Polnews24: Jul 21, 2009

Tuesday

Abdul Jalil quits Awami League post

Breaking news Today

ABDUL JALIL resigned

Abdul Jalil quits resigned from his general secretary post. Today he said in a press briefing at his Gulshan home. He told, "I am resigning as I was not allowed to discharge my duty in the upcoming council."

"I hoped that I would work in the council. As I was not given this scope I had no other option but to resign from my post as general secretary," he said.

National council is scheduled for 24th July.

Abdul Jalil said he would send his resignation letter to Sheikh Hasina later in the day.

source: bdnews24.com

Bangladesh win 1st test series on foreign soil

Bangladesh won the second and final Test at St George's, Grenada against makeshift West Indies by four wickets on Tuesday. Shakib Al Hasan's men survived a nervy period on the fourth day at the National Cricket Ground before chasing down the modest 215-run target. Sakib is a great player he can do any thing and for that bangladesh won a test series on foreign soil. Tigers reached 217-6 in 54.4 overs. Shakib man-of-the-match and series. Shakib played unbeaten 96 runs of 97 balls including 13 fours and a six. Raqibul Hasan whose plucky 66 off 99 balls steadied the innings that appeared wobbling at 67 for 4.

	Bangladesh 2nd innings (target: 215 runs)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	Tamim Iqbal	c †Walton b Sammy	18	42	2	0	42.85
	11.5 that's a double breakthrough for West Indies, Sammy bowls a very teasing line outside off, forces Tamim forward and he manages a very thin edge to Walton, everyone knew it and the umpire raised the finger immediately, very similar to his first innings dismissal 29/2
	Imrul Kayes	c Sammy b Roach	8	28	1	0	28.57
	10.3 Roach strikes! short of a good length delivery, angling away from the left-hander. Kayes pushes at it and ends up with a thick edge. For a second it looked as if the ball will go over the slip cordon but Sammy at second slip jumps high in the air and takes it cleanly. Brilliant catch. 27/1
	Junaid Siddique	c Reifer b Sammy	5	22	0	0	22.72
	17.4 West Indies breathe fire! Sammy pitches it up on middle and off, Junaid Siddique plays down the wrong line and gets a thick leading edge which travels low to Reifer at first slip, he falls to his right and cups it comfortably, Bangladesh are in need of urgent repair work here 49/3
	Raqibul Hasan	c & b Sammy	65	99	8	1	65.65
	45.6 Raqibul fails to see his team through but he's done his job! He leans forward to drive straight but he ends up spooning it back to Sammy who juggles and takes the catch in the second attempt 173/5
	Mohammad Ashraful	c †Walton b Sammy	3	11	0	0	27.27
	21.4 Sammy is the toast of the town, he lands it on the corridor of uncertainty outside off, Ashraful is totally at sea and he doesn't know whether to play or leave it, the ball deviates as it passes him and Walton goes up in arms immediately, umpire Hill shakes his head, Ashraful doesn't even look at the umpire and Sammy slips during his celebrations. What on earth was Sammy trying to do? Only he knows, anyway he's taken the wicket and his ankle's safe 67/4
	Shakib Al Hasan*	not out	96	97	13	1	98.96

	Mushfiqur Rahim†	c & b Sammy	12	31	1	0	38.70
	53.4 almost an action replay of raqibul's dismissal, Rahim spoons a full delivery back to the bowler and Sammy takes it in the second attempt, he takes five, kisses the ball and acknowledges the cheers from the very sparse crowd 201/6
	Mahmudullah	not out	0	2	0	0	0.00

