The New Nation - Internet Edition

AL, CPB demand JS poll schedule

CPB leaders led by its President Manjurul Ahsan Khan
holding a meeting with Awami League leaders at the residence
of the party's Acting President Zillur Rahman at Gulshan in
the city on Tuesday. Focus Bangla

UNB, Dhaka

Awami League and the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) yesterday jointly demanded parliamentary election schedule immediately and asked for holding the polls as per announced electoral roadmap.

Talking to newsmen after their meeting, AL leader Tofail Ahmed and CPB leader Mujahidul Islam Selim observed that doubt has been created in people's mind about holding election in time and declaration of election schedule could remove this uncertainty. They held their bilateral meeting at acting AL president Zillur Rahman's Gulshan residence on the prevailing political circumstances. Zillur presided over the meeting. The leaders of the two parties also demanded withdrawal of the state of emergency ahead of the parliamentary polls as well as trial of the "fundamentalists and war criminals".

Tofael said holding parliamentary election is the main responsibility of the caretaker government according to the country's Constitution and so the government should take initiative to hold the national elections.

"Uncertainty has been created among the people over holding election according to the announced roadmap, so the government should announce the election schedule forthwith to remove the hesitation," he said. The AL leader said the government should not do anything that may delay the electoral process. He demanded the lifting of the state of emergency to restore people's fundamental rights.

Expressing concern over the present physical condition of detained AL president Sheikh Hasina, Tofael said government should act according to the physicians' recommendations. "If the doctors suggested sending her abroad, then she must be sent for proper medicare." Talking to the reporters, CPB general secretary Selim said they discussed current political scenario of the country and reached consensus on some issues. AL leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzaq, Suranjit Sengupta, Matia Chowdhury, Kazi Zafarullah and Syed Ashraful Islam and CPB leaders Manjurul Ahsan Khan, MM Akash and Shahidullah Chowdhury, among others, were present at the meeting.

Scandal-hit New York Governor says 'sorry’

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer addresses the media
with his wife Silda Wall Spitzer at his side at his office
in New York, March 10.

AP, New York

As Gov. Eliot Spitzer faced mounting calls to resign amid a prostitution scandal, a law enforcement official said Tuesday that the governor first came under suspicion because of cash payments from several bank accounts to an account operated by a call-girl ring.

Spitzer was the initial target of the investigation and was tracked using court-ordered wiretaps that appear to have recorded him arranging for a prostitute to meet him at a Washington hotel in mid-February, the official said.

The official spoke to The Associated Press condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation.

The scandal surrounding the man who built his political reputation on rooting out corruption stunned the state. Calls for Spitzer's resignation began immediately and intensified Tuesday with the New York Daily News, New York Post and Newsday all demanding that he step down.

"Hit the road, John t and make it quick!" read the headline of the Daily News editorial, while the Post called him "NY's naked emperor." Spitzer retreated from public view Monday afternoon, when he appeared glassy-eyed with his shellshocked wife, Silda, at his side and apologized to his family and the public, but did not directly acknowledge any involvement with the prostitute.

"I have acted in a way that violates my obligations to my family and violates my - or any - sense of right and wrong," he said.

Police urged to be people-friendly: Call for steps against domestic violence

Adviser for Women and Cultural Affairs Rasheda K
Chowdhury speaking as the chief guest at a seminar on 'The
Role of Police in Preventing Domestic Violence' in the city
on Tuesday. NN photo

Staff Reporter

Adviser Rashida K Choudhury said though most of the women in the country are victims of domestic violence, they do not protest because of possible future insecurity.

She said this at a seminar on 'The Role of Police in Preventing Domestic Violence' at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the city yesterday.

The programme organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs was attended by Primary and Mass Education Adviser Rashida K Choudhury, Home Secretary Abdul Karim, Women and Children Affairs Secretary Begum Rokeya Sultana, IGP Nur Mohammad, AIGP NBK Tripura, UNFPA representative Arthur Erken and Barrister Sara Hossain.

Rashida K Choudhury said most of the people of country are afraid of police. She advised the police force to be more people-friendly and to rebuild their image.

Nur Mohammad said if any policeman was found doing any illegal or irresponsible activity action would be taken against him.

Barrister Sara Hossain in her keynote presentation said in our country there are many rules but most of those were used for different purposes and not to prevent domestic violence. She presented several proposals to the Government to prevent domestic violence.

