| Front Page | 
Bush wants to get rid of Arafat
US President George W Bush told an Israeli journalist that "we must get rid of" Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the mass-circulation Yediot Aharonot daily said yesterday.
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BNP men's attack foils AL's Munshiganj council
The triennial council of Munshiganj district Awami League could not be held yesterday as ruling BNP men put up barricades and attacked opposition workers, leaving at least 50 of them injured despite Section
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DFP ads go to fake media
A parliamentary body has accused the Department of Films and Publications (DFP) of misappropriating public funds by allocating advertisements to fake or nearly non-existent media.
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20,000 bulldozed out of city slum
The Housing and Building Research Institute (HBRI) yesterday bulldozed about 20,000 people out of their shanties in Kalyanpur in an eviction drive that prompted protest from rights groups and political
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State deptt lauds Dhaka for religious freedom, critical of minority rights
The US praised Bangladesh for generally allowing its citizens to freely practice their religion of choice, but criticised its police forces for often being "slow to assist members of religious minorities
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BNP bigwigs for soft stance
As the home ministry prepares for a massive crackdown on the opposition to stem anti-government street agitation, six top ministers suggested Prime Minister Khaleda Zia not to go hard on the opposition
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Poacher or saviour?
A strange official silence blankets the activities of Shitesh Ranjan Dev, Srimanga's most famous poacher.It is easier to find certain endangered animals at his home than in the wild.
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Congress leaders resign en masse
A top decision-making body of India's main opposition Congress party resigned en masse yesterday following heavy losses in regional elections ahead of national polls next year.
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IMF suspends anti-poverty loan tranche
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has suspended the second installment of loans for poverty reduction growth facilities (PRGF) this month as the government failed to introduce market-based interest
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Israel mulls Iran attack
Arab states have responded to Libya's pledge to abandon its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programmes by demanding that Israel to do the same.
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Dhaka rebuts Delhi's rebel camp claim
Bangladesh again dismissed reported Indian allegation of insurgency camps in its territory and said the government would swing into prompt action if there is any information about any terrorists or insurgents
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TIB rejects Sircar's remark
Prof Mozaffer Ahmad, trustee member of the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), rejected the speaker's remark on a TIB report, saying the report is based on facts.
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Iraqi pipelines, storage tanks set on fire
Insurgents attacked pipelines and an oil storage depot in three parts of Iraq, setting fires that blazed for hours and lost millions of gallons of oil, officials and media reported Sunday, as the country
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Stranded Pakistanis threaten siege to home ministry
Stranded Pakistanis in Mirpur yesterday threatened to lay siege to the home ministry if police failed to arrest in three days the killers of a salt trader and his son, shot dead in Saturday's morningrampage.
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PM sits with top aides on JS issues
The ruling BNP has moved to resolve some crucial issues including reviving the reserved seats for women in the Jatiya Sangsad and bringing amendments to the constitution.
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Mindlessly dug
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Azadi editor passes away
Veteran journalist and renowned Editor of the daily Azadi Prof Mohammad Khaled expired at a city clinic yesterday morning.
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Good governance must for progress: seminar says
Like most governments, the Bangladesh government too has a long tradition of operating in secrecy, and surveys show that the public has but very low expectations from it, said Supreme Court Advocate Sigma
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PM opens RU golden jubilee celebrations
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday inaugurated the golden jubilee celebration programmes of Rajshahi University (RU).
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Road transport bodies under Huda heat
Communications Minister Nazmul Huda has blasted officials of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) and Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) for 'corruption and poor performances'.
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RU function turns into Shibir's jubilation
The inaugural session of the golden jubilee celebrations of Rajshahi University (RU) yesterday put on a distinct political colour due mainly to hyper activism of the assembled Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS)
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PM to give medals to meritorious DU students today
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will distribute gold medals to 46 outstanding students of Dhaka University today despite protest from different students' organisations.
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Taskforce finds banks not cooperative
The central taskforce against money laundering yesterday expressed its dissatisfaction at the reluctance of different commercial banks in providing information on 'hundi' and other illegal monetary transactions.
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Fake real estate DMD nabbed for embezzlement
Sarwar Hossain, deputy managing director (DMD) of Gembind Union Logistic Services Ltd. (Gulsel), was arrested yesterday on charge of embezzling earnest money against tender.
