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The prices of edible oil and garlic increased in the city kitchen markets in the past week. Traders attributed the price increase to short supply of commodities from importers, who put it down to an increased import cost.
   Non-packed soya bean oil had the highest price increase in the past week, selling between Tk 52 and Tk 54 a kilogram; the price was Tk 50 a week ago. A five-litre bottle of soya bean oil sold between Tk 260 and Tk 270 against the price of Tk 250–Tk 260 the week before.
   Market insiders attributed the increase to supply shortage and an increased demand.
   Traders at Maulvibazar, the largest wholesale commodity market, alleged that some refiners had increased the price to make windfall profits.
   Retailers generally pass off palm oil as soya bean oil as palm is priced lower. But during winter, they cannot do this as palm oil gels in low temperature.
   The price of garlic, especially the variety imported from China, increased significantly.
   Large multi-clove Chinese garlic sold for Tk 70 a kilogram; the price ranged between Tk 54 and Tk 56 the week before and between Tk 44 and Tk 46 two weeks ago.
   Sugar price remained stable at the level it increased to the week before. It sold between Tk 44 and Tk 45 on Friday, an increase by Tk 6-7 over a month.
   An increased supply of winter vegetables pushed down prices of many items. Fish and chicken prices remained high.
   Traders said chicken price increased because of the wedding season and meat prices increased as the supply of cattle remained short because of Eid-ul-Azha.
   Beef sold for Tk 120 a kilogram at the New Market on Friday. Mutton sold for Tk 180 a kilogram. Prices were up by Tk 10 to Tk 20 on the prices two weeks before.
   Rice price remained stable in the past week, with the coarse variety selling between Tk 18 and Tk 19 and the fine variety between Tk 24 and Tk 28.

Bureaucratic tangles continue to delay the operation of the DNA laboratory at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The lab is now all set to begin functioning.
   The lab equipment has been installed and the conference room has been completed for the one-stop crisis centre at the hospital. The preparation continued for over a year and a half and the experts at the lab have now been doing test jobs.
   The crisis centre is a coordinated, multi-sectoral programme of the hospital for the prevention and redress of violence against women by providing medical, psychological and legal support for the victims.
   Mortuza Hossain Munshi, who was women and children affairs secretary in November 2004, had told New Age that the date for the opening of the lab would be fixed on January 16, 2005.
   Also director of the one-stop crisis centre of the time, Mortuza said decisions on four other one-stop crisis centres in four divisional headquarters would also be made at the time. But nothing got going during the time.
   The present women and children affairs secretary, AKM Shamsuddin, who took office on November 1, 2005, on Thursday said frequent changes of the secretary had caused the delay in making the decisions.
   He said the secretary had been changed four times in a year, which is behind the delay. Shamsuddin is still the project director; but he said, someone else would very soon be appointed as project director.
   The Danish International Development Agency and the Bangladesh government provided Tk 16 crore for the project, which includes the establishment of five such centres in five divisions, other than in Dhaka, and the installation of the DNA lab.
   A garment factory worker, Mala, 17, while coming back from her place of work, was gang-raped in Dhaka in 2004; he was admitted to the one-stop crisis centre and was treated; but she failed to file any case as she failed to recognise the offenders.
   Mala gave birth to a child, who is now two months. She has got back to the place where she worked, but she has failed to recognise the father of the baby.
   If the DNA lab had started functioning, many victims of such violence could have filed cases against the offenders, said Bipul Krishna Chanda, co-coordinator of the DMCH project. ‘This would help the law enforcers to punish the criminals, which in turn would reduce violence against women.’

The Sylhet Traders’ Welfare Alliance Council will go out on demonstrations today in protest at the resumption of the weaving clothes fair at the Government Aliya Madrassah ground in the city.
   The fair resumed on Wednesday after about two months as the High Court issued the directive in favour of the organisers, sources in the fair organising committee said.
   The council at a Thursday meeting announced the agitation programmes. It decided to close all markets and shops from 10:00am to 1:00pm, and hold a rally at the city’s court point at 11:00am.
   Earlier the district administration had asked the organisers to stop the fair due to strong protest by the city traders on September 5. Later the High Court issued a stay order over the cancellation of the fair following a writ petition filed by the organisers on 11 September.
   The traders claimed that they would have to count huge loss due to the fair arranged ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. But the organisers denied the claim, saying that they resumed the fair as per the High court order.

Speakers at a conference on Friday said the study and practice of geography and related subjects would help Bangladesh to understand its physical and social environment, which would help to determine the way of sustainable development.
   They said this at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Bangladesh Geographical Society at the LGED Auditorium.
   The society president, Professor Nasreen Ahmad, chaired the inaugural session of the international conference on ‘geography and environment: issues and challenges.’ The minister for science and ICT, A Moyeen Khan, attended as chief guest.
   Geographer Murray Chapman, professor emeritus at the University of Hawai, was the guest of honour. The Dhaka University vice-chancellor, SMA Faiz, and the University Grants Commission chairman, M Asaduzzaman, attended as special guests.
   The Prime University vice-chancellor, M Aminul Islam, also fellow of the society, presented the keynote paper.
   The society will hold eight technical sessions in the two-day conference.