About 60 per cent women in Bangladesh are subject to sexual or physical violence, mostly by their partners or family members, she added.

Erken said domestic violence is one of the most prevalent forms in Bangladesh. But the incidents are rarely reported to the police for their insipid attitude toward the problem.

US sends first envoy to OIC

AFP, Washington

The United States is seeking to dispel Muslim misperceptions about it by sending its first envoy to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday.

Sada Cumber, a Pakistani-born businessman from Texas, was named by President George W. Bush last week as special envoy to the 57-member OIC to promote understanding and dialogue with Muslim countries.

"This is the first time that a US president has made such an appointment to the OIC," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told ambassadors of OIC countries during a ceremony at the State Department in Washington, DC.

"This appointment is one part of a much larger effort that our government has undertaken to increase our engagement with the Muslim community worldwide," Rice said.

The appointment will also help expand US cooperation with Muslim communities worldwide and "promote the principles that we hold dear" like human rights, social justice, equal opportunity, liberty and the rule of law, she said.

OIC needs new vision to survive: Iftekhar

BSS, Dhaka

Foreign Adviser Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury yesterday said the organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) needs to have a new vision to survive and prosper in this challenging period.

Addressing the plenary of the OIC Foreign Ministers' meeting in the Senegalese capital Dakar on the eve of the summit of the Islamic heads of government and state, he said the OIC must be reformed to be able to deal with the issues of the 21st century.

The issues he mentioned in his speech were poverty alleviation, development, climate change, women's empowerment and the need for knowledge-based skills for the youth community, a message received here said.

"The time has surely come to move from talk to action, from vague deliberations to implementation with practical measures for the benefit of our people," he said.

The Foreign Adviser underscored the need for designing the trade and commerce among the Islamic countries in a way that the poorest people are specially benefited.

Businessman shot dead

Ashiq

Staff Reporter

A businessman was shot dead by unidentified miscreants, in the city yesterday morning.

The dead Ashiq, 50, was the son of Lalu Mollah and also one of owners of the Anwar Residential Hotel in Syedabad.

Witnesses said the assailants opened fire on Ashiq, when he was coming to his hotel at about 9:30am, leaving him critically injured.

He was rushed to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital where the doctors declared him dead. Police suspected that he might have been killed following previous enmity.

A case was filed in this connection.

SAARC summit venue shifted to Colombo

BSS, Colombo

Sri Lanka Tuesday decided to shift the venue of the upcoming SAARC summit from Kandy to Colombo due to inadequate facilities in the island nation's scenic tourist spot to accommodate the leaders and delegations from the member countries.

The 15th summit of the regional grouping and its preceding meetings are scheduled to be held from July 27 to August 3.

"Colombo city hotels have been identified to accommodate around 1200 delegates and media personnel associated with the event," an official statement said.

DSE at highest ever turnover record

Staff Reporter

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) reached the highest ever turnover of Tk409 crore yesterday. Trading experts identified the heavy trading witnessed in AB Bank shares for last couple of days as the main contributor to this record.

The second highest turnover was recorded at Tk372 crore on February 5 of this year.

During the day's trading, AB Bank shares witnessed heavy demand as the bank declared 200 per cent stock dividend on Monday.

Some 207,620 shares of AB Bank worth about Tk76 crore exchanged hands on the day as against 84,850 shares worth over Tk28 crore on Monday. Each AB Bank shares gained Tk157.25 to close at Tk3,561.75.

Despite the heavy turnover in the overall market, the DSE indices witnessed fall yesterday amid profit taking, with the losers outnumbering the gainers.

Brokers said the market went through correction during the day's trading, after continued gains for five days.

Of the total 248 issues traded on the day, 89 gained, 149 incurred loss, while 10 remained unchanged.

The DSE General Index (DGEN) dropped 20 points or 0.67 per cent to close at 3,034 points today while the All Share Price Index (DSI) fell 15 points or 0.59 per cent to close at 2,561 points.

Bangladesh’s trade deficit with China crosses $2.56 b

Staff Reporter

Trade gap between Bangladesh and China is widening alarmingly and it crossed more than two and a half billion dollars in the last financial year, according to the statistics available.

'Bangladesh's trade deficit with China is rising alarmingly with Bangladesh importing goods worth US$ 2534 million from China against exporting only a meagre US$ 93 million to that country in fiscal 2006-07," said Salahuddin Abdullah, acting president of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) while speaking at a business meeting with a business delegation from China yesterday.

