Vol. 5 Num 1102 Sat. July 07, 2007       Home  News Today's Index Front Page Business Sports Metropolitan National International Culture General Views Point-counterpoint Editorial Write to Editor Sections StarTech Literature Others About Us Contact Advertisement Supplements Archives WWW thedailystar.net Today's Index Front Page Security forces, kidnappers trade fire at Bandarban Security forces exchanged fires with the kidnappers of the Danida official Shahid Suman during their rescue operation at Thanchi in the district yesterday.   Kaiser wants reforms in AL involving the party chief Yet another Awami League (AL) presidium member, Ataur Rahman Khan Kaiser, yesterday came up with reform proposals including the one that none should simultaneously hold posts in the party and the government.   Mannan to meet party chief for consent to hold council In reaction to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's warning against anti-party activities, Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan yesterday said they have not been doing anything contrary to the party constitution.   BNP reformists retreat from move to oust the corrupt The pro-reform BNP leaders have apparently retreated from their move to launch a cleansing drive to free the party of corrupt leaders fearing negative impact since a few among themselves could be identified   Dishonest dealers, officials create fertiliser crisis The probe team for Wednesday's Nachole riot yesterday said a few dishonest traders are taking advantage of the growing demand for fertiliser and doing illegal marketing allegedly with the help of administrative   Gunmen fire shots at Musharraf's plane Gunmen fired on Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's plane using an improvised Taliban-style anti-aircraft gun after it took off from a military airbase yesterday, intelligence officials said.   Customs dockets 'destroyed' to conceal revenue theft Customs documents involving more than Tk25 crore government revenue have been allegedly destroyed by some customs officials at Burimari land port in Lalmonirhat district to conceal misappropriation of   Hilsha still too dear The government decision to ban hilsha fish export for the next six months is yet to make any impact on its wholesale and retail prices during the last 48 hours in Dhaka markets.   Retired Biman staff to float airlines The Biman officials and employees who have retired recently under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) are going to float a private airline.   Jalil's petition evokes mixed reaction Leaders of different political parties and civil society members yesterday came up with mixed reactions to detained Awami League (AL) General Secretary Abdul Jalil's letter to the chief adviser.   A threat of dengue...   EC to declare timeframe for talks with parties The Election Commission (EC) will declare specific time frame for holding talks with political parties on its roadmap to parliamentary elections, which will be made public by mid-July.   'People's role in governance a must for direct democracy' Former adviser to the caretaker government Dr Akbar Ali Khan called for ensuring people's participation in the governance procedure to establish 'direct democracy' in the country.   Rab recovers 10 bombs at Khulna newspaper stall Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) recovered ten bombs from a newspaper stall at Daulatpur here on Thursday night.   Jalil's career Awami League (AL) General Secretary Abdul Jalil started his political career through Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), students wing of the AL.   Fertiliser seized in Ctg, one held Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard seized fertiliser worth Tk 5.24 lakh, reportedly hoarded for smuggling abroad, and held an alleged smuggler at Chandnaish upazila in Chittagong early yesterday.   Two brothers drown in pond at Maniknagar Two brothers drowned in a pond at Maniknagar in the city's Jatrabari area on Thursday, leaving their parents and relatives shell-shocked.   Forest boss Gani sent to jail Detained former forest boss Osman Gani was sent to jail yesterday on expiry of his four-day remand granted by a Dhaka court for interrogation in connection with the case filed against him with UttaraPolice   Burglars loot cellphone shop Burglars broke into a cellphone shop at Raj Laxmi Shopping Complex in the city's Uttara area sometime between Friday night and early yesterday and took away mobile sets worth about Tk 3.   2 cops punished at Nachole for accidental firing of shots Two policemen were suspended yesterday for careless handling of firearm that resulted in the firing of 12 bullets from a sub-machine gun (SMG) on Nachole Upazila Parishad premises in Chapainawabganj.   