The Bangla Mountaineering and Trekking Club on Friday began a two-day training camp marking International Mountain Day, which falls on December 11, at the Dhaka University playground.
   The event also featured a photography exhibition on mountaineering where more than 50 photographs by MA Muhit, Shamsul Alam, Sadia Sultana Sampa, Musa lbrahim and Enam ul-Haque were on display.
   The programmed drew a number of enthusiasts, aged between 20 and 60. Yahia Khan, 60, with no formal training, abseiled down a rope from the top of the university gymnasium.
   Former executive director of the now-defunct Dainik Bangla Fauzul Karim, inaugurated the event. The first Bangladeshi in Antarctica, Enam ul-Haque, and Musa Ibrahim also spoke.
   The club is organising a 60km urban trekking from Manikganj to Dhaka. The trekkers began walking in Manikganj in the morning and expected to reach the training venue in Dhaka today.
   The club will organise video and slide shows at Chhabir Hat, in front of the Institute of Fine Art at Dhaka University on December 11 marking the day.

Initiatives such as schools offering education free, health clinics for poor women and children, and treatment and jobs for acid-burn victims have been some of the hallmarks of the committed professionals of the Bangladesh chapter Zonta International over the years.
   The Zonta International, a worldwide organisation of female business executives, was formed in 1919 with its goal: advancing the status of women through service, education and advocacy.
   The Bangladesh chapter, which falls in District 25 of the organisation’s 30 districts and two regions, has played its part in furthering Zonta’s causes by carrying social service initiatives.
   Zonta’s organisational activities are also a regular feature in Dhaka. The eighth district biennial conference of the club was held in Dhaka during September 30–October 2, hosted by the Zonta clubs. The Zonta members also participate in large number of overseas conferences.
   From August 2005, the club has been sponsoring Zonta Zee Club for high schoolchildren of which the members of Scholastica Community Club are members.
   Ilma Nur Chowdhury, a student of the Institute of Business Administration at Dhaka University and a recipient of the club’s Jane M Klausman scholarship programme, won the Zonta International award for 2005.
   Zonta’s vision for its activities in Bangladesh has been that ‘human rights are women’s rights.’
   The club has taken extensive programmes to create awareness of violence against women and improve the rights to health and education for women and children.

The 11th Dhaka International Trade Fair 2005 begins today at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka.
   The prime minister, Khaleda Zia, is expected to inaugurate the month-long fair at 3:30pm as chief guest.
   The minister for finance and planning, M Saifur Rahman, commerce minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, and commerce adviser Barkatullah Bulu, will be present as special guests.
   The Export Promotion Bureau in association with the commerce ministry has organised the fair.
   Four hundred and twenty-one organisations, including 22 from 11 foreign countries such as the United States, China, Italy, Austria, Singapore, South Korea, Iran, Pakistan, Thailand, Myanmar, and India, are taking part in the fair.
   Entry fees have been fixed at Tk 10 for adults and Tk 5 for children aged below 12.
   The fair will remain open to the visitors between 5:30pm and 8:30pm on the inaugural day, between 10:00am and 9:00pm on week days, and 10:00am and 10:00pm at weekend.

A two-day festival began at Barisal Zilla School on Friday in observance of its 175th founding anniversary.
   Former president Abdur Rahman Biswas attended the opening session as chief guest.
   With the water resources minister, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, in the chair, the function was addressed by Jahiruddin Swapan, Syed Shakhawat Hossain, and Amir Ali.
   A procession was brought out on the occasion, but the authorities cancelled the cultural programme in view of security situation across the country.
   The school, established on December 23, 1829 as the Barisal English School, turned into the Barisal Government Zilla School in 1853.

A new organisation, Sangskarbadi Chhatra Juba Front, was launched in Dhaka on Friday.
   ‘We do not want to stick to any particular political belief, model, method or philosophy,’ the front convener, Mehjabeen Nava, said at the launching ceremony held at the Diploma Engineers’ Institute.
   The front leaders said they would choose a number of social scientists and thinkers to acquaint the youths with politics.

Training for Channel One news crew
The United Kingdom-based Thompson Foundation will provide two-week training for the members of the news and current affairs department of the private satellite television, Channel One, from today. Arwel Ellis Owen, senior trainer of the Foundation and chief executive of TRI Television and chairman of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, will conduct the training. Owen, who began his career in the BBC Television in 1968, has held various important positions, including editor of NCA and head of programmes of the BBC. A Churchill Fellow, Owen during his tenure as head of programme of BBC Northern Ireland, instigated a total reorganisation of BBC NI, both on air and off air. He has also provided training for various TV networks around the world. Thirty journalists of the Channel One department will join the programme. Owen already arrived in Dhaka on Friday.
— UNB

Mobile handsets launch today
The president of Samart i-mobile Public Co Ltd, Sanchai Thiewprasertkul, who arrives in Dhaka today, will attend a launch programme of the i-mobile handsets at the Sheraton Hotel on the day. He is the top level corporate official both in the field of telecommunication hardware and software sector for mobile inbuilt content application and infotainment throughout Asia. He joined the Samart i-mobile PCL in 2004.
— BDNews

Climate change concert held
The British High Commission and the British Council on Friday organised a concert of top Bangladeshi band musicians led by Habib. The songs focused on climate changes. The programme was organised as part of a campaign by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to create awareness of climate change issues among the people.
— New Age

New Jatiya Sramik Jote committee
Abdul Kader Hawlader has been made president and Badal Khan general secretary of the central executive committee of Jatiya Sramik Jote Bangladesh. Kamalesh Chandra Das is the executive president of the new 30-member committee formed at the council meeting of the Jote held at the National Press Club on Thursday. Faroq Alam, Abdur Rahman Patal and Syed Khaled Hayet have been made vice-presidents while Naimul Ahsan Jewel has been made the joint-secretary. Chaired by Kader, the council session was addressed, among others, by Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad leaders Wajedul Islam, Abdul Matin Master, Shafiqur Rahman and Badal Khan.
— New Age