Vol. 5 Num 764 Fri. July 21, 2006       Home  News Today's Index Front Page Business Sports Point-counterpoint Metropolitan Culture General Views Editorial Letters to Editor Write to Editor Sections Environment World Others About Us Contact Advertisement Supplements Archives WWW thedailystar.net Today's Index Front Page Finance asks for details of fund use The finance ministry yesterday instructed the Election Commission's (EC) Secretariat to submit accounts of its previous expenditure of Tk 43 crore for preparing the controversial fresh voter list which   Dengue spreads alarmingly The number of patients diagnosed with dengue is increasing at an alarming rate which the Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) fears might turn into an epidemic.   Progress in fighting economic vulnerability, but not in HR, income Bangladesh has shown significant progress in overcoming economic vulnerability but its performance in addressing low income and poor human resource was mediocre, according to an Unctad report released   Humanitarian disaster looms in Lebanon Israeli ground troops battled Lebanese guerrillas and warplanes bombed a suspected Hezbollah bunker yesterday as Lebanon issued a desperate plea for international help after the bloodiest day of the conflict.   Saudis hint at $400m deal for Rupali shares The visiting Saudi investment team hinted at spending about $400 million to buy 67 per cent shares of the state-owned Rupali Bank, sources said.   Door to door visits start today The work of updating the voter list by going from door to door begins today. The finance ministry yesterday afternoon informed the EC Secretariat that Tk 39 crore has been allocated for the job.   14-party calls Saifur-CEC discord a 'new drama' The 14-party opposition combine yesterday alleged that the alliance government as part of its 'new drama' is speaking against the chief election commissioner (CEC) and two 'politically' appointed election   One-fourth child workers doing hazardous jobs About 22.9 percent of the country's total child workers are forced into different hazardous jobs and they come from families with financial hardship, says a recent survey report.   Israeli attack on Lebanon 'religious terrorism' Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan yesterday termed Israeli attacks on Lebanon as "religious terrorism" and said the OIC and Arab League are not playing their desired role when the entire Muslim Ummah is   Annik Mandir The ancient Annik Mandir in Rajshahi, one of the three temples of Putia Jameendar Bari. The terracotta designs on the temple are being stolen and sold to art collectors, aristocrats and antique shops.   14-party to gear up street agitation Awami League (AL) led 14-party opposition combine plans to step up agitations on the streets to force the coalition government to carry out the proposed reforms in the caretaker government and electoral   Repair of fire-damaged tanker to cost Tk 25cr Bangladesh Shipping Corporation's (BSC) oil tanker Banglar Shourabh that was damaged by a fire on June 24 will be repaired at the state-run dry-dock at Patenga to keep the cost 'to a minimum'.   Boucher to talk US help in polls, fighting terrorism US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Richard Boucher said he would talk about how the US could help Bangladesh in holding successful general elections, achieve economic prosperity   FDI increases not in real sense Bangladesh lined up behind some of the war-torn and vulnerable countries to become the ninth largest foreign direct investment (FDI) recipient among the least developed countries (LDC) in 2004.   Citizens' body to place its recommendations to PM, Hasina The Nagorik Committee 2006 has sought appointment of Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Opposition Leader Sheikh Hasina for placing before them the recommendations for electoral and political reforms made   Govt transfers 722 project staff to revenue sector The government has taken a decision to transfer 722 employees of a project under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs to the revenue sector following the employees' series of demonstrations forthe   Gridlock   Criminal killed in 'shootout' with Rab A criminal was killed in a 'shootout' between his cohorts and members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) at Bhuigarh of Fatullah in Narayanganj early yesterday.   RMG wage board meeting ends without results A meeting of the six-member board formed by the government to re-fix the minimum wage for the readymade garment (RMG) workers ended in Dhaka without any decision.   Poet Shamsur Rahman hopitalised Renowned poet Shamsur Rahman was admitted to National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases following a heart attack early Thursday.   