Low-cost Chinese products are making Bangladesh more dependent on the Asian economic giant, contributing to a widening trade gap of more than one and a half billion dollars between the two countries in just six months of the current fiscal year.

Local business leaders observed that trade relations between Bangladesh and India are marked by huge imbalance in favour of China, and Bangladesh has also become unable to bridge this huge trade gap with its very short export list.

Expressing deep concern over the increasing trade gap between Bangladesh and China, the business community leaders felt that the existing trade deficit was absolutely unsustainable.

Bangladesh now imports raw cotton, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances, knitted fabrics, man-made staple fibre and man-made filament, electric machinery and equipment, fertiliser, buses and covered vans, organic chemicals and special woven fabrics from China, according to the Bangladesh Bank. Even, lots of Chinese readymade garments are now available in local market.

On the other hand, China imports raw jute, leather, frozen foods, jute and jute goods and chemicals from Bangladesh.

The business leaders noted that import from China surged mainly due to its wide range of products and prices.

Although China has been the dominating source of woven fabrics and raw cotton for long, all types of machinery and electronics imports from China have also gone up in the recent times.

In terms of price, Chinese products are unbeatable no matter how their quality is. There are high-quality Chinese products, but they are hardly being imported, participants at the business meeting said.

They observed that Chinese goods are cheaper compared to the same standard products of India. China offers goods with wide price range and importers cling to China because of its easy trade procedure and speedy shipment.

According to DCCI leaders, China usually sends its products to Bangladesh within 25 days on an average by completing all the formalities while import from India takes 35 days.

The business meeting was organised by the DCCI at its auditorium at Motijheel in the city which was attended by a 21-member business delegation from China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles (CCCT), Beijing China.

Cao Xin Yu, vice-chairman and leader of the delegation from CCCT and Lin Weiquiang, Commercial Counsellor from the Embassy of China in Dhaka also spoke on the occasion.

The DCCI acting president said Bangladesh has strong determination to reduce huge trade gap with China.

He said Bangladesh has competitiveness in RMG sector. China-Bangladesh cooperation could work better if Chinese investment for establishing backward linkage industries in the field of textile and clothing could be attracted. Bangladesh has done excellent progress in the knit sector also, and Chinese cooperation can give further boost to these sectors. Jute based- textiles can also be planned to explore for future expansion.

Bangladesh offers conducive investment climate compared to the other South Asian economies. Geographical location of the country is ideal for global trades with very convenient access to international sea and air routes. Bangladesh can be treated as the gateway to bridge between Asian and SAARC nations.

As an LDC, Bangladesh enjoys preferential and duty-free quota free market access to various country's market including EU, Canada, Australia, Japan, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Korea etc. Chinese entrepreneurs with their vast entrepreneurial expertise and technology can help Bangladesh to meet their supply-side constraints.

Because of the changes in perceptions and emerging new situation of global market policies larger German and UK buyer have shown their interest to purchase all types of textile and apparel products from Bangladesh. By establishing joint venture initiatives in Bangladesh, China can take indirect to diversify its new and old market, Salahuddin said.

Leader of the Chinese business delegation Cao Xin Yu said Chinese investment in Bangladesh increased by 20 per cent in ready-made garment sector because the consumption of readymade dresses has increased in China. 'We are trying to find out opportunities to invest in Bangladesh," he said.

He also requested the business community of Bangladesh to create a favourable business atmosphere in Bangladesh to attract more investment from China.

A DCCI member made a proposal to the Chinese delegation to invest in mushroom production in Bangladesh.

Terming the meeting fruitful Salahuddin said they would be able to encourage Chinese delegation to invest more in Bangladesh for reducing huge trade gap between the two countries in near future.

Tk100 crore ICB NRB 2nd Mutual Fund approved

Staff Reporter

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved Tk100 crore ICB NRB Second Mutual Fund yesterday.

The Commission at a meeting approved the biggest mutual fund in the country's capital market, SEC executive director Farhad Ahmed told reporters at his office after the meeting.

The second biggest is Grameen One Mutual Fund of Tk17 crore.

Meanwhile, the meeting extended the deadline for submitting bank account statement of every BO (beneficiary owner) holder up to June 30 this year from May19, 2008.

It also relaxed the BO holders from the requirement of their similar signature in the bank accounts and the accounts with DPs (depository participants).

24 killed in Pak suicide bombings

AP, Islamabad

Massive suicide bombs ripped through a seven-story police headquarters and a house on Tuesday, killing at least 24 people and wounding more than 200 others in attacks that deepened Pakistan's security crisis.

