The New Nation - Internet Edition

Supreme Court refrains from routine stay: Govt, ACC asked to resolve pending rules back in High Court

UNB, Dhaka

The Supreme Court apparently changed its tune from its much-talked-about 'routine stay' on High Court interim orders on graft cases, disappointing the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission seeking leave to appeal.

A five-member bench of the Appellate Division chaired by Chief Justice MM Ruhul Amin yesterday disposed of a pack of three score applications filed by the government and the ACC, asking them to resolve the pending rules back at the High Court.

Denying issuance of any stay order on the HC interim orders, the apex court said those petitions in the meantime have been disposed of by the High Court and therefore are dismissed.

It further said "any stay granted earlier by the Supreme Court would continue", thereby clearing the way for the proceedings of the graft cases against the suspected corrupt.

The Appellate Division in its orders put on hold six government and ACC applications and one application of business-tycoon Salman F Rahman for hearing on different dates.

Today's SC orders disposed of 30 High Court rules on bigwig suspected corrupt and cleared the way for 15 graft cases' proceedings, court sources said.

According to SC orders, among others, the rule hearings on Gatco scam case against ex-PM and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and her son Arafat Rahman Koko, BNP leader Tarique Rahman's two extortion cases and one ill-gotten wealth case and Dhaka City Corporation Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka's ill-gotten wealth case should be resolved in the High Court.

Hua Guofeng dies

BBC Online

Hua Guofeng, who succeeded Mao Zedong as chairman of China's Communist Party, has died, state media is reporting.

Xinhua news agency said 87-year-old Hua died in the Chinese capital after suffering from an unspecified illness.

Hua took over as chairman after Mao's death in 1976 and was in power at the end of the Cultural Revolution.

But Hua was himself quickly pushed aside by radical reformer Deng Xiaoping. His period as chairman ended formally in 1981.

However, unlike former leaders who were purged and exiled to remote villages, Hua remained in Beijing and on the party's Central Committee.

"Because of an illness that could not be cured, Hua died on 20 August at 1250 in Beijing, at the age of 87," the official Xinhua news agency said in a brief report.

Born to a poor family in 1921, Hua became a guerrilla fighter aged 15 in Mao's Communist movement in the civil war against Chiang Kai-shek's ruling Nationalists.

After the 1949 revolution, he served in provincial government and party posts, reportedly catching Mao's eye as early as 1954.

He was named to the Central Committee in 1969, and party secretary of Mao's home province Hunan the following year. He later succeeded Zhou Enlai as prime minister, before becoming party chairman on Mao's death.

It was under Hua's chairmanship that members of the so-called Gang of Four - including Mao's widow Jiang Qing - were arrested.

They had been blamed for the excesses that accompanied the decade-long Cultural Revolution.

But whether Hua was instrumental in ordering their arrests is unclear.

Mao was said to have told Hua on his deathbed: "With you in charge my heart is at ease."

But Deng Xiaoping was already manoeuvring to replace him, and Hua was effectively stripped of his powers in 1978, before formally losing the chairmanship in 1981.

For industrial, infrastructure development: Aziz urges businessmen to update govt with latest

Staff Reporter

Finance Adviser Dr Mirza Azizul Islam yesterday called upon the businessmen to provide latest information about their business so that the government can take appropriate steps for industrial and infrastructure development.

"Industrial and infrastructure development cannot be accelerated with old information. It may bring different result," the Adviser said at a view exchange meeting with businessmen at NEC conference room in the city.

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) organised the meeting with Planning Secretary Zafar Ahmed Chowdhury in the chair. The meting discussed the BBS survey on company, institution and industrial production.

Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Mahbub Jamil, NBR Chairman Mohammad Abdul Majid, BBS Director General AYM Ekramul Huq, Senior Research Director of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies Dr Zaid Bakht, Prof Abu Alam and president of Bangladesh Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers and Exporters Association SM Shafiuzzaman spoke on the occasion.

Finance Adviser said people who are involved in this job do not collect information with sincerity. As a result it become tough to get right information.

He said, on the other hand stakeholders do not provide actual information to avoid harassment from the revenue department. Referring to the government regulation Dr Aziz said, " Information provided to the BBS should not be disclosed. In future it should be strictly followed."

Mahbub Jamil said getting information will be easier if the identity of the information provider can be kept secret. He said there should be coordination among the activities of the ministries.

