critically under the wheels of a speeding bus near the crossing of Mipur section-10 at about 11-30 pm. He was immediately taken to the DMCH where the attending doctors declared him dead.
Besides, an unidentified youth, aged about 30, was killed under the wheels of a speeding bus on Moha-mmadpur Embankment at about 7-30 am Sunday. All the bodies were sent to the morgue of DMCH for autopsy.
Separate cases were filed with respective police stations in connection with the road accidents.

   UPDF man shot dead by Jss activists in Jurachhari
UNB, Rangamati

UPDF leader of Jurachhari upazila was shot dead allegedly by JSS activists in Labourpara village on Sunday morning.
Prashanta Chakma, 37, Office Secretary of Jubo Forum, youth organ of UPDF, was shot dead at about 11 am.
Locals and police said a group of 14 armed activists of JSS raided Labourpara village and search houses. The gunmen entered the house of Prashanta and shot him to death.
UPDF claimed that the JSS gunmen killed the innocent man and run away from the village.
On information, police rushed to the spot and recovered the body and sent to hospital for autopsy.

Editorial

Decline of labour market

It is definitely a bad news that the labour market abroad for Bangladeshis is on the decline. According to a report published in a national daily on Saturday: The labour market in the Middle East is shrinking. Only 16,547 Bangladeshi workers have been exported to six Middle Eastern countries during the last three months. Among them 11 went to Kuwait and 92 to Malaysia. But during the first three months of 2009 as many as 12,000 Bangladeshis were exported to Malaysia. Manpower exporters say, manpower export to Malaysia has reduced by 99.24 per cent in the last one year. In other words manpower export to Malaysia has declined to almost zero.
Officials of BMTE said most of our manpower export is made to the Middle East. But in this regard, only in case of United Arab Emirates the situation remains normal while manpower export to six other countries is almost nil. BMTE statistics show that only 2255 Bangladeshis went to Saudi Arabia in last three months and 16921 in last 15 months while 31,306 Bangladeshis have returned in the corresponding period. Before 2009, every year 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh people on an average used to be exported to Saudi Arabia from Bangladesh. According to media reports, of the 70 lakh expatriate Bangladeshi workers as many as 40 lakh are in the Middle East including 20 lakh in Saudi Arabia alone.
BMTE officials alleged that the recruiting agents of our country are largely responsible for the fall of manpower export to Saudi Arabia. Some exporters have sent more than one person to Saudi Arabia on the same visa. As a result only the genuine visa holders get the employment while others sit idle without any job. Some of the jobless people even involve themselves in various offences which tarnish the image of the country and contribute to the decline in manpower import from Bangladesh.
It is indeed a matter of concern that manpower export plummeted largely in the recent months as many of the countries have stopped recruiting Bangladeshi labourers and sending back a huge number of them. These have mainly been attributed to the global recession and lack of initiative by the government to retain the existing manpower markets and explore new ones. Because of the inefficiency and failure of the people working in our foreign missions the manpower export faced a setback. The people entrusted with the task failed to deal with the situation properly and effectively. Many of the Bangladesh Missions abroad are unable or incapable of playing effective role in boosting manpower export. In some cases, the mission officials concerned allegedly remain busy more in personal business than working for increasing the export of Bangladeshis to the relevant country.
This is undoubtedly an appalling scenario. The situation is very alarming specially in view of the fact that our economy is largely dependent on remittances from expatriates Bangladeshi workers. If the Bangladeshis working abroad continue to be sent back home and the manpower export continues to drop at the present rate thousands of wage earners will be rendered jobless and the national economy will be hit hard. Under these circumstances, the prime need of hour is to take necessary measures for finding out alternative labour markets. No stone should be left unturned to reach understandings with those countries which are sending our workers back and boost manpower exports to other countries . It goes without saying that more and more export of manpower is vital for our economic progress and stability. So, the government should step up its efforts to send increased number of people abroad with jobs.

  River erosion

With the rise of water level, large scale erosion by rivers is going on at different places of the country. The mighty Padma has devoured two kilometre crop land in Aliabad union under Faridpur Sadar thana of Faridpur district. Jamuna river has eroded vast tract of land at Saghata in Gaibandha. The river has devoured two hundred homesteads and trees and crops during the last one week. Two barracks of Natarkandi Shelter Centre at Astamir Char union under Chilmari in Kurigram has gone into river bed as the Brahmaputra continues to erode its bank. Twenty familes rendered homeless by erosion are now passing days under open sky. In Ulipur of Kurigram, river erosion has rendedred 200 families shelterless. Similarly rivers are eroding their banks at Manikganj, Munshiganj, Shariatpur, Bogra and Maulbibazar.
River erosion is a scourge for the people of Bangladesh as it devours land and renders people homeless at different places every yea. According to a report published in a national daily recently, at least 16,650 people might be displaced in 14 districts this year due to erosion only by the Jamuna and Padma rivers at 38 points stretching over 145 kilometres of riverbank.
During the last rainy season also, river erosion played havoc with land and homesteads at different places of northern, central and southern zone of the country. The erosion of the Brahmatputra, some of its tributaries and the Jamuna have taken a devastating turn causing heavy damages to land, roads, homesteads, schools, madrasas and properties in the northern region. The mighty Padma in the central zone eroded its banks in Faridpur, Shariapur and Munshiganj areas. This year also a number of localities with huge agricultural land and homesteads have been devoured by erosion in Faridpur and Shariatpur and elsewhere rendering thousands of people homeless. The erosion victims across the country are passing days in endless miseries as they have lost their land, crops and shelters. The government should on emergency basis provide relief for them and arrange for their rehabilitation on humanitarian ground.

Analysis

Revisiting the 18th Amendment

While he has lost power as president, he continues to wield enormous influence in the management of public affairs because of his position as head of the PPP, the party that rules at the centre.

Anwar Syed

A Bill goes to the president after the two houses of parliament have passed it and it becomes an act when he signs it. The same happens with any constitutional amendments that parliament may have adopted. That is normal legislative procedure.
A couple of weeks ago the two houses of parliament, each with a unanimous vote, passed the 18th Amendment, which had the effect of repealing the 17th Amendment. In addition it incorporated numerous changes in the existing constitution proposed by a parliamentary committee. The 18th Amendment divested the president of all his executive authority and made him a ceremonial head of state. The president may now only act on the prime minister's advice.
The amendment in question went to the president for his signature. He could have signed it when it arrived at his desk and returned it to the official concerned. That is not what President Zardari did. He converted his signing of the amendment into a grand and lavish ceremony. Scores of persons - including the four provincial chief ministers and their associates, members of parliament, opposition leaders such as Nawaz Sharif, PPP dignitaries and other notables - were invited to witness the event. All this was followed by dinner which must have cost the exchequer a hefty sum of money.
He went for this lavish spending in spite of the fact that there was nothing in the amendment for him to celebrate on a personal level. His supporters may say that he wanted to place parliamentary government on a firm footing which this amendment did. He therefore did not mind the personal loss of power that it entailed. It should, however, be noted that while he has lost power as president, he continues to wield enormous influence in the management of public affairs because of his position as head of the PPP, the party that rules at the centre.
The adoption of the 18th Amendment was a historic event. Congratulations for this accomplishment are owed to parliament, which passed it unanimously, and not to Mr Zardari who had little, if anything, to do with its initiation and subsequent passage.
In spite of the amendment's generally acknowledged merits, sceptics are not entirely wanting. Abdul Hafeez Pirzada says the Supreme Court is likely to strike it down, because it transgressed the country's basic constitutional structure. In my view this interpretation is not viable. The basic structure he is referring to consists of an elected president with specified authority and functions, a parliament and an independent judiciary. It provides for elections at various levels of government, which individuals and political parties may contest. It specifies the distribution of powers and functions between the federation and the provinces. The 18th Amendment does not change any of this.
Some observers feel that the amendment goes to excess in providing for provincial autonomy, and that the provinces are not administratively equipped to exercise all the powers that have devolved upon them. If it transpires that they cannot exercise all their new powers, I imagine they can delegate the ones they cannot discharge to the central government. Alternatively, their administrative capabilities can be made commensurate with their new responsibilities by transferring relevant experts from the centre to provincial governments.
Some observers complain that the amendment detracts from the judiciary's independence and makes for a confrontation between the judiciary and parliament by giving a judicial commission and a parliamentary review committee a role in the appointment of judges. This is a complex issue that needs to be handled with care. According to the procedure followed to date, the Chief Justice of Pakistan proposes to the president names of individuals deemed fit to be appointed as judges. His recommendations are virtually binding on the president. This procedure works well, and I see no reason why it should not remain in effect.
Some observers object that since members of parliament do not elect other members, judges should also not be allowed to appoint fellow judges. This is fallacious reasoning. Parliament consists of the people's chosen representatives. A person can be its member only if the people have elected him to that station. Judges on the other hand do not represent the people and they are not accountable to them. They serve the public interest by acting as guardians of the rule of law and as enforcers of the supremacy of the constitution. But they are not the people's appointees. That which is right for members of parliament cannot be the norm for judges.
The Supreme Court has said more than once that there need not be any collision between the various organs of the state if they stay within their own prescribed bounds and abstain from transgressing the domains of others. These organs may have interlocking contacts but they do have their distinct identities and spheres of authority and functions. There is a common misunderstanding in this regard that needs to be removed. The idea of the separation of powers belongs to a presidential system such as the American. A parliamentary system is one of fusion, not separation, of powers.
The judiciary does indeed stand apart from the other two organs of the state. But that is not the case with the executive and the legislature. Here the ruling authority vests in parliament. If thieves and robbers walk free, it will be reckoned ultimately as parliament's failing. But since the National Assembly, a body of 342 members, cannot go out to catch them, it appoints a smaller committee of its members to make arrangements to catch and prosecute them. That committee is called the cabinet, headed by a prime minister. It is also known as the government of the day.
A conflict between the judiciary and the executive may already have surfaced. The impression is spreading that Prime Minister Gilani's government is reluctant to implement some of the Supreme Court's orders. It may not publicise its unwillingness.
It will more likely say that it does not have the means, in terms of the requisite funds and personnel, to fully implement the court's decisions. There is not much that the court can do to change this situation. Its verdicts will then remain dysfunctional and inconsequential. To a significant degree ours is a government of men, not of laws.
The writer is professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts and a visiting professor at the Lahore School of Economics.

  Still shadows over Saigon

I hope, and expect, that neither Iraq nor Afghanistan will end as badly as did Saigon, in a great panic and a rush to the doors.
 
