1st Bangladeshi on Mount Everest

Nepal, May 23, 2010 (SANS Correspondent) :

Musa Ibrahim, climbed the Himalayan mountain highest peak ‘Mount Everest’ in Nepal, as first Bangladdeshi. ‘Today morning the news came from the Everest base camp to tour operator, who organized Musa's tour, informed The Bangladesh Embassy, Katmandu’ told Nasrin Jahan Lipi, Head of Chancery, Embassy of Bangladesh, Katmandu, to SANS on Sunday evening.

‘Mr. Kamal Aryal, CEO of Muktinath Travels, and organizer of Musa’s journey have confirmed the news from the Everest Base Camp’ said Nasin Jahan Lipi. She added, ‘We hope Musa will come back Katmandu by a week.’

Musa Ibrahim, President of North Apline Club, Dhaka started his journey to Everest on 12 April this year.

The Embassy of Bangladesh in Kathmandu congratulates Musa Ibrahim on this great victory for the country. This remarkable event will be celebrated by the Embassy after Musa's arrival in Kathmandu.

Dhaka-Moscow signed Nuke Co-operation Agreement

Dhaka, May 21, 2010 (SANS Correspondet):

Bangladesh and Russia signed a 5-years Framework Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of the use of Nuclear Energy for ‘Peaceful Purposes’ Friday.

‘Architect Yeafesh Osman, State Minister for Science and ICT, on behalf of the Bangladesh government signed ‘Framework Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of the Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes’ for a five-year term with possible tacit extension every five years, while Sergey Kiriyenko, signed on behalf of the Russian government.’ A release sent by of Ministry of Foreign affairs, (MoFA) Bangladesh mentioned.

Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, who held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, witnessed the signing ceremony. Lavrov expressed his government’s full support for establishing nuclear power plants in Bangladesh. Both the Foreign Ministers expressed satisfaction over the signing of the agreement.  

‘Both the countries agreed that the signing of the ‘Agreement’ would be followed by the subsequent ‘inter-governmental agreements’ on technical and financial aspects,’ said the release of MoFA.   

After signing the deal, Sergey Kiriyenko, Director General of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) told, ‘by signing the agreement, now Russia is ready to help Bangladesh to make use of nuclear technologies for peaceful purpose, as well as in the field of generating electricity.’ He added, both the countries will establish a Joint Coordination Committee to control the implementation of this agreement. The committee will hold its meetings on an ‘as-needed basis’in Russia and Bangladesh alternately, said Sergey Kiriyenko.  

‘According to the agreement, the Parties shall assure the transfer of materials, technologies, equipment and services for implementation of joint programs in the field of the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.’ said in the release. It added, ‘the agreement also provides for cooperation in the areas of prospecting and developing uranium and thorium deposits, nuclear fuel cycle services, including supplies of nuclear fuel to power and research reactors.’

The document regulates issues of disposal of Russian nuclear fuel waste, handling radioactive waste and maintaining nuclear and radiation safety. MoFA release said, ‘the Russia and Bangladesh will cooperate in the area of physical protection of nuclear materials and will take joint emergency actions.’   

Chief of Rosatom, Sergey Kiriyenko, who is also the former Prime Minister of Russia (March 23 to August 23, 1998 under President Boris Yeltsin), expressed Russia’s ‘full support and commitment’ for establishing nuclear power plants in Bangladesh. He added, ‘A high-level delegation from Russia will visit Bangladesh soon to take forward next steps in implementing the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Project.’

The release said, As per the agreement, the future cooperation between the two countries would include, among others, (i) design, construction and operation of nuclear power and research reactors; (ii) Nuclear fuel supply, taking back the spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste management; (iii) personnel training and capacity building for operation and maintenance of the Plants; (iv) Research, education and training of personnel in the Russian Federation in the field of the use of nuclear energy; (v) development of innovative reactor technologies in accordance with IAEA safety requirements, nonproliferation of nuclear weapons and environmental protection; and (vi) exploration and mining of uranium and thorium deposits.

Dr. SM Saiful Hoque, Bangladesh Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Md. Abdur Rob Howlader, Secretary, Ministry of Science and ICT, AFM Gousal Azam Sarker, Director General (Europe and EU), Dr. Farid Uddin Ahmed, Member, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, and Dr. Mohammad Shawkat Akbar, Project Director of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Project, were present at the signing ceremony.

Bangladesh side requested the Russian authorities to assist in establishing two Nuclear Reactors with the capacity of 1000 MW each. 

BDST: 2035, May 21, 2010

AKR/

Bangladesh, UK reject Huji 'torture' claims

SANS News Desk: 