Dialogue with govt uncertain Dialogue between the government and teachers on indefinite strike now seems uncertain as the education ministry is yet to fix the date while teachers have demanded immediate announcement and gazette notification   BSF apologises for intrusion into Bangladesh territory Indian Border Security Force (BSF) yesterday apologised to BDR for their trespass into Bangladesh territory during an exchange of fire between the two border guards on Hutkhola frontier in Panchbibi upazila.   Galib's bail prayer rejected A Gaibandha court yesterday rejected Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh chief Asadullah-Al-Galib's bail petition that defence lawyers submitted in connection with Takier Bazar and Mohimaganj Brac office bomb   Rab captures 4 criminals after gunfight The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested four bullet-wounded suspected operatives of the infamous "Panna Bahini" after a gunfight in the remote char area at Haripur of Bheramara upazila last night.   Ship-breaking worker dies Another worker, seventh in this month, was killed yesterday at a ship-breaking yard at Sitakunda after a heavy metal plate fell on him.   Iran rejects demands to freeze nuke work: UN Iran yesterday again rejected international demands it freeze its controversial nuclear programme and warned the UN Security Council against choosing a "path of confrontation". Business Sugar refinery plant opens in N'ganj A local business house, Meghna Group of Industries, yesterday formally launched a sugar refinery factory in Narayanganj with an annual production capacity of 365,000 tonnes.   Invest in pharma industry Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday invited entrepreneurs from home and abroad to set up international-standard pharmaceutical industries in Bangladesh as the country is expanding its potential market   Japanese investors lose confidence in Thailand Japanese investors recently downgraded Thailand in terms of investment confidence, placing it in the same league as the Philippines and Indonesia, due largely to the persistent political upheaval that   Nokia Q2 sales jump but shares wilt in Motorola heat Nokia reported sharply higher second-quarter sales and profits on Thursday, as expected, but failed to satisfy investors after rival Motorola's impressive earnings and outlook overnight.   Canberra-Dhaka enhanced trade stressed Governor General of Australia Major General (retd) Michael Jeffery has stressed the need for expanding trade relations between Australia and Bangladesh.   Citigroup awards nomination submission date closes July 23 The deadline for submitting nomination for Citigroup Microentrepreneurship Awards will close on July 23, 2006, says a press release.   Toyota apologises over vehicle defects The president of Toyota Motor Corp has apologised in connection with a probe by Japanese police into alleged vehicle defect cover-ups.   Reliance Q1 net profit up 10.2pc India's biggest private sector firm Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) said Thursday its first-quarter net profit jumped 10.2 percent, helped by a rise in refining margins, but this was short of market forecasts.   Oil prices turn higher again in Asian trade Oil prices turned higher again in Asian trade Thursday, after a sharp reverse overnight on the latest US inventory figures, as the market kept a wary eye on the Middle East following heavy Israeli attacks   China prepares to auction off first railway company A state-owned Chinese railway company will be sold off at auction, potentially opening the way for it to become the first privatized rail firm in the nation, official press reported Thursday. Sports Football: Joy persuaded to return Arif Khan Joy could reconsider his decision to retire from international football for a short time, informed national coach Hassanuzzaman Babloo yesterday.   Cricket: Mashud relishing challenge The job of wicketkeeping in the country has almost become synonymous with Khaled Mashud.   Football: AFC rejects Chittagong as venue Bangladesh might have to play both their home and away 2007 Asian Cup qualifiers against Qatar abroad after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has rejected Chittagong as a venue.   Cricket: Reebok ropes in Bashar, Ashraful National cricket captain Habibul Bashar and his colleague Mohammed Ashraful have signed three-year contracts with sports equipment manufacturer Reebok last week.   Football: Nat'l soccer kicks off today The qualifying rounds of the Jubok Phone 23rd National Football Championship begins today at the Padma zone with hosts Shariatpur taking on Faridpur in the opening match.   