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The Anti-Corruption Commi-ssion on Thursday sued the detained former prime minister Khaleda Zia, her eldest son Tarique Rahman and five others on charge of embezzling Tk 2.1 crore of the Zia Orphanage Trust fund.
   With the latest case, the commission has so far lodged four corruption cases against Khaleda, also the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and three against the detained Tarique Rahman, also the BNP’s senior joint secretary general. Her youngest son, Arafat Rahman, who is also detained, faces two graft cases filed by the commission.
   The commission’s assistant director Harun ur Rashid filed the case with the Ramna police accusing Khaleda, Tarique, Khaleda’s nephew Mominur Rahman, former BNP lawmaker Qazi Saleemul Huq and three of his associates Syed Ahmed Sayeed, Giasuddin Ahmed and Sharfuddin Ahmed for embezzling Tk 2.1 crore of the orphanage trust.
   According to the first information report, Khaleda, during her tenure as former prime minister (1991–1996), opened an account in the name of the Prime Minister’s Orphan Fund with the Ramna branch Sonali Bank. In the account, she received $12,55,000, equivalent to Tk 4.44 crore, on June 9, 1991 in donation through demand draft of the United Saudi Commercial Bank.
   More than two years later, Khaleda formed the Zia Orphanage Trust, named after her late husband Ziaur Rahman, along with Tarique, Arafat and Mominur, son of Ziaur Rahman’s sister, on September 5, 1993. Tarique was appointed the author of the trust or the settler, the first information report said.
   On November 13, 1993, Khaleda gave a cheque of Tk 2.33 crore from the bank account of the Prime Minister’s Orphan Fund to the trust for the establishment of an orphanage in Bogra. The cheque was deposited with the bank account of the trust with the Sonali Bank branch at Gulshan new north circle on November 15, 1993, according to the first information report.
   On December 4, 1993, Tk 4 lakh was withdrawn from the trust account. Of the money, Tk 2.77 lakh was spent on buying 2.79 acres of lands at Gabtali in Bogra for the orphanage. The rest of fund remained idle with the bank and the amount increased to Tk 3.37 crore on interest till April 12, 2006, while neither any orphanage was established nor any audit was done, the report said.
   According to the report, Tk 3.3 crore was withdrawn from the account by six cheques in 2006 to open fixed deposit receipts with the Gulshan branch Prime Bank and the accused, in connivance with each other, misappropriated Tk 2.1 crore by opening FDRs in their names between June 1991 and February 2007.
   As for Khaleda’s role, the complainant held the former prime minister responsible for the process of misappropriation of the money meant for orphans. She was also accused of abusing power.
   The case was filed under Section 409 of the Penal Code for criminal breach of trust being a public servant, Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947 for abuse of power, Section 109 of the Penal Code for abetment of the offences and Rule 15 of the Emergency Powers Rules.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Thursday protested against filing a fresh case against the party’s chairperson Khaleda Zia for alleged embezzlement of the Zia Orphanage Trust fund.
   ‘The case was filed to fulfil the government agenda to keep her out of politics,’ the BNP’s acting office secretary Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed quoted the secretary general, Khandaker Delwar Hossain, as saying.
   ‘The government worked out a new blueprint by filing a new case against the BNP chairperson to implement its much-talked-about “minus-two formula”,’ he said.
   ‘Filing of the new case shows the government has not set aside its “minus-two” agenda for which they made the January 11, 2007 changeover happen,’ said Delwar. ‘The people, however, do not believe that the case has any merit.’
   Terming the case false, fabricated and motivated, Delwar said, ‘The case was filed apparently to keep her out of politics.’ He protested at and condemned the filing the ‘false’ case.
   The Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday filed a new case against former prime minister Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman, and five others on charge of embezzlement of the Zia Orphanage Trust fund.

The much-awaited dialogue between the interim government and the Awami League has ended inconclusive with both sides agreeing on another round of talks shortly to narrow differences over political and constitutional issues.
   ‘We have still many things for discussion; we hope to go to elections ending phases of discussion,’ Syed Ashraful Islam, acting general secretary of the party, told a joint press briefing after the formal dialogue Thursday.
   Chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed led the panel of advisers in the talks at his office.
   Awami League’s acting president Zillur Rahman led a nine-member delegation in the two-hour meeting, where the party discussed many points and raised less demands, according to meeting sources.
   Consensus on political activities without hurting national economy, post-election stability and institutional and constitutional reforms are three major areas to be covered in the next round of talks with Awami League, said commerce and education adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman, a key player in the dialogue process.
   The issues are closely linked to bringing about qualitative changes in politics and governance —the main pledge the interim government had made when it took office in January last year—, he explained.
   ‘We have agreed to hold another round of meeting with Awami League on these particular issues,’ he added.
   The government earlier had at least three meetings with Awami League – two pre-dialogue consultations in April this year and the other after the release of party chief Sheikh Hasina on June 11 — to create an atmosphere of mutual confidence.
   Thursday’s meeting was the 21st of the series of dialogue, which the government started with political parties and civil groups on May 22 to bring political parties to the path of elections for a smooth transition to democracy.
   Awami League was opposed to the dialogue until its under trial chief was released temporarily through an executive order for medical treatment abroad on June 11.
   Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh still remained unresponsive to dialogue offers since their demands for releasing the party chiefs— Khaleda Zia and Motiur Rahman Nizami— remained unheeded.
   The Awami League acting president referred to multi-faceted problems plaguing the national life and economy, and asked the interim government to hand over power to an elected government as soon as possible to end the crisis.
   Regular bail of the party chief, lifting the state of emergency before the general elections, release of party leaders and activists, sending party leader Mohammad Nasim abroad for medical treatment, measures to check price hikes, revoking the latest domestic oil price hike, better management of energy and power, holding of local government polls, implementation of the National Women Policy 2008 and amendment to a law relating to local government were among the issues that came up for discussion.
   The delegation also pressed for its six-point demands, drafted before the government’s informal talks with the political parties in May.
   On a proposal to form a government of consensus in the post- election period, the party opted for keeping the option open for later discussions.
   The party’s acting general secretary said that they gave the highest importance on creating an atmosphere conducive to a meaningful general election by lifting the emergency.
   ‘No fair and credible election is possible under the state of emergency since the fundamental rights remain suspended under such a situation,’ Ashraful said adding that it will be justifiable if any party stays away from the election under such a situation.
   But, he did not clarify whether or not the party would sign up for the national polls planned in December this year under the state of emergency.
   ‘It is too early to predict. I have no answer to the hypothetical question,’ an apparently annoyed Ashraful replied to a questioner.
   He also refuted the allegation of a secret deal with the government for elections.
   The party wants a credible election with participation of all political parties, he added.
   Responding to the party’s observations on state of emergency and election, the commerce and education adviser earlier told the briefing that the government had already relaxed a few provisions of the Emergency Powers Rules allowing electioneering in the constituencies where local government elections will take place on August 4.
   ‘We sought suggestions from Awami League on what more we can relax. We will definitely look into it, if necessary,’ the adviser said.
   He added that the government was considering relaxation of emergency, not lifting it, at this stage.
   ‘On complete lifting of the state of emergency, we might take a decision together through logical discussion if there is an atmosphere of confidence,’ the adviser said, suggesting a two-stage approach towards this demands.
   To a question on regular bail of Sheikh Hasina, he said that the party raised the issue at the meeting, but the government side had no clear-cut answer since it was a judicial matter.
   To another question, the adviser said that the government was still trying to bring other major parties, especially the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance, to the dialogue to ensure that all the parties join the parliamentary polls.

