No fraud in Baghdad recount: Election Commission

A recount of votes in Baghdad yielded no evidence of fraud, Iraq’s election commission said on Friday, more than two months after March elections from which no new government has yet emerged.

Results from the 12-day process were still to be entered into the commission’s computer system, with results expected on Monday, spokesman Qassim al-Abboudi told reporters.

“We finished the recount of 11,298 ballot boxes and no violations or fraud have been found,” Abboudi said at a news conference in the capital’s heavily-fortified Green Zone.

He added that political parties could still contest the results from the recount, but offered no timetable for the complaints procedure.

Electoral authorities began a manual recount of votes in Baghdad, which accounts for 68 seats in Iraq’s 325-member Council of Representatives, on May 3, nearly two months after the March 7 general election.

The recount followed a successful appeal by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who alleged that he had lost votes because of violations at polling centres in Baghdad during the ballot.

On May 9, the commission submitted results from 17 of Iraq’s 18 provinces to the supreme court for ratification, with Baghdad the lone exception.

Preliminary nationwide results have shown that the Iraqiya bloc of secular ex-premier Iyad Allawi came first with 91 seats, followed closely by Maliki’s State of Law Alliance’s 89 seats.

The Iraqi National Alliance (INA), a coalition led by Shiite religious groups, finished third with 70 seats. Maliki won 26 seats in the capital to Allawi’s 24, while the INA won 17.

Farakka Day today

With holding different programmes by different organisations, the historic Farakka Long March Day will be observed today in the city and across the country with due respect.

On the day in 1976, the country’s legendary leader Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani led a massive Long March from Rajshahi towards India’s Farakka dam demanding demolition of the dam. The dam is located in West Bengal State of India nearby the border of Rajshahi.

The Indian government was constructing the dam violating the International River Law and denying Bangladesh to divert flow of Ganges waters inside its territory, triggering the drying up of river Padma and desertification of Bangladesh.

At that time Maulana Bhasani called the programme and formed a massive long march to the Farakka dam in India. The people of the country had responded to his call in the country’s interest. Thousands of the people participated in the long march forgetting all little political differences and expressed their demonstration against the dam by India.

The Long March was the first popular movement against India demanding a rightful distribution of the water of Ganges. Since then historic Farakka Long March Day is observed in the country on May 16 every year.

To mark the day, Bhasani Smriti Sangsad yesterday organised a discussion meeting at Bhasani Bhaban in the city where leaders of different political parties addressed.

Farakka Committee will form a human chain in front of the National Press Club in the city today at 10.00 am. A discussion will also be organised by the committee at the National Press Club at 11.00 am.

Bangladesh National Awami Party (NAP) will hold a roundtable at the National Press Club tomorrow at 10.00 am marking the day.

80 pc pass SSC exams: Record 82,961 secure GPA-5, cent percent successful schools number 2,927

Average passing rate and number of GPA 5 show extraordinary increase in this year’s Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations’ results published yesterday.

Of the total 12,09,075 students who sat for this year’s SSC and

equivalent examinations under the ten education boards, 9,60,492

came out successful with the pass percentage being 79.98, which is

9.09 percent higher than last year.

A total of 9,16,180 candidates appeared in SSC exams under eight boards- the conventional educational system, apart from the Madrasah and technical boards. Of them 713,560 passed returning a rate of about 78.19 percent.

A total of 82,961 candidates of SSC and equivalent examinations under 10 education boards secured GPA- 5 this year, while the number was 62,307 last year.

The number of GPA-5 holders in the SSC examinations rose sharply by 24.90 per cent compared to that of previous year.

The number of schools with cent percent success has also increased to

2,927 from last year’s 2,726 and the number of schools with zero success has come down to 49 from last year’s 72.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, at a press conference in the ministry, announced the results yesterday at 1:00pm in presence of the Education Secretary and Education Board Chairmen.

Earlier, the education minister handed over a copy of the results with the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The Prime Minister congratulated the students passed in the first public examination of their life. She also appreciated the Ministry of Education for making a number of initiatives to develop education system.

