Nigerian troops have repelled a raid by armed militants on an oil-pumping station run by the local unit of Italy's Eni SpA, killing three attackers. Soldiers guarding the Tebidaba facility of the Nigeria Agip Oil Company Ltd. fought attackers who came in speedboats yesterday, capturing four injured militants, said Colonel Rabe Abubakar, a spokesman for the military task force in charge of security in the oil region.
Attacks by armed groups in the southern delta, which produces almost all of Nigeria's oil, have cut its crude exports by more than 20 percent since 2006.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, the main armed group fighting in the region, said its fighters were not involved in the Tebidaba incident as it was still abiding by its September unilateral cease-fire. "Whenever hostilities resume, we will take responsibility for any attack we carry out," Jomo Gbomo, spokesman for the group known as MEND, said in an e-mail today.
The militant group says it is fighting for the poor of the Niger Delta, who are yet to share in the oil wealth pumped from their region.
Nigeria's Niger Delta region, generating huge oil wealth, which is in contrast to the impoverished life of local people, has drawn worldwide attention in 2008 with rampant sabotage on oil facilities and kidnapping.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 01:25 ||
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Chevron called on the Nigerian military to rescue some hostages at an oil facility a while ago. The military did so, but killed one or more of the hostage takers in the process. Chevron was then sued for wrongful death, under the claim that the hostages were in no danger (and besides, were about to be released) so their was no reason to use deadly force. The case was tried in San Francisco. Amazingly enough, even the San Francisco court found in favor of Chevron.
Guinea's new military junta, buoyed by the backing of Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade, was to launch a charm offensive on Saturday to win international recognition after leading a bloodless coup. The move comes a day after the West African nation laid to rest longtime dictator Lansana Conte, who died on Monday aged 74 after 24 years at the helm.
The junta, in a statement read on national radio, said it would first hold an "informational meeting" at 1000 GMT with "representatives of civil society, political parties, religious faiths and unions".
A second meeting would take place at noon for representatives of the United Nations, European Union and African Union, the Group of Eight leading industrialised countries and the Economic Community of West African States regional bloc. The meetings will be held at the Alfa Yaya Diallo military camp near the airport in Conakry, the seaside capital.
The African Union Saturday however said it would continue to oppose the coup. "We see that the constitutional order has not been respected ... and the transition period fixed by the constitution is two months and not two years," said the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security Ramtane Lamamra told AFP.
The putschists, who earned wide global condemnation, on Friday received an unequivocal thumbs up from Senegal's leader Wade, an 82-year-old regional heavyweight. "I think that this group of soldiers deserves to be backed," Wade told reporters at Senegal's embassy in Paris, shortly after talking by telephone to Moussa Dadis Camara, putsch leader and self-declared president of Guinea.
Wade said he had been asked by Camara -- who addressed him as 'father' -- to serve as his spokesman to the rest of the world, and described the army captain as an honest young man who had taken power to fill a dangerous vacuum.
"This is the first time that the military has said, 'We'll organise elections and return to our barracks'," Wade said. "I call on all countries, the European Union, and in particular France, not to throw the first stone, but to take this group at their word."
France had earlier insisted Guinea hold free and transparent elections within six months.
"If you want elections where the people can express themselves clearly, you're going to need to draw up a voter register. That takes time. It wouldn't be technically possible to hold elections within two months," Wade said. Wade said he thought it would take at least eight months to hold a poll.
Asked whether Camara would himself be candidate for president, Wade said, "That's not his strategy. He's a pure young man who wants to do what's right and has no political ambition. He seems completely honest to me."
Camara on Thursday won the allegiance of Conte's prime minister Ahmed Tidiane Souare, who addressed him as 'Mr President' and told the coup leader that he and his ministers were ready to serve the junta.
Camara, who has already appointed a military-dominated governing council in place of the civilian government, assured Souare of his safety and told him that military rule was only temporary but underlined that elections will be held only in December 2010.
