Vol. 5 Num 562 Sun. December 25, 2005       Home  News Today's Index Front Page Business Sports Metropolitan National International Culture General Views Editorial Letters to Editor Write to Editor Sections Marry Christmas Special Others About Us Contact Advertisement Supplements Archives WWW thedailystar.net Today's Index Front Page Fuel price hike, weak taka spur inflation Fuel price hike and devaluation of taka were the main factors that pushed up the inflation rate by .27 percentage point in October.   Politics again on collision course Politics is set to generate much heat from the beginning of next year, the last year of the BNP-Jamaat-led coalition in office, as the ruling and opposition blocs are competing to take control of street   UGC for uniform grading in public, pvt universities The University Grants Commission (UGC) yesterday proposed a uniform grading system with a chart of nine grades for both public and private universities in the country.   EC still in strife as fresh voter listing nears The chief election commissioner (CEC) and the two election commissioners have not yet reached a consensus about electoral roll, though the launch of preparing a fresh voters' list is just a week away.   Christmas today The Christian community of Bangladesh, as elsewhere in the world, celebrates Christmas today in commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ.   Tk 67 lakh looted from Ctg firm A gang in the city early yesterday robbed over Tk 67 lakh in cash and cheques for around Tk 12 lakh from a distribution firm of British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB).   Bigots ask Babar to quit over police action Anti-Ahmadiyya bigots yesterday demanded resignation of State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar and passing of a censure motion in parliament for Friday's police attacks on its activists.   ADB offers $315m semi-hard loan a yr Asian Development Bank (ADB) has proposed to give a $315 million near-commercial annual loan from its Ordinary Capital Resources (OCR) Fund for the next three to five years to help the country manageits   Waiting anxiously   Rivers of poison Acute pollution of waters of the rivers Buriganga and Turag is killing thousands of fish and other aquatic animals.   Rahman brothers, Bangla Bhai accused in Barguna case Police submitted a charge sheet on Friday accusing 12 people including the JMB chief, his brother and Bangla Bhai of carrying out the August 17 blasts in Barguna.   Bimstec experts work out most of FTA issues The seven-nation Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec) regional grouping is all set to implement the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) among the member countries   2,000 tourists stranded at St Martins At least 2,000 tourists have been stranded at St Martins, the country's lone coral island, as the stormy weather hit the areas, making it impossible for the vessels to approach the island due to the rough   Teenager shot dead by BSF Indian Border Security Force (BSF) near Laxmipur frontier of Akhaura shot a Bangladeshi teenager dead on Friday and took his body away.   Azerbaijan plane crash kills 23 All 23 people aboard a flight from the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, bound for Kazakhstan were killed when their plane crashed overnight on the Caspian Sea coastline, the airline said yesterday.   Low-key Rajnath given BJP helm India's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has chosen a low-key team player to replace the hawkish Lal Krishna Advani as its leader, the Press Trust of India reported.   Indian firm gets Tamiflu licence Swiss firm Roche has licensed an Indian company to make a generic version of its anti-flu treatment Tamiflu for India and other developing countries.   US monitors mosques for N-radiation US officials have secretly monitored radiation levels at Muslim sites, including mosques and private homes, since September 11, 2001 as part of a top secret programme searching for nuclear bombs, US News   UN averts financial crisis with vote The UN General Assembly late on Friday passed a budget with an unprecedented spending cap aimed at pressuring countries into approving management and other reforms within six months.   Qureia won't run in polls Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said yesterday he will not run in next month's parliamentary elections because of an Israeli threat to ban voting in east Jerusalem.   5 killed in fresh SL trouble At least five people were killed in two gun battles in Sri Lanka yesterday in the troubled northern Jaffna peninsula, officials said. Business New insurance laws on the cards In a bid to streamline regulations and monitor the country's insurance business more efficiently, the government has initiated steps to introduce fresh laws.   Dhaka int'l trade fair attracts visitors As the Dhaka international trade fair is gaining momentum, visitors are showing more interest in jute and leather goods and handicrafts.   Iraq clears financial milestone with IMF deal Iraq's economic hopes got a major lift Friday with the International Monetary Fund clearing a 685 million dollar standby loan to help the shattered country get back on its feet.   