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तंग गली शहर का

बरबस उतारने लगे, नाग असर जहर का। कंगन कलाई की, पूछती भाव खँजर का। ज़िंदगी! मैंने देखी, बार- बार कई बार, पुजारी अमन के, पर नोचते कबूतर का। ...

Thursday 27 September 2012

India ranks 66th in food security index

India ranks 66th in food security index



Based on a survey of 105 countries, Index ranks India much lower than China, which stood at 39, although higher than its other neighbours Bangladesh (81) and Pakistan (75).
India ranked 66th in the 2012 Global Food Security Index, released by American chemical company DuPont on Wednesday.

"India is ranked 66 in the list of 105 countries, scoring slightly higher in the category of 'availability' than in other two categories of 'affordability' and 'quality and safety'," DuPont executive vice president James C Borel said.
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The disputed islands - called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese



Rival claims to a group of tiny islands are the focus of talks Tuesday between Chinese and Japanese officials, testing whether the countries can summon the political will to put the rancor behind them.
Japan China Disputed Islands
The disputed islands - called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese. Pic: AP.
The Japanese government’s purchase of some of the East China Sea islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China from private owners this month has sparked sometimes violent protests in China and informal boycotts of Japanese products.
The meeting between Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Chikao Kawai will focus on relations between the countries.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Monday that Kawai was visiting at Japan’s request. “China will urge Japan to correct their mistakes and make efforts in improving ties,” he said.
China has dispatched government marine monitoring vessels to patrol around the Japan-administered islands.
Taiwan also claims the islands and has registered a formal protest over Japan’s purchase.
On Tuesday morning, about 50 Taiwanese fishing boats accompanied by 10 Taiwanese surveillance ships came within almost 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) of the disputed islands — within what Japan considers to be its territorial waters, said Yasuhiko Oku, an official with the Japanese coast guard.
Japanese patrol boats warned the boats to leave with electronic signboards and directives in Chinese over loud speakers.
A Taiwanese surveillance ship responded that the waters belonged to Taiwan and that the boats were engaged in legitimate operations and urged the Japanese patrol boats to withdraw, Kyodo News agency reported. Some of the Taiwanese fishing boats displayed banners asserting Taiwan’s claims to the islands.
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मोहम्मद पर फिल्म बनाना

मोहम्मद पर फिल्म बनाना और कार्टून बनाना वास्तव में आस्था पर चोट है|पर क्या?रामजन्मभूमि पर बाबरी मस्जिद की बोल बोलना आस्थ को लौलुहन करना नहीं है?
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China donates $50,000 for flood victims

China donates $50,000 for flood victims



Chinese Ambassador Liu Jian handed over a cheque of $50,000 to State Minister for Foreign Affairs Nawabzada Malik Amad Khan for the flood-affected people.
Jian called on the minister on Wednesday and sympathised on the recent devastation caused by the tragic floods in the country. Foreign Office stated that $50,000 were donated by the Red Crescent Society of China. The state minister also appreciated the friendly gesture of Red Crescent Society of China and thanked the ambassador for the donation.
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China to enhance strategic coordination with Pakistan: Hina

China to enhance strategic coordination with Pakistan: Hina



Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has said China is willing to enhance its strategic coordination with Pakistan to safeguard their common interests and promote regional peace and development.
Yang made these remarks at a meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly moot, reported Xinhua.

Yang talked of the bilateral ties, noting that China will work with Pakistan to implement agreements reached by the leaders of the two countries, improve pragmatic cooperation in various areas and advance the strategic partnership.

For his part, Zardari said Pakistan is pleased with China's development achievements and attaches great importance to Beijing's important role in regional and international affairs. Pakistan, he said, is willing to continue to deepen friendly cooperation with China in all fields and promote their strategic partnership.
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Afghan president Karzai blasts anti-Islam film

Afghan president Karzai blasts anti-Islam film



Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the production of an anti-Islam film and publication of cartoons perceived as insulting to Muslims cannot be justified as freedom of speech or expression, but that they also must not be used as an excuse for violence.
“The world is shaken by the depravity of fanatics who have committed acts of insult against the faith of over 1.5 billion Muslims,” Mr. Karzai told the U.N. General Assembly.

“We strongly condemn these offensive acts, whether it involves the production of a film, the publication of cartoons, or indeed any other acts of insult and provocation,” he added.

The low-budget film that mocks Islam’s prophet Muhammad was produced in the U.S. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have condemned it, as did several world leaders who addressed the U.N. session on Tuesday. Mr. Obama, too, focused a large part of his address earlier in the day on the film and the deadly protests that followed in the Muslim world. Four Americans, including Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, have been killed in the violence.

Mr. Karzai said the production of the film and publication of cartoons lampooning the prophet can “never be justified as freedom of speech or expression.”

