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At least six were killed and 20 injured in a clash on Monday between two groups of Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party activists centring on a piece of land in a Padma char at Ishwardi in Pabna.
   The incident took place centring on the control of Charmadia, a piece of government land spanning about 400 acres, in the remote village of Kamalpur at Ishwardi.
   The char remains under the control of the activists and local leaders loyal to the ruling party and with a change in state power, the control of the char also changes, local residents said.
   The activists loyal to local Awami League leader Abdus Samad announced that he was in control of the char and tried to harvest the crops on the land planted by the local leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which was in power immediately before.
   Activists loyal to local BNP leader Kashem stopped Samad’s followers from harvesting lentils from the land, which resulted in the clash.
   Both the groups, numbering about 150 persons, attacked each other with sharp weapons, iron rods and bamboo sticks.
   The police arrested 15 persons of both the groups. No case was filed till 9:30pm as no members of any of the groups went to the police station, according to the Ishwardi police officer-in-charge.
   The officer-in-charge, Sheikh Lelin Alamgir, however, told New Age the clash had taken place between two groups of local Awami League activists over the control of the char. ‘It is a regular phenomenon in char areas that people try to capture pieces of land whenever they emerge.’
   The deceased are Ayet Pramanik, 48, and Rashid Pramanik, 42, who died on the spot. Muslem Uddin, 42, died in Iswardi Hospital at about 5:00pm and Shibjanson, 41, Amin Uddin, 42, and Mannaf, 32, died in private medical facilities in the evening. All the people who were killed and injured are very poor and joined the clash for money, local people said.
   The clash began at about 12:30pm and continued for about an hour and a half. Twenty others were injured. Most of the injured could not be admitted to hospital as they could be arrested, they said. Two of the injured were reported to be in a critical condition.
   Jamil Ahmed, the superintendent of police in Pabna, said the police had reached the spot on receiving the news of the clash. The police were raiding places in the area. More policemen were deployed.
   The police and the local residents said there had been rivalry between the local Awami League and BNP leaders and within the Awami League leaders centring on the control on the piece of land.
   Local sources said there had for long been tension between rival groups over the capturing of char land. ‘Tension between rival groups over char land has continued for a long time,’ Torab Ali, a local union parishad chairman, said. He claimed the two groups belong to the Awami League.

New Delhi on Monday made a lukewarm response to Dhaka’s proposal of a regional anti-terror task force as India’s external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee felt sincerity and commitment were more important than a ‘framework’ (task force) to solve the problem.
   ‘We have discussed the viability of the proposed task force. Architecture or framework does not stand in the way of fighting against terrorism, whatever it is — bilateral, regional or multilateral. But if there is inability, incapability or unwillingness to tackle the problem and fight against terrorism as a global issue, then the problem crops up,’ he told reporters after talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Dipu Moni.
   ‘There is no conflict between the regional architecture and the bilateral architecture within the regional architecture. What is more important is the sincerity to fight against the menace of terrorism,’ he said.
   ‘As far as the concept of a regional task force to fight terrorism is concerned, certain regional and international mechanisms already exist,’ he said.
   ‘Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina mooted the proposal [of task force]. We will, therefore, also discuss the modes with other countries of the region,’ said Dipu Moni.
   ‘All the countries have their national mechanisms. But, in addition to that, as terrorism is a problem not confined by any border, it needs regional cooperation to effectively fight against the menace,’ Dipu Moni said.
   She assured her Indian counterpart of the government’s ‘firm stand’ of not allowing its territory to be used by any anti-Indian elements for subversive activities.
   She also sought India’s cooperation against elements in India trying to harm the interests of Bangladesh.
   Dipu Moni, however, evaded answering the question whether she believed the Indian notion that Pakistan was trying to make Bangladesh a ‘buffer state’ to export terrorism to India.
   Briefing reporters at the Sheraton Hotel, the foreign ministers did not elaborate whether their discussion had specifically focused on the controversial issue of transit, which has been termed an economic issue rather than political by some ministers of the Awami League government.
   ‘Discussion on connectivity was held, specifically focusing on national interests,’ said Dipu Moni.
   Mukherjee, on the other hand, emphasised the importance of infrastructural development to facilitate trade and urged the private sector to enhance road, rail and waterway connectivity between the two countries.
   Pranab said he could not meet the leader of the opposition, Khaleda, also the BNP chairperson, for want of time.
   He made the remark when he was asked whether he felt the army was still playing an important role in Bangladesh politics as his schedule contained a meeting with the army chief, but not the opposition leader.
   ‘Due to paucity of time, it [meeting with Khaleda] could not be materialised. The Indian parliament goes into session in a couple of days, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has not yet fully recovered and I have a huge domestic workload,’ he said in explanation.
   Mukherjee said he had to cancel six foreign visits, except his visit to Bangladesh.
   He said because of the time constraint he had to reduce his two-day visit to one day.
   Pranab left Dhaka at 9:50pm Monday after wrapping up his visit to Dhaka. He arrived in Dhaka at 10:30am to convey good wishes of India’s prime minister Manmohan Singh to the Bangladesh prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.
   On arrival at Zia International Airport, Mukherjee read out an arrival statement where he mentioned his country’s ‘steadfast commitment’ to Bangladesh.
   Mukherjee congratulated the people of Bangladesh on the successful holding of free, fair and peaceful elections. ‘It is indeed a victory for democracy. India warmly welcomes this development.’