BNP to focus on Tipaimukh, Asian Highway, Maritime Boundary: Khaleda

UNB, Dhaka

Former Prime Minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia said her party is focusing on Tipaimukh Dam, the Asian Highway and demarcation of maritime boundary as priority issues of the day in order to protect national interests.
Khaleda, leader of the opposition in the present parliament, outlined the BNP's present priorities apart from reorganizing the party while talking exclusively to UNB at her Gulshan office on Sunday night.
She said India's Tipaimukh dam is an important national issue for Bangladesh and it should be resolved through united effort of all irrespective of political opinions.
Referring to the presentation of data and information about the controversial dam and its adverse impacts on Bangladesh under her personal initiative on July 18, Khaleda said she had invited ministers, leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties, experts and people of different professions to share information, data and knowledge over the dam and its possible fallouts.
The BNP chairperson observed that not only people of Bangladesh, people of some states of India have also raised their voice against the Indian government's move to construct the Tipaimukh dam as it will harm both the countries rather than help either.
She said since experts are more competent than others to analyze the impact of the dam, her party has been emphasizing sending experts to visit the dam site and collect data and information about it.
Begum Zia mentioned that earlier she had sent a letter to the Prime Minister with a list of six members of a team that included four experts to visit the dam site. The names were sent responding to the Prime Minister's proposal, but they did not yet get any reply from the government side.On organizational matter, the BNP chairperson said she is now engrossed in dealing with organizational matters. She said the central committee of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal has been constituted and committees of other front organizations, including Jatiyatabadi Jubodal and Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, are in the offing. Replying to a question, Khaleda said, "There is no disappointment among leaders and workers over the formation of grassroots-level committees as everything is moving smoothly."She however said in few palaces, where some problems are there, grassroots leaders are informing the party in writing and corrective measures are being taken.
Asked about the pro-reform group in BNP that had emerged during the previous army-backed caretaker regime, Begum Zia said: "Excepting one or two, all of them are in the party."

Little hope for 18 missing after Kiribati capsize

AFP, Wellington

Eighteen people who were lost overboard when a canoe capsized in the Pacific nation of Kiribati are unlikely to be found alive, a rescuer said on Monday.
The double-hulled canoe was carrying 45 passengers from the capital Tarawa to the outlying atoll of Maiana for Independence Day celebrations when it capsized on July 13.
"We don't expect any survivors at the moment.... We expect only to collect the bodies of the dead," Tatai Tata, captain of a boat searching for the missing, told Radio New Zealand International.
The 17-metre (56-foot) canoe capsized during the attempted rescue of a crew member who fell into the water in rough conditions, officials said.
Five people were able to swim ashore to raise the alarm.
Kiribati groups 33 coral atolls straddling the equator and spread over an ocean area equal in size to the continental United States.
Earlier a New Zealand Air Force spokesman said 20 people had survived the capsize, seven were confirmed dead and 18 were missing.
New Zealand's air force helped in the search last week but withdrew at the weekend, the spokesman said.
On Friday the air force plane conducted a six-hour search of the area but found only debris floating in the water.

Is Ban Ki-moon getting a raw deal?

AFP, United Nations

His critics berate him as ineffective, uninspiring and a poor communicator, but UN chief Ban Ki-moon's entourage says he is getting a raw deal from people who misunderstand him and his mission.
Half-way through his first five-year term, the UN secretary general has been subjected to a barrage of criticism, mainly in the Western media, over his handling of crises in Darfur, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. In the latest swipe, The Wall Street Journal last week described him as "the UN's invisible man." The UN chief's most recent international mission -- a trip to Myanmar -- only served to fuel his critics.
Ban lamented the fact that his hosts refused to let him see democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and ignored his call for the release of political prisoners, but his detractors saw it as an indictment of his quiet diplomatic style.
Roberta Cohen, a human rights expert at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, said Ban is "overly deferential" to governments.
She said the UN head has preferred to bow to the mandates of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- "rather than try to lead the world community in defense of the international protection of civilians," she said.
"As the head of the UN, Ban Ki-moon must also be the chief advocate for its values and principles including those values enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," said Iain Levine, a spokesman at New York-based Human Rights Watch. "And that means being prepared to speak out -- clearly, passionately and uncompromisingly -- in support of those values."
"Too often -- including in Sri Lanka and Burma -- the secretary general has held back from a truly principled stance. He must remember that his primary obligation and loyalty is not to member states -- especially abusive ones -- but to those whose rights are so often violated," Levine told AFP.
Abiodun Williams, a former UN policy-maker now with the Washington-based think tank United States Institute of Peace concedes that Ban, a 65-year-old South Korean former foreign minister, is playing an important role on issues such as climate change.
"But he clearly could do more despite the political, bureaucratic and other constraints of the job," he said.
"The capacity to communicate is one of the qualities required for the job," Williams said. "Action may speak louder than words, but words do matter and clearly the message is not getting through effectively enough about the significant role the UN is playing in many areas: peacekeeping, humanitarian work, refugee relief."
The softspoken Ban is often compared unfavorably with his charismatic predecessor Kofi Annan.
But Ban's aides view some of the criticism against their boss as grossly unfair and portray him as a compassionate workaholic whom they admire for his decency, integrity and fierce dedication to his job.
Nicholas Haysom, a South African who is one of Ban's key advisers, thinks the issue of Ban's lack of charisma is overblown.
And "suggestions that he's not outspoken, not very visible are simply wrong and not borne out by the evidence," Haysom said.
"On humanitarian crises and conflicts, he has been extremely active. The truth is that he's not always reported, not always heard."

