BANGLADESH

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has rebutted opposition claims that the economy is in a tailspin.

"I want to tell you that the economic situation has not become critical. We have managed to keep it running. We are better placed given the world economic recession," she said on Saturday.

Speaking at function at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre marking the 40th National Cooperative Day, she refuted claims that there is a liquidity crisis.

"Many say that there is no money. But we have received billions of taka from the renewal of mobile-phone operators' licences. A few months later we will be receiving another such boost," the prime minister said.

Hasina chided critics of government steps to develop agriculture. "Money shall flow to villages. Our economy is agro-based. If needed, all the money will go to villages.

"We will do whatever is needed to save the farmers who sweat to grow crops for us. We want them to develop."

Opposition BNP has been saying that the government's failures to manage the economy have put it in a crisis and prices of essential commodities have hit through the roof after it raised fuel price.

POWER SUBSIDY

Hasina said she had instructed the Power Division to cut supplies for two days to those who wrote newspaper articles questioning the need to generate power by subsidising the sector.

"They will write in the comfort of air-conditioned rooms using the power we generate. Let them feel what it feels like without power for two days."

She added that no previous governments have been able to add so much power to the national grid as her current administration has.

"We have addressed one at a time the problems that were there when our government took over. We have produced 5,600MW of power."

She urged the people to save more power and said, "People start screaming when power prices are hiked. But it costs to generate power and lay transmission lines."

"Slums get illegal power connections with which the residents do their daily chores. We sometimes overlook the matter as these drifting people have to cook and survive."

The prime minister pointed out that government officials are no longer required to in office wearing suits in the summer to cut down on use of electricity-guzzling air conditioners

"What you wear depends on how the weather is. No need to wear suits in summer."

COOPERATIVES FAIRS LAUNCHED

Hasina went on to enlarge on the guideline on farming unused lands through cooperatives. "The owner will get less, the cooperatives will get a share and the farmers, who grow the crop, will get the most."

She added that emphasis should be put on encouraging women entrepreneurs.

"The goods produced by the cooperatives will have to be collected and marketed properly," Hasina asserted and stressed on cooking-ready goods.

"There are 1.7 to 1.8 billion Bangladeshi expatriates living abroad. The food market will not shrink despite the world recession. Make sure no land remains unused."

Eighteen entrepreneurs and 20 organisations were given National Cooperative Award for the years 2009 and 2010 respectively at the function.

Rural development and cooperatives secretary Mihir Kanti Majumder presided over the programme where LGRD and cooperatives minister Syed Ashraful Islam, state minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanok, cooperatives department registrar Mushfeqa Ikfat and National Cooperatives Union president Sheikh Nadir Hossain Lipu also spoke.

Women entrepreneur Rahima Begum also who spoke at the function said she now owned seven transport vehicles without taking help from anyone.

The prime minister inaugurated online cooperative market exchange and spoke to the participants of Dhaka Metropolitan Rural Development and Cooperative Fair through video-conference.

She also declared cooperative fairs open around the country.

Law enforcement agencies will launch combing operation in areas under the Comilla City Corporation (CCC) from Thursday to recover illegal arms and arrest outlaws ahead of the maiden elections to the newly-formed city corporation scheduled for Jan 5.

The Election Commission (EC) has also decided to deploy 1,500 law enforcers in the areas going to polls from Jan 3 to Jan 7.

Returning officer of CCC election Abdul Baten gave the details to the media at the EC secretariat on Monday, after a meeting with top officials of law enforcement agencies.

Chief election commissioner A T M Shamsul Huda presided over the meeting. Among those present were election commissioners M Sohul Hussain and Brig Gen M Sakhawat Hussain (retd), EC secretary M Sadik and representatives of the home ministry, police, different detective branches, Ansar, Village Defence Police (VDP), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and Bangladesh Coastguards.

