HC dismisses petitions; ‘no bar to schedule

The High Court has dismissed three separate writ petitions challenging the Election Commission’s gazette on the demarcation of parliamentary seats, which lawyers say clears the way for announcement of the schedule for elections.

The EC sat in an emergency meeting after the declaration of the verdict. The commission was originally set to declare the schedule on Nov 2 (Sunday), but was awaiting the High Court verdict.

The HC bench of justices Mir Hasmat Ali and Shamim Hasnain gave the verdict Sunday after concluding hearing of the petitions on Oct 30.

Shahdin Malik, lawyer for the EC, told bdnews24.com after the ruling that the court had ruled the commission’s gazette legal.

On voters being listed before the redrawing of 133 out of 300 constituencies—one of the main objections of the petitioner—the court said that the one had no relation to the other.

The ruling meant that the EC had no impediment to declaring the election schedule, Malik said, adding that the commission could announce the schedule any time it wished.

Bbarrister ABM Nurul Islam, lawyer for the petitioners, also told bdnews24.com that the HC ruling meant the commission could now declare the election schedule.

“But the decision whether we (the petitioners) will appeal against the verdict will be taken after discussions on the matter,” he said.

The High Court stayed the effectiveness of the gazette on demarcation of 300 parliamentary constituencies—which redrew the boundaries of 133 seats—for three months, on Aug 7.

Source: Bdnews24

Kidnapped BRAC staff freed

Two BRAC officials, Md Shahjahan and Aktar Ali, abducted in Afghanistan some ten days ago, have been released, the NGO said Sunday.

“The abductors set the officials free in Ghazni province on Saturday night and they reached our Kabul office on Sunday morning,” BRAC public relations director Anwarul Haque told bdnews24.com.

Shahjahan and Ali are both BRAC Afghanistan area managers.

BRAC Bangladesh office is making contact with them and they will be brought back home as early as possible, Haque said.

The officials were kidnapped on Oct 23 from Ghazni province.

Source: Bdnews24

Russia, Libya discuss nuclear cooperation deal

Russia and Libya are negotiating a deal under which Moscow would build nuclear research reactors for the North African state and supply fuel, officials said on Saturday.

Russia earns billions of dollars each year by exporting its civilian nuclear expertise, but it has faced criticism from Western governments who say the nuclear technology could fall into the wrong hands.

Officials said a document on civilian nuclear cooperation was under discussion at talks on Saturday between Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, on his first visit to Russia for 23 years, and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Under the deal, Russia would help Libya design, develop and operate civilian nuclear research reactors and provide fuel for them, said a Reuters reporter who saw a draft of the document.

A spokesman for Putin said the deal was under discussion. ‘The agreement has not yet been signed. Negotiations are under way,’ Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Russia is in a three-way race with Europe and the United States to secure lucrative contracts with Libya after it emerged from international isolation by giving up its weapons of mass destruction programme.

Putin said last month Russia was ready to consider building nuclear power plants for Venezuela, which under President Hugo Chavez has been a fierce adversary of the United States.

Russia is also building a nuclear power station for Iran, suspected by the United States and others of seeking to build an atomic bomb under cover of its nuclear power programme. Tehran denies it has any such intention.

BARBECUE

In keeping with his tradition on foreign visits, Gaddafi — who was born into a family of Bedouin herdsmen — pitched a tent in a Kremlin garden for his visit. A barbecue grill was set up in front of the tent.

At an earlier meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, he said he wanted more energy cooperation.

‘Unfortunately, in the past our relations have been mainly focused on military and diplomatic contacts and there was virtually no cooperation in civilian sectors,’ Gaddafi told Medvedev at the start of talks in the Kremlin.

Shokri Ghanem, Libya’s top energy official and head of its OPEC delegation, had come to Moscow ‘so he could discuss coordination with his Russian colleagues’, Gaddafi said.

‘I believe such cooperation is especially appropriate in the current conditions. Moreover, we are linked by a common vision of energy policy,’ Gaddafi said, in an apparent reference to the sharp fall in oil prices in the wake of the financial crisis.

Diplomats say Gaddafi’s trip to Moscow is intended to counter-balance his fast-expanding relations with the West. U.S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice went to Tripoli in September for the first visit by a US secretary of state in 55 years.

A Russian newspaper reported on Friday that the Libyan leader planned to offer the Russian navy a base in the port of Benghazi, but the proposal was not mentioned during the part of Saturday’s talks when reporters were present.

Libya has Africa’s largest oil reserves and Russian companies, including gas exporter Gazprom, and oil majors Rosneft and LUKOIL are keen to participate in energy projects there.

