The Land Survey Department of the land ministry has finally demarcated the capital's 43 canals lost to grabbers and identified persons and institutions that encroached upon the water bodies.

Assailants hurled a bomb at ruling Awami League lawmaker Fazle Noor Taposh's car in front of his law chamber at Motijheel last night leaving at least 13 people injured. MP Taposh survived the incident.

The office of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has found anomalies in payments of Tk 10 crore in excess to lawyers as 'fees' by the immediate past Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) during the last caretaker government, a parliamentary committee disclosed yesterday.

It was a hectic three-hour preparation before Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain visited the Kanchpur Bridge area to see for himself if the area is really prone to perennial traffic congestion as was reported in the newspaper.

Two hours after a surgery, a patient had to have a second surgery as a Dhaka Medical College Hospital surgeon left a scalpel blade inside his body and stitched up the wound.

Several hundred garment workers, demanding arrears, vandalised a factory at Hajipara in the capital and barricaded the DIT Road disrupting traffic for over an hour yesterday morning.

Law Minister Shafique Ahmed yesterday said six separate courts would be constituted in six divisional headquarters to begin Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutiny trial at the end of this month or beginning of November.

The government will raise the issue of regularising an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 unauthorised Bangladeshis with the Maldives.

Locals and a vested interested group are killing the remaining part of Kutubkhali canal, a tributary of Dholai Khal, despite the call of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for excavation of city canals to protect the environment.

The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday rejected a petition filed by Syed Farooqur Rahman, a convict in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assassination case.

Village arbitration on Monday let off an alleged rapist of a thirteen-year girl with a mere fine in Kalapara, one month into the orchestrated release of a band of alleged rapists in a similar fashion.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday sought cooperation from the developed countries, including Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), to tackle challenges of global warming.

Nasaka yesterday trashed reports of troops build-up along Bangladesh border at a battalion commander-level flag meeting with Bangladesh Rifles at Maungdaw in Myanmar.

The first batch of 518 hajj pilgrims flew for Saudi Arabia yesterday as Biman Bangladesh Airlines started month-long hajj-flight operations.

Liberation War Museum yesterday handed over The Testimony of Sixty, a publication of sixty world-renowned personalities including Senator Edward Kennedy and Mother Teressa on crime against humanity during the liberation war in 1971, to foreign envoys.

The Criminal Investigation Department arrested a Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leader in connection with making provocative statements at a procession against the government during the February 25-26 Pilkhana carnage.

Welcoming the president's call for unity on national interest, BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain yesterday urged the President to bring all political parties in discussion table on the national issues.

Eighty-four hours after a fire broke out; fire fighters with their relentless effort have come really close to dousing it at the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) warehouse at Tejgaon.

Muggers stabbed to death an employee of a property developer at Madhya Badda while a listed criminal was shot dead allegedly by his rivals at Mirpur in the capital yesterday.

Pakistan kept millions of pupils at home yesterday as it shut all schools and colleges after a suicide attack at a university, as the army became bogged down in an assault against the Taliban.

A Delhi-bound Indian express ploughed into the back of another passenger train near the Taj Mahal town of Agra early yesterday, killing 22 and injuring 17, police said.

A Dhaka court yesterday granted bail to former BNP state minister Amanullah Aman in an attempt-to-murder case filed with Mohammadpur Police Station in May this year.

THE government appears to be riled by the frequency of foreign trips undertaken by ministers, state ministers, secretaries and acting secretaries that are slowing down work at the ministries.

THE traffic muddle of the capital city has been going from bad to worse every passing day. Many of the attempts taken in the recent past to manage the mess, however, have failed to produce any result.

A year ago as the world financial system teetered on the edge of collapse after many Wall Street giants failed, there was widespread concern about the impact of its tsunami effect on the world's developing countries so dependent on the US market.

FARMERS' access to finance is one of the major problems in rural areas. This is a major drawback in achieving self-sufficiency in food and alleviating poverty. Because of lack of finance, farmers have to cultivate crops with lower cost and lower return. After finishing their meager earning from the crop they cannot cultivate properly in the next season, or invest on cash crops. And the cycle of low investment and crop with low return starts once again.

