The Daily Star: Internet Edition Sat. March 17, 2007

Vol. 5 Num 993

Sat. March 17, 2007


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Front Page	Tigers lord over India batsmen A committed bowling and fielding performance by Bangladesh had India on the ropes in their Group B tie at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain yesterday.
	Suspension on indoor politics to go soon Law and Information Adviser Mainul Hosein yesterday said the government will lift the ban on indoor politics soon.
	Govt to talk companies into hiking its revenue The government today sits with the association of mobile phone operators to discuss how they could increase revenue share of the nation as was originally intended in the mobile phone agreements signed
	Dhaka giving US his travel permit The United States has contacted Bangladesh seeking travel permit for sending back AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, who is condemned to death for the killings of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family
	Youths envision new nation Young professionals, entrepreneurs, and civil society members yesterday spoke of a new vision of the government that would provide for the people, especially the poor and the vulnerable.
	6,000 acres of land freed in a month The caretaker government recovered over 6,000 acres of land from grabbers in January this year alone whereas the drive initiated in January 2005 recovered around another 6,000 acres in the following two
	Homage paid to Bangabandhu The 87th birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was observed across the country yesterday paying rich tribute to the leader for his great contributions to freeing the country from Pakistani
	Prof Yunus gets Golden Trailblazer Award 2007 Prof Muhammad Yunus received the 2007 Golden Trailblazer Award by Vital Voices, a US-based organisation of global women leaders working to strengthen democracy, increase economic opportunity and fight
	Anti-graft team probing ex-MP Hafiz's bank documents A team of anti-corruption special task force yesterday collected various documentary evidence from a couple of banks and a hospital during its ongoing investigation into corruption of Hafiz Ibrahim, former
	Bogra farmers cry for urea Hundreds of farmers in 12 upazilas of the district are desperately in need of adequate supply of urea as a vast tract of boro cropland is still awaiting application of this fertiliser.
	Saarc Car Rally leaves for north The Saarc car rally left for its next destination in the north yesterday morning after a ceremonial stopover in the capital.
	Tk 3.75cr foreign currency seized at ZIA Customs officials seized foreign currencies worth Tk 3.75 crore from a Singapore-bound passenger at Zia International Airport (ZIA) on Friday night.
	Woman burnt to death in fire A woman was burnt to death and three others, including two firemen, were injured in separate incidents of fire in the capital yesterday.
	Container handling still goes at snail's pace It was around 10:00am on Thursday when this correspondent entered Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT), the exclusive container terminal at the Chittagong Port.
	Probe stalled for Faizee's petition The University Grants Commission (UGC) probe committee yesterday stopped investigating fake LLB certificates in the Chittagong University (CU) as the matter has turned sub judice following a writ petition
	Hearing on contempt resumes today The hearing of the contempt of court case against government officials, including four secretaries, regarding separation of judiciary resumes today.
	BCL men ransack 15 rooms of JCD activists at DU Jagannath Hall Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists ransacked at least 15 rooms of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) men at Jagannath Hall of Dhaka University on Friday night following a clash between the two groups
	Cultural festival...
	Council decides to sign Saarc Food Bank accord A meeting of the council of advisers yesterday decided to sign an agreement to establish Saarc Food Bank with a view to ensuring food security in the South Asian region during food shortage and food emergency.
	Chlorine bombs kill 8, sicken 350 in Iraq Two suicide bombings in involving toxic chlorine gas made 350 people ill in Falluja on Friday, the US military said yesterday, and another smaller bomb attack near Ramadi also released chlorine gas.
	N Korea prepares to shut key N-reactor North Korea has begun preparations to shutdown and seal its key Yongbyon nuclear reactor, South Korea's top nuclear envoy said yesterday, according to the Yonhap news agency.
	7 killed in crash landing of Russian plane Seven people were killed and 50 injured yesterday when a passenger plane crashed in Samara, 1,100 kilometres east of Moscow, in the latest incident to hit Russia's aviation industry, officials told Russian
	Plotters behind TV raid, says Musharraf Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said on Saturday a police raid on a television station during protests against his government's suspension of the country's top judge was a conspiracy against him.
