|
Leading News
Vessel workers’ strike
Govt re-fixes wage structure, but workers term it
inadequate
TBT Report
The river transport workers were all set to enforce a
countrywide strike despite re-fixation of wage structure
of them increasing pay by at least 50 percent on Friday.
The river transport workers reportedly decided to opt for
going to strike as the re-fixed wage structure appeared to
them as inadequate.
Meanwhile, as most vessels went off the route following a
clash between two groups of workers at Sadarghat in the
morning, passengers failed to get any transport on Friday.
UNB adds: The government has re-fixed the wages structure
for private inland water transport workers with increase
in all categories by at least 50 percent considering the
present socio-economic condition.
The wages structure has been re-fixed by the 16-member
tripartite committee comprising the representatives of the
Laour and Employment Ministry, water transport owners and
workers.
The wages structure has been given retrospective effect
from January 1, 2009 but increased wages will be given
from July 1, 2010. The new wages structure will be in
force for five years.
According to the new wages structure, wages of workers of
coaster and coaster tanker plying between Chittagong port
and outer anchorage, cargo/barge/tug, etc. plying on
riverine routes throughout the year have been increased by
55-100 percent compared with the 2004 pay scale.
Earlier report said, River transport workers went on an
indefinite strike across the country from Thursday
midnight to press home their 22-point demand, including
new pay scale.
As a meeting between the representatives of the
government, owners and workers on Thursday evening failed
to resolve the issue the transport workers started the
strike as per their earlier declaration.
On March 15 the workers went on a non-stop strike to
realise their demands. However, they called off the work
stoppage following an understanding reached at a
tripartite meeting between the representatives of the
government, owners and workers on March 18.
Joint secretary of the River Transport Workers Federation
Abul Kashem Master said it was agreed at the meeting that
a uniform pay scale for all workers based on national pay
scale-2009 will be announced and implemented by April 30.
Although the representatives of the government and owners
held meetings four times since then, they failed to
announce the new pay scale, he added.
To realise the demands, the river transport workers
enforced indefinite work stoppage five times in the last
two years.
Hung
Parliament in UK
Cameron makes offer to Lib Dems to form govt
BBC Online
David Cameron has reached out to the Liberal Democrats in
an effort to form a government - after the UK general
election resulted in a hung parliament.
The Tory leader, whose party won most seats but was short
of a majority, said he wanted to make a "big open and
comprehensive offer" to the Lib Dems.
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said it could include
Lib Dems in cabinet.
Labour leader Gordon Brown has already stressed his
party's "common ground" with the third biggest party. The
Tories are expected to get 305 seats, just short of the
326 needed for an outright majority. Labour are expected
to end with 255 MPs and the Lib Dems 61.
Past practice under Britain's unwritten constitution sees
the sitting prime minister in a hung parliament having the
right to make the first attempt at forming a ruling
coalition.
But Mr Cameron said Mr Brown had "lost his mandate to
govern" after the Conservatives won the most votes and the
most seats and Nick Clegg, leader of the third biggest
party the Lib Dems, said he believed the result gave the
Tories the right to seek to govern first.
He referred to the "outgoing Labour government" in his
speech. But Mr Brown said he was making his statement "as
prime minister with a constitutional duty to seek to
resolve the situation for the good of the country".
The Conservative leader said: "We need a government that
reassures the international markets. We need policies that
will bring economic recovery. And we
need a government that understands that great change is
needed in order to restore faith in our political system."
BBC political editor Nick Robinson said Mr Cameron had not
ruled out a coalition, with places for Liberal Democrats
in a Conservative-led government. However former
Conservative prime minister John Major told the BBC
offering Lib Dems cabinet seats was a "price worth paying"
for the formation of a stable government able to manage
the current economic crisis.
Lib Dem sources told the BBC Mr Cameron's offer was a
"significant step" and they would consider all the
proposals and respond in due course.
PM
urges people to foil any plot to destroy democracy
UNB, Dhaka
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday urged the people to
remain alert against any plot by undemocratic forces to
destroy the democratic process in the country in future.
"In the past, evil forces, for lust of power, repeatedly
denied people's democratic rights and their right to
vote," she told journalists at Gano Bhaban on the occasion
of the 3rd anniversary of her homecoming from the United
States during the army-controlled caretaker government.
On this day in 2007 Hasina returned home overcoming the
restrictions imposed by the caretaker government on her
re-entry into Bangladesh in a bid to implement the
so-called minus-two theory.
"We believe in people's power and we stand for it…people
must remain vigilant against the anti-democratic evil
forces," the Prime Minister said.
Hundreds of leaders and workers of Awami League and its
front organizations thronged the Gano Bhaban to greet
their leader with bouquets. Hasina enquired about their
wellbeing.
Recounting the ordeal she had faced due to the vile design
of the past caretaker government, Hasina said she went to
America to see her expectant daughter and meet with her
daughter-in-law after the 1/11 changeover. While staying
there she came to know that she will not be allowed to
return to the country. She took the decision to
immediately fly back home. The Prime Minister recalled
that one advisor of the caretaker government told her that
BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will leave the country and she
was also asked not to return home. Hearing this, she
protested why Khaleda Zia will go out of the country and
why she will not return.
Hasina said that when she wanted to fly from Florida to
London by a British Airways flight, she was told by the
airliner that the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh
put restriction on her flying back home. Such steps were
taken so she cannot fly from America to London.
Expressing her gratitude to the expatriate Bangladeshis
and people and her party at home for launching movement
mounting pressure on the caretaker government, Hasina said
some 100 expatriate Bangladeshis accompanied her from
London to Dhaka.
"I was told that I will be kidnapped on my arrival and
kept confined untraced," she said, adding that the threat
of the caretaker government and unflinching support of the
people encouraged her to return home at any cost.
"I took a vow if I were to die I will die on the soil of
my country," she said.
Hasina said some leaders of Awami League had threatened
that those who would go to airport to receive me would be
expelled from the party.
"Taking life-risk I returned home only for the sake of the
people and democracy. I knew if I didn't return, democracy
will be killed forever." She said that being scared many
did not protest against wrong and injustice. "But I raised
my voice. Whenever I was brought to court I protested the
wrongdoings. I protested the arrest of unmarried girl
without warrant." She said she was arrested when she
protested against the torture unleashed by an intelligence
agency (DGFI).
The Prime Minister alleged that the BNP-led alliance
wanted to retain power by stealing votes in 2007. There
were 1.23 crore fake voters on the voters' list. In the
face of the Awami League's demand, the Election Commission
was reconstituted.
Hasina reiterated her pledge to ensure economic
emancipation of each citizen and their voting rights which
would lay strong foundation of democracy in the country.
"Without democracy, no country
can achieve development," she said.
Land price fixed at Tk 4
and Tk 7 Lakh at Barapukuria
BSS, Dhaka
The high-powered government committee has fixed per acre
of agriculture land price at Taka 4 lakh and per acre of
commercial land price at Taka 7 lakh for the affected
people of Barapukuria coal mine areas.
The Barapukuria Coal Mine Authority will start the
disbursement of the compensation package from next month",
a top official of the energy ministry told BSS Friday.
According to the energy ministry sources to extract one
million tones of coal per year from this coal field
through open pit mining, it needed to acquire 300 acre of
land at Barapukuria immediately.
The energy ministry on Thursday sent the file to the PMO
for approval. However, it asked Tk 194 crore for land
acquisition. The government set to start the process to
extract coal through open pit mining from Barapukuria
North from next year.
To materialize the idea the government has started
negotiation with 1300 affected families of Barapukuria
from December last to acquire 646 acres of lands in seven
villages in Dinajpur in four phases between 2010 and 2013.
The top official of the energy ministry said the
resettlement package was an outcome of one year continues
meeting between the affected people of Barapukuria, mine
authority and local and central leaders. "We hoped we
could start our job very smoothly', he added.
Earlier, the inter-ministerial committee comprising with
Land, Communication, Law and Energy decided that the
affected people of Barapukuria coal mine will get
compensation as per country's land acquisition law. The
meeting also decided to promulgate an ordinance to
implement the idea to establish a coal mine city in the
country's northern zone in future.
"The mine authority has signed MoU (memorandum of
understanding) with the affected families of Barapukuria
in May 2009, however, they fixed per acre of land price at
Tk 35 lakh", energy ministry sources said.
According to the energy ministry sources the government
would compensate Tk 260.76 crore under the first phase in
the current fiscal, Tk 41.21 crore in 2010-11, Tk 13.13
crore in 2011-12 and Tk 9.12 crore in 2012-13 to extract
one million tons of coal per year from the coal mine.
China offers duty-free access to
5,000 Bangladeshi products
BSS, Dhaka
China has offered duty-free access to some 5,000
Bangladeshi products in a "goodwill gesture" in a
significant development in economic ties between the two
countries after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Beijing
visit in March this year, commerce ministry said here
Friday.
"We are very happy to let you know about the Chinese
offer. We expect the development to intensify further the
business relations between the two countries," Commerce
Minister Faruque Khan told BSS. He added that the list of
products to enjoy the duty-free access included several
items of the Bangladesh's main export earning Readymade
Garments (RMG) sector.
Khan, however, said the Chinese offer came in line with an
earlier deal reached in the regional business forum Asia
Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) meeting in South Korea in
December last year.
But, he said, the announcement came as Dhaka-Beijing
economic ties were expected to strengthen further after
the prime minister's maiden China visit in March this
year. Bangladesh and China are members of the regional
trade agreement that also includes South Korea, Thailand,
Laos and Sri Lanka.
Commerce ministry officials said the Chinese embassy here
informed them of the offer for the duty-free access of our
4,721 products last week while Beijing did not impose any
preconditions for availing the access or wanted no
reciprocal action by Bangladesh.
They said Bangladesh earlier sought duty-free access of 39
items to Beijing during the last Bangladesh-China Joint
Economic Commission meeting in Beijing in July last year.
Bangladesh currently enjoys duty-free access to 27
European Union nations under its Everything But Arms (EBA)
trade access facilities the continental grouping extended
to the world's least developed countries.
1,022 educational
institutions included in MPO
BSS, Dhaka
The Ministry of Education included 1,022 new
non-government educational institutions in its monthly
payment order (MPO).
The list of the educational institutions is now available
on the website www.moedu.gov.bd, an official release said.
It includes, 228 junior high schools, 204 secondary
schools, 14 schools and colleges, 50 intermediate
colleges, 18 degree colleges, 163 dakhil madrasas, 6 fazil
madrasas, 27 alim madrasas, 151 vocational institutions
and 161 business management colleges.
The teachers and employees appointed to these educational
institutions would get salaries and allowances from
January 1.
Inclusion of more educational institutions in the MPO
helped ending sufferings of over 12,000 teachers and
employees who had been waiting for the government decision
for a long time.
Back Page
Announce power sector as
war-footing sector: IEB
BSS, Dhaka
Against the backdrop of nagging electricity crisis in the
country, the IEB Friday demanded announcement of power
sector as the war-footing sector and suggested the
government to construct coal-based power plants by framing
a coal policy quickly as well as build nuclear power
plants.
Addressing a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU),
leaders of the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB)
said growth of electricity should be minimum 12 percent
annually to increase GDP to double digit by 2017.
To achieve the target of producing 7,000 megawatt
electricity by 2013, it said, the government will have to
undertake a plan to generate 500-MW additional electricity
each year from its own fund side by side with independent
power producing plant(IPPP).
"The government also should encourage generating
electricity through IPPP as construction of such a power
plant is possible in 18 months only, while three to three
and a half years are needed to build a power plant under
the government management," the IEB leaders said. They
also said 650-MW electricity could be saved per day if a
shift of the country's 500 re-rolling and steel mills is
shifted to midnight.
To solve the existing power and gas crisis, the IEB
leaders advocated for setting up tri-nation gas pipeline
involving Bangladesh, India and Myanmar. They also
recommended reconstitution of state-owned power, gas and
oil companies. The IEB arranged the press conference on
the occasion of its 62nd founding anniversary Friday.
IEB General Secretary Mesbahur Rahman Tutul read out the
written statement at the press conference.
The IEB leaders also informed that crops worth about Taka
30,000 crore are being damaged each year in the country
due to traditional cultivation method, wastage of
irrigation water and harvesting in unscientific system.
"The huge amount of these losses could be checked through
creating agriculture engineers in each upazila under the
agriculture ministry side by side with applying modern
technologies," they said. Welcoming the government
decision to construct a deepsea port at Sonadia in Cox's
Bazar, the IEB leaders demanded speedy implementation of
the decision and said that such a port is very much
essential for the country.
Twelve killed, 16 hurt in Tangail,
Gazipur, Narsingdi road crashes
UNB, Dhaka
Twelve people were killed and 16 others injured in
separate road accidents in Tangail and Gazipur and
Narsingdi on Thursday night and Friday.
Five people were killed and seven others injured in a road
accident at Dhalla in Mirzapur upazila on Friday.
The deceased were identified as Kamrul Islam Nahid, 20,
Bappi, 35, Shafique, 30, of Mirzapur upazila and Niranjan,
35, of Delduar upazila, and Luftor.
Police said a capital bound bus from Bogra at first hit a
motorcycle and CNG-run auto-rickshaw and later pedestrians
while fleeing away, leaving Nahid and Niranjan dead on the
spot and injuring 10 others at about 9am.
The injured were rushed to Kumudini hospital where three
of them, Bappi, Shafique and Lutfor, died after admission
there. Police later caught the bus, but its driver and
helper managed to escape. Traffic movement on Dhaka-Tangail
highway remained suspended for two hours following the
accident.