Source: Dawn

Kareena Kapoor Pepsi Co’s new brand ambassador

Actress Kareena Kapoor has been appointed the new brand ambassador of soft drinks giant PepsiCo’s snacks. She will be seen with boyfriend Saif Ali Khan, actress Juhi Chawla and cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni in a new ad campaign for the product.

“It is a privilege to be associated with the brand as it is a big hit among youngsters. I’m excited and looking forward to a long and fulfilling association with the brand,” said Kareena in a press statement. The new TV commercial will go on air in mid-November. “Kareena’s vibrant persona, pan-India appeal and her confident attitude makes her a great fit for our brands,” said Deepika Warrier, PepsiCo’s marketing director. Apart from its carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, Pepsico is known for snacks range that includes Cheetos, Munchies and many more.

Source: India website

US election race enters final stage: Obama, McCain ready for epic battle

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican rival John McCain enter the final weekend of their epic United States election battle Saturday, scrambling across several states in a last dash for votes.

Obama, aiming to become the first African-American to be elected president next Tuesday, was bidding to lock down western battlegrounds in Nevada and Colorado before returning to the bellwether state of Missouri.

Victory in the west would go a large way towards securing an election triumph for Obama, even if he loses one of the major toss-up states out east such as Florida, a pivotal state in recent US elections.

Midwestern Missouri meanwhile has an impressive track record of backing the White House winner in every election since 1904, with one exception in 1956. Obama was to be joined by his wife Michelle at the events in Pueblo, Colorado and Springfield, Missouri.

The would-be first couple was to head on to must-win Ohio Sunday for three events including a rally with rocker Bruce Springsteen in Cleveland. Obama’s running mate Joseph Biden was stumping in Indiana and Ohio on Saturday.

McCain, meanwhile, was preparing to hit the trail in Virginia and Pennsylvania before heading to New York to make a cameo appearance in television comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live.

Despite gloomy polls that suggest Obama is heading for victory, the McCain campaign has defiantly said they remain in the hunt.

At a rally in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, a fired-up McCain got a welcome lift from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

McCain told supporters: “I know a winning campaign when I see one. We’re a couple of points back. Arnold said it best. The Mac is back. We need a new direction and we have to fight for it.”

However Obama’s massive campaign spending advantage has forced McCain onto the defense. McCain and running mate Sarah Palin will each race through seven states on Monday, many of them normally reliably Republican.

McCain has struggled to disassociate his campaign from the Republican administration of outgoing President George W. Bush.

In an interview on Friday, Obama said the other pressing priorities if he wins would be achieving energy independence and enacting universal health care for Americans reeling from the economic crisis.

“And none of this can be accomplished if we continue to see a potential meltdown in the banking system or the financial system,” he told CNN in Iowa, where he beat Hillary Clinton in the year’s first Democratic nominating clash.

“So that’s priority number one, making sure that the plumbing works in our capitalist system,” Obama said.

He refused to detail his potential choice of Treasury secretary-but noted that his economic advisers include ex-Treasury secretary Larry Summers, former Federal Reserve chief Paul Volcker and billionaire investor Warren Buffett.

On Friday Obama said he had admired McCain in 2000, when the Republican had decried “low road” politics after going down to a vicious smear campaign in his contest against Bush for the Republican nomination that year.

“But the high road didn’t lead him to the White House then, so this time, he decided to take a different route,” the Democrat said.

“But Iowa, at this moment, in this election, we have the chance to do more than just beat back this kind of politics-we have the chance to end it once and for all,” he said in Des Moines.

“We have the chance to prove that the one thing more powerful than the politics of anything-goes-the one thing the cynics don’t count on-is the will of the American people.

“That’s how we’ll steer ourselves out of this crisis-with a new politics for a new time. That’s how we’ll build the future we know is possible-as one people, as one nation.”

Source: The New Nation

High speed to build vessels for European, Japanese companies

Highspeed promoted the largest Japan-Bangladesh joint venture in collaboration with Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co Ltd in Bangladesh in the year 1979 in the field of Shipbuilding and Heavy Engineering, and completed many large infrastructure projects including petro-chemical industries, hydropower plant and many specialized ships including barge mounted power station in collaboration with Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding Co Ltd of Japan.

