Final plunge

“THE dice has been set rolling and until it settles down one cannot be sure of the winner, particularly because it is spinning with too many twists and turns. All the same, we do hope to emerge on top at the end of it all.” This was how a senior Congress leader from South India described the political situation in the run-up to the vote of confidence that the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was to face in Parliament on July 22.
The leader, with a penchant for the figurative, was talking to Frontline immediately after Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi addressed a meeting of the top leaders of the ruling coalition on July 11. At the meeting, Sonia Gandhi made a direct reference to the vote of confidence and the situation that compelled the government to seek it. Her comments pointed out how the UPA failed to “carry” the Left parties along on the India-U.S. civilian nuclear deal, leading to the withdrawal of Left support to the government.
“While we regret their withdrawal of support, it is now time to look ahead,” Sonia Gandhi said. She elucidated on what she meant by looking ahead: “A special session of the Lok Sabha will be convened soon to enable us to seek a vote of confidence. I have no doubt that we shall prove our majority.”
Sonia Gandhi’s expression of confidence must have boosted the morale within the UPA, but many leaders, such as the south Indian Congress leader, felt that a lot more would have to be done before that confidence can be converted into reality. And it was this perception that the Congress leader chose to delineate in allegorical terms.
The reasons for this guarded approach were not far to seek. The UPA meeting of July 11 itself reflected some of the “spinning” and the “too many twists and turns” that the leader referred to. IUML’s concerns
The meeting took place in the backdrop of an admission made by E. Ahmed, Minister of State for External Affairs and leader of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a long-time partner of the Congress in Kerala, that large sections of the Muslim community were opposed to the nuclear deal.
The concern over Ahmed’s pointer was accentuated because he wanted to quit the Ministry in order to mollify the anti-nuclear deal feelings among members of his community. Ahmed did assert that his resignation did not mean that the IUML was walking out of the UPA with the only Lok Sabha member it has, but all the same his predicament did generate some concern in the UPA about the minority community’s perception of the deal.

Another type of anxiety over yet another smaller UPA partner, the Jharkhand Mukthi Morcha (JMM), also manifested itself in the run-up to the meeting. This anxiety was generated over reports that the JMM was upset with the Congress for not taking its leader Shibu Soren into the Cabinet after he was cleared of criminal charges in a murder case. These reports came with the added information that the JMM – with five Lok Sabha members – had initiated talks with the principal opposition party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on a proposal that visualised Soren’s elevation as Chief Minister of Jharkhand with BJP support. The concern over these reports was put to rest (perhaps temporarily) by the presence of JMM MP Hemlal Murmu at the July 11 meeting.
According to the Congress leader and some of his colleagues among the smaller parties in the UPA, the critical issues generated by the endgame on the nuclear deal were essentially twofold. First, was the problem of numbers in Parliament caused by the withdrawal of support by the 62 members belonging to the four Left parties, namely the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and the Forward Bloc.
The second related to the larger public perception about the deal and the way the Congress and the UPA had gone about it. The numbers
As things stood on July 11, approximately 10 days before the trust vote, the Congress leader and his colleagues agreed, the Congress and its UPA partners were not on sure ground. The number of Lok Sabha members supporting the government before the Left pull-out was 292 out of a total of 543. With the Left’s withdrawal, the figure came down to 230. In this context, the backing of the Samajwadi Party (S.P.), led by former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, came as a life-support system for the Manmohan Singh government. Following the S.P.’s announcement, the government had, on paper, the support of 269 members, three short of a simple majority. The Congress hoped to rope in the remaining members from smaller parties such as the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS). But these calculations did not fall clearly in place on account of the “turning and rolling of the political dice”.
The primary factor that threw a spanner in the works was the revolt in the S.P., which claimed the support of 39 members in the Lok Sabha, on the nuclear deal issue. Two members – Munawar Hussain and Jai Prakash Rawat – stated on July 8 – the day the S.P. leadership formally announced support to the UPA government – that they would not go along with the decision to support the deal as well as the Manmohan Singh government.
The whispering campaign within the party had it that some dozen Lok Sabha members were upset with the line of the leadership and were ready to part ways. Many of them were apparently in touch with the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh. The fact that 10 Members of Parliament failed to participate in the July 8 parliamentary party meeting of the S.P. added grist to the political mill.
The concern caused by the developments within the S.P. was aggravated by the vacillation of parties such as the RLD, the JD(S), the TRS and the National Conference in promising support to the UPA. In the run-up to the trust vote they donned different roles each day.
By all indications, many of these parties were only putting up their price even though their claim was that they were being pulled in different directions by the pro-deal and anti-deal sections of their support bases. This meant that every day the leadership of the Congress and the UPA had to device new ways to manage existing and potential allies.
If this was the situation in the numbers game, the execution of political and administrative measures to take the nuclear deal forward was even more appalling.
The government’s track record in this contradicted its own stated positions. In the process, its dealings were without any kind of transparency and this created the impression that the government had a lot to hide vis a vis the deal.
This process started with the dissonance in the statements of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Kumar Mukherjee on July 7. On that day, Mukherjee sent a letter to the Left parties inviting them to a meeting of the UPA-Left committee in order to discuss future steps on the nuclear deal.
Even as the Left mulled its response, Manmohan Singh told a group of journalists accompanying him to the G8 summit in Japan that the government had decided to approach the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with the text of the India-specific safeguards agreement on the nuclear deal. This statement made Mukherjee’s invitation look ridiculous and this was the immediate trigger for the Left parties to withdraw support. The contradictions did not stop with this. On the morning of July 8, Mukherjee announced at a press conference that the government would send India’s safeguards agreement to the IAEA Board only after the trust vote in Parliament. He said: “I cannot bind the government if we lose our majority.” He said he had consulted the Prime Minister, who was in Japan, in this regard. ‘Act of deceit’
However, on the night of July 8, within hours of that statement, the government moved the IAEA Board with the request that the India-specific safeguards agreement be circulated among its members. This action was condemned widely as an act of deceit by the Left parties and a number of parties in the opposition National Democratic Alliance (NDA), including the BJP and the Janata Dal (United).
It was pointed out by all these parties that Mukherjee had stated at the July 8 press conference that the norm was that a government that had lost its majority would not have the moral authority to “bind” the country to “an international agreement”.

Many political commentators observed that the government had gone back on Mukherjee’s solemn assurance essentially on account of something that had transpired between Manmohan Singh and President George Bush when they met on the sidelines of the G8 summit. The IAEA Board was moved within hours of this high-level meeting.
The CPI(M) pointedly referred to this and asked what happened at the July 9 meeting that led to a going-back on a public pledge. Many commentators were of the view that the UPA responded to a concern of the Bush administration about the time factor. The Bush administration had indicated time and again that it needed enough time to complete the American legislative process connected with the deal.
Clearly, the haste shown by the government once again emphasised the charge of CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat that the Manmohan Singh government was more keen on fulfilling a commitment given to President Bush than looking after the interests of the Indian people.
Commenting on the sequence of events relating to the deal as well as the larger political climate in which the moves were unfolding, BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani said in an interview to N. Ram, Editor-in-chief of The Hindu group of publications, that the nuclear deal had been dragging on in a manner as to make even the common man feel that the government was not concerned with anything else.
The government’s dubious record in relation to the recent developments on the nuclear deal did not end with this. Throughout this period it claimed that the text of the draft safeguards agreement was a privileged and confidential document. The government had stated in the UPA-Left committee that there was no way it could share the text. But the government’s claims were exposed as false when the IAEA itself released the text for public view

All this, undoubtedly, had an impact on the numbers game too. Many of the smaller parties, which were otherwise inclined to support the UPA, got the feeling that the government was trying to hide something. Parties that were affected by this apprehension included the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and the JD(S).
The challenge for the Congress and the UPA now is to overcome these doubts and for the S.P. it is to set its house in order. If the UPA and the S.P. succeed in doing this, the political dice could well settle in the UPA’s favour. But by all indications any settlement would be preceded by an intensification of the current spinning, twisting and turning.•