Business	Project unveiled to diversify products A 31-month joint project was launched in Dhaka yesterday aiming to diversify the country's exports as well as enhance trade between Bangladesh and the European Union (EU).
	HSBC sees Bangladesh's good growth potential Vincent HC Cheng, chairman of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC), looks at Bangladesh a good growth potential, not only organic, but also through acquisition.
	Russian firms to explore oil, gas in Myanmar Two Russian oil companies will conduct oil and gas exploration and production in an inland area of Myanmar in cooperation with the state-run Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), sources with MOGE said
	West Bengal drops spl economic zone plan following protests Communist leaders in West Bengal on Saturday shelved plans to build an industrial hub on farm land, three days after clashes between police and villagers killed 14 people.
	Motor show ends on high The three-day motor show that began in Dhaka Thursday ended yesterday amid huge response from visitors.
	Microsoft to reward search engine users Microsoft on Friday began offering large businesses rewards if they have employees scout the Internet with the software giant's Live Search service.
	US, ROK confident of meeting FTA deadline Ahead of a two-week deadline, the United States and South Korea expressed optimism Friday on crafting an ambitious free trade agreement as they prepared for the final stretch of tough negotiations.
	First review meet of Pak-Lanka FTA held The first meeting of joint committee of Pak-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement held here Friday which reviewed the progress of the agreement.
	BASIS SoftExpo now begins March 28 The five-day ICT exposition styled 'BASIS SoftExpo', which was scheduled for December 2006, will now begin on March 28 at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka, says a press release.
	Dollar falls as economic worries grow The US dollar fell sharply Friday after an inflation snapshot triggered renewed concerns about the US economy, traders said. The single European currency was changing hands at 1.
	Dubai ports complete sale of controversial US operations Dubai port operator DP World has completed the sale of its US operations, drawing the curtain on its controversial investment in the United States, the official WAM news agency reported Saturday.
	African cotton states see US farm bill increasing subsidies The US Farm Bill is "counterproductive" in its current form and could lead to increased subsidies to US cotton formers of up to 65 percent, African cotton producing nations said here on Friday.
	BFIC declares 15pc cash dividend Bangladesh Finance And Investment Company (BFIC) Ltd has declared a 15 percent cash dividend for its shareholders for the financial year 2006-07.
	$15b FDI outflow from India likely in 2007 With a bulk of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) going out of the country, specially from manufacturing companies, the calendar year 2007 is expected to witness outward FDI to the tune of USD 15 billion
	Indonesia monorail project back on track soon The Indonesian government has guaranteed a monorail project in the capital Jakarta, allowing plans to issue a 650 million dollar Islamic bond in the Middle East to go ahead, reports said Saturday.
Sports	Football: Muktijoddha beat Mohammedan Saifur Rahman Moni guided Muktijoddha Sangsad to their first success in the B.
	Cricket: Rana laid to rest Manzarul Islam Rana was finally laid to rest at his family graveyard in Majgunni after Asr prayers yesterday. Fellow cricketer Sajjadul Hasan Setu was buried at the Toot Para Graveyard buried at2:45pm.
	Cricket: One eye on Proteas Defending champions Australia are already looking beyond the formality of dismissing the Nether-lands on Sun-day as the countdown begins to their World Cup clash against South Africa.
	Cricket: We must win: Vaughan England cap-tain Michael Vaughan insisted there was no question of giving everyone a game against minnows Canada on Sunday just for the sake of it after his side's World Cup campaign got off to a losing
	Cricket: Sachin hints at 2011 WC Sachin Tendulkar has hinted at playing the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent if his "body holds good". "I don't know if this is my final World Cup.
	Cricket: Passion rules the game Anderson Cummins is just one of five players at the World Cup who also took part in the 1992 tournament.
	Local Snippets Badda High School clinched the zonal final of Standard Chartered Young Tigers National School Cricket competition at the East End ground yesterday.
	Cricket: Sunny in hot water Tensions between India and Australia have risen at the World Cup after two Australian players revealed their anger towards Sunil Gavaskar over his criticisms of their team's behaviour, reports said here
	Cricket: Thanks to the wives Take a bow Vanessa, Geraldine and Maebh, the unheralded stars of the Irish cricket team. Without them, Ireland may not have managed their thrilling last ball World Cup tie against Zimbabwe.
