No penalty for charges not impeding justice delivery

Mustafizur Rahman and Shahiduzzaman

The government considers enactment of a law on the contempt of court making provisions for no punishment for contempt that does not impede the normal process of justice dispensation.

The law ministry and the cabinet division finalised the draft of the Contempt of Court Bill 2011 and the law minister, Shafique Ahmed, approved the bill in the past week. The bill will now be placed in the cabinet for approval, ministry officials said.

The bill is likely to be placed in the cabinet meeting soon, said sources in the cabinet division.

Once enacted, the bill will repeal the Contempt of Court Act 1926, which has become obsolete.

The bill, however, proposes similar provisions, stipulated in the Contempt of Court Ordinance 2008, promulgated by the immediate-past military-controlled interim regime on May 25, 2008, which was declared illegal by the High Court on July 24, 2008.

The bill defines contempt of court as any wilful act, statement or expression by words or visible signs that may be considered a violation of any verdict, decree, order, writ or warrant issued by a court, or that may undermine any court, or may obstruct the process of justice.

Slander or libel of a court and personal criticism of a judge while performing judicial functions will also constitute the contempt of court, the bill says.

The bill detailed 13 activities that would not constitute contempt.

According to the bill, publication of any accurate information, comment or news on normal proceedings and functioning of the court or on any running proceedings of a court will not amount to contempt.

It says that any statement made by any person, aggrieved by personal attitude of a judge or any member of the family of a judge, in an application to the government or any court seeking disciplinary proceedings against the judge in good faith and in restrained language will also not constitute contempt.

The expression 'aggrieved by personal attitude of a judge or any member of the family of a judge', however, was not in the ordinance.

Publication of any information, comment or news regarding the personal conduct of judges in a matter not connected to the performance of their judicial functions will also not constitute contempt, the bill says.

Any constructive criticism of a judgement, be it a final verdict or in case an appeal against the judgement is pending, will also not constitute contempt.

The bill also says that any comment or publication of any news item on any matter having public importance in public interest, if it is true, will also not constitute contempt.

It also says that any comment or publication of any news items on corruption, irregularity, incompetence and ignorance of judges, in connection with their judicial functions, will not constitute contempt.

Publishing or airing any comment, analysis, statement or quotation made in the parliament regarding a judge or the judiciary or any open discussion on such matters will also not constitute contempt, the bill says. This provision was not in the ordinance.

It says that no person can be charged with contempt for refusing to meet any demand made by judge which the judge is not lawfully entitled to.

The bill also says that if it is not possible for a public servant to implement or go by any judgement, order or direction because of any existing laws and rules or any other practical reasons, no contempt proceeding will be drawn against the public servant.

The public servant, however, needs to show written communications with the controlling authority to prove the efforts for the implementation of the court edicts, the bill says. This proviso was not in the ordinance.

The bill also says that any violation of any order, directive or observation passed by a judge or a court, either in any matter not related to running proceedings of the court or in the administrative or other capacity, will also not constitute contempt.

It, however, says the publication of information on any proceedings of a court, which sits in camera on a matter related to public order or security of the state, and on any confidential act, invention or discovery, which is under trial, will constitute contempt of court.

A person could be handed a maximum six months of simple imprisonment or be fined Tk 2,000 or both for contempt of court, the bill says.

If the bill is enacted, no contemners will be punished if they can prove that they have not caused any practical interference in the normal process of dispensation of justice.

It will also make room for contemners to tender unqualified or unconditional apologies in court at any stage of the trial.

According to the bill, a proceeding for the contempt of court needs to be drawn within three months of the commission of the offence and the trial must be completed in six months from the date of the drawing of the proceedings. No court will punish contemners after the expiry of the stipulated timeframe for the trial.

Any proceedings on contempt will be initiated by issuance of a rule asking for explanation.

If the court, after a preliminary hearing following the appearance of the alleged contemner in person or through a lawyer, thinks the more hearing is needed for the ends of justice, a date will be set for the framing of charges, the bill says.

No public servants will be ordered for their personal appearance in court for contempt proceedings relating to their official functions. They will rather be allowed to explain their positions through lawyers, the bill says

The court, however, will have the power to order the contemners to appear in court if it thinks that the contemners should be given personal hearing for the ends of justice.

The bill also says the president may, if he thinks lawful in the exercise of his power under Article 49 of the constitution, grant pardons, reprieves and respites and remit, suspend or commute any sentence passed by any court on charges of contempt against any public servants in relation with their duties or against any person for constructive criticism, analysis or opinion through print or electronic media.

In the face of a longstanding demand from a cross-section of society, the BNP-led alliance government placed the Contempt of Court Bill in the parliament on May 2, 2006 proposing similar provisions, which were later stipulated in the 2008 ordinance.

The bill, however, was not passed as the then government had backtracked on some provisions, which were criticised by a section of the press as favouring government officials.

The High Court bench of Justice ABM Khairul Haque, now the chief justice, and Justice M Abu Tariq on July 24, 2008 declared the 2008 ordinance illegal and void.

The government had not appealed against the verdict.

In the verdict, the High Court had observed that the ordinance had run counter to the fundamental spirit of the constitution, curbed the freedom of the judiciary and belittled the Supreme Court.

As for provisions in the ordinance which gave the president the power to waive punishment for contempt of courts and exempt public servants from personal appearance during proceedings in such cases and from liability of trial after their retirement, the court observed that the provisions had given special benefits to public servants and thus had violated the right to get equal protection of law as guaranteed by the constitution.

Terming the ordinance an attempt to hamper the inherent power of the judiciary, the court said it had jeopardised the rule of law.

Asked whether the enactment of a law stipulating the similar provisions would violate the High Court verdict, the law minister in the past week told New Age that some new stipulations with some modifications of the earlier provisions were proposed in the bill so that the new law could not contradict the verdict.

Source: New Age

Khaleda unlikely to join JS panel meet

Taib Ahmed

The leader of the opposition, Khaleda Zia, also Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson, is unlikely to join the dialogue with the parliamentary special committee on constitution amendment, scheduled for April 25. 

Instead, she was weighing the idea of sending a letter to the parliamentary panel in response to its invitation.

The parliamentary special committee on constitution amendment on April 20 wrote to the BNP chairperson inviting her to the discussions on constitution review.

Khaleda held a meeting with her party's senior leaders on Thursday night at her Gulshan office to discuss whether to join the dialogue with the parliamentary panel on changes to the constitution of the republic.   

The meeting also decided tentatively to send its reply after taking opinions from the BNP's executive members at its national executive committee meeting today. 

A standing committee member who attended Thursday night's meeting said a reply to the special committee's invitation might be sent on Sunday.  

Khaleda is likely to sit again with a group of senior leaders to finalise the reply.  

Most of the BNP leaders attending the meeting said the party could in no way join the process of constitution amendment as they considered  'unacceptable' the very committee which was formed following court verdicts which, they thought, had curbed the sovereignty of parliament.

They questioned in the meeting how the BNP could join the process of constitutional changes in which Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would be made the proclaimer of independence.

Some leaders, however, advised the party chief to weigh the idea of joining the meeting to give a 'note of dissent' which, they thought, would give it a political mileage. 

A senior party leader said Khaleda Zia might join the dialogue only if the invitation was made by the leader of the house, Sheikh Hasina.

Opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque on Friday trashed the parliamentary special committee's invitation to Khaleda Zia to a discussion on constitution amendment, terming it a 'farce'. 

'The letter is nothing but a farce as the special committee has cut many things from the constitution over the last nine months. Then what is the point of joining the discussion,' Farroque said while speaking at a human chain programme in front of the National Press Club in the city.

Farroque had attended Thursday's meeting at Gulshan which ended inconclusively.

The youth front of the Jatiya Gantrantik Party organised the programme in protest at the 'violence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and unconstitutional peace accord'.

The opposition chief whip also criticised the special committee's 'belated' invitation to the opposition leader. 

He called on the government to go for a referendum on the constitution amendment and warned it against any move in this regard ignoring the people's opinion.

'The people will not accept if changes are made to the constitution unilaterally,' he said, 'Forcible return to the 1972 constitution by taking advantage of the government's absolute majority [in parliament] will not be acceptable'.  

Source: New Age

MV Bipasa salvaged, death toll 32

The death toll from Thursday's launch accident in the River Meghna in Brahmanbaria rose to 32 with the recovery of five more bodies as rescue operation was called off after MV Bipasa was salvaged on Friday morning.

Rescuers on Friday recovered two bodies from inside the launch while three bodies were found floating in the river near the spot of the accident.

Locals, divers from Fire Service and Civil Defence and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority retrieved 27 bodies on Thursday.

 The rescue operation was called off Friday afternoon after BIWTA's rescue vessel MV Rustom salvaged the ill-fated MV Bipasa at around 11:00am as the authorities thought there was little chance of recovering any more bodies from the spot.

The double-decker MV Bipasa bound for Sunamganj from Bhairab with more than 200 passengers sank in Meghna at around 2:00am Thursday after it ran into a submerged trawler that had sunk in the river two weeks ago.

Brahmanbaria deputy commissioner Abdul Mannan told New Age on Friday afternoon that the rescue vessel, Rustom, pulled the launch from a depth of 60 feet under water and called off their operation at around 1:00pm.

