The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has begun the process of investigating the cases filed against former prime ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina, and eight others for alleged corruption in awarding contracts to Niko Resources.

Two investigating officers have been appointed to investigate the two high-profile cases filed with Tejgaon police station on December 9.

"Decision has been taken about appointments of (investigating) officers and two officials have been given appointments," ACC director general (admin) Col Hanif Iqbal said replying to a question during the Commission's regular briefing this Thursday afternoon.

After the briefing, he informed over phone that ACC deputy director Shabbir Hasan has been given the responsibility to investigate the case against Sheikh Hasina and others, while ACC assistant director Shahidur Rahman has been made investigating officer of the case against Khaleda and others.

Replying to a question, Col Hanif said office orders in this regard would be issued very soon to the concerned officials.

At the press briefing, he said the task of scrutinizing fresh complaints and those received earlier by the Commission has already begun.

The ACC director general informed that of the 147 complaints received on Wednesday, seven complaints actually fall under the schedule of the Commission. A decision would be taken about the seven complaints after further close examination, he said.

He hoped that the task of scrutinizing nearly 70,000 complaints received by the Commission earlier would be completed within next three months.

Replying to a question, Col Hanif said the Commission is carrying out public relation activities to make people aware as to what types of complaints are under the schedule of the Commission.

On media reports on primary inquiry about the wealth of Khaleda Zia's younger brother and former BNP MP Major (retd) Sayeed Iskander, he said the Commission has not yet taken any initiative in this regard. "No discussion took place in the Commission in this regard."

He, however, said there was an initiative during the time of defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption, but later the matter went to court. "If the Commission finds it necessary, there is no obstacle to reviving the inquiry."

Asked when the charge sheet in GATCO case against Khaleda, her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko and others would be submitted, Hanif said it is not possible for him to give the timing, as this is for the Commission to decide. "But the Commission will have to be given as many days as required to scrutinize the case."

Asked if the Commission has received the draft of the proposed Truth Commission, he said the ACC is yet to receive anything officially.

Meanwhile, the Commission has approved the issuance of notice to Shafiqul Islam, an assistant engineer of Sylhet Zila Parishad, directing him to submit his wealth statement. It has been found in the primary inquiry that he has wealth worth about Tk 1.6 crore beyond known sources of income.

Staff Reporter

The Government of Switzerland has provided an additional $3.6 million as emergency assistance for cyclone SIDR and for post flood rehabilitation, bringing the total Swiss Government assistance so far to US$5.5 million.

Under an agreement signed in Dhaka on December 13, the Swiss Agency for Development & Cooperation (SDC) will provide UNDP

$1.72 million for early economic recovery for the cyclone affected people. SDC will also provide $1.88 million worth of assistance for post flood rehabilitation according to another agreement signed today between SDC and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Both the projects will be implemented in close cooperation with Food and Disaster Management, Agriculture, and Fisheries & Livestock Ministries of Bangladesh.

A number of humanitarian aid experts from Bern are supporting the ongoing relief and rehabilitation operations. More Swiss assistance for recovery and rehabilitation is expected to be provided in 2008 in the cyclone affected areas.

UNB, Dhaka

The High Court Thursday granted bail to convict Sigma Huda, wife of former Communications Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda, also jailed, in a graft case that earned her three years' imprisonment.

The High Court also granted bail to another convict, Barrister Mir Helaluddin, jailed for three years on July 4 for aiding and abetting his father, ex-Civil Aviation State Minister Mir Nasiruddin, in amassing 'ill-gotten' property.

A Division Bench comprising Justice M Mozammel Hossain and Justice Syed AB Mahmudul Huq granted the bail following separate petitions, amid a flurry of litigation activity in the higher court dealing with mostly cases of alleged corruption against high-profile suspects in the interim period.

This is for the first time the High Court granted bail to two convicts who were tried and punished by a special court under the Emergency Power Rules in the wake of an ongoing purge.

On August 27, a special court sentenced Sigma Huda to three years simple imprisonment while her husband Huda to 7 years rigorous imprisonment.

Staff Reporter

A nine-member need assessment team of the Japanese government for the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Cyclone Sidr will visit the Sidr affected areas in southwest region of Bangladesh as well as will hold discussions with other concerned officials of the Bangladesh government and stakeholders on various issues relating to Sidr.

The team, comprising officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation, and staff from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, has been dispatched from Tokyo to make need assessment for the rehabilitation and reconstruction from the damage by the cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh.