Low turns into land depression The well marked low over west of Jessore moved west-northwestwards, intensified into a land depression and lies over West Bengal.   Pak cleric says he would rather die than surrender A Pakistani cleric holed up in a besieged mosque in the capital declared yesterday he would rather die than surrender, dramatically upping the stakes amid claims human shields are being held inside.   Venus Williams reaches final Venus Williams reached the Wimbledon final for the sixth time, dominating yet another player ranked in the top 10. The three-time champion at the All England Club beat No.   Clashes erupt in Iraq amid bombings Deadly clashes have erupted between Shia militants and police in the southern Iraqi town of Samawa, police said Friday, while separately roadside bombs killed at least eight Iraqi troops.   Britain recalls 7/7 attacks as terror probe widens Britain said yesterday it was "getting to the bottom" of a militant cell behind last week's failed attacks, amid tight security ahead of the anniversary of London's July 2005 suicide bombings.   Air, ground strikes kill 33 Taliban Air and ground strikes on Taliban fighters killed 33 rebels yesterday after the militants attacked police in southern Afghanistan, the defence ministry said.   Archives show Israel levelled 100 mosques Israel destroyed more than 100 mosques in Palestinian villages incorporated into the state, including the site where the head of Imam Hussein was allegedly buried, a daily wrote yesterday.   E Timor 'hero' set to form coalition government East Timor appeared set Friday for a coalition government led by the independence leader Xanana Gusmao after the troubled nation's parliamentary election last week.   Nepal students plan to spoil king's party Nepal student groups are planning protests to try and spoil embattled King Gyanendra's plans for a public celebration of his 60th birthday this weekend, leaders said yesterday.   Iran expects UN to hold off sanctions for now Iran expects the United Nations to hold off on new sanctions while Tehran pursues new talks with the UN atomic agency about its disputed nuclear work, a senior Iranian official said yesterday. Business BB needs to monitor mid-sized banks' credit growth: IMF The medium-sized banks whose credit is growing by 20 to 30 percent and whose non-performing loan (NPL) ratios are about 10 percent should be more closely watched, said a report of International Monetary   Donors must do more to help poor states achieve MDGs The donor states must fulfil their commitments towards global poverty elimination in order to help the poor countries attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), speakers told a function in Dhakayesterday.   Dhaka gets $23.6m WB loan to improve public procurement system The World Bank (WB) has approved a credit of US$23.6 million from International Development Association (IDA) to help improve public procurement system of Bangladesh.   Corruption fight 'matter of life and death' An anti-corruption watchdog on Thursday warned business leaders at a United Nations summit to urgently tackle corruption costing the global economy some 2.5 trillion dollars (1.   Indian inflation rises but within central bank target India's inflation rate jumped by a surprise tenth of a percentage point, snapping ten straight weeks of decline, but remained at a 14-month low, official data showed on Friday. Inflation rose to4.   Apec supports WTO talks but eyes regional fallback Apec trade ministers pledged strong support for global trade talks but revealed they were also examining the possibility of an Asia-Pacific free trade area, in a communique issued Friday.   Dollar stable as euro pauses in Asian trade The dollar edged higher in Asian trade Friday as players awaited key US unemployment data for fresh clues on the health of the world's largest economy, dealers said.   Int'l food festival begins at Dhaka Regency Hotel A nine-day international food festival began at Dhaka Regency Hotel on Thursday to mark the formal opening of the newly launched hotel's restaurant.   Food prices set for 'long-lasting' inflation: Nestle chairman Food prices around the world are set for a "significant and long-lasting" period of inflation because of a variety of factors, including demand from China and India, Nestle's chairman said in an interview   Baht hits 10-yr high against dollar The Thai baht broke the psychological 34-baht barrier to reach a new 10-year high against the US dollar, prompting the Bank of Thailand (BOT) to warn exporters not to panic as it has acted to stem the   Unilever eyes stake in Chinese toothpaste maker Anglo-Dutch consumer products giant Unilever is eyeing a stake in Chinese personal hygiene firm Shanghai White Cat, which was recently at the centre of a safety scandal, state media said Friday.   