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B Chy invited to open Kader Siddiqui's party programme
Krishak Sramik Janata League President Kader Siddiqui has invited former president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury to inaugurate the party's 4th founding anniversary programme on December 24 in the city.
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CU teachers' ultimatum to government
The Chittagong University Teachers Association (CUTA) has given a 15-day ultimatum to the prime minister for withdrawal of a circular on mandatory approval of Prime Minister's Office for all appointments
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Biman bomb scare turns out a hoax
A Biman flight that was halted Saturday night following a bomb hoax at Zia International Airport left for Karachi early yesterday after nearly an 8-hour ordeal for the passengers.
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Patients suffer as interns go on strike at Barisal hospital
Patients at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH), Barisal do not get proper care as intern doctors have gone into an indefinite strike from Saturday, demanding expulsion of a Jatiyatabadi Chhatra
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| Business |
Saifur slams bank directors for opposing the idea
Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman has criticised a section of bank directors, who had opposed making consortium financing mandatory in disbursement of large loans.
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DSE seeks WB help in market development
The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) has sought technical and financial assistance from the World Bank (WB) for development of an efficient capital market.
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Poor profits prompt rice production fall
The state minister for agriculture yesterday sounded an alarm on the declining trend of rice production as farmers are deserting their profession.
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Rangs Ltd introduces Mitsubishi Outlander
Rangs Limited, the sole distributor of Japan's leading carmaker Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, has introduced another Mitsubishi brand car in Bangladesh market and already received tremendous response
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Khulna unit of Dhaka Match closed down
The management of Khulna unit of Dhaka Match Industries Ltd yesterday hung lockout notice at the factory gate, terminating all its employees excepting some of security and emergency departments.
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Russia now keen to buy RMG directly from Bangladesh
Russian Ambassador Oleg S Malginov has said his country's importers are keen to import Bangladeshi garments, but identified the banking system as a major problem.
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Bank holiday on Dec 25
Bangladesh Bank (BB) and all scheduled banks of the country will remain closed on December 25 on account of Christmas, a press release of BB said here yesterday.
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Global Online starts operation in Chittagong
After Dhaka, Global Online Services Limited has come up with its internet services in Chittagong.
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Call money rate stable at 2pc
The call money rate remained stable at 2.00 per cent yesterday as most banks had sufficient funds when credit demand was low, fund managers said. The call money rate ranged between 2.
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EU, PRIP Trust sign $3m deal
The delegation of European Commission to Bangladesh and PRIP Trust have signed a contract worth 2.56 million euro (approximately US$3.
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BB auction
The 276th auction of the 28-day, 91-day, 182-day, 364-day, 2-year and 5-year treasury bills was held here yesterday.Tk 425.39 crore, Tk 30.00 crore, Tk 60.00 crore, Tk 46.10 crore, Tk 15.
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Bashundhara, Harmac to develop two supermarkets
Bashundhara Group and Harmac Ltd, an American-Japan-Bangladesh joint venture company, will develop two supermarkets at Panthapath and Baridhara in Dhaka.
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Dollar strong against taka
The US dollar remained stronger against the Bangladesh taka yesterday in thin inter-bank trade, which was depressed by poor transactions due to holiday in most international markets, dealers said.
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Prime Bank leads Tk 1000m syndicated loan for Nasir Glass
Prime Bank Limited has arranged a Tk 1000 million syndicated term loan for Nasir Glass Industries Limited.
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Square Pharma holds sales conference
Square Pharmaceuticals Limited held Sales and Marketing Conference-2004 at Savar in Dhaka yesterday.Tapan Chowdhury, managing director of the company, inaugurated the conference, says a press release.
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BDCOM Online declares 10pc cash dividend
BDCOM Online Limited has declared a 10 per cent cash dividend for the shareholders for the year 2003.
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Asia economies offer hope after surviving Sars, Iraq wreckage
Asia's economies emerged from the wreckage of Sars and the Iraq war with surprising strength in 2003, with China's seemingly inexorable rise expected to fuel an even better regional performance next year.