Mohammad Rafique rolled back the years to turn the Big Boss T20 Premier League final on its head in an exhilarating display of power hitting to seal a dramatic five-wicket final over victory for Abahani against a star-studded Gazi Tank at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

Stylish opener Tamim Iqbal of Mohammedan has won the Danish Golden Bat while Alok Kapali won the Aamra Golden Ball in the Big Boss Twenty20 Premier League.

Champions League holders Barcelona slumped to a stunning 2-1 defeat at home on Tuesday to Russian champions Rubin Kazan on a night when seven of the away sides came away with a point or better.

On the back of a 4-1 series win against Kenya at home, the Zimbabwe cricket team landed in Dhaka yesterday to play a five-match one-day international series.

The Bangladesh Football Federation made a healthy profit of Tk 25 lakh through the season's curtain-raising tournament, the Citycell Federation Cup.

Chris Gayle has declared himself willing to captain West Indies when the full-strength team returns following the dispute between the players and the board. The best players are expected to be available to tour Australia next month and, if offered the role by the WICB, Gayle will be the captain.

Australia hope to continue their winning streak when they clash with India in a seven-match one-day series starting on Sunday, captain Ricky Ponting said.

Holders Barcelona suffered their first European defeat in 10 months falling to a shock 2-1 home loss at the hands of Rubin Kazan in the Champions League group F match on Tuesday.

Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho claimed there are no favourites in his team's Champions League group after a 2-2 home draw against Dynamo Kyiv left the Italian champions bottom of the pile.

Celtic manager Tony Mowbray is under pressure to end a sorry run of home results that have left the Glasgow giants in a virtually must-win situation against Europa League rivals Hamburg on Thursday.

Rafa Benitez faces what could prove to be the defining moment of his Liverpool managerial reign against Manchester United on Sunday, possibly without an injured international trio of Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Glen Johnson in the wake of Tuesday's 2-1 home defeat by Lyon.

Arsene Wenger insists his "naive" Arsenal stars must learn from the frustration of conceding a last-gasp equaliser against AZ Alkmaar.

Former Liverpool and England winger John Barnes insisted on Wednesday his bankruptcy was due to a "tax oversight" which was being addressed.

Schalke 04 midfielder Jermaine Jones was on Wednesday given the green light to play for the United States at next year's World Cup having turned his back on Germany.

Former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson has pulled out of the running for the job as national coach of Sweden, the Swedish Football Association said Tuesday.

Ricky Ponting said on Wednesday he would prefer to win matches for Australia than chase the record-breaking feats of Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar.

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has said that Shane Bond will not be rushed back into Test cricket when Pakistan arrive next month. Vettori said Bond will be given the freedom to decide on his return after acclimatising and adjusting to the rigours of the longer version of the game after a lengthy lay-off.

He's known for his love of fast cars, and now Australia's spin king Shane Warne will be revving up television screens as the host of a new series of Top Gear.

Belgium's seven-time Grand Slam winner Justine Henin on Wednesday confirmed she would make her comeback from a 15-month retirement at Australia's Brisbane International in January.

Former England batsman Graeme Hick and ex-England rugby union international Alastair Hignell were among those receiving honours from Britain's Queen Elizabeth II here on Tuesday.

England under-19 pace-bowler Ben Stocks turned in an all round performance to hand Bangladesh under-19 team an embarrassing 117-run defeat in a limited overs practice match at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Cricket Stadium in Chittagong yesterday.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday announced a 14-member GP-BCB academy team for a practice match against the national side ahead of the Tigers' five one-day internationals series against Zimbabwe.

Syed Mahfuzur Rahman Emon became champion in the Pexatech Limited Open International Rating Chess Tournament defeating Saiful in the ninth and final round held at the Federation hall-room yesterday.

Hasanuzzaman bagged a bronze medal on the opening day of the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship in Penang, Malaysia yesterday.

The rights to India's home international games for four years from April 2010 have been provisionally awarded to Nimbus Communications for a projected valuation of 2,000 crore rupees (431 million dollars).

The stock market regulator has directed merchant banks, brokers and dealers to suspend margin loans against the shares of 28 well-performing companies, as investment by borrowing in these securities is becoming too risky.

Augere Wireless Broadband Bangladesh Ltd yesterday launched the much-waited wireless broadband service through WiMax in some designated areas in Dhaka.

Biman seeks to resume flights to New York -- apparently to fulfil government wishes -- despite a history of counting about Tk 40 lakh in average losses on each flight.

