The New Nation - Internet Edition

Gala final of YGTL ’08 held

Contestants at the gala final of 7th Pantene you got
the look 2008 at Hotel Sheraton's Winter Garden held last
night. Photo: Sharif Khan

Staff Reporter

The gala final of the 7th Pantene You Got The Look (YGTL) 2008, beauty contest, was held at the Winter Garden of Hotel Sheraton in the city last night.

A total of 23 contestants - 12 males and 11 females - took part in the final round.

Eminent Photographer Anwar Hossain, renowned model Bibi Russell, Rubaba Dowla Matin, Grameenphone Director of Marketing, former cricket player of the national team Athar Ali Khan were judges in the gala final.

Grey Advertising Bangladesh Ltd on behalf of Proctor and Gamble Bangladesh organised the prestigious beauty contest.

Singer Laura and Omar moderated the programme where there were magic show, instrumental presentation and musical soiree.

Entries came in from all across the country and only 120 were short listed for an interview. Twenty-four lucky finalists were chosen for a month-long boot camp grooming session.

The participants were instructed on presentation skills to help them stand out a par with international standard contests. During the boot camp sessions, the participants performed various physical exercise tactics, dance routines and cat walking with exceptional confidence and grace.

This year the contest was co-sponsored by Gallerie Apex and Herbal Solution Day Spa. Online partnership was provided by Bangladesh Info and Radio Foorti served as radio partner.

Bangladeshi Knit and non-knit shirts: US shuts duty free access

Syful Islam

Bangladesh and Cambodia made trousers, knit and non-knit shirts may be excluded from the duty free entry to the US market to mobilise support from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) countries for the passage of the New Partnership for Development Act (NPDA) bill in the US Senate.

However, a general exception to this exclusion will be the fully assembled apparel goods that are produced with inputs like fabric that are produced in a beneficiary LDC country or a beneficiary AGOA country or in certain developing countries that currently qualify for benefits under the US Generalised system of preference programme.

Congressman Jim McDermott, who introduced the NPDA 2007 bill in the US Senate last October, early this month wrote to the six African Ambassadors proposing some changes in the NPDA 2007 bill, to obtain their support.

Bangladesh's Commercial Counsellor in USA Kazi Shamsul Alam in a recent letter to the Ministry of Commerce quoting McDermott's letter to the African Ambassadors said, " It was very clear from the very outset that some compromise would be necessary to get support of the AGOA countries to the bill."

"Without their support, the bill will have no chance of passage in the congress," he said. "The proposal is a framework to negotiate with all the stakeholders of the bill," McDermott said.

The NPDA bill faced hectic opposition from in and outside of the USA as well as the AGOA countries. McDermott introduced the NPDA bill to allow duty free access of products of least developed countries to the US market.

US textile bosses are opposing passage of the bill fearing massive blow to their local industry. They fear that if the bill is passed, the US textile industry will be hard hit because the industry exports US12 billion a year in yarns and fabrics to countries of western hemisphere. These countries will not be able to compete with Bangladesh and Cambodia.

Bangladesh Embassy officials in Washington met with some textile bosses where they fiound the US lobbies were opposing the bill fearing that the shrinking US textile and apparel industry might even shrink faster if the bill was passed.

As the African countries' lack capacity and technology skill to compete with big players like Bangladesh and Cambodia the African lobbies are opposing the bill.

Woes of Bangladeshi workers in Kuwait persist

Staff Reporter

At least another 123 Bangladeshi workers have been sent back by Kuwait government yesterday, totalling so far the number to 201.

The Gulf kingdom announced on Wednesday that it would deport Bangladeshis who were involved in violence during the recent unrest over low pay.

The secretary of the expatriate welfare and overseas employment ministry,

Abdul Matin Chowdhury told, "According to reports, 78 Bangladeshis returned Wednesday night, and 123 arrived from Kuwait yesterday in two separate flights,"

On the confusion over the numbers of returnees in various newspaper reports published yesterday, the secretary said: "Communications with ZIA personnel had given rise to some anomalies in the number of returning Bangladeshis.

"People when deported are provided with alternative papers. Again, there were some who came back carrying their regular passports-that's how the anomalies occurred."

