A two-year-old child drowned in a canal in Thana Para area of Tarash upazila yesterday afternoon.
Sadia Sultana, daughter of Hamidul Islam, went missing at around 12:30pm. Later, family members found her body floating on the canal beside their house.
Source : The Daily Star
A rejected stalker stabbed a college girl at her Goddimari village home in Hatibandha upazila under Lalmonirhat on Saturday night.
The victim Nasrin Akhter, 20, daughter of late Abdul Gani of Goddimari village, is an honours first year student of Bangla department in Hatibandha Alimuddin Degree College.
She was first taken to Hatibandha upazila health complex and then referred to Rangpur Medical College Hospital as her condition deteriorated.
Police arrested the stalker, Shofiqul Islam, 28, of the same village.
Shofiqul accompanied by two others went to Nasrin's house at around 8:30pm on Saturday night, when the male members of the family were absent, police quoted the family members as saying.
Failing to pick up the girl, Shofiqul stabbed her on the head, back and face.
Hearing scream of the girl and her mother, locals rushed to the spot and the three attackers fled the scene. Neighbours took the injured girl to Hatibandha upazila health complex in a senseless state.
The victim's mother identified stalker Shofiqul during the attack.
Family members said Shofiqul Islam, a former madrasa student, offered 'love' to Nasrin Akhter a year ago. Nasrin turned down the proposal but Shofiqul continued stalking her. As village arbitration was arranged regarding the matter, Shofiqul begged pardon on three occasions but he stalked Nasrin Akhetr on her way to college.
"A case was lodged accusing three people. The main culprit Shofiqul was arrested on Saturday night and police is trying to nab the two others," said Hatibandha police station officer in charge Sheikh Shaheen Kamal.
Source : The Daily Star
A hotel owner was electrocuted at his hotel at Begumganj intersection early yesterday.
The deceased was identified as Shamsuddin, owner of Dhaka Hotel in Begumganj upazila of the district.
Police said Shamsuddin came in contact with a live electric wire while he was working inside the hotel at around 1:00am.
Hotel workers rescued him in a critical condition, but he died on way to Noakhali Medical College and Hospital.
The body was sent to the hospital morgue for autopsy.
Source : The Daily Star
A rejected stalker stabbed a college girl at her Goddimari village home in Hatibandha upazila under Lalmonirhat on Saturday night.
The victim Nasrin Akhter, 20, daughter of late Abdul Gani of Goddimari village, is an honours first year student of Bangla department in Hatibandha Alimuddin Degree College.
She was first taken to Hatibandha upazila health complex and then referred to Rangpur Medical College Hospital as her condition deteriorated.
Police arrested the stalker, Shofiqul Islam, 28, of the same village.
Shofiqul accompanied by two others went to Nasrin's house at around 8:30pm on Saturday night, when the male members of the family were absent, police quoted the family members as saying.
Failing to pick up the girl, Shofiqul stabbed her on the head, back and face.
Hearing scream of the girl and her mother, locals rushed to the spot and the three attackers fled the scene. Neighbours took the injured girl to Hatibandha upazila health complex in a senseless state.
The victim's mother identified stalker Shofiqul during the attack.
Family members said Shofiqul Islam, a former madrasa student, offered 'love' to Nasrin Akhter a year ago. Nasrin turned down the proposal but Shofiqul continued stalking her. As village arbitration was arranged regarding the matter, Shofiqul begged pardon on three occasions but he stalked Nasrin Akhetr on her way to college.
"A case was lodged accusing three people. The main culprit Shofiqul was arrested on Saturday night and police is trying to nab the two others," said Hatibandha police station officer in charge Sheikh Shaheen Kamal.
Source : The Daily Star
A boy was killed and his mother sustained serious injuries when a wall of their mud house collapsed on them at Tiorkhali village in Shalikha upazila on Saturday.
Neighbours said Nazma Khatun, 28, along with her son Khandakar Rinku, 6, has been living in a mud house at the village for long.
Due to incessant rainfall for the last 10 days, a mud wall of the house collapsed on them at noon leaving Rinku dead on the spot.
Injured Nazma was rushed to Sadar hospital where her condition was stated to be critical.
Source : The Daily Star
Alhaj Abdul Kader, a former block supervisor of Department of Agriculture and father of Taherul Islam Ranju, joint secretary of district BNP, passed away at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogra on Saturday night due to old age complications at the age of 45.
He left behind his wife, six sons, six daughters and host of relatives.
He was buried at his family graveyard at village Harinsinga in Sadar upazila after namaz-e-janaza at local Jame mosque yesterday.
Source : The Daily Star
Nurjahan Begum, wife of late lawyer Shamsuddin Ahmed and mother of Sylhet city JSD President Zakir Ahmed, passed away at a private hospital in the district on Saturday due to old age complications at the age of 81, says a press release.
She left behind her sons, daughters, a host of relatives and admirers to mourn her death.
She was buried at the graveyard attached to the shrine of Hajrat Shahjalal (RA) after namaz-e-janaza on the shrine mosque premises after Asr prayers yesterday.
Relatives and well-wishers are requested to pray for salvation of the departed soul.
Source : The Daily Star
Rajshahi Metropolitan Press Club yesterday launched a 64-page booklet titled "Mrittunjoy" on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to mark the National Mourning Day.
Rajshahi City Corporation Mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton unveiled the cover of the booklet at the press club.
A total of 21 writings by noted writers, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury, Sharier Kabir, Muntasir Mamun, Nirmalendu Gun, Dr Abdul Khaleq, Momtaz Uddin Ahmed and Prof Moloy Kumer Bhoumik, were published in the booklet.
Speakers said Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is not a leader of any specific political party rather he is the leader of all.
Foredoom fighter Badiuzzaman Tunu, Bir Protik, Prof Moloy Kumar Bhoumik, Sonali Sangbad Editor Liakat Ali and journalist Mustafizur Rahman Khan Alam also spoke.
Press club secretary and staff correspondent of The Daily Star Anwar Ali Himu moderated the discussion while its president freedom fighter Mahtab Uddin was in the chair.
Source : The Daily Star
A team of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday recovered 2,000 Yaba tablets worth Tk 8 lakh from Pahartali area in the port city.
A team of Rab-7 raided Pahartali Microbus Stand and recovered the tablets from the spot.
But the traders managed to flee the spot, says a Rab press release.
The drug traders gathered there to sell the tablets.
Source : The Daily Star
The Chairman of the Bangladesh Bar Council's Legal Aid and Human Rights Committee yesterday filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the continued government inaction and failure of government bodies to enforce laws and rules on road safety.
The petition was filed a day after the deaths of noted filmmaker Tareque Masud and Mishuk Munier, CEO of ATN News.
The petition prayed for guidelines to be issued on investigation and prosecution of deaths and injuries on the roads and highways, as well as on undertaking preventive measures.
Lawyers involved with rights organisations, ASK, BELA and BLAST are also the parties to the writ petition, according to a press release.
The petitioners called for the authorities to report to the court on what action they had taken to investigate deaths in road accidents occurred in 2010-2011, in particular to prosecute those found responsible, and to provide redress to victims.
The respondents include the Ministry of Communi-cations, Home Affairs, LGRD, as well as the IGP.
Source : The Daily Star
A housewife allegedly committed suicide at Banskhali upazila of Chittagong at midnight on Saturday after an altercation with her husband.
Police identified the deceased as Jobaeda Begum, 19, wife of Md Jamal Uddin of Jakerkhil Munshipara of Banskhali.
A constable of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) police box said Jamal rushed Jobaeda to CMCH around 1:20am where doctors declared her dead. He then took her away.
Surprisingly, CMCH registered the name and cause of death but the contact number or address of the victim's family was not noted down. On contact, Banskhali Police Station said they did not hear anything about the suicide.
Source : The Daily Star
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed between the Dutch embassy and Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) in September.
The MoU will cover the exchange of information on Chittagong port, technical expertise and logistics support.
Alphons Hennekens, the Dutch ambassador, apprised CCCI President Murshed Murad Ibrahim about the signing while on a courtesy call in CCCI office yesterday, says a press release.
Source : The Daily Star
Mobile courts of Chittagong district administration yesterday fined Tk 60,000 to a bakery and three sweetmeat shops for adulteration and making foods in unhygienic environment.
A mobile court led by Juthika Sarkar, executive magistrate, fined Master Bakery at West Madarbari Tk 40,000 for mixing substandard ingredients in vermicelli, biscuits and breads in an unhygienic way.
