Main Page «
Front Page «
Business «
International «
Sports «
National «
Editorial «
Op-Ed «
Home «
Timeout «
Letters «

Archive «
Launch Supplement «
Special Supplements «

Sixty-seven new titles hit the month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka on Sunday with collections of stories dominating the list.
   The day’s new arrivals included 12 novels, 11 collections of poems, 15 collections of stories and five collections of essays.
   A large number of people crowded the fair on the tenth day of the month-long event being held on the Bangla Academy premises. Ten books were launched in a ceremony held in the Writers’ Corner at the fair venue.
   Bdnews24.com chief editor Toufique Imrose Khalidi took wrap off Maskawath Ahsan’s collection of stories ‘Monga Caravan’ at the Bdnews stall. Hundreds of visitors, with many accompanied by their children, visited the fair and bought books of their choice.
   ‘This is my first day at the fair this year. I am hopeful about the success of the fair. Papyrus Publishers will soon bring out my collection of essays Bidyaman Samajtantra O Krantikale Punardrishtipat,’ Dhaka University economics professor MM Akash said.
   DU professor Muhammad Samad, said, ‘I hope the fair will succeed. But it is regretted that a stall called Adhunik Prakashani is selling books that go against the spirit of language movement and the country’s war of independence.’
   ‘Mowla Brothers has published my collection of poems, ‘Premer Kabita’ and Ananya Prokashoni will bring out English version of my poems, ‘Selected Poems’ in a day or two”, he told New Age.
   When asked about the books against Ekushey spirit being displayed in the fair, Bangla Academy director general Syed Mohammad Shahed, that it is quite regretted for the national event like this.
   ‘We have already warned the stall not to sell any such book. We will discuss the matter further.’
   In response to another question, the Bangla Academy DG said, ‘Personally I criticise selling of such books in the fair, but as a position holder at the academy I have to follow official process in this regard.
   Writers including Rabindra Gop, Khairul Alam Sabuj, Aslam Sani, Dildar Hossain and others are seen busy with rendezvous at the Media Centre in the fair.
   The Bangla Academy, as part of its regular programmes, held a discussion on ‘The achievements in arts and literature in 36 years: Folklore (1972-2007)’.
   Abul Hasan Chowdhury read out the keynote paper in the discussion chaired by Shamsuzzaman Khan. Jatin Sarker, M Saifuddin Chowdhury and Shahida Khatun took part in the discussion, which was followed by a cultural function.
   A discussion on ‘the achievements in arts and literature in 36 years: Autobiography, Travelogue and Humours (1972-2007)’ will be held at 4:00pm today with Syed Anwar Husain in the chair.
   Maruf Raihan will read out a paper at the discussion to be addressed, among others, by Sardar Abdus Sattar, Golam Mustafa and Soumitra Shekhor.

Microsoft Bangladesh on Sunday organised a daylong training session for law enforcers and public sector officials on cybercrime fighting tactics under its Security Cooperation Programme introduced in Bangladesh last year.
   The session was organised at Hotel Radisson in Dhaka where security advisers and consultants of Microsoft’s law enforcement support team focused on forensic applications that can help law enforcers in extracting evidences and investigating cybercrimes.
   Various issues such as types of cybercrimes, hard disk analysis process, digital signatures, encryptions, documenting cases and forensic tool kits came up for discussion at the programme, styled ‘Cybercrime Foundations and best Practices’.
   IB Terry, III, Microsoft’s consultant for Law Enforcement Support Team, discussed applications that can help acquire forensic evidences of crimes and identify criminals. He presented the technical analysis while investigating a cybercrime.
   The primary way to fight a cybercrime is to educate the law enforcement agencies and the individuals on the processes and techniques for detecting and investigating a cybercrime, Eric White, services executive of Microsoft Corporation told New Age.
   The SCP is a programme which seeks the help of Microsoft technology and its services in ensuring secure computing environments. Under SCP, Microsoft works in cooperation with government agencies, exchanging information that can be used to better anticipate, help prevent and mitigate the effects of security attacks technologically.
   The training session was attended by Jeff Paine, regional government engagement programme manager for the Asia Pacific, Microsoft Bangladesh country manager Feroz Mahmud and its public sector manager KM Imran Al-Amin.