Dhaka and New Delhi Monday signed two agreements on trade and investment promotion and protection for increased bilateral trade and investment which is now heavily tilted towards India.
   India’s external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee signed the two deals —Bilateral Trade Agreement and Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement — on behalf of India while the commerce minister, Faruq Khan, and the industries minister, Dilip Barua, signed the deals on behalf of Bangladesh.
   The two agreements were signed at the Sheraton Hotel after Mukherjee held talks with his Bangladesh counterpart Dipu Moni and the home minister, Sahara Khatun, at the state guest house Meghna.
   The Indian minister also unveiled a model of core shelters for Sidr-affected families in Bagerhat.
   The agreement on mutual investment promotion and protection will give the most favoured nation status to each of the countries.
   The trade deal is, however, a renewal of an old agreement, originally signed in 1980, on the use of waterways, roadways and railways for commerce between the two countries for passage of goods between two places in one country through the territory of the other.
   India has for long enjoyed water transport facility through the Bangladesh territory, but the parts on road and rail transit have never been activated.
   India will construct 2,800 homes capable of withstanding strong winds for Bangladeshi families who lost their houses in a devastating cyclone in November 2007. The homes will be built in 11 villages in the worst-hit southern Bagerhat district.
   Briefing the reporters, both Dipu Moni and Pranab Mukherjee claimed to have fruitful and comprehensive discussions on a wide range of bilateral issues.
   The two foreign ministers of the South Asian neighbours informed the media they had touched on the issues of security, border management, strengthening connectivity, promoting trade and investment, and people-to-people contact.
   Dipu Moni said their meeting in details discussed ‘practical ways’ for the promotion of economic relations and two-way trade, reduction in the trade gap and increase in investment.
   Besides, matters of security and anti-people activities by fundamentalists and extremists were also discussed.
   Dipu Moni assured Pranab Mukherjee Bangladesh would not allow its territory to be used by any anti-Indian elements to carry out activities against India.
   She also sought India’s cooperation against elements who are trying to harm the interests of Bangladesh (from the other side).
   The Bangladesh foreign minister requested her Indian counterpart to resume the stalled talks on the longstanding issues of the sharing the waters of common rivers and demarcation of land and maritime boundaries.
   Mukherjee said a joint commission would meet to work out ways to boost trade, such as duty cut and removal of non-tariff barriers on some Bangladeshi exports to India.
   The volume of two-way trade between the two next-door neighbours was recorded at $ 3.76 billion in the 2007-08 financial year.
   India enjoys a huge trade surplus with Bangladesh as Bangladesh imported Indian goods worth $3.37 billion in the financial year while its exports fetched only $358 million from the vast Indian market.
   Later in the day, Mukherjee laid the foundation stone of the specialised classroom of the theatre and music department in Dhaka University.

The Indian Minister for External Affairs, Pranab Mukherjee, on Monday agreed with Bangladesh’s proposal of forming a joint anti-terrorism taskforce to combat regional terrorism and militancy, claimed the prime minister’s press secretary, Abul Kalam Azad.
   Mukherjee apparently made a positive response when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the proposal of forming the joint anti-terrorism taskforce during a meeting with him at the premier’s official residence on Hare Road.
   ‘Pranab Mukherjee has agreed with the prime minister’s proposal for formation of a joint anti-terrorism taskforce,’ said Abul Kalam Azad categorically.
   ‘At the meeting, the Indian external affairs minister observed that uniform initiatives are needed to form the taskforce and to combat terrorism and extremism,’ said Azad in answer to a query. He was briefing newsmen after emerging from the meeting.
   ‘At the meeting the prime minister said the main problem of South Asia is poverty and only uninterrupted peace can alleviate poverty. Combating terrorism, extremism and smuggling are essential for ensuring peace,’ said Azad, quoting Hasina. The prime minister also stressed the need for maintaining good relations with the neighbouring countries.
   But according to reporters who heard him directly at a press conference, he said that sincerity and commitment to combat terrorism are more necessary than a regional taskforce, and expressed a lukewarm reaction to the proposal.
   Azad said that Hasina had thanked Pranab for signing the Bilateral Trade Agreement and the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement with Bangladesh.
   During the meeting that lasted for more than an hour, Hasina recalled India’s cooperation during the country’s War of Liberation in 1971, and expressed gratitude for the Indian soldiers’ courageous role at that time, said Azad. ‘Bangladesh will not forget the sacrifice of several thousand Indian soldiers during the war against Pakistan,’ Hasina told Pranab.
   The issue of the bilateral interest of the two countries also came up at the meeting.
   Later Pranab exchanged pleasantries with Hasina’s family members, including her younger sister Sheikh Rehana.
   Foreign minister Dipu Moni and her deputy Hasan Mahmud, state minister for home affairs Tanjim Ahmed Sohel Taj, foreign secretary M Touhid Hossain and secretary of the PM’s office Kazi Aminul Islam were also present at the meeting.
   Pranab was accompanied by Indian foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon and Indian ambassador in Dhaka Pinak Ranjan Chakrabarty.