The British government had no involvement in the 'serious mistreatment' of Gholam Moustafa, an alleged leader of the banned Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI), a British High Commission spokesman tells bdnews24.com The Bangladesh foreign ministry also told bdnews24.com that it had not received any information that Moustafa, a Briton, had been mistreated by his own law-enforcement officers.
Saida Muna Tasneem, a director general from the foreign ministry, said that the government would investigate any allegation passed to it by the British mission. An article in Wednesday's edition of the UK's Guardian newspaper claimed that Bangladesh authorities had seriously mistreated Moustafa in detention and that officials of MI5, the UK's counter-intelligence agency, may have been complicit.
The newspaper said that according to his family, "Moustafa appeared to have a swollen face when he was paraded before television cameras shortly after his arrest." It goes on to say: "When he appeared in court 11 days later [on 27 April] a journalist working for the Guardian could see that he was unable to stand throughout the proceedings, at one point sinking to his knees."
It stated that he had told a British consular official that "he had been forced to assume stressful positions for long periods during questioning at a detention centre known as the Taskforce for Interrogation Cell, where the use of torture is alleged to be common." The newspaper did not set out any actual evidence of british government complicity in the alleged torture.
A spokesman for the British High Commission told this correspondent on Thursday that the High Commission first came to know about Moustafa's arrest through a newspaper report on 16 April, the day after he was detained. "This was a Friday. On Sunday, 18th April, the next working day, we sent a formal request for consular access to the foreign ministry and we followed this up with phone calls," he said. The High Commission spokesperson said it usually takes about six to eight weeks for the Bangladesh government to give consular access.
However, he said on April 29, two weeks after his arrest, the British mission received a letter from Moustafa's UK solicitors containing allegations that he was being mistreated. On that day, he said that the High Commission sent an "urgent access request" to the foreign ministry and two days later, on May 1, it received permission to see him. The next day, consular officials met Moustafa at Dhaka Central Jail. The spokesperson declined to comment on what Moustafa had told the officials when they had met. "Anything that was said in that conversation is confidential," he said. The spokesperson told bdnews24.com that prior to this meeting, no British government official had any contact or conversations with either Moustafa or the law-enforcing officers that were involved in his detention.
"On the question of allegation of torture, we take any such allegations very seriously. The UK government's position on torture is clear. We condemn it wholeheartedly. We do not torture people and we do not ask others to do so on our behalf," he said. He added that a further application for consular access had been sought from the Bangladesh authorities. We will continue to offer Moustafa appropriate help and support in accordance with our consular responsibilities," he stated.
Moustafa was arrested in Sylhet for trying to organise and strengthen HuJI. The alleged militant was earlier arrested on Dec 2, 2007 from a house in the capital's Bashundhara residential area, where allegedly a pistol and five books calling for holy war were found in his possession. For this offence, Mostafa was sentenced to 17 years in prison in Bangladesh but secured bail from the High Court. 

7 Things to Stop Doing Now on Facebook

SANS News Desk: 

Using a Weak Password

Avoid simple names or words you can find in a dictionary, even with numbers tacked on the end. Instead, mix upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. A password should have at least eight characters. One good technique is to insert numbers or symbols in the middle of a word, such as this variant on the word "houses": hO27usEs!

Leaving Your Full Birth Date in Your Profile

It's an ideal target for identity thieves, who could use it to obtain more information about you and potentially gain access to your bank or credit card account. If you've already entered a birth date, go to your profile page and click on the Info tab, then on Edit Information. Under the Basic Information section, choose to show only the month and day or no birthday at all.

Overlooking Useful Privacy Controls

For almost everything in your Facebook profile, you can limit access to only your friends, friends of friends, or yourself. Restrict access to photos, birth date, religious views, and family information, among other things. You can give only certain people or groups access to items such as photos, or block particular people from seeing them. Consider leaving out contact info, such as phone number and address, since you probably don't want anyone to have access to that information anyway.

Posting Your Child's Name in a Caption

Don't use a child's name in photo tags or captions. If someone else does, delete it by clicking on Remove Tag. If your child isn't on Facebook and someone includes his or her name in a caption, ask that person to remove the name.

Mentioning That You'll Be Away From Home

That's like putting a "no one's home" sign on your door. Wait until you get home to tell everyone how awesome your vacation was and be vague about the date of any trip.

Letting Search Engines Find You

To help prevent strangers from accessing your page, go to the Search section of Facebook's privacy controls and select Only Friends for Facebook search results. Be sure the box for public search results isn't checked.

Permitting Youngsters to Use Facebook Unsupervised

Facebook limits its members to ages 13 and over, but children younger than that do use it. If you have a young child or teenager on Facebook, the best way to provide oversight is to become one of their online friends. Use your e-mail address as the contact for their account so that you receive their notifications and monitor their activities. "What they think is nothing can actually be pretty serious," says Charles Pavelites, a supervisory special agent at the Internet Crime Complaint Center. For example, a child who posts the comment "Mom will be home soon, I need to do the dishes" every day at the same time is revealing too much about the parents' regular comings and goings.

(Source: Consumer Reports Magazine, Wednesday, May 12, 2010)

Bangladesh: Air and Sea ports hit by launch workers strike

 
Dhaka, May 12, 2010 (SANS Correspondent):

The ongoing strike by a section of water transport workers is seriously impacting both sea and air ports. Unloading at the Mongla port is almost at a halt and least 23 ships are waiting at the outer anchorage of the Chittagong port for unloading. Shahjalal International Airport had notified all operators that it would not be possible to refuel aircraft after midnight Tuesday given their low stock.
However on the fifth day of the strike most of the passenger launches scheduled to leave Sadarghat terminal have already left.
Kazi Abdus Salam, assistant manager (Traffic) of the Mongla port said that although five ships carrying food, and one ship carrying fertilizer have anchored at the port, they are not being unloaded as work at the mooring has been suspended for the last five days. Unloading from a container ship is going ahead as it anchored at the jetty, he told. Nearly 200 cargo ships, coasters and barges are sitting idle in and around the Mongla port.
Syed Forhad Uddin Ahmed, secretary of the Chittagong port authority told that there are 23 ships waiting at the outer anchorage of the port and failing to unload as the lighter vessels used for this purpose are not available due to the strike.
The strike is also threatening airline operations in Dhaka's international airport.
Shahjalal International Airport had notified all operators that it would not be possible to refuel aircraft after midnight Tuesday given their low stock. On Tuesday, the director of the airport, Wing Commander Sayeedul Hasan Khan, told bdnews24.com citing a notice dated May 9 from Padma Oil, the main supplier of jet fuel, that the strike has prevented oil transportation and unloading from tankers.
In Sadarghat seven out of ten launches scheduled to leave the terminal had left by 11am. A total of 16 launches arrived at the terminal, said the traffic inspector of Sadarghat Mahtab Uddin.
The strike started on Friday midnight as the Noujan Sramik Federation rejected a government announcement of a new pay scale increasing wages by between 50 to100 percent against a demand from them of a 300-350 percent rise. Some unions have already agreed to the pay hike.
Shipping minister Shahjahan Khan, however, had termed the strike 'irrational' as it was called even after declaring the new pay scale. On Sunday the minister called for the workers to call off the strike and to sit in a meeting. The workers rejected the call and demanded the resignation of the minister.
On Monday, the federation's acting president Shah Alam was arrested on Monday in a case for vandalising the office of the pro-government Noujan Sramik League which had filed a case on Sunday against 125 federation members.
Abul Kashem Master, joint secretary of the Noujan Sramik Federation told that they will continue the strike until their leader Shah Alam is released and their demands are met.

