Today's News[july22/09]

Evict river land grabbers: PM Report on last 7-yrs'' corruption, default loans sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday asked Finance Ministry to report to her the financial irregularities allegedly committed during last seven years, particularly relating to the default loans of the Nationalized Commercial Banks (NCBs), reports UNB. She gave the instruction at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in the NEC conference room as she chaired a meeting of the economic policy body. Finance Minister AMA Muhith, senior cabinet ministers and officials concerned were present at the meeting that approved five development projects at an aggregate cost of Tk 857 crore, including a foreign-aid component of Tk 30 crore. The Prime Minister further instructed authorities concerned to free the illegally occupied land along the rivers surrounding the capital city by any means, as an outcry is getting louder against the rampant grabbing of wetlands that causes environmental degradation. In a further directive she asked for ensuring installation of solar panels and building rainwater reservoirs on top of all the high-rise buildings across the country. In the wake of concerns created by hazardous climate change, she also asked authorities concerned to ensure optimum utilization of surface water, where it is possible. "The Prime Minister asked the Finance Ministry to submit the report on financial irregularities during the last seven years in the NCBs," Planning Secretary Habibullah Majumder told a press briefing after the meeting. He said the PM asked for reporting detailed information about the loan defaulters who rescheduled the loans without following proper procedures, who have been awarded with waiver of the principal and interests on the loans during the same period. "Report about the people whoever might have taken advantage of the period," the Planning secretary quoted Hasina as saying in her orders. The planning secretary said the Shipping Ministry presented a report on the proposed circular waterways surrounding the city. The Prime Minister instructed the Ministry to evict the illegal occupation of the banks of the rivers and construct walkways along both sides of the rivers to prevent fresh occupation. "Evict anyone of the illegal occupants, whoever he or she may be and how much powerful they are," she said in her strongly worded instructions. The Prime Minister also asked the authorities concerned to investigate the irregularities regarding projects under the roads and highways department and report to her the irregularities. She also instructed the authorities to take action against the culprits, no matter whoever they may be. "If necessary, they''ll be blacklisted to be ineligible to take part in the development process," said a meeting source. The planning secretary said the ECNEC returned the Gazipur-Ajmatpur-Itkhola road-construction project (Revised) of Tk 222 crore on allegations of corruption in the previous processes. Prime Minister Hasina asked the authorities to find out the irregularities, take action against the wrongdoers and then submit a fresh project proposal on it. The projects approved today are: Patuakhali Coast Guard Base Construction project (Tk 42 crore), Rajshahi City Water Supply Project (Tk 83 crore), Rural Water Supply project in southwestern region of the country (Tk 40 crore), Greater Faridpur Rural Infrastructure Development Project (Tk 553 crore) and Construction of Newly Created and River Eroded Upazilla Parisad Complexes (Tk 139 crore).