Adequate spectrum access for the Asian mobile operators has become a crucial issue to introduce services besides voice, as the world's 45 percent cellphone customers are in the region, said telecom experts yesterday.

BGMEA President Abdus Salam Murshedy yesterday said the country's apparel industry suffered a negative growth since June this year and sought the government's policy support to increase its competitiveness in the international market.

In a bid to have a better control over the country's prime sea port to further smoothen its functions and avert any labour unrest, Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan is set to go for parleys with different workers' organisations in Chittagong today.

Previously, I discussed public private partnerships (PPP), the importance of effective nation branding to attract more foreign direct investment, as well as learning from some of our dynamic regional neighbours.

China will overtake Japan to become the second largest economy in the next two years, giving Beijing greater clout on the world stage and boosting the ruling Communists' stature at home, analysts say.

Asian markets slipped on Wednesday as a Wall Street tumble led to profit-taking, while dealers also awaited key economic data out of China and Japan.

Sales of luxury goods in China are forecast to rise 12 percent this year, a global consulting firm said Wednesday, bucking the downward trend seen in other major markets hit hard by the financial crisis.

The National Board of Revenue sought intervention of the finance minister in its bid to realise Tk 407.46 crore overdue import duty from Eastern Refinery Limited, as the state-owned enterprise defaulted on the payments.

As part of its efforts to woo foreign investment in its textile sector hit by cash crunch and global economic recession, a high-level trade delegation headed by Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran will undertake a ten-day tour of five European countries, including Germany, France and Italy, from October 26.

Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank disbursed Tk 10 crore agricultural loan among farmers in the district this fiscal year.

The government yesterday dissolved the elected board of directors of Sylhet Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Personal computers are about to get a makeover with the launch of the latest Windows operating system.

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday cautioned Asian economies against prematurely withdrawing fiscal stimulus measures, saying the current fragile global recovery may stall.

Crude oil prices fell on Wednesday as investors took profits after a recent rally sent the market above 80 dollars for the first time in one year, analysts said.

The International Finance Corp., a wing of the World Bank, said Wednesday it would list its first Islamic bond in the Middle East.

Aggressive cost-cutting moves helped Yahoo! more than triple its net profit despite a 12-percent decline in revenue as the Internet company reported its third quarter results on Tuesday.

India's economy has withstood the global financial crisis well and should grow by 6.5 percent this fiscal year, a top government panel forecast Wednesday.

Sun Microsystems said Tuesday it is cutting 3,000 jobs over the next 12 months because of its delayed takeover by US business software giant Oracle.

The ruling Awami League has been trying to alienate the opposition lawmakers from their constituents by allowing its MPs to supervise development activities in the constituencies of opposition lawmakers, BNP leaders said yesterday.

A certain portion of the Multi-donor Trust Fund meant to face impacts of climate change should be earmarked for disaster management and immediate help for the affected people after disasters, Food and Disaster Management Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque said yesterday.

A large number of women who are the worst victims of spousal violence believe that husbands have the right to beat up their wives if they neglect their children, argue with husbands or disobey the elders, specially mothers-in-law and fathers-in-law, revealed a government survey recently.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister GM Quader yesterday said the government would provide necessary support to the students heading out to different countries for higher education and face difficulties there.

The caretaker government system could not be abolished unless the country gets rid of confrontational politics as it was put in place in the wake of confrontation and lack of trust among the political parties.

Police recovered two bodies, including a young woman, from North Bishil under Shah Ali Police Station at Mirpur in the city and Mirerbagh of South Keraniganj yesterday.

Every year about 22,000 new breast cancer cases are diagnosed and 15,000 women die from this disease without proper treatment in the country, health experts said yesterday.

Speaker Abdul Hamid Advocate yesterday said he has put all his efforts to bring the opposition party back in the parliament.

The government with the support of the World Bank (WB) would provide 9000 women of the Monga-hit northern districts with training and jobs in the garment sector, Labour and Employment Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said yesterday.

Speakers at a discussion yesterday urged the government to consider the issue of primary education for indigenous children in their mother tongue while formulating the education policy.

At least 10 persons were injured, two of them bullet-hit, in a clash between two Awami League factions at Gurudaspur in Natore yesterday.

Trial of war crimes is our legal obligation, said Bangladesh Ambassador to USA Akramul Qader at a programme on October 18.