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| Sports |
Football:
Abahani thank prolific duo
Abahani's deadly attacking duo of Maxim and Saiful Islam Khokon scored one apiece as the Sky Blues blanked ten-man Victoria Sporting Club 2-0 yesterday in their Western Union Premier Division Football
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Cricket:
Rafiq, Naimur wreck Ctg
Mohammad Rafique and Naimur Rahman spun Dhaka to a comprehensive 226-run victory over fellow title contenders Chittagong on the final day of their Mirzapore Tea National Cricket League at the Bangabandhu
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Cricket:
Another one-day party
Hannan Sarker hammered a dazzling half-century and Mohammad Ashraful returned to form with a responsible 51 as Bangladesh A recorded its second successive victory in the Patron's Cup with a 18-run win
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Cricket:
Murali scripts SL win
Muttiah Muralitharan gave a superb display of spin bowling to help Sri Lanka post their biggest-ever victory over England with more than a day to spare in the final cricket Test here on Sunday.
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Cricket:
Elements help Pakistan
New Zealand could claim a slight advantage when rain and bad light combined to cut short the third day of the first cricket Test here against Pakistan, with Pakistan at 227 for four in their first innings.
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Cricket:
Clarke ton in dull draw
Young batsman Michael Clarke, seeking a first Test call-up, hit an unbeaten 131 for Australia A in the three-day tour match against India which ended in a draw at Bellerive Oval on Sunday.
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Cricket:
He didn't mean that
Indian captain Saurav Ganguly on Sunday denied claiming that India could be considered the world's No.1 Test cricket team if it beats Australia in the current series.
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Cricket:
Mashrafee's 2nd surgery today
Injured fast bowler Mashrafee-bin-Mortuza will undergo a second surgery in Australia today.
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Cricket:
U-19 stars to bolster Ctg
Chittagong will be boosted by the inclusion of their three under-19 batsmen when they take on Dhaka in the limited-overs match of the Mirzapore Tea Fifth National Cricket League at the Bangabandhu National
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Hockey:
Bangladesh blank Hong Kong
Bangladesh made a flying start in the first-ever AHF Cup junior men's hockey tournament, outplaying Hong Kong by 5-0 in the inaugural match in Singapore yesterday.
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Chess:
Biman back on track
Bangladesh Biman got back on the winning track in the First Division Chess League at the NSC Conference room yesterday.They led the table with 44.
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Football:
Bolton again a pain
Bolton took the edge off Arsenal's festive celebrations by grabbing a late equaliser against the Premiership leaders at the end of one of the most memorable weeks in the club's history.
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Football:
Totti's twin treat
AS Roma captain Francesco Totti struck both goals during a 2-0 win at struggling Empoli Saturday to crown his side Serie A winter champions and maintain their unbeaten record going into the three week
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Football:
Blatter warns United
World football chief Sepp Blatter put FIFA on collision course with Manchester United on Sunday by insisting that the English champions could find themselves in serious trouble if they challenge Rio Ferdinand's
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| National |
Mongla BNP leader murdered as per plan, PBCP outlaw confesses
Arrested outlaw belonging PBCP (J) Nuruzzaman now being questioned by police at Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) prison cell prison cell confessed his involvement in the murder of Mongla BNP leader
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Nalta Hospital gave them new life
Jahurul Islam Shishir, a BBA student of Independent University, Ansar Uddin, a police man from Debhata and housewife Kulsum Begum of Satkhira town have now new visions in life.
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UK gives Tk 850 cr a year for education, HC says
British High Commissioner in Bangladesh Dr David Carter has said his government gives Bangladesh at least Tk 850 crore direct assistance every year in education sector.
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Citizens' rally against corruption
A citizens' rally and a procession against corruption, joined by political leaders, were held under the joint auspices of the Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) and the Committee of Concerned
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Manager among 6 chargesheeted
Six persons have been chargesheeted for embezzling Tk 64 lakh from Noapara branch of Agrani Bank.
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Foundation of 3 bridges laid in Netrakona
State Minister for Home Lutfuzzaman Babor laid the foundation of two footbridges and one RCC bridge on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
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Doctor assaulted at B'baria after death of patient
A doctor was assaulted and property damaged at Brahmanbaria Sadar Hospital by a group of unruly people after the death of a patient on December 18 due to alleged negligence of duty.