He said no more people approached the authorities with claims for missing relatives.

He said that the authorities had handed over 28 bodies to relatives for burial.

Brahmanbaria additional superintendent of police Faisal Mahmud said, 'We don't think there is anyone else missing.'

Shipping minister Shahjahan Khan on Friday visited the spot and announced compensation for the victims' families as per government rules.

Families which have lost one member in the tragedy would get Tk 30,000 each while those who have lost more than one member would get Tk 45,000 each.

Besides, the district administration had given Tk 2,000 to each of the families for burial of the dead. Most of the victims were from Kishoreganj and Bhairab.

Sarail police officer-in-charge Zahirul Islam Khan told New Age that the launch was overloaded and many of the passengers had managed to swim ashore.

Sarail upazila nirbahi officer MD Helal Uddin said that identities of four deceased could not be known. 'If we fail to identify the four victims, the bodies would be buried by the administration in the area,' he said.

BIWTA chairman Abdul Malek Miah said that the accident had occurred due to negligence of its master.

Hasan Mahmud Tareq, who heads the three-member probe committee formed by BIWTA, said that they were going to start investigation to find out the reason for the accident. The committee has been asked to submit its report in seven days.

Source: New Age

Hybrid rice neck blast blamed on weather, poor seed purification

Tapos Kanti Das

A fungal disease known as neck blast, which is seriously affecting the hybrid Jhalak and Sarathi varieties of paddy plants in the south, is the result of improper seed purification, use of old seeds and unfavourable weather, agricultural extension officials suspect.

Several hundred hectares of land in Barisal, Noakhali, Feni, Comilla, Lakshmipur and Gopalganj, where the Jhalak seed, imported from China by Energypac Agro Limited has been used, have been affected by the disease with many fields not producing any paddy.

About 115 hectares of paddy fields in Barisal, 1,700 hectares in Noakhali, 350 hectares in Gopalganj, and around 100 hectares in Lakshmipur have been affected by the disease, according to reports received from the districts.

Report received from Barisal said that the Chinese origin hybrid Sarathi, imported by the Metal Agro Limited, cultivated on seven hectares of land at Agailjhara in Barisal had also suffered from the disease.

The farmers worried that they will lose all the financial investments in growing the seeds and will face utter poverty are demanding that the government and the importer should provide them with compensation.

The fungal and seed-borne disease can be identified when the sheaves come out from the plants going rotten within two to three days, officials said, adding that as a result, the sheaves do not contain any food grain.

The seed has been cultivated in Bangladesh for two years and this year the farmers were encouraged to cultivate the seeds as the rice quality is good and production was better in the last season, DAE deputy director (rice) Md Sohrab Uddin said.

'I cultivated on two bighas of my land with the Jhalak seed taking micro-credit loan

from different non-governmental organisations but I am getting no paddy this year,' said farmer Abu Bakkar of Jola at Wazirpur in Barisal.

He demanded compensation from the government and the seed providers as field-level government officials encouraged farmers to cultivate hybrid seeds and the seed providers provided them with 'infected seeds.'

'It [neck blast] is a seed-borne disease and the seeds might not have been purified properly when they were produced,' said Helal Uddin, the head of the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute in Barisal.

He said that the variety of seed might have problems and expressed his anxiety that the disease might spread to adjacent areas as the germs spread through the air and affect the seed paddy in the surrounding areas affecting it in subsequent years.

A high official of the food crops wing of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Dhaka also alleged that the seed had not been tested properly in quarantine during import.

He also alleged that the seed sellers might have provided the old seed of the past year that could not tolerate the weather.

DAE field service wing additional director (extension) Anil Chandra Sarker told New Age that he blamed high temperature and humidity in the districts that was favourable for the disease outbreak.

He said that the loss to the farmers was irreparable and they were pressuring the seed providers to compensate the farmers.

The agriculture ministry director general (seed), Anwar Faruque, told New Age that he had been informed of the crop failure and had directed the authorities concerned to find out the reasons behind it.

He said that an investigation into whether the seeds were checked properly in quarantine during import was now going on.

The Seed Certification Agency director Md Bashir Uddin told New Age that the seed was allowed to sell on the market after successfully completing two seasons' trial.

The New Age correspondent in Gopalganj reports that farmers who cultivated their land with Jhalak were frustrated at the crop failure and filed applications seeking compensation from the district agricultural extension office and Energypac's sole dealer in the district.

Farmer Suranjan Mandal of Raghunathpur in Gopalganj district headquarters told New Age that he had to spend at least Tk 10,000 to cultivate 65 decimal of land and was now cutting the plants to use as fodder.

He said that he had appealed to the district agricultural extension office and to the dealer demanding compensation.

Mohammad Sentu, manager of the only Jhalak dealer in the district Madhumati Enterprise, said that a good number of farmers had informed them and asked for their compensation. 'We have already told the importer about the situation.'

Gopalganj DAE deputy director Bhashkar Chakrabarti said that Jhalak seeds were imported from China and they had received about a hundred applications from the farmers seeking compensation.

The correspondent in Barisal reports that farmers were struggling to face a massive crop failure of hybrid varieties Jhalak and Sarathi cultivated in Barisal.

The Jhalak variety was cultivated on 115 hectares and Sarathi on seven hectares in Wazirpur and Agailjhara and the plants were mostly attacked by neck blast disease.

Habibur Rahman, a scientific officer at the Rice Research Institute in Barisal, said that hybridisation of the seeds might not have been done and the quarantine period and the trial test might not have been followed properly, which led to the crop failure.

'We are suggesting compensation for the farmer by the seed supplier responsible for the loss and we have submitted a report to our office,' he added.

Tapan Kumar Majumdar, marketing officer of the Metal agro Limited, blamed temperature fluctuation for the disease and said that they had supplied only 150 kilograms of seeds to Barisal and the dealer informed him of the disease outbreak.

He, however, failed to tell anything about maintaining plant quarantine and test farming before the hybrid seeds were marketed.

The Energypac Agro Limited's senior vice-president SB Naseem told New Age that they had released 72 tonnes of hybrid Jhalak seed on the market and it was used in both the south and the north but the disease broke out only in the south.

Claiming that the seeds were imported after proper purification in all stages, he blamed the weather for the outbreak of the disease in the south. He also blamed use of excessive urea.

'It was not for reasons created by us [the company],' he claimed.

He, however, said that they were still willing to help the farmers with seeds and fertiliser.

Source: New Age

Power balance must for democracy: discussion

Politicians and legal experts at a discussion on Friday said the constitution had been amended time and again for the gains of individuals or coteries and called for checks and balances in authority to ensure proper practice of parliamentary democracy.

A number of speakers said the authority given to the prime minister by Article 55 of the constitution was similar to the power wielded by the Russian Tsars. They also called for repeal or at least modification of Article 70 which barred the lawmakers from floor crossing. 

Most of the speakers at the discussion on 'the constitution of Bangladesh: issues and challenges' accused the government of hide-and-seek in amending the constitution.

Citing the print of only 500 copies of the constitution printed in line with the Supreme Court verdicts that nullified the Fifth Amendment, they said it indicated that the policymakers were eager that it did not go public.    

Jurist Rafique-ul Huq said it was high time to have an upper house of the legislative to ensure checks and balances in power but BNP's standing committee member Moudud Ahmed opposed the idea saying Bangladesh was a unitary state and not a federation and that there was no scope for a bi-cameral parliament in such a small country.

Rafique laid stress on changing the mindset of the politicians and practice of honesty at least at intellectual level. 'The court has banned unconstitutional usurpation of power or imposing martial law. Court rulings cannot prevent martial law if we do not change our mindset,' he said.

'Whatever our two leaders say, their followers simply echo it. Nobody seems to have the guts to differ with them. Such attitude needs to be changed. It requires

change of political culture,' he said.  

'Indians never think of martial law and there is no such ban in their constitution. Because they developed their minds in that way,' he said.

Rafique also called for keeping the judiciary out of interim administration. 'It is true that the caretaker government system is not good but there is no alternative at the moment. But the judiciary has to be kept above controversy. I told the chief justice in court that I have the impression that he has been made the chief justice for appointing him the chief adviser to the next caretaker government. He [chief justice] had said in reply it was embarrassing for him too,' he said.

Rafique suggested that before every election, the outgoing parliament should suggest a panel from which the chief adviser and the advisers could be picked.   

Former Dhaka University vice-chancellor Emajuddin Ahmed said vesting all authority in the prime minister could not be called parliamentary democracy. 'The authority the prime minister enjoys could be compared only with the power wielded by the Russian Tsars,' he said.  

Emajuddin called for modifying Article 70 of the constitution and Rafique-ul Huq said the article should not be applied other than the issue of passing budget or in the case of a no-confidence motion.

Moudud Ahmed said it was parliament and not the judiciary which could amend the constitution. He said those who had printed the constitution in February should face trial for cheating the people. 'If it was done at the instruction of the chief justice, he should not be spared,' said Moudud citing that changes were made in the print at least in 31 articles beyond what the court had ruled.

He criticised the nullification of the Fifth Amendment condoning sections that suit the judges. 'Their logic is that military rulers' orders are illegal and they suggested banning martial law… It was the judges who administered oath of every head of martial law governments,' he said.