H D S Greenway

April 29th, 35 years ago, was a day of fear, sorrow, uncertainty in what would be the last day of the Republic of South Vietnam. People milled through the streets, many wailing and in tears. Crowds surrounded the American Embassy as helicopters began the final and humiliating American evacuation after 35 years of effort - first supporting the French, and then on our own.
That day began for me with the sound of artillery rounds landing in the city shortly before dawn. My colleagues were gathering in the hallway of Saigon's old Continental Hotel. One had a radio tuned to the US embassy frequency, and there we would learn of the last Americans to die in the Vietnam War - two marines who were killed while guarding the airport.
The embassy was reporting that the airport would soon no longer be usable as it was being shelled, and so we made our way to the US embassy to await the helicopters that would take us away to Navy ships in the South China Sea.
Hysterical Vietnamese whom we were leaving behind would press pathetic notes through the wire. "I am working for the Americans. Please tell Mr. Jacobson I am here," read one. American marines, manning the wall, would step on the fingers of Vietnamese trying to climb over to safety.
And when the helicopters came, we rose above the city in a sudden rain. I could see panicked people trying to force their way aboard crowded boats in the Saigon River. Away to the northeast ammunition dumps were blowing up and fires raged in the distance.
We crossed the coast in the gathering dark. South Vietnamese army helicopters, like butterflies borne on an off-shore wind, landed briefly on the waiting ships before being tossed over the side to make room for more. All about us lay a flotilla of helplessly overcrowded boats. These were the first of the boat people who in the year to come would account for a great hemorrhaging of Vietnam's population. On the following day North Vietnamese tanks would enter Saigon.
What was it all for? Henry Cabot Lodge, a former American ambassador to Saigon, later wrote: "Was the US engaged in an imperialist adventure far from our own shores? Or were we defending a small nation, pledged to democratic government from naked aggression? Did limitations placed on our use of military force keep us from a swift and decisive victory? Or were we engaged in a war that could not be won even with the most sophisticated and lethal weapons? Were the Vietcong freedom fighters seeking to liberate their country from centuries of foreign domination? Or were they simply terrorists, willing to use any means to gain power?
"Did the ultimate collapse of South Vietnam signify a loss of will on the part of the American people? Or were we fighting the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time?"
My answer to this last question would be yes. It was the wrong war in the wrong place. It was always really more about nationalism than Communism. The domino theory, holding that a loss in Vietnam would mean a loss of all of Southeast Asia was wrong. The dominos didn't fall, and the argument that our destruction of Vietnam gave time for other Asian nations to resist is bogus. Like those first British soldiers who fell at Concord Bridge in that April 200 years before, we had come 10,000 miles "and died to keep the past upon the throne."
What did we learn from Vietnam? Not much, as it turned out. The "Powell Doctrine," named after General Colin Powell, which said that we should only intervene abroad when we could deploy overwhelming force was thrown over the side by the Bush administration when we invaded Iraq.
I used to wonder how, after such a comparatively short span of time, the US could be making the same mistake in Iraq as it had in Indochina? But when I remembered that Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney had been in President Ford's office when Saigon fell I realised that it was not a lapse of memory. Rumsfeld, Cheney and the neo-conservative had answered all of Lodge's questions in the opposite of how I had answered them: Vietnam was the right war, but we had fought it wrong, and here with Iraq is a chance to do it right, ?they concluded.
Imperialist ventures, whether by us or the Europeans, were always dressed in idealistic clothes. Spain took South America's gold in the guise of saving souls for Christianity. The French spoke of spreading civilisation. The British spoke of the "White Man's Burden." And the Americans always talked about spreading democracy. But in the end it was always about forcing on other countries and societies what we wanted. Yes, we could find some locals whose interests coincided with ours, but that was always secondary.
I hope, and expect, that neither Iraq nor Afghanistan will end as badly as did Saigon, in a great panic and a rush to the doors. But the effort to make over others in America's image will seldom be accomplished by force, and usually ends in tears.


HDS Greenway is an American journalist and columnist of Boston Globe

  No revenge on establishment

I am one of those who continue to insist that the struggle for the realisation of the rights of Balochistan and its old native population is a justified struggle.
 
Harris Khalique

“She was old, almost half-bent. Still, she would call on every house in the neighbourhood when there was some birth, a wedding, an ailment or a death. We were friends with her daughter-in-law and called her Khala. She had interesting stories to tell but would sometimes bore us to death by being too nostalgic about Agra. Nothing in Quetta was up to the mark, be it people, places, bazaars, food, parks, anything. Even the animal excreta there were less smelly and same-sized candles would last much longer than in Quetta. Her son, who was a clerk in railways, and daughter-in-law would challenge and tell her that Quetta was much cleaner, serene and liveable for them than Agra was. Would she ever agree? We were girls who were born in Quetta and sometimes got irritated by Khala's looking down upon Quetta. When we would ask her to go back to Agra if she disliked Quetta so much, a tear or two would quietly roll down her cheeks and she looked blankly into our eyes. I feel the same in Islamabad today. I now fully understand Khala."
My friend's mother started crying and said, "There is no concept of home if it is not Quetta. We have nothing to do with Punjab." They have just recently moved to Islamabad after their family, settled in Quetta for more than ninety years, was threatened continuously by a neighbourhood gang and boys were chased and attacked. I know many others who had to leave Balochistan over the past couple of years. Another friend who was born in Pishin and has just recently returned from the US after more than four years saw her two brothers threatened, attacked and then shifted to Karachi and Islamabad. Ironically, she was championing the Baloch rights movement on her campus in the US.
Over the past few years, I have written so many times about the plight of Balochistan, the legitimacy of the struggle for Baloch rights and the history of suffering of the Baloch nation at the hands of the Pakistani establishment, military and civilian alike, which is undoubtedly dominated by affluent Punjabis with Pashtuns and Karachiites as their junior partners. But the targeted killing of hundreds of teachers, ordinary workers, tradesmen and students in Balochistan because of having even a remote past connection with Punjab or speaking Urdu as their first language is terribly sad.
The recent murder of Professor Nazima Talib, the first woman professor of Balochistan University to be targeted, is no revenge on the establishment. Those Punjabi bureaucrats and senior military officers who are at the helm of affairs couldn't care less about people like Professor Talib, Professor Khursheed, Fazle Bari or many other teachers or wageworkers from Seraiki or central and northern Punjab regions or East Punjab (now India) who are settled in Balochistan either since the early twentieth century or post-1935 earthquake or for some decades after 1947. The Pakistani establishment and elite are slaves of their own petty vested interests. They have a track record of negotiating the release of 90,000 prisoners of war from India in 1970s but leaving 250,000 civilian Pakistanis to rot in camps in Bangladesh until today.
I am one of those who continue to insist that the struggle for the realisation of the rights of Balochistan and its old native population is a justified struggle. The state is fully responsible for bringing things to this stage. However, those waging the struggle must differentiate between perpetrators of violence and common citizens.

The writer is a poet and advises national and international institutions on governance and public policy issues. Email: harris@ spopk.org

Viewpoints

Big players and human rights values

Would big power players ever feel compelled to uphold universal values at the cost of political self-interest?

Anum Raza Hasan

Acknowledging its structural loopholes, even if the international human rights regime were to be reformed to make it more applicable in the current political situation, the question remains if it will ever be able to enforce itself against a superpower like the US
The deterioration of the human rights situation in much of Asia can be termed as the most imminent outcome of the war on terror. Uncontested in truth and undeniable through evidence, human rights violations perpetuated by the US foreign policy stand as the central characteristic of the post-9/11 world order, which has further highlighted the need to question the credibility, efficacy and influence of the universal human rights regime. The blatant abuse of human rights can be seen through the widely reported incidents in the Bagram prison camp in Afghanistan, used as a torture facility by the US, which reflects not only the US hegemony and unilateral stance over international affairs but the inability of the universal human rights regime to serve under the current world order. It is, in effect, constrained by the notion of state sovereignty and the lack of an enforcement mechanism. Other dilemmas hindering the capacity of the international regime to function as per its original claims include the flexibility of choice to ratify crucial international conventions as well as the fact that the UN Security Council gives the most powerful states the veto power against decisions pertaining to the world.
According to estimates by human rights organisations, the US is holding at the Bagram Air Force Base north of Kabul in Afghanistan more than twice the number of prisoners held at Guantánamo. The prisoners are compacted into wire cages, forced to sleep on the floor and only given plastic buckets for latrines. According to Human Rights Watch, prisoners held at Bagram, which is being expanded to hold up to 1,000 detainees, have no right to a lawyer, no access to the courts and barely any right to challenge the grounds for their detention. The mistreatment of detainees violates the Convention against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which the US has ratified. Moreover, according to article five and nine of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International Bill of Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights respectively, "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" and "No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile."
In the wake of 9/11, dominant voices in the Bush administration's inner circles subscribed to the idea that if 'coercively interrogating' prisoners could provide intelligence to save American lives and win the war on terror, then 'quaint' laws should be no obstacle. The top advocates for torture and other extra legal policies were Vice President Dick Cheney and his brain trust. The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) produced a series of secret memos stating that the president, as commander in chief, has unrestrained powers to wage war; any efforts to subject executive discretion over interrogation and detention policies to federal, military or treaty laws would be 'unconstitutional'; prisoners designated as terrorists by presidential fiat (rather than status review by a tribunal) should have no habeas corpus right to contest their detention and no right not to be maltreated. Hence, making the world safe from terrorism quickly came to be seen as antithetical to strong international human rights institutions. It would be worthwhile to question whether human rights have irretrievably lost their status in international affairs and national policy making in the wake of the war on terrorism.
The Bush regime termed Afghanistan an 'exceptional state', under which circumstances the nature of its intervention and actions were justified, as if giving them the license to act independently and chart Afghanistan's destiny. The US was thus able to chart its own path through a unilateralist policy with little regard to other states' - even the United Nations' - discontent over its intentions. It should be understood that international law has often been moulded more by the structural demands of the US than by the latter's outright retreat. This is reflected in US reluctance to accept strong mechanisms which have been part of a general tendency to maintain international law in its traditional state, meaning in a primitive state, characterised by indeterminate primary rules, few and weak institutions for lawmaking and enforcement and a strong fragmentation without a defining centre. The most convincing example of maintaining the flexibility of international law is the US reluctance to subscribe to supervisory mechanisms or to accede to treaties that have such mechanisms at their core, such as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The US not only indulges in liberties and privileges in establishing a legal order it is not entitled to, enforcing law without having to conform to it, on several occasions it only considered accepting treaties if they mirror US domestic law. In other words, in the US view, international law is subject to US governmental powers and subject specifically to the US constitution. To this end, the US has been able to secure inequality in international law and retain flexibility to perpetuate US national interests. These characteristics have rendered international law as a tool for the powerful in their self-interest, who then take advantage of the lack of clarity in laws that should be equally applicable to all.
There is a precarious law and order, political and security situation in Afghanistan and the inability of the international human rights regime to deliver, coupled with the US's hegemonic ambitions and unilateral foreign policy decisions, has further aggravated the situation. This has had made the grave human rights implications of the war on terror pretty much inevitable in Asia and beyond. Bush's legacy of unilateralism and disregard for human rights is being closely followed by Obama, despite grand promises of positive 'change'.
Even though Guantanamo Bay has been partially closed - even Bagram has become part of a handover plan to local authorities - but regular reports of US army abuse in foreign territories, be it Afghanistan or Iraq, are increasingly receiving condemnation from human rights organisations the world over, reaffirming global scepticism over the US desire to reverse its regime of abuse. It needs to be understood that upholding human rights values as defined in international conventions will serve the long-term interests of the US as well. Acknowledging its structural loopholes, even if the international human rights regime were to be reformed to make it more applicable in the current political situation, the question remains if it will ever be able to enforce itself against a superpower like the US. Would big power players ever feel compelled to uphold universal values at the cost of political self-interest?


