The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Foreign Affairs Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury Tuesday called for national consensus on foreign policy as he set 10-point principled aims to achieve economic development and security.

"To surmount the twin challenges of security and development, we require an international order that is peaceful and stable," he said making a statement at the Foreign Policy Dialogue at the ministry. The Adviser also sought a world order where the rule of law is ensured, where development is shared aspiration of the developing and developed world, where the environment and the human rights are protected and where the strong does not aggress against the weak. "Such a world is not what exists in reality, and a country like Bangladesh needs to operate in the face of myriad adversities to advance towards the two-fold aspirations-security and development," he said, adding "realism and pragmatism are always the premium movers that guide us."

The Foreign Adviser spelt out 10 coordinated aims to achieve the foreign policy goals. These include stabilizing Bangladesh's relations with its neighboring countries, fostering cooperation with multilateral frameworks, expanding economic cooperation with developed and other developing countries, and ensuring duty-free and quota-free access of products into foreign markets. The other aims are: Exploring new markets for the country's excess manpower, attracting foreign investments, negotiating a favourable trade regime within the WTO, playing a proactive role within the UN system, supporting peacekeeping and peace-building operations and propagating Bangladeshi culture abroad.

In the pursuit of these objectives, Dr Iftekhar Chowdhury said the government has created a web linkages with key global actors, bilaterally, plurilaterally and multilaterally.

He said the government is also involved with the task of institution building to create appropriate structure to support pluralism and democracy in a sustainable fashion.

BBC Online

Cuba's ailing communist leader, Fidel Castro, has raised the possibility that he may never return to the presidency.

In a letter read out on state TV, Castro, Cuba's leader since 1959, said he had a duty not to hold on to power or obstruct the rise of younger people.

Last year, he temporarily handed over power to his brother Raul and has not been seen in public since.

The statement comes before elections next year to choose a national assembly which then selects the president.

The message was delivered during Cuba's main nightly current affairs programme, Mesa Redonda.

The BBC's Michael Voss in Havana says it was not a formal letter of resignation, and there is no indication about how or when the Cuban leader might step down.

But the mention of younger leaders suggests that his younger brother Raul, who is 76, may not automatically succeed the president, our correspondent says.

Fidel Castro has ruled Cuba since leading the 1959 revolution.

Earlier this month he was nominated as a candidate for a seat in Cuba's National Assembly - a move seen as an indication that he might still hope for a return to power. Castro must be re-elected to the assembly if he is to remain president of the Council of State, and so head of Cuba's one-party government.

Nationwide elections will be held on 20 January. The newly elected assembly will then choose the Council of State, which President Fidel Castro has headed since the early 1960s.

BBC Online

A powerful jet of particles from a "supermassive" black hole has been seen blasting a nearby galaxy, according to the US space agency (Nasa).

Galaxies have been seen colliding before, but it is the first time this form of galactic violence has been witnessed by astronomers.

This could have a profound effect on any planets in the jet's path and could also trigger a burst of star formation.

The findings are to be published in the Astrophysical Journal.

They were obtained using Nasa's space-based Chandra X-ray Observatory, its Hubble Space Telescope, and Spitzer Space Telescope, as well as the Very Large Array (VLA) and Merlin radio telescopes on the ground.

The event is occurring in a system called 3C321, which lies 1.4 billion light-years from Earth. It contains two galaxies in orbit around one another which are in the process of merging.

Most, if not all, galaxies - including our own Milky Way - are thought to host supermassive black holes at their galactic centres. A handful of these galaxies eject powerful jets from the vicinities of their black holes, and are known as radio galaxies - because jets are very "visible" at radio wavelengths.

The larger of the two galaxies in 3C321 - dubbed the "death star galaxy" by the astronomers - has a jet emanating from the vicinity of the black hole at its centre.

UNB, Dhaka

Rajshahi Division smartly the clinched the one-day title of the Ispahani Mirzapore Tea 9th National Cricket League with two matches to spare beating Chittagong Division by 70 runs in the 8th round match at the Rajshahi Divisional Stadium on Tuesday.