Jatiya Party lawmaker Anisul Islam Mahmud criticised those who claimed there was a constitutional vacuum. 'Of course there is the constitution and the state is run by it,' he said.            

BNP lawmaker MK Anwar, Supreme Court Bar Association president Khandkar Mahbub Hossain, journalist Ataus Samad, former attorney general Fida M Kamal and Dhaka University law teacher Asif Nazrul also spoke at the programme moderated by Dhaka University law teacher Borhanuddin Khan.

The Centre for National Studies executive director Sabih Uddin Ahmed gave introductory speech.

Source: New Age

Two cops held over death of businessman in custody

Two police officers of Tangail Sadar Model Thana were arrested on Friday in connection with the death of a businessman in custody, police said.

The two officers—SI Mosharaf Hossen and ASI Sajahan Miah—were arrested after the victim's elder brother filed a murder case accusing them of having

killed Moniruzaman Rubel, owner of a pharmacy in the Tangail town.

Inspector of Sadar Model Police Station Obaydur Rahman said that the two officers were arrested and produced before Tangail district judicial magistrate's court. The court ordered to send them to jail.

Iqbal Hossen Rasel, the elder brother of the decease and a sales representative of Asiatic pharmaceutical in Tangail, told New Age that he had filed a murder case with Sadar police station at noon accusing the two police officers.

He alleged that Moniruzzaman was killed on Thursday while  he was brutally tortured in police custody.

Source: New Age

Amini says son ‘freed’ by ‘kidnappers’ Accuses PM of abduction

Islami Oikya Jote chairman Fazlul Haq Amini on Friday said his son Abul Hasanat was left 'blindfolded' at Bakshi Bazar 11 days after being 'abducted' by 'lawmen in plain clothes'.

Amini claimed at a press conference that his son was kidnapped and also released by lawmen in plain clothes at prime minister Sheikh Hasina's instruction.

Abul Hasanat, who was allegedly kidnapped by

gunmen from Dolaikhal area on April 10, appeared in front of Nabakumar Institute at Bakshi Bazar in the city at around 4:00am Friday.

At the press conference at Lalbagh madrassah, Amini, also chief of Islamic Law Implementation Committee, claimed that Sheikh Hasina had ordered his son's abduction in a bid to thwart the protests spearheaded by his party against the women development policy.

He said that they abductors had threatened to kill his son if he divulged anything about the kidnapping.

Amini, an ally of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, said, 'We will not retreat from our stand against the women development policy.'

Abul Hasanat, who was also present at the press conference, claimed that a gang of eight people had kidnapped him on April 10 from Dolaikhal at

Sutrapur in the Old Town where he had gone to have his car repaired at a motor workshop.

'The armed gang took me in a Pajero jeep and blindfolded me. After 30 minutes of journey, I was taken into a building where they kept me blindfolded round the clock,' he said.

He said that the gang had asked him to 'persuade' his father to 'stop' the 'movement.'

'Besides, I was kept in handcuffs all the time in captivity, but they did not torture me physically. They gave me food in time,' he said.

Hasanat said he had called his father-in-law after the 'kidnappers' left him at Bakshi Bazar.

Amini had earlier alleged that his son was picked up by the lawmen.

  But the police denied they had arrested any of Amini's sons.

Islamic Law Implementation Committee enforced a daylong hartal across the country on April 4 in protest at the National Women's Development Policy branding it 'anti-Islamic'.

Source: New Age

Yunus knew entering politics could invite ‘bruising response’

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus had been aware of the risks and consequences of his move to enter politics, reveals a diplomatic cable leaked by WikiLeaks.

Referring to the leaked US diplomatic cable, Indian daily newspaper the Hindu in an article on Friday said Yunus in February 2007, immediately after the January 11, 2007 changeover of power that established a military-controlled interim regime, told the US consul general in Kolkata, Henry Jardine, that he was aware of the 'potentially bruising response.'

The article headlined 'Muhammad Yunus knew seeking to enter politics in Bangladesh would receive bruising response' said Yunus told the US consul general, 'It would provoke from the 'two ladies' [Awami League president Sheikh Hasina, now prime minister, and Bangladesh Nationalist Party chair Khaleda Zia] and other established political figures.'

Henry Jardine sent the cable to Washington on February 13, 2007 documenting the conversation between him and Yunus when the latter visited Kolkata to participate in certain programmes.

During a conversation over lunch, hosted by the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce, Jardine enquired about Yunus's political plans.

Hearing of Yunus's strong interest to join the political fray, the CCC president Manoj Mohanka raised some questions about the 'messy world' of Bangladesh politics and the 'likelihood of Yunus's reputation being tarnished.'

Yunus responded by saying that 'he understood the dangers' but 'felt that responsible people had to step into the political field to make a real change in Bangladesh, which was wracked by corruption and poor governance,' the article said.

According to the article, when Jardine raised questions about rising levels of fundamentalism, Yunus explained that 'Muslim fundamentalists are a fringe not accepted by the Bangladeshi mainstream.'

The consul general, however, pointed out that 'even the Awami League, which had been the primary advocate of a socialist, secular nation, had signed an agreement with fundamentalist group Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish' to 'recognise fatwas issued by Imams and block the introduction of laws contrary to Sharia law,' said the article.

Yunus criticised the agreement as 'a reflection of the AL's moral bankruptcy and was based on pure political calculus to garner a few additional votes and another example of the need for a new political party,' it said.

Yunus was receptive to the idea of Bangladesh expanding economic relations with India.

However, he was concerned 'that often it became a divisive political issue, with Bangladeshi politicians stoking resentment against India for political gain.'

He was also quick to point out that all was not well with the Indian government too, 'particularly the significant non-tariff barriers that restricted Bangladeshi goods from reaching Indian markets,' the article said.

According to the article, Yunus's plans, as he narrated them to the US diplomat, included the opening of the Chittagong port to regional trade with India, Burma, Bhutan and China, and 'the possibility of financing a new 'mega-port' project in Chittagong to meet the regional demand' through the Grameen Bank.

After documenting Yunus's views, the cable concluded that he was 'a person of great moral stature and strong organisational skills' and that his candidacy 'could offer a possible [way] out from the present Hasina-Zia zero-sum game that cripples Bangladesh's democratic process.'

Source: New Age

Sympathisers of BNP yet to give money to Felani family

Khadimul Islam

The family of Felani, the teenage girl who was killed by India's Border Security Force in Kurigram on January 7, is yet to receive the financial help some Bangladesh Nationalist Party-leaning freedom fighters and intellectuals earlier promised.

A sector commander in the 1971 war of independence, Hamidullah Khan, and some other intellectuals, including writer Abdul Hye Sikder and Muktijuddher

Prajanma leader Shama Obaed Islam, had visited Kurigram on February 9 under the banner of the Patriots of Bangladesh to register a protest at the killing of Felani and to provide the family with financial assistance.

The local police administration, however, foiled their programme and forced them to leave the town without visiting Felani's home.

Two months after they had publicly pledged to provide Felani's family with Tk 2 lakh, leaders of Patriots of Bangladesh and Muktijuddher Prajanma on Friday said that they are yet to hand over the money to her father Nurul Islam.

'We are thinking about how to hand over the money to Felani's father. We are thinking about bringing Felani's father to Dhaka,' Abdul Hye Sikder told New Age.

He said that Tk 1 lakh collected on behalf of the Patriots of Bangladesh had been kept in a bank account and the remaining amount promised by Muktijuddher Prajanma was with them.

When contacted, Shama Obaed Islam told New Age that the visit was organised by the Patriots of Bangladesh and she would hand over money whenever it would make appropriate arrangements.

Felani's father Nurul Islam on Wednesday told New Age, 'I am hopeful that I will receive the financial help promised by some people who earlier tried to hand over the money.'

Nurul said that he was ready to visit the place where he would be asked to to receive the financial help.

The home minister, Sahara Khatun, on February 6 visited the house of Felani's father at Colonitari of Nageswari in Kurigram and gave him Tk 3 lakh.

'I have already spent about Tk 50,000 from the money the government gave me for the treatment of my family and food for them,' he added.

Source: New Age

Rooftop hoardings continue to endanger city dwellers

Shahin Akhter

An Appellate Division stay order continues to prevent both Dhaka City Corporation and Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha from removing unauthorised rooftop hoardings in the city which many consider dangerous to public safety.

DCC executive magistrate Khalil Ahmed says, apart from being unauthorised, many billboards continue to pose a risk to the general public although the last reported fatal incident of crash took place more than a year ago, on March 15, 2010, which left two people killed.

'The city currently has about 3,000 hoardings,' he said. 'According to the corporation's advertising policy, there can be a maximum of 20 hoardings along a one-kilometre stretch of road. Yet, sometimes stretches of road of that length have more than 200 hoardings each.'

Section 5 of the DCC advertising policy says that without the corporation's permission no advertising board can be installed on a wall or the roof of a government, semi-government, autonomous, non-governmental or public authority building or on a DCC-owned land or structure.

At present, the DCC's waste management department has been assigned to give permission to different government and non-governmental organisations to set up hoardings and collect revenue.

Asaduzzaman, an official of the DCC waste management department, said, according to a survey of the corporation conducted in 2010, the city had 1,800 rooftop hoardings.

