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The Chittagong Metropolitan Police launches a criminal database system with fingerprint identification in its Double-Mooring zone today for detecting criminals instantly.
   The shipping minister, Absarul Amin Chowdhury, will inaugurate the system in a function at Hotel Agrabad in the afternoon. Inspector general of police Nur Mohammad will be present in the inaugural function as the special guest.
   Nirmal Chakrabarty, assistant commissioner of Double-Mooring zone comprising the Pahartoli, Halishahar and Double-Mooring police stations, said they would conserve 48 sorts of information, including forensic and DNA reports, fingerprints, criminal records, addresses and pictures, of the arrested criminals in the database.
   ‘The detained crime suspects sometimes manage to get release by hiding their identities,’ he said, adding that those, who are arrested once, would not be able to hide his identity after launching the database system.
   He said they had already trained the officials of the three police stations to operate the system, which would be launched at other police stations in the city immediately.
   ‘All the 12 police stations in the city will be brought under an integrated system within a short time and it will strengthen our capacity to handle the law and order,’ he added.
   Sazzadul Hasan, chairman of Corporate IT Limited, a private organisation assigned to implement the project, told New Age that they had developed a software comprising two modes to operate the system.
   He said any officer at a police station would be able to gather information about any criminal by inserting his/her fingerprint or name on user mode of the database.
   ‘Only the designated officer will be able to add or delete information by using the administrative mode,’ the chairman added.

Armed assailants shot dead a cook of a recruiting agency and injured a security guard in the city’s Banani area on Thursday.
   The deceased was Nazrul Islam, 28, son of Mohammad Ayub Ali, of Sepura under the Kotwali police station in Rangpur.
   According to the injured, three armed assailants entered the office of Dah Mashi Corporation Ltd, a recruiting agency located at Block-H, Road-12, House-33, with a gift packet and asked security guard Zahirul Islam to give it to their top boss.
   As Zahir started moving towards to their top boss, the assailants indiscriminately opened fire on Zahir and Nazrul, leaving them critically injured.
   Nazrul collapsed on the floor sustaining three bullets in the chest, back and abdomen while Zahir received a bullet in his right arm.
   Hearing the gunshots, local people rushed to the spot and immediately took the injured to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where the physicians declared Nazrul dead. Zahir was undergoing treatment there till Thursday night.
   Reasons behind the killing and the gun attack couldn’t be ascertained immediately but the police suspected that the attack was a sequel over refusal to pay toll.
   Despite repeated attempts, the owner of the agency Enam Ahmed Chowdhury was not available for comment.
   The officer-in-charge of the Gulshan police station Mohammad Kamrul Islam told New Age, ‘We gathered significant information about the killing but we should not disclose it for the sake of investigation. The police were on the hunt for the killers, he added.

Experts at a seminar have said social stigma is a major obstacle to fighting HIV/AIDS in the country.
   Describing the AIDS as a deadly disease, they said all should change their attitude towards HIV/AIDS-infected patients for the prevention of the disease.
   They were addressing a seminar titled ‘culture-sensitive HIV/AIDS prevention communication for behaviour change’ at the auditorium of the Goethe-Institut Bangladesh in the city on Tuesday night.
   The Goethe-Institut Bangladesh in collaboration with the Institute of Hazrat Mohammad (SAW) organised the seminar. Dr Saima Khan presented a keynote paper at the seminar.
   The project management specialist of population, health and nutrition of USAID Sukumar Sarker, Frank Paulin of the public health administration of the World Health Organisation, Dirk Gehl of KfW Kreditanstalt for Wiederaufbau of GTZ, national consultant of UNAIDS Tony Michael Gomes, head of HIV/consultant physician of ICDDR,B Brian Cobb and the executive director of Bandhu Social Welfare Saleh Ahmed, among others, addressed the seminar.
   The chief coordinator of the Institute of Hazrat Mohammad (SAW) Habiba Tasneem conducted the seminar.
   Sukumar Sarker said without major changes in behaviour and increase in knowledge, spread of the HIV/AIDS cannot be checked and called for a multi-pronged strategy focusing on the media, publication and community-based programmes to address the issue.
   Tony Michael said Bangladesh has a low rate of HIV/AIDS prevalence. Collective actions are needed to fight the disease, he added. He also underscored the need for engaging religious and culture platforms in AIDS prevention communications.
   Brian Cobb said intervention programmes for those, who are at risk, should be strengthened further.
   Other speakers said they have to create awareness among people through disseminating accurate messages about HIV/AIDS.
   They observed that inequality, illiteracy, lack of awareness and proper knowledge about HIV/AIDS, low social status of women, cultural restriction to discuss sex and use of a limited number of condoms are responsible for spreading the disease.
   In her keynote paper, Saima Khan said a sex worker of Bangladesh receives 20 to 22 clients per week, which is the highest among the South Asian nations. She said the condom use must be increased to check the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country.
   In order to enhance the training of imams for dissemination of culture-sensitive information on AIDS prevention, the speakers called for collective efforts of organisations for AIDS management, prevention and research at local and global levels.

The Khulna district unit of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad observed a day-long token hunger strike at Shaheed Hadis Park in
   the city on Thursday, demanding immediate gas supply to Khulna through pipeline.
   The speakers at the programme called on the government to cancel the decision to postpone the $125 million gas supply projects for Khulna region.
   Chaired by Khulna unit parishad chairperson, Professor Anwari Begum, the programme was addressed by general secretary Rasu Akhter and assistant general secretary Ajanta Halder.
   More than 100 activists of the organisation took part in the token hunger strike from 10:00am to 5:00pm.
   Quazi Wahiduzzaman of Nabolok, Rozy Rahman of Lekhika Sangha, Sheikh Mosharrof of Nagarik Forum, Nasrin Akhter of Nari Mukti Sangsad, Minu Momtaz of Nandini Path Chakra and Saleh Mohammad Shahidullah of Udichi expressed their solidarity with the programme.
   The speakers said two projects —Bheramara-Khulna gas transmission line and south-west gas distribution projects — were taken in 2007 to provide gas in 10 south-western districts by 2010-2011 fiscal year.
   The projects were funded by the Asian Development Bank and Gas Sector Development