	Cricket: Gibbs devours Dutch Herschelle Gibbs became the first man to hit six sixes in an over in a one-day international while Jacques Kallis smashed an unbeaten century as South Africa inflicted a 221-run World Cup defeat on the
	Cricket: Styris, Oram see off Eng New Zealand drew first blood against England as they won the teams' World Cup Group C opener by six wickets here Friday.
	Cricket: Luuk sees funny side Dutch captain Luuk van Troo-st wanted to make hlistory against South Africa and he got his wish.
	Cricket: Scott does it in style New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris had one thing on his mind when he came to the crease against England: bat.
	Cricket: Woolmer stands by minnows Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer believes non-Test playing nations should be at the World Cup despite a series of humiliating results here.
	Cricket: If it's your day ... Herschelle Gibbs said hitting six sixes in an over in South Africa's World Cup win over the Netherlands was "up there with the best things" he has done.
	Cricket: 'A great relief' New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming said his side now had a "game in hand" after beating England by six wickets in their opening match of the World Cup.
	Cricket: Inzy hits back at rumour mill Pakistan captain Inzamamul Haq and team officials have denied reports of discord in their World Cup squad in the Caribbean.
	Cricket fan...
	Football: Kiessling in Germany squad Germany coach Joachim Loew called up Bayer Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling on Friday as one of four uncapped players in his squad for their Euro 2008 Group D qualifier against Czech Republic on March
	Football: Makelele in a quandary Chelsea have indicated they will not begin negotiations over a new contract for Claude Makelele until November at the earliest and hinted that any deal will depend on the midfield enforcer quitting international
	Football: McClaren hails Carragher Low-profile Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has been praised to the heights by England manager Steve McClaren as the team prepares for forthcoming Euro 2008 qualifiers.
	Football: Bari searching a saviour Barman Michele Lo Russo had more on his mind than the Italy-Russia business summit taking place in his native city this week.
	Football: Zidane, Ronaldo up against each other Former Real Madrid teammates Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo will captain teams against each other on Monday in an exhibition match aimed at mobilising the public in the fight against poverty.
	Football: Petrov back for Bulgaria Former captain Stilian Petrov has agreed to end his self-imposed exile from international football, the Bulgarian Trud daily reported on Saturday.
	Football: Wembley doors open England's new 800-million pound (1.45 billion-dollar) stadium has finally opened its doors to the public for the first time as a precursor to the FA Cup final in May, the BBC reported on Saturday.
	Football: UEFA target Bayern duo European football's governing body UEFA on Friday opened disciplinary proceedings against Bayern Munich's Oliver Kahn and Lucio, accusing the pair of "improper behaviour" during a doping test.
	Football: Saudi Arabia sack Paqueta Saudi Arabia coach Marco Paqueta of Brazil was sacked by the country's football federation on Friday and replaced by compatriot Helio Dos Angos.
Metropolitan	Include civil society groups in Saarc summit As civil society groups of Saarc countries represent the aspirations and opinions of their peoples, their voices should be heard in the Saarc summit, opined a group of researchers at a press conference
	Call for strong rural dev base to ensure good governance LGRD and Cooperative Adviser Md Anwarul Iqbal yesterday emphasised the need for establishing a strong and effective base for rural development as well as local authority to create a conducive environment
	Ensure rights of ethnic people Speakers at a cultural festival yesterday called on the government and members of the civil society to ensure the rights of indigenous people in order to enrich the national culture and heritage.
	Valuables worth several lakhs of taka gutted A fire broke out in a room of the history department of Dhaka University (DU) damaging properties worth several lakhs of taka yesterday.
	Abul Mansur's 28th death anniversary today The 28th death anniversary of Abul Mansur Ahmad, a renowned litterateur, journalist and statesman of the sub-continent, will be observed today, says a press release.
	BDR sells essentials at 17 points in city Members of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) are selling essential commodities at 17 points in the city, said a BDR press release yesterday.
	Construction of bridge over Ramna Lake opposed Environment activists yesterday strongly opposed the plan for construction of a hanging bridge over the lake at Ramna Park in the city.
	Chief adviser visits Sylhet today Chief Adviser to the caretaker government Fakhruddin Ahmed will visit Sylhet today before leaving for Habiganj where he will formally inaugurate Bibiyana gas field.
