The Daily Star: Internet Edition Mon. July 11, 2005

Vol. 5 Num 399

Mon. July 11, 2005


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Front Page	PM urges AL to place demand in JS Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday urged the Awami League (AL) to place its demand for reforms of the caretaker government system in the House where it will be discussed, if necessary.
	Govt to enact law for HC judge recruitment The government is going to introduce a law determining the criteria for appointment of judges to the High Court (HC) to bring more competent and experienced people in the judiciary.
	20,000 evacuated on another bomb scare Nerves frayed as the hunt for the London bombers intensified yesterday amid a scare in Britain's second city of Birmingham, where police evacuated some 20,000 people to investigate a suspect package.
	JS body to review law ministry's role The parliamentary standing committee on law ministry yesterday decided to review the ministry's role in the much-talked about presidential amnesty granted to a person who was sentenced to death in a double-murder
	Japan not signing Padma Bridge deal Contrary to the expectation, Japan is not going to sign any agreement with Bangladesh over the proposed $1.3 billion Padma Bridge during Prime Minister Khaleda Zia's visit to Tokyo on July 12-15.
	NSI regrets attack on lensmen Director General (DG) of National Security Intelligence (NSI) yesterday expressed regret at the July 7 incident of attacks on the photojournalists and said that a case filed against the lensmen the same
	AL, BNP stalwarts agree to talk political impasse Two top leaders of the main opposition Awami League (AL) and the ruling BNP at a roundtable yesterday agreed to sit down and discuss ways to end the existing political impasse.
	Forces fight with foreign groups in CHT Security forces fought an hour-long gunbattle with alleged foreign miscreants and recovered some ammunition at Naikkhangchhari border in Bandarban district in the early hours of yesterday.
	8 Bangladeshis feared killed in Saudi fire Eight expatriate Bangladeshi workers are feared to have been killed in a devastating fire in the western Saudi Arabian city of Taef.
	Pumping out floodwater...
	Dhaka doesn't harbour Indian insurgents The leader of a visiting Indian parliamentary delegation yesterday said Dhaka does not harbour any Indian insurgents, but they might be seeking shelter in Bangladesh and some other countries.
	DC-10 finally salvaged Bangladesh Biman's crash-landed DC-10 aircraft at Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport was finally salvaged yesterday after ten days of frantic attempts by joint teams of Biman, Army and Civil
	PM flies to Japan today Prime Minister (PM) Khaleda Zia flies to Tokyo today on a four-day high-profile visit to hold talks with Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi to further promote trade, investment and economic ties.
	7 Bangladeshis killed in fire in Saudi Arabia Seven Bangladeshi and an Yemeni expatriate workers were suffocated by fumes when a fire swept through a locked furniture warehouse in which they lived in Taef of western Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening.
	House passes tax ombudsman bill The parliament yesterday passed a bill clearing way for appointment of a tax ombudsman with judicial power to probe taxpayers' complaints in the process of tax payment.
	Zero-performing institutions to face music The education ministry is contemplating punitive measures against the educational institutions from which none came out successful in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations for three consecutive
	Don't run stories that tarnish image even if they're objective Justice Abu Sayeed Ahmad, chairman of Bangladesh Press Council, has called upon newspaper owners, editors and journalists to refrain from running even objective stories that may tarnish the country'simage.
	'Outlaw' killed in 'shootout' with police An alleged cadre of underground Purba Banglar Communist Party's (PBCP) Janajuddha faction died in an encounter with police in the early hours yesterday.
	Still no respite...
	Blood clots found in Dipu's body Doctors said blood clots found in the head, back, hands and legs of schoolboy Dipu Islam's exhumed body suggest that he had been beaten severely.
	Hartal, rally at Sunamganj against Niko activities The half-day hartal called by the citizens' forum "Sunamganj Banchao Andolan" to protest the activities of Niko led to a standstill in Sunamganj town yesterday.
	Hasina reiterates demand for int'l probe Awami League (AL) chief Sheikh Hasina yesterday once again blamed the government for August 21 grenade attacks on AL rally and demanded international investigation into all grenade attacks.
	Suicide bombings kill at least 40 in Iraq A man strapped with explosives blew himself up at an Iraqi military recruiting center in Baghdad as suicide bombers attacked five times in Iraq yesterday, killing at least 40 people and breaking a relative
Business	Dollar hits record Tk64.30 Demand for dollar continued soaring, reaching all time high at Tk 64.30 per unit in the inter-bank foreign exchange market yesterday.
	Monopoly on medical of migrant workers GCC-Approved Medical Centres' Association's (Gamca) authority to send an aspirant migrant worker to its enlisted specific centres for medical check-up before applying for visas has created a web of monopoly
	Supermarket operators want uniform tax policy Leaders of Bangladesh Supermarket Association (BSA) yesterday urged the government to make a uniform tax policy for collecting VAT from the supermarkets. The supermarket operators usually pay a 1.