The crisis over seat arrangement in parliament deepened with both the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led main opposition and the speaker, Abdul Hamid, seemingly taking hardline stances on Monday.
   The opposition lawmakers, who already abstained from eight out of 10 sittings, decided to keep pending a decision on whether to return to the parliament session until the speaker made a specific decision on giving back their front row seats.
   They did not return to the session on Monday.
   ‘We have decided to keep pending our decision on whether we should return to the house as the speaker is yet to say anything specific about our demand for giving back our seats to his left in the house,’ opposition chief whip Jainal Abedin Faruk told reporters after a meeting of the opposition lawmakers Monday afternoon.
   The speaker, Abdul Hamid, on Sunday evening told Faruk that he would consider rearrangement of the seats before the next session if the opposition returned to the house in the current session. Faruk visited the speaker at his office to invite him to the wedding reception of his [Faruk] daughter.
   Faruk said he had discussed the speaker’s proposal with the leader of the opposition, Khaleda Zia, at her Gulshan office Sunday evening. ‘The speaker must make specific decisions on returning our seats and let us know about it,’ he said.
   When asked how long the opposition would remain outside parliament, he said the opposition lawmakers would meet again as soon as the speaker would decide to restore the seating arrangement of the first sitting of the house.
   The opposition lawmakers did not return to the house since they had walked out on January 28 in protest at the new seating arrangement giving eight instead of 21 seats in the first two rows to the left of the speaker to them. The parliament so far held tenth sittings from January 25.
   The speaker changed the seating arrangement laid out by his predecessor Jamiruddin Sircar who had given the main opposition lawmakers nine seats in the front row and 12 in the second row ignoring the treasury bench proposal.
    Faruk said that the parliament chief whip, Abdus Shahid, had sent two letters to him Monday morning requesting nomination of opposition lawmakers to 37 standing committees on different ministries and to eight other parliamentary committees by February 11.
   The treasury bench also seeks names of chairmen from the opposition for four standing committees on different ministries.
   ‘We have discussed about the requests of the treasury bench in the meeting,’ he said, adding, ‘We want assurance that they would not change the names of the opposition members to be sent by us’.
   The treasury bench must clearly say for which standing committees the opposition would nominate its lawmakers as chairmen so that it [opposition] can choose appropriate lawmakers for the bodies, he said.
   When asked why they wanted an assurance from the treasury bench in this regard, Faruk said that he, in consultation with the leader of the opposition, sent two names – MK Anwar and Salauddin Quader Chowdhury – to represent the opposition in the special committee on parliamentary activities. ‘But they [ruling party] unilaterally dropped Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and replaced him with me without taking my consent,’ he said, adding, ‘It is unusual in parliamentary practices.’
   When asked about the opposition’s demand for seat rearrangement, speaker Abdul Hamid told reporters Monday evening, ‘I have nothing to do if they frequently change their stance.’
   ‘Earlier they said they would be happy with three more seats in the front row. Now they are asking for nine seats,’ he said.
   In the 2001 parliament, when BNP was in power, all 10 seats in the front row to the left of the speaker were allocated to opposition lawmakers – eight from the Awami League and two from Jatiya Party factions.