Referring to the overall improvement in SSC level Education, Nurul Islam Nahid said, in all the ten education boards including Madrasa and Technical board the results are comparatively better than the previous year.

The rise of 9 percent over last year’s pass rate of 71 percent was because of special efforts of the government, said the minister.

Referring to the higher number of candidates passing the exams, minister Nurul Isalm Nahid said, “We initiated some steps to prevent drop-out of the students. This is the reason behind the boost in pass rate”.

“Our target is to gain 100 percent pass rate in all the institutions”, he said.

In Dhaka Education Board 77.99 percent students passed, in Rajshahi Board 85.61,in Barisal Board 74.64, in Sylhet Board 78.42, in Comilla Board 81.03, in Jessore Board 79.18, in Chittagong Board 72.31, in Dinajpur Board 71.70, in Madrasa Board 86.70 and in Technical Board 82.72.

Rajuk Uttara Model School and College came up as the top school at the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations this year by attaining 94.29 point under the new ranking system of the board.

Viqarunnisa Noon School came up at the fourth position losing its unique position in previous years but it grasped the highest number 926 of GPA 5 out of its 1,115 examinees. This year, a total of 62,134 students secured GPA-5 under eight education boards while the figure was 45,934 last year.

The number of GPA-5 achievers stood at 21,142 in Dhaka Board, 10,568 in Rajshahi Board, 7,399 in Jessore Board, 6,634 in Dinajpur Board, 5,863 in Comilla Board, 5,800 in Chittagong Board, 2,751 in Barisal Board and 1,977 in Sylhet Board

The number of GPA-5 holders increased in all education boards except Comilla Board.

In Madrasa Board, 20,777 students secured GPA-5 this year while in Technical Education Board only 72 students got GPA-5. Last year, 16,309 madrasa students obtained GPA-5 while 64 students under the Technical Education Board attained GPA- 5.

A total 50,624 male students got GPA-5 the better results than the female 32,337 GPA- 5 this year SSC and equivalent examinations.

Of those institutions achieved 100 percent success rate, 150 institutions are from Dhaka, 141 from Rajshahi, 85 from Comilla, 33 from Jessore, 31 from Chittagong, 32 from Barisal, 43 from Sylhet, 46 from Dinajpur while 2,308 are under Madrasa board and 58 under Bangladesh Technical Education Board (BTEB).

One school from Dhaka, two from Jessore, four from Barisal, two from Dinajpur, one from Sylhet, eight under the BTEB and 31 under Madrasa Board failed to have any successful candidate this year.

The Ministry of Education published the results within 59 days after the SSC examination held in last February.

This year for the first time creative question was introduced in the subjects of Bangla First Paper and Religion.

Principal says: Viqarunnisa victim of new ranking system

Viqarunnisa Noon School lost its first position this year and came up at the fourth position in overall SSC result.

Over the last few years, Viqarunnisa continuously secured first position but this year, they stood fourth in institutional ranking in the SSC exam.

Principal of the School Rokeya Aktar Begum claimed that because of the new ranking system, they lost their position. She told reporters after the publication of the results that if the previous system were valid then Viqarunnisa would get the first position.

It may be mentioned that the Education Ministry introduced new ranking system due to four facts- number of student of the institution, attending rate in the exam, passing rate in the exam and achievement of GPA 5.

Afghan raids kill up to 40 Taliban

Up to 40 Taliban-linked militants have been killed in separate raids by Afghan and NATO troops in northern and central Afghanistan, officials said Thursday.

In the biggest single raid in weeks, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said two dozen insurgents were killed in northern Kunduz province overnight.

“An Afghan-international security force killed more than two dozen insurgents and captured several others while pursuing a senior Taliban commander in Kunduz last night,” it said in a statement. The rebels were killed in clashes which erupted after the troops came under fire from a mosque and nearby woods, the military said.

An operation to disrupt the militants’ movement in the province was continuing, it added.

Mohammad Razaq Youqoubi, Kunduz provincial police chief, told AFP that 26 Taliban were killed during the operation by Afghan and coalition forces.

He said six militants were captured and four suicide vests, which the Taliban often use in their attacks, were destroyed.

