Vows made to deliver on promises

Dhaka, Oct 25—The big debate ahead of the Narayanganj City Corporation elections ended with all the six candidates vowing to live up to the promise made to the voters.

The aspirants grappled to be heard over each other and sway votes in the one-off, first-ever televised debate arranged by the Election Commission. It was broadcast live from an open stage of Narayanganj Club by state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar from around 8:30 to 10:00pm Tuesday.

bdnews24.com also live-streamed the event from 116-year old club to spotlight the sharpening contours of the race to help the constituency make an informed decision. The video of the event will be available on the bdnews24.com website for a few days.

Election commissioner M Sakhawat Hossain attended the debate, which was moderated by bdnews24.com editor-in-chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi.

Sakhawat expressed his happiness with the debate. "It has been a good programme," he told bdnews24.com.

As voters were concerned about the lofty promises candidates usually make before elections, but rarely follow them up with actions once elected, all six candidates replied to keep their pre-election pledges.

Awami League-backed aspirant Shamim Osman rattled of his successes as a member of parliament from Narayanganj-1 during Awami League's 1996 to 2001 tenure.

Awami League leader Selina Hayat Ivy said she fulfilled promises she made in the previous election. "I don't make any promise that I cannot keep," Ivy, the former municipal mayor, added.

When a voter asked BNP-backed candidate Taimur Alam Khandaker how he will be able to serve the city with so many corruption charges against him, the former BRTC chief said prime minister Sheikh Hasina has 13 graft cases against her.

"I have fewer case than she has…," he said before the moderator Toufique Imroze Khalidi stepped in to stop him saying he (Taimur) was speaking about people not present there.

According to Taimur's affidavit submitted to the Election Commission, he faces 11 criminal cases.

Before the start, Sakhawat had explained why the EC had organised the debate. "The event is meant to connect the two sides —why the candidates want to lead, what plans they have for the electorate, what the voters themselves want."

A 150-strong select audience drawn from professionals, students, businesspeople and local civil society leaders—all representing the electorate of Narayanganj— fired some stinging questions at the aspirants.

A businessman asked whether any park would be set up in Narayanganj.

Shamim felt 'sad' that there is no children's park in Narayanganj. "I want to set up a park for not only children but also for women," the former Narayanganj-1 MP said.

His party rival Selina Hayat Ivy was categorical. "Narayanganj municipality's PPP project is scheduled to start in a year. A green park and two children's park will be set up."

The war of words between Ivy and Shamim began in earnest , with Ivy firing the first salvo at her 'elder brother', saying he puts the party behind everything else.

The people are behind me, the former Narayanganj municipality Mayor said during the primetime Election Commission debate.

Shamim, on his part, said it is difficult to work without party support. "BNP did it first. We did it in reciprocation."

Ivy replied: "Local government polls are non-partisan, I was the mayor of Narayanganj municipality. Elder brother' (Shamim) wanted party backing…I have the people's backing."

Shamim argued Ivy also displayed photos of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and party president Sheikh Hasina in posters, a claim that Ivy rejected.

"No, I am not using their photos," she said.

EVMs

The audience witnessed lively debate about the much-talked about issue of using Electronic Voting Machine on a limited scale in the Oct 30 vote, when a student put forward the question.

A short documentary was shown on the use of EVMs before taking replies from the candidates.

BNP-backed Taimur Alam Khandaker said he was served with an Election Commission notice while protesting the use of EVMs. And he again opposed the use of the machines suggesting that those can help rig the polls.

Shamim was all for the use of the machine while Ivy solicited to introduce it in three wards instead of nine and independent candidate Atiqul Islam Jibon proposed to introduce it in only one ward. The other two also backed the EVMs.

At the start of the debate, Narayanganj City mayor hopefuls spelled out their plans for the new city before the voters.

Jibon was the first and he said he is running in the Corporation (NCC) election to abide by his mother's order to serve the Narayanganj people.

Taimur urged people to try him out, while Atikur Rahman Nannu Munshi promised to fulfil people's expectations.

Former Awami League MP Shamim said he dreams of turning Narayanganj into the best city corporation while Awami League leader Ivy says she wants to serve people and present a clean city.

EC secretary Mohammad Sadique, local civil society members, guests and officials are also present at the debate.
From;www.bdnews24.com

Conclusive deal on euro zone crisis looks elusive

BRUSSELS, Oct 26 - Prospects for a comprehensive deal to resolve the euro zone debt crisis at a summit look dim, with deep disagreement remaining on critical aspects of the potential agreement, including how to give the region's bailout fund greater firepower.

EU officials and European diplomats are lowering expectations of a breakthrough when the 17 euro zone leaders meet on Wednesday, despite Franco-German assurances only weeks ago that a "comprehensive solution" to more than two years of debt and economic turmoil would be found by the end of the month.

While there appears to be broad consensus on the need for around €110 billion euros to be injected into the European banking system to help it withstand a potential Greek debt default and wider financial contagion, there is little clarity on either of the other two critical parts of the plan.

One element involves scaling up the region's €440 billion bailout fund, known as the European Financial Stability Facility, and the other is focused on reducing Greece's debt burden by deepening the losses private investors -- major banks and insurance companies -- must take on their Greek bonds.

EU leaders will consider two methods for scaling up the EFSF, one by using it to offer guarantees to purchasers of new euro zone debt, and the other using part of its capacity to set up a special purpose investment vehicle that would attract money from sovereign wealth funds and other investors to buy debt. They might also agree to combine both options.

NO CONCRETE NUMBERS EXPECTED

Whereas financial markets have been hoping for weeks that Wednesday's summit, scheduled to start at 11:00 a.m. EDT with a gathering of all 27 EU leaders, followed at 1730 GMT by the meeting of the euro zone heads of state, will produce detailed figures on how to combat the debt crisis, there is now little likelihood of concrete numbers, sources say.

"The numbers are not yet finalized -- you have to have all parameters in place and see what is needed and what the leverage factor would be. It needs a lot of technical work to come up with a number," one EU official said, adding that discussions would continue on Wednesday to forge a pre-summit consensus.

"The leaders will agree on the options tomorrow, but whether it will be an agreement with all details remains to be seen. I think it will be challenging -- it will be very difficult to agree on everything."

Instead, it looks likely that it won't be until November 7-8, when EU and eurozone finance ministers are next scheduled to meet, that the details of whatever euro zone leaders agree on during Wednesday's summit will be completely finalized.

Financial markets are likely to find that extremely disappointing, having been told on multiple occasions by EU leaders that a resolution to the crisis was near, only to find the EU and its institutions unable to deliver.

That has in turn morphed a banking and debt crisis into a wider economic and political crisis that threatens to undermine the euro single currency and the European Union project.

Further complicating Wednesday's talks -- which will be preceded by a meeting of the Eurogroup Working Group, an elite collection of senior finance officials and central bankers who will have a last attempt to hammer out a meaningful agreement -- is intense market pressure on Italy and a dispute in Germany.

Italy's inability to deliver a substantive plan for reforming its pensions system has raised doubts about Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's seriousness in tackling a crisis that threatens the euro zone's third largest economy.

Italy has the euro zone's largest sovereign bond market, with a public debt of €1.8 trillion, 120 percent of GDP. EU leaders fear that failure to make its debts more sustainable will mean it goes the same way as Greece, Ireland and Portugal, which have had to accept EU/IMF financial aid programs.

The problem is, there is not enough money to bail out Italy.

ECB ROLE IN DISPUTE

There is also a stand-off over how much the European Central Bank, the ultimate defender of the euro, should be involved in trying to resolve the crisis, with France wanting deep and direct ECB involvement and Germany staunchly against it.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, fighting to secure parliamentary backing for the euro zone rescue measures, particularly the scaling up of the EFSF, said Germany opposed a phrase in the summit's draft conclusions urging the ECB to go on buying troubled states' bonds -- a key backstop against deeper turmoil.

Many analysts believe the ECB is the only authority at this stage that can deliver the financial firepower that convinces nervous and skeptical markets that the crisis can be contained. Locking the ECB out could prove another negative therefore.

At the same time there is intense disagreement about how to make Greece's debt situation sustainable.

