Iran fired on US drone over Gulf: Pentagon

Reuters, Washington
Iranian warplanes fired at an unarmed US drone in international airspace last week but did not hit the aircraft, the Pentagon said on Thursday, disclosing details of an unprecedented incident that triggered a formal warning to Tehran through diplomatic channels.
The November 1 intercept was the first time Tehran had fired at an unmanned American aircraft, in a stark reminder of how tensions between the United States and Iran could escalate quickly into violence.
If Iran had hit the drone, as the Pentagon believes it was trying to do, it could have forced American retaliation - with the potential consequences that entails.
According to the timeline provided by the Pentagon, two Iranian SU-25 "Frogfoot" aircraft intercepted the American drone at about 4:50am EST (0850 GMT) as it conducted a routine, but classified, surveillance mission over Gulf waters about 16 nautical miles off the Iranian coast.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said the aircraft fired multiple rounds at the Predator drone and followed it for at least several miles as it moved farther away from Iranian airspace.
"We believe that they fired at least twice and made at least two passes," he said.
International airspace begins after 12 nautical miles and Little said the drone at no point entered Iranian airspace. Last year, a crashed CIA drone was recovered inside Iran.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was quickly notified of the incident, as were members of Congress and the White House, Little added. The United States also sent Iran a warning through diplomatic channels, saying it would defend its military assets and would keep sending aircraft on such surveillance operations.
"There is absolutely no precedence for this," Little said. "This is the first time that a (drone) has been fired upon to our knowledge by Iranian aircraft."
Many questions about the incident remain, including why Iranian warplanes could not manage - if they wanted - to shoot down an unarmed drone, which lacks advanced capabilities to outmaneuver them.
Asked whether the Iranian aircraft were simply firing warning shots, Little said: "Our working assumption is that they fired to take it down. You'll have to ask the Iranians why they engaged in this action."
There was no immediate comment by Iranian officials.
SANCTIONS TIGHTENED
President Barack Obama has resisted calls from inside the United States and Israel for military action against Iran, focusing instead on crushing rounds of sanctions, which were tightened again on Thursday.
The United States imposed sanctions on Iran's communications minister and the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance for jamming international satellite broadcasts to Iran and censoring and closing newspapers and detaining journalists.
The sanctions are part of broader efforts to isolate Tehran, which denies US accusations that it seeks to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of its civilian atomic program.
In an effort to drive Iran to compromise, the United States and the European Union have gone for the jugular - Iran's oil exports - over the past year.
The United States and Israel, which regards a nuclear-armed Iran as a threat to its existence, have also hinted at the possibility of military strikes on Iran as a last resort.
Obama has said the United States will "do what we must" to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and has repeatedly said that all options are on the table - code for the possibility of using force.

Obama to make historic Mayanmar trip

Fresh from his election win, Barack Obama will this month become the first US president to visit Myanmar, the White House says.
He will meet President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
It is part of a three-leg tour from 17 to 20 November that will also take in Thailand and Cambodia.
The government of Myanmar has begun implementing economic, political and other reforms, a process the Obama administration sought to encourage.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was previously the most senior US official to go to Burma when she visited in December 2011.
'Democratic transition'
Obama's Burma stop is part of a trip built around the summit of the Association of South East Asian Nations in Cambodia, which leaders from China, Japan and Russia will also attend.
In a statement, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama intended to "speak to civil society to encourage Burma's ongoing democratic transition".
The BBC's David Bamford says the trip - Obama's first foreign initiative since his re-election this week - reflects the importance that the US has placed on normalising relations with Myanmar.
This process has moved forward relatively swiftly, our correspondent adds, and it represents an opportunity for the US to have a greater stake in the region and so at least partly counter the dominant influence of China.
Reforms have been taking place in Myanmar since elections in November 2010 saw military rule replaced with a military-backed nominally civilian government.
Since then many political prisoners have been freed and censorship relaxed.
The party of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was released from years of house arrest after the elections, has rejoined the political process after boycotting the 2010 polls. It now has a small presence in parliament after a landslide win in by-elections in April.
In response, the US has appointed a full ambassador to Burma and suspended sanctions. It is also set to ease its import ban on goods from Burma, a key part of remaining US sanctions.
Human rights groups are likely to criticise Obama's visit as premature, given that the ruling government has failed to prevent outbreaks of communal violence in the west of the country.
Clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine state have left more than 100,000 people - mostly members of the stateless Muslim Rohingya minority - displaced.