To date Highspeed built more than 100 specialised ships, such as fishing trawlers, oil tankers, dry cargo vessels, passenger ferries, coastal patrol boats, and thus contributed substantially to the national economy. Besides maritime involvement, Highspeed Engineering wing has successfully completed many plant engineering projects with several multinationals of Japan and Europe. To cite some examples, Highspeed completed lot of steel structural works, pipe lines, pressure vessels, installation of heavy machineries and equipments, civil construction, storage tanks of Zia Fertilizer, Jamuna Fertilizer, KAFCO, Chittagong Eastern Oil Refinery, Kaptai Hydro Power, Parbatipur Railway workshop works among many other similar large projects.

Highspeed promoted a large joint venture in the field of deep sea fishing industry. Completed for the first time five deep sea shrimp and white fish trawlers and thus exported huge marine food and earning foreign currency for the country and also a new “technology” was transferred to Bangladesh from Japan as Highspeed built Deep Sea Fishing Trawlers for the first time in Bangladesh in 1981.

Highspeed built the first two container terminals with Interbeton BV Holland in 1986 with the World Bank finance.

Highspeed successfully completed the construction of 8 Food Grain Carriers for FAO (UNDP) under Swiss Government Food Security Programme. This is the first time that Bangladeshi shipyard participated against so many nations of the world and earned great fame for the country as well as foreign currency for the country.

Highspeed Group owns and operates a large fleet of 25 oil tankers which carry more than a million tons of POL products annually for Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation.

The latest achievement of Highspeed Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. Ltd is the formation of the joint venture company with Mitsui OSK Line, the largest shipping line of the world, which is due to start functioning from January 1, 2009.

Employment–the Group employs over a thousand people including engineers, specialists, skilled workers, a team of marketing and accounting personnel with office network, warehouse and terminals in Bangladesh including Dhaka, Chittagong, Mongla (Khulna) and Sylhet.

The chairman of Highspeed Group is also the president of three major associations of water sector (Launch Owners Association, Bangladesh Shipbuilders Association and Bangladesh Cargo Owners Associations) which employ millions of workers. The members of three associations carry 70 per cent of dry cargo, 90 per cent of POL product and 40 percent of passengers of total Bangladesh capacity.

For the above notable achievements, Chairman of Highspeed Group KM Mahmoodur Rahman received the prestigious award from the Government of Bangladesh on October 16, 2008 on World Maritime Day for his outstanding contribution in maritime sector.

The Highspeed shipyard has now undertaken an ambitious expansion plan to construct and export foreign vessels as several enquiries are received by us almost everyday from Europe and Middle East. It has also signed MoU with a European company and also with a Japanese company for construction and delivery of several types of vessels. In this yard, Highspeed is capable of constructing vessels of up to 7500 DWT.

Source: The New Nation

Bangladesh Cricket team off to SA

Bangladesh National Cricket team left the city yesterday night for South Africa to play three One Day International (ODI ) matches, two Test matches and a Twenty20 match against South Africa National Cricket team in South Africa.

Besides, Bangladesh National Cricket team will face South Africa A team in a two-dayer match.

Bangladesh team will meet South Africa team in a Twenty20 match at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on November 5.

The Tigers will face the Proteaous in the first ODI,which will be a day-night affair at the Senwas Park in Potchefstroom on November 7.

Bangladesh team will play against South Africa team in the second ODI at the Willowmoore Park in Benoni on November 9.

The Tigers wiil meet the Proteaous in the third ODI, which will be also a day-night affair at the Buffalo Park in East London on November 12.

Bangladesh team will take on South Africa A team in a two-dayer match, which is scheduled to be held in Kimberly on November 15-16.

The Tigers will face the Proteaous in the first Test match, which begins on November 19 at the Outsurance Oval in Bloemfontein.

Bangladesh team will meet South Africa in the second Test match scheduled to be held at the SuperSport Park in Centurion from November 26 to November 30.

It may be mentioned that Bangladesh Cricket Board announced on last Tuesday the 15-member ODI and Twenty20 squad which will play against South Africa in ODIs and Twenty20 match.

Bangladesh Squad : Mohammad Ashraful (captain ), Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (vice-captain ), Tamim Iqbal, Zunaed Siddique, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehrab Hossain (Junior ), Mushfiqur Rahim, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Rasel, Nazmul Hossain, Mahbubul Alam, Roqibul Hassan and Imrul Kayes.

FM News: New Bengali radio goes on air today

A new Bengali radio named ‘Do Bangla Radio’ will start its journey in London from November 2. It will air Bengali programmes on FM 101.4 megahertz every Sunday from 3:00pm to 4:00pm (GMT). Anybody can log on www.dobangla.co.uk or www.paltalk.com of dobangla radio to listen live programme.

