Vol. 5 Num 600 Sat. February 04, 2006       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 Literature Others About Us Contact Advertisement Supplements Archives WWW thedailystar.net Today's Index Front Page RU teacher murdered, dumped in sewer A teacher of Rajshahi University (RU) was found dead behind his house at the teachers' quarters on campus early yesterday.   Arrests, police harassment on to foil long march Braving a countrywide blanket-arrest drive, obstacles, harassment and assaults by the police, leaders, workers and supporters of the 14-party opposition line-up yesterday continued marching in thousands   Our story, our pledge Fifteen years can be a small blip in the history of time, but not so for a newspaper in today's Bangladesh.   Govt running against time The government has no alternative but to separate the judiciary immediately, as its prayer for time extension has been turned down twice by the Supreme Court (SC) since October last, meaning the separation   Diesel price hikes make farming much costlier Irrigation cost for farming has more than doubled over the last four years due to repeated increase in the price of diesel used for this, hitting hard the country's over 10 million farmers.   The Daily Star celebrates 15th anniversary today The Daily Star celebrates 15 years of 'journalism without fear or favour' today through a gala night at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital.   Navigability of waterways drops to one-sixth Massive sedimentation has reduced navigability of the country's classified waterways to less than 1,000 kilometres from 6,000 km in the current lean period, said experts in Bangladesh Inland Water Transport   Top city schools charge 'extra' admission fees High admission fees of many renowned non-government schools in the capital this year have imposed the guardians who have to pay Tk 8,000 to Tk 26,000 for admission of each new student while there is no   6000 victims cry for food, shelter Taslima Begum, 19, along with her two children one 30 days old and the other two and a half years old were waiting in a long queue of those who had lost almost everything in the fire at Rayerbazar   Forex worth Tk 3cr seized at ZIA Customs officials seized foreign currencies equivalent to more than Tk 3.02 crore from a Dubai-bound flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines at Zia International Airport (ZIA) early yesterday.   AL men, Hindus being dropped from voter list: Hasina Opposition leader Sheikh Hasina yesterday announced that Awami League (AL) would not participate in the upcoming general elections without reforms of caretaker government and the Election Commission.   Thousands throng book fair Thousands of people thronged the Bangla Academy premises and Dhaka University campus yesterday, the first Friday of Amar Ekushey Book Fair, which coincided with Saraswati Puja and the close of the three-day   Foes in politics, friends while drinking Archrivals during the day but partners while enjoying wine at night, a Chhatra Dal and a Chhatra League activists are now facing trial for being drunk and disorderly on Wednesday night.   Egyptian ferry with 1,400 aboard sinks in Red Sea Many people were feared dead yesterday after an Egyptian ferry with some 1,400 on board sank in bad weather in the Red Sea during an overnight crossing from Saudi Arabia to Egypt.   Bomb blast in B'baria injures 2 A poultry shop owner and his son were injured in a bomb explosion at Kauloli in the town yesterday morning. The injured are Mohammad Babul, 35, and his son Mohammad Robin, 8.   Trial of Kibria murder case begins Feb 7 The trial of the former finance minister Shah AMS Kibria murder case will begin on February 7 at Sylhet Speedy Trial Tribunal.   4 shot as drug peddlers clash at Pallabi At least four people, including three drug peddlers, were injured in a gunfight between two rival groups over sharing of money that came from illegal drug sale in the city's Pallabi area yesterday.   One shot dead, 20 injured in Kushtia One person was shot dead and 20 others were inured, as their rivals sprayed bullets on them at village Nawtabhabanipur in Kumarkhali upazila of the district yesterday.   Abducted businessman rescued Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on Thursday night rescued a businessman from Sanarpar area under Shiddhirganj Police Station after 23 hours into his abduction and arrested two abductors.   Outlaws demand toll from Agrani bank branches in Khulna Extremists of Purbo Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) Janajuddha faction again demanded tolls from six more branches of the state-owned Agrani Bank in Khulna district on Thursday.   Pranam...   