ZIA immigration chief Mahfuza Begum told reporters "A Kuwait and a Qatar Airways flight carried 123 Bangladeshis back home yesterday."

South Asian workers in Kuwait, including hundreds of Bangladeshis, staged demonstrations and went on strike Saturday demanding better working standards and pay.

Newspapers in the Gulf kingdom reported that some workers were paid as little as 8 Kuwaiti Dinars ($30 or Tk 2000) a month. Since the incidents of unrest, the Kuwait government has said it would increase the minimum wage of foreign workers to 40 Dinars ($151 or Tk 10,300).

However, The Kuwaiti authorities also announced Wednesday that they would examine video footage and photographs of protesting workers to find out those responsible for damaging vehicles and attacking police, and deport them.

Kuwait police arrested at least 800 Bangladeshi workers during the demonstrations, of which 300 were later released as no charges could be substantiated against them.

The Kuwaiti government has assured Bangladesh mission officials that all "innocent" workers will be spared after investigations.

Meanwhile, two top trade union leaders of the country have urged the Kuwaiti trade union movement to extend a helping hand to Bangladeshi workers facing repression in Kuwait and deportation by the authorities.

In a joint letter sent by email, Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal president Nazrul Islam Khan and Jatiya Sramik League general secretary Roy Ramesh Chandra made the appeal to the president and general secretary

of Kuwait Trade Union Federation.

The two trade union leaders expressed their anguish at the reported torture on the Bangladeshi workers and their deportation back home empty handed.

They hoped that the Kuwaiti trade union movement would give due importance to the issue and hold constructive talks with the employers in Kuwait so that the Bangladeshi workers could continue to work in that country.

The two leaders also urged the Kuwait trade union movement for its initiative to take back to work those workers who were being deported due to misreporting.

Nazrul Islam Khan, an alternate member of ILO governing body, and Roy Ramesh Chandra, are both executive members of Asia Pacific committee, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

Political parties allowed to campaign in local polls: HC scraps EC rule: Aug 4 election schedule declared valid

Staff Reporter

In a landmark judgment, the High Court yesterday declared illegal the Election Commission's restrictions on political parties campaign or participation of their nominees in local government polls, which are held on non-party basis

A two-member High Court bench comprising Justice ABM Khairul Haque and Justice Md Abu Tariq passed the ruling on a writ petition filed by Advocate Jasim Uddin Sarker, also a Jamaat-e-Islami leader.

The court, however, declared valid the August 4 schedule for holding polls to four city corporations and nine pourasabhas.

The judgment says the Election Commission (EC) has framed the election code-of-conduct rule restricting the political parties from nominating candidates superseding the two ordinances-the Local Government (City Corporation) Ordinance 2008 and the Local Government (Municipality) Ordinance 2008--for holding the elections.

The High Court opined that the EC has 'violated' the relevant laws, which is 'ultra vires to the Constitution'.

The judgment also said that, after examining the papers submitted by the EC with regard to final voter list, it is clear that the EC had announced the election schedule after the final voter list of the respective areas. So, the claim of the petitioner about holding elections to the four city corporations and nine municipalities without publishing the final voter list is not tenable.

On July 15, a High Court division bench, responding to the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) writ petition, had issued rule upon the government and the Election Commission (EC) to explain why the EC-declared August 4 schedule for the local government elections without the final voter list 'should not be declared illegal'.

The EC on June 20 announced the election schedule, as a 'test case' with the new voter list with photographs before the national elections slated for December next.

Advocate Masood Reza Sobhan assisted by Tajul Islam and Barrister Fatema S Sobhan appeared for the petitioner while Dr Shahdeen Malik for the EC.

IGP foresees no sabotage during pourashava polls

Staff Reporter

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nur Mohmmad yesterday said law enforcers foresee no sabotage during the local Government polls.

At least 20,000 police would provide security to ensure fair and credible local Government polls, IGP told the reporters at the Police Headquarters while formally inaugurating Personal Information Management System (PIMS).

He said security would be providing in three phases before and during the city corporation and municipality polls scheduled for August 4.

All information of police personnel has been stored in the PIMS, a database for the police officials. This is a revolutionary step for the department, he noted.

Details of 85,000 police personnel out of 123,000 have already been stored in the PIMS while inputs of the rest are being processed, he added.

