Chance to Legalise Fake Handsets

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Mar 30  Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has directed mobile-phone operators to initiate a process in the next six months to legalise all illegal handsets in use on payment of certain amount of money.

As per the directive, the operators have to launch a scheme, named Genuine IMEI Implant Programme (GIIP), under which illegal handset users will be able to get an IMEI number on payment of Tk 50.

Every handset is supposed to have a 15-digit distinct IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number, which enables detection of a handset.

BTRC chairman Zia Ahmed said the directive has been issued to ensure national security and prevent handset theft and use of 'fake' handsets as well.

According to BTRC, 30 percent of the imported handsets are fake. Presently, 86 million people use mobile phone in Bangladesh.

The directive has already been communicated to all the mobile-phone operators and handset importers and vendors.

BTRC sources said fake handsets are widely being used in criminal activities, but detection of a handset is not possible if it does not have an IMEI number.

According to the BTRC directive, the GIIP has to be initiated after it is confirmed that each mobile phone operator has established its own NEIR (National Equipment Identification Registrar) system.

Once the system is introduced, mobile phone operators will get cell phone number along with the SIM and IMEI numbers from the signal sent by each phone call.

Handset without having an IMEI number can be detected using the system.

The IMEI number of a handset can be checked by pressing *#06# in a single dial.

The BTRC has also asked the mobile-phone operators to build a database of IMEI numbers and keep updating it.

The NEIR system will be connected with Central Equipment Identity Registrar (CEIR) and Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) so that the handset can be detected even if it is in use outside the country.

Mobile service operators can block the illegal handsets after implementing the BTRC directives.

BTRC has urged the operators to launch media campaign for discouraging use of fake handsets and their theft.

MasterCard, Visa warn of Security Breach

DHAKA NEWS

New York, Mar 30 MasterCard Inc and Visa Inc have notified US banks of a potential security breach, the latest in a string of incidents that have put the personal information of millions of credit card holders at risk.

The companies, which are the two largest global credit card processors, said the issue stemmed from a third-party vendor and not their own internal systems.

Following news of the breach, the shares of Atlanta-based Global Payments Inc were halted after dropping more than 9.1 percent. A representative did not immediately return a request for comment.

Several other processing companies, including Heartland Payment Systems Inc, VeriFone Systems Inc and First Data denied responsibility for the potential breach. Card Systems Inc and WorldPay did not immediately respond to inquiries about the matter.

MasterCard said it notified law enforcement officials and has hired an independent data-security organization to review the possible breach.

A US Secret Service spokesman said the agency was investigating, but declined to give any specifics about the breach.

"MasterCard is concerned whenever there is any possibility that cardholders could be inconvenienced and we continue to both monitor this event and take steps to safeguard account information," the company said in a statement. "If cardholders have any concerns about their individual accounts, they should contact their issuing financial institution."

Visa emphasized that customers are not responsible for fraudulent purchases.

The companies' statements came after the blog Krebs on Security reported that MasterCard and Visa Inc have been alerting banks across the US about a "massive" breach that may affect more than 10 million cardholders.

Thousands of US banks that issue credit and debit cards receive daily alerts regarding breaches through a system referred to as CAMS, said Thomas McCrohan, an analyst with Janney Capital Markets.

Once a person swipes a card to pay, the transaction then is sent through a chain of processing. The breach likely occurred at a central aggregation point where card information is calculated, said Avivah Litan, security analyst at Gartner Research.

"Those transactions are aggregated" and sent to a server, Litan said. "It has a lot of hops along the way" before the card information reaches a processor.

The Visa-Mastercard breach is the first major instance this year of consumer information put at risk by technological flaws or hacking.
Last June, Citigroup Inc said computer hackers breached the bank's network and accessed data of about 200,000 card holders in North

America. Sony also reported several recent attacks, including one last year in which hackers accessed the personal information on 77 million PlayStation Network and Qriocity accounts.

Google Inc also suffered a major attack on its Gmail accounts in 2011 that it said appeared to originate in China.

When Rupert Murdoch acquired Times Newspapers Limited in 1981, Evans was appointed editor of The Times. However, he remained with the paper only a year, resigning over policy differences relating to editorial independence.

Dhaka Desperate for Indian Cotton

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Mar 30 Bangladesh is negotiating with India to reverse the ban on cotton exports and import the fibre 'under any condition', commerce minister Ghulam Muhammed Quader said on Friday.

