Work begun on first Windows Nokia phones: Elop

Work has begun on the first Nokia Oyj smartphones based on Microsoft Corp software following the partnership announced by the companies last month, Nokia Chief Executive Stephen Elop told Reuters.

Elop was recruited last year to rescue Nokia from increasing irrelevance at the high end of the market and is under huge pressure to produce results from the partnership.

Elop, who left a Microsoft executive post to join Nokia last September, also said he could see no good reason for the speculation that Microsoft might try to buy Nokia.

"I'm not aware of a strategic interest that Microsoft would have in the rest of the business," Elop said.

"To the extent that a partnership has been formed around what they're really interested in, then what would an acquisition bring other than a good year of anti-trust investigation, huge turmoil, delays?"

Nokia shares extended gains to trade as much as 2.9 percent higher. By 1459 GMT, they were up 2.2 percent at 5.86 euros, against a European technology index up 0.7 percent, having been up 1.2 percent before the Reuters interview was published.

Nokia shares have fallen almost 30 percent since the agreement with Microsoft was announced and remain not far from their more than 10-year low of 5.415 euros set earlier this week.

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Almost half of Nokia's handset revenue comes from more basic mobile phones, which are popular in emerging markets. The company has struggled to establish its brand in the United States, especially since Apple Inc launched its iPhone.

Nokia also considered partnering with Google Inc, but decided it would be too difficult to differentiate its smartphones from a multitude of other Android devices made by the likes of Samsung and HTC.

Nokia's chairman has said Windows-based Nokia phones will be on sale from 2012, though Elop has said he feels under pressure and would prefer to deliver one by the end of this year.

"We're right now, today, having people work on the first Windows Phone devices from Nokia. That work is already under way. If this was an acquisition scenario, that wouldn't be possible," Elop said.

The agreement between Nokia and Microsoft still has to be finalized, something that Elop has said he expects to happen in the next couple of months.

Elop said he had no current plans to change Nokia's top management, after only one senior executive was dropped in his line-up announced last month. He dismissed as nonsense a German magazine report that a wider cull was likely.

"Now what happens is accountability. If someone's not succeeding, they need to be helped or they need to be moved along. In my context, that will absolutely be the case," he said.

"So there's a team in place. It's now a new team of my new leadership, newly minted in terms of their new roles. Now they have to perform."

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Bangladesh population census ends

Muktasree Chakma Sathi

The fifth national population and household census ended on Saturday without reaching all the households.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics secretary, Riti Ibrahim, in the afternoon

said, 'We have come to know that a number of households have been left out. We are considering the matter seriously and will send enumerators as soon as we receive complaints.'

She said although the official census would end by midnight, enumerators would continue working for three to four more days to cover all the households.

As for allegations regarding non-payment of training allowance to the enumerators by some senior officials,

Riti said that there might be some such cases.

She said that the BBS office cane to know that some enumerators had attended the training but did not do any enumeration. Some areas officials might have decided that the training allowance would be paid to them after the census.

She blamed the media for not doing enough to create awareness of the census among the people.

'Even after providing payment, we failed to make media houses understand that the census advertisement needed to be published prominently,' she said.

The first population census in the sub-continent was conducted in 1872. Since then, census has been conducted almost regularly every 10 years. This year's census is the fifth since the country's independence.

After the independence, population and household census was conducted in 1974, 1981, 1991 and 2001. According to the fourth census, the number of households was about 2.54 crore and the population was 12.43 crore.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics engaged 3.10 lakh enumerators to collect data about the citizens and the households. The five-day population census 2011 began with the counting of floating people a minute after midnight past March 14.

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Bangladesh youth jailed for uploading obscene photos on Facebook

A young man was jailed for uploading obscene photos of a girl on a social networking site on Saturday.

Accused Shakil Ahmed, 23, created a Facebook account in the name of the girl and uploaded her objectionable photos.

Executive magistrate A H M Anwar Pasha told bdnews24.com that a Rapid Action Battalion team arrested Shakil from the city's Uttara area at around 3:00pm on Saturday following a complaint lodged by the girl.

He was sentenced to jail for one-and-a-half years after he had admitted the crime, the magistrate said.

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BCL renames SUST hall

Activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, associate student body of the ruling Awami League, renamed a student hall of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology as 'Bangabandhu' Friday afternoon.

Campus sources said BCL activists in the afternoon put up a signboard reading 'Bangabandhu Hall' on the nameplate of Second Student Hall on the campus.