UK coalition government sets to work

London, May 12, 2010 (SANS Correspondent): 

New UK Prime Minister David Cameron is beginning to shape his government, after the Conservatives agreed to form a historic coalition with the Lib Dems. Mr Cameron, 43, was installed as PM on a dramatic day that saw Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg announced as his deputy.Mr Clegg has arrived at 10 Downing Street where he and Mr Cameron shook hands and waved to photographers.

Four other Lib Dems will take cabinet posts in what is the first coalition government in the UK for 70 years.Mr Cameron vowed to set aside party differences and Mr Clegg urged doubting Lib Dem voters to "keep faith with us".The coalition is the first time the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have had a power-sharing deal at Westminster and the first coalition in the UK of any type since the Second World War. 

Brown resignation:

Mr Cameron's arrival in Downing Street marks the end of 13 years of Labour rule.

The Tory leader, who is six months younger than Tony Blair was when he entered Downing Street in 1997, is the youngest prime minister since 1812 and the first Old Etonian to hold the office since the early 1960s.

The Conservatives won the most seats in last week's general election, but not enough to secure an overall Commons majority, resulting in a hung Parliament. Following days of talks between the Tories and Lib Dems - and also the Lib Dems and Labour - on forming a new government, a deal was reached on Tuesday that resulted in Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown resigning.

Mr Cameron has begun appointing his first cabinet, with the Tories' George Osborne as Chancellor, William Hague as Foreign Secretary, Liam Fox as Defence Secretary and Andrew Lansley as Health Secretary.

Mr Clegg's chief of staff, Danny Alexander, who was part of the party's negotiating team, is to be Scottish Secretary, the BBC understands. Lib Dem Treasury spokesman Vince Cable has been given responsibility for "business and banks" but it is not known if his title will be chief secretary to the Treasury, a senior Lib Dem source said.There are expected to be about 20 Lib Dems in government jobs in total.

Meanwhile, details have been emerging from Conservative sources about the new government's programme, including:

• There will be a "significant acceleration" of efforts to reduce the budget deficit - including £6bn of spending reductions this year. An emergency Budget will take place within 50 days
• Plans for five-year, fixed-term parliaments, meaning the next election would not take place until May 2015
• The Lib Dems have agreed to drop plans for a "mansion tax" on properties costing more than £2m, while the Conservatives have ditched their pledge to raise the inheritance tax threshold to £1m
• The new administration will scrap part of Labour's planned rise in National Insurance and will work towards raising income tax thresholds for lower earners
• A pledge to have a referendum on any further transfer of powers to the EU and a commitment from the Lib Dems not to adopt the euro for the lifetime of the next Parliament
• The Lib Dems have agreed to Tory proposals for a cap on non-EU migration
• The Conservatives will recognise marriage in the tax system, but Lib Dems will abstain in Commons vote
• The Lib Dems will drop opposition to a replacement for Britain's Trident nuclear missiles but the programme will be scrutinised for value for money
• There will be a referendum on moving to the Alternative Vote system and enhanced "pupil premium" for deprived children as Lib Dems demanded

The Lib Dem parliamentary party and its federal executive endorsed the coalition agreement by the required three-quarters majority shortly after midnight.

Mr Clegg said: "I hope this is the start of the new politics I have always believed in - diverse, plural, where politicians of different persuasions come together, overcome their differences in order to deliver good government for the sake of the whole country." 

He acknowledged there would be "glitches" and acknowledged Lib Dem voters would have "many questions, maybe many doubts".

"But I want to assure you that I wouldn't have entered into this agreement unless I was genuinely convinced that it offers a unique opportunity to deliver the kind of changes you and I believe in."

Mr Hague told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the two parties had dealt with an "unprecedented situation" in a "great atmosphere" and said the coalition amounted to "an important realignment of politics with a practical programme".

Asked whether it could provide stable government, he said it had required some "new ideas" - including a five year fixed term parliament.

"We have done everything possible to lock ourselves together to avoid the dangers of instability and haggling that are of course present in any hung parliament."

Illegal VoIP : Bangladesh Authority to scrap licenses of 5 PSTN operators

Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray]

SANS News Desk: 

Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has decided to cancel licenses of five landline operators, whose services it switched off in March for their involvement in illegal international call termination through VoIP technology. BTRC Chairman Zia Ahmed declined to comment on the matter. The operators are RanksTel, Dhaka Phone, National Telecom, Peoples Tel, and WorldTel. The decision was taken at a BTRC meeting on Tuesday May 11, 2010.These telephone companies were serving around six lakh clients, with RanksTel alone serving a half of them.

"We have decided to cancel the licenses of five private landline operators who were charged with involvement in illegal VoIP business," said a top official of the commission who attended the meeting. "The decision has been taken following a court order," the official said on condition of anonymity, adding that he is not the right person to make the decision public. 

Earlier in the day, in response to writ petitions filed by RanksTel and National Telecom Ltd, the High Court directed BTRC to decide within seven days whether it would cancel the licenses of the two operators. The court also ordered BTRC to appoint an administrator to each of the two companies for running their operations in the interest of their subscribers, if the commission cancels their licenses. The court also said the administrators will be appointed for six months or till disposal of the pending criminal cases filed against the companies. The cases are pending with a magistrate court in Dhaka. The administrators will place details about the subscribers of the two operators to BTRC for further action, the verdict added.