It's time to move forward: Hina

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said on Friday that it is time to move forward to a better relationship between Pakistan and Bangladesh forgetting the past.
In response to her Bangladeshi counterpart Dipu Moni's advocacy for a formal apology from Pakistan for the genocide and atrocities committed by Pak army during the 1971 Liberation War, Hina the 35-year old charismatic emissary said this on Friday.
"Since 1974, Pakistan in many occasions have already regretted for the 1971. It's time to look forward for the progress of the two nations", Foreign Secretary Mizarul Quayes told the journalist quoting Hina who met Dipu Moni.
Dipu told Hina that relation between Bangladesh and Pakistan will improve only after resolving the outstanding issues which include formal apology from Pakistan on 1971 genocide.
The Pakistan foreign minister held the meeting with her Bangladeshi counterpart Dipu Moni at the foreign ministry for twenty-minutes starting from 11:25am.
Earlier around 10:15am, Hina arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal Airport by a special flight to invite Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Islamabad to attend the Developing-8 Summit on November 22.
Foreign Secretary Mizarul Quayes received her at the airport.
After the meeting with Dipu Moni, Hina called on the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganobhaban around noon and handed over the invitation letter to her.
The Pakistan foreign minister later met BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan residence.
Before leaving Dhaka, Hina told journalists that she had come to Bangladesh to invite its Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to attend the D8 summit set.
“I have been received with a lot of warm hospitality here and I hope we will give very warm reception when Bangladeshi prime minister and foreign minister will visit Pakistan,” she said.
“I just want to say that I bring the message of a future between our relation which is strong, which is guided by the strong words of religion of cultural affinity that exists between the people and the two countries, and we hope that future of the two countries will be even better than the past, ” Hina further said.
Later, she left Dhaka completing her five-hour visit around 3:30pm.

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Mir Quashem quizzed at 'safe home'

Star Online Report
Investigation officers quizzed Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quashem Ali at the ‘safe house’ in Dhanmondi in connection with crimes against humanity committed during the country’s Liberation War in 1971.
Investigation officer Nurul Islam told The Daily Star that they started the interrogation around 10:00am and continued till 5:00pm with an hour-long lunch break.
Quashem’s counsel Tajul Islam said that his client was taken to the ‘safe house’ for quizzing as per the permission from the International Crimes Tribunal-1.

Earlier on September 15, the investigation officers had quizzed Quashem Ali on the same charges, he said.
The tribunal-1 on October 8 allowed the investigation officers to interrogate him one more day at the same house.

The government has provided the War Crimes Tribunals a house, which is called the ‘safe house’ in Dhanmondi to interrogate the accused.
Quashem is currently an Islami Bank director, a member of Ibn Sina Trust, and also a director of the non-government organisation Rabeta Alam Al Islami.

From: thedailystar.net

Killers to be brought to book: MKA

Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir on Saturday said those who were directly or indirectly involved in the killing of four national leaders and those who obstructed the trial process in this regard would be brought to justice.
"Obstructing the trial process is a punishable offence and those who’re involved in obstructing the trial process of the jail killing case will be brought to justice,” the home minister said.
He made the remark while talking to reporters after offering special prayers at the cell of Dhaka Central Jail where the country’s four national leaders were killed on this day in 1975.
Earlier, Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Telecommunication Minister Shahara Khatun, Jute Minister Abdul Latif Siddique, State Minister for Home Advocate Shamsul Haque Tuku, Sayed Shafayet Islam, son of national leader Syed Nazrul Islam, and Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique placed wreaths at the portraits of the four national leaders at the cell.
“The nation will get rid of the stigma through ensuring punishment to the killers of the four national leaders,” the home minister told the journalists.
“We’ll get united to resist the killers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Matia Chowdhury said, “Those who showed their negligence in performing their duties in the four national leaders killing case and destroyed the evidence will be punished.”
Brig Gen (retd) Syed Safayet Hossain, son of national leader Syed Nazrul Islam, said he hoped that the Appellate Division will uphold the High Court verdict.
The government on Thursday submitted a concise statement to the Supreme Court for the hearing of appeal against the verdict of the High Court division in the jail killing case, acquitting some key accused.
On November 3 in 1975, the four national leaders and heroes of the country’s Liberation War -- Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Capt Mansoor Ali and AHM Kamruzzaman -- were killed inside the Dhaka Central Jail.
On Oct 20 in 2004, the Metropolitan Sessions Court Judge Matiur Rahman awarded death sentence to three former army personnel -- Risaldar Moslem Uddin, Dafadar Marfat Ali Shah and Abul Hashem Mridha -- and life imprisonment to 12 others in the jail killing case.
The HC in 2008 upheld the death penalty of Risaldar Moslem Uddin, but acquitted Dafadar Marfat Ali Shah and Abul Hashem Mridha. It also acquitted four others who were awarded life imprisonment.
Earlier, the ministers, including the home minister, placed wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.

