At least 21 killed in Bangladesh fire

Bangladesh has around 4,000 textile factories and many of them have poor safety standards [Reuters] At least 21 people have been killed and 50 others injured in a Bangladesh clothing factory fire, police officials say. The officials said that the six-storey building was engulfed in flames for more than two hours at the Garib and Garib Newaj garment factory in Gazipur district on Thursday. Local television stations said at least 21 people had died of burns or suffocation. Most of the casualties were likely to be women, who make up the bulk of Bangladesh's two million textile workers. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Labour rights groups say Bangladesh has around 4,000 textile factories and many of them are prone to fires as a result of poor safety standards. The textile industry in Gazipur district, located 50km north of the capital Dhaka, is one of the country's most important, accounting for more than $10 billion in exports annually, or 80 per cent of total exports mainly to the United States and Europe.

Source: Agencies

Iran says will respond to any new sanctions

--Reuters--

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks during a news conference in Tehran February 16, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Raheb Homavandi

TEHRAN (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday any country that tried to impose new sanctions on Iran would regret its actions, as the United States and Russia voiced shared concern about Tehran's nuclear program.

Ahmadinejad was speaking a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sought oil giant Saudi Arabia's support to help win Chinese backing for additional sanctions. Clinton said a new round of sanctions should target Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

"Iran will retaliate ... of course, if somebody acts against Iran our response will definitely be firm enough ... (to) make them regretful," Ahmadinejad told a news conference, without elaborating. "Sanctions will not harm Iran."

In Washington, the White House on Tuesday would not rule out any options -- including a military option -- for dealing with Iran's nuclear ambitions.

"I wouldn't rule out anything," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told a news briefing, adding that Iran's refusal to engage on its nuclear program was proof that the program "is not of the means and type that they have tried to convince others that it's for."

A joint letter from the United States, Russia and France expressed concern about Tehran's nuclear work and said its decision to escalate uranium enrichment -- rather than implement a nuclear fuel swap -- was unjustified.

Ahmadinejad said talks were still under way on the proposed fuel exchange and the issue was not yet closed.

He did not give details, but Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was visiting Tehran on Tuesday to try to salvage the U.N.-brokered uranium exchange deal amid growing calls for new sanctions against Iran.

"We have passed our own original proposals. We have brought up some ideas to unlock the impasse," Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin told Reuters in Ankara.

The State Department said it was not aware that any talks were under way, and repeated that any negotiations would have to take place with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which brokered the fuel swap proposal.

More protests for separate Telangana state in India

Andhra Pradesh has seen weeks of protests over the Telangana issue More protests have broken out in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh in support of the proposal to create a separate state called Telangana. At least 20 people were injured as angry students clashed with police in the state capital, Hyderabad. In December, Indian authorities said Telangana would be carved out of the northern districts of Andhra Pradesh, but later said more talks were needed. The state has seen weeks of violent protests for and against the proposals. Police used batons and fired tear gas shells to break up a demonstration by students at Osmania university on Monday morning. It was the second day of clashes between police and students at the university campus. No consensus Meanwhile, the state assembly speaker has accepted the resignations of 11 pro-Telangana opposition legislators who resigned on Sunday. More resignations are due on Monday. The legislators are protesting against the Indian government's decision to set up a committee to look into demands for the formation of Telangana state. INDIA'S PROPOSED NEW STATE Population of 35 million Formed from 10 districts of Andhra Pradesh, including city of Hyderabad Landlocked, predominantly agricultural area One of the most under-developed regions in India Culmination of 50-year campaign More than 400 people died in 1969 crackdown The government announced the formation of the committee, headed by an ex-chief justice of the Supreme Court, earlier this month. The protesting legislators are calling for the immediate creation of Telangana. In January, a meeting of different political parties to discuss the issue failed to arrive at a consensus. The leaders of the political parties who attended the meeting called for calm in Andhra Pradesh and agreed to hold further talks. Correspondents say there are deep divisions within political parties over the Telangana issue. The final decision to create a new state lies with the Indian parliament, but the sharply divided state assembly must pass a resolution approving its creation.