South Asian countries on Thursday adopted a three-year SAARC action plan on climate change to cope with environmental degradation and to pursue climate-resilient development in the region.
   This is the first-ever such strategy, based on recommendations of regional experts, adopted at the SAARC ministerial meeting on climate change in Dhaka.
   SAARC ministers also adopted the Dhaka Declaration on climate change that incorporated commitment for creating mass awareness from the early stage by incorporating educational materials in the curriculum, sharing knowledge and technology and protecting lives and livelihood for food, water and energy security.
   The three-year action plan, covering 2009–2011, focuses on seven thematic areas, from adaptation of climate change to regional stance for international negotiations on the issue.
   The plan also emphasises policies and action for climate change mitigation, technology transfer, financing and investment mechanism, education, training and awareness on the basis of New Delhi programme, monitoring, assessment and management of impact and risks due to climate change.
   The experts identified certain priority actions including clean development management, exchange of information on disaster preparedness, exchange of meteorological data, monitoring climate change impact, supporting international negotiation process and sensitising the media to the issue to implement the plan.
   The SAARC leaders have, however, yet to reach any consensus on mobilising fund for the implementation of such a plan scheduled for a 2009 start.
   The chief adviser’s special assistant for environment and forest ministry Raja Devasish Roy told reporters the meeting had emphasised seeking global funding although no concrete decision in this regard was made in the Dhaka meet.
   AHM Rezaul Kabir, the secretary to the ministry, told newsmen the meeting had suggested diverting funds from the SAARC development fund apart from seeking funds from donors such as the Asian Development Bank.
   Claiming the meeting successful in adopting such a plan, Devasish said, ‘The action plan will identify and create opportunities through regional and south-south cooperation in terms of technology and knowledge transfer. It gives us impetus for regional plan through national-level action plans and takes a common stance on global forum on climate change.’
   As for calling on India, top polluters, for compulsory emissions cuts, Asaduzzaman of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies said, ‘We should understand the geo-political reality while pursuing India to do so.’
   Dwelling on the issue of adverse effect on Bangladesh for sea-level rise, A Atiq Rahman of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies said, ‘We have taken time to prepare ourselves, but we need to start acting now. We also need to rethink our development process and integrate climate change into the development process.’
   A recent report of the US space agency NASA predicted that a sea-level rise of about 25 metres, associated with global warming and melting polar ice caps, could see Bangladesh disappear under the waves by the end of the century.

The chief adviser, Fakhruddin Ahmed, stressed the need for industrialised nations to provide climate adaptation funds for developing countries, the worst victims of climate change, ‘without any conditions’. Inaugurating the first ever ‘SAARC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change’ in Dhaka, he also called on richer nations to transfer better technology so that developing countries could progress toward climate resiliency.
   ‘The industrialised economies must provide adaptation funds and facilitate technology transfer without any conditionality,’ Fakhruddin said.
   He added that developed nations, the polluters, had an unshakeable responsibility to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, the cause of global warming, within the stipulated time frames.
   ‘SAARC countries should speak with one voice to ensure that developed countries commit new and additional resources to support our adaptation efforts,’ Fakhruddin said.
   The chief adviser announced that Bangladesh was trying to establish an international climate adaptation centre to share knowledge and best practices.
   ‘The developed countries must make unilateral and unconditional commitment to reduce their emission levels. This is a must to save us from the perils of climate change,’ he said.
   Fakhruddin said climate change would cost millions of poor people their livelihoods and intensify the havoc of floods, droughts and salinity.
   It would unleash the gravest tragedy in human history, far graver than the ‘Black Death’ or the atrocities of World War II, he said.
   ‘We cannot, and must not, sit idle and let this happen,’ he said.
   Echoing the chief adviser, SAARC Secretary-General Sheel Kant Sharma told the meeting, ‘SAARC believes that the way forward must include, among others, binding greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments by developed countries with effective timeframes.’
   Presided over by the chief adviser’s special assistant for environment, Devasish Roy, the inaugural session was also addressed by the foreign adviser, Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.

Two incidents of rain-triggered landslides on Thursday killed nine people in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar where flood situation continued to deteriorate due to incessant rainfall and onrush on hill water.
   Two persons were also injured in the landslides that occurred at Puran Pallan Para and Nutan Pallan Para villages of the upazila in the early hours when the victims were asleep.
   Teknaf upazila nirbahi officer, Altaf Hossen Chowdhury, said the landslides had occurred at 1.30 am on Thursday claiming lives of nine people of two families and injuring two others. The injured were admitted to the Teknaf Upazila Health Complex.
   Sources said all the 11 members of the two families were buried as heavy chunks of mud fell on their houses. Local people recovered nine of them dead and rescued two others injured.
   The deceased were Abu Tayeb, 36, his daughter Rehana Begum, 10, and two sons Manjuor Alam, 8, and Rasid Alam, 6, of Poran Pallan Para village, and Khorsheda Begum,17, daughter of Md. Noor Alam, his two sons Morshed Alam,10, and Noor Karim, 7, and one-year old daughter Rasheda Begum, and Petan Ali, 40, of Nutan Pallan Para village.
   The local administration allotted Tk 36,000 as compensation and Tk 4000 as general aid for each of the victims. The Cox’s Bazar deputy commissioner, Sajjadul Hassan, handed over the money.
   Two lakh people have remained stranded in 3 to 6 feet flood water at sadar, Ramu, Chakoria, Moheskhali and Ukhiya upazilas.
   One hundred houses were washed away at sadar, Ramu and Chakoria upazilas as the embankments of the rivers Matamohori and Bagkhali collapsed.
   Local Met office recorded 124 mm rainfall during the last 24 hours till 3:00pm Thursday.
   UNO Mohiuddin Al Farook informed floodwater had caused a breach in a 50-yard stretch of an embankment and washed away some 50 houses at Rajarkhool of Ramu.
   Cox’s Bazar sadar UNO, Nazrul Islam, told this correspondent at least 50,000 people had been marooned as vast areas of the upazila went under four to five feet water.
   Road links in the upazila are also remaining snapped due to floodwater. Chakoria UNO, Saha Alam, said flash flood had stranded more than 1.00 lakh people in the upazila as 20,000 houses were submersed in Kakara, Saharbill, Fasihakhali, Kiarbill, Harbong, Boroitali and the municipality areas. People are suffering from scarcity of drinking water as most tube-wells have gone under water.