Contacted, SUST BCL leaders, seeking anonymity, said the name the hall was renamed to show respect to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the month of independence.

Rafiqul Islam, former president of SUST teachers' association and loyal to the BNP-Jamaat-backed teachers' front, said the authority to rename a hall lied only with the authorities concerned. 'Such renaming is completely illegal,' he added.

The Second Student Hall provost, Anwarul Islam Dipu, told New Age that renaming the hall without any official decision in this connection was not proper.

Contacted over mobile phone, SUST vice-chancellor Saleh Uddin told New Age Saturday afternoon that he was not aware of the matter as he was out of the campus.

'I am not aware who hung the signboard at the hall. I will discuss the matter with the authorities concerned after returning to the campus. A decision about the matter will be made then,' SUST vice-chancellor said.

The AL-backed government in 1997 had taken a move to name several structures on the campus, but it had to stop the move in the face of movement by the main opposition BNP and its allies.

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Robert O Blake meets Khaleda as US expects amicable solution to Yunus issue

The United States said on Saturday that it hoped that the controversy over removal of Muhammad Yunus from Grameen Bank, he had founded, would be resolved mutually in an amicable way to ensure the integrity and effectiveness of the microcredit institution.

'The United States have concerns about the way the matter (removal of Yunus) has been handled,' the visiting US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia Robert O Blake told reporters after an hour-long meeting with the leader of the opposition, Khaleda Zia, at her Gulshan office in the city.

He said that Grameen Bank and Muhammad Yunus were held in great respect in the United States.

'Certainly, you have already seen the statements our government has made in this regard. In addition to this, a number of senators and congressmen from Capitol Hill sent letters to Bangladesh expressing their concerns about the issue,' he said.

'So, we hope,' he said, 'this can be resolved mutually in an amicable way and a compromise will be found that will ensure the integrity and effectiveness of the Grameen Bank, because it has been an important institution for Bangladesh, particularly for ensuring empowerment of women.'

'Begum Zia also made the point to me about the issue,' he said

Blake said that he discussed with the leader of the opposition issues of bilateral interests including anti-terrorism and economic affairs.

He said he would have an 'important conference' with diplomats based in Dhaka on the issue of anti-terrorism.

BNP chairperson's Advisers Reaz Rahman, Osman Farruk and Sabiuddin Ahmed and the US ambassador in Dhaka James F Moriarty were present during the discussions.

Blake who arrived in Dhaka Saturday afternoon on a four-day visit leaves on March 23.

According to a US State Department announcement, Blake's three-nation tour would also take him to China and Kazakhstan until 26.

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Khandaker Delwar Hossain laid to rest

BNP secretary general and valiant freedom fighter Khandaker Delwar Hossain was buried at his family graveyard by the side of a mosque at Khirai Pachuria in Gheor upazila of Manikganj on Saturday with state honour and due respect.

He was buried at 3.45 PM, reports New Age correspondent in Manikganj.

A veteran politician and lawyer, he died of pneumonia and other old-age complications at Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital on Wednesday. He was 78.

His body was flown to Dhaka the same day.

Namaz-e-janaza was held twice in the village before he was buried.

Thousands of people, cutting across the opinion lines, gathered to attend the janaza prayers as well his burial.

They paid their last respects to the valiant freedom fighter.

Leaders of all political parties recalled the contributions to the nation, Delwar made during his long and chequered political career as a progressive politician with sagacity and principle.

They also recalled the role he played in all democratic movements of this country.

Delwar's body was taken to his ancestral home following a series of janaza prayers in the capital city all largely attended on Friday.

At Manikganj the first namaz-e-janaza was held at the Government Devandra College ground. People from all walks of life and cutting across opinion lines gathered there as his body reached there at midday.

His body was then taken to Gheor where the last namaz-e-janaza was held.

BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Abdul Moyeen Khan and Mirza Abbas, the mayor of Dhaka Sadeque Hossain Khoka and senior joint secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, local Awami League lawmaker Jahid Maleque Swapan, former AL minister Moslem Uddin Khan Habu Mia, former BNP Minister Haruner Rashid Khan Monno and former AL

lawmaker Samsuddin Ahmed were present at the time of burial.

Delwar was elected

to parliament five times and he served as chief whip thrice.

On Friday, politicians, lawmakers, judges, lawyers, academics, students and people from all walks of life paid him rich tributes.