Another mobile court of the district administration led magistrate Fazle Elahi fined Tk 10,000 to Jabber sweet, Tk 5,000 each to Mokka sweets and Kalyani sweets at Reazuddin Bazar in the port city yesterday morning for mixing adulterated items in sweets, says a press release.
Source : The Daily Star
Today is the 89th birth anniversary of Poet Abul Hossain, one of the pioneers of modern Bangla poetry.
Poet Hossain was born at his grandfather's Aruadanga village of Khulna in 1922. His father's name was SM Ismail Hossain.
The poet passed much of his childhood in Krihsnanagar and Kolkata. He did his honours and master's in economics from Kolkata Presidency College and University.
Hossain started writing poetry in late thirties of the last century. His first poetry book, Naboboshanta, was published in 1940.
He was one of those few Muslim poets who brought about modern trends in Bengali poetry.
His poetry zooms in on the Bengali culture, romanticism, patriotism, nature and Liberation War.
Hossain's other literary works include essays on art, culture and social life, translations and autobiography.
He took journalism as his first profession in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He worked with Bulbul and Nabajug literary journals.
Hossain served in different local and foreign organisations in various capacities. He started his career as an income tax officer. He has 30 books to his credit.
Source : The Daily Star
Students of Applied Physics, Electronics and Communication Engineering department of Chittagong University (CU) yesterday submitted a memorandum to the Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Anwarul Azim Arif demanding engineering degree instead of BSc (Hon's).
They said Dhaka University and Rajshahi University are giving engineering degrees to their students while CU students are being deprived of the degree after studying similar academic course.
Source : The Daily Star
One person was killed and two others were injured in two road accidents in the city last night.
In an accident, Bipul Krishna Hawlader, 35, an official of a Chinese restaurant at Banani, died instantly at Maghbazar intersection around 11:00pm while a covered van hit his motorbike, said eyewitnesses.
In another incident, Junaid Jahangir Rana, and his friend Mahbubur Rahman were injured as a private car hit their motorcycle from behind at the end of Mohakhali flyover of Banani side in the city around 9:00pm.
They were rushed to Ayesha Memorial Hospital in Mohakhali.
Source : The Daily Star
The most significant memory I have of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is of course that of his March 7 speech. We as students of Dhaka University, as the rest of the students and the people of the country, were following his every directive during the non co-operation movement, triggered by Gen Yahya's decision to postpone the convening of the parliament on March 1, 1971, in which Sheikh Mujib had a clear majority which entitled him to become the prime minister of undivided Pakistan.
As his thunderous voice rose above the slogan chanting multitude, a silence descended as anticipation rose to fever pitch that he would make that seminal declaration that would set us formally on our independence road. The millions who gathered on that day were far too emotional to fully grasp the challenge that Bangabandhu faced. For, only he would know the implication of what the agitated public wanted him to do.
Rising to the challenge, Bangabandhu delivered that day, what I consider to be one of the great political speeches ever. There was this massive audience whose enthusiasm he could not dampen. However, there was also that vicious military killing machine that waited in the military barracks to attack the moment he would utter anything that they could use to justify such an attack.
Thus he made a magnificent balance between saying everything about our wishes for freedom and independence without giving any cause to the enemy to attack. I was the general secretary of Mohsin Hall back then. I remember returning to the hall with a few fellow residents that evening, having gotten the full message of what the leader wanted, and marvelling at the fact that he did it in such an audacious and yet clever manner.
Throughout my days as a freedom fighter, in mukti bahini camps and later during my military training, Bangabandhu's speech would resonate in my ears, inspiring me, encouraging me, emboldening me, and filling up my heart with the dream of living in an independent country.
The other significant memory I have of Bangabandhu is of the August 15, 1975 when he was so brutally murdered along with all members of his immediate family, save Sheikh Hasina and her younger sibling, Sheikh Rehana. I remember vividly hearing over the radio in the early hours of the fateful day, "Ami Major Dalim Bolchi. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman'ke hottya kora hoyechey…" ("This is Major Dalim speaking, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been killed…").
Oh, what arrogance, what viciousness, what a vile act. I kept on asking myself, did these people understand what they had done? A giant felled by some petty, depraved souls. There have been political murders in history but few have been as brutal, senseless and blood thirsty -- killing the whole family including a child and two newly wedded wives of Sheikh Kamal and Sheikh Jamal, the two sons of Bangabandhu.
If the murder of Bangabandhu is our biggest shame, what followed in the name of politics is no less. For the next 21 years under Gen Ziaur Rahman, Gen HM Ershad, and during the first term of the democratically elected government of Khaleda Zia -- Bangabandhu's self professed killers were never brought to justice. Why? What did they owe to these murderers? To our eternal shame, Gen Zia perhaps made us the only country in the world that protected murderers through an amendment in the constitution.
We have crossed much of that shameful episode. Today when we observe the National Mourning Day, we must remember never to go back to the dark period of political murders, illegal capture of power, rule by the military or military backed government. We must also resolve never to be ruled by any government other than elected, and never to embrace any political system other than democracy.
We must however also be conscious about what factors strengthen democracy, and conversely what weakens it. Corruption, partisanship, nepotism, politicisation of organs of the government, misgovernance, and lack of accountability and transparency in the use of power -- weaken democracy. There cannot be any question that we have plenty of all the above in the present day Bangladesh. This is not the occasion to discuss these in details.
Let our mourning for Bangabandhu turn into a resolve to build the Sonar Bangla of his dreams.
More on Star Editorial & OP-ED
Source : The Daily Star
Injured filmmaker Catherine Masud and artist Dilara Zaman Jolly, who survived Saturday's road crash in Manikganj, were released from the city's Square Hospital yesterday morning.
But the condition of wounded painter Dhali Al Mamun had not improved, said Prof Sanwar Hossain of the Square Hospital.
"He [Mamun] will undergo a surgery on his jaw tonight [Sunday night]."
Sanwar said injured Saidul Islam, a film production staff, was shifted to a cabin from the Intensive Care Unit after his condition had improved.
He said Catherine had received minor injuries to her skull. She was released from the hospital at about 10:30am as she recovered from the wounds.
"She was traumatised."
Meanwhile, Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain visited the injured at the hospital. He said the government will bear the expenses for their treatment.
"If doctors recommend sending them abroad for better treatment, the government will take necessary steps," said the minister.
Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan also visited the injured at the hospital.
Source : The Daily Star
Four policemen and their two accomplices were arrested Saturday for their involvement in the robbing of a jeweller of 221 tolas of gold in June this year.
The arrestees are constables Wasim Hussain, Shahnawaz Shumon, Raju Ahmed, Ghulam Rabbani and Ataur Rahman of Shakhabari and Daulat Jahan of Thengamara Dakkhinpara of the district.
District Officer-in-Charge of Detective Branch of Police Motiar Rahman said, "Around 4:45am on June 24, the perpetrators, three in uniform, forced jeweller Raihan Ali Bepari off a bus and into a CNG-run auto-rickshaw in Raiganj. He was travelling to Bogra and the bus stopped at Highway Villa restaurant for a journey pause."
"The arrestees then took the gold, mobile phone and Tk 10,000 from him and left him in Sherpur area," he added.
Raihan of Bogra had been trying to identify his assaulters since then.
An unusually large donation of Tk 50,000 to a mosque in his native village by Wasim Hussain and his buying of a new motorcycle worth Tk 1.5 lakh led Raihan to have suspicion.
The victim subsequently filed a case with Raiganj Police Station on August 12.
Police then arrested Wasim from Sirajganj Police Lines and he revealed the names of his accomplices in a confessional statement during interrogation.
"Sub-Inspector Rakibul Hasan has been made the investigating officer for the case. We have already gathered some valuable information from the arrestees and will have more if they are placed in remand," said the DB OC.
Source : The Daily Star
A High Court bench yesterday pardoned and exonerated 13 pro-BNP-Jamaat lawyers from contempt of court charges after most of them apologised for staging noisy protests in the courtroom early this month.
Judges AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Gobinda Chandra Tagore also vacated their earlier order that banned the lawyers from practising.
The lawyers, including detained BNP lawmaker Syeda Asifa Ashrafi Papia, offered unconditional apology to the judges after they were brought from Dhaka Central Jail and produced before the court.
Earlier in the day, a Dhaka magistrate's court sent 10 of them to jail after they surrendered to the court seeking bail in two criminal cases filed on charges of assaulting police and obstructing them from duties on the Supreme Court premises on August 2 and 4.
Even though the lawyers have been pardoned for their misconduct in the court and exonerated from the contempt charges, they will still stay in jail until they obtain bail in the police assault charges.
The pardon came after Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain got involved in peace initiative made by senior lawyers aligned with both the ruling Awami League and opposition BNP and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami.