Election offices have received 1,865 nominations for elections to four city corporations and nine municipalities slated for August 4, with candidates showing off political faces and Election Commission lax in enforcing the code.
   In the four city corporation, a total of 68 aspirants submitted for mayoral posts, 937 opted to vie for the posts of councillor, and 202 for the seats reserved for women.
   In the municipalities, 70 signed up for nine mayoral posts, 465 for councillors and 123 for women’s reserved seats, according to an Election Commission release.
   The nomination papers will be scrutinised on July 6–7 and candidates will get until July 13 for withdrawal.
   Earlier, chiefs of municipalities were called chairmen, which have been renamed as mayors like those in the city corporations. Elected representatives from wards are all now known as councillors instead of ward commissioners.
   Awami League and its allies earlier decided to join the local government polls and accordingly named candidates for vital posts, including city corporation mayoral posts.
   The Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led political alliance declared to boycott the polls. But the decision did not keep local level leaders at bay as they felt it unwise to give the political rivals a walkover.
   Many of them ignored the party’s official position and submitted nomination papers in some areas to contest the rivals from Awami League, Jatiya Party and others neck and neck.
   Though the election officials were repeatedly saying that local government elections were non-political, local leaders seemed less interested in hiding their political identities in pre-election showdowns.
   Election Commission also looked lax in enforcing code of conduct with the plea of creating a favourable atmosphere for elections.
   Section 3 of the code of conduct of the local government polls clearly stipulates that polls to the city corporations and municipalities are absolutely non-partisan.
   But there was no less of activities of political parties centring on the August 4 polls.
   ‘We are not taking any action against violation of electoral laws for the time being,’ election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain said on Wednesday.
   New Age staff correspondent from Sylhet reports, a total of 294 nomination forms were submitted for the Sylhet City Corporation election. Of them, 21 intended to vie for the mayoral post, 223 for councillor posts of 27 wards and 49 for the seats reserved for women councillors, said Mizanur Rahman Khandaker, deputy election commissioner in Sylhet.
   Among the potential candidates, seven are linked to Awami League, two from BNP and two from Ershad-led Jatiya Party.
   Detained mayor Badar Uddin Kamran, Awami League leader Dewan Farid Gazi, the party’s Sylhet district general secretary Iftekhar Hossain Shamim, city unit general secretary Advocate Mejbah Uddin Siraj, district vice-president Abduz Zahir Chowdhury Sufian, former MP Enamul Haque Chowdhury and former upazila chairman Babrul Hossain Babul filed nominations with the office of the deputy election commissioner.
   The Sylhet city unit general secretary of BNP, Nasim Hossain, and former Sylhet district BNP chief MA Haque also signed up for the polls.
   Other candidates are Kunu Mia and Abdus Samad Nazrul of the Jatiya Party, Kazi Kamal Ahmed of Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, Abdul Mukit Khan of Liberal Democratic Party, Syed Ali Afsar of Progressive Democratic Party, Syed Habibur Rahman Hiran of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, M Kutub Uddin Ahmad of Liberal Party, Moulana Sirajul Islam of Khelafat Majlish, Syed Mujibur Rahman of Khelefat Majlish (Ishrak-Quader), former chairman of Sylhet Municipality AFM Kamal, Mohammad Rimon and Bashir Ahmad.
   Arman Ahmed Shiplu, son of detained Sylhet mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran, also president of the city unit of Awami League, submitted the paper on behalf of his father on Thursday noon to the local election commission office.
   MA Haq of BNP said whether he would finally remain in the electoral race would depend on the party’s central decision.
   Our staff correspondent from Khulna reports, 15 aspirants submitted nomination papers to vie for the post of Khulna City Corporation mayor. Besides, 47 women candidates submitted their nomination forms for 10 reserved seats and 283 candidates submitted nominations for councillors.
   The mayor candidates are: Khulna city Awami League president Talukder Abdul Khaleq, KCC acting mayor and Khulna city BNP leader Moniruzzaman Moni, Khulna city CPB former president advocate Firoz Ahmed, AL city committee member advocate Enayet Ali, city AL general secretary Mizanur Rahman, Sheikh Sirajul Islam of Muslim League, Sharif Shafiqul Hamid Chandan of Khulna Nagarik Forum, SM Kamrul Alam Mintu of Samajik Rajnoitik Andolon, Abdul Gaffar Biswas of Jatiya Party, Mallick Abid Hossain Kabir of Awami League, Amjad Hossain Khan Mojlish of Progressive Democratic Party, temporarily suspended KCC official SM Hafizur Rahman and independent candidates advocate Moslem Uddin Ahmed, Monirul Islam and Tayabur Rahman.
   New Age correspondent reports from Rajshahi, 18 candidates of mayoral post of Rajshahi City Corporation submitted nomination papers. Besides, 242 candidates will contest for councillor posts and 64 for reserved seats.
   The mayoral candidates are AHM Khairuzzaman Liton of Awami League, Fazle Hossain Badsha of Workers Party, Masudul Haque Dulu of AL, Nasir Uddin Ahmed Biddut, Jahan Panna, former MP of reserved seat, Advocate Enamul Haque of BNP, Durul Huda of Jatiya Party (Earshad) who is also a former RCC mayor, independent candidate Abdul Motin Khan, Ruhul Kuddus Tunu of Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal,  Akhtaruzzaman Bablu of Bikalpo Dhara, Raihanul Rahman Raihan of Progressive Democratic Party, Farman Ali, Golam Rabbani, Rezaun Nabi Dudu, Abul Kalam Azad, Andul Khaleque and Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul.
   Our correspondent from Barisal adds, four major candidates, Ebaidul Huq Chan and Ahsan Habib Kamal from BNP-led alliance and Enayet Pir Khan and Shawkat Hossain Hiron from AL-led alliance submitted their nomination papers along with other 10 candidates for mayoral post of Barisal City Corporation.
   A total of 245 candidates submitted nomination papers for BCC polls, including 189 for 30 general councillor posts in 30 wards and 42 female councillors for 10 reserved seats.
   Nomination paper on behalf of BCC Mayor now in custody Majibor Rahman Sarwar also collected as aspirant Mayor candidates, but not submitted at last following the decision of four party alliance to boycott local government election.
   Manirul Islam, returning officer of BCC election, said that he received nomination papers of 15 mayor candidates including advocate Principal Enayet Pir Khan, president Nagorik Parishad, Ebaidul Huq Chan, director FBCCI and president BCCI and former mayor candidate and former district BNP secretary, Ahsan Habib Kamal, former BNP leader, municipal chairman and BCC mayor in charge, Shawkat Hossain Hiron, city AL convener, Alamgir Hossain Alo, city AL joint convener, Mahmudul Huq Khan Mamun, city Jubo League joint convener, Rezaul Huq Harun, district AL joint convener, Rafikul Islam Gafur, district JP (Ershad) secretary, Advocate Abul Kalam Azad, district CPB secretary, Sharfuddin Ahmed Santu, PDP leader, Advocate Kabiruddin Hannu, former JP leader and former ward commissioner, Advocate Jahirul Huq, Syed Abdullah Sahid,  former joint district judge, Rafikul Islam Russel, businessmen and Awlad Hossain Dilu, ward commissioner and mayor in charge.
   In Noahata paurashabha, eight candidates submitted nomination forms in the mayoral post while 45 candidates would vie for councillor posts and 18 for reserved seats.
   Mayoral candidates of the municipality are Mokbul Hossain, present mayor, Abdul Gafur Khan of Nagorik Committee, Abdul Bari Khan, Rafiqul Islam, Rafiqul Islam bakul, Enayatullah Khan Sabuj, Provat Bhusan Saha and Feroza Begum.
   Our Correspondent from Manikganj reports, a total of 10 candidates submitted their nomination papers for the post of mayor. Fourteen candidates submitted papers for three reserved posts while 81 candidates submitted would vie for nine general ward councillor posts.
   The candidate’s are detained Mayor Romjan Ali, his wife Afroza Akter, acting mayor Sudev Saha, ward commissioner Nasir Uddin Ahmed Jadu, former removed mayor Mosharaf Hossin Babul, GM Rafi Apu, SM Islam Hossain Liton, Billal Hossain, Ehtesham Hossain Khan and Syed Abul Kashem Chowdhury.
   Our Correspondent from Mymensingh reported that a total of 70 candidates submitted their nomination papers for Phulbaria municipality polls. The candidates include 12 for the mayoral post, 12 for three reserved seats for women while 46 for nine councillor posts.
   The 10 mayor candidates are Abdullahel Mustaq, senior vice-president of poura BNP, Kabir Hossain of BNP, Mujibur Rahman of BNP, Chand Mahmud Sarker of BNP, Golam Kibria of AL, Nurul Islam of AL, Yunus Ali, Rafiqul Islam, Shafiqul Islam, AKM Abdur Rahman, Abdur Rahim and Omar Faruq.
   According to UNB, seven candidates for Sitakundu pourasava
   mayor filed nomination papers amid much enthusiasm. Besides, 43 nominations were filed for ward commissioners and 12 women for reserved seats. The mayor candidates are: BNP leaders AK Azad (siting mayor) and ATM Saifuddin, Nayek (rtd) Shafiul Alam of AL, Nurunnabi Bhuiyan of JP, Mustafa Mantu of Jamaat, Nizamuddin of Communist Party of Bangladesh and independent candidates Badiul Alam.
   Our Gazipur Correspondent reports, seven nominations were filled for mayor of Sreepur pourasava polls, 49 nominations for nine ward councillors and 11 for three reserved seats for women.
   The mayor candidates are AL leaders Anisur Rahman (sitting mayor), Nazrul Islam and Ahsanullah, BNP leaders Abdul Motaleb and Shafiqul Islam, Nurul Islam of JP and independent candidate Abu Mohsin Bhuiyan.
   For Shariatpur municipality, seven nomination papers were filed for mayor post, 42 for councillors and 12 for reserved seats for women.
   The mayor candidates are AL leaders Abdur Rab Munshi, Abdus Samad Talukdar, Mosharraf Hossain Tota Majhee and three BNP leaders—Sardar AKM Nasiruddin, Abdul Jabbar Khan, Mahbub Alam Talukdar and independent candidates Amit Ghatak Chowdhury and Kamaluddin Howlader.
   New Age’s Bogra correspondent adds, for the election of Dhupchachiya paurashabha, six nomination papers were filed for the mayor post, 50 for councillor and 17 for reserved seats. BNP leaders Abdul Latif Mondal, Jahangir Alam, Belal Hossain, AL leader Ahmedur Rahman, JP leader Abdus Samad and independent candidate Nurul Haq will vie for the mayor post.
   In Chuadanga municipality, five nomination papers were filed for mayor post, 60 for councillors and 13 for woman reserved seats.
   In Golapganj municipality in Sylhet, eight persons will contest for mayoral post, 49 for councillors and 14 for women reserved seats.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina hit sparkling half-centuries to take India into the final of the Asia Cup with a six-wicket over Sri Lanka in a Super League match here Thursday.
   Skipper Dhoni hit a 62-ball 67 while Raina scored 54 off 66 balls to inspire India’s successful run chase of Sri Lanka’s 308-8 with a 99-run third wicket stand in a tight match at the National Stadium.
   Yuvraj Singh (36 not out) smashed two successive boundaries off paceman Nuwan Kula-sekera to bring up the victory with 3.1 overs to spare. Rohit Sharma remained unbeaten on 22.
   By winning, India also knocked arch-rivals Pakistan out of the tournament, setting up a return clash with Sri Lanka in the final on July 6.
   Sri Lanka and India finished the Super League with six points each from three matches after both sides had two carry over points from the first round.
   Pakistan, with two points from two matches, will meet winless Bangladesh in an inconsequential match on Friday.
   India’s opener Gautum Gambhir set the tone for the run-chase with a rapid 61-ball 68 studded with eleven boundaries, with Dhoni and Raina maintaining the quick tempo.
   Dhoni notched five boundaries and a six while Raina managed three boundaries. But with 75 needed, India suffered the first of two setbacks when Raina was run out.
   Two overs later, off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan produced a beauty to bowl Dhoni with 56 still needed for victory but Yuvraj and Rohit saw India through.
   Sri Lanka, who rested spearhead Chaminda Vaas and fast rising spinner Ajantah Mendis as they had already qualified for the final, failed to stop Indian openers Virender Sehwag (42) and Gambhir who smashed 71-ball 92 for the opening wicket.
   Sehwag fell in the 12th over, miscuing a drive off Kulasekera, while Gambhir was trapped leg-before by Muralitharan. Dhoni praised his openers for setting up the victory.
   ‘They (openers) took the pressure off and gave the middle-order the right kind of platform for a successful run-chase and I am very happy at the win in which everyone contributed,’ said the Indian captain.
   Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene said his team lost momentum in the middle overs.
   ‘We lost (Chamara) Kapugedera when we needed him in the middle and his wicket slowed down the tempo. India had a very good start and we could not get wickets at regular intervals,’ said Jayawardene.
   Earlier Sri Lanka were lifted by three half-centuries from Kapugedera, Jayawardene (50) and Chamara Silva (50).
   The 24-year-old Kapugedera added 78 for the third wicket with Jayawardene and another 68 with Silva (50) to bolster the Sri Lankan innings after they won the toss and decided to bat.
   Kapugedera and Jayawardene steadied the innings through their 89-ball partnership after Sri Lanka lost opener Kumar Sangakkara (seven) and Sanath Jayasuriya (43) with the score reading 71.
   The Sri Lankan skipper hit four boundaries while Kapugedera hit seven boundaries and a six during his 78-ball knock.
   Silva then took over, hitting two boundaries and a six off 56 balls before he was run out with five overs to go.