	Thais want to invest in agro-processing plants Thai investors are interested to invest in Bangladesh's agro-processing sector as an accord on co-operation in the field is lying with Thai government for vetting.
	China, India growths to push world prosperity : Madrid forum China and India, with combined populations of 2.
	UK economy set to shake off effects of blasts The British economy will deflect economic fall-out from the deadly bombings that struck London, with the capital's stock market already shrugging off the apparent terrorist outrage, analysts said.
	China trade meeting aims to energise WTO negotiations A group of key World Trade Organisation members is set to meet in China this week, aiming to energise negotiations on liberalising global commerce which have stumbled amid north-south splits over agriculture.
	GMG increases Kolkata flights GMG Airlines has announced weekly six flights to Kolkata effective from 13 July, says a press release.
	SEC orders action against shareholder for fraud The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) yesterday ordered seizure of 100 primary shares of Exim Bank Ltd from a person, as he used two names to buy the stocks.
	City Bank launches 4 new savings products The City Bank Ltd has recently introduced four new savings products.
	Emirates, Hertx sign deal on online car rent Emirates has recently signed a partnership agreement with Hertx, a leading car rental company. Until December 31, customers can go to www.emirates.
	Bangladesh Express wins FedEx awards Bangladesh Express Co Ltd, the licensee of Federal Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corporation, has won two prestigious regional FedEx awards.
	Unilever now GP corporate client Unilever Bangladesh Ltd, a leading manufacturer and distributor of many toiletries and household products, has become a corporate client of GrameenPhone Ltd.
Sports	Football: Mohammedan win in five minutes Mohammedan Sporting Club scored three goals in a five-minute blitz to stay on top of the Premier Football League table.
	Cricket: 5-star Lee hits England Brett Lee took five wickets as Australia restricted England to 223 for eight in the NatWest Challenge second one-day international at Lord's here Sunday.
	Cricket: Harbhajan bats, Sourav bowls! It was a reversal of roles as Harbhajan Singh wielded the willow and Sourav Ganguly swung the ball to great effect for their respective English county clubs on Saturday.
	Cricket: Olonga to join NZ anti-tour protest Zimbabwe's first black Test cricketer, Henry Olonga, is to join a campaign here aimed at stopping New Zealand's cricket tour of his homeland, Greens Party co-leader Rod Donald said Sunday.
	Cricket: Ishan to clothe cricketers The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) struck a two-year deal with Pakistani sports manufacturer Ishan Sports yesterday.
	Football: Rahmatganj closing in on title Having confirmed their Premiership berth at the end of the previous round, Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society came within sight of clinching the First Division Football League title when they drubbed Victoria
	Football: Hosts down Barisal Hosts BKSP managed a solitary goal victory over Barisal in the Third BKSP Cup U-16 football tournament yesterday.
	Queen's Baton Relay due on Sept 17 The Queen's Baton Relay for the 18th Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next year will arrive in Dhaka on September 17 as part of its trip to 71 nations.
	Cricket: Kenya looking for new nat'l cricket coach World Cup semifinalists Kenya are looking for a coach to lead them at the 2007 event in the West Indies, cricket officials said on Saturday.
	Kabadi: BD women in semis Bangladesh edged past Thailand 45-40 to move into the semifinal of the First Asian Women's Kabaddi tournament in Hyderabad on Saturday.
	Chess: Zia going great guns Reefat bin Sattar returned to winning track after three games but Grand Master Ziaur Rahman still maintained solo lead in the University of Greenwich FIDE Rating Chess tournament after the sixth round
	Football: Village challenge for Liverpool They are just 60 miles (100km) apart on the map but when it comes to football, light years separate the players of Llansantffraid and Liverpool.
	Football: Pele understands Robinho The legendary Pele supports the departure of Robinho for Real Madrid, but said the move is unlikely to succeed due to the obstacles placed by the prodigy's club Santos, the local press said Saturday.
	Cricket: Gordon to be next WICB president Ken Gordon has on Friday said that he is "grateful and honoured" that he will be the new president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).
	Cricket: Sangakkara warms up with hefty ton Kumar Sangakkara warmed up for an upcoming two-Test series with a solid ton for Sri Lankan Board President's XI against the touring West Indians here on Sunday.
	Football: Chilavert gets a chill! Former Paraguayan international goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert has been given a six-month suspended prison sentence by a court here on Friday relating to a false document he produced to back up a demand
	SPORTS ZONE celebration A week-long programme to celebrate the fourth anniversary of SPORTS ZONE began on Friday in the city.
Metropolitan	'Population density in Bangladesh highest in world' Population density in Bangladesh is the highest in the world with over 900 people living per square kilometer, and it is continuing to grow.