The main objective of the PIMS is to preserve all particulars of police personal and this will be readily available for use when needed, he said.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Naim Ahmad said PIMS was the first step of the implementation of E-policing.

People should be allowed to participate in elections safely: British Minister

UNB, Dhaka

British Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears said people should be allowed chance to participate in elections to make their views known safely and securely.

"What I will be saying it is important that people have a chance to participate in election to make their views known in the best way they can and in the best circumstances that can be provided for people to feel safe and secure in doing that," she told reporters on her arrival yesterday at Zia International Airport on a two-day visit to Bangladesh.

The British minister, flanked by Home Adviser Maj Gen (retd) MA Matin, was responding to a query if she would ask the caretaker government to lift the state of emergency completely before the general election scheduled to be held in December. Asked if she thinks that free, fair and credible elections are possible under the emergency, she said, "I know there are considerations going on at the moment about the atmosphere in which any elections can take place and I do hope these discussions are positive."

Blears added: "It is important that people are able to participate and to make their views clearly known. I am sure the Advisers will be doing everything they can to ensure the elections are able to proceed in a proper manner."

About the state of democracy in Bangladesh, she said democracy could help countries prosper and certainly helps with investments. If there is a stable and strong democracy, foreign investments would be coming to the country.

About the upcoming elections, Blears said, "I do hope that the election will go ahead and it will be a very good thing for Bangladesh to be able to strengthen its democracy because, right across the world, if people can vote, then they feel the people they elect should be acting in their best interest and on their behalf."

She is the fifth British hierarchy to visit Bangladesh in months-at a time when the country is passing through a transitional phase after the recent changeover. Asked why, she said the UK wants to strengthen the relationship with Bangladesh and Britain has a very big commitment to this country.

"We have half a million people from Bangladesh living in UK. They are very important as a community and they make a great contribution to our economy. Many of the people are very successful," the British Secretary said on a note pf appreciation.

She said the United Kingdom wants to work together in tackling extremism which is a problem that affects Britain as much as Bangladesh. "We want to have a very strong working relationship around counterterrorism and extremism."

Blears said that, during her visit, apart from meeting the Chief Adviser and the Home Adviser, she would go to Sylhet tomorrow to see some education projects.

Solar eclipse today

Desk Report

A total eclipse of the sun will occur today . It will start at 14 hours 04 minutes 06 seconds (Bangladesh time) and will end at 18 hours 38 minutes 24 seconds.

The central eclipse will start at 15 hours 22 minutes 36 seconds and will end at 17 hours 20 minutes.

The greatest eclipse will occur at 16 hours 21 minutes 06 seconds.

The maximum magnitude of the total eclipse will be 1.040 and duration of the total phase will be 02 minutes 30 seconds.

The eclipse will start at 04 hours 35 minutes 08 seconds LMT (Local Mean Time) of August 1 at the east of Newfoundland island of Canada in the North Atlantic Ocean. It will end at 18 hours 20 minutes 49 seconds LMT at the east of Tamilnadu coast of India in the Bay of Bengal.

The central eclipse will start at 02 hours 30 minutes 07 seconds LMT at the Viscount Melville Sound strait of Canada. It will end at 18 hours 55 minutes 32 seconds LMT at the north-west of Nanking of China.

The greatest eclipse will occur at 15 hours 10 minutes 15 seconds LMT at the Gulf of Ob of Russia. The maximum magnitude of the eclipse will be 1.040 only at this place and its duration will be 02 minutes 30 seconds.

Bangladesh will be able to observe a partial eclipse of the sun on August 1 if the sky remains clear. This eclipse will start from 16 hours 29 minutes (Bangladesh times) to 16 hours 44 minutes and will end from 18 hours 22 minutes to 18 hours 37 minutes in Bangladesh.

The central eclipse will occur from 17 hours 25 minutes to 17 hours 40 minutes in Bangladesh. The maximum magnitude of the eclipse in Bangladesh will be 0.65 to 0.70.

Video of Olympic rehearsal leaked

BBC Online

A South Korean television station has broadcast a secret dress rehearsal for the opening of Beijing Olympics, irking the Chinese organisers of the Games.

The SBS network aired just over a minute of footage of next week's ceremony, saying it had recorded the event legitimately.