A heavy monsoon downpour flooded streets and disrupted transport in the capital Thursday morning forcing many people to stay indoors.
   The rain stopped by noon although the sky remained overcast all day and most of the office-goers walked home in the drizzly afternoon in the midst of a chaotic traffic on submerged streets. Thousands of commuters suffered as the flooding of streets led to tailbacks in the evening rush hours.
   The city like other parts of the country experienced torrential rain, triggered by active monsoon, for the third consecutive day Thursday.
   The Met Office said almost all parts of the country were experiencing downpour due to active monsoon and more rains were expected over the next 48 hours.
   The Met Office on Thursday recorded 53mm rainfall between 6:00am and 6:00pm in Dhaka, 36mm in Cox’s Bazar, 69mm in Feni, 109mm in Kutubdia, 74mm in Chittagong, 33mm in Tangail, 64mm in Barisal and 63mm in Patuakhali.
   The rain caused water logging in most of the parts of the capital leaving the city’s main thoroughfares wedged with near-constant gridlock.
   Roads stretching from Kakrail to Malibagh crossing, Shantinagar crossing to Shahjahanpur, Purana Paltan to Dainik Bangla crossing, Abdul Gani Road in front of the secretariat and Naya Paltan VIP Road, roads at Dilkusha, Motijheel and Tikatuli, Bailey Road, Shahbagh and Green Road were submerged.
   Many lanes and by-lanes in different city neighbourhoods, especially in Malibagh, Maghbazar, Shahjahanpur, Badda, Demra, Madartek, Basabo, Manda, Trimohoni, Manipuripara, Mirpur and in Old Town of Dhaka went under knee-high water for poor drainage.
   The secretariat compound also went under knee-high water forcing officials and staff to wade through dirty water to attend the office.

Chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda on Thursday said holding of local government elections under the caretaker administration would not be unconstitutional if parliamentary polls under this government were considered legal.
   The CEC also said that upazila elections were likely to be held either towards end of August or at the beginning of October.
   Shamsul Huda was speaking at a roundtable discussion on ‘what type of candidates is expected in the local government elections’ organised by Shujan-Sushasaner Janya Nagarik, at CIRDAP auditorium.
   Apparently responding to different political parties’ claims that the caretaker government could not hold elections
   to the local government bodies before parliamentary polls, Huda said, ‘It is not a conventional kind of caretaker
   government. That caretaker government [predecessors of the Fakhruddin Ahmed-led administration] stepped down after the expiry of its 90-day tenure. The incumbents are a new kind of caretaker government.’
   ‘If this government can hold parliamentary elections,
   why object to its holding local government polls? If holding of general elections [under the incumbents] is not illegal, local polls under it should not likewise be considered illegal’, Huda asserted.
   He, however, said, the Supreme Court would determine in future what was legal and what was illegal.
   The Election Commission has taken all preparations for holding the upazila polls and it would precede the national elections ‘to keep it free from political influence’, he added.
   The CEC apprised the meeting that the commission had already prepared the voters’ roll for nearly 250-300 upazilas and polls would be held in those upazilas for which voters’ roll had been completed.
   Talking to newsmen on the sidelines of the meeting, Huda said, ‘The upazila elections are likely to be held either towards end of August or at the beginning of October.’
   In response to the concern of a speaker, the CEC said, ‘We may take steps to ensure a neutral [local] administration during the polls. We have already talked to the chief adviser [over the issue]. I think there will be a reshuffle of deputy commissioners and police supers in a month.’
   Referring to the allegation levelled against the commission by different political parties
   that it was preparing to hold local elections as part of a ‘blueprint’, the CEC said, ‘The commission is neither working at anybody’s instructions nor holding the local government elections as part of any blueprint.’
   ‘Political parties want a neutral election commission and at the same time they want us to work in favour of them’, he said criticising such attitudes as double standards. ‘The EC will not undertake any tasks which might thwart the process of holding the general elections. We have no hidden agenda as we would neither contest the next polls nor are we anybody’s chosen persons.’
   Shamsul Huda fired a broadside at his critics who had said the EC had played no role in preparing the voters’ roll with photographs.
   ‘They [critics] are trying to “demonise” our task of preparing the voters’ list with the assistance of the armed forces. The EC does not carry out such jobs alone…it just gives the leadership which is the most important factor in successful completion of a task.’
   Prior to the meeting, a new web site, www.votebd.org, was launched by the chief election commissioner.
   Presided over by Muzaffer Ahmad, the meeting was also addressed, among others, by former advisers to a caretaker government ASM Shahjahan and M Hafiz Uddin Ahmed.
   Shujan secretary Badiul Alam Majumder presented the keynote speech.

The government will begin implementing the Tk 2,000 crore employment guarantee scheme from September initially targeting the poor in the most vulnerable 44 districts, a high-level meeting decided on Thursday.
   Committees at the grassroots level will select the beneficiaries of scheme, excluding them from other ongoing safety net programmes, to avoid duplication, resolved the inter-ministry meeting chaired by finance adviser Mirza Azizul Islam.
   However, it could not be ascertained whether the food ministry, the lead ministry for implementation of the scheme, would consult other stakeholders to make the selection process more transparent and effective.
   The finance adviser, while talking to journalists, ruled out the possibility of corruption in doling out the money allocated under the employment guarantee scheme which would provide a beneficiary 100 days of employment during lean periods of the year.
   ‘The programme has been undertaken in view of high inflation and seasonal unemployment as well as to create assets for the most vulnerable groups,’ said a finance ministry official, who played an important role in designing the scheme.
   Accordingly, 14 lakh jobs, out of 20 lakh targeted in the scheme, will be provided in 44 districts including five northern districts exposed to seasonable famine-like situation called monga and 39 others which are either low-lying or vulnerable to river erosion.
   The rest 6 lakh jobs will be distributed in 20 districts later.
   A beneficiary of the scheme will be entitled to Tk 100 for his/her work. If the government fails to give any work, the beneficiary will be given Tk 35 a day during the one-third period of the 100 days’ programme and Tk 50 a day for the remaining period.
   A key adviser to the government raised question at the meeting if the scheme would make some people idle, and spoke against the provision of cash distribution in case of absence of work, a meeting source said.
   A national steering committee headed by the food secretary, will look into such issues, while committees at district, upazila and union parishad levels will make lists and scrutinise those.
   The works, as identified by officials concerned, include afforestation, digging of canals and ponds, construction of dams and manufacturing compost fertilisers.
   The committee at the grassroots level will be able to assign suitable jobs, even innovative works, said officials.
   The committee will be asked to select the timing of the implementation of the scheme in each area taking into consideration unavailability of works so that farming and other productive activities do not suffer from labour shortfall.

Finance and planning adviser AB Mirza Azizul Islam on Thursday said the caretaker administration might constitute a pay commission within a month for revising the salary structures for government employees but refused to make a firm commitment on the timeline.
   The adviser said the current salaries and benefits of the government employees would be studied before formation of the commission.
   He was talking to journalists after a meeting at the finance ministry on ‘finalisation of the 100 days employment guarantee scheme’.
   ‘At present the finance ministry is working over the details of the commission’, he added.
   The finance adviser said the government was considering formation of the pay commission within one month, ‘but there is no assurance at the moment’.
   Officials and employees of the government, semi-government, autonomous bodies and state-owned banks and financial institutions as well as members of the armed forces will get a 20 per cent dearness allowance from July 1.
   The finance ministry on Tuesday issued an order putting the budgetary pledge into effect from the first day of the new fiscal year.
   Besides, the government announced it would form the 7th pay commission in the current fiscal year.
   The government officials and employees are currently getting salaries and benefits under the pay scales announced by the last pay commission formed in 2004. The commission was headed by former cabinet secretary Mujibul Haq.