In Gazipur, two people, Shaheen,13, a student of Bariali
Madrasa and Anju Ara,36, a maid servant, died in a road
accident Thursday night. Four others were also injured in
the accident that took place on Dhaka-Myme-nsingh highway
at South Salna in Sadar upazila.
Police said the accident occurred as a bus rammed into a
pick-up van and later hit some pedestrians leaving Shaheen
and Anju dead on the spot and wounding four others at 9pm
on Thursday. Angered by the accident, local people blocked
the highway and damaged several vehicles, hampering
traffic movement for two hours. On information, police
rushed in and brought the situation under control.
Meanwhile, three people were killed and five others
injured as a tractor ploughed through a bazaar on Dhaka-Charsindur
road in Polash upazila Friday morning.
Two of the deceased were identified as Dana Miah, 30, and
Dulal Miah, 35, - both were banana traders while identity
of another deceased could not be known immediately.
Witnesses said the tractor ploughed through Charsindur
bazaar as its driver lost control over the steering,
leaving Dana Miah and Dulal dead on the spot and injuring
another six people. Among the injured, an unidentified man
died on way to the upazila health complex. Others were
admitted to the same health complex. Local people caught
the tractor driver and handed him over to police along
with the vehicle.
FM calls for strict adherence to
Buddhism for society’s peace, stability
BSS, Chittagong
Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni Friday urged the Buddhists
to keep ever vigilance on those who want impediment in
establishing peace and prosperity of the country with
strict adherence to the principles of Buddhism.
" Every citizen must play ones respective responsibility
to build a happy and prosperous Bangladesh for safe
habitation of the next progeny, " the minister said this
while addressing a huge Buddhist congregation to mark
handing over of 250 adorable shining Buddhist statues,
donated by Thailand at city's Railway Pologround Friday
afternoon.
The foreign Minister said Bangladesh is an excellent
centre of Buddhist heritage, culture and arts and this
civilization spreads to many worlds particularly south
east Asia. She said handing over of 250 holy Buddhist
statues by friendly country Thailand will strengthen the
existing excellent relationship between the two countries
in the days to come.
Dr Dipu Moni urged the members of the Buddhist community
to integrate themselves in nation building activities.
Buddhist Research and Publication Centre (BRPC) organised
a three-day long programme of the 2553rd Anniversary of
Buddha in commemoration of the enlightenment of Buddha,
nearly 2500 years ago after six - year long rigorous
meditation under bodhi tree.
Industries Minister Dilip Barua inaugurated the
congregation while Supreme Patriarch of Buddhist Community
of Bangladesh Sangharaj Dr Dharmasen Mahasthabir presided
over the function. Dilip Barua in his inaugural remarks
urged all members of the Buddhist community to take part
in nation building activities, initiated by Bangabandhu
daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to bring smile of
the teeming million.
Afsarul Amin said donation of Buddhist statues by Thailand
government is taken place in such a time when a democratic
and secular government is in state power and present
government is going to ban on religion based politics.
Experts for boycotting
stalkers socially and politically
BSS, Dhaka
Apart from social and political resistance to stalking and
sexual harassment, experts Friday called for boycotting
them socially and politically.
Talking to BSS they also stressed the need for creating a
social movement against harassment of girls to ensure a
congenial atmosphere in the educational institutions.
"If we are able to raise our voice unitedly against the
harassment of girls through waging a social movement, the
culprits will fear to commit crime and law enforcement
agencies can also play a key role in resisting harassment
to girls", said Prof Mehtab Khanom of Dhaka University.
She said that every educational institution should
introduce counselors to enable the victims to share their
problems.
Prof Mehtab Khanom termed stalking a social curse and
stressed the need for freeing the society from it to
ensure participation of girls and women in different
activities.
She recommended more interaction between boys and girls
and more sports and cultural programmes in this regard.
She also suggested holding trial of stalkers under the
Speedy Trial Act.
Dr Arup Ratan Chow-dhury said the stalkers are often
released being backed up by influential people and such
release makes them bold and encouraged. "We need to change
this mindset," he added.
He called upon political and influential personalities not
to give shelter to stalkers. Experts urged the media,
especially electronic, to become more cautious about their
programmes, advertisements and cinemas that may encourage
stalking.
Playwright-director-actor Mamunur Rashid said the problem
would prevail until framing of a policy to control
television programmes and advertisements that encourage
stalkers.
There is no policy or control on the advertisements in
private television channels excepting the state-run
Bangladesh Television, he added.
Experts also suggested projection of more morally
motivating programmes in the television, appointment of
counselors in educational institutions, introduction of
help line for victims, eviction of shops adjacent to
schools and colleges and increasing of co-educational
institutions in the country.
Power, energy
sector
Dhaka-Moscow
understandings for cooperation likely
UNB, Dhaka
Wide ranging understandings might be reached between Dhaka
and Moscow for cooperation in the fields of power and
energy during Foreign Minister Dipu Moni's ensuing visit
to Russia.
The indication was dropped by the Foreign Minister while
holding a meeting on Thursday with senior officials of
different ministries to lineup the agenda of discussion
with her Russian counterpart. Dipu Moni is scheduled to
visit Russia from May 20-21 in a bid to strengthen Dhaka's
diplomatic and economic ties with Moscow.
According to officials who attended the meeting, some 20
agenda from different ministries were placed in the
meeting but possible Russian cooperation in Bangladesh's
power, energy and agriculture sectors dominated the
discussion. The meeting was apprised about the progress of
the ongoing initiative for building up a huge nuclear
power plant in the country with Russian help.
Apart from this, the Power and Energy Ministry officials
also placed the issues of possible cooperation in
different projects. The Power Ministry officials told the
meeting that a number of power plants were built in
Ghorasal power station with Russian technology and
financial cooperation.
Some more projects are now under the government's plan to
be built in the same way with Russian help. A 210 MW power
plant was set up in Siddhirganj where a similar project
has been designed to be installed under phase-II at the
same site. Negotiation was started with Russia for the
project, but so far no significant progress could be made.
The Power ministry officials said the power plants set up
with Russian help needs overhauling, maintenance and
rehabilitation. This could be a potential field for
Russian cooperation. The Energy ministry officials
informed the meeting that a high-profile delegation, which
included the State Minister for Power and Energy, the
Prime Minister's Energy Advisor and the Petrobangla
Chairman, visited Moscow last month and had positive
discussions for cooperation in the country's petroleum
exploration on the onshore gas fields. So, Bangladesh is
likely to seek Russian help to develop its energy sector,
particularly in the gas exploration.
After discussion, the Foreign Minister asked the officials
to send proposals in writing by May 16 so that she could
take necessary preparation to discuss with her Russian
counterpart.
Editorial
Ban student politics or
take responsibility!
The
country is currently witnessing one of the most horrendous
unfolding of events of student politics at various public
universities. The students are publicly captured by
photographers of various news bodies fighting with dangerous
and lethal weapons such as pistols, sharp swords, and other
tools used for butchering cows, and these photos of them
fighting against each other are made public by the print and
electronic media and are thereby known by the citizens of
Bangladesh at large. We need not think and grieve deeply at
the situation at hand to realize that time has come to take
drastic actions at once. But who will lend an ear to overcome
the inhumanity deeply ingrained in our national politics, one
of the consequences of which is the barbaric fighting of these
student fronts of political parties, be it against each other
of their own factions or against other student fronts. Are we
to have our future national leaders from them? When the
internal national politics fosters attitudes of aggression and
vengeance against each other prioritizing benefit of their own
party above the good cause of the country and its citizens,
when the big parties are busy in the 'blame game' with every
failure of their own, when the big parties are driven by
matters of imposing their own view of history in
reinterpreting the country's past, especially engaged in
trying to elevate their past leaders above their rivals' image
of past leaders, in an effort to show how 'big' is one's own
leader in comparison to the other's, (what shall we ordinary
citizens do in seeing whose dead past leader was bigger than
who?) when the big parties are showing disrespect to the rule
of law in absolving cases pending before courts of law without
allowing them to take its own legal course (why, if they were
'politically motivated' then would that flaw be unrecognized
in our legal system?) and in this only seeing their own party
interest, when the big parties are busy in maligning each
other and attacking the personality of each other in the
national Parliament where they are elected to discuss matters
relating to the good and prosperity of the country and its
people; Oh Lord how I repent in being born in this country!
Please ban student politics or take responsibility of each
student maimed, made disabled or butchered! And in doing that
we DO NOT want to hear any justification of how our past
history requires student politics and how glorious it turned
out to be! We have seen enough. Furthermore, please adopt a
law that anybody even connected with these barbaric acts of
fighting students be strictly prohibited from entering into
national politics and any future of these students in the
national parliament be made strictly prohibited! We are seeing
that not only Jamaat but Awami League and BNP student fronts
are all the same in butchering their colleagues holding
political rivalry be it for 'admission trade', tender,
controlling of campuses, or whatsoever for! Yes, we care for
these students and ourselves too! The ordinary course of law
is not effective in nurturing peace and fellow feeling
required for higher education at these public institutions at
all. If left to take its own course, the government (because
it is the government) must take legal responsibility for every
maiming, disability or student murdered. If this is made
another political weapon to erase a political rivals' student
front that would be taken very offensively by the people
because it will then keep the inhumanity and killing unchecked
and it can lead to a more dangerous outcome in the future. The
government must ban it now or lead this country's future to a
civil strife if not to warring factions amongst our own
selves. Public universities are becoming killing grounds not
arenas of higher education, please stop it! If you distrust me
then answer me dear reader will you give permission to your
son or daughter to be admitted to any public university in
Bangladesh? Yes, poor people have no option, middle class
above can attempt for private universities and for the rich
its foreign universities! Have heart dear friend at least for
the poor. For our Prophet (pbuh) has said that towards the end
of time killing will be rampant in this world. He made no
mistake in matters of religion. Let us not promote killing.
Missing export
target
Press
reports say that the diplomatic missions of Bangladesh as well
as the commercial wings are yet to gear up their performance
as most of them are below their export target. According to
mission-wise and commercial wing-wise statistics available at
the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) for the July-Feb period of
the 2009-2010 fiscal, it was found that most of the diplomatic
missions and commercial wings fell below their export targets.
Out of the 44 diplomatic Missions of Bangladesh working
abroad, 20 Missions achieved their export target while 24
could not achieve the target set for them. Out of 16
Commercial Wings, 7 Commercial Wings achieved the export
target while 9 could not achieve the target set for them.
It is widely believed that the officials concerned are
responsible for the export target being missed. There are
allegations that most of those working in the trade missions
and commercial wings are interested more in personal business
and corrupt practices to earn quick money than in promotion of
country's exports. The government should take up the issue
seriously, order a thorough inquiry into the allegation and
take stern actions against the offenders.
Analysis
Forever on a slippery slope
The guaranteed
supply of nuclear fuel provides India the means to divert
indigenous fissile material for use in its weapons progamme,
enabling it to produce 60 additional weapons a year with no
check in place.
Dr Maleeha Lodhi
When President
Barack Obama met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani last month
in Washington he urged a review of Pakistan's position in the
talks aimed at halting the production of nuclear bomb-making
fissile material.
In the April 11 meeting that took place ahead of the two-day
nuclear security summit, Obama was reported to have "expressed
disappointment" that Pakistan was blocking the opening of
negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut Off Treaty (FMCT) at
the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva.
The FMCT issue was also raised when Secretary of State Hilary
Clinton called on Gilani following the Obama meeting. Clinton
is believed to have prefaced her remarks on the issue by the
assurance that the US was working hard on getting recognition
for Pakistan's nuclear status. One of the steps she said that
would demonstrate nuclear responsibility and help move towards
this goal would be Pakistan's position in the FMCT
negotiations.
The implicit linkage made between Pakistan's request to the US
for a waiver from the nuclear suppliers group (NSG) to enable
it to acquire civilian nuclear energy and its stand in the
FMCT talks indicated the kind of diplomatic pressure Islamabad
can expect in the coming months.
This is also reinforced by a statement by the US Permanent
Representative to the CD. Ambassador Laura Kennedy stated
rather presumptuously that the US believed it will be possible
to convince Pakistan to join the negotiations. Acknowledging
that Pakistan had security interests to secure, she said
Pakistan could raise its concerns in the negotiations,
especially as the consensus rule in the 65-nation forum
provided it 'protection'.
The position that Pakistan has taken in the CD was fashioned
by a meeting of the National Command Authority presided over
by Prime Minister Gilani on January 13, 2010. In firming up
Pakistan's position, the meeting reviewed a series of
developments especially the adverse ramifications of India's
fuel supply agreements with several countries facilitated by
the Indo-US nuclear deal and the consequent NSG exemption.
Subsequently the stance taken by Pakistan's envoy in Geneva,
Zamir Akram, reflected the NCA mandate. Members of the CD were
told in no uncertain terms of Pakistan's reservations about a
treaty which, aiming only at prohibiting future production,
would freeze the imbalance between Pakistan and India and
place Pakistan at a permanent strategic disadvantage.
He also made it clear that unless the treaty envisaged a
reduction in fissile stockpiles and also became a disarmament
measure it would be difficult for Pakistan to enter formal
talks. The call to take account of stocks has been supported
by the G 21 developing nations in the CD.
There has been no game changer since the January NCA meeting
to urge modification of this negotiating position. While the
upswing in Pakistan-US relations driven by the March strategic
dialogue is a positive development, this cannot become a
reason to alter Pakistan's principled position.