The team arrived in Dhaka on December 9 and called on Dr Mohammad Ayub Miah, Secretary, Ministry of Food and Disaster Management. They exchange views on how best the Japanese government can support Bangladesh to overcome the damage caused by the cyclone. The government of Japan has already provided emergency relief goods worth US$390,000 and grant assistance of US$3.67 million through WFP, UNICEF and WHO. The result of the mission will contribute to the consideration of further necessary Japanese support in this area.

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh is unlikely to respond positively to an offer for the import of electricity from the northeastern Indian State of Tripura, because of unfavorable terms.

India recently offered to sell electricity to Bangladesh from a 4,000MW power plant being built in Tripura.

About the Indian offer, Power and Energy Advisor Tapan Chowdhury, speaking in the concluding session of the sixteenth Indo-Bangladesh Dialogue in the city, said the electricity tariffs of the proposed plant is about 7 rupees (about Tk 11) per unit which is very high from Bangladesh perspective.

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organized the dialogue at Brac Inn with its Chairman Prof Rehman Sobhan in the chair.

Tapan Chowdhury said that because of the high tariff rate, it would not be viable for Bangladesh to import electricity from that project.

Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakrabarti, however, said the tariff offer is negotiable and Bangladesh can negotiate the power price.

Identifying the mistrust as the main obstacle to the promotion of relations between the two neighbouring countries, the Power and Energy Advisor said the private sector has to come forward to remove the roadblocks.

"We need to involve the private sector of the two countries in any initiative… Nothing can move forward without support of the private sector," he told the function.

Responding to a query from the audience, Tapan Chowdhury said a SAARC Food Security Bank was established about 20 years back, but it was just in paper, not in function.

Prof Rehman Sobhan in his remarks pointed out that a 4,000MW power-plant project is being implemented under the joint venture of private and public sectors.

As Bangladesh is facing severe power shortages, it can import electricity from the project.

Indian Member of Parliament (MP) from Orissa MAK Swain, who belongs to BJP, said there is mistrust because Bangladesh people feel India is doing something secretly which will be disastrous for Bangladesh.

He cited Farakka barrage project, a bone on contention between the two next-door neighbours.

On the other hand, the Indian people felt that Bangladesh is not giving proper honour to the sacrifice made by the Indian soldiers during the liberation war.

"But, now, India started realising that without prosperous neighbour, its dream to become a superpower by 2025 will not be achieved… that's why we're supporting neighbour's development."

Former Jatiya Party lawmaker GM Quader said Dhaka-Kolkata train operation is now facing problem on the question of security.

"But what should get priority-is it security or the benefit of the people of two countries?… if it is the benefit of the people, the governments of both the countries should resolve the issue as soon as possible," he said.

The function was also addressed, among others, by MA Muhit, former Indian High Commissioners Muchkund Dubey and Deb Mukharji and CPD executive director Prof Mustafizur Rahman.

BSS, Dhaka

Professor Muzaffar Ahmad, Chairman of the Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB), yesterday said the Anti-Corruption Commission alone could not curb corruption in Bangladesh.

He made the remark while addressing as the chief guest a Victory Day commemorative seminar on "Impact of Corruption on National Security-how to overcome it?", organised by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) at its auditorium.

Chairman of the BIISS Board of Governors Mufleh R Osmany presided over the session while its acting Director General Colonel Kazi Fakhruddin Ahmed gave the welcome address, a BIISS press release said. Prof. Muzaffar Ahmed suggested mass awareness about the problem of corruption in Bangladesh and said participation of citizens from all sections of the society would greatly help address the issue.

Dr. Mohammad Farashuddin, Founder Vice-Chancellor of East- West University, presented a paper on "Private Sector Corruption in Bangladesh: Corporate, Trade Union, Academic, Professional, Media and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs)" in the first session.

In the second session, Barrister Manzoor Hasan, Director of the Institute of Governance Studies of BRAC University, presented a paper on "Public Sector Corruption in Bangladesh: Political and Bureaucratic."

Dr. Farashuddin, referring to various definitions of corruption in trade union as well as academic and professional institutions and also in media, suggested a neutral, free and fair election based on universal suffrage.

That is how, he observed, rule of law will be established with Ombudsman working for it through punishment for the offenders to overcome this vice.

Barrister Hasan in his paper discussed the concepts of political and bureaucratic corruption and mentioned how it impacts livelihoods in Bangladesh.

He suggested a two-step reforms-accountability of the executive and reform of the civil service recruitment process to ensure greater accountability, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness.

