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

Archive «
Launch Supplement «
Special Supplements «

A team of Bangladesh Coast Guard, BIWTA, Department of Shipping and joint forces on Sunday identified 10 sand and stone traders doing business encroaching on the banks of the River Shitalakhya in Narayanganj.
   The team identified five of the encroachers near Kanchpur Bridge and five at Rupshi during a drive, led by district magistrate Anwarul Islam, Lieutenant Commander Mahbubur Rahman of Coast Guard said.
   Action will be taken against the five traders doing business near the Kanchpur Bridge, he said, adding that a process of filing cases and cancelling their lease approvals were on following the drive.
   The five companies — Siraj Traders, Alamgir Traders, Jahangir Traders, Rafiq Traders and Habib Traders — have also been asked to take away their stone and sands from the area demarcated by the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority.
   The team at Rupsi traced five traders operating business without any company name. The owners gave an undertaking that they would take away their materials within seven days, the coast guard official said.
   Asked whether the drive will continue, the official said, ‘We will observe the impact of the drive and then take decision in this regard.’

Forty-six new titles on research works hit the Amar Ekushey book fair on the Bangla Academy premises till the 24th day of the month-long event on Sunday with visitors now busy with last-moment collection of their favourite books.
   Sabuj of publishing house Mowla Brothers said, ‘Most people are now collecting books of their choice as the fair nears end. We are happy with the sales.’
   Around 100 government, non-government and research institutions have participated in the month-long annual event. They are displaying and selling their research works.
   An official at the Palli Unnayan Academy stall said, ‘We generally sell thesis papers in English and Bangla. Our sale is satisfactory. Our new titles include Palli Unnayan O Prasongigk Bhabna, Palli Unnayan O Sampratik Bhabna, Nihswa Palli Jonapode Atmashakti Jagoroner Pothikrit Akhter Hamid Khan and others.’
   The Liberation War Museum is displaying and selling various posters, view cards and photographs on the country’s war of independence. View cards are selling for Tk 5 each and posters for Tk 10 to Tk15 each.
   Bangabandhu Memorial Museum is displaying different documents on Sheikh Mujib’s life and works and selling posters, pens, diaries, books and view cards featuring different texts and photos on his life.
   Research Initiative Bangladesh, Chhayanaut, AIN O Salish Kendra, Bangladesh Shishu Academy, National Museum, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Asiatic Society Bangladesh, Centre for Policy Dialogue, Ganaunnayan Granthagar, Centre for Policy Dialogue, Nazrul Institute, Proshika, Bangla Sanskriti Kendra and others are displaying as well as selling various publications at the fair.
   Sixty new titles arrived at the fair on Sunday with juvenile literatures and poetry dominating the list.
   The new arrivals of the day include six novels, nine collections of stories, 10 collections of poems, six novels, four collections of essays, four collections of rhymes, 10 collections of juvenile literature, two biographies, one research work and one work on history.
   Artistes from Gram Bangla Folk Musical Group and Nrityadhara performed in a cultural function organised by the Bangla Academy as part of its Amar Ekushey celebration.
   A number of books were launched at the Writers’ Corner at the fair on the day.
   The Workers Party president, Rashed Khan Menon, launched journalist Mahbub Alam’s book ‘Barir Pashe Bidesh’ published by Mridul Prokashon.
   Bangla professor of Rabindra Bharati Bishwabidalay in West Bengal Minakshi Sinha launched Saleha Chowdhury’s collection of stories Shotogolpo published by Biddya Prokash.
   Bangla Academy will organise a cultural function on the academy premises in the evening today.

