Vol. 5 Num 534 Sun. November 27, 2005       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 Others About Us Contact Advertisement Supplements Archives WWW thedailystar.net Today's Index Front Page BNP reels from militancy shock The issues of growing Islamist militancy and corruption of some ministers seem to have set off a wave of resentment among the rank and file of the ruling BNP.   Niko warned not to stop Feni gas supply Petrobangla has requested Niko not to stop gas supply from Feni field and at the same time warned the Canadian company that it will have to face legal action if it goes for the stoppage.   Eureka,...the real culprit has been found! At last the mystery of the sudden, dramatic and vicious rise of religious extremism has been 'revealed', and that also by no less a person than the Ameer of Jamaat himself.   Journos hit out at move for punitive provision Eminent journalists yesterday strongly criticised Bangladesh Press Council chairman's suggestion for adding a punitive provision to the council's law.   Asian nations agree on integrated gas grid Energy ministers from major oil and gas importing and exporting countries in Asia on Friday agreed to study the establishment of an integrated gas grid for the region and investment in upstream and downstream   Group opposing it to meet civil society "National Committee to Resist Proposed Unified Education" yesterday announced various programmes with a vow to resist the proposed "unified education system" at the secondary level that they said will   Ban on sending female workers abroad lifted for 6 months The government has finally permitted Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) to send trained female domestic workers to all the Middle Eastern countries on an experimentalbasis   Harvesting vegetables   Heads go to retreat to tackle terrorism Commonwealth leaders meeting on the Mediterranean island of Malta slipped out of the public eye at the weekend to tackle the growing and elusive menace of terrorism.   Refugees being registered The process of registering the remaining Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh has begun amidst their sluggish repatriation to Myanmar over the last two years and a rising number of Myanmarese living outside   Hena to launch anti-militant movement Outspoken lawmaker Abu Hena, who was expelled from ruling BNP on Thursday for commenting on militancy, will soon launch an anti-militant movement with politicians, lawmakers and members of the civil society   Govt, 14-party talks possibility looks slim The possibility of a dialogue between the government and the 14-party opposition combine on its demands appears slim with no progress in this regard until yesterday.   JMB threatens to blow up Bheramara UNO office Banned Islamist outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) on Thursday threatened in a letter to blow up the office of Bheramara upazila nirbahi officer (UNO).   14 killed, 59 hurt in road crashes At least 14 people were killed and 59 others injured in separate road accidents in Dinajpur, Tangail, Sirajganj and Satkhira yesterday.   Canal choker now builds sluice gate The brickfield owner, who has built a road across Atir Khal blocking its flow, is now building a sluice gate, claiming it will restore navigability of the canal in Wasspur in Hazaribagh.   Dhaka against terrorism Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan, at the Commonwealth foreign ministers meeting, reiterated Dhaka's position against terrorism in all forms and manifestations and called for addressing the root causesof   Procession against child labour   Lara atop the Test world West Indian Brian Lara broke the world record for most Test runs during his innings against Australia in the third cricket Test at the Adelaide Oval here Saturday.   Rail link with Dhaka snapped for 5 hours Train communications on the Dhaka-Chittagong, Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Noakhali routes resumed after five hours of the derailment of two wagons of a freight train near Bhairab yesterday.   Quake kills 14 in China An earthquake killed 14 people, injured nearly 400 and destroyed 8,500 homes in Jiangxi province in eastern China on Saturday morning, the official Xinhua agency reported. Business Team up with French firms to reap benefits of tech transfer French trade commissioners working in South Asia yesterday urged Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to join hands with medium size French companies to reap benefits of technology transfer.   Europeans may invest in housing sector Investors from European countries such as Spain, Germany and UK may invest in Bangladesh's housing sector, Toufiq M Seraj, president of Rehab, said yesterday.   BKMEA again seeks nod to import yarn thru’ land ports Knitwear manufacturers once again have sought government permission to import yarn through land ports arguing that the price of local yarn is still higher than that of the imported yarn.   Experts' last round meet begins Tuesday As per the directives of the Dhaka summit, experts from seven Saarc nations are meeting in Kathmandu for the last round on Tuesday to resolve the contentious issues to enforce Safta accord from January   ADB, Thailand discuss funding for infrastructure The president of the Asian Development Bank said Friday he had discussed the possibility of helping to fund Thailand's 1.   Axiom launches business portal Axiom Technologies Ltd, an IT company, yesterday launched a web portal from where buyers and sellers will be able to buy, sell or bid.   Basis software show begins today SoftExpo, an exposition of software products, IT enabled services and system solutions, will begin today at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka.   