Vol. 5 Num 286 Thu. March 17, 2005       Home  News Today's Index Front Page Business Sports Point-counterpoint Metropolitan National International Culture General Views Editorial Letters to Editor Write to Editor Sections Others About Us Contact Advertisement Supplements Archives Today's Index Front Page 8 BNP men made the attack A high-powered government probe has identified eight BNP men as responsible for the January 27 grenade attack on Awami League meeting at Baidder Bazar in Habiganj that killed five people including former   Donors can leave if they can't adjust to our policy Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman yesterday blasted bilateral donors for 'interfering with the internal politics of Bangladesh' and said, "If they can't adjust to our internal policy and economic programmes,   BSF to suspend fencing within 150 yards of zero line Indian Border Security Force (BSF) will stop construction of barbed wire fences within 150 yards of the 'zero line' until the thorny issue is resolved at the highest level of the governments of Bangladesh   PM speech draws opposition flak Leaders of the mainstream opposition parties yesterday sharply reacted to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's speech in parliament on Tuesday, saying she cites the conspiracy of foreigners in domestic politics   CCC polls May 9 Election to the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) will be held on May 9. The Election Commission (EC) in a gazette notification in Dhaka yesterday announced the election schedule.   Tax dodgers' list may be published The government is contemplating publishing a list of tax defaulters in the same way the loan defaulters are exposed, Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman yesterday said.   India for Saarc summit between Mar 24-Apr 18 India has suggested that the coming South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) summit, to be held in Dhaka, could take place sometime between March 24 and April 18.   Bangabandhu's 86th birthday today The 86th birthday of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, architect of the nation's independence, will be observed today. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was born in 1920 in Tungipara in Gopalganj.   Indian HC terms fencing legitimate action The Indian High Commission in Dhaka in a statement yesterday termed fencing work by the BSF within 150 yards of the zero-line a legitimate activity and said the fencing has no defence potential.   Dhaka off US blacklist Bangladesh has finally been withdrawn from the US blacklist published last June that details those countries failing to adequately fight international sex trafficking, the outgoing Home Secretary Muhammad   Khaleda's remarks echo partners' voice What Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has said in parliament about the existence of Islamist militants in Bangladesh was an echo of the recent remarks of her party's coalition partner Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami   No change of heart yet at state level The Energy ministry has dismissed press reports on Delhi's reluctance to sign any bilateral treaty with Dhaka in order to clinch the proposed tripartite gas pipeline agreement involving India, Bangladesh   ACC formed with limited autonomy The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) formed in Bangladesh last year has adequate investigative powers but its autonomy is limited, corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) said in its Global   Indigenous people protest against land acquiring Hundreds of indigenous people in the hill district Bandarban yesterday gathered at the Ruma Upazila Parishad premises to protest against the decision to acquire land for extending Ruma cantonment.   Reza Kibria not willing to contest Reza Kibria, son of slain politician Shah AMS Kibria, dismissed the possibility of his contesting the parliamentary by-polls to his father's seat in Habiganj-3 as well as joining active politics.   Tendulkar in 10,000-club India's Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday became the fifth batsman in the history of cricket to complete 10,000 Test runs, achieving the feat in the second Test against Pakistan here.   Free parking space...   Italy to start Iraq pullout in Sept Leading US ally Italy said on Tuesday it would start withdrawing its soldiers from Iraq in September, in a fresh blow to President Bush's shrinking coalition.   India, US talks hit snags over pipeline with Iran, F-16s sale to Pakistan Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to India as part of a shift toward closer ties hit potentially serious snags yesterday over a pipeline from Iran and possible sales of F-16 jets to Pakistan.   Ministry wings blame each other The two divisions of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources at a parliamentary body meeting yesterday blamed each other for the on-going power crisis across the country.   