Euro zone governments are demanding that the private sector accept a 60 percent "haircut" as part of a second rescue package to make Athens' debt mountain, set to reach 160 percent of economic output this year, more sustainable.

Bank negotiators have offered a 40 percent write-down and warned that forcing them into deeper losses would amount to a forced default, with what banks say will be devastating consequences for the European financial system.

EU diplomats said the outcome was uncertain, but some forecast a last-minute deal on a 50 percent write-down -- an outcome backed by Jean-Claude Juncker, the chairman of euro zone finance ministers.

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said: "I hope that tomorrow we will come to decisions, this is our partners' will.

"Tomorrow we want to put an end, turn a page, in order for the country to move forward."
From:www.bdnews24.com

Bangladesh moving towards better days: Merkel

Berlin, Oct 25 — German chancellor Angela Merkel has said Bangladesh has failed to achieve its expected development even after 40 years of independence due to its long-time military rule.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina at the chancellery in Berlin on Tuesday, she said the civil society of the country should come forth for its development.

Germany will continue its support to Bangladesh, she added.

She had a meeting with Hasina before the press conference, which Hasina said was 'highly fruitful'.

"The visit is a milestone in our existing relations," she added.

Merkel welcomed Hasina when she arrived at the chancellery in the noon (local time).

The Bangladesh prime minister was given red-carpet reception and a guard of honour. At the beginning of the press meet, Merkel remarked on Germany's good relations with Bangladesh and hoped to further it.

Bangladesh's economic conditions are good and things will get better in the days ahead, Merkel said.
"Bangladesh is moving towards poverty alleviation under the strong leadership of Sheikh Hasina," she said.

The chancellor said at the meeting she and Hasina had discussed how Germany could help Bangladesh in battling climate change, improving the standards of primary and secondary education, and stemming the flow of urban migration.

Hasina said Germany was a tested friend of Bangladesh. "Germany has always aided the socio-economic development of Bangladesh," she added.

She thanked Merkel for her creative role in managing the affairs of Germany and European issues amid the global economic turmoil.

INVITATION TO VISIT BANGLADESH

Hasina invited the German chancellor to visit Bangladesh. "I hope you will soon come to visit Bangladesh," she said.

Merkel expressed her interest to visit Bangladesh but said she did not know if it would be possible soon.

Hasina at this point said, "We are both woman leaders. I hope you will accept this invitation from me."

Merkel replied by saying, "I know you are inviting me as a woman leader and I hope to go to Bangladesh as the German chancellor."

When asked whether there had been any discussions on financing the Padma bridge, Merkel said there had been no such discussions.

Hasina said, "We did not discuss Padma bridge. But Germany continues to support Bangladesh in infrastructure development and we hope the support will continue."

HEADING HOME

Hasina started for home from Tegel Airport at around 5pm local time. Bangladeshi ambassador to Berlin Masud Mannan and German foreign ministry officials were there to see her off.

The prime minister is scheduled to return home on Wednesday after a stoppage in Dubai.
From:www.bdnews24.com

It's a waste of time: Taimur

Dhaka, Oct 25—BNP-backed mayor aspirant Taimur Alam Khandaker has angrily dismissed the Election Commission's first-ever televised debate soon after it ended.

He told journalists that the primetime debate was organised to give the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) 'legitimacy.'

"It's been waste of the candidates' time," he maintained.

All other five candidates, however, told reporters waiting outside the Narayanganj Club that they were 'satisfied' with the pre-election debate.

Election commissioner Shakhawat Hossain, in an instant reaction, also expressed his satisfaction over the debate.

Taimur has altogether opposed the use of EVMs in the Narayanganj City Corporation in the debate when his rivals Ivy preferred it in three instead of nine wards and Shamim was all for it.

The one and a half hour-long debate was broadcast live from an open stage by state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar and webcast by bdnews24.com from 8.30pm.

bdnews24.com editor-in-chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi moderated the war of words.

During the debate, Taimur said he had been rejecting outright the use of EVMs from the 'very beginning'.

He argued: "If one buys the person who controls the EVM display, he can manipulate the results."

"It (EVMs) will also slow down the vote casting process," he further said.

Taimur claimed the Election Commission threatened to cancel his candidacy for protesting against the EVMs.

However, the Oct 30 election's assistant returning officer Farhad Hossain contested Taimur's claim during the debate.

He said it would take 20 to 30 seconds to cast each vote in the EVM system.

"It will never slow down the (voting) process," he said and invited all candidates to see the EVMs in nine wards during the election.

EVMs were introduced first in the Chittagong City Corporation election last year.
From:www.bdnews24.com

Bankers' fund to enter market Nov-end

Dhaka, Oct 25 — The Stock Market Stabilisation Fund or SMSF will flow into the market in the last week of November.

After a meeting with market regulator Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday, Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB) chairman Nazrul Islam Mazumder told reporters, "We hope the fund will be in the market after all processes end by the last week of November."

"It will start initially with Tk 10 billion," Nazrul added.

He said the SEC has assured all help in this regard.

On Sunday, Nazrul said, "We have decided in principle to make the investments as soon as possible after receiving approval from the central bank and the share market regulator."

On Tuesday, he said, "Bangladesh doesn't have any asset management company to manage such a big fund. So we'll have to form an asset management committee, too."

The BAB chairman also insisted the fund is different from the banks' portfolio investment. "The banks are going to invest within the legal limit."

On Oct 20, Association of Bankers, Bangladesh (ABB) said they will start investing in the capital market from Sunday to bolster the sagging market. The exposure limit for banks in the capital market has been increased to 10 percent of their liabilities.

The bank owners' body chief also said 20 banks will contribute Tk 200 million each to this fund. Besides them, insurance association and listed companies will also subscribe to the fund to participate.

The announcements came after weeks of discussions on the issue as ministers, regulators and stock brokers sought to end protests by small investors over the past weeks. The investors have been calling for measures to pull up prices after indices plunged to lows on consecutive trading days early last week.

On Dec 5 last year, the DSE general index reached a record 8918 points. Unrest began in the market the following day, and December and January saw free fall.

Following the budget in June when the government allowed undisclosed income into the market, the bourses saw a month of improvement. However, the fluctuations returned by the end of July.
From:www.bdnews24.com

WB, Muhith differ on GDP rate

Dhaka, Oct 25 — The World Bank and the government of Bangladesh have joined issue over the global lender's latest economic update on Bangladesh.

In the update report, the World Bank has termed the 6.7 percent growth in gross domestic production (GDP) in 2010-'11 fiscal as strong, but says outlook for 2011-'12 financial year is 'uncertain'.

On the other hand, finance minister A M A Muhith says the seven percent GDP growth target set in the budget for 2011-'12 financial year 'will be achieved'.

"I've said before and saying it again that seven percent GDP will be achieved in the current fiscal," he told bdnews24.com on Tuesday.

The report said the GDP growth rate in 2010-'11 fiscal reflected good performance in the manufacturing and construction sectors, two successive years of bumper crop harvest and sustained high contribution from the services sector.

"However, a slowdown in remittances in FY11, high and volatile inflation, overshooting of monetary targets, financial sector weaknesses, growing external imbalances and increasing fiscal deficit as well as the composition of deficit financing remain areas of concern," it added.

The report quoted Sanjay Kathuria, World Bank's lead country economist for Bangladesh, as saying, "Rapid growth in subsidies, sustained high rate of growth of credit to the private sector and monetary financing of the fiscal deficit have led to the decline in manoeuvrability."

Quoting Lalita Moorty, senior economist for Bangladesh in Washington, the report said, "It will be vital for Bangladesh to ensure sound macroeconomic management, since expansionary macroeconomics policies could increase risks on the current account and make inflation management more difficult."

About the 'risks', the finance minister said, "I spoke about risks in the budget speech. There could be risks in economy. We'll be able to achieve the expected GDP target by tackling the risks."

"The risks will be removed within months," he added.
From:www.bdnews24.com

HC order for 14 convicts' acquittal stayed

Dhaka, Oct 25 —The chamber judge has stayed for six weeks a High Court order, which acquitted eight death sentence convicts and six others of murdering industrialist Mohammad Alam.

Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain issued the order on Tuesday following a plea from attorney general Mahbubey Alam on behalf of the state.

The bench of justices Miftah Uddin Chowdhury and Mohammad Shawkat Hossain on Monday cleared the convicts of charges in the case following appeal by them against the lower court judgment.

A Dhaka court on July 31, 2005 awarded the capital punishment to 11 people, including two women, and imprisonment to six others in different terms for killing businessman Mohammad Alam, along with his three maid servants, at his Jurain residence in the city on Jan 1, 2002.

In Monday's order, the High Court also commuted the death penalty of 'Sohel', Sohag Bepari and 'Kabir' to life-term considering their young age.

The acquitted include 'Babul' alias 'Babu', 'Yusuf', 'Dulal', Al Amin, 'Farida', Matiur Rahman alias Jamai Motin, Babul Hasan alias Jamai Babu and Jahanara Begum.

Of the accused, only Al Amin is on the run.
From:www.bdnews24.com

Libya gives Gaddafi inglorious secret burial

Tripoli, Oct 26 - Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mo'tassim were buried in a secret desert location on Tuesday, five days after the deposed Libyan leader was captured, killed and put on grisly public display.

"He (Gaddafi) has just been buried now in the desert along with his son," National Transitional Council (NTC) commander Abdel Majid Mlegta told Reuters by telephone.

Gaddafi's cleric, Khaled Tantoush, who was captured with him, prayed over the bodies before they were taken from the compound in the coastal city of Misrata, where they had been on show, and handed to two NTC loyalists for burial, he said.

The NTC had worried many outsiders by displaying the corpses in a meat locker in the fiercely anti-Gaddafi city of Misrata until their decaying state forced them on Monday to call a halt.

Under pressure from Western allies, the NTC promised the same day to investigate how Gaddafi and his son were killed. Mobile phone footage shows both alive after their capture. The former leader was seen being mocked, beaten and abused before he died, in what NTC officials say was crossfire.

The saga has made Western allies of Libya's interim leadership uneasy about the prospects for the rule of law and stable government in the post-Gaddafi era.

"I laughed when I saw him being beaten as he deserved to be. And I laugh again now that I know he is in the ground," said Emani Zaid, 20, a student in Tripoli. "If the men who buried him are true free Libyans, they can keep the secret (of his grave)."

Determined to prevent Gaddafi's grave becoming a shrine for his supporters, the NTC wants its location kept secret, refusing custody to his tribe, many of whom live in Sirte.

The prayers for the dead were attended by two of Gaddafi's cousins, Mansour Dhao Ibrahim, once leader of the feared People's Guard, and Ahmed Ibrahim. Both were captured with him after a NATO air strike hit a convoy of vehicles trying to break out of Sirte, Gaddafi's home town, just after it fell.

"The NTC officials were handed the body after the sheikh completed the early morning ceremony and are taking him somewhere very far away into the desert," Mlegta said.

"THROW HIM IN A HOLE"

For Ali Azzarog, 47, an engineer, it was good riddance.

"Throw him in a hole, in the sea, in garbage. No matter. He is lower than a donkey or a dog and only foreigners say they care about how we killed him. And they are lying," he said.

Mohammed al-Sharif, a 22-year-old describing himself as an aspiring writer, said: "Let the dust of the desert sweep over the hole where he was buried ... Then the name 'Muammar' can be forgotten and our children will never know of this time."

Libyans rose up against Gaddafi's 42-year rule in February, defying a violent response that was parried by NATO air power under a United Nations mandate to protect civilians.

Libyan interim Oil and Finance Minister Ali Tarhouni said the NTC wanted NATO to maintain its mission for another month.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said NATO would be discussing when and how to end its mission over Libya.

"What I would do at this point is leave the decision as to a future security involvement in the hands of NATO, and then beyond that, that will give us a basis on which to determine whether there's an additional role we can play," he told a news conference in Japan.

Gaddafi's death ended eight months of war that had dragged on in Sirte and elsewhere even after the NTC's ragtag militias captured the capital, Tripoli, in August.

Hatred of Gaddafi unified his disparate opponents, who may now tussle for power during a planned transition to democracy in a nation riven with regional and tribal rivalries.

"Leaders from different regions, cities, want to negotiate over everything -- posts in government, budgets for cities, dissolving militias," said one senior NTC official in Tripoli, though he defended this as a healthy expression of freedom.

At times, Gaddafi's body appeared to have become a macabre bargaining chip for Misrata, which endured a pitiless war-time siege, and whose leaders now demand a big say in the new Libya.

Fears that Gaddafi's sons might wage an Iraq-style insurgency have faded since the deaths of Mo'tassim and his brother Khamis, a military commander, who was killed earlier.

But well-armed fighters in the former Gaddafi stronghold of Bani Walid, which fell to the NTC this month, told Reuters they were planning to keep up their struggle.

"MASS EXECUTION"

Abuses apparently committed by both sides in the civil war may also impede reconciliation. New York-based Human Rights Watch urged the NTC on Monday to probe an "apparent mass execution" of 53 people, apparently Gaddafi loyalists, whom it found dead, some with their hands bound, at a Sirte hotel.

In Tripoli, a 33-year-old waiter, who was too scared to give his name, praised what he said was Gaddafi's courage.

"If you say Gaddafi died like a coward, you are wrong. He died proud like a lion. He said he would never leave Libya and he did not leave. Fight, fight, fight. I was not a Gaddafi supporter before this revolution but when I saw his bravery, I knew he was the only man for Libya," he said.

One of Gaddafi's sons, the enigmatic Saif al-Islam, remains on the run. Once viewed as a moderate reformer, Saif vowed to help his father crush his enemies once the revolt began.

An NTC official said Saif al-Islam was in the remote southern desert near Niger and Algeria and was set to flee Libya using a fase passport.

He said Gaddafi's former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi who, like Saif al-Islam, is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), was involved in the escape plan.

"The region is very difficult to monitor and encircle," the official said of Saif al-Islam's purported whereabouts.

In Niger, there was no official comment on Saif al-Islam, but the government has made clear its support for the ICC.

"The instructions in Niger are very clear: if this son of Gaddafi enters Niger, he must be arrested and placed immediately in the hands of the authorities because there is an international arrest warrant for him," a Nigerien military source said.

Gaddafi's death allowed the NTC to declare Libya's "liberation" on Sunday in Benghazi, the seat of the revolt.

Many rejoicing Libyans brushed off unease among human rights groups and Western capitals about the manner of Gaddafi's death.

Until the public was finally denied access on Monday, fighters were still ushering sightseers into the chilled room where the bodies of Gaddafi, Mo'tassim and his former army chief lay, their flesh darkening and leaking fluids.

The UN human rights arm has joined the Gaddafi family in seeking an inquiry into his killing. The NTC promised one on Monday, saying most Libyans had hoped to see Gaddafi on trial.

Some Libyans are also uncomfortable at the way Gaddafi was killed and his body treated.

"I regret it, really," said lawyer Sawani Ghanem, 30, adding that Gaddafi had tainted Libya as a land of terrorists. "We should have tried to show the world we could be more humane and aspire to change."
From:www.bdnews24.com

War of words before battle of ballots repertoire

Dhaka, Oct 24 —Six mayor candidates will look to staunchly defend and expose rivals for the Election Commission's televised debate Tuesday evening, just five days shy of Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) election.

Sparks seem sure to fly in the theatre—an open stage of Narayanganj Club—when the two ruling party challengers and the opposition's best bet, joined by three other pretenders, will get one last chance for that decisive edge before the electorate and millions in view from 8:30pm.

The trio has hotly debated before on TV but this is the first time that the 'rank-outsiders' will be under intense media gaze and try to win hearts and minds of the public.
Shamim Osman and Selina Hayat Ivy, second-generation Awami League leaders of this commercial hub, will be primed for the primetime showdown to sway voters who will decide on Oct 30 to elect their representatives to run the city.

The event, to be attended by the chief election commissioner, A T M Shamshul Huda and moderated by bdnews24.com editor-in-chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi, will be beamed live by state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar.

bdnews24.com will be live-streaming from 116-year old club to spotlight the sharpening contours of the race to help the constituency make an informed decision.