“Equally, they cannot give reason for the genuine protests to be used to incite violence and chaos with terrible losses of innocent lives,” he added.

The Afghan leader expressed concern over “the menace of Islamophobia,” which he described as a “worrying phenomenon that threatens peace and coexistence among cultures and civilizations.”

Mr. Karzai called on Western leaders, politicians and the media, to confront Islamophobia. “We must work to defeat the protagonists of the conflict of civilizations, and support the voices of tolerance and understanding,” he said.

On the issue of terrorism, Mr. Karzai reprised his often-repeated assertion that its roots lay beyond Afghanistan’s borders — a thinly veiled reference to Pakistan.

“It is in deference to the immense sacrifices of the Afghan people, and the precious lives lost from the international community, that the campaign against terrorism must be taken to the sources of terrorism and must be result-oriented,” he said.

Mr. Karzai urged the U.N. to remove sanctions on Taliban leaders so as to facilitate direct negotiations with the militants.

He said he was hopeful Pakistan would play a critical role in the reconciliation process, but that incidents such as the recent shelling of Afghan villages risked undermining efforts by both governments to work together.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, who addressed the session earlier in the evening, said his country supports the Afghan government’s efforts make peace with terrorists.

Mr. Zardari said a search for peace must be “Afghan-owned, Afghan-driven and Afghan-led” and that Pakistan would support any process that “reflects Afghan national consensus.”

The Taliban considers Mr. Karzai a Western puppet and has refused to hold peace talks with his government.

The Taliban broke off peace talks with the U.S. in March. It cited, as one of its reasons for its decision was that the Obama administration had not released five high-value Taliban operatives from the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This was a key demand of the Taliban when it signaled its willingness to start official peace talks with the U.S. in January.

Keywords:

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First Dhamma School in Jaffna to foster harmony

First Dhamma School in Jaffna to foster harmony



The first Dhamma School in Jaffna will be opened on September 30 to revive Buddhism in the North which suffered neglect under three decades of LTTE terrorism.
The Tamil Buddhist Association will conduct the Dhamma School programme in Jaffna. It is hoped the move will lay the foundation to promote religious harmony between all ethnic groups in the Northern Province, Tamil Buddhist Association president A Ravi Kumar said.

Jaffna Mayor Logeshwari Pathgunaraja and Divisional Secretary Sundaram Arumageinayagam will open the school. Ven Meegahajandure Siri Wimala Thera of the Jaffna Naga Vihara said due to the LTTE’s dominance during the past 30 years, around 15,000 Tamil Buddhists who had membership of the Tamil Buddhist Association, had given up participating in social activities since the terrorists banned events conducted under a Buddhist theme.

“Tamil Buddhists in the North were threatened by the LTTE and all their activities came to a standstill,” the Thera said.

“The LTTE inculcated the belief in the minds of the Tamils that the Buddha belongs solely to the Sinhalese. Even today, many Tamils in the North hold on to this misconception and they need to be corrected,” the Thera said.

He said the Tamil Buddhist Association works with the World Hindu-Buddhist Association to enhance the living standards of people suffering under many problems.

“Starting a Dhamma School in Jaffna will create the proper path to reawaken Buddhism in the North,” the Thera said.
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Wednesday 26 September 2012

Tibetans to discuss 'burning' issues today


The meeting would be jointly convened by the Kashag (cabinet) and the Tibetan parliament-in-exile.

Tibetans to discuss 'burning' issues today



Deeply concerned over the growing self-immolations in Lhasa and other parts of Tibet, the Tibetan leadership at Dharamshala has called a four-day "special general meeting of Tibetans" to discuss the issue.
Around 400 Tibetans from different parts of Asia, Europe, America and Australia are gathering here to attend the high-level conference which begins on Tuesday.

This is the second such conclave being held by the Tibetans in the last nearly 53 years here - ever since they took refuge in India. A similar assembly in November 2008 was held to discuss incidents of violence in Tibet from March to May 2008 in the wake of Beijing Olympics.

"Tibetans from across the globe will attend the meeting. There would be brain-storming sessions on various subjects, especially self-immolation, and we would try to reach a global consensus on how to take ahead our cause," Lobsang Sangay, prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, told TOI. "We'll discuss issues like self-immolation, Chinese robbing natural resources of Tibet and depriving our men of their basic human rights in their own land. We'll also discuss how to draw more international attention and support for our development activities going on across the world," he added.

The meeting would be jointly convened by the Kashag (cabinet) and the Tibetan parliament-in-exile.

"There are reports of over 52 self-immolations in Lhasa and other parts of Tibet. It is really alarming, and obviously the highest number of self-immolations in any freedom struggle so far. The sad part is that all those who have died were born after 1959," Tibetan Youth Congress president Tsewang Rigzin said.