Protesters clash in S Lanka capital

Opposition supporters were protesting against the arrest of General Sarath Fonseka [Reuters] Police have fired tear gas to break up protests by pro- and anti-government groups demonstrating in the capital Colombo. The clashes on Wednesday come a day after Sri Lanka's president dissolved parliament ahead of elections planned for April and amid rising tensions over the arrest of General Sarath Fonseka, the defeated presidential candidate. Opposition organisers had called for a show of force outside Sri Lanka's supreme court to demonstrate against the arrest of Fonseka, and subsequent announcement that the retired general would be court-martialled for allegedly planning to overthrow the government while serving as head of the army. Al Jazeera's Minelle Fernandez, reporting from Colombo, said there was heavy police deployment in the city to monitor the situation. "When they [the opposition] were assembling, basically, there was a counter-demonstration that was put together by pro-government supporters. There was a lot of tension between both groups and clashes broke out," Fernandez said. "Subsequently, the pro-government supporters have dispersed, but the opposition protesters remain." 'Dragged away' Fonseka, who as a senior general helped defeat the Tamil Tiger rebels last May, lost to Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka's incumbent president, in January 26th's presidential elections. IN DEPTH Profile: Sarath Fonseka Profile: Mahinda Rajapaksa Rajapaksa's minority report Sri Lanka opposition cries foul Video: Sri Lanka votes in Rajapaksa The retired general accused the government of rigging the election and vowed to challenge the result in the Supreme Court. But with just one week left to file the relevant legal papers, supporters of Fonseka say military police stormed the offices of the opposition alliance in Colombo which had backed his candidacy on Monday night and "dragged him" away. Fonseka's wife says he was treated like an animal when he was arrested at his office. "He's the man who rescued Sri Lanka from the culture of terrorism and I can't believe they're doing this type of thing to him - I don't know what type of law exists in this country," Anoma Fonseka said on Tuesday. "We always knew that the government will try to arrest my husband, but we never thought they would do it in such a disgusting manner." War crimes charges In an official statement, the government said that the former army chief was "hell-bent" on betraying the country's "gallant armed forces". It cited as evidence the general's remarks on Monday that he would be ready to give evidence in an international court on war crimes charges against the state. the fighting that crushed the rebels last May. Human rights groups have accused the military of shelling hospitals and heavily populated civilian areas during the fighting, and the rebels of holding the local population as human shields. A US state department report has also accused both sides of possible war crimes, and the issue remains a sensitive subject for the government. Many credit Fonseka with winning the war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, but he fell out with Rajapaksa soon after and the pair fought a bitter election campaign. Earlier this month, Rajapaksa sacked a dozen senior military officers described by the defence ministry as a threat to national security. More were arrested from Fonseka's office.

ඵilitary need modification

President is among the distinguished group of 14 to have received the honorary doctorate The Sri Lankan military is in need of modification and new equipment though the civil war has just ended, a Sri Lankan minister has said. Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa told BBC Sandeshaya that military equipment, as in any other country, needs to be regularly repaired. He was commenting on the agreement signed between Sri Lanka and Russia for a $300 million credit facility for arms and ammunition from Russia. President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday concluded an official visit to Russia where he met President Dmitry Medvedev and other senior officials. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama, Enterprise Development, Industrial Policy Investment Promotion Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, President's Secretary Lalith Weeratunga and Sri Lanka Ambassador Udayanga Weeratunga also attended the meeting with President Medvedev.

Sri Lanka arrests General Fonseka

General Fonseka challenged Rajapaksa in January's vote and has accused the government of election fraud General Sarath Fonseka, the defeated candidate in Sri Lanka's presidential election, has been arrested at his office in Colombo on charges of plotting to overthrow the country's government, defence officials have said. General Prasad Samarasinghe, a military spokesman, said the arrest related to "military offences" from Fonseka's time in the army, which ended in November when he quit and entered the presidential race. "General Fonseka has been arrested on charges of committing military offences," Samarasinghe said in an official statement on Monday. The former army chief "was dragged away in a very disgraceful manner in front of our own eyes", Rauff Hakeem, Sri Lanka's Muslim Congress leader, told the Reuters news agency. 'Coup plot' Al Jazeera's Minelle Fernandez, reporting from Colombo, said: "The director-general of Sri Lanka's Media Center for National Security, Lakshman Hulugalle, has confirmed the arrest of Fonseka by the military police. in depth Profile: Sarath Fonseka Profile: Mahinda Rajapaksa Rajapaksa's minority report Sri Lanka opposition cries foul Video: Sri Lanka votes in Rajapaksa "Hulugalle said Fonseka will face trial before a military court on charges of conspiring to overthrow the government, violating military laws and sowing dissension among members of Sri Lanka's armed forces." Many credit Fonseka with winning the war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May. However, he fell out with Rajapaksa soon after and the pair fought a bitter election campaign. Fonseka was defeated by Rajapaksa last month by six million votes to four million. The former army chief has refused to accept his election defeat, saying his supporters were intimidated and the result fixed. He vowed to challenge them in court. General Fonseka has been accusing the government of trying to frame him. He also alleges there is a plot to kill him. Several senior military officials, close to him, have also been purged since his defeat in the election. The government has been seeking legal advice to bring a court martial against the general on charges of plotting to overthrow the administration.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Heavy snowfall hits North America

Pictures from Al Jazeera on Flickr Stormy weather and snow have paralysed parts of the US east coast, with hundreds of thousands of people left without electricity. Transport links were disrupted and forecasters warned that chilly temperatures on Sunday would mean the wet snow could swiftly turn icy. The storm stretched hundreds of kilometres from eastern Indiana into Pennsylvania and then down through Maryland as far south as North Carolina. Meteorologists said they had recorded snowfall as high as 96cm in parts of northern Maryland, a record for the state. The heavy snow toppled trees and sagged power lines, leaving more than 350,000 people without electricity in Maryland and neighbouring Virginia. "The roads are very difficult to travel ... and we are seeing a spike in power outages," Ed McDonough, from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, said. "We are telling local residents to stay home, enjoy the time with their families and let the highway crews do their work."