2 Rab men held for demanding tolls Two members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) were arrested on Tuesday night while demanding Tk one lakh in tolls from thieves charged with stealing public trees.   Appeal against Ghalib's remand rejected Repeatedly placing an accused on police remand for interrogation, not exceeding 15 days at a stretch, is valid in the law of the land, the High Court (HC) ruled yesterday, dismissing summarily a petition   29 die, 23 others survive in Russian plane crash At least 29 people died yesterday after a plane they were in crashed and caught fire as it attempted to land in Russia's Far North, the emergencies ministry told AFP.   Moving with ease...   JCD, BCL move to oust Shibir from DU halls Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and other student organisations continued their operations to oust Islami Chhatra Shibir activists from different dormitories of Dhaka University   Musharraf to visit India April 17 Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf will visit India on April 17 to watch a cricket match and also hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, an Indian government spokesman said yesterday. Business Incorporate more projects in PRSP to spur rural economy As poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP) is going to be finalised in May, a local research and development organisation yesterday asked the government to incorporate more projects in the paper focusing   Asia needs trillion dollars to boost infrastructure: Study Asia-Pacific developing economies led by China need to invest more than one trillion US dollars over the next five years to upgrade their infrastructure and sustain growth, a report said Wednesday.   Japan to give $112.7m loan for rural infrastructure Japan will give Bangladesh $112.7 million in soft loans to implement rural infrastructure development projects in the eastern part of the country.   Opec agrees to increase oil supplies Opec producers yesterday agreed a two percent increase in oil supplies in an effort to rein in $55 crude.   Software, ITES directory launched Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) yesterday published the first-ever software directory titled 'Bangladesh Software & ITES Directory- 2005'.   Warburg sells part of Bharti stake Private equity fund Warburg Pincus has sold six percent of its stake in India's Bharti Tele-Ventures for $561 million.   Telenor opens cellphone network in Pakistan Telenor, the Norwegian telecoms giant, on Tuesday launched its Pakistan operations.   Former WorldCom CEO guilty on all counts Bernard Ebbers, the once-swaggering CEO of WorldCom, was convicted Tuesday of engineering the largest corporate fraud in US history -- an $11 billion accounting scandal that capsized the big telecomscompany   Rupsha bridge to be handed over to govt April 18 Rupsha bridge in Khulna is going to be open to traffic soon as the construction firm will hand over the bridge to the government on April 18.   AKTEL official mobile at Ctg int'l trade fair AKTEL cellphone is the official mobile phone company of the on-going Chittagong International Trade Fair 2005.   EU rebuffs calls for curbs on Chinese textiles The European Union's trade chief on Tuesday rebuffed calls for curbs to be slapped on imports of cheap Chinese clothing and textiles, arguing that it was too soon for a step that should only be a last   Kohinoor Chemical okays 17pc dividend Kohinoor Chemical Company (Bangladesh) Limited has announced a 17 percent dividend for its shareholders for the year 2003-2004.   New office bearers of ICMAB Dhaka branch Jamal Ahmed Choudhury and Naba Krishna Muni have recently been elected chairman and vice-chairman of the Dhaka Branch Council of the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB)for   Japan says economy slowly recovering The government said Wednesday the Japanese economy was recovering but at a slow pace given some soft patches, leaving its assessment unchanged for a third straight month. Sports Cricket: India light up Day One Sachin Ten-dulkar became only the fifth batsman to complete 10,000 runs and Rahul Dravid scored an elegant 110 as India survived a late Abdul Razzaq blitz to post 344-6 on the first day of the secondTest   Cricket: Tendulkar wants to go on India's Sachin Tendulkar said Wednesday he still has plenty of cricket left in him, after beco-ming only the fifth batsman in the game's history to smash the 10,000-run barrier in Test matches.   Football: Rajani, Kanchan let Muktis down Muktijoddha Sangsad cra-shed to a frustrating 3-0 home defeat to Jordan's Al Faisaly in the second round of the AFC Cup at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.   Cricket: A True Friend of Bangladesh Cricket It is generally not known what a good friend Omar Kureishi was of Bangladesh Cricket.   