The New Nation - Internet Edition

Kenya deports anti-Obama author

AP, Nairobi

The neoconservative author of an anti-Barack Obama book was detained and ordered out of Kenya on Tuesday night for not having a proper work permit, said Kenyan officials.

Jerome Corsi, who wrote "Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality," had planned to launch his far-right tract in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Tuesday.

However, immigration officials intercepted him as he arrived at a luxury hotel where the launch event was due to take place.

This is the second time Dr. Corsi has been involved in an effort to question the credentials of the Democratic presidential candidate. The episode also underscores the depth of support for Senator Obama in Kenya. His book has angered many ordinary Kenyans who view Obama-the son of a Kenyan goat herder who grew up to become a government economist-as a hero.

It questions Obama's fitness to hold office, rakes over his family history, and explores alleged links with the Kenyan prime minister, Raila Odinga.

"We are going to leave for London tonight," said Corsi's assistant, Tim Bueler, on Tuesday afternoon.

"Our passports and visas are in order but it seems the Kenyan authorities have lost our arrival cards, which we filled in on the plane coming here," he said. "So we will leave while they complete their investigations, but have been told we can return."

As well as launching his book, Corsi planned to visit Obama's half-brother George, who was recently found to be living in squalid conditions in a Nairobi slum.

Corsi, who wrote "Unfit for Command" in 2004 as part of an attempt to malign John Kerry's Vietnam record, said he had a check for $1,000 to give to George.

The writer has been in Kenya since last Thursday.

But it seems the Kenyan authorities woke up to his presence on Tuesday morning when local newspapers advertised the book launch.

The Standard, a Kenyan newspaper, quoted a press release saying: "Dr. Corsi will also expose details of deep secret ties between US presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama and a section of Kenya government leaders, their connection to certain sectoral groups in Kenya and subsequent plot to be executed in Kenya should Sen Obama win the American presidency."

Obama has ancestral roots in the Luo tribe of Western Kenya, as does Odinga.

Raila narrowly lost December's presidential election which was marred by widespread vote rigging. His defeat prompted widespread violence which left some 1,500 dead.

Apparel industry unveils ambitious target $25b export, 2m more jobs in five years

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh apparel-industry leaders Tuesday unveiled an ambitious export target of US $ 25 billion and additional 2 million jobs in next five years, keeping well in mind impacts of possible long-term recession following the recent global financial flu.

" We have proved ourselves as a strong player in the apparel sector so far and have been branded among the best competitive RMG producers," President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Anwar-Ul-Alam Chowdhury told members of the Overseas Corespondents Association, Bangladesh (OCAB) at his office ahead of their mega-event Batexpo-2008.

He said the Ready Made Garment (RMG) exports rose to US$ 10.7 billion in the last fiscal year and the first month of present fiscal recorded a 71 percent growth, which he said not only impressive but also reflects the industry's strength and capability.

Chowdhury, however, did not rule out any adverse impact of a possible longer recession due to the global economic recession and urged government policymakers to evolve immediate action plans to face up to the future challenges.

The BGMEA president said Bangladesh's competitors like India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Thailand and even China already devalued their currencies. Without wasting time, policymakers and economic experts should work out effective measures to protect the industry, the "backbone" of the national economy.

He said the BGMEA is making relentless effort to promote the market of the garment industry and are actively involved in international trade negotiations multilaterally through WTO and bilaterally.

Saying that they are aware of challenges and weakness of the industry, Chowdhury noted that the apparel sector is currently suffering from shortage of workers up to 25 percent and mid-management staff.

Currently 2.5 million workers, mostly female, are employed in the sector.

Chowdhury said the BGMEA has focussed on developing skills of the workers at 7 Technical Training Centers (TTC) and signed an MOU with the government to use 23 more TTCs which will be operative by December 2008.

This program would produce 15,000 trained workers annually. So far, 7000 students have successfully completed their training and found their place in different factories.

Besides, he said, some 5,000 students came out from BGMEA Institute of Fashion and Technology and are working for this sector. They are now planning to set up a private university on fashion design. An agreement was recently signed with London College of fashion to promote and diversify the garment products.

BATEXPO 2008, the 19th Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition, will be held November 6-8 at Sonargaon Hotel.