The decision of offering apology by the opposition lawyers was taken at a meeting between Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Supreme Court Bar Association President Khandker Mahbub Hossain on August 11 after the chief justice advised them to reach a compromise over the issue.
At lest seven senior lawyers including the SCBA president and the attorney general also prayed to the court to pardon the lawyers considering their young age and the good relationship between the judges and lawyers.
The move is expected to ease the tension that has gripped the lawyers in the High Court since Aug 2, when the same HC bench witnessed chaos in the courtroom after the judges cautioned BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for her recent remarks against the constitution following the 15th amendment.
The opposition-backed lawyers burst into protests after the judges said Khaleda's remarks that the constitution will be thrown away if her party comes to power is tantamount to sedition. A small missile was hurled at the judges during the pandemonium.
The 13 lawyers, who were banned by the HC, are Syeda Asifa Ashrafi Papia, Gazi Kamrul Islam Sajal, Shahiduzzaman, Mirza Al Mahmud, Sharif Uddin Ahmed, Abdullah Al Mahmud, Enamul Hossain Gaffar, MU Ahmed, Mohammad Ali, MdAshrafuzzaman Khan, Towhidul Islam, Golam Nobi and Rezwan Ahmed.
Among them, MU Ahmed was not produced before the HC as he suffered a heart attack in police custody.
Also yesterday the aggrieved lawyers brought out a procession at the courthouse in old Dhaka and chanted slogans after the magistrate's court rejected bail prayers.
Source : The Daily Star
The High Court yesterday directed king the government to explain within a week why punitive action should not be taken against the police and people responsible for the killing of Shamsuddin Milon in Companyganj of Noakhali.
In a rule, the HC also asked the government to explain why it failed to prevent the killing of Milon and why it should not be directed to pay compensation to his family.
Meanwhile, three more accused in the case were arrested yesterday. One was arrested on Saturday.
But the main accused -- Jamal Uddin, a union parishad member, and Mizanur Rahman Manik -- were yet to be tracked down.
Milon was beaten to death by a mob on July 27.
An HC bench of Justice Farid Ahmed and Justice Sheikh Hasan Arif came up with the rule yesterday in response to a writ petition filed by the secretary general of National Forum for Protection of Human Rights.
The home secretary, inspector general of police, deputy commissioner and superintendent of police of Noakhali, and officer-in-charge of Companyganj Police Station are respondents to the rule.
The writ petition was filed following newspaper reports that Milon was beaten to death by a mob with the assistance of police.
Deputy Attorney General Motahar Hossain Saju represented the government.
Our Noakhali crrespondent reports: Detective police arrested three persons --Jafar Iqbal, Harunur Rashid and khaleq-- from Char Kakra village on charges of killing Milon.
Police will produce them before court, and pray for remanding them.
Earlier on Saturday, detective police arrested another accused in the case -- Shah Alam-- from Tekerhat Bazar, where Milon was killed.
The arrestees are being interrogated by police.
Milon's mother Kohinoor Begum filed a petition case with a court on August 3.
Source : The Daily Star
Bangladesh and India have for the first time prepared strip maps of their 4,156-kilometre international border that will be useful in settling border-related disputes, home ministry officials in Dhaka said yesterday.
The 11,000-page strip maps were prepared after a joint survey, said the officials wishing anonymity. They said the two countries will sign official documents on the maps during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Bangladesh next month.
An inter-ministerial meeting was held yesterday at the home ministry to discuss the signing of the document and other border-related issues. Secretaries of the ministries of home, foreign and land attended the meeting.
A strip map is an unscaled drawing of a route to include critical points along the border. It usually incorporates distances, roadside features and town facilities on a simple flip-over style map.
"This will be important document for the country. These maps will be helpful for resolving any dispute related to the border with India," a high official at the home ministry told The Daily Star.
Meanwhile, the prime minister's international affairs adviser Prof Gowher Rizvi and economic affairs adviser Dr Mashiur Rahman are expected to leave Dhaka tomorrow to hold meetings with high government leaders and officials ahead of Manmohan's September 6-7 visit to Bangladesh.
Official sources said the issue of land boundary agreement will dominate the two advisers' talks with the Indian government leaders and officials.
The boundary agreement is expected to resolve the decades-old disputes involving 3,000 acres of Bangladesh land inside India, 51 enclaves and 6.5km un-demarcated border. Similarly India has around 3,500 acres of land and 111 enclaves adversely possessed inside Bangladesh.
The border deal will involve boundary strip maps, exchange of 162 enclaves and 6,500 acres of adversely possessed land and 6.5 km un-demarcated borders between the two countries and 24-hour access to Bangladesh's Dahagram and Angarpota enclaves through Tin Bigha corridor.
Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh are situated in four districts-- Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Nilphamari-- while all of Bangladesh enclaves fall in Indian Cooch Behar district. Some of these enclaves were created even before the British rule back in 1713.
There is 1.5km un-demarcated border at Doykhata under Nilphamari district, 2km at Muhurir Char in Feni and 3km at Lathitila in Moulvibazar.
Several other crucial deals likely to be signed during Manmohan's visit include interim water sharing agreement on Teesta and Feni rivers, framework agreement on transit, import of electricity, joint venture on coal-fired power plant, MoU on trade liberalisation under the Indo-Bangladesh Trade Agreement, MoU on cooperation of usage of renewable energy, and preservation of tigers in Sundarbans.
Source : The Daily Star
The war crimes trial has lost two key witnesses in the deaths of Mishuk Munier and Tareque Masud.
The two were listed as witnesses. They were also compiling documents and audio-visual evidence for the investigation agency of the war crimes tribunal.
Mishuk Munier was the only one among his three siblings who saw his father, martyred intellectual Munier Chowdhury, being taken away by collaborators of the Pakistani occupation force on December 14, 1971.
Four decades later, Mishuk, now one of the pioneers of broadcast journalism in the country, had decided to narrate that harrowing experience to the International Crimes Tribunal, formed in March last year for trial of war criminals.
He and Tareque were deeply committed to unearthing the facts about genocide and other atrocities committed during the Liberation War, said those close to the duo.
But before their hard work could translate into conviction of war criminals, something they had longed to see in their lifetime, their lives were cut short by a road crash on Saturday.
A day after their death, The Daily Star learned about their being listed as witnesses in the trial.
"Tareque and Mishuk were not only listed as witnesses, they were advisers to our audio-visual team. We did not disclose it before as it's our policy not to publish names of witnesses and those working as researchers," said an investigator of the tribunal, requesting not to be named.
Tareque was made a witness because of his extensive work on the war. He travelled across the country, gathering accounts of war crimes victims. Besides, he developed over the years a rich archive of audio-visual materials on the war, said investigation sources.
"The death of these two witnesses is a great loss," said Haider Ali, a prosecutor of the tribunal.
"Tareque already gave us a lot of footage from his film Muktir Gaan. Hopefully, that will work as strong evidence against those charged with crimes against humanity," said M Sanaul Huq, an ICT investigator.
"Tareque was supposed to give deposition about genocide and other war crimes, while Mishuk was to testify how his father was picked up by Razakars [collaborators]," said another investigator.
The investigators, however, would not say in which cases the two were made witnesses, citing confidentiality.
The international crimes tribunal started its proceedings on July 26 last year. Five leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and two leaders of BNP are awaiting trial on charges of war crimes.
Sensing defeat, the Pakistan army and their collaborators dragged away teachers, doctors, engineers and journalists from their houses in Dhaka and killed them just two days before the nation won independence after a nine-month bloody war.
The bodies of the martyred intellectuals were dumped at Rayerbazar, Mirpur and a few other places in the city.
Prof Munier Chowdhury was one of them.
Mishuk, then 12, saw from the first-floor balcony of their two-storey building on Central Road in the capital some collaborators taking away his father.
"After 1971, he [Mishuk] could recognise a local collaborator who was in the team that hauled my father out of the house," said Asif Munier, younger brother of Mishuk.
At that time, Mishuk's elder brother Ahmed Munier Bhashan was on the battlefield.
Grown up, Mishuk collaborated in the making of a number of films based on Liberation War stories. He assisted Tareque to make Muktir Katha (Oral Testimony), a film based on interviews of the war victims.
He was also involved in the production of War Crimes File, another film on the Liberation War, directed by David Bergman in the 1990s.
The war of 1971 was the centrepiece of Tareque's work. His passion for the struggle for independence led him to make Muktir Gaan, a documentary on the cultural activists who travelled around the country to inspire people with their songs of the motherland.
After Muktir Gaan, Tareque, along with his wife Catherine, made two more documentaries--Muktir Katha and Narir Katha.