2 bodies recovered Police recovered bodies of two unidentified persons early this morning from a ditch at Brahmogati village under Digholia upazila of Khulna district.   India says latest nuclear missile ready for launch India yesterday announced it had completed all tests and was ready to deploy its latest nuclear-tipped missile, capable of striking targets at a distance of 3,000 kilometres (1,860 miles).   Jalil reiterates demand for electoral reforms Awami League (AL) General Secretary Abdul Jalil yesterday reiterated his resolve that no parliamentary election would be allowed without reforms in the system of caretaker government. Business BB urged to withdraw 10pc tax on interest of term deposits Bangladesh Leasing & Finance Companies Association (BLFCA) has urged the central bank to withdraw imposition of 10 percent tax at source on the interest of term deposits.   Melamine makers urged to take safety measures in factories Speakers at a seminar stressed the need for using personal protective equipment (PPE) system in melamine industry to boost export of Bangladeshi melamine products.   SME banking road show in Ctg In a bid to help the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) grow further, a three-day 'SME Banking Road Show' began in the port city on Thursday.   China auto output, sales to cross 6.4m units in '06 China's output and sales of motor vehicles will maintain a rapid growth of 12 percent to top 6.4 million units in 2006, predicted an official in charge of the China Association of Auto Manufacturers (CAAM).   India economy inching towards 8-10pc growth Optimistic of India's double digit growth in the coming years, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday outlined the need to carry out reforms in power sector, increase credit to farm sector and cut government's   India will not compromise on farm subsidy Ruling out any compromise on the question of agriculture subsidy at the WTO talks, India has agreed with the European Union to work for better bilateral trade ties.   Bangladesh needs to follow Basel roadmap Bangladesh will have to follow the roadmap of Basel implementation soon to remain in line with the international banking system, observed Jamal Uddin Ahmad, chairman of Credit Rating Information and Services   Air-India flight timings back to normal Air-India's flight timings to Dhaka are back to normal with the airline resuming its regular flight schedule.   Nepal’s forex reserve up by 7pc The Nepali central bank on Wednesday reported a sound growth in foreign currency reserve during the first four months of the current fiscal year (July 16, 2005 to July 15, 2006).   China economy soars 9.9pc in '05 China maintained its solid growth momentum in 2005, with an increase of 9.9 per cent in its GDP amid oil price hikes, trade disputes and frequent disasters.   India, UK to boost ties in SME, film, media Trade and investment ties between India and the United Kingdom are poised for rapid growth as the two countries have identified two new areas of cooperation -- small and medium enterprises (SME) and creative   Oil prices higher Oil prices rose on Friday as market attention returned to the nuclear crisis over Iran, dealers said.   Japan's Hitachi suffers net profit fall Japan's Hitachi said Friday its net profit fell 79 percent in the December quarter due to an absence of one-off gains that lifted the previous year's bottom line and to losses in hard-disk drives.   Weekly Currency Roundup Jan 29-Feb 02, 2006 Local FX Market Demand for US dollar was high in this week and USD remained bullish against Bangladeshi taka Money Market In the Treasury bill auction held Sports Indians ready for ODIs Indian cricket captain Rahul Dravid said on Friday his players were geared up for the next week's five-match, one-day series against Pakistan despite their Test loss.   Cricket: Imran bats for Sachin Indian batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar's sun has not set despite his failure to score a half-century in the last six Test innings, according to legendary Pakistani all-rounder Imran Khan.   Cricket: Lee routs South Africa Speedster Brett Lee added to his growing reputation as a lethal limited-overs bowler as he snared 4-30, including three wickets in one over, as Australia crashed and bashed their way to an 80-run winover   Cricket: Ganguly not quitting Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Friday brushed aside speculation he was planning to quit saying he was in good touch and even ready to open the innings.   