The two blasts happened about 15 minutes apart in different districts of this eastern city. The first tore the facade from the Federal Investigation Agency building as staff were beginning their working day.

City police chief Malik Mohammed Iqbal said a car packed with explosives was driven into a parking lot and detonated next to the building, which houses a department of the federal police's anti-terrorism unit.

Twenty-one people were killed, including 16 police, officials said. Doctors at Lahore hospitals said the wounded included 32 students who were hit by flying debris at a school near the police building.

Paramedics carried a bloodied body on a stretcher from the building, while volunteers sifted through the rubble with bare hands, apparently searching for survivors.

Uzair Ahmed, a watchman guarding a bungalow, said he heard a deafening boom and something hit him in the head and face. "I rushed out in panic t Everybody was running and crying. Smoke was all around and that was it. I only came to my senses in the hospital," Ahmed, his head bandaged, said from his hospital bed.

Scores of nearby houses sustained major damage. Gates and doors were torn off, windows blown in and air conditioners dislodged and left in the street.

"It was like hell let loose on us," said homeowner Fazal Muqeem, 42. Tariq Pervez, the director-general of the Federal Investigation Agency, said it had earlier received information that it could be attacked, but the reports had pointed to an attack against its headquarters in the capital, Islamabad, not in Lahore. He gave no further details.

The second explosion shattered the office of an advertising agency in a residential neighborhood, about 15 miles away. Police investigator Tasaddaq Hussain said three people were killed.

The police chief, Iqbal, said both blasts were suicide attacks. The bombings come amid a spate of violence that authorities are blaming on Taliban and al-Qaida-linked militants, spreading beyond their strongholds along the Afghan border, and as the victors of last month's elections prepare to form a new government. There have been at least seven suicide attacks in the three weeks since the Feb. 18 vote.

Fleet Committee proposal : Biman may close all domestic flights but Ctg, Sylhet Staff Reporter

The Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd is likely to discontinue all domestic flights, except on Sylhet and Chittagong routes, to meet the increasing international flight demands.

It was fundamentally proposed by the fleet committee that it would not be a wise decision for the national flag carrier to operate domestic flights except on Chittagong and Sylhet routes.

"We include Chittagong and Sylhet as there are huge number of expatriates from these two areas living around the world," a member of the fleet committee said.

He said the fleet committee proposed to operate connecting services for Sylhet and Chittagong. Currently four private airliners operate their domestic flights competing against Biman, he added.

In the proposal, the fleet committee mentioned that there is no need to procure small aircraft in future to operate domestic flights. "Rather, we are looking to make a new impression in the international market," the fleet committee member added.

Chief Adviser's Special Assistant Mahbub Jamil on Monday at a press conference also said that they are not interested in the domestic market.

Teacher shortage cripples JU departments

JU Correspondent

The acute shortage of teachers has crippled the academic arena of Jahangirnagar University in the recent days.

Higher education and research works are being greatly hampered due to the teachers shortage, most of the departmental chairmen opined.

Sources said more than 10 departmental chairmen have already submitted their requirements paper to the JU Vice-Chancellor Prof Khandaker Mustahidur Rahman demanding immediate recruitment of the teachers and other office staff in their departments.

But the Education Ministry has recently imposed a ban on all sorts of recruitments in the University which created mixed reaction among the teachers and officials of the University. While contacted, Prof Abul Kashem Mojumder, the Chairman of Public Administration Department said, "We have already sent a recruitment notice to the University VC demanding at least three teachers. Our department is now running with only three teachers which is insufficient to run a department effectively."

Prof Shahabuddin Kabir, Dean and Chairman of Microbiology Department expressed his deep concern on the teacher shortage saying that the department is running with only three teachers, of them one teacher is on academic leave. Office bearers, lab attendants and other staff are also insufficient in the department, he said.

Dr Samsad Mortuza, Chairman of the English Department said the department needs more than three teachers including professors. Besides, the departments which submitted their requirement for teachers are Government and Politics, Bangla, History and some other departments of the University.

While contacted, JU VC Khandaker Mustahidur Rahman told this Correspondent that we began a procedure to appoint the teachers according to the demand of the various departments gradually but the sudden imposition of a ban on all sort of recruitments in the University has halted the recruitment procedures. The ministry will withdraw the ban for us to come out of this crisis," the VC hoped.