Source : The Daily Star
Apple Inc's increasingly effective patent war against rivals like Samsung Electronics may mask its real target: arch-foe Google Inc.
The maker of the iPad and iPhone has sued three of the largest manufacturers of Google's Android-based devices - Samsung, Motorola and HTC - for multiple patent infringements across multiple countries, pointing out 'slavish copying' of design and 'look and feel.'
And the courts are beginning to listen: recent success in blocking sales of Samsung's latest Galaxy tablet in most of Europe and Apple's challenges to the Korean giant in Australia reflect an aggressive effort to defend its top position in the red-hot mobile market from the runaway success of Android.
While the lawsuits don't take direct aim at the operating software - yet - many of the features under contention are connected to and enhanced by it. Apple CEO Steve Jobs once referred to the software as being the soul of any device when he introduced the company's iOS 5 system in June.
Brian Marshall, an analyst with Gleacher & Co, said Apple is starting to flex its patent muscle with some early success but its real battle is with the Android software. 'Apple doesn't really care too much about the actual OEMs.'
Apple's lead is now under siege in smartphones from Google's free Android software, already the world's most-used mobile system with 5,50,000 devices activated every day.
Its momentum could be hampered by successful patent infringement lawsuits against adopters like Samsung.
'The way Google gets sucked into it is through the marketplace,' Ron Laurie, managing director and patent consultant at Inflexion Point Strategy, said.
Any injunction won by Apple, if enforced, could mean that Android may be forced to take out the offending feature from its software design. 'That would make it less attractive and people would go elsewhere,' Laurie said.
Source : New Age
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has launched a probe into the process by which Standard & Poor's downgraded the US credit rating, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
US officials lashed out at S&P after it docked the country's credit rating from AAA to AA+, accusing the agency of committing a $2 trillion math error and of using a faulty baseline. S&P has stood by its analysis.
The Journal, citing unnamed sources, said the SEC would investigate the mathematical model used by the agency and look into which S&P employees knew of the decision to downgrade before it was announced.
Rumours of a possible downgrade circulated on the market the Friday before last, hours ahead of the announcement, which came after markets had closed.
However, the Journal said there was no evidence that any employees leaked news of the downgrade or engaged in any suspicious trading ahead of it.
S&P said the decision to downgrade the US long-term credit rating came as a result of divided US lawmakers failing to agree on a deal to reduce the ballooning US debt by some $4 trillion over 10 years.
The decision followed a bruising fight on Capitol Hill over raising the country's congressionally-set debt ceiling, which resulted in a limited agreement to cut some $2 trillion over that period.
Source : New Age
Shell-shocked stock investors will search this week for calm to return to markets after the worst three weeks for stocks in 2 1/2 years.
With the blow from the August 5 US credit rating downgrade behind them, investors will focus on the outlook for the US economy as well as signs that European policymakers may be able to contain the euro zone debt crisis.
Widespread investor panic put the market on a roller-coaster ride this week, with steep losses followed by nearly-as-steep gains in high-volume trading. It was the busiest week for volume since October 2008.
Though investors are still searching for a bottom in the selloff that has taken the benchmark Standard & Poor's index down 12.4 per cent since July 22, indexes rose both Thursday and Friday - the index's first two-day rally since mid-July - and volatility eased.
The move could set stocks up for a calmer week, especially if economic data shows the United States is not headed for another recession, strategists said.
'Every bit of data that shows the economy not slipping into recession is going to be the basis for the market to begin to calm down in the weeks ahead,' said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital in New York.
While Wall Street stocks ended higher on Friday, the market fell for the week. The Dow fell 1.5 per cent and the Nasdaq lost 1 per cent. The S&P 500 fell on 11 of the past 15 days, dropping 12.4 per cent in three weeks.
Housing and manufacturing reports are among indicators on tap next week, including the New York and Philadelphia Federal Reserve regional manufacturing surveys and existing home sales.
Manufacturing has been among the strongest sectors of the economy, but a report earlier this month dented that picture.
The Institute for Supply Management manufacturing report, a gauge of factory activity, fell to in July to its lowest in two years and was barely above the mark dividing growth and contraction.
It was quickly followed by an ISM report showing the pace of growth in the US services sector ticked down unexpectedly.
More recent data has suggested the economic recovery will stay on course.
US commerce department data on Friday showed retail sales posted the biggest gains in four months in July, which was a catalyst for stocks to rise.
'We think the deterioration in the US macro outlook got us into this mess and will likely get us back out,' said Barry Knapp, head of US equity portfolio strategy at Barclays Capital in New York.
'If we're right...we will get the stock market to trade at least back into its old 1,250 to 1,350 range that prevailed from March through the recent downturn.'
Retail earnings have been among the few bright spots in the market this week. Kohl's Corp reported earnings that beat estimates and raised its full-year profit view.
Results from more top retailers are expected next week, including Wal-Mart Stores, due to report on Tuesday.
Source : New Age
US treasury bonds remain a hot ticket for investors looking for a low risk investment in a volatile market despite the unprecedented downgrade of Washington's credit rating, analysts say.
The decision by Standard & Poor's to strip Washington of its top triple-A rating has done little to diminish investors' appetite for US treasuries, which along with gold, the Swiss franc and the yen are considered among the safest of assets.
At first it may seem somewhat paradoxical, but with investors concerned about a slowdown in the global economy, they are piling into US bonds which are also attractive because of the dollar's reserve currency status.
On Monday, the first trading day after the S&P downgrade, US bond prices rose to record levels on strong demand in a fresh issue, with the rate of return for investors dropping from before the US lost its top rating.
On the secondary market the yield on 10-year securities dropped on Wednesday to 2.09 per cent, the lowest rate since December 2008 and down from 2.56 per cent on Friday, before the S&P announcement.
'We do not regard the Standard & Poor's downgrade as an immediate threat to Treasuries keeping their safe-harbour status,' market analysts Briefing Research said.
'Treasuries are still the gold standard, so much so that as the US veered toward a default [during negotiations to raise its debt ceiling] treasuries rallied on a flight-to-safety ... as if they were being rewarded for a crime', the group said.
The gyrations on global stock exchanges this past week have only increased their attraction.
'The US treasury market will remain by far the largest and most liquid in the world, with no equal, and a relative safe haven in times of global financial stress - as demonstrated by in last week's global financial turmoil and 'wholesale flight to safety and quality',' said Nigel Gault from market forecasters IHS Global Insight.
Few assets can claim this role: among them are gold, which this week surged and set a new record above $1,800 an ounce, and certain currencies including the Swiss franc and the yen which have also been riding high.
A rush of safe-haven money into the franc led to fresh records against the dollar and the euro, forcing the Swiss National Bank to take additional measures to stem its rise which is hurting the country's industry.
The Federal Reserve's decision on Tuesday to maintain interest rates at close to zero levels for two years also reassured markets, said Aurel BGC.
Analysts said meanwhile that China, the world's largest foreign holder of US debt, has no choice but to maintain its treasury holdings, with Beijing's hands tied for several reasons in the short run.
China has the world's largest foreign exchange reserves at more than $3 trillion, and experts believe it would be difficult for it to find alternative investment options able to absorb such volume.
With around $1.2 trillion in US treasuries, Beijing also cannot conduct large-scale selling of dollar assets without diminishing the value of its remaining holdings, they said.
'It is very difficult to cut the holdings of US treasuries. With such huge foreign exchange reserves, if you don't invest in US debt, it is hardly possible to diversify them,' said Liu Hongke, economist at CCB International Securities.
'Despite the downgrade (in the US credit rating), the United States is still safer than Europe,' Liu added.
The European Central Bank stepped in to buy Italian and Spanish debt as investors had driven their bond yields to unsustainable levels on concerns that they might be next eurozone members to become ensnared in a debt crisis.
'Unlike a spurned romantic partner, many investors have nowhere to turn for notionally low risk, highly liquid investment options,' said Nicholas Colas from ConvergEx.
'If you need to park large amounts of capital, the US sovereign debt market is still the only garage that can accommodate the tractor-trailers of cash generated by large oil producing countries or major exporting nations,' he added.
Source : New Age
The Mohammadpur police arrested a landlord on charge of his alleged involvement in murdering his domestic worker at Tikkapara in Mohammadpur, Dhaka, on Sunday.
The victim is Rukshana Akhter, 15, daughter of rickshaw-puller Nasir Uddin of the area.
The police recovered the hanging body of Rukshana from the second floor of her landlord's house at about 12:30am on Sunday and, later, arrested landlord Mohammad Shah Alam.
The body was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for post-mortem examination.