China dismisses US spy charges as fabrication

AFP, Beijing

Beijing said Monday that a Chinese-born former Boeing engineer convicted by a US court of spying for China had been set up, and insisted it had no links to the espionage case.
"The allegation that a so-called Chinese person stole trade secrets in the United States and gave them to China is purely a fabrication made up out of ulterior motives," the foreign ministry said in a short statement. The ministry refused further comment on the case.
The former Boeing engineer, Dongfan 'Greg' Chung, was convicted by a US court last week of stealing technology and trade secrets for China for decades, including data on NASA's space shuttle programme.
Chung, 73, a resident of Orange County, California and a naturalised US citizen, was found guilty of economic espionage and acquiring information using his "secret" classified clearance.
The former employee of Rockwell International's space and defence unit, which was taken over by Boeing in 1996, was convicted of multiple counts related to his decades-long espionage. Chung, who was arrested in February 2008, remains in custody pending sentencing on November 9.

Israel barrier no obstacle to Palestinians seeking work

AFP, Jerusalem

Every day they sneak into Israel by the dozens under the eyes of the soldiers at checkpoints -- a stream of Palestinian labourers from the occupied West Bank desperate for work.
"We are always looking for new methods -- if the Israelis crack down on refrigerated lorries we use ambulances, if they start stopping ambulances we use hearses," says Abu Ali, a smuggler who granted a rare interview to AFP on the condition his real name and the name of his village be kept quiet.
Sometimes it's a simple question of timing -- Abu Ali claims he once sneaked 97 workers across in the luggage compartment of a bus because it passed through a checkpoint at dusk, when the sun was in the soldiers' eyes.
The covert commute testifies to the economic despair in the occupied West Bank and calls into question Israel's claim that its controversial separation barrier keeps Palestinians from entering clandestinely.
The vehicles are driven by Israelis, either Jews or Arabs, who are part of smuggling rings that straddle the boundaries of the conflict and often include Jewish settlers, soldiers and bribed checkpoint officials, Abu Ali says.
He charges around 50 dollars per person, but says he pockets less than 10 of it, with the rest paying the other people involved in the ring.
The sheer number of workers using his services has allowed him to build a new three-storey house and made him one of the wealthier residents in his village.
Israeli police have arrested more than 16,000 undocumented Palestinian workers since the start of the year, releasing the vast majority after a few hours, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
"Our units respond immediately, number one because of the possibility of terror infiltration. But in a majority of cases the suspects claim they are coming in for work purposes," he says. Abu Ali insists he would never help an aspiring suicide bomber to enter for fear of being caught by Israeli security forces. "The Israelis catch them before they ever leave the West Bank 95 percent of the time," he says.
The labourers who sneak in can make up to 50 dollars a day at construction sites and factories in Israel, up to four or five times what they would make in the West Bank, where work is scarce.
"The economic situation is so desperate in the Palestinian territories that people are willing to endure all kinds of hardships to enter," says Sarit Michaeli, a spokeswoman for the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem.
Long dependent on employment inside Israel and its settlements, the Palestinian economy was sent into a tailspin with the restrictions on movement of goods and people Israel imposed on the West Bank after the second Intifada, which erupted in September 2000.