The opening programme of the radio channel to be aired at 3:00pm from dobangla On FM Studio Hammersmith in London today. Alama Siddiqui, Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in UK will be present as chief guest at the inauguration of radio. Nicola McHugh, Station Director of On FM, Muhammad Abdus Salik, Mayor of Tower Hamlet, Reza Ahmed Faisal Chowdhury Shoeb, Chief Executive Director of Channel i UK, among others, will be present as guests on the occasion.

From Do Bangla Radio, various Bengali songs, community news and other news will be aired. Line-up of the radio team – Ahsanul Haque Bulu, Chairman, Shahidur Rahman Tareque, Director, Munzur Rahman, Sound Engineer, Kazi Kaisar Mahmud (Mishu), Producer and Shafiqul Haque Matin, Programme Coordinator.

Source: The New Nation

New uncertainty looms over polls: Jamaat seeks time as EC hears objections

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami did not attend the hearing of the objections made against it to the Election Commission on Saturday and requested the EC for extension of five more days for preparation saying that they had received the letter late. Earlier the Jamaat accused the Election Commission of creating vicious atmosphere by inviting their opponents in the hearing on the same day.

The EC heard the proof of war crimes that was submitted by the War Crimes Facts Finding Committee. Chief Election Commissioner along with the two other Commissioners conducted the two-hour hearing of the EC. Apart from the Fact Finding Committee, the Sector Commanders’ Forum, Muktijoddha Sangshad, Bangladesh Sangskritik Jote, Projanmo 71, Ghatok Dalal Nirmul Committee and Amra Muktijoddhar Santan also attended the hearing .

A letter from Jamaat-e-Islami quoted a statement of the CEC, made on October 23, that there were no major obstacles to the registration of Awami League, BNP, Jatiya Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, among others, as they had “fulfilled all registration conditions.” Jamaat’s letter further quoted the CEC as saying: “It is the legal responsibility of the commission to get them registered without delay.”

According to political observers, the situation has become complex adding to speculation that holding of election on schedule might become uncertain.

In another development making the work of the EC more difficult Begum Khaleda Zia has accused the Election Commission on Friday of being biased in favour of a party and demanded the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner and the two other commissioners.

She also blamed them for creating a confrontational atmosphere at a time when the commission was busy making preparation to hold election. The commission has decided to comply with the verdict of the High Court regarding the delimitation of constituencies. The accusation by BNP chief may give jolt to the preparatory works by the commission to hold election, according to observers.

Following the remarks made by Begum Khaleda Zia, Zillur Rahman, Acting Chief of Awami League charged that BNP was trying to wreck the general election.

The registration imbroglio planted another roadblock on way to the envisaged December 18 national elections after the delimitation dispute that forced the EC to withhold declaration of the poll scheduled today.

The organizations, comprising mainly war heroes, threatened to go to the higher court for cancellation of the registration through submitting legal facts and documents if the Election Commission allowed the party for registration.

Party registration is a prerequisite for contesting the coming polls under the reformed politico-electoral rules made by the interim regime against the backdrop of past crisis. But the EC has so far given registration certificate to only two from a long list of 107 parties.

The Election Commission summoned the two warring sides to yesterday’s hearing at the EC secretariat to decide whether Jamaat should get registered or not with the commission. But Jamaat leaders were absent, with a claim that they had received the EC invitation letter too late.

Jamaat leader Jasimuddin Sarker in the morning submitted application and demanded of the commission to give them five days time to attend the hearing with preparation.

Jasimuddin told reporters that his party received the EC invitation letter at 8:15pm Thursday and they could not decide as the party’s Amir and the secretary general were outside Dhaka.

As such, he said, the party applied to the commission for deferring the hearing by five days.

Terming Jamaat as a war-criminal organization, national professor Kabir Chowdhury from the 71′Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee said, “The Jamaat legally and humanitarianly cannot get registration as its amended constitution remains irrelevant with the constitution of Bangladesh.”

Prof Muntasir Mamun said Jamaat is a foreign branch of the Indian organization and it wants to establish ‘religiocracy (theocracy)’.

“Religiocracy and democracy cannot go hand in hand,” he said.

Air vice-martial (retd) AK Khandker from the Sector Commanders Forum said Jamaat has talked against the liberation war for 37 years.

Replying to a question he said the Election Commission told them that it would take decision about Jamaat’s registration after considering all evidences submitted against the party.

He said if the commission allowed Jamaat for registration as political party, his organization would go to the court. “We’ll never accept the registration of Jamaat,” he said.

Dr Hassan from War Crime Fact Finding Committee said Jamaat has been working in Bangladesh to implement foreign agenda. “The EC cannot give the verdict. If Jamaat is registered with the commission, we’ll go to the higher court with more proven documents,” he said in reply to a question.