Victim's cousin Abul Kalam told New Age that Shah Alam and his wife Jharna Akhter were used to torture Rukshana over trifling matter.
He said that Shah Alam killed his cousin after torturing her.
He also said that Rukshana has been working at Shah Alam's residence from October 2010.
Mohammadpur police sub-inspector Mohammad Kamaruzzaman confirmed that Shah Alam was apprehended following a complaint by Abul Kalam.
Shah Alam, however, told media that Rukshana had committed suicide by hanging herself with a window of his house after a brawl with her mother over returning to her village home in Noakhali.
Mohammad Kamaruzzaman said that they found no injury marks on the victim's body and the post-mortem report, which is expected to be received within a few days, would tell whether it was a murder.
He informed media that the police had filed an unnatural death case as a primary initiative.
Source : New Age
About 175 female students have to share a room at Rajshahi University as the authorities failed to provide them with seats in the halls, leaving them to lead a life which, in no way, is suitable for academic activities.
Not getting a seat in the university dormitories, 1,500 female students are living in 15 mass rooms of five female halls.
In the mass room at Taposi Rabeya Hall, 175 female students are living and no mass room has students less than 75.
Rahamatunnisa Hall has one, Munnujan Hall two, Khaleda Zia Hall six and Begum Rokeya Hall has five such mass rooms.
These rooms were mainly TV room or recreation room but they were later used to accommodate the students, particularly the newcomers.
The female dormitories have 2,991 seats for 7,500 students.
Students said they were leading a miserable life in the mass rooms.
'If you just see the condition of the room, you would not say it is a room meant for the female students,' said a student, adding they had a very small space to sleep and study.
They students said they failed to concentrate on their study during their examination time as they lived in a room where other students watched TV and passed their recreational time.
Khadija Khanam, a resident of Khaleda Zia Hall, told New Age that 76 students are sharing the mass room where she lives.
'It is difficult to concentrate on study in such a room. Two or three students share a bed in our room,' she said.
Asura Khatun, a student of Begum Rokeya Hall, said, 'The authorities should take immediate measures to end our sufferings.'
The university pro-vice-chancellor Professor Mohammad Nurullah admitted the seat crisis but said it is not possible for the authorities to manage seat for every student.
The students are opting for the boarding houses in the adjacent areas of the university campus because of the accommodation crisis in the university halls.
'We cannot build new halls as we do not have the fund,' said Professor Nurullah, adding that the university had applied to the University Grants Commission for funds to build new halls.
Source : New Age
Several hundred students and teachers of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology on Sunday brought out a mourning procession commemorating the cinematographer Tareque Masud and ATN News chief executive officer Ashfaque Mishuk Munir.
Chokh Film Society, a cultural organisation, organised the demonstrations.
Computer science and engineering professor Mohammad Zafar Iqbal, at a rally after ending the procession, called on the young generation to come forward to ensure road safety.
He also urged the authorities concerned to take necessary steps against the drivers responsible for numerous traffic accidents in the country.
SUST Teachers' Association president SM Saiful Islam, general secretary Abdul Gani, First Lady's Hall provost Naziya Chowdhury, assistant proctor Himadri Shekhar Roy, teacher Farzana Siddika Ronny, Syeda Sharmin Shathi, Ruhul Amin Sajib and Panna Mazumdar also addressed the rally.
Source : New Age
A man was found dead in his residence at Kawla under Khilkhet police station in the capital early Sunday.
The deceased, Jahangir Hossain, 48, son of Jannat Ali of Patuakhali, worked as a driver of the Civil Aviation authority.
The Khilkhet police said, on information, they went to the house of Jahangir at Kawla at about 12:30am and found his body lying on the floor of his bed room. They had sent the body to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue, the police said.
Mukta Jahan, wife of the deceased, said she along with her two-year-old son had gone to one of her relatives' house at Uttara. 'After returning home at about 11:30pm, I found the door of the bed room locked from inside. I called him from outside but he did not respond,' Mukta Jahan said.
'I found my husband lying on the floor after breaking the door of the room and called the police,' she said.
Source : New Age
Teachers and students of different institutions on Sunday called for waging a greater movement against repression of innocent students across the country in the recent times.
Speaking at a discussion, organised by the Students against Oppression, at the Dhaka University Central Student Union, they also called for mounting pressure on the government to stop extrajudicial torture on students.
The discussion started with one-minute silence in memory of internationally acclaimed filmmaker Tareque Masud and eminent journalist and former Dhaka University teacher Ashfaque Mishuk Munir, who, along with three others, died in a road accident in Manikganj on Saturday.
The participants in the opinion sharing meeting alleged that oppression by the police and RAB was increasing and demanded transparent investigation of all the cases filed against students by law enforcement agencies.
They alleged that the country had turned into a police-state because of the direct or indirect influence of military rule in different periods when general students were victims of torture on false accusations.
Although different governments have come to power, the basic character of repression persists, they added.
Pointing to the recent torture incidents including that of DU biochemistry and molecular science student Abdul Kadar, Limon in Jalokhati and killing of Abu Baker and Redwan of Sir AF Rahman Hall in different times, Milon in Companyganj, six students in Amin Bazar, the teachers said all the incidents were similar as they occurred in presence of police.
The participants said police handed over suspects to public to kill only to avoid allegations of torture.
They also expressed concern over the role of authorities in the student harassment incidents and aggressive activities of the ruling party student organisations in educational institutions of the country.
They condemned the DU administration's role in Kadar's incident and called upon all to express solidarity with the victim.
Students against Oppression leader Samiul Alam Richi presided over the discussion participated, among others, by Zahid Hasan Mahmud of applied physics, Borhan Uddin of law department, Mamun Ahmed of biochemistry and molecular sciences, Robayet Ferdous of mass communication and journalism, Jahangirnager University teacher Nasim Akther Hossain, advocate Adil-ur-Rahman and student leader Moustafa Mamun Russell.
General students and Amin Bazar incident victim Tipu Sultan's siblings also attended the programme.
Source : New Age
Development organisations can play a vital role in proper utilisation of corporate social responsibility funds in social development, said chief executives and representatives of non-governmental organisations.
Putting emphasise on strong cooperation between the NGOs and the corporate sector to achieve the development, they said CSR money could be an alternative source of funding for poverty reduction.
They were addressing the concluding ceremony of a two-day orientation programme on 'linking CSR with NGOs' organised by the Management and Resources Development Initiative in the Dhaka city Sunday.
Chief executives and representatives of 14 NGOs participated in the programme.
The orientation covered conceptual aspects and operational experiences of CSR from different perspectives.
Shitangshu Kumar Sur Chowdhury, executive director of Bangladesh Bank, Hasibur Rahman, executive director of MRDI, Syed Ishtiaque Reza, news director of Ekattur Television, and M Emamul Haque, World Food Programme external relations head, were present among others in the concluding programme.
Source : New Age
Family members on Sunday identified Shahidul Islam as one of the five youths killed in an 'encounter' with the
Rapid Action Battalion at Uttara in Dhaka on Friday night, the hospital source said.
Twenty-eight-year-
old Shahidul was a
farmer at Nalitabari upazila in Sherpur, his family members said, adding
he was killed while he was on a visit to his in-law's house at Tongi in Gazipur.
Shahidul's sister-in-law Bilkis Begum told New Age that he had come to her house at Tongi on Friday alone as his wife and children were staying there.
He went out in
the afternoon but did
not return and later
they went to Dhaka Medical College
Hospital on information, she said.
Shahidul's wife
Salma Begum said
her husband was inno-cent and not involved with any anti-social activities.
Earlier on Saturday, four of the five youths were identified by their families.
Source : New Age
The national committee to protect oil, gas, mineral Resources, power and ports on Sunday called on the Awami League-led government not to take up repression as a tool stop its movements.
The committee leaders at a rally in front of the National Press Club said that they would not stop their movement even if the government continued with repression against them.
The national committee held the rally in protest at the attack by ruling party men on a national committee rally in the presence of the police at Badshahganj in Netrakona on Saturday.
The police ordered a ban on gathering by imposing Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure at Saifurhati as both the national committee and the ruling party announced to hold rallies at the same place at the same time.
Central leaders of the national committee joined the rally organised in protest at the government's plan to have gas in the Sunetra gas field extracted by international oil companies.
The national committee convener, Sheikh Muhammad Shaheedullah, condemned the attack on its rally by ruling party men and demanded punishments of the attackers.
The committee's member secretary Anu Muhammad called on the government not to frame model production sharing contract 2011 for gas exploration and extraction in the on-shore fields.