Ivy, the former municipality chairman and a doctor by training, is looking to recapture the role she once played while Shamim, who appears to have the tacit support of his party, will hope to revive his political fortunes. Taimur Alam Khandaker, a former chief of road transport authority, is a dark horse, who many believe can give the two a run for their money.

The thought of the three candidates grappling to be heard over each other has led hundreds to scramble for details.
Altogether 150 voter representatives will be present at the venue to directly question the candidates. The candidates will also be able to fire questions at each other. The mayoral contenders have confirmed that they will engage in the debate.

"We're receiving a large number of calls after running advertisements in newspapers and on TV," says Mohammad Sharifullah, executive producer of the programme.

Chief election commissioner Huda said the commission wants to give the debate an institutional shape.

"It's a programme to inform the voters," he told bdnews24.com on Monday.

About the bdnews24.com webcast, he said, "It's being organised to give not only the people in Bangladesh, but the expatriates also the opportunity to directly watch the programme."

"Through the debate," the CEC said, "the people will know about the voters' expectations from the candidates and what the competitors want to do."
Sharifullah said preparations to stage the programme have nearly ended.

"People from all classes and professions will represent the selected voters of Narayanganj," he said.

He said the debate will be different from the dialogues held with candidates of Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barisal City Corporation elections in 2008 and the Chittagong City Corporation election in 2010.

"Though the previous programmes had been telecast, they were based on radio-focused scripts. I hope the upcoming debate will be a fully-fledged TV programme," he added.

Election commissioner M Sakhawat Hussain and secretary to the EC Secretariat Mohammad Sadique will also attend the debate.
From:www.bdnews24.com

Rare Bangabandhu memento for PM

Berlin, Oct 24 — Attendees of a business seminar at Hotel Adlon in Berlin may have walked in expecting new opportunities in investment to reveal themselves.

But they were caught by surprise by the heart-touching scene that ensued there.

Near the end of the seminar organised by Bangladesh–Germany Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the anchor announced that they have a surprise in store for the guest, prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who is in Germany for the World Health Summit 2011.

Anwar Ali, an expatriate who worked in the Bangladesh embassy in Berlin from 1972 to 2006, handed her a rare photograph of the Father of The Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

"I bought lunch for Bangabandhu with my own hands at Frankfurt Airport in 1972. I tested the food before giving it to him.

"I will never forget him," he said and broke into tears. Hasina left her seat and rushed to the stage. Anwar touched her feet and said, "Sister, I pray for you every day. No harm will ever come to you."

The prime minister broke down in tears herself.

A choked-up Hasina spoke to the audience, who were mostly expatriate Bangladeshis.

"When my father was killed my husband was in Karlsruhe University. Anwar Ali drove us to Karlsruhe from Bonn and stayed with us for three days.

"Germany was the first country for us as refugees," she added.

Hasina turned to Anwar and said, "It is because of all this love and the people like you that I dare to brave all the odds."

"You have given me a very precious gift, and I thank you," she said.

Anwar told journalists the photograph, which showed Bangabandhu sitting at the back of a car and Anwar driving, was taken around June or July, 1972.
From;www.bdnews24.com

Islamists claim win in Tunisia's Arab Spring vote

TUNIS, Oct 25 — Moderate Islamists claimed victory in Tunisia's first democratic election, sending a message to other states in the region that long-sidelined Islamists are challenging for power after the "Arab Spring."

Official results will be announced on Tuesday, but the Ennahda party said it had already tallied results posted at polling stations after Sunday's vote, the first since the uprisings which began in Tunisia and spread through the region.

"The first confirmed results show that Ennahda has obtained first place," campaign manager Abdelhamid Jlazzi said outside party headquarters in the center of the Tunisian capital.

As he spoke, a crowd of more than 300 in the street shouted "Allahu Akbar!" or "God is greatest!." Other people started singing the Tunisian national anthem.

Mindful that some people in Tunisia and elsewhere see the resurgence of Islamists as a threat to modern, liberal values, party officials said they were prepared to form an alliance with two secularist parties, Congress for the Republic and Ettakatol.

"We will spare no effort to create a stable political alliance ... We reassure the investors and international economic partners," Jlazzi said.

Two days after an unprecedented 90 percent of voters turned out for the election, officials were still counting the ballot papers in some areas. They said nationwide results would not be ready before Tuesday afternoon.

Sunday's vote was for an assembly which will sit for one year to draft a new constitution. It will also appoint a new interim president and government to run the country until fresh elections late next year or early in 2013.

The voting system has built-in checks and balances which make it nearly impossible for any one party to have a majority, compelling Ennahda to seek alliances with secularist parties, which will dilute its influence.

"This is an historic moment," said Zeinab Omri, a young woman in a hijab, or Islamic head scarf, who was outside the Ennahda headquarters when party officials claimed victory.

"No one can doubt this result. This result shows very clearly that the Tunisian people is a people attached to its Islamic identity," she said.

REVOLUTION INSPIRED UPRISINGS

Tunisia became the birthplace of the "Arab Spring" when Mohamed Bouazizi, a vegetable seller in a provincial town, set fire to himself in protest at poverty and government repression.

His suicide in December provoked a wave of protests which forced autocratic president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to flee to Saudi Arabia the following month.

The revolution in Tunisia, a former French colony, in turn inspired uprisings which forced out entrenched leaders in Egypt and Libya, and convulsed Yemen and Syria -- re-shaping the political landscape of the Middle East.

Ennahda is led by Rachid Ghannouchi, forced into exile in Britain for 22 years because of harassment by Ben Ali's police. A softly spoken scholar, he dresses in suits and open-necked shirts while his wife and daughter wear the hijab.

Ghannouchi is at pains to stress his party will not enforce any code of morality on Tunisian society, or the millions of Western tourists who holiday on its beaches. He models his approach on the moderate Islamism of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
The party's rise has been met with ambivalence by some people in Tunisia. The country's strong secularist traditions go back to the first post-independence president, Habiba Bourguiba, who called the hijab an "odious rag."

Outside the offices of the commission which organised the election, about 50 people staged a sit-in demanding an investigation into what they said were irregularities committed by Ennahda. Election officials said any problems were minor.

"I really feel a lot of fear and concern after this result," said Meriam Othmani, a 28-year-old journalist. "Women's rights will be eroded," she said. "Also, you'll see the return of dictatorship once Ennahda achieves a majority in the constituent assembly."

SECULAR PARTNERS

Ennahda's preferred coalition partners may reassure some opponents. Ali Larayd, a member of the party's executive committee, said it was ready to form an alliance with the Congress for the Republic and Ettakatol, both secularist groups respected by Tunisia's intelligentsia.

The Congress is led by Moncef Marzouki, a doctor and human rights activist who spent years in exile in France. Ettakatol is a socialist party led by Mustafa Ben Jaafar, another doctor and veteran Ben Ali opponent.

The only official results released were from polling stations abroad, because they voted early.

The election commission said that out of 18 seats in the 217-seat assembly allocated to the Tunisian diaspora, 9 went to Ennahda. Its closest rivals were Marzouki's Congress on four seats and Ettakatol, which won three.

The highest-profile secularist challenger to Ennahda, the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) conceded defeat. It had warned voters that modern, liberal values would be threatened if the Islamists won.

"The PDP respects the democratic game. The people gave their trust to those it considers worthy of that trust. We congratulate the winner and we will be in the ranks of the opposition," a party statement sent to Reuters said.

Ennahda's win was a remarkable turnaround for a party which just 10 months ago had to operate underground because of a government ban and which had hundreds of followers in prison.

In a slick and well-funded campaign, the party tapped into a desire among ordinary Tunisians to be able to express their faith freely after years of aggressively enforced secularism.

It also sought to show it could represent all Tunisians, including the large number who take a laissez-faire view of Islam's strictures, drink alcohol, wear revealing clothes and rarely visit the mosque.

Secularist opponents say they believe this is just a cleverly constructed front that conceals more radical views, especially among Ennahda's rank and file in the provinces.
From;www.bdnews24.com

EVMs face Narayanganj test

Dhaka, Oct 24 —Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are set to be put to test when the Election Commission will use the technology on a large scale in the Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) elections.