Jalil quits gen secy post Vows to continue AL politics Abdul Jalil MP Tuesday resigned from the post of Awami League general secretary for being excluded from the preparatory work for the party''s council to be held on July 24, but he vowed to continue with the AL politics, reports UNB. "I had expected that finally I''ll get the opportunity of engaging myself in the party''s triennial council. But finding myself deprived of that opportunity, I''ve now no alternative but to relinquish the responsibility of general secretary; and hereby I resign as general secretary (of Awami League)," he told a crowded press conference at his Gulshan apartment house. However, in an emotion-charged voice, Jalil pledged to continue with the politics of Awami League under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, as an ideal worker of Bangabandhu. He was elected general secretary of Awami League at the last council session held on December 26, 2002. Jalil said that, according to party constitution, the general secretary will convene the council, issue letters and submit the general secretary''s report at the council. But he was denied the authority to perform these functions. Five MPs from his home-district Naogaon were present at the press conference expressing solidarity with the denigrated Jalil. They are Imajuddin Pramanik, Israfil Alam, Shahiduzza-man Sarkar Babul, Shahin Monwara Huq and Sadhan Chandra Majumdar. In reply to a question, Jalil said he has not made up his mind yet about joining the July 24 council session of the ruling Awami League. Asked if he feels any sorrow quitting the post, Jalil said the pain he feels is that he could not leave the post with dignity. He said the copy of his resignation letter would be sent to the party'' s Dhanmoni office and PM''s Jamuna official residence. Jalil, a staunch supporter of Sheikh Hasina, was arrested from his Mercantile Bank on May 28 2007 by the army-led joint force amid a political purge under state of emergency following the 1/11 changeover. He was critical of Dr Fakhruddin''s caretaker government. He fell critically ill and went to Singapore on a 30-day parole. Before leaving for Singapore on March 3, 2008, he made a controversial statement at LabAid Hospital against Sheikh Hasina and pledged to quit politics, when the so-called abortive ''minus-two'' formula was touted by the interim regime. The statement was assumed to have been made under pressure by certain quarters of the caretaker government under the emergency rule. During his stay in Singapore, Sheikh Hasina made Syed Ashraful Islam acting general secretary of Awami League. On his return from Singapore, Jalil was not given back the charge of general secretary. He was advised to take rest-and sidetracked ever since. Recently, he made some critical statements against some heavyweights of Awami League for being lackeys of certain intelligence agency of the army-backed caretaker regime. Jalil also made a tough statement in the new parliament''s first session on how he was tortured by the intelligence agency during the emergency rule.

Tigers seal first away Test series win Bangladesh went one better than last week''s first-ever Test win on foreign soil by securing an historic away series when they won the second and final Test at St George''s, Grenada against the West Indies by four wickets on Tuesday, reports bdnews24.com. Shakib Al Hasan''s men survived a nervy period on the fourth day at the National Cricket Ground before chasing down the modest 215-run target. Though the acting skipper narrowly missed a well deserved century, he ended years of anguish in the most emphatic manner -- hitting Kemar Roach for a six. He remained undefeated on 96 as the Tigers reached 217-6 in 54.4 overs. Man-of-the-match and series Shakib, leading in place of injured Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, smashed 13 fours and a six. He got two Blackberries for the sterling efforts with both bat and ball throughout the series. The foundation of the victory was, however, laid by the 106-run stand for the fifth wicket with Raqibul Hasan whose plucky 66 off 99 balls steadied the innings that appeared wobbling at 67 for 4. Their stand ended any hopes of the second-string West Indies outfit, missing the bulk of their first-choice players because of a contract dispute with their board, from denying Bangladesh its finest hour after gaining Test status in the year 2000. While most of Bangladesh will wake up to the news certain quarters will refocus their argument on whether the victory and Test series was convincing enough. But it is not their doing who they face. Raqibul counter-attacked to keep the hosts on their toes. He had struggled in the first Test but held his own in the first innings here. The 21-year-old was the first to reach his maiden Test half-century when the young right-hander steered the ball down to the vacant spaces at third man off Dave Bernard with score on 141-1. He eventually fell with this side 30 runs away from an historic victory after spooning a return catch to Darren Sammy who juggled and took the catch at the second attempt. His knock featured eight fours and a six. Shakib reached his third Test fifty 20 runs after his former partner Raqibul. The left-hander spanked the ball through mid-off and cover off Kemar Roach. The bowler conceded two more consecutive boundaries in that over. Earlier, the prospect of any play on the penultimate morning looked remote as there was a two-hour rain delay. But it did little to dampen the Tigers'' mood as spin duo Enamul Haque Jr and Shakib Al Hasan picked up the remaining two wickets in 4.1 overs after West Indies resumed on 192-8 and added just 17 runs to their overnight total. It was the first time Bangladesh had bowled out the opposition for less than 250 in both innings. Dave Bernard was stumped by wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim off Enamul for 69 that included six fours and two sixes while Shakib had Tino Best caught by Mushfiqur Rahim for a 23-ball 12 to end the West Indies innings. Bangladesh made 232 in reply to the hosts'' first inning total of 237.