Prof Abu Ahmed said BBS should follow the rules of other countries while colleting information.

Dr Zaid Bakht said BBS should collect information once after three years.

Global economy: Economists see more tough times ahead

UNB, Dhaka

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)/Ifo global climate index in July fell for the fourth consecutive quarter in a row since sentiment became downbeat last summer, recording its lowest level since 2001, according to a press statement received here yesterday from Paris.

The ICC/Ifo world economic climate index for the third quarter, which polled 1025 economic experts in 92 countries, dropped 8.0 points to 73.4 from 81.4.

The statement, quoting an ICC spokesman, said sentiment darkened especially in Western Europe and Asia. While economists' view of the current US economy scored its lowest marks seen in a decade, they slightly raised their expectations for the US economy in the coming six months due to expectations of a pickup in American exports.

The global climate index fell in all major Asian economies. In some of the major economies of Latin America, including Brazil and Mexico, economists also foresee a cooling off period for the second half of the year.

Economists surveyed said the greatest impediment to global economic growth is rising inflation, which they say is further aggravating the cyclical downturn. They estimated worldwide inflation at 5.2%. They also raised their expectations for inflation in each region of the world: 3.8% for the US, a major upgrading in inflationary expectations in Europe to 3.5 %, and pegged inflation at 5.3% in Asia, 9.7% in Latin America, and 14.5% in the CIS states.

Despite expectations for a further weakening in the global economy, economists reversed their previous view on interest rates. In the current survey, economists said they expect a rise in central bank and long-term interest rates.

Blaming high oil prices for contributing to economic slowdown, the ICC asked a special question in the current survey on the impact of rising oil prices on the global economy and the ability of companies and countries to meet their energy needs.

A large majority of economists said they expect oil prices above US$130 a barrel to create disequilibrium and reinforce recessionary tendencies in the global economy in 2008, and to negatively affect company earnings.

Over the next six months, economists also said that US$130 oil will lead to high current account deficits in many Asian countries, in South Africa, and in several European countries, including Spain, Portugal and Greece.

At the same time, economists saw a silver lining to oil prices at that level: in Western Europe, North America, and major Asian economies, economists expect $130 oil to induce companies to invest in cleaner and more efficient technologies.

The International Chamber of Commerce is the world business organization, a representative body that speaks with authority on behalf of enterprises from all sectors in every part of the world. ICC participates in the quarterly survey with the Ifo Institute for Economic Research and the Center for Economic Studies at Ludwig Maximilian University, both based in Munich, Germany.

Case against Jalil stayed

UNB, Dhaka

The High Court yesterday stayed for two months the proceedings of an ill-gotten wealth case against Awami League general secretary MA Jalil, currently in Singapore on parole for treatment.

Staying the case proceedings following a quashing petition, a High Court Division Bench comprising Justice Sharif Uddin Chaklader and Justice M Emdadul Haque Azad issued rule upon the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to explain why the case "should not be quashed".

On May 27, the ACC submitted charge sheet against former minister Jalil accusing him of amassing illegally wealth worth Tk 36 lakh and hiding information in his wealth statement submitted to the anti-graft watchdog under the ongoing purge.

ACC Deputy Assistant Director Enamul Haque Chowdhury, the investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka.

The case is now pending with a special court set up at high-security parliament complex that deals with high-profile corruption cases.

Jalil was arrested on May 28 last year and remained in custody for over eight months without any specific charges. Finally, on January 1 this year, he was shown arrested in this case filed on December 18 last year with Ramna Police Station.

Jalil had been ill since his detention. He was first taken to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital on June 4 last year after complaining chest pain.

Later, he was shifted to LabAid specialized Cardiac Hospital for treatment of kidney complications.

Considering his illness, the interim government set him free on parole on March 3 this year and Jalil flew off to Singapore the same night. Later, the government extended the tenure of parole.

Barrister Shafique Ahmed appeared for Jalil.

Fenchuganj power plant goes into operation next week

UNB, Dhaka

The first unit of the newly installed 90-MW Fenchuganj (Sylhet) power plant is likely to commence initial commercial operation (ICO) next week to feed some drips to the power-hungry national grid, official sources said.

According to the sources, installation works for two of the plant's total three units, each having 35-MW capacity, have already been completed and test run of the 1st unit was done this week.

"We're now taking preparation to start commercial operation from next week," an official of the Power Development Board (PDB), which implemented the power-plant project, told UNB.