With the help of law enforcers, BTRC raided establishments of the five operators headquarters, and found hard evidence of their VoIP related operations, including equipment that are used for VoIP operation. Using voice over internet protocol (VoIP), a section of telecom operators have been involved in international call termination, channelling at least Tk 1,500 crore a year away from the legal telephone call market.

The Rapid Action Battalion drives against illegal VoIP operations exposed that a large number of operators have been in the business since 2007.

In a recent drive, BTRC nailed several such telecom companies, and suspended their regular operations. After the move, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the authorities concerned to fine telephone operators involved in "illegal" VoIP business, instead of shutting them down. The issue however went to the court as some operators sought a court decision.

Chief Operating Officer of Rankstel AK Shamsuddin told Tuesday that BTRC chose to cancel the licenses, although it had the option of fining the companies.

Among the private landline operators, RanksTel is the market leader with more than 3 lakh subscribers followed by Peoples Tel's 1.6 lakh, and National Telecom's 1.38 lakh. Dhaka Phone has 77,000 subscribers while WorldTel has 14,000. (Source: The Daily Star, Dhaka)

Many Naxals killed in a major encounter in Orissa

SANS News Desk:

There's a major encounter going on between security forces and Naxals near Narayanpatna in Koraput district of Orissa. Reports say at least 10 Naxals could have been killed in the joint operation by Orissa police and elite anti-Naxal force Greyhounds.  "Chances of casualties from the Maoist side are high, though we are yet to recover anybody after the intense gunbattle that took place since last night," Koraput District Superintendent of Police Anup Kumar Sahoo said.
However, there are indications of a couple of bodies having been dragged from the site of the encounter by the ultras while fleeing, he said. A massive combing operation was underway in the forest, he added. Police say they have found some 12 kit bags and seen marks of the Naxals' bodies dragged away, which indicates heavy casualties.
The Orissa encounter comes just a day after Naxals dealt another deadly blow to the security forces in Chhattisgarh. (Source: NDTV)

New Bangla paper in Kolkata

SANS News Desk: 

Bengal Khabar Press Private Limited, the joint venture between Eden City and Tower Group, is expected to launch its Bangla daily by the end of this month. The JV plans to invest Rs 50 crore in the new initiave. Arup Kali, director of the company, said, "We hope to launch the paper by the end of this month." He, however, declined to talk about the exact date of launching the paper. Industry sources informed that 25 April could be date of the launch.

Kali had informed Business Standard last month that the paper would target the youth and would be an upmarket paper. Initially, the paper is expected to be printed from an outside printing facility. This paper will be edited by Ashish Ghosh, formerly with Dainik Statesman. 

However, it's not that the business has been rosy for all upstart media ventures. Bengali newspapaper, Ekdin, was launched about three years back and had to be shut down soon after, but was relaunched about six months ago with a new name: iCore Ekdin since it became a part of the iCore Group. This paper is being edited by Suman Chattopadhyay, former executive editor of market leader Ananda Bazar Patrika.

Industry watchers suggest that this newspaper is making headway in terms of circulation though without much success in the advertising revenue front. In January 2010, Yug Paribartan, another Bengali daily, was launched under the editorship of Tathagata Dutta, a former partner of Kolkata TV, a Bengali news channel. On the ad-revenue front, this daily also could not taste much success till date. 

(Source: Business Standards/Goutam Ghosh, Kolkata April 15, 2010)

UK gets first Bangladeshi MP

London, May 7, 2010, (SANS Correspondent):   

Rushanara Ali made history on Friday when she became the first Bangladeshi to make it to the British parliament. The Labour Party candidate took Bethnal Green and Bow, the seat previously held by George Galloway. In the east London constituency, all of the main parties had put forward Bangladeshi-Muslim candidates. 

The 35-year-old Oxford graduate won with 21,784 votes, an 11,574 majority over Liberal Democrat Ajmal Masroor, who got 10,210 votes. Respect Party's Abjol Miah got 8,532 votes. To tumultuous applause, Ali, who has been subjected to attacks by Galloway, said: "You, the voters, decided it was time to pay our final respect to Respect. This is a victory for people here who chose hope over fear, unity over division.  "To millions of Bangladeshis around the world, it will mean so much to them that somebody of their background has been elected to the mother of all parliaments." She told journalists "We've to shun the politics of division and be engaged in mainstream politics." Ali said her first tasks would be to create employment for the youths in the constituency, work for their better future, and help the people solve their residence problem.
Masroor congratulated Ali, calling it an "historical moment" and admitted he had only found out a few days before that she was his cousin.
Born in 1975 in Burki village under Biswanath of Sylhet, Ali came to London with his parents when she was seven. She studied politics, economics and philosophy at Oxford University.

Facebook is friendlier in Bangladesh

SANS News Desk: 

    

When Facebook was launched seven years ago, no one had any idea that it would reshape human interactions.  The social networking site has quickly outshone previous modes of communication and attempts to create copycat websites have failed miserably.  The use of Facebook has become so widespread that two people who wish to stay in contact are more likely to exchange Facebook account names rather than telephone numbers.  

