| Front Page | 
Hopes flicker as CA invites Khaleda, Hasina for talks
Shining a sudden ray of hope for ending the current political deadlock, President and Chief Adviser (CA) Iajuddin Ahmed will sit today separately with the chiefs of the two major political alliances led
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Nation inches towards another blockade series
The country's political arena faces uncertainty again as the fourth deadline of Awami League (AL) led 14-party alliance ends today with its major demands, including President Iajuddin Ahmed's resignation
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Khaleda, Hasina must live up to the nation's expectations
We are greatly heartened by Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina's acceptance of President and Chief Adviser's invitation for a one-to-one talk this afternoon. We commend Prof.
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BNP top brass for no shift in polls schedule
The BNP high command wants the election to be held as per the schedule announced by Election Commission 'at any cost' regardless of whether any party takes part or not.
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Talk out differences in a spirit of compromise
Terming the present situation in Bangladesh worrying, UN special envoy Craig Jenness yesterday urged principal political parties to resolve their differences over the election through dialogue in a spirit
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Bar to boycott CJ's court unto his resignation
Functioning of the country's highest court faces a virtual halt as the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) starts boycotting the court of the chief justice (CJ) from tomorrow demanding his resignation.
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Move on to get suitable tender for 6 faulty firms
Instead of going for an open re-tender, the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is hurriedly arranging a restricted tender for dredging the Karnaphuli river involving the six companies which failed to win
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Call for caution as nation marks AIDS day
A total of 109 persons out of 240 diagnosed with AIDS have so far died while 874 persons have been found HIV/AIDS positive since the disease was first detected in Bangladesh, a discussion marking theWorld
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ETV goes on air again after over 4 years
Transmission of Ekushey Television (ETV) resumed yesterday after its broadcasting was stopped four years and three months ago.
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Yunus calls all to protect democracy
Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus yesterday called for protecting the country's democracy, saying any alternative to democracy will not be sustainable.
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Peace deal means little for hills people
With the fundamental clauses remaining unimplemented nine years into the signing of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord, the brewing discontent among the hill people is threatening to turn violent
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Int'l trade fair opens today
The Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF), the largest annual trade fair of the country, kicks off today amid poor participation by foreign companies against the backdrop of prolonged political impasse.
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Arges grenade recovered from Tangail
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) recovered an Arges grenade, one foreign made revolver and eight bullets from a village near Nalitabari upazila of Sherpur district early Thursday.
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Campaign against political violence and instability
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50 hurt as AL, BNP clash in Khagrachhari
BNP and Awami league (AL) activists clashed in different areas of the district yesterday and on Thursday night, leaving 50 people from both sides injured.
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Jubo Dal man bombed, shot to death
Outlaws of the Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) Janajuddha faction last night bombed and gunned down a district Jubo Dal leader in Jhenidah.
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2 outlaws slaughtered
Two outlaws were slaughtered by their rivals at Nandanpur village under Ataikula upazila of the district early yesterday.
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Fire traded on Satkhira border
Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) traded gunfire on Madra and Kakdanga borders under Kalaroa upazila late Thursday night.
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Venting anger...
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Outlaw killed in 'shootout'
An underground operative was killed during a "shootout" between his accomplices and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in Durgapur upazila of the district last night.
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13th Dhaka Book Fair
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2 killed in attack of elephants
Two people were killed by wild elephants in Dewanganj upazila of the district yesterday and the day before.
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400 die as typhoon wrecks Philippines
Typhoon Durian may have killed up to 400 people in the central Philippines after heavy rains and winds sent tonnes of mud and boulders the size of cars crashing onto villages, the head of the local Red
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King goes missing in Nepal's new anthem
A Nepalese panel has chosen a new national anthem making no mention of the country's king, officials said yesterday, in a fresh sign of rising republican sentiment against the 238-year-old monarchy.
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SL president's brother escapes suicide attack
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's brother Gothabaya, who is also the island's defence secretary, narrowly escaped a suspected suicide bomb attack in the island's capital on Friday, officials said.
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Protesters seek Lebanon PM resignation
Hundreds of thousands of protesters from Hezbollah and its pro-Syrian allies massed yesterday in downtown Beirut seeking to force the resignation of Western-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, who was
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| Business |
Current account balance surplus rises on growth in remittance
The current account balance surplus increased in the first three months (July to September) of this fiscal year (2006-07), thanks to growth in remittance.