The committee will continue with mass contact programmes and hold a rally in Dhaka in November to force the government not to lease out gas blocks to IOCs keeping the provision for export of the gas extracted.
Committee leaders Nur Mohammad, Mohammad Enamul Haque, Ruhin Hossain Prince, Bazlur Rashid Firoz, Ragib Ahsan Munna, Mushrefa Mishu, Zonayed Saki and Khan Asaduzzaman Masum spoke at the rally.
The rally was followed by a procession that paraded city roads.
Source : New Age
The parliamentary standing committee on the food and disaster management ministry on Sunday expressed deep concern over the floods in the country's southern region and asked the Water Development Board to take effective measures to drain out the water from the inundated areas in Khulna and Satkhira districts.
The committee, at a meeting, observed that the flood situation in the southern districts had deteriorated due to the WDB's failure to flush out the water, said meeting sources.
Committee member Narayan Chandra Chanda, elected from the Khulna-4 constituency, raised the issue at the meeting and said that the people of the flooded districts were suffering from dire shortage of food due to lack of adequate relief, said sources.
The committee, after discussing the flood situation, recommended that the government should supply adequate relief to people of the flood-affected areas.
They also said that the sluice gates in the affected areas were in bad condition and asked the concerned authority to begin renovation without delay, said sources.
Food and disaster management minister Abdur Razzak, who was present at the meeting, claimed that the government was keeping a close watch on the flood situation across the country and had already allocated 26,000 tonnes of wheat for the flood-hit areas of Khulna and Satkhira.
He also said that the water resources ministry should take immediate measures to drain water from the flood-affected areas.
The meeting, presided over by committee chairman Sayedul Haque, was attended by committee members Narayan Chandra Chanda, Mozahar Ali Prodhan and Akram Hossain Chowdhury.
Source : New Age
The teachers of Bangladesh Agricultural University at Mymensingh on Sunday called off their boycott of classes and examinations after the authorities agreed to take punitive action against the offenders after holding investigation into physical assaults on them by the activists of Chhatra League, the student front of ruling Awami League.
The BAU Teachers' Association, at a meeting, took the decision to call off the boycott following the assurance from the authorities.
A new probe body sought three more days to investigate into the incident of beating the teachers by the Chhatra League activists. It was scheduled to submit its report on Sunday.
A previous committee could not even proceed to start the investigation against the erring activists of Chhatra League, who did not hesitate to beat the teachers on the campus.
The teachers withdrew the boycott expressing the confidence that the new probe body would be able to hold the investigation and submit its report non August 17, said BAUTA general secretary professor Shamsul Alam, after the meeting held at the gallery of the Microbiology Department.
But, he said, the teachers would take the classes and exa-minations wearing black badg-es until and unless the offenders were brought to book.
Over 200 teachers attended the meeting.
'We need more time to objectively investigate into the incident,' said professor Mohammed Shamsuddin, the probe body chief.
He said that the probe committee already visited the spots and collected evidence of the attack by the Chhatra League activists on the teachers.
'We will submit out report on Wednesday,' he said.
The vice chancellor, Md. Rafiqul Hoque, said, 'We will take exemplary action against the guilty on the basis of probe committee report.'
He said, 'I think this issue will be closed very soon as we are trying our best to solve it carefully.'
The Chhatra League activists assaulted the teachers on Monday after the proctor handed over two Chhatra League activists, Noor Moham-mad and 'Arif', to the Katwali police station for snatching a cell phone of a visitor at the university's botanical garden.
Chhatra League activists smashed proctor Abu Hadi Noor Ali's car on the night of August 8 after he handed over the two BCL activists to the police.
They also gathered outside his residence and hurled abusive words at him.
In protesting against their behavior, the teachers' association held an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon and took out a silent procession from the Central Library of the university and when it reached the Agriculture Faculty Building, Chhatra League activists gathered there and started arguing with the teachers over the action taken against the two offenders.
At one stage, Chhatra League activists physically attacked the teachers leaving at least 20 teachers injured.
The Chhatra League activists also vandalised the Administrative Building and a university bus and set two motorbikes on fire.
On Tuesday the teachers decided to boycott the classes and examinations in protest against the assaults on them by the BCL activists.
On August 8, Chhatra League held a protest rally demanding release of the offenders and threatened to boycott classes and examinations unless they were set free within 72 hours.
The BCL activists withdrew their ultimatum on Wednesday after the BCL central committee general secretary Siddique Nazmul Alam met them.
Alam had gone to BAU from Dhaka to inquire into the incident.
A four-member probe committee constituted on Monday headed by professor Md. Jasimuddin Khan of Animal Nutrition Department could not hold the investigation due to some personal problems.
Later, the vice chancellor appointed a new four -members probe committee headed by professor Mohammed Shamsuddin of Surgery and Obstetrics Department and asked it to submit its report on Sunday.
The police later arrested Ahsan Habib, a student of agriculture faculty on August 10 for beating the teachers.
Source : New Age
The light engineering sector could manufacture many more engineering products saving the use of foreign exchange in buying similar imported goods if the sector was provided with policy support and other facilities, entrepreneurs and bankers said.
The government and private entrepreneurs need to work together to develop the sector as the domestic market is growing day by day, they said. The sector can also create huge employment for educated youths, they claimed.
'If proper support is provided, light engineering industries will be able to manufacture better products at prices competitive to China and other counties as our labour costs are low,' Aminul Islam, teacher of materials metallurgical in Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, told New Age.
Light engineering industries produce a wide range of products for different industries.
Abdur Razzaque, president of the Bangladesh Engineering Industry Owners' Association, said that entrepreneurs need easy, collateral-free bank loan at an interest rate no higher that 9 per cent as light engineering industries belong to the SME category.
The government should develop industrial parks with all facilities for the sector, he said.
Abul Hashim, owner of the Nipun Engineering, said that the government should take tax measures that would support local light engineering initiatives.
Syed Ehsanul Karim, director of the Bangladesh Institute of Technical Assistance Centre, said that BITAC or polytechnic students would be interested in working in the light engineering sector if advanced technology was provided and the owners ensured a sustainable environment.
The BRAC Bank's head of SME Syed Faridul Islam told New Age that the entrepreneurs need to upgrade technology and maintain their financial accounts properly which will help them to get bank loans.
He suggested that the government should provide assistance so that the factories can be technologically upgraded.
Light engineering industries are engaged in the production and manufacturing of highly value-added engineering goods and services with an annual turnover of more than Tk 10,000 crore, according to the Bangladesh Engineering Industry Owners' Association.
About two million people are dependent on this sector which accounts for about 2 per cent of the country's gross domestic product.
Asked about the lack of policy support for light engineering industries, the industries minister, Dilip Barua, told New Age that the government had decided to set up a separate light engineering industrial park.
The government is planning to provide people working in light engineering industries with training to improve their skills and loans to help the sector to compete on the international market, he said.
Source : New Age
A number of ministers and state ministers on Sunday castigated communications minister Syed Abul Hossain for the sorry state of roads and highways across the country.
The communications minister came under fire from his colleagues at a weekly cabinet meeting at the secretariat when he attributed the poor condition of the roads to fund constraints.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting.
Bus service has remained suspended on the Dhaka-Mymensingh route since Thursday, and bus operators in Tangail on Sunday enforced an indefinite strike on the Dhaka-Tangail route, causing untold suffering to commuters.
Syed Abul Hossain attributed the delay in road maintenance and repair to fund constraints. He also blamed the past BNP-Jamaat and caretaker governments for their 'failure' to maintain the road network.
Finance minister AMA Muhith, refuting the communications minister's claims, said that lack of monitoring by the authorities concerned was the main reason behind the sorry condition of the highways.
Abul Hossain said that the roads had not developed potholes overnight. The BNP-Jamaat government and the last caretaker government could not maintain the roads, he added.
'A Tk 14.10 billion project was taken up in January in FY2010-11 for improvement of the road network. Only Tk 1.07 billion has been allocated in the two fiscal years, including Tk 500 million in the current one,' he told the meeting. Shipping minister Shajahan Khan, along with others, expressed concern over the poor maintenance of highways.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina at the meeting ordered the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to repair the busy highways, connecting Dhaka with other major cities, on a priority basis to restore communications and reduce public suffering.
The prime minister also ordered that effective measures be taken to prevent fatal road accidents, a minister told New Age.
Hasina said that the communications ministry should shift funds from the projects not necessary at this moment to repair of roads to ensure smooth traffic movement on the highways.
Sheikh Hasina told the meeting that she would hold a meeting with the communications minister on Tuesday to speed up the repair of busy highways across the country as hundreds of thousands of people would leave Dhaka before Eid.