India's Wipro to buy S'pore consumer products firm for $246m Wipro Ltd, which built India's third-largest software business after starting out as a maker of oils and soaps, said Friday it would buy Singapore-based consumer products firm Unza Holdings for 246 million   Indian bike sales skid as bank loans dry up India's banks are cutting back on loans to buyers of motorbikes and scooters, crimping sales growth in the world's second-largest two-wheeler market, an industry executive said Thursday.   Oil prices inch up near $72 Oil prices inched higher Friday in Asia, holding on to gains made in the US after renewed violence and kidnappings in Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer.   US sees higher job growth Employers boosted payrolls by a better-than-expected 132,000 jobs in June, enough to keep the unemployment rate at a relatively low 4.5 percent.   Siemens AG head of Asia, Australia due today Dr Klaus Wucherer, head of Asia and Australia and member of the Corporate Executive Committee of Siemens AG, is expected to arrive in Dhaka today to take part in the Siemens' 50-year celebration in Bangladesh,   Weekly Currency Roundup July 02-July 05, 2007 Local FX Market The US dollar/BDT market was liquid and USD lost ground against the BDT in the week. The dollar showed a downward trend against the Bangladeshi taka. Sports Cricket: 'I'm unsure of playing shots' 'Trying to play Test cricket according to its nature' has become the most used statement in Bangladesh's ongoing tour of Sri Lanka.   Cricket: Tushar off to Colombo In a bid to bolster the Tigers' batting line-up, batsman Tushar Imran left Dhaka for Colombo on a Singapore Airlines flight last night.   Football: Nayeem shows interest Just a day after Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) officially announced it will approach Syed Nayeemuddin as a candidate to take over the national team, the Indian coach said he would be honoured to   Cricket: Moores banks on C'paul West Indies coach David Moore is confident key batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul will be fit for Saturday's decisive one-day international against England at Trent Bridge.   Tennis: Nadal, Federer thru' Roger Federer showed brief moments of vulnerability Friday before reaching the Wimbledon semifinals and moving one step closer to a fifth straight title.   Cricket: Eves win by 90 runs Bangladesh women's cricket team recorded a 90-run victory over hosts Thailand in a limited-overs preparation match in Bangkok yesterday.   Cricket: 'KP will come good' Kevin Pietersen may be undergoing something of a slump by his own standards but Matt Prior has said it will be no surprise to his England teammates if he plays a match-winning innings in Saturday's final   Cricket: Rain or Shiv? It is hard to know which sight English sports fans are more sick of -- the rain hammering down at Wimbledon or Shivnarine Chanderpaul batting for the West Indies.   Cricket: Akhtar glad its over Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar believes the "darkest times" of his life have come to an end following the decision to dismiss an appeal against the overturning of a doping ban.   Cricket: Anderson fined for clash England fast bowler James Anderson has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee after clashing with West Indies batsman Runako Morton.   Cricket: Youngsters demand places Munaf Patel is determined to regain his firepower in order to book a berth in the Indian team for the upcoming limited overs series in England.   Cricket: 'ICL to be a cricket lab' Subhash Chandra, the head of the Essel Group, intends to make India "the laboratory to innovate new methods of cricket" through the Indian Cricket League (ICL), a report in Khaleej Times said.   Cricket: Stanford to pay $20m dollars Allen Stanford has expanded his 20/20 Super Stars concept with US$20 million up for grabs for the winning team.   Cricket: Vaas cleared for Lord's stint Veteran Sri Lankan seamer Chaminda Vaas will miss next week's third Test against Bangladesh in Kandy to return to English county Middlesex, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said on Friday.   Cricket: Malik rues missed match The washout of the one-day international against arch-rivals India in Glasgow had deprived Pakistan of a chance to boost morale and confidence, captain Shoaib Malik has said.   Cricket: Aus tri-series unlikely next year The annual one-day tri-series in Australia is in doubt next year and it is likely that South Africa and New Zealand could play separate rubbers against the world champions.   Cricket: Le Roux resigns Adrian Le Roux has resigned as South Africa's fitness trainer.   