Civil war fear for Honduras after talks collapse

AFP, Tegucigalpa

An international mediator warned of civil war in Honduras after the failure of talks between representatives of the country's rival governments.
Talks broke down late Sunday after representatives of the de facto rulers rejected a proposal by mediator Oscar Arias, the Costa Rican president, that ousted leader Manuel Zelaya go back as president in charge of a "reconciliation" government.
Arias, who has won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work resolving conflict in Central America, warned Honduras was at the brink of "civil war and bloodshed".
"We have started organizing internal resistance for my return to the country," Zelaya told reporters in Nicaragua, where he has been based since he was forced out by the army on June 28.
Arias pleaded for the talks to resume after a 72-hour break but there was no sign his appeal would be heeded, though sources close to the negotiations said the two sides might meet again Wednesday.
Neither Zelaya nor the head of the de facto government, congress leader Roberto Micheletti, were in Costa Rica for the talks.
Michelette's representatives took exception to Arias's use of the words "civil war." Its deputy foreign minister, Martha Lorena Alvarado, accused the Costa Rican president of "taking us towards a situation of near-panic" with the phrase.
She welcomed the call for 72 hours' reflection, but ruled out allowing Zelaya's return as president.
Micheletti's government has promised to arrest Zelaya if he does return and prosecute him for treason and 17 other charges.
Zelaya's supporters in Honduras, however, said they would intensify their protests pressing for his reinstatement. They called a strike for Thursday and Friday.
The leader of the National Front Against the Coup d'Etat, Berta Caceres, told AFP her group opposed Arias's plan for a reconciliation government that included what she termed "the putschists."
The secretary general of the Organization of American States, Jose Miguel Insulza, said his body would press Honduras's de facto government to recognize "this is a coup that failed." The OAS would hold a meeting Monday on Honduras, he said.
Zelaya has vowed to go back to Honduras with or without agreement from his rivals.
He tried to fly back on July 5 on a plane borrowed from his ally, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, but aborted the landing when Honduran military vehicles parked on the runway.

Khamenei warns Iran’s enemies as reformists urge referendum

AFP, Tehran

Iran's supreme leader warned on Monday against any attempt to destabilise the Islamic republic as reformists called for a referendum to try to resolve the most damaging crisis since the revolution.
In a speech carried on state television, the nation's most powerful man Ayatollah Ali Khamenei again accused foreign countries of interference in the violent aftermath of last month's hotly-disputed presidential election.
"The enemies of the Iranian people, via their media, are giving instructions to the troublemakers to cause disorder, destruction and violence, while at the same insisting they are not interfering in Iranian internal affairs," he said.
"Anyone, no matter their rank or title, will be detested by the people if they lead our society towards insecurity," he said. "Our leaders must be viligant. Any word or action which helps (the enemies) will be contrary to the interests of our people."
Iranian leaders have repeatedly lashed out at Western nations, accusing them of stoking the unrest unleashed after the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in what the opposition protested was a fraudulent poll on June 12.
"While the meddling of foreign nations and their media in particular is clear, their pretence that they are not interfering in Iran's internal affairs is a sign of their dishonour," Khamenei said.
In particular, Iran has taken aim at Britain, arresting nine local staff at the British embassy in Tehran and expelling the permanent BBC correspondent. The last remaining embassy employee was released on bail on Sunday.
Khamenei's address follows a hard-hitting speech by former president and powerful cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani who said on Friday the regime had lost the people's trust, in his first public comments since the election.
Ahmadinejad's reformist predecessor Mohammad Khatami voiced a similar sentiment on Monday, and he and his supporters called for a referendum to resolve a crisis that has rocked the roots of the 30-year-old Islamic republic.
Khatami, whose 1997-2005 presidency saw a thaw in relations with the West, expressed concern that "public confidence in the system has been damaged," the ILNA news agency reported.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in the immediate aftermath of the vote but at least 20 people were killed in the ensuing violence and hundreds of protestors and reformists arrested by the regime.
The Association of Combatant Clerics, a group founded by Khatami, called for an independent referendum to try to find a way out of the crisis, although under the constituion only the supreme leader can organise such a public vote.

British soldier killed in Afghanistan explosion

AFP, London

A British soldier was killed by an explosion while on a foot patrol in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said here Monday.
The soldier, from The 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, died Sunday as a result of the blast in the town of Sangin, in the troubled southern Helmand province.
The death brings to 186 the number of British troops who have died since operations against the Taliban extremists began in October 2001. Of these, at least 154 were killed as a result of hostile action.
"It is with extreme sadness that I must report the death of a brave soldier," said Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, spokesman for Task Force Helmand.
"He laid down his life for his country and the good people of Afghanistan.
"We grieve for his loss and join with his family and friends to mourn his passing."
Next of kin have been informed.
Britain has around 9,000 troops in Afghanistan, largely battling Taliban insurgents in Helmand.
British troops have been involved in Operation Panther's Claw, a major assault against the Taliban in the province.
The spike in deaths since the operation began in late June has revived debate in Britain about its involvement in Afghanistan and the standard of equipment available to troops.
Among the British soldiers killed so far in the assault was the first commanding officer to die in operations since 1991: Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards.