Cricket: Second Test from Friday Fast bowler Brett Lee may be allowed to return home to Australia if he is left out of the team to play New Zealand in the second Test starting in Wellington on Friday.   Hockey: Pushkin passes away untimely Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) joint secretary and Abahani's hockey committee secretary Zahi-dur Rahman Pushkin died of brain hemorrhage yesterday evening at the Bangladesh Medical College Hospital   Cricket: Displeased Dravid Stylish Indian batsman Rahul Dravid was disappointed at losing his wicket after scoring a century in the second Test against Pakistan here on Wednesday, saying he wanted to build on the momentum.   Football: Chhadak CHT Gold Cup soccer champs Chhadak Club clinched the title of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Gold Cup Football Tournament beating Rangamati Mohammedan Sporting Club 5-4 in tiebreaker in the final at the local stadium yesterday.   Chess: Rani, Liza share lead International Women Master Rani Hamid and Shamima Akhter Liza jointly led the table with 4.   Cricket: Rice's cricket diplomacy US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice displayed a swift grasp of the intricacies of India-Pakistan ties on Wednesday by jumping on the bandwagon of cricket diplomacy.   Cricket: Kolkata crowd cheers Bucknor Some 30,000 Indian fans gave West Indian Steve Bucknor a standing ovation on Wednesday for becoming the first umpire in cricket history to stand in 100 Test matches.   Football: Adriano ousts champions Brazilian striker Adriano scored a stunning hat-trick as Inter Milan beat holders Porto 3-1 here Tuesday in their Champions League first knockout round second leg match to dump them out of the competition   Football: Raul says the unthinkable Real Madrid captain Raul has said for the first time that he would leave the club if he was deemed surplus to requirements.   Football: Federer, Davenport on course Roger Federer continued to roll over his opponents and Lindsay Davenport had an equally easy time as both top seeds breezed into the next round of the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters Series event.   Football: Chelsea another step closer Chelsea extended their lead at the top of the English Premiership to 11 points with a 1-0 win over relegation battlers West Bromwich Albion at Stamford Bridge here on Tuesday.   Athletics: Women's athletics ends Dhaka, Panchagar jt champions Dhaka and Panchagar emerged joint champions in the two-day inter-district women's athletics competition which concluded at the Dhanmondi Women Sports Complex yesterday.   Hockey: Div I hockey Promotees Bangladesh Sporting Club completed their campaign with an emphatic 4-1 victory against Dhaka Wanderers Club in the last game of the Green Delta First Division Hockey League at the Maulana Bhashani   Hockey: Independence Day hockey The Independence Day Hockey Tournament will begin tomorrow with Bangladesh Army taking on Bangladesh Police in the opening match at the Maulana Bhashani National Stadium.   Cricket: Inter-school cricket Kurmitola High pulled off an exciting seven-run victory over Willes Little Flower in the Mohammedan Dhaka Metropolis inter-school cricket tournament at the WAPDA ground yesterday.   Cricket: Magura cricket Renessa Sporting Club outplayed Moni Smriti Sangsad by eight wickets in the Econo First Division Cricket League at the Magura Stadium yesterday. Metropolitan Promote meritorious rural students President Iajuddin Ahmed yesterday said it was the prime responsibility of both private and public universities to teach and provide special training to meritorious students to make them experts of international   'Bring transparency to distribution system' The government must bring transparency to the advertisement distribution system and take steps to check corruption at the Department of Films and Publications (DFP), which distributes government ads among   Call for effective leadership at all levels of national life Speakers at a course yesterday underscored the need for effective leadership at all levels of national life.   Committees to save youths from drugs soon : Khoka Committees will be set up at every ward in the city comprising people from all walks of life and irrespective of their party affiliations to save the youths from taking drugs.   Wife says convict not the killer The identity of a young man waiting to go to the gallows in a murder case was questioned in the High Court (HC) yesterday.   37 UPDF men held in Ctg on suspicion Police detained on suspicion 37 indigenous people, mostly leaders and activists of Pahari Chhatra Parishad (PCP) and Pahari Jubo Forum (PJF), the student and youth wings of the United Peoples Democratic   Int'l dialling access code to be changed Bangladesh is going to change its international dialling access code and some emergency service numbers in the wake of growing number of telephone subscribers and the arrival of new telecom companies.   