Uttam Kumar: An icon, larger than life

When I was in school I slowly became aware of the appeal of Uttam Kumar (September 3, 1926 - July 24, 1980), observing the ecstasy of the young and older ladies in my family. Their eyes used to go dreamy, their heartbeats wayward and their voices husky at the drop of his name. Not having attained the age yet when romanticism overpowers all other senses, I used to wonder why they would do such a thing for a man. I watched in amazement how the ecstasy of the ladies progressed into veritable frenzy as the day of the release of another Uttam Kumar film (preferably Uttam-Suchitra) drew nearer. They would count the days; they would read everything about the new movie in the newspapers and weeklies (Cinema Jogoth, Ultorath, Chitrali) with unflinching devotion. And then they would spend hours discussing those with friends, plan ahead, collect advance tickets, decide who would come along this time and which lone male member would accompany them. Yes, that used to be a festivity of sorts, going to watch an Uttam movie. Nishat, Mukul, Rupmahal, Nagar Mahal, Shabistan, Lion and Gulistan were the cinema halls in Dhaka that regularly screened Indian Bangla films of the pre-65 era. Interestingly, Uttam Kumar was not noticed in films like Ora Thakey Odharey or Sharey Chuattur, at least not on this side of the barbed wire. But then came Moroner Parey and everything began to change. The spell was cast. Bengal had found its hero, the protagonist, the super-hero-in-the-making. After that film there was no turning back for Uttam. Soon, such mega-hit movies like Shap Mochon, Harano Sur, Shilpi, Shobar Uporey, Tasher Ghor, Prithibi Amarey Chaye, Shohorer Itikotha, Basu Paribar, Chapadangar Bou, Agnipariksha, Sagarika, Grihaprabesh, Shyamoli, Putrabadhu, Pathey Holo Deri, Manmoyee Girls School and Mayamriga were released in the then East Pakistan. Each of these movies drew large crowds to every show. In all these movies, different heroines acted with him but the films ran for months, only because of the hero, the one and only Uttam Kumar. He had that charisma and acting ability to carry a movie through the box office all by himself.Surprisingly, young men were equally affected by the charm of Uttam Kumar like the women of Bengal in those days. I used to watch my uncles and their friends trying with all their might to copy his hair style, clothes, smile and so on, but all in vain. No matter how many clones or copycats emerged, none could come close to Uttam Kumar. By the late 1950s, Uttam's ability to give stunning performance was well recognised and as a result offers from producers flooded his office. But he had to decline many good offers due schedule problems. His performance in some of the movies we were lucky enough to see in cinema halls in Dhaka or in some quiet district town is still fresh in our minds. Harano Sur is one of the great romantic movies where Uttam had to portray a difficult role. In the movie the protagonist loses his memory in an accident, his identity is wiped off his mind and he finds himself in a new surrounding. He falls in love with the girl, a junior doctor, who helps him recover his partial memory, and stays back to recuperate in her house far away from Calcutta. But one day, he hurts his head in another accident and forgets his immediate past and all about the girl who has been his constant companion for the last few months. Now, gradually the memory of his original identity comes back and he remembers his mother and close kin in Calcutta. Without saying anything to the girl, he goes back to Calcutta to be with his family. The girl who gives up everything for his cure is left behind to suffer in solitude. But, somehow, she finds a job in his house and tries her best to make him remember who she is. Melodramatic? Why not? After all, cinema is all about drama and melodrama. But this has to be said that Uttam came out with flying colours in depicting the emotions of a disturbed character as the script demanded. In all the scenes where he struggles with himself trying to remember his past, he gives a refreshingly measured performance. There was no over-acting, no screaming, no grimacing, no crying, no long and loud dialogue so typical of Bengali cinema of the era. In the scene where Suchitra Sen comes to live in his residence as the governess of Uttam's little niece and plays the tune of the song: “Tumi jey amaar ogo tumi jey amaar...” on the piano, Uttam gave a rip-roaring performance. The tune haunts him…yet he cannot remember anything and gets perturbed...the piano goes on and at one point Uttam cannot take it anymore as memories of some places…some people…begin to come back in bits and pieces. He quickly leaves the room. One may also remember Sagarika and the song...”Amar shopney dekha rajkonya thakey..." or how about “Jhor uthechey baul batash ajkey holo shathi..." in the film Shapmochon?Uttam Kumar, in his lifetime, became an icon of Bengali cinema. He truly became larger than life and Bengali cinema has not seen the likes of him till now. Towards the end of his life he gave another brilliant performance in the film Amanush, both in its Bangla and Hindi versions. Though all his previous Hindi movies were great flops, he proved his mettle in Amanush. He had stalwarts like Sharmila Tagore, Anil Mukherjee and Utpal Dutt to support him as co-performers. The Hindi version was well accepted by the crowd in the Northern parts of India. Early lifeUttam Kumar was born in Kolkata in his ancestral house in Girish Mukherjee Road, Bhowanipore. After studying at South Suburban School (Main), he went for higher studies in Goenka College of Commerce and Business Administration, an affiliated college of the University of Calcutta system. However, he couldn't complete his studies as he started working at the Kolkata Port as a clerk. During this period, he acted for amateur theater groups.Film debutUttam's first released film was Drishtidan directed by Nitin Bose, though he worked in an earlier unreleased film called Mayador/. He came into prominence with the film Basu Paribar and his breakthrough film was Sharey Chuattur with a young actress called Suchitra Sen. This romantic comedy launched the career of the greatest romantic duo to grace the Bangla film industry.

Manmohan government wins trust vote

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on Tuesday won the trust vote in the Lok Sabha by a margin of 19 votes after a two-day debate, often marked by acrimony and allegations. The ruling coalition secured 275 votes as against 256 by the Opposition. As many as 10 members were absent or abstained from voting.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the outcome as “a convincing victory” for the UPA government, the Congress and the supporting parties. “This will send a message to the world at large that India is prepared to take its rightful place in the comity of nations,” Dr. Singh told journalists after he emerged from the Parliament House.
“I thank all leaders of UPA, supporting parties, all Congress men and women who have worked unitedly with single-minded pursuit for this impressive victory,” he said.
On the other hand, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) described it as “corrupt victory” and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said that it was a “sad day” for democracy.
Bahujan Samaj Party leader and U.P. Chief Minister Mayawati blamed the BJP for the UPA’s victory. “It is not a victory of the UPA but the result of the politics by the UPA and the NDA,” she asserted.
The Prime Minister could not give his reply in the House at the end of the debate as BJP members constantly chanted slogans, demanding his resignation in the wake of allegations of bribery. The proceedings were curtailed after the BJP members made dramatic allegations of some of them were bribed, and produced wads of currency notes in the House to support their case.
Asked for his comments on the sensational disclosures, Dr. Singh told journalists that the matter was with the Speaker and “we will cooperate with him” in taking necessary action in accordance with the provisions of law. “These developments have made me sad,” he added.
When the House reassembled at 6.30 p.m. after a series of adjournments, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee allowed smaller parties to make their brief interventions but these were drowned in the bouts of sloganeering and chants by the BJP members.
Asaduddin Owaisi of the All India Majlis-e-Muslimeen and Omar Abdullah of the National Conference could hardly be heard. Mr. Abdullah said there was no distinction between Muslims and Indians. The “real enemies are not nuclear deals like these but poverty, hunger, unemployment and lack of development,” the NC leader, who was Minister in the NDA regime said. He also referred to the Amarnath Yatra controversy and asserted that the pilgrimage, continuing for the past century, would continue as long as Kashmiris and Muslims remained in Srinagar and the Valley.
Other speakers from the smaller parties included Ranjeeta Ranjan of the Lok Jan Shakti Party, Hemlal Murmu of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, M.P. Veerendra Kumar of the JD(S), and Mehbooba Mufti of the People’s Democratic Party.
As the Prime Minister was not allowed to give his reply, it was laid on the table of the House and the Speaker moved on to the voting on the trust motion. Within seconds, the electronic score board displayed 253 votes in favour of the UPA government, 232 against it and two abstentions. Though the Speaker announced the result nearly an hour after that, Congress members and allies were seen walking up to the Prime Minister and congratulating him and Congress president Sonia Gandhi

Successful completion of voter list celebrated

Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday expressed his satisfaction at successful completion of an error-free voter list with photographs, saying it is a milestone towards a free and fair election.“We look forward to an election which will not only be free, fair and credible but also set a high standard for future elections as well,” the CA said while addressing a function marking the celebration of successful completion of voter registration at Radisson Hotel organised by the Election Commission.He congratulated all who have made it happen, completing the registration of 80 million 500 thousand 723 voters with their photographs and fingerprints in 11 months. “This has been a mammoth task as well as a landmark achievement. It is a happy occasion for all citizens who look forward to a free, fair and credible election in December this year,” he told the function.The CA said his government looks forward to the day when new government through upcoming free, fair and credible election will take over for successful transition to sustainable democracy. About holding upazila parishad polls in October this year, as declared by the Election Commission, the CA said the final voter list after corrections will also be prepared within this period paving the way for future elections as well. He thanked the Election Commission for sticking to its electoral roadmap and finishing the countrywide voter- registration programme in time. The voter registration with photographs and fingerprints and national ID cards as pilot project was started in June 10, 2007 at Sreepur in Gazipur district while Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed formally inaugurated the nationwide digitized voter registration and national ID card in Rajshahi city on August 14, 2007.