He said about 1,000 rooftop hoardings in the capital had permission, with 596 of them installed on land or structures owned by the government or its related bodies and 436 on corporation land.

Asaduzzaman also said the corporation could give permission so that only hoardings having a structural design certificate issued by the Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh could be put up. 

The corporation's law officer, Mohammad Mofizul Islam, said a corporation officer could remove illegal billboards and other objects from the corporation area by using the power afforded by the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1943 and the Mobile Court Act 2009.

However, DCC's chief waste management officer Bipan Kumar Saha told New Age that a High Court order allowing removal of the hoardings had been stayed by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

Imtiaz Mahmood, a lawyer who represents the Outdoor Advertising Owners' Association, confirmed that the DCC indeed was facing a legal barrier in removing the hoardings.

OAOA president Rafiqul Islam on December 10, 2007 filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging a RAJUK notice which asked certain building owners and advertising firms to immediately remove all unauthorised rooftop hoardings. The High Court issued a stay order on the RAJUK notice.

Then, following a collapse of a billboard on March 15, 2010 in front of Gulshan Shopping Centre, which resulted in the death of two people and injuries to eight, the High Court directed the DCC to start removal of all unauthorised hoardings immediately in the capital except those protected by the 2007 High Court stay order.

The court asked the inspector general of police, Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner, and Shahbagh Police Station officer-in-charge to extend full cooperation to the DCC authorities in removing the hoardings.

On April 29, 2010, the High Court lifted the stay order obtained by the OAOA, stating that no law would be violated if the hoardings were removed to protect peoples' lives and property.

Imtiaz told New Age that the next month the association sought leave to appeal against the ruling and the chamber judge of the Appellate Division imposed a stay on the High Court order, pending the disposal of the appeal.

The OAOA secretary general Hazi Mohammad Rashed told New Age that the appeal was still pending with the Appellate Division, adding that their demand was morally correct as, according to the Dhaka Metropolitan City's Beautification and Advertisement Policy-2009, rooftop hoardings were not illegal.

He said the DCC collected revenue from the owners of rooftop hoardings. 'Everything is possible in Bangladesh,' he quipped.

Source: New Age

No sign that coffee ups high blood pressure risk: study

Reuters, New York, April 23: Go ahead. Have that second cup of coffee — or maybe even a third.

Despite previous concerns, downing lots of coffee doesn't seem to increase the risk of high blood pressure, says a US study.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, has been linked to heart disease, stroke and a shorter life expectancy, and some scientists have suggested that coffee might fuel the problem.

But according to a report in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that pooled data from six previous studies, covering 1,70,000 people, this did not appear to be the case.

'The results suggest that habitual coffee consumption of more than 3 cups per day was not associated with an increased risk of hypertension compared with less than one cup per day,' wrote Liwei Chen, from the Louisiana State University School of Public Health in New Orleans, who worked on the study.

But Chen added that more data would be needed in order to draw a conclusion, noting that the report 'is not saying there's no risk' to drinking lots of java.

What's more, people who drank between one and three cups per day had a slightly higher risk of high blood pressure than those who drank less, a result the researchers couldn't explain.

The studies surveyed the participants to find out how many cups of coffee they drank each day, from less than one to more than five, and then followed them for up to 33 years.

Abducted businessman found dead in Rajshahi

A Rapid Action Battalion team found businessman Mahbub Alam Rasel dead on Rajshahi Medical College campus on Friday noon.

The 24-year-old businessman was abducted 18 days ago from Natore.

RAB also arrested a student of Rajshahi Medical College, Jatirmoy Chou-dhury, on charge of being involved in the abduction and murder of Mahbub Alam.

He is a 4th year student of RMC and a resident of Bagatipara in Natore and was acquainted with the deceased for a long time.

Mahbub Alam was resident of Abdulpur village under Lalpur in Natore.

RAB said that Mahbub Alam was abducted on April 4 from his shop at Abdul Bazar and his father Mokbul Hossain lodged a general diary the next day.

RAB also said that they came to know that some Rajshahi Medical College Students abducted Mahbub Alam Rasel and according to the information RAB arrested Jatirmoy on Friday morning at Tarash in Sirajganj.

RAB said that detained Jatirmoy told the battalion that they had killed Mahbub Alam Rasel on the night of April 5 and dumped the body beside Charu Mama canteen at Rajshahi Medical College.

RAB rushed to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and recovered the body after removing the slab on Friday noon.

The dead body was sent to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for post mortem examination.

RAB in a press release said that Rajshahi Medical College student Jatirmoy Choudhury and his friend Sabbir Ahmed had borrowed 4.5 lakhs cash money from Mahbub Alam Rasel a few months ago.

Jatirmoy Choudhury and his friend Sabbir Ahmed were involved in skeleton business. They used to buy skeleton from India and sold it to the medical students of Bangladesh, the release added.

Major Monwar of Rajshahi RAB told New Age that Jatirmoy Choudhury was handed over to Lalpur police station.

Source: New Age

2 more DU truant teachers fired

Dhaka University has sacked two more teachers for not joining work after their study leave abroad.

They are associate professors Hedayetullah Chow-dhury of development studies and Foyzul Huq of marketing.

The syndicate made the decision on Wednesday night.

The syndicate also agreed in principle to fire another teacher and issue notice to four others, giving eight weeks to three and four weeks to one to join work, syndicate member Mohammad Moinul Islam said.

The university Syndicate has fired 13 teachers since April last year for the same reason.

The action last came on March 31, when the premier public university's Syndicate approved the decision to sack two assistant professors—Zaber Siddique of accounting and Shamsul Islam of microbiology.

Source: New Age

Sultana Kamal, Selina made TIB chair, secy gen

Ain o Salish Kendra executive director Sultana Kamal has been elected chair of the board of trustees of the Transparency International, Bangladesh.

UNESCO executive board member Selina Hossain has been elected secretary general and Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of the Daily Star, treasurer, a release said.

The elections were held at the general meeting of the TIB board on Friday.

Outgoing chairman M Hafizuddin Khan, secretary general Abdullah Abu Sayeed and treasurer Sultana Kamal, will continue to be trustees.

Source: New Age

Second phase assembly polls in West Bengal today

Fifty constituencies will go to polls today in the second phase of Assembly polls in three districts of West Bengal, India in which over 93.33 lakh voters would cast ballots to elect representatives from among 293 aspirants.

The three districts, where elections would be held are, Murshidabad having 22 seats, Birbhum 11 and Nadia 17. In all 11,531 polling stations have been set up.

Tight security arrangements have been made in all the three districts to ensure free, fair and peaceful election.

The police sources said about 4,800 security personnel including central para-military personnel have been deployed in the three districts.

The Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and the Union finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, an MP from Murshidabad, and the Trinamool Congress chief, Mamata Banerjee, campaigned in the districts urging voters not to vote for any rebel candidate and utilise the opportunity to oust the Left Front Government.

The main poll plank of Trinamool Congress-Congress combine is for ushering in 'paribartan' (political change) in the state ruled by CPI(M)-led Left Front for the last 34 years.

The chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, has ridiculed the slogan for change.

The US cables published by WikiLeaks showed that Washington wants the party Trinamool to win.

Source: New Age

Jabbar Khan’s death anniversary today

The 27th anniversary of the death of Justice Abdul Jabbar Khan, a former speaker of the then Pakistan national assembly, will be observed today with special prayer sessions.

Abdul Jabbar Khan, also a former president of the East Pakistan Muslim League, died this day in 1984 in his house at Gulshan in Dhaka.

Prayer sessions on the occasion will be held in Dhaka and his village home at Khudrakathi of Babuganj in Barisal.

He was born on January 1, 1901 in his village home at Baherchar and joined the independent legal profession after completing his education.

He later joined the judiciary and was made a High Court justice in the then East Pakistan.

After retirement, he joined politics and was elected president to the East Pakistan Muslim League in 1964.

He later became the speaker of the Pakistan national assembly in June 1965. He held the position till the promulgation of martial law in March 1969.

He quit politics in 1969 and engaged himself in promoting education by setting up schools and madrassahs and other social organisations.

Source: New Age

2 Ctg teachers suspended over sexual harassment allegation

Two teachers of Chittagong City Corporation high schools were suspended for their alleged involvement in sexual harassment of female students.

City corporation sources identified the teachers as Suman Kanti Shil of Krishnakumari Girls' High School and Pranadhir Das of Lalkhan Shahidnagar Girls' High School.

Chief education officer of th city corporation Sarwar-E-Alam said that they had already started investigation. 'We have issued suspension notice to the alleged teachers on Thursday,' said Alam.

'If they are found guilty, then they will be sacked,' he said.

Of the two teachers, Suman Kanti Shil was suspended from his job earlier on April 07. Investigation report against Pranadhir Das was submitted to the concerned authorities on April 17.

The parents of the harassed students brought the allegation of sexual harassment against the teachers to the chief executive officer of CCC. On the basis of the allegation, the CCC authorities initiated investigation process.

Source: New Age

Security stepped up in city to check muggings

Motorcyclists and CNG drivers had to pass through check points set up by law enforcement agencies at different points in Dhaka on Friday, the weekly holiday.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police officials said that security had been stepped up to check street mugging and petty crimes.