Indonesian reports say hotel suicide bomber identified

AFP, Jakarta

Indonesian media said Monday that investigators have identified one of the Jakarta hotel suicide bombers and were taking DNA samples from his family, in reports police refused to confirm.
Local media said the man was a former student at an Islamic boarding school linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah terror network, which is being blamed for the twin blasts at the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels Friday.
Two bombers killed seven people including three Australians, a New Zealander and an Indonesian in almost simultaneous blasts at the luxury hotels. More than 50 people were injured.
Websites and newspapers identified the bomber seen in grainy security camera footage at the Marriott as Nur Hasbi, alias Nurdin Aziz or Nur Sahid, a follower of Malaysian-born JI faction leader Noordin Mohammad Top. Police have said they suspect the bombings were the first by Jemaah Islamiyah or its offshoots since a 2005 blast at a restaurant in Bali, marking the return of terror to the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.
State news agency Antara said investigators had gone to Hasbi's family home to collect DNA samples, but police would not confirm the report.
"About the news being circulated about the initial 'N' being shown on TV and commentaries, the police have not said that 'N' is the perpetrator. We are still investigating," deputy police spokesman Sulistyo Ishak told reporters.
Senior anti-terrorist officials have said the attacks look like the work of Noordin, who leads a violent splinter faction of JI that advocates the mass killing of Westerners as a legitimate means of "holy war".
One of Asia's most wanted men, Noordin is accused of masterminding bombings at the Jakarta Marriott in 2003, the Australian embassy in 2004 and Bali restaurants in 2005, which killed more than 40 people.
Police said they were trying to rebuild the face on a severed head believed to belong to one of the bombers.
Ishak said the Australian Federal Police had a liaison officer who was helping with the grisly forensic work that could provide a breakthrough in the investigation.
The blasts came just over a week after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a liberal ex-general, was re-elected in a landslide in a vote widely applauded a peaceful and democratic.
Jemaah Islamiyah draws inspiration from Al-Qaeda and has had extensive links with global jihadists as it seeks to create an Islamic caliphate spanning much of Southeast Asia including Indonesia, Malaysia and the southern Philippines.

NKorea shows no signs of returning to talks

AFP, Seoul

North Korea shows no signs yet of willingness to return to talks on its nuclear programme, a senior US envoy said Monday as he pushed a two-track strategy of tougher sanctions and offers of dialogue.
"Nothing right now," said Kurt Campbell, assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, when asked by AFP if the North has shown any signs it is open to negotiation.
Campbell, making his first trip to South Korea since taking over the post last month, was speaking after a meeting with Seoul's nuclear negotiator Wi Sung-Lac. "We have to closely work together on how to implement the Security Council resolution and on the other hand... we have to think about resumption of dialogue as well," Wi told the US envoy before their closed-door talks.
Campbell, on arrival from Japan Saturday, had outlined what he called a two-track strategy involving tougher sanctions but also negotiations if the North is willing to give up its nuclear ambitions.
The international standoff over the North's nuclear and missile programmes has intensified in recent months.
After the United Nations Security Council censured its April 5 long-range rocket launch, the North announced it was quitting six-party nuclear disarmament talks with the United States, South Korea, China, Russia, and Japan.
It staged its second nuclear test on May 25, prompting the Council to adopt a resolution imposing tougher sanctions.
Last Thursday it imposed a travel ban on five North Korean officials and asset freezes on five more entities involved in the banned weapons programmes.
Campbell Saturday had urged the impoverished North to return to six-party talks, warning it would otherwise face more isolation and economic hardship.
"Truth of the matter is, down this path North Korea has chosen lie greater tensions, greater hardships for its people, more isolation and lack of engagement in the international economy," he told journalists.
"I think it's unsustainable, and we believe that over time, North Korea will ultimately choose to re-engage."