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DSE indices drop 2pc
The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) witnessed a bearish trend last week with all indices dropping by more than two percent. The DSE General Index dropped by 32.74 points, or 2.10 percent, to close at1527.
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Lafarge's Supercrete cement launched
Lafarge Surma Cement Ltd has formally launched its 'Supercrete' brand cement in domestic market.
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Bankers urge BB to withdraw circulars
The Association of Bankers, Bangladesh (ABB) has requested the Bangladesh Bank (BB) to withdrew the circulars relating to keeping authorised dealers (AD) branches of commercial banks open on Friday and
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GP introduces prepaid 'Smile'
Grameenphone Ltd, the leading cellphone operator in the country, has launched a prepaid package -- Smile -- with some new features and facilities, says a press release.
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Dollar falls to 14-year low against pound
The dollar fell to a 14-year low against the British pound on Friday as pressure on the currency persisted after recent weak economic data reinforced expectations of a cut in benchmark interest ratesnext
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Opec chief says 2nd output cut likely
Opec is likely to trim production again, the president of the oil cartel said Friday, adding that he expects a cut of at least 500,000 barrels a day.
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| Sports |
Busy Bangladesh today
Bangladesh will take on Bahrain in their second Group B match in the 15th Asian Games in Doha today. The match will kick off at 10.45pm Bangladesh time at the Al-Arabi Football Stadium.
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Cricket:
BCB, Nimbus make deal official
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) last night completed formalities of its worldwide marketing agency rights deal with Nimbus Sports International when the contract was signed between the two partiesat
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Cricket:
Mirpur set to get ICC recognition
The Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur is expected to get it's the nod from the International Cricket Council (ICC) to host one-day international matches soon.
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Cricket:
Teams in Bogra
Bangladesh and Zimbabwe both reached northern district Bogra yesterday for the second and third one-day internationals of the five-match series.
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Cricket:
Shakil sinks Jhalokathi
Shakil's brilliant all-round show gave Pirojepur a massive 156-run victory over Jhalokathi at the Barguna Stadium yesterday as the National Cricket Championship resumed after a long break.
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Football:
Footballers to continue sit-in programme
The country's footballers, anxious over their future, staged an hour-long sit-in programme at the BFF Bhaban yesterday afternoon in protest of another delay in the start of the inaugural ProfessionalFootball
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Football:
Batch 05 maul MBA
Mushfiq, Shaon and Tanzil scored two goals each as Batch 05 crushed MBA 8-0 in the opening game of the North South University Intra-Batch Football tournament at the WAPDA ground in Banani yesterday.
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Cricket:
Pakistan clinch series
Leg-spinner Danish Kaneria took three wickets, including two in two balls, to help Pakistan beat the West Indies by 199 runs in the third and final Test and take the three-match series 2-0.
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Qatar's moment of truth
After years of planning and billions of dollars in investment, the Asian Games officially opens Friday in the Qatari capital Doha with what is being billed as the most spectacular gala ceremony ever seen.
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Cricket:
England take honours
Kevin Pietersen won his battle with Shane Warne as England escaped from Australia's clutches to secure a solid position on the opening day of the second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.
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Cricket:
Sidhu convicted after 18 years
An Indian court on Friday convicted former Indian international cricketer and opposition party lawmaker Navjot Singh Sidhu for killing a man during an outburst of road rage.
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Cricket:
Lara sets sight on WC
West Indian captain Brian Lara put on a brave face after losing the Test series to Pakistan, saying his team's main focus now was on next year's one-day cricket World Cup in the Caribbean.
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Cricket:
Same old feeling
Paul Collingwood again came to England's aid with another gutsy innings in the second Ashes Test here Friday and was poised to claim a century after the heartbreak of missing out in Brisbane.
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Cricket:
Clark gloomy at underuse
Stuart Clark is expecting to bowl more overs Saturday after Australian skipper Ricky Ponting surprisingly restricted him to just two overs after tea in the second Ashes Test despite claiming two big England
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Cricket:
Pietersen caught in storm
Kevin Pietersen has found himself at the centre of a storm after comments made in an interview with the South African edition of GQ magazine led to the South African board (CSA) writing to the ICC and
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Football:
Newcastle, Nancy advance
Newcastle United secured the point they needed to advance to the UEFA Cup last 32 as group winners but violence again marred the European competition as French side Nancy booked their spot in the next
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Football:
Man U aim at stretching lead
Jose Mourinho has spent the last week noisily attempting to convince the world that Manchester United must be feeling the pressure of Chelsea closing in on them in the Premiership title race.