The commencement of initial commercial operation of the first unit will be seconded by the operation of the second within next 15 days, he added.

"We're planning to supply about 60-70 megawatts of power to the national grid from the plant with the start of holy Ramadan… all our preparation is going on in full swing keeping in mind the holy month," said the official.

In the wake of a nagging power crisis facing the entire country, the government moved to build the gas-fired Fenchuganj combined-cycle power plant few years back at a cost of about Tk 524 crore.

Chinese company Harbin Power Engineering (HPE) was appointed as turnkey contractor for the project.

But the works of the project got delayed for various reasons, including a dispute between the PDB and HPE over tax payment. Still, the dispute remained unresolved.

The Fenchuganj power plant project officials said that they had successfully completed the test run of the first unit's gas turbine and generator of the plant.

They also noted that the installation of the 3rd unit, which is a combined-cycle machine, would be completed by December.

Grenade attack on AL rally: Zillur expresses doubt over holding trial of attackers

Staff Reporter

Awami League (AL) Acting president Zillur Rahman yesterday expressed his doubt about the trial of the persons who orchestrated August 21 grenade arrack on the AL rally in 2004.

He said that the Caretaker Government was trying to stage a drama over this issue, as it has resorted to dally-dallying tactics to punish the masterminds of the attack.

Zillur placed this allegation while addressing reporters after a meeting with the "Bangladesh Gram Doctor Kallayn Shamity" at his Gulshan residence.

When asked what would be the party's stand if the Government arranged the upazila election before the national election he said, "We are repeatedly demanding holding of national election ahead of any other election. If the government arranges upazila election first, we will resist through movement in a democratic manner."

About the samity he said, "The rural doctors are serving the people through providing treatment door to door. The Government should patronise the organisation for the sake of rural health."

He blamed the immediate past BNP-Jamaat Government for destroying the organization.

He assured the leaders of the organisation to fulfil their demands if AL was voted to power.

AL leader and former minister Engineer Mosharaf Hossain presented flower to the Acting party president Zillur Rahman.

"The army-backed caretaker government has failed to uproot corruption and terrorism, as the real corrupts and the terror are staying abroad. They are only harassing the politicians to spoil their political career," Mosharaf alleged.

He also termed the Caretaker Government unconstitutional, as they are staying in power for about two years instead of 90 days.

Dr. Abdus Sattar, President of the samity, alleged that the leaders of Doctors' Association of Bangladesh (DAB), tried to destroy this 30 years old organisation by torturing the samity members in different ways.

He also urged the government to take punitive action against the people who harassed them during the BNP-Jamaat government.

AL presidium member Suranjit Sen Gupta, who also spoke to reporters after the meeting, pointed to the experience of Pakistan, warning that local leaders should pay heed to the fate of Pakistan's Musharraf and take "an about-turn towards democracy."

AL Presidium Abdur Razzak and other senior leaders were present in the meeting.

Graft cases Bail prayer for Khaleda, Tarique rejected

Court Correspondent

Two Courts of Dhaka yesterday rejected two bail petitions submitted on behalf of former prime minister detained Khaleda Zia and her elder son Senior Joint Secretary General of BNP detained Tareque Rahman in two separate graft cases.

Earlier, a bail petition was submitted to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court on behalf of Begum Khaleda Zia and hearing the submission of her lawyers, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Md. Golam Rabbani rejected the bail petition in the graft case filed agiainst her in connection with the extraction of coal from Barapukuria Coal Mine.

Meanwhile, Md Azizul Haque, Metropolitan Sessions Judge of Dhaka Wednesday rejected the bail petition of Tareque Rahman in the graft case filed in connection with alleged emzzlement of Taka 2.1 crore from the Zia Orphanage Trust Fund.

On July 23 Khaleda Zia and Tareque were shown arrested in this graft case filed by ACC Assistant Director Harun-ur-Rashid with Ramna Thana of the city. Khaleda was arrested on September 3 and Tareque on March 8, last year.

Earlier, on August 14 this ACMM rejected a bail petition submitted, also on behalf of Tareque Rahman in the Zia Orphanage Trust case while later on August 18 Metropolitan Sessions Judge of Dhaka similarly rejected another bail petition that sought bail for the former premier detained Khaleda Zia in this case.