India to reveal details of nuclear deal to Hillary

AFP, New Delhi

India was set Monday to reveal where US firms will build multi-billion dollar nuclear power plants, during Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's first official talks in New Delhi, aides said.
The move, once confirmed, will highlight benefits President Barack Obama's administration will derive from a landmark civilian nuclear deal sealed under his predecessor George W. Bush. It will also serve to show how Clinton and Obama intend to build on a strategic partnership with India that was first forged by the Bush administration -- many of whose policies it has criticised and overhauled.
Two US officials told AFP on the condition of anonymity that they expected the location of the two sites to be disclosed on Monday, when Clinton meets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna.
Other issues expected to come up during the talks include security, trade and arms control. "We're very hopeful the Indians make the announcement on Monday," one official told AFP on the condition of anonymity.
The official mentioned press reports here that said a new Singh-led government, formed after elections in May, had chosen sites in the Indian states of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.
Robert Blake, the assistant secretary of state for south Asian affairs, said last week that the deal is a "major opportunity for American companies, and opens up as much as 10 billion dollars worth of exports to India." The Wall Street Journal, quoting people familiar with the issue, said the announcement probably will not lead to immediate contracts for firms like GE-Hitachi and Westinghouse Electric Co. to begin building plants.
In October last year, then secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and her Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee signed a pact to open up sales of civilian nuclear technology to India for the first time in three decades. The deal offers India access to US technology and cheap atomic energy in return for allowing UN inspections of some of its civilian nuclear facilities -- but not military nuclear sites.
Blake also raised hopes for a deal on "end-use monitoring" that analysts say would clear the way for military sales because it would allow Washington to make sure military equipment is used for its stated purpose.
However, one US official told AFP on the condition of anonymity the deal would "probably not" be sealed by Monday, without elaborating. Evan Feigenbaum, who was deputy assistant secretary of state for south Asia under the administration of George W. Bush, said the deal got "hung up on some technicalities... and the clock basically ran out" when Bush left office.
The Obama administration wants to pursue efforts begun under the Bush administration to build a dialogue that reflects the importance India can play in fighting global climate change, promoting trade and curbing nuclear and other weapons.

No let-up in US drone war in Pakistan

AFP, Washington

The expanding US drone war against Al-Qaeda may be disrupting the terror network's operations but the lethal bombing raids carry risks for Washington and its ally Pakistan.
The head of the CIA has defended the attacks in Pakistan by unmanned aircraft as "the only game in town" when it comes to targeting Al-Qaeda and its allies. US officials credit the bombing raids with knocking off key figures in the terror network.
Yet an unknown number of civilians in have died in the bombing war, possibly as many as 700, according to the Pakistani press.
The strikes are deeply unpopular in Pakistan, with skeptics warning the tactic could backfire by sowing public anger while failing to defeat resilient extremist networks.
"The more there are unilateral targeted strikes in Pakistan, the higher political costs for the US, and for Pakistan for allowing them to happen," Seth Jones, an analyst at the RAND Corporation, told AFP.
Islamabad publicly criticizes the targeted assassinations but quietly cooperates with the Americans, Jones said, with the government allowing the use of an air base on Pakistani soil -- a detail US Senator Dianne Feinstein accidentally let slip at a hearing.
The drones, armed with lethal missiles and controlled by a "pilot" using a joystick at bases in Nevada and elsewhere, have become America's weapon of choice in the fight against Al-Qaeda.
With virtually no public debate in the United States, the pace of the bombing raids has steadily increased, starting last summer during ex-president George W. Bush's final months in office and now under President Barack Obama.
Equipped with infrared cameras, precision-guided bombs and Hellfire missiles, Predator and Reaper aircraft have carried out strikes in Pakistan at a rate of about once a week since Obama took office in January, experts and Pakistani media say.
The spike in drone attacks in Pakistan has come even as US military officers pursue new tactics in the war in neighboring Afghanistan to try to minimize civilian casualties and scale back air power where possible.
Concerned about Al-Qaeda regrouping in Pakistan's northwest, the United States began relying more on the drones after covert operations by US special forces triggered an angry reaction among Pakistanis, analysts said.
And ever since the former Bush administration reportedly stopped notifying Pakistani officials before each attack, a process that could take hours, the strikes can be carried out quickly.
In a rare public admission of the drone war, Leon Panetta, the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency, recently called the bombing "very effective."
"It is very precise, it's very limited in terms of collateral damage and very frankly, it's the only game in town in terms of confronting and trying to disrupt the Al-Qaeda leadership," Panetta said in May.
Even if the strikes are as accurate as the CIA chief claims, experts question the practical effect of the raids without ground troops, aid and other measures to back them up.