For some, the website has almost become a complete substitute for face-to-face contact.  But for many of the site's 400 million users, Facebook simply provides a sense of community and friendship with those whom we're not necessarily physically close to.  It's a site that encourages warm and fuzzy feelings, which is no doubt why we keep coming back for more.  This has all happened so quickly that the Microsoft Word dictionary I'm using still underlines the word "Facebook" in red.  In 2009 the cruel verb "unfriend" was named Word of the Year by the New Oxford American Dictionary.
In Bangladesh, more than half a million people use the internet, and every one in five has a Facebook account.  The number of internet users has quadrupled since 2003.  Since arriving here last October, the number of friends I have on Facebook has grown exponentially, as has the amount of time I spend on the site.  In Bangladesh, two or three minutes of real life conversation is enough to create an online friendship. Etiquette does not require a certain reticence about forging these digital connections.  And why should there be? Life's too short.
Globally, the average Facebook user has 130 friends, but I'm sure that figure would be higher in Bangladesh.  I have many Bangladeshi friends who have over a thousand friends - a few hundred seems to be the norm.  Once I sneakily peered over a friend's shoulder and discovered that he has over a thousand friend requests pending.  I couldn't help but ask why he hasn't accepted them.  For the time being he says he's content with having 750 friends that he "knows."
Not only are Bangladeshis quick to seize new friendships, but the site itself is also being used with undeniable enthusiasm.  A single photo from a party can generate more than 20 comments in less than 20 minutes.  Following the commentary between those who did and didn't attend can be almost as fun as the party itself.
Status updates also tend to have a more personal quality.  People here are not afraid to post a cry from the heart, a romantic yearning, or to air their insecurities.  There's none of that bland, "How about the weather" type of stuff that you get elsewhere.  Here's a sweet status update posted by a male friend of mine, "The best feelings are those that have no words to describe them."  If someone announces on Facebook that they are ill or that a relative has died, commiserations flood in.  Bangladeshis respond to their friends' news updates with a warmth and attentiveness that was previously unknown to me.  The flurry of activity can be mind-boggling, but it's always entertaining.
Does this frenzy of online activity suggest that Bangladeshis are friendlier in general?  Possibly, but it's impossible to assess.  However I certainly believe that if the politicians can implement a "digital Bangladesh", the people will know exactly what to do with it. (Edited by: Anwarul Karim Raju)

India to ease visa rules for Bangladeshi visitors

New Delhi, May 06, 2010 (SANS Correspondent):

Building on improved relations with Bangladesh, India today said it proposes to ease visa rules for visitors from the neighbouring country. "There is a proposal to relax the procedure relating to grant of conference visa to Bangladeshi citizens. The matter is under consideration," home minister P Chidambaram said in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

Answering questions, he said the categories of visitors for whom visas may be relaxed include professionals regularly visiting India and requiring longer stay than one year in rare and exceptional cases. Visa on medical grounds including for those accompanying attendants and relatives, may also be eased, Chidambaram said.As for Indians visiting Bangladesh, he said the visa regime is reciprocal.

To a question from Sushila Tiriya (Congress) whether India was working on a plan to declare a unilateral no-fire zone along the Bangladesh border, the home minister said, "No" While relations with Bangladesh have improved over the last few years, "I agree there are several undemarcated areas on both the sides."He said discussions are on. "There is progress and we would be able to resolve the matter," he said. Some Indian areas are in their jurisdiction and some Bangladesh land is with India, he said.

The home minister agreed that the issue of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh "is a grave problem. But we are addressing it." He said policies of several successive governments had been the same over the years on the matter. He said as per provisions under the Foreigners Act and Tribunal order, over one lakh illegal immigrants from Bangladesh have been deported and pushed back between 2000 and 2008.

Regarding those who had illegally migrated before 1971 to India, the home minister said the provisions to deal with the issue are addressed in the provisions of Assam Accord.

Mecca, Ajmer blasts: Were wrong men prosecuted?

SANS News Desk, Tuesday May 4, 2010:

When blasts took place first at the Ajmer Dargah near Jaipur and then at the Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad, the police and the government immediately blamed Pakistani-based terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJi). The attacks in Ajmer and Hyderabad took place nearly five months apart in 2007. Three people were killed in the Ajmer attack; another nine died in the Hyderabad explosion. Immediately after them, young Muslims were arrested in Hyderabad for Mecca Masjid blasts.
Three years later, new evidence suggests that the investigating agencies and the government got it all wrong. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) says it believes that radical Hindu groups planned those blasts. What's led to this new theory is the arrests last week of three men by the Rajasthan Anti-Terror Squad. They were tracked down because they were using SIM cards found in the debris after the attack at Ajmer. The men arrested are all Hindus, and are believed to be associated to Abhinav Bharat, a Hindu radical group that India confronted for the first time in 2006.
In September 2006, a series of blasts in Malegaon in Maharashtra left 37 people dead and another 25 injured. Almost two years later, Mumbai Police Anti-Terrorism Squad arrested Sadhvi Pragya Thakur on October 10, 2008 and then serving army officer, Lieutenant Colonel S P Purohit, believed to be the leaders of Abhinav Bharat. Their alleged agenda: to target Muslim crowds. Purohit, in recent interrogation, has allegedly said that a man named Sunil Joshi was behind the Ajmer blast. That's what the Rajasthan police also suspects. Sunil Joshi, who was an RSS pracharak in Madhya Pradesh's Mhow area, had links with Devendra Gupta, the first suspect arrested in the Ajmer Dargah case. Joshi, a resident of Indore, was killed in Dewas in December 2007. The call details of Gupta indicate that both were in touch. "Colonel Purohit, arrested for Malgaon blast, has confessed that Sunil Joshi had organised the Dargah operation with the help of Devendra Gupta," Rajasthan Home Minister Shanti Dhariwal told the Hindu newspaper on May 2.
The CBI says that in both the Ajmer and Hyderabad blasts, identical explosives were used. Cellphones triggered both bombs. So in two different cities, Pakistani groups were held responsible, and young Muslims paid the price. Muslims like Ibrahim Junaid, who, along with 25 others, was picked up from the Old City of Hyderabad and accused of terror links. They were reportedly tortured in illegal custody. There was no chargesheet accusing them of links to the Mecca Masjid attack. Instead they were accused of conspiring to wage war against the state, of preparing and playing out CDs of the Gujarat communal riots of 2002 to create communal tension. Junaid was at that time was a Unani doctor; he was finally acquitted after 2 years. "Without proof, they arrested our children. They didn't even inform us. We didn't know their whereabouts for 7-8 days," said Arifunnisa, Junaid's mother.
All 26 men were later acquitted but they say the stigma never goes away. Junaid says, "When there is a blast, youth of a particular community are targeted. They are playing with our lives. That happened to me. I lost a year in college. I was not able to do my MD because of this.''
Junaid and some of the other Muslims who were arrested have gone to court seeking compensation. "We are demanding compensation from the police officers who tortured us. That they should be made to pay compensation from their salary, says Rayeesuddin. (Source: NDTV)

Family questioned in India journalist death

SANS News Desk, May 04, 2010: 

  

Police in India are questioning the father and brother of a Delhi-based journalist found dead last week in a suspected "honour killing" case. Nirupama Pathak was found dead in her parents' home in Jharkhand state. An autopsy revealed that she was pregnant. She was reportedly in a relationship with a man from a different caste.

