The Daily Star: Internet Edition Sat. August 07, 2004

Volume 5 Number 73

Sat. August 07, 2004


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Front Page	'Pichchi' Hannan killed in 'crossfire' 'Pichchi' Hannan, one of the top 23 criminals on police list, was killed early hours Friday, the seventh day of his remand by anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), allegedly in crossfire between agang
	9,800 more ill with diarrhoea, Unicef fears epidemic A diarrhoea epidemic threatens to emerge as 9,823 more people, mostly children, landed in hospitals and another two died from the waterborne disease, health officials said yesterday.
	Bomb blasts shadow Sylhet in fatal frequency Fourteen bomb explosions in Sylhet region since 1997 have killed 23 people and injured many more, but the attackers go scot-free as the police and other law enforcement agencies have failed to uncover
	3 injured shown arrested, suspect held Police yesterday showed arrested three people injured in the twin blasts at two cinemas and nabbed another suspect from Bagbari in the city.
	Court order fails to make govt pay EC members Election commissioners are vexed at the government for not releasing their last 13 months' salaries even after the country's highest court ordered it to do so.
	Confessor was in cop custody on crime day Shafiqul Islam Kalu, the man who has confessed to the June 4 arson attack on a BRTC double-decker at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel crossing, was in police custody that day, which implicates police in the crime,
	Santosh Gupta Passes away Eminent journalist, writer and columnist Santosh Gupta passed away at the Ibrahim Memorial Hospital (BIRDEM) at 2.30am yesterday. He was 79.
	Massive fighting in Najaf The US military said yesterday it had killed 300 insurgents in two days of fierce fighting against Shia Muslim militiamen concentrated in the central holy city of Najaf.
	Dhaka invites Delhi for meet on joint rivers Dhaka has invited New Delhi to sit in a Joint Committee of Experts' (JCE) meeting under the Joint River Commission (JRC) in September in Dhaka.
	Rejoinder and our reply One Bank Limited (OBL) in a rejoinder to the report titled "7 Banks Under BB Performance Watch" published in The Daily Star of August 4, 2004, said there was no cause for OBL to be bracketed as one of
	Robbing with fantasy In absence of a regulator, multilevel marketing (MLM) companies have robbed thousands of gullible people of crores of taka in the last five years.
	World oil price hits record $45 World oil prices charged up to new record high levels close to 45 dollars on Friday as fears of disruption to exports from Russia highlighted the market's vulnerability to supply shocks, analysts said.
	Taiwan to allow Bangladeshi workers by Sept Taiwan plans to open its labor market to Bangladeshi workers by September at the earliest, the Council of Labour Affairs (CLA) said Friday.
	Essentials prices spike on deluge Sharp price hike of essentials since the deluge hit the country has plunged the living standards of the hard-ups in the city.
	Kerry raps Bush on initial 9/11 inaction John Kerry said Thursday he would have jumped into action more quickly than President Bush did on Sept.
	Top criminal held, carbine recovered Police arrested one top-notch criminal of the district Thursday and his two associates with modern firearms from the city in the early hours yesterday.
	One dies after arrest by Rab A Madarassah teacher died from his wounds at Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) yesterday afternoon, two days after his arrest by the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in the prime port city allegedly
	100 injured in Narsingdi raid Over 100 people including women and children were injured when a group of armed hooligans attacked several houses in the shoal areas of Alokbali union in Narsingdi yesterday.
	Solar System could be 'unique' The Solar System could be unique amongst planetary systems in the Universe, astronomers have announced.
	Damaging roads and lanes...
Business	Floods taking toll on tourism The floods are taking toll on Bangladesh's fledging tourism sector as occupancy rate in hotels and guesthouses drops. "Floods have come as a blow to hospitality business.
	Soaring oil prices scorch world stock markets Global stock markets recoiled Friday as oil prices shot to record high levels on worries about possible supply disruptions caused mainly by financial crisis at Russian oil giant Yukos, analysts said.
	Indian inflation hits 3-year high, spurs rate hike talk India's inflation rate hit its highest level in three and a half years for the week ended July 24, driven mainly by rising food prices triggered by a dry spell in key food-growing regions.