Anum Raza Hasan is a freelance journalist and human rights activist with an academic background in International Development. She can be reached at anumhasan@dailytimes.com.pk

  Sliver of hope at Ground Zero

Today, Semipalatinsk has become a powerful symbol of hope. On Aug. 29, 1991, shortly after independence, the president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, closed the site and abolished nuclear weapons.

Ban Ki-Moon   

A few weeks ago, travelling in Kazakhstan, I had the sobering experience of standing at Ground Zero. This was the notorious test site at Semipalatinsk, where the Soviet Union detonated 456 nuclear weapons between 1947 and 1989.
Apart from a circle of massive concrete plinths, designed to measure the destructive power of the blasts, there was little on the vast and featureless steppe to distinguish this place. Yet for decades it was an epicenter of the Cold War - like similar sites in the United States, a threat to life on our planet. Its dark legacy endures: poisoned rivers and lakes, children suffering from cancer and birth defects.
Today, Semipalatinsk has become a powerful symbol of hope. On Aug. 29, 1991, shortly after independence, the president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, closed the site and abolished nuclear weapons. It was a tangible expression of a dream that has long eluded us - a world free of nuclear weapons.
Now, for the first time in a generation, we can be optimistic. On the day I visited Semipalatinsk, President Barack Obama announced a review of the United States' nuclear posture. Leading by example, it renounced the development of new nuclear weapons and foreswore their first use against nations in compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, or NPT. Two days later, President Obama and the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitri Medvedev, signed a new START treaty in Prague - a fresh start on a truly noble aspiration.
Momentum is building around the world. Governments and civil society groups, often at odds, have begun working in common cause.
At the recent nuclear security summit in Washington, 47 world leaders agreed to do whatever is necessary to keep such weapons and materials safe. Their shared sense of urgency reflects an accepted reality. Nuclear terrorism is not a Hollywood fantasy. It can happen. The United Nations is destined to be at the center of these efforts. Just recently, the UN. General Assembly held a special debate on nuclear disarmament and security. This in itself grew out of a five-point nuclear action plan that I had proposed, in late 2008, as well as an historic summit meeting of the Security Council last September.
On Monday, leaders come together at the United Nations for the periodic NPT review conference. Their last gathering, five years ago, was an acknowledged failure. This year, by contrast, we can look for advances on a range of issues.
We should not be unrealistic in our expectations. But neither can we afford to lose this opportunity for progress: on disarmament; on compliance with non-proliferation commitments, including the pursuit of a nuclear weapons free-zone in the Middle East; on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Looking ahead, I have proposed a UN conference later this year to review the implementation of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. We will host a ministerial-level meeting to push the pace on bringing the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty into force, and I have urged leaders to begin negotiations for a binding treaty on fissile materials.
In October, the General Assembly will consider more than 50 resolutions on various nuclear issues. Our aim: to take the many small steps, today, that will set the stage for a larger breakthrough tomorrow.
All this work reflects the priorities of our member states, shaped in turn by public opinion. Everyone recognises the catastrophic danger of nuclear weapons. Just as clearly, we know the threat will last as long as these weapons exist. The Earth's very future leaves us no alternative but to pursue disarmament. And there is little prospect of that without global cooperation.
Where, if not at the United Nations, could we look for such cooperation? Bilateral and regional negotiation can accomplish much, but long-lasting and effective cooperation on a global scale requires more. The United Nations is that forum, along with the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
The UN is the world's sole universally accepted arena for debate and concord, among nations as well as broader society. It serves not only as a repository of treaties but also of information documenting their implementation. It is a source of independent expertise, coordinating closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The United Nations stands today at a new Ground Zero - a "ground zero" for global disarmament, no longer a place of dread but of hope. Those who stand with us share the vision of a nuclear-free world. If ever there were a time for the world's people to demand change, to demand action beyond the cautious half measures of the past, it is now.


Ban Ki-Moon is Secretary General of the United Nations

  Muslim voters come of age in UK

Early indications point to unprecedented Muslim turnout and youth participation.

Anas Altikriti

Whatever the outcome of the election on May 7, as HA Hellyer recently wrote in the Guardian, Muslims around the UK are likely to play a significant role in influencing the outcome of dozens of seats. The second largest faith community, which constitutes no more than four per cent of the total population, has come of age and become quite astute in dealing with the elections according to interests, priorities and concerns, many of which are shared by a majority of the British people.
Numerous campaigns have emerged providing information to voters ranging from encouraging voters to register to ways and means of voting tactically in various constituencies amidst an increasingly complex picture nationally. One thing that is agreed by all the campaigns such as YouElect and Muslim Vote is that they all advise against offering unconditional blanket support to any one specific party.
Agreeing that each has its good and bad apples, voters are consistently advised to assess their respective candidates according to local, national and international criteria, hence making it clear to all parties that the Muslim vote is up for grabs if a compelling argument backed by solid evidence can be made.
YouElect has gone further in setting up, supporting and publicising numerous hustings throughout the country and polling Muslims' views on a variety of topics and issues. The feedback from the Muslim community is that foreign policy remains of pivotal importance, with issues such as Palestine and Afghanistan heading the list. On the domestic front, Islamaphobia heads a long list of issues including the economy, health, education
and taxation.
On the basis of these concerns, lists of recommended candidates include names from most parties, major and small (Lib Dems, Labour, Tory and Green candidates). And religious and ethnic affinities have been transcended, with the British Muslim Initiative (BMI) recommending voting for Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs and those of no faith, depending of where they stand on a range of issues.
Crucial polls
So the BMI backs Liberal Democrat Karen Hamilton against Labour's Khalid Mahmood. Meanwhile, Marsha Singh of Bradford West is recommended to the considerable Muslim community above the Muslim candidates of the two other major parties.
The fact that the BMI list of 54 constituencies is headed by Labour candidate Margaret Hodge, in support of her fight against BNP leader Nick Griffin, is also indicative of the challenges shared by most communities in these crucial elections. The list also includes the anti-war pro-Palestinian supporter George Galloway, Lib Dem frontbencher Sarah Teather, Green MEP Caroline Lucas, Conservative shadow minister Crispin Blunt and the Labour Minister Sadiq Khan.
What is also of great interest this time round is that there are unprecedented numbers of Muslim women and Muslim young people who are following, interacting, campaigning and fully engaging with the whole election process. Early indications point to unprecedented Muslim turnout and youth participation.
But it's not just the Muslim voters who are expected to come out in large numbers. The number of candidates of Muslim backgrounds on offer from all parties is also unprecedented and signals a recognition of the importance of the Muslim role in the democratic process and the future of the UK. With the number of Muslim MPs almost certainly rising, possibly more than doubling from the four present in the last parliament, shockwaves would travel far and wide if Salma Yaqoob of Respect succeeded in becoming the first hijab-wearing Muslim woman to take her place in parliament on behalf of the people of Birmingham Hall Green. History could truly be in the making, not only for British Muslims, but for Britain as a richly diverse society.
Mirroring the national trend, the Muslim community seems to be moving in favour of a greater share of the vote for the Liberal Democrats within a hung parliament scenario.
But whatever the assessments, guesses and arguments, the morning of May 7 is likely to be a historical one for a variety of reasons. Prayers, supplications and crossed fingers that it is for the right ones.


Anas Altikriti has lectured in translation and interpreting studies at Leeds University since 1995 and at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh between 2000 and 2003.

International

Armed forces to observe Martyrs' Day each year in Pakistan

Dawn Online, Islamabad

Chief of Pakistan Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani said on Friday that armed forces were ready to render sacrifices to preserve the independence of the country and to face all external and internal challenges.
"No power on earth can cause harm to a country with its troops having the strong backing of 170 million people," the army chief said in an address to a 'Shuhahda parade' at Yadgaar-i-Shuhada, General Headquarters.
The mega event was meant to pay tribute to valiant soldiers who have laid down their lives for the country since 1947. The first of its kind, the ceremony was attended by the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen Tariq Majid, the three services chiefs, federal ministers for defence, interior and information, senior serving and retired military officials and relatives of martyrs.
The army chief said that Pakistan was not only a geographic reality but was also a recognised ideology. Defence of the country was, therefore, a professional as well as religious obligation.
He said the army and the nation were indebted to armed forces' personnel as their invaluable sacrifices made it possible to maintain independence. He announced that a martyrs' day would be observed on April 30 every year. Gen Kayani said that 15,000 had laid down their lives over the past 63 years while 2,700 had done so in the fight against terrorism. The army chief laid a floral wreath at the martyrs' memorial.
Tears kept rolling down faces of the participants as relatives of the martyrs narrated stories about their dear ones.
The daugther of Hawaldar Munawar Kamal, Tania Munawar, said his father had a habit of asking about her studies. She said the result had been announced after the martyrdom of her father and she had topped in the whole district. "My mother tells me that my father is not dead as he is a martyr and I also often feel him around me, but am saddened to see my mother weeping, while concealing it from me," she said.
Captain Nadia Khan, the widow of Major Qasim Gul, who laid down his life in North Waziristan in 2008, said that her request for a commission in the Army was accepted by Gen Kayani as she wanted to continue with the mission of her spouse. She said her husband laid down his life four days before their third marriage anniversary.