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Poet Abu Zafar Obaidullah’s death anniversary observed

The 10^th anniversary of the death of poet Abu Zafar Obaidullah was observed in his village Baherchar in Barisal on Saturday.

A discussion meeting on the life, works and achievement of the poet was held on the premises of Poet Abu Zafar Obaidullah Smriti Pathagar in his village under Babuganj upazila.

A special prayer session was held in the local mosque after the asr prayers.

Former UP chairman Bazlur Rahman Master presided over the programme organised by Poet Abu Zafar Obaidullah Smriti Pathagar.

Secretary of the library Rafikul Islam, Professor Golam Hossain of Babuganj College, headmaster of Khanpura School Enayet Karim Faruk, Nazrul Islam Mamun, Anisur Rahman Akon, Alamgir Hossain Gharami and others also spoke in the discussion.

The speakers said Abu Zafar Obaidullah was a prominent figure of the language movement and played a seminal role in Bangladesh's literature and culture.

Despite his chequered career in national and international level, he always preferred to be known as a poet of the soil, nature and humanity, not as a mandarin, they observed.

They further said poet Abu Zafar Obaidullah was not only one of the major poets of the Bangla language and Bangladesh, but also the spokesman of the third world countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

He portrayed the dreams, demands, struggle for liberation of the oppressed people in his works.

The speakers also called for deeper study and research into the life and works of the poet.

Abu Zafar Obaidullah was awarded Ekushey Padak and Bangla Academy Padak for his contribution to the Bangla literature and significant role in literary and cultural activities of the country.

Born in Barisal on February 8, 1934, Obaidullah died on March 19, 2001.

He was the second son of Justice Abdul Jabbar Khan, a former speaker of the Pakistan national assembly.

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Bangladesh ethnic minorities call for recognition as ‘indigenous’

Rights organisations, socio-political parties, people of ethnic minority groups in human chains they formed across the country on Saturday demanded constitutional recognition of such ethnic groups as 'indigenous people (adivasis).'

Speakers at the human chain at Shahbagh in the capital said the word 'adivasi' does not mean people who come first in a land and it rather means communities having distinct identity from the mainstream in culture, history, heritage, land ownership and customary, rather than statutory, laws for solution to social and legal problems within the communities.

Suranjit Sengupta, co-chair of the special parliamentary committee on constitution amendment,

earlier said that ethnic minority groups could be recognised s 'small anthropological groups' in the constitution.

The Bangladesh Adivasi Forum general secretary, Sanjeeb Drong, said that 'small anthropological groups' is an imported idea and it does not mean anything as every individual belongs to an anthropological group.

He demanded that ethnic minority groups should be termed either by the phrase 'indigenous people' or by their specific ethnicity such as the Chakmas, the Marmas, the Garos and so on.

After a meeting of the special parliamentary committee, Suranjit on March 15 said that the definition of 'indigenous people' as used by the United Nations did not apply to the situation in Bangladesh.

The speakers at the human chain said that the existing laws such as the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950, the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation 1900, the Finance Act 1995, the Small Anthropological Groups Act 2010, the ruling Awami League's election manifesto for the 2008 general elections and the Awami League's constitution use the term 'adivasi.'

Cultural activist Mamunur Rashid, Nirmal Chatterji of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, Saleh Ahmed of Sammilita Samajik Andolan, Sharif Jamil of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolan, journalist Selim Samad and Dipayan Khisha of the Kapaeeng Foundation also spoke.

Reports from Barisal, Moulvibazar, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Sirajganj, Jaipurhat, Barguna and the Chittagong Hill Tracts reported that such ethnic minority groups and other socio-political organisations in the places also formed human chains to push for the demand.

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PM Sheikh Hasina opens operation of 2 rental power plants today

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, is set to inaugurate the operation of two newly-built rental power plants and also lay foundation for another one at three separate locations in Narayanganj today.

The two plants which go into operations and are set to be inaugurated by the prime minister are 100MW Shiddhirganj diesel-based rental power plant and the 100MW Madanganj furnace oil-based quick rental power plant.

She will lay foundation stone of the 410MW Haripur combined cycle power plant base-load power plant.

The government has set up the two rental power plants in private sector under a fast-track programme to resolve the nagging power crisis.

Desh Energy, a company owned by former FBCCI president Annisul Haque, has installed the Shiddhirganj 100MW plant under an agreement with the government.