A true leader

July 18 marked the 90th birthday of Nelson Mandela, leader of South Africa's freedom struggle and icon of the 20th and 21st centuries. Here we reproduce passages from Long Walk to Freedom, the acclaimed memoir of this remarkable man whose life is an inspiration to all those around the world fighting for human rights and human dignity. Nelson Mandela's life is a testament to the power of true leadership and how one man's courage and moral example can change the course of history and lead a nation to freedom. THERE was little time for lengthy farewells. The plan was that Winnie and I would be driven in a car to the front gate of the prison. I had told the authorities that I wanted to be able to say good-bye to the guards and warders who had looked after me and I asked that they and their families wait for me at the front gate, where I would be able to thank them individually.By 3:30, I began to get restless, as we were already behind schedule. I told the members of the reception committee that my people had been waiting for me for twenty-seven years and I did not want to keep them waiting any longer. Shortly before four, we left in a small motorcade from the cottage. About a quarter of a mile in front of the gate, the car slowed to a stop and Winnie and I got out and began to walk toward the prison gate.At first, I could not really make out what was going on in front of us, but when I was within one hundred fifty feet or so, I saw a tremendous commotion and a great crowd of people: hundreds of photographers and television cameras and news-people as well as several thousand well-wishers. I was astounded and a little bit alarmed. I had truly not expected such a scene; at most, I had imagined that there would be several dozen people, mainly the warders and their families. But this proved to be only the beginning; I realized we had not thoroughly prepared for all that was about to happen.Within twenty feet or so of the gate, the cameras started clicking, a noise that sounded like some great herd of metallic beasts. Reporters started shouting questions; television crews began crowding in; ANC supporters were yelling and cheering. It was a happy, if slightly disorienting chaos. When a television crew thrust a long, dark, furry object at me, I recoiled slightly, wondering if it were some newfangled weapon developed while I was in prison. Winnie informed me that it was a microphone.When I was among the crowd I raised my right fist and there was a roar. I had not been able to do that for twenty-seven years and it gave me a surge of strength and joy. We stayed among the crowd for only a few minutes before jumping back into the car for the drive to Cape Town. Although I was pleased to have such a reception, I was greatly vexed by the fact that I did not have a chance to say good-bye to the prison staff. As I finally walked through those gates to enter a car on the other side, I felt even at the age of seventy-one that my life was beginning anew. My ten thousand days of imprisonment were over. On the evening of May 2, Mr. de Klerk made a gracious concession speech. After more than three centuries of rule, the white minority was conceding defeat and turning over power to the black majority. That evening, the ANC was planning a victory celebration at the ballroom of the Carlton Hotel in downtown Johannesburg. I was suffering from a bad case of the flu and my doctors ordered me to remain at home. But there was nothing that could keep me away from that party. I went onstage at about nine o'clock and faced a crowd of happy, smiling, cheering faces.I explained to the crowd that my voice was hoarse from a cold and that my physician had advised me not to attend. "I hope that you will not disclose to him that I have violated his instructions," I told them. I congratulated Mr. de Klerk for his strong showing. I thanked all those in the ANC and the democratic movement who had worked so hard for so long. Mrs. Coretta Scott King, the wife of the great freedom fighter Martin Luther King Jr., was on the podium that night, and I looked over to her as I made reference to her husband's immortal words."This is one of the most important moments in the life of our country. I stand here before you filled with deep pride and joy -- pride in the ordinary, humble people of this country. You have shown such a calm, patient determination to reclaim this country as your own, and now the joy that we can loudly proclaim from the rooftops -- Free at last! Free at last! I stand before you humbled by your courage, with a heart full of love for all of you. I regard it as the highest honor to lead the ANC at this moment in our history. I am your servant … It is not the individuals that matter, but the collective ...This is a time to heal the old wounds and build a new South Africa."It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of my own people became a hunger for the freedom of all people, white and black. I knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed. A man who takes away another man's freedom is a prisoner of hatred, he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. I am not truly free if I am taking away someone else's freedom, just as surely as I am not free when my freedom is taken from me. The oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity.When I walked out of prison, that was my mission, to liberate the oppressed and the oppressor both. Some say that has now been achieved. But I know that that is not the case. The truth is that we are not yet free; we have merely achieved the freedom to be free, the right not to be oppressed. We have not taken the final step of our journey, but the first step on a longer and even more difficult road. For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. The true test of our devotion to freedom is just beginning.I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended.

Suu Kyi release likely in 6 months, hints Myanmar

Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace Laureate and Myanmar’s celebrated democracy campaigner, may be released from house arrest in Yangon in about six months from now.
This was hinted at by Myanmar’s Foreign Minister U Nyan Win in his interaction with his counterparts in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Singapore on Sunday. They met informally over dinner on the eve of a series of ASEAN-organised meetings that begin on Monday.
Briefing journalists, Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo, who will host these meetings, said: “He [Mr. Nyan Win] explained that, under their law, the maximum period of detention for [Ms.] Suu Kyi is one year as approved by the Home Minister and five more years as approved by the Prime Minister as Cabinet decision — meaning a maximum of six years. And, he told us that the six-year limit will come up in about half a year’s time.”
Asked whether this implied a possibility that Ms. Suu Kyi would be set free in six months from now, Mr. Yeo said: “I am just repeating to you what he told me. And, I think, that is not an inaccurate inference.”
The ASEAN Ministers, discussing the military standoff between Thailand and Cambodia across their disputed border, urged them to “exercise utmost restraint and to resolve this issue amicably in the spirit of ASEAN solidarity and good neighbourliness.” The two sides said they would “exert their utmost efforts to find a peaceful solution” to their differences on the status of an ancient temple, a newly-designated World Heritage Site, that lies in the disputed area.
Cambodia had informed the United Nations Security Council of its position because this matter had hit international headlines, Mr. Yeo added.