On Monday Miss Pathak's mother was arrested in connection with her murder. Her family deny all the allegations and say she committed suicide.Miss Pathak's family reported her death last Thursday. They said she was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her room and produced two suicide notes.But an autopsy report showed the death was "a clear case of murder... caused by asphyxia as a result of smothering," the AFP news agency quoted senior Jharkhand police officer MS Bhatia as saying.The autopsy also showed that Pathak was pregnant, fuelling suspicions that this was a case of honour killing, police said.

Miss Pathak, 22, was a high-caste Hindu Brahmin living in Delhi and reportedly in a relationship with another journalist, Priyabhanshu Ranjan, who was from a lower caste. Police say that her parents had opposed the idea of their daughter "marrying someone from outside their caste".

Correspondents say that honour killings in the villages of northern India have long been reported. But if Miss Pathak's case is found to be an instance of honour killing, it would be rare given her education and her urban background. (Edited by: Anwarul Karim Raju)

Death sentence for Kasab?

Mumbai, May 04, 2010 (SANS Correspondent): 

Will it be death for Ajmal Kasab or a life term in prison?  The 26/11 trial court will share its decision on Thursday. Will it be death for Ajmal Kasab or a life term in prison? The public prosecutor, Ujjwal Nikam, made strong arguments in the Arthur Road Jail special court for two hours demanding the death sentence for Kasab  on the grounds of the "cold-bloodedness and motivation" of Kasab. 
Like Monday, when he was declared guilty of waging war and murder, Kasab, dressed once again in a white kurta-pyjama and unshaven, kept his head bowed throughout Nikam's arguments.  Kasab was found guilty on more than 80 of the 86 charges brought against him for planning and executing the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. Nikam also said that Kasab wanted to inspire others to take part in fidayeen or suicide attacks.
As an example of why Kasab should get the death penalty, Nikam said that the terrorist had expressed disappointment that he landed at Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) after rush hour on 26/11/2008.  Kasab had anticipated a busier station, based on CDs he had been shown of CST before the attack,  Nikam said.  The prosecutor also said that in his confession to the Mumbai police, Kasab said that he was upset that he could not kill more people at the station. At CST, Kasab killed close to 60 people in an hour with his partner, Abu Ismail.  

Photographs taken by newspaper photographers of Kasab, taken in action while firing at CST's passengers and shopkeepers,  showed that "he enjoyed the acts of murder," said Nikam.   The terrorist  "was happy to see people in pain and anguish as a result of his firing," the prosecutor stressed.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/prosecution-demands-death-sentence-for-kasab-23072.php?u=1654&cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/prosecution-demands-death-sentence-for-kasab-23072.php?u=1654&cp

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/prosecution-demands-death-sentence-for-kasab-23072.php?u=1654&cp

Deutsche Welle expands FM reach in Bangladesh

Dhaka, May 1, 2010 (SANS Correspondent):

 

Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle begins the second test phase of its radio service in Bangladesh on May 1. In the second phase, DW-RADIO will be broadcasting two times every day in Khulna, Rajshahi and Rangpur, it vsaid in a press release on Friday. The first phase started on Apr 14 with DW testing radio transmissions on Bangladesh Betar's FM network. They are testing transmissions on 97.6 MHz in Dhaka, 105.4 MHz in Chittagong and 105.0 MHz in Sylhet at the same time.
DW-RADIO will be broadcasting daily on 102.0 MHz in Khulna, 105.0 MHz in Rajshahi and 105.4 MHz in Rangpur from 8.00am to 8.30am as well as 8.00pm to 8.30pm. This is the second part of the planned test roll-out, which comprises six major cities in Bangladesh, the company said. Deutsche Welle is planning several accompanying marketing campaigns, including a road show that will take place later this year. The agreement between Deutsche Welle and Bangladesh Betar was signed into effect on March 9, 2010 in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh's 1st solar panel assembling plant opens

Dhaka, May 1, 2010 (SANS Correspondent):

The first-ever solar panel assembling plant in the country was launched in Savar yesterday to make solar panels available on the local market at a competitive price. Solar panels, assembled at the plant, are expected to hit the market in a month. The plant set up by local company Electro Solar Power Ltd (ESPL) is capable of assembling solar panels with a production capacity of 10-megawatt electricity a year, said company officials. Prime Minister's Adviser on energy affairs Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury inaugurated the plant at Ashulia in Savar. Syed Manzur Elahi, former adviser to a caretaker government, was also present there. “It's a positive initiative. Such ventures will facilitate the country's economic development,” said Tawfiq. He said the ESPL's initiative would support the government's goal of meeting a part of the electricity demand through green energy. The government aims to meet 5 percent of the country's energy demand through green energy by 2015 and 10 percent by 2020.The government decided to install solar systems in government buildings, he said.“We hope that there will be no problem in marketing locally-assembled solar panels,” Tawfiq said.

ESPL, a sister concern of Electro Group, was established in 2009. The company will import solar cells and other accessories, and assemble them, said its officials. The plant has the capacity to assemble solar charger, battery and other accessories for solar home systems. Ansar Uddin, managing director of ESPL, said they hope that their initiative would help ease the ongoing power crisis a bit.