Karma Yeshi, a member of Tibetan parliament, said, "This special meeting would be held after a gap of nearly four years. Many things have happened during this period. The conference is the best opportunity to bring out the truth before the international community."
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BSF detains Bangladeshi police officer

Bangladesh is the protector of criminals. and  Bangladeshi police is host of criminals.

BSF detains Bangladeshi police officer



The Indian Border Security Force on Tuesday detained a Bangladeshi police officer from Sankuchail border of Buriachang upazila in Comilla.
The incident took place on the eve of a director general level conference between the Border Guard Bangladesh and the BSF to be held at the Peelkhana headquarters.
Assistant subinspector Nurunnani of Buriachang police station was caught by Indian nationals while he went to the bordering area between 8:00pm and 8:30pm to ‘arrest criminal’ following a court warrant, the police said. Nurunnabi, in uniform, was carrying his pistol, a police officer said. 
‘Border Guard Bangladesh officials are communicating with the BSF over the matter,’ Buriachang upazila nirbahi officer Mohammad Khurshed Alam Khan told New Age.
He, quoting BGB officials, said the ASI was unhurt and the authorities were working to bring him back.
The police could not confirm exactly what happened with him.
But, the police officer told New Age that Indian nationals caught Nurunnabi and handed him over to the BSF.
The DG level border conference will begin today.
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Hasina says she would expose people behind it

Hasina says she would expose people behind it



PM has expressed her resolve to investigate into the alleged corruption in awarding the contract for supervising of Padma project as well as find out the ‘real culprits’ who had influenced the WB to cancel its credit for the infrastructure project.
‘We would not spare those behind the cancelling the WB fund...we are determined to find out the real culprits,’ Hasina said while speaking at the council session of the US chapter of Bangladesh Awami Swechhasebak League at Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York Monday night.
Referring to her meeting with the new president of the World Bank at a programme in New York, Hasina said she
welcomed the bank’s reengagement with Padma Bridge construction.
She also informed him of her resolve to carryout a full-scale investigation into corruption allegation brought by World Bank.
‘We welcome the decision of the World Bank. But I have told the World Bank president that I also want fully inquire into the matter. I want to know why the previous funding was cancelled and want to know the real story behind the cancellation of the fund,’ she said.
Hasina who is in New York to attend the 67th UN general assembly session said that her government had decided to build the bridge with domestic resources after the WB cancelled its funding.
‘When we finalised everything, the World Bank has returned to fund the bridge,’ she said.
The prime minister said the Anti-Corruption Commission was carrying out its inquiry independently. She told the World Bank to engage its people in helping the inquiry.
Without mentioning the name of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, Hasina said one individual just for holding the post of managing director of a bank had influenced the World Bank to cancel the funding.
Hasina said she did not want to mention the name of the individual as everybody knew about him.
She said that the individual wanted to continue as the managing director of the bank though he is well past the retirement age.
She said Awami League never patronized corruption, and the question of its involvement in corruption in the Padma Bridge Project was beyond imagination.
Hasina said that the World Bank had stopped funding road and bridge construction in 2005 when BNP was in power because of corruption.
On assuming office, Hasina said, her government took the initiatives to bring the World Bank back to funding construction and reconstruction of the country’s roads and bridges.
Hasina said that during its tenure in office BNP indulged in corruption, money laundering, making black money and looting public wealth.
She asked Khaleda Zia why she was not facing trial in Zia Orphanage Case. Khaleda knows that the truth would come out if she faces questions from lawyers, said Hasina. 
The prime minister assured Bangladeshis living in America that her government would complete the trial of the war criminals.
Chaired by the USA chapter Awami Swechhasebak League convener Mahiuddin Dewan the session was addressed by foreign minister Dipu Moni, AL organising secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, ASL president Molla Mohammad Abu Kawser, general secretary Pankaj Devnath, USA AL chapter president Siddiqur Rahman and general secretary Sajjadur Rahman Sajjad.
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100m will die by 2030 if world fails to act on climate: report

100m will die by 2030 if world fails to act on climate: report



More than 100 million people will die and global economic growth will be cut by 3.2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030 if the world fails to tackle climate change, a report commissioned by 20 governments says.
As global average temperatures rise due to greenhouse gas emissions, the effects on the planet, such as melting ice caps, extreme weather, drought and rising sea levels, will threaten populations and livelihoods, said the report conducted by humanitarian organization DARA.

It calculated that five million deaths occur each year from air pollution, hunger and disease as a result of climate change and carbon-intensive economies, and that toll would likely rise to six million a year by 2030 if current patterns of fossil fuel use continue.

More than 90 percent of those deaths will occur in developing countries, said the report that calculated the human and economic impact of climate change on 184 countries in 2010 and 2030. It was commissioned by the Climate Vulnerable Forum, a partnership of 20 developing countries threatened by climate change.