Faisal Morshed jailed for 10 years in graft case

UNB, Dhaka

A special court dealing with high-profile corruption cases yesterday sentenced Faisal Morshed Khan, son of ex foreign minister M Morshed Khan, to 10 years in jail on two counts of charges.

Judge AKM Arifur Rahman also fined Faisal Tk 10 lakh, in default, to suffer another year behind bars. Faisal, a businessman, was tried in absentia.

The court also asked authorities to confiscate his property worth over Tk1.66 crore.

Of the jail term, seven years came for acquiring wealth illegally while three years were for hiding information about his real wealth in a statement submitted to the Anti-Corruption Commission. "The sentences come into effect immediately upon his arrest or surrender to the court," says the court order.

On December 10 last year, the ACC filed the case with Gulshan Police Station.

It accused Faisal and his wife Shyama Sejan Khan of amassing about Tk 7.8 crore beyond their known sources of income and concealing information about their wealth worth over Tk 6.93 crore.

Earlier, the High Court had quashed the proceedings of the case filed against Sejan.

Kuwaiti Labour Court rules in favour of Bangladeshi workers

UNB, Dhaka

A Kuwaiti Labour Court has ruled in favour of about 750 Bangladeshi workers who have been complaining of non-payment and underpayment of salaries.

The Arab Times, a Kuwait-based English language daily, Tuesday quoted a Bangladeshi embassy official as saying that the court under the Ministry of Social Affairs had ruled on the complaints filed by the Bangladeshis who were employed with a local cleaning company and were placed at various government establishments. It was pointed out that the company was irregular in payments to them and that the employer also failed to renew their residencies.

The court ordered the company to pay the workers two months salary and other benefits, in addition to shouldering the cost of their repatriation, reports said.

Bangladesh embassy officials were also quoted as saying that a total of 233 cleaners of the company had already been sent back to Dhaka and that the rest of the ill-fated workers will also be sent home in next few days.

"The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour is doing everything in its capacity to repatriate the workers and senior officials of the ministry are regularly monitoring the situation of the workers," the Arab Times report said.

According to the complaints received by the embassy, some cleaners alleged that they were being paid as low as KD 6 in compensation, even as the embassy has called upon the company to pay the workers not less than KD 20 as temporary compensation.

Out of the 750 workers, about 300 are female cleaners. Residency permits of most workers have expired, reports said.

Earlier, victim workers told the Arab Times that the company had filed false cases against some of them accusing them of absconding from work in an effort to deport them. The move was aimed at denying them their unpaid salaries. The workers were being paid a monthly salary of KD 20.

The workers had also alleged that they were facing serious food shortage and that some community members were providing them supplies out of kindness.

It may be recalled that the Bangladesh embassy in Kuwait has taken some concrete measures to curb the exploitation of its workers by unscrupulous employers. To this end, the embassy henceforth checks the antecedents of a company before giving green light for recruitment of Bangladeshi workers.

Meanwhile, Bangladeshi workers in Kuwait, who began fresh strike protesting non-payment as well as deduction of salaries since Sunday, reportedly called off their strike following a settlement between the workers and the companies.

The Arab Times on Monday reported that some 6,000 workers of two cleaning companies enforced the strike demanding fixation of minimum monthly wage at KD 40 as per the Kuwaiti government order.

Since the issuing of the order, Kuwait government so far took action against at least five companies as they were continuing to deprive their workers of their fair salary and other facilities.

100 dead in Madrid jet crash

AFP, Madrid

A Spanish tourist jet carrying more than 160 people skidded off a Madrid airport runway and broke up in flames on Wednesday, killing at least 100 people and injuring dozens, officials said.

The Spanair jet made an emergency landing just after taking off from the Madrid-Barajas airport heading for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, according to an emergency services spokesman.

Smoke billowed from the wreckage of Flight JK 5022 off the bottom of the runway. Helicopters dropped water to douse the flames of the jet and grassfires caused by the crash.

Regional authorities issued a provisional toll saying there were at least 45 dead and 40 injured. The spokesman said 15 of those injured were in serious condition.

CNN Plus television news gave a toll of 47 dead. El Mundo newspaper said the toll could exceed 100. Reports said there were 166 passengers on the jet.

Spanair, a subsidiary of Scandinavian carrier SAS, is Spain's second biggest airline after Iberia. Five passengers on a Spanair flight from Spain's Basque region to Barcelona were injured in an emergency evacuation on January 9, 2006.