80 pc of visa seekers are touts and brokers: Indian HC

UNB, Dhaka

Around 25,000 of the Bangladeshis who entered India with legal visa each year never did return to Bangladesh, Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty said Monday, apparently to deflate complaints about hurdles in the visa-issuance process.
The diplomat also made yet another bitter observation that over 80 percent of those who queue up in front of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka for visa are "touts and brokers".
He said that he has taken up this issue with the Bangladesh government and the visa process would be easier if these people (touts and brokers) could be driven away from the queue.
Pinak came up with the comments at a conference titled 'Bangladesh-India Economic Relations' at Sonargaon Hotel where Commerce Minister Faruk Khan was present as the chief guest.
"Around 25,000 Bangladeshi people who entered India legally never returned to Bangladesh. We do not know where they go," he told the function in his latest salvo at a time when contentions were yet to die down over his recent remark about the wisdom of the Bangladeshi experts who speak on India's Tipaimukh-dam project.
Explaining the delays in visa issuance he said that the visa-issuing process is little bit time-consuming here as they have to confirm the security first for their own country, because of a chain of violent incidents in India.
Citing the example of Mumbai incident, the Indian envoy said: "We have to confirm our own security first and for that reason the issuing of visa takes a little bit longer time."

Sohel Taj issue discussed at cabinet meeting

UNB, Dhaka

The question of Tanjim Ahmed Sohel Taj's resignation as state minister for home affairs was discussed briefly during the weekly cabinet meeting on Monday but no firm decision was reached about his political fate.
Sources said during the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a minister raised the issue as Taj's own statement over his resignation on May 31 was widely published in national dailies on Monday. Citing the Constitution, Taj said he is no more a minister as he has handed in his resignation to the Prime Minister through a resignation letter.
The sources said the cabinet members felt sorry for his about-turn despite assurances from none but the prime minister herself to look into his problems.
In his press interview from Maryland, USA, Sunday, Taj claimed that as he had submitted his resignation, it would be a violation of Article 58 (a) of the Constitution to address him as minister.
After this statement, the public is wondering why the government has for so long concealed this from them.
A senior minister told UNB on Monday that Prime Minister Hasina has profound sympathy for family members of the slain Tajuddin Ahmed, the country's first Prime Minister, and three other national leaders who were also slain for their close association with Bangabandhu as well as their great contribution to the country's war of liberation.
Perhaps, the minister said, as a result of this sympathy the Prime Minister wanted to take her time to see whether Taj changed his mind and withdrew his resignation letter before she took any final decision.

Prothom Alo, Star pursued Minus-Two formula: Salman

bdnews24.com, Dhaka

Salman F Rahman has alleged that top-selling dailies Prothom Alo and The Daily Star helped the military-installed caretaker government in its attempt to implement the "Minus-Two formula' in the two years of emergency rule beginning in 2007.
The Beximco Group boss told a questioner at a news conference on Monday that these two newspapers were now trying to execute 'Minus-One formula' in clear a hint at prime minister Sheikh Hasina
The "Minus-Two formula" sought the expulsion and exile of Hasina and former prime minister Khaleda Zia from the country.
The vice chairman of Bangladesh's biggest business conglomerate, Beximco Group, read out a written statement at Hotel Sheraton and alleged that these two newspapers had been running a sustained campaign to destabilise the buoyant capital market and discouraging foreign investment.
They 'unleashed a vicious propaganda for many years' against the group, added Salman, who, along with Khaleda, Hasina and a host of businessmen and other top politicians, were detained in prison on corruption charges.
"For the past few years, we have seen efforts - very conscious and often beyond anyone's comprehension - from these two newspapers to stifle our attempts to grow, create more jobs and expand our exports.
"...Which we kept ignoring and we are now compelled to bring the issue before the court of public."
He said his group generates thousands of highly-paid jobs in Bangladesh, and its goods and services are sold in many countries in the world, bringing in much-needed foreign exchange.
"It is true we have gone through ups and downs as our country has in all these decades. Nevertheless, we have tried to protect the interests of our workforce as well as our shareholders." He said the dailies on July 10 reported 'incorrectly' that Bextex, a Beximco concern, had declared 10 percent stock dividend for 2008 out of revaluated reserves pursuant to revaluation of its lands, buildings and other assets. They also called Bextex shares as 'Junk Shares'.
"It is well known to all that Bextex has world class manufacturing facilities, 'blue chip' customer base, established brand both in the domestic and international market.
"In 2008 as per published figures, Bextex Sales was Tk 476 crore, Gross Profit was Tk 167 crore, Operating Profit was Tk 14 crore and after charging interest and depreciation loss was Tk 61 crores.