Students, teachers, guardians and educationists have expressed concerns about the ongoing supply shortage of secondary textbooks for which the classroom education is being hampered.
   Some booksellers are also cashing in on the shortage by forcing guardians to buy illegal notebooks, guidebooks and even sub-standard books, market sources said.
    ‘My class teacher asked me to attend the class with all the textbooks according to the routine late January and I requested my father to buy me a set of books. He has failed to collect the set till date,’ said a student of Class VII at the Tejgaon Government High School in Dhaka.
   ‘I spent three hours looking for the books in the markets, but failed to buy a full set for my daughter, who is in Class VI,’ said Nurul Islam at the Nilkhet book market on Monday. ‘Finding no other means, I bought some guidebooks for higher prices.’
   ‘An anarchic situation prevails in the production and marketing of textbooks. Getting textbooks at the beginning of the academic year is a matter of joy for students, but they are now unhappy as they do not get the books even 40 days inside the academic year,’ educationist Serajul Islam Choudhury said on Monday.
   ‘For an end to such a crisis, there should be two boards — for curriculum and for textbooks — instead of the combined curriculum and textbook board. The local administrations along with upazila and district education officers also need to be involved in the process,’ he said.
   Writer Muhammad Zafar Iqbal said it was unfortunate the students needed to buy illegal guidebooks and notebooks because of short supply of textbooks. ‘The government will need to find out a permanent solution to tacking such artificial crises of textbooks and sufferings of both guardians and students.’
   ‘Teachers are not forcing the students to attend classes of all but for some compulsory subjects. We know all the students do not have full set of textbooks,’ said a teacher of Sultansadi High School and College in Arihazar upazila in Narayanganj.
   ‘Almost 80 per cent students do not attend the classes scheduled after noon. We are somehow keeping students busy with tasks such as farewell ceremony and annual sports programme,’ he said.
   Afzal Hossain, proprietor of the Amirat Bookshop at Uthuli Bazar of Shibalaya in Manikganj, told New Age on Monday there were adequate textbooks in the Bangla Bazar Market in Dhaka, but some publishers have created an artificial crisis to sell books for higher prices.
   ‘We need to sell a set of books of Class VI for Tk. 190 to Tk. 200 although the government has fixed the price at Tk 168 only,’ he said.
   Terming the crisis a result of problems accumulated over the years, Quazi Fauruque Ahmed, chief coordinator of the National Front of Teachers and Employees, said, ‘It calls for a holistic solution.’
   ‘A five-member task-force is working to find out the culprits. Tough action will be taken against those who are involved with creating the artificial crises,’ the education minister Nurul Islam Nahid said.
   The government was supposed to print about 2.62 crores of textbooks for the students of Classes VI to IX and make them available on the markets at the beginning of the academic year.
   There are about one crore students in 18,500 secondary schools and about 6,685 dakhil madrassahs, according to the government statistics. Most students use recycled textbooks.

The Anti-Corruption Commission has cleared 340 people, including 75 politicians, of corruption charges pressed against them in December 2008 and January 2009, ACC spokesman Hanif Iqbal told reporters at a news briefing on Monday.
   Hanif, also ACC director general (admin), said the commission had lodged 208 cases against the 340 accused persons on charge of misappropriating relief materials, receiving bribes, embezzling state money, causing loss to national exchequer, amassing illegal wealth and laundering money.
   Sixty-six government officials and 188 people from other professions are among the 340 people accused during the military-controlled interim regime.
   According to the commission’s statement, it cleared 277 persons in 176 corruption cases in December 2008 while the rest were cleared in January.
   Of the politicians, eleven are from BNP, three from Awami Leauge, three from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and 58 others are chairmen or counsellor from the BNP and AL, said the commission statement mentioned.
   Former BNP ministers Tariqul Islam and Asadul Habib Dulu, who were accused in separate iron-sheet misappropriation cases, and former minister Aminul Huq, who was accused in embezzlement case, were cleared of the charges.
   Seven former BNP lawmakers — Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu of Dhaka, Shah Mohamamd Abu Jafar of Faridpur, AKM Selim Reza Habib of Pabna, AKM Fazlul Haque Milon of Gazipur, Abul Hossain Khan of Barisal, Shamsudduha Khan of Naogaon and MA Mannan of Gazipur, all accused in misappropriating corrugated iron-sheet cases, and another former BNP lawmaker Md Gias Uddin of Narayanganj accused in three cases relating to cheating and embezzlement, were cleared of the charges.
   Two former Jamaat lawmakers — Abdus Sobhan of Pabna and Gazi Nazrul Islam of Satkhira, both accused in iron-sheet misappropriation cases, and another former Jamaat lawmaker Abdullah Mohamamd Abu Taher of Comilla, accused in relief wheat embezzlement case, were cleared of the charges.
   Agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury, accused in wheat embezzlement case in 2002, Chittagong mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, accused in three cases relating to fund embezzlement, businessman Salman F Rahman, accused in a case for embezzling Tk 191.39 crore of the fund of Arab Bangladesh Bank, were among the Awami League men cleared of the charges.