Conte, a chain-smoking career soldier who came to power in a coup after the death of Guinea's founding president Ahmed Sekou Toure was buried on Friday.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:56 ||
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Try comping their meal for a good review.
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12/28/2008 12:22 Comments ||
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The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today rushed a company of Government army troops to the north-east of the vast country, following reliable reports that elements of the Ugandan rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) had massacred at least 15 villagers.
According to the reports, the rebels, fleeing a joint military operation by the DRC, Uganda and Southern Sudan to flush them out of a remote national park in north-eastern DRC, committed grave violations of human rights against civilians in Faradje, 120 kilometres east of Dungu, killing the villagers, plundering and destroying houses, said the mission, known by its French acronym MONUC.
"MONUC is gravely concerned by these reports from reliable sources," the mission said in a statement. "At the request of the chief of staff of FARDC (the DRC army), MONUC today transported a company of Congolese soldiers to the area in order to prevent further attacks by the LRA," it added. "Tomorrow a second company will be transported to another town in Haut-Uélé, where another LRA group is operating."
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12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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Cape Town The African Union (AU) has condemned the return of coups d'état to the continent, describing the phenomenon as "a very serious setback in the ongoing democratization process in Africa."
Business as usual for much of the world these past 7,000 years ...
Government ministers attending a meeting of the AU's Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa this week issued three separate communiqués dealing with attempted or actual military takeovers during 2008. In one, the council condemned the attack launched by renegade military elements on the residence of President João Bernardo Vieira of Guinea-Bissau on November 23, a week after legislative elections had been held in the country.
In another, the council welcomed the recent release of Mauritania's President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi by the leaders of the August coup which overthrew him, but deplored the "obstinance" of coup leaders who are refusing to allow a return to constitutional rule.
However, it was in its response to Tuesday's coup in Guinea that the AU noted what it called "the resurgence of the phenomenon of coup d'état, which constitutes a threat to peace and security on the continent "
It said it strongly condemned the coup which followed the announcement of the death of President Lansana Conté. Citing the numerous ways in which the authors of the coup had breached Guinean and international law, it accused them of acting "in flagrant violation of the Guinean Constitution, the Algiers Decision of July 1999, the Lomé Declaration of July 2000, the Constitutive Act of the AU, the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council and relevant instruments of ECOWAS" (the Economic Community of West African States).
The Peace and Security Council asked AU's policy-making bodies to give in-depth consideration to the issue, including ways in which to give early warnings of and prevent coup attempts. The next African Union summit of heads of state will be held in Addis Ababa from February 1 to 3.
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12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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The African Union (AU) has condemned the return of coups d'état to the continent, describing the phenomenon as "a very serious setback in the ongoing democratization process in Africa."
Issued by a bunch of autocrats complaining that someone else was out for their phony-baloney for life jobs. That's the problem with the Palace Guard, they just don't know who's suppose to be in charge.
GENEVA (AP) - The United Nations says the cholera death toll in Zimbabwe has risen to over 1,500 and case fatality rates are increasing. The World Health Organization says 1,518 people have now died and a total of 26,497 cases have been recorded since the start of the outbreak in August.
The U.N. agency's figures indicate that more than two-thirds of deaths occurred in December alone. The percentage of cholera patients dying from the disease has risen to 5.7 percent from 4 percent at the beginning of the month.
The agency said in an update posted on its Web site Friday that the outbreak is not yet under control. It recommends neighboring countries scale up disease monitoring and preparedness but refrain from mass vaccination campaigns.
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12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia last night said if voted to power, her party will not seek revenge for her "sufferings during the emergency rule".
She also said they are ready to accept people's verdict in the general election. "Propaganda is on that if we form government, members of the armed forces might be subjected to reprisals for their 'special role' during the state of emergency. I want to say unequivocally that we don't believe in taking revenge."
In a pre-election address to the nation broadcast over Bangladesh Television and Betar, the former prime minister also said she considers the defence personnel to be an extension of her family. Urging all to vote the BNP-led four-party alliance to ensure "continuity of parliamentary democracy", Khaleda said, "We will respond to our sufferings by making the armed forces even stronger and more professional and pro-people."