'Globalisation needs proper evaluation' Speakers at a roundtable yesterday called upon the government to evaluate globalisation properly before signing any permanent agreement.   BNP joint meet today A joint meeting of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will be held at the party central office in the city at 4:30pm today.   JU dining hall staffs call off strike The Dining Hall Employees Association (DHEA) withdrew their three-day work abstention programme on Tuesday night following assurance from the university authority of taking necessary steps regarding their   Exemplary punishment to Rab members demanded Leaders of Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) yesterday demanded exemplary punishment to the responsible members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and police for assaulting the journalists.   College student killed in road accident A college student was killed and a university student injured critically in a road accident in the capital yesterday.   Ex-teacher of Siddheshwari Girls School on fresh remand Abul Bashar Miah, arrested in connection with the killings of Siddheshwari Girls High School headmistress Sabera Begum Baby and her daughter Sharmim Alam Shampa, was placed on a one-day fresh remand yesterday.   'Bring culprits to justice' Fourteen teachers of MA Rouf Degree College in Manikganj yesterday demanded security for their life as a gang of hoodlums has launched an attack on them and threatened them with death.   CCC polls May 9 Election to the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) will be held on May 9. The Election Commission (EC) in a gazette notification in Dhaka yesterday announced the election schedule.   Ferdous Ara first woman DG of BTV Ferdous Ara Begum became the first woman to make it to the post of Director General of the state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV). She joined her new office yesterday.   2 Krishak Sramik Janata League leaders resign Two leaders of the Krishak Sramik Janata League have resigned from the party, said a press release yesterday.   Grand Ikebana contest on Mar 18 To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Ikebana in Bangladesh, the Embassy of Japan and Asia Bunka Kaikan Dosokai, Dhaka, will jointly organise the Grand Ikebana contest at the Spectra Convention Centre National Blindness cannot hold them back Blindness is no barrier for Md Kamal Hossain and Iqbal Hossain. They are appearing at SSC (Secondary School Certificate) examinations at Brahmanbaria centre in the town.   AL won't back candidates with criminal record After announcement of nomination for the Mayor post, local Awami League (AL) has finalised the list of AL candidates for the 41 ward commissioner posts in the upcoming Chittagong City Corporation (CCC)   Land owners demand proper compensation About 250 families in Karimpur in Nabiganj upazila in Habiganj have demanded proper compensation and fair price of their lands to be acquired for gas exploratory work by US oil company Unocal.   Former MP Wahab removed from Shailkupa party post After months' of serious in-fighting marked with clash, a rival faction ahas removed former lawmaker Abdul Wahab from the post of Shailkupa upazila BNP president for his alleged 'corruption, tender manipulation   A praiseworthy job by a UP leader Md Hebzul Bari Bakshi, Chairman of Sharifpuir East Union Parishad in Ashuganj upazila, has done a commendable job by stopping a child marriage.   Security blanket in Khulna A security blanket has been clamped on Khulna city as a two-day Tafsirul Quraan Mehfil of Islami Samaj Kalyan Parishad began here yesterday and two important conferences are ahead.   A novel way of cheating in SSC exam Nilphamari Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) AKM Masuduzzaman on Saturday detected a novel way of cheating in SSC examination during a surprise visit to Nilphamari Government Girls' High School centre.   Journalist Dip Azad bomb attack case goes to CID Dainik Jugantor journalist Dip Azad bomb attack case has been transferred to CID for investigation.   Kushtia BSL council postponed A clash between two factions of Kushtia district unit of Bangladesh Sechhasebak League (BSL) has resulted in postponement of its district council on Tuesday. Point-Counterpoint Restriction on BNP MPs It is learnt from newspaper reports that the government has imposed a restriction on the ruling BNP lawmakers, asking them to take permission from the Leader of the House or the party's parliamentarywing   Kuakata Rakhains IT is understandable that an alliance government cannot be as strong and as effective as a single party government in a parliamentary democracy. Culture Showcasing our cultural diversity For those with a taste for diversified cultural heritage, there are glad tidings. A three-day Adivasi grand cultural festival opens today at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.   