  US turns focus to Pakistan's conventional defence
Dawn Online, Washington

The United States appears to have realised the importance of strengthening Pakistan's conventional defence while also enhancing its capability to fight extremists.
In doing so, senior US officials also recognised Pakistan's concerns about India and conceded that Washington's growing ties with New Delhi were a cause of concern for Islamabad.
"We must continue to reassure Pakistan that as it combats the terrorist threat, it is not exposing itself to increased risk along its eastern border," said Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Michele Flournoy while explaining why the United States needed to strengthen Islamabad's conventional defence systems as well.
"Although extremist attacks have led to the repositioning of substantial Pakistani forces, Pakistan's strategic concerns about India remain pre-eminent."
Under Secretary Flournoy and other senior US officials who spoke to the House Armed Services Committee urged lawmakers to provide funding for billions of dollars of planned US military and civilian aid to Pakistan during the next five years.
Separately, another senior Pentagon official told journalists in Washington that the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan later this year would be "a sign of this burgeoning relationship between us and increased defence cooperation between our two countries." In a related development, senior US State and Defence officials said the United States planned to provide $1.5 billion to Pakistan by September 2011 for buying military equipment.
During the same period, the United States also plans to reimburse about $2.3 billion Pakistan spent while fighting terrorists along the Afghan border. Of these, $600 million will be quickly transferred to Pakistan while the rest will be reimbursed by September 2011, when the current US fiscal year ends.
Besides providing military equipment, the United States also has accepted Pakistan's position that it has genuine interests in Afghanistan and those interests need to be protected.

  18th Amendment throws EC into confusion in Pakistan
Dawn Online, Islamabad

The recently-approved 18th Constitution Amendment has virtually made the Election Commission dysfunctional as confusion over the status of its existing members has forced it to postpone its meeting scheduled for May 8.
Sources told Dawn on Saturday that the meeting was to consider applications of Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif, a spokesman for former president Pervez Musharraf, for registration of All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) and of a winning candidate seeking disqualification of his runner-up.
Sardar Mohammad Israr Tarin, who had won the election for NA-263, filed an application against former federal minister Sardar Yaqub Khan Nasir, who had lost the election after having failed to submit details of election expenditure to the returning officer within 30 days of the polling as required under the law.
The sources said that under the 18th Amendment, the Election Commission should consist of retired judges as its permanent members. They said the commission had written to the ministry of law a letter seeking a clarification about the status of its existing members and the procedure for appointment of permanent members. The commission wants to know if the existing members cease to hold offices or there is a cut-off date for them to continue. While the confusion is expected to persist till the commission receives a reply from the law ministry, a three-member delegation of the commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Hamid Ali Mirza and comprising its secretary Ishtiak Ahmad Khan and joint secretary (elections) Sher Afgan, will leave for Britain on Sunday to monitor upcoming elections there.

  Maoist strike shuts down Nepal; gov't urges talks
AP, Katmandu, Nepal

Maoist opposition supporters armed with bamboo sticks enforced a general strike that closed transportation, schools and markets across Nepal on Sunday to demand the prime minister's resignation. Thousands of supporters of the former communist rebels marched in the streets of the capital, Katmandu, waving sticks and the political party's red flag. They gathered at main intersections, chanting anti-government slogans and sometimes singing and dancing.
Few vehicles were on the streets, and people were forced to walk to their destinations. There were scattered reports of vandalism against vehicles and shops that defied the strike, but no injuries were reported.
On Saturday, the Maoist staged a huge rally in Katmandu, but Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal refused their demands he resign and be replaced by a Maoist-led government. He said the Himalayan country's political crisis should be resolved through dialogue.
The standoff has raised fears of renewed violence in Nepal, where the Maoists ended their decade-old insurgency and joined a peace process in 2006. They won elections in 2008 and briefly led a coalition government, but a dispute over the army chief's firing split the coalition. Tensions have risen again in recent months.
Home Ministry spokesman Jay Mukund Khanal said the general strike had shut down much of the country.
The international airport was open in Katmandu but most people had to walk there carrying their luggage. The government provided foreign tourists with free shuttle buses from the airport to their hotels.
The protesters said they would allow vehicles belonging to the press, tourists and diplomatic missions on the streets. Garbage trucks and tankers carrying water and milk were also not stopped.
A Maoist coordinating the protests in Katmandu said they were prepared to shut down the nation for days until their demands were met.

  Myanmar's junta prepares ground for elections
AFP, Bangkok

Myanmar's generals have shed their uniforms and are establishing a new political party ahead of the country's first election in two decades, but doubts remain over whether any real change is likely.
The military government, which faces strict Western sanctions because of its human rights record, has billed this year's polls-expected in late October or November-as a shift of power outside its entrenched military structure.
But critics charge that the shift is essentially cosmetic and part of a long expected bid by the military regime to buy some legitimacy.
Prime Minister Thein Sein and 22 other ministers resigned from the military last week to officially become civilians ahead of the polls.
"They will just change their military uniform. Their positions will be still the same as before," a Myanmar official told AFP.
The premier then filed to form the "Union Solidarity and Development Party" (USDP), a name echoing Myanmar's body charged with lobbying and social activities, the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA).
Win Min, a Myanmar researcher at the University of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, said the similarity was not a coincidence.
"It is very clear. They used the same name as the USDA. This is the pro-junta party," Win Min said.
David Mathieson, an expert on Myanmar at Human Rights Watch, said "it's like the script is playing itself out" as the rulers attempt to polish their image.

  Hillary firm on conditions for Taliban reconciliation
AFP, Washington

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday reiterated conditions for reconciliation with the Taliban, the Afghan militant movement seeking the overthrow the country's US-backed government.
Some Taliban had already "come over to the other side," Clinton told NBC television's "Meet the Press" program.
"Now, if they do so, they have to renounce Al-Qaeda," she explained. "They have to renounce violence. They have to give up their arms. And they have to be willing to abide by the Afghan constitution."
NATO and the United States are throwing thousands of extra troops into Afghanistan, where their military deployment is set to peak at 150,000 in August under a strategy designed to bring a swift end to the conflict.
Most of the extra troops are deploying in the south, the heartland of the Taliban-led insurgency and the focus of the US-led fight to flush the militants from Kandahar and Helmand provinces.
Clinton, noting that US commanders on the ground had noticed that some Taliban fighters were willing to leave the battlefield, said a political settlement was possible.
"I don't know any conflict in recent times that didn't have some political resolution associated with it," she said.
"People either got tired of fighting and decided they would engage in a peace process. (Or) they were defeated enough so that they were willing to lay down their arms."
More than two thirds of the international force in Afghanistan are from the United States.
A total of 173 foreign soldiers have died in the country this year.

  S.Korea minister vows retaliation over sunk warship
AFP, Seoul

Seoul's defence minister on Sunday vowed retaliation over the sinking of a South Korean warship which killed 46 sailors near the disputed sea border with North Korea last month.
"Those responsible for killing our soldiers must pay the price," Defence Minister Kim Tae-Young told a KBS television programme aired nationwide Sunday. "Retaliation-in whatever form it is-must be done."
It echoed South Korean Navy chief Admiral Kim Sung-Chan's reprisal pledge during Thursday's mass funeral for the sailors, attended by President Lee Myung-Bak.
Lee will preside over a scheduled meeting of key military commanders on Tuesday to discuss the sinking of the Cheonan, becoming the first South Korea president to chair such a meeting, his office said Sunday.
"President Lee will check what tasks the Cheonan incident handed to our military and people, and state his position as the supreme commander of the armed forces," presidential spokesman Park Sun-Kyoo said.
South Korea has not openly blamed its communist neighbour for the blast which tore apart the 1,200-tonne corvette Cheonan in the Yellow Sea on March 26.
But tensions between Pyongyang and Seoul have been simmering since the sinking, with suspicions growing that the North might have been behind the incident.
The North denies involvement.

 Arab League backs restart of Israeli-Palestinian talks
BBC Online

Arab League foreign ministers have backed the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian so-called proximity talks. They said the indirect negotiations would last four months with the outcome to be reviewed before any direct talks. Israel has welcomed the endorsement.
The US has said the talks will begin next week. Plans to launch the indirect talks failed last month over a row about Israeli plans to build 1,600 homes in occupied East Jerusalem. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been stalled since 2008.
Erekat threat
The US has been struggling to get the proximity talks under way. These were knocked off course by an announcement in March that Israel had approved plans for the new homes in the East Jerusalem settlement of Ramat Shlomo during a visit to Israel by US Vice-President Joe Biden.
The Palestinians - who want East Jerusalem to be the capital of their future state - then pulled out of the scheduled indirect talks in protest.
But on Saturday, a committee of foreign minister of the the Arab League issued a statement to support the resumption.
"Despite the lack of conviction of the Israeli side in achieving peace, the committee affirms what was agreed on 2 March 2010 in regards to the time period for the indirect negotiations," the statement said.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said any Israeli construction in occupied East Jerusalem would end the talks.
"If they build one unit out of the 1,600, we will not go to the talks," Mr Erekat said.
US envoy George Mitchell's team has been actively trying to extract guarantees from the Israelis to bring the Palestinians back to the proposed talks.

  Car bomb found in New York’s Times Square
BBC Online

New York City police have defused an improvised car bomb parked in Times Square, one of the city's busiest tourist areas.
They say propane tanks, fireworks, petrol and a clock device were removed from a parked sports utility vehicle.
So far, there is no evidence that it was more than a "one-off event", the US homeland security chief said. Forensic evidence including fingerprints had been recovered, Janet Napolitano told NBC television.
"We're treating it as if it could be a potential terrorist attack," she said.
Early on Sunday the vehicle was towed to a forensic lab in the city's Queens district and Times Square was reopened.
Part of the district - where many theatres are sited - had been sealed off on Saturday night after the bomb alert.
Both US President Barack Obama and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised the quick response by the New York Police Department.
"We are very lucky," Mr Bloomberg told reporters. "Thanks to alert New Yorkers and professional police officers, we avoided what could have been a very deadly event."
He said the bomb "looked amateurish" but could have exploded, adding that the incident was a "reminder of the dangers that we face".
Correspondents say the New York City Police Department is on constant alert after a series of alleged terror plots in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
"The NYPD bomb squad has rendered safe an improvised car bomb," said New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.

  Palestinian leader says to meet Obama in Washington
Reuters, Ramallah, West Bank

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, on the verge of indirect negotiations with Israel, said he would meet U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington this month to advance Middle East peace.
Obama's peace efforts received a boost on Saturday when Arab states approved four months of U.S.-mediated talks, whose expected start in March was delayed by Israel's announcement of a settlement project on occupied land near Jerusalem.
In an interview published on Sunday in the Palestinian newspaper al-Ayyam, Abbas said Obama had given a commitment he would not allow "any provocative measures by either side". He said the U.S. leader had invited him to Washington later this month "in an attempt to push the peace process forward". Abbas gave no specific date for the visit.
Calling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a direct security concern to the United States, Washington has pushed hard for a resumption of talks suspended since December 2008. But many observers question whether the latest effort can succeed where years of diplomacy have failed.
Abbas's last meeting with Obama was in September in New York, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also attended that meeting-part of Obama's efforts to get the peace process moving again.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week she expected the so-called "proximity talks", to be mediated by special envoy George Mitchell, to begin this week.
PLO officials said the Palestine Liberation Organisation's executive committee was likely to convene within days to give its approval, opening the way for Mitchell to arrive later in the week.

