The ongoing gas crisis in the capital has intensified since last week, forcing thousands of city dwellers to adopt a change in their lifestyle by using kerosene stoves or other alternative ways for cooking.

The government will take stern action against any person involved in unlawful activities in the name of student politics and religion, LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam said yesterday.

India is most likely to make some surprising offers to Bangladesh during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's state visit to India that begins tomorrow, diplomatic sources said.

In the previous two defeats there was at least something to cheer about. But things turned very sour for the Tigers in their third encounter of the Idea Cup tri-nation tournament as Sri Lanka outclassed them with a massive nine-wicket victory at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

Bangladesh proposed demarcation of the maritime boundary on the basis of equity in the two-day talks between Bangladesh and Myanmar that began yesterday in the port city.

At least 31 people, including 28 students, were killed and over 2,500 injured in some 61 incidents of violence at different educational institutions in Rajshahi since the country's independence.

At least 46 Bangladeshi workers in Libya have been passing days with no jobs or salaries for around six months, which placed them and their families at home in total misery.

A fire gutted 30 shanties at a slum in South Begunbari while 16 shops and business establishments burnt down in Mirpur in the capital yesterday.

A hectic schedule awaits Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who reaches New Delhi tomorrow for a three-day official visit, the first since assuming power a year ago.

The Supreme Court authorities have taken an initiative to put an end to corruption regarding cause lists of the courts.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has held the government responsible for the death of BM Bakir Hossain, joint secretary of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, in police custody and termed it "clear violation of human rights and against the rule of law."

A gang of frauds is out to dislodge an elderly journalist from his Gulshan house by threatening him with life in order to grab his property allegedly with the backing of a ruling party lawmaker.

A band of muggers stabbed a policeman and snatched his cellphone and wallet in the city's Moghbazar yesterday afternoon.

There was no significant improvement in the condition of Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu, on partial ventilator support in a hospital here with pneumonia, a medical bulletin said yesterday.

The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) yesterday denied any plans to attack the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi and said media reports in both India and Bangladesh to this effect were baseless.

A bus carrying Buddhist pilgrims fell into a roadside ditch at Kashempara in Bandarban yesterday leaving four passengers and the driver dead and another 29 injured.

Two people were killed and three others were injured in clashes between villagers over a piece of land Thursday night at Baraigram upazila of Natore.

Singapore's High Court sentenced to death yesterday a Bangladeshi construction worker involved in a love triangle with an Indonesian maid for murdering the woman more than two years ago.

At least four pirates were injured during a gunbattle with the forest guards at Boyatir Khal under Sharankhola range of Sundarban Forest Division Thursday evening.

A blast flattened a house being used by militants in Pakistan's financial capital Karachi yesterday, with eight people killed when explosives apparently detonated accidentally, police said.

Cherie Blair, wife of former British prime minister Tony Blair, highly praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's role in social and political empowerment of women in Bangladesh.

Two associates of an Afghan immigrant charged in an al-Qaeda-linked plot to attack New York around last year's anniversary of the September 11 attacks were arrested yesterday, law enforcement officials said.

Roadside bombs have killed eight Afghan soldiers and a US service member in separate incidents in Afghanistan, officials said yesterday.

THE death of a student leader belonging to the Chattra Moitree of Rajshai Polytechnic Institute (RPI) due to violence is most unfortunate and regrettable. The fact that the perpetrators belonged to the Chattra League must be a cause of severe embarrassment to the ruling Awami League. The matter assumes even more poignancy when it turns out that the deceased belonged to the student wing of one of the AL's coalition partners.

RAILWAYS have become something remote as far as our choice of options for long distance travelling goes. It hardly ever makes news like addition of railway tracks, new trains to the fleet or a marked improvement in the amenities, because all this can only be a drop in the ocean. Usually, therefore, it makes news for wrong reasons hogging headlines following disastrous accidents that were mostly avoidable.

MANY well-meaning citizens may not have appreciated the extension of time for investigating the August 21, 2004 case of attempted assassination of Sheikh Hasina. The time allowed, we are told, is for proper and sustained investigation with a view to prosecuting the actual criminals and their abettors. It has also been informed that startling cover-ups are coming to light that need to be properly unearthed.