Baten said while 22 law enforcers will be normally deployed at each centre on the polling day, there will be 24 law enforcers on duty at each centre considered "risky". Besides, he said, five law enforcers will be posted outside the polling centre and another eight in each ward solely for patrolling.

The EC has declared as valid candidature of nine mayor aspirants and 288 ward councillor candidates after scrutiny of nomination papers. The councillor aspirants include 65 women.

The deadline for withdrawal of nomination papers is Dec 14, and election symbols will be allotted to the finalised candidates the following day.

Comilla City Corporation was formed by merging Comilla municipality and Comilla Sadar municipality (south) on July 10 this year, thereby meeting a longstanding demand of the locals. It has 27 wards.

Announcing the election schedule on Nov 22, chief election commissioner A T M Shamsul Huda had said that electronic voting machines would be used for the first time at all polling centres in the civic elections, dismissing protests from the BNP.

The cabinet has approved a new law to curtail human trafficking with capital punishment topping the punitive measures.

The endorsement came at a regular meeting on Monday, headed by prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her spokesperson Abul Kalam Azad told journalists.

"The cabinet has approved a draft law to prevent and curb human trafficking with the highest punishment including death sentences and Tk 0.5million fine. The proposed bill will be tabled in parliament and on approval, will become a law."

The cabinet also approved the draft New Year's speech of the president, to be delivered at the first session of parliament in the upcoming year, he added.

The prime minister's press secretary also said that the cabinet also approved in principle Prime Minister's Education Assistance Trust Act 2011, Ship Breaking and Ship Recycling Act 2011 and Bangladesh Citizenship Act.

It approved a list of 127 foreign dignitaries, including the then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi, who will be conferred state honour for their outstanding contribution to the 1971 Liberation War.

The council members approved the list when the liberation war affairs ministry placed it as per the proposal of the sub-committee led by the foreign minister.

State minister for liberation war affairs A B Tazul Islam said a list of 124 foreign dignitaries was placed in the meeting, which after some deletions and additions contained 127 names.

The junior minister said that the special state honour would be conferred in different categories and only Indira Ghandi would be conferred with "Swadhinata Sammanona" (freedom honour award), the highest State Honour.

The late Indian prime minister, Indira had extended all-out support to the freedom of Bangladesh by sending troops to fight against the Pakistani occupation forces, providing shelters, food and medicines to 10 million people who fled their home to India, and giving trainings, arms and ammunition to thousands of freedom fighters of Bangladesh to attain liberty.

He said that the two other state honours – Bangladesh Muktijuddho Sammanona and Muktijuddho Moitree Sammanona – would be given to celebrated statesmen, politicians, philosophers, artistes, litterateurs, intellectuals and noted citizens and organisations for their tremendous contribution to the Liberation War, to mark the 40th anniversary of independence next year.

"The state honours will be given away sometime between Jan 10 and March 26 next year. The date will be finalised as per the schedule suggested by the prime minister. The function will be held in the Parliament Plaza of parliament building," the state minister added.

The police have arrested four more suspects, including the man who had reportedly gunned down Narsingdi municipality mayor Lokman Hossain on Nov 1.

Nazmul Hasan Sharif, 26, was arrested from Dhaka on Sunday.

The others were subsequently arrested based on information provided by him. The police also recovered a revolver, bullets and some masks from Ghoradia in Narsingdi district.

Narsingdi district superintendent of police (SP) Khandaker Mohiduddin said Mazmul has admitted taking part in the murder.

The three others arrested for suspected involvement in the murder are Sarwar Hossain, 31; Awlad Hossain, 23; and Mir Delwar Hossain, 35.

With this, 12 persons have been arrested till date. Of them, only one is accused in the case.

SP Mohiduddin said Nazmul and Awlad were arrested from Nandipara, under Khilgaon police station's jurisdiction in the capital.

Acting on their statement, the police later arrested Sarwar from Chapulia village, under Joydevpur police station in Gazipur district, and Delwar from Ghoradia in Narsingdi.