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300 guest birds killed with pesticide
About 300 migratory birds were killed at a shrimp farm at Puijala village in Shyamnagar upazila recently.
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Husband chargesheeted in Tia 'murder' case
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of police in Lalmonirhat has chargesheeted the husband in housewife Aan Karobi Tias 'murder' case.
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Seven shown arrested
Seven out of 45 persons taken into custody have been shown arrested in two separate incidents of bomb attack on the Pajero Jeep of Additional DIG and Sub Inspector Shahid Shurawardy.
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| Point-Counterpoint |
Saddam and Bangladesh
It is an axiomatic truth that every man is a strange mixture of good and evil. The difference between man to man lies in the degree of these two natural qualities attributed to them.
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Victory of BJP or communalism?
The election results in three states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chattisgarh were quite unexpected, even stunning in a sense.
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Sundarnagar is a city elsewhere
In the Bollywood film, Mein Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (MPKDH), the characters live and romp in a perfectly Indian town called Sundarnagar. The only thing is that Sundarnagar is an Indian town nowhere.
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| Culture |
Bodhu Biday
Ruposhi, a name familiar amongst many music lovers, has finally come out with an instrumental album, flaunting her graceful playing of the violin.
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European and Western influence on Tagore Songs
Some great man once said--we ought to recognise the optimistic aspect of every culture and utilise it to our benefit. Tagore was supposedly an enthusiastic admirer of that statement.
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Alamgir Kabir Memorial Lecture
As part of the 8th International Short and Independent Film Festival, Dhaka-2003, the 5th Alamgir Kabir Memorial Lecture entitled Problems and prospects of national cinema in the era of globalisation
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'Show Time' for Ferdous Ara
An eminent Nazrul singer of the country, Ferdous Ara, recently enthralled the crowd with her solo performance at the National Museum, organised by the Dhaka University Alumni Association.
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| General |
Corruption, irregularities rampant in cooperatives bank, Milk Vita
The parliamentary standing committee on the local government and rural development (LGRD) and cooperatives ministry yesterday slapped allegations of corruption and irregularities on the cooperatives bank
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Oust govt movement soon
Opposition Leader and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina yesterday said a mass movement against the BNP-Jamaat coalition government would be launched shortly which would topple the alliance and install
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Singapore ship sued for damaging 18 Navy ships
Bangladesh Navy has filed a damage suit against Singapore flag carrier MV Eagle Strength for damaging its ships at the outer anchorage on September 21.
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'Ban commercial use of playgrounds'
Speakers at a rally yesterday urged the government to impose a permanent ban on the commercial use of playgrounds in the city.
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BNP accuses AL of "planned killings" of BNP men in Bagerhat
BNP Secretary General and LGRD Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan condemned "planned killing" of his partymen in Bagerhat district and asked for immediate arrest of the killers.
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Businessman robbed in Ctg
A businessman was robbed of Tk 1.4 lakh in the city here yesterday.
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| International |
Rebels ask Bhutanese to leave India now
Indian separatists warned Bhutanese nationals yesterday to leave the border state of Assam as the Buddhist kingdom continues trying to oust the rebels in its first modern military operation.
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'Saddam was held by Kurdish forces, drugged and left for US troops'
Saddam Hussein was captured by US troops only after he had been taken prisoner by Kurdish forces, drugged and abandoned ready for American soldiers to recover him, a British tabloid newspaper reported
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India calls for sharing intelligence with Nepal
India has called for intelligence cooperation with Nepal to check the common threat posed by Maoist rebels.
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Philippine landslides may have killed 200
Rescuers battled rain and mud yesterday in search of survivors after landslides and floods devastated eastern Philippine villages in a pre-Christmas tragedy that officials fear may have killed up to 200
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'Libyan WMD move driven by economic motives'
Libya said yesterday its decision to abandon secret efforts to build an atomic bomb and chemical weapons was driven by a need to develop its economy and boost the living standards of its people.
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Talks fail to end Lankan crisis
Talks aimed at resolving a power struggle between Sri Lanka's president and prime minister have failed, raising fresh concerns for a fragile peace bid with Tamil rebels, political sources said Sunday.