It was founded in 1986 and says it has carried more than 104 million passengers from about 100 European destinations to Spain since then. It is a member of the Star Alliance network but recently proposed shedding almost a quarter of its 4,000 staff because of the the fuel price rise crisis. The airline posted net losses of 41 million euros (62 million euros) in the first quarter.

US, Poland seal missile deal

Agency, Warsaw

The US and Poland have signed a deal to locate part of the US's controversial missile defence system on Polish soil.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice travelled to Warsaw for the ceremony, after 18 months of negotiations.

The deal has angered Russia, which has warned the base could become a target for a nuclear strike.

Washington says the system will protect the US and much of Europe against missile attacks from "rogue elements" in the Middle East such as Iran.

The agreement, which has yet to be ratified by the Polish parliament, was signed by Ms Rice and Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the negotiations had been "tough, but friendly", adding that the deal would make both Poland and the US more secure.

Ms Rice said the signing of the document was an extraordinary occasion, adding that the agreement would help Nato, Poland and the US respond to "the threats of the 21st Century".

Speaking during the signing ceremony at the presidential palace in Warsaw, she emphasised that the missile system was "defensive and aimed at no-one".

While Washington believes placing 10 interceptor missiles on a disused military base near Poland's Baltic Sea coast will protect much of Nato against possible long-range attacks, Warsaw sees threats much closer to home, says the BBC's Adam Easton in Warsaw.

That is why it demanded - in exchange for hosting the base - short-range Patriot missiles for its own air defences and a guarantee that the US will come to its assistance in the event of an attack, our correspondent adds.

The demands had delayed the deal's completion, but the conflict in Georgia gave the negotiations more impetus, says the BBC's Kim Ghattas, who is travelling with Ms Rice.

Both the US and Poland say the system is not aimed against Russia.

But the agreement has infuriated Moscow, our correspondent adds. Russia's deputy chief of general staff, Gen Anatoly Nogovitsyn, said last week the plans for a missile base in Poland "could not go unpunished".

"It is a cause for regret that at a time when we are already in a difficult situation, the American side further exacerbates the situation in relations between the United States and Russia," he said. Moscow has argued the project will upset the military balance in Europe and has warned it will be forced to redirect its missiles at Poland.

But Polish President Lech Kaczynski stressed the missile defence shield was purely a defensive system and not a threat. "For that reason, no-one who has good intentions towards us and towards the Western world should be afraid of it," he said on Wednesday.

UK accused of masterminding Musharraf exit deal

BBC News, Islamabad

One of Pakistan's most prominent pro-democracy leaders, Aitzaz Ahsan, has accused a senior British diplomat of undermining his country's rule of law.

Sir Mark Lyall Grant was in Pakistan recently and reportedly urged the government to give President Musharraf immunity if he resigned.

Mr Ahsan said that any deal to give the president "safe passage" was wrong.

The British Foreign Office told the BBC it was working to avoid confrontation in Pakistan.

Mr Musharraf stepped down on Monday after nine years in power to avoid a move by the government to impeach him.

As President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Aitzaz Ahsan has emerged as one of the most effective and powerful pro-democracy leaders in Pakistan.

So his criticism of senior British Foreign Office official Sir Mark Lyall Grant, who recently visited Pakistan, is significant.

The Pakistani press reported that Sir Mark urged the government in Islamabad to reach a deal with the president by which he would resign and thereby escape prosecution.

"It's the Brits who have stitched the deal," Mr Ahsan said.

"Mark Lyall Grantt won't put a single man, a Britisher or non-Britisher in England or in the United Kingdom above the law and yet he comes here and puts the president above the law.

"Today giving safe passage out to Musharraf is allowing safe passage in to the next man three years down the line."

He said that Mr Lyall Grant was a "key figure" in undermining the rule of law.

Mr Ahsan said that he wanted President Musharraf to be tried in Pakistan for abrogating the constitution when he sacked scores of judges last November.

He himself was put under house arrest for his involvement in efforts to restore Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court after President Musharraf suspended the constitution and removed him from the bench.

The British foreign office has responded to Mr Ahsan's statement by issuing a statement saying it had not prescribed a specific solution to Pakistan's political crisis.

It said that London was however keen that Pakistan found a way out of confrontation.

It is not the first time that Sir Mark Lyall Grant has played an active and controversial role in Pakistani politics.