Visit highly successful: Khaleda

Opposition leader and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Saturday met Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and later termed her visit to India as “highly successful” and her talks with Indian leaders as “fruitful”.
“My visit to India was highly successful. I discussed with Indian leaders how to strengthen Bangladesh’s relations with India and my talks were fruitful,” Khaleda said while talking to Bangladeshi journalists, who accompanied her, at the Indira Gandhi International Airport shortly before leaving India.
Asked if BNP would change its policy towards India, Khaleda avoided a direct answer and said “we have to do everything through talks”, reports our New Delhi correspondent.
She said her talks with Indian leaders took place in a “cordial” atmosphere.
Referring to her talks with Mukherjee at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the morning, she said all bilateral issues, including border killings, had come up during the meeting.
BNP Vice Chairman Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury said the meeting between Mukherjee and Khaleda lasted for about 55 minutes.
Khaleda told Mukherjee that poverty is a major problem afflicting India and Bangladesh and if this can be overcome, some of the problems between the two countries can be solved, her apparent reference to the problem of illegal cross-border migration from Bangladesh.
During her weeklong stay in India, Khaleda had held talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who hosted a lunch for her, Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid, main opposition BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Nitin Gadkari besides Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and National Security Adviser Shivshanker Menon.
Khaleda also did sight-seeing in Jaipur, the capital city of the desert state of Rajasthan, and prayed at the Ajmer Sharif.

Let your home blossom this Eid

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
Cleaning and preparing the house for Eid day can be a frantic and frenzied task, especially if you are a busy mum with loads to do both at home and beyond. As the hectic days of Ramadan pass by in a mad rush, one is seldom left with time to think about ways of making their homes look appealing during Eid day. For such individuals, shortcuts to home décor for Eid are the way to go.
One such element that can readily transform your home from a dull and drab dwelling to a colourful and lively abode is flowers. Flowers are one of the most natural ways to embellish your home, and has the added advantage of going easy on your workload as well. All you have to do is visit a flower shop nearby that offers a wide range of flowers and select the ones you like to create a perfect combination for some bouquets.
You can also string flowers into garlands and roll them around in staircase handles or on walls to spread their fragrance and enhance the festive mood. Use of colour can also drum up the jollity, so use red, yellow, pink and golden as the colour theme for this occasion.
We now get to find many flower shops in the city that offer a wide range of flowers to choose from, both local and imported. One such flower shop is Pushpo Bitan, situated in Shimanto Square Shopping Mall in Dhanmondi. The shop specialises in imported flowers, ones that you rarely get to see in other shops. They have their own bouquet designer who has his own catalogue of designs from where you can select the desired one. He will also help you create your own customised flower bouquet by taking your suggestions. The flowers in their display this Eid includes Carnation, Rose, Lilly, Chrysanthemum, Emilia, Orchid and many more. Also, if you want to add a unique touch to your home this Eid, you can grab one of their miniature bonsai trees or cactus plants. The price for the bouquets ranges from Tk.500 to 6000, depending on the type and quantity of flowers. You can decorate your bouquet with the various accessories they offer, like nets, ribbons, cellophane, etc.
Flowers can be very easy to work with and even easier to get hands on at a reasonable price. It adds dollops of splendour to your dwelling and makes it smell good. So, give your home a touch of festivity with flowers this occasion and bring out the designer in you.
From:Thedailystar.net