With the day's well-merited victory, Khaled Mashud Pilot-led Rajshahi Division not only took sweet revenge of their 21-run defeat against Chittagong Division in the last four-day match, but also clinched the one-day national cricket crown for the third time since the inception of the league in 2001-2002 season.

Rajshahi Division tops the list securing 14 points from eight matches. They lost only to Barisal by 18 runs in the last round. Dhaka, Khulna and Barsial Divisions are in distant second position with eight points each.

Favoured by coin, hosts Rajshahi Division opened the innings first and scored moderate 242 runs for all in 47.2 overs.

Opener Shakil Haider, who scored 76 runs in the last four day match against Chittagong, played the anchor role for Rajshahi win today contributing 95 runs off 109 balls with 10 fours and two sixes.

Lower order Anisur Rahman (31), Mushfiqur Rahman (22), Rabiul Karim (19), Saqlain Sajib (not out 15), Nayeem Islam (14) and Mahbub Alam (10) were the other notable Rajshahi batsmen who reached double figures while another 21 runs came from extras.

Mahmuduzzaman and Sajjadul Hossain of Chittagong captured three wickets each for 52 and 64 runs respectively.

In reply, Chittagong Division faced batting collapse losing nine wickets for 100 runs in 32.1 overs.

Only national colour batsman Faisal Hossain Dickens fought single-handedly for Chittagong who were eventually dismissed for 172 runs in 47 overs against superb bowling by Delwar Hossain.

Number seven Dickens' run-a- ball 91 not out featured seven fours and four sixes. Gazi Salauddin (13) and wicket keeper Dhiman Ghosh (21) were the two other batsmen reaching double figures.

Pacer Delwar Hossain snared five wickets for 34 runs in 10 overs with two maidens and was adjudged man of the match jointly with teammate Shakil Haider.

PARIS: French newspapers reported Monday that President Nicolas Sarkozy is romancing supermodel-turned-pop singer Carla Bruni, just two months after his divorce.Sar-kozy, 52, and Bruni, 38, were photograp-hed together at the Disneyland theme park near Paris on Saturday, although none of the photos showed them any closer than shoulder-to-shoulder. The Elysee Palace would not comment on the photographs, but L'Express magazine editor Christophe Barbier told French television that Bruni-who has in the past dated rock stars Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton-confirmed to him that she is romantically involved with Sarkozy. "She told me that the publicity surrounding this story did not bother her and that from now on, it would become an affair, a public love story," he told LCI television. "We must now wait and see how far the president will go in presenting Carla Bruni officially" as his companion, Barbier added. Bruni, who will be 39 on Sunday, was born in Italy and is the heiress to a tyre manufacturing fortune.

BERLIN: A British man left paralysed after an attack by neo-Nazis is planning to travel to Berlin to kill himself, Bild newspaper reported on Tuesday. Noel Martin, a 48-year-old former builder who lives in Birmingham, told the popular German daily: "I will come to Berlin to die. Making it my last destination will close an open circle in my life." "My decision is cast in stone. I do not want to complicate my son's life with my problems." Martin, who was born in Jamaica, said he is planning to kill himself with the help of a doctor who works with the controversial Swiss assisted-suicide association Dignitas.

Staff Reporter

Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), a private research organisation, has suggested the Government to operate union based rehabilitation programme in the cyclone-hit areas.

PPRC also suggested to bring changes in the micro-credit delivery modes in the affected areas.

Executive chairman of PPRC Hossain Zillur Rahman at a press conference in his office yesterday said that his organisation had made post-Sidr studies in affected localities from Nov 23 to Nov 27 and again from Dec 13 to Dec 14.

He said his organisation had found the cyclone affected were provided with food, water and clothes after the disaster left them bereft of almost all basic necessities, and all worked together to successfully thwart epidemics. Communications were also restored as soon as possible through concerted efforts of all concerned.

"Now, the next step of economic rehabilitation in the affected areas has to be undertaken t of which micro credit is of the utmost importance," Rahman, an economist, said.

The informal credit sector should be filling the requirements of those needing immediate cash loans, he said.

"Lots of words and promises are going around, but no visible credit providers are at hand," he pointed out.