Most wanted Indian militant held Another suspected organizer of ''Lasker-e-Taiyeba'' was arrested at Dakkhinkhan in the capital on Monday evening, three days after the arrest of his sidekick Mufti Obaidullah, as a crackdown on trespassing trans-border militants is underway by order of the new government, reports UNB. Police said the arrested Islamist leader was identified as Maulana Mansur Ali, well-known as Maulana Habibullah. He was a "most wanted" militant of India. Detective Branch (DB) of the police arrested the absconding Indian national, Mansur, following confessional statement given by detained Mufti Obaidullah, now on remand. Mansur Ali, using fake identity, had been staying in Bangladesh since 1995 and teaching at different madrasas for 14 years, Deputy Commissioner of DB police Monirul Islam told reporters at a press briefing at the DB office here Tuesday noon. Mansur, a resident of Padmapukur village in North 24-Pargana district of the Indian state of West Bengal, was most wanted by the Indian law- enforcement and intelligence agencies for his terrorist activities. He was an Afghan Mujaheed and chief organizer of Ahmad Reza Commando Force on the list of Indian forces. Mansur had intruded into Bangladesh through Bagda border in 1995 with the cooperation from an Indian border-force man, as did Mufti Obaidullah, to evade Indian intelligence agencies. Later, he had started teaching at Nurani Madrasa and Maktabs in Jessore, Tikarpur Madrasa in Narayanganj, Porasun-dar maktab in Habiganj and latest at Madrasatur Rahman at Saudagarbari in Dakkhinkhan. In his student life, Mansur went to Pakistan for studying in 1984 and used go to Afghanistan and take part in the Afghan wars 20-25 times. As disclosed by the detectives, he is well-trained in operating AK-47 rifle, machinegun, and antiaircraft rocket-launcher. In 1993, he returned to India from Pakistan and held meetings with various leaders and decided to carry out activities in the Kashmir war. Several companions of Maulana Mansur were arrested in a special drive while he fled to Bangladesh in 1995. "One of Mansur''s five brothers was involved in militancy and was killed in Indian BSF firing while crossing over the Bangladesh-India border," says a police statement. During his stay here, he had close links with two leaders of Harkatul Jihad Al-Islami Bangladesh- Maulana M Abdur Rauf and Maulana M Ali Ahmed. He was said to be a chief organizer of Ahmad Reza Commando Force in India and believed to be the immediate boss to the earlier-detained Laskar-e-Taiyeba leader Mufti Obaidullah, the reporters were told. Mansur denied the allegation and said he had contact with the militants but not involved with this militant group and its activities. Earlier, Mufti Obaidullah was arrested from the capital last Friday. He also used fake identity and had also been serving as a teacher in a madrasa in Shibchar of Madaripur district. Obaidullah is being quizzed under the Task Force Intelligence cell after being taken on seven days'' remand.

BNP for withdrawal of Pinak Leaders of the main opposition BNP and its front organizations Tuesday demanded immediate withdrawal of Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty for his "audacious statements" against Bangladeshi people, reports UNB. The demand came from a meeting organized by Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of BNP, held in front of the party central office at Nayapaltan in the afternoon in protest against Pinak''s remarks. Earlier Monday, the Indian envoy told a seminar that around 25,000 of the Bangladeshis who entered India with legal visas each year never return to Bangladesh. The Indian diplomat had even harsher words that over 80 percent of those who line up in front of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka for visas are "touts and brokers". The rally, presided over by JCD president Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, was addressed, among others, BNP leaders Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, MA Mannan, Fazlul Haq Milon, Nazimuddin Alam, Saheed Uddin Chowdhury Annie, MP, Jubo Dal leaders Barkatullah Bulu and Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal leader Helen Zarin Khan and JCD leader Amirul Islam Aleem. Goyeshwar criticized the government for its silence when the Indian envoy kept on making audacious statements against Bangladesh violating diplomatic norms and etiquette. He alleged that the government is busy serving the purpose of those who brought them to power through conspiracy by defeating BNP in the last general election. "Though one minister of this government had admitted that Pinak''s previous statement was out of diplomatic norms and etiquette, another minister supported Pinak," Goyeshwar told the seminar. Referring to the resignation of State Minister for Home Affairs Sohel Taj and Awami League general secretary Abdul Jalil, the outspoken BNP leader said this is the indication of the imminent fall of the government.