Air India launches companion free scheme Air India has launched a Companion Free Scheme (CFS) for its first and business class passengers travelling on Dhaka-London-Dhaka route, says a press release.   Deflation in Japan shows signs of easing Deflation, which has stifled the Japanese economy for almost eight years, showed fresh signs of easing in October as core consumer prices ended a four-month streak of minor declines.   Chinese central bank pushes forex reform Pushing China's foreign exchange reform ahead by another step, the central bank on Friday carried out its first currency swap deals with local banks in a move that could help bring more flexibility to   ROK to nurture asset management sector South Korea's top financial regulator said Friday that it is seeking to transform the local asset management business into a strategically important industry to expand the pool of institutional investors.   Dollar hits 27-month high against yen The dollar hit a new 27-month high against the yen in thin trading Friday with many US dealers away for a long holiday weekend. The dollar stood at 119.70 yen at 1800 GMT from 118.   Brac Bank to offer banking services thru' GP SMS Brac Bank Ltd will offer banking services to its clients through SMS (short message service) of the mobile phone operator GrameenPhone Ltd.   EU sugar reform sparks bitter-sweet reaction A sweeping reform of the European Union's 40-year-old sugar regime sparked a bitter-sweet reaction Friday ranging from delight among European sugar refiners to warnings of catastrophe from poor producing   HK economy powers ahead in third quarter Hong Kong's economy powered ahead in the three months to September, growing 8.2 percent from a year earlier compared with a revised gain of 7. Sports Cricket: Sylhet puts cog in hosts' wheels Rajin Saleh cracked the first one-day hundred in the National Cricket League this year, as Sylhet put a spoke to the supreme dominance of the hosts with a 48-run victory over Chittagong on Saturday.   Cricket: King Lara conquers another frontier West Indies batsman Brian Lara has said that beating Allan Border's world record for the most Test runs was the highlight of his career.   Football: Biggies draw in Khulna The first big match of the Nitol-Tata National Football League between Mohammedan Sporting Club and Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra ended in a goalless draw at the Khulna Stadium yesterday.   Cricket: Langer's narrow miss Justin Langer fell for 99 four balls from stumps in a late blow for Australia after Brian Lara stole the show for the West Indies with a double-century to become Test cricket's all-time leading run-scorer   Cricket: Chappell denies gestures Greg Chappell, India's coach, has "vehemently denied" making any obscene gestures at the Kolkata public, as has been suggested in media reports.   Cricket: Akram for Tendulkar Indian superstar Sachin Tendulkar will smash all batting records before he quits international cricket, according to former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram.   Football: U-20 football match today Bangladesh promised to put up a better performance in their home match of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) under-20 football championship when they take on Iran at the Bangabandhu National Stadium   Cricket: Div I cricket An all-round performance by Wasiur Rahman steered Dhanmondi Club to an exciting three-run victory over Azad Sporting Club in the First Division Cricket League at City Club ground yesterday.   Football: Ballack sour for Fergie? Sir Alex Ferguson declared Manchester United's interest in Michael Ballack to be over despite confirming that they had been in talks with Germany's captain for the past five months.   Football: Prey of dangerous cocktail George Best, who died on Friday after a long battle against alcoholism, was the latest British footballer to pay the ultimate price for a love affair with the bottle.   Cricket: Tendulkar back among top ten Sachin Tendulkar jumped two spots to be among the top ten in the latest LG-ICC Test players rankings to boost India's spirits ahead of their three-match Test series against Sri Lanka, beginning next month.   Cricket: Border's praise Former Australian captain Allan Border Saturday congratulated West Indian batting great Brian Lara for overtaking him as the greatest run-scorer in Test cricket.   Chess: Good start for Leonine The giants made a good start in the Dutch-Bangla First Division Chess League at the federation hall-room yesterday.   Cricket: SL suffer washout The visiting Sri Lankan cricket team were on Saturday denied a good practice match ahead of their upcoming three-Test series against India.   Football: No malice intended Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has decided not to pursue a threat of legal action against his Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho.   Football: Tragic! Eight amateur Chinese soccer players have been charged after an on-pitch fight which led to the death of a player from neck injuries, Xinhua news agency said on Thursday.   Football: Auxerre climb to second AJ Auxerre climbed up to second in Ligue 1 with a 2-0 win at mid-table Le Mans 2-0 on Friday. Metropolitan 46 to vie for one seat The admission test for first year honours under 2005-2006 academic sessions at Jahangirnagar University (JU) will begin on November 30 with 46 applicants to compete for each seat.   Compensation from Niko demanded Speakers at a protest rally yesterday demanded compensation from Niko before they leave the country and also trial of corrupt officials, including former energy minister Mosharraf Hossain.   