Political parties, civic forums, academics and the people in general have expressed disquiet over the proposal made by the United States to assist Bangladesh in manning its maritime boundaries and questioned the motive for such offer.
   But an analyst of international affairs and a maritime expert found nothing wrong in the US offer, rather they thought it might be very positive for Bangladesh.
    Before leaving Dhaka Sunday ending a two-day visit to Bangladesh, the US assistant secretary of state for south and central Asia, Richard A Boucher, had suggested US assistance to Bangladesh in patrolling its territorial waters in the Bay of Bengal. ‘I think there are some interests in maritime patrol so that you can protect your sea areas better. We can also assist border security agencies’ activities but the modalities will depend on what Bangladesh wants,’ Boucher had said.
   ‘Such remarks are completely unexpected and it would be a fatal move for Bangladesh,’ said Mujahidul Islam Selim, general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh.
   ‘We have bitter experience of US presence in the Bay of Bengal. They had sent their Seventh Fleet to nip Bangladesh’s independence in the bud in 1971. We do not believe the same country would extend support to protect our maritime boundaries. They want it in their geo-political strategic interest,’ said Selim.
   Jatiya Mukti Council chairman Badruddin Umar in a statement said Bangladesh needed no assistance from ‘international terror’ United States to protect its sea borders. ‘The United States is conspiring to plunder our offshore hydrocarbon resources and invade Myanmar,’ he said.
   The National Committee to Protect Maritime Territory and Resources of Bangladesh in a statement said the proposal made by Richard Boucher was dubious. The committee also asked the government to make the entire proposal public and clarify its stand on the offer.
   Contrary to their views, Imtiaz Ahmed, a professor of international relations at Dhaka University, said the US gesture had sent a significant message to Bangladesh and the South Asian region as well that Washington wanted to alley the fears that it was deploying New Delhi to police the South Asian region.
   ‘It also gives us the message that the US wants to maintain close ties with Bangladesh too. But everything depends on whether Bangladesh would agree to the proposal,’ he said referring to Boucher’s comments that the US could extend assistance only if the Bangladesh government so wanted. ‘Bangladesh’s maritime boundaries still remain unprotected and activities of pirates and traffickers in the Bay have increased in recent times,’ Imtiaz pointed out.
   The founder director general of Bangladesh Coast Guard, retired commodore Shafiq-ur Rahman, echoed Imtiaz. ‘It will be positive for Bangladesh if the US extends such assistance.’
   Shafiq said he did not think Boucher had meant physical presence of the US navy in the Bay. ‘I think their support will feature training Bangladeshi personnel, supplying necessary equipment and vessels,’ he said.
   Asif Nazrul, a professor of law at Dhaka University, said, ‘Such statements are unbelievable in the present polarisation of global politics which suggests that the US is eager to safeguard Indian interests. If any dispute between India and Bangladesh arises, they would certainly take India’s side.’
   ‘We have reason to fear in view of the policy the US has pursued towards smaller countries over the years,’ he said.
   Playwright and cultural activist Mamunur Rashid said the Boucher proposal was disquieting for Bangladesh. ‘Presence of US armed forces in Bangladesh will be a threat to its sovereignty. We have been stunned by such a proposal when there was no such plea from Bangladesh. We expected changes in the US policies after Barack Obama had assumed office. But the proposal indicates that the US is proceeding with Bush’s policy.’
   Abdul Gani, an auto-rickshaw driver, also expressed his surprise at the US proposal. ‘There must be something wrong in it… During the war of liberation, they had sent warships in support of the Pakistani troops…,’ he said.
   A student of East-West University, Ahmed Shawki, does not think there is anything positive about the proposal ‘as the United States has made similar approaches wherever they have intervened.’

A female Tamil Tiger suicide bomber killed 28 people on Monday at a camp for civilians who have fled Sri Lanka’s ethnic war, the military said, as the rebels faced imminent defeat.
   The bomber detonated her explosives as she was being searched by women soldiers outside the camp near Visuamadu, a northern area the military recently captured from the rebels, military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said.
   ‘Twenty soldiers, including three women soldiers were killed,’ he said. ‘Another eight civilians were killed and 40 civilians were wounded.’ Dozens of injured troops were also rushed to hospital.
   Nanayakkara blamed the attack on Tamil Tiger rebels, whose decades-long armed campaign for an independent homeland has recently suffered huge territorial losses during a major army offensive.
   ‘This attack is aimed at slowing down the army’s advance,’ Nanayakkara told reporters here. He added that the Tigers were trying to discourage civilians from crossing over to government-held areas.
   The United Nations and the US government condemned the attack.
   ‘Those killed had already been forced from their homes by fighting, and had endured terrible hardships,’ the UN said in a statement. ‘The UN reiterates that civilians must be distinguished from combatants, and protected from the fighting.
   ‘It calls once again on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to separate its forces from civilians under its control.’
   The US said it saw the bombing as an ‘apparent effort by the LTTE to discourage Tamils from leaving the conflict area.’
   ‘The United States calls on the LTTE to allow all civilians freedom of movement.’
   The US statement also urged the government of Sri Lanka to ensure that all internally displaced people who leave the conflict area are registered and transferred in a ‘transparent manner to temporary camps in accordance with international standards.’
   The comment was a reference to allegations from rights groups that those who enter government-controlled areas are held in prison-like conditions, a charge denied by the government.
   The Tamil Tigers have launched scores of suicide missions in the past. In October last year a bomber killed 27 people inside an office of an opposition party.
   The latest attack came as Tamil civilians poured out of the small jungle enclave still under control of the LTTE, with 22,000 escaping in the last five days, according to the government.
   ‘We expect many more to come in the next few days, despite the suicide attack,’ said the Human Rights minister, Mahinda Samarasinghe.
   Colombo says as many as 100,000 people are still being held by the Tigers as ‘human shields.’
   The International Committee of the Red Cross has been trying to bring hundreds of wounded people out of the area.
   ‘We are talking to both parties to the conflict to secure a safe passage by sea to evacuate about 400 patients,’ ICRC spokeswoman Sophie Romanens said on Monday.
   The wounded, their families and about 20 Red Cross workers moved deep inside rebel-controlled Puttumatalan last week to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
   The president, Mahinda Rajapakse, at the weekend warned the remaining rebels to surrender or face death as his troops closed in.
   With government forces pressing forward, the military said the area under rebel control had shrunk to less than 100 square kilometres.
   In the latest military assault, Sri Lankan war planes bombed a suspected jungle hideout where Tiger rebels had a fleet of boats.
   Sri Lanka’s military says it is in the final stages of a two-year-long offensive to defeat the Tamil Tigers, who have been fighting since 1972.