	Ex-BCL president Liakat expresses dismay Former Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) President Liakat Shikder has expressed his dismay at media reports that his name is on the list of corruption suspects.
	Ctg importers sell rice, oil on open markets Importers began selling of essential food items, including rice and oil on the open market in the port city from yesterday.
	'Develop moral quality alongside IT education' Developing moral qualities alongside information technology (IT)-based education and acquiring English language skills were stressed at a students' function in the city yesterday for building a developed
National	From piracy to parliament Alleged corruption by former BNP lawmaker Shahidul Alam Talukder and atrocities by a section of his party men is a talk of the town in Baufal.
	Taskforce collects papers on Tk 34cr loan, cases The taskforce now in Barisal yesterday continued investigation into assets of former BNP lawmaker from Bhola-2 Hafiz Ibrahim and alleged irregularities done by him.
	Stop work on Tipaimukh Dam Some non-government organisations at a joint press conference in Rajshahi yesterday stressed the need for a coordinated campaign to save country's rivers.
	Tk 1.53cr arrear power bills with 45 defaulters In Barisal The West Zone Power Distribution Company (WZPDCO) yesterday published a notice giving a 10-day deadline to 45 defaulters for payment of Tk 1,53,66,644 crore arrear bills.
	Manipuri people observe language martyrs day 'Vishnupuria Language Martyrs Day' of the indigenous Manipuri community was observed at Tilakpur and Madhabpur villages, an area inhabited by Manipuri people in Kamalganj upazila in Moulvibazar district
	Woman lawyer held for torturing maid in Mymensingh A woman lawyer was arrested in Mymensingh town yesterday for allegedly torturing her house maid.
	Tk 50 lakh goods gutted in Nilphamari Property worth about Tk 30 lakh was gutted in a devastating fire at Noor Market at Chilahati in Domar upazila at about midnight Friday.
	Tk 2cr down the drain! Construction of a sluice gate on a silted canal at Bangdah in Sadar upazila is going on in full swing ignoring protests by local people and an order by the Water Development Board (WDB) Chief Engineer
Point-Counterpoint	Lessons from the seventies In August 1975 a new phenomenon was introduced into Bangladesh politics when the civilian politician anointed as president by the military coup leaders declared martial law and assumed the title of chief
	Hoping against hope It had to be done, and it has been. The torch has been passed on to a group of sophisticated technocrats.
	Monetary contraction and growth Quite contrary to what most people would assume to be the case, the central bank of Bangladesh has actually followed a policy of restraining the growth rate of the economy.
	No justice Reality is catching up furiously with those who believe that Pakistan's principal problem is a poor international image.
Culture	Folk fiesta commemorating Waheedul Haque The Chhayanaut Sangskriti Bhaban was decorated with flowers, lamps, gamchas and kulas as Chhayanat celebrated the 75th birth anniversary of late Waheedul Haque.
	National Theatre Festival '07 Mohuya is one of the most popular palas included in the Maimansingha Geetika, a collection of folk ballads from the greater Mymensingh region.
	Fantasy Kingdom celebrates 5th anniversary Fantasy Kingdom, the only theme park in Bangladesh celebrated its 5th anniversary on March 16 with various entertaining programmes. Visitors enjoyed special offers on the day.
	'Rupoboti' staged Shubochan Natya Sangsad staged its popular production Rupoboti at the National Theatre Stage on the same evening.
	Musical soiree at Bengal Gallery On the occasion of the solo art exhibition by Qayyum Chowdhury, the Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts organised a series of 'Ghorowa gaaner ashor' (musical soiree)at the Bengal Shilpalaya in Dhanmondi.
General	Three killed in road accidents At least three people were killed in separate road accidents in Sirajganj and Comilla yesterday.
	KU convocation tomorrow The 3rd convocation of Khulna University (KU) will be held tomorrow after a six-year interval.
International	Lanka seeks foreign help to bring Tigers back to peace talks Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on Friday sought international help to prod Tamil Tiger rebels waging a battle for a separate homeland to return to the negotiating table.