The BIISS chairman, emphasising on the point that there is hardly any discussion on the link between corruption and national security in Bangladesh, recommended a holistic approach to overcome corruption in the country.

UNB, Dhaka

The government will actively consider forming a review committee for reappraisal of the just-declared 6th Wage Board Award for the media industry, if there be an application on behalf of journalists, press workers or employees.

"If any application is found, then the review committee will be formed comprising newspaper owners, journalists, press workers and other staff members," said an official handout Thursday, in the wake of protests against some provisions for the pay package.

The government announced 6th Wage Board Award for journalists, press workers and employees on December 6 with new scales for their salary and other benefits.

But Sangbadik-Sramik-Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SSKOP) has already rejected the Wage Board Award and observed four-hour work abstention on Wednesday, demanding its immediate revision.

AFP, Islamabad

President Pervez Musharraf will lift Pakistan's state of emergency only after changing the constitution to ensure he cannot be hauled before a court, a senior official said Thursday, as lawyers held more protests against the retired general.

Musharraf purged the judiciary, jailed thousands of opponents and silenced television news channels after he suspended the constitution and declared emergency rule on Nov. 3.

The U.S.-backed leader said he acted to prevent political chaos and give authorities a freer hand against Islamic militants, though critics accuse him of a last-ditch power grab before the previous Supreme Court could declare his continued rule illegal.

Attorney General Malik Mohammed Qayyum told The Associated Press that the president, who has acknowledged that he breached the constitution, will amend the charter to protect his decisions from legal challenges.

Qayyum said Government legal experts were finalizing the changes and that they would be announced before Musharraf lifts the emergency on Saturday, but provided no details.

"The president will lift the emergency to restore the constitution and the fundamental rights," he said.

Qayyum's comments came a day after Information Minister Nisar Memon rejected claims that the government was trying to stifle the media ahead of next month's parliamentary elections.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists accused the government Wednesday of "an attempt to silence the free media" by ordering TV stations to stop airing live coverage of political debate.

The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority issued a letter Tuesday, addressed to "all satellite TV channels," saying some were still airing live coverage and taking live telephone calls which "contain baseless propaganda against Pakistan and incite people to violence."

The letter warned that the channels could be taken off the air and those responsible jailed for up to three years and fined up to $170,000.

"Every one of us in Pakistan should share the responsibility and work for betterment of the country by keeping the environment conducive for the polls," Memon said.

The threat could dissuade networks from covering fiery speeches of opposition leaders like Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto, two former prime ministers who recently returned from years of living in exile.

Both Bhutto and Sharif have hit the campaign trail this week after abandoning threats to boycott the Jan. 8 elections.

Sharif drew a crowd of thousands in eastern city of Sialkot on Wednesday. He urged people to reject candidates from the pro-Musharraf ruling party. "I want to eliminate dictatorship, and I cannot achieve this goal without your support," Sharif said.

The media crackdown adds to concerns over whether the elections, meant to restore democracy after eight years of military-dominated rule under Musharraf, can be free and fair, although the president has repeatedly said that he would ensure "a level playing field" for all.

On Thursday, about 1,000 lawyers rallied in the eastern city of Lahore, chanting slogans against Musharraf and urging a vote boycott unless the government reinstates the deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry and other independent-minded judges. About 800 lawyers, Islamists and rights activists held a similar rally in Multan.

Musharraf, who seized power in the 1999 coup, stepped down as army chief last month, meeting a key demand of the opposition and his foreign backers.

He was sworn in as a civilian to begin a new five-year presidential term after the Supreme Court, shorn of independent-minded judges under the emergency, dismissed challenges to the legality of his victory in an October presidential election.

Staff Reporter

The Chittagong Stock Exchange for the first time in the country is going to introduce 'financial derivatives' like the some other bourses in Asia and Europe.

A draft regulatory and operational framework, in this regard, is under scrutiny of the Securities and Exchange Commission, said CSE officials.

Derivative is an instrument/product, which does not have any value on its own but derives value from underlying assets like stocks, bonds and commodities in a contractual manner. In the commodity market whenever something is priced based on underlying commodity is called derivative.

CSE president Nasiruddin Ahmed Chowdhury yesterday at a seminar organised for journalists at a city hotel said, "Bangladesh's Capital market will have a new dimension in the near future when derivatives will be added with the existing equity products."

He said these new financial instruments are increasingly important vehicle for unbundling risks. "These instruments enhance the ability to differentiate risk and allocate it to those investors most able and willing to take it," he said.