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Football:
Goals not a problem for Barca
The loss through serious injury of Samuel Eto'o, Lionel Messi and Javier Saviola has not unduly ham-pered Barcelona in the Spanish league this season as 31 goals in 12 matches have propelled them to the
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Football:
United snap up Larsson
Sir Alex Ferguson on Friday hailed the capture of Henrik Larsson on a short-term loan deal as a "terrific bit of business" and revealed he had attempted to sign the Swedish striker when he was with Celtic.
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Cricket:
Ganguly pledges good show
Recalled to the Indian team after nearly a year, a confident Sourav Ganguly on Friday said he would bank on his experience of playing on bouncy tracks to come good in the three-match rubber in South Africa.
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Cricket:
Sarwan out of ODI series
West Indian vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan was on Friday ruled out of the five-match one-day series against Pakistan after suffering a hairline fracture on his right foot.
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Tennis:
Davydenko draws first blood
Nikolay Davydenko gave Russia the first point of the Davis Cup final tie against Argentina here on Friday, beating Juan Ignacio Chela 6-1, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
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Football:
Blatter rules out China's chances
FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Friday ruled out a China bid to host the 2014 World Cup, saying the Chinese should look at least four years down the road to 2018.
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Football:
Pele tips Klinsi for US role
Former Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann would be an ideal choice for the U.S., Pele said in Germany on Thursday.
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Football:
High tension in Paris
France is bracing itself for a weekend of high drama as tensions run riot in the capital Paris -- in the tribunes at least.
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Football:
Kahn all fired up
The war of words has started in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich captain Oliver Kahn saying his team would pick up the honorific title of 'winter champions' and enjoy Christmas at the summit.
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Football:
Totti threat to Inter dominance
Inter Milan have a chance to stretch their lead in Serie A when they target an eighth successive league victory at home to Siena on Saturday.
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Football:
Terry in the dock
John Terry faces an extra one-match ban after being charged with improper conduct by the Football Association (FA) over his comments about a red card he received during his side's 2-1 defeat at Tottenham
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Football:
Sampdoria pip Palermo
Sampdoria reached the quarterfinals of the Italian Cup after beating Serie A highflyers Palermo 3-2 to complete a 4-2 aggregate win on Thursday.
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Football:
Dutch fans run riot
Rampaging Dutch fans forced an early stoppage to Thursday's UEFA Cup tie between hosts Nancy and Feyenoord after the French side had romped to a 3-0 lead.
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Football:
Tevez keen on Hammers stay
Argentine striker Carlos Tevez wants to stay at West Ham United despite struggling to settle in London, he told The Sun newspaper on Friday.
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Football:
Wallwork stabbed
West Bromwich Albion midfielder Ronnie Wallwork, a former Manchester United trainee, has been stabbed several times, British television stations reported Friday.
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| Metropolitan |
Ensuring access to ICT for people with disability
The International Day of Disabled Persons will be observed in the country as elsewhere in the world tomorrow with the slogan 'E-Accessibility.
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'Rekindle spirit of Liberation War'
With a view to reviving the spirit of liberation war among the people and paying tribute to the freedom fighters, Freedom Fighters' Day was observed across the country in a befitting manner amid enthusiasm.
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'Protect rivers from land grabbers'
To ensure a 'habitation environment' of Dhaka city, environmentalists yesterday urged the caretaker government (CG) to save rivers from encroachments and reduce water pollution.
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'Keep adolescents away from election campaign'
Adolescents at a roundtable yesterday urged all the political parties to make a commitment to keep the adolescents, aged below 18 years, away from any sort of election campaign or activities related to
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Medical student among 3 killed in road accidents
Three people, including a student of a private medical college, were killed in separate road accidents in Dhaka and Chittagong yesterday.
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'Promote mutual respect'
The country is now passing through a difficult situation marked by intolerance and arrogance, said Adviser to cultural affairs ministry CM Shafi Sami while inaugurating the 13th Dhaka Book Fair yesterday.