THE Lisbon Treaty has eventually entered into force on 1 December 2009 -- after almost a decade of hesitation and agonizing negotiations. This has been good news for Europe. There are still a few grey areas and pending issues that need to be addressed but the new Treaty is a step forward with the potential to enhance the efficiency, transparency and legitimacy of an EU of 27-plus.

ANUSH, an Indian-born British software engineer, was declared redundant by his company in early 2009. He was given two months time to search for another job but before the two months ended, his company declared itself bankrupt and stopped its operations. Anush didn't find a job after that. Eventually, he failed to pay his mortgage and his house was repossessed. He, along with his wife, are now working in a superstore as sales assistants and struggling hard to pay their rent and utility bills and maintain their usual standard of living.

One might have thought that there would be little left to say for a captain after his side had suffered a massive nine-wicket defeat but Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan had no shortage of words in the press conference at the end of the game, except when it came to his bowlers.

The trophy for the ICC World Cup 2011 will be unveiled today at the Bangabandhu International Convention Center following the meeting of the Central Organising Committee of the ICC World Cup.

Rafael Nadal, seeking his first ATP World Tour title in eight months, admitted after reaching the semifinals of the Qatar Open that he has been suffering from a crisis of confidence.

Number 11 batsman Graham Onions batted out the last over for the second time in the series as England escaped with a draw on the fifth day of the third Test against South Africa at Newlands on Thursday.

Bangladesh interim captain Shakib Al Hasan has made progress in the ICC Test all-rounders ranking by stepping into the fifth position, said an ICC press release yesterday.

Abahani, the champions of the second B. League, have been nominated to represent Bangladesh for the third consecutive time in the AFC President's Cup in 2010.

Sir Alex Ferguson faces an exam from a former pupil this weekend as Manchester United seek to bounce back from their FA Cup exit at the hands of League One leaders Leeds United by beating the Premier League's form team.

A revitalised AC Milan side will be looking to keep some pressure on city rivals and Serie A leaders Inter Milan when they travel to third-placed Juventus on Sunday in a match that neither side can really afford to lose if they are to have any aspirations to wrest the title from Inter.

It has been a stuttering start to the new year from all-conquering Barcelona and the treble winners hope for their first win of 2010 on Sunday at promoted Tenerife.

Portsmouth's players were due to be paid their December wages on Thursday after squad salaries at the English Premier League crisis club had been delayed for the third time this season.

Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira on Friday completed his move to Manchester City.

Injury-ravaged African Nations Cup contenders Ghana have received a welcome boost with the return to full fitness of star player Michael Essien.

Arsenal are to pay the travel costs incurred by Bolton fans who made the journey south to London for Wednesday's postponed Premier League match, Britain's Press Association reported on Thursday.

Three of Saturday's English Premier League fixtures have been postponed because of concerns for the safety of spectators making their way to grounds in freezing conditions.

Cameroon superstar Samuel Eto'o hopes to break the individual scoring record of nine goals at an African Nations Cup when Angola stages the 2010 tournament this month.

Pakistan's cricket chief voiced hopes on Friday for improved security so matches could be played at home this year and said he was working to renew ties between the national team and India.

Belgian comeback queens Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin followed the script to the letter on Friday to reach the final of the Brisbane International tennis tournament.

England will play two Twenty20 matches against Pakistan in Dubai next month ahead of their tour of Bangladesh, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced Friday.

Nicolas Anelka has been told he will carry the responsibility of keeping the goals flying in for Chelsea in the absence of Didier Drogba.

England captain Andrew Strauss said on Thursday that he believed South Africa's claims about ball tampering during the third Test at Newlands were 'malicious'.

Phil Tufnell believes cricket's new decision review system has increased the importance of spinners in the game by making umpires more willing to give tight leg before decisions.

Manchester United will have to do without centreback Nemanja Vidic for another ten days because of the injury he suffered while warming up before last weekend's shock FA Cup defeat by Leeds.

The national volleyball team will travel to Myanmar to play a tri-nation tournament as a part of their preparation for the 11th South Asian Games to be held in Bangladesh from January 29 to February 9.

Chris Cairns has announced he intends to sue Indian Premier League Commissioner Lalit Modi for comments made in relation to the IPL's decision to withdraw Cairns' name from the initial list of potential players.