Young lady doctor killed A young doctor was stabbed to death by a man in a private clinic in the capital''s Badda area on Tuesday, police said, reports bdnews24.com. Sabujbagh police chief Asaduzzaman said they had arrested the man named Mostafizur Rahman Ujjal with a knife, after Dr Salma Perveen Moni, 30, was stabbed at the Rawshan Ara Clinic, located beside South Mugda mosque. Ujjal claimed to be Salma''s lover. The clinic''s X-ray technician Suman Chandra Das told bdnews24.com that the attacker had entered the clinic at around 10:30am and "roamed around for a while". "He entered Dr Salma''s room on the first floor around noon," said Das. "At around 12:30pm she came out of her room and fell down on the floor. And then we saw she was bleeding," said Das. Another hospital worker Shahjahan Kabir said though the staff tried to save her, there was no doctor in the hospital to give her emergency treatment. "She was bleeding heavily. We rushed her to Dhaka Medical College Hospital," he said. Doctors there pronounced her dead. Das said the attacker had remained in the room. "The hospital staff detained him." He said Salma joined the hospital as a medical officer just four months ago, after completing her MBBS. Her body was being kept at DMCH morgue, said officials. Ujjal, 25, later confessed to police at Sabujbagh Police Station. Produced in front of reporters, he said he had known Salma for three years, since April 2006, after he called her by mistake while trying to phone a friend. The introduction later turned into a love affair, he claimed. He said he often came to Dhaka from Natore to meet Salma, and before that had visited her every three months at Sylhet Medical College, where she was studying. Ujjal said he killed Salma on Tuesday as she tried to break off the relationship.

Total solar eclipse today Skygazers wait for the celestial delight Come Wednesday, Bangladeshis will view the longest total solar eclipse in almost 500 years-the fleeting beauty of the corona etched into the mind''s eye by the sheer grandeur of the event, reports bdnews24.com. This amazingly beautiful astronomical phenomenon will be best observed from the northern districts. It will be the longest total solar eclipse in our lifetimes, unsurpassed in duration until June 13, 2132. Bangladesh will have to wait for another 105 years to see another full solar eclipse, on June 2, 2114. The full eclipse will take place between 7:55am and 8am and the range will be between 83 percent and 100 percent eclipse throughout Bangladesh. It will be clearly visible at the north side of Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat, Panchagarh and Thakurgaon. The highest duration of the full eclipse will be 2-3 minutes in the places. Other places will view the partial eclipse. Dhaka will see 93 percent eclipse, but the fullest will be visible from Panchagarh. A total solar eclipse begins almost unnoticeably. As the Moon starts its passage across the face of the Sun, a small "bite" appears on the western edge of the Sun. Gradually, as more and more of the Sun disappears, an interesting effect can be seen: the tiny spots of light shining through the leaves of a tree, for example, show up on the ground as crescent images of the slowly vanishing Sun. As the partial phase progresses for about an hour, there is little hint of the approaching darkness. But in the last few minutes before totality, daylight fades very quickly. People have the eerie feeling when the blinding solar disc is blotted out. Three minutes before totality, the sky darkens, many flowers fold up and birds and animals get confused. The temperature drops. And then the final diamond-like flash just before total darkness sets in! At this stage, only a few wisps of ephemeral light from the solar corona will be visible. There''s nothing like a total solar eclipse to remind you that we''re clinging to a rock floating in space. As the moon slips between Earth and Sun, a twilight neither night nor day settles across the landscape. The wrong stars appear in the sky, and the planets, their cover blown, peer down bemused. With its body blotted out by the moon, the Sun''s corona comes into view. It is an experience that lasts just a few minutes, but that reverberates for a lifetime. Bangladesh Astronomical Association (BAA), and bdnews24.com will co-organise 24 observation camps throughout the country to