"We went, and nobody stopped us. So we just shot," a staff reporter at the private station's sports desk in Seoul told the Reuters news agency.

But China has complained about it.

"We are disappointed they did that, but the fragments cannot give the audience a full picture of the opening ceremony," Sun Weide, spokesman for the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games, was quoted as saying by China's official Xinhua news agency.

"Let's wait for the wonderful performances when the Games open on August 8," he added.

The ceremony has been a closely guarded secret, despite having more than 10,000 performers in the show which has been in the works for three years.

Games organisers had reportedly made performers sign confidentiality agreements not to divulge details of the extravaganza, directed by Oscar nominee Zhang Yimou.

Officials have only revealed that it will portray thousands of years of Chinese history and that it will include fireworks and Chinese opera.

It is also expected to pay tribute to victims of the earthquake in the country's Sichuan province that killed nearly 70,000 people on May 12.

The footage, which was also first posted on video websites YouTube and Sina.com, a popular Chinese web portal, revealed a futuristic theme in part of the show.

It showed a moving sea of white tower blocks, bright lights, and hundreds of men practising martial arts.

There was also a huge red globe in the centre of the stadium and hundreds of people waving red flags, others beating drums, and multicoloured figures floating through the air.

A giant scroll being opened is also seen in the footage.

It did not show the lighting of the Olympic torch.

The clip has since been taken off both websites.

But it is now available on another video portal, liveleak.com, with the subheading "This is the video you weren't supposed to seet"

Emergency may be lifted fully before JS polls

Staff Reporter

Adviser for Home Affairs Maj Gen (Retd) MA Matin yesterday said the Caretaker Government could consider lifting the state of emergency completely before the general election by December next, if necessary.

He dropped the broad hint to this effect while talking to reporters at Zia International Airport where he went to receive British Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Hazel Blears, who arrived for a two-day visit.

"The government may consider the lifting of the state of emergency if its necessity is felt," he said when a reporter asked him whether there is any possibility of lifting the emergency completely.

Asked whether it is possible to hold the ensuing election in a free and fair manner under the state of emergency, he countered, "Why not?

"We have already relaxed quite a few restrictions. If necessary, the government will consider again," the Adviser said.

He pointed out that the government has already relaxed many restrictions in the four city corporations and nine pourasabhas where elections would be held on August 4. If needed, there will be further relaxations, he said.

Replying to a question MA Matin said it should not be forgotten under what situation the state of emergency was declared one and half years ago.

Asked whether the country would revert to pre-1/11 situation, he replied in the negative saying, "Inshaallah, (the country) will not go back (to pre-1/11 situation)."

Pressed, why the state of emergency is in force, he said, "Let's see. It will depend on the situation."

Dhaka asks Delhi to inquire into border clash

UNB, Colombo

Bangladesh yesterday urged India to inquire into recent border shooting incidents as 125 Bangladeshi civilians have been killed by Indian BSF troops in past six months.

Foreign Advisor Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury made the call during a bilateral meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on the sidelines of the SAARC Council of Ministers at Bandarnaek Memorial International Convention Hall.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Iftekhar observed such incidents along the border severely damage perception of relationships.

He was assured by the Indian Minister that all such incidents would be enquired into with a view to preventing their recurrence.

"Talks were fruitful," the Foreign Advisor said, adding that they expressed satisfaction over the successful conclusion of the recent Foreign Secretary-level meeting between the two countries.

The two sides underscored regular meetings of the various mechanisms set up to address bilateral issues, including the one on the sharing of common rivers' waters.

Iftekhar requested Pranab for the speedier delivery of the balance quantity of rice and for the possibility of further future procurement on favorable terms, if needed, which his Indian counterpart assured would be considered.

The Advisor raised the possibility of a common SAARC approach to protecting the rights and welfare of South Asian workers abroad.

He also raised the question of whether it was possible to have structured consultations among senior military officers under SAARC umbrella and said Bangladesh would raise both the issues in the forthcoming meetings.

Mr. Pranab Mukherjee thought both ideas merited consideration.

They also agreed to cooperate bilaterally on counterterrorism-a global concern of the present times.

Both sides agreed on the need to energize SAARC to address current issues such as food security, energy, trade, and climate change.