	Iranian army warns US against 'stupid move’ A senior Iranian army commander warned the United States and other Western powers not to make any "stupid move" over Tehran's nuclear programme and said they would be surprised by the military response
	Thousands protest Iraq war in US Thousands of Christians prayed for peace at an anti-war service Friday night at the Washington National Cathedral, kicking off a weekend of protests around the country to mark the fourth anniversary of
	Israel refuses contacts with Palestinian govt Israel refused yesterday to have any contacts with the new Palestinian government of national unity that groups secular Fatah with the Islamist Hamas movement.
	US airlines cancel over 2,000 flights Big US airlines and their affiliates cancelled more than 2,000 flights on Friday as a late-winter storm hit the Northeast's biggest cities, airline and government officials said.
	Benazir warns of Taliban threat to Pakistan The Taliban must be defeated in Pakistan this year or the country risks falling under the sway of extremists much as Afghanistan did before Sept.
	Indian group calls for beheading of Taslima Nasreen An Indian Muslim group has offered a 500,000 rupee (11,319 dollar) bounty for the beheading of controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen.
	Pakistani lawyers, police clash over judge sacking Pakistani police clashed for a second day on Saturday with lawyers protesting against government moves to sack the country's top judge as restrictions on the judge were lifted.
	16 killed after bus falls into ditch in West Bengal At least 16 people were killed and 67 injured yesterday in West Bengal when their bus slid into a ditch after it tried to avoid an oncoming vehicle, police said.
	'Almost half of Indian children suffer physical abuse' Almost half of Indian children surveyed for a landmark national study were physically, sexually or economically abused, according to leaked results.
	Breakaway Nepal Maoists kill former rebel A breakaway group of Maoists killed a former rebel activist after abducting him from his home in southeast Nepal, police said yesterday.
Editorial	Editorial: The fertiliser crisis The old fertiliser question crops up again.
	Editorial: Arrests of JMB activists We must not let our guards down against the religious extremists who had tried not very long ago to force their ideas on us to the extent of taking people's lives to establish what they think is the way
	Stumbling war on terror US Vice President Dick Cheney's unannounced visit to Pakistan generated speculation about the extent of Pakistan's efforts on the pursuit of war on terror.
	Storm signal The standard rate is one word per dead policeman, so Dr.
	Three Rs, Bangladesh-style For better or worse, our politicians, in the prevailing prohibitions of political activities, have started spending time in reading, writing and possibly "re-educating" themselves, as if those are the
Star Health	New cancer-fighting techniques with less risk Being diagnosed with cancer is really frightening. There is the fear that the cancer treatment would not be successful and it may return. Fear of pain and other side effects also exist.
	Travelers' common guide Traveling abroad offer an exciting opportunity for learning and cultural exchange.
	Tips to prevent bedwetting Medical term for bed wetting is enuresis. All over he world , kids wet bed and it is quite a common phenomenon.
	Vitamin D halves pancreatic cancer risk People who take vitamin D tablets are half as likely to get deadly pancreatic cancer as people who do not, US researchers reported.
	Dhaka to host MEDEXPO Dhaka this week will host the Fourth International Medical Equipment and Healthcare Services Exposition - MEDEXPO 2006 at the Winter Garden of Dhaka Sheraton Hotel from March 22 to 24, 2007.
	Skinny teens warned about osteoporosis risk Skinny teenagers and girls suffering from anorexia could be seriously damaging their bones and increasing their risk of osteoporosis later in life.
Star City	Toxic wastes kill retention pond Unabated dumping of untreated industrial effluent is fast killing Hatirjheel, a low-lying flood retention basin earmarked in the Dhaka Metropolitan Development Plan (DMDP).
	Associations flourish on Illegal registration An illegal rickshaw registration business continues to thrive in the capital under the very nose of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC).
	DoE's endless siesta Pending lawsuits and writ petitions are weighing down the Department of Environment (DoE) making it an ineffective government body to deal with environmental offences.
	Vow to save historical mosque Residents of Narinda and Binat Bibi Jam e Mosque committee vowed on Friday to save the 600-year old Binat Bibi mosque.
	Rehab vice president's building under Rajuk hammer The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk), backed by the joint forces, on Sunday demolished illegal portions of a building that houses Advanced Development Technologies (ADT) on the Gulshan Avenue inGulshan-2.