help watch the celestial event safely. Local organisations will help set up the camps. However, cloud and rain may ruin the party for millions of eclipse-watchers. BAA will set up its main observation centre in a Tentulia tea garden Tuesday morning. A number of related activities including workshops on the solar eclipse, a children''s science festival, solar painting competition, kite flying and exhibition, a film show on astronomical phenomena, night sky observation by telescope, paper balloon flying and a music festival will be held in different parts of the country. In the capital, Dhanmandi playground, Notre Dame College and Mirpur Town Protection Embankment in Mirpur-12 will host observation camps, jointly organised by Bijnan Andolan Mancho, Notre Dame College geography department and Amader Pathshala. BAA will have solar eclipse observation camps set up in Chittagong Court Building compound, Jessore Town Hall ground, Mymensingh Circuit House ground, Gaibandha Government College ground, Kuakata sea beach, St Martin''s sea beach, Cox''s Bazaar sea beach, Nijhum Dweep sea beach, Sarail of Brahmanbarhia, Bandarban Hillside Resort, Panchagarh Stadium, Narayanganj Shaheed Minar, Khulna Military Collegiate School, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Sylhet MC College, Rajshahi river bank, KUET playground, Comilla Victoria College, the Shomeshwari river bank in Netrokona and Habiganj Government Vrindavana College ground. Bangladesh Science and Technology Museum will organise facilities to observe the total solar eclipse from Panchagarh Stadium. Arrangements for witnessing the eclipse will also be held in front of Porishankhyan Bhaban in the capital. BAA will observe the total solar eclipse from Thakurgaon, Panchagarh and Tentulia. The path of the Moon''s umbral shadow begins in India and crosses through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China, according to NASA. After leaving mainland Asia, the path crosses Japan''s Ryukyu Islands and curves southeast through the Pacific Ocean where the maximum duration of totality reaches 6 min 39 s. A partial eclipse is seen within the much broader path of the Moon''s penumbral shadow, which includes most of eastern Asia, Indonesia, and the Pacific Ocean.

PM seeks Indian cooperation for trade with Nepal, Bhutan She favours reopening of cross-border railways Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government is interested to reopen the cross-border railways abandoned following the 1965 India-Pakistan war, for stronger connectivity between Bangladesh and India in the fields of trade, investment and people-to-people contacts between the two next-door neighbors, reports UNB. She also sought Indian cooperation so that Bangladesh can transact trade and business through Banglabandh and Burimari land-port routes with Nepal and Bhutan. Routing trade between Bangladesh and the two landlocked Himalayan countries through the two northern land-ports necessitates corridors through Indian territories. The Prime Minister made the remarks when a 50-member-strong business delegation from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) led by its vice-president Harsh C Mariwala had a meeting with her at the Prime Minister''s Office (PMO) Tuesday. Hasina disclosed that she already has contacted Indian Minister for Railways Mamata Banerjee about the rerun of trains along the derelict rails. Besides, she said, the government will take immediate effective steps to modernize the intra-country railways for communications up to the present-day standards. "I have also seen the rail budget of your country (India). You have expertise in the sector of railway communications. We need your help in this regard," she told the Indian business leaders. The Prime Minister informed the Indian delegation that all land-ports located on the Bangladesh-India boarder will be developed and other necessary infrastructures set up there gradually to boost bilateral trade between the two neighboring countries. Besides, the present government has a plan to develop Mongla seaport as part of the government''s massive plan to turn Bangladesh into a prosperous modern country by 2021. As the Indian business delegation requested the Prime Minister for setting up Special Economic Zones in the boarding areas exclusively for Indian investment, she said the government has already planned to