Cricket: Thorpe gets NSW job Former Surrey and England batsman Graham Thorpe has been appointed assistant coach of New South Wales for the 2007-08 Australian season.   Football: MU don't worry Chelsea Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon said Friday that he was not worried that Manchester United have taken over the mantle of Premier League big spenders.   Football: Football festival begins The region's top teams will battle for supremacy as they try to put a dismal World Cup in Germany behind them when the Asian Cup finals kick off on Saturday.   Football: Sven takes City helm Sven-Goran Eriks-son's appointment as the new manager of Manchester City was confirmed on Friday when the former England boss signed a three-year contract with the Premiership club.   Football: Iraq playing for the people Striker Younis Mahmoud says Iraq's players will mask their grief at the Asian Cup and play for the people of their strife-torn homeland.   Football: Tevez move under scrutiny Argentina striker Carlos Tevez insisted Friday that he is determined to complete his "dream" move to Manchester United despite fears the deal could yet be blocked by the Premier League.   Football: Zidane visiting Indonesia French football hero Zinedine Zidane gave a spot of coaching to Indonesia's president Friday as he began a three-day visit in the world's fourth most populous nation to promote his sport to children.   Football: Denmark sanctions relaxed UEFA on Thursday announced a slight relaxing of the punishment handed out to Denmark after their ill-fated Euro 2008 qualifier against Sweden last month.   Voronin in Anfield Ukraine striker Andriy Voronin officially became a Liverpool player on Friday and immediately insisted he had not come to Anfield to sit on the bench.   Football: Chelsea close to Malouda Chelsea hope to sign France winger Florent Malouda from Lyon by next week, according to chief executive Peter Kenyon. Metropolitan Adopt measures to stop brain drain President Iajuddin Ahmed yesterday urged all concerned to adopt appropriate measures in stopping country's brain drain in the wake of a growing trend among the students to stay abroad after taking higher   Campaign to save Mirpur park As part of the ongoing movement to save a children's park at Mirpur in the city, Save the Environment Movement and local people organised a drawing competition, signature collection campaign and a cultural   Father poisons 5-month son to death, commits suicide in Ctg A day labourer committed suicide after poisoning his five-month-old son to death in the port city in the early hours of yesterday.   Bus passengers robbed in Pabna Armed robbers beat up the passengers of a bus and looted valuables, leaving 10 passengers injured, near Bonogram Bazar on Dhaka-Pabna highway early Thursday.   54th founding anniversary of RU today Rajshahi University (RU) celebrates its 54th founding anniversary with a daylong colourful programme today.   Hotel staff shot in city A staff of a residential hotel was shot wounded by a gang of miscreants at Chowdhurypara in Malibagh in the city yesterday.   'Bangladesh Road' in Ivory Coast The people of Ivory Coast named a road in their country after Bangladesh in recognition of outstanding services of Bangladeshi peacekeepers.   Production in Zia Fertiliser Factory resumes The production in Zia Fertiliser Factory that was suspended due to technical faults on June 29 resumed yesterday.   A tree plantation festival with a difference It was not an ordinary inaugural ceremony of tree plantation.   Road crashes kill two, injure 30 Two people were killed and 30 others were injured in separate road accidents in Dhaka and Tangail yesterday.   Indian clothes worth Tk 17 lakh seized The members of BDR seized a truck loaded with Indian clothes worth about Tk 17 lakh at Vimpur in Panchbibi on Thursday.   Suranjit leaves for Canada Awami League presidium member Suranjit Sengupta left for Canada yesterday to see his ailing son. His son Soumen Sengupta studies in Canada. The AL leader will stay there for three weeks.   TTT course for police held A five-day-long 'Train the Trainers' (TTT) course for Bangladesh Police concluded in the city recently, says a press release.   Jagannath Rath Jatra July 16 The annual Jagannath Rath Jatra (chariot procession) will start from International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) temple at Swamibagh in the city on July 16, seeking divine blessings for universal   Appeal for help Mintu Paul Chowdhury, a student of Dhaka University, has appealed for financial assistance for his treatment as he has been suffering from lung cancer for the last one year.   