From them, the police recovered a revolver, masks, 22 rounds of bullet and the clothes the killer was reportedly wearing that fateful evening.

Doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) had declared Lokman, 43, dead about three hours after he was shot by a masked gunman in front of the Awami League (AL) office at the district headquarters' Sadar road around 8pm on Nov 1.

Lokman, two-time gold medallist as the best mayor, was also the ruling party's town unit general secretary.

The murder case filed on Nov 3 by Lokman's brother Kamruzzaman accuses telecommunications minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju's brother Salahuddin Ahmed Bachchu and 13 others, mostly leaders and activists of the AL.

The prosecution has moved the war crimes tribunal to issue arrest warrant for Jamaat-e-Islami's guru and former chief Ghulam Azam for his role in the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.

The appeal was made on Monday after chief prosecutor Ghulam Arieff Tipoo submitted a 52-point charter of charges to the three-judge tribunal headed by Justice Nizamul Huq on Monday.

The tribunal accepted the charges and forwarded the submission to the court's registrar.

After formal submission of the charges to the registrar, the prosecution would now urge the tribunal to arrest Azam, the prosecution said.

On Nov 1, the prosecution informed the court that they had received an investigation report on 89-year old Azam and that they were working on it. They had also handed in a copy of the report for the tribunal's record.

The chief coordinator of the tribunal's investigation unit Abdul Hannan Khan said that they had recommended his arrest in the report.

"There are 40 witnesses in the 360-page report on Ghulam Azam and over 400 documents."

He also pointed out that since the alleged crimes were committed 40 years ago, the investigators had collected all kinds of documents available from those times, in addition to witness testimonies.

The prosecution brought formal charges against Azam with a recommendation to issue a warrant for his arrest. "There will be a hearing about the arrest warrant if the tribunal takes the charges into cognisance," prosecutor Syed Haider Ali told .

Tipoo told journalists that the submission of formal charges against the former Jamaat chief "reflected people's desire" to see the war criminals tried.

The prosecution has evidence of Azam's direct involvement with more than 100 crimes in 52 different incidents. "We have elaborately presented the investigation agency's report in the court," he said.

Prosecutor Rana Dasgupta alleged that Ghulam Azam had been on good terms with the Pakistani military government before and after the 1970's election.

A few days after the 70's election, Azam and leaders of different political parties, who were defeated in the election, met then Gen Tikka Khan – who was known as the Butcher of Bengal and the martial law administrator – and decided to form the 'Peace Committee', he said.

On the third day of 'Operation Searchlight', a night when hundreds of thousands innocent people were massacred, a peace committee of 140 members headed by Khwaja Khairuddin was formed. The following day, another six-member committee was formed to supervise their activities. "Ghulam Azam's name was second from the top in the committee," the prosecutor added.

On the fourth day after the 'Operation Searchlight', they expressed their oneness with Pakistan in a statement saying, "this operation was justified, otherwise, Pakistan would have been divided," he said.

Pakistani authority formed different associate committees like 'Rajakar', 'Al Badr', 'Al Shams', 'Pioneer Force', 'Mujaheed Bahini' etc with direct assistance of Azam. He recruited people for these committees and managed arms," Dasgupta added.

The investigation coordinator said as a key player, Azam had damaged the country in two ways: first by leading the infamous, 'Peace Committees' and secondly by collaborating with the Pakistan Army.

Investigator Matiur Rahman said there was compelling evidence against Azam illustrating his guilt.

"He led the Peace Committee and was also the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami in [1971]. He gave all the orders."

He also advocated in Pakistan's support in the Middle Eastern countries during the war, according to the report.

He stayed in London for seven years after 1971 and came back to Bangladesh during the rule of Ziaur Rahman in 1978. He led Jamaat as its Ameer until 2000.

Trials of war crimes against Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammed Mojaheed, Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, Abdul Kader Molla and BNP leaders Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Abdul Alim are currently ongoing.

