Road in Sierra Leone named Bangladesh

A new road in Sierra Leone, linking three of its provinces, built by Bangladesh troops in UN peacekeeping operations, has been named after Bangladesh, Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan said yesterday.

The newly elected government of Sierra Leone, he said, also made Bangla one of the official languages of the country.

The Foreign Minister said the Bangladesh troops shared their food with the people of Sierra Leone and for their dedication and commitment other countries in the region contributed the funds for construction of the road.

Khaleda, Thaksin exchange new year's greetings

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and her Thai counterpart Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday exchanged new year's greetings over phone and agreed that their recent visits have ushered in a new horizon in bilateral relations and development efforts of the two countries.

In the telephonic conversation, the two leaders hoped that their visits would open up a new window of multi-faced developments and strengthen people to people ties.

Both Khaleda and Shinawatra wished each other good health and long life, and the people of the two countries continued peace, progress and prosperity.

UAE urged not to allow use of children under 18

The ban on the use of children under 15 as jockeys in camel-racing in the United Arab Emirates is a 'positive' move but not 'adequate', said convenor of the Angikar Bangladesh.

ASF confce begins in Hyderabad

A week-long conference of the Asian Social Forum (ASF), a regional platform to redress adverse effects of globalisation, begins in Hyderabad, India today. Seventeen delegates from the People's Health Movement (PHM), Bangladesh, a non- government organisation, are taking part in the conference. They include AHM Nouman, chairperson of the PHM, Fakhrul Ferdous, Kamal Uddin Ahmed and Samia Afrin.

The outcome of the conference would be placed before the World Social Forum to be held at Porte Allegre in Brazil during the first week of February next.

MoU on free access to Canada signed

Bangladesh gets duty- and quota-free access to Canada for all goods except a few items like dairy, egg, poultry and farm products from today.

A Deeper Meaning

Mian Nawaz Sharif the deposed Prime Minister of Pakistan has finally been chargesheeted for abduction as well as attempted murder, hijacking and terrorism in an anti-terrorism court ironically instituted earlier by his government. It is alleged that Mr Sharif and his accomplices prevented a PIA flight carrying General Pervez Musharraf, now the country's chief executive and 200 other passengers from landing at Karachi air-port with a malafide intention. However the time lag of three months between Sharif's detention and formal chargesheet against him sparked hope that General Musharraf would, after an international wave of sympathy for Sharif, sober down from the strident attack on his victim and refrain from taking an...

Japanese surgeons due tomorrow

A Japanese team of experts on oral and maxillofacial surgery will arrive in the city on Saturday, reports BSS.

The team will perform operation on patients with cuts in lips and thumbs free at the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department of Dhaka Dental College Hospital from January 30 to February 7.

Interested people have been requested to contact Prof Dr Mohiuddin Ahmed, head of the department, at Dental College at 10 am on Sunday.

Immigration to top UK minister's trip agenda

The process of British immigration operations conducted in Bangladesh are expected to receive special attention during the forthcoming visit of Keith Vaz MP, and United Kingdom's minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

Once Beaten, Twice Shy

Backdrop in Sri Lanka seems moderately set for a likely peace deal between the government and the LTTE. If past experience is any guide, the photo-finish could be defective. Ekram Kabir explains why

Vajpayee's Vaccine for the North-east

Mansoor Mamoon examines India's recent concern regarding its north-eastern states