If I Had a Hammer, I Wouldn’t Watch TV

SPADE bits. Nylock nuts. Oriented strand board. These are my new best friends, traveling companions on the long, winding, perfectly landscaped path that leads to the perfect renovation: the home where toilets flush with a whisper, wall colors subtly echo the muted weave in the sectional sofa, and a cultured-stone water feature bubbles in the backyard.The path certainly seems endless if you sit, as I did, through a full day’s worth of programming on the DIY Network. This is the cable channel dedicated to the proposition that ordinary humans, with the proper motivation and instruction, can rewire a living room ceiling, install a gas fireplace by the outdoor pool or transform a boring bedroom into a “Parisian Retreat” for $230. There is no reason to stop, ever.
DIY — the initials stand for Do It Yourself — is part of Scripps Networks, the company behind the Food Network and HGTV, channels with a similar just-do-it philosophy. Introduced in 1999, DIY reaches nearly 50 million subscriber households and averages 2.5 million viewers a month with programs like “This Old House,” “Sweat Equity” and “From Junky to Funky.” All of them tap deep into the primal fear and the equally primal greed of homeowners, who secretly believe that their property is infested with fatal flaws but, with the right improvements, could turn out to be a gold mine
Fetch the cordless impact wrench.
My day with DIY started slowly. From midnight till dawn, the schedule relied on reruns of mainstays like “Yard Crashers” and “Indoors Out” spiced up with back-to-back episodes of “Bathroom Renovations.”
“This Old House,” one of the network’s older properties, is the “Masterpiece Theater” of the home-renovation genre. Production values are high, and the homes are historic. The New England setting breathes class. Jacking up a 19th-century barn somehow seems more dignified than wedging a 21st-century toilet into an awkward corner, although, truth be told, toilet problems count for a lot more than barn raisings on DIY.
Take “Sweat Equity,” one of several programs showcasing Amy Matthews, a shapely blond contractor who handles a nail gun like Annie Oakley and, before my unbelieving eyes, solved the “two-flush toilet” problem with nothing more than a piece of wire clipped from an ordinary coat hanger. Poking and probing under a toilet-bowl rim, she cleared out mineral deposits, thereby speeding up the water flow.
The premise of “Sweat Equity” is nakedly mercenary. With Ms. Matthews’s expert guidance and peppy encouragement, homeowners try to carry out renovations that will lead to profit when they sell their house. A real estate agent names a price before and after. In between, tension builds. “Will they make the best choice to build equity?” a taut announcer’s voice asked as the show broke for a commercial.
DIY loves interventions. “Yard Crashers” specializes in them. Ahmed Hassan, a cheery landscape gardener, lurks near a Home Depot and pesters shoppers until someone agrees to a makeover, whereupon a DIY SWAT team goes into action. This is not to be confused with “Desperate Landscapes,” another makeover program, in which neighbors rat out the eyesore on their block.
In one of two “Landscapes” episodes that ran on my DIY-watching day, Jason Cameron, the host, rushed to the scene of a “botanical homicide.” The crime? An interior decorator’s boyfriend, a military policeman by profession, terminated a yardful of weeds with extreme prejudice, leaving a wasteland behind. A full program of floritan sod, wax myrtles, ginger plants, Southern Charm azaleas and Japanese blueberry trees brought the killing fields back to life.
“Indoors Out,” which made its first appearance of the day at 1:30 a.m., zeroes in on projects reflecting what the program insists is a nationwide trend, the unconquerable desire to move things like fireplaces, living rooms and dining rooms out into the open air. Later, in prime time, I would watch in stupefaction as the DIY team tore up an unoffending backyard and created an outdoor rec room with putting green, waterfall and koi pond.
“Indoors Out” has a twin, “Move It Outside,” that provided something rare on DIY: conflict. Like travel, food and fashion networks, DIY poses as a relentlessly practical how-to resource, a compendium of useful projects and expert advice. It posts prices at every stage of each project. Its Web site, diynetwork.com, offers backup: lists of the necessary tools, step-by-step instructions, more pointers on how to get the job done. Yet in the end DIY thrives on sheer fantasy.In the world of DIY all measurements are precise, and all edges fit. No one bends a nail. Couples do not bicker. The tools are top quality, the hosts genial and omniscient. This is a world in which all problems get solved.

Whether most of the projects can really be done by average viewers remains a highly debatable proposition. “Ed the Plumber,” one of the early-morning programs, showed how to install a booster tank to increase home water pressure. Much as I would like one for my own home, it quickly became apparent that the only way to make this happen was to call Ed and have him come over. Once a blowtorch enters the picture, I think it’s safe to say that most viewers will simply step back. At that point they can yield to the real pleasure of how-to television: watching somebody else do a lot of work.
“Move It Outside” introduced a highly entertaining snake into do-it-yourself paradise. A suspicious, sharp-eyed client, Jessica Taser, did not quite believe that the gas fireplace being installed at one end of her swimming pool lined up dead center. She dared to question the contractor, who delivered a classic contractor line: “That is an illusion.” It wasn’t. The client-contractor relationship went downhill from there. It was great television.
Meanwhile the morning schedule lurched between get-rich-quick infomercials and marginal programs like “Knitty Gritty” and “Tricked Out.” As the name suggests, “Knitty Gritty” is a show about knitting. The energy level is two ticks above catatonia. High excitement is an extreme close-up of two needles executing a complicated knot for a unisex messenger bag. It has a rival in the serenity sweepstakes, a crafts show called “B. Original.” On this day Michele Beschen, the host and a New Agey artisan, fashioned lawn sculpture and planters out of driftwood.
“Tricked Out,” by contrast, thrusts front and center a car maniac with a shaved head and a patch of chin hair that looks like a shrunken beaver pelt. The project of the day was installing an oversize intake manifold into an Acura Integra, allowing more “go juice” to reach the pistons. The visual payoff was nil. Post-conversion the car sat on rollers and a machine took a reading. It was about as exciting as watching a blood-pressure test.
Onward to “Today Show Tips,” “Bob Vila’s Home Again” and lots more “This Old House,” and an episode of “Martha Stewart Crafts” devoted to ribbon belts and a tour-de-force segment on how to transform a wooden acorn finial into a wax candle. On “From Junky to Funky” hip decorators blended Las Vegas and the Wild West in a Chicago apartment filled with crummy furniture. One chair ended up with cowhide upholstery and cowboy boots on its front legs.
By midafternoon the programs were beginning to blur. Most of the male hosts on DIY seemed interchangeable. As straight arrow as Dudley Do-Right, they wore the same work shirts, grew the same out-of-date mustaches and laughed easily at nothing in particular. Partly out of desperation DIY has matched some of them with female partners.
The good-guy hosts are ferociously competent, however, and full of useful tips. Do not use duct tape on ducts, for example. This revelation rocked me to my no-doubt poorly installed foundations. Duct tape dries out and cracks. Use heat-treated foil tape instead. Who knew?
There are a million revelations like that. On “DIY to the Rescue” Amy Devers and Karl Champley helped Chris and Tamara Murphy of Philadelphia transform a “dark, discouraging drawing room” into a “sunny, stylish salon” through a series of very clever moves, all of them quite doable. To add character to a blank wall, for example, make white square frames from strips of molding, nail them to the wall, then fill in the squares with an accent color — olive on a sage wall, in this instance.
On “Kitchen Renovations” and “Bathroom Renovations,” meanwhile, the meat of the network’s batting order, faucets were installed, acres of tile laid and shiny stainless-steel appliances rolled into precisely calibrated spaces. On “Wasted Spaces” a wiry Australian bashed through an annoying divider wall and put a nifty granite-top counter in its place. On “Home Transformations,” a title that could be applied to nearly every program I had watched for the previous 15 hours, many things were transformed, none of them currently available to my short-term memory. Someone, I’m not sure where or when, used caustic goop to etch whimsical words on thrift-store glasses to make them “fun.”
After a while it wasn’t just the kitchen tiles that were glazed. Fabulous fixtures and great equity decisions blended into commercials for Kobalt tools, propane gas and Scotch masking tape, a mix made more confusing when advertisers like Home Depot and Lowe’s presented their own fix-it-up spots. Purina showed how to make a terrific padded pet shelf that can be moved from window to window. Occasionally, a voice-over would snap me back to attention: “When ‘Weekend Warriors’ returns — Christine and David go a little overboard with the drill.”
After 24 hours, back at “This Old House,” I turned off the television set, inspired. Get me a nail gun and a stud finder. Gather driftwood. Buy many bags of peastone.
Then call Ed.