Cops, transport workers clash in Sherpur Angry transport workers damaged a police pick-up van and a BRTC bus yesterday after police allegedly beat a bus driver near Nabinagar Bus Terminal triggering a tense situation in the town.   Cop mugger remanded for two days Havilder Nagendranath Mondol of Mirpur Police Station, who was held on Friday for mugging a cattle trader, was remanded for two days yesterday.   'Ensure health rights of women' Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP) yesterday urged the government to ensure health rights of women. Speaking at a press conference the parishad leaders also demanded free treatment for repressed women.   Dr Milon Day today Shaheed Dr Milon Day will be observed today.   Ershad for combating Islamic militants Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad yesterday called for combating the Islamic militants, saying that those who patronise such militants are enemies of Islam and the nation.   British-Bangla Fusion Food Festival begins in Chittagong A weeklong 'British-Bangladesh Fusion Food Festival' began at the Landmark Hotel and Restaurant at Agrabad in the port city yesterday.   Reception to 25 retired DU teachers Dhaka University Teachers' Association (Duta) yesterday accorded a reception to the 25 professors of the university who retired recently at a ceremony at the auditorium of the Teachers' and Students'Centre   Cop dies in road accident A police constable who was injured in a road accident on Thursday died at the Holy Family Hospital in the city early yesterday.   Female executive of private co robbed of Tk 5 lakh Armed muggers snatched Tk 5 lakh from a female executive of a private company at Dhanmondi in the city yesterday, leaving her injured.   BNP foils AL meeting at Netrakona Ruling party activists allegedly foiled a public meeting of the Awami League at Muktir Bazar in Sadar upazila yesterday.   Bangladesh wins world Quran competition Bangladesh won the first prize in the world Hefjul Quran competition held in Amman, capital of Jordan, recently.   Qualifications@UK Fair 2005 held in Sylhet A day-long fair styled as 'Qualifications@UK Fair 2005' was held on the Metropolitan University campus in Sylhet city yesterday. National JMB, HuJi militants in Jhenidah regrouping Magura: Suspected activists of JMB and HuJi who had fled their strongholds in Jhenidah town after the August 17 blasts are regrouping in their respective areas, taking advantage of alleged lax vigilance   OC says JMB cadre, SP says terrorist After four days of arrest of Julon Mian, Barhatta police yesterday claimed that that he is a suspected cadre of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and was involved with the banned Islamist outfit for   Diarrhoea alarming in 3 districts Diarrhoea situation is alarming in Tangail, Jamalpur and Sherpur districts with the death toll reaching 40 so far. Over 20,000 people have been attacked with the disease in last 45 days.   Life stops for half an hour in Barisal divn Life came to a halt for half an hour from 11 am yesterday in Barisal division as people poured on streets leaving their workplaces to press their nine-point demand for development of six districts inthe   2 BDR men closed Two Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) men were closed for violating service discipline in Meherpur last week. Point-Counterpoint Common Minimum Performance THE government and the opposition had one thing in common last week. They both subjected us to hartals. The government, through a staged transport strike and the opposition, more conventionally, on Thursday.   Ship without radar I was appalled by a recent statement made by a senior minister of the government after emerging from a meeting with the visiting vice president of the World Bank.   The essentialist terrorist THE essentialist terrorist is a violent monster that the Highly Influential Terrorist Literature ("HITLit") has successfully invented and made real and believable. It is the new terrorist.   De facto segregation in France THE first time I went to Seine-St. Denis, an area which covers the "deprived suburbs" of northern Paris, was I believe, in 1986. Culture Matritta sees the light of day Director Zahid Hossain's film, Matritta has been released recently.   The Cool Jazz presentation by The Core It was an amazing experience for the Bangladeshi music enthusiasts to attend a presentation of fusion of western jazz and eastern classical music by the Cool-Jazz band from Norway.   Star Cineplex turns one One of the leading movie theatres in Dhaka, Star Cineplex at Bashundhara City, celebrated its first anniversary yesterday.   "Mr Miyagi" of The Karate Kid is no more Actor Pat Morita, best known for helping teach a boy martial-arts mastery through household chores as the wise "Mr Miyagi" in The Karate Kid, has died. He was 73. General Fall of govt a matter of time Central leaders of the main opposition Awami League (AL) yesterday called upon the four-party alliance to accept the reform proposals on caretaker government and Election Commission (EC) for the greater   JU academic council meet postponed The academic council meeting of Jahangirnagar University (JU) scheduled for yesterday was postponed in the wake of hunger strike by a teacher of Bangla department.   Convocation of Trinity University Professional MBA The fourth convocation ceremony of Trinity University Professional MBA was held under the auspices of Asian Centre for Management and Information Technology at the Spectra Convention Centre in the city International Iraq hints at dialogue with insurgents Some Iraqi rebel groups say they are ready to engage in the political process, a top aide to President Jalal Talabani said yesterday, after the government warned of a renewed offensive against insurgents.   