"Cotton is needed for readymade garment sector and as a SAARC country we want India to allow us to import under any condition," he said at the inaugural ceremony of the three-day 11th SAARC and Travel Mart 2012 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

India imposed a sudden ban on cotton exports on Mar 5, but partially rolled it back on Mar 12, following political pressure and an angry reaction from farmers. India, the world's second biggest producer of cotton after China, barred exports to secure domestic supplies after sales exceeded the government's estimate of the country's exportable surplus.

The Indian government is considering selling cotton to Bangladesh by way of a contractual agreement between the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) and its counterpart in Bangladesh.

The commerce ministry has said India's ban on cotton export was against global trade norms, and repeatedly stopping the shipments of the natural fibre by the country impacted its textiles industry.

During its meeting with India's commerce secretary Rahul Khullar, a visiting Bangladeshi delegation led by commerce secretary Md Ghulam Hussain raised concern over restrictions imposed by India on cotton exports.

The Bangladesh side said it needed a minimum of 1.5 million cotton bales from India every year.

After the programme, minister Quader told  that the trade agreement between Bangladesh and India had been renewed for three years without any change.

"Our commerce secretary went to India to discuss the cotton and other trade related issues," he said.

The commerce secretary-level Joint Trade Commission meeting between the two countries was held on Mar 28-29 in New Delhi.

Finance minister AMA Muhith at the programme said intra-SAARC trade is only 5 per cent of the grouping's total trade and it can be increased by enhancing cooperation.

"We are definitely progressing in that direction," he said.

Civil aviation and tourism minister Muhammed Faruk Khan said: "Economic development is the name of the game, and trade and tourism are the two sides of the coin."

Thirty Indian, 18 Pakistani and 10 firms each from Nepal and Bhutan are taking part in the 11th SAARC trade fair.

The main focus of the event is on promoting business information services to importers and exporters for making use of trade opportunities in South Asia.

'Govt picking people's pocket' Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Mar 30 Senior BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain has said the government raised power price to get 'commission' by setting up quick rental power plants.

"It is for the fifth time this government has hiked the electricity price over the last three years [in its tenure]. The decision on the latest power price hike has worsened public plight," the former energy minister told a discussion at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Friday.

"It will not only raise the prices of essential commodities, but also mount public sufferings by further increasing transport fares," he added.

The government on Thursday increased electricity price by Tk 0.28 per unit for bulk users and 0.30 per unit for retail users on average for the second time this year.

He claimed no power was generated from quick rental power plants for the people and providing subsidy for such plants is 'pick people's pocket'.

About prime minister Sheikh Hasina's remarks that the government has added some 3,000 megawatts of electricity to the national grid in the last three years, Mosharraf said, "If she is true in her remarks, why is there severe load-shedding in the country?"

Power outages go on for eight hours in the urban areas and for 16-18 hours in the rural areas, he said. "Where does the 3,000 megawatt power of the national grid go?" he posed the question.

Claiming that the government has totally failed in all sectors, Mosharraf said, "Being isolated from the people, it's now telling lies and spreading propaganda frequently to fight the BNP."

The BNP leader at the function organised by the 'Youth Forum' unveiled the cover of a book titled 'Liberation War and Martyred President Ziaur Rahman'.

BNP will return in 90 days: Matia Chowdhury

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Mar 30 Senior Awami League leader Matia Chowdhury believes the BNP will return to parliament sometime in the next 90 business days again in a thinly veiled dig at the opposition MPs.

Opposition MPs joined the ongoing parliament session on Mar 18 after an average absence of 77 days. According to law, a lawmaker loses his seat if absent for 90 consecutive business days.

"The opposition chief [Khaleda Zia] could not bear the thought of losing money, so she went to parliament just before being absent for 90 days," Awami League Presidium member Matia Chowdhury told a rally on Bangabandhu Avenue on Friday.

The ruling Awami League organised the rally to celebrate the legal win against Myanmar in the maritime dispute and observe the "demise of autocratic government."

Bangladesh won against Myanmar on Mar 18 over the over sea limit dispute. The Awami League has also been observing Mar 30, the day the BNP government was forced to step down accepting a caretaker government system in 1996.

"I can vouch before the public that they [BNP] will return to parliament before they are absent for 90 days," Chowdhury, the agriculture minister, added.

Parliament was again hit with boycott of BNP legislators when it resumed on Thursday after a recess of seven days.