Cricket: Zim crisis deepens Zimbabwe's rebel cricketers accused the game's rulers of pursuing a 'divide-and-conquer' strategy on Thursday as their lawyer considered a last-minute move to end the crisis which has seen senior players   Cricket: Champs finish with a win Already champions Old DOHS finished their Aktel Premier Division Cricket League campaign on a winning note when they romped to a massive 101-run victory against Victoria Sporting Club in their last Super-Six   Cricket: BCB's EC sits today An emergency meeting of the executive committee of Bangla-desh Cricket Board (BCB) will be held this morning to finalise the different standing committees.   Cricket: U-19s victors in final warm-up Bangladesh under-19 cricket team won a high-scoring match against their Zimbabwe counterparts by three runs to complete their build-up for the ICC Under-19 World Cup with hundred per cent success yesterday.   Football: Booters resume training today National footballers return to the their training camp today at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.   Football: Late flurry sees Senegal thru' A storming second-half show gave Senegal a 3-2 victory over Guinea on Friday in the first African Nations Cup quarterfinal.   Football: Familiar foes renew rivalry Liverpool face Chelsea for the fourth time this season when they travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, hoping to take advantage of the Premier League leaders' dip in form.   Football: Milan eying turnaround AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko has insisted they can resurrect their challenge for the Serie A title by beating Lazio on Sunday.   Football: Tricky test for Barcelona Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres has a happy knack of scoring against Barcelona and poses the biggest threat to the leaders' 14-match winning streak in the Primera Liga on Sunday.   Football: Kaiser backs Brazil, England German legend Franz Beckenbauer believes Brazil will take some beating at the World Cup this summer but that England could give the world champions a run for their money.   Cricket: Murali will be reprimanded Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan will face an "unofficial reprimand" after responding to crowd taunts in Perth with a single-finger gesture, officials said Friday.   Football: Inter show Lazio Cup exit Inter Milan's Dejan Stankovic scored the only goal to send his former club Lazio crashing out of the Italian Cup in the quarterfinals on Thursday.   Football: Archbishop slams Ronaldinho's red The Archbishop of Barcelona has intervened in the controversy surrounding Ronaldinho's red card against Real Zaragoza in the King's Cup, saying the Brazilian was unjustly punished.   Cricket: Div I cricket A solid 94 by Sonny helped Dhaka Wanderers Club score a 69-run victory against Kathalbagan in the First Division Cricket League at the Dhaka University ground yesterday.   Cricket: NCL restarts Feb 8 The Ispahani Mirzapore Tea Seventh National Cricket League (NCL) will resume on February 8 across the country.   Football: Media soccer Janakantha and Sangbad set up a final clash in the seven-a-side Meril Cup media football tournament after winning their respective semifinals at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.   Handball: Inter-college hanadball Dhaka College registered a 9-4 victory over Dhaka State College in the EXIM Bank inter-college (men's) handball tournament at handball court adjacent to the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.   Golf: Lancer Cup golf held Nafees Alam clinched the men's title while Shin Woo Kee won the women's crown in the Lancer Cup Golf Tournament at the Kurmitola Golf Club course on Friday. Metropolitan Resist construction of Tipaimukh dam The 'Angikar Bangladesh Foundation' (ABF) yesterday called for resisting the construction of the much-talked-about 1,500-megawatt Tipaimukh Hydro Electric (multipurpose) Project and demanded cancellation   Adopt proactive policy to boost growth of light engineering units Speakers at a seminar on Thursday called for adopting multifaceted strategy and proactive policy to boost the growth of Light Engineering Industries (LEIs) in the country.   CPB demands white paper on NAM flats Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) yesterday protested the decision of changing the names of allottees of NAM flats and demanded publishing of white paper on allotment of the flats.   'Ensure equal participation of women in local govt' Speakers at a workshop yesterday called for ensuring women's equal participation and their empowerment in local government to strengthen it.   Arrest killers of Jubo League leader The Awami League and its front organisations yesterday demanded immediate arrest of and exemplary punishment to the killers of Keraniganj Jubo League leader Anwar Hossain.   Three killed in Ctg road accident Three people, including two of a family, were killed in a road accident at Sadhanpur of Banskhali upazila, some 30 km off the port city yesterday afternoon.   