	Cancel contracts with foreign oil companies All contracts with foreign oil companies including the Niko-Bapex Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) must be cancelled, said the speakers at a roundtable yesterday.
	Alleged 'drug queen' shot dead in city A woman and a tea stall worker were killed in two separate incidents in the city yesterday. A gang of assailants gunned down Nazma Akhter Kakoli, 35, at Kafrul in the early morning.
	Majority of newborns dies for lack of treatment facilities On June 6 Pinky gave birth to a male baby at her house in Narayanganj.
	'Raise awareness to protect environment' Raising awareness is a must to protect the environment in the country, speakers at the launching ceremony of a study report said on Saturday.
	3 abductors get 30 yrs' RI A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced three people to 30 years' rigorous imprisonment on charges of kidnapping two children for trafficking in September 1998.
	PDB to introduce pre-paid meter in Ctg Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) is going to introduce pre-paid metering system in Chittagong Metropolitan area to end the harassment of electricity consumers.
	Countrywide protests on July 23, 24 Tel-Gas Sampad and Bidyut-Bandar Rakkha Jatiya Committee will stage countrywide demonstrations on July 23 and 24 demanding compensation from Niko for Tengratila blowout, says a press release.
	Galib denied bail, trial from Aug 30 The Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge yesterday rejected bail to Dr Asadullah Al Galib and set August 30 for beginning of trial against him in an explosion case.
	HC stays order on erection of 8-storeys at Gulshan, Uttara The High Court yesterday stayed a government notification permitting the owners of the land plots at Gulshan and Uttara residential areas in Dhaka to construct eight-storey commercial buildings.
	Mugging on rise in Ctg city The incidents of mugging and snatching are common in the port city as 10 to 15 such incidents take place every day.
	Condolence book opens at residence of British HC A condolence book was opened at the residence of the British High Commissioner in the city yesterday in memory of the victims of the London bomb blasts.
	Mobile phone sets worth Tk 1cr seized in Sylhet airport Mobile phone sets worth around one crore taka were seized at MAG Osmani International Airport in Sylhet yesterday.
National	Believe it not, but this is a tale of pry education Believe it or not, primary school students of two classes huddle in a room and a teacher takes classes.
	Cry for power as 150 units closed in Haragachh Several thousand people, most of them bidi factory workers, from Haragachh municipality, brought out a procession in Rangpur town and laid a siege to the Deputy Commissioner's office for hours yesterday
	Phensidyl factory at NGO office ! Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members yesterday unearthed a phensidyl factory where the drug was being made under cover of an NGO office in Uzirpur upazila.
	SSC examinee kills herself fearing bad result Taslima Nasrin Lima, 16, committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan with a scarf Saturday night, thinking that she will fail in SSC examination because of bad performance in English subject.
	Extortionists kill boy as father refuses to pay toll A schoolboy was slaughtered on Saturday by extortionists at Berashula village in Sadar upazila, Jhenidah following his father's refusal to pay toll.
	Khulna journalists protest NSI excess Khulna divisional unit of Bangladesh Photojournalists' Association (BPJA) yesterday brought out a procession and held a rally here protesting attack on their colleagues in Dhaka by the National Security
Point-Counterpoint	Baghdad and London No sane person can condone the carnage in London.
	A look in the mirror for America in his initial reaction yesterday to the London transit bombings, President Bush decried "people killing innocent people.
	Good governance and development agencies Good governance is a popular term in the development sector as well as in the political arena.
	When a building can collapse without an earthquake Even without an earthquake a building can collapse. The recent collapse of the Spectrum Garment factory building at Savar is a glaring example. There may be more than one reason behind a building collapse.
General	CWFD helps low-income people access healthcare It was not long ago when the couples belonging to low-income group in Mymensingh district hardly got any advice and materials for their family planning needs and healthcare.
International	Prayers across Britain as search on for bodies Prayers were said yesterday at churches across Britain for the dead and the grieving of the London bombings, as the grisly search for bodies and evidence carried on deep underground.
	Mobs torch several govt buildings in Manipur Angry tribesmen set ablaze more than a dozen government buildings after soldiers shot at protesters in volatile Manipur Saturday night, officials said.
	US, UK mull major Iraq pullout next year A leaked document from Britain's Defence Ministry says the British and US governments are planning to reduce their troop levels in Iraq by more than half by mid-2006, the Mail on Sunday reported.
	4 mosques vandalised in New Zealand Four mosques among six Islamic centres were vandalised in northern New Zealand on Saturday night, leaving windows smashed and walls splashed with graffiti, police said.
	'al-Qaeda recruiting in British colleges' al-Qaeda -- chief suspect behind last week's London bomb attacks which killed more than 50 people -- is secretly recruiting Muslims in British colleges, according to the Sunday Times newspaper.