The cabinet meeting adopted a condolence motion on the death of internationally acclaimed film director Tareque Masud, ATN News' chief executive officer Ashfaque Munier and three others in a road accident.
A microbus carrying the victims on Saturday collided head-on with a bus on the Dhaka-Aricha Road at Ghior in Manikganj, killing five persons on the spot and injuring three others.
Five persons were killed on the same day in another accident on the Pabna-Nagarbari road.
Abul Hossain told reporters that the condition of the highways had not gone so bad that bus services should be suspended.
He said that the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation was operating buses on all the routes. 'The prime minister has asked us to increase the number of BRTC buses on all these routes so that people do not suffer because of the strike,' he added.
Sunday's meeting sent back the draft of the Bangladesh Water Bill 2011 because, according to the cabinet, it needs certain changes before being enacted into law.
Source : New Age
People on Sunday paid their tributes to film director Tareque Masud and ATN News chief executive officer Ashfaque Munier, widely known as Mishuk Munier, as their bodies were taken the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka for public viewing.
Tareque and Mishuk, along with three others were killed in a traffic accident on the Dhaka-Aricha Road at Ghior in Manikganj on Saturday. Others who died in the accident were the driver of the microbus that was carrying them and two assistants of Tareque's film production team. The microbus became smashed as it collided head-on with a bus when the production team was coming back to Dhaka after selecting a shooting location for Tareque's film Kagajer Phul.
Tareque's wife Catherine Masud, also a film producer, and Dhali Al Mamun, a teacher of fine arts in Chittagong Univeristy and his wife painter Dilara Begum Jolly, were injured in the accident.
The condition of the three injured, being treated in Square Hospitals, are stable, Masud's family and physicians said on Sunday.
The mourners who gathered at the Central Shaheed Minar demanded a thorough and acceptable investigation of the accident and the trial of people who were responsible for the accident.
People from all walks of life such as politicians, ministers, lawmakers, former advisers to the caretaker government, academics, rights, cultural and film activists, litterateurs, artistes, painters, journalists, relatives, fans and well-wishers stood queues to pay their homage.
Both the coffins that were taken there in a solemn procession about 10:30am, became covered with flowers within minutes.
Three namaz-e-janazas of the duo were held in three places - in front of the ATN News office, in the central mosque in Dhaka University and on the premises of the Film Development Corporation.
The families of both the deceased will later decide where to bury them. Munier's family said they would wait for the arrival of his elder brother who lives abroad.
Masud's family said that his wife Catherine would make the decision after she would recover.
Abdus Sobhan Golap, the private secretary to the president, Zillur Rahman, placed floral wreaths on the coffins on behalf of the president. Saifuzzaman Shekhor, assistant personal secretary to the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, placed wreaths on her behalf.
The finance minister, Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, the education minister, Nurul Islam Nahid, the information minister, Abul Kalam Azad, the food minister, Abdur Razzaque, the foreign affairs minister, Dipu Moni, and the state minister for law, Quamrul Islam, also placed floral wreaths on the coffins.
The Awami League's joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi placed wreaths on the coffins on behalf of the parties.
Former chief adviser to the caretaker government Habibur Rahman, adviser Sultana Kamal, Professor Anisuzzaman, litterateur Syed Shamsul Haque, Abul Hasnat Abdul Hye, film director Tanvir Mokammel, Dhaka's mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, economist Debapriya Bhattacharya, Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam, New Age editor Nurul Kabir and Amader Samay editor Naeemul Islam Khan also paid their tributes.
Actress-turned-lawmaker Sarah Begum Kabori, singer-turned-lawmaker Mamtaz Begum, lawmaker Asaduzzaman Noor, theatre activist Ramendu Majumdar, cultural activist Kamal Lohani, and actor Tawkir Ahmed also placed floral wreaths on the coffin.
Leaders of the Workers Party of Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtnatrik Dal, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal, Gana Forum, Samyabadi Dal, Ganatantri Party, Ganasanghati Andolan, and students and youth fronts of the parties and leaders of the Sectors Commanders Forum and Ekatturer Ghatak-Dalal Nirmul Committee also paid their tributes.
Leaders of the Sammilita Sangskritik Jote, Mahila Parishad, Udichi Shilpi Goshthi, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Bangladesh Federation of Film Societies, Bangladesh Short Film Forum Association, Bangladesh Gram Theatre, Kendriya Khelaghar Asar, Directors' Guild, Chhayanaut, Dhaka University, Dhaka University Teachers' Association, Film Development Corporation, National Museum, Liberation War Museum, Dhaka Theatre, Dhaka University Film Society, Sangstkriti Mancha, Samageet Sangskriti Prangan and Ranesh Das Gupta Chalachchitra Sangsad and others paid their last respect to the duo at the Shaheed Minar.
The day's mourning programme began with the Alumni Association of Mass Communications and Journalism Department of Dhaka University first going to the Shaheed Minar.
Ordinary citizens and students expressed their shock and placed flowers on the coffins after standing in queues for hours.
Many carried banners demanding an acceptable and thorough investigation of the accident and trial of the people responsible for it.
The bodies were then taken to the Dhaka University central mosque for the second namaz-e-janaza after zuhr prayers. Their third namaz-e-janaza was held at the Film Development Corporation.
Earlier, journalists burst into tears when the bodies were carried to the ATN News office for the first namaz-e-janaza.
The organisations include Robi Axiata, Bangladesh Economic Association, Families United against Road Accidents, Forum for Secular Bangladesh and Trial of War Criminals of 1971, Advertising Club, Janata Bank Limited, Karamjibi Nari and Expression Limited.
Tareque was born at Bhanga in Faridpur and was a student of history in Dhaka University.
His Matir Moina (The Clay Bird) was the first Bangladeshi film to be nominated in the international film category at the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and it also won the FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique International Federation of Film Critics) prize for directors' fortnight at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.
Tareque directed 'Adam Surat' (Inner Strength), 'Muktir Gaan' (The Song of Freedom) in 1995, 'Antarjatra' (The Homeland) in 2006, 'Runway' in 2010, 'A Kind of Childhood' in 2002, 'Narir Kotha' in 2000, 'Muktir Kotha' (Words of Freedom) in 1999, 'In the Name of Safety' in 1998, 'Voices of Children' and 'She' in 1993.
Munier is son of the martyred intellectual Munier Chowdhury. He also taught in the department of mass communications and journalism in Dhaka University.
He took charge of the ATN News in November 2010, having previously worked with the Real News, a Canada and US-based television news and documentary network.
Born in 1959, Mishuk had worked as a videographer for the British Broadcasting Corporation in different south-east Asian countries. He had worked as the head of news at the country's first private terrestrial television channel Ekushey Television.
Source : New Age
National Mourning Day will be observed today marking the 36th anniversary of death of the country's founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman amid a demand of bringing back home six killers of Mujib who are hiding overseas.
Mujib was assassinated along with all but two of his family on August 15, 1975. Mujib's daughters – Sheikh Hasina, now the prime minister, and Sheikh Rehana – survived the massacre as they were abroad at that time.
The government, political parties, and different cultural and social organisations are already holding month-long programmes to pay homage to Mujib and the members of his family who were killed.
A disgruntled section of army officers killed Mujib, his wife Fazilatunnesa Mujib, sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal, brother Sheikh Naser, brother-in-law Abdur Rab Serniabat, also a farmers' leader, nephew Sheikh Fazlul Huq Moni, also a youth leader, and his wife Arzu Moni, Baby Serniabat, Sukanta Babu, Arif and Abdul Nayeem Khan Rintu on the fateful night of August 15.
The Awami League government, during its previous tenure in office, on August 8, 1996, declared August 15 National Mourning Day and a public holiday but its successor, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led coalition government, scrapped the decision on August 2, 2002.
The High Court on July 27, 2008 declared the BNP-led government's decision illegal. And the day is now a public holiday.
Five of Mujib's 12 killers sentenced to death penalty were executed in 2010 and six are hiding overseas.
The prison authorities hanged five of the killers on January 27, 2010, a year after the Awami League-led alliance government had assumed office. The executed are Syed Faruk Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Muhiuddin Ahmed, Bazlul Huda and AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed.
The government has vowed to bring back the fugitive killers - Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Shariful Haq Dalim, MA Rashed Chowdhury, SHMB Noor Chowdhury, Abdul Mazed and Moslem Uddin - to face the court verdict. One of the killers, Aziz Pasha, reportedly died abroad.
The ruling Awami League and its front organisations are holding mourning programmes throughout August as part of their observance of National Mourning Day on August 15.