"A combined climate-carbon crisis is estimated to claim 100 million lives between now and the end of the next decade," the report said.

It said the effects of climate change had lowered global output by 1.6 percent of world GDP, or by about $1.2 trillion a year, and losses could double to 3.2 percent of global GDP by 2030 if global temperatures are allowed to rise, surpassing 10 percent before 2100.

It estimated the cost of moving the world to a low-carbon economy at about 0.5 percent of GDP this decade.

COUNTING THE COST

British economist Nicholas Stern told Reuters earlier this year investment equivalent to 2 percent of global GDP was needed to limit, prevent and adapt to climate change. His report on the economics of climate change in 2006 said an average global temperature rise of 2-3 degrees Celsius in the next 50 years could reduce global consumption per head by up to 20 percent.

Temperatures have already risen by about 0.8 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times. Almost 200 nations agreed in 2010 to limit the global average temperature rise to below 2C (3.6 Fahrenheit) to avoid dangerous impacts from climate change.

But climate scientists have warned that the chance of limiting the rise to below 2C is getting smaller as global greenhouse gas emissions rise due to burning fossil fuels.

The world's poorest nations are the most vulnerable as they face increased risk of drought, water shortages, crop failure, poverty and disease. On average, they could see an 11 percent loss in GDP by 2030 due to climate change, DARA said.

"One degree Celsius rise in temperature is associated with 10 percent productivity loss in farming. For us, it means losing about 4 million metric tonnes of food grain, amounting to about $2.5 billion. That is about 2 percent of our GDP," Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said in response to the report.

"Adding up the damages to property and other losses, we are faced with a total loss of about 3-4 percent of GDP."

Even the biggest and most rapidly developing economies will not escape unscathed. The United States and China could see a 2.1 percent reduction in their respective GDPs by 2030, while India could experience a more than 5 percent loss.
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Tuesday 25 September 2012

The brains came whereabout and hideout some

Chinese, Japanese officials meet amid dispute

Japanese coast guard ships fired water cannon to push back Taiwanese vessels Tuesday in the latest confrontation over tiny islands in the East China Sea, as the main contenders, China and Japan, met in an effort to tamp down tensions.
Taiwan Asia Disputed Islands
Several dozen fishing boats flying Taiwanese national flags set out from the Suao harbor, northeastern Taiwan, to the disputed islands in the East China Sea, Monday. Pic: AP.
About 40 Taiwanese fishing boats and 12 patrol boats entered waters near the islands on Tuesday morning, briefly triggering an exchange of water cannon fire with Japanese coast guard ships who said the Taiwanese vessels ignored warnings to get out of their territory.
It was the first foray by Taiwan into the waters around the uninhabited islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, since the Japanese government purchased some of them from private owners two weeks ago. China, Japan and Taiwan all claim the islands, but they are administered by Tokyo.
The purchase has sparked sometimes violent protests in China and informal boycotts of Japanese products. Many Chinese have canceled vacations to Japan over the dispute. Japanese airline JAL says it plans to cut six flights a day from Japan to Beijing and Shanghai from Oct. 10-27 after the canceling of 15,500 seat reservations.
China has also dispatched government marine monitoring vessels to patrol around the Japan-administered islands.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Chikao Kawai, flanked by their aides, held a meeting on the dispute Tuesday at China’s Foreign Ministry.
After the four-hour meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said both sides exchanged views “frankly and deeply,” and he reiterated that “China will never tolerate Japan’s unilateral acts which violate China’s territorial sovereignty.”
But he said both sides had agreed to continue discussions over the islands.
While both governments appeared publicly to be seeking to calm tensions, gamesmanship around the islands continued Tuesday.
The Taiwanese fishing boats and government patrol boats violated Japanese territorial waters and Japanese patrol boats fired water cannon at some of the vessels after they ignored earlier warnings to move out, Japanese coast guard officials said.
After shooting water back, the Taiwanese boats left Japanese waters, they said.
Japanese patrol boats only fired water at fishing vessels, said Hideaki Takase, a coast guard official.
“Shooting water cannon at an official vessel is like waging a war against its country,” he said.
Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou supports the “protecting Diaoyutai campaign” launched by local fishermen, and offered praise to Taiwan’s coast guard for its role in escorting the Taiwanese vessels to the island area, said his spokesman, Fan Chiang Tai-chi.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said Tokyo requested, through diplomatic channels, that Taiwan stop violating its waters.
“We will continue to keep our guard up to protect the area,” he said. “Japan sticks to our principle that we should resolve the issue while maintaining friendly relations between Japan and Taiwan.”
The last time Taiwanese government vessels entered the islands’ territorial waters was in July, Takase said.
Chinese boats have also briefly entered the waters around the islands in recent weeks, but Japanese coast guard vessels didn’t fire water cannon at them. A coast guard official said Chinese vessels usually exit the Japanese waters more quickly after verbal warnings, without forcing Japanese patrol ships to take physical action.
About 10 Chinese vessels are still lingering just outside the Japanese waters off the islands, although the fleet size has decreased over the last few days, Japanese coast guard officials said.
“Both sides hope to see the escalation in tensions ease up because confrontation does no good to either, but so far we haven’t seen any room for compromise,” Liang Yunxiang, a Japan expert at Peking University, said Tuesday.
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Chinese, Japanese officials meet amid dispute