"As we approach the twenty-first century, both Exchange and brokers will need to continually reassess whether the risk management practices have kept pace with their own evolving activities and with changes in financial market dynamics and readjust accordingly," Chowdhury added.

CSE Head of Compliance Atiquzzaman in his presentation said derivatives are the essential products for risk management while investing in the stock market and when there is any derivative on a stock, it increases the liquidity of that stock in the cash market resulting in the overall liquidity in the market.

CSE Chief Executive Officer MAB Siddique, Manager G Faruque and Deputy Manager AKM Shahroze were present, among others, on the occasion.

UNB, Dhaka

Brushing aside a government plea, the Supreme Court Thursday upheld High Court orders granting bails to Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko, the two sons of detained ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, in three extortion cases.

The apex court asked the government to file separate applications for leave to appeal against the High Court edicts.

Despite the highest court's orders, the brother duo will not get freedom from prison as they have been shown arrested in other criminal offences.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court turned down government plea for stay to file a leave-to-appeal petition against the High Court judgement that declared illegal a tax- evasion case by NBR against ex-State Minister for Power Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku.

UNB, Dhaka

The European Commission (EC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Thursday signed three contribution agreements of EUR 30 million or Tk 300 crore to finance voter registration, local government reform and the activation of village courts.

In response to a funding request from Bangladesh government, the European Commission is providing EUR 15 million (Tk 150 crore) for the preparation of a digital electoral roll with photographs, which will be used for local and next general election, said an EC release.

The EC funding for this project takes effect retroactively from the beginning of implementation of the project on July 1, 2007.

On the occasion, head of the EC delegation to Bangladesh Dr Stefan Frowein said the European Commission has voiced strong support for the voter-roll project as a necessary step to restore public confidence in the electoral process following the postponement of the January 2007 elections.

"We are delighted to be the largest donor to this important project, which is being coordinated by the UNDP, signaling our commitment to the democratic process in Bangladesh, " Dr Stefan observed.

Improving access to justice for the poor and delivering public services efficiently through accountable local- government institutions are among the top priorities on the reform agenda of the government.

The Commission directly supports these reform efforts through the Annual Action Programme 2007 for Bangladesh. EUR 10 million (Tk 100 crore) is made available for the activation of village courts in 400 unions throughout the country, while another EUR 5 million (Tk 50 crore) will be spent on strengthening the capacity of Union Councils and enhancing their accountability to local residents.

UNB, Patuakhali

World Bank Vice-President for South Asia region Praful C. Patel said the multilateral funding agency would provide assistance for rebuilding the cyclone Sidr-hit areas.

The bank would provide assistance for reconstruction of flood-control dam, cyclone shelter centre and infrastructure, he said while visiting cyclone-affected areas at Anipara in Kalaparia upazila Thursday.

He also distributed relief goods among the victims.

The visiting WB top executive stressed the need for construction of more cyclone shelter centres, as he noted: "More lives were lost in the storm for a lack of adequate cyclone shelter centres."

Food, medicine and long-term rehabilitation are needed for victims at this hour, said Patel.

Earlier, a helicopter carrying the World Bank Vice-President landed at Kalapara.

He was taken to the rest house of Water Development Board where commander of local army camp Lt. Colonel Shahadat Hossain and Executive Engineer of Water Development Board Mohammad Jahir Uddin briefed him about the losses caused by the storm.

Highest surface temperature

TOKYO: The average global land surface temperature this year will be the highest since records began in 1880, partly due to greenhouse gas emissions, Japan's weather agency said on Thursday. Natural climate fluctuations contributed to the temperature rises, said the report by the Japan Meteorological Agency. The report coincided with the Dec. 3-14 international talks on the Indonesian island of Bali to discuss a new climate treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol after 2012, but it was not presented there.

Woman convicted in acid murder

LOS ANGELES: A biochemist who killed her husband by knocking him out and pouring hydrochloric acid on him was convicted Wednesday of first-degree murder. A Superior Court jury found Larissa Schuster, 47, of Clovis, guilty of murdering Timothy Schuster with the special circumstance that the murder was committed for financial gain.

China remembers Nanjing massacre

BEIJING: China has been holding ceremonies to mark the 70th anniversary of the Nanjing massacre. Survivors attended the reopening of a memorial hall, built to remember an act that has come to symbolise imperial Japanese aggression in China. Japanese soldiers carried out the killings in a six-week period after Nanjing was captured in December 1937. Beijing says 300,000 Chinese civilians were killed, but some Japanese historians dispute this figure. In the city, air sirens were sounded as people paused in silence to remember the victims.