Inspector General of police Hasan Mahmud Khandaker told New Age that it was just a routine work for them to enhance security and vigilance.

The lawmen had set up check posts for CNG-run three wheelers and motorcyclists at Tejgaon, Gulshan, Baily Road, Shantinagar, Farmgate and some other places.

RAB intelligence wing Chief Lieutenant Colonel Ziaul Ahsan said that they had beefed up security to check mugging during the holiday as many streets remain deserted on the day.

A total of 37 muggings were reported in the city in last few days, police said.

Source: New Age

Two commit suicide in city

Two people allegedly committed suicide at Agargaon and Kadamtali in the city early Friday and Thursday night.

At Agargaon, a 12-year-old girl committed suicide by hanging herself with a ceiling fan around 10:30pm on Thursday, the police said. 

The victim, Safi Akter, a resident of Agargaon BNP Slum,  committed suicide after an altercation with her mother.

The police later sent the body for a post-mortem examination.

The police, meanwhile, recovered the body of a 30-year-old man at Kadamtali.

The deceased, Mohammad Shapan Mia, was a rickshaw puller of the area. He allegedly committed suicide by taking poison after an altercation with his wife, the police said.

The police sent the body for a post-mortem examination.

Source: New Age

Bangladesh ferry accident toll rises to 32: police

AFP, DHAKA, April 23: Police in Bangladesh raised the death toll from a ferry accident in the east of the country to 32 on Friday, with more bodies expected to be recovered after rescue workers raised the sunken vessel.

Passengers were asleep on the boat when it collided on Thursday with the wreck of a cargo ship that had sunk a few days earlier in the river Meghna at Sarail, 90 kilometres (55 miles) from Dhaka.

"This morning, we recovered five more bodies, taking the death toll to 32," local police officer Chandan Kumar told AFP by phone from the site of the accident.

A salvage vessel had succeeded in raising the ferry from the riverbed and emergency workers were now looking for more bodies, he said.

The search operation was suspended late Thursday due to poor visibility, but teams of divers from Dhaka were scouring the river again Friday.

At least 60 people on the overloaded double-decker ferry swam to shore, police said.

Local media said about 200 people were on board the ferry, called the MV Bipasha, which was travelling from Bhairab, a small remote district in the county's east, to Sachna in Sunamganj district.

Boats are the main form of inter-district travel in Bangladesh's remote, rural areas, but accidents are common due to lax safety standards and overloading.

Some 37 people drowned in December last year when a passenger ferry hit a cargo ship and sank.

At least 85 people drowned in November when an overloaded triple-decker ferry capsized off Bhola Island in the country's south.

A week later another boat sank leaving 46 people dead.

So far this year, dozens of people have been killed in several smaller boat accidents in Bangladesh.

Naval officials have said more than 95 percent of Bangladesh's hundreds of thousands of small- and medium-sized boats do not meet minimum safety regulations.

Pakistan will tour Bangladesh in Dec-Jan: PCB

PTI, Karachi, Apr 23: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that the national cricket team will go to Bangladesh in December-January for a full-fledged tour.

"The tour is part of the future tour program and we will be playing Tests, ODIs and T20 matches on the tour to Bangladesh," a senior official of the PCB said.

Relations between the Pakistan and Bangladesh boards turned sour after the militants attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009.

After the attack, the Bangladesh board withdrew an invitation to host the Pakistan team for a One-day series and later did not support them when the ICC moved the World Cup matches from Pakistan on security grounds.

The Chairman of the Pakistan Board, Ijaz Butt did not take kindly to Bangladesh refusing to host Pakistan for the ODI series and not supporting them in their bid to keep their World Cup matches at home.

In a documented incident, Butt had an exchange of words with officials of the Bangladesh board during and after a ICC meeting at which it was ultimately decided that Pakistan would not host any World Cup matches.

But sources confirmed that the Bangladesh board had been striving to break the ice and normalise relations for some months now.

"The series that will begin in December has given a good opportunity for both boards to normalise relations and remove misunderstandings," one source said.

A PCB official, who declined to be named, said Pakistan would tour Bangladesh after they play Sri Lanka in a full series in October-November, either at home or at a neutral venue.

"We are due to tour Bangladesh and we will do that as it is an important one for both the countries," the official said.

Bangladesh and Pakistan last played a bilateral series in early 2008 when Bangladesh toured for a One-day series.

The official said that immediately after the tour to Bangladesh, Pakistan team is also due to tour India under the FTP to play a full Test series.

"As far as PCB is concerned both tours are on," the official said.

Microfinance institutions pushed loans, admits major Bangladesh NGO

IRIN, DHAKA, 23: Lack of regulation and a surplus of donor funds in Bangladesh's microcredit industry have led to NGOs pushing loans to over-indebted borrowers, says BRAC, [ http://www.brac.net/ ] the world's largest development organization and heavily involved in the country's microfinance industry.

Asked whether BRAC itself had pushed loans onto borrowers who could not afford them, Shameran Abed, programme head of microfinance at BRAC, told IRIN: "Yes," citing "excess liquidity" and a lack of communication between lenders.

"In the mid 2000s, the microfinancing industry grew too fast. And yes, we did," said Abed. "But I'll tell you why we did - we didn't have perfect information."

In 2009, BRAC disbursed US$1.1 billion worth of loans to women throughout Bangladesh, and like many other microfinance institutions (MFIs), claimed [ http://www.brac.net/oldsite/useruploads/files/brac-ar-2009.pdf ] that 99 percent of their borrowers paid back their loans, a win-win situation.

However, the industry has also come into disrepute. A Norwegian documentary, Caught in Micro Debt, sparked international outrage in 2010 by showing the difficulties people have under the burden of paying back a loan.

Some borrowers are even taking out more loans to meet repayments, experts say.

Microcredit, the practice of loaning sums as small as US$20, was first pioneered in Bangladesh in the 70s and 80s by Nobel laureate and politically controversial figure Mohammad Yunus and the organization he founded, Grameen Bank. [ http://www.grameen-info.org/ ]

Since then, the industry has mushroomed to over 500 registered MFIs in Bangladesh and has come under increasing scrutiny.

Women, who are the borrowers in most cases, are subject to high interest rates and aggressive debt recovery techniques, said Lamia Karim, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Oregon. She has been researching microfinance for more than 15 years.

But BRAC's Abed said the popular belief that high interest rates are to blame for loan defaulting is wrong. The interest on a $140 loan, he explained, is 15 percent, with weekly installments of $3.40, of which about $0.40 is interest.

"Is that 30 taka [US $0.40] tipping you over the edge? I don't think so," he said.

Inadequate regulatory body

Despite having more than 20 million micro-borrowers, the Bangladesh government still has no effective system in place to protect microcredit lenders and clients, experts agree.

The Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA), [ http://www.mra.gov.bd/ ] formed in 2006 after repetitive calls from the microcredit industry to establish control over smaller MFIs, is hamstrung by a lack of manpower and funds, according Prodip Chandra Roy, MRA assistant director of research.

Furthermore, Roy said the MRA's authority is severely undermined by other organizations that offer registration.

"For us the biggest challenge is to control other authorities that also have the authority to register microfinance organizations," he said.

To register with the MRA, an MFI has to show either that it has 1,000 members (potential borrowers), or $50,000-worth of dispersible funds. To date, the MRA has registered some 548 MFIs out of thousands operating in Bangladesh.

Strong-arm tactics

Many microcredit borrowers have little or no property to be used as collateral, which makes trust a key element of the loaning process.

"For our microfinance borrowers we do not have any collateral, so we cannot take anything back. The court system doesn't work here. So, the only way you can get your money back is to keep pestering them," Abed said.

However, BRAC, Grameen and other NGOs have been found to do much more than pester borrowers who missed payments, some claims suggest.

As an attack on a family's honour, women are regularly shamed in public, an activity that can have grave social repercussions, Karim said.

Stronger measures are used if the borrowers default even after public humiliation.

"Grameen, BRAC, ASA and Proshika all strong-armed women into paying back. In extreme cases homesteads are taken apart and the timber and tin sold off," said Karim.

Though the NGOs don't actively take part in 'ghar bhanga' (house-breaking), community members do what NGO officers order them to do, out of fear of losing access to loans, she said.

However, despite numerous papers by independent researchers, the NGO community refuses to accept such allegations.

"I've not had one issue of complaints [of house-breaking] coming from borrowers, or the media or the society that we work in," said Abed.

Bangladesh launches bank to help overseas workers

Reuters, DHAKA, April 23: Bangladesh launched a state-run Expatriate Welfare Bank on Wednesday to fund workers going overseas and to handle their remittances, a major source of foreign exchange.

About seven million Bangladeshis are employed abroad, most of them in the Middle East, and they send home about $10 billion a year, Finance Ministry officials said.

Remittances are the second biggest source of foreign earnings for Bangladesh after garment exports, which are worth about $16 billion a year.

"Workers can borrow funds from the bank at lower interest rates to meet expenses for going abroad," Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said while launching the bank.

"The bank will also help expatriate workers to send money to their families in Bangladesh at lower handling charges," she said.

A senior official of the Ministry of Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment said it was hoped the bank would boost remittances.