Rival claims to a group of tiny islands are the focus of talks Tuesday between Chinese and Japanese officials, testing whether the countries can summon the political will to put the rancor behind them.
Japan China Disputed Islands
The disputed islands - called Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese. Pic: AP.
The Japanese government’s purchase of some of the East China Sea islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China from private owners this month has sparked sometimes violent protests in China and informal boycotts of Japanese products.
The meeting between Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Chikao Kawai will focus on relations between the countries.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Monday that Kawai was visiting at Japan’s request. “China will urge Japan to correct their mistakes and make efforts in improving ties,” he said.
China has dispatched government marine monitoring vessels to patrol around the Japan-administered islands.
Taiwan also claims the islands and has registered a formal protest over Japan’s purchase.
On Tuesday morning, about 50 Taiwanese fishing boats accompanied by 10 Taiwanese surveillance ships came within almost 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) of the disputed islands — within what Japan considers to be its territorial waters, said Yasuhiko Oku, an official with the Japanese coast guard.
Japanese patrol boats warned the boats to leave with electronic signboards and directives in Chinese over loud speakers.
A Taiwanese surveillance ship responded that the waters belonged to Taiwan and that the boats were engaged in legitimate operations and urged the Japanese patrol boats to withdraw, Kyodo News agency reported. Some of the Taiwanese fishing boats displayed banners asserting Taiwan’s claims to the islands.
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August 29, 2012
Diplomacy, or a pack of lies ------ Does lie in Dariya-e- Jmjm
ISI supports Indo-Pak peace process: Gilani
Days ahead of a likely meeting in Tehran between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told the Hindustan Times that the ISI is on board and supports the dialogue between the two countries.         
Gilani - who had to demit office in June this year, after being disqualified for contempt by the Pakistan Supreme Court - has had several rounds of meetings with Singh, to bridge the trust deficit that set in after the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai. 


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Monday 24 September 2012

with collaboration of Huji..... It is a bodes ill to Hsina & India and Pakistan and China grin

Khaleda embarks on mass contact tour



Several thousand leaders, activists and supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party greeted the party chairperson, Khaleda Zia, when she arrived in Bogra on Saturday on her way to Dinajpur.
She will address a public meeting at Gora Shaheed ground in Dinajpur town this afternoon to kick off her mass contact tour. 
The local unit of the BNP-led ‘18-party’ alliance has organised the rally. 
Khaleda embarked on the mass contact tour to mobilise the people for holding of the next general elections under a ‘non-party neutral’ caretaker government.
The BNP chief is scheduled to stay overnight at Bogra circuit house and start for Dinajpur this morning.
A large number of leaders and activists of BNP and its front and associate organisations lined the road at different points and greeted the opposition leader as her motorcade passed by. Khaleda from her white jeep waved to the party supporters.
The party activists chanted welcome slogans and showered petals at Uttara, Tongi, Joydevpur, Konabari, Mouchak, Shafipur, Chandra and Kaliakoir of Gazipur district, Gorai, Mirzapur, Delduar, Basail, Karatia, Nagarjalfy, Elenga and Ibrahimabad of Tangail, Saidabad, Kodda and Hatikumrul of Sirajganj and Chandaikona, Sherpur and Majhira of Bogra district.
Many carried portraits of BNP’s founder Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman as well as local leaders who are aspirants for party nomination for contesting the next elections.
The BNP chief left her Gulshan house at 4:15pm for Dinajpur.


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Sunday 23 September 2012

Sri Lanka is no stage for India-China rivalry: Envoy

China's growing clout in the Indian Ocean, a new alliance of China

Sri Lanka is no stage for India-China rivalry: Envoy



Amid New Delhi's concerns over growing military ties between Beijing and Colombo, Sri Lanka's envoy Prasad Kariyawasam has said there is no zero-sum game between India and China.
He said his country will not be reduced to a stage for the two rising Asian powers to play out their "rivalry".

"We are not in the habit of looking at our relations with India and China as a zero-sum game," the envoy told IANS in an interview

"We will not allow our land or sea to be used for any inimical purpose by one country against the other," the envoy said.

Kariyawasam was responding to a question on the recent visit of Chinese Defence Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie to India, which saw the two sides declaring their resolve to enhance defence cooperation in different areas, including non-traditional security.

