Killings on Border : Dhaka lodges protests, BSF regrets

Indian Border Security Force (BSF) yesterday regretted the deaths of four Bangladeshi nationals along the borders on Friday and Saturday. 

 Meanwhile, Bangladesh lodged a strong protest with the Indian authorities condemning the killings and called for an inquiry.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Director General Maj Gen Anwar Hossain yesterday told The Daily Star: “In the morning (yesterday), when I contacted the BSF chief over the phone he expressed his sorrow and said it is unexpected.”

He added that the BSF chief had also sent a high profile team to the spots in Indian territory to investigate the incidents.

The killings took place in the border areas of Dinajpur, Kurigram and Meherpur districts -- three of them were killed in Indian territory and another in Bangladesh.

The bodies were handed over to the BGB yesterday and Saturday.

A foreign ministry official yesterday said the government in a letter expressed its disappointment that the incidents took place despite firm assurances from the highest level of the Indian government against recurrence of border killings.

It also urged India to take necessary steps to stop recurrence of such incidents.

Contacted, a competent official at the Indian High Commission in Dhaka last night told The Daily Star that no official statement was received by then from the Indian government in this regard.

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Elizabeth Taylor Christie's auction fetches $150m

A four-day New York auction of the belongings of Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor has fetched more than $150m, with one leather-bound film script selling for 50 times its estimate.

The late actor's script of The National Velvet, her first big film, sold for $170,000 at the Christie's auction.

Earlier in the week, one of her necklaces featuring a 16th Century pearl sold for a record $11.8m (£7.6m).

The star of Cleopatra died in Los Angeles in March at the age of 79. 

Christie's chairman Marc Porter described the response to the sale as "nothing short of overwhelming with multiple bidders competing for every lot".

Part of the proceeds will go to The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation, which she established in 1991.

The "Collection of Elizabeth Taylor" auction concluded on Friday night after four days of sales of jewellery, haute couture, furniture and memorabilia. 

An online-only auction of some 1,000 items from the actress's estate finishes later on Saturday.

The Hollywood legend was renowned for her love of diamonds and emeralds - and received many as gifts from her twice husband Richard Burton.

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Dell to invest for long term

“Dell believes that Bangladesh is one of the key emerging economies in Asia, and we intend to invest here for the long term”, said Harjeet Rekhi, Dell's general manager for the Developing Markets Group in South Asia.

Rekhi said this during a press meet to share Dell's strategy to deliver solutions that help customers navigate the ever-changing IT environment and make the most out of their IT investments in the virtual era. 

He also highlighted Dell's commitment to strengthen its channel partner network in Bangladesh and grow the company's presence in the enterprise, consumer and public sector segments.

“As an end-to-end IT solutions provider, Dell is uniquely positioned to provide customers with full-suite solutions to help them manage their IT infrastructure from end user device to the data-centre to the cloud. Dell is committed to bringing our comprehensive offerings to customers in Bangladesh and working hard to be their trusted IT advisor,” said Rekhi.

He further said the company is strategically working with its channel partners, who play a significant role in Dell's effort to deliver technology and ensure that their customers are well-ahead of the game instead of simply `keeping up'. 

This includes providing them with advice on designing, implementing, testing and running IT infrastructures that are dramatically more cost effective, energy efficient and scalable. 

The consumer segment is also a key to the company's growth plans in Bangladesh. Rekhi said Dell aims to deliver great computing experience to customers with its wide range of products and solutions designed for the user segment such as Gen-Y and students, families with kids, and mobile professionals.

At the meet, Rekhi informed that Dell now has the strongest portfolio of IT solutions in the company's history.

He said the company sees value in driving the business around solutions and services -- that support its broader strategy to penetrate the mid to large enterprise segment -- with a much higher ingredient of intellectual property.

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Russia oil rig capsizes off Sakhalin, dozens missing

At least two people have died and more than 50 are missing after an oil drilling rig sank in freezing seas in the Russian far east.

The Kolskaya rig was being towed some 200km (125 miles) off Sakhalin island when it capsized in a fierce storm.

Fourteen people have been rescued but it is feared the rig overturned before the rest of the 67 people on board could escape on to life rafts.

Rescue efforts have been hampered by poor weather conditions.

Helicopters and a plane helped scour the area amid high winds and waves of up to 12ft (4m) but the search was halted as night fell.

Empty life rafts

 

"According to reports from the scene of the rescue operation, the Kolskaya platform has sunk completely," the regional head of the emergencies ministry, Taimuraz Kasayev, told a news briefing.