Girl commits suicide in city A teenage girl allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself at her house at Ghurni Hazipara at Khilkhet in the city early yesterday. National Several Rangpur JP bigwigs may quit party to join Qureshi Leaders and activists of Jatiya Party have fallen apart after HM Ershad's decision to quit the post of party chairman.   Tk 5cr shrimps washed away in Satkhira Shrimp worth Tk 5 crore and fish worth over Tk 2 crore were washed away by flood caused by incessant rains in Kaliganj and Shamnagar upazilas in last four days, district administration sources said.   Passport issuing system to be simplified Advisor for Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Anwarul Iqbal has said the system of issuing passport will undergo a 'big change very soon' to end sufferings of passport seekers.   No fertiliser crisis, says advisor Agriculture Advisor Dr C S Karim yesterday said there was no crisis of fertiliser in the country.   Cop punished for taking bribe A Sub-Inspector (SI) of Kushtia Sadar police station has been suspended allegedly for taking bribe from both the complainant and the accused in a case.   UP chairman jailed for extortion Four people including the chairman of Joychandi Union Parishad (UP) in Kulaura upazila have been sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment (RI) in an extortion case. Point-Counterpoint Drug addiction and trafficking on the rise In the backdrop of the menacing cloud of drug abuse and drug trafficking looming large, the nation seems incapable of stemming the tide of this scourge.   International Day of Non-violence and Mahatma Gandhi United Nations General Assembly has decided recently [15th June 2007 -- 103rd meeting] to observe each year 2nd October as International Day of Non-Violence across the world.   Everyone across communities has a responsibility I am extremely proud to be Communities Secretary and delighted to be working in a role that involves talking to our diverse communities and working to build trust, respect and understanding. Culture Ahmed Shamsuddoha: Presenting hope in the surrealistic paintings Artist Ahmed Shamsuddoha won the Grameenphone Award at the ongoing 17th National Art Biennale, organised by the Department of Art, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, for his painting Potentiality.   Programme to feature underprivileged adolescents and Dutch artistes Six performers from the Netherlands Dans Theater (NDT) participated at a two-day rehearsal session with 70 underprivileged adolescents of 'Padakhep' (a non-government organisation), held at Winter Garden   "X-Crime": In-depth look at misdemeanours TV show X-Crime on Banglavision takes an in-depth look at crimes and offers investigative analyses. The programme brings to light untold stories about victims of vicious crimes.   Cultural event to promote birth registration Speakers at a cultural programme held recently, urged everyone to take part in the birth registration process.   Laurence Fishburne to adapt "The Alchemist" for big screen He filled his role in The Matrix with deep spiritual pronouncements, and now Laurence Fishburne is planning a whole movie's worth of philosophical enlightenment. General Pothole... International Lanka jets bomb rebel positions The Tamil Tiger rebels killed at least six soldiers and wounded another seven in eastern Sri Lanka yesterday as war planes bombed suspected guerrilla positions in the same region, officials said.   Suicide attack kills 4 Pakistani soldiers A suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into a military convoy in northwestern Pakistan yesterday, killing four soldiers, police and officials said.   Mosque clampdown boosts Musharraf Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is riding high after cracking down on a radical mosque, with liberals who usually loathe him welcoming the move and no sign of an expected Islamist backlash.   Sr Republican senator abandons Iraq policy In another setback to President Bush's increasingly unpopular war strategy, GOP stalwart Sen. Pete Domenici said he wants to see an end to combat operations and US troops heading home from Iraq by spring.   Thailand unveils constitution to curb premier's power A military-appointed council yesterday approved its final draft of a new constitution that is meant to guide Thailand back to democracy after last year's coup, but faces stiff opposition.   Israeli troops pull out of Gaza after deadly raid Israeli troops withdrew from the Gaza Strip overnight after an operation in which they killed 11 Palestinian fighters during heavy fighting, sources on both sides said yesterday.   Mass grave unearthed in Afghan jail A mass grave containing hundreds of bodies has been discovered in an underground prison north of the Afghan capital, the BBC reported early yesterday.   