Arjo's film triumphs Children are very inquisitive by nature. And if it comes to Arjo Srestha, who has donned the role of a filmmaker at the age of nine, this trait was all the more in evidence.   Children theatre festival Children add spirit to the performing arts. To give the young ones their due, a 14-day children theatre festival began at the Public Library Auditorium from March 10.   Carnatic music comes to town Sarva Sree Foundation, the first Carnatic music centre in Bangladesh, endeavours to promote the unique style of South Indian music in this country, says a press release. General Micro-credit programme brings changes to the life of Dhamrai villagers Nasima Akhter seemed to be one of the happiest women in the world. With her eyes sparkling, she ran to her room, then to the cowshed and looked fondly at Akash, a two-day old calf.   Could not care less A prisoner was released yesterday from Satkhira jail 22 months after he had served out his seven-year term due to the sheer carelessness of jail authorities.   1,707 more held, 9 firearms recovered Police arrested 1,707 people, including two listed criminals, on various charges from different parts of the country in the last 24 hours till 6.00am yesterday. International Palestinians take control of Jericho Israeli forces pulled back from Jericho yesterday, strengthening the hand of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas as he seeks to commit militants to a formal ceasefire so that he can talk peace with Israel.   India, US push Nepal to restore democracy India and the United States called jointly yesterday for a return to multi-party democracy in Nepal, saying the seizure of power in the Himalayan outpost by King Gyanendra was a "setback" for the region.   Blasts mar first Iraqi parliament session Iraq's first freely elected parliament in half a century began its opening session yesterday after a series of explosions targeted the gathering.   Indo-Pak troops work together for mending bad Kashmir road Villagers watched in amazement as Pakistani and Indian officers shared jokes, tea and snacks while they worked to open a road over a heavily-fortified border in divided Kashmir.   'Major quake may hit tsunami zone soon' Seismologists say there is a heightened risk that a major earthquake may soon strike the western coast of Sumatra as a result of the monster quake that generated the December 26 tsunami.   N Korea lashes out at Rice, rules out talks North Korea lashed out at US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday for calling the communist country an "outpost of tyranny" and ruled out new nuclear crisis talks as she headed to the region.   Alcohol powered plane launched A Brazilian firm on Tuesday delivered the world's first ethanol-burning production aircraft to a crop-spraying company and it sees a booming market for alcohol powered planes.   Bush asks Hizbollah to lay down arms for legitimacy President Bush held out the prospect of legitimacy for the Lebanese guerrilla group Hizbollah on Tuesday by saying it can prove it is not a terrorist organisation by laying down its arms. Editorial Editorial: The PM's spirit is fine We have no argument with the PM's strong words in parliament on Tuesday.   Editorial: Separation of judiciary The histrionic process of the government asking for extension of the deadline from the Supreme Court to separate the judiciary from the executive continues, with the full bench of the Appellate Division   Annan's 5 Ds for fighting terrorism The recently concluded international summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security held in Madrid from March 8-12 was perhaps the largest agglomeration of experts, scholars, and academics dealing with the   Staying the course US Secretary of State Colin Powell's trip to Islamabad soon after 9/11 was a defining moment, it cemented Pakistan's U-turn from its mind-boggling decade-old support for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan Letters to Editor Fuss about Saarc Why so much fuss by the BNP regime about the postponement of the [sterile and useless] Saarc conference in Dhaka? Simply because Ziaur Rahman originated the idea? Otherwise? The onus is on the regional   WASA billing system The Dhaka WASA charges Tk 11.5 for supplying one cubic meter of water in case of domestic consumers, while this rate is Tk 38 in case of commercial consumers.   Prospects of SAU Producing good agriculturists is the pre-requisite for developing the agriculture sector. Many agricultural universities are working in this area.   Education sector The structure of the education sector has been changing fast and vigorously. Madrassah, a stream of education, almost free, is mainly seen in the rural areas.   Mohali Test The Pakistanis put up a great fight to save the Mohali Test which was at one stage in India's pocket.   © thedailystar.net, 2005. All Rights Reserved.