Home gardening STS and Mannan Mashhur Zarif

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed
My grandfather was a 'plant lover'. From the cactus on the table at his office, to the age-old trees that line the road in front of Sir Salimullah Hall- his abode as a student of DU- his passion for plants was wide and varied. Everyday after returning from the office, he would put on his gardening gear- lungi and a tee shirt, armed with his gardening gadgets and head to his garden. It was his respite; even in his dying days he never gave up visiting the green sanctuary that he had himself built with his own hands.
But times have changed. The city is a stifling place. Where there previously used to be lawns and gardens, are now concrete apartment buildings.
A large proportion of us city dwellers don't have the luxury of a sprawling garden, but that should be no impediment to having plants inside our homes. Other than their environmental benefits, plants also beautify a place and lend character to an otherwise droll setting.
Gardening in tropical and humid climates such as ours is an ordeal but once you get the hang of it you will see it more as an adventure and less as a chore. Not all plants are suited for indoor cultivation, but you can easily grow outdoor plants such as Hibiscus, Miscanthus cabaret, New Zealand flax, Cardinal lobelia, Canary reed-grass (ground-cover), Kalanchoe (annual plant), Agave (for sandy well-drained soil) in a patch of land overlooking the patio, if you have one.
However, many tropical plants require some extra care as they perish quite easily if they do not find the favourable conditions in your garden. The trick is to follow some simple, basic rules.
The obvious thing to be careful about is the quality of soil. Tropical plants need well-soaked soil, so make sure that the soil in your garden or flowering pot is capable of retaining moisture for a long time after watering.
Another consideration is the choice of fertilizers. For instance, tropical flower plants should not be supplied with too much of nitrogenous fertilizers; it hampers their normal growth. It increases the growth of the leaves, but decreases the blooming of the flowers. Also, apart from nitrogen rich chemicals, fertilizers containing phosphorus and potash are also recommended for tropical plants. You may use these in minimal quantity, so that they do not hamper the growth of the plants.
As mentioned earlier, not many of us have an outdoor space in which to indulge our gardening aspirations. As a seasoned gardener says, “Plants in the outdoors get a lot of rainfall in our climate, except in the winter. But when plants are indoors, it is very important to keep them hydrated by watering the pots at least once a day. Also important is to remember that plants should be kept close to a light source, preferably by a window, because as we all know green plants cannot survive without sunlight.”
The prevailing temperature is a major factor in determining whether your plants will thrive or wilt. Generally, it is useful to keep your plants outside in the summer, and inside during the winter. Although it is recommended that the plants have some sort of heating during the winter, as frost is undesirable for their normal growth, it is not relevant for plants in Bangladesh because of our mild winters. However, if you live in the northern parts and it gets quite chilly, use a heating source at your own discretion; by then you should have developed quite a green thumb.
It is best not to take too much upon yourself. If you have no prior experience or knowledge of gardening, it is important that you consult and take the advice of someone who has done it before. Information on how much fertilizer to use and what to grow can only be supplied by an experienced gardener who has a firm grasp of local conditions. With so much information at our fingertips, it is quite easy to go online and hunt around for tips, but that must be complemented by sound practical knowledge.
We automatically think that gardening is for someone else to do and that it's too much of a hassle. You may be surprised however, at how easily you grow into the role of gardener once you start doing it. Although it may seem unlikely now, you may even begin to share a bond with the plants that you have nurtured from little saplings; it's only natural.
Tips on Home Gardening
If horticulture is your passion, or you are merely in pursuit to add greenery both in and outside your home, there are certain thumb rules that you must follow. Home gardening, though far from a strenuous task, requires consistent maintenance and nurturing. You must take care of your plants but always remember that 'too much' care often causes more harm than good.
“How much to water?” is an age-old question raised by home gardeners. Too much water floods the plants and cripples them from absorbing the minerals and nutrients from the soil. Whereas insufficient watering dehydrates plants, making the branches limp and lifeless.
The species of your plants plays a role in determining the right amount of water that it requires. A thorough research should be conducted before implementing the necessities. If you feel too lazy to read books and magazines to learn about plant care, at least ask the vendor of the nursery you buy your plants to inform you about plant care.
It is pivotal that the appropriate amounts are showered. One deep watering is much better than watering lightly several times a day. If the weather pertains to hot and humid conditions, a little more than usual water should be sprinkled.
Uninvited moss, grass and mould of various genres take residence in the nearby alleys or on the flower plants in your outside garden. Instead of bending over to tug at the roots of these or scrubbing them off, sprinkle sufficient amount of regular table salt directly on the areas. Salt chokes the life out of these.
Plants and stagnant water bodies are homes to dengue and malaria causing mosquitoes. Remove any water deposits in your gardens as a preliminary precaution to preventing the spread of any disease. Insecticides and pesticides should be sprayed on a regular basis.
Pruning limbs and branches is necessary for a healthy growth and a less disease-prone garden. Air out plants stored within confinements at least once a week to filter out any germs, which might have been dwelling in them.
Consider planting insect repelling plants such as but not limited to-
Ants: mint, tansy, pennyroyal;
Aphids: mints, garlic, chives, coriander, anise;
Mice: onion;
Squash Bug: radish, marigolds tansy and nasturtium.
These plants have their own chemically designed defence systems and when placed among flowers and vegetables they keep unwanted pests at bay.
By Sanjana Rahman