Any argument that in order to pursue a course that may produce
legitimisation of Pakistan's nuclear status, Islamabad needs
to yield on its FMCT negotiations position rests on shaky
ground. It confuses the important with the vital. Pakistan's
national security interest on which its FMCT position is
predicated is vital. Nuclear legitimacy may be important but
it cannot be pursued at the cost of strategic interests,
especially if that compromises the future operation of
credible deterrence.
For Pakistan to modify its position in return for uncertain
and unverifiable "assurances" from Washington is fraught with
great risk. The history of the troubled nuclear engagement
between the two countries offers ample testimony of why this
is so. The current American willingness-to-listen mode is
borne of the strategic compulsion to secure Pakistan's
cooperation for the Afghan endgame and could turn out to be
part of a strategy to entice Islamabad while conceding nothing
strategically significant
If accepted the argument that Pakistan should allow the talks
to begin - as there will be time and opportunity to secure its
interests - will put the country on a slippery slope. Once
negotiations have commenced there is no assurance that a
solution would be found to Pakistan's concern over unequal
stocks. By joining the talks Pakistan would be locked in and
become party to a flawed and discriminatory treaty rather than
have a chance to prevent such a document from emerging in the
first place.
Also mistaken is the argument that discussions in the CD are
likely to be protracted and will provide Islamabad negotiating
time and space. There is already agreement among most nuclear
weapons states on the broad parameters of the treaty. This
means that the previous gaps in the positions of member states
have narrowed on key issues, including the definition of
nuclear material, scope, verification and stocks. This holds
out the possibility of the treaty process concluding
relatively quickly.
The scope of the treaty is defined in such a way - covering
weapons-grade uranium or plutonium - as to give India the
opportunity to build strategic reserves of stockpiles thus
widening the disparity with Pakistan. India's recent fuel
agreements with several countries will assure supply and
enable it to process reactor-grade fuel. This is only a small
step away to its conversion to weapons-grade material.
As currently framed the FMCT negotiations oblige Pakistan to
accept a limit on its deterrent capability that does not apply
to India because of the preferential treatment it has received
by the NSG exemption and the nuclear agreement with
Washington.
The guaranteed supply of nuclear fuel provides India the means
to divert indigenous fissile material for use in its weapons
progamme, enabling it to produce 60 additional weapons a year
with no check in place.
Pakistan's insistence on taking account of stocks is premised
on the assessment that a greater disparity of stockpiles with
India could erode the stability of nuclear deterrence and have
destabilising implications for the region. While the US and
its Western allies choose to direct their diplomatic efforts
on Pakistan the consequences of their own actions are
responsible for the present stalemate in the CD. It is their
promotion of India's nuclear exceptionalism that has
undermined the FMCT negotiations.
Maleeha Lodhi served as Pakistan's ambassador to the United
States and the United Kingdom.
Can the
terrorists halt India’s peace deal with Pakistan?
It is the interaction between these two currents that is
determining the direction of India's most important
foreign policy concern - its hostile relationship with
Pakistan.
Jonathan Power
Indians
are inured to violence and death. Yes and no. Over the
years as far back into history as one can go there have
been famines, wars, ethnic killings and plagues. At the
time of independence there was the division of the country
into two as Pakistan, a Muslim state, was created. The
breakup of India led to massive pogroms.
In recent years in India there have been a regular if
intermittent Muslim-Hindu clashes, some resulting in the
deaths of hundreds or more. There was the murder of Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards who were
persuaded to commit their dastardly act by the militant
movement fighting for a separate Sikh state. People who
know India and have watched India and Pakistan go to war
three times and be on the verge of a nuclear war in 1999
say that if the nationalist drum roll reached a certain
crescendo public opinion would welcome an Indian nuclear
attack on Pakistan, totally careless of the consequences.
Today also there is the insurgency of the Maoists in
eastern India, fuelled by the deep poverty of India's
tribal people who rarely live beyond the age of forty.
Yet there is a strong other side of India. There is the
Gandhian tradition of nonviolence and the value of the
worth of the individual which suits the world's largest
democracy well. There is the continuing success of
democracy, a functioning if very slow legal system and a
free press that are much more than just a safety valve for
anti-government anger. They are sophisticated instruments
for the pacific settlement of disputes and resentments.
There is the influence of the fast growing middle class
which is educated enough to understand the futility of
violence and has too much to lose if it gets out of
control.
It is the interaction between these two currents that is
determining the direction of India's most important
foreign policy concern - its hostile relationship with
Pakistan.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has always wanted to strike
a peace deal with Pakistan that would end the chance of
war over the disputed province of Kashmir which straddles
the two countries.
The opponents of such a deal on the Pakistani side, a
powerful minority that give their support to militant
organizations, know that however much Indians tolerate and
live with violence even a pin prick from the other side of
the Pakistani border will rouse the wrath of the average
Indian, educated or not.
The attack on the Taj Mahal hotel and other targets in
Mumbai two years ago that killed 173 people stalled
India's new effort to negotiate. Public opinion was
exceedingly angry and Singh felt he had no choice but to
step back.
But after two years of calm Singh has been prepared to try
again. Indeed, he has almost gone overboard to be
conciliatory, accepting that India needs to accept
Pakistan's demand to talk as well about the alleged Indian
support for the independence movement in Pakistan's remote
Balochistan province and putting on one side the former
Indian demand that before negotiations Pakistan either
prosecute or extradite the masterminds in the militant
organization, Lashkar-e-Taiba, behind the Mumbai attack.
Inevitably, as the diplomacy gathers speed, the militant
movements in Pakistan step up their own plans to sabotage
any deal. On Saturday the center of Delhi was put on a
government alert. The US Embassy issued a warning of an
"imminent" attack in a number of inner city locations
including Connaught Place at the heart of Delhi which
includes three crowded metro stations.
I walked around Connaught Place. Police were everywhere in
large numbers. Soldiers patrolled on every corner. But the
markets were bustling and overcrowded in their usual
Saturday way. Thousands of people were pouring in and out
of Rajiv Chowck metro station, a major interchange. This
was the insouciant side of India - a people who have grown
up, if not accepting death, at least if it came, taking it
more in their stride than Westerners would. Any western
city would have shut down these three stations.
But one knows too that if the bombers struck whatever the
degree of fatalism there would be alongside outraged
anger. The government would be frozen in its tracks. The
trouble with Singh's previous prevarications is that the
terrorist tail in Pakistan knows it can wag the Indian
dog. The terrorists can control the pace, switching off
the dialogue whenever they want.
A deal is 98 percent negotiated. That has been true since
the deposed Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf pushed
negotiations almost to the point of conclusion in the
early days of the Singh premiership, with Pakistan making
most of the compromises. Singh let the opportunity drop
through his fingers succumbing to pressure from the army
and the foreign policy establishment.
When I told Musharraf that Singh had told me that he could
not negotiate whilst terrorist acts continued Musharraf
replied that this was putting the cart before the horse.
Only once there was peace would the terrorists lose their
support. To allow them to set the agenda meant there would
never be peace.
If Singh wants peace with Pakistan he has to lead not to
follow public opinion. He seems to be doing that now. But
no outrage must break
his stride.
Jonathan Power is a foreign affairs commentator and
analyst based in London
Viewpoints
Struggles within and beyond
These are
tough times for Pakistan, but the state and the people are
united to face the challenge of militancy. The victory
may be late in coming, but it will not be denied.
Shafqat Mahmood
The
arrest of a Pakistani American in the failed Times Square
bombing puts the country in the wrong spotlight again. This
follows the conviction of Ajmal Kasab, another Pakistani, by
an Indian court for the Mumbai attacks. Both events in
succession will add to the perception that this country is a
sanctuary for dangerous terrorists.
The conspiracy theorists may go blue in the face arguing that
Pakistan is deliberately being targeted. A part of this may be
true. Elements in the Indian establishment and some groups in
the US would indeed like Pakistan to be labelled a terrorist
state. They may also want to defang its military capability by
creating an enabling environment for an onslaught on its
nuclear programme.
But it will be foolhardy, or deliberately ingenious, not to
acknowledge that there are groups in Pakistan that are
capable, and have been involved, in terrorist incidents
abroad.
The essential question is not that there are dangerous
militant groups in this country. We, who have been the victims
of terrorism more than even Iraq and Afghanistan in recent
years, know this. What should concern us is the allegation by
our adversaries that the Pakistani state is complicit in these
attacks outside the country.
The evidence is at best flimsy in this regard. There is little
doubt that Pakistani security agencies, egged on by the US,
created a band of militants to fight the Soviets in
Afghanistan. It is also true that some groups fighting in
Indian-held Kashmir during the nineties received support from
the Pakistani state. But this ended in 2003.
Since then there is no evidence of the Pakistan state's
involvement in the troubles that the Indian state has in
Kashmir. There is certainly no proof of any Pakistani
connection to the attack on the Indian parliament or to the
Mumbai tragedy. If there were, it would have been advertised
to the world by now.
Having said that, it needs to be acknowledged that the
intelligence agencies of the two countries have been in the
past carrying out a separate war of sorts against each other.
It is thus entirely possible that some stray incidents that
happened in Pakistan or in India in the last sixty years may
have been engineered by RAW or the ISI. But there has been no
smoking gun, no direct evidence of each other's involvement.
If Pakistan-India hostility has generated mutual problems in
the past, the involvement of the Pakistani state in terrorism
in other parts of the world is nonexistent. Indeed, it is
pointless even to defend this because no allegation of this
kind was ever made after 9/11 or the train bombings in Britain
and Spain.
This fact, however, does not absolve the Pakistani state from
the other charge; that it has failed to eliminate militant
groups based on its territory. The only answer is that never
before has the state and its armed forces been more committed
to fight against militant groups as it is today.
The military operations in Swat, Bajaur, Buner, South
Waziristan and now Orakzai are testament to this commitment.
As, indeed, is the heroism, dedication and spirit of sacrifice
of its soldiers. More officers and men have embraced martyrdom
in this battle against militancy than in the many wars against
India.
This is a sad but poignant sign of Pakistan's appreciation
that this is a battle for its survival. Army chief Gen Kayani
has paid an appropriate tribute to the sacrifices made by
declaring April 30 as Martyrs Day. The glorious ceremonies
that day in all military installations were a testament that
the nation recognises this to be a just war.
The way ahead is long and tortuous. It includes two different
elements: taking control of the so-called ungoverned areas and
identifying and eliminating militant groups in urban centres
of the country. This has to be done with a proper analysis of
the state's strengths and weaknesses and the abilities of its
adversaries.
The international community needs to understand the difficult
nature of this struggle and instead of blaming Pakistan or
putting undue pressure on it, give it practical support. This
mainly includes economic comfort and, to a degree, the
wherewithal to wage a counterinsurgency war. Just continuing
the mantra of "do more" is unhelpful.
This is particularly true with regard to the pressure being
exerted for an outright assault on North Waziristan. The
situation there is quite complicated. A number of militant
groups have gathered in it, including the so-called Punjabi
Taliban and foreign militants.
Among them, not all are hostile to the Pakistani state. In
fact, the role of people like Hafiz Gul Bahadur is quite
positive, although it seems that his ability to control the
activities of outside elements has diminished. This has led to
some ambushes on the security forces and the fact that the
murder of Khalid Khawaja could not be prevented.
If the military were to launch a full-scale assault on North
Waziristan, it would unite all the groups present there and
make the task very difficult. Therefore, if it has to be done,
the army leadership will, like in the past, have to work hard
to create the right environment.
This means a number of things. First, the military will be
assessing its own capabilities, given the fact that Swat and
other "liberated" areas are being still being consolidated. It
would not want to deploy itself too thin. Colin Powell said
about the US military that it should only go to war with
overwhelming force so that victory is assured.
The same applies to any operation by the Pakistani military.
It went into Swat and South Waziristan with the appropriate
strength and fully prepared. Not being able to take them was
not an option. The same holds true for North Waziristan. Any
operation there has to be assured of success.
Among other ungoverned areas, parts of Khyber agency,
particularly Tirah Valley, are also becoming a refuge for
different terror groups which have been pushed out of other
agencies. The military leadership will also have to calculate
how much force is required there to challenge them.
To sum up, the battle to reclaim ungoverned areas and give a
final blow to militant groups settled there requires careful
preparation and right timing. It is something that cannot be
hurried because of US political compulsions. Any peremptory
move will result in failure, and that will be catastrophic.
To add to other problems, the situation in Balochistan is
becoming grimmer by the day. Targeted killings of non-Baloch
have gone up and now law enforcement agencies are being openly
attacked. The civil administration is helpless, and more a
hollow front than a real government. The political leaders
seem to be clueless.
West
acquiesces as Russia wins back ex-Soviet states
US diplomats
hail a new START treaty with Russia cutting nuclear arms,
deals to allow supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan to
cross Russia, and signs Moscow may back sanctions against
Iran as fruits of the new, better relationship.
Michael Stott
Vladimir
Putin has long bemoaned the fall of the Soviet Union. Now
he appears to be having some success in winning parts of
it back.
Analysts and diplomats name Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and
Georgia as former Soviet republics where Russia has
succeeded recently in rolling back Western influence.
Belarus, which flirted last year with the West, is
tracking back toward Moscow and has agreed, together with
Central Asian powerhouse Kazakhstan, to join Moscow in a
customs union.
The West, preoccupied with financial crisis and keen to
keep Russia as an ally in tackling problems such as
nuclear proliferation and Iran's military ambitions, has
acquiesced.