The Election Commission on Monday declared valid the nomination of the ruling Awami League’s presidium member Zillur Rahman as the lone candidate for the presidency after scrutiny on Monday.
   The commission will formally announce Zillur elected unopposed on Wednesday, the last date for the withdrawal of nomination, if the candidature is not withdrawn. Polling for the presidential election was schedule for February 16, but there will be no need for voting by the lawmakers as there is no contestant against Zillur Rahman.
   The chief whip, Abdus Shahid, after attending the scrutiny of nomination papers, on Monday told reporters, ‘There is now no bar on Zillur Rahman’s becoming the president of the republic.’
   The chief election commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda, also the returning officer for presidential election, and election commissioners Muhammed Sohul Hussain and M Sakhawat Hussain were present at the EC secretariat during scrutiny.
   In the last presidential election, the Election Commission declared Iajuddin Ahmed elected unopposed president of the republic on September 5, 2002.

Former president Fidel Castro said Sunday the US president, Barack Obama, and all his men will not be able to put US capitalism back together again, as Obama prods Congress to pass a massive stimulus plan for the ailing US economy.
   ‘Obama (White House chief of staff Rahm) Emanuel and all the brilliant politicians and economists they’ve brought together won’t suffice to resolve the growing problems of the US capitalist society,’ Castro said in an article published in official media.
   Fidel Castro, 82, has been increasingly critical of the new US president even after he praised him for his electoral victory on November 4.
   As Obama this week eagerly awaits the US Senate’s approval of an 800 billion dollar economic stimulus bill he says the US economy desperately needs to avoid disaster, Castro said the US economy’s recovery depends on the entire world chipping in.
   ‘All the other countries will have to pay for the colossal waste of money (of the US) and guarantee, first and foremost in this increasingly polluted planet, American jobs and the profits of the country’s big multinationals,’ Castro wrote.
   It was Castro’s fifth article on Obama in less than two weeks. His tone has become increasingly critical of the new US leader.
   On Friday, Fidel Castro said Obama’s policy was ‘losing its virginity’ because he had lost interest in the plight of the Cuban people, choosing to focus instead on the Cuban-American community who voted for him.
   Ailing after major intestinal surgery in 2006 but still head of the Communist Party, Fidel Castro said he feared Obama, trapped in the capitalist system, would not be able to change US policy given ‘his role in a system that is the very opposite of every just principle.’
   Castro in February last year was replaced formally as president by his brother Raul Castro, 77.

Detection of widespread irregularities in the initial stage of implementation of the Tk 2,000-crore employment guarantee scheme, introduced by the interim administration, has left the Awami League-led government in two minds whether to continue with the programme.
   Out of the total amount, about Tk 1,200 crore was spent in the first phase of the scheme in November last year and the rest Tk 800 crore is supposed to be spent during the lean period in March this year.
   Food and disaster management minister Mohammad Abdur Razzak said on Monday they had primarily detected widespread corruption and misuse of funds by a nexus of a section of officials and local government representatives.
   ‘It [wastage of resources] has surpassed all records of the past. We are thinking over whether to continue with the programme and how to utilise national resources effectively and efficiently,’ he said while exchanging views with representatives of the print media at his ministry.
   The minister also promised that the government would make public the evaluation report on the first phase of the 100-day employment generation programme, a new budgetary scheme for rural job creation to address seasonal unemployment.
   The number of enlisted job-seekers under the programme is about 20 lakh.
   As many as 1.58 lakh projects have been identified under the programme, which focuses mainly on agricultural activities. They include digging of ponds and canals, construction and repair of roads and other infrastructures, building embankment, tree plantation, making composed fertiliser and repair of the buildings of different establishments affected by floods.
   The interim government had undertaken the employment guarantee scheme in the current budget in the light of the rural employment guarantee act in India amid uncertainties over the quality of works and the scheme’s long-term impacts on rural development.
   Referring to the ruling party’s pre-polls pledges to ensure transparency and accountability in carrying out development programmes, Razzak said he would try his best to establish good governance at his ministry and its affiliated agencies, historically believed to be major sources of corruption.
   ‘I know how difficult it is to break the corrupt nexus. I seek cooperation from all in our efforts to reduce corruption significantly,’ he added.
   