Syrian rebels kill 28 soldiers, several executed

Anti-government rebels killed 28 soldiers on Thursday in attacks on three army checkpoints around Saraqeb, a town on Syria's main north-south highway, a monitoring group said.
Some of the dead were shot after they had surrendered, according to video footage. Rebels berated them, calling them "Assad's Dogs", before firing round after round into their bodies as they lay on the ground.
The highway linking the capital Damascus to the contested city of Aleppo, Syria's commercial center, has been the scene of heavy fighting since rebels cut the road last month. Saraqeb lies about 40 km (25 miles) south of Aleppo.
In other developments, China put forward a new initiative to resolve the 19-month-old conflict, including a phased, region-by-region ceasefire and the setting up of a transitional governing body.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Beijing had made the proposal to international peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi - whose own call for a truce over the Muslim holiday of Eid was largely ignored by both sides.
The United States meanwhile has called for an overhaul of Syria's opposition leadership, signaling a break with the largely foreign-based Syrian National Council to bring in more credible figures.
A meeting in Qatar next week of foreign powers backing the rebels will be an opportunity to broaden the coalition against President Bashar al-Assad, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in Zagreb on Wednesday.
The United States and its allies have struggled for months to craft a credible opposition coalition, while Assad has counted on the support of Russia, Iran and, to a lesser extent, China.
International efforts to end the violence have all foundered.
More than 32,000 people have been killed since protests against Assad, an Alawite who succeeded his late father Hafez in ruling the mostly Sunni Muslim country, first broke out on city streets. The revolt has since degenerated into full-scale civil war, with the government forces relying heavily on artillery and air strikes to thwart the rebels.
CHECKPOINT ATTACKS
The army has lost swathes of land in Idlib and Aleppo provinces but is fighting to control towns along supply routes to Aleppo city, where its forces are fighting in many districts.
The head of the pro-opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdelrahman, said two of the attacked checkpoints at Saraqeb were on the Damascus-Aleppo highway. The third was near a road linking Aleppo with Latakia, a port city still mostly controlled Assad's forces.
"The rebels will not stay at the checkpoints for long as Syrian warplanes normally bomb positions after rebels move in," Abdelrahman said.
Five rebels died in the fighting and at least 20 soldiers were killed at the third site, including those shot after surrendering, he said.
The video footage showed a group of petrified men, some bleeding, lying on the ground as rebels walked around, kicking and stamping on their captives.
One of the captured men says: "I swear I didn't shoot anyone" to which a rebel responds: "Shut up you animal ... Gather them for me." Then the men are shot dead.
Reuters could not independently verify the footage.
The Observatory said the al Qaeda-inspired Jabhat al-Nusra rebel group was responsible for the executions.
Islamist rebel units are growing in prominence in the war - a cause for concern for international powers as they weigh up what kind of support to give the opposition.
US President Barack Obama's administration has said it is not providing arms to internal opponents of Assad and is limiting its aid to non-lethal humanitarian assistance. It concedes, however, that some of its allies are providing lethal assistance.
Russia and China have blocked three UN Security Council resolutions aimed at increasing pressure on the Assad government, leading the United States and its allies to say they could move beyond UN structures for their next steps.
China has been strongly criticised by some Arab countries for failing to take a stronger stance on the conflict. Beijing has urged the Assad government to talk to the opposition and take steps to meet demands for political change.
"More and more countries have come to realise that a military option offers no way out, and a political settlement has become an increasingly shared aspiration," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in Beijing.
He said China's new proposal was aimed at building international consensus and supporting peace envoy Brahimi's mediation efforts.