	Australian PM opens way for compromise on free trade pact with US Prime Minister John Howard paved the way Friday for a compromise to end a political standoff over Australia's free trade deal with the United States, saying the pact was more important than temporarypolitical
	HSBC buys 19.9pc stake in Chinese bank Global banking giant HSBC agreed Friday to pay 1.75 billion dollars to buy a 19.
	Premier Bank Appoints agent to market its car loan scheme The Premier Bank Limited has appointed Fair Trade as an agent of the bank for marketing its car loan scheme.
	Fisons declares 200pc dividend Fisons (Bangladesh) Limited, a concern of Aventis Group, has declared 200 percent dividend for its shareholders for the year 2003.
	India, US businesses propose FTA in services sector Indian and US business leaders have proposed a free trade agreement in the services sector that would boost India's outsourcing industry while further opening its economy, an official said Friday.
	Proton buys auto plant in Indonesia, plans foray into China Malaysia's national carmaker Proton said Friday it has acquired an auto assembly plant in Indonesia for 18 million dollars as part of its expansion into Southeast Asia and was making plans to penetrate
	LG Caltex workers end strike Workers at LG Caltex Oil Corp., South Korea's leading oil refiner, ended their their three-week-old strike Friday and prepared to return to work.
	Weekly Currency Roundup July 31-August 05, 2004 Local FX Market US dollar was stable against Bangladeshi taka in the beginning of the week.
Sports	Football: BU down Russel Premier League champions Bro-thers Union sur-vived some tense moments before earning a 2-1 win over Sheikh Ru-ssel Krira Chakra in the opening match of the Nitol-Tata National Football League at the Khulna
	Cricket: Youths becoming seniors? Changes are in store when the national selectors submit their choice of 14 to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for next month's ICC Champions Trophy in England.
	Cricket: Sachin no god! He has been described as India's immortal warrior and a gladiator who fights on when everyone else has failed.
	Cricket: Rudolph defies SL Jacques Rudolph played a defiant knock as South Africa fought hard on the third day of the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium on Friday.
	Cricket: WI wobble again West Indies suffered another depressing day on their tour of England as they were bowled out for just 223 by Derbyshire on the first day of three.
	Football: Eriksson lives another day Sven-Goran Eriksson held on to his job as England coach after his employers the Football Association said he had "no case to answer" over his affair with an FA secretary.
	Cricket: Indo-Pak team to take on World XI A plan has been mooted to organise a series between a combined India-Pakistan XI and the Rest of the World.
	Football: It doesn't get any bitter China and Japan come face to face Saturday to settle old scores in an Asian Cup final match that has been dragged through the political mud.
	Football: Forget peace of mind Sven-Goran Eriksson may have been cleared in the sex scandal that has rocked the Football Association (FA), but British papers warned Friday the knives will quickly be out for the Swede should England
	Football: Van Nistelrooy out for a month Alex Ferguson's plans for the new season were thrown into turmoil Thursday with the news that Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will miss the next month because of a hernia.
	Hockey: Navy hold Dhaka Defending champions Dhaka forced to drop points in their opening super league match of the ANAS Group National Hockey Champion-ship at the Maulana Bhasani National Stadium yesterday.
Metropolitan	Different bodies condemn Sylhet bomb blasts Different organisations yesterday condemned the twin bomb blasts in Sylhet on Thursday and demanded exemplary punishment to those responsible for the incidents.
	Death of Santosh Gupta condoled Different political, social and cultural organisations yesterday condoled the death of Santosh Gupta, a veteran journalist and columnist.
	'Stop distortion of history' Hundreds of children and juveniles came out on the streets yesterday to demand immediate execution of the verdict in Bangabandhu Murder Case and protest the distortion of liberation war history.
	'Pay salary arrears to flood-hit garment workers' Bangladesh Apparels Workers Federation (BAWF) yesterday urged the authorities concerned to pay all salary arrears to the garment workers immediately to help overcome their hardship caused by the floods.
	Over 1,200 held Police arrested 1,240 people on various charges during their ongoing countrywide drive in last 24 hours ending at 6.00am yesterday.
	Obituary Major (retd.) AB Akhtar Hossain, a former executive director of Petrobangla, passed away on Thursday at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife, daughter and son.