The visit was preceded by a slew of announcements that included China pledging $100 million for the construction of facilities in Sri Lanka army camps to be set up in the the north and east, and around $600 million for phase II of the Hambantota port project, envisaged as an international hub to consolidate Sri Lanka's status as a container trans-shipment centre in South Asia.

The envoy rejected concerns raised by sections of the strategic community in India about Colombo's growing military and economic ties with Beijing, especially after the end of the war with the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Security analysts were concerned that the heightened China-Sri Lanka cooperation in military and commercial matters could be detrimental to New Delhi's interests in the island nation.

"Why should there be rivalry? We want to use the best commercial opportunities that emanate from the growing economies of both India and China," the envoy said.

In anticipation of India's concerns, Gen Liang had clarified during his visit to Sri Lanka that China's military ties with the island nation were not targeted at any third country.

The envoy underlined that Sri Lanka was just trying to leverage new opportunities thrown up by the rise of India and China and wanted to retain its historic role as a hub of trade in the Indian Ocean region.

"Sri Lanka wants to be a hub of trade in the Indian Ocean, like we always have been in history. The first country to benefit from this approach will be India," he said.

"India and China are today the most powerful and leading countries in Asia. They have managed their relationship without much difficulty.

"Our expectation is that these powers will have the capacity to manage their relations in such a way that the Indian Ocean will remain a zone of peace, a region of peace. That's how Sri Lanka views the Indian Ocean and our relations with our close friend and neighbour India and our friend China."

Underscoring the special relationship between India and Sri Lanka that is rooted in history and culture, the envoy said that the fates of the two neighbours were linked.

"If India is in trouble, we will be in trouble. If Sri Lanka is in trouble, India will be in trouble," he said, plainly.

The envoy's assurances, however, will not calm apprehensive analysts in India.

Chinese military participation in the Sri Lanka joint services exercise "Cormorant III," which started Sep 10 and will go on till Sep 25 in Eastern Vakarai in the Eastern Province has only added to the concerns.

Troops from China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Maldives are participating in "Cormorant III,". While Indian troops are not participating, it is an exercise Indian observers will keenly watch.
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Top Chinese official makes landmark Afghan visit

A clever fox plays wisely game

Top Chinese official makes landmark Afghan visit



China’s top security official has made the first high-level trip to Afghanistan by a senior Chinese leader in nearly half a century, meeting President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, state media said Sunday.
Zhou Yongkang made the four-hour visit on Saturday, in a secretive trip aimed at shoring up ties between the neighbours, Xinhua news agency reported.

The visit was not previously announced due to security concerns, the report said. Late president Liu Shaoqi, the last senior Chinese official to visit Afghanistan, visited in 1966, Xinhua said.

Beijing has stepped up diplomacy with Afghanistan in recent months as the 2014 deadline for the withdrawal of US and Nato troops approaches.

China, which shares a 76-kilometre border with Afghanistan’s far northeast, has already secured major oil and copper mining concessions in Afghanistan, which is believed to have more than $1 trillion worth of minerals.

The scramble for influence in Afghanistan is expected to intensify in the run-up to 2014, with its central position in a volatile region having shaped its history for centuries.

Xinhua provided few details about the visit, other than quoting Zhou as saying: “It is in line with the fundamental interests of the two peoples for China and Afghanistan to strengthen a strategic and cooperative partnership… conducive to regional peace, stability and development.”

Zhou, ranked ninth in China’s ruling Communist Party hierarchy, is China’s top security official and oversees a crackdown on religious extremism, terrorism and separatism in his nation’s Muslim-populated Xinjiang region, which borders Central Asia and Afghanistan.

Zhou’s appearance in Kabul comes after Karzai pledged to work with China to fight terrorism and extremism in the region during a visit to Beijing in June, where he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting.

The grouping, which is led by China and Russia and was set up to counterbalance US and Nato influence, granted Afghanistan observer status at the meeting.
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Give priority to Balochistan communication projects, PM tells NHA

Balochistan has been liberated by Pak Army from terrorists. Undoubtedly under heavy security any army chief tour after long times. After then......