Chief Advisor Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed would inaugurate the exposition as chief guest while Chief of Army Staff General Moeen U Ahmed attend the closing ceremony as chief guest.

BATEXPO, the largest clothing exposition in the Asia-Pacific region, will enable foreign buyers and their representatives to see Bangladeshi textiles, clothing and accessories.

In the past, buyers from the USA, Canada, the U.K, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and many other countries attended the exposition. Last year BATEXPO got spot orders worth US$ 55 million.

This year the organizers expect more buyers as 65 different organizations have already registered to display their products in 75 stalls.

During the 3-day exposition, four seminars and three BATEXPO cultural nights will be held on November 6-8.

Change of mentality, sincere work must for dev of children:CA

UNB, Dhaka

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed Tuesday emphasized on change of mentality and sincere work for overall development of children.

"A bunch of laws and charters for the welfare of children won't work for their overall development if we don't bring change in our mentality and work sincerely for the children," he said at a function at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium.

Dr Fakhruddin said the question should come to the minds of all: Can' t we do something for the welfare of children from one's respective position?

"One question rises in my mind: Are all children of our country in good condition? The answer is: No, they are not."

He said: "How a child will become a good citizen without getting proper education and also proper physical and mental growth and development?"

The function marking the World Child Day and Child Rights Week 2008 was organized by the Women and Children Affairs Ministry.

The Chief Adviser formally opened the Child Week 2008. The theme of this year's Child Rights Week is: Creating a Protective Environment for Child Development.

World Child Day and Child Rights Week 2008 is being observed in the country October 14-20 instead of September 29-October 5 considering the holy Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr and Durga Puja.

Women and Children Affairs Adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury presided over the function. Secretary of the Ministry Rokeya Sultana and Farhan Tanvir, on behalf of children, also spoke at the function.

Advisers, Special Assistants to the Chief Adviser, and children from various organizations were present.

Addressing the function, the Chief Adviser said to ensure a nation's future there is no alternative but to ensuring the safety of children, protecting their health and overall development and welfare.

He called upon all guardians, well-off persons, civil society, all child-welfare oriented government and non-government institutions to take more effective initiatives for the welfare of children.

"Let us work collectively to ensure a good future for the next generation," he said.

Dr Fakhruddin said: "The urgency to make a safe and good environment for today's child - future of tomorrow - will have to be felt by all of us."

Responding to the appeal of a child speaker, he hoped that the concerned Ministry would take steps to involve children in the national development process.

Referring to various programmes and schemes for children particularly for the under-privileged and working children as well as juveniles, the Chief Adviser asked the Ministries concerned to take more effective programmes and initiatives and ensure their timely implementation for the welfare of the children.

He advised the children to study properly, prepare them for the future, be good humans and engage themselves for the welfare of the country and its people.

Later, an impressive cultural performance was staged by the children. The Chief Adviser witnessed the event for sometime.

Expanding commercial routes: Biman faces setback

UNB, Dhaka

Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national airliner, is experiencing a setback to expand its commercial activities in off-track areas, especially in hotel business, as it went for the re-tender to construct a 4-star hotel in the city.

Biman's move to build various commercially viable structures on its own lands across the country for enhancing its revenue earnings, accommodation of layover passengers and minimizing operational costs failed to get proper response from concerned quarters, according to Biman sources.

Early this year, Biman Bangladesh authorities decided to construct a 4-star hotel in Dhaka.

In this connection, they also floated a tender in June to get expression of interest (EOI) from the investors, but it failed to attract the investors.

"We've got only two responses from our first tender to construct the 4-star hotel and both the responses were not up to the mark. That's why we went for re-tender," Biman Bangladesh Airlines director (planning) Nafees Ahmed Imtiazuddin told UNB over telephone.

The location of the hotel is in the Farmgate area where the Biman press, medical center and poultry-display center are situated. The total land area of the hotel will be 1.33 acres.

The Biman sources said that the eligibility for participating in the EOI requires that the applicants have experience of running reputed hotel chains/operators, or local/foreign firms in association/joint-venture with reputed hotel chains/operators.

The hotel may be operated under Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) or Build Operate Own and Transfer (BOOT) or Build Operate and Own (BOO) agreement, or any other such deal for that matter.

At present, on the land for the proposed hotel site, there are two old buildings housing the Biman Press, Medical Centre and Poultry Display Centre.