Building material show ends on low note With little response from visitors, 'Building Material Exhibition-2005' concluded in Dhaka yesterday.   Air Deccan to buy 30 Airbus jets India's low-cost private carrier Air Deccan announced Saturday it would buy thirty A320 aircraft from European consortium Airbus Industrie for 1.5 billion dollars.   Submitting daily transaction details to BB may hurt banks Complying with the recent Bangladesh Bank's (BB) directive related to submitting daily transaction details of banks to the BB may cast a negative impact on the banks, fears Bangladesh Association of Banks   Indian economy races into 2006 Oft-derided as the slow-moving elephant of Asia, India's economy has been transformed into a star performer with booming growth and a stock market that rocketed 40 per cent in 2005.   China's toy makers’ Xmas profits slump For years, China's thousands of toy factories and busy workers have dominated much of the global toy industry but now rising costs and faltering sales have left managers crying over miserly profits.   India's Hetero Drugs to make Tamiflu for poor countries An Indian company, Hetero Drugs, has been granted the right to produce the antiviral Tamiflu for poor countries taking measures against bird flu and a possible influenza pandemic, the Swiss pharmaceutical   Malaysia's diverse races main selling point for tourism Malaysia's diverse races and unique cultures will be the main selling point for Visit Malaysia Year 2007 (VMY 2007), which is targeted to draw 20 million tourists.   Google founders are FT's men of the year The founders of Internet search engine Google have been named the Financial Times men of the year, the newspaper announced Friday.   Boeing hits high on Singapore Airlines report Boeing shares hit an all-time high Friday after a report that Singapore Airlines was leaning to the US aviation giant over European rival Airbus for a big order of long-range jets.   Asia Energy's non-executive director resigns after share scam A non-executive director of Asia Energy PLC, which is developing Phulbari coalmine in Bangladesh, resigned after he had been fined by the British financial watchdog for a share scam involving anothercompany. Sports Cricket: City end Victoria's run Tushar Imran led from the front as City Club brought high-flying Victoria Sporting Club down to earth with a massive 87-run victory in the fifth round match of the Premier Division Cricket League at the   Football: Samabesh in Super Six Samabesh Club of Munshiganj were the last team to reach the Super Six of the Fifth Nitol-Tata National Football League when they edged fellow debutants Kacharipara Sporting Club of Jamalpur 1-0 in the   Cricket: India recall Ganguly India's national selectors Saturday recalled former skipper Sourav Ganguly and paceman Zaheer Khan to their Test team for an upcoming tour of Pakistan.   Cricket: Inzy warns his teammates Pakistan can expect a hard and close Test series against an Indian side including their recalled former captain Sourav Ganguly next month, Pakistani skipper Inzama-mul Haq said on Saturday.   Cricket: Fitness first for Vaughan England captain Michael Vaughan has insisted that only by getting all their first-choice players fit can his side be competitive when they tour India in the New Year.   Cricket: Yorkshire gets its soul back Headingley, the home of Yorkshire cricket, will continue to stage Test matches after Leeds City Council agreed Friday to help the county buy the ground.   Football: Six in JFA Cup zonal final Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Jhenidah, Gazipur and Thakur-gaon moved into zonal final of the JFA Cup Under-16 football tournament on yesterday.   Cricket: Mizan, Monwar guide Boys Half-centuries by Mizan and Monwar spearheaded Bangladesh Boys Club to a three-wicket win over Uttara Sporting Club in Saturday's lone First Division Cricket League match at the City Club ground.   Cricket: Kolkata rejoices Ganguly return News of Sourav Ganguly's inclusion in the Test team for the tour of Pakistan on Saturday triggered celebrations in the former captain's hometown of Kolkata.   Cricket: India to tour Bangladesh in 2007 India are expected to tour Bangla-desh in 2007 after the Cricket World Cup in the West Indies, Indian cricket chief Sharad Pawar told journalists on Friday night in Mumbai after a formal dinner at the   Football: New African colours in WC The African football guard changed dramatically in 2005 with minnows Angola and Togo reaching the World Cup while giants Cameroon and Nigeria missed out.   Cricket: 'England took Pakistan lightly' Former cricket great Imran Khan said Friday England underestimated Pakistan thereby losing both the Tests and one-day series, while the hosts performed better than expected.   Cricket: PCB appeals against ban on Shabbir Pakistan are confident they can get paceman Shabbir Ahmed's one-year suspension overturned after filing an appeal with the International Cricket Council (ICC).   Football: Liverpool door open for Owen Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez says former Anfield great Michael Owen could return to the club one day.   