110 feared dead as 2 buses washed away by floods in India More than 110 people were feared dead after two packed passenger buses skidded off bridges in southern India amid heavy rains, police and officials said yesterday.   UK Muslims take up action plan to tackle extremism Separate working groups of British Muslim community have put forward several practical proposals recently to the government for a community-led response to extremism.   Tigers honour dead amid renewed fears of war Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels yesterday honoured 17,000 "heroes" killed in the movement's drive for independence amid fears of a return to ethnic civil war on the tropical South Asian island.   Pakistan, UK worried about terror links Britain and Pakistan have gained a clearer and worrying picture of terrorist links between them since the July 7 bombings in London, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday.   Gaza border crossing opens for Palestinians The Rafah border terminal between the Gaza Strip and Egypt opened to a flood of Palestinians yesterday, giving them access to the outside world for the first time in almost three months.   Lawyers vow to defend Saddam despite threats Lawyers for Saddam Hussein say they are determined to defend the ousted Iraqi leader in court when his trial resumes tomorrow, despite the murder of two colleagues and repeated threats to their lives. Editorial Editorial: Set agenda for talks Over the past few days there has been no shortage of offers and counter-offers between the government and the opposition on the subject of a dialogue between the two in an attempt to resolve some of the   Editorial: Terror financing by NGOs The issue of tackling Islamic militancy has come to the fore following some nerve-shattering developments recently that have left a deep scar on our collective psyche.   The state of the nation My country is in shame, not because it has done something iniquitous, but because what its politicians have led it to -- an economy in shambles, governance and judiciary in progressive politicisation,   Bihar gets its chance THE post-election scenario in Bihar is not bright because of two things: the BJP's excessive visibility and former chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's non-reconciliation to his defeat. Letters to Editor Monga --not a newly coined word We the people of Northern Bangladesh are familiar with this word for the last 50 years. During the time of Pakistan, monga affected people used to get food for work. The size of the population was small.   Trials and tribulations During the recent Eid ul Fitr I received a greeting card from a bank. It carried a simple message, with a simple illustration of the moon in five declining phases, from the full moon to a crescent.   Pensioners' woes All government employees have got reasonably raised pay scales and emoluments of all high-ups also have been enhanced substantially.   TB patients One of my closed relatives had been suffering from lung infection. He went to a doctor and he advised him to have X-ray of P/A view for diagnosing the disease.   The militant threat Now the cat is almost out of the bag! The mistake that the BNP made in handling the militants must have been a costly one. Star Health Self care to your dry skin Ordinary dry skin (xerosis) usually is not serious, but it can be uncomfortable and unsightly, turning plump cells into shriveled ones and creating fine lines and wrinkles long before you are due.   Mainstreaming ageing in health systems In the history of Bangladesh, she has faced a daunting challenge of improving the health of its people with limited resources available and made remarkable progress.   Save your teeth by avoiding gum disease Gingivitis is an inflammation or infection of the gums and bone that support the teeth. It is caused by bacteria in plaque. It is the most common infection or the gum.   Training on speech for the handicapped will be held in the capital Specialised ENT doctors from the United Kingdom (UK) will train the patients on speech by artificial electronic larynx who have lost their ability of speech due to operation in the larynx (hollow organ   Waist and hips best heart attack checks for obese Measuring the ratio between waist and hip sizes is the best way of checking for the risk of heart attack in the obese, a global study showed.   Coffee in pregnancy may be risky Women who drink eight or more cups of coffee daily while pregnant are at risk for spontaneous abortion and stillbirth, Danish researchers report.   Angry? Take it indoors! A Chinese university has set up a special "anger management" room for students to let off steam, apparently to avoid students taking to the streets in protest or taking their own lives. Star City Gulshan choked with illegal parking Illegal partaking on the footpaths and roads in Gulshan, as elsewhere in the city, chokes public thoroughfares creating serious obstruction to vehicular and pedestrian movement, with the agencies concerned   Dry season brings dust pollution Sumon was out early one morning last week on his way to school. He usually walks down, as his school is a just round the corner.   Where do they go now? New security measures in the city are threatening the livelihood of authorised mobile food vendors, who have been stopped from selling food at popular spots for over three months.   NCTB takes steps for textbooks on time Books for primary school students may be out on time this academic.   King of the Roads   © thedailystar.net, 2005. All Rights Reserved.