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam has called for separate teams for Twenty20 internationals as a possible means of arresting his side's current decline in the Test format. Intikhab echoed the comments made by captain Mohammad Yousuf after Pakistan's defeat in Melbourne, when he said the players in the Test squad were struggling to adapt to the format largely due to volume of Twenty20 cricket they played.

The government will soon take necessary steps to modernise the country's sea and land ports.

LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Syed Ashraful Islam yesterday said the main objective of the prime minister's upcoming visit to India is to build a relationship of trust between the two neighbouring countries.

The Directorate of Drug Administration (DA) has finally been upgraded to Directorate General of DA with greater decision-making power and accountability.

India yesterday agreed to allow setting up underground electric cables through the Tinbigha Corridor for supplying electricity to Dahogram and Angarpota under Patgram upazila in Lalmonirhat district, officials concerned said.

With a call to love the country and its people, a three-day celebration began here yesterday to mark the 100th birth anniversary of veteran revolutionary Binod Bihari Chowdhury.

Sammilita Sangskritik Jote (SSJ) will hold various programmes in the next three years to press home the demand for the trial of the war criminals and create awareness among the people to this end, said its leaders yesterday.

About 5000 tons of domestic refuses are dumped in Dhaka city and its suburban areas everyday that can produce at least 500 tons of organic fertilisers worth Tk 2.5 to Tk 10 lakh a day, said an expert.

Bangladesh and India will go for long-term cooperation in agricultural research and technology to fight natural disasters affecting crops in vast parts of the two countries.

Speakers at a council meeting yesterday called on the government to bring change in the country's education system to tackle unemployment problem and safeguard the youths from being involved in extortion, terrorism and tender manipulation.

The fishermen in the coastal areas yesterday demanded their security in the sea as the pirates have become alarmingly active of late.

International Turkish Hope School and Sunbeams took home the awards for the best school and the best college of the first Biochemistry Olympiad held on Dhaka University (DU) campus yesterday.

Sramik League, the labour wing of the ruling party, is trying to manipulate the upcoming election to the Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA) of Power Development Board (PDB), Jatiya Bidyut Sramik Karmachari Union alleged yesterday.

The second day of Khelaghar Sahitya Utsab was observed yesterday.

An Indian national was arrested with two and a half kilogram of cocaine worth Tk 2.5 crore on Jessore-Benopole highway near Jhikorgachha thana on Thursday.

A girl was run over by a speeding truck on Dhaka-Bonpara highway in Harinchara area in Sirajganj yesterday.

Bhaluka Upazila administration imposed Section 144 on Bhaluka Pilot Girls School premises and its adjoining areas yesterday as the local units of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) called meetings at the same venue and same time.

A Dhaka court will give its decision on February 4 whether charge would be framed against BNP standing committee member Gayeswar Chandra Roy in a case of amassing wealth illegally and concealing information about it from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Local people staged a demonstration and laid a siege to the Deputy Commissioner's office on Thursday demanding gas supply in the district through pipeline.

Sri Lanka was under new pressure yesterday to submit to a war crimes investigation after the United Nations authenticated a video allegedly showing prisoners being executed by troops last year.

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, whose fragile government is propped up by more than 100,000 foreign troops, said yesterday he does not need "the favour" of the international community.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has allowed the country's military to carry out airstrikes on the identified Taliban havens located in the intricate mountain terrains in Tribal Areas.

In a major catch, police arrested the deputy chief of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan from here and seized an explosives-laden vehicle that he was planning to use for a terrorist attack, officials said today.

US President Barack Obama declared Thursday "the buck stops with me" over huge intelligence flaws exposed by an al-Qaeda attack on a US jet and vowed sweeping and costly new measures to fix them.

Congress top brass this evening deliberated on the issue of Telangana in the backdrop of government's move to constitute a mechanism for wide ranging consultations with various groups and stakeholders on the issue.

Inaugurating the eighth edition of the 'Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas', Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said the Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) may soon vote in the elections and the process may start as early as the next general elections.

Noting that Pakistan had taken 'positive measures' to book the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, India yesterday asked Islamabad to take 'effective steps' against the scourge of terrorism.

Former Pakistan foreign minister Khursheed Mahmood Kasuri has slammed the PPP-led Government for failing to maintain ties with India - even at the level left by the Pervez Musharraf regime.

Top leader of United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) Paresh Baruah, who is on the run from law for more than two decades, has been sacked as an employee of Indian Railways.