Shooting best prospect Bangladesh face the threat of returning without a single gold medal from next month's SA Games in Colombo, for the first time in the history of biennial event of the SAARC region.   Swimming: Six new nat'l records on Day 1 BKSP and Bangladesh Ansar fought neck and neck on the opening day of the Keya Cosmetics 22nd National Age-group Swimming Championships at the National Swimming Complex in Mirpur yesterday.   Cricket: Sachin back in India fold Sachin Tendulkar was on Thursday named in the Indian team for a tri-series in Sri Lanka in August, marking the star batsman's return to the circuit after five months off due to injury.   Cricket: Lanka in good Mood-y Tom Moody, the coach of Sri Lanka, believes his side's recent success in England was a steppingstone towards achieving greater goals in the future.   Tennis: Whitehouse shocks Safin Marat Safin crashed out of the ATP Indianapolis Open in spectacular style, falling in straight sets to world No. 512 Wesley Whitehouse of South Africa on Wednesday.   Tennis: Williams inspired by Agassi, Seles Serena Williams is taking inspiration from Andre Agassi and Monica Seles as she continues the long, hard road back to the top of women's tennis.   Football: Zidane, Materazzi punished France's Zinedine Zidane has been suspended for three matches and fined 7,500 Swiss francs for his head-butt on Italy's Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final, world football's governing body FIFA said   Football: Parreira quits Brazil job Carlos Alberto Parreira resigned as coach of Brazil, the Brazilian football confederation (CBF) said.   Football: Basile offered Argentina post Argentina have offered Alfio Basile a chance to coach their national team for a second time, the president of Basile's club Boca Juniors said Wednesday.   Cycling: Landis back in the hunt American Floyd Landis of Phonak caused a major upset to win the 17th stage of the Tour de France here Thursday after 200.5km of racing on the final day in the Alps.   Football: Real net Cannavaro, Emerson Italy's World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro and Brazilian midfielder Emerson have agreed to join Real Madrid from troubled Serie A side Juventus, the Primera Liga club said on Wednesday.   Football: Mandela meets United men Former South African president Nelson Mandela met footballers of Manchester United at his office in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning, the statesman's office said in a statement.   Cricket: Younis takes to the field Pakistan vice-captain Younis Khan handed his team a boost ahead of next week's second Test against England when he returned to action after a knee injury.   Tennis: Gaudio crashes out of Stuttgart Top seed Gaston Gaudio led the exodus of seeds from the Stuttgart ATP tournament when he was knocked out by fellow Argentinian Mariano Zabaleta 6-4, 6-0.   Cricket: WI threaten to pull out of India series West Indies cricketers have threatened to pull out of the one-day series against India, scheduled to be held in Canada, after the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) "disregarded" the recent agreement signed   Cricket: Ranatunga quits ministry for cricket Sri Lanka's World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga resigned as junior minister for tourism on Thursday to devote time to the island nation's cricket administration.   Cricket: Slowly but surely for Flintoff Lancashire captain Mark Chilton explained how he tried to ease England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff back into competitive play during Kent's first innings of the County Championship clash at Canterbury   Tennis: Schnyder in qtrs Patty Schnyder reached the quarterfinals of the 175,000-dollar WTA tournament here with a dominant 6-1, 6-0 victory over US qualifier Abigail Spears.   Kabadi: Jessore versus Dhaka finale Jessore stormed into the final of the Banglalink IGP Cup National Jubo Kabaddi Championship when they crushed Faridpur 33-16 in the second semifinal at the Kabaddi Stadium yesterday.   Football: Navy soccer BNS Dockyard emerged champions defeating BNS Shaheed Moazzam 2-0 in the final of the Annual Football Championship of Bangladesh Navy at BNS Titumir ground here yesterday.   Football: Real want three more Real Madrid are targeting another three signings following the arrival of Juventus pair Emerson and Fabio Cannavaro, coach Fabio Capello said on Thursday. "We have five objectives.   Football: Brazil short of options Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira's departure on Wednesday has left Brazil suddenly facing a shortage of coaches and players to choose from as they set about rebuilding after their World Cup failure.   Football: Gerrard demands title challenge Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard on Wednesday told his teammates they must challenge for the Premiership title this season.   