Nepal steps up security for Maoist protest

Kathmandu, May 1, 2010 (SANS Correspondent): 

Thousands of police in riot gear guarded the streets of Nepal's capital Saturday where former communist rebels plan to bring in half a million supporters to protest against the government. Katmandu police chief Ramesh Kharel said some 15,000 police are patrolling to stop any violence during the planned protest rally.

Baburam Bhattarai, deputy leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), said they expect 500,000 supporters to rally in Katmandu on Saturday to call for the prime minister's resignation. "Our demonstrations will be peaceful, and we will all we can to make sure there is no trouble," Bhattarai said. "But if there are any cases of violence it is the government that will be responsible." Bhattarai said Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal should resign by the end of Saturday and disband the present government. "If there is no agreement reached by Saturday, then we will be forced to impose an indefinite general strike from Sunday," he said.

The planned mass protest rally and general strike has raised concern of renewed violence in Nepal. The Maoists fought government troops until 2006 when they gave up their decade-old bloody insurgency and joined a peace process. Since then they have confined their fighters in UN-monitored camps and contested general elections in 2008. They briefly led a coalition government but their leader resigned as the prime minister following differences with the president over the firing of the army chief.

Karin Landgren, chief of United Nation's peace mission in Nepal, said she met Maoists leaders to appeal for peaceful resolution and have been assured the demonstrations would be peaceful. "I am deeply concerned that despite these peaceful intentions, potential spoilers of the peace process could provoke a clash," Landgren said Friday. 

A press statement issued by the Unites States embassy in Katmandu has also appealed the political parties in Nepal to exercise restraint during the demonstrations, work toward consensus and find a way through the current political impasse. "Such a consensus would avoid a constitutional crisis and ensure that the hard work already invested in the peace process is brought to a fruitful conclusion," the statement said. "Nepal has come a long way since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed in 2006 and these gains should not be lost."

India, Pakistan agree to work towards peace dialogue

Thimphu, 29 April 2010 (SANS Correspondent):

The prime ministers of India and Pakistan agreed Thursday to work towards resuming their frozen peace dialogue when they met in Bhutan for their first direct talks in nine months. During their discussions, which both sides described as positive, the Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, and his Pakistani counterpart, Yousuf Raza Gilani, mandated their respective foreign ministers to draw up a road map for future talks. The officials would work out ways to restore trust and confidence, ‘thus paving the way for a substantive dialogue on all issues of mutual concern,’ the Indian foreign secretary, Nirupama Rao, told reporters.

Manmohan and Gilani met for 90 minutes on the sidelines of the eight-nation South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit under way in the Bhutanese capital, Thimphu. India broke off a slow-moving peace dialogue with Pakistan after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks that left 166 people dead. Since then, it has repeatedly rebuffed Pakistani calls for a resumption, insisting that Islamabad had not done enough to bring to justice the Pakistan-based militants that India blames for the carnage. 

Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi hailed the fact that future talks would go beyond the subject of tackling militancy and would address other areas of dispute between the rivals. ‘All issues that are of concern... are on the table and will be discussed,’ Qureshi said, adding that this was ‘a step in the right direction.’ During the talks with Gilani, Rao said the Indian prime minister was ‘very emphatic that Pakistan has to act, that the terror machine needs to be controlled, needs to be eliminated.’ Gilani responded that Pakistan was as much a victim of terrorism as its neighbour.

The last time the two premiers sat down together was in July, on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement’s summit in Egypt. That meeting ended with a joint statement which appeared to alter India’s position that Pakistan must first crack down on militant groups before peace talks could take place. Manmohan was pilloried at home for the move and as a result their next meeting, at the Washington summit earlier this month on nuclear security, went no further than a handshake and a cursory exchange of pleasantries. In between, the two sides managed a meeting between their senior foreign ministry officials in February, which resulted in little more than a vague pledge to keep the doors to dialogue open. The talks in Thimphu offered no timetable for when the two foreign ministers would meet, saying only that it would happen ‘as soon as possible’.

Kalim Bahadur, a retired professor of South Asian studies, from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said the two sides still had a long way to go to reduce their mutual trust deficit. ‘This is only a slight opening of the door, to introduce more content into the talks,’ Bahadur said. ‘But you can say that’s positive.’

Observers believe the decision to talk in Thimphu was forced in part by the annoyance of other SAARC members who feel that Indo-Pakistan tensions have all too often blocked the organisation’s efforts to foster regional cooperation. That sense of frustration was voiced on Tuesday by SAARC’s smallest member, the Maldives, whose president, Mohammed Nasheed, broke with protocol which traditionally precludes public mention of bilateral disputes. ‘I hope neighbours can find ways to compartmentalise their differences while finding ways to move forward,’ Nasheed said in his speech at summit’s opening. ‘I am of course referring to India and Pakistan. I hope this summit will lead to greater dialogue between them,’ he said.

The bitter South Asian rivals have fought three wars since the subcontinent’s 1947 partition. They are currently locked in a struggle for influence in Afghanistan, which joined SAARC in 2007. The organisation’s membership comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

India to finalise Teesta deal: Manmohan

Thimphu, 29 April 2010 (SANS Correspondent): 