Considering its prime location in the central business district of the metropolitan city of Dhaka, Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd. intends to implement a 4-Star Hotel Project on this piece of land, where Biman's layover passengers may be accommodated and Biman would also be able to earn maximum revenue.

With this background and objective, Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd. invited applications from the eligible applicants (Reputed Hotel Chains/Operators or Local/Foreign Firms in association/joint-venture with reputed Hotel Chains/Operators) to indicate their interest to construct and operate the Hotel Project.

The construction of the 4-star hotel came in front as the Board of Directors of Biman Bangladesh Airlines Limited wanted to utilize such spaces at optimum level.

Biman sources said that the airline has to pay Tk 8 million to 10 million per month for accommodation of its layover passengers in different hotels.

On the other hand, another move to rent the Biman building at Motijheel also saw same problem as the move to rent different level of the building did not get the desired response.

Biman presently owns three types of aircraft-four DC10-30s, four F-28s, and three A310-300s. Manufacture of DC10-30s and F-28s has been discontinued because of their lack of viability in business.

Out of the four DC10-30s, three are 29 years old while the other is 17 years old, the four F-28s are 31 years old, and two of the A310-300s are 11 years old while the other is 7 years old.

Biman got the nod to become a public limited company in July last year.

Biman has signed a long-range deal for the purchase of eight Boeing aircraft at a cost of US$ 1.265 billion. Four of the aircraft will be available in 2013 and four others in 2019.

President asks varsities: Ensure efficient teaching staff, latest curricula

UNB, Dhaka

As the quality of varsity education came under question, President Prof Dr Iajuddin Ahmed Tuesday suggested evaluating the standards of the education being imparted by the universities, particularly private ones.

"I am actuated by the urge to call all concerned to provide congenial atmosphere of education, including efficient teaching staff, state-of-the-art curricula, sufficient library and laboratory facilities, diverse extracurricular activities etc," he said.

The President made the call while addressing the 1st convocation of Prime University at Bangladesh- China Friendship Conference Centre, a day after the government's education ministry issued a note of warning for students and guardians about mushrooming private universities, many of them running without valid permission.

Referring to the Private University Act, he said the law was enacted in 1992 with the aim of spreading quality education through creating more seats at tertiary level. With the passage of time, a good number of Private Universities have been established in the country and a huge number of students have been passing out from these universities every year.

The President, who is also Chancellor of the University, asked Bangladesh University Grants Commission to strictly oversee the activities of the Universities in order to ensure quality education.

Dr Ahmed hoped that the new graduates would confidently shoulder the responsibilities for developing the country in diverse fields.

About 2,300 students in over 15 different educational programmes in different disciplines graduated. Six meritorious students were awarded gold medals for their outstanding performance.

Quality edn must for dev: Moeen

Netrakona Correspondent

The chief of Bangladesh Army General Moeen U Ahmed here yesterday underlined the need for concerted efforts of all for spreading the light of education in every areas of the country for building up the nation as an educated nation and freeing the nation from the curse of poverty and terrorism.

He said, the progress and prosperity of a nation is quite impossible without education, so we should flourish quality education for ensuring overall development of the country.

The Army chief was addressing as chief guest an inaugural ceremony of a newly constructed classroom bhaban of Krishna Gobinda High School at the school premises at village Bangla under Netrakona Sadar Upazila on Tuesday.

Presided over by Deputy Commissioner Netrakona Mufazzel Husain , the class room inaugural function was addressed, among others, by GOC of 19th Army infanty division Major General AKM Mujaheeduddin, former member of National Revenue Board Asim Kumer Ray and Headmaster of the school Azit Kumer Singha.

4 Harkatul Jihad activists held

UNB, Khulna

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members arrested four suspected members of banned Islamist outfit Harkatul Jihad Al Islami (Huji) from inside a mosque in the city yesterday afternoon.

On information, a team of RAB-6 raided Darus Salam Mosque in the city' s Khalispur area at about 5:00 pm and arrested the four young men identified as Mijanur Rahman, 22, Omar Faruk, 26, Yusuf Al Helel, 21, and Mujahidul Islam, 19.

They were holding a meeting inside the mosque, the sources said.

RAB-6, in a press briefing in this evening, said that the suspects were being interrogated.