Football: Eto'o to play in African Nations Cup Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o will stand down from club commitments in order to play for Cameroon at next month's African Nations Cup, state radio quoted him as saying on Friday.   Football: Di Stefano suffers heart attack Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano has been admitted to hospital in Sagunto near Valencia after suffering a heart attack on Friday night.   Cricket: Cricket unlikely at Delhi C'wealth Games Cricket may be excluded from the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games due to lack of action by the Indian cricket board, Games' organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi said on Friday.   Cricket: Ranatunga resigns Former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga Saturday resigned from the Sri Lankan board's high-profile Cricket Committee following his country's recent dismal performance in India.   Cricket: Another window closed on Chingoka The embattled head of Zimbabwe cricket Peter Chingoka came under renewed pressure to stand down on Friday after a ban was introduced to prevent the national team from using the country's seven major cricket   Hanzala-Hasan pair lifts title Mohammad Hanzala and Zaheed Hasan won the title in the Fazle Sobhan Bangladesh Bridge Federa-tion National Pairs Championship which concluded yesterday at the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute.   Football: Booters in Karachi A 21-member Bangladesh football team reached Karachi on Saturday to play the second-leg match of the Asian Cup pre-qualifier against Pakistan.   Football: Shearer confirms retirement plan Newcastle striker and former England captain Alan Shearer says he will stick by his decision to retire at the end of the season. Metropolitan No plan for electoral reforms The government has no plan to bring any reform to the electoral system, said Law Minister Moudud Ahmed at a book launching ceremony yesterday.   'Fight against repression, misrule unitedly' Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the repression of minority people have started soon after the BNP-Jamaat alliance government took office.   'Change attitude towards women' Speakers at a national conference yesterday called for changing attitude towards women and raising social awareness to ensure gender equality.   Small change can expedite development process The publication ceremony of a book titled ' Local Government in Bangladesh' edited by Kamal Uddin Siddiqui, principal secretary to the prime minister, was held at the Biam auditorium in the city yesterday.   AL-BNP politics not for Islam or people The leaders of Hijbut Tahrir Bangladesh yesterday blasted both BNP and Awami League for what they said not serving interest of the Islam, people and the country.   President, Pm, Hasina greet Christians on Christmas President Iajuddin Ahmed and Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in separate messages yesterday felicitated the Christian community of Bangladesh on the occasion of the Christmas Day.   Protest against move to construct apartment Guardians of the students of a SWID-run school for the intellectually disabled yesterday held a rally on the school premises at Eskaton in the city yesterday to protest the authorities' decision to construct   JCD expels 5 DU leaders Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), student wing of the ruling BNP, yesterday expelled five of its Dhaka University leaders for their involvement in anti-organisational activities on the campus.   Shamim, Qadir Kallol new OCAB president, secy Shamim Ahmad of United News of India (UNI) and Qadir Kallol of BBC have been elected president and general secretary of the Overseas Correspondents Association Bangladesh (OCAB) for 2006.   Non-govt pry teachers demand nationalisation of jobs Members of the Bangladesh Non-government Primary School Teachers' Association wearing shrouds staged a demonstration in the city yesterday demanding nationalisation of non-government primary schools and   Mannan re-elected Gulshan Club president S M Abdul Mannan was re-elected president of Gulshan Club on December 23, says a press release. Mannan is a civil engineer and founder director of Mercantile Bank and Global Insurance Company.   One stabbed to death in city An unidentified man was stabbed to death at Pallabi in the city last night. Police said three to four youths stabbed the man aged about 50 indiscriminately near the Islami High School at about 9:45pm. National Organised grand rally in Paltan does not mean public support Krishak Sramik Janata League (KSJL) President Bangabir Abdul Kader Siddiquee, Bir Bikram yesterday said the mammoth rally organised by the four-party ruling alliance at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka does not   Xmas programmes slashed Christian indigenous people in Madhupur region in Tangail have changed the schedule of their Christmas Day programmes.   Disease may be Viral Enkepalities The 'mysterious' disease that killed four children and affected 20 people in a remote village in Bauphal upazila in 12 hours on Friday has been primarily identified as Viral Enkepalities, according to   Unite against protectors of militants The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) held a rally at Netrakona Central Shaheed Minar yesterday to protest the December 8 carnage by JMB (Jama'atul Mujahideen, Bangladesh) in the town.   