Give priority to Balochistan communication projects, PM tells NHA



Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf urged the NHA on Saturday to accord priority to completing communication projects in Balochistan to integrate the province with the rest of the country and accelerate economic activity there.
Ashraf made these remarks while chairing a meeting to review the progress of NHA’s mega projects at the prime minister house.
He said that projects, which are near completion, should be completed on a fast track basis so that the burden on Public Sector Development Programmes (PSDP) was minimised, adding that early completion of these projects was essential to minimise the impact of inflation as well.
Minister for Communication, Dr Arbab Alamgir apprised Ashraf that the NHA has initiated 79 mega projects across the country worth over Rs600 billion. Of these, 33 projects were being executed in the Punjab, 17 in Sindh, 14 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 12 in Balochistan and three in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
Speaking about ongoing projects, Dr Alamgir said that mega projects of Faisalabad-Khanewal-Multan (M-4) in the Punjab, Lyari Express in Sindh, Naran-Jhalkand N-15 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kalat-Quetta-Chaman N-25 in Balochistan and West Bank Bypass in Muzaffarabad, would be completed by the end of this year.
Referring to work on the Attabad Lake Project, Ashraf said that the project was discussed with the Chinese during his recent visit to China.
The Chinese premier has assured that China would ship all necessary equipment to Pakistan to ensure that work was carried out as per international standards and completed on time.
Ashraf said that considering the importance of the project, he would visit Attabad Lake site, once necessary equipment and mobilisation was completed.
He also directed Ministry of Communications to expedite the work on Lowari Tunnel, saying, “ It is a very strategic project as its completion would open access to Tajikistan, an important Central Asian State.” Pakistan has been pushing for a trade link with Central Asia and the Lowari tunnel presents a key link for Pakistan in that endeavour.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, Parliamentary Secretary Chaudhry Saeed Iqbal, Chief Secretary Balochistan Babar Yaqoob Fateh, , Chairman NHA Syed Ali Gardezi, Member Planning NHA Raja Nowsherwan Sultan, IG FC Maj Gen Obaid Ullah Khan, DG FWO Maj Gen Javed Mehmood Bokhari and the Secretaries of relevant Ministries.
NHA projects
The National Highway Authority (NHA) will spend Rs8550.425 million on improvement and widening of Nowshehra-Chitral Highway (N-45),
“Improvement and widening of Chakdara-Timergrah-Dir-Chitral (141 km) section” is a new project which will complete left over sections of the project “improvement of N-45 for dualisation, rehabilitation and reconstruction” which was undertaken in 2006 at the cost of Rs2,399 million, said a source in the Ministry of Communications.
“Regarding the new project, global PC-I worth Rs9,202.488 million, was discussed by Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in October2011 and PC-I was recommended with revised scope of work with rationalised cost of Rs8550.425 million,” he said.
“Takhtbai flyover project was also included in the PC-I of theproject,” he added, “however the commencement of work on the project,he said, depends on approval by ECNEC and allocation of funds.
“A durable and effective communications infrastructure is very important for the promotion of trade, tourism, industry and agriculture in Swat and Malakand areas, and the Ministry of Communications is carrying out construction activity on priority basis in these areas where people have suffered great hardships,” he added.
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Nepal's deal with China may hit India

Nepal's deal with China may hit India



China is trying to extract significant concessions from Nepal in a bilateral investment protection agreement, which is being negotiated.
If it goes through, sources said, it would put a similar agreement signed between India and Nepal in the shade. The India-Nepal BIPPA was signed almost a year ago.

For instance, the Chinese agreement seeks to protect government bonds and debt, by designating them as "investment". Investments by Chinese companies in Nepal or other Nepalese companies, even third country companies owned or controlled by Chinese are sought to be similarly covered. Nepal has objected to these clauses, but given the prospect of huge Chinese investments, it may not be able to withstand.

The Indian agreement is prospective in its application, but China wants all previous investments to be covered. The Chinese pact has asked for full protection and police security for investors and investment. If Kathmandu agrees to it, Nepal would have to spend a lot more on physical protection of Chinese investments. Indian investments are not similarly covered, and in the recent past Indian-owned companies have come under attack by Maoist cadres etc.

Nepal has recently signed its biggest investment with China — the $0.6 billion West Seti Hydropower Project in western Nepal that was earlier supposed to sell power to India. Indian-owned power projects in Nepal are not progressing. Both Upper Karnali and Arun III are still stalled. Maoist cadres have also attacked the GMR-owned hydropower project in Nepal.

Almost a year after the Nepal-India BIPPA pact, foreign investment in Nepal is down by over 30%. Security concerns, political instability have added to investor shyness. There is a clear distinction between Indian and Chinese investments in Nepal. While Indian investors are private sector players, who all need a stable, predictable political-security atmosphere, Chinese companies are all state-owned enterprises and are naturally free of such considerations. This puts Indian private enterprises at a disadvantage.

Nepal is in the middle of a full-blown political crisis and all indications are that elections would have to be held before the end of this year.