Football: Hiddink gets taste of Russia New Russia coach Guus Hiddink got his first taste of the job by making a whistle-stop tour of the capital this week.   Football: O'Leary leaves Villa Aston Villa manager David O'Leary has left the club by mutual agreement, the Premier League team announced on their Web site on Wednesday.   Football: Stars pledge to stay with Juve Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and Czech Republic midfielder Pavel Nedved on Wednesday pledged to stay with Juventus despite the crisis-torn club's relegation to Serie B.   Football: EPL tops Scholes' agenda Paul Scholes insists Manchester United must mount a serious challenge for the Premiership title this season after admitting that the club have waited too long to secure domestic dominance.   Football: Franchise era for Spain Spanish soccer's governing bodies signed an agreement on Wednesday that paved the way for American-style sporting franchises to operate in their leagues.   Football: RvN Bayern's? Manchester United's Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy wants to play for Bayern Munich next season, according to Bild newspaper, though Spanish press claim he will join Real Madrid.   Football: Barca begin at Celta Barcelona will begin the defence of their Primera Liga title with a trip to Celta Vigo on the weekend of Aug. 26-27.   Football: City capture Corradi Manchester City completed the signing of Italian striker Bernardo Corradi from Valencia on Thursday.   Football: Barca close in on Juve pair European champions Barcelona are set to sign Juventus defenders Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta, according to Spanish newspaper reports on Thursday.   Football: Reggina president under scrutiny Reggina president Lillo Foti has been named by Naples prosecutors in connection with the match-fixing scandal engulfing Italian football, Ansa news agency reported on Thursday. Metropolitan Delay in implementation to serve vested interest By the time the new Building Construction Rules 2006 (BCR 2006) is implemented in January 2007, the city will witness construction of thousands of buildings in the most 'casual' way under the old construction   'Involve mass people in anti-govt movement' Speaker at a discussion yesterday called on the progressive political parties to involve mass people in anti-government movement in order to establish a secular democratic country.   Blueprint made to snatch voting rights Speakers at a seminar held in New York recently said a blueprint has been made by the BNP-Jamaat alliance government to snatch the voting rights of the people, says a press release.   'Reforms of political parties a must for true democracy' Reforms of the political parties, the biggest informal sector of the country, are needed to establish true democracy, said Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue   325 arrested during block raid in Ctg Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) yesterday detained 325 people on various charges from different parts of the city in only two hours' time during a block raid.   One killed, 20 injured in road accidents One person was killed and 20 others injured in road accidents across the country yesterday.   Housewife murdered in city An elderly housewife was killed apparently over second marriage of her husband and some valuables were allegedly looted from her house at Demra area in the city on Wednesday night.   Action against RU official protested About a hundred officials and employees of finance and accounts section of Rajshahi University yesterday protested the authority's decision to punish an accounts official for what they said not depositing   Col Taher Day today The Colonel Taher Day will be observed today to mark the 30th death anniversary of Col Taher, Bir Uttam.   JSD expresses solidarity with RMG workers' demands Leaders of 16 garment workers' organisations yesterday exchanged views with the leaders of Jatiyatabadi Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) on the tripartite agreement signed recently among garment workers, owners   2 restaurants fined A mobile court yesterday fined two well-known restaurants Tk 1.2 lakh at city's Agrabad Commercial Area for producing, preserving and serving unhygienic foods.   RU students protest selection of new teacher Several hundred students of Marketing department of Rajshahi University yesterday staged a demonstration on the campus protesting the selection of a teacher who was allegedly dismissed from International   Protest against power crisis in Khulna Greater Khulna Development Action Coordination Committee (GKDACC) held a rally yesterday afternoon at the picture palace cinema hall square protesting severe power crisis in the south-western region and   Three stabbed Three people were stabbed by the miscreants in the city yesterday and on Wednesday night.   