HK votes for new legislature

HONG KONG: Hong Kong voters began casting ballots at hundreds of polling stations on Sunday to elect a new legislature, with the city’s bruised democratic camp aiming to hold its ground against resurgent pro-Beijing rivals. At stake is the pro-democracy camp’s control of one third of the legislature, without which Hong Kong’s reformists would lose crucial influence over political reforms aimed at moulding a model of universal suffrage by 2017, with Beijing’s consent. Hong Kong’s pro-democracy camp which includes the Democratic Party, Civic Party and more hard-line factions has been hampered by infighting and a surge in post-Olympic nationalism which could benefit rival pro-Beijing and pro-establishment candidates. Since 1997, when Hong Kong was handed back to China after 156 years as a British colony, the legislature has served as a check and balance on the city’s government, led by a Chief Executive selected by a largely pro-Beijing, 800-seat electoral college.



‘Khaleda Zia to be freed this week’

DHAKA: Detained former Bangladeshi premier Khaleda Zia has appealed for bail in two remaining graft cases, paving the way for her release from custody this week, her lawyer said on Sunday. Nasir Uddin Ashim said her team of lawyers petitioned for bail in the country’s high court, which has granted her bail in two other cases. The government wants Zia to go overseas for medical treatment in exchange for the participation of her Bangladesh National Party (BNP) in upcoming elections. “We expect she would be released on bail by Thursday,” Ashim said. The emergency government has released Zia’s eldest son and heir apparent, Tareque Rahman, after he was granted bail on all 13 charges of graft against him.



‘Iranian satellite launched with China, Thailand’

TEHRAN: A joint research satellite of China, Iran and Thailand was launched on a Chinese rocket on Sunday aimed at boosting cooperation on natural disasters such as earthquakes, an Iranian minister said on Sunday. The announcement came just a few weeks after Iran said on Aug 17 it had put a dummy satellite into orbit on a domestically made rocket for the first time. US officials said the attempted launch was a failure. Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Soleimani said the three countries had worked together on the satellite which he said was equipped with cameras. ‘This morning it was launched successfully and it was placed into orbit,’ he told state television, without giving details.



BD United Airways to fly to India

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s private airline United Airways said on Sunday it would open its first international route with a daily flight between Dhaka and Kolkata from Sept 24. United Airways also plans to introduce flights on the Chittagong-Kolkata, Dhaka-Kathmandu and other regional routes soon, to meet fast-growing demand for air travel, said Tasbirul Ahmed Choudhury, head of the company. The airline, which began flying on Bangladesh domestic routes in 2007, will initially operate international flights with two Canadian Dash-8-100 aircraft. It plans to add two more Dash-8-300s and six big jets for its international operations within the next five years, Tasbirul said. New destinations would include India’s Guwahati, Mumbai and Chennai. “We also hope to expand our operations to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Bahrain and Dubai by July 2009,” Tasbirul added.



Dhaka relaxes ban on trade unions

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s army-backed interim government on Sunday relaxed emergency rules to allow limited trade union activity, after transport workers threatened to go on strike over demand for bargaining rights. “Certain emergency provisions have been relaxed for allowing trade union activities in factories, industrial units and business enterprises,” a Home Ministry statement said. Trade union activities were banned after the interim government took over in January 2007, following months of political violence, and imposed a state of emergency. The Bangladesh Transport Workers Union threatened last week to go on indefinite strike from Sept 14 unless curbs were removed or eased. “Labour organisations and trade unions will be allowed to hold meetings inside their offices with prior permission from authorities.” the ministry said. Under the emergency, all political activities, street protests and rallies were also banned. But the authorities relaxed the ban on indoor politics in the middle of this year.