   The minister also censured the World Food Programme for poor delivery of food assistance contrary to its promises and public expectations. ‘They talk about food security but their assistance is nominal. They have not yet acted properly in line with their pledges,’ he said.
   The government of Bangladesh has so far received 44,000 tonnes of wheat during the current fiscal against a pledge for four lakh tonnes of grains, said Razzak, expressing the hope that the global agency would provide necessary assistance to Bangladesh which was still a food importing country.
   He expressed concern that the country might face a severe food crisis should there be a natural calamity at any point in time of the year.
   The minister, however, noted that the government had adequate stock of food and if needed, it would go for open market sales of rice in March to stabilise the market.
   Razzak informed newsmen that the government would construct a number of warehouses in order to raise food stocks and also offer soft loans to private entrepreneurs for building cold storages for potato.

Bangladesh Bank has identified 11 imbalanced private commercial banks as they exceed their credit limits, sources at the central bank said.
   The BB will reveal this at the bankers’ meeting which is scheduled to be held today (Tuesday) at the conference room of the central bank.
   The meeting will review the credit disbursement situation of the 11 commercial banks and give necessary directives to the banks in this regard, said a senior official of BB.
   Bangladesh Bank governor, Salehuddin Ahmed, will preside over the meeting which will be attended by managing directors of the commercial banks.
   The central bank is concerned at the disbursement of loans by the 11 commercial banks exceeding their core deposit limit, the sources said.
   ‘Most of the commercial banks have already disbursed loans more than 82 per cent of their core deposit limit, pushing their assets into risk,’ he added.
   He said some commercial banks have provided 85 to 95 per cent loans exceeding the core deposit limit.
   The 11 banks are: Trust Bank, First Security Bank, Uttara Bank, National Credit and Commerce Bank, Standard Bank, Shahjalal Islamic Bank, City Bank, Brac Bank, Dutch–Bangla Bank, National Bank and AB Bank.
   As per the central bank directives, the commercial banks should not provide loans over 82 per cent of their core deposit.
   The central bank also finds that the commercial banks have provided more loans for the non-productive sector than productive sector.
   The commercial banks’ deposit growth increased by 19.19 per cent against 22.21 per cent credit growth during the four months till December last.
   Meanwhile, the credit growth of the commercial banks had increased 26 per cent during the September 2007-September 2008 period.

Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant and bluegrass singer Alison Krauss dominated the Grammy awards, grabbing five prizes for their groundbreaking rock-country collaboration ‘Raising Sand’.
   On a night of drama in which pop singer Rihanna withdrew from a scheduled performance, other big winners included rapper Lil Wayne, who took four awards and British super group Coldplay with three.
   ‘I’d like to say I’m bewildered,’ Plant told the audience at the Staples Centre after winning the coveted album of the year and record of the year with bluegrass icon Krauss.
   ‘In the old days we would have called this selling out, but it’s a good way to spend a Sunday.’
   ‘It’s been a wonderful time,’ added Krauss, who has now won a staggering 26 Grammys in her career, a record for a female performer. The pair also won prizes for best country collaboration with vocals, best pop collaboration, and best contemporary folk/Americana album.
   Plant said his partnership with Krauss had opened his eyes to a new world of music.
   ‘We come from such different places on the musical map,’ he said later. ‘Alison showed me so much I’d never been exposed to.’
   However, the 60-year-old brushed off questions about a Led Zeppelin tour. ‘How old are you man?,’ he told a journalist. ‘Because you look older than me. You try doing ‘Communication Breakdown’ in these pants.’
   Coldplay won song of the year, best pop performance by a group and best rock album for ‘Viva La Vida Or Death and All His Friends.’
   ‘Thank you and sorry for blatantly recycling the Sergeant Pepper album,’ Coldplay drummer Will Champion said after collecting the song of the year award, in comments directed at Beatles legend Paul McCartney.
   Lil Wayne’s hopes of winning in the album of the year award were thwarted by Krauss and Plant.
   However the diminutive New Orleans rapper did win rap album of the year for ‘Tha Carter III’, best rap performance and best rap song.
   British singer-songwriter Adele won the Grammy award for best new artist. The 20-year-old Londoner pipped fellow Briton Duffy for the award, as well as the Jonas Brothers, country group Lady Antebellum and Philadelphia soul singer Jazmine Sullivan.
   ‘Thank you so much, I’m going to cry,’ Adele said. ‘Duffy I love you, I think you’re amazing. Jonas Brothers I love you as well,’ she added.
   As the awards unfolded, a behind-the-scenes drama involving Rihanna forced organisers to make an 11th hour change to their star-studded line-up of award performers.
   Los Angeles police confirmed they were questioning Rihanna’s boyfriend, singer-songwriter Chris Brown, over an allegation of domestic violence and the 20-year-old Barbados-born singer withdrew from singing at the Grammys just before the event started.
   After a tragic year, singer Jennifer Hudson won the first Grammy of her career in the best R&B album category.