"It's extremely important to Putin to reassert Russian
influence in the (former Soviet Union)," said Maria Lipman,
editor of the Pro et Contra journal at the Moscow Carnegie
Center. "Europe can't compete with that." In Ukraine,
newly elected leader Viktor Yanukovich scrapped plans by
his predecessor to pursue NATO membership and did a deal
extending the lease of a Russian naval base in Ukraine by
25 years in return for a 30 percent cut in gas prices.
Emboldened by his success, Putin suggested last Friday
that Kiev should merge its state gas company Naftogaz -
which owns the pipelines taking Russian gas across Ukraine
to the West - with Russia's state-controlled giant Gazprom.
Georgia's Western allies have largely deserted President
Mikheil Saakashvili after his disastrous attempt in 2008
to retake the rebel province of South Ossetia triggered a
war with Russia and a crushing military defeat.
Saakashvili has lost public support too over the affair
and Georgian opposition politicians, some of whom favor
less confrontational policies with Russia, have already
traveled to Moscow for exploratory talks with Putin.
In the poor Central Asia republic of Kyrgyzstan, former
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev blamed his fall in a popular
uprising on Moscow, saying the Kremlin was dissatisfied
that he had backtracked on a promise to close a key US
military base.
These developments mean all three of the "color"
revolutions, in which mass protests swept pro-Western
governments to power in Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan,
have been reversed or seriously compromised.
"The collapse of the "Orange" administrations in all
countries except Georgia, which is now isolated, the
recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the re-booting
of relations with the US and the new strategic pact with
Ukraine together create ... ideal foreign political
conditions," said Gleb Pavlovsky, a political analyst with
close ties to the Kremlin, in comments on his website
kreml.org.
Two years ago, the situation looked very different.
Then, former US President George W. Bush was aggressively
pursuing the expansion of NATO to include Ukraine and
Georgia, US anti-missile systems were planned for Central
Europe and the Kremlin howled about Western plots to
encircle Russia.
But the election of Obama and the global financial crisis
brought different priorities to Washington. Moscow became
a key player which needed to be won over to an agenda of
global diplomacy rather than a Cold War-era foe to be
contained.
Publicly, US officials bridle at the idea that they are
acquiescing in a renaissance of Kremlin power.
But privately, those advancing the Obama agenda describe
the Bush-era policies of confrontation with Russia as
misguided.
Such sentiments chime with a mood on continental Europe
which favors pragmatism with Russia, allowing Europeans to
exploit lucrative business opportunities unhindered by
sour political grapes over human rights or democracy.
"There is a growing feeling in most of Europe that the
time is right to seek a new consensus with Russia which is
not based on the old adversarial lines of NATO and human
rights, but along a common agenda for cooperation," one
European ambassador said.
The rapid changes in the ex-Soviet Union should not have
come as a surprise - the Kremlin was never shy about its
agenda.
President Dmitry Medvedev, Putin's junior partner in the
ruling "tandem," told Western journalists and academics in
September 2008 that "we will work to extend our contacts
with those nations with which we have traditionally been
close...If that doesn't please everyone, what can I do
about it?."
The US Republicans and some eastern European nations are
indeed not pleased, but not everyone shares that view.
Proponents of Ukraine's deals with Moscow say that Russia
agreed to gas price discounts worth up to $40 billion to
secure the naval base - a gift for Kiev's struggling
finances.
US diplomats hail a new START treaty with Russia cutting
nuclear arms, deals to allow supplies for NATO troops in
Afghanistan to cross Russia, and signs Moscow may back
sanctions against Iran as fruits of the new, better
relationship.
"It was gradually realized in the West that provoking
Russia does not yield positive results," the Carnegie
Center's Lipman said. "We can benefit from being on better
terms with Russia." "Iran, Afghanistan and START are
higher on Obama's list than an American mission to spread
democracy all over the world."
Plan to disarm militants
The long-delayed Afghan Peace and Reintegration Programme
has emerged just as Karzai prepares to go to Washington
for talks with Barack Obama, where the issue is likely to
be top of the agenda.
Jon Boone
Top
Taliban leaders could be offered exile outside Afghanistan
if they agree to stop fighting the government of Hamid
Karzai, a long-expected peace plan by the Afghan
government will propose later this month.
The far-reaching proposals, seen by the Guardian, also
call for "deradicalisation" classes for insurgents and
thousands of new manual jobs created for foot soldiers who
renounce violence.
The long-delayed Afghan Peace and Reintegration Programme
has emerged just as Karzai prepares to go to Washington
for talks with Barack Obama, where the issue is likely to
be top of the agenda.
The plan will then be presented later in the month to a
gathering of representatives from across Afghanistan
called the National Consultative Peace Jirga. Once agreed
upon, the government will be able to start spending around
$160m pledged by the international community to lure
fighters away from the conflict. The document refers to
such fighters as "angry brothers", reflecting the belief
that a substantial portion of insurgents are not motivated
by strong ideological beliefs.
Little is said in the report about the Taliban leaders
managing the war against Hamid Karzai's government.
However, it does say insurgent leaders could face
"potential exile in a third country".
Saudi Arabia has been used in the past for such purposes,
and there has been widespread speculation that exile could
be offered to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of the
Hizb-i-Islami armed group, which in March sent a peace
delegation to Kabul for talks with Karzai.
Western powers are likely to be pleased by the level of
detail about the new High Level Peace Council, which will
take over from a notoriously chaotic predecessor body
accused of reintegrating fighters who subsequently took up
arms again.
However, diplomats are worried that the government lacks
the capacity to implement a programme that calls for
complex activities in around 4,000 villages most affected
by the insurgency. One diplomat said: "For the
international community money is not a problem, they will
pay whatever it takes. One gets a sense that there are
people on the military side who will do most of the work
and then give it some sort of an Afghan face."
The High Council and its executive body will be in charge
of processing fighters who want to live peacefully. They
will initially be put in "demobilisation centres" for a
"cooling off" period of 90 days where their needs can be
assessed and their personal security assured.
If they agree to lay down their arms and cut ties with Al
Qaeda they will be entitled to an amnesty against
prosecution for any crimes they may have committed. They
will also be issued with a biometric "reintegration card".
They will then be offered a "menu" of options designed to
keep them peacefully occupied, including vocational
training in such trades as carpet-weaving and tailoring.
There will also be the option to go through "deradicalisation"
training, of the sort pioneered by Saudi Arabia. However,
the report acknowledges the complexity of such programmes,
the lack of "adequate experience" in Afghanistan and the
likely need to send "highly radicalised" people to other
countries for treatment.
Major new institutions will also be set up to manage
enormous job-creation schemes. An Engineering and
Construction Corps will focus on labour-intensive work,
such as the construction of Afghanistan's national highway
system and other large-scale infrastructure projects.
It also envisages teams of ex-Taliban fighters being
rapidly deployed to respond to emergencies such as floods
and landslides. By far the most controversial option is
the option for former insurgents to join the Afghan army
or police force.
International
US tones down
tirade against Pakistan
Dawn Online, Washington
Three key pillars of the US administration - the White
House, the Pentagon and the State Department - joined
hands on Thursday in an effort to tone down anti-Pakistan
tirade stirred by the arrest of a Pakistani-American in
the Times Square bombing attempt earlier this week.
The most forceful attempt to deflect anti-Pakistan
rhetoric came from the State Department, where Assistant
Secretary of State Philip Crowley said he would not allow
the department's platform to be used to suggest that all
terrorist activities in the world originated in that
country.
"I'm not going to entertain a question that implicates one
country, and to suggest that all terrorism in the world is
the responsibility of one country. That's not true," said
Mr Crowley.
The State Department also said that US Ambassador Anne
Patterson had spoken on Thursday with Prime Minister Yusuf
Raza Gilani, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi and
other senior officials in Islamabad.
She held similar meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari
and Mr Qureshi on Wednesday.
The meetings took place against the backdrop of the
countries' determination to "continue to work together, to
investigate the attempted bombing in Times Square," Mr
Crowley said.
The White House said that alleged failed bomber Faisal
Shahzad's links to North Waziristan were not discussed at
President Barack Obama's war council meeting on Thursday,
which focussed on the situation in Afghanistan.
The White House also said that it was not supporting a
move in the US Congress to strip the citizenship of a
terror suspect because it believed this was not an
effective way of dealing with this problem.
The Pentagon recalled that the Pakistanis too had "lost
thousands and thousands of their military men and women as
well as their civilians due to terrorist attacks".
India warns US against military aid
to Pakistan
AFP, New Delhi
India's defence minister cautioned the United States on
Friday against military supplies to Pakistan, saying the
hardware could be diverted to target India.
The warning came after the US in March said it would
deliver unarmed drones to Pakistan and less than a month
after it unveiled plans to transfer 600 million dollars to
Islamabad to pay for anti-militant operations.
A. K. Antony told reporters in New Delhi that India's
concerns had been conveyed to Washington.
"Even though the US is giving equipment to Pakistan to
fight against the Taliban, we feel there is every
possibility of (Pakistan) diverting most of them to the
Indian borders," Antony said.
"We have already conveyed our concerns about transfer of
equipment to Pakistan. We told the US that they have to be
careful about that," the Indian defence minister added.
Pakistan, Washington's frontline ally in its battle
against militancy, has domestically produced surveillance
drones but it told the US in March that it wanted
sophisticated US-made aircraft.
The Pentagon soon said it would deliver "within a year"
around a dozen unarmed drones to Islamabad to aid its
fight against Al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgents in Pakistan.
Last month-end, the United States also said some 600
million dollars would be paid to Pakistan to reimburse it
for the operations over the past year against extremists.
India's military insists that some of the US supplied
hardware and funds have been siphoned away by Pakistan
allegedly to buttress its arsenal against its estranged
South Asian neighbour.
Uighur leader killed in Pakistan:
Rehman Malik
Reuters, Beijing
Pakistan and China have "broken the back" of the East
Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which China accuses of
orchestrating attacks in its restive Xinjiang region,
Pakistan's Interior Minister said in Beijing on Friday.
An alleged leader of the group, about which little is
known, has been killed, Rehman Malik said at the end of a
visit to discuss security cooperation between the two
countries.
China has granted long-standing ally Pakistan a $180
million loan to purchase police equipment, including
armoured personnel carriers and bullet-proof jackets,
Malik told reporters.
"I am happy to inform you that their back is broken, it's
weakened," Malik said, referring to ETIM. "We treat ETIM
not only as an enemy of China but also as an enemy of
Pakistan ... Now the other so-called gang leader Haq has
been killed recently, I can confirm that."
Malik appeared to be referring to Abdul Haq, an ETIM
leader also known as Memetiming Memeti, who China says
took over leadership of ETIM in 2003 after the death in
Pakistan of previous leader Hasan Mahsum.
"We have also heard this but we don't have any further
information and so cannot elaborate," Dilxat Raxit, a
spokesman for the World Uyghur Congress, an exile group,
said on Friday.
"We don't know this person so we have no way to verify."
China accuses ETIM of carrying out attacks and claims to
have broken up training camps of men seeking independence
for Xinjiang, home to the Uighurs, a Muslim,
Turkic-speaking ethnic group. Most of the information on
the group comes from Chinese security forces. "We have
witnessed that the ETIM terrorists are weakened and they
are no more that kind of organisation," Malik said.
Soldiers, rebels battle in Indian
Kashmir; 8 dead
AP, Srinagar
A fierce gunbattle between Muslim rebels and Indian
security forces in the Indian-controlled portion of
Kashmir has killed six insurgents and two soldiers, an
army spokesman said Friday.
Fighting erupted Thursday night in densely forested
Rafiabad - about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of
Srinagar, Indian Kashmir's main city - after army troops
and police received information about the presence of
militants in the area, Col. Vineet Sood said.
Six militants and two soldiers died, and searches were
continuing despite heavy rains, Sood told The Associated
Press.
In a telephone call Friday to Current New Service, a local
news agency, a man who identified himself as a spokesman
for Hezb-ul Mujahedeen, Kashmir's biggest rebel group,
said four of the guerrillas killed belonged to his group.
The man, who gave his name as Ahsan Ilahi, told the news
agency three soldiers were killed in the fighting.
Hezb-ul Mujahedeen is one of a dozen rebel groups fighting
Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region.
Both India and Pakistan claim all of Kashmir and have
fought two wars over it. The rebels have fought since 1989
for the Indian-controlled portion's independence or its
merger with Pakistan.
India accuses Pakistan of funding and training militants
in the Pakistani-held portion of Kashmir, and facilitating
their entry into Indian Kashmir to fight government
forces.
Islamabad denies that, saying it only gives moral and
diplomatic support to the rebels.
More than 68,000 people, mostly civilians, have been
killed in the uprising and subsequent Indian crackdown.
On Wednesday, rebels ambushed an army patrol in the
restive region, killing two soldiers.
Hacking of Army Major’s computer is a
cyber security breach: Antony
ANI, New Delhi
Indian Defence Minister A K Antony on Friday said an Army
investigation has found that the information e-mailed from
a Major"s computer was a case of "cyber security breach"
and not espionage.
"It is a case of alleged misuse of computer by an officer
of the army. The moment we got information, the government
took action and we ordered an inquiry. The army itself
ordered the inquiry, which is still going on," said Antony.
"One thing is clear, established (that) there is a clear
case of breach of cyber security. That is proven beyond
doubt," he added replying to questions about the
investigation against the officer, who is posted in
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and from whose computer
critical information was allegedly e-mailed to a Pakistani
agent.