build Special Economic Zones where, like others, Indian businessmen can also make their investment. She said there are EPZs in Comilla, Feni and Syedpur (Uttara EPZ) and the Indian businessmen could invest in these EPZs as these are close to the boarding regions. Regarding special economic zone for Indian investment, she said, "If the Indian businessmen come forward to set up such zones in Bangladesh, the present government will extend all necessary cooperation." In such special zoning, the present government will prefer labour-intensive industries as the government is strongly committed to removing unemployment problem from the country. Hasina reaffirmed her government''s stand on promoting public-private partnership for rapid and sustainable development. Regarding open markets, the Prime Minister said all windows to trade and business should remain open, but, at the same time, greater interest of the people will have to be protected. The Prime Minister also emphasized sharing experiences among the South Asian countries in the fields of economy, trade, business and investment for the good of the people. About the existing bilateral friendly relations between Bangladesh and India, Hasina said in case of the bilateral problems, these can be solved through discussion. She welcomed the Indian business delegation to Bangladesh and recalled the historic role of India during the 1971 liberation war of Bangladesh. Singling out poverty as the main enemy of the South Asian nations, the PM said Bangladesh and its all neighboring countries, including India at the next door, should work together to expand trade and business for balanced development of the region through eradicating poverty. "We have resources. Our people are also very much capable and industrious. If we can work unitedly, poverty will be eliminated as well as development of all the nations will be achieved," she told her business audience from India. Finance Minister Dr Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Commerce Minister Faruq Khan, Advisers to the Prime Minister Dr Mashiur Rahman, HT Imam and Toufiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, Prime Minister''s Principal Secretary MA Karim, PMO secretary Mollah Waheeduzzaman, Prime Minister''s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad, FICCI secretary-general Dr Amit Mitra, Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Annisul Huq, President of Tripura Chamber of Commerce and Industry ML Debnath and former FBCCI president Salman F Rahman were among others present at the meeting. The ministers, advisers and the business leaders in the meeting emphasized reducing the trade gap between Bangladesh and India. FBCCI president Annisul Huq said Bangladeshi businessmen are firm to work shoulder to shoulder with the Indian businessmen for reducing the trade gap amounting to nearly about 6 billion US dollars between the two countries. "But, at the same time, we have to have the assurance of exporting more products to India," said the chief of the apex trade body. Annisul Huq identified lack of warehouses at the land- ports and other infrastructural facilities as the barriers to expanding bilateral trade and business between Bangladesh and India. FICCI delegation-chief Mariwala also said the trade gap is the real issue to be addressed immediately. Commerce Minister Faruq Khan identified lack of testing facilities in Bangladesh as one of the big obstacles to trade and business with India. He said Indian authorities do not accept the testing certificates provided by the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI). "But I can assure you that in the next 6 months, BSTI will be upgraded to such standards which will be accepted by the Indian authorities," he told the meet. Besides, Faruq Khan emphasized removing tariff and non-tariff barriers and fostering political understanding between the two countries for a better economy of the country. Finance Minister Muhith underscored the need for increasing regional connectivity among the South Asian countries for betterment of the people. FICCI secretary-general Dr Amit Mitra noted that India and Bangladesh have emotional attachment due to the two countries'' history and geography. "Now time has come to turn the emotional attachment of the two countries into business, trade and investment for real prosperity of the people," he said.