Students of Eastern University clashed with the employees of the shops at Happy Arcade market in the city's Science Laboratory area yesterday, halting traffic movement in the area.

Economic Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister Dr Moshiur Rahman on Tuesday said the government is set to seek financial support from the Netherlands government in dredging local rivers and ensuring better water resources management.

A lawyer of Gazipur Judge's Court, who sustained injuries during a suicide bomb attack of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) in 2005, passed away at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Tuesday.

Female students of Khaleda Zia Hall at Chittagong University (CU) staged a sit-in in front of the hall on Tuesday evening demanding extension of time for entering the hall after dusk from 7:00pm to 10:00pm.

The High Court (HC) yesterday stayed the trial courts' verdicts convicting and sentencing to former BNP minister Barrister Nazmul Huda in three corruption cases filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

The High Court (HC) yesterday granted anticipatory bail for six months to BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury in a defamation case filed in Thakurgaon.

The communal and fundamental forces are spreading propaganda about the new draft education policy in order to push the country backward, Rashed Khan Menon, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on education ministry, said yesterday.

The High Court (HC) yesterday rejected a contempt of court petition that was filed against Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka on charge of violating its directives regarding the cattle markets before the upcoming Eid-ul Azha.

A seven-member team of Emory University in USA called on Dhaka University (DU) Vice Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique at the latter's office on Tuesday.

The government will meet all the challenges to implementing the Right to Information (RTI) law, lawmaker Shahriar Alam said at a seminar yesterday.

Four private university students sustained stab injuries in the city's Banani area yesterday centering a quarrel that had taken place earlier among the friends.

A mobile court realised fine Tk 1.50 lakh during its anti-adulteration drive in different popular restaurants and food shops in Rajshahi city yesterday.

Two people were arrested and three dredgers seized while they were lifting sands illegally from the river Meghna at Gazaria in Munshiganj yesterday.

Valuable machinery of Shah Cement Factory at Muktarpur in Munshiganj were gutted in a fire yesterday.

Students of Eastern University clashed with the employees of the shops at Happy Arcade market in the city's Science Laboratory area yesterday, halting traffic movement in the area.

The health ministry yesterday sent a show-cause notice to acting director of the Directorate of Nursing Services (DNS) Jahanara Begum to explain her involvement in extortion and transferring nurses for not being members of Diploma Nurses Association (DNA).

About 450 maunds of egg-carrying hilsha seized by the coastguard from the estuary of Meghna River near Chandpur town on Monday morning was sold in auction for only Tk 6.61 lakh following alleged secret understanding among the bidders.

Outlawed Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) distributed hundreds of leaflets and pasted posters at different places in nine upazilas of Sirajganj district on Tuesday night, creating panic among the locals.

A Sylhet court on Tuesday sentenced four people, including the acting President of Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry Zobayer Ahmed Chowdhury, to jail in a case for embezzling Tk 51 lakh from a bank.

Harkat-ul-Jihad (Huji) member Abu Obaida, charge sheeted in the case for murder attempt on Sheikh Hasina in Sylhet, has been shown arrested in Feni in one of the two cases now under trial at Sylhet courts.

Thousands of commuters on Satkhira-Jessore road are suffering as large potholes and ditches at different points have made the 65-kilometre road difficult for vehicular movement.

Protesting the inclusion of Katiadi upazila with the proposed Bhairab district, thousand of people of Katiadi observed a half day hartal there yesterday from 6am to 12pm.

A Dinapur court yesterday jailed one person for raping a teenage girl while two schoolgirls abducted in the district on October 12 still remain untraced.

A Jubo League leader and 12 others have been sued on charge of extortion in Sunamganj.

Two drug peddlers were jailed in Faridpur and Barisal yesterday while 11 were held in Kushtia and Shariatpur districts the day before.

Police arrested four underground operatives with bombs in Ataikula upazila of the district early yesterday.

Police arrested two criminals with a revolver yesterday from Harida Khalsi village under Sadar upazila. They are Mukhlesur Rahman alias Tufan, 30, son of Syed Ali and Zahurul Islam,32, son of Dasarath of village Banurbhag under Naldanga police station. Police and villagers said, a gang of criminals went to Harida Khalsi village to occupy a pond. Being informed, Naldanga police rushed to the spot and arrested Tufan and Zahurul with the revolver.