"They have not got any proof (on espionage)," said Antony,
adding that nothing else has been proved so far.
"The government as a whole and Defence Ministry in
particular has taken sufficient precautionary steps to
prevent this kind of misuse and hijacking," he claimed.
The Major came under the scanner of security agencies in
the wake of the alleged transfer of data from his computer
to Pakistani agencies.
Some classified data of the tri-service Andaman and
Nicobar Command (ANC) is likely to have leaked after an
Army Major"s personal computer was accessed by online
espionage agents, possibly from Pakistan, a couple of
months ago.
The Army on Thursday strongly denied that the Major has
been taken into custody for spying for Pakistan.
Indian authorities were alerted about the episode by the
US after some intercepts showed the picture of a
brigadier, on a training course in the US, being
dispatched to Pakistan from the computer of a user based
in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
North Korea ‘committed to disarmament
talks’
BBC Online
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is committed to ending the
North's nuclear programme, Chinese state media says.
Mr Kim's secretive visit to Beijing was only confirmed
once it was finished.
He told Chinese President Hu Jintao he would work with
China "to create favourable conditions" for talks, state
news agency Xinhua reported.
Six-party negotiations to dismantle the North's nuclear
capability are hosted by China and involve the two Koreas,
the US, Japan and Russia.
North Korea quit the talks in April 2009, after the UN
imposed sanctions for a missile test.
Mr Kim - who arrived in China on Monday and has now
returned to Pyongyang - was accorded the rare distinction
of meeting all of China's top leaders during his visit.
"The DPRK (North Korea) is willing to work with you to
create favourable conditions for a resumption of the
six-party talks," Xinhua quoted Mr Kim as telling
President Hu.
The BBC's Michael Bristow in Beijing says a close
examination of Mr Kim's comments suggests the aim of
persuading Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions
remains a distant goal.
The North Korean leader did not wholeheartedly commit to
returning to the six-nation talks, our correspondent
notes.
Premier Wen Jiabao was quoted as telling Mr Kim in a
separate meeting: "China will, as always, support the
DPRK's economic development and improving people's
livelihood."
Faction of Myanmar’s opposition forms
new party
AP, Yangon
A faction of Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition declared Friday
it will form its own political party to contest Myanmar's
first elections in two decades, a day after the democracy
icon's party disbanded to boycott the vote it says will be
flawed.
Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy, which won
Myanmar's last election in 1990 but which the army never
allowed to take power, declined to reregister for
elections planned for this year, as stipulated by a new
election law. The League says the laws are undemocratic
and unfair, and its non-registration is tantamount to a
boycott.
However, a group of League members who had disagreed with
the boycott said they would form their own party called
the National Democratic Force.
"We will form a new political party to continue our
struggle for democracy and human rights," said Khin Maung
Swe, a former senior member of Suu Kyi's party and a
former political prisoner.
Whether Suu Kyi would play any role in the new party was
not immediately clear but unlikely. She had previously
called the junta's election laws "undemocratic" and said
she would "not even think" of registering her party for
the polls.
Swe said he had earlier suggested the idea of forming what
he called a "lifeboat party" to enable the League to
circumvent the dissolution. "The idea was not accepted,"
he said, but the faction decided to form one anyway.
Israel
won’t move on U.N. call for nuclear-free zone
Reuters, Jerusalem
Israel has no plan to review its nuclear policies, a
government official said on Friday, playing down efforts
by world powers at a U.N. non-proliferation conference to
promote a Middle East free of atomic arms.
Hoping to win Arab backing for sanctions against Iran, the
United States and other permanent U.N. Security Council
members on Wednesday called for ways to be found to
implement a 1995 initiative that would guarantee nuclear
disarmament in a region where Israel is widely assumed to
have the only such weapons.
The declaration followed campaigning by Egypt to focus
attention, during this month's nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) conference, on non-signatory Israel, which
has set peace with all its neighbours as a precondition
for joining the pact.
"There is nothing new here, and no reason for a change of
direction on our part," a senior Israeli official told
Reuters.
Egypt, which heads a powerful bloc of non-aligned
developing nations, has circulated a proposal to the NPT's
189 signatories calling for a conference by next year on
ridding the Middle East of nuclear weapons, with all
regional countries taking part.
The United States and Russia, with the support of Britain,
France and China, have been negotiating with Egypt to come
up with an acceptable compromise proposal, Western
diplomats say.
U.S. Undersecretary of State Ellen Tauscher told an
audience of delegates and reporters on Wednesday it was
hard to imagine negotiating "any kind of free zone in the
absence of a comprehensive peace plan that is running on a
parallel track."
Egypt was the first Arab state to make peace with Israel,
in 1979, but few have followed suit. Iran, an NPT
signatory whose uranium enrichment has stirred Western
fears of an illicit bomb project -- despite Tehran's
denials -- spurns the Jewish state.
The Obama administration's outreach to Iran has prompted
some analysts to predict the United States will reassess
its 40-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" policy towards an
Israeli arsenal that is believed to include some 200
atomic warheads -- a grievance and perceived threat among
many Arabs and Muslims.
US vows more transparency over base
in Kyrgyzstan
AP, Almaty, Kazakhstan
A senior adviser to President Barack Obama said Friday
that Washington will ensure greater transparency in the
supply of aviation fuel to a key U.S. air base in
Kyrgyzstan, where the previous government often was
accused of corruption.
Perceived improprieties over a fuel supply deal with the
Manas base, which Kyrgyz prosecutors believe financially
benefited members of the recently ousted government, have
severely dented the standing of the United States in the
impoverished Central Asian nation.
Clarifying the procedure of how fuel is purchased would
help eliminate speculation about activities at the base,
White House official Michael McFaul told The Associated
Press in a telephone interview from the Kazakh capital,
Astana.
"A lot of this information is available publicly, but we
want to put it together in one place, and we are even
considering having a website where we have all the
payments from the transit center that happen," McFaul
said. Kyrgyz prosecutors say that companies owned by a son
of deposed President Kurmanbek Bakiyev avoided almost $80
million in taxes on aviation fuel sold to Manas base,
which acts as a key refueling point for warplanes flying
over Afghanistan and a major hub for combat troop
movement.
Domestic and international critics have suggested the
United States may have turned a blind to irregularities in
the fuel supply procedure to ensure the future of the
base. The fate of the base was cast into doubt early last
year when Bakiyev's government said it would terminate the
lease. Kyrgyzstan later agreed to allow U.S. forces to
stay after the annual rent was raised to about $63 million
from $17 million.
Dubai IDs 5 new suspects in Hamas
murder
AP, Dubai
The Dubai police have identified five new suspects in the
slaying of a Hamas operative in the Gulf city-state, a
local newspaper reported on Friday.
The National said the five traveled to Dubai with
Australian, British and French passports to kill Mahmoud
al-Mabhouh, who was found dead in his Dubai hotel room in
January. The Dubai authorities have described al-Mabhouh's
assassination as a mix of clockwork precision and spy
novel flare. They have accused Israel's Mossad spy agency
of being behind the killing of al-Mabhouh.
The Dubai police previously released names of 27 suspects
who traveled to Dubai on fake identities and forged
European and Australian passports. The police also
compiled a detailed flow chart-style diagram on the
suspects' alleged roles in the slaying.
Friday's report did not reveal the new suspects' names.
But if confirmed, it would bring the number of suspects
behind the slaying to 32 people. The Dubai police could
not immediately be reached for comment on Friday, while
government officials contacted by The Associated Press
declined to comment.
Turkish lawmakers OK constitutional
amendments
AP, Ankara, Turkey
The Turkish parliament narrowly approved Friday a series
of constitutional amendments that opposition parties say
are designed to give the Islamic-rooted government
leverage over the largely secular judiciary.
Opposition parties accuse the government of pushing the
amendments to dilute the independence of the judiciary,
including the Constitutional Court, by increasing the
number of members and having parliament or the president
to appoint some of them.
The government says the amendments strengthen democracy,
expand the rights of women and children and enshrine the
right to privacy.
Government lawmakers hugged each other in joy Friday, even
though the measures were approved with just 336 votes -
short of the 367 required to adopt the proposals outright.
That means the president is likely to submit them to a
referendum this summer.
It appears likely the electorate will approve the
measures, as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's
government enjoys strong support.
Erdogan's party narrowly escaped a ban by the
Constitutional Court for allegedly undermining secularism
in 2008. The opposition fears that, if the amendments
become law, few legal checks on the party will remain.
The government has already curbed powers of the military,
which supports secularism and has ousted four governments
since 1960. Among the amendments was a measure to try top
military commanders before civilian rather than military
courts.
Liver patients may have memory
problems
ANI, Washington
A study led by a Loyola University Health System
researcher has revealed that more than half of patients
who have cirrhosis of the liver also display
neurocognitive impairments such as short-term memory loss.
Loyola neuropsychologist Christopher Randolph, and
colleagues found that 54 percent of 301 cirrhosis patients
who were tested scored below the 10th percentile for their
age and education on a test that measures neurocognitive
abilities.
"Neurocognitive impairment is a major issue in patients
with liver disease. This can affect patients' ability to
do everyday tasks such as working, driving or managing
their finances," Randolph, a clinical professor in the
Department of Neurology at Loyola University Chicago
Stritch School of Medicine.
Neurocognitive impairment in liver patients is called
hepatic encephalopathy. It is believed to be caused by
toxins such as ammonia that diseased livers do not clear
from the body.
Randolph's study is the first to document how liver
patients compare with the general population.
Liver patients from multiple centers nationwide were given
a test developed by Randolph called the Repeatable Battery
for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS).
Exiles must press China talks: Dalai
Lama
AP, Dharmsala, India
The Tibetan exile movement must press forward with its
talks with the Chinese government even though almost no
progress has been achieved during years of negotiations,
the Dalai Lama said Friday.
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, the
exiled spiritual leader warned it could be decades before
any benefits of such talks with China are obvious.
"So far, dialogue failed, but that does not mean in future
no possibility," the Dalai Lama said in his private
compound in this Indian hill town where he has lived since
fleeing Tibet more than five decades ago.
He said that increasing sympathy for the Tibetan cause
among Chinese intellectuals indicates that Beijing's
policies could change. He also said there had been vague
signs from Beijing that some of the top Chinese leadership
might be ready to moderate its stand on Tibet.
"Those moderate factions (within the Chinese government)
it seems are more active," he said, adding some leaders in
Beijing now believe that "policy regarding Tibet now
should be more openly, more peacefully. I heard that. True
or not? We'll have to wait."
But patience, he added, is something the Tibetans
understand.
"We wait 51 years, now another 10, 20 years we can wait,"
he said, breaking into laughter.
Talks between China and the Dalai Lama's envoys resumed in
January for the first time in 15 months but made no
apparent progress on the Tibetans' proposal for more
autonomy in the region. Beijing refused to even talk about
granting Tibet more latitude, limiting discussions to the
future of the exiled spiritual leader.
Iran's foreign minister hosts UN
envoys in New York
BBC Online
Iran's foreign minister has hosted a dinner for UN
Security Council members amid a threat of fresh sanctions
over Tehran's nuclear programme.
All 15 Council members attended the event hosted by
Manouchehr Mottaki in New York.
But the United States, Britain, France and Russia sent
lower level diplomats instead of their senior ambassadors.
The UN envoys of six major powers have been discussing a
possible sanctions resolution against Tehran. Iran insists
it has the right to develop civilian nuclear power. The US
and some western allies suspect it is seeking atomic
weapons.
Buying time?
On Wednesday, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was
reported to have agreed in principle to accept Brazil as
mediator on a deal for providing it with nuclear fuel.
President Barack Obama's Latin America adviser Daniel
Restrepo has accused Iran of trying to buy time in order
to avoid sanctions by accepting Brazil's offer of
mediation, Reuters news agency reports.
The proposed UN-backed international deal to swap Iran's
low-enriched uranium for high-enriched nuclear fuel broke
down earlier this year.
The idea - proposed by the US, Russia, China, UK, France
and Germany - was to ensure Iran had nuclear fuel for
medical purposes, while reducing its bomb-building
potential.
The plan would require Iran to ship 1,200 kg (2,646 lb) of
low-enriched uranium to Russia and France, where it would
be converted into fuel to be used to make isotopes for
cancer treatment.
Business/Economy
Budget-2010
Investment-friendly environment needed for 6.5 GDP growth:
Economist
UNB, Dhaka
The upcoming national budget for the next fiscal year
should focus on creating more investment-friendly
environment in a bid to achieving the GDP growth target of
over 6.5, said an economist.
"The investment would have to be increased to a great
extent. Otherwise, the targeted GDP growth would be hard
to achieve," said Dr. Mustafa Kamal Mujeri, the Director
General of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies
(BIDS).
In an exclusive interview with UNB, the BIDS director
general said that investment in the country has remained
stagnant at around 23-24 percent over the last few years,
citing energy and power crisis as the main barrier. The
nagging energy and power crisis is affecting the country's
economic activities, he observed and stressed the need for
utmost priority in this sector in the upcoming budget.
Dr. Mujeri said that the government should take practical
steps to overcome the barriers that create stagnation in
investment.
He said the present situation in the energy and power
sector was not created over a short period. Due attention
was not given to this sector in the past.
"It won't be easy to overcome the situation… the
government will have to go for short-, mid- and long-term
solutions."
Asked about the estimated government subsidy in the next
budget for the rental power plants, the BIDS director
general said that the government would have to buy per
unit electricity at a higher rate. So, they will have to
subsidize.