As per agreement, the state-owned Power Development Board will purchase electricity from the Siddhirganj diesel-based plant at a rate of Tk 13.32 per unit (each kilowatt hour).

However, the plant was supposed to start commercial operation in November last year. But it failed to do so as per schedule. As a result, the PDB imposed a penalty of about Tk 32 crore on the company, said a Power Ministry official.

The 100MW furnace oil-based quick rental power plant has been set up by the Summit Group which comes into operation as per schedule. The Power Development Board will purchase electricity from the plant at a rate of Tk 9.75 per unit.

The third plant, the 412MW Haripur combined cycle power plant, for

which the prime minister will lay foundation, will be implemented in the public sector.

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Bangladesh oil-gas body plans all-out protest

The national committee to protect oil, gas, mineral resources, power and ports is planning a greater movement against the government's plan for open-pit mining at Phulbari and Barapukuria in Dinajpur.

The parliamentary standing committee on power and energy is advocating the open-pit method for Barapukuria and Phulbari coal mines and the government has announced a package for the people living around the Barapukuria coal mine for land acquisition.

The Dinajpur district unit of the national committee has announced a road and railway blockade on March 28 in six upazilas.

The blockade will take place at Phulbari, Birampur, Nababganj, Parbatipur, Hakimpur and Ghoraghat between 6:00am and 12 noon. Leaders of the central committee will join the programme, committee sources said.

The national committee will also go on countrywide demonstrations on the day and will hold a rally in Dhaka.

The people are opposing the land acquisition and open-pit method and holding programmes to resist the package.

The national committee had already held rallies in divisional headquarters expect Rangpur and will hold a rally in Dhaka on April 6.

The committee will hold a rally in Dhaka in September with the slogan 'Chalo Chalo, Dhaka Chalo' where the committee leaders and activists from across the country will gather to push for its seven-point demands, including stopping gas and coal  extraction by international oil companies and cancellation of gas and coal export.

Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the national committee, told New Age that the government was planning coal extraction at Phulbari and Barapukuria in the open-pit method which would cause huge loss of land and harm the environment. 'We will never allow the open-pit method for coal extraction.'

'We will wage a greater movement if the government does not refrain from leasing out natural resources under unequal production and sharing contracts,' he said.

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$21b plan for water supply, sanitation in Bangladesh

A new sector development plan for water supply and sanitation has proposed for an investment of $21 billion in next 15 years to ensure everybody's access to safe drinking water and quality latrines in the country.

The 2011-2025 plan, developed by the Policy Support Unit of the Local Government Division, would soon be placed before the government for approval after the national level consultation of all stakeholders in the city on Monday, official sources said Saturday.

The LGRD and cooperatives minister, Syed Ashraful Islam, and the chairman of parliamentary standing committee on local government ministry are expected to join the meeting at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel, on the eve of the observation of World Water Day in the country.

'We have developed the plan over two years of consultations from grassroots to regional levels to top levels,' said an official of the government on anonymity, adding the new plan encompasses provision for available services in hard-to-reach areas including Chittagong Hill Tracts, hygiene promotion and emerging challenges from climate change.

According to the plan, nearly $5.4 billion would be required in short term up to 2015, the year that coincides with the deadline for millennium development goals set by the United Nations.

More than half of the money would be channelled from the government's own fund, while one-fourth of investment is expected from utility providers and the rest from private household and NGOs in short term.

Asked about any contradiction with government's present target of 100 per cent access to drinking water by 2011 and sanitation by 2013, the official said, the plan would not only ensure present target but also focuses on quality development, sustainability and standardisation of water supply and sanitation sector in long term.

He said the pace of development of water supply and sanitation sector would be higher than the past under the new plan as it focuses on 'easy and available access' to quality services instead of 'basic access' only.

Studies reveal that safe drinking water was largely ensured in Bangladesh, especially in rural areas, in 1970s after hand pump tube-wells were installed to protect people from regular outbreaks of diarrhoea in the deltaic region. The success, however, has been mired by arsenic contamination ground water shallow aquifers.

The sanitation coverage, up to 2003, was only 33 per cent with only one per cent growth annually. The scenario has changed dramatically in last eight years as government claims that nearly 85 per cent people now have somewhat access to low cost toilets.

The new plan also focuses on massive augmentation of surface water in both rural and urban areas. It says that capital Dhaka, which now depends on groundwater, could almost reduce its dependence on groundwater through harvesting of rainwater in a planned way.