The bank, with an initial paid up capital of 5 billion taka ($69 million), will offer loans to workers at 9 percent interest, lower than that offered by commercial banks.

"Borrowers will have to offer a collateral, but for those who cannot, there will be a supervisory loan," the ministry official said.

Bangladesh's state managed and private banks charge more than 13 percent interest on general loans.

'Bangladesh needs to invest $7 bn in transit facilities'

IANS, Dhaka, April 23: Bangladesh will need to invest Tk 500 billion ($7 billion) in road, rail and river ways and ports in the next two to three years to facilitate transit to India, Nepal and Bhutan, the government has estimated.

A high level committee that considered an experts report did not determine the contentious issue of how Bangladesh would charge the neighbours and how much it would earn. The task has been left to a sub-committee, The Daily Star said Wednesday.

The issue is contentious with opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), its Islamist allies and a section of the intelligentsia seeing the transit facilities as an economically losing proposition.

They have also raised security issues.

The transport of heavy equipment by India across Bangladesh to its northeastern Tripura state was criticised by sections of the media since Dhaka did not charge Delhi any transit fee.

The government later explained that it was merely following international rules prescribed by the World Trade Organisation and other bodies.

A high-level meeting, chaired by Finance Minister A.M.A. Muhith, which studied the experts report was attended by Commerce Minister Faruk Khan, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, prime minister's foreign affairs Adviser Gowhar Rizvi and economic affairs Adviser Mashiur Rahman.

The newspaper quoted an unnamed official as saying that the report would be reviewed with cost benefit analysis added to it.

A minister said the fee will be fixed 'considering the benefits of all the participating countries'.

According to the report, the countries taking the transit facility will save between 12 and 70 percent on their transport cost.

The report said the river routes are now unfit for transit and major infrastructural development of rail routes is required. With the present condition, roads are capable of transporting 10 percent of the probable transit traffic.

Punjabi-teaching schools to come up in Bangladesh

Bangladesh will soon have two schools that would teach Punjabi language. The institutes are being constructed by Sampardai Kar Sewa, Sarhali, a religious organization that has already set up a Sikh Research Centre (SRC) at Gurdwara NanakShahi with professor Nirol Kazi of Dhaka University as its head.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has already conducted surveys of the gurdwaras of Bangladesh for their development. On the other hand, Sampardai had been carrying out kar sewa (voluntary service) since 2004 through Bangladesh Gurdwara Management Board whose patron is jathedar of Takht Patna Sahib – Iqbal Singh. Member of Mata Amar Kaur Memorial Sewa Society – Satnam Singh Dhanoa said that Sampardai would construct two schools that would teach Punjabi language besides other subjects to local students. "Initially, the schools would provide education up to Class V and would be upgraded later," said Singh. He said that there were more than 50 Muslim students at SRC.
There existed 18 historical gurdwaras in Bangladesh but at present, only five are left. The kar sewa is being carried out at Gurdwara NanakShahi, Gurdwara Sangat Tola, Dhaka and Gurdwara Pahar Tali, Punjabi Lane, Chittagong, where a darbar and a langar hall have been constructed. Sampardai chief Baba Sukha Singh said that they had appointed eight ragi and granthis for various religious services. Two schools would be constructed each in Dhaka and Chittagong. He said they would also appoint a permanent Punjabi teacher after completion of the school buildings.
He added that Bangladesh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Suresh Kumar and secretary Naraindas look after the management. As Bangladesh has no Sikh population, a large number of Bengali Hindus as well as few Muslims attend daily prayers.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

80,000 on benefits in UK due to addiction, obesity

Reuters, LONDON, April 23: More than 80,000 Britons claim payments for long-term sick leave because of obesity or drug or alcohol addiction, contributing to a 7 billion pound annual bill for Incapacity Benefit, the government said on Thursday.

Out of these, more than 21,200 alcoholics and drug addicts have been receiving the payments for over 10 years, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.

"Far from being the safety net it should be, the benefits system has trapped thousands of people in a cycle of addiction and welfare dependency with no prospect of getting back to work," Employment Minister Chris Grayling said in a statement.

As part of its welfare reforms, the government has started reassessing the circumstances of 1.9 million people off work on Incapacity Benefit to see if they are fit enough to return to employment.

Ministers promise more help to those out of work but threaten sanctions against those who avoid getting a job.

The changes are politically risky and could provoke a public backlash, coming at a time of rising unemployment, state spending cuts and an economy weakened after a deep recession.

Sony scrambles to revive PlayStation Network

AFP, SAN FRANCISCO, April 23: Sony on Friday was working to revive its online network that connects PlayStation 3 (PS3) consoles to games, films, and other digital offerings.

Disruption of service at the PlayStation Network began late Wednesday and had some suspecting that hackers followed through on a threat of vengeance for Sony's legal action against peers that crack PS3 software defenses.

The Japanese consumer electronics giant was working to figure out the cause of the Network outage, Sony spokesman Patrick Seybold said in a blog post with the latest update on the situation.

"We wanted to alert you that it may be a full day or two before we're able to get the service completely back up and running," Seybold said in a message posted Thursday.

"Thank you very much for your patience while we work to resolve this matter."

The PlayStation Network outage came during a heavy playing week in the United States, with many public schools closed for spring break and an Easter holiday providing an opportunity for an extended weekend.

"Probably is hackers," a user with the screen name Drebin Bushido said in a chat forum below Seybold's message at the PlayStation blog.

"If they are saying nothing this mean they are hiding something."

Players were still able to take part in games offline on the consoles, but lost the ability to challenge others on the Internet, stream movies, or get other services.

Internet vigilante group Anonymous had vowed retribution against Sony for taking legal action against hackers who cracked PS3 defenses to change console operating software.

A message signed by Anonymous at website anonnews.org early this month announced an "Operation Payback" campaign aimed at Sony because of its cases against the two hackers, one of whom cut a deal to settle the case.

Anonymous argued that PS3 console owners have the right to do what they wish with them, including modifying them.

Donnie Yen tackles iconic Three Kingdoms general

AP, HONG KONG, April 23: Action star Donnie Yen has teamed with two of the filmmakers behind the hit Hong Kong crime thriller "Infernal Affairs" for what they call a "humanized" take on an icon from China's fabled Three Kingdoms period.

The epic battles of armies and wits from the Three Kingdoms era inspired the classic Chinese novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and countless TV and film adaptations.

Some of the more recent major movie productions include John Woo's two-part series "Red Cliff," which starred Cannes-winning actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, and Daniel Lee's 2008 film "Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon," which featured Andy Lau, Sammo Hung and Maggie Q.

So how to break new ground when drawing from old material? With "The Lost Bladesman," which will be released across Asia on April 28, co-directors and co-writers Alan Mak and Felix Chong have zoomed in on general Guan Yu and tried to craft a more earthly character out of Yen's portrayal.

Guan is a historical figure who has been deified by the Chinese people as a symbol of loyalty and justice. To this day, statues of Guan are common at restaurants and shops in Chinese communities around the world.

In "The Lost Bladesman," Guan tries to escape after willingly becoming a prisoner to rival warlord Cao Cao so he can protect the wife of the warlord he himself serves, who is also trapped. But Yen's Guan is no superhero, the directors told The Associated Press on the sidelines the movie's Hong Kong premiere late Friday.

"Our perspective is a more humanized perspective. Previous adaptations focused on historical fact and period costume. Our starting point was human nature," said Chong, who co-wrote the script to "Infernal Affairs" with Mak. The 2002 crime thriller, co-directed by Mak and Andrew Lau, was later remade as "The Departed" by Martin Scorsese and earned the American his first best director Oscar.

Yen's portrayal "made Guan Yu into an ordinary person," Chong said. "The Guan Yu we have seen in the past is more like a god. He is so holy he can't even touch a woman. Our story was constructed out of the daily encounters of Guan Yu."

Yen, who also was action choreographer on the movie, said Guan is such a storied character that he is happy he could carry the role at all.

"The fact that I am able to portray Guan Yunchang is a breakthrough," Yen told the AP, using one of Guan's alternative names. "If you portray him this way, people complain. If you portray him that way, people also complain. It is very hard to meet people's expectations."

But Chong said he was impressed with the improvement in Yen's acting skills.

"I think this is the best performance out of all of his movies," the co-director said during the news conference for the premiere.

Besides Yen, now one of Asia's most bankable actions stars after the recent success of his kung fu biopics "Ip Man" and Ip Man 2," "The Lost Bladesman" was also boosted by the casting of veteran Chinese actor Jiang Wen, who played Cao. Jiang's stardom has risen in recent years with his successful directing efforts, most recently the political satire "Let the Bullets Fly."

"Everyone know what a good actor he is. To be mentioned in the same breath as him, to be able to act with him is a big step forward for me," Yen said.

"His acting skills are impeccable. After working with him this time I came away with the impression that he is almost a national treasure," Mak said.

Miley Cyrus has royal wedding fever

AP, LOS ANGELES, April 23: Miley Cyrus has royal wedding fever and says she'd love to be a flower girl because she knows their dresses will be amazing.

The 18-year-old admits she wasn't really into the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William until she read about the April 29 nuptials in a fashion magazine. Now, she's excited, plans to watch the televised ceremony and is really curious about what Middleton will wear, from her dress to her shoes.