"If the power tariff increases, the mid and low income
people will be under pressure while in industrial use the
cost of production will increase," he said adding that
practical steps would have to be taken to supply power to
the national grid in keeping with the demand.
On the upcoming budget size of over Tk 130,000 crore and
the Annual Development Programme (ADP) of over Tk 38,000
crore already announced by Finance Minister AMA Muhith, he
said these are ambitious in one sense, but there is also a
need for such kind of increase.
"If we want to achieve GDP growth of 7-8 percent in
future, the role of public sector should be more on
education, health and agriculture… the size of the ADP
should be bigger," Dr Mujeri said.
He said there should be greater efforts to increase the
budget implementation capacity which is now on the
declining trend. "The planning cells of different
ministries should be made functional… need to appoint
adequate manpower to bring dynamism in their work."
On the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) initiative - a
special feature of the current budget, which is yet to see
the light, he said that the PPP cells and guidelines
should be immediately finalized.
"We must start the PPP with small projects taken on
experimental basis where amendments could be made on the
results of the projects."
On the provision for whitening black money, the BIDS DG
was of the view that there is no such need to maintain the
facility as it is giving a wrong signal. "The government
should be strict on the issue and will also have to
address the increase of black money."
He believed that there is ample scope for widening income
tax net and VAT net to increase the revenue collection.
"The tendency for sidetracking income tax arises if the
tax rate is increased. The income tax rate could be made
reasonable to encourage the taxpayers. Besides, the
government could also build medium taxpayers' unit in
divisional cities."
Dr Mujeri also stressed making the habit of tax
submission, creating friendly atmosphere and simplifying
the submission system.
On inflation, he said that it is likely to continue in the
ensuing fiscal and the government would have to make
utmost efforts so it rises slowly.
The BIDS director general also emphasized strengthening
the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and the
Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED).
"The evaluation system of IMED is limited and it should be
widened. The IMED should give more emphasis on impact
evaluation or the output instead of just focusing on
implementation of fund," he said.
On the BBS, he said that the government has already taken
some steps to reorganize the Bureau so that it could
fulfill the demands of time.
Most
Gulf stock markets decline in fear of crisis
Xinhua, Dubai
Most stock markets in the Gulf region declined on Thursday
due to continuing fears of a domino effect in the Euro
zone after the Greek debt crisis, putting regional
stability at risk.
The Dubai Financial Market (DFM) lost more than 2 percent
at the debut of trading but eventually regained momentum.
Late buying interest narrowed the losses and the DFM
General Index eventually closed 0.11 percent lower at
1,733.85 points on little trading volumes.
The DFM General Index ended almost unchanged during the
last week. On a year-to-date basis, the composite declined
by 3.87 percent, which is the highest retreat among Gulf
exchanges.
At Nasdaq Dubai, the only international market in the
United Arab Emirates (UAE), shares of the world's fourth
largest port operator Dubai Ports World plummeted 5.05
percent, closing at 0.47 dollar on worries of diminishing
global trade in the wake of the crisis in Greece.
The Middle East's largest bank Emirates NBD gained against
the trend and finished 2.39 percent higher at 3 dirhams
(about 0.82 U. S. dollar). The Abu Dhabi Securities
Exchange (ADX) also bucked the trend and closed 0.45
percent higher at 2,791.49 points. During the first week
of May, the ADX gained 0.5 percent on higher oil prices.
The Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) and the Qatar Exchange
(QE) declined by 0.89 percent at 7,114.40 points and by
0.56 percent at 7,374.18 points respectively.
The Saudi Arabian Tadawul market in Riyadh remained closed
Thursday as usual. During the first week of May, the
Tadawul index ended 0.85 percent lower at 6,817.86 points.
Pound plunges
on political uncertainty in Britain
AFP, London
The British pound plunged to its lowest level against the
dollar in more than a year on Friday amid uncertainty over
Britain's new government following a close- fought general
election. The pound hit 1.4597 dollars at 0530 GMT-its
lowest level since April 2009 -- as it appeared
increasingly certain that the opposition Conservatives had
failed to win an absolute majority in parliament despite
being on course to take the most seats.
Sterling later recovered, standing at 1.4709 dollars at
about 0630 GMT. "This messy (political) state of affairs
is proving unsettling for the markets, with sterling
sinking to a one-year low against the dollar and even
losing ground against the euro which has been torpedoed by
the eurozone debt crisis," said IHS Global Insight analyst
Howard Archer.
Euro zone crisis not to impact India
PTI, New Delhi
Strong economic growth and domestically-funded fiscal
deficit are likely keep the country's debt position stable
even if the financial crisis in Europe worsens, a
Citigroup report said on Thursday. "Although India, with a
fiscal deficit forecast at 8.5 per cent in 2010, may seem
vulnerable to any worsening of the European fiscal crisis,
its strong growth trajectory should ensure that its debt
dynamics remain stable, while its deficit is primarily
domestically-funded," the report said. Eurozone nations
like Greece, Spain and Portugal are facing financial
crisis because of heavy borrowings by their governments,
leading to erosion in investor confidence across the
world.
There has been widespread belief that the European crisis
could affect other parts of the world, especially those
countries which have high deficits, mainly on account of
international borrowings.
Citi's first Global Emerging Markets Strategy Report,
covering 22 nations, puts India in "neutral" category
along with China, Chile, Mexico and South Africa. Listing
its top picks, the report says, "our "overweight" calls
are Taiwan, South Korea, Russia, Brazil, Turkey, Thailand;
we are "neutral" in China, India, Chile, Mexico and South
Africa." It projects India's economic growth at 8.5 per
cent during 2010 and estimates the overall size of the
Indian economy (GDP) at USD 1.67 trillion.
It estimates that the country's inflation would be 8.4 per
cent during the year, and lead to tightening of policy
rates by the Reserve Bank. "India scores well on earnings
and GDP growth... However, rising inflationary pressures
may force a more rapid tightening of policy," the Citi
report said.
General strike takes toll on Nepali economy
Xinhua, Kathmandu
The ongoing general strike called by Unified Communist
Party of Nepal (Maoist) (UCPN-M) has dealt a heavy to
Nepal's economy, said nepalnews.com on Thursday.
The continued interruption in the supply has fueled the
price of commodities as the indefinite strike could
further drive up inflation, which stood at a moderate 11.2
percent in the mid- March, but much higher than the 9.3
percent in mid-November last year. Prices of food and
beverage, the key components determining inflation, have
seen a double-digit growth due to shortage of supplies.
The ordinary consumers are bound to bear the brunt of the
turbulence in the coming months given price hikes in
essentials. Moreover, the indefinite strike is likely to
make the revenues target set for the 10th month of the
current fiscal year elusive as tariffs will drop because
the strike has severely hampered overseas trades; value
added tax and excise duty will fall because many markets,
factories and services have been forced to close; income
taxes will also plunge because more people may be thrown
out of work.
The Finance Ministry has acknowledged a significant drop
in VAT and excise duty in the last four days.
The government has targeted 15 billion Nepali rupees (some
214 million U.S. dollars) in revenue from mid-April to
mid-May. "So far we have managed to collect around 4
billion rupees ( some 47 million dollars)," said Nava Raj
Bhandari, director general of Customs Department.
The department collects around 300 million rupees (some
4.28 million dollars) in revenue a day from different
customs offices in normal circumstances, which has almost
been empty-handed in the last four days.
G20 summit to tout women’s importance to economy
AFP, Ottawa
Days before G20 leaders meet in June, women from the
world's 20 leading economies are to hold their own
"G(irls)20 summit" to highlight women's contributions to
global economic prosperity.
From June 15 to 18, the women will discuss the United
Nation's Millennium Development Goals that impact girls
and women, notably eradicating poverty and hunger, and
improving maternal health, organizers announced Wednesday.
Delegates are to debate education, contraception and the
role of women in a modern society. They will also be
encouraged to propose ways to bolster women's economic
participation.
The summit was inspired in part by a suggestion by
Lawrence Summers, former World Bank chief economist and
current economic advisor to US President Barack Obama,
that a woman invests 80 percent of every dollar earned in
her family and community, compared to 30 percent by men.
"There are 3.3 billion girls and women in this world,"
commented Belinda Stronach, whose foundation is
spearheading the talks.
"The potential for each to contribute to their communities
and their countries, and indeed our planet, is great,"
said the former Canadian MP and heir to the Magna auto
parts fortune.
Bank of Japan injects cash, PM vows extra steps
AFP, Tokyo
Japan's central bank on Friday said it would inject more
than 20 billion dollars in liquidity to calm markets in
response to global turmoil triggered by the Greek debt
crisis. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama also vowed to take
necessary steps as Tokyo stocks closed 3.10 percent lower
and the yen remained at relative highs against the euro
following overnight panic selling on US markets.
"I am very concerned," Hatoyama told reporters. "The
government should take responsible measures," he added
without specifying what steps his centre- left government
was considering.
The Bank of Japan offered to provide two trillion yen
(21.8 billion dollars) in liquidity to financial
institutions such as banks and brokerages against their
collateral pooled at the BoJ, starting Friday and ending
May 27. It was the first move of its kind since December
during Dubai's sovereign debt scare and the biggest since
December 2008 when the financial crisis sparked by the
Lehman Brothers collapse in September that year emerged.
US bank lending still shrinking
AFP, Washington
US bank lending continues to shrink despite a raft of
government efforts to unblock credit, including massive
taxpayer bailouts, US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben
Bernanke warned on Thursday.
Speaking a year after the Fed ordered "stress tests" to
restore confidence in banks and their ability to lend,
Bernanke said the outlook remained patchy.
"By setting reasonably ambitious capital targets, we
hoped... to hasten the return to a better lending
environment," he said during a speech in Chicago.
"Clearly that objective has not yet been realized, as bank
lending continues to contract and terms and conditions
remain tight." Resuming lending is seen as crucial to
kickstarting the US economy, which is slowly on the mend
but continues to suffer from high unemployment and a
moribund housing market.
Shrinking credit opportunities and tougher lending terms
have left small businesses struggling to buy inventory,
make payroll and hire new workers. Access to mortgages for
potential homebuyers has also decreased, exacerbating the
housing industry's problems. At the height of the
financial crisis, the US government authorized a series of
actions intended to stabilize the banking system and
unfreeze credit.
But capital injections into banks, the expansion of
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation guarantees, Fed
lending programs to increase liquidity and other efforts
have had limited results.
Euro edges higher in Asia
AFP, Tokyo
The euro regained some ground against the dollar and yen
in Asia on Friday as investors adjusted positions after a
heavy sell- off of the single currency on eurozone debt
worries, traders said.
In a move to shore up panicked markets, Japan's central
bank said it would inject more than 20 billion dollars in
liquidity to calm markets amid global turmoil triggered by
the Greek debt crisis.
Japan's Finance Minister Naoto Kan said he and his Group
of Seven counterparts are planning a telephone conference
later in the day to discuss the Greek problem. The move
boosted confidence and encouraged buying of the euro,
dealers said.
The euro bought 1.2669 dollars in Tokyo afternoon trade,
up from 1.2644 dollars in New York late Thursday.
The euro at one point hit 1.2523 in New York, its lowest
since March 2009, but resisted further falls in Tokyo.
Against the Japanese currency, it rose to 116.41 yen from
114.28.
US keen for Malaysia to join trade pact
AFP, Washington
The United States said on Thursday it was keen for
Malaysia to enter negotiations on a trans-Pacific trade
deal after the two countries shelved talks on a bilateral
agreement.
US Trade Representative Ron Kirk held talks this week with
Malaysian Trade Minister Mustapa Mohamed, who traveled
with colleagues from Brunei, Indonesia and Laos to Seattle
to promote business opportunities across the Pacific.
Mustapa indicated that Malaysia was interested in
exploring the Trans- Pacific Partnership, a once-obscure
pact revived by President Barack Obama as other trade
deals languish before the US Congress. "It's not my place
to telegraph what Malaysia would do, but obviously that is
an economy that we are very interested in having join,"
Kirk told a forum in Washington of the East-West Center.
"We've been very honest in our outreach to them that we
think that having them participate in this process makes a
more sellable case to the American public than a
stand-alone free trade agreement," Kirk said. US-Malaysia
trade talks had dragged on for eight rounds, bogged down
in sensitive areas including Malaysia's system of
affirmative action for Muslim Malays who dominate the
multi- racial population.
Contagion fears jolt Asian markets
AFP, Hong Kong
Eurozone debt fears engulfed Asian markets on Friday,
after US shares saw a spectacular intraday fall on
deepening concerns that Greece's debt crisis would spread
through Europe.
In an effort to bolster markets in Tokyo, the Bank of
Japan offered to provide over 20 billion dollars in
liquidity to financial institutions as stocks tumbled for
a second successive day.
As markets convulsed and the euro hovered near 14-month
lows, finance ministers of the Group of Seven
industrialised nations were to hold an emergency
conference call on the crisis, Japan's Finance Minister
Naoto Kan said. Markets have been spooked by violent
demonstrations in Athens this week including a bank
firebombing that killed three, amid fears a
110-billion-euro (145-billion-dollar) EU-IMF bailout for
Greece could prove insufficient. Concerns are also
mounting that the deal will fail to shield Spain and
Portugal from crippling market pressures.