Elsewhere in the country, 14 Taliban-linked militants were killed in a similar raid in the province of Ghazni, in central Afghanistan, said Khialbaz Sherzai, a provincial police chief.

Israel pledges to keep Jerusalem undivided

Israel’s prime minister pledged to keep Jerusalem undivided despite Palestinian claims to its eastern half, as Israelis celebrated the 43rd anniversary Wednesday of the city’s reunification in the 1967 Mideast War.

The Jewish section of Jerusalem took on a festive mood Wednesday with parades and speeches by political leaders, touching only lightly on the political explosiveness of the hotly contested city.

Hundreds of youths, many carrying Israeli flags, marched in the annual Jerusalem Day parade from a main square in Jewish west Jerusalem toward the Old City. Earlier, an extremist Israeli group called the Temple Mount Faithful toted flags and banners through the Old City, demanding that Israel take full control of the hotly disputed holy site where the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound sits atop the ruins of the biblical Jewish Temples. Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven at the site.

Walking in the parade through downtown toward east Jerusalem, Merav Adler, 18, said she was marching in support of Israel’s keeping the whole city. “It is very important for us to show that we can march from west to east,” said Adler, who lives in the nearby West Bank settlement of Efrat. Palestinian neighborhoods were mostly calm Wednesday, with residents ignoring the Israeli celebrations nearby.

Palestinians claim east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Israel annexed that sector shortly after the 1967 war, although no other country has recognized the Israeli claim.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said Wednesday the city’s boundaries are “nonnegotiable,” while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “we will never go back to a divided Jerusalem that is cold and torn.” Between 1949 and 1967, Jerusalem was split by concrete and barbed wire barriers between Israel and Jordan.

The city is a key issue in U.S.-mediated Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts that resumed last week after a 17-month standstill. Palestinians demand that Israel stop all construction in West Bank settlements and east Jerusalem. Israel has agreed to slow construction, but has rejected a total halt.

In his Jerusalem Day speeches, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu carefully avoided any provocative statements about continuing construction in all of Jerusalem, declarations he has made in the past. As part of the deal to restart peace talks, Netanyahu pledged to hold off on building in one of the neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, and the U.S. has made it clear it would not accept announcements of additional projects there.

Karzai, Obama to rebuild strained relations

President Barack Obama said a visit to Washington by President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan had “reaffirmed their friendship”, as the two leaders engaged in a determined public effort to mend fences.

After months of traded insults which had once threatened the cancellation of Mr Karzai’s trip, Mr Obama said that strains had been “over-stated”.

“Obviously there are going to be tensions in such a complex and difficult environment and a situation in which both Afghans and Americans are making enormous sacrifices,” he said at a press conference in the grand East Room of the White House.

Mr Karzai reciprocated, saying: “There are days we are happy, there are days we are not happy, but it’s a mutual relationship with a common objective.”

The Obama administration has rolled out the red carpet for Mr Karzai’s four-day visit, which ends on Thursday with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, where many US soldiers who have died in Afghanistan are buried.

With casualties rising and the war becoming more unpopular in the US, senior officials had publicly rebuked the Afghan leader for failing to clamp down on corruption, after he was returned to power for a second term in last year’s fraudulent elections. Mr Karzai retorted that he was thinking of joining the Taliban if the West continued to pressure him to enact reforms.

Having decided to keep criticism private, Mr Obama noted yesterday that progress had been made on corruption, but said “much more” needed to be done in terms of good governance. Mr Karzai vowed to spend US financial resources with “extreme care.”

Both leaders appeared to have aired their own concerns in their talks, which came as the US geared up for a major military operation in the Taliban stronghold of Kandahar province.

Behind the scenes, Mr Karzai pressed for greater support for plans to reintegrate Taliban insurgents, beginning at a “peace jirga” later this month.

Washington is concerned that invitations should not be extended to Taliban leaders in power before the September 11, 2001 attacks orchestrated from then al-Qaeda safe havens.

Steve Clemons, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation think tank, said: “The US is very, very ambivalent about this. There is a lot of discomfort especially among the generals who dislike the idea of giving away too much politically to the insurgents.