Cyrus said in an interview that a visit to London earlier this month helped spur her interest as well. That's where she saw the British crown jewels. She called them the "most fabulous thing."

Actress Paz de la Huerta sued over NYC bar ruckus

AP, NEW YORK, April 23: First she was arrested, and now actress Paz de la Huerta has been sued over her encounter with a former reality TV figure she's accused of attacking in a swanky nightspot.

Samantha Swetra's lawsuit, filed Friday, says she was "maliciously assaulted, beaten and battered" on March 20 by the actress, best known for her role on HBO's "Boardwalk Empire."

De la Huerta's lawyer said she would tell her side of the story in court, "with the real facts."

"Paz thanks all her friends and fans for their continued support of her," added the attorney, Jamel Oeser-Sweat. Swetra's lawyer didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.

Authorities say de la Huerta, 26, punched Swetra in the face and tossed a glass that left cuts in Swetra's leg while at a rooftop bar at the trendy Standard Hotel. De la Huerta faces assault and other charges.

"I'm a real actress — HBO. She's a publicity-seeker, a fake actress," de la Huerta later huffed to police, according to Manhattan prosecutors.

Swetra's lawsuit declares the actress' conduct "beyond all possible bounds of decency, atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community" and seeks unspecified damages.

De la Huerta plays a lead character's girlfriend in the popular HBO series, set in Atlantic City during the Prohibition era. She also has appeared in films including "The Cider House Rules," "A Walk to Remember" and "The Limits of Control."

Schwartz serenaded by friends at NYC opera gala

AP, NEW YORK, April 23: At the end of a tough day, there's nothing like being serenaded with your own compositions by Broadway's top stars and getting a standing ovation for your life's work from a glittery Lincoln Center crowd.

Stephen Schwartz, best known as the enormously successful composer behind "Godspell," "Pippin" and, of course, the megahit "Wicked," is also a fledgling opera composer, and his first effort, "Seance on a Wet Afternoon," opened this week to decidedly mixed reviews.

But whatever headaches he may have suffered reading the morning papers must surely have melted by nightfall Thursday as Kristin Chenoweth, Raul Esparza, Ann Hampton Calloway and emcee Victor Garber celebrated his career during New York City Opera's spring gala at the David H. Koch Theater. They were joined by two stars of his current opera, Lauren Flanigan and Todd Wilander.

The actors regaled the audience with anecdotes about the composer, and at one point, Chenoweth, the original Glinda in "Wicked," became so choked up, she could barely sing the phrase, "Because I knew you, I have been changed for good" — from "For Good," the emotional climax to "Wicked."

"Stop crying," instructed Schwartz, ever the pragmatist, at the piano.

Esparza gave his all to perhaps Schwartz's best-known song, "Defying Gravity," the empowering anthem sung by the green witch Elphaba. He also sang two songs from the long-ago hit "Pippin," and teamed up with Garber for a few numbers from another 1970s golden smash, "Godspell." (Garber starred in the 1973 movie.)

As for Chenoweth, who recently starred in "Promises, Promises" and found TV fame in an occasional role on "Glee," she sang the ever-popular "Popular" from "Wicked," along with the wistful "Lion Tamer" from "The Magic Show."

Before the show, Schwartz reflected in an interview on his experience branching into opera — when he surely no longer needed to prove himself.

"Yes, but that's what was so nice about it," he said, while acknowledging that his first outing had been harder than expected. "It gave me an opportunity to do something I'd never done before," he said. "It was very exciting to enter new territory."

He responded to criticism that his opera, based on the 1964 British thriller of the same name, tried too hard to be accessible to its audience.

"I fall on the side of the argument that opera SHOULD be accessible," Schwartz said. "There should be times when the audience comes out humming. I don't know why that suddenly became old-fashioned."

Next up for Schwartz is something totally different: a DreamWorks animated film, "Monkeys of Bollywood," for which he's writing lyrics to music by A.R. Rahman ("Slumdog Millionaire").

And will there be another opera? Schwartz didn't rule it out.

"I don't think in those terms," he said, "I do what's interesting that's in front of me."

Thursday's gala was conducted by Steven Osgood. "Seance on a Wet Afternoon" runs through May 1, the last production of the season for a company said to be struggling financially.

Schwartz, of course, is suffering no such troubles. "Wicked" continues to be the No. 1 show on Broadway after more than seven years and is a hit around the world.

Jim Belushi and Robert Sean Leonard team up

AP, NEW YORK, April 23: Backstage at the Cort Theatre, Jim Belushi is trying to explain how he and Robert Sean Leonard have just had a major breakthrough as they rehearse the play "Born Yesterday."

"We just made some intricate ... not intricate. What's the word? Intrinsic?" Belushi asks, flailing for the right word.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," says Leonard.

"Internal? No ... you know? The bottom structure?" Belushi says, frustrated.

"Infrastructural?" offers Leonard.

"Infrastructural! Yes. We just made a few infrastructural changes in attitude in a couple of scenes that are just marvelous," says Belushi.

Leonard looks at his co-star with a smile.

"That'll send them in droves to the seats: `We just made few infrastructural changes that will thrill you,'" he repeats.

"OK," Belushi says, not missing a beat. "How about, `We just made something really funny'?"

That's more like it.

Belushi and Leonard — two actors more famous these days for their roles on TV than stage — seem to have already gotten their chemistry down as they work on a revival of "Born Yesterday," Garson Kanin's 1946 award-winning comedy about sex and politics.

The play centers on a showgirl mistress played by Nina Arianda who becomes the object of a tug-of-war between her sugar daddy — a corrupt businessman named Harry Brock, played by Belushi — and a journalist played by Leonard, who is hired by Brock to smooth out her rough edges.

Belushi, 56, says that despite all the on-stage cigar smoking and hats and bourbon, the play still speaks to an audience in 2011.

"It's relevant in that it's going on today in our government, with lobbyists who are trying to get senators by giving campaign funds to put little amendments on their bills," he says. "They were doing that in 1946 the same way they're doing it now. Now, they call them lobbyists."

Belushi, whose show "The Defenders" is on hiatus, and Leonard, who plays Dr. James Wilson on the Fox show "House," have never worked together but have found kindred spirits on Broadway.

"I think Jim is a riot," says Leonard, 42. "It's hard to find a guy who can be physically intimidating and menacing who is also a good actor."

For his part, Belushi carefully avoided watching Leonard on "House" for a selfish reason — the younger man's show was broadcast on the same night as his old sitcom "According to Jim" and on a different network, making him the enemy.

"Petty, petty, petty," says Belushi. Then he jokes: "They were doing really good with ratings so I just assumed it was bad."

Both men have a long history with "Born Yesterday," particularly Belushi, who first performed it as a 19-year-old. He was recruited to play the same role he's doing now — Harry Brock — for a production at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill.

"It was the first play I did, it made me a star at the school and I got all my work from it," he says, laughing. "I am Harry Brock. That is the Falstaff of contemporary plays. I'm this guy."

Known more for his TV and film comedies, Belushi also has plenty of stage credits, including on Broadway in "Conversations With My Father" and as the Pirate King in "The Pirates of Penzance." He has been in David Mamet's "Sexual Perversity in Chicago," Sam Shepard's "True West" and John Guare's "Moon Over Miami."

"I'm rooted in the theater. Between sophomore year in high school and senior year in college, I did 40 plays," he says. "Then I went into Second City. I'm at home on the boards."

Leonard, who started performing at the Public Theater when he was 14, is making his 12th appearance on Broadway and won a Tony Award in 2001 for "The Invention of Love." His other Broadway shows include "Long Day's Journey Into Night" with Vanessa Redgrave and "The Iceman Cometh" with Kevin Spacey.

He has wanted to be in "Born Yesterday" for about a decade, ever since he did a table reading and realized the script was better than the 1950 movie version starring Judy Holliday. "The play is so wickedly funny and so moving," he says. "This play is vital and it's beautiful and it's funny in ways you don't expect."

Belushi is even stronger with his praise for the playwright: "I've done David Mamet, who I think is close to Dylan Thomas as can be with music in his writing. Garson Kanin is the conductor. The choice of words, the pauses are as musical as Mamet," he says. "That's why I get so frustrated when I'm one word off because I know I dishonored the composer."

Both men have had to adjust to doing theater again after years of TV.

"It's hard for me to not try to do a scene and get to the result within an hour," says Belushi, laughing.

Leonard agrees: "It's so fun to do something over and over again for months," he says. "It never gets boring."

That doesn't mean there isn't pressure.

"Every night you hear those voices of people sitting down and you know there's 1,100 people out there — 980 of them have never seen this play," says Leonard. "It's my job to give it to them tonight. And Garson Kanin is laying in his grave going, `Please do the best you can.'" 

Jeremy Renner to take over "Bourne" franchise

Reuters, LOS ANGELES, April 23: There's barely enough Jeremy Renner to go around.

"The Hurt Locker" star, who was also Oscar nominated for his work in "The Town" last year, has been handed an offer for the starring role in Tony Gilroy's "The Bourne Legacy."

Gilroy, who wrote or co-wrote the first three films in Universal's "Bourne" saga, has been testing actors for the last few weeks to play a brand new lead character distinct from Matt Damon's Jason Bourne (Damon isn't returning). But Renner is the guy everybody wants right now.