To prevent exploitation of this crisis by unscrupulous lenders, micro credit provision modes need to be adapted to benefit the local communities, Rahman said.

NGOs may concertedly introduce disbursement of large loans through local cooperatives formed area-wise, starting with the unions as the lowest unit for the purpose, he suggested.

The first phase of relief provision was implemented with districts as the basic unit for planning, formulation of strategies, implementing and controlling the operations, Rahman said.

"This should switch to the bottom of the rung-that is, the union level-to start the second phase of economic rehabilitation in the areas."

Local fishermen and farmers have first to be provided with small but adequate cash loans as the essential step to rehabilitating them, the economist said.

Staff Reporters

National Broadcasting Law is needed to run the private and state-owned televisions and radios. State owned TV and Radio should be autonomous and no restriction should be imposed on media by the National Broadcasting Law.

Speakers said this yesterday at a roundtable on 'National Broadcasting Law: Why is it Necessary' jointly organised by UNESCO, Mass-line Media Centre and Bangladesh NGOs Network for radio and Communication at the BIAM foundation in the city.

President of Supreme Court Bar Association Barrister Amir-Ul Islam was chief guest with Adviser of The Bangladesh Today M Asafuddowlah in the chair.

Speakers also demanded of the Government to constitute a National Broadcasting Commission.

Robaet Ferdous, Associate Professor of Mass Communication and Journalism of Dhaka University presented Keynote paper. Robaet ferdous in his keynote paper pointed out about the BTV and Bangladesh Betar to be made autonomous. He also said the law should set criteria to be an owner of media so that black money owner could not get license of TV or Radio and set a criteria for the advertisements to be gender sensitive.

Speakers also criticised all governments for not giving the state-owned TV and Radio autonomy though they had promised several times to do so.

They said the broadcasting law should not impose any kind of bar for the journalists and it must provide journalists their journalistic freedom.

Prof Dr Golam Rahman of Mass Communication and Journalism moderated the meeting participated as special guest by Ramendu Majumder Managing Director Expressions.

Shaukat Mahmud, President of National Press Club, Shameem Reza, Associate Professor of Mass Communication and Journalism of Dhaka University were key discussants.

BSS, Chittagong

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on Sunday arrested Jahangir Alam alias Lengra Jahangir, a notorious criminal, and seized an AK-47 rifle, three magazines and 75 bullets from his possession.

Following information that Jahangir had been waiting at a house of Barua Colony under Chandgaon thana in the city, a RAB squad rushed to the area and picked him up from a room of the colony at about 2 pm, a RAB press release said on Tuesday.

Jahangir, 37, is son of Abdul Motaleb of West Gacchi village under Raozan thana in the district and is accused in a number of criminal cases, including two murders. He had been absconding for a long time.

On the basis of his confession, a RAB team raided his village home and seized the arms and ammunition from there at about 9 am Tuesday, the press release added.

Staff Reporter

Irregularities like open market selling of relief goods allocated for the cyclone Sidr affected people in the country's southern region have been detected by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).

Speaking at a discussion on "Transparency in Humanitarian Assistance: Risks and Solutions" at the city's BIAM auditorium yesterday, TIB Chairman Prof Muzaffar Ahmed said the relief goods allocated for the cyclone Sidr affected people were being sold in the open markets.

"We're examining the issue of corruption in distribution of humanitarian assistance for the first time," he said.

It was told at the seminar that a total of 3,347 people were killed, 871 missing and more than 5,000 injured in 16 districts after the cyclone Sidr battered the southern region of the country.

On the other hand, crops worth Tk 2,000 crore were totally destroyed. Quoting the World Bank, it was told at the seminar that the estimated financial losses from this year's two consecutive floods and Cyclone Sidr amounted to Tk 21,000 crore.

Placing the statistics, Prof Muzaffar Ahmed said there were various irregularities in distribution of relief goods. Those who were supposed to get the relief are yet to receive it.

The relief operations were also carried out in the interest of the individuals. Many have been conducting the relief operations so that they could be elected in the next general elections.