90th birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela celebrated

July 18 marked the 90th birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela. On the occasion, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) organised a discussion and a cultural programme in association with the Wrishiz Shilpi Gosthi at the Department of Dance and Music, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The programme kicked off at about 5:45 pm. A group performance by Wrishiz marked the opening of the event. Artistes rendered the song Mandela Mandela Nelson Mandela written by Asaduzzaman Noor. A discussion followed. National professor Kabir Chowdhury was present as the chief guest. Assaduzzaman Noor and Golam Kuddus, general secretary of Sommilito Shangskritik Jote were the special guests at the programme. Among others, Habibullah Khan, the first ambassador of Bangladesh to South Africa (1995- 96) and Mofidul Haque were also present. The welcome speech was given by Fakir Alamgir. The discussion was presided over by Bhuiyan Shafiqul Islam, director general, BSA. The speakers at the discussion focused on Mandela and his works, while others mentioned anecdotes involving this towering personality.Kabir Chowdhury recited a poem titled Nelson Mandela, that he wrote when he met Mandela.Recalling Mandela, Chowdhury said, “When we went to meet him we didn't even have an appointment. However when he heard that we were from Bangladesh he cordially gave us time. Mandela has a soft corner for the people of Bangladesh and I found him to be a man of very great personality and morals.” Speaking of Mandela, Habibullah Khan said, “When I first met Mandela, I found him to be very friendly, specially after he heard that I was from Bangladesh." “Many Bangladeshi doctors work in South Africa. Mandela said that the medicoes were very kind and helpful. I felt really happy when I heard these words," recalled Habibullah. The cultural programme comprised of song, recitation and a documentary screening. Artistes of Wrishiz and Kranti Shilpi Gosthi performed songs. Recitations were presented by Shahdat Hossaion (Gorad bhangar shongramira jago written by Mahbubul Alam Chowdhury); Belayet Hossain (Mandela Tomar Jonyo penned by Zahid Mostafa) and Rafiqul Islam (Neel Kontho of Premendra Mitra).Fakir Alamgir performed five songs including -- Chokh duti jeno durbin, Kalo kalo manusher deshey, Naam taar chhilo, Ora amader gaan gaiety dey na. The event wrapped up with the screening of a documentary on Nelson Mandela.

Iran-EU decide to continue interaction

DUBAI: Iran and the foreign policy chief of the European Union, Javier Solana, have decided to continue their interaction after Tehran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council held talks to defuse tensions surrounding the Iranian nuclear programme.
For the first time, a high ranking U.S. State department official, William Burns, participated in the face-to-face talks with the Iranians. Germany is also part of the dialogue Mr. Solana is leading. Saeed Jalili, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, is heading the Iranian delegation. The talks were held in the historic town hall in Geneva.
At the end of the meeting, Mr. Jalili said the talks were “constructive and progressing.” Mr. Solana also said the discussions were “constructive,” but “still we didn’t get the answer to our questions. We hope very much we get the answer and we hope it will be done in a couple of weeks.”
At a meeting with the Iranians on June 14, Mr. Solana handed over a package of incentives which Tehran could avail itself of if it suspended enrichment of uranium.
Despite the Iranian Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, earlier describing the talks as a “positive” development, the two sides appeared to have followed a divergent approach to the dialogue. Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr. Mottaki expressed the hope that the talks would lead to the emergence of a process, which would eventually yield tangible results. He said a framework for future negotiations could follow the dialogue.
The Iranians said they did not wish to discuss the nuclear issue in isolation. According to Iran’s Press TV, Tehran handed over a “package” to a number of international organisations and countries to resolve “a variety of political, economic and nuclear issues.”
Referring to the incentives proposed by Mr. Solana, the channel, quoting Iranian officials, said the “commonalities of the two packages” would be their focus during the dialogue.
Iran’s interlocutors have highlighted, in their public remarks, that they were seeking the suspension of uranium enrichment by Iran to achieve progress. However, in Geneva, the Iranian representative to the talks, Kevyan Imani, was quoted as saying that suspension of enrichment was ruled out. “Suspension, there is no chance for that,” he told journalists. Mr. Imani signalled that the “freeze for freeze” proposal, involving a six-week halt in advancing sanctions if Iran did not carry out additional enrichment for a similar period, was also not on the Iranian priority list. The talks were “not about freeze-freeze,” he observed.

Try war criminals, ban Jamaat-Shibir politics

Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, a forum for Secular Bangladesh and Trial of War Criminals of 1971, yesterday brought out a protest procession on the Dhaka University (DU) campus demanding the trial of war criminals.Freedom fighters, students, cultural activists, civil society representatives and general people took part in the programme that also demanded punishment to Jamaat-Shibir cadres who assaulted freedom fighter Sheikh Muhammad Aman Ali at the Diploma Engineers' Institute in the city on July 11.Starting from the Central Shaheed Minar, the procession paraded around Doyel Chattar, TSC and then returned to the Shaheed Minar. Around 2000 people, who took part in the procession, chanted various slogans against the war criminals, Jamaat leaders and commanders of Al-Badr, Al-Shams and Razakaars. People standing on the roadside also expressed their solidarity with the processionists.Earlier at a rally on the Shaheed Minar, DU Professor Muntasir Mamun read out a declaration on behalf of the Nirmul Committee. The declaration demanded immediate trial of war criminals constituting a special tribunal, and ban on the so-called freedom fighters' organisation 'Jatiya Muktijoddha Parishad' and the politics of Jamaat-e-Islami for its anti-liberation war role. The Nirmul Committee also called for raising the honourarium of the freedom fighters to Tk 10000 instead of present Tk 900 and free treatment for the freedom fighters and their family members in all hospitals. It also urged the political parties to boycott Jamaat and not to forge any alliance with it. National Professor and President of the advisory council of the Committee Kabir Chowdhury presided over the rally which was also addressed by DU Prof Anwar Hossain, Sector Commanders Maj Gen (retd) KM Shafiullah, Lt Col (retd) Abu Osman Chowdhury, and journalist Shahriar Kabir. Kabir Chowdhury said the government must start the trial of the war criminals by constituting special tribunal, otherwise, the government would have to face public fury. Gen Shafiullah said though the chief adviser, army chief, chief election commissioner had told about the trial of the war criminals but there were no such steps. Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad, Projanma Ekattor, Bangladesh Chhatra League, Bangladesh Chhatra Union, JSD-Chhatra League, Greater Mirpur Muktijoddha Oikya Forum, Uttoradhikar Ekattor and other social and cultural organisations took part in the rally and the procession.

Power failure

Power failure is a burning issue. People are suffering as electricity is snapped frequently. Students suffer most when electricity goes off for hours together.Every day power supply remains disrupted for 5-6 hours in most of the areas in the city.The government has to do more than what it is doing now to tackle the problem.

Nizami freed on bail in GATCO case-Govt turn to JAMAT??

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami was freed Tuesday on bail in the GATCO case filed by the Anticorruption Commission.
Nizami was accompanied by fellow party officials Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and Delwar Hossain Saidee when he left the Prisoners' Cell at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital, where he had been under treatment. "Lift emergency, free Khaleda Zia," the Jamaat chief was heard saying to a crowd of reporters and TV crew. As he arrived home, in city's Moghbazar area, the Jamaat leader was flanked by party activists and could not be reached by reporters. His release came a day after he won interim bail for two months from the High Court. Nizami spent about two months behind bars and became the first senior politician to be out on bail after being accused of corruption since the 1/11 changeover. The police arrested Nizami at his Maghbazar home on the rain-drenched night of May 18 amid protests by several hundred party supporters. A former minister in the previous BNP-Jamaat coalition government, Nizami was the last of the chiefs of the three major political parties—after Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia—to have been arrested in an anticorruption crackdown by the interim government. Speaking to bdnews24.com, inspector general (prisons) Brigadier General Md Zakir Hasan and DIG Major Shamsul Haider Siddiqui had confirmed receipt of a copy of the High Court bail order which cleared the way for his release. Nizami was released since there was "no other case" against the Jamaat chief, Zakir Hasan explained. Contacted, several senior Awami League leaders refused to comment on his bail and subsequent release. In the GATCO graft case, his co-accused included former prime minister Khaleda Zia, her son and other former ministers and officials. The Anticorruption Commission pressed charges on May 13 against Khaleda, her younger son Arafat Rahman Coco, Nizami and 21 others in the GATCO case. Other accused in the case included former ministers M Saifur Rahman, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, MK Anwar, M Shamsul Islam and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury. Apart from Khaleda and Coco, Mosharraf Hossain, Mannan Bhuiyan, MK Anwar and M Shamsul Islam are behind bars among others.

Pak Criketer Asif-For Drug-Two Years Suspension?