Meanwhile, Afghan President Hamid Karzai rounds out his Washington visit Thursday, meeting with congressional leaders and touring the burial grounds of many US troops killed in the Afghanistan war.

During the flagship event of the four-day visit intended to mend fences after months spent trading barbs, US President Barack Obama insisted Wednesday that flared tensions between the Afghan and US governments were “overstated” as Karzai staged an effusive show of support for American war goals.

The leaders met amid pomp at the White House after awkward public exchanges that strained their alliance and complicated Obama’s gamble on a 30,000-strong troop surge designed to forge a US exit from the Afghan battlefield.

President calls budget session on June 2

President Zillur Rahman called the fifth session (Budget of 2010) of the 9th parliament on June 2 at Jaitya Sangsad Bhaban, said a release of parliament secretariat on Thursday.

The President called the session as per the Article 72 (1) of the Bangladesh Constitution.

Khaleda’s income tax BNP to take legal steps against NBR

The Opposition BNP has threatened to take legal steps against the National Board of Revenue (NBR) for leaking out confidential information relating to party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s income tax matters in violation of income tax laws, and against the

government for ‘snatching away’ the said information.

The threats came at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office on Thursday afternoon that was jointly addressed by BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain and BNP chairperson’s adviser Advocate Ahmed Azam Khan.

Reacting to the Prime Minister’s Wednesday remarks that Khaleda had whitened her black money earned through corruption, Khandaker Delwar once again said the government is misleading the nation by resorting to limitless falsehood to hide its own failures.

Replying to a question he said his party would tackle the situation legally.

He said they will take legal steps against the NBR for leaking information violating Article 163 of the Income Tax Law, while legal steps would be taken against the government for ‘snatching the information using influence’.

Responding to the Awami League joint secretary Mahbub Alam Hanif’s allegation against him, Delwar objected to his comment and said he (Delwar) is not at all communal.

‘I am completely non-communal’, the veteran BNP leader said.

Ahmed Azam Khan, also Khaleda Zia’s lawyer, once again said former Prime Minister Khaleda did not whiten a single unit of black money. If she did, the NBR could file a case against her.

Ahmed Azam said if the NBR fails to provide an explanation for disclosing Khaleda’s income tax related information, they would take legal steps against the NBR.

Khaleda whitens her white money: Delwar

The main opposition BNP yesterday said that its chairperson Khaleda Zia whitened her money but it was absolutely ‘white money’, not black.

Describing the ‘white money’, the party said Khaleda Zia earned money from her immovable property of Tk 10 lakh and her Gulshan house which she got from the then President Abdus Sattar as pension and gratuity of her husband late President Ziaur Rahman after his assassination.

But she could not pay income tax because of legal complexity and she whitened this ‘white money’ in 2007.

BNP claimed this at a press briefing at the party’s central office in protest of the allegation brought against BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia by ruling Awami League that she whitened Tk 1.31 crore black money.

AL acting general secretary Mahbub-ul-Hanif on Sunday claimed that they have Proofs of whitening Khaleda’s black money.

Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on May 7 brought the allegation against Khaleda but the party repeatedly denied it.

Khondker Delwar Hossain, the party’s secretary general, at the press briefing said that not a single black money of Khaleda Zia was whitened as she had no any illegal income source.

He refuted the allegation and described it as an ‘ill motive’ by the ruling party to tarnish the image of the leader of the opposition.

By contrast, Delwar reminded that allegations of having earned income from illegal sources remained against the incumbent Prime Minister and cases were filed against her (Hasina) in this regard.

He said the prime minister and her ministers failing govern the country disclosed false information.

The government has lost filthy under its leg and it might fall into hole, he added.

Ahmed Azam Khan, Khaleda’s counsellor and member of her advisory council, claimed Khaleda only took the opportunity to legalise her money in 2007 which tax was not paid under the project titled ‘White money whitening’.

So that was not black money, he said adding ‘complexity of income tax law and her lack of knowledge about tax was behind the delay to legalise her income.

Ahmed Azam claimed that AL leader Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif not understanding well created a puzzle between undeclared and black money.