Moody's ratings agency on Thursday warned that the fallout
from the Greek debt crisis presented a risk of "contagion"
for the credit rating of banks in Britain, Ireland, Italy,
Portugal and Spain. Markets in the region were lower, but
recovered from earlier sharp falls. Tokyo tumbled 3.10
percent, or 331.10 points, to end at 10,364.59 and Sydney
was 2.02 percent, or 92.5 points, lower at 4,480.7.
Hong Kong was 0.70 percent lower by the break and Shanghai
was 0.86 percent down. After the Australian market saw
heavy losses in early trade, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
said his government was watching developments to restore
market confidence with "considerable concern". Global
shares had earlier tumbled on statements from
European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet that
offered no sign of intervention to stop the euro's slide.
And Japan's Kan ruled out any joint intervention by the G7
to buy the euro, which has tumbled against major
currencies amid fears of contagion from the debt crisis,
Dow Jones Newswires reported. The single currency regained
some ground to 1.2669 dollars from 1.2644 dollars in New
York late Thursday, where the unit at one point hit
1.2523, its lowest since March 2009. The region's traders
took their cue from a stunning sell-off in US shares,
which saw a record drop of almost 1,000 points, or about
nine percent, before they recouped more than half those
losses on Thursday.
National
EGP raising wages of labourers for
Boro harvesting in N- dists
BSS, Rangpur
The ongoing Taka 113.50 crore second phase 40- day special
employment generation programmes (EGP) have been
successfully nearing completion raising daily wages of the
labourers in Rangpur division.
As harvest of Boro paddy gets momentum, demand of the
farm- labourers are increasing in raising their daily
wages up to Taka 200 as thousands of them are engaged in
the ongoing EGP in the region, officials and commoners
said Friday.
About 98 percent development works of the EGP have so far
been completed and the poor people and farm- labourers
including distressed women have been earning Taka 120 as
wage per day to lead a normal life everywhere.
The government has recently extended completion period of
the EGP up to May 15 next so that the whole allocated
amount would flow to the poor till they get adequate jobs
while harvesting Boro paddy in the division.
Now, job opportunities for the farm-workers have been
increasing faster in the crop fields as the Boro harvest
starts getting momentum when the EGP has already been
helping them in leading a normal life, the officials said.
Earlier, the second 40-day phase of the EGP was launched
in these districts from mid-March like the other regions
of the country to assist the poorer section people and
laborers in earning livelihoods through development
activities.
The EGP, as part of the social safety network, has been
helping the targeted group of people, especially in the
poverty- prone areas, assisting them in earning
livelihoods.
The Food and Disaster Management Ministry has allocated
Taka 113,49,26,400 for the ongoing second phase of the EGP
to create jobs for 2,36,343 people in these 'poverty-
stricken' eight northern districts and each of them is
getting Taka 120 per day.
The people have been working as per the lists prepared by
the concerned administrations in Rangpur, Kurigram,
Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Gaibandha, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon
and Panchagarh districts of the division.
The allocations include Taka 28,68,96,000 for 59,770
workers in Rangpur, Taka 23,01,40,800 for 47,946 in
Kurigram, Taka 5,18,88,000 for 10,810 in Lalmonirhat, Taka
10,90,80,000 for 22,725 in Gaibandha and Taka 21,55,34,400
for 44,903 in Nilphamari.
Besides, Taka 11,89,29,600 has been allocated for 24,777
beneficiaries in Dinajpur, Taka 5,85,07,000 for 12,189 in
Thakurgaon and Taka 6,39,50,400 for 13,223 labourers in
Panchagarh districts.
In Rangpur, about 98 percent of the development works
under the ongoing EGP have so far been completed in all 83
unions of all eight upazilas by yesterday (Thursday) and
the rest two percent works will be completed within the
next couple of days.
Call to restore glory of fish breeding sanctuary Halda
BSS, Chittagong
Fisheries experts Friday called for proper management of
the ongoing Halda Project with special emphasis on
restoration of 11 ruined river bends to bring back the
glory of country's lone natural fish breeding sanctuary
Halda.
They made the call while talking to BSS about progress of
the Taka 13.85 crore Halda Project "Restoration of the
natural fish breeding habitats of the river Halda" which
started in July in 2007. The government had taken up the
five-year project in order to create some specific areas
of the river into " fish sanctuary" and to preserve
bio-diversity of the Halda river through preserving some
spices of indigenous fish particularly the brood fishes
(mother fish).
But the plan was not implemented properly in last three
years, the source added.
The experts and officials said different man made and
natural disasters like destruction of spawning ground by
loop cutting, pollution of river by industrial waste,
unplanned building of huge sluice gates by the locals for
irrigation purpose, indiscriminate catching and killing of
fish-fries particularly the mother fishes and geographical
change in the river due to unchecked erosion for years
have poses as a serious threat to the bio-diversity of
Halda. About two years back, the government declared the
some areas of the river stretching about 40 kilometers-
from Karnaphuli river mouth to Nazirhat point as "fish
sanctuary". Under the project, Taka 2 crore was allocated
for rehabilitation of the local boatmen, fishermen and
others who are dependent on Halda River.
But the egg collectors, researchers and others concerned
strongly advocated for revising the project by raising
question about effectiveness of dredging of the riverbed
and renovation of sluice gate involving major portion of
the budget.
Source said four modern hatcheries have already been
constructed along riverside under Hathazari and Raozan
Upazilas at a cost of Taka 1.32 crore and three other
hatcheries would also be constructed at a cost of Taka 10
lakh.
These hatcheries are helping increase hatching up and also
surviving rate of the collected eggs from 50 percent to 90
percent. Excepting the large one at Madunaghat none of the
other six hatcheries came to any use to the egg collectors
last year, said an egg collector Shamsul Alam.
Talking to BSS Prof Monjurul Kibria, a researcher on Halda,
said the restoration of their original state of the
riverbeds through dredging was not possible since there
was no previous record of those depths.
The planned dredging is rather feared to destroy the
existing depth, said Prof Kibria who had been conducting
research on the spawning at Halda since 2001.
He also emphasized on allowing passage of the hilly water
and maintaining proper water stream to help natural
dredging of the river.
Construction work of bridge
over Bangali river begins
BSS, Gaibandha
The people of Shaghata, Fulchhari and Gobindaganj Upazilas
and its adjoining areas of the district are so happy as
the construction work of 300-metre long much awaited
bridge over Bangali River started at Ramnagar Bazar area
under Kachua union of Shaghata upazila in the district on
Friday last.
Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) is
implementing the work involving Taka 15 crore under the
Large Bridge Construction Project, official sources said.
Local lawmaker and chairman of Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Government Assurance Advocate Fazley Rabbi
Miah formally inaugurated the work by unveiling the plaque
on April 30 as the chief guest.
Deputy commissioner M. Shahidul Islam, Project Director
(PD) M. Zafrul Hasan and PD of Greater Noakhali Rural
Infrastructure Development Project M. Shahidur Rahman
Pramanik were present as the special guests.
M. Solaiman Ali of Ramnagar area of the upazila said, "We
have been demanding the bridge for a long time to the
authorities concerned but there was no response except
hope from them".
Advocate Fazley Rabbi Miah, after electing MP from this
constituency in 2008, took initiative to construct the
bridge over the river in the greater interests of the
people of the upazilas and finally the construction work
began on April 30 amid much enthusiasm to them, he said.
Talking to newsmen, Advocate Fazley Rabbi Miah said one of
his election pledges is going to be fulfilled through
constructing the much awaited bridge over the river.
Executive engineer AKM Luthfur Rahman told BSS that after
completion of the bridge by December, 2011 the people of
the upazilas would go to other parts of the country
through the Bonarpara-Gobindaganj route saving their more
valuable time.
Indefinite bus strike begins
in Sylhet division
UNB, Habiganj
Sylhet division bus owners and workers went on an
indefinite strike Friday to press home their 5-point
demand.
This decision was taken in a meeting at Habiganj bus
owners' association's office on Thursday night. General
Secretary of Sylhet divisional motor owners association
Syed Mofassir Ali chaired the meeting.
The five point demand included- withdrawal of Moulavibazar
Model thana OC, withdrawal of the extortion case filed
against Syed Mofassir Ali and arrest of the miscreants who
launched attack on Moffassir Ali, reconstruction of the
bus counter of Moulvibazar Bus owners' association in
Sherpur.
Earlier, when a move was taken to construct a petrol pump
demolishing the bus counter of Moulvibazar Bus owners'
association in Sherpur the transport workers got furious
and clashed with petrol pump constructors in Sherpur on
May 3. An extortion case was filed against some people
including General Secretary of Sylhet divisional motor
owners' association Syed Mofassir Ali.
Moulvibazar bus owners and workers called strike on
Thursday protesting the incident and realizing the five-
point demands while bus owners-workers associations of
three other district halted bus movement today expressing
solidarity with Moulvibazar bus owners and workers.
Transport movement between four districts of the division
and other parts of the country came to a halt following
the strike.
Krishibids have to play
important role in building food security
BSS, Bogra
Local lawmaker Krishibid Abdul Mannan Friday urged the
Krishibids to play an important role in building food
security in the country.
He said the Krishibids should organise training,
field-level supervision and other necessary help and
cooperation through applying their talent and skill for
the farmers to boost food production.
Addressing a day-long conference of Rajshahi Region of
Bangladesh Civil Service (agriculture) Association at
Bogra Parjatan Motel, he said the present government led
by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would be able to build
food security in the country.
Mannan said the country had witnessed a record in food
production during the tenure of Awami League government in
1996- 2001.
He further said the farmers-friendly Awami League
government has now created an opportunity for peasants by
providing subsidy on irrigation, fertilizers and diesel
for increasing food production.
With deputy director of Bogra Agriculture Extension,
Momtaj Hossain in the chair, the conference was also
addressed, among others, by Krishibids Dr Innan Ali, Zaman
Azam, Mohammad Yusuf Ali and director of Irrigation and
Water Management Center of Bogra Rural Develoment Academy
MA Matin. Around 350 Krishibids from 8 districts of
Rajshahi Region attended the day-long conference.
Distribution of diesel subsidy
in Joypurhat begins
BSS, Joypurhat
Distribution of diesel-subsidy among farmers of Panchbibi
upazila of the district began on Thursday amid much
enthusiasm.
UNO of Panchbibi Mahmudul Alam formally inaugurated the
programme through a function held at Agrani Bank,
Panchbibi Branch office, in the district as the chief
guest.
With upazila Agriculture Officer Samsul Wadud in the
chair, it was addressed, among others, by upazila chairman
Abdul Wadud, president of upazila Awami League Abu Bakar
Siddique, secretary Habibur Rahman Habib, district Awami
League leader Manirul Shaheed Munna, manager of the bank
Toazuddin, sub-assistant agriculture officer Saiful Islam.
Speakers said the present government is farmers' friendly
one.
Sports
Albie Morkel inspires South Africa to
win over Kiwis
BSS/AFP,
Bridgetown
Albie Morkel's quickfire 40 helped take South Africa to a
comfortable 13 run win in their opening Super Eights match
against New Zealand at the World Twenty20 here on Thursday.
His innings at the Kensington Oval lasted just 18 balls but
still featured five sixes and helped South Africa pile up a
total of 170 for four.
Together with AB de Villiers, who finished on 47 not out, he
shared a stand of 72 in six overs as they built on a solid
foundation laid by the top order.
De Villiers faced 39 balls with two sixes and a four.
New Zealand rarely looked like threatening South Africa's
score, finishing on 157 for seven.
"The key for me is to keep my shape, it was a short boundary
down the ground and also with the wind, so it worked in my
favour," man-of-the-match Albie Morkel explained at the
post-match presentation.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith added: "We played smart
cricket, Albie made the most of his opportunity, and his
partnership with AB could have been the turning point." His
New Zealand counterpart, Daniel Vettori, was in no doubt
though.
"De Villiers and Morkel played well, we missed a couple of
chances but let them get too much," Vettori said.
"You needed to be inch-perfect with guys like Morkel hitting
at the death, but we were a little off. We need guys at the
top to play 40-50 balls to have a chance of chasing down this
target."
South Africa off-spinner Johan Botha justified his recall in
place of left- armer Roeof van der Merwe with a tight spell of
two wickets for 23 runs in three overs which saw him dismiss
Martin Guptill (18) and innings top scorer Jesse Ryder (33).
Herschelle Gibbs also contributed on his return to the side,
after coming in for Loots Bosman, with an attractive 30 and
two superb catches to get rid of New Zealand dangerman Brendon
McCullum, in the first over, and Ross Taylor.
New Zealand required 36 from 12 balls and then 27 from six.
Smith then brought on Albie Morkel for his only over of the
match and he was promptly hoisted over deep square leg by
Vettori for four.
However, Albie Morkel kept his head and the target became an
impossible 22 off three balls.
Earlier, the all-rounder was equally adept at striking
left-arm spinner Vettori over long-off for six or depositing
paceman Tim Southee for three sixes in an over.
South Africa, who won the toss, saw Smith open alongside
Jacques Kallis.
The pair shared a first wicket stand of 40 before Smith holed
out to deep midwicket for 14.
And 40 for one became 55 for two when Kallis, who made 31, was
brilliantly caught by a diving Southee at third man after
uppercutting Jacob Oram.
Both Group E rivals continue their bid for a semi-final spot
here on Saturday when New Zealand face defending champions
Pakistan and South Africa play England, who beat Pakistan by
six wickets earlier on Thursday.
Barca
and Real to fight for title
BSS/AFP, Madrid
After cruising to the league title last season Barcelona must
hold its nerve in the final two games of the season as it bids
to fend off a Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired Real Madrid team
desperate for some silverware.