Speaker Abdul Hamid also criticised the opposition for not attending the Thursday session. BNP, however, says its MPs will not return unless the remarks by the government leaders that the party had taken money from Pakistan's spy agency ISI in the 1991 elections are deleted from parliamentary records.

Dhaka Metropolitan Awami League took out the rally from the party headquarters at Bangabandhu Avenue which came to an end near Suhrawardy Udyan.

Hundreds of party's city activists joined the programme carrying national flags and colourful banners, festoons having portraits of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibar Rahman and the party chief Sheikh Hasina.

Before the start of the programme, the ruling party's central leaders praised the government for the win against Myanmar over maritime dispute and criticised BNP activities during the case at a UN tribunal.

"With the sea limits win against Myanmar, Sheikh Hasina has presented 'another Bangladesh' through legal and diplomatic battle," Chowdhury said.

She added Hasina will again ride to power with public mandate foiling all opposition conspiracies and hoped that Bangladesh will also win against India over the sea limit dispute.

Terming Khaleda 'an agent of Pakistan', Awami League joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif alleged: "The opposition is conspiring to overthrow the present elected government."

"They (BNP) are involved in conspiracies to save the war criminals as they took money from ISI," Hanif said.

'Public Annoyed with AL-BNP fight' Jatiya Party Chairman H M Ershad has said

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Mar 30 Jatiya Party chairman H M Ershad has said the people are fed up with the bickering between the ruling Awami League and opposition BNP which can only be avoided if his party goes to power.

"We want peace and no fight. Only plough [his party's election symbol] can ensure your well-being," the deposed former military dictator said addressing a rally at Gazipur on Friday.

Ershad again announced at the rally, organised by his party, a partner of Awami League-led ruling combine, that Jatiya Party would contest the next parliamentary election independently.

"No more in any alliance. The time to walk alone has begun," he said.

Criticising the government, he said: "From newspaper reports it can be seen clearly that there is no supply of gas, power and water in the country. There is no control over the price hike of essentials either."

"Garment industry is getting destroyed for lack of gas and power… There is no peace among the people," he added.

"You will run into traffic congestions if you want to move. There is poison in the food and police will pick you up if you try to speak against all these," Ershad continued.

"They (people) want respite from all of these. They will get everything if I assume power again," he said.

The rally was organised in observance of the Independence Day.

Presided over by district unit president of the party Kazi Mahmud Hasan, the rally was also attended by other senior leaders including Kazi Zafar Ahmed and ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader.

Quader Sees plot Against Padma Bridge

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Mar 30 The communications minister on Friday claimed that a quarter was plotting at home and abroad to stop the government starting the construction of the long-awaited Padma bridge.

"A quarter active both at home and abroad is against the start of Padma bridge construction work within the tenure of the present government," Obaidul Quader told a programme organised by SAARC Cultural Association at the Supreme Court Bar Association auditorium.

He said: "The quarter that is putting priority to their personal gains over the public interest will be eventually disappointed."

Since taking over as the communications minister, Quader has been saying that the construction of the bridge would start during the incumbent government's tenure.

On a different note, he said damaged roads and bridges would be mended before the start of the next rainy season.

Claiming that his office functioned properly in the last four months, Quader said: "Those who are against the pace of work of the ministry are spreading rumours against my office. They need to keep in mind that truth prevails over rumours."

"I'm not afraid of the criticism and propaganda. But they hurt me," he said.

Speed of Light' Experiment Head Quits

DHAKA NEWS

Rome, Mar 30 The Italian professor who led an experiment which initially appeared to challenge one of the fundaments of modern physics by showing particles moving faster than the speed of light, has resigned after the finding was overturned earlier this month.

Italy's national institute of nuclear physics INFN said on Friday that Antonio Ereditato had stepped down as coordinator of the so-called OPERA experiment but had no comment beyond saying it "took note" of his decision.

It was not immediately possible to reach Ereditato for a comment.
The experiment measuring the speed at which sub-atomic particles called neutrinos travelled from the CERN research centre in Geneva to Gran Sasso in central Italy at first appeared to show they had flown the 730 km stretch 60 billionths of a second faster than light.

Had it been confirmed, the finding would have disproved Albert Einstein's 1905 Special Theory of Relativity, one of the foundations of modern physics and cosmology, which holds that nothing in the universe can travel faster than light.

The result of the experiment was later called into question by separate experiments and CERN said the OPERA result appeared to be the result of a measurement error or malfunction.