Goods train derails in Mymensingh Rail communication between Jagannathganj Ghat and Dewanganj in Jamalpur and Mymensingh was suspended for about three hours due to derailment of two compartments of a goods train at Minot College railcrossing   Shahid gets Best Hotelier of the Year award Bangladesh Hotel and Guest House Owners' Association (BHGHOA) awarded Shahid Hamid, executive director of Hotel Sarina Dhaka, the Best Hotelier of the Year 2005 recently, says a press release.   Hasina goes to Tungipara July 23 Awami League President and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Sheikh Hasina will go to Tungipara in Gopalganj on July 23.   Resource package on pre-schooling launched Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), an integrated pre-school learning approach, is more effective than the traditional one in the total education process of young learners, experts said at a launching   1,866 more held Police arrested some 1,866 people from across the country on various charges in the last 24 hours ending at 6:00am yesterday. Point-Counterpoint Making a travesty of free trade AS the current "development round" of trade talks moves into its final stages, it is becoming increasingly clear that the goal of promoting development will not be served, and that the multilateral trade   Why this hullabaloo over Islamic banking? THE recent measures taken by Bangladesh Bank with regard to Islamic banks are indeed unprecedented and absolutely uncalled for.   The dearly departed Mr. Karim MR. MA Karim died over two months ago. To be precise, he died at 10:40 pm on May 19, 2006. He died at his Dhanmondi residence, quietly and peacefully, without any last minute trauma or commotion. Culture Radiant on big and small screen BEING discovered in the experimental show Notun Mukher Shondhaney back in 1984, Diti today is a household name in Bangladesh.   Shafin's tribute to Komol Dasgupta Shafin Ahmed's latest solo album, Kotodin Dekhini Tomae, was launched yesterday at the Spectra Convention Centre.   A shared heritage of art A joint exhibition of 30 Indian and 13 Bangladeshi artists, called 'Bengal Chromosome' was held at Kolkata recently. It was inaugurated by noted artist Paritosh Sen.   Channel Click TV play 'Ebong Phera' goes on air Lux drama of the week Ebong Phera will be aired today at 7:50 pm on Channel i. The play is written by Murad Parvez and directed by Riaz Roni.   "Actors are the laziest people on earth" As an actor, no one ever doubted his talent. Yet, that talent was never truly exploited by Bollywood. Now, Naseeruddin Shah is taking matters into his own hands. General SUSTTA opposes boycott of academic council meet Shahjalal University of Science & Technology Teachers' Association (SUSTTA) has termed the decision of nine departmental heads and deans to boycott the July 19 academic council meeting 'unjustified'.   Pro-BNP men attack RU employees At least three employees of Rajshahi University (RU) were injured when Pro-BNP employees attacked them in front of pro-vice chancellor office yesterday over calling work abstention programme on July 23.   Safma dialogue held in Bogra A daylong dialogue session was held in Bogra Parjaton Motel yesterday to enact laws in order to ensure free media in the country and to protect the journalists from all kinds of repression. Editorial Editorial: Corruption in the communications ministry THIS time it is a government probe, not any newspaper investigation nor a TIB compilation that has revealed a huge instance of bungling and corruption in the communications ministry.   Editorial: Voter list budgetary impasse WHILE time is running out fast, new twists are pushing the possibilities of producing the voter list in time even further into the mist of uncertainty.   The silent foreign policy debate IT is one of the pieties constantly mouthed by both politicians and political commentators alike that a nation's foreign policy should remain above party politics and that a change in government should   Blame it on the budget IT may be too late to talk about the budget, but I want to talk about it anyway. Let me tell you why this penny has suddenly dropped on me and why I have got an urge to write about the budget. Letters to Editor Lebanon massacre This is with tremendous outrage that I convey my disgust at the brutal killing of the Lebanese by the Israelis.   Campus politics Education, regarded as the backbone of a nation, cannot be achieved without a favourable environment.   Teachers' demands Education is one of the fundamental rights of a citizen, without which no nation can prosper. We achieved independence after a prolonged nine-month war. So we are in the habit of struggling.   