Criminals early yesterday hacked to death a night guard of a factory in Sadar upazila and injured its two workers early Wednesday. Police quoting locals said, a gang attacked them at about 3am in front of Naz Sweater Factory and hacked them indiscriminately with sharp weapons, killing the night guard on the spot. The injured were admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) in a critical condition.

Meherpur police in a drive Tuesday night arrested 32 people and recovered two firearms and gunpowder. Sources said, the drive started soon after some criminals blasted 3-4 bombs in a field near Gangni bus stand in Meherpur. Panicked people at the bus stand fled the area after the blasts. Police said they arrested 32 people from the area and recovered two shutter guns and about half a kilogram gunpowder in an abandoned state from a field at Kazipur.

District Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum yesterday formed a human chain in front of its office, protesting alleged government interference in the judiciary. The programme was also organised to protest alleged oppression on opposition activists in police remand in 'false cases' and deterioration of law and order. A brief rally followed the programme.

Villagers caught six pirates when the gang was looting a fishing trawler on the Buragourango River on Tuesday night. The pirates are Nur Hossain, 30, Rasel Mallik, 32, Shahidlul Islam, 28, Moslem Pada, 40, Shahidul Gazi, 36 and Mafizul Gazi, 37. They hailed from different villages under Rangabali police station. Police and locals said, the pirates at about 1 am swooped on a trawler owned by Chand Gazi of Char Agostee under Galachipa upazila. Hearing a hue and cry of fishermen, villagers rushed to the spot and caught six pirates with one of their trawlers. They also seized some lethal weapons from the trawler. Later, the six were handed over to Galachipa police yesterday.

A court on Tuesday sentenced four people to life term imprisonment for killing a youth. Judge AKM Zahurul Islam of the First Additional District and Sessions Judge Court in Tangail delivered the verdict. He also fined the convicts Tk 25,000 each, in default, to suffer one year more in jail. The convicts are Shahinur Islam, Ripon Miah, Jinnah Miah and Abdul Kuddus of Rupshi village in Delduar upazila. Of them, Shahinur Islam was tried in absentia. According to prosecution story, the four stabbed to death Sadek Miah, 35, at Rupshi Bazar on March 13, 2003. Victim's father Tajel Miah of Nalua Dakkhin Para village filed a murder case with Deladuar police station accusing nine people. Later, police submitted a charge sheet against the four.

The UN's atomic watchdog yesterday handed Iran and world powers a draft deal that could dramatically ease tensions over the Islamic republic's controversial nuclear programme.

Pakistani soldiers fighting inside the hometown of the Pakistani Taliban leader were gaining ground yesterday as they pressed ahead with a major assault on a militant sanctuary close to the Afghan border, intelligence officials said.

The Pakistan government finds itself on the back foot in its bid to legitimise an ordinance granting immunity to politicians, military officers and bureaucrats charged with corruption with most members of a parliamentary panel seeking an open debate rather than in-camera hearings.

Security, voter apathy and corruption are the main challenges facing organisers of a credible second round of Afghanistan's fraud-hit presidential elections, officials and analysts said.

Australia yesterday said it wanted to bring its military involvement in Afghanistan to a quick end, despite US and Nato calls for more troops to shore up the campaign against a resurgent Taliban.

The Pentagon announced Tuesday deployments of about 11,000 troops to Afghanistan next year and a squadron of MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft leaving next month as part of already planned rotations.

Iran has once again blamed Pakistan for Sunday's terror attack on the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRG) in which 42 people were killed, saying there is specific information that the perpetrators were hiding inside Pakistan and has asked Islamabad to 'clarify' its stance over reports regarding its links banned terror group, Jundallah.

Experts and observers of Sino-Indian ties have warned that the current vituperative war of words between the two countries could spin the traditional Asian rivalry out of control.

Even as a consensus eluded on a global deal to tackle climate change, Asian giants India and China yesterday signed an agreement for setting up a Joint Working Group to exchange views on the issue.

Fifty US lawmakers urged President Barack Obama on Tuesday to slap sanctions on foreign firms with investments of more than 20 million dollars in Iran's energy sector as called for under US law.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday the United States will never accept a North Korea with atomic bombs, saying the communist regime poses threats "even more lethal and destabilizing" than before.