The accident in temperatures of -17C at around 14:00 local time (0200 GMT) in the Sea of Okhotsk happened as the rig was being towed from the eastern peninsula of Kamchatka to Sakhalin.

An unnamed regional emergencies ministry spokesman told the AFP news agency that the portholes of the rig had been "damaged by ice and waves, and water began going into the vessel".

He said the crew had been waiting to be evacuated by helicopter but the platform capsized and sank before they could get to their rescue rafts.

Two out of the four life rafts were reportedly found with nobody on board.

The spokesman confirmed to AFP that 14 people had been rescued but were in a serious condition, and two bodies "without signs of life" had been spotted by rescue workers who are "trying to pull them out".

An investigation has been launched to decide whether any safety regulations were violated transporting the Kolskaya in bad weather. 

The rig, operated by Russian exploration firm Arktikmorneftegazrazvedka, was not involved in any drilling work at the time, and there is no danger of any oil spill, Russian officials said.

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Egypt troops, protesters clash again, widening rifts

Protesters and troops fought in Cairo on Sunday, the third day of clashes that have killed 10 people and exposed rifts over the army's role as it manages Egypt's promised transition from military to civilian rule.

Troops have set up barriers on streets around Tahrir Square, the hub of the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak and now again convulsed by violence as protesters demand that the generals who took charge in February quit power.

Soldiers in riot gear were filmed on Saturday beating protesters with long sticks even after they had fallen to the ground. A Reuters picture showed two soldiers dragging a woman lying on the ground by her shirt, exposing her underwear.

The violence has overshadowed a staggered parliamentary election, the first free vote most Egyptians can remember, that is set to give Islamists the biggest bloc.

Some Egyptians are enraged by the army's behavior. Others want to focus on voting, not street protests.
The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces will retain power even after the lower house vote is completed in January, but has pledged to hand over to an elected president by July.

"The army council must go," said a protester with a bandaged head, who gave his name as Mohamed, after another night of clashes between soldiers and activists who had stayed in Tahrir.

Nearby dozens of youths hurled rocks at troops behind a barrier of barbed wire and metal sheets.
"It's cat-and-mouse. The army raid and retreat," protester Mostafa Fahmy said by telephone, shortly before dawn.

A hardcore of activists have camped in Tahrir since a protest against army rule on November 18 that was sparked by the army-backed cabinet's proposals to permanently shield the military from civilian oversight in the new constitution.

Bouts of violence since then, including a flare-up last month that killed 42, have deepened frustrations of many other Egyptians, who want an end to protests. They see the military as the only force capable of restoring stability.

Hundreds of protesters were in Tahrir in the early morning, some huddled round fires to keep warm in the chill air after troops had burned down their tents the day before.

Reuters television footage showed one soldier in a line of charging troops firing a shot at fleeing protesters on Saturday, though it was not clear whether he was using live rounds.
The army said it does not use live ammunition. It has also said troops had tackled only "thugs," not protesters.

'ATTACK ON THE REVOLUTION'

Protesters and soldiers have hurled rocks at each other. Some demonstrators have also lobbed petrol bombs at army lines. A building with historic archives was gutted by a fire.

Health Minister Fouad el-Nawawy told local television 10 people had been killed, most of them on Friday or early on Saturday, and 441 wounded. State media said at least 200 people had been taken to hospital.
Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri, 78, said 30 security guards outside parliament had been hurt and 18 people wounded by gunshots. He blamed violence on youths among the protesters.

"What is happening in the streets today is not a revolution, rather it is an attack on the revolution," the army-appointed premier said.

The army says it has sought to separate protesters and troops to quell the violence. On one of the main streets leading from Tahrir to the cabinet and parliament, where violence has been fiercest, the army has erected a wall of concrete blocks.

State media have gave conflicting accounts of what sparked the violence. They quoted some people saying a man went into the parliament compound to retrieve a mis-kicked football, but was harassed and beaten by police and guards. Others said the man had prompted scuffles by trying to set up camp in the compound.
The latest bloodshed began after the second round of voting last week for parliament's lower house. The staggered election began on November 28 and will end with a run-off vote on January 11.

The Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist parties repressed in the 30-year Mubarak era have emerged as strong front-runners.

Referring to the Cairo clashes, the Brotherhood said the military must apologize for the "crime that has been committed"

In a statement, the army council "expressed its regret about events" on Friday, but stopped short of an apology.

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