She observed this election will decide whether the country will march ahead with its dignity and sovereignty, or resign itself to following dictates from abroad.
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12/28/2008 01:21 ||
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A four-party alliance parliamentary nominee allegedly re-encroached upon more than 11 acres of recovered public land in Rangpur, immediately after the joint forces had been withdrawn from civilian areas earlier this month.
The alleged land grabber is Alhajj Rahim Uddin Vhorosha, chairman of RV Group of Industries also the president of BNP Rangpur district unit, who is running for the Rangpur-4 seat on a four-party ticket.
Mohammad Khairuzzaman, union land deputy-assistant officer of Mahiganj, filed a general diary (GD) with the district headquarters police station in this regard on Friday. In the GD, the land official said the government with the assistance of the joint forces had recovered 11.27 acres of public land from the grip of Vhorosha in March last year, but as soon as the forces were withdrawn this month, Rahim Uddin Vhorosha, son of Moniruddin Paikar, of Sarai Haragachh, Kaunia in Rangpur, and his aides re-encroached upon the land.
"They already dug 20 to 25 ditches in the land in a bid to build permanent structures," the GD alleges. "We went to the land and ordered them to stop digging, but instead of paying heed to us, they rather threatened us. We had earlier informed the matter to the Kotwali police station," the land official said in the GD.
According to the GD, Khaizuzzaman and Deputy-assistant Officer Mohammad Gausul Azam found about 15 to 20 men working on the land, who continued to work even after being told to stop.
The higher authorities were informed of the matter, the GD adds saying there is a potential threat of violence erupting, if the administration again goes to the land to refrain Vhorosha's men from consolidating their grab on the public land. "Under the circumstances, we earnestly request you to take necessary steps to protect the public property," Khairuzzaman pleaded with the law enforcers in the diary.
When contacted, Vhorosha, however, denied his involvement in the land grab. "I don't know who grabbed the land," he said.
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12/28/2008 01:20 ||
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A union parishad (UP) chairman was killed in a 'gunfight' between his accomplices and the members law enforcement agencies in Uzirpur upazila of Barisal early today, our Barisal correspondent reports. The dead was identified as Abu Zafar Mollah, 45, Shatla UP chairman and a leader of outlawed Sharbahara Party.
Whether that's a splinter of the Biplobis I don't know ...
Police said they arrested Zafar and three of his cohorts Friday midnight along with a revolver from his union. Later, they conducted a joint raid along with Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on his union to recover arms and ammunitions.
Let's see: chairman of an illegal party, revolver, RAB, and joint raid in the middle of the night. I think I know what's going to happen next ...
As soon as the members of law enforcement agencies reached the area at about 4:30am, the accomplices of Zafar opened fire on, prompting a 'gunfight'.
Any of those accomplices found later? No? How surprising ...
Zafar tried to escape during the 'shootout' and sustained bullet injuries.
"Feets don't fail me ... [THUNK] .. arrrrggghh ..."
Uzirpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge told The Daily Star that Zafar's bullet-riddled body was found lying on a pool of blood after the 'gunfight'.
Bullet-ridden = one behind each ear ...
However, the accomplices of Zafar, who according to law enforcement members opened fire on them, managed to flee the scene leaving two revolver, one light gun and 12 bullets on the spot.
Told ya they wouldn't be found ...
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 01:19 ||
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Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her grand electoral alliance wants to bring a change to the country to establish a rule of honest people and economic freedom for the people with a popular mandate. "We want to restore democracy and establish economic freedom for the people of Bangladesh through the upcoming election, and for that change is needed. We want a rule of honest people, not politics of criminality, extortion and corruption. We want peace, not criminal activities, we want security for the people, not militancy," Hasina said.
Yeah sure, whatever, you want yourself in charge and the AL in the chips. Just say that ...
She was addressing a massive election campaign rally at the capital's historic Paltan Maidan amid unprecedented security measures including bullet proof glass fitted on the lectern and on almost the entire length of the front stage where she sat through the rally organised by the city unit of AL.