  Iran says develops short-range missile defence
Reuters, Tehran

Iran, whose nuclear dispute with the West has raised the possibility of new regional conflict, has developed a short-range defence system to combat Cruise missiles, its defence minister was quoted as saying on Sunday.
"A new short range anti-Cruise defence system with the capability to fire 4,000 rounds of bullets per minute has been produced at the defence ministry and soon will be inaugurated," Ahmad Vahidi said on semi-official Fars news agency.
"We are at the design and production phase of various defence systems in the short, medium and long-range categories," he added, citing the Mersad air defence and Shahin missile defence systems. Cruise missiles are guided missiles that operate at low level to evade radar detection. They can fly up to supersonic speeds carrying either conventional or nuclear warheads.
The U.S. administration said last month that Iran and North Korea were excluded from new limits on the use of U.S. atomic weapons-something Tehran interpreted as a threat from a long-standing adversary to attack it with nuclear bombs.
Though the Islamic Republic seeks self-sufficiency in missile defence, it is urging Russia to resist Western pressure not to deliver the S-300 missile defence system it has ordered.
Washington is pressing other global powers to agree to a fourth round of U.N. sanctions against Iran over its refusal to halt nuclear work that the West suspects is aimed at making bombs, a charge Iran denies. Iran held military exercises in the Gulf waterway and Strait of Hormuz last month in an apparent bid to show its readiness for any attack by Israel or the United States.

  Obama opines on love and birth certificates
AP/ UNB, Washington

Pearls of wisdom from President Barack Obama: Few things in life are harder to find and more important to keep than love. "Well, love and a birth certificate," he quipped at Saturday's black-tie White House Correspondents' Association dinner, poking fun at the birther movement, which questions whether the president was born in the United States.
"I happen to know that my approval ratings are still very high in the country of my birth," Obama joked.
The president then took aim at Jay Leno, the comedian headlining the dinner, saying the talk-show host was "the only person whose ratings fell more than mine."
Obama also cracked jokes about Vice President Joe Biden and his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
But Republicans were the butt of many presidential punch lines. Although his poll numbers are down, he said, he hears he's popular on Twitter and Facebook.
"Or as Sarah Palin calls it, the socialized media," he added. Leno later picked up on the same theme, saying the president isn't as aloof as some critics claim.
"He loves to socialize - health care, car companies," Leno said, naming industries where the Obama administration has intervened.
On a serious note, Obama acknowledged the vast problems facing the Gulf Coast, which is threatened by an oil spill that could be of epic proportions. He planned a trip to the area Sunday for a firsthand assessment of efforts to contain the massive crude oil leak from an offshore drilling rig operated by the oil company BP.

  Turkey faces constitutional reform showdown

Reuters, Istanbul
Turkey's parliament on Sunday begins the final round of voting on constitutional changes that strike at the heart of the secular elite with plans to reform the judiciary and make the army accountable to civilian courts.
The ruling AK Party, whose roots lie in political Islam, says the reforms are needed to bring Turkey closer to EU democratic norms.
Opponents say they are an attempt by the AK Party to expand its grip on state institutions and undermine Turkey's secular principles. The AK Party denies the charges.
Parliamentary voting, which started on April 19, is set to finish by the end of this week, possibly on Thursday.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan rallied his deputies in a speech in parliament ahead of the start of Sunday's session, calling for solidarity against opposition challenges.
"We face a difficult marathon this week due to the second round of discussions on constitutional changes. We in the AK Party will continue the process in the second round...with the same solidarity, sacrifice, seriousness and courtesy," he said.
"It appears that the constitutional changes will go to a referendum and our dear people will say the last word on this subject after parliament," he said.
Investors are following the process closely, fearing it could increase tensions and lead to an early general election, due in July 2011. The main opposition party has said it would appeal to the country's top court to annul the amendments.

  World Celebrates May Day Amid Protests In Greece, Russia
Agency, Athens

People across the world have taken to the streets to mark international Labor Day and, in many places, call for better working conditions amid the global financial crisis.
In Greece, tens of thousands of furious demonstrators denounced planned austerity measures needed to secure rescue loans for the country, which is battling a severe debt crisis. Police clashed with protesters in Athens and in the second-largest city of Thessaloniki, where more than 5,000 people demonstrated.
The protests come as Greek officials today wrap up negotiations with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund to dramatically cut spending and raise taxes in return for the international loan package, which is worth $60 billion this year alone.
The austerity measures, which will also include freezing pensions and wages, have met fierce resistance in Greece. A nationwide general strike is expected on May 5 against the budget cuts.
Russia's Communists March
May Day demonstrations were more peaceful in Moscow. Communists, nationalists, and supporters of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's ruling party marched through the city, where May 1 was once lavishly celebrated as International Workers' Day in Soviet times. The Communists, whose leaders have avoided harsh criticism of the Kremlin, waved red flags and carried portraits of Soviet rulers Vladimir Lenin and Josef Stalin. Russian Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov led the march, holding red carnations traditional of May Day rallies:
"Today, when the crisis is raging across the planet, when the situation is getting worse, workers have no other weapon than to take to the streets together to show their will and force the authorities to hear their demands," Zyuganov said.

Business/Economy

BD to import standard cotton from Africa at lower price
UNB, Dhaka

Commerce Minister Faruk Khan on Sunday said that the government would capitalize on the opportunity for getting standard cotton by importing it at a lower price from the African countries.
"The garment factories in the country are now under pressure due to abnormal price hike of yarn and there is a huge demand for cotton in the country. So, the government would go for importing cotton from Africa in a bid to meet the demand," he said while addressing the inaugural session of the two-day Bangladesh Cotton Marketing and Textile Training Event at a city hotel.
The seminar is being jointly organized by Bangladesh Textiles Mills Association (BTMA), International Trade Center (ITC) and Bangladesh Cotton Association (BCA). Representatives from African countries are attending the seminar.
Speaking on the occasion as chief guest, the Commerce Minister hoped that the existing problems in importing cotton from African countries could be removed through bilateral talks, and gave assurances of all-out cooperation from the government.
Faruk Khan said that the Bangladeshi entrepreneurs could now think of investing in the RMG sector abroad where Africa could be the ideal place for investment.
The inaugural session of the seminar was addressed, among others, by BTMA president Abdul Hai Sarker, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) president M Fazlul Hoque, BCA president Mohammad Ayuib and ITC Programme Manager Matthias Knappe.

 Greece secures unprecedented bailout
AFP, Athens

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said Sunday an unprecedented bailout had been agreed with the EU and IMF to avoid bankruptcy, but that the country would have to make big sacrifices for the aid.
"Today we endorse the agreement" that was reached on Saturday with the European Union and International Monetary Fund, Papandreou said in a televised address at the start of an extraordinary cabinet meeting.
"With our decision today our citizens will have to make big sacrifices," he said, describing public anger at the new wave of austerity cuts as "evident".
Visibly uneasy making the announcement, he said that the size of Greece's bailout was "without precedent" in the world, but did not reveal how much it was worth.
According to French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, the rescue loans could run from 100 to 120 billion euros (133-160 billion dollars) over three years.
A Greek government source said that the size of the rescue would be revealed at extraordinary meeting of eurozone finance ministers Sunday afternoon in Brussels.
Papandreou said that active and retired public sector workers would bear the brunt of the new wave of budget cuts, which the EU and the IMF had demanded as conditions for releasing the desperately needed loans. "The sacrifices are hard but necessary ... (and) without which Greece would be in bankruptcy," Papandreou said. "Avoiding bankruptcy is our nation's red line."
After months of hesitation, eurozone countries decided to accelerate rescue efforts for Greece out of fear its debt crisis could pull down other members with severely strained public finances such as Portugal or even Spain. "Today the problem has taken on huge dimensions, today the fire risked extending not only to Greece but to the eurozone and beyond," Papandreou said.
"The cost of extinguishing it is very high, and it's very high for Greek citizens," he added. Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou was to reveal details of the of the austerity cuts during a press conference late Sunday morning.
Asking his ministers to approve the austerity drive, Papandreou said that he would take "all the necessary decisions so that by the end of (his) mandate the country is not crushed by its debts."
"There will be historic changes for the citizens, but there was no alternative," he said.
The government, the EU and the IMF wrapped up the tough negotiations on Saturday as 15,000 people swarmed through the streets of Athens in May Day protests against the austerity drive.
With nine billion euros in debts coming due on May 19, the government had few choices but to turn to the EU and IMF for help to avoid defaulting on part of its mountain of debt reaching nearly 300 billion euros.
After Greece's credit rating was cut last week to junk status, the interest rates the country has to borrow at shot through to record levels with the 10-year bond yield at one point surging past 11 percent before falling back.

  Robi launches two more offers
TBT Economy Desk

Robi, a leading mobile phone operator in the country has launched yet another two offers for its customers. The new offers, directed towards the Prepaid customers, were unveiled at a press conference in the city on Sunday, says a press release.
The offer will enable prepaid customers with a special tariff during the month of June and July depending upon their usage in the month of May. It stipulates a reduction in tariff for those who record an increase in usage by Tk 100 in May than that of the usage in April.
The offer will further allow the customers to enjoy subsequent reductions every two months if they continue to maintain the usage as in May for the next ten months. To enjoy this offer customers need to register by dialing *140*10# in the month of May.
Now the Prepaid customers can also have call conference with 6 people simultaneously, which will help to make their communication more convenient and easier.
Speaking at a press briefing to mark the launching of the new offer in Chief Marketing Officer of Robi, Bidyut Kumar Basu said, "With the launch of Robi, we promised to bring exciting offers through out the year and today, we bring this offer inline with that pledge. We hope this attractive offer will help strengthen our relationship with the customers."
Head of Marketing Sania Mahmood and Head of Communications & Media Relations Mohiuddin Babar along with other officials of Robi were present at the press conference.
Prepaid customers' can call 123 (from any Robi number) or 01819 400 400 (from any number) to know more details of Robi prepaid services.