Slaughtering of animals by the roadside is rampant in the Khulna city as slaughterhouses in Khulna City Corporation area are rarely used now, only 8 to 10 percent of the total animals being slaughtered there.
   The corporation has three slaughterhouses in Gallamari, Khalishpur and Rupsha areas and on an average 30 to 40 cattle are slaughtered daily at those slaughterhouses, KCC sources said.
   There are more than 100 meat-shops in the city area and about 400 cattle are slaughtered everyday in the city, a home to about 15 lakh people, said the sources, adding most of the animals are killed at open spaces or by the roadside ditches.
   Most of the butchers do not wash the spaces they use for killing animals with adequate water, said locals from different city corners, adding as a result those places remain dirty to the discomfort of the passers-by who have to endure bad stench coming from rotten animal blood.
   While slaughtering animals on open and unclean places many butchers ultimately soil the meat which customers are obliged to buy, complained the inhabitants, adding all the markets have chicken-shops and many shop-keepers slay the chickens by the side of their shops or on the roadside and leave the places grimy with blood.
   As all the animals are not slaughtered at the slaughterhouses, the environment of the city has been polluted gradually and KCC has been losing a handsome revenue everyday, KCC officials said.
   They sometimes launch operations against slaughtering of animals outside, said KCC conservancy officer MA Sattar told New Age, adding they are thinking of distributing leaflets to make the shopkeepers aware of the impact of environmental pollution on public health and hygiene.

More women’s representation both in print and electronic media is needed to help the country move on towards progress, speakers said at the inaugural session of a seven-day workshop in Dhaka on Sunday.
   They also urged the country’s media management to create more job opportunities for women in the media as women represent only five-percent of the total journalists in the Bangladesh media.
   Bangladesh Nari Sangbadik Kendra with the financial assistance of the Canadian International Development Agency arranged the workshop on ‘Gender Sensitive Reporting’ at the National Press Club.
   The function, with the BNSK president Nasimun Ara Haque in the chair, was attended by BSS chief editor Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury as chief guest.
   Zaglul stressed the need for more participation of women in the media, as women representation in Bangladesh’s media was relatively less compared with most South Asian countries.
   He emphasised proper knowledge, particularly good command over languages for achieving success in journalism.
   Nasimun Ara stressed the need for recognising development of women as an integral part of overall national progress, ensuring rights of the women community leaders in taking decisions at the family, social and national levels through necessary reforms in the existing policy.
   She urged the media management to keep at least 25 per cent jobs for women in the country’s media. BNSK general secretary Parveen Sultana, joint secretary Aditi Rahman, treasurer Akhter Jahan, Shahnaj Sharmin, Ching Mei, Sanjida Akhter and Bilkis Akhter spoke, among others, on the occasion.

The Shahjalal University of Science and Technology authorities on Sunday served a show-cause notice against 25 Chhatra League and Chhatra Dal activists in connection with the February 20 clash that left 30 injured.
   The students, as per the notice served following the decision of a proctorial body meeting held on Saturday, were asked to explain by March 4 why actions would not be taken against them for violating the law and order situation, sources in the proctorial body said.
   More students may face legal actions if they are found involved in the clash, Professor GA Haydar Chowdhury said on Sunday.
   The students who were served with the notice are Fakrul Islam, Pradip, Samaresh and Hira of social work department, Rahat and Mahfuz of economics, Atiq and Himel of English, Shobhan, Enamul and Nepur of statistics, Saumitra, Suman, Naser and Raju of physics, Abid, Abdullah and Manzur Rana of anthropology, Nazmul, Alamgir, Mahbub, Afzal and Touhid of social science, Hafiz of chemistry and Rauf of forestry department.
   Of them, 12 are activists of Chhatra League, student wing of the Awami League, and 13 of Chhatra Dal, student wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, campus sources said.
   More than 30 people, including a sub-inspector of police and a photojournalist, were injured as activists of the rival groups clashed over establishing supremacy on the campus on February 20.
   Earlier on February 21, the Kotwali police filed a case accusing 150 unnamed students on charge of their involvement in the clash, sources in the police said.