They face charges of crimes against humanity, murder, rape, vandalism, setting fire.

Charges were framed against Jamaat's central executive committee member Delwar Hossain Sayedee on Oct 3. Tribunal has already begun recording witnesses' testimonies.

"He was responsible for the atrocities caused by the Pakistan army and its associates from then on. Everything was done under his leadership. We got elements to frame charges against him from the investigation agency's report," he added.

"Ghulam Azam was involved in the killing of 38 people who were pulled out of prison on an Eid night during the liberation war in Branmanbaria's Kairtal area," the prosecutor said replying to a media query.

Prosecutor Zead Al-Malum had submitted an investigation report to the tribunal on Nov 1.

The government has rendered the economy toothless, the opposition leader has said.

"Every sector, including the garments industries, is in the grip of crisis," Khaleda Zia said, speaking at the closing ceremony of BATEXPO 2011 on Monday.

"Many local industries are being acquired by foreigners. This is an ill omen," she added.

The 22nd Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition (BATEXPO 2011) was held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre from Dec 10 to 12.

The BNP chairperson spelt out an 11-point charter of demands for the RMG sector on the occasion.

The demands include reducing Chittagong port charges, reduction of banking charges and interest rates, resolving gas and power crisis, ensuring the flow of working capital for the sake of industries, increasing the export promotion fund, building captive power plants, building central ETPs for industries, arranging low-rent dormitories for workers, making diplomatic efforts for quota-free access to American markets and making foreign Bangladeshi missions more effective.

"I want the owners to know, you will receive all kinds of cooperation from our side," Khaleda said.

"The government claims it is industries-friendly, but its deeds do not reflect that," she alleged.

"The income tax in garments industry has been raised by 50 percent, and there is a 15 percent VAT on floors and spaces used for garments industries," she added.

She urged the government to reconsider its decisions.

She alleged that remittance and foreign aid had declined and the labour market had shrunk.

"The economy is on the brink of collapse. There are no new jobs, factories are shutting down and commercial banks are suffering from loan crisis. The government is running the country on loans," she alleged.

Khaleda also alleged massive corruption in the government purchases related to new power plants.

"Power and gas have landed this industry in crisis," she said.

Speaking at the inauguration of BATEXPO, prime minister Sheikh Hasina had said, "We have added more than 2,500 MW to the national grid. Twenty-nine power plants have been set up (after her government assumed office) and we will soon add another 3555 MW to the grid."

"BNP government did not add even a megawatt of power to the grid," she had said.

Khaleda Zia, speaking to the RMG business leaders, said, "You must remember, workers are the life-force of a production industry.

"You must take more steps to improve their condition."

Khaleda congratulated BGMEA for their successful implementation of the new pay scale and introducing service-booking for the workers.

She warned that the global economic crisis was worsening and alleged that the government was not doing anything towards guarding the country against its impacts.

She also outlined various steps taken for the development of the textile sector during her term as the prime minister.

Professor Kabir Chowdhury, the celebrated academic and writer, died peacefully in his sleep, his family announced Tuesday morning.

"He was a heart patient and apparently his pacemaker failed," daughter Shaheen Kabir, a retired professor of Jahangirnagar University, told .

"He died in his sleep," she said, "sometime early in the morning in his Naya Paltan home."

Chowdhury taught English literature at Dhaka University after a career in the government education service and emerged as a leading figure in the fight against communalism and religious fanaticism in the last decades.

Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister, has been leading the nation mourning a man who led the formulation of her government's education policy recently.

A Masters in English literature, graduating in 1944 from the Dhaka University, Kabir Chowdhury was appointed education secretary in 1972 immediately after the independence war when his celebrated younger brother Munier Chowdhury was killed by the collaborators of the Pakistani army.

Speaking to  in one of his last long interviews, he spoke of the necessity to upload human values. "I wish I had more time to write. I wish the days were a bit longer than 24 hours," said Kabir Chowdhury whose essays and speeches inspired activists.