Following opposition BNP's not joining the EC dialogue over use of EVMs and BNP-backed mayor candidate's stance against the use of the technology in the Oct 30 vote, local government experts say the acceptability of EVMs will come under a major scrutiny.

BNP has long been expressing the fear that EVMs will become a 'weapon to rig polls'. But, ruling Awami League and its allies along with the commission are favouring EVMs.

Chief election commissioner (CEC) A T M Shamsul Huda said they have moved to use EVMs to make election management easier and faster, to reduce violence, costs and administrative complexities.

Measures to stop cheating of votes through the machines have also been taken, he said, in a bid to allay fears.

Citizens' platform Sushashoner Jonyo Nagorik's (Sujon) executive member Prof Tofail Ahmed on Monday told bdnews24.com: "Though there is no doubt over the use of EVMs, it's a test for the Election Commission to use EVMs in nine wards on a larger scale."

Tofail, who had been a member of a panel formed during the last caretaker government's tenure to strengthen local government, said, "Now the commission will have to remove confusion. It will have to ensure environment for election and security for the machines."

EVMs will be used in 450 booths of 58 centres in nine of 27 wards in Narayanganj.

A total of 1,400 election officials have been trained on EVM.

In June last year, EVMs had been used in 79 booths of 14 centres in one ward of Chittagong City Corporation polls. A total of 25,230 people had voted there.

Tofail also said, "EVM was used properly at one ward in Chittagong. Now it has to be seen whether the technology can be used properly in nine wards."

He said the acceptability of EVMs will increase once the technology is successfully used in Narayanganj.

EC officials said there is nothing to be worried about the EVMs as the commission has decided to use the technology only after tests.

BNP and its allies have been protesting the use of EVMs, saying one person may vote several times by taking control of the machines. The security for the machines is insufficient, they have claimed.

At a dialogue with the EC, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party and several other parties complained that though the EVMs would show the total number of voters, there is no guarantee if the vote is counted for right person. Softwares may be loaded on the machine before or after the voting to rig the results.

They said they were against the use of EVMs just to save money.

BUET IICT teacher Lutful Kabir said there was no scope to rig the vote with EVMs.

"Each EVM is operated separately, so it's impossible to hack them," he said. "A special committee formed with candidates, political parties and EC officials witnesses the loading of softwares into the machine so that there is no scope of confusion."

CEC Huda said those opposing the EVM were commenting 'without knowing anything first'.

"If they have any doubts about the machines, they can tell the EC or take the machines away for examination. Issuing statements without understanding or scrutiny is uncalled for," he added.
From:www.bdnews24.com

WikiLeaks says `blockade' threatens its existence

LONDON, Oct 24 - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said on Monday his website would soon cease to exist unless it was able to end a financial "blockade" by US firms such as Visa and MasterCard.

WikiLeaks, which has released tens of thousands of confidential US government cables, would suspend its publishing operations and concentrate on raising funds, he told a news conference.

Visa and MasterCard stopped processing donations for WikiLeaks in December 2010 after the United States criticised the organisation's release of sensitive diplomatic cables.

"If WikiLeaks does not find a way to remove this blockade, given our current levels of expenditure we will simply not be able to continue by the turn of the year," Assange said.

The blocking of donations by Bank of America Corp, Visa Inc, MasterCard Inc, eBay Inc unit PayPal and Western Union Co had destroyed 95 percent of WikiLeaks' revenue, he added.

WikiLeaks would need $3.5 mln over the next 12 months to maintain its current levels of operations, he said.

In July, WikiLeaks filed a complaint to the Directorate-General for Competition of the European Commission, saying Visa and MasterCard had breached antitrust provisions set out by the EU Treaty.

Assange said he hoped the European Commission would make a decision to hold a full investigation by mid-November.
From:www.bdnews24.com

Sweet tooth linked to pleasant disposition: study

Ney York - Does having a sweet tooth make a person more agreeable and friendly? New research suggests there could be a link between taste preferences and disposition.

Scientists in the United States found that a liking for sweeter foods is an indication that a person is more agreeable and helpful, but not extroverted or neurotic.

"It is striking that helpful and friendly people are considered 'sweet' because taste would seem to have little in common with personality or behavior," said Brian Meiers, a psychology professor at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.

"Our taste studies controlled for positive mood so the effects we found are not due to the happy or rewarding feeling one may have after eating a sweet food."

Taste is a recognizable sense that can be used in describing personality traits. With this in mind, the researchers wanted to see if having a preference for sweets was an embodiment metaphor, a connection between thoughts and our body's behavior.

In one of five studies involving more than 500 people researchers from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, St. Xavier University in Chicago and North Dakota State University showed that people who ate a piece of chocolate rather than a non-sweet food were more likely to volunteer and help another person in need.

In another study they found that people also associate having a sweet tooth with a pleasant disposition. The participants were shown photos of people with neutral facial expressions, but with comments under the pictures that would say, for example, that they liked eating chocolate.

"People rated those associated with sweet food higher in agreeableness," Meiers said.

The research, which is published in the Journal of Personality Social Psychology, focused on sweetness and agreeability. The scientists said they could not comment on the other tastes such as bitterness or spiciness.

The study is part of a increase in recent years in social psychology research in conceptual and embodiment metaphors.

"There has been a push to find out how these traits are self-predicting of what we do with our daily life," said Sarah Moeller, a psychology professor at St. Xavier University. "We are showing that with these personality traits that you show subtle aspect of self."
From:www.bdnews24.com

Reflections of bank's promise sought

Dhaka, Oct 24 — Stock exchange leaders want to see the reflection of the promises made by banks to increase their investments in the capital market.

The president of Bangladesh Merchant Bankers' Association, on the other hand, hopes the market will turn around from where it is now.

"If the banks were investing the market would not have fallen so far on Monday," Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) president Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed told bdnews24.com on Monday evening.

The day's trade on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) saw the general index fall by around 181 points or 3.19 percent to close at 5473.61 points. The CSCX fell 278 points to stand at 9923 points.

"If the bank investments were active, the market would have received support somewhere. But it fell sharp without any brakes," Fakhruddin said.

DSE director Ahmed Rashid Lali told bdnews24.com the bourse wanted to see the reflection of the promise Association of Bankers, Bangladesh (ABB) had made to increase their investment.

"The activity that institutional investors had shown on Wednesday and Thursday was almost absent on Sunday and Monday," Lali said.

On Oct 20, ABB said they will start investing in the capital market from Sunday to bolster the sagging market. Most banks are currently investing about three percent of their exposure limit.

On the day of the announcement DSE jumped by 109 points.

Another platform of bankers, Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB), announced on Sunday it would initiate a Tk 50 billion fund to prop up the volatile market.

Bangladesh Merchant Bankers Association president Mohammad A Hafiz assured that banks were committed to raising investment.

"The banks are very positive about increasing their investment in the stock market. All necessary measures have been taken, and you will see the reflection in a few days," he told bdnews24.com on Monday evening.

"We are hoping the market will turn around from this point," he said.
From:www.bdnews24.com

5 dists become filariasis-free

Dhaka, Oct 24 – Mosquito-borne crippling filariasis disease that once posed threat to over 70 million Bangladeshis is almost under control.

Director (disease control), Directorate General for Health Be-Nazir Ahmed told bdnews24.com that they would declare five out of 19 endemic districts free of the terrible disease on Tuesday after years of mass drug administration.

Those five districts—Meherpur, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Patuakhali and Barguna—would be the first ones in Bangladesh to be declared as filariasis-free after they satisfied the criteria of less than one percent prevalence rate, as spelt out set the health directorate.

The parasitic disease also known as elephantiasis is widespread in northern districts.

"We would celebrate the milestone in the capital to show it (filariasis) can be beaten," Be-Nazir said, adding the parasite had incapacitated its 2 to 3 percent victims, exposing them to social stigma and financial troubles.

"Many women were divorced because of this ailment," he said.

The health directorate has been conducting the mass drug administration campaigns since 2001 in line with the World Health Organisation's call to eliminate filariasis that affects world's poor countries. Bangladesh targets to eliminate it by 2015.