People who visited Nagar Bhaban and the zonal offices of the Dhaka City Corporation on Sunday suffered a lot as all DCC offices remained closed on the day following the death of commissioner Mohammad Quayium Khan.
   The people suffered as the closure, as per the tradition that the DCC offices will remain closed for a day if any incumbent commissioner dies, was not circulated for people’s awareness.
   The detained commissioner of DCC ward No 16 and a city BNP leader died at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Friday.
   Many people, including journalists, went to Nagar Bhaban on the day and they were informed of the closure by the on-duty army of the special taskforce and DCC security personnel.
   ‘The corporation should have been informed us through television or newspapers that the office will remain closed today,’ said one of many people in front of Nagar Bhaban in the afternoon.
   Abdur Rahman, chief public relations officer of DCC, told New Age, ‘The corporation remains closed for one day if an incumbent ward commissioner dies and it remains closed for half day for the death of any former ward commissioner.’ However, the provision is not applicable for any officials or employees of the corporation, he said.

Students of Barisal Brojo Mohon College went out on demonstration for the second day on Sunday demanding upgrading of the institution to a full–fledged public university.
   The students also damaged a tempo and two rickshaws as they blocked the road in front of the college from 10:30am to 11:30am.
   They also brought out a procession on the campus and boycotted classes to press home their demand.
   Additional police were deployed in the campus area.
   Eminent citizens and student leaders in the city, however, expressed difference with the students demand, saying
   that they want a separate public university in Barisal, not upgrading of the BM College to a university.
   In separate statements, Mintu Bose, secretary of Nagarik Parishad, Dr Mizanur Rahman, member secretary of Nagairik Samaj, Kajol Ghosh, secretary of Sangskritik Sangothan Samanway Parishad, expressed their difference of opinion.
   The people of Barisal have long been demanding a fresh public university instead of upgrading the BM College for expanding scopes for higher education in the region, they said.
   The then government on January 09, 2005 announced to upgrade BM College to a full-fledged university like the Jagannath College of Dhaka. The government later changed the decision and undertook the Barisal public university project in May 2006.
   A 50-acre piece of land at Defulia on the outskirts of the city was also selected for the project, approved by the engineering department of the education Ministry and the University Grants Commission on May 7, 2006.
   The then prime minister Begum Khaled Zia laid the foundation stone of that project on September 17, 2006 and ordered to appoint a project director to construct three buildings. Primarily, Tk 7 crore was also allocated for the project.
   The UGC recently cancelled the acquisition of land at Defulia pushing the project into uncertainty.
   SM Wazed Ali, deputy director of UGC, said the Barisal Public University Act had been approved by the authorities concerned, but the project proposal had not been finalised yet. ‘If we get the project approved, we will allocate fund for the project,’ he added.

A three-day solo photographic exhibition on cyclone Sidr began at Shaheed Hadis Park the in Khulna city on Sunday.
   The Khulna deputy commissioner, SM Firoz Alam, inaugurated the exhibition at a function chaired by the president of Khulna divisional unit of Bangladesh Photojournalists’ Association, Zakir Hossain.
   Thirty selected photographs of photojournalist Anwarul Islam Kajal working with the Khulna-based daily Purbanchal are being displayed in the photo show titled ‘Southwest in terrible Sidr’.
   Kajal, also general secretary of the Khulna Union of Journalists, took a good number of photographs in thirty days after Sidr hit the country’s southern coastal belt on November 15, 2007.
   Former Khulna Press Club president Mokbul Hossain Mintu, Khulna Chamber and Commerce and Industry president Saharuzzaman Mortuza and Khulna City Corporation ward commissioners Ruma Khatun and Mamnura Zakir Khukumoni spoke on the occasion. Leaders of different political parties including the BNP and the Awami League and the Jatiya Party, among others, attended the function.