Rights of Palestinians It was absolutely deplorable that 'a concerned Muslim' compares the situation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict with a self made example of a rabbit & beast in his/her letter published in The DailyStar.   UNSC Secretary General I read with great interest the articles of Mr. Abdul Hannan and Professor Talukder Maniruzzaman published in your daily regarding the possibility of having a Bangladeshi as Secretary General of the United Nations.   Interpretation of Islam This refers to Mr. Anisur Rahman's quote from the Holy Quran - (Islam vs. fanaticism: Star, July 18) . There are several verses that emphasise tolerance of other religious beliefs.   A miserable experience I had a bitter experience in the audition test for Close-up-1. I was asked a lot of irrelevant questions by the judge after we waited for long three hours in a queue.   Dear Dr. Moazzem With reference to your article titled 'Character Assassination: Who is next?' published recently in The Daily Star, I would like to thank you very much for your strong opinion with regard to recent controversy   The other side... Mr. Minhaj Ahmed in the July 18 issue of The Daily Star wrote, "Finally, we have found one Bangladeshi Jew sympathiser.   A dismal picture Really, it's sad and pretty unfortunate that we the people are not able to change or develop the country. Only a few hundred people are responsible for this. May be 100 years later it will be the same.   BSF atrocities Like the ads of various mobile service operators, one piece of news is almost regular in all national dailies-- "BSF kills----".   What is wrong with being pro-life? Is it so wrong to want innocent unborn children to see the light of this world? Who can say these babies, that are killed by abortion, wouldn't grow up to be doctors, emergency workers, teachers, mothers, Environment An alternative for flood management in Bangladesh At present, Bangladesh has a flood forecasting lead-time of only three days or so.   Is there a link to transboundary water conflicts resolution? Over 97 percent of water in totality on this planet is saline and undrinkable. Only 0.5 percent of the remaining less than 3 percent is accessible for human use and ecosystem. World South Asia: PM, Maoists to meet for Nepali peace talks Nepal's government and Maoist leaders are expected this weekend to get down to some tough talking on sensitive issues such as arms control and an interim parliament in a second round of talks aimed at   South Asia: Afghan forces retake dists Hundreds of troops were scouring southernmost Afghanistan for Taliban fighters Wednesday after securing two districts the militants had overrun more than 24 hours earlier.   South Asia: Bhutanese refugees draft parallel constitution Bhutanese refugees exiled in Nepal, who say their country's first-ever constitution gives too much power to the monarchy, have drafted a parallel one, hoping it will bring democracy and help them return   South Asia: Myanmar to confront angry neighbours, US at Asian security meet Military-ruled Myanmar will face a grilling over its refusal to shift to democracy next week when it confronts angry neighbours and long-time foe the United States at Asia's top security forum.   South Asia: Indo-US nuke deal approval a foregone conclusion The Bush Administration has said Congressional approval of the India-US nuclear deal was a foregone conclusion, going by the overwhelming support for the enabling bill in the foreign relations committees.   South Asia: Congress seeks to block film on Sonia India's ruling Congress party has served a legal notice on film director Jagmohan Mundhra to stop him making a film on the party's Italian-born chief Sonia Gandhi, an official said yesterday.   Asian evacuation from Lebanon flounders Asian governments struggled yesterday to evacuate nationals from war-torn Lebanon, with some coming in for criticism, as the Philippine president asked for 30,000 Filipinos trapped by the conflict tobe   Tsunami aid efforts shift into gear Aid efforts for Indonesian tsunami survivors intensified yesterday, a day after another tsunami alert triggered panic on the country's main island of Java.   Every home storing arms now a target Israel yesterday pursued its air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip, where it has killed nearly 100 people in three weeks, and warned civilians that every home storing weaponry was now a target.   Numbers of displaced Iraqis rise sharply Raging sectarian violence has forced a sharp increase in the number of Iraqis fleeing their homes this month, the government said yesterday.   © thedailystar.net, 2006. All Rights Reserved.