Nepal is the head of SAARC this year, and the next SAARC summit was supposed to be held in Kathmandu in April, 2013. However, the Nepalese government will formally notify the delay, and the next summit is unlikely to be held before September, 2013.
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Saturday 22 September 2012

At least 3 killed, 2 injured in US drone strike

डालर में बिकी संप्रभुता ----

At least 3 killed, 2 injured in US drone strike



A US drone strike on Saturday killed at least three persons in Pakistan's restive tribal region near the Afghan border, security officials said. The drone targeted a moving vehicle and fired two missiles, they said.
"The identity of the victims was immediately unclear but this area is mostly occupied by members of the militant commander Gul Bahadur's group," a security official in Peshawar told AFP.
Another official on the ground in Miranshah said that the vehicle had been driving through a village 35 kilometers (around 20 miles) west of Miranshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan tribal district.
"We have reports that two militants of Gul Bahadur group were also injured in the attack," he told AFP on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. Witnesses told that drones continued hovering over the area even after the strike that triggered fear among the residents. The strike came at a time while the Pakistani foreign minister is paying a visit in the United States. Saturday's U.S. drone strike is the 29th of its kind (counted on daily basis) in Pakistan since 2012. So far this year, a total of 213 people have reportedly been killed in such strikes.
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At least 23 die, over 200 injured on Yaum-i-Ishq-i-Rasool’

मोहम्मद पर फिल्म बनाना और कार्टून बनाना वास्तव में आस्था पर चोट है|पर क्या?रामजन्मभूमि पर बाबरी मस्जिद की बोल बोलना आस्थ को लहूलुहान करना नहीं है?

At least 23 die, over 200 injured on Yaum-i-Ishq-i-Rasool’



At least 23 people were killed and over 200 injured and violence in some places continued till late in the night.
Friday which was designated by govt to demonstrate love of Holy Prophet (PBUH) and condemn the anti-Islam film produced in US by some extremists was hijacked by our home-grown extremists who turned it into a day of unbridled violence, killings, arson and robbery.

The internal security system virtually collapsed, giving way to tens of thousands of violent protesters to rule the streets in several cities, from Peshawar and Islamabad to Lahore and Karachi, burn down shops, cinema houses and police vehicles, and ransack whatever else that came in the way.

For most part of the day it was complete anarchy in several cities, including the federal capital, leaving a trail of death and destruction in large parts of the country.

Highly charged, and in places armed and well-equipped, the protesters tore down barricades, removed or overturned huge containers that had been put up by the authorities to block main thoroughfares, and to protect government buildings and diplomatic compounds, and set ablaze government and private property.

Within a matter of a few hours it became quite evident that the ill-equipped and poorly trained, and perhaps ill-motivated, police force was not in a position to push back the violent protesters.

The extensive use of tear gas and rubber bullets proved futile as in many cases the riot police had to take the beating with protesters throwing back the tear gas canisters and stones at them.

As violence intensified in places like Peshawar and Karachi, riot police first fired live ammunition in the air, and then at places directly into the crowd. In Peshawar and Karachi, and some other places, several bystanders and journalists got trapped as protesters and police clashed, using bricks, stones, tear gas and even live ammunition. There were deaths and injuries on both sides, with a number of people, including member of a television crew, becoming victim of this madness.

FALSE COMFORT: The anarchic scenes witnessed during the later part of the day were much in contrast to the way the country looked early in the morning. As the day dawned, the streets in almost all the cities were virtually deserted, giving the false impression that the call by the government for a public holiday and peaceful protest may encourage the general public, as well as the protesters, to remain confined to their homes.

The authorities had taken extraordinary measures in Islamabad, Peshawar, Lahore and Karachi by bringing in scores of containers, tankers and trucks to block avenues and by-lanes leading to the American and other diplomatic missions, and offices of senior government functionaries.

By switching off mobile network in 15 major cities and with the deployment of huge police and paramilitary force, the authorities seemed convinced that the day would pass off peacefully.

But the planners and perpetrators of violence had other plans.

The trouble started early in the day from Peshawar. As Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf was addressing an officially called convention in Islamabad, condemning the anti-Islam movie and making a passionate appeal for calm, hundreds of supporters of religious parties had started to attack and set ablaze shops and cinema houses in the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

But the real wave of violence in the country started soon after Friday prayers. Initially it appeared that the rallies that were being taken out by religious groups ranging from Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Jamaat-i-Islami, Sunni Tehrik and Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen, as well as some mainstream political parties, might remain peaceful.

However, within no time many militant members of various groups, with sticks and other blunt instruments in their hands, started to make their way towards the police barricades.

Reports gathered from all over the country suggest that the pattern was almost the same: first try to penetrate through the barricades on foot or motorcycles, and on finding little resistance, bring down the containers to allow the processions to enter what were officially described as high security ‘red zone’.

At other places protesters found public and private property like police kiosks, cinema houses, shops and cars as easy target. Gradually violence started to spread to large parts of these cities, with police looking completely helpless and other law-enforcement agencies appearing like silent spectators.

As a number of leaders of religious groups defended the public anger and blamed the government for not doing enough to condemn the West, government leaders like Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira strongly condemned the perpetrators of violence. He even criticised the electronic media for its live coverage of violence which, according to him, helped in instigating trouble in most parts of the country.
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