  Greek crisis will inspire Spain, Portugal: Merkel
AFP, Berlin

The deep cuts imposed on Greece in return for an emergency bailout will spur other troubled eurozone members into doing all they can to avoid the same fate, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday.
"All the experts say that Portugal, Spain and Ireland are in a much better situation than Greece," Merkel said in an interview published by the mass-circulation Bild am Sonntag. "These countries can also see that the path taken by Greece with the IMF is not an easy one. As a result they will do all they can to avoid this themselves, and they have already set out saving efforts."
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said Sunday that a bailout package of "unprecedented" size had been agreed with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund to avoid what he called "bankruptcy", but that the country would have to make "big sacrifices" in return.
French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has said loans to Athens could total 100 to 120 billion euros (133 billion to 160 billion dollars) over three years.
The Greek debt crisis has raised fears that other countries in the 16-nation eurozone with shaky finances might also be unable to finance their debt mountains and would be forced to seek help from outside. Portugal and Spain's credit ratings were downgraded last week.
There was no immediate reaction from Germany on the deal between Athens, the IMF and the EU, but Merkel, whose country would be the biggest contributor among eurozone nations, has repeatedly insisted that Athens must provide credible plans for spending cuts before it receives any aid.
Opposition to a bailout is strong among German voters, with a new poll published on Sunday in the Bild am Sonntag showing 56 percent of people believe providing aid is wrong. Thirty-nine percent were in favour, the survey of 500 voters by Emnid conducted end of April showed. It also showed 67 percent expecting the euro to become more unstable over the coming year.
Merkel on Sunday also attempted to soothe opposition to the bailout by saying that the money would come from the state-owned development bank, the KfW, with the federal government merely providing loan guarantees.
"In our banking rescue package we put up guarantees of 400 billion euros, from which we have lost nothing so far, and which in fact has earned us almost a billion euros in interest and fees," Merkel told Bild am Sonntag.
"Of course the nature of the KfW loans is that the federal budget would have to foot the bill if the loans go bad. But on the other hand, the KfW would also earn money if Greece pays them back."
Merkel's government hopes that new legislation needed before any loans can be disbursed will become law by Friday. Her cabinet was due to prepare a bill on Monday which will get its first reading in parliament on Wednesday. Merkel, who won a second term in September, has a key election to fight on May 9 in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany's most populous state, which could see her governing coalition lose its majority in the upper house.
A survey on Sunday showed Merkel's centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) on 38 percent. The business-friendly Free Democrats (FDP), her coalition partners, both in NRW and at the federal level, are credited with eight percent-which would leave them short of a majority.

  Obama says US economic heartbeat 'growing stronger'
AFP, Washington

President Barack Obama on Saturday declared the US economy was "in a much better place" than a year ago, as new growth figures spurred hopes of a solid recovery.
"The economy that was losing jobs a year ago is creating jobs today," Obama said, "we're moving forward. Our economy is stronger."
Earlier, the Commerce Department reported US gross domestic product (GDP) grew at a 3.2 percent pace in the first quarter, up from minus 6.4 percent at the same time last year.
The first estimate was a percentage point shy of market expectations, but marked the third consecutive quarter of economic expansion as Americans began spending more.
That was seen as further evidence that the world's largest economy is slowly recovering from the worst economic crisis since the 1930s.
"Our economy is stronger. The economic heart beat is growing stronger," Obama said.
While positive, many fear the current rate of growth is not enough to recover the eight million US jobs lost since the crisis began.
"While today's GDP report is an important milepost on our road to recovery, it doesn't mean much to an American who has lost his or her job and can't find another," Obama acknowledged.
The rate of growth was well down from the final quarter of 2009, when GDP was estimated at 5.6 percent, the strongest growth in six years.
Analysts saw the figures as "further confirming the end of the recession and that the recovery is only moderate and disappointing," according to Peter Morici of the University of Maryland.

  EU considers to create its own rating agency
Xinhua, Paris

The Europe Union was considering to put on table the idea of creating a European rating agency, the European Commissioner for Internal Market Regualtion Michel Barnier declared in an interview published Friday.
"I am considering, no improvisation of the idea, the feasibility and value to add an additional agency, which is European," he said, referring to the influence of a rating agency, in the interview with French financial newspaper Les Echos.
"I think the landscape of the agencies, given their importance, is highly concentrated in a few hands," the French commissioner said. The rating of debts of Portugal, Greece, and Spain were successively degraded on Tuesday and Wednesday by American rating agency Standard and Poor's (S&P's), provoking a contagion panic on the financial crisis in euro zone. Three America-based credit rating agencies, S&P's, Moody's Investors Service and Fitch Rating, are three most influential agencies in the sector today.
The role of rating agency, which is responsible for evaluating the financial solidity of a state or an enterprise, have been questioned again in Europe. The European Union has criticized that the S&P's neglected the fundamental indicators of Greek economy and the aid plan by the euro zone and the International Monetary Fund. Though not intended to juge the previous rating, Barnier insisted the rating agencies "disciplined and responsible in their evaluation process."
They should be "completely impartial in their assessment" and took everything into account, Barnier added. According to the commissioner, European Council has set to establish new rules to monitor rating agencies, which are expected to come into force in December. As to the new supervising rules, he said they would "oblige the agencies, institutions today too secret, to reveal the methodology they use for the evaluation."

  India, Japan likely to conclude FTA this year
PTI, New Delhi

India's Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma Friday said India and Japan will be able to conclude their proposed bilateral free trade pact to liberalise commerce this year. "India and Japan are engaged in Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations and we will be able to clear this by the time the next bilateral summit takes place," Sharma said at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) function. The summit is scheduled later this year in Japan and India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be attending it, Sharma said.
Sharma also said he will lead a large business delegation to Japan in the coming months to enhance economic ties between the two countries.
Officials from the two countries held talks here for three days earlier this month and are believed to have resolved several stumbling blocks to the market opening pact.
Issues such as liberalising sectors like pharmaceuticals and services-areas of great interest to India-have been resolved, they added. On the occasion, India's Ambassador to Japan, H K Singh, also stressed that the two countries should conclude the agreement by this year.
"We need to target the conclusion of the balanced and mutually beneficial CEPA before the annual bilateral summit this year," Singh said. Once the free trade agreement, officially dubbed as CEPA, is signed and operationalised, as many 9,000 products-ranging from steel and apparel to drugs and machinery-are expected to be traded either without duty or at substantially reduced tariffs.

National

Bumper production: rice price falls in N-region
BSS, Rangpur

Market price of course variety rice marked falls by Taka 1 to 2 per kg in recent days following appearance of the newly harvested Boro rice as harvest of the major crop now continues everywhere in northern region.
Renowned rice-scientist and Dinajpur HUB Manager of Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia DR MA Mazid told BSS that farmers are getting one tonne additional paddy yield per hectare where the Boro seedlings were transplanted within February 15 last.
Officials and experts in the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) and other agriculture related departments, agronomists and farmers are expecting a record bumper Boro production this season in the northern region this season.
The harvest will get its full momentum within mid-May as most of the Boro fields are now becoming ripe for the purpose when seed formation continues after blooming in the lately transplanted Boro fields, the DAE officials said.
The some newly harvested Boro rice already appeared in the local markets so far and the same expected to flood the markets within the next two weeks putting further positive impacts on retail rice prices, markets sources said today.
The vast tracts of all fields have worn eye-catching looks with ripe, half-ripe and other growing Boro fields at seed formation stages and harvest of the paddy already continues at larger scales in Pabna and Sirajganj with bumper yields.
Harvest of the paddy in the low-lying lands, char areas, beels, haors, dried up beds of the rivers and tributaries are nearing completion though some 900 acres half-ripen Boro fields were submerged following untimely rise in the water levels of the major rivers.
Meanwhile, the farmers have urged for formulating new paddy procurement policy directly from the farmers instead of direct rice procurement from the millers and middle-men to ensure fair prices of Boro paddy for the farmers.
They suggested mandatory rules for the millers to purchase paddy directly from the farmers at the rates fixed by the government as in the government godowns and selling their produced rice to the government godowns at the government-fixed prices.
They thanked the government for advance announcing official purchasing rate of Boro paddy and rice and urged to ensure fair prices of Boro paddy for the farmers by eradicating the 'syndicates of the middle-men beneficiaries.'
The farmers have cultivated Boro in 2.4 percent more land than the fixed target following adequate steps taken by the government and are also getting more per hectare yields than the fixed yields rates this season, they said.
"Following successful irrigation facilities provided by the authorities of the BMDA and the Teesta barrage Project (TBP) and significant rainfalls in recent weeks, the Boro fields in greater Rangpur will not require any more irrigation," they said.

  Historic May Day observed in N-districts
BSS, Rangpur

The historic May Day was observed with festive enthusiasm and a fresh vow to establish the socio- economic rights of working people in the northern districts.
The administrations, various workers', labour, trade and professional bodies, political and volunteer organizations chalked out elaborate programmes in all district and upazila headquarters in observance of the Day in a befitting manner on Saturday.
The programmes included placing floral wreaths at the Shaheed Minars, hoisting of national, labour organizational flags and red flags, colourful processions, serving improved food to the workers, holding of discussion meetings and cultural functions.
Divisional city of Rangpur turned into a city of festivity as dozens of colourful processions were organised by over 60 different organisations of the working people including women workers parading the streets of the city since the morning. Rangpur district administration and Regional Labour Directorate jointly organized a colourful procession participated by officials and employees of different government departments, socio-cultural and political activists, elite and workers' leaders. Rangpur District Motor Sramik Union led by its General Secretary Abdul Mazid brought out one of the biggest May Day procession and dozens of the other labours; and workers' organisations arran-ged rallies in the city.
Participants in the rallies chanted various slogans for establishing their socio- economical rights. Later, they gathered at Rangpur Zila School ground where the main discussion meeting was held with Deputy Commissioner BM Enamul Haque in the chair. Senior officials, Secretary of District Motor Sramik Union Abdul Mazid, leaders of different workers' organizations, Secretary of Rangpur unit of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society Nabi Ullah Panna, addressed, among others.

  ‘Human resources should be turned into skilled manpower’
BSS, Rangpur

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minster Golam Mohammad Quader has said that the country's huge population should be turned into skilled human resources for quickening the process of building a developed digital Bangladesh.
People of this soil fought a bloody war and achieved the hard-earned Independence at the cost of 30 million martyred best sons and daughters and modesty of two lakh daughters for achieving exploitation free society and economic well-being, he said.
To realize the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and martyred sons and daughters and fighting people of 1971, the present government has been working relentlessly for making a middle-income nation by the year 2021, he added.
The Minister said that the present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina never creates any obstructions for conducting religious practices and rituals of the people irrespective of caste, creed and religions. At the same time, the government has been working with firm determinations to root out religious militancy and extremism and any bid of creating chaos and anarchy in the name of religion in the society for ensuring peace and development of the country.
He was addressing the cost-free inputs and machineries distribution ceremony organised by Muslim Aid Institute of Technology (MAIT) at Rangpur Parjatan Motel auditorium in the city on Friday as the chief guest.
QM Quader distributed sewing machines, drilling machines and mobile servicing tools among 24 trained poor but meritorious young trainees, trained by MAIT, for achieving their economic self-reliance through conducting income- generating activities.