India’s election campaign has effectively kicked off, with hawkish comments on Pakistan and demands a Hindu temple be built over a former mosque charging the political atmosphere.
   India’s election commission is still discussing the final election dates, although the polls must be held by May.
   That has not stopped India’s most powerful politicians from joining the fray in rallies that could set the tone of the campaign between the Congress-led government and the opposition Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
   The elections come as the prime minister, Manmohan Singh, battles a combination of an economic slowdown, higher consumer prices and jittery security after the militant attacks in India’s financial hub in November that killed 172 people.
   The head of ruling Congress party has upped the rhetoric against Pakistan in the past week as part of a campaign to show a tough stance on terrorism. India blames the Mumbai attacks on militants linked to Pakistan’s spy agency.
   ‘Those who are aiding and abetting terrorism from across the border will get a fitting reply,’ Sonia Gandhi, India’s most powerful politician, told a party meeting at the weekend.
   Hundreds of BJP leaders met in the western city of Nagpur at the weekend, making headlines after senior leader Rajnath Singh said the party would push for the construction of a temple that has been a flashpoint of tension between Hindus and Muslims.
   The BJP had sought the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya on the site of a 16th century mosque torn down by mobs in 1992. They were forced to abandon plans during their last 1999-2004 government after opposition from secular allies.
   Hindu hardliners say the mosque was built by Muslim invaders after destroying a Ram temple on the site of the Hindu god’s birth. About 3,000 people were killed after Hindu mobs destroyed the mosque in some of India’s worst Hindu-Muslim riots.
   Rajnath Singh’s speech was later played down by BJP’s prime ministerial candidate LK Advani, but the message highlighted what may become more common in the campaign — the playing of the Hindu religious card by the party to win voters and energise its grassroots supporters.
   The Pakistan and the Hindu religious cards have so far overshadowed the slowing economy, one of voters’ major worries. Economic growth is expected to slow to 7 per cent in 2009, and hundreds of thousands of jobs may be lost in the export sector.
   ‘Given the problems of the economy, the platform of Congress is going to be national security,’ said political analyst Mahesh Rangarajan.
   ‘For the BJP it’s going to be Ram. Their leaders don’t seem to know how to fire up voters over the economy.’
   The BJP has also slammed Rahul Gandhi, the 38-year-old heir to the family dynasty, who is seen by many as a potential prime minister capable of infusing Indian politics with young blood.
   Election posters have started to appear on Indian streets featuring portraits of Rahul Gandhi showcasing his youth.
   Narendra Modi, chief minister of Gujarat state and touted as a future BJP leader, attacked Gandhi’s family connections. It was a sign how the BJP may see Gandhi’s age as a threat to the 81-year-old Advani.
   ‘The conspiracy to promote one family’s past threatens the future of the country,’ Modi was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

The High Court on Monday asked the government to explain in four weeks why the cancellation of the licence and ban on broadcasting of the country’s first and lone 24-hour news channel CSB would not be declared illegal.
   The High Court bench of Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Quamrul Islam Siddiqui issued the rule on the government, information ministry and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.
   The court passed the order after hearing a writ petition filed by Fazlul Quader Chowdhury, managing director of the Focus Multimedia Company, the owning company of the private television channel, in September 2008.
   Pleading for the petitioner, his counsel Omar Sadat told the court the immediate-past military-controlled interim government on September 6, 2007 cancelled the licence of CSB and banned its broadcasting after the August 2007 campus protests.
   The channel was ordered to shut down it broadcasting as its live telecast of the August 2007 campus protests at Dhaka University, subsequent flare-ups in many other educational institutions across the country and the arrest of the Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina, on July 16, 2007, the counsel contended.
   The cancellation of the licence and ban on telecast of the channel were illegal as the telecoms regulatory commission cancelled the licence and ordered the shutdown, the counsel argued, adding the information ministry, but not the commission, was the appropriate authority to take such actions.
   Explaining the delay in filing the writ petition, the counsel argued the company could not file the writ petition as the country was then under a military-controlled regime.
   Although the writ petition was filed in September 2008, the company could not dare to get it heard during the regime, he said.

Three minor girls, including two siblings, were killed as a wall of a mud house collapsed on them at Sholonal village under Burichang upazila in Comilla Monday afternoon.
   The victims were Sumia, 7, and Rubia, 5, daughters of Ibrahim Mia, and Tanni, 9, daughter of Paru Mia of the same house.

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered dozens of mummies and several stone and wood sarcophagi south of Cairo in a pharaonic tomb estimated to be 4,300 years old, the ministry of culture said on Monday.
   The find was made at Gisr al-Moudir, west of Egypt’s first ever pyramid at Saqqara, the step
   pyramid of Djoser built by architect Imhotep in around 2,700 BC, the ministry said in a statement.
   ‘The tomb dates from the era of the VIth dynasty of the Old Kingdom, about 4,300 years ago,’ Egypt’s antiquities supremo Zahi Hawass said.
   ‘Thirty mummies and skeletons were discovered, including a wooden sarcophagus that has been sealed since the pharao-
   nic era in the burial chamber at a depth of 11 metres.’
   Four other stone sarcophagi and another wooden one were also found in the tomb. Twenty of the mummies were stored in niches.
   The mud-brick tomb commemorates a priest who was also a choir leader, Hawass said.
   Another 11-metre shaft leading to the buri- al chamber, but built much later in around
   640 BC, was also discovered.