Food price rise angers Indians

Manmohan Singh, the Indian prime minister, has met state chief ministers to discuss the country's rising inflation. In December prices jumped 7.3 per cent, and it is feared they could rise further over the next few months. Food has always been a political hot potato in India. Rising onion prices a few years ago contributed to the removal of a government. Jean Dreze, a development economist, told Al Jazeera: "Food prices have been rising very fast since the past few months, making it harder and harder for people to satisfy their nutritional requirements. "So people really need a kind of protection from this kind of food insecurity. To some extent, we have some measures like the common guarantee act but it's not enough. We also need other measures to protect people from hunger." Local markets, or bazaars, have now become the first stop shop for consumers looking for good deals in India. But with the highest inflation rates in 11 years and the worst drought in 30 years, even these are not that lucrative anymore. With the government finding it hard to explain its policies, people's anger is steadily rising. And as Prerna Suri reports, it has left many more Indians struggling to feed their families.

Source: Al Jazeera

Plane lands on New Jersey motorway

Advertisement Small plane makes emergency landing on New Jersey turnpike A small plane has made an emergency landing on a highway in the US state of New Jersey, officials say. Neither of the two people on board were injured in the incident on the New Jersey Turnpike, about five miles (8km) east of Philadelphia. Turnpike Authority spokesman Joe Orlando said the plane was believed to be involved in traffic reports for radio and TV stations. He expected police to move the plane on to a truck for removal, he said.

Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa hails victory

The president says he now has a decisive mandate to govern Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said that his clear victory in Tuesday's presidential elections has answered his critics. The president won six million votes compared to the four million cast for his main rival, Gen Sarath Fonseka. Gen Fonseka has rejected the results and vowed to challenge them in court. India congratulated the president on his victory as did the US, although it also urged a thorough investigation into alleged voting irregularities. Tamil concerns "The overwhelming mandate given in this election has given the answer to these critics," President Rajapaksa said in a statement. Hotel stand-off Sri Lankan views on election "The people of Sri Lanka, democratically and very clearly, have shown that they are now free of threats, free of fear, free of terrorism - and they have shown they support the measures which have freed them." Mr Rajapaksa told reporters that he would start by focusing on the economic development of the country. He also promised to focus on the concerns of Sri Lanka's Tamil minority and to discuss devolution of power - a subject his opponents have accused him of failing to address. "From today onward, I am the president of everyone, whether they voted for me or not." Analysts had predicted a closely-fought contest between the two architects of the government's victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels last year. But in the end President Rajapaksa won the vote comfortably - capturing 57% of the vote in Tuesday's polling, while Sarath Fonseka won 40%, according to the election commission. 'Life in danger' Gen Fonseka has complained that the vote was unfair and that his supporters were threatened and intimidated. They are planning to assassinate me Sarath Fonseka Sri Lanka's election commissioner, Dayananda Dissanayake, said that state media and government institutions had violated his guidelines for fair campaigning, the Associated Press news agency reported. However a spokesman for the independent Centre for Monitoring Election Violence said that while there were reports of irregularities, there was no evidence to suggest large-scale fraud. Speaking to the BBC's Sinhala service on Wednesday, Gen Fonseka confirmed that he was at his own home in Colombo. His campaign had previously been based at a central Colombo hotel, which was surrounded by troops after the announcement of election results. Gen Fonseka said his life was in danger and that the authorities had been instructed to prevent him from leaving the country. "There is nothing we can do about it. There is no law and order in this country. They are planning to assassinate me." Some 70% of Sri Lanka's 14 million-strong electorate turned out to vote. However, turnout in the Tamil areas in the north-east, where the fiercest fighting occurred during the conflict, was less than 30%. While the island's Sinhalese majority provided bedrock support for the president's second term, Tamils concentrated in the war-ravaged northern and eastern provinces rejected him in favour of Gen Fonseka. 'Precarious edge' But the president said: "I want to reach out to the Tamil people even if they did not vote for me this time." The president says he is now the leader of all Sri Lankans On Thursday, local newspapers urged him to forge reconciliation between the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils from the north and east, who have suffered disproportionately during the decades of war. Tens of thousands remain camps for the displaced. "The politics in Sri Lanka has pushed the nation into such a precarious edge that a party leader can no longer win the support of both the Sinhalese and Tamil-Muslim combine alike," the independent Daily Mirror newspaper said in an editorial. "It is only Mahinda Rajapaksa who has now emerged the undisputed leader among the Sinhalese who can put an end to this vicious cycle of communal politics." Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh congratulated Mr Rajapaksa, saying he was confident "Sri Lanka will find lasting peace, where all communities can live with dignity and in harmony." The US embassy congratulated Sri Lanka on its first post-war election, but urged the authorities to probe any ballot irregularities. "We urge a thorough investigation of these allegations," the embassy said in a statement. "In addition, we urge the authorities to ensure the safety and security of all candidates."