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that the player who tested positive for a banned drug in the Indian Premier League (IPL) was Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif who played for Delhi Daredevils.
The BCCI stated in a release on Monday that the IPL Commissioner, Lalit Modi, had confirmed that the player who failed the dope test was Asif. It was found that the Pakistani speedster had not applied for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) that could have allowed him to use a prohibited substance. IPL did not disclose the drug in question.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the player and his team (Delhi Daredevils) were being informed about the doping violation. Asif will have the right to seek a ‘B’ sample test, a mandatory offer made to an athlete charged with a violation, and the right to be present when that sample is tested. (‘B’ sample is part of the ‘A’ sample but in a different bottle).Two-year suspension?
In case the doping violation charge is confirmed the matter would be heard by a three-member panel comprising Dr. Ravi Bapat, former Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Sunil Gavaskar and Shirish Gupte, a leading lawyer. Asif faces a two-year suspension, at least from the IPL.
Even though this would be his second positive test, taking the 2006 infraction into consideration (second violation attracts life ban), the previous offence will not count for Asif since he, along with Shoaib Akhtar, was exonerated by an appeals panel of the PCB after another committee found the players ‘guilty’ of a doping offence in out-of-competition tests done prior to the Champions Trophy in India. Both were charged with steroids violations then, but the PCB let them off.
The International Cricket Council (ICC), embarrassed by the turn of events, but unable to intervene because of lack of teeth in its own anti-doping rules, allowed the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) to bring forward an appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against the PCB ruling.
Eventually CAS refused to entertain the WADA appeal, ruling that the PCB code did not have a ‘right of appeal’ clause favouring WADA. The ICC has claimed its right of appeal in the latest case.
“The ICC is proud of its status as a WADA signatory and will be closely monitoring the situation to ensure the correct action is taken by the BCCI. The ICC retains a right of appeal if any penalty that may be imposed is inconsistent with the WADA Code.”
Though the ICC anti-doping code is still largely confined to ICC events, the ICC had amended its rules in July 2007 to claim a ‘right of appeal’ in case it found member nations were not implementing the rules correctly in the fight against doping.
The ICC and its member units are expected to be WADA-compliant by 2009.

Where River Views Are From the River

MANHATTAN ISLAND sure looks different if you’re doing six knots through New York Harbor on a Colgate 26 racing sloop on a breezy summer Sunday. You can smell not a single pile of rotting trash outside McDonald’s and feel not a single blast of furnacelike heat from a subway platform. This serene, stark postcard image may be illusory, but it’s also an illuminating reminder of what we so often hear but rarely absorb: New York is a city of islands and rivers. But with Olafur Eliasson’s four “New York City Waterfalls” dotting the waterfront, all eyes — and more bodies than usual — are on the city’s rivers.

Summer is precisely the right time to get on a boat in the city. And while locals might head out onto the Gowanus Canal or Jamaica Bay or the Bronx River, visitors can probably best spend their money on a trip on the East River or New York Harbor. Alas, sometimes that can cost a lot of money.
On the expensive end is a two-hour, $125 trip on the Compass Rose, that Colgate 26, based out of Liberty Landing Marina across the Hudson in New Jersey and under the command of Capt. Matthew Carmel. (There’s a water taxi that makes the short run from the Manhattan side north of the World Financial Center near Vesey Street for $7.)
An afternoon on the Compass Rose is the rough equivalent to getting invited out with a friend who loves boating. The ship is small and slick, fitting a maximum of five passengers and packed with GPS display and digital gadgets: unlike the huge schooners that dole out wine and cheese, this feels like a boat you yourself could own someday (but probably won’t). And for added fun, Captain Carmel asks you to man the tiller or trim the sheets or do other things involving vocabulary you won’t immediately understand. In between, he’ll entertain you with stories like the time the Hasidic Jew requested a trip with no women aboard, which the captain did not guarantee; that day two Norwegian lesbians came along. Your group will probably not be quite as interesting, for better or worse.

See Also www.nytimes.com/travel

dt. 14.07.2008 edition

Adviser meeting with Hasina after release wrong said by Siddiki

It was wrong on the part of the caretaker government to allow advisers to hold a meeting at the home of Awami League president Sheikh Hasina after her release on June 11, said Krishak Sramik Janata League president Quader Siddiqui on Sunday.
"The advisers did not do right to go to her home as 'government officials' after releasing her from jail," Siddiqui told reporters after his party's political dialogue session with the government at the chief adviser's office. The government granted Hasina a temporary release to go abroad to seek medical treatment. Advisers went to her private residence the night of her release from detention. "It was not rational. [The meeting] raised doubts among people," Siddiqui said. The government has replied the advisers went there in line with their political duty for the greater interests of the country. Commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman said after the dialogue Sunday: "The advisers are not just 'government officials'. We went there in line with greater political responsibilities." "We are pressing forward with all political parties with a view to heading towards a proper political environment," he said. "We will do whatever is needed for that. We are hopeful that all our activities will erase any doubts in future." "All doubts will disappear in the course of time," the adviser repeated. Siddiqui, however, stressed: "There was no problem if the advisers went to her house as private individuals and with an honest intention." "But we have to see whether they will do the same in future at the invitation of any other parties." "If they do not, it will be unfortunate," he said. The KSJL president added, nevertheless, that the government deserved credit for the humanitarian decision to allow Hasina abroad by temporary release. He also said his party's dialogue had taken place with the government in a genial environment. The party had placed a 28-point charter of proposals in the session, including trial of war criminals, an embargo on the politics of Jamaat-e-Islami, lifting the state of emergency, and return of the armed forces to barracks as early as possible. Siddiqui led an 11-member KSJL delegation, while chief adviser led the government side with commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman and LGRD adviser Anwarul Iqbal. The government will hold two regional level dialogues in Khulna and Jessore on Monday, said Hossaiin Zillur.

Pakistan Marble Helps Taliban Stay in Business

ZIARAT, Pakistan — The mountain of white marble shines with such brilliance in the sun it looks like snow. For four years, the quarry beneath it lay dormant, its riches captive to tribal squabbles and government ineptitude in this corner of Pakistan’s tribal areas.But in April, the Taliban appeared and imposed a firm hand. They settled the feud between the tribes, demanded a fat fee up front and a tax on every truck that ferried the treasure from the quarry. Since then, Mir Zaman, a contractor from the Masaud subtribe, which was picked by the Taliban to run the quarry, has watched contentedly as his trucks roll out of the quarry with colossal boulders bound for refining in nearby towns.
“With the Taliban it is not a question of a request to us, but a question of force,” said Mr. Zaman, a bearded, middle-aged tribal leader who seemed philosophical about the reality of Taliban authority here. At least the quarry was now operating, he said.
The takeover of the Ziarat marble quarry, a coveted national asset, is one of the boldest examples of how the Taliban have made Pakistan’s tribal areas far more than a base for training camps or a launching pad for sending fighters into Afghanistan.
A rare, unescorted visit to the region this month, during which the Taliban detained for two days a freelance reporter and a photographer working for The New York Times, revealed how the Taliban were taking over territory, using the income they exact to strengthen their hold and turn themselves into a self-sustaining fighting force. The quarry alone has already brought the Taliban tens of thousands of dollars, Mr. Zaman said.
The seizure of the quarry is a measure of how in recent months, as the Pakistani military has pulled back under a series of peace deals, the Pakistani Taliban have extended their reach through more of the rugged territory in northern Pakistan known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA.
Today the Taliban not only settle disputes in their consolidated domain but they also levy taxes, smuggle drugs and other contraband, and impose their own brand of rough justice, complete with courts and prisons.
From the security of this border region, they deploy their fighters and suicide bombers in two directions: against NATO and American forces over the border in southern Afghanistan, and against Pakistani forces — police, army and intelligence officials — in major Pakistani cities.
The quarry operation here in the Mohmand tribal district, strategically situated between the city of Peshawar and the Afghan border, is a new effort by the Taliban to harness the abundant natural resources of a region where there are plenty of other mining operations for coal, gold, copper and chromate.
Of all the minerals in the tribal areas, the marble from Ziarat is one of the most highly prized for use in expensive floors and walls in Pakistan, and in limited quantities abroad.