The problem, as always, is scheduling. It took a while to work out his ability to star in Paramount's "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters," which he's shooting now for a March release. That followed filming his role in "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol," also for Paramount, which hits theaters in December.

Then there's the little movie "The Avengers," in which he plays Hawkeye for Marvel Studios and Disney. That comes out in May next year, but audiences will get a sneak peek at him in "Thor," which Paramount hammers into theaters in two weeks to kick off the summer.

"Avengers" starts shooting soon and will continue filming into August and September with Joss Whedon at the helm and a slew of other superheroes on set.

But Renner had been considering starring opposite Eric Bana in Sheldon Turner's revenge thriller "By Virtue Fall" in the fall. It's a project Renner has been flirting with for most of the last year. Now it looks like he will instead jump from "Avengers" right into his third (!!) potential franchise with "Bourne," then shoot "Virtue" after the New Year.

"Vampire Diaries" creator opens up about show

Reuters, LOS ANGELES, April 23: One of the most talked about shows on U.S. network CW, "The Vampire Diaries," has given the young adult set an edgier, sexier "Twilight" for the small screen. But sustaining the fast-paced storytelling, balancing an ensemble cast and taking on showrunning duties on a popular series isn't without its challenges. Even with regular web buzz, the Thursday drama averaged less than 3 million viewers and a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demo in its most recent airing.

It's been a busy few weeks for series creator Kevin Williamson ("Dawson's Creek"). The TV vet spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the creative changes that took place on "Diaries," maintaining the speed of its storytelling and what has changed in television since "Dawson's Creek" aired.

The Hollywood Reporter: "Vampire Diaries" runs through storylines very quickly. Are there any concerns about sustaining the pace?

Kevin Williamson: It's hard to do. In terms of burning through story, no. This is one of those shows where the story just keeps coming. We're already planning Season 3 and we already know what the big storyline is and the big thruline.

THR: What has been the biggest adjustment for "Vampire Diaries" since it began?

Williamson: One of the biggest changes is we've gone from a four-act structure to a six-act structure. It's been one of my biggest challenges, trying to keep momentum in the story. We're all about our twists and turns and to try to work all that through sometimes - with a teaser - a seven-act break, is a bit of a head-scratcher.

THR: The show attracts a similar demographic that "Dawson's Creek" garnered. How has that audience evolved?

Williamson: The audience has seen every story ever done. They know every twist and turn that you're going to do. Part of the way you can send them off-kilter and keep them intrigued is to move at a fast pace so you don't give them time to get bored, you don't give them time to think about what the next twist is going to be because it happens so fast.

THR: Was there a storyline you weren't 100 percent sold on in the beginning that ended up moving forward?

Williamson: I remember when we came up with the. I said we can only bring Katherine in once or twice. We had written the first episode and we were down on set watching Miss Nina portray her in that little black outfit and slink her way to set. I said, "OK, we might need to rethink this." We kept saying we'd see her in three or four episodes, and the next thing you know, Katherine took over. We recreated the storyline. She was always supposed to be the puppeteer and the mastermind off-camera, and we brought it on-camera. It gave us another true villain and for Damon another adversary.

THR: Has Twitter affected your ability to maintain a level of secrecy?

Williamson: I do feel like spoilers get out there, whether it be the blogs or leaks within the studio and network. We've had a couple of big twists spoiled on the Internet and I'm always sad about that. I do know that if something is spoiled and given up and read it, and then that episode airs three weeks later, it doesn't hurt us too much. Most people who read those blogs, they read it so they can learn the spoilers and it doesn't keep them from watching.

THR: What is the most frequent note you receive from the network or studio?

Williamson: We write so quickly that it'll be a note going, "Could you explain what they mean in this moment?" We're such a serialized show that if you didn't watch last week, you're not going to understand this week. So we try our best in Act 1 to reset, we try to stick in exposition to explain what's going on.

THR: What were conversations like casting a pivotal character like Klaus?

Williamson: I wanted someone who felt European, who felt old world. Clearly, I went to the accents. Joseph Morgan came in and he nailed it. He had the sense of humor that I wanted Klaus to have. The way we always described is, "Klaus can out-Damon Damon." We teased this season between Damon and Klaus, but there's so much material, it's an open minefield next year between Damon, Stefan and Klaus. The originals, here they come.

THR: Why do you think some of the TV shows you created in your career didn't last?

Williamson: When I brought "Hidden Palms," I wrote it on spec and said, "Here's a story about a kid who moves to Palm Springs and moves in next door to a teenage serial killer." It was a teenage "Dexter." As soon as it got picked up, they went, "We don't know about that 'Dexter' part." It was a little bit of wrong time, wrong network. I probably should've put that script in a drawer and waited.

THR: As a showrunner, what is your biggest challenge?

Williamson: The deadlines. TV goes so fast; you're filming one, you're editing one, you're prepping one and you're writing one all at once. You've got your hands in seven different episodes all at one time. It's hard to juggle from time to time, particularly if one has a hiccup.

THR: Any other projects?

Williamson: I'm halfway through a new feature and I'm halfway through a new TV show, but they're just sitting there waiting for me to dive into them. Both are in the thriller realm: one's horror and one's more dramatic thriller. 

Stefano Langone never wanted to win "American Idol"

Reuters, LOS ANGELES, April 23: Eliminated "American Idol" contestant Stefano Langone said on Friday he never wanted to win the talent show, but saw it as a way to launch his own musical career.

And, in an unusual decision, the 22 year-old said he had deliberately kept secret his true self and his piano skills from the 25 million strong audience on the most-watched TV show in the United States.

"When I came out for 'American Idol' I never really wanted to be the American Idol. It was getting that foot in the door in the music industry," Langone told journalists on Friday.

"It is hard to really show your chops on the show...One thing I really wanted to save and keep close to myself was my original music and my piano playing. That is something I want to show to the world (in the future) and I think will be very special," he added.

Langone finished in what he called "lucky 7th" place on the show on Thursday after finding himself in the bottom three on three occasions. He had been a judge's wild card choice for the top 12.

During the competition, Langone had been urged several times by judges to make more effort to connect emotionally with his material.

The ebullient, fresh-faced singer said on Friday he wanted to forge a career that combined the singing style of Stevie Wonder and Bruno Mars, along with collaborations with rap artists.

"I am going in a different direction than any other American Idol really has," Langone said. "There is a wide open crowd and market out there now and I am ready to pounce on it."

"When I am off this show, I am really going to show the world what kind of impact I can make," he added, saying he was "completely at peace" with his early exit.

Langone's departure leaves six singers -- double bass-player Casey Abrams, rocker James Durbin, Lauren Alaina, Jacob Lusk, Haley Reinhart and country singer Scotty McCreery -- in the running for the "American Idol" title and a guaranteed recording contract.

The "American Idol" finale airs on the Fox network on May 24 and 25. Past winners include such Grammy-winning artists as Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson.

Mel Gibson breaks silence on domestic violence scandal

Reuters, LOS ANGELES, April 23: Mel Gibson has broken his silence on his damaging domestic violence scandal, calling the leak of angry personal phone calls with his then-girlfriend last year a "personal betrayal."

The Oscar-winning director of "Braveheart" described the leaked tapes, in which Gibson was heard ranting, swearing and threatening Russian girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva, "terribly humiliating and painful for my family."

Gibson added that he did not care if he ever acted again.

"I've never treated anyone badly or in a discriminatory way based on their gender, race, religion or sexuality -- period," Gibson told Hollywood journalist Allison Hope Weiner in a lengthy interview for website Deadline Hollywood on Friday.

Gibson last month pleaded no contest to a charge of hitting Grigorieva, the mother of his baby daughter, as their relationship broke down in early 2010.

He was sentenced to three years probation, a year of counseling and community service.

In his first public comments on the saga, Gibson said the tapes of phone calls leaked a year ago were edited, adding; "It's one terribly, awful moment in time, said to one person, in the span of one day and doesn't represent what I truly believe or how I've treated people my entire life."

"Who anticipates being recorded? ... Who could anticipate such a personal betrayal?" Gibson said.

Gibson's longtime manager left him, his movie "The Beaver" was delayed for months, and actors on the sequel to comedy "Hangover 2" refused to work with him because of the fall-out of the sexist and racist remarks on the tapes.

They were leaked to the media as Gibson was trying to make an acting comeback after making vicious anti-Semitic remarks during a 2006 drunken driving arrest, and the end of his 28-year marriage.

The delayed movie "The Beaver", in which Gibson plays a depressed husband who communicates through a beaver hand puppet, is now to be released in the United States on May 6.

But Gibson seemed unconcerned by what movie-goers would think of him as an actor now.

"I don't care if I don't act anymore," he said. "I could easily not act again. It's not a problem. I'm going to do something now because I want to do it and because it's fun."

Gibson said he was working on a "total bodice-ripping swashbuckling" comedy movie project in which he hoped to take a supporting role.

Actresses Whoopi Goldberg and Jodie Foster were among the few Hollywood stars to publicly defend Gibson at the height of the Grigorieva scandal last year.

Gibson was not surprised at the lack of support.

"Why would anyone want to speak publicly and drag themselves through this crap? ... Very many people are supportive of course, but you find out who your friends are."