"We started with one district and gradually strengthened our programmes," the director said and added the transmission of the disease can be interrupted by administrating drugs once in a year for five years to at least 70 percent people of an identified area.

"Sometimes it requires higher number of doses, based on the success of drugs being administered," he said. Sri Lanka and Maldives in South Asia are success stories in this regard, he added.

According to experts, the parasites lodge in the lymphatic system, an essential component of the body's defence system, and disrupt the lymphatic flow of blood, making the person vulnerable to infections.

Left untreated, the infection can develop into the chronic disease of which there is limited treatment. There are no preventive medicines.

"It causes disfiguration of limbs and swelling of body parts such as the genitals," Be-Nazir said, adding most of the time when the symptoms appear, not much can be done about it.

Fever, cough, chills, wheezing, and pain and swelling in the arms, breast, scrotum, penis, vulva and legs are the symptoms of the disease.

"The health directorate will evaluate the disease's prevalence rate in five more districts next year as part of its elimination strategy," Be-Nazir said.
From:www.bdnews24.com

Khaleda trying to return terrorism: PM

Berlin, Oct 23 — The prime minister has alleged that the opposition chief is trying to bring back terrorism and militancy to the country.

"Her true face has come out. Our opposition has asked us to free war criminals," Sheikh Hasina said at a reception accorded by expatriates in her honour at Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin in the German capital on Sunday.

Hasina said opposition leader Khaleda Zia had pitted herself against freedom fighters by making this claim.

"She said, 'None of them committed war crimes. They cannot be tried'. I leave this up to you to judge," the prime minister said.
Refuting Khaleda's remarks about her religion, Hasina said, "She says I am not a Muslim since I do not follow the rites and rituals.

"I start my day with Fajr prayers [at dawn] while hers starts at 12pm. Would I have to take a certificate from her? How dare she!" the prime minister said.
"How can a Muslim tell another Muslim,'You are not a Muslim'?"
Khaleda told a public meeting in Sylhet on Oct 11, "Prime minister Sheikh Hasina told a Durga Puja function that our Maa Durga has arrived by elephant. Is Durga her mother? We want to know which religion she actually believes in."
Two days later, Hasina snapped, "She asked whether I'm a Muslim or not. I would like to tell her that my day starts with Fajr prayers while her morning begins at midday."
Hasina recalled her grandfather — Sheikh Jahurul Haque — and said, "Why should it be indecent of me to ask her grandfather's name? Or where her husband's parents' graves are?"
The prime minister criticised the opposition's road march programme, calling it a 'car rally'.

"To have a road march you have to walk on the road," she remarked.

Hasina said the 15th amendment has been carried out to the constitution to ensure that the people would remain the holders of power.

"Our target is that no-one should be able to play with the Bangladeshi people's right to vote," she said.

Hasina said her government had fulfilled its promises to the people one by one. "We have countered terrorism with a strong hand. No militant activities have taken place during our term," she said.

She mentioned the agreements signed with India and said that the water distribution of 54 rivers would be resolved through discussion.

Hasina pointed out that Bangladesh's exports had increased amid the global recession. Exports to Germany had also grown, and until now 36 German firms were investing and 21 more had registered for investment, she said. She also called on expatriates to invest in the country.

"Foreign aid is being squeezed because of the recession. There are a lot of promises but few are seen keeping them," Hasina remarked and said that an infrastructure development fund would be created.

Awami League members from across Europe attended the event.
From:www.bdnews24.com

Govt borrowings won't exceed limit: Muhith

Dhaka, Oct 23— The finance minister has said that the government's loans from the banking sector will not exceed the target set in the budget.

"We've targeted a Tk 430 billion loan from foreign and internal sources to finance the budget deficit," A M A Muthih told reporters at the Secretariat on Sunday.

"The loans did not cross the target last time and it won't this time either."

The target for loans from internal sector for the 2011-12 fiscal is Tk 189.57 billion. A mere 100 days into the fiscal, the government has taken out Tk 95 billion in bank loans, more than half of the target, according to the central bank.

Experts spelt fear that investment in industries would be disrupted and inflationary pressure would increase if the government continued the trend. Speaking to journalists on Oct 17, Muhith called it an uncalled-for hubbub.

"I am not worried about inflation at all. I am worried about investment. We (government) can't feed the need for investment," he said.

INFLATION FROM GLOBAL PRESSURE

Inflationary pressure in the economy is caused by the food and oil-price hike in the international market, Muhith said.

"Our rice supply is good, so good we won't have to import rice. But the price is rising, chiefly because of international pressure. Rice prices are going up in the international markets," he said.

"But the good news is oil prices are going down. And as peace returns to Libya it will fall even further. That will help ease the inflation," Muhith said.

BoP UPSET WITH HIGH IMPORT

The nation's balance of payment (BoP) has been upset by an increased import spending, the finance minister said.

"This pressure has brought the taka down against dollar," he added.

"Last year we imported $ 31 billion worth of goods, while exports were $ 22 billion. The fiscal before that imports were $ 22 billion and exports $ 16 billion. This huge gap is pressuring the balance of payments," he said.

The price of dollar has been steadily rising, Following the urging of the central bank, Bangladesh's foreign exchange dealing banks on Oct 10 decided to cap the Dollar-Taka exchange rate at 76 for imports and at 75 for remittance and exports.
From;www.bdnews24.com

1,000 feared dead in Turkey quake

Van, Turkey, Oct 23- A powerful earthquake which shook southeast Turkey on Sunday may have killed up to a 1,000 people as it triggered the collapse of dozens of buildings across the region, media reported the Kandilli Observatory as saying.

Emergency workers battled to rescue people trapped in buildings in the city of Van and surrounding districts on the banks of Lake Van, near Turkey's border with Iran.

Some 10 buildings collapsed in Van city and about 25-30 buildings were brought to the ground in the nearby district of Ercis, Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay told reporters.

"We estimate around 1,000 buildings are damaged and our estimate is for hundreds of lives lost. It could be 500 or 1,000," Kandilli Observatory general manager Mustafa Erdik told a news conference.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was travelling to Van and the cabinet was expected to discuss the quake at a meeting called for Monday morning.

"A lot of buildings collapsed, many people were killed, but we don't know the number. We are waiting for emergency help, it's very urgent," Zulfukar Arapoglu, the mayor of Ercis, told news broadcaster NTV.

Cihan news agency said 30 had been killed in Ercis district.

"We need tents urgently and rescue teams. We don't have any ambulances, and we only have one hospital. We have many killed and injured," he said.

Turkey's Red Crescent said one of its local teams was helping to rescue people from a student residence in Ercis. It said it was sending tents, blankets and food to the region.

More than 20 aftershocks shook the area, further unsettling residents who ran out on the streets when the initial strong quake struck. Television pictures showed rooms shaking and furniture falling to the ground as people ran from one building.

Dozens of emergency workers and locals crawled over a multi-storey building in Van as they searched for any people trapped in side.

Elsewhere, vehicles lay crushed by falling masonry in the street while dazed-looking people wandered past.

Some 50 injured people had been taken to hospital in Van, state-run Anatolian news agency reported, but it did not give details on how serious their injuries were.

The Kandilli Observatory, which initially cited a magnitude of 6.6, said the earthquake struck at 1041 GMT and was 5 km (3 miles) deep. The U.S. Geological Survey earlier reported that the magnitude was 7.6.

Turkish media said phone lines and electricity had been cut off. The quake's epicentre was at the village of Tabanli, 20 km north of Van city, Kandilli said.

In Hakkari, about 100 km (60 miles) south of Van, a building could be felt swaying for about 10 seconds during the quake but there was no immediate sign of casualties or damage in the town, about two and a half hours drive through the mountains from Van.

Major geological fault lines cross Turkey and small earthquakes are a near daily occurrence. Two large quakes in 1999 killed more than 20,000 people in northwest Turkey.

Two people were killed and 79 injured in May when an earthquake shook Simav in northwest Turkey.
From: www.bdnews24.com

Don't propose new roads: Abul

Dhaka, Oct 23— The government intends to emphasise repairing existing roads rather than building new ones, the communications minister has said.