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said his country would extend all out support for uninterrupted democratic process in Bangladesh. He also said India would take necessary measures for finalising the draft agreement on Teesta Water Sharing which was handed over to Indian government in March this year. He said this when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid a courtesy call to the Indian leader on Thursday morning at India House in SAARC Village in Thimphu, Prime Minister’s press secretary Abul Kalam Azad told reporters after the meeting between the two leaders. They were in the Bhutanese capital for the two-day 16th SAARC Summit that began on Wednesday. ‘India would extend all out support for continuation of the democratic process in Bangladesh,’ Manmohan was quoted having told Sheikh Hasina. The two leaders stressed on implementation of the four agreements and the Memorandum of Understanding signed during prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent visit to New Delhi  Manmohan Singh said his country would soon provide $ one billion in soft loan for infrastructure development in Bangladesh.
   Hasina requested Manmohan to expedite finalising the draft agreement on Teesta Water Sharing which he agreed to do.  A ministerial meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission in New Delhi last month failed to conclude negotiations on an interim deal and ended merely with the exchange of draft agreements. She expressed her satisfaction over the existing bilateral relations between the two countries and invited Manmohan Singh to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time. The Indian Prime Minister accepted the invitation, the press secretary said.
   During Sheikh Hasina’s Delhi visit in January, the two countries signed agreements on fight against terrorism and organised crime and mutual transfer of convicted prisoners. India agreed to remove 47 items from its negative list to give Bangladeshi products duty-free access to its market. India also announced it would give Bangladesh transit to Nepal and Bhutan, and export 250 megawatts of electricity from its central grid.

Common SAARC stand at global climate forums

Thimphu, 29 April, 2010 (SANS Correspondent):

  

The South Asian leaders on Thursday 29 April concluded their 16th summit with a pledge to work for removing the ‘trust deficit’ between states in the region to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of 1.6 billion people.
   They adopted a 37-point ‘Thimphu Silver Jubilee Declaration’ with a pledge to take the views, for the first time in the SAARC’s 25 years of existence, of eminent citizens of the region while charting the future course of the grouping for turning it into a truly action-oriented association.
   The leaders also adopted the ‘Thimphu Statement on Climate Change’ for developing an inter-governmental mechanism in order to take a common stand at global climate negotiations on greenhouse gas cuts and adaptation, and also take initiatives at regional, sub-regional and national levels for water management and conservation of nature.
   ‘We have resolved that we must remove the trust deficit between and among the states in South Asia to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of 1.6 billion people,’ the new SAARC chair, Bhutan’s prime minister Lyonchhen Jigme Y Thinley said at a press conference at the end of the April 28-29 summit.
   With intra-SAARC trade touching $670 million, the eight member countries signed a SAARC Agreement on Trade in Services, which is expected to accelerate regional collaboration in diverse areas like health, hospitality, communications, computer and information services and air transport.
   The countries also signed a SAARC Convention on Cooperation on Environment to promote cooperation in the region in the field of environment and sustainable development. The scope for cooperation under the convention would extend to exchange of the best practices and knowledge, capacity building and transfer of eco-friendly technology in a number of areas, including climate change, coastal zone management, wildlife conservation and environmental impact assessment studies.
   The Bhutanese prime minister presided over the concluding session of the 16th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation at the Grand Assembly Hall in Thimphu in presence of other seven other South Asian leaders – Afghanistan’s president Hamid Karzai, Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, the Maldives’ president Mohamed Nasheed, Nepal’s prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Pakistan prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa. The foreign ministers of the region signed the two agreements in presence of the top regional leaders.
   The regional leaders appreciated that all the member states were now pursuing multi-party democracy and asked the SAARC secretariat to convene a ‘Conclave of SAARC Parliamentarians’ in line with the SAARC Charter to face the challenges in ensuring effective, efficient, transparent and accountable government for their peoples.
   The summit felt the necessity to develop a ‘vision statement’ taking inputs from eminent personalities, including teachers, scientists and professionals of the region for a holistic approach for charting the future course of the regional grouping. They agreed to form a ‘South Asia Forum’ for generating debates and exchanging ideas on the future of South Asia.
   The regional leaders also called for making SAARC a truly action-oriented grouping by implementing its declarations and decisions and operating instruments to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of 1.6 billion people in the region.
   They appreciated Bhutan’s concept of Gross National Happiness for its focus on people-oriented development, and welcomed her offer to host a SAARC Workshop on GNH in 2010.
   On climate change, they called for initiating a process to formulate a common SAARC position for COP16 to be held in Mexico later this year, including on issues such as separate financing for adaptation and mitigation as well as technology transfer.
   The leaders called for focus to be laid upon water management and conservation and development of cooperative projects at regional level in terms of exchange of best practices and knowledge, capacity building and transfer of eco-friendly technologies.
   Expressing deep concern at the environmental degradation in the region, they reiterated the importance of development through adoption of eco-friendly technologies so that South Asia should become a world leader in low-carbon technology and renewable energies.
   The leaders recognised the need to enhance cooperation in the energy sector to facilitate energy trade, development of efficient conventional and renewable energy sources, including hydro-power.
   A proposal from India for preparing a roadmap aimed at developing a SAARC Market for Electricity on a regional basis was noted, as SAARC is considering electricity trading.
   The leaders recognised the importance of development of communication systems and transport infrastructures, including transit facilities, especially for landlocked countries, to promote intra-SAARC trade.
   The leaders called for collaborative efforts to achieve greater intra-regional connectivity and endorsed the recommendation for declaring 2010-2020 as the Decade of Intra-regional Connectivity in SAARC. They agreed on the need to expedite negotiations with a view to finalising the two agreements on motor vehicles and railways.
   The leaders called for early consideration of the concept of a regional seed bank, regional testing and certification of seeds and framework for transfer of plant genetic material and seeds.
   In the field of education, they underscored that it was imperative to recognise degrees, and where possible facilitation of credit transfer for open and distance education. They directed expeditious finalisation of mutual recognition of academic and professional degrees for harmonisation of the educational curricula in South Asia.
   The leaders expressed their firm resolve to root out terrorism. They emphasised that the links between terrorism, trafficking in drugs, persons and firearms all continue to remain a matter of serious concern and reiterated their commitment to addressing the problems in a comprehensive manner.
   They reiterated the commitment to implementing SAFTA, and called for reduction in the size of the sensitive lists, acceleration of trade facilitation measures, and removal of non-tariff, para-tariff and other barriers.