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China wants peaceful Taiwan reunification
China told the United States it would never allow an independent Taiwan, its diplomatic and ideological rival for more than half a century, but would work for peaceful reunification.
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| Editorial |
Editorial:
Hospitals without drugs
The news that more than 4,000 hospitals in the country have been running without medicine for the last six months is extremely disturbing, to say the least.
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Editorial:
Security agencies to check hoarders
The government's move to engage various intelligence agencies in order to contain price hike of essential commodities by the hoarders is undoubtedly a good and timely one.
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Harking back to dark age?
The free-fall we continue to experience -- whether in governance, economy, nation building or in routine maintenance of an internal order --, they all suggest that we are yet to hit the bottom of theabyss.
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Option deleted
Saddam Hussein succeeded when he survived. The safest place, and certainly one more comfortable than a "rat-hole", for Saddam Hussein after his defeat is a prison.
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Independent public prosecution service
In a workshop on "Strengthening of the Criminal Justice System" held on December 19 our Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, admitting the pitfalls of the present practice of appointment
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No more trading in deception
Professor Badruddoja now says he will not be floating a political party but would create a "platform". We have had enough of politicians by default.
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| Letters to Editor |
Lest we forget the "Baby"
It was in the early sixties (or was it late fifties?) that those of us living in Dhaka were introduced to the three-wheelers. At that time they were cute little things with working meters.
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A martyr's son speaks
I have read the writing of Asif Munier on the Martyred Intellectuals Day.
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A cigarette company's defence!
It is exhausting isn't it? Going to work early in the morning, ramming through all this traffic and finally getting to work, and working the whole day.
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Sartorial freedom
If I am an adult, if I am living in a civilised society, if I am mentally sound, and if I am to attend an invitation to my friend's house, am I myself not enough to select my own dress, shoes, ornaments,
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On VCs
There have been letters written in these columns about the protocol and status of vice chancellors . It is true that VCs used to get a lot more respect in pre-independence days.
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Bangladesh Bank
I am writing this letter to appreciate the steps taken by the Bangladesh Bank (BB) to fine 13 branch managers of six private banks for providing more than the declared interest rates to depositors.
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List of godfathers
I was going through a letter focused on the published list of the godfathers of the ruling four-party alliance, prepared by the main opposition, in your esteemed newspaper on November 3.
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Pakshi Bridge
I refer to Mr Marghub Mowla's letter (December 15) on the above subject. I fully agree with the content and call upon the BNP leadership to open a chapter in our politics by being fair and magnanimous.
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Have patience, politicians
Former premier and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina often calls for movement to oust the present government. The BNP government is an elected one and is supposed to govern the country for five years.
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Hasina's remarks
With utter disgust and sheer frustration, I write this letter as I find Sheikh Hasina's call for an international probe employing FBI and CIA into the Kuril arms haul an affront to our national sovereignty.
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Ahmadiyya issue
Once again we see the secularists imposing their beliefs on Muslims. Lately, there have been much criticism of the anti-Ahmadiyya activists in the letters column.
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Football not the answer
Thanks to Shahjahan Ahmed for his reply ( 13 December) to my letter. I am happy to know that Mr. Ahmed had a hearty laugh reading my letter, at least my letter was funny! Unfortunately, Mr.
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| Star City |
Iron grilles to protect poet's sanctity
Dhaka University decided to put up iron grilles to protect the sanctity of Kazi Nazrul Islam's grave from intruders.
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Prisoner of bribe
Justice seekers end up in the hands of middlemen backed by police on Dhaka Judge's Court premises and go back home empty-handed after a tiresome day.
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Death dashes dreams
He was only 20. The dreams of Sazedur Rahman Mithu, a bright student aspiring to be an artist, were dashed.
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All set for Biswa Ijtema from Saturday
Preparations are almost complete for the 38th Biswa Ijtema, the biggest congregation of Muslims next to Hajj, at Tongi from Saturday.
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For quilts or pillows, you have to pay 20 pc more
Price of cotton wool used for making quilts, mattresses and pillows have increased by around 20 per cent this year at different markets in the city.
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Look before you leap
Bangladesh Transport Foundation (BTF) organised a meeting recently with members of different professions at the Teachers Training College to exchange views on the impending ban on non-motorised vehicles
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