Sheikh Hasina’s counsel told a court on Thursday that the former prime minister could not be tried for the purchase of MiG-29 warplanes, as the High Court and an international arbitration tribunal had already tested the deal and found it legal.
   Defence counsel Shafique Ahmed said this in his arguments on a petition seeking discharge of Hasina, also the Awami League president, from the MiG-29 graft case in the court of Dhaka divisional special judge Golam Murtoza Majumder, in the makeshift courtroom on the Jatiya Sangsad complex.
   On the second day of the hearing on the petition, Shafique submitted the High Court’s verdict in a writ petition filed by former BNP lawmaker Akhteruzzaman challenging the validity of the Bangladesh-Russia defence technical cooperation agreement and the deal for the purchase of eight MiG-29 warplanes from Russia.
   Submitting the High Court’s verdict in accordance with the court’s order issued on June 26, the counsel said the writ petition was filed challenging both the agreements and the High Court had rejected the petition observing that the deals were made in accordance with the law.
   The BNP-led alliance government had also gone to the international arbitration tribunal spending a large amount of state money to challenge the agreements, but lost the legal battle and had to pay the money to Russia for the fighter planes. About 80 per cent of the money was paid by the BNP government and the caretaker government of 2001, he contended.
   The High Court and the international arbitration tribunal had examined all the issues, the present graft case referred to, and found that the agreements, including the purchase deal, were made in accordance with the law, the counsel pointed out adding, ‘So, now neither the purchase deal can be opened for further scrutiny nor anyone can be tried for the deal.’
   His arguments remain inconclusive and it will resume on July 8.
   Before the adjournment of the proceedings, another defence counsel Syed Rezaur Rahman appealed for exemption of former army chief Mustafizur Rahman from personal appearance in the court during the next proceedings in the case.
   Since Mustafiz is suffering from serious health complications and it is difficult for him to travel to the court from the hospital, his personal appearance should be dispensed with, the counsel pleaded adding, ‘Mustafiz will appear in the court on the date for framing of charges.’
   The court advised him to file a fresh petition in this regard on July 8.
   Besides Mustafiz, former air chief Jamaluddin Ahmed, former defence secretary Syed Yousuf Hossain, former air force officer Mirza Akhtar Maruf, former joint secretary to the defence ministry Mohammad Hossain Serniabat and businessman Noor Ali were in the dock during the proceedings. All of them are on bail.
   Hasina was represented by her counsel Sahara Khatun as she had been exempted from personal appearance during proceedings in the case. Hasina, temporarily released on June 11 by an executive order for her treatment overseas, is now in the United States.
   The chief prosecutor, ABM Sharfuddin Ahmed Khan Mukul, on June 2 proposed framing of charges against the eight in the case for causing a huge loss to the state exchequer by purchasing the fighter planes.
   Abdullah Al Zahid, deputy director of the defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption, filed the case with the Tejgaon police on December 11, 2001, accusing Hasina and the six others of corruption in the purchase of the MiG-29 fighter planes, which, he said, caused a loss of Tk 720 crore to the state.

The interim government on Thursday asked the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital authorities to give a ‘fresh’ assessment report on the health of detained BNP leader Tarique Rahman.
   A medical board examined Tarique, eldest son of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, for about an hour at BSMMU prison cell on the day.
   ‘The board examined him as the prison authorities sought a fresh evaluation report,’ Dr Kazi Mazharul Islam Dolon, a BSMMU associate professor and Tarique’s physician, told New Age Thursday.
   The board, which earlier recommended ‘further investigation and treatment in an advanced centre abroad,’ is scheduled to give its report on Saturday.
   The board includes professor KMHS Sirajul Haque, professor Serajuddin Ahmed, professor Moyeenuzzaman and associate professor M Idris Ali.
   In its June 16 report, the same medical board diagnosed that Tarique had been suffering from compression fracture at his spinal cord, cervical disc prolapsed with radicalopathy, right hip arthropathy, chest pain with palpitation, severe muscle spasm in lumber region and right lower limb, serenegative spondyloarthopathy and narrow angle glaucoma.
   For these complications, he has been getting multiple specialised treatment since January 31 this year, said the report. ‘In spite of all treatment facilities available in this university hospital, his condition is not improving, rather is gradually deteriorating,’ it said.
   In addition to his previous ailments, physicians on Thursday detected that ‘muscle of the right lower limb was wasted’ and ‘functional capacity of the muscle also decreased’.
   In a letter to the government on June 15, Tarique’s wife Dr Zubaida Rahman and daughter Zaima Rahman said Tarique needed to be sent abroad immediately for proper treatment to save him from getting crippled.
   ‘He requires “specialised orthopaedic surgical correction”, which is not possible in Bangladesh,’ they said.
   Tarique, who was not produced in the court on July 2 for ailment, is scheduled to be produced in a court on Sunday for hearing in the Tk 21 crore Bashundhara murder bribery case.
   The government detained Tarique Rahman on March 8 last year and implicated him in 10 cases so far.

An Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities would be a high-risk move that could destabilise the Middle East, the Pentagon’s top military officer said Wednesday.
   At a defence department press conference, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, refused to say what Israeli leaders told him during meetings last week about any intentions to strike Iran.
   But asked whether he was concerned Israel would strike before the end of the year, he said: ‘This is a very unstable part of the world and I don’t need it to be more unstable.’
   The American military is severely strained already by wars on two fronts – the nearly seven-year-old campaign in Afghanistan and more than five years in Iraq.
   ‘Opening up a third front right now would be extremely stressful on us,’ Admiral Mullen said.
   The Bush administration and other world leaders allege Iran is seeking to produce nuclear weapons and Iran says its nuclear programme is aimed only at generating electricity.
   ‘I believe they’re still on a path to get nuclear weapons and I think that’s something that needs to be deterred,’ Admiral Mullen said, adding that it should be done through diplomatic, financial, and economic actions by America and other nations.
   But, he added, ‘I think that just about every move in that part of the world is a high-risk move.’
   In a press conference earlier in the day, president Bush also was asked about increasing speculation that Israel will launch a military strike, saying that all options are on the table but that military action would not be his first choice.
   ‘I have made it very clear to all parties that the first option ought to be solve this problem diplomatically,’ Bush said. ‘And the best way to solve it diplomatically is for the United States to work with other nations to send a focused message – and that is, you will be isolated, and you will have economic hardship, if you continue to enrich’ uranium for a bomb.