Country's Boro production likely to increase by three times

BSS, Dhaka

Country's Boro production is likely to rise by nearly three times through cultivating the super hybrid or SL-8H over the current yield coming from the High Yielding Variety (HYV) like BR-28 and 29 and the hybrid as well.
Officials of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) told BSS here on Monday that the per hectare production of HYV from the BR-28 and 29 varieties is almost 4.50- 5.0 tonnes within 135-140 days while that from the super hybrid or SL-8H will be around 12-12.50 tonnes during the same period.
Even the production of super hybrid rice is also likely to be 3-4 tonnes more than that from the other hybrid varieties available in the local market. Now the production of local hybrid is maximum 7.50-8.0 tonnes a hectare, they said.
Rafiqul Islam, a farmer of village Gokulnagar under Maheshpur upazila of Jenidah district, said that he reaped around 120 mounds of paddy by cultivating super hybrid variety on an acre of land during the last Boro season. Whereas, he said, the yield of existing HYV is only 54-55 maunds.
In view of such prospects, BADC imported 40 kgs seed from the Philippines in 2005-06 and introduced the super hybrid SL-8H cultivation in Jessore, Comilla and Mymensingh farm regions.
In 2006-07, BADC conducted a three-year trial production of the variety at Dattangar seed production farm in Jenidah and Madhupur in Tangail, where the yield was around 12-12.50 tonnes per hectare.
Now, the officials said, the BADC has already started seed production in its two farms following the success of the three- year trial production.
Manager (Farm) of the Seed Production Farm Division under the BADC AHM Monirul Haque Naqvi said, "such a higher production from this variety will ensure food security side by side with reducing production cost in the greater benefit of the farmers."

BD-India should work together on water front: APJ Kalam

DU Correspondent

Former Indian President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam has said Bangladesh and India should work together to derive maximum benefit from the limited water resources.
He said this in reply to a question while addressing the teachers and students of Dhaka University at the Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban on the campus on Monday.
He said Bangladesh should give priority to water management under able leadership to resolve the water crisis. He also stressed on technology and education for capacity building for national development.
He suggested for finding out alternative energy resources as world's reserve of oil and gas will end within 60-80 years.
"For national development, we have to focus on food security, employability, information and computer technology, infrastructure, education and health, critical technology and strategic industries," he said.
"But the use of technology, efficient management and able leadership is more important for the development," he added.
Making a comparison between Bangladesh's "Vision 2021" and India's development plan until 2020, the former Indian President said, "in our plan, we have emphasized on poverty eradication, employment, education and reduction of distance between rural and urban areas for a prosperous, healthy, peaceful and happy India."
"What worked yesterday," the renowned scientist said, "won't work today. So we have to emphasize more on innovations and discoveries for national development."
Stressing on making a knowledge-based society, he suggested for building up a 'world knowledge platform'. Terming universities as the power house of knowledge, he said, "the universities have to have the motto of teaching-research-learning."
Later, he handed over a set of books to the DU VC as a token of gift. VC Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique thanked him for visiting the university.

Hasina orders steps for price control during Ramadan

BSS, Dhaka

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday instructed the concerned ministries to take required steps to keep prices of essentials within the reach of ordinary people during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan as she chaired the weekly cabinet meeting.
"She (Sheikh Hasina) particularly asked the concerned authorities to import essential items through TCB (Trading Corporation of Bangladesh) and ensure their quick marketing," Prime Minister's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told newsmen after the meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat here.
He said the Prime Minister also issued a directive to the other concerned officials to ease Dhaka's notorious traffic congestion and remove other civic problems to smoothen the city life during the holy month.
"The goal of our government is to ensure overall welfare of the people," Azad quoted her as telling the cabinet meeting.
The press secretary said the cabinet colleagues congratulated Hasina on her election as the vice chairman of the Non Alignment Movement (NAM) while she said NAM should be strengthen further for the benefit of the developing nations like Bangladesh.
"Bangladesh will definitely play a crucial role in strengthening the Non Align Movement," she said.
The cabinet today gave its final nod to a proposal for relaxing the qualification for registered no-government primary school teachers, Local Govt (UP) Act 2009, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novotheatre Act 2009, Mobile Court Act 2009, Bangladesh Labour (Amendment) Ordinance.
The proposal for relaxing the qualification for non- government primary teachers said those who already spent 17 to 25 years in service would not require the Certificate in Education.
The earlier provision said the registered primary school teachers would require at least second division in their SSC or HSC certificates, a rule under which the government grant of 21,522 teachers were stopped.
Local Government (UP) Act 2009 suggested provisions for strengthening the lowest tier of the local governance system through people's participation while the mobile court act proposed some measures for maintaining law and order awarding instantly the offenders for particular offences.

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