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College teacher arrested
Police yesterday arrested a teacher of Eden Women's College in connection with the death of an elderly domestic help who worked at her house.
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Nirmul body programme to mark Victory Day begins in Ctg
Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee started its month-long countrywide programme marking the 35th anniversary of Victory Day from Chittagong yesterday.
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Jalil demands removal of foreign secy, 19 envoys
Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil yesterday demanded removal of Foreign Secretary Hemayetuddin and 19 ambassadors and officials who are still serving on contractual jobs under the foreign ministry.
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Woman, 4-yr-old daughter killed in Khulna
Unknown criminals killed a woman after gang rape on Thursday midnight in a shrimp enclosure at Rangpur union under Dumuria upazila of Khulna district.
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Youth stabbed to death at Sarishabari
Unidentified miscreants at Sarishabari upazila in Jamalpur district stabbed a youth to death on Thursday night.
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BNP leader hurt in clash with LDP dies
A local BNP leader, who was critically injured during a clash between the activists of BNP and LDP in Sarishabari upazila of Jamalpur district on Thursday night, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital
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'Unite to save nation from grip of fanatics'
Progressive forces under the banner of Bikkhubdha Deshbashi (aggrieved citizens) yesterday urged all to be united to save the nation from present political impasse and the grip of religious fundamentalists.
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Peshajibi Nari Samaj protests CJ's stay order
Peshajibi Nari Samaj yesterday protested and condemned the stay order issued by the chief justice on the writ petitions challenging the legality of the president's taking over as chief adviser.
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PSP threatens to launch movement
Patkal Sangram Parishad (PSP), an organisation of the workers and employees of eight state-owned jute mills of Khulna-Jessore industrial belt, will enforce a movement from today to press home their eight-point
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'Phiriye Ano Bangladesh'
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2 get 17 years in arms case in Satkhira
A court here Thursday sentenced two people to 17 years' imprisonment in an arms case. The convicts are Abdul Khaleq Majhi, 40, and Yunus Ali Sana, 42, of Komorpur village in Shyamnagar upazila.
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Tribute paid to educationist Selina Zaman
Speakers at a memorial meeting yesterday paid glowing tribute to eminent educationist and cultural personality Selina Bahar Zaman for her remarkable contribution to the fields of culture and literature.
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3 arrested for keeping firearms
At least three people were arrested for keeping illegal firearms and ammunitions here at Ghoraghat upazila of Dinajpur on Thursday midnight, according to police sources.
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Shop employee stabbed to death in Comilla
A shop employee was stabbed to death by unknown criminals at Daulatganj Bazar in Laksam on Thursday night.
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RU admission tests now from Dec 8
The admission tests for first year honours courses under the academic session 2006-07 of Rajshahi University (RU) will now begin on December 8 instead of December 3.
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| National |
Fishing in sea becomes risky
Over one lakh fishermen risk their lives while fishing in the Bay of Bengal in inclement weather by about 5,000 trawlers having no life-saving equipment.
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'Reopen railway branch line thru' Kulaura'
People under the banner of Sylhet Bibhag Unnyan Parishad, a committee for development Sylhet division, were demanding for a long time for revival of lost glory of Kulaura Railway Junction by reopening
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AL-BNP clash leaves 50 hurt in Khagrachhari
At least 50 people were injured as BNP and Awami league activists clashed each other in different areas in the district yesterday and day before.
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Ziaur Rahman hospital yet to operate in full swing
The 500-bed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital built here at a cost of Tk 235 crore is yet to be operated in full swing due to various problems.
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'Corrupt' judge's removal demanded
Netrakona District Bar Association members yesterday handed over a memorandum to District Judge ASM Salauddin Khan demanding removal of Joint District Judge Atikur Rahaman for his alleged corruption.
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2 top outlaws killed in Pabna
At least two leaders of Lal Pataka faction of the outlawed Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP) were killed by party rivals at Nandanpur village of Charadangi in Ataikula Thursday midnight.
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New jute mill in pvt sector
A new jute mill started operation in private sector in Rajshahi at a time when most of the state-run jute mills across the country are incurring losses.
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| Point-Counterpoint |
Election has to be free, fair and credible
Some of the Advisers of the present caretaker government have observed that participation of all major political parties in the ensuing parliamentary election is essential for its creditability and acceptability
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Impact of electoral rolls
The electoral roll is the basic document for holding an election. If the roll is accurate, election is supposed to be free, fair and credible. If not, the result is bound to be misleading.