Cricket-BCB okays Nimbus deal

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) finally struck the much-talked-about Long Form Agreement (LFA) with Nimbus Sports International Ltd for its Worldwide Marketing Agency Rights for a period of six years.It's taken the board long twenty months to put pen to the paper since the groundbreaking deal of 56.88 million-dollar heads of agreement was signed on November 21, 2006.BCB's acting chief executive officer Nizam Uddin Chowdhury and executive vice-president of Nimbus Sports International Yannick Colaco signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations at a local hotel yesterday.BCB president Major General Sina Ibn Jamali and most of the ad-hoc committee members were present on the occasion.Nimbus Sports International won BCB's Worldwide TV Marketing rights (for six years) during the tenure of Ali Asghar but in the changed scenario after the 1/11 the new board led by Major General Jamali had decided to give a long hard look into the sensitive financial deal after questions were raised about the transparency of the deal.However, after the long scrutiny the original deal actually stood with minor adjustments clearing the air of any foul play by the previous committee of the board.It was clearly evident after the signing of the deal when BCB's Finance Committee Chairman Abdul Momen, who also headed a review committee, avoided making comments on the dark part of the original deal (if there was any). Rather he was interested to talk about the bright part of it and some minor changes that according to him strengthened BCB's regulatory position.While the board officials talked about the win-win situation, Nimbus representative Colaco was very bold in his assertion."In this subcontinent we always smell something in any kind of financial deal. In my life I have had the experience of involving in million, million dollars deals and I must say it was the most, most transparent deal I have ever done, " said Colaco.Momen was more interested to elaborate the changes that have been made."Our main focus was to improve and strengthen our position both in legal and financial aspects and we believe we could manage it. And we are now in a win-win situation after some adjustments in the deal," stressed Momen."Under the LFA the BCB will have true copies of every contract that Nimbus enters into with third party licensees. The BCB will also be allowed to review and audit or appoint an auditor to do so, the books of accounts and other relevant information of Nimbus twice per contract-year and upon five days written notice. We could add this because of the negotiation and these provisions will facilitate transparency in monitoring the revenues/receivable from Nimbus Sport," he explained."And another thing is that we could cap-in the minimum guaranteed amount which was vague in the heads of agreement. Now the amount under the LFA is 56.88 million dollars including allowable expenditure of 15.31 million dollars which will be spent for the production of Live World Television Feed for the said events for the duration of the term," he added."And the clause which said the BCB will provide Nimbus with a match schedule for each event at least 22 days before the start of the event and hence if any game is cancelled, then the allowable expenditure will be reduced proportionately. This is totally a new clause which will keep our interest intact," said Momen.He also informed that they made changes in the clause of the BCB events schedule, uplink cost, net fees and BCB branding.

RPO Change Okayed-Option for 'no' vote made, party registration must

The council of advisers yesterday approved in principle the Representation of the People's Order (RPO) Ordinance 2008, okaying much sought electoral reforms including mandatory registration of political parties and an option for casting 'no' votes.According to the new ordinance, a candidate in the parliamentary election may contest for a maximum of three seats instead of the five they were allowed earlier, and the contestants must submit their election expenditure statements and related bank account statements to the Election Commission (EC).The advisory council gave its nod to the ordinance in a meeting with Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair. Talking to reporters after the meeting, CA's Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim said, "The ordinance will come back to the cabinet for the final approval after being vetted by the law ministry." The ordinance will be promulgated by the president through a gazette notification by the end of this month, he added.Anyone contesting in more than three constituencies will be declared ineligible for candidacy all together, says the draft ordinance that came ahead of the parliamentary election scheduled for December this year.There are also directives in the draft ordinance about democracy within political parties, electoral alliances, disqualifications for running in parliamentary polls, and about prohibitions on forming front organisations by political parties. According to the draft law, voters will be allowed to cast 'no' votes if they do not find any of the contestants worthy of their votes. An election to a constituency will be cancelled if 'no' votes amount to 50 percent or more of the total votes cast, and a bi-election will be held there. The draft ordinance fixes a new ceiling for election expenditure where a candidate will be allowed to spend a maximum of Tk 15 lakh for an electoral campaign. The amount was Tk 5 lakh before.The expenditure ceiling for political parties having more than 200 candidates will be Tk 4.50 crore. It will be Tk 3 crore for parties having 100 to 200 candidates, Tk 1.5 crore for parties with at least 100 candidates, and Tk 50 lakh for parties with less than 50 candidates. Violators of the provision will be fined Tk 10 lakh.Prepared by the law ministry and the EC following dialogues between the commission and political parties and different professional groups, the draft of the ordinance has nine clauses and 114 sections. A candidate must maintain an account of his or her electoral expenditure from the date of filing the nomination paper till the announcement of the election result. Submission of a false statement will be a punishable offence.

9 Americans Die in Afghan Attack

KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban insurgents carried out a bold assault on a remote base near the border with Pakistan on Sunday, NATO reported, and a senior American military official said nine American soldiers were killed. The attack, the worst against Americans in Afghanistan in three years, illustrated the growing threat of Taliban militants and their associates, who in recent months have made Afghanistan a far deadlier war zone for American-led forces than Iraq.
The assault on the American base in Kunar Province was one of the fiercest by insurgents since the American-led invasion of Afghanistan routed the Taliban and Al Qaeda militants in late 2001.
The militants have since regained strength in the tribal areas of Pakistan, which they have often used as a base for raids into Afghanistan, an increasingly sore point for the American and Afghan governments.
The new American commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan emphasized that issue on Sunday in an interview that took place before details of the Kunar attack were disclosed, asserting that the militants were not only entering Afghan territory but also firing at targets from the Pakistan side.
“It all goes back to the problem set that there are sanctuaries in the tribal areas that militant insurgent groups are able to operate from with impunity,” said the commander, Gen. David D. McKiernan, who took over the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in June.

Badsha quits Rajshahi mayoral race

Workers Party Politburo Member Fazle Hossain Badsha dropped out of the mayoral race in Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) yesterday clearing the way for Awami League (AL) leader AHM Khairuzzaman Liton for running in the August 4 poll there with an undisputed nomination from 14-party coalition.Badsha, who was earlier nominated by the AL-led coalition, quit the race in the face of a strong demand from the local unit of the coalition for nominating Liton, an AL central working committee member also Rajshahi city unit general secretary. "I, Fazle Hossain Badsha, withdrew my candidacy for personal reasons," Badsha wrote in his request to the Rajshahi deputy election commissioner for withdrawing his candidacy.Emerging from the local election commission office after withdrawing his candidacy around 4.30pm, Badsha however told reporters that he withdrew his candidacy for 'political reasons, to maintain the unity of non-communal democratic forces'. Mixed reactions were sparked in 14-party coalition following Badsha's withdrawal from the race. In Sylhet, local Workers Party leaders and workers withdrew their support for detained Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) Mayor Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran, who is the 14-party nominee there. Meanwhile, a total of 16 mayoral aspirants, 145 councillorship aspirants and 3 aspirants to seats reserved for women withdrew their candidacies yesterday in the city corporations of Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet and Barisal. After the withdrawal of candidacies, in Khulna six are now running for mayor, 206 are running for councillorship, and 46 women are running for the reserved seats. In Barisal 10 are running for mayor, 145 for councillorship, and 39 for the reserved seats.In Sylhet 15 are running for mayor, 197 for councillorship, and 46 are running for the reserved seats for women. In Rajshahi 15 are running for mayor, 203 for councillorship, and 63 for the reserved seats. Thee mayoral aspirants, 32 councillorship aspirants, and two aspirants to women's reserved seats dropped out of the races in Barisal alone. In Rajshahi two mayoral aspirants, 36 councillorship aspirants, and 1 woman aspirant to a reserved seat withdrew from the race.In Sylhet four mayoral aspirants and 18 councillorship aspirants dropped out of the race yesterday. In Khulna five mayoral aspirants and 59 councillorship aspirants withdrew their candidacies. Following Badsha's withdrawal of candidacy in RCC, leaders of 14-party coalition seemed relieved, although Workers' Party expressed unambiguous disappointment. While most of the coalition leaders said Badsha showed 'political wisdom' by stepping out of the race, its component Workers Party's chief Rashed Khan Menon said, "Badsha withdrew his candidacy for personal reasons, which does not mean Liton is the 14-party nominee. At least Workers Party is not there to support Liton." Criticising Liton for 'defying the coalition's decision', he said the media in Rajshahi spread misinformation regarding local 14-party unit's support for Liton.Badsha and Liton however held a joint news conference and vowed to work together, after the former's withdrawal of candidacy. Menon, a key-leader of the coalition, also said his party will sit within a couple of days to decide whether they will continue to contest in local government polls jointly with the components of the coalition. Asked whether the unity of the coalition will be affected due to Badsha's withdrawal from the RCC poll, Menon said, "We stand by secularism."AL Presidium Member Motia Chowdhury said, "Badsha has shown political wisdom and he will get the return in the future."