JMB threat to blow up Khan Jahan Ali Instt JMB militants yesterday threatened to blow up Khan Jahan Ali Science and Technology Institute. Principal of the institute Abul Kalam Azad filed a general diary (No.   JMB 'commander' Asad on 5-day remand Ten persons out of 12 arrested earlier in connections with the December 17 recovery of bombs, explosives and bomb-making materials from two JMB dens at Akua in the town were produced before a First Class Culture Morshedul Islam's optimistic views Measuring up the possible success of the ongoing International Short and Independent Film Festival, director Morshedul Islam, famous for his film Chaka, said at the opening of the festival, "From   A new beginning Hridi Huq is an actress with simplicity, in addition to being a choreographer-costume designer-scriptwriter.   PaglaGhora: A theatre of absurd As part of the ongoing theatre festival arranged by Group Theatre Forum at Shilpakala Academy, Chittagong, Pritinidhi Natya Sampradaya will stage PaglaGhora today at 7 pm.   A penchant for record covers One has heard of stamp, coin, car and painting collections, among others. General Protect interest of working class in election manifesto Political parties should incorporate the issue of protecting the interests of the working class into their election manifesto as there are around six crores voters in the country who belong to the working   Dhaka, Islamabad enjoy very close relations Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said Islamabad and Dhaka enjoy very close brotherly and friendly relations and these will be further strengthened with the passage of time.   Make best use of surface water Resource Minister Hafiz Uddin Ahmed yesterday stressed the need for controlling the groundwater lifting and making the best use of surface water in day-to-day activities.   Ershad sets conditions for joining alliance Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad yesterday said his party will join only that political alliance which will accept its 12-point programme to jointly contest the next general election.   Romanian National Day observed Enayetullah Khan, Honorary Consul of Romania in Bangladesh, hosted a reception on the occasion of Romanian National Day at his residence in the city on Friday.   SSKOP emergency meeting tomorrow An emergency meeting of Sangbadik- Sramik- Karmachary Oikya Parishad (SSKOP) will be held at 11:00am tomorrow at the National Press Club, says a press release. International Diplomats rush to save Lankan truce Diplomats from Sri Lanka's key backers held an emergency meeting with Tiger rebels yesterday amid fears the country could slip back into war after a day of violence that killed 18 people, officials said.   Tsunami survivors mark first anniversary Survivors launched a boat laden with flowers, candles and incense in the first ceremony yesterday to mark one year since the Indian Ocean tsunami swept away at least 216,000 lives in one of the world's   UN asks Nepali rebels to explain polls threat A top United Nations human rights envoy has asked Nepal's Maoist rebels to explain their threat of "special action" to destroy February municipal polls.   Bhutan's people excited by move for democracy Bhutanese are sad but excited about their King's decision to hand over power to his son and hold the tiny Himalayan kingdom's first democratic election in 2008, local newspapers say.   Iraqi president seeks to defuse election row Iraq's top political leaders met yesterday to defuse a gathering crisis over contested general election results while the country's top Shia cleric called for setting up a national unity government.   Laden niece poses for GQ magazine Her uncle may be the world's most elusive fugitive, but Osama bin Laden's niece is about as conspicuous as she can be in a sexy photo shoot in the January edition of the men's fashion magazine GQ.   Dutch negotiator to mediate between India, Naga rebels A Dutch negotiator has been appointed to help save an eight-year-old ceasefire between New Delhi and a separatist group in the northeastern state of Nagaland, a rebel leader said yesterday.   'NSA spying broader than Bush admitted' The National Security Agency has conducted much broader surveillance of e-mails and phone calls without court orders than the Bush administration has acknowledged, The New York Times reported on its   Indonesia braces for potential terror attacks Indonesian security forces braced yesterday for potential Christmas Eve terror attacks by extremists believed to be intent on marring the holidays in the world's most populous Muslim nation.   Egypt opposition leader sentenced to 5 years jail Egyptian opposition leader Ayman Nur was sentenced to five years in jail for forgery by the Cairo criminal court Saturday, an AFP correspondent reported.   Blair to go by next year if defeated on reforms British Prime Minister Tony Blair will stand down next year if his ruling Labour party fails to back his public sector reforms, The Independent said yesterday, citing unnamed aides. Editorial Editorial: Merry Christmas We extend our best wishes for a Merry Christmas to our Christian brethren on this auspicious day. We wish them a joyous and happy Christmas.   