The TIB chairman alleged that there were many irregularities in relief distribution and rehabilitation work both at government and private levels. "This is happening mainly due to mismanagement and lack of supervision," he said.

Prof Muzaffar Ahmed said corruption and mismanagement in distribution of humanitarian assistance usually take place all over the world. "These can only be checked through a concerted effort of all involved in relief distribution and rehabilitation work," he said.

He also called for ensuring accountable humanitarian assistance and reaching the relief to the truly affected people.

The seminar was also addressed by Shahjada M Akram, Tanveer Mahmud and TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman.

Staff Reporter

Speakers at a seminar yesterday demanded confiscation of property of anti-state and communal forces by declaring those "enemy-property".

Communal forces are enemies of the nation and their property should be declared as enemy-property and must be confiscated, they said observing that if the economy of communalism remains untouched, the evil elements will remain influential.

Samprity Mancha, a civil society body, organised the seminar on Human Rights of

the Minority in Bangladesh at the National Press Club chaired by its president Prof Ajay Ray.

Justice (Retd) Golam Rabbani urged the government to ensure rights of the minority by giving recognition to pluralism in the society. The retired Supreme Court judge expressed grievance, for the Caretaker Government did not vote for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that was passed on September 13 this year.

Noted Human Rights activist Shahriar Kabir demanded formulation of voter list at the Chittagong and Hill Tract area according to the CHT peace treaty. He expressed concern about framing "a blueprint" for turning the indigenous people as minority voters by inclusion of huge settlers in the voter-list in that particular area.

He suggested forming a minority commission to address the issues of the minorities.

Prof Ajay Roy expressed deep concern over the continuous decline of minorities in the country over the years. "Some minority groups have become special target of persecution" he said adding, "We want a multicultural and pluralistic society."

He criticised the newly floated Human Rights Commission and said, "The Commission must be constituted with representatives of the persecuted class."

Rokyea Kabir demanded a basic amendment to the existing Enemy Property (vested property) Act by announcing the wealth of anti-liberation elements including collaborators of 1971 as enemy-property and confiscate those.

Dr Haamida Hossain demanded ban on politics using religious beliefs of the people.

Prof Syed Anwar Hossain said the concept of state-religion contradicts with the very norm and concept of democracy and so, democracy is impossible with any state religion. He demanded democratising the constitution for building a democratic Bangladesh and establishing the rights the minorities.

Indigenous leader Sanjeeb Drong stressed on changing the character of the state, for it is the responsibility of the State to ensure right of everybody including the minority. He criticised the Caretaker Government for shying away from voting on the UN declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Prof Gobinda Mandal of Dhaka University presented the keynote speech in the seminar, which was moderated by Prof Rubayat Ferdous.

Former lawmaker Promod Mankin, Dr Lenin Chowdhury, journalist Shohrab Hasan, former Bureaucrat Hiralal Bala, Noman Ahmed Khan, Prof Hafizur Rahman Karzon took part in the discussion among others.

Staff Reporter

Together with Working Children (TWC) urged the Government to enact separate law to protect the rights of working children in Bangladesh.

"It is impossible to protect their fundamental rights in non-conventional sectors until they are brought under a concrete law. The law should also cove the changing attitude of employers in those sectors," said TWC members at a press briefing held yesterday in the capital.

Together with Working Children (TWC), a network of six NGOs (Partner of Save The Children, Sweden-Denmark, SCSD) organised the press briefing, following a seminar on 'employers maltreatment to working children in non- conventional sectors.'

It was mentioned in the press briefing that approximately 74 leks children in Bangladesh, within 5 to 17 years of age, earn their livings. Among them, about 93 per cent work in non-conventional sectors, where they are mostly deprived of all fundamental rights.

"Unfortunately, existing children rights protection law don't cover the non-conventional sector children workers, which results into frequent maltreatment, mental and physical tortures and harassments," said the speakers in the briefing.

It is time to form a separate law, on the basis of United Nation Children Rights Convention, speakers added.

CPD Executive Director Moslema Bari, Mahfuza Begum, General Secretary CP Fajlul Haq Chaudhury and Tahmina Jesmin were among the main speakers in the press briefing.