Razzak''s remarks on Tipai issue irk Hafiz BNP vice-chairman and former Water Resources Minister Maj (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed Tuesday hit back at Awami League presidium member Abdur Razzak for his "controversial" remarks on the BNP''s move on Tipaimukh dam issue, reports UNB. He termed Razzak''s stance as disappointing and unfortunate. In a statement, Hafiz said they were surprised by the remarks of Razzak, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources Ministry, at a press conference on Sunday where he termed "motivated and misleading" the BNP''s presentation Saturday of data and information on the adverse impact of the proposed Tipaimukh dam on Bangladesh. He said Razzak also mentioned the BNP''s presentation on Tipaimukh dam "an attempt to fish in the troubled waters." Hafiz said: "It is not comprehensible to us what prompted Razzak to become so irritated about the BNP projecting the picture of long-term adverse impact and public sufferings due to the proposed Indian project. "Our question, whose interest he (Razzak) wants to uphold? Is his loyalty for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Bangladesh or anywhere else?" Referring to the BNP chairperson''s introductory remarks on Saturday at the data presentation function, he said Begum Khaleda Zia had called for national unity to stop the Indian move of constructing a very harmful project like Tipaimukh dam. He mentioned that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has also welcomed Begum Zia''s remarks. Hafiz said Razzak, who was also a former Water Resources Minister, did not utter any sentence against the India''s initiative against Bangladesh''s interest. Rather, he tried to put the opposition on the dock for speaking in favor of national interest. He said the Awami League leader again made a false remark that while in power BNP did not raise any objection against the Tipaimukh dam project. "BNP has repeatedly mentioned, backed by documented proof that while in power we raised objection at every meeting with India on the subject." On Razzak''s proposal again to submit the names of two BNP lawmakers for the parliamentary delegation to visit Tipaimukh dam site, he said it tantamounts to a joke when BNP always has been telling and proposing to send a technical expert team with the delegation as there are many complicated technical aspects of the Tipaimukh project. The BNP leader urged Razzak to refrain from such "mockery, creation of division and an ill attempt to spread smokescreen."

ADB President arrives tomorrow Asian Development Bank (ADB) President Haruhiko Kuroda will arrive in Dhaka on a two-day visit on Thursday, reports UNB. His visit is expected to reaffirm ADB''s strong support for the government''s economic and social development programmes, which came under pressure from the global economic crisis. Apart from holding meetings with top government leaders and representatives of civil society, Kuroda is also expected to make a field trip to an ADB-funded project to meet some of the project beneficiaries, said a release. ADB has a long and active presence in Bangladesh, partnering with the government on a range of poverty-alleviation and development projects. Opened in 1982, ADB''s resident mission in Bangladesh is the first overseas country field office established by ADB. ADB, based in Manilla, is dedicated to reducing poverty in the Asia and Pacific region through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members, 48 from the region.

Hazari applies for parole to attend AL council FENI, July 21: rmer Awami league MP Joynal Hazari has applied for parole from a Feni jail in order to join the party''s national council, Hazari''s lawyer said on Tuesday, reports bdnews24.com. Hazari, facing a raft of corruption cases, was sent to jail on May 15 this year after he finally surrendered to authorities. Hazari was at one time facing 23 separate cases, of which he has secured bail in 11 cases and his name was dropped in another 11. He is awaiting bail in the single remaining case. Aziz Ahammad Chowdhury, AL''s Feni district acting president, said Tuesday a party leader had called him from Dhaka to say that Hazari was nominated as a district councillor from Feni to attend AL''s national council scheduled for July 24. "Under the circumstances, Hazari has submitted a parole application in court to be able to join the event," lawyer Ghyasuddin Nannu Tuesday told bdnews24.com. Hazari most recently secured bail from the High Court in an illegal wealth case. In Nov 2008, a special court sentenced Hazari, in his absence, to 10 years imprisonment for amassing wealth beyond his known sources of income and failing to provide a full account of his assets in a wealth statement to the ACC. The Anticorruption Commission filed the case with Feni police in Oct 2007. "Hazari will be freed from jail after he secures bail in one more case," his lawyer Enayetullah Chowdhury said after the bail hearing last Sunday.