The president, Zillur Rahman, and the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, in separate messages on the occasion paid tributes to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The president paid rich tribute to Sheikh Mujib and said, 'Sheikh Mujibur Rahman always upheld the people's interest throughout his life.
'Although the conspirators killed the Father of the Nation, yet they could not wipe out the ideal and beliefs of Bangabandhu.'
He said, 'Most of the killers of Bangabandhu have been executed and efforts are under way to bring back home the fugitive convicts from abroad and fully execute the court verdict.'
'The nation must rest assured that the killers have no room in any corner in the world,' said Zillur, also a long-time aide of Mujib.
'The contributions of Bangabandhu to our national history are paramount and resplendent' he added.
The prime minister vowed to establish an economically solvent, democratic and non-communal Bangladesh which will be free of hunger, illiteracy and poverty.
She added, 'The killers murdered Bangabandhu but they could not kill his dreams and ideals. Millions of people are nurturing in their hearts the ideals of Bangabandhu.'
The government has also chalked up various programmes to observe the day in a befitting manner.
The national flag will fly at half-mast at government, semi-government and autonomous organisations, educational institutions, private buildings and Bangladesh missions abroad.
The national flag will fly at half-mast at Bangabandhu Bhaban and party offices across the country at sunrise.
The president and the prime minister will place flowers at the portrait of Mujib at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi at 6:30am today. The Armed Forces will present a guard of honour and a special prayer session will be held.
The prime minister will also place wreaths on the graves of the members of Mujib's family and other martyrs in the Banani graveyard at 7:30am.
Awami League leaders will visit Tungipara to place wreaths on Mujib's grave at 10:10am. Special prayers will be said in mosques, temples, churches and other places of worships in the afternoon.
The party will hold a discussion at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital at 3:00pm on August 16. Hasina will attend as chief guest.
The Awami League and several other political, socio-cultural and professional organisations will hold sessions of mass prayers and place wreaths at the portrait of Mujib at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.
The Bangladesh Mahila Awami League will bring out a mourning procession and hold a prayer session at Bangabandhu Bhaban at 11:00am.
A prayer session will also be held at Bangabhaban Jame Mosque after the asr prayers. The president, Zillur Rahman, is expected to attend.
Different cultural and social organisations have also chalked up programmes such as discussions, art exhibitions,book fairs, special prayer sessions, iftar parties and others.
The Communist Party of Bangladesh will hold a discussion in its office at 4:00pm. The Bangla Academy will arrange a discussion at 11:00am.
The Dhaka Club will hold a special prayer session after the asr prayers at the club. The Dhaka Art Centre will inaugurate a seven-day exhibition titled Antare Mama Tumi. The foreign minister, Dipu Moni, will attend the opening ceremony at 5:00pm as chief guest.
The Bangladesh Film Development Corporation will hold an discussion at 4:00pm. Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra will bring out a mourning procession from the National Press Club at 2:00pm.
The National Book Centre will hold a three-day book fair at the Directorate of Libraries.
The Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel will host an iftar party for the poor children at 5:00pm.
The Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh will hold a discussion at 5:00pm.
The Comptroller General of Accounts will hold a discussion in its office at 11:00am.
The National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation will provide free treatment on the occasion.
State-run Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television and private television channels and radio stations will air special programmes to highlight the life, struggle and achievements of the slain leader. Newspapers will bring out special supplements.
District and upazila administrations will observe the day by holding discussions, prayer sessions and other programmes.
The Awami League's general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam in a statement urged the party leaders, activists, supporters, well-wishers and leaders of its front organisations to observe the day.
Source : New Age
Buses operating on Dhaka-Mymensingh route connecting the capital with five northern districts stayed off roads for the fourth straight day on Sunday causing immense sufferings to thousands of commuters.
Transport operators said shabby road conditions forced them to suspend operation.
Bus service between Dhaka and seven other northern districts via Tangail also remained partially suspended on the day. Buses also stayed off roads connecting Faridpur town with Boalmari and Alfadanga upazila towns since Sunday.
Suspension of bus service has caused untold sufferings to the passengers who regularly travel between the capital and Mymensingh, Netrakona, Kishoreganj, Sherpur and Jamalpur. Road links between Dhaka and parts of Gazipur district have also been affected.
Passengers crowded the capital's Kamalapur railway station all day for travelling to different destinations.
'There is a huge pressure on trains going to Mymensingh, Sherpur and Jamalpur,' Abdus Salam, a Mymensingh-bound passenger, told New Age.
Abdul Kalam Azad, superintendent of Mymensingh railway station, on Sunday said that they were taken aback by the huge pressure on trains for last couple of days. He said that about 3,500 tickets were being sold at the station everyday against 365 seats in four inter-city trains leaving Mymensingh for Dhaka.
The communication ministry, however, took no initiatives till last night to resume bus service between Dhaka and northern districts.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on the day ordered the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to repair the busy highways linking Dhaka with other major cities, on a priority basis to restore bus service and ease public sufferings.
When contacted, communications minister Syed Abul Hossain told New Age that he would sit for talks with transport owners soon to get over the crisis.
When his attention was drawn to the people's sufferings, the minister said buses operated by the state-run Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation had been pressed into service to ease the plight of commuters.
Earlier on Thursday, transport operators suspended bus service on Dhaka-Mymensingh route for an indefinite period, demanding immediate repair of the roads which, they said, became unfit for traffic.
The Tangail District Bus Owners' Association on Saturday enforced an indefinite transport strike on the Dhaka-Tangail route in protest against the government's 'indifference' to the abysmal condition of roads.
Transport operators have also threatened to enforce strike on all routes connecting Dhaka and northern region.
No inter-district bus left Mohakhali terminal on Sunday.
'I came here to take a bus to Bogra. As no bus left Mohakhali for the destination, I am going to Gabtali with the expectation that I would get a bus there,' Tariqul Islam, a student, told New Age at Mohakhali bus terminal.
About 1,000 buses leave Mohakhali inter-district bus terminal carrying more than 50,000 passengers everyday to some 20 destinations in several districts, including Mymensingh, Netrakona, Kishoreganj, Sherpur, Jamalpur, Gazipur, Tangail, Sirajganj, Bogra, Naogaon, Joypurhat and Gaibandha.
A number of buses, however, left Gabtali and Kalyanpur terminals for northern districts, including Gazipur, Tangail, Sirajganj, Bogra, Naogaon, Joypurhat and Gaibandha.
It takes a few days to repair the roads on an emergency footing to facilitate restoration of bus service ahead of Eid. We will resume operation once the roads are repaired,' Mohakhali Bus Terminal Sarak Paribahan Samiti president Abul Kalam told New Age on Sunday.
Asked why the bus owners took such a decision ahead of Eid, he said 'We have no complaints against anybody. We are simply unable to run buses on such cratered roads.'
Abul Kalam, also a ruling party leader, held the Roads and Highways Department responsible for the shabby condition of roads.
Asked whether the government had taken any initiatives to repair the roads, he replied in the negative and threatened to suspend operation on all routes to northern districts.
Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners' Welfare Trust chairman GM Siraj, also the owner of SR Travels, said his buses were operating between Dhaka and northern districts.
The Roads and Highways Department recently requested transport owners to have patience saying that the department had started repair work on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.
The department blamed unplanned construction of structures on both sides of the road for the damage to the highway.
'The structures have been built in such a way that even a light shower causes water-logging and damage to the roads. There is no drainage system along the road,' it said.
Shipping minister Shahjahan Khan, also a leader of transport workers, was scheduled to hold a meeting with the representatives of bus owners at his residence on Sunday night. But the meeting was postponed.
The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, is scheduled to hold a meeting on Tuesday with officials of different departments under the communications ministry on the issue of rehabilitation of roads.
Our correspondent in Tangail reported that bus service between Dhaka and Tangail remained suspended on the first day of the strike jointly called by Tangail District Bus-Coach Owners Association, Tangail District Minibus Owners Association and Tangail-District Bus-Coach-Minibus Workers Organisation.
However, buses plied on other inter-district routes via Tangail. Leaders of the associations met Tangail district administration on Sunday and demanded immediate repair of Dhaka-Tangail highway and turning it into a four-lane highway.
Hundreds of Dhaka-bound passengers remained stranded at Tangail and many of them were seen frantically looking for train tickets while many others were trying to reach Dhaka by other inter-district buses.
United News of Bangladesh reports: The owners of buses operating on different routes from Faridpur in consultation with transport workers decided to suspend bus service on the routes.
About 32-kilometre road stretch from Faridpur town to Boalmari and Alfadanga via Majhikandi has been in bad shape for the last two years.
Source : New Age