National	Floods rising in 3 S dists Fresh areas in Barisal, Jhalakathi and Patuakhali districts including parts of the district towns were flooded in the last two days as waters rolling down from the central districts can not recede due
	Savar villages protest soil lifting by housing co Manikganj: Several thousand people including women from eight villages in Vakurta Union in Savar upazila brought out a massive procession in the area on Wednesday protesting soil extraction
	Mohiuddin's demands are 'a hoax', says Mir Nasir State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mir Md. Nasir Uddin has said Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury's 40-point demand is "nothing but a hoax".
	Crop loss Tk 600 cr in 8 S dists The current floods damaged crops worth at least Tk 600 crore in eight out of eleven districts in the southern region, according to preliminary official estimates.
	Tribal couple killed in Rangamati An indigenous couple was killed by unidentified assailants on Tuesday. The incident occurred at Dandachhara village in Bhushan-chhara union in Barkol upazila.
	'Give more power to local govts' Local government leaders at a meeting here yesterday urged the government to strengthen Union Parishads by giving them more power to accelerate rural development.
	JCD 'bomb makers' held after child hurt in blast Agailjhara police arrested Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists Saiful Islam, Sabuj and Delwar, three alleged bomb maker, after a four-year-old boy was critically injured in a bomb blast on Wednesday.
	Clues to July 12 bomb attack on police van found Jessore Kotwali Police have claimed to have found the clues to bomb attack on a police van in front of Jessore education board on July 12.
	Students clash at Barisal Polytec Instt: 10 hurt At least 10 students of Barisal Polytechnic Institute were injured in a clash between the two groups of students on Thursday.
	Because of ruling party's blessings Violating official rules, a headmaster of a government primary school in Dimla upazila is holding two important posts simultaneously in two other educational institutions.
	One to die, 2 get life term for murder One person was condemned to death and two others were sentenced to life term rigorous imprisonment (RI) in a murder case by a court here on Thursday.
	Shrimp trader killed A prominent shrimp trader named Asadur Rahman Asad,36, was shot dead by seven unidentified assailants at Sultanpur village in Bagerhat Sadar Thana, according to police and family sources.
	Relief to continue till next harvest: Babar State Minister for Home Lutfuzzaman Babor has said stern action will be taken for misappropriation of relief goods or any anomaly in distribution.
Point-Counterpoint	Contemplating permanent flood control Prime Minister Khaleda Zia directed the ministries concerned to prepare for executing permanent measures to tackle floods once the current flooding is over.
	'Don't get me wrong: I'll be ecstatic if Bush is defeated; I just won't be ecstatic if Kerry is elected' John Whitlow is a New York-based legal activist. He is also a housing rights lawyer, working to defend the rights of working-class and lower-income groups in the city.
	Migraine -- the unbearable headache All health information to keep you up to date In today's stressful life headache is one of the most frequent discomforts.
Culture	Probing into the seams of life Abhijit Choudhury is into his sixth solo exhibition at the Alliance Francaise. He presents idylls with realism in his semi abstract works. The proceeds of the exhibition will be donated to the floodafflicted.
	Fahim Hossain Chowdhury: The marvels of Rabindra Sangeet Fahim Hossain Chowdhury, a talented Tagore singer, enjoys a wide range of Tagore's songs--whether based on nature, worship and love. In the worship genre one of his favourites is Jiboney amar jotoananda.
	Federation of film societies organises the 'First National Conference on Film 2004' Bangladesh Federation of Film Societies (BFFS) will organize the 'First National Conference on Film 2004'.
	Fiennes named as Potter villain British actor Ralph Fiennes has won the role of wicked wizard Lord Voldemort in the next Harry Potter film.
General	Relief operation continues for flood victims Poet Shamsur Rahman inaugurated the second phase of relief distribution for the flood victims under World Vision's Kamalapur Area Development Programme on Thursday.
	Scholarship programme for orphan girls A new scholarship programme was launched for orphan girls in the city yesterday. Under the programme, moral and financial assistance will be provided to orphan girls for higher education.
	Amateur Radio League executives An 11-member executive committee of Bangladesh Amateur Radio League has been elected unopposed with Sarif Ahmed as its president. Anwar Islam and Abdur Rashid were elected vice-presidents.
International	Israel reopens Gaza-Egypt border crossing Israel reopened the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt yesterday, allowing some 1,500 Palestinians to head home after being stranded in Egypt for three weeks.