Usha Mittal and Tina Ambani in Forbes ‘Wives of Billionaire’ list

New York: They are married to the wealthiest individuals in the world. But a few of them have etched out their own identity, with two Indians — Usha Mittal and Tina Ambani — making a cut in the latest ‘Wives of Billionaires’ list compiled by the U.S. business magazine Forbes.
Usha Mittal is the wife of the world’s fourth richest person and steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal. Tina Ambani is married to sixth wealthiest person Anil Ambani, whose flagship firm Reliance Communications is currently in talks with South African telecom major MTN for a possible amalgamation. A famous wife
“Gaining membership to the billionaire wives’ club is no easy feat... so what does it take to marry one? ... For starters, looks are great — but brains are even better,” Forbes said in an article on its website.
About 53-year-old Tina Ambani, the magazine said that “being famous of your own accord is often a plus.” Prior to marrying Anil Ambani, Tina Munim was a famed Bollywood actress, it noted.
She made her name in the 1978 Hindi blockbuster Des Pardes and has starred in more than 30 films.
“Now her husband, Anil Ambani, ranked sixth-richest in the world in March, is reportedly in talks through one of his companies to become Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks SKG’s principal financier.
“Patron of contemporary Indian art is mother of two sons,” it noted. Trusted by Mittal
At the same time, Usha Mittal, wife of the world’s fourth richest person and who has apparently worked in the steel business for 15 years, has clearly earned the trust of Lakshmi Mittal, Forbes said.
“Last year, his steel company, ArcelorMittal, passed a resolution that entrusted her with temporary responsibility of managing the world’s largest steel company if the managing board of directors is permanently absent or prevented from handling duties. She apparently worked in the steel business for 15 years, at one time reportedly running a plant in Indonesia.
“She is also the namesake of the Usha Mittal Institute of Technology, a university that promotes the women’s education in India,” the magazine added.
According to Forbes, Lakshmi Mittal’s personal fortune is worth $45 billion, whereas Anil Ambani’s net worth is pegged at $42 billion.
Hollywood celebrity director Steven Spielberg’s wife Kate Capshaw, Larry Ellison’s spouse Melanie Craft, Susan Dell, wife of Michael Dell, media baron Rupert Murdoch’s spouse Wendi Deng, Kenneth Griffin’s wife Anne Dias Griffin, Lucy Southworth who is married to search engine giant Google co-founder Larry Page and Barry Diller’s wife Diane Von Furstenburg are part of the list. Only three
Interestingly, wives of only three people among the world’s top 10 richest have made it to the list, which has a total ten such women. The third is Melinda Gates, wife of Bill Gates, the world’s third richest.
In March, Forbes had ranked legendary investor Warren Buffet the richest person with a fortune of $62 billion. He was followed by Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu with a net worth of $60 billion, while Bill Gates with $58 billion slipped to the third spot from the previous year’s top ranking.
Anil Ambani’s elder sibling Mukesh Ambani was ranked fifth richest in the world with a net worth of $43 billion.
Another Indian, K.P. Singh, the man behind realty major DLF, with a personal wealth of $30 billion, was ranked eighth.
Other members in the top ten league are retailer Ikea’s Ingvar Kampard at the seventh spot ($31 billion), Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska ($28 billion) at the ninth and Germany’s Karl Albrecht at the tenth ($27 billion). — PTI

"Stop road digging in the rainy season"

Dhaka Power Distribution Company digs a trench on Mirpur Road at Kalyanpur to work on a power cable ignoring the chief adviser’s July 2 directive to stop road digging in the rainy season.

The Championships Wimbledon-Hardest loss

Roger Federer described his Wimbledon final defeat by Rafael Nadal as the most painful loss of his career, but vowed that he is not about to give up his world number one status to his great rival."It is probably my hardest loss by far, there is not much harder than this right now," the despondent Swiss star admitted after losing one of the greatest Grand Slam finals 9-7 in the fifth set after four hours and 48 minutes of extraordinary drama on the All England club's Centre Court.Having being part of a final that will rank alongside the great Bjorn Borg/John McEnroe classic of 1980 provided little in the way of solace for Federer, who was denied the opportunity to surpass Borg's run of five consecutive titles."It is always nice to be part of great matches. Later on in life I will look back on it as a great match but right now there is not much of a feelgood factor or anything positive about it," he said ruefully.Federer, 26, was gracious in his praise for the performance of Nadal, who had threatened to repeat his straight sets win in last month's French Open final after claiming the first two sets here.But his bitterness at losing his Wimbledon crown was reflected in a gripe about the fact that the match, which was twice interrupted for rain, was finished in rapidly fading light."I almost could not see who I was playing at the end, it was not funny," Federer said, revealing that he would have asked for play to be suspended for the night if he had broken back to level the match at 8-8 in the final set."It would have been brutal for the fans, for the media and for us to come back tomorrow but it is also tough on me to lose the biggest tournament in the world because of a loss of light."Federer could console himself with the fact that he played, in patches at least, as well as he had done in any of the five previous finals here.But the relentless quality of Nadal's resistance was underlined by the fact that the world number one was able to convert just one of the 13 breakpoints he generated over the course of the five sets, and was hustled into a total of 52 unforced errors, almost twice his opponent's tally."I thought I played well overall but I missed too many chances in the first couple of sets," he confessed. "I was struggling with the wind a little bit."On some of the break points Rafa played great, on others I played poorly. I should have decided much more what I really wanted to do but Rafa keeps you thinking and that is what great players do."I was not able to break him in last three sets but I pushed him right to the end."Despite Nadal's triumphs here and at Roland Garros, Federer will remain world number one for now -- and he did not take kindly to a suggestion that he should be preparing to hand that position over to his Spanish rival."You write what you want," he snapped. "I'm going to try and win the Olympics and the US Open and then we can talk again."Federer did not let his reign at Wimbledon end without an almighty scrap.After holding his nerve to win a third set tie-break, he then saved two match points at the end of the fourth and, for much of the fifth he looked the more likely winner."It was a great feeling to turn it around in the fourth set tiebreak and to push it to the fifth set was awesome," he said. "I really thought that with the momentum and having won in five sets last year that I was going to do it again."I saw he was getting very nervous in the fourth set tiebreak. He could not make the returns he usually does. I really felt he was feeling it and the momentum was with me."

South Africa mints Mandela birthday coin

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa launched a special coin on Monday as part of the celebrations for the 90th birthday of the former President, Nelson Mandela, which falls on July 18.

HC grants bail to Khoka

The High Court Monday granted bail to Dhaka mayor Sadek Hossain Khoka and stayed the proceedings of a graft case against him, filed by the Anticorruption Commission, reports agency.
The bail order will remain effective until July 16. Khoka appealed to the HC shortly after a trial court issued an arrest warrant against him. Metropolitan senior special judge Md Azizul Haque had earlier issued the arrest order. The court had approved the warrant after accepting a chargesheet submitted by the ACC against Khoka, his wife and children. The court set July 10 to submit reports on the arrest. The ACC charged the mayor on July 1, for earnings beyond his known income and concealing wealth-related information. A lawyer for Khoka's wife, Ismat Ara, asked the court Monday for a reinvestigation into the case claiming that the ACC's chargesheet was faulty and incomplete. The court rejected the plea, but ordered a halt to the charges against Ismat Ara due to a stay order by the High Court. Defence lawyers also asked for Khoka's daughter Sarika Sadek and son Israk Hossain to be exempted of charges. ACC assistant director Md Shamsul Alam filed the case with Ramna Police Station on April 2 against Khoka, his wife and children