Prof Dr Md Saifuddin Shah new VC of Khulna University UNB, Khulna The government yesterday appointed Prof Dr Md Saifuddin Shah as the new Vice-Chancellor of Khulna University.

As a senior most Professor, Dr Saifuddin had been acting VC since February 28.

He has been appointed on a four-year term under section 11(1) of Khulna University Act 1990, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Education.

He joined the Fisheries Marine Resources Technology Department in 1995 as a Professor.

From the Foreign Press: Clash of faiths sows panic and destruction in India

Somini Sengupta

BOREPANGA, India - The family of Solomon Digal was summoned by neighbours to what serves as a public square in front of the village tea shop.

They were ordered to get on their knees and bow before the portrait of a Hindu preacher. They were told to turn over their Bibles, hymnals and the two brightly coloured calendar images of Christ that hung on their wall. Then, Mr. Digal, 45, a Christian since childhood, was forced to watch his Hindu neighbours set the items on fire.

"'Embrace Hinduism, and your house will not be demolished,' " Mr. Digal recalled being told on that Wednesday afternoon in September. " 'Otherwise, you will be killed, or you will be thrown out of the village.' "

India, the world's most populous democracy and officially a secular nation, is today haunted by a stark assault on one of its fundamental freedoms. Here in eastern Orissa State, riven by six weeks of religious clashes, Christian families like the Digals say they are being forced to abandon their faith in exchange for their safety.

The forced conversions come amid widening attacks on Christians here and in at least five other states across the country, as India prepares for national elections next spring.

The clash of faiths has cut a wide swath of panic and destruction through these once quiet hamlets fed by paddy fields and jackfruit trees. Here in Kandhamal, the district that has seen the greatest violence, more than 30 people have been killed, 3,000 homes burned and over 130 churches destroyed, including the tin-roofed Baptist prayer hall where the Digals worshipped. Today it is a heap of rubble on an empty field, where cows blithely graze.

Across this ghastly terrain lie the singed remains of mud-and-thatch homes. Christian-owned businesses have been systematically attacked. Orange flags (orange is the sacred colour of Hinduism) flutter triumphantly above the rooftops of houses and storefronts. India is no stranger to religious violence between Christians, who make up about 2 percent of the population, and India's Hindu-majority of 1.1 billion people. But this most recent spasm is the most intense in years.

It was set off, people here say, by the killing on Aug. 23 of a charismatic Hindu preacher known as Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, who for 40 years had rallied the area's people to choose Hinduism over Christianity.

The police have blamed Maoist guerrillas for the swami's killing. But Hindu radicals continue to hold Christians responsible.

In recent weeks, they have plastered these villages with gruesome posters of the swami's hacked corpse. "Who killed him?" the posters ask. "What is the solution?"

Behind the clashes are long-simmering tensions between equally impoverished groups: the Panas and Kandhas. Both original inhabitants of the land, the two groups for ages worshipped the same gods. Over the past several decades, the Panas for the most part became Christian, as Roman Catholic and Baptist missionaries arrived here more than 60 years ago, followed more recently by Pentecostals, who have proselytised more aggressively.

Meanwhile, the Kandhas, in part through the teachings of Swami Laxmanananda, embraced Hinduism. The men tied the sacred Hindu white thread around their torsos; their wives daubed their foreheads with bright red vermilion. Temples sprouted.

Hate has been fed by economic tensions as well, as the government has categorised each group differently and given them different privileges.

The Kandhas accused the Panas of cheating to obtain coveted quotas for government jobs. The Christian Panas, in turn, say their neighbours have become resentful as they have educated themselves and prospered.

Their grievances have erupted in sporadic clashes over the past 15 years, but they have exploded with a fury since the killing of Swami Laxmanananda.

Two nights after his death, a Hindu mob in the village of Nuagaon dragged a Catholic priest and a nun from their residence, tore off much of their clothing and paraded them through the streets.

(Herald Tribune)

WB help to trust fund for climate change assured

UNB, Dhaka

The World Bank will do its best to immediately operationalize the Multi-Donor Trust Fund for Climate Change and mobilize resources for the Fund, including those from the Bank's newly established climate investment funds.