The former prime minister urged the audience to vote for the AL-led grand alliance nominees in the December 29 parliamentary election in order to save the country and its people from the 'looters, corruptionists, and the patrons of militants and criminal activities'. "We want to root out corruption and criminal activities from Bangladesh. Bangladesh should be developed and emerge with dignity in the global arena," Hasina said.
Introducing AL nominees for the parliamentary seats of Dhaka city, the AL chief urged the people to be united and to decide whether they will vote for corruptionists, criminals, and militants, or for those who will establish peace and security, and reduce prices of everyday essentials. As the crowd expressed their support for the grand alliance in the election by raising their hands, Hasina said, "InshAllah, people will vote for the boat and ensure grand alliance's victory and will free themselves from the hands of the patrons of criminals and corruptionists."
"We want to say, this country is for the people. We liberated the country through the war of liberation. So, there will be no place for looters, corruptionists and criminals in this country. The country must be saved from their hands," she said.
In her 22-minute address, the AL chief scathingly criticized the immediate past regime of BNP-Jamaat alliance for 'resorting to wide scale corruption, misrule, criminal activities, for sponsoring militancy in the name of Islam, for hiking up prices of everyday essentials, and for plundering thousands of crores of taka'.
She also urged voters not to vote for war criminals and anti-liberation forces. "We want to build Bangladesh in the sprit of the war of liberation, free from poverty and illiteracy," Hasina said greeting the crowd on the month of independence.
She pledged to reduce prices of everyday essentials, increase power generation, make education free up to the level of bachelor's degree, ensure community health care in every village, and to create employment for the youth, if voted to power. The AL president said, "We will make Dhaka a modern city free of criminal activities, traffic congestion, and power, water and gas outages, and will improve communication with other parts of the country."
Addressing the first time voters, Hasina said her electoral alliance wants to present a developed, prosperous and digital Bangladesh to the new generation by 2021, when the country will celebrate the silver jubilee of its independence. "We will build a developed country full of possibilities and free of poverty, where all will have access to health care and education, none will be illiterate, there will be food security, so no one is deprived of food, and the challenges of the 21st century will be faced properly," she said.
Criticising the immediate past BNP-Jamaat-led four-party alliance government, Hasina said the BNP-Jamaat alliance, after assuming power in 2001 'through vote rigging', hiked prices of all essentials and 'looted thousands of crores of taka which they siphoned off to foreign countries'.
She also alleged former prime minister Khaleda Zia and former finance minister M Saifur Rahman 'whitened crores of black money'. The BNP-Jamaat alliance has tarnished the image of the country abroad through extorting foreign telecom companies, Khaleda's son's siphoned off money was even traced abroad, she alleged.
The AL chief was also highly critical of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, BNP's key partner in the four-party electoral alliance, saying the Islamist party is guilty of mass killings and rape of thousands of women during the country's war of liberation, and it is now trying to grab the state power in the name of the religion. Saying that Islam is a religion of peace, the former premier, urged voters to beware of war criminals who are only using Islam for political gains.
She said the people do not want to see the national flag flying on the cars of anti-liberation war forces.
At the end of her speech Hasina became rather emotional when she was talking about the assassinations of her family members and about the curse of poverty on the poor people. She said she has been in politics for the welfare of the poor and the needy.
Like herself and her cronies ...
"I want to give the poor and the distressed relief from poverty and misery, and want to bring happiness to them to fulfill my father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's dream of building a golden Bangla. No matter how many threats and attempts are made on my life, I will continue to be in politics for their welfare."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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In a speech scathing about Awami League (AL) and its President Sheikh Hasina, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday called upon her archrival to shun 'politics of vengeance' and work together for the country. Addressing a mammoth election rally at historic Paltan Maidan in the city(The Daily Star)
Khaleda also apologised for mistakes if any made any during her rule in 2001-2006. The former prime minister, who leads the four-party alliance to the ninth parliamentary polls tomorrow, promised to learn from the mistakes if voted to power. "We were in power and might have made some mistakes. I express my sincere regrets for those and ask for forgiveness," she said as a great cheer went up from her supporters.