  Ganges Barrage project model study near completion
BSS, Faridpur

The project on model of the proposed Ganges Barrage undertaken by the government that envisaged for reviving the water courses of the Padma is nearing completion.
The River Research Institute (RRI), Faridpur, a national institute shifted to here from Dhaka in 1989 to support the design work of different structures and help the project sustainability and cost-effectiveness of water related activities has been entrusted with the task of model study.
The RRI's hydraulic division is now engaged in preparing a model of river Padma covering an area of 48 kilometers stretching from Tagore Bari in Shilaidah of Kushtia to Pangsha of Rajbari, said a source of RRI .
Bangladesh is the largest delta in the world criss-crossed by numerous rivers including the major river system Ganges- Brahmaputra-Meghna.
The western part of the country which constitutes the 37 percent of the total area of the country and live country's one-third population, depends on water of the river Padma, RRI sources said.
But due to diversion of water in the upstream at Farakka point, dry season flow of the river Ganges in the downstream (Bangla-desh part) has decreased significantly causing siltation in the mainstream and its tributaries.
As a result, water uses in agriculture, fish cultivation, forestry, navigation, industry and domestic purposes in the southwestern part of the country have been hindered drastically.
Due to reduction of water flow as well as increase in salinity during dry season, the largest mangrove forests and world heritage site 'Sundarbans' are now under threat.
The greater districts of Rajshahi, Pabna, Kushtia, Jessore, Khulna, Faridpur and Barisal are being severely affected due to the Ganges water shortage prompting the government to take a project for proper management of Ganges water in the economic interests.
The ongoing model study of the RRI through various models has great importance for the proposed barrage, said the source adding that the physical modeling is an important tool to support various components of the study at different stages.
The sources said, RRI is the sole institute in the country that has experience in conducting physical model studies of different river engineering projects.
The RRI so far accomplished about 300 assignments of model studies in the country including Banga-bandhu (Jamuna) multi- purpose bridge, Paksey bridge, Dharla bridge, Teesta Barrage, Arial Khan bridge and the proposed Padma bridge, the source said.
The model study has been going on here for last nine months, the source said adding that during this time the hydraulic experts of RRI prepared one overall model and five detail (sectional) models.

  Quality education is must for building digital Bangladesh: RCC Mayor

BSS, Rajshahi

Mayor of Rajshahi AHM Khairuzzaman Liton has said proper and quality education for the school students is indispensable for building digital Bangladesh for overall development of the nation.
He described the students as the future leaders so they must be educated for building an educated nation. "We have no alternative to make them competent workforce for the sake of national interest," he added.
Mayor Liton was addressing the discussion titled "Role of teachers to improve standard of education for successful implementation of charter of change and for building Digital Bangla-desh", organized by the Rajshahi Regional Committee of Bangladesh Government Secondary Teachers Association (BGSTA) at Seroil Government High School here on Saturday as the chief guest.
He said the present government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is committed to ensure a standard educational system aimed at sustainable development of the nation. To this end, he said the government is going to finalize a new education policy very soon. Upon implementation of the policy, he hoped that a revolutionary change would be brought in the country's educational sector. To attain the cherished goal, he asserted that the teachers should have to play a vital role, by which, the Bangladesh would be emerged as an educated, happy and prosperous country in the global arena.
Besides, Mayor Liton said the government has launched an epoch-making step of distributing free of cost textbooks among the students to uplift the country's educational sector.
In this context, he said the government has a future plan to distribute books among the students of graduate and post-graduate classes free of cost, through which, an educated nation could be built.

  4 persons killed in a road accident in Mymensingh
BSS, Mymensingh

Four persons were killed and four others injured in a road accident at Chourkhil on Mymensingh-Dhaka highway here Saturday night.
Police sources said, the deceased were identified as driver of private car Jasim, 40, Suruj Ali, 25, Siddique, 30 and Abdur Rashid, 28. Kotwali police said, the accident occurred when Mymensingh bound a private car from Gafargaon collided head on with a bus from the opposite direction at Chaourkhil in sadar upazila on Mymesnigh-Dhaka high way last night at 8 pm and killing two persons on the spot and two others succumbed to their injuries on their way to Mymensingh hospital. Cricitcally injured three personS were admitted to Mymensigh Medical College Hospital.

  Japanese varsity team visits DU, calls on Pro-VC
UNB, Dhaka

A three-member delegation of Rikkyo University of Japan called on Dhaka University (DU) Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr Harun-or-Rashid at DU Vice Chancellor's office on Saturday.
The delegation was led by Dr. Kiyoshi Kasahara, Director of The Asian Institute for Intellectual Collaboration and Professor of Management, Rikkyo University.
During the meeting, they discussed matters of mutual interest particularly about beginning the joint doctoral research programme between Rikkyo University and DU as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed earlier between two universities.
According to the programme, every year doctoral students from DU will go to Rikkyo University and similarly students from Rikkyo University will come to DU for their studies and research. The programme will begin in September this year.

  Bangladesh Embassy ‘Open House’ draws huge crowd
UNB, Dhaka

The day long Embassy Open House program of Bangla-desh Embassy of Washington DC draws thousands of crowds.
Visitors from all over USA and tourists from other countries visited the day long program which was organized in coordination with Cultural Tourism DC.
Culture, history, traditions, and ongoing development program of the government was displayed in display boards, video presentation and through live narration by young children of Bangladesh origin in the USA, said a press release of Bangladesh Embassy in Washington received here Sunday.
Cultural Tourism, DC is a Washington-based non-profit organization dedicated to showcasing cultural diversity through holding of such events in collaboration with the Embassies in Washington, DC. This is the third consecutive year that particular cultural program has been organized at the Embassy.
Akramul Qader, Bangla-desh Ambassador to the USA and State Minister and his wife Rifat Sultana Akram welcomed the guests to the Embassy.
In his remarks prior to the cultural show, the Bangladesh Ambassador said that Bangladesh has a rich cultural heritage which has been further enriched by many creative minds of the country.
Ambassador Qader said that the cultural event at the Embassy was an effort to showcase various aspects of Bangladesh's culture and heritage to connect to wider audience in the USA as well as elsewhere through such effort. He thanked the guests for attending the event.
The day's program included, among others, display of Bangladesh's handicrafts and exportable and cultural program performed by expatriate Bangladeshi artist and children.

Sports

Pakistan defeats Bangladesh by 21 runs
AFP, Gros Islet

Pakistan got the defence of their World Twenty20 title off to a sound start with a 21-run win over Bangladesh at the Beausejour Stadium here on Saturday.
Victory was built around a huge first wicket stand of 142 between Kamran Akmal and man-of-the-match Salman Butt, who both made 73.
It was the third highest opening partnership in all Twenty20 internationals and just shy of the tournament record of 145 posted by the West Indies duo of Chris Gayle and Devon Smith against South Africa at Johannesburg in 2007.
The win more than atoned for Pakistan's warm-up loss to Zimbabwe and set them up nicely for their Group A match on Sunday against Australia, who also lost to the Africans in the preliminaries.
This match looked all over when Bangladesh were 31 for two in the sixth over of their reply.
But Mohammad Ashraful (65) and captain Shakib Al Hasan (47) kept Bangladesh in the game with a third-wicket stand of 91 in 10 overs.
Ashraful, whose fifty came off 38 balls, struck Pakistan captain and leg-spinner Shahid Afridi for six high over long-off and Shakib struck Hafeez for two big sixes over long-on. With five overs left, Bangladesh needed 53 runs for an improbable win.
But, two balls later, Shakib holed out off Mohammad Sami to long-off.
However, his innings ended when he was caught behind by diving wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal off left-arm quick Mohammad Aamer, having faced 49 balls with three sixes and six fours.
But a target of 32 off 12 balls proved just beyond Bangladesh, who finished on 151 for seven.
Sami took three wickets for 29 runs and Aamer two for 16. Earlier Kamran Akmal was dropped on 13 by Ashraful, running back at mid-on, off Mashrafe Mortaza, whose four overs cost 39 runs. Fellow paceman Abdur Razzak's four overs were even more expensive, going for 41 runs.
Butt's stylish fifty took just 29 balls, with two sixes and six fours, while Akmal, who looked to be scoring the quicker of the pair, reached the landmark in 43 balls, with six boundaries.
Akmal was the initial aggressor, pulling Shafiul Islam for four and then somehow striking a low leg-stump full toss from the same bowler through the covers for another boundary.
Bangladesh opener Imrul Kayes's exited for nought in the first over as he skied the lively Aaamer saw him sky to Misbah-ul-Haq at short third man. And spinner Mohammad Hafeez then struck third ball to have Tamim Iaqbal caught and bowled. Bangladesh finishes the group phase against Australia in Barbados on May 5.
Scorecard
Pakistan:
K. Akmal c Raazaq
b Shakib 73
S. Butt b Shafiul Islam 73
S. Afridi c Mahmudullah b Shakib 9
Abdul Razzaq not out 6
Misbah-ul-Haq not out 8
Extras: (lb2, w1) 3
Total: (3 wkts, 20 overs) 172
Fall of wickets: 1-142 (K Akmal), 2-156 (Afridi), 3-158 (Butt)
Bowling: Mortaza 4-0-39-0 (1w); Razzak 4-0-41-0; Shafiul Islam 4-0-25-1; Naeem Islam 2-0-18-0; Shakib 4-0-27-2; Shuvo 1-0-12-0; Ashraful 1-0-8-0
Bangladesh:
Tamim c and b Hafeez 19
Kayes c Misbah b Aamer 0
Ashraful c K Akmal
b Aamer 65
Shahkib c U Akmal
b Sami 47
Mahmudullah c Aamer
b Sami 0
Naeem Islam not out 10
Mushfiq c Ajmal b Sami 4
Mashrafe st K Akmal
b Ajmal 1
Suhrawadi Shuvo not out 1
Extras: (w3, nb1) 4
Total: (7 wkts, 20 overs) 151
Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Kayes), 2-31 (Iqbal), 3-122 (Shakib), 4-123 (Mahmudullah), 5-140 (Ashraful), 6-145 (Rahim), 7-150 (Mortaza)
Bowling: Aamer 4-0-16-2; Sami 4-0-29-3 (1w); Hafeez 3-0-28-1 (1w); Razzaq 2-0-23-0 (1nb); Ajmal 3-0-18-1 (1w); Afridi 4-0-37-0.