The assurance came when Finance Adviser Dr Mirza Azizul Islam, now in Washington, DC to participate in the annual meetings of World Bank and IMF, sought such assistance during a meeting on Sunday with World Bank managing director Ms Ngozi N Okonjo-Iweala and senior World Bank officials of the Sustainable Development Network, according to a delayed message received here Tuesday.

During the meeting, the World Bank managing director disclosed that a special World Bank mission would be fielded within a few weeks to finalize the framework of the Multi-Donor Trust Fund in association with the government and other donors and to develop a pipeline of projects for the next year.

Ms Okonjo-Iweala congratulated the government on very efficient management of Bangladesh economy in the face of global challenges like oil and food price spikes and devastating natural disasters at home.

The performance of the Bangladesh economy, she said, has been better than many developing countries.

She also appreciated the government's initiative to finalize its Climate Change Action Plan and for holding a very high level conference in London in collaboration with DFID to mobilize support for the plan.

The World Bank managing director mentioned that Bangladesh is the first country to launch such an initiative.

Graft cases: Hearing on Hasina’s quashment petition Oct 19

UNB, Dhaka

The High Court yesterday held back for five days the hearing of its rules on quashing petitions filed against Niko and Barge-mounted power-plant graft cases by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, now abroad on parole for treatment of her eyes and ears.

A division bench comprising Justice Sheik Rezowan Ali and Justice M Rais Uddin, backing the argument by Hasina's counsel, deferred the hearing to October 19.

As the duo-rules came up for analogous hearing, Barrister Shafique Ahmed submitted that the hearing should not be held at this stage until the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) petition pending with the Appellate Division for vacating this court's previous orders of extension of stay on the trial proceedings of the two cases are disposed of.

"There is no scope for opening the hearing as the matter is subjudice," the counsel pleaded.

On September 27, the HC, following petition, extended the stay up to October 14 and set the same date for hearing on the rules.

On July 7, the High Court stayed for two months the proceedings of the Niko and the Barge-mounted power-plant graft cases following Hasina's separate quashing petitions.

Graft case: 10 commissioners of B’bara jailed

UNB, Brahmanbaria

As many as ten commissioners of Kosba pourasava were sentenced to two years imprisonment by a court here Tuesday for corruption in a case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission under the countrywide purge.

The convicted commissioners are Jasimuddin, Hira, Chand Miah, Abul Hashem, Akter Hossain, Nizamuddin Dhanu, Ayesha Begum, Sheuli Akter, Nurunnabi Dulal and Anwara Begum.

They stood in the dock as dumbfounded as the judgment pronounced the punishment for the wrongdoing on part of the elected public representatives.

The commissioners were also fined to pay different amounts of money as a pecuniary punishment.

Pollution may hit Himalayan monsoon clouds

Reuters, Oslo

Higher levels of pollution in Asia may affect the formation of clouds high in the Himalayas, perhaps disrupting monsoons and speeding a thaw of glaciers, according to a study on Monday.

The report, by scientists in France and Italy, found microscopic particles in the air that can be seeds for water droplets at a Nepalese mountain observatory, the highest in the world at 5,079 metres above sea level. It was the first time scientists had observed such particles forming so high, far above those seen in previous studies from Europe and Japan. "We think it's because there's a lot of pollution in the valleys which rises and meets clean air masses higher up. This creates new particles," Karine Sellegri at the Universite Blaise Pascal in France, one of the authors, told Reuters.

The study, in the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said the particles might come from smoke from people burning wood in Himalayan valleys. Or some might have a natural origin, from vegetation.

Still, the scientists pointed to wider risks of the cloud-forming mechanism.

"Rising air pollution levels in South Asia will have worldwide environmental consequences," they wrote.

"Transport of pollutants from the densely populated regions of India, Pakistan, China and Nepal to the Himalayas may lead to substantial radiative forcing (warming effect) in South Asia."

In turn, that could affect the formation of monsoons, disrupt the regional climate and have "dramatic impacts on glacier retreat" in the Himalayas, they wrote.

The U.N. Climate Panel said last year that Himalayan glaciers, which feed rivers on which hundreds of millions of people depend, could shrink to 100,000 square kms by 2030 from 500,000 now because of global warming.

Sellegri added, however, that it was too early to know exactly what impact rising pollution would have in the Himalayas. "We need more modelling," she said.