The award ceremony of the 3rd Citycell Channel-i Music Awards will be held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Dhaka today.
   The awards will be given in 20 categories, including lifetime achievement award, said the organisers at a press meet at the Sheraton Hotel on Sunday.
   ‘We will honour the musicians and backstage artistes,’ said the managing director of the Impress Telefilm Limited, Faridur Reza Sagor.
   ‘We have tried to bring the best musicians and will continue our joint efforts to create a healthy environment for the growth of good music, he added.
   ‘Music is the soul of culture. Citycell is proud to be a part of the awards which cover the whole music industry,’ said the head (marketing) of the Citycell, Anand Rajasingham.
   Other categories include best classical musician (instrumental), best classical musician (vocal), Rabindra Sangeet singer, Nazrul Sangeet singer, best folk song singer (Palli Geeti/Marami), best band song, best lyricist, best music director, best cover designer (album), best music video, best sound engineer and best underground band.
   The four other categories are best band, best debut singer, (male/female), best modern song and best film song. The awards in these categories will be selected through SMS.
   Noted musicians including, Alam Khan, Fuad Nasr Babu and Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul judged the works of the artistes, said the organisers.
   The manager (regulatory and external affairs) of Citycell, Taslim Ahmed also spoke at the briefing.

The third international conference of the Asia Pacific Disability Forum begins in Dhaka on Wednesday.
   Chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed is expected to inaugurate the 3-day conference at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre at 10:00am on the day.
   This was made public at a news conference jointly organised by National Disability Forum and Dhaka Reporters Unity in the city today.
   National Disability Forum president Khandaker Zahurul Alam read out a speech at the conference. DRU general secretary Ilias Khan, conference organising committee chairperson Mansur Chowdhury and National Disability Forum Director Nafisur Rahman were present.
   Zahurul Alam said more than 450 delegates from 27 countries, including host Bangladesh, will take part in the conference. The number of foreign delegates will be 189. Besides, 40 senior government officials of Bangladesh will participate in the conference.

Steps Towards Development, an NGO, on Sunday accorded reception to six women for their contribution to the Language Movement in 1952.
   They are Halima Khatun, Pratibha Mutsurdi, Sufia Ahmed, Rawshan Ara Bacchu, late Sofia Khan and Rani Bhattacharya.
   The NGO, organised the function in the at Chhayanaut auditorium. Language movement hero Abdul Matin, Awami League leader Abul Mal Abdul Muhit and writer Ahmed Rafique attended the programme.
   Steps Towards Development director Rekha Saha gave inaugural speech at the function conducted by its advisor Bela Nabi.

Light rain or thunder showers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at one or two places over Rajshahi, Dhaka and Sylhet divisions and at the regions of Jessore and Kushtia, 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 night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.
   The country’s highest temperature on Sunday, 31.0 degrees Celsius, was recorded at Jessore and the lowest, 12.0 degrees Celsius, at Srimangal. The sun sets in the capital today at 5:59pm and rises tomorrow at 6:24am.

Dock worker killed at Keraniganj
Assailants stabbed a dockyard worker to death in south Keraniganj Saturday night. Local sources said Mizanur Rahman, 32, worker of Kaliganj Dockyard, came under attack at Khejurbagh at about 11:00pm on his way home from his working place. The assailants, numbering 4/5, stabbed Mizan indiscriminately, killing him on the spot. A patrol team of the South Keraniganj police rescued the body early Sunday.
— UNB

RAB nabs for cheating in Khulna
The Rapid Action Battalion members arrested five members of a gang, including three women, on charge of cheating from Gallahmari area of Khulna City on Saturday. Tipped off, a team of RAB-6 raided a computer shop and arrested Waliur Rahman, 28, Abdul Aziz, 26, Bina Begum, 22, Jabeda Begum, 28, and Parul Begum, 25, along with four sets of computer and other valuables worth about Tk 3 lakh. RAB sources said the gang members took huge money from many local people in the name of arranging marriage with expatriate affluent women living in America, Britain and other countries. A case was filed in this connection.
— UNB