A court in military-ruled Myanmar has sentenced two officials to death for leaking information, sources said Friday, in a case reportedly involving secret ties between the ruling junta and North Korea.

Two former Blackwater employees have been arrested and charged with the murder of two Afghans in Kabul last year and could face the death penalty, the US Justice Department has said.

Indian troops killed two suspected militants in Kashmir yesterday, a day after a nearly 24-hour siege at a hotel that left four people dead, police said.

The armoured car of one of Iran's opposition leaders, Mehdi Karroubi, was hit by gunfire in the northern town of Qazvin, his party's website reported on Friday, but only the windows were damaged.

Charlie Chaplin is to be brought to life as a cartoon character via an Indian-French collaboration that will see the legendary British comedian featured in an animated television series.

Fourteen Iraqi politicians and parties accused of having links to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party have been barred from taking part in parliamentary elections in March, a senior lawmaker said yesterday.

Europe was blasted by more snow on Friday as Britain endured its coldest night of the winter and fears for energy supplies intensified.

Israeli airstrikes against targets in Gaza killed three men early yesterday in a smuggling tunnel along the Gaza-Egypt border, Palestinian officials reported.

A proposed new law in France will enable authorities to impose a fine of 700 pounds on women wearing burqas.

The three-day 'Jatiyo Shangskritik Shammelon' (National Cultural Conference) by Bangladesh Udichi Shipli Goshthi at the Central Shaheed Minar premises ends today. Members and activists of Udichi from across the country attended the event with much enthusiasm. Former Chief Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman inaugurated the conference on January 7.

On January 7, a concert featuring some of the leading pop and rock musicians was held at Dhanmondi Abahani Playground. The concert celebrated the first anniversary of the democratic government. Fakir Alamgir, LRB, Hyder Husyn, Tausif, Balam, Mila, RadioActiv and many others performed at the concert. Radio Amar and ATN Bangla were the media partners. The event was organised by Jaadu Events.

On January 8, 1935, Elvis Aaron Presley was born to Vernon Elvis and Gladys Love Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi.

Objets d'art of various dynasties are being damaged in several protected archaeological sites, including Paharpur Buddhist Monastery in Naogaon.

The 107th birth anniversary of Polli Kobi Jasimuddin was observed on January 1 at the poet's home at Ambikapur in Faridpur district.

Theatre troupe Loko Natya Dal will be holding the 550th show of "Konjush", an adaptation of the Molière satire, "The Miser", at the National Theatre Stage today at 6:30 pm, says a press release.

ECONOMIC reforms and infra-structural development launched by the government are moving at snail's pace. Leaving aside the power sector development that is yet to make any headway, the pledges made by the industries minister to revitalise the government- owned sick industries have not yet been fulfilled. For unknown reasons prices of essentials are shooting up and inflation is mounting.

ON its 125th birth anniversary, the Congress put up a hoarding to focus attention on five leaders: Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Party president Sonia Gandhi's love for her dynasty is understandable. But the limelight on them distorts history.

THE right to an education is a fundamental human right which has been enunciated in Article 2 of the first Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights. Similarly, the United Nations International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966 ensures this right. Sincerely educated people are the key to the development of a civil society. In particular, for those who are trusted by the people to run the country, continuing education is a necessary skill.

The fifteenth conference of parties (COP15) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) ended a day overtime on the afternoon of Saturday the 19th of December (after almost 48 hours of non-stop negotiations). I have just returned from Copenhagen and managed to catch up on some sleep after two nights with no sleep following the last days of the negotiations. While it is far too early to say what was actually achieved (if anything) I am giving some early reflections on the journey to Copenhagen, what happened there and what is in store for the future from a very personal perspective.

It's not 5 o'clock yet, and Rahman shaheb is already up, and pacing the verandah in a slow cadence, something that is not his usual practice. Of late, he's been having trouble with his sleep, especially during the early morning hours, and often found himself awake when the prayer calls for Fazr went out from the mosques in his neighborhood. These changes in his daily routine have just recently started to bother him, because he could not recall these happening before but have been recurrent in the last few months, particularly since the house became an empty nest. It's no cause for concern, he reassures himself as he slowly and firmly paces back and forth on the covered verandah that runs along the entire length of the L-shaped house.