Abul Hossain on Sunday explained to parliament that the government was 'short of finances' and that he cannot guarantee proposals for new roads.

"The government has many limitations. I can't guarantee if [a proposal for road] will be realised," he said, in reply to a question by Jatiya Party MP S M Abdul Mannan.

"I want to keep all the existing roads fit for transportation," he added.

He urged the lawmakers not to propose new roads and bypasses. "If you do, I will send a DPP, but the implementation will depend on government funding," he added.

In the last few months, the communications minister has faced fire from nearly all quarters since a transport strike that protested the poor state of highways grounded holidaymakers in Dhaka and the deaths of two prominent film and media personalities in accidents.

Abul Hossain had blamed the lack of funding for poor speed of repairs in front of the media.

He made similar remarks in parliament on Sunday, saying, "At least Tk 51 billion is required for repairing damaged roads under the SDM method. The ECNEC approved 14.1 billion, of which we have received Tk 500 million."

"The roads are not in a good condition, everyone knows that. I hope the government will pay attention to this," he added.

Abul hoped that the situation would improve when the Annual Development Plan would be revised in December.
from: www.bdnews24.com

Libya declares `liberation' amid fears of unrest

BENGHAZI, Libya, Oct 23- Libya declared itself liberated on Sunday after 42 years of rule by Muammar Gaddafi ended with his capture and death last week, setting the North African state on course for a transition toward democracy.

Tens of thousands who before this year's revolt had known nothing but Gaddafi's all-powerful police state packed a square in the second city Benghazi to hear the interim National Transitional Council (NTC) announce the country had freed itself completely from his rule.

Some fear NTC chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil will struggle to impose his will on his well armed but fragmenting revolutionary alliance, pointing to the insistence of the provincial town of Misrata on displaying the body of the former strongman three days after his death, in apparent breach of Islamic practice.

And there is international disquiet about increasingly graphic and disturbing images on the Internet of abuse of a body that appears to be Gaddafi's following his capture and the fall of his hometown of Sirte on Thursday.

But the immediate reaction to Sunday's announcement was jubilation.

"We declare to the whole world that we have liberated our beloved country, with its cities, villages, hilltops, mountains, deserts and skies," said an official who opened the ceremony in Benghazi, the place where the uprising erupted in February and which has been the headquarters for the NTC.

Crowds listening to Libyan music and waving the tri-color flag cheered. Another NTC official, Salah el-Ghazal, paid tributes to all those who died, and referred to the "humiliating" death of Gaddafi.

Gaddafi, who vowed to fight to the end, was found hiding in a drainpipe after fleeing Sirte, the last bastion of his loyalists. He died in chaotic circumstances after video footage showed him bloodied and struggling at the hands of his captors.

With big oil and gas resources and a relatively small population of six million, Libya has the potential to become prosperous, but regional rivalries fostered by Gaddafi could erupt into yet more violence that would undermine the authority of Jalil's NTC.

"There is a yawning security and political vacuum in which brewing political disputes, factionalism and security problems pose a serious risk of derailing or prolonging transition," said Henry Wilkinson of Janusian security consultants in London.

In Misrata, people queueing for a chance to see Gaddafi's body saw no reason for a rapid burial, apparently heedless of concern in Tripoli about how the NTC is perceived overseas.

"This guy is not a Muslim. If he was a Muslim we would have treated him in an Islamic way," a man who gave his name as Suleiman told Reuters.

"We brought our children to see him today because this is a chance to see history," another visitor, Mohammed, said.

"We want to see this arrogant person as a lifeless body. Let all the people see him."

Jalil's speech is intended to set the clock ticking on a process to set up a multiparty democracy, a system Gaddafi railed against for most of his 42 years in power.

In 2007 Gaddafi, whose "state of the masses" was seen by many Libyans as despotism, said democracy was a sham in which people were "ridden like donkeys" by powerful interests.

But some analysts fear that without strong leadership the revolution could now collapse into armed infighting, preventing the country from ever attempting the novelty of the ballot box.

The lack of a clear plan for Gaddafi's burial suggests to some analysts that there is justification for fears of a descent into leaderless turmoil.

But an autopsy has been performed, and a medical source told Reuters that Gaddafi's body had a bullet in the head and a bullet in the abdomen.

"There are multiple injuries. There is a bullet in the abdomen and in the brain," the medical source said.

The autopsy was carried out at a morgue in Misrata, about 200 km (130 miles) east of Tripoli. Local officials said Gaddafi's body would now be brought back to the cold store at an old market in Misrata where it has been on public display.

The loosely disciplined militias that sprang up in each town to topple the dictator with the help of NATO air power are still armed. The places they represent will want a greater say in the country's future, particularly the second and third cities Benghazi and Misrata which were starved of investment by Gaddafi.

It was fighters from Misrata who emerged from a lengthy and bloody siege to play a large part in taking Tripoli and later caught Gaddafi, cowering in the drainage pipe outside Sirte.

Libya's new leaders have a "very limited opportunity" to set aside differences, said interim prime minister Mahmoud Jibril as he announced he was stepping down on Saturday.

Jibril said progress for Libya would need great resolution, both by interim leaders on the National Transitional Council and by six million war-weary people.

REGIONAL INFIGHTING

But a field commander in Misrata worried that trouble was brewing.

"The fear now is what is going to happen next," he said, speaking to Reuters privately, as ordinary Libyans, some taking pictures for family albums, filed in under armed guard to see for themselves that the man they feared was truly dead.

"There is going to be regional in-fighting. You have Zintan and Misrata on one side and then Benghazi and the east," the guerrilla said. "There is in-fighting even inside the army."

NEW DEMOCRACY

There is some unease abroad over what many believe was a summary execution of Gaddafi. U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay has called for an investigation into the killing, but few Libyans share those concerns.

Arguments have arisen among Libya's factions about what to do with the corpse which has not been accorded the swift burial required by Islamic law and is beginning to decompose. Those viewing the body on Saturday were obliged to cover their faces with surgical masks.

Gaddafi's surviving family, in exile, wants his body and that of his son Mo'tassim to be handed over to tribal kinsmen from Sirte. NTC officials said they were trying to arrange a secret resting place to avoid loyalist supporters making it a shrine. Misrata does not want his body under its soil.

The disputes within the NTC have delayed the announcement of an end to the war several times, but such worries are unlikely to be paramount in the minds of many Libyans as they celebrate the beginning of a new era in their country's history.

The announcement will set a clock ticking on a plan for a new government and constitutional assembly leading to full democracy in 2013.

"We hope we will have an elected democratic government with broad participation," student Ali Abu Shufa said.

Gaddafi promoted tribalism to keep the country divided, he said. "But now Gaddafi is dead, all the tribes will be united."
from:www.bdnews24.com

City demolish United, Chelsea beaten

London, Oct 23- Manchester City achieved one of their greatest victories when they crushed Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday to pull five points clear of their neighbours at the top of the Premier League.

The stunning success - their biggest at Old Trafford since a 5-0 win in 1955 - saw Mario Balotelli and late substitute Edin Dzeko score twice while Sergio Aguero and David Silva added the others.

City have 25 points from nine games, followed by United on 20, Chelsea and Newcastle United on 19 and Tottenham Hotspur on 16.

Three of City's goals came in the last four minutes and they could have had even more against a United side reduced to 10 men when Jonny Evans was sent off for grappling with Balotelli after 47 minutes.

City's title challenge was given another boost later when Chelsea were reduced to nine men in the first half after the dismissals of Jose Bosingwa and Didier Drogba and lost 1-0 at West London neighbours Queens Park Rangers.

Rangers won with a Heidar Helguson penalty after nine minutes.

Spurs stretched their unbeaten run to 10 games in all competitions, two goals from Rafael van der Vaart giving them a 2-1 win at Blackburn Rovers who went bottom of the table.

Arsenal continued improving after their poor start to the season with a 3-1 home win over Stoke City with Robin van Persie scoring twice.

In the day's other match Everton won 3-1 at Fulham who are now one place and one point above the relegation zone.
news from: bdnews24.com

PM flies down to Berlin

Berlin, Oct 22-Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has reached Berlin on a five-day official visit to Germany to attend the World Health Summit-2011.