Aly Zaker gets Radio Veritas award Noted drama and cultural personality Aly Zaker has been awarded the Radio Veritas Asia Bangla Service Council Award 2005 for his contribution to promoting communal harmony and human development at home   Section 144 imposed in Palashbari to skirt trouble Palashbari upazila administration imposed section 144 yesterday to avoid clash as upazila JCD and Shibir called meetings at the same venue and same time.   Amzad, Hafiz FERB chairman, executive director Mollah Amzad Hossain, editor of Energy & Power magazine, and Mahmud Hafiz, senior reporter of the daily Janakantha, have been elected chairman and executive director of Forum for Energy Reporters' Bangladesh   Mizan Chy laid to rest in Chandpur Veteran politician and former Prime Minister Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury was laid to rest with state honour at his family graveyard at Puranbazar in the district yesterday.   SCBA condemns mass arrests during long march The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) yesterday strongly condemned and protested the blanket arrest of the leaders, workers and supporters of Awami League-led 14-party combine by the law enforcement   NSU photography exhibition begins today A weeklong photography exhibition titled 'Southern Glances' arranged by the North-South University (NSU) photography Club will be held at Drik Gallery at 3:00pm today.   Jasim Palli Mela begins Feb 22 in Faridpur The fortnight-long Jasim Palli Mela begins at Ambikapur in Faridpur on February 22. President Iajuddin Ahmed is expected to inaugurate the fair. The Mela (fair) will continue until March 7.   15 shops gutted in Bhola fire At least 15 shops were gutted early yesterday at Charfashion Bazar in Bhola. At least 10 people were injured while trying to put the blaze under control. National Over 100 JMB men hiding in Tangail-Gazipur forests Police have started combing operations in Mirzapur, Sakhipur and Kaliakair forest areas in Tangail and Gazipur districts to find out JMB (Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh) dens and nab its activists.   Militants moving freely in Gangachara 'Listed' outfits of Jamaatul Mujahedeen, Bangladesh (JMB) have come out of their hideouts and are regrouping in shoal areas in Gangachara upazila in the district, allegedly due to lax police vigilance   Accused escapes from custody in Barisal An accused fled away from police custody just after arrest on Thursday. Zamshed Talukder, 30, accused for torturing woman, fled away with handcuff by jumping into the Kirtonkhola river.   Most rivers dying due to Farakka, says minister Shipping Minister Lt Col (Retd) Akbar Hossain said most of the rivers in the country are dying due to adverse effect of Farakka Barrage.   'Long March' in Pictures   Extortionists damage idol of Sarswati in Sirajganj A gang of miscreants Thursday night damaged an idol of Sarswati at a temple at Chandangati Bosundhara village in Belkuchi upazila.   Two Barisal journos get bail A court here on Thursday granted bail to two journalists in a case lodged by authorities of the 'Amar Bazar', a shopping complex owned by Destiny-2000.   15 BNP men hurt in Patuakhali factional clash At least 15 persons were injured in BNP factional clash at Dumki upazila headquarters on Thursday.   Discussion held A discussion on ‘development through self-reliance’ was held at Magura Press Club auditorium on January 28, said a press release here yesterday. Point-Counterpoint Is a fair election possible under this CEC? Our limping democracy under an inefficient, corrupt government will soon be under the stress of a national election.   Are we lost and confused? Are we lost? Are we confused? Nowadays we are not sure about our place in society because we have so many roles to play. We are multi-tasked and need to attend to so many things, profound and trivial. Culture Alluring show-tunes of by-gone days It was an early October day and I was passing by a busy London supermarket area, when the mellow tune of a flute tantalised my ears.   Chandra Shekhar: self-effacing but self-assured Self-effacing but determined, Chandra Shekhar, who has amazed gallery viewers and connoisseurs over the decades, revels in making excellent pen-sketches and oils.   Japan-Bangladesh join hands Japan and Bangladesh ties seem to be warming up. Coming up on February 7 is the Japan Festival, jointly organised by the Embassy of Japan in Bangladesh and the Bangladesh National Museum. General Sanitation coverage doubles to 67pc in two years The nationwide coverage of sanitary latrines has doubled to 67 percent from 33 percent in the last two years, according to the statistics of the Department of Public Heath and Engineering (DPHE).   