Then her lips fell off and her nose grew six inches.
Pleading for another chance to be in power, Khaleda said, "We will work in light of public opinions so we don't repeat the mistakes. We want to make a fresh start."
Pointing at her opponents, she said there is no time to bicker over the past. "Let's forget what happened and start working in unison to build a self-reliant nation, shunning politics of revenge and anarchy."
"After we kill them all!"
The BNP chief said hartal, blockade and siege cause huge losses to the country. "No matter which party we belong to and wherever we are, the country should take precedence over everything else. We need to work together to recover the damage done."
In her 50-minute speech punctuated by deafening roars from the alliance faithful, Khaleda urged people to vote her party and allies to save the country. "This massive turnout here shows you've already made history. I call on you to make another [history] by electing us on December 29."
"As your mother, I'm seeking your precious votes to save the country and people. I'm pledging myself to work towards a better future for you," she said.
Khaleda Zia spent most of her time criticising Sheikh Hasina, her party and the grand alliance. "They have formed grand alliance with Ershad, a great thief, who was jailed by a regular court, not any special tribunal," Khaleda said. Referring to AL, Khaleda said "all they do is crime and corruption".
As opposd to BNP ...
"Speaking for democracy and against corruption does not really suit them. They never worked for this nation while in power."
In a somewhat obvious reference to Hasina, she said, "Some leaders had flown out of the country, leaving people in danger. No-one can depend on them."
"I'd never desert my people or country, and I don't have any address abroad," she said.
Dismissing AL's allegations against BNP of patronising terrorism, she said the people know who are responsible for tentacles of terrorism sliding across the country. "They have a godfather in each district. Everyone knows who their godfathers in Dhaka, Narayanganj and Feni were."
"We'll deal with the graft menace with an iron fist," she said, adding that if voted to power, her alliance would allow the Anti-Corruption Commission free rein.
Unless it threatens the BNP, of course. Gads.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico's drug corruption scandals reached into the presidential guard as authorities identified an officer who served in the unit as a possible spy for the country's violent drug cartels. An official of the federal prosecutor's office identified Arturo Gonzalez Rodriguez on Saturday as an army major who was assigned to a unit of the presidential guard.
Prosecutors announced on Friday that Gonzalez Rodriguez had been placed under hour arrest for 40 days while he is investigated. The prosecution official said there are allegations that the officer passed information to the Beltran Leyva drug cartel in exchange for payments of as much as $100,000.
The prosecutor's office could not confirm what type of information the major purportedly passed to drug traffickers. But an official of President Felipe Calderon's office said that Gonzalez Rodriguez wasn't part of the elite section of the guard that takes care of Calderon's personal security or logistics. The official stressed that Gonzalez Rodriguez never had access to any information about Calderon's activities.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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In other news.... the Mexican president, his wife and a few close friends depart today for a two week vacation in Hawaii.
Sen. Harry Reid will command the biggest party majority of any Senate leader in a quarter century when the new Congress convenes in January. But the Nevada Democrat is already worried about his own re-election fight in 2010. I wonder if Santa delivers some Christmas presents late.
Sen. Reid, perhaps the most-vulnerable Democrat who will face re-election in a midterm race that is likely to favor his party once again, began interviewing campaign managers last week. The Senate majority leader also recently stepped up fund-raising.
Starting early could help Sen. Reid avoid the fate of his predecessor, Tom Daschle, who was Democratic leader for a decade before losing his re-election bid in South Dakota in 2004. Encore!
The current Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, narrowly won re-election in Kentucky this year.
Sen. Reid "saw what happened to Tom Daschle and Mitch McConnell," said Republican Sen. John Ensign, Nevada's the other senator. "He saw the consequences of being the majority leader or the leader of one of the parties." More likely he saw the consequences of being on Santa's naughty list rather than just happening to be a majority leader.