She touched down at Tegel International Airport on a special flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines at 15:40 local time on Saturday.

High officials of German foreign ministry received her at the airport. The Bangladesh ambassador to Germany was present there. Later the prime minister was brought to Adolph on a motorcade where she was greeted by the Bangladeshi expatriates.

She left for Berlin from Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday at 5:30am, officials at the foreign ministry said.

Health and family welfare minister Ruhal Haque, foreign minister Dr Dipu Moni and Ambassador-At-Large M Ziauddin are accompanying the prime minister.

Apart from addressing the World Health Summit on Sunday as the keynote speaker, the prime minister during her visit will have official talks with German chancellor Angela Markel on Oct 25. They will both hold a press conference after the meeting.

At that time Hasina will be given the German federal military honour.

The prime minister's visit to Berlin is a bilateral one and entire gamut of bilateral relations will be reviewed during the summit meeting. The visit will bear special significance for Bangladesh-German bilateral relations.

Germany is the biggest economy in Europe and one of the largest commercial partners and development partners of Bangladesh.

Two joint declarations of intent, one on adaptation and mitigation on climate change and the other on cooperation in the field of health, as proposed by the German side, are likely to be signed during the visit.

On Oct 24, Hasina will speak to a business forum titled "Emerging Market-Bangladesh" organised by German Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce. Leading German business leaders and potential investors will participate in the event.

Later, she will visit German Bundestag (parliament) and call on its president. In the evening, the German South Asian Parliamentary Group will host a dinner in her honour.

She is expected to return home on Oct 26.
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Mamata faults 'some people' for Teesta fiasco

New Delhi, Oct 22 – Chief minister of the Indian state of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee on Saturday blamed 'some people' for creating 'confusion' on the issue of sharing of water of Teesta river between Bangladesh and India.

She also said India maintained best relations with Bangladesh and the governments of the two neighbours would work together.

Banerjee was talking to journalists on the sidelines of the National Development Council meet in New Delhi. This is the first time she spoke to journalists in New Delhi on the issue of Bangladesh-India relation after opting out of Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh's entourage to Dhaka last month, purportedly due to her differences with India's central government on the proposed deal on Teesta.

"Some people created confusion on (Teesta water issue)... we maintained the best relations with Bangladesh and I hope India and Bangladesh will work together," she said.

New Delhi and Dhaka had since long been negotiating a deal on Teesta and the two countries were about to sign an interim agreement during Singh's visit to Bangladesh on Sep 6 and 7. But Banerjee's decision not to accompany Singh to Dhaka made public her differences with India's central government on the issue of Teesta, forcing New Delhi to take it off the table.

Banerjee is understood to have conveyed to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government in New Delhi that she would not endorse a deal that would hurt the interests of the people of West Bengal, which is largely dependent on the common river for power generation and irrigation of agricultural land.

Banerjee on Saturday also said that New Delhi had not informed her government about Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Dahagram and Angarpota through Indian territory in Tin Bigha corridor on Oct 19.

The West Bengal chief minister, however, also made it clear that she had no difference with the central government of India on the issue of providing round-the-clock access to the people of Bangladesh through the Tin Bigha corridor to Dahagram and Angarpota.

"There is no issue over Tin Bigha with our government. I am not informed about the Tin Bigha issue. It is between India and Bangladesh governments," she said.

Neither Banerjee nor any high-level representative of her government was present in Tin Bigha to receive Hasina on Oct 19. This fuelled speculation about West Bengal government being unhappy over New Delhi's decision to grant people of Bangladesh 24-hour access to Dahagram and Angarpota through Tin Bigha.

Indian government's ministry of external affairs, on the other hand, issued a statement claiming that the state government of West Bengal had been kept informed about Bangladesh prime minister's visit through Tin Bigha.

"It is also understood that the government of West Bengal was kept fully advised about the programme of the distinguished visitor (Hasina) as soon as intimation on this was received from the government of Bangladesh. The ministry of home affairs had also been in touch with concerned authorities in the government of West Bengal," official spokesperson of the Indian government's MEA said.

India's health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and minister of state for home affairs Jitendra Singh had received Hasina in Tin Bigha on Oct 19. Though India's home minister and senior leader of the ruling Congress party P Chidambaram was supposed to receive her, he could not go to Tin Bigha due to a family exigency.

A section of Indian media reported that Dhaka was not happy with the absence of Chidambaram or any other high-profile minister of the central government of India in Tin Bigha October 19 and had conveyed its displeasure to Delhi.

But New Delhi issued a clarification on Saturday.

The official spokesperson of the Indian government's Ministry of External Affairs Vishnu Prakash said that Chidambaram was indeed due to receive Hasina on her arrival at Tin Bigha. But, on the eve of the event, Chidambaram's 91-year-old mother suffered a fall and fractured her hip for which surgery was scheduled on Oct 19 itself.

"Due to the family emergency, Home minister had to rush to Chennai, to be by his mother's side," said Prakash.

He said that Singh had then desired that Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who had a long association with Bangladesh, should receive Hasina.

"India has the highest regard and affection for prime minister Sheikh Hasina and the people of Bangladesh, and considers it an honour that she decided to pay a personal visit to Bangladesh territory in Angarpota and Dahagram through the Tin Bigha Corridor," the statement issued by Indian government's Ministry of External Affairs said.

"She (Hasina) was most gracious in her appreciation of India's gesture to make available round-the-clock access to Dahagram and Angarpota, so soon after the landmark visit of the prime minister of India to Dhaka in Sep."
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'No permission needed for graft probe'

Dhaka, Oct 22 —A parliamentary watchdog has suggested scrapping a clause from the Anticorruption Commission (Amendment) Bill that binds the organisation to take the government's permission before investigating graft charges against any government official.

After a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry, its chief Suranjit Sengupta on Saturday told reporters that a committee delegation that visited several countries made the suggestion to the committee in its report.

The delegation submitted a five-point recommendation following its Sep 10-24 visit to Indonesia, South Korea and Australia where exchanging views with anticorruption organisations of those countries to bring amendment to the current ACC law of Bangladesh.
Suranjit said, "The organisations working on those countries enjoy financial and administrative independence. There is no clause binding them to seek permission to conduct inquiry, investigation or prosecution against any government official's graft charges."

"The organisations have their own manpower for these jobs. The delegation submitted the report to the committee following their experiences to those anticorruption agencies they visited."

He said, "The [ACC] has been working since 1947 under the government as the Bureau of Anti Corruption. But now it's an independent statutory body."

"We've taken this kind of initiative to modernise the commission through removing the confusions from the current law."

The revised Anticorruption Commission (Amendment) Bill with 10 amendment proposals was placed in parliament on Feb 28 by agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury and the standing committee was given two weeks for scrutiny.

Section 32 (Ka) of the bill proposes that permission of the government is a must for lodging cases against any judge, magistrate or government officials.

The 2007-8 interim government strengthened the ACC authority with a slight amendment to the act. The commission then filed cases against many political leaders, including the Awami League and BNP heads.

Following disagreement over the provision between standing committee members at a meeting on June 26, the committee recommended taking decision after the delegation makes its suggestion following visiting and exchanging views with the anticorruption organisations of other countries.

After briefly discussing the delegation report on Saturday's meeting, the committee decided to send the report's copies to the finance minister, agriculture minister, standing committee chief on public accounts, Cabinet Division secretary and public administration secretary.

Suranjit said, "There is a huge difference between the bill and the committee's thoughts. We'll take opinions from finance and agriculture ministers and public accounts committee chief again. I hope the gap between two sides will be narrow."

The amended bill will be tabled in parliament as early as possible, he added.

CONTEMPT OF COURT BILL

Suranjit said, "The meeting also discussed the Contempt of Court Bill-2011. The representatives of the Cabinet Division, public administration ministry and law, justice and parliamentary affairs ministry expressed their opinions on the issue."

A three-member sub-committee was formed to scrutinise the bill. Standing committee member Mohammad Fazle Rabbi Mia was made the sub-committee convenor.

The other members of the sub-committee are Nurul Islam Sujon and Sheikh Fazle Nur Tapas.
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