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday rejected the Power Development Board proposal to increase electricity prices at the consumer level by 42 per cent as it found any such increase unjustified.
   ‘The commission has decided not to accept the power board proposal to increase power tariff for general consumers,’ the commission chairman, Golam Rahman, said at the hearing of the power board, power agencies and other stakeholders in the PDB proposal.
   The commission, however, accepted the power board’s application for an increase in tariff that bulk consumers such as Dhaka Power Distribution Company, Dhaka Electricity Supply Company and Rural Electrification Board buys from the board for supply to general consumers.
   ‘The power board proposal had two parts — increases in the tariffs for bulk and for general consumers by 41 per cent to 42 per cent. We have accepted the first part. But we have felt it will be injustice to consumers if we approve the increased tariffs for general consumers without fixing the tariffs for bulk consumers,’ Golam told reporters.
   The commission will hold a public hearing on August 20 in the power board proposal to re-fix tariffs for bulk consumers. Bulk consumers, other stakeholders and general consumers will be able to joint the public hearing by registering with the commission by July 15.
   Golam said they had found some inconsistencies in the proposal for increase inn power tariff for general consumers.
   ‘According to the proposal of the power board, which also has power distribution wings, it incurs losses by selling electricity whereas other distribution agencies make profit by buying electricity from the Power Development Board. This is puzzling. We need to sort out the bulk tariff for the power board and other companies before considering any proposal to increase tariffs for general consumers,’ he said.
   At the hearing, stakeholders like representatives of business associations and consumers’ association opposed the power board proposal for an increase in power tariffs for consumers given the current situation of food prices in the country.
   Consumers’ association representative Emdadul Haq said the proposal did not mention anything about consumer’s right and there was nothing about increasing power generation. ‘Besides, the board is not supplying electricity reliably. It produces only around 3,200MW although it has the capacity to produce 4,200MW. Why should the consumers pay for the PDB inefficiency?’ he said.
   He said a section of people on the staff of the PDB and other power agencies were plundering public money on the excuse of system loss. ‘If the system losses can be reduced, there should be no need to increase power tariff,’ he said.
   An REB official said the proposal did not consider the condition of the rural people as it did not say anything about the capacity of affordability of the rural poor to buy electricity.
   In its proposal, the power board said it would incur a loss of Tk 2,392 crore in the current financial year if the power tariff was not increased.
   ‘The board is now getting Tk 600 crore a year from the government in soft loan to pay the bills of independent power producers. But still it is suffering from liquidity crisis by selling electricity at a lower rate than the generation cost,’ the board’s chairman Shawkat Ali said.
   The commission officials, however, felt the board’s losses might be reduced if the power tariffs for bulk consumers were increased.
   The chief adviser’s special assistant M Tamim on Wednesday told New Age the government would not allow the Power Development Board to increase the price of power for general consumers even if the commission approved the proposal.

Children in Afghanistan suffer more than in any other country in the world from violence, war and poverty, and sometimes become suicide bombers, the United Nations Children’s Fund said Thursday.
   Afghan children were not only caught up in fighting between Taliban rebels and international forces, but there was evidence of an increasing number ending up on the frontlines.
   Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN’s Special representative for Children in Armed Conflict, said Afghan children were the ‘forgotten victims’ of three decades of war and violence.
   ‘I can’t think of any country in the world where children suffer more than in Afghanistan,’ Coomaraswamy told reporters.
   She said her organisation was to present a comprehensive report on the plight of children in Afghanistan to the United Nations Security Council in October.
   Children in Afghanistan are suffering ‘not only because of the terrible violations due to war, but also the terrible poverty and hard work they have to endure,’ she said.
   ‘When meeting with children (here), it takes a lot of time to make them smile,’ she added.
   Coomaraswamy said she met many children who became victims of violence by Taliban and other anti-government factions as well as operations by international forces.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday rebuffed a senior US official for saying that Pakistan should focus on food prices and militancy rather than the fate of the president, Pervez Musharraf.
   ‘What Pakistan has to do with its president, who is an unconstitutional president, this is Pakistan’s internal affair, this is not Pakistan’s external affair. We do not need any external consultation in this,’ Sharif told reporters.
   Sharif was reacting to comments by the assistant secretary of state, Richard Boucher, who said Wednesday after meeting Pakistani leaders in Islamabad that the country had a raft of pressing problems on its plate.
   ‘Frankly, president Musharraf is not the issue right now,’ Boucher told reporters who queried him about the future of Musharraf, a close US ally.
   ‘This is not the problem that Pakistan faces right now,’ Boucher said. He said ‘there’s dangers of bombings and suicide bombers. There’s rising food prices. There’s energy difficulties.’
   Boucher said that he tried to get this message across to Pakistan’s new ruling coalition. He met with Sharif, the prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, and Musharraf during his three-day visit that ended Wednesday.
   Pakistan’s new government is packed with Musharraf opponents who triumphed in February elections which installed a new civilian administration after eight years of military dominance.
   Sharif was toppled as prime minister in the 1999 coup that brought Musharraf, then army chief, to power. Sharif’s party is the second largest in the new coalition and is demanding the US-backed president’s ouster.
   A recent poll found 73 per cent of Pakistanis had an unfavourable view of Musharraf. Critics also challenged the legitimacy of his re-election in a vote last year by the outgoing Parliament, which was stacked with his supporters.

The interim government on Thursday told the Supreme Court that providing judicial magistrates with vehicles was not justified in the present economic context.
   As attorney general Fida M Kamal submitted the report to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, the chief justice, MM Ruhul Amin, said the government could easily provide the judicial magistrates with the proposed 68 vehicles and 68 drivers by spending only one-third of the revenue the judiciary earns a year.
   ‘The upazila nirbahi karmakarta [executive officer] drives Pajero jeep and officers-in-charge of police stations use vehicles but chief judicial magistrates go to court in rickshaws, which is undermining the image of the judiciary,’ the court observed.
   The attorney general submitted the report during the hearing in the progress of the implementation of the court directives on the separation of the judiciary from the executive.
   The court, however, posted for July 8 the order on the matter. It also adjourned till July 8 the hearing in the contempt of court proceedings against 14 bureaucrats, including four top secretaries, for procrastination in implementing the court’s 12-point directives on the separation of the judiciary and for distorting and making adverse observations about the directives.
   Submitting a letter issued by the Cabinet Division on June 30, Fida Kamal old the court, ‘The law ministry on May 28 recommended providing the judicial magistrates with 68 cars and 68 drivers. The matter was discussed at the meeting of the National Implementation Committee for Administrative Reorganisation on June 26. The meting has resolved that 71 microbuses have been provided for the judicial magistrates and providing the judicial magistrates with 68 more cars is not justified in the present economic context.’
   He also said the special judges had already been provided with cars. The court said any judge of the rank of a district judge should be given a car.
   On December 12, 2007, it asked the government to equip judicial magistrates with all their requirements, including vehicles and manpower, in line with an October 28 letter of the establishment ministry.
   The judicial magistracy began functioning independent of the executive on November 1, 2007 in accordance with the 12-point directives issued by the Appellate Division in its verdict in the Masder Hossain case, widely known as the separation of judiciary case, on December 2, 1999.