Strike paralyses Kashmir: 40 protesters injured Forty people were hurt yesterday in revolt-hit Indian Kashmir when police fired teargas to break up protests over alleged rights abuses as a strike paralysed much of the state, police said.   N Korea may shut down N-reactor early North Korea said yesterday it is considering shutting down its nuclear reactor as soon as a first shipment of heavy fuel reaches the Stalinist state as part of a nuclear disarmament pact.   Myanmar frees more NLD activists Myanmar's military government has released four more activists who were detained last May after holding prayer vigils for the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a spokesman for her party   N Korea nuclear talks to resume in July South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator said Friday that long-stalled talks on disarming North Korea's nuclear arsenal are to resume this month as Seoul prepared to ship a first batch of promised energy   ‘Global warming ravaging Mount Everest’ Global warming is radically changing the face of Mount Everest, the sons of the men who first reached its summit 54 years ago said in an interview published yesterday.   India AIDS cases lower than thought The number of people living with HIV-AIDS in India stands at two million to 3.1 million, sharply lower than earlier estimates, the health minister announced on Friday.   Japan seeks greater military role abroad Japan's military is making international peacekeeping a priority, scrambling to bolster its missile defences and deepening its coordination with US troops, an annual report said Friday.   Live Earth concerts aim to rally action against global warming Round-the-world Live Earth concerts in nine major cities today will promote the fight against global warming with 24 hours of music by the likes of Madonna, the Police and other pop giants.   Australian research reveals AIDS-cancer link AIDS sufferers and transplant patients are at a much higher risk than the general population of developing a range of cancers, according to an Australian research released yesterday. Editorial Editorial: Drug administration in comatose Overwhelmed as we are by some pressing national agenda, we have willy-nilly tended to look askance at some institutional weaknesses that seem set to impact on national health, and perhaps the economy.   Editorial: Our workers in Malaysia There seems to be a never-ending tale of sufferings of a large number of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia.   Extortion or donation? The other day someone explained to me the essential difference between an optimist and a pessimist. Confronted with an awkward situation, an optimist is likely to retort that 'it could have been worse.   Through democracy alone Islamabad is a broad city, with wide roads and deep runs of thick trees and green grass. Houses are expansive, neatly tucked into self-sufficient sectors with markets, eating places and a mosque.   How practicable are the reform proposals? Bangladesh politics was going down to the abyss and such politics was letting the nation as a whole down. StarTech Ultra high-speed modern telecom Let's say you write an e-mail message and then send it to your colleague to inform them about an urgent meeting. Within moments it's in the recipient's inbox.   ISL celebrates 12-year partnership with Dell Information Solutions Ltd (ISL), a sister concern of Genesis Technology Group (GTG), celebrated the 12th anniversary of its partnership with Dell Computer Corporation at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference   IPhone frenzy on hold for some For 21-year-old Kelsy Martin, two words "incredibly disappointed" sum up how she feels about living in an area where the new iPhone can't be used.   Turtles to test wireless network From the way he thrashed his head, kicked and tried to make a getaway, M16 made it clear he didn't like human contact. But the researchers wrangling with him could be helping to save his species.   Meno, The Robo Doll Literature 1971 : "Jamai" In his fascinating book The Year That Was (reviewed in this page on March 24, 2007) Ishrat Ferdousi published the oral interviews he had taken with a diverse range of people about their experiences   On Bangladeshi-Australian writer Adib Khan's new novel Spiral Road Adib Khan was born in Dhaka. He was still a student of the English department at Dhaka University when he left in 1973 for Monash University in Australia.   Spiral Road: poor lighting at the dhaka club With foresight Zia tells me on the way to Dhaka Club, I can shape my future in any way I choose. There's a fortune to be made in the garment industry.   © thedailystar.net, 2007. All Rights Reserved.