Call for urgent action to protect wetlands Environmentalists, experts and journalists on Thursday urged all to take urgent defensive actions, which include implementation of wetlands protection act, to reverse dismal scenario of the wetlands of International President seeks unity, Tigers call for strike President Mahinda Rajapakse Frdiay urged unity and peace in Sri Lanka, even as a Tamil Tiger front organisation called for a one-day strike to coincide with today's independence day.   Maoists kill Nepali politician, aide Suspected Maoist rebels in Nepal have killed a politician and his aide ahead of next week's municipal elections, which the guerrillas have vowed to disrupt, a district official said yesterday.   'Blair, Bush were ready for war from Jan 2003' US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were ready to go to war against Iraq with or without a second UN resolution, Britain's Channel 4 News television claimed Thursday.   Hamas defies pressure to recognise Israel Defying international pressure, the militant Islamic group Hamas said yesterday it will never recognise Israel but might be willing to negotiate terms for a temporary truce with the Jewish state.   Anger over cartoons spreads across Asia Outrage spread across the Islamic world yesterday over Danish cartoons of Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (SM), as Muslims condemned them as "blasphemous" and more European newspapers published them, arguingfreedom   Bhutan king delays democracy plans The people of the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan will have to wait for their first chance to vote after astrologers convinced their absolute monarch the stars were stacked against democracy.   Manmohan talks tough against airport chaos Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday vowed to press ahead with plans to privatise two Indian airports despite a strike that has caused chaos at airports for three consecutive days, a Marxist leader   Hindus clash with police at disputed religious site in India Police fired tear gas and used batons yesterday to prevent Hindus from entering a religious site in central India sacred to both Hindus and Muslims, an official said.   Ex-Pentagon contractor pleads guilty A former Pentagon contractor pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of conspiracy, bribery and money laundering in connection with his work overseeing reconstruction projects in Iraq.   Koreas agree to hold military talks The two Koreas agreed yesterday to hold military talks for first time in nearly two years. Editorial Editorial: 15 years of The Daily Star While there has been no lack of effort, and always an unflinching commitment, to uphold our pledge, it is for the readers to judge as to how much we have been successful in fulfilling our promise.   Editorial: Finance Minster's discontent over misuse of public fund The Finance Minster's recent remarks at the launching ceremony of the Public Expenditure Management Manual and the Internal Control Manual on the prevailing state of corruption and the irregularitiesand   Political earthquake in Palestine Defying exit polls, Hamas arrived last week on the Middle East political scene with a bang.   Bend it like Congress I may be reading too much into the cabinet reshuffle in New Delhi. Letters to Editor Big neighbour India is going to build Tipaimukh Dam in Sylhet border to block the water flow to Bangladesh. It is violating the international laws concerning water sharing.   Voting right of expatriates We are nearly eight million Bangladeshi expatriates working in various countries of the world. We are known as wage earners.   Suicide Well, as I was going through the newspaper as usual, a piece of news attracted my attention on 31 Jan.   Bangladesh moving ahead Let me draw a parallel between a small company and a small developing country. Sooner or later investors will notice and flock to invest in a company as long as it grows. Literature Culture Seeing that it was pouring rain outside Kamrul Hassan folds his legs under him, sits down, lights a cigarette and says : So you have to understand, this culture thing seems to have a smell that hits you   In the Land of No Worries Australian Salute My attention was attracted by it almost as soon as I stepped out of Sydney airport and pretty soon I was doing it too--the Australian salute! The gesture consists of thefingers   Dhaka Hanky-Panky A verandah with mosquitoes the kitchen next door the song of the steaming wok-- "little bastards" you say playing hot footsie-- the waiter glides in lays down shrimp curry mindful   © thedailystar.net, 2006. All Rights Reserved.