City dwellers living for years in areas close to the risky hills have been asked to leave immediately to avoid possible disasters like landslides, a phenomenon during the rainy season.
   A team of the Chittagong Development Authority while visiting several risky hill areas in the port city gave the directive on Thursday, CDA officials told the news agency in Chittagong on Thursday.
   The team members also spotted illegal and old structures in the port city and said severe actions would be taken against those not following the CDA plan in constructing their building.
   CDA’s chief engineer Iqbal Hossain Majumder led the team, which included, among others, executive engineer and member secretary of its authorisation committee Habibur Rahman and assistant engineer Kazi Mohammed Hasan.
   The team visited Motijharna, Chanmari, Battali hill, Tiger pass, Railway hill, Pahartali, College Road and Sholakbahar areas of the city.

The 2008 presidential race, which has already drawn a record number of dollars and voters, is poised to shatter another record: the amount of money spent on television advertisements.
   As Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain barnstorm across the country before the November election, they will spend heavily on ads that will increasingly reflect the cut-and-thrust of the campaign.
   Total spending on TV ads in the presidential race is expected to top $800 million, said Evan Tracey, chief operating officer of the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks political advertising. Such spending totalled $500 million, the previous record, in the 2004 race.
   That’s good news for the television business, which is suffering from a pullback in spending from automotive, real estate and financial service advertisers.
   Thanks in part to the expected boost from the US election, spending on network and local TV advertisements is expected to rise between 2 per cent and 3 per cent in 2008 while cable TV advertising is expected to rise 6 per cent, according to ZenithOptimedia.
   ‘Every month, every quarter we’re setting records,’ CBS Corp chief financial officer Fred Reynolds said at a recent investor conference. The company, which owns the CBS network and local television stations, billed a record of nearly $30 million in political advertising in the first quarter of 2008, he said.
   Other companies expected to benefit from the campaign include General Electric Co’s NBC and Walt Disney Co’s ABC; broadcasters like Sinclair Broadcast Group, Belo Corp and Hearst-Argyle Television; and media companies such as Gannett Co Inc and Meredith Corp.
   Even in the YouTube era, TV advertising is still the best way to reach wide swaths of voters directly, experts say. TV ads also shape news coverage and are frequently replayed, at no charge, during newscasts.
   Obama had raised $286 million through the end of May and is expected to raise hundreds of millions more by November.
   He has already bought air time in solidly Republican states like Alaska, Montana and Indiana, in an attempt to force McCain to defend states he would otherwise take for granted.

The government on Thursday formed a 15-member high-powered committee, headed by the commerce adviser, Hossain Zillur Rahman, to recommend steps to tackle gas and power crisis in Chittagong
   The committee, which also include the chief adviser’s special assistants for power and energy M Tamim and for telecommunications MA Malek, has been asked to submit the recommendations in 10 workings day to the council of advisers.
   The committee will review the situation of gas and power in Chittagong and the progress in ongoing projects to make the recommendations.
   Other members on the committee are the acting Chittagong mayor, power and energy secretaries, Petrobangla and Power Development Board chairmen and representatives of the Chittagong Development Authority, Chittagong Power Development Board, Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association, Gas Transmission Company Limited, Power Grid Company Limited and the Bakhrabad Gas Systems Limited.
   The formation of the committee followed a special meeting of the council of advisers on gas and electricity issues on Wednesday where the authorities concerned were asked to take steps to increase supply of gas and electricity to Chittagong.
   Chittagong has been facing severe gas and power shortage for months and industrial expansion in the port city has been stagnant.

Isabel Guerrero, the World Bank country director for India, has been appointed the lending agency’s one of the vice-presidents based in Washington for South Asia.
   A World Bank executive who will be responsible for Bangladesh as well in the assignment, Guerrero takes over from the outgoing vice-president Praful C Patel. World Bank president Robert B Zoellick gave the appointment.
   ‘It is a special privilege to be invited to take up this role for one of the most important regions of the world as measured by the development agenda,’ a WB press release issued from Washington quoted Guerrero as saying.
   In Guerrero’s account, South Asia is a region of extraordinary hope as demonstrated by its aggressive growth over the past decade. ‘It is also a region in which the range of profound challenges faced by the inhabitants stands out starkly, from poverty to the environmental management issues.’
   After joining WB as a ‘young professional’ in 1982, Guerrero also served as country director for Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Colombia and Mexico in the past 11 years.

Flight operation at Zia International Airport collapsed on Thursday after a DC10 of Biman had met with an accident at around 11:00am in which eight of the aircraft wheels were damaged but the passengers and the crew escaped unhurt.
   The BG022 flight of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines Limited from Mascot via Chittagong landed at the airport with 96 passengers on board, said a Biman official.
   Both landing and take-off at the airport in Dhaka remained suspended for about three hours from 11:15am as the 30-year-old aircraft which had developed problems in its break and anti-skid system skidded off the runway. Four of the left and two of the right wheels and two wheels in the centre were damaged, said the airport officials.
   The Biman and the civil aviation authorities formed separate committees to investigate the incident.
   ‘The DC10 developed problems in its break and anti-skid system on June 30, but the pilot had to take the risks because of shortage of aircraft in the Biman fleet. We need more professional engineers in the team to deliver better services,’ the Bangladesh Airline Pilots’ Association president, SM Helal, told New Age after the accident.
   Although Captain Belal, who was piloting the flight, on landing at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong, reported the aircraft had developed some problems, the authorities concerned gave clearance to take off, an official said.
   Biman, now a public limited company, operates on 20 international and three domestic routes with four old DC10s, three Airbuses and four F-28s.

US archaeologists believe they have found the long-sought childhood home of George Washington, the United States’ first president, sitting it close to Fredricksburg in the state of Virginia.
   ‘This is it – this is the site of the house where George Washington grew up,’ said David Muraca, director of archaeology for the George Washington Foundation, which owns the 110-acre farm where the US leader apparently spent his formative years.
   Archaeologists digging at the Ferry Farm site near Fredricksburg, 50 miles south of the federal capital, said Wednesday they had found cellars and foundations from the clapboard-covered house Washington lived in.
   After extensive work, they conclude that contrary to popular belief, the house sited on the northern bank of the Rappahannock river in Stafford County was not a rustic cottage but a larger, one-and-a-half-story residence.
   In another myth-busting find, they say a fire that broke out on Christmas Eve 1740 was small and localised, not the major disaster that historians believed had occurred.
   ‘If the young George Washington did indeed chop down a cherry tree, as generations of Americans have believed, this is where it happened,’ said Philip Levy, associate professor of history at the University of South Florida.
   He said that given the lack of documents about Washington’s formative years, the discovery of his boyhood home provides a significant insight.
   The team was particularly interested in a broken chimney flue they found that is typical of the mid-18th century when Washington lived at the house. On it, they found a Masonic symbol – Washington joined the Fredricksburg Masonic Lodge in 1753.
   Born February 22, 1732, Washington was head of the Continental Army during the American War of Independence and became the first president of the United States in 1789. He died on December 14, 1799, two years after leaving office.