Iraqi MPs failed yesterday to agree on a new electoral law intended to establish more transparency for general elections due in January because of a stalemate over the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.

A Georgia State University professor in the US has developed an innovative new way to keep fruit, vegetables and flowers fresh for longer periods of time.

At least three terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Mahre forests in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir early Wednesday morning, police said.

Maoists blew up a state-run primary school in Gerua village in Bihar's Banka District on Wednesday morning.

Six supermarket employees were taken hostage by armed robbers in a store near Paris on Wednesday before being released unharmed and their two captors detained, police said.

Private US security firm Blackwater has a warehouse located in the industrial area of Islamabad that is reportedly involved in illegal arms trading.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's son, Zain H Qureshi, worked as an intern under Senator John Kerry, one of the main sponsors of the controversial Kerry Lugar bill.

The popular adage "you are what you eat" is literally true, according to a new research that claims a person's diet has a profound influence on his or her brain.

The popular adage "you are what you eat" is literally true, according to a new research that claims a person's diet has a profound influence on his or her brain.

Marshall Islands President Litokwa Tomeing was defeated on Wednesday in a vote of no-confidence by legislators, who are due to elect a new leader of the western Pacific nation on Friday.

Turkey on Tuesday hailed the "surrender" of Kurdish rebels in support of plans to end a 25-year conflict as thousands greeted militants released after more than 24 hours of questioning.

On October 18 the exhibition “Bangladesh - The Land of Diversity” was inaugurated at Drik Gallery in Dhanmondi. State Minister for Housing and Public Works Abdul Mannan Khan was the chief guest and Alan Davy, managing director of British American Tobacco Bangladesh was special guest.

During the later half of the twentieth century, Jibanananda Das emerged as the most popular poet of modern Bengali literature. Popularity apart, Jibanananda Das had distinguished himself as an extraordinary poet presenting a paradigm hitherto unknown. It is a fact that his unfamiliar poetic diction, choice of words and thematic preferences took time to reach the heart of the readers. The poetry of Jibanananda has become the defining essence of modernism in twentieth century Bengali poetry.

The district administration and 'Suchitra Sen Smriti Sangrakkhan Parishad' are the joint organisers of the weeklong 'Suchitra Sen Film Festival-2009' to be inaugurated on October 23 at the Pabna Town Hall premises.

Highlighting poet Jibana-nanda Das' life, education and works, a special documentary titled "Dhanshiritir Tirey" will be aired on Banglavision tonight at 11:20pm.

Shiropa Purna, daughter of artist duo Kalid Mahmud Mithu and Kanak Canpa Chakma, has won an international film award, according to a press release. Shiropa won the 'Judges Award for Excellence' at the Reel Teens Film Festival, New York.

The Bangladesh Shishu Academy's Barisal unit recently organised a 'Moushumi (seasonal cultural) Competition' for schoolchildren in eight districts of the region.

Ralph Samuelson, senior adviser of the Asian Cultural Council in New York, USA (formerly the John D Rockefeller 3rd Fund) arrived in the city Tuesday night on his first visit here.

R&B star Beyonce Knowles has postponed a planned concert in Malaysia, the event's organiser said Monday, following accusations by Islamic conservatives that the show would be immoral.

THE foreign policy of a country is geared towards protection and promotion of vital national interests through negotiations and diplomacy. Outbreak of conflict or war is, therefore, called the vanishing point of diplomacy.

THE recent activities of Maoists in India, particularly in Maharastra and Chhattisgarh, have made the government of India increasingly concerned. In fact, it is more worrying than the threats from nefarious activities of Laskar-e-Taiyaba, Joish-e-Mohammad or Harkat-ul-Jehad. Seventeen policemen in Maharastra and thirty-six in Chhattisgarh have lost their lives. As per government estimates, Maoists are controlling 40,000 sq.kilometres of territory in India. They are active in 20 states. Out of six hundred districts, Maoists are involved in nefarious activities in 223 districts.

At least 73 bailey bridges in the hilly district of Khagrachhari are at risk of collapse that could cause loss of lives and property.

The Inland Container Terminal (ICT) at Pangaon in Narayanganj is likely to go into operation by the end of next year, sources said.

BSRM group gets rebate
To encourage timely adjustment of loan, Agrani Bank organised a rebate awarding ceremony at its Laldighi East Corporate Branch in the port city on Tuesday.