  Borguna emerges champion in Barisal divisional karate
TBT Report

Borguna District Sports Association (DSA) became champion, while Barisal DSA finished runners-up in the qualifying round of the Barisal division of the Electra 4th Divisional Karate Championship.
Mohammad Shakhawat Ullah of Borguna DSA won gold in the -50 kg kumite in the Electra 4th Divisional Karate Championship, held at Abdur Rob Serniabat Stadium in Barisal on Sunday.
Six district teams took part in this event in six categories.
Mohammad Ruhul Amin Hawlader of Barishal DSA emerged champion in -55 kg, while the -60kg title went to Mohammad Moniruzzaman Sohel of Borguna DSA.
Saiful Islam Mridha of Jhalokathi DSA grabbed the gold medal in -67 kg, while the +67 kg title went to Mohammad Monir Hossain of Borguna DSA.
In men's kata, Kamal Parvez of Barisal DSA became champion to take the goal medal.
Commissioner of the Barisal Division Mohammad Nurun Nabi Talukder was present as the chief guest, while the General Secretary of Bangladesh Karate Federation (BKF) Moha-mmad Moazzem Hossain Sentu was the special guest.
BKF has organized the competitions with the sponsorship of Electra International Limited.

   South Africa A earns another comprehensive win
UNB, Dhaka

South Africa A team earned another comprehensive victory in Bangladesh tour outplaying Bangladesh A team by huge 185 runs on the final day of the 2nd and last four-day unofficial test match at BKSP in Savar on Sunday.
The Proteas A sides earlier earned an empathic innings and four-run victory over 2nd string Bangladesh side in the first four-day match at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur after making a massive 676 runs in the first innings that featured three centuries.
Chasing a huge target of 411 runs in the 2nd four-dayer, Bangladesh A team (215 in 1st innings) today (Sunday) resumed the 2nd innings with overnight 125 for 4 and were dismissed for 225 runs in 66.4 overs to concede another humiliating 185 runs defeat.
The South Africa A team piled up 482 runs in the first innings and declared the 2nd innings at 143 for 3 in 33.4 overs on the third day (Saturday) giving a strong challenge to the home side.
But, on the 4th and final day (Sunday), the remaining six batsmen of 2nd string Bangladesh side added just 100 runs to their previous total of 125 runs.
Faisal Hossain, who was batting with 5 runs, contributed the innings' 2nd highest 43 runs off 65 balls with eight fours while another night watch batsman Mahbubul Alam (0) returned to the pavilion with duck.
Besides, captain Shamsur Rahman (57), Mehrab Hossain (41), Nazimuddin (19), Nur Hossain (14) and opener Shahriar Alam (12) were the other major contributors for Bangladesh in the 2nd innings.
P Harris, who caused the major damage to the Bangladesh first innings grabbing six wickets for 90 runs, also continued his superb performance in the 2nd innings claiming three wickets for 85 runs in 29 overs. Vernon Philander, Quinton Friends and Dean Elgar took two wickets each giving for 21, 23 and 40 runs respectively.
Brief Score
South Africa A team - first innings 482 all out in 127.3 overs; Thami Tsolekile 111, Alviro Petersen 92, Rilee Roussouw 81, Nur Hossain 4/146 and Faisal Hossain 3/111.
2nd innings - 143 for 3 (declared) in 33.4 overs; Rilee Roussouw 68, Alviro Petersen 40, Faisal Hossain 2/34.
Bangladesh A team - first innings - 215 all out in 59.2 overs; Shamsur Rahman 89, Nazimuddin 53, Faisal Hossain 37, P Harris 6/90 and Lonwabo Tsotsobe 2/29.
2nd innings- 225 all out in 66.4 overs; Shamsur Rahman 57, Faisal Hossain 43, Mehrab Hossain 41, P Harris 3/85, V Philender 2/21, Q Friend 2/23, D Elgar 2/40.
The tri-nation one-day series, involving the 2nd string teams of Bangladesh, South Africa and West Indies will begin on May 5 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.
Bangladesh A team will play their South African counterpart in the opening match on May 5 at the SBNCS while South Africa A will play West Indies A on the following day (May 6) at the same venue.

  Shirin, Liza take joint lead in national women chess
UNB, Dhaka

Reigning national women champion Sharmin Sultana Shirin and runner-up WFM Shamima Akter Liza took joint lead in the final phase of the Arlin Developer 31st National Women Chess
Championship with 7.5 points after the 8th round matches at the
Narayanganj Club Auditorium on Sunday.
Masuda Begum of Barisal followed the leaders with 6.5 points while
Nazrana Khan Eva of Manikganj secured the 3rd position with 5.5 points.
In the 8th round matches, Shirin beat Protiva Talukder of Rajshahi.
Shirin played with black pieces to take Slave Defense and won against
Protiva after 30 moves.
Liza beat Rokshana Titli of Pabna. Liza played with black pieces in Meran of Semi-Slave defense match and beat Titli after 34 moves. Eva
drew with WIM Rani Hamid of Titas Club. Eva played with white against
Parc Defense of Rani Hamid and both agreed to a draw after the 9th move.
WFM Zakia Sultana of Metropolitan Chess Club beat Dilara Jahan Nupur of Kushtia, Jahanara Haque Runu drew with Mahmuda Haque Chowdhury
Molly of Chittagong and Masuda got walk-over against Aeon Sarker.
Earlier, in the 7th round matches on Saturday, Shirin beat Molly, Liza beat Eva, Masuda beat Protiva, Nupur drew with Rani Hamid, Runu drew with Zakia, and Titli got walk-over against Aeon.
Points after the 8th round matches: 7.5-Shirin and Liza, 6.5-Masuda,
5.5-Eva, 4.5-Rani Hamid, 3.5-Zakia, 3.5-Runu, 2.5-Molly, Protiva and Titli, 2-Nupur and 0- Aeon.

  Barcelona bounces back in style
AFP, Madrid

Barcelona bounced back in style from its heartbreaking Champions League exit with a 4-1 win at Villarreal on Saturday which put it four points clear at the top of La Liga.
Villarreal striker Nilmar Honorato missed a couple of excellent chances before Barcelona, dumped out of the Champions League semi-finals by Inter Milan in midweek, asserted themselves.
A deflected Lionel Messi shot put the Catalans in the lead and then a Xavi Hernandez free-kick doubled the advantage. Bojan Krkic, playing instead of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, rounded his marker before beating the keeper for Barça's third, still before half-time.
Joseba Llorente pulled a goal back, but Messi wrapped up the scoring with three minutes to go.
"We didn't take too long to find our rhythm and we managed a good result against a strong side," said Barca coach Pep Guardiola.
"Real continue to be a strong rival and if things continue as they are it will go down to the wire."
Guardiola also praised Bojan while also expressing sympathy for Ibrahimovic who has struggled to impress in Spain since his move from Inter Milan.
"I am happy with Bojan's performance and his goal, he will have a long career here. Ibrahimovic is a great player for the team and I have not been able to speak to him but it is always difficult to arrange the line-ups."
Villarreal coach Juan Carlos Garrido felt his side suffered the backlash after Barcelona's European exit.
"We all saw how it affected them being eliminated and they have come here to show their football and play well, while we were unable to show our qualities in defence or attack," he said.
Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini, whose side can cut the gap on Barca to one point with victory against Osasuna on Sunday, believes there is still a long way to go in the championship race.

   West Indies A cricket team arrives
TBT Report

The West Indies A cricket team arrived in Dhaka on Sunday to participate in a triangular one-day competition, which also involves Bangladesh A and South Africa A.
After the triangular competition, the West Indians will play two four-day matches against Bangladesh A.
The squad: Travis Dowlin (Captain), Lionel Baker, Darren Bravo, Odean Brown, Kirk Edwards, Justin Guillen, Imran Khan, Brendan Nash, Nelon Pascal, Omar Phillips, Shane Shillingford, Devon Smith, Gavin Tonge, Chadwick Walton.
Officials: Lyndel Wright (Manager), Henderson Springer (Coach), Stuart Williams (Assistant Coach) and Breverley Nelson (Physiotherapist).
Itinerary
Triangular series
May 5: Bangladesh A vs South Africa A
May 6: West Indies A vs South Africa A
May 8: West Indies A vs Bangladesh A
May 9: Bangladesh A vs South Africa A
May 11: West Indies A vs South Africa A
May 12: West Indies A vs Bangladesh A
May 14: final
All matches of the triangular cricket series will be held at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.
Four-Day matches
May 17-20: West Indies A vs Bangladesh A at Shaheed Chandu Stadium, Bogra.
May 23-26: West Indies A vs Bangladesh A at Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan (BKSP).

  Mueller hattrick kicks off Bayern’s title party
AFP, Berlin

Germany's rising star Thomas Mueller scored a hattrick on Saturday as Bayern Munich secured a 3-1 home win over Bochum which, barring a last weekend miracle, guarantees them this season's Bundesliga title.
With second-placed Schalke 04 losing 2-0 at home to Werder Bremen, the Royal Blues now trail Bayern by three points while Munich have a vastly superior goal difference of plus-17 with just one game left each.
It means Bayern's Dutch coach Louis van Gaal will win the Bundesliga title in his first season in charge with his side still on course for the treble of German League, German Cup and Champions League crowns.
The Dutchman can also now add the Bundesliga title to the La Liga crown he won with Barcelona in Spain and last season's Dutch league with AZ Alkmaar.
"The board of directors told me a year ago that this is the most important title to win: now we have achieved it, I am very proud," said van Gaal.
Bayern were 2-0 up after just 20 minutes as 20-year-old Mueller did his World Cup chances the power of good with two goals in as many first-half minutes before completing his hat-trick on 69 minutes.
After Ivica Olic scored a hat-trick in Bayern's 3-0 win at Lyon last Tuesday to put them in the Champions League final, Mueller stole the limelight with three goals of his own at Munich's Allianz Arena.
A Philipp Lahm cross found Mueller unmarked in front of goal and the ball went in off his chest on 18 minutes.
Just two minutes later, Lahm linked up with Franck Ribery and the Frenchman's volley was headed home by Mueller.
Mueller then grabbed his third when captain Mark van Bommel played him into area and he drilled his shot in the top left-hand corner on 69 minutes, before Bochum pulled back a late consolation goal.
Schalke coach Felix Magath's dream of winning the German league with three different teams is on ice for another year as the Royal Blues lost at home to Bremen. Third-placed Bremen took the lead when Germany midfielder Mesut Oezil hit a left-footed shot just after half-time.
The guests then played a big part in deciding the title will go to Munich when striker Hugo Almeida scored on 64 minutes to make it 2-0. Stuttgart's chances of a top five finish to claim a European spot for next season suffered a blow when they were held 2-2 at home by Mainz as Romanian striker Ciprian Marica rescued them with two second-half goals.
Hamburg bounced back from last week's Europa League exit with a 4-0 win over Nuremberg which leaves their oppoents in the relegation zone.
Hertha's relegation was confirmed by their 1-1 draw at Leverkusen as the league's bottom side are four points from safety and face Bayern in the final game of the season next Saturday.
This was only their eighth win of the season, but they led 4-0 at half-time as 'Gladbach's defence capitulated. The win leaves Hanover 15th - just above the relegation zone - and Mirko Slomka's side must beat Bochum next Saturday on the last day of the season to be sure of survival.