Launched Into Eternity by Masud Mahmood (and published by Niaz Zaman at

Empty vessel, under the sun… wipe the dust from my face another morning black Sunday coming down again … it is coming down again …

Look they are coming again!
the ones that looted and cheated
leaving you to a life of death.

In times of emergencies, initial care is essence. Community Health Workers (CHW) provide this initial lifesaving and other essential health care to the communities affected. There is a dire need of organsing them with proper training, education and hygiene in disaster prone Bangladesh. If they are well trained to provide proper first aid, selecting and prioritising injured persons who need immediate care, assisting in search and rescue operations and providing emergency relief items, they can save thousand of lives during the initial golden hours after calamities occur.

When you go to consult a doctor, often the visit seems to be over in a flash and you leave wondering exactly what the doctor wanted you to do. Doctors are often quite busy and may not present you all the necessary information. It is always considered wise to take steps by the patients to get the most out of their visits.

Overweight middle-aged men may have a higher risk of heart problems and strokes and die earlier than their thinner peers — even in the absence of some traditional risk factors, a new study suggests.

A healthy weight and regular exercise may help protect men from one of the most common side effects of prostate cancer surgery, a new study suggests.

Have you seen the movie 2012? — Certainly one of the most popular movies of last year. The theme was on gravely threatening situation of our planet Earth. According to that film, sometimes at the end of 2012, our lovely planet will be destroyed because of a hasty burst of solar flares that heat the planet’s core, causing major shifts in tectonic plates. The result would be disastrous earthquakes, tsunamis and unthinkable volcanoes.

Foods we eat everyday have tremendous impact on our mood. People who experience mood swings can improve so much with simple dietary changes and may completely eliminate the need of anti-depressants. Researchers found that there are specific foods that helped people bounce back from adversity more quickly than others.

PRIME minister Sheikh Hasina is embarking on a much-talked about and much-awaited visit to India from January. Undeniably, the visit has generated enormous interest and curiosity in all circles in both the countries. The significance and importance of Sheikh Hasina's talks with her Indian counterpart Dr. Manmohan Singh need to be seen against the backdrop of the past and current political conditions in both Bangladesh and India; regional and larger international situations are also relevant in many ways influencing the summit-level parleys.

PRIME Minister Sheikh Hasina's extremely important visit to India is now just days away. The visit will take place in the backdrop of a couple of important developments in very recent times that could encourage India to relent on its stand on three important bilateral issues, namely, sharing of the waters of the common rivers, a fair deal in bilateral trade and accepting Bangladesh's stand on delimitation of maritime boundary.

South Korea said January 4 it was seeking "a turning point" in relations with North Korea and again urged its communist nuclear-armed northern neighbour to disarm.

Apart from a preservation of 2169 films in its vaults and 3053 books, 14575 photographs, 6677 posters, 1986 screenplays, 9950 film journals and other film related objects and documents in its library, Bangladesh Film Archive (BFA) has scaled new horizons by publishing an annual journal focusing on film and film-related issues on its 30th anniversary. BFA journal has already brought out two of its noteworthy issues for which its editor and the director general of BFA deserve appreciation from various segments of society.

New DirectionsThe facts about this novel and its writer are bleak. Guillermo Rosales fled Cuba in 1979 and shortly thereafter was placed in a halfway house, supposedly by his relatives, because of his schizophrenia. Born in Havana in 1946, he committed suicide in 1993, but not before writing a number of novels, some of which he destroyed before he took his own life.

Works on technical subjects written by Bangladeshi authors to be understood by the common man are hard to come by. But an exception is to be found in the book written by Dr A.M. Choudhury, former chairman of Bangladesh Space Research and Remote Sensing Organisation (SPARRSO). He calls it Protecting Bangladesh from Natural Disasters.

Agoonmukha is a terrible and turbulent river in the South Bengal coastal area. There are other rivers also of the same nature. But Agoonmukha has seen a rise in its intensity by the added flow of six other rivers like the Tentulia, the Lohadia, the Buda Gouranga, the Babnabad, the Darchida and the Degri rivers. Owing to the natural play of loss and gain of the river flows some strips of sandy land were raised out of the bed of the rivers or the sea above the water level where fortune-seekers made their shelter from time to time. In course of time the Burmese and Arakanese came to establish links with Bengalis.