Light rain or drizzle is likely to occur at one or two places over Chittagong and Sylhet divisions and weather may remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country during the 24-hour period till 6:00pm today.
   Light to moderate fog may occur over the river basins of the country during early morning, the Met Office said.
   The night temperature may fall by 2-4 degrees Celsius over the country. The country’s highest temperature on Sunday, 26.3 degrees Celsius, was recorded at Sylhet and the lowest, 12.3 degrees Celsius, at Rajshahi.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 5:51pm and rises tomorrow at 6:34am.

The Dhaka City Corporation control room is being swamped with news of crow deaths with officials saying that such deaths are not unusual in this period of the year.
   DCC officials reaffirmed that crows found dead so far did not bear any sign of avian influenza.
   The corporation’s control room, set up on Friday, recorded 10 crow deaths Sunday and sent samples to the Central Disease Institute Laboratory for test.
   ‘We received news of more deaths of crows in different parts including Holy Family Red Crescent Hospital, Central Shahid Minar and Rampura areas,’ an official said Sunday. Those were buried at a designated place.
   ‘Crows normally die in this season. Death of one or two crows at a place does not mean that bird flu is there,’ he said.
   Things could be seen alarming if a good number of crows are found dead at a place, he, however, said.
   Chief health officer of the corporation Showkat Ali told New Age on Friday that no bird flu virus had been detected in the dead crows, which were found in a Gulshan park and some other places in the city last week.
   Poultry traders at different kitchen markets in the city were found using the containers for dumping wastes of fowls, slaughtered for sale. The corporation supplied the covered containers to 50 kitchen markets on Saturday and initiated campaigns to motivate traders to use those for their personal and public health safety.
   The central monitoring committee headed by chief veterinary officer of Central Veterinary Hospital Dr Mosaddek Hossain on Sunday held a meeting with poultry traders at Sayedabad as part of the campaigns for raising awareness about bio-security of the kitchen markets.
   ‘We have held the meeting as part of our job to aware the people and businessmen to take safety measures. We will have more meetings with poultry traders in major kitchen markets in all the 10 zones of DCC,’ said a corporation official.

The authorities concerned have taken preventive measures to contain possible spread of avian influenza from guest birds in Hakaluki Haor in Moulvibazar.
   The authorities have also examined samples of different species of guest birds in the lake, but no strain of bird flu has yet been detected.
   Medicines are being sprayed on fowls and eggs that enter the district. The administration has also barred entry of poultry birds into the district without valid documents. Five dead crows were found at Srimangal on Saturday.
   The Department of Environment office at Kulaura said more than a lakh guest birds usually fly over to Hakaluki Haor every year. The department said it has been put in place measures since 2006 to check against the spread of possible strain of avian influenza.
   The department programme includes holding community meetings, distribution of leaflets, and putting signs at the entrances to the lake.
   A teacher of the Bangladesh Agricultural University, Aminul Haque, along with some of his students visited Hakaluki Haor in the last week of January and collected samples of guest birds and other aquatic birds for examination of bird flu virus strain, the environment department said.
   Officials at the Department of Livestock Services said they had been spraying medicines in and around the lake. Restrictions have been ordered or entry of flows into the district without clearance documents. Residents of Srimangal said they had found five dead crows in an area of the town on Saturday.
   District livestock services officer Abdul Awal Bhuyan said they had found only one dead crow, but no strain of bird flu was detected. The crow as buried deep into the soil.