	Danish probe confirm abuse of Iraqi inmates Danish soldiers subjected Iraqi prisoners to ill-treatment including verbal humiliation, forcing them to maintain painful postures and restricting access to food, water and toilets, according to the initial
	'Chances of war with India less than 1 pc' Pakistan's Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat said the chances of hostilities breaking out with India are "less than one percent".
	Turkey working to save several hostages Turkey is trying to save several of its nationals held hostage in Iraq, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said yesterday after two drivers who spent several days in captivity had returned home.
	Lankan ruling party avoids power struggle Sri Lanka's ruling party avoided a power struggle and nominated a former prime minister to replace President Chandrika Kumaratunga as its head as disagreements loomed over the island's peace process,officials
	Pak troops clash with militants: 6 killed At least six civilians were killed in Pakistan's remote border tribal region in clashes between militants and security forces hunting al-Qaeda suspects, officials and residents said yesterday.
	Hiroshima Mayor slams 'egocentric' US The mayor of Hiroshima slammed the United States for continuing to develop nuclear arms yesterday, the 59th anniversary of the world's first atomic bombing which killed tens of thousands of people inthis
	Saudis net most-wanted terror suspect Saudi police arrested a top Saudi terror suspect, officials said yesterday, weeks after the cleric reassured followers he was "taking all necessary precautions" to evade a government sweep.
	Fresh testimony blames England Fresh testimony tied Private Lynndie England to alleged abuse of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib prison, but other conflicting details also emerged portraying an out-of-control jail.
	Bush blamed for 'contracting out' US security to Pakistan Former US president Bill Clinton on Thursday accused President George W. Bush's administration of contracting out US security and the hunt for Osama bin Laden to Pakistan, in its zeal to wage war in Iraq.
	Burundian parties ink power-sharing accord The majority of Burundian parties early yesterday signed a power sharing deal brokered by South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma to pave the way for elections in the central African nation which has
	UN observers set to monitor disarmament of Darfur militias A team of United Nations observers will be in place in Sudan's Darfur region by the end of the week, partly to monitor the disarmament of militias accused of a reign of terror there, a UN spokesman said
Editorial	Editorial: Blasts in Sylhet -- again! Sylhet seems to have become a happy hunting ground for extremist operators and their hirelings, whether it is officially admitted or not.
	Editorial: Trafficking in women and children Life imprisonment given to three persons in two separate cases for trafficking in women and children by Special Tribunals for Prevention of Women and Children Repression should be a warning signal tothose
	Bangladesh and business process outsourcing Outsourcing in broad terms is a transfer of some business functions or components of business processes to an outside contractor. This is done to enable companies to remain competitive.
	Pakistan and Indian Muslims IN his introduction to a book on partition, leading historian Dr V.N. Datta has recalled how "the fundamental question was of the status of Muslims in India.
Letters to Editor	Patronise, whom? The time has come for the people to decide whether to continue to patronize bad politics.
	Global politics and farmers What an irony of life: big powerful global politics is deeply related to our chasi-bhais (farmers)! For our politicians, Dhaka metro (pop 10m) is the end of the pilgrimage.
	Mismanagement in flood relief More than 45 districts have been inundated by this year's floods. The upsurge from India along with the torrential rain have brought the country under this deluge.
	Self-assessment scheme By now, all the city dwellers might have received Dhaka City Corporation's notice enclosing therewith Form 'A' and Form 'B' for self-assessment of holding tax.
	Political aphorisms Our problems are multifaceted; therefore our politicians are also multifaceted. Sometimes a thorn is used to remove a thorn. The politicians are omnipresent. Hence our problems are also omnipresent.
Literature	Unknown Face I felt scared. When you said, 'So this is your true face. Look---this is who you really are. Can't you see my shadow reflected in your eyes? You are mine, only mine, and the rest is all lies.
	An apology for Bangladeshi poetry in English Ever since subcontinentals started doing creative writing in the late 18th century they (especially versifiers among them) have faced the question, "Why write in English and not your mother tongue?" One
	Why do some of us write poetry in English? It is a question that arose in my mind after a recent conversation with Mintoo Bhai (Enayetullah Khan, editor, New Age).