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Curing an ailing health sector
This piece is in support of the strings of seminars, round tables and news items published now and then on the health sector in Bangladesh.
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Have a stamp for the guy
A ruler is often mystified
After his death he may be mummified
After some time he may be demystified
After some more time he may be dehumanised
After some still more time he may bedemonised
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| Culture |
A festival like no other
Chobi Mela IV -- International Festival of Photography, Bangladesh 2006 -- ended on November 30.
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Mosque Architecture in Bangladesh
When Muslim settlers came to Bengal, they brought a different architectural approach.
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'Dhrupodi': In praise of quality films
On the 44th anniversary of the Bangladesh Film Society, the 6th edition of the exclusive book Dhrupodi was launched at the Russian Cultural Center on November 30.
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| International |
India frees Nepali Maoist leaders
Two senior leaders of Nepal's Maoist rebels were released from jail in West Bengal on Thursday, prison officials said, after all charges against them were dropped.
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16 Taliban killed in Afghanistan
Nato and Afghan troops killed 10 Taliban rebels and captured two suspected militant leaders in a raid on an alleged suicide bomb cell in southern Afghanistan, the alliance said yesterday.
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Pak rape law changes okayed
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf yesterday signed into law a bill amending the country's Islamic rape legislation, despite protests by religious parties, a government minister said.
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Bush sees no 'graceful exit' from Iraq
US President George W Bush warned against expectations he will lay out plans for "a graceful exit" from Iraq, as news reports yesterday said the independent commission looking into Iraq policy will call
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US pushes for UN vote on Iran sanctions
The United States said Thursday that it might try to force through a United Nations resolution imposing sanctions on Iran over its suspect nuclear programme despite objections from Russia and China.
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Israel rules out blanket truce for moment
Israel has ruled out any immediate blanket truce with the Palestinians, despite US calls for a comprehensive ceasefire, and yesterday demanded a complete halt to Palestinian rocket fire from Gaza.
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Iraqi PM faces revolt within govt
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki faced a widening revolt within his divided government as two senior Sunni politicians joined prominent Shia lawmakers and Cabinet members in criticising his policies.
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Use carrot & stick on N Korea: ElBaradei
The international community needs to offer incentives to North Korea rather than just apply pressure for it to return to six-party talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear programme, the head of the UNnuclear
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Fiji military extends coup deadline
Fiji's military has extended its deadline to Monday for the government to meet its demands or be toppled, embattled Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase said as he and his ministers went into hiding.
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Every visitor to US to be assessed as 'risk' secretly
Starting Monday every person entering and leaving the United States will be evaluated as terrorist threats without their knowledge, and the results will be held for 40 years, according to the US Department
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| Editorial |
Editorial:
Was justice served?
We think the most telling comment on the Chief Justice's (CJ) stay order on the writ petitions challenging the legality of the President taking over as the Chief Adviser, just minutes before the order
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Editorial:
Under the world's watchful eye
UN Secretary General's special envoy, Craig Jennes, currently on a three-day visit to the country has urged the political parties to resolve their differences through dialogue.
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Electoral process continues to be controversial
There is an old adage that you can drag a donkey to the pond but you cannot make it drink. This is proving true in contemporary Bangladesh.
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Whose country is it anyway?
I was in Kerala when its chief minister V.S. Achudanandan clashed with his Tamil Nadu counterpart M Karunanidhi over the Mullaperiyar dam. Both were at their worst behaviour.
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Should we still have a revised voters' list?
It is about 18 months since Justice M A Aziz was appointed the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on May 23, 2005.
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| Literature |
Postcards from A Stranger
Buffalo, NY
Dear Hyacinth,
You left behind a book at the Firestone service station. It had your address in it.
While waiting for my car, I read the first few pages. And I got hooked.
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R. K. Narayan's Centenary Conference (Concluding Part)
Wednesday, 11th October, 2006
This morning's proceedings begin with the distinguished English literatteur, Alistair Niven, who reads a paper provocatively titled, "Why Can't the English learn
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A Country Inside A Writer's Head
Isabel Allende, like so many of her compatriots, left her native Chile long ago.
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