Editorial: Taking a stand against religious extremism The law enforcement authorities in Dhaka did a fine job on Friday, for which they deserve acknowledgement and praise.   Are we really serious about Bangladesh's welfare? Are we all really serious about our country's welfare? It seems not. This is not only the feeling of the ordinary citizens of Bangladesh, even some foreigners feel the same way.   Will 2006 be better than 1996? Making predictions is like walking into a minefield. So I thought I would do a little research. I looked at some op-eds from this time last year to see what they had to say. Letters to Editor Blair playing Polonius! England's Tony Blair has already acclaimed much of public ridicule at home and abroad for his queer act of following George W Bush in his acts of war.   About missed call on mobile I would like to tell something about the missed call on mobile. I think it is one of the worst disgusting things. Now-a-days most of the people have mobile set.   Lethal drug addiction Drug addiction is lethal to our civilization. It corrodes our life gradually. The whole world has been contaminated by the tenacious bite of drug-addiction.   An honest expression I read the article 'The past is still present' by M B Naqvi published in DS on 17 December .   IB System Till date the English medium schools of our country have followed the British O and A level systems of education but now some of them like the Aga Khan School are switching to the IB system.   Iran President's remark This is in response to the letter by Aranya Syed, Queen Mary University of London, UK on Iran president's remarks. Feature The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath Today is Christmas day! Christians all over the world observe this day as the birthday of Christ, the eternal Mind and Word of God incarnate as a human person, as Jesus of Nazareth born of the VirginMary   Christmas: Reflection, celebration and determination Today is December 25 of the 2005th year of the Lord. Today the whole world celebrates with great solemnity the birth of Jesus, nativity of Jesus -- Christmas.   Celestial joy The 9th Verse from Luke, Chapter 2, goes like "An angel of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified." In Bethlehem, the town of David who was Jesus' ascendant, Jesus was born.   A rose to the world Who challenges man's existence today Chasing him from the Artic To the dense forests of the Amazon below? Is it not his very own shadow? Who's that ghost who whispers to man Justifying   Invoking Jesus Long ago thou stepped into earthly life. For peace and happiness instances thou set But were crucified to death. It couldn't overcome thy message. Star Health How to manage and prevent scabies Scabies is a highly contagious infectious disease of the skin caused by the itch mite. It is characterised by a sort of lesion (called papule-vesicular) along the burrows containing mites and their eggs.   Re-evaluation of Electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) The aim of this article is to provide a perspective on Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT), based on cumulative studies for non-specialists, for those who are prejudiced against it and wish to limit or ban   Let your liver live A lot of people take their liver for granted.   Tips on weight loss after delivery After pregnancy, women usually experience of gaining some extra kilos. And they become very eager to shed that excess weight after the confinement. Unfortunately, those extra pounds do not disappear overnight.   New TB therapy offers potential shorter treatment Clinical results on a new combination treatment that could dramatically shorten the length of tuberculosis (TB) treatment were presented at the 45th Annual Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents   A glass of milk a day keeps heart diseases and stroke away Milk is the considered as an ideal balanced diet. It is a fine blend of all the nutrients necessary for growth and development of human being.   Watch your waists An increase in waist circumference or abdominal obesity is linked to multiple cardiovascular diseases and is a predictor of future coronary heart disease. Star City Christmas services held under tight security Tight security in the city ahead of the greatest feast of the Christian community has not dampened the festive mood.   Ineffective traffic signals worsen congestion The computerised traffic signals installed at various intersections in the city are not being followed by traffic police who are struggling to control the traffic manually.   Rajuk bid to build road in Gulshan foiled A Gulshan resident yesterday managed to stop the work of constructing a road by the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) along the Gulshan Lake, claiming the possession of the land.   Eight public toilets for 1cr people! It is unbelievable but true that only eight public toilets are currently available for around 1 crore people in 90 wards of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC).   Plastic Goods Fair in City   © thedailystar.net, 2005. All Rights Reserved.