	Bishops give battling Arroyo vital boost Influential Roman Catholic bishops in the Philippines yesterday rejected calls for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to step down, handing the embattled president a major reprieve after weeks of turmoil.
	A London blast victim who cheated death twice Amid the death and destruction of the London bombings, which killed at least 50 people, tales emerged Sunday of a woman who survived two separate blasts as well as of survivors who had narrowly escaped
	Japan could be next terror target The bomb attacks in London have raised fears that Japan, like Britain a key US ally, may be the next target of terror attacks as it deploys troops in Iraq and hosts the biggest US military base in Asia.
	10 Afghan soldiers beheaded Suspected Taliban gunmen ambushed an Afghani government border patrol in the desert near the frontier with Pakistan, killing 10 soldiers and beheading their bodies, a provincial governor said yesterday.
Editorial	Editorial: Better SSC results It is always a pleasure to see students notching up creditable scores in exams, particularly when it happens to be, for them, their first major competitive test.
	Editorial: Testing mathematical talent A team of six Bangladeshi whiz kids is to represent the country at the 46th International Mathematical Olympiad in Mexico.
	The fog of education What have you learned since you got educated? You have learned to read books, newspapers and all the signs on the road. You have learned to write research papers, letters, checks and grocery lists.
	Goodbye Nehru, hello Bush There is generally an iota of truth in any swathe of Delhi gossip. The certainties of Delhi are more dubious.
	How poor-friendly is the budget? Despite severe criticisms the provision for facilitating whitening of black money has been kept in the finalised budget of Fiscal Year (FY) 2005-06.
Letters to Editor	Save the environment In summer we realised that the weather was whimsically changing.
	Islam -- religion of peace and tolerance The word "Islam" stands for peace. It teaches its followers to be tolerant not only to any other religion but also to mankind.
	Making Farmgate area beautiful Farmgate is the junction of many of the areas of Dhaka city. So the sight of this place should always be nice, beautiful and attractive.
	Our cultural heritage I read the 'culture' page of The Daily Star regularly. As culture reflects the way of living, eating, talking and learning, it has a broad and wide meaning.
	Attention: Wasa It is over a couple of months that we, the people of Khilgaon, either have to buy water for drinking or have to drink dirty water supplied by the Dhaka Wasa.
	Pakistani visa A few letters on the subject have been published in your daily recently. All expressed their concern about the rigid attitude of the Pakistan High Commission in the matter of issuance of visa to Bangladeshis.
	Niko I fail to understand how many more gas fields need to go up in flames, how much longer the flames need to rage out to make the government terminate its contract with Niko.
	Luxury Most of the filling stations in our country are embellished with massive lighting system. It is nothing but just luxury in our poor country. We have to suffer much for load shedding.
	Soybean oil cartel It looks like 'weak' Bangladesh is under the grip of the powerful West soybean oil cartel (report in DS June 27). Malaysia has rebutted the planned 'scientific' propaganda against palm edible oil.
	Harry K. Thomas's observation I completely agree with Harry K. Thomas's observation that, the image of the United States notwithstanding, there is no shortage of recruits: people are still lining up for visas.
	Why and for whom this extra charge? A common word of our finance minister (FM) is 'Free Market Economy'. Any price hike in the market is explained with this popular term.
	Humayun Ahmed I am simply shocked by the letter of Tasmeen Hossain published in The Daily Star on June 27, 2005. I am disagreeing with her evaluation of Humayun Ahmed.
	DNA database for criminals? Prof. SAM Khairul Bashar raised some very important issues of biotechnology, particularly bioinformatics in his article published in The Daily Star under the above title.
	An unacceptable picture A couple of months back I wrote that no terrorist would be found in the country who is not patronised by any of the political leaders tacitly or explicitly.
	Bangladesh cricket It doesn't matter whether Bangladesh team wins or loses in international cricket. A win certainly excites us. On the other hand, a 'loss' sends the whole country into depression.
	Importance of English Ours is a developing country. We are not Japanese, we are not economically and technologically developed. We need to learn English for our own interests.
	India's position Mr. Sumon Dutta wrote (DS July 01,'05) that in his view "Indians have much respect for Bangladesh". I cannot quite agree. One small thing Mr.
	Mobile owner identification While we read in the DS of 27 June an article titled, "Shouldn't we create a DNA database for criminals?", we cannot help but wonder about the large proportions of indiscriminate issuance of mobile-phone
Star City	Encroachment -- cause of waterlogging in DND area Wholesale encroachments and narrowing down the main drainage canal of Dhaka-Narayanganj-Demra (DND) embankment have caused waterlogging in the area where more than 10 lakh people remained trapped forthe
	Wash away the poison You have become disillusioned with life to the extent where you want to end it by swallowing something poisonous.
	Public toilet woes for women to end? The public toilets of the city remain in dirty and unhygienic condition causing immense sufferings for city dwellers and especially women.