Barrister Tania Amir said according to the Representation of People Order, Jamaat cannot get registration as in its party constitution it does not recognize country’s judiciary.

However, there was no comment from the election commission on this score.

Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda-already facing the problem of missing today’s date for announcing election schedule and the October 30 party-registration timeline-avoided reporters’ queries, saying that they would not talk anything about this issue.

“We haven’t taken any decision till now. We’ll not tell anything today,” he said in reply to more questions.

Meanwhile, the EC through hearing Saturday settled the dispute over the names and symbols of Bangladesh Jatiya Party’s two splinters led by Abdul Matin and Andalib Rahman Partha.

The EC allocated the name Bangladesh Jatiya Party for the faction led by Matin while Bangladesh Jatiya Party-BJP for Andalib Rahman Partha’ s.

Both factions’ delegations expressed satisfaction over the decision made by the Election Commission.

Source: The New Nation

Palin takes prank call from fake French president

Sarah Palin unwittingly took a prank call Saturday from a Canadian comedian posing as French President Nicolas Sarkozy and telling her she would make a good president someday.

“Maybe in eight years,” replies a laughing Palin.

The Republican vice presidential nominee discusses politics, the perils of hunting with Vice President Dick Cheney, and Sarkozy’s “beautiful wife,” in a recording of the six-minute call released Saturday and set to air Monday on a Quebec radio station.

Palin campaign spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt confirmed she had received the prank call.

“Governor Palin was mildly amused to learn that she had joined the ranks of heads of state, including President Sarkozy and other celebrities, in being targeted by these pranksters. C’est la vie,” she said.

The call was made by a well-known Montreal comedy duo Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudel. Known as the Masked Avengers, the two are notorious for prank calls to celebrities and heads of state.

Audette, posing as Sarkozy, speaks in an exaggerated French accent and drops ample hints that the conversation is a joke. But Palin seemingly does not pick up on them.

He tells Palin one of his favorite pastimes is hunting, also a passion of the 44-year-old Alaska governor.

“I just love killing those animals. Mmm, mmm, take away life, that is so fun,” the fake Sarkozy says.

He proposes they go hunting together by helicopter, something he says he has never done.

“Well, I think we could have a lot of fun together while we’re getting work done,” Palin counters. “We can kill two birds with one stone that way.”

The comedian jokes that they shouldn’t bring Cheney along on the hunt, referring to the 2006 incident in which the vice-president shot and injured a friend while hunting quail.

“I’ll be a careful shot,” responds Palin.

Playing off the governor’s much-mocked comment in an early television interview that she had insights into foreign policy because “you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska,” the caller tells her: “You know we have a lot in common also, because … from my house I can see Belgium.”

She replies: “Well, see, we’re right next door to different countries that we all need to be working with, yes.”

When Audette refers to Canadian singer Steph Carse as Canada’s prime minister, Palin replies: “Well, he’s doing fine and yeah, when you come into a position underestimated it gives you an opportunity to prove the pundits and the critics wrong. You work that much harder.” Canada’s prime minister is Stephen Harper.

Palin praises Sarkozy throughout the call and also mentions his wife Carla Bruni, a model-turned-songwriter.

“You know, I look forward to working with you and getting to meet you personally and your beautiful wife,” Palin says. “Oh my goodness, you’ve added a lot of energy to your country with that beautiful family of yours.”

The Sarkozy impersonator tells Palin his wife is “so hot in bed” and then informs her that Bruni has written a song for her about Joe the Plumber entitled “Du rouge a levres sur une cochonne” — which translates as “Lipstick on a Pig.”

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama derided his Republican challenger John McCain‘s call for change in Washington as “lipstick on a pig,” days after Palin made a lipstick joke at the Republican convention. The McCain-Palin campaign then released an ad implying Obama was calling Palin a pig with that remark.

The caller asks Palin if Joe the Plumber is her husband and adds: “We have the equivalent of Joe the Plumber in France. It’s called Marcel, the guy with bread under his armpit.”

He also tells the Alaska governor that he loved the “documentary” made about her and referred to a pornographic film with a Palin look-alike made by Hustler founder Larry Flynt.

She answers tentatively, “Ohh, good, thank you, yes.”

The callers then reveal the prank and identify themselves and their radio station.

“Ohhh, have we been pranked?” Palin asks before handing the phone to an aide who ends the call.

Obama’s campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs, commenting on the prank, said: “I’m glad we check out our calls before we hand the phone to Barack Obama.”