Jon Summers, a Reid spokesman, said Sen. Reid knows he will be a Republican target in 2010 and has been preparing for his re-election campaign for some time. He added that Sen. Reid's leadership position in the Senate is an asset, not a liability. "Being the majority leader means he can do things no one else can." "Harry! Get over here and give me your ears!"
"Yes, Nancy. But please don't pull on them so hard this time, Mistress."
Democrats have picked up a combined 13 seats in the past two election cycles. In 2010, more Republicans than Democrats are up for re-election, and Democratic incumbents appear to be well-positioned overall.
So sayeth the soothsayer two years in advance ...
Sen. Reid, however, faces a potentially tough fight. A recent Research 2000 poll of likely voters put his approval rating at 38% and his disapproval rating at 54%, a possible reflection of voters' displeasure with gridlock and partisanship in Washington. And while Nevada broke for President-elect Barack Obama by 12 percentage points in November, the state voted for President George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. Maybe if I'm real good between now and then Santa will let me have what's on my Christmas list.
As Senate majority leader, Sen. Reid is expected to play a critical role in shepherding Democratic Utopian priorities through the Senate, with a full pocket docket of legislation up for bipartisan consideration in the first year of the Obama administration.
Sen. Reid traveled to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico late last month to meet with his puppeteers campaign contributors. A spokesman for Sen. Reid said he expects to have $3 million in his campaign account at the end of the year, up from about $2.75 million on Oct. 1. Sen. Reid spent $7 million in his 2004 race.
Two Democratic Senate colleagues, South Dakota's Tim Johnson and Oregon's Jeff Merkley, have sent emails to their supporters seeking contributions to The Blue Dog's Sen. Reid's campaign. "Republicans are going after Harry Reid's Senate seat in 2010, and we can't afford to lose a great Democratic follower leader," Senator-elect Merkley wrote in his email. I wonder if Santa takes into consideration that this is about the best the Donks can do.
Who might square off against Sen. Reid is unclear. Nevada's Republican lieutenant governor, Brian Krolicki, declared his candidacy last month but was subsequently indicted for suspect accounting practices during his time as state treasurer. He has denied the charges. Tipped their hand a bit early it seems.
Another potential GOP candidate is former Rep. Jon Porter, who lost his House seat representing an area outside of Las Vegas in November after serving three terms. The Research 2000 survey showed Sen. Reid beating Mr. Porter 46% to 40% in a potential 2010 race, an uncomfortably narrow margin for an incumbent.
Democrats say Nevada is a former swing state that has swung to their camp. The party now has a 100,000-person registration advantage there. Since when were 100,000 Democrats considered an advantage? Except in an election, of course.
In 2004, the last time Sen. Reid was up for re-election, the number of registered Republicans and Democrats was about the same. This sort of sums things up in an odd sort of way . . . .
And just in case the first video doesn't make it past the mods, ;-)
#2
Nevada went blue this election. There's been enough import and immigration from Californistas to keep Harry in the seat unless the Trunks get motivated now, like finding a damn good alternative instead of the usual party hacks. Unfortunately, Trunks think things are self evident and don't need to be hammered home [that worked well before didn't it /sarcasm off].
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
GENEVA (AP) - The United Nations says the cholera death toll in Zimbabwe has risen to over 1,500 and case fatality rates are increasing. The World Health Organization says 1,518 people have now died and a total of 26,497 cases have been recorded since the start of the outbreak in August.
Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her grand electoral alliance wants to bring a change to the country to establish a rule of honest people and economic freedom for the people with a popular mandate. "We want to restore democracy and establish economic freedom for the people of Bangladesh through the upcoming election, and for that change is needed. We want a rule of honest people, not politics of criminality, extortion and corruption. We want peace, not criminal activities, we want security for the people, not militancy," Hasina said.
In a speech scathing about Awami League (AL) and its President Sheikh Hasina, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday called upon her archrival to shun 'politics of vengeance' and work together for the country. Addressing a mammoth election rally at historic Paltan Maidan in the city(The Daily Star)