Barcelona has notched a league record 93 points but that still
hasn't been enough to shake off Real, a point behind, and the
champions have a testing trip to Sevilla today knowing a
slip-up could cost them the title.
Real has refused to throw in the towel with Ronaldo scoring
his first Madrid hat-trick to help his side down Real Mallorca
4-1 on Wednesday and next up is a home match against Athletic
Bilbao on Saturday.
If Real fail to win, Barcelona can take the title with victory
over Sevilla as Pep Guardiola's side have a superior
head-to-head record if the two finish level on points.
"Let's hope Sevilla can take points off them (Barcelona), but
our fate is not in our own hands," said Real coach Manuel
Pellegrini. "Our obligation is to get to 98 points and we'll
see if Barca can get to 99."
Sevilla, who have already beaten Real at home in the league,
will be no pushover and have everything to play for as they
bid to hold onto fourth place and the final Champions League
qualifying spot. Mallorca are breathing down Sevilla's necks a
point behind going into Saturday's match at Deportivo La
Coruna.
Brazilian defender Dani Alves, who celebrated his 27th
birthday on Thursday, believes Barca must win both games
starting with the one at old club Sevilla where he made his
name winning back-to-back UEFA Cups in 2006 and 2007.
"We have to take the remaining six points," said Alves. "It's
a tough season and in any other season we'd already be
champions.
"It'll be a complicated match against Sevilla but with the
players we have we should be calm and relaxed. It'll be a key
match."
Sevilla, who beat Barca in the last 16 of this season's Kings
Cup, have doubts over Brazilian forward Luis Fabiano who has
been out with a twisted ankle while Barca are sweating on the
fitness of centre-back Gerard Pique.
Real has won 17 out of its last 18 games - with the 2-0 loss
to Barcelona in 'El Clasico' the one black spot - to stay in
the title race with the goals of Gonzalo Higuain and Ronaldo
keeping them in the title race.
Ronaldo (25 goals) and Higuain (26 goals) have 51 goals
between them accounting for more than half of team's 96 total
and Ronaldo has been saving the day of late with a late winner
against Osasuna and then a hat-trick against Mallorca.
There have been suggestions that Real rely too heavily on
Portuguese star Ronaldo, the most expensive player on the
planet, and that he is becoming a one-man team - something
that irks goalkeeper Iker Casillas. "There is no Cristiano
dependency and we are a team rather than individuals,"
insisted Casillas. "We will fight for the title until the end
and can't be looking at what Barca do."
Bilbao beat Real 1-0 at San Mames earlier in the campaign and
are a tricky customer as they fight for a top six spot to
qualify for the Europa League.
Singapore wins over
Thailand
TBT report
Singapore got off to a winning start in the Robi Asian
Games hockey qualifiers defeating Thailand 4-2 at Moulana
Bhasani National Hockey Stadium in Dhaka on Friday.
Earlier, Oman and Hong Kong played out a one-all draw in
the opening match of the day.
Chinese Taipei was held to a 3-3 draw by Sri Lanka in the
day's second match.
Seven teams are taking part in the competition. The teams
are: Oman, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Sri Lanka,
Singapore, Thailand and the host Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Hockey Federation has organized the competition
with the sponsorship of Robi, a leading mobile phone
operator of the country.
Bangladesh will play Thailand in its first match tomorrow.
The match starts at 2:00 pm.
Sheikh Russel blanks
Bianibazar 2-0
TBT report
Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra scored one goals each in either
half to blank Bianibazar Sporting Club 2-0 in the
Bangladesh Football League at Bangabandhu National Stadium
in Dhaka on Friday.
Samir Omari pulled off the first breakthrough for the
winners five minutes after the kick-off, while Roni
doubled the lead on 72 minutes to ensure full points for
his team.
Today's match: Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra vs
Arambagh Krira Sangha (Bangabandhu National Stadium,
Dhaka).
Khulna becomes champion in divisional karate
TBT report
Khulna became champion in the Khulna divisional
competitions of the Electra 4th Divisional Karate
Championship, while Jessore finished runners-up in the
day-long meet.
Six teams took part in the divisional event, organized by
Bangladesh Karate Federation (BKF) with the sponsorship of
Electra International Limited. The competitions were held
at Khulna Stadium gymnasium. Additional Commissioner of
Khulna Division Amio Kumar Ghosh distributed prizes among
the winners as the chief guest, while the General
Secretary of BKF M Moazzem Hossain Sento was present as
the special guest.
Modi planned IPL-style event in England
BSS/AFP, New Delhi
Suspended Indian Premier League boss Lalit Modi faced
further trouble on Friday after it emerged he tried to
divide world cricket by proposing a parallel event in
England.
The plan, revealed by England's cricket chief Giles Clarke
in an email to Indian officials, involved English county
sides playing an IPL-style tournament featuring the
world's top stars.
Modi held a secret meeting with officials from three
unnamed counties in New Delhi on March 31 to discuss the
proposal without the knowledge of the concerned boards,
according to the email.
A statement by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
said it had asked Modi to explain the move, which was
"detrimental to Indian cricket, English cricket and world
cricket at large".
In the five-page notice to Modi, BCCI secretary N.
Srinivasan listed the details of the plan, which included
attracting counties to the parallel league by offering
them huge sums of money.
"You have allegedly discussed this as a commercial
proposition... that the IPL would guarantee each county a
minimum of three-five million dollars per annum plus a
staging fee of 1.5 million dollars," Srinivasan wrote to
Modi.
He said that under the alleged deal, returns would be
shared 80:20 between the franchises and the counties, with
a player model based on the IPL.
"You have allegedly planted a seed of thought of players'
revolt if the governing bodies of respective cricket
boards do not allow them to participate in this extended
version of IPL."
Srinivasan added the plan not only challenged the
authority of the BCCI and the England Cricket Board, but
that both governing bodies would be "forced to watch
helplessly while the game and the power of administration
are hijacked."
Modi had been given 15 days to answer the charge,
Srinivsan wrote.
Modi, 46, was removed as head of the glitzy IPL last week
pending an internal BCCI probe into allegations of
corruption, tax evasion and money- laundering that sparked
a federal tax investigation.
He was also stood down as a BCCI vice-president and as
chairman of the T20 Champions League, a separate club
tournament organised jointly by India, Australia and South
Africa.
Modi is already under a 15-day deadline, which ends on
Monday, to reply to the corruption charges.
Vettori wants more from Kiwis in 'must-win' games
BSS/AFP, Bridgetown
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori gave his side a stark
warning to improve its performance or forget about
reaching the semifinals of the World Twenty20.
The Black Caps suffered their first loss of this
tournament when they began the second round Super Eights
with a 13-run loss to South Africa that was more
comprehensive than the raw result suggests.
New Zealand's attack was hammered by man-of-the-match
Albie Morkel, who struck five sixes in an innings that
lasted just 18 balls.
Together with AB de Villiers, who finished on 47 not out,
he shared a stand of 72 in six overs towards the end of
the innings as South Africa scored 170 for four at the
Kensington Oval here on Thursday.
"It's the nature of Twenty20 that you can't get it right
every time but there are crucial situations that you have
to get right and this time it was the last four or five
overs," Vettori said.
Having previously defeated Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in the
group phase, Vettori's men will now probably need to beat
both defending champions Pakistan and England if they are
to reach the last four.
"Today (Thursday) wasn't what I expected or what I want
and we have to improve pretty quickly going into two
must-win games now," left-arm spinner Vettori added.
Against South Africa, several top order batsmen got starts
but none could go on to play the significant innings
required if New Zealand were to enjoy a successful run
chase.
"It's the nature of the format that your four overs can be
brilliant one day and pretty tough the next and we are
hoping for a quick turnaround from some of the guys'
performances today," Vettori said. "It's hard to know what
turns it round but hopefully we can adapt pretty quickly.
"It was probably the last five overs where we weren't good
enough. It's a very small ground and when you have a
destructive hitter like Albie Morkel it's a very bad
combination if you miss," he explained.
Meanwhile Vettori refused to attribute New Zealand's poor
display against South Africa to an inability to cope with
a more lively pitch than the one they were used to in
Guyana.
"It's certainly not a quick wicket so it still suited us
and we weren't bothered by the wicket being drastically
different to Guyana. But in Twenty20 you have to be almost
perfect and we weren't."
Top-seed Cilic comes through gruelling encounter
BSS/AFP, Munich
Top-seed Marin Cilic recovered from losing a first set
tie-break on Thursday at the Munich ATP tournament to book
his place in the quarterfinals. Heavy rain meant play
could not get underway until the afternoon, but Croatia's
Cilic dug deep to see off Germany's Simon Greul in just
over two and a half hours for a 6-7 (6/8), 6-2, 7-5 win.
The world number 11 will play sixth-seed Nicolas Almagro
in the quarter- finals after the Spaniard also needed more
than two hours to beat South Africa's Kevin Anderson 6-2,
5-7, 7-6 (7/5).
Fourth-seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, who won the tournament
in 2007, will play 2006 Australian Open finalist and
fifth-seed Marcos Baghdatis in their quarter-final.
Kohlschreiber had few problems as he raced through his
second-match with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Spain's Santiago
Ventura in just over an hour. Likewise, Baghdatis blasted
seven aces past Switzerland's Marco Chiudinelli for a
comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win.
In the other two quarter-finals, third-seed Tomas Berdych
of the Czech Republic will play Germany's Philipp
Petzchner while second-seeded Russian Mikhail Youzhny will
take on Jan Hajek of the Czech Republic.
Grameenphone President Cup golf begins
TBT report
The 9th Grameenphone President Cup Golf Tournament 2010
(Pro-Am) was officially inaugurated on Friday the
Kurmitola Golf Club in the city.
General M Abdul Mubeen, Chief of Army Staff and President
of Kurmitola Golf Club, was the chief guest at the
official tee-off session.
Deputy CEO and CFO of Grameenphone Raihan Shamsi was also
present on the occasion as special guest. More than 500
golfers are taking part in the tournament.
Fielding errors leave Pakistan frustrated
BSS/AFP, Bridgetown
Pakistan coach Waqar Younis made no attempt to hide his
frustration after the defending World Twenty20 champions
poor fielding played a major role in their six-wicket loss
to England.
For all their undeniable brilliance with bat and ball,
Pakistan in recent times have been almost comically inept
in the field.
But even by their own standards, Pakistan's display
against England at the Kensington Oval here on Thursday
was something else.
They dropped five catches, with off-spinner Saeed Ajmal
putting down three by himself including a routine chance
at mid-on from Craig Kieswetter when the England opener
had yet to score.
"It can be very frustrating, the way we dropped the
catches and the way we fielded," said fast bowling great
Waqar, who might not have reacted with total equanimity to
Ajmal's fielding had he still been on the field himself.
However, while such a display by an England or Australian
side would have led to widespread condemnation and extra
practice, Waqar has enough experience of Pakistan at
international tournaments to know that there is still time
for his inconsistent yet gifted side to turn things
around.
"We're not out of the tournament, so we don't really have
to worry about that," he said.
New Zealand, well beaten in a 13-run loss to South Africa
here on Thursday, are Pakistan's next opponents and
captain Shahid Afridi said his side would have to up their
game against the Black Caps on Saturday.
"We missed our opportunities (against England) and you
can't afford to miss opportunities," Afridi said. "We are
working hard but right now I don't know why we are missing
opportunities."
England held Pakistan to 147 for nine before Kevin
Pietersen, also the beneficiary of two dropped catches,
saw his side home with an unbeaten 73.
"You must give Kevin Pietersen credit for the way he
played he batted like a champion and took the game away
from us," Waqar said.
"I thought 147 was a decent total, maybe 15 runs short -
but with our bowling attack, I thought we could have
managed it."
Ivanovic comeback gathers pace as Serena storms
through
BSS/AFP, Rome
Former world number one Ana Ivanovic continued her return
to form at the claycourt Rome Open at the Foro Italico
here on Thursday as she took her third successive seed's
scalp.
The Serbian beauty beat 13th seed Nadia Petrova 6-2, 7-5
to reach Friday's semi-finals following victories over
ninth seed Viktoria Azarenka and fifth seed Elena
Dementieva.
Two years ago Ivanovic had climbed to the top of the world
rankings and also won the French Open but her star has
fallen far since then and she currently sits at number 58.
"This is all behind me now and I think every player in one
way or another goes through a tough time and I think it is
not how many times you fall but how many times you get
back up," she said.
"This tournament and these victories that I have had this
week mean a lot to me because I have put in so much work,
not only in the last months but also the last year and it
was just not happening. "Now I am just so happy to be back
on track."
Petrova paid for a tide of unforced errors - she racked up
32 by the end - and gave up victory with a forehand into
the tramlines.
World number one Serena Williams had few problems in
dismissing Russia's Maria Kirilenko 6-1, 6-4. But she was
denied a semi-final against her sister after an
out-of-sorts Venus was crushed 6-0, 6-1 by seventh seed
Jelena Jankovic.
Serena, who had not played since winning the Australian
Open in January, looked set for a particularly short
afternoon as she took 10 of the first 11 games against her
37th ranked opponent, who had taken her to three sets as a
teenager at Roland Garros six years ago. But Kirilenko
rallied to win three games in a row as Serena's forehand
went to pot.
"That just boils down a little bit to match toughness. I
definitely felt it should have been 5-0 and me serving it
out," said Serena.
"But I was up against an opponent who never gives up,
she's known for that.
"As I play more I'll definitely know how to close these
games out."
|
|