'The water and sanitation sector is in disarray now,' said an NGO activist as he suggested developing a regulatory body—water regulatory commission—and necessary reforms in water acts in a decade for sustained development of the sector.

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BGMEA polls today with one panel boycotting

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association is set to hold today its biannual polls to choose members of its executive committee amid boycott by one of the two contesting panels.

'All preparations have been completed and the polls will be held on Sunday,' BGMEA election commission member Nagibul Islam Dipu, told New Age on Saturday evening.

Asked how the polls would be held with one of the two contesting panels boycotting it, Dipu said they had heard about the boycott but had not received anything in writing about their decision.

Dipu, however said that the commission had received a letter from one panel requesting that the polls be deferred.

The boycotting panel, led by former BGMEA president Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez, on Saturday said they would not take part in the polls in protest at alleged bias of the election commission.

'The election commission and the incumbent BGMEA executive board are holding the polls at their whim which indicates that it is beint done at the behest of a vested quarter,' said a statement signed by Parvez on Saturday.

'Results of the polls have been predetermined so the Forum has decided not to take part in a farcical election,' the statement added.

The BGMEA president, Abdus Salam Murshedy, told New Age on Saturday night that the voters' list had been corrected by the commission and it had been hung at the BGMEA Bhaban. 'If any disqualified voter can show valid documents, they can cast their votes,' he added.

Murshedy, who is a senior leader of Sammilita Parishad, said,' It would be unfortunate if the Forum boycotts the polls. I hope they will take part in the polls finally.'

The BGMEA polls, earlier scheduled for February 24, were proponed following allegation that a large number of fake voters had been registered. The election commission stepped in for its correction after the two panels signed a memorandum of understanding.

Later 748 out of 3,259 voters were found to have incorrect documents.

The Forum alleged that the election commission was going to conduct the polls before correcting the voters' list.

The 27-strong BGMEA executive board has 20 directors from the factory owners in the Dhaka region and 7 from Chittagong region.

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Unipay2U investors protest at account freeze in Chittagong

Police barred a large number of small and medium investors in Unipay2U, a multi-level marketing company, from holding a rally at Woodland Park community centre at Sholashahar in Chittagong on Saturday.

Chittagong divisional unit of the committee for protection of the interests of the investors in Unipay 2U Bangladesh Limited had announced the rally in protest against the freeze of the accounts of Unipay by the central bank.

Later, the investors in the company held a meeting on the playground of Forest Research high school in the area.

The investors urged the government to withdraw the decision taking into account the fate of about seven lakh small and medium investors in the company from all over the country.

Terming the Bangladesh Bank's action 'conspiratorial', the speakers said the government could rather audit their accounts if necessary. 'We will be reduced to paupers by the government's action,' they said.

About five thousand investors from different areas of Chittagong attended the protest meeting.

The rally, presided over by Abdur Rahman, was also addressed by Monwar Ali, Mohammed Salauddin, Kamal Uddin  and Shahin Ahmed Selim.

Nabajyoti Khisha, the officer-in-charge of Panchlaish police station, told New Age that the organisers of the meeting did not take any permission from the police for holding the meeting.

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Robbers loot poultry farm in Dhaka

Robbers looted a poultry farm and injured four people at Kelia Uttarpara of Dhamrai on the outskirts of the capital on Friday night.

The victims were Zahirul Islam, 27, manager of the farm, and its three labourers Minhajul Islam, 22, Mahbub Alam, 18, and Jakir Hossain, 18.

The workers of the farm said a gang of 10-12 robbers attacked the farm, Agro Multi Process Limited, of Abdul Kaiyum of the village at around 1:15am breaking open the main gate of the farm.

Zahirul Islam said the robbers had looted valuables worth Tk 2 lakh, taking the farm manager and the workers hostage at gunpoint.

A case was filed.

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20 injured in pre-polls clash at Karimganj

At least 20 people were injured in a clash between supporters of two union parishad chairman candidates at Bhatia village in Karimganj upazila Saturday morning.

Witnesses said supporters of Mohammad Kamruzzaman and Mohammad Tajul Islam were locked into an altercation over a trifling

matter during election campaigning in the morning.

At one stage both groups equipped with sticks attacked each other, leaving 20 injured on both sides, three seriously.

On information the police rushed in and quelled the situation.

The injured were admitted to sadar hospital and Karimganj upazila health complex.

Read the original story on the daily New Age