Tribal miscreants shot dead two persons at Ranga Durchari Bazar under Baghaichari upazila in the district on Saturday.
   A gang of tribal miscreants also abducted a BRAC official from Kutukchari under Kaukhali upazila in the district on Thursday.
   The dead were identified as Tantu Chakma, 35 and Suresh Chandra Chakma, 32, reportedly activists of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity.
   The police and security forces said miscreants shot them dead while they were allegedly exacting money from local people in the area, some 120 kilometres northwest of the district headquarters.
   The police recovered the bodies on Sunday and sent them to Rangamati General Hospital for autopsy.
   Rangamati Unit of PCJSS denounced the killing and demanded immediate arrest of those responsible for it. A case was filed with the Baghaichari police station in this connection.
   In another incident, tribal miscreants abducted a BRAC official from Kutukchari under Kaukhali upazila in the district on Thursday.
   Quoting family members, the police said armed miscreants kidnapped Hemanta Bikash Chakma, manager (education affairs) of BRAC stationed at Kaukhali, while he was returning to his Rangamati residence after visiting few schools run by BRAC.
   The criminals contacted victim’s family at Duluchari in the upazila and demanded Tk 3 lakh as ransom for his release, the police said, adding that the family members informed them of the incident on Saturday.
   A BRAC official admitted the incident of abduction. An army team went to the spot on Saturday and launched a drive, sources in security forces said.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Sunday stayed for a week the execution of the High Court order that halted the trial of the Bijoy TV scam case against the detained Chittagong mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury.
   The Appellate Division chamber judge MA Matin also asked the government to file a regular leave to appeal against the High Court order by the time.
   The High Court on January 17 stayed further proceedings of the Bijoy TV scam case against the Chittagong mayor and issued a rule on the government to explain why the case should not be quashed.
   The case is now pending with the Chittagong divisional special judge’s court. The Anti-Corruption commission on May 27, 2007 filed the case.
   The commission on November 22 filed the charge sheet against Mohiuddin, the corporation’s chief engineer Mokhter Alam and chief executive officer Imtiaz Hossain for launching the private channel without government permission.

Today is the seventh anniversary of death of eminent journalist, sports writer and commentator Tawfiq Aziz Khan.
   Tawfiq joined the Pakistan Observer, now the Bangladesh Observer, as a staff reporter in 1958.
   He also worked as public relations officer for the EPIDC and Titas Gas between 1968 and 1975.
   He then joined the now-defunct daily Dainik Bangla and weekly Bichitra as general manger and worked there till 1990 before joining the Daily Star as the founding managing editor. When he died, he was the executive editor of the daily.
   Tawfiq had been a familiar voice behind the microphone in both television and radio coverage of different sports events since 1958.

The High Court on Sunday issued rules on the Anti-Corruption Commission to explain why its notices asking wealth statements from former prime minister Khaleda
   Zia’s son Arafat Rahman and Awami league leader Kazi Zafrullah would not declared illegal.
   The High Court bench of Justice Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman and Justice Shahidul Islam issued the rules after hearing separate writ petitions filed by the two corruption suspects, challenging the legality of the notices by the commission’s deputy directors.
   Counsels for the two petitioners argued the commission had issued the notices to their clients without conducting any
   inquiry of assets which is a must according to Rule 26 of the Anti-Corruption Commission
   Act 2004
   The commission on December 18, 2007 notified Arafat to submit his wealth statement and he submitted the statement to the commission though jail authorities on January 9, 2008.
   He was arrested on September 3, 2007.
   The commission issued the notice to Zafrullah on January 28.
   Rafique-ul Haq moved the both writ petitions.

Writers, artists and cultural activists in Dhaka on Sunday paid tribute to Debdas Chakraborty and recalled his contribution to the country in upholding the spirit of secularism.
   They also discussed the glorious life and works of the late artist at a commemmoration meeting at the Bakultola of the Institute of Fine Art at Dhaka University.
   Students of the institute presented a song in honour of the late artist at the programme chaired by eminent artist Qayyum Chowdhury. Speaking on the occasion, Professor Anisuzaman said, ‘Debdas led a secular life and inspired all around him to welcome the spirit of liberty.’
   Abritti Samanya Parishad president Asaduzzaman Noor said, ‘Debdas Chakraborty was an ever cheerful person and shared joys with others. He could start singing a kirton or a baul song anytime he wished.’
   Artist Rafiqunnabi said Debdas had played an important role in bringing today’s state of fine arts practice in Bangladesh.
   Artist Nisar Hossain said, ‘He [Debdas] was a great man who could easily become intimate with people.’ Poet Syed Shamsul Haq, architect Shamsul Wares and artist Keramat Mowla also spoke on the occasion.
   Debdas died at his Uttara residence on February 5 at the age of 75. The award winning painter had been suffering from a number of ailments. The artist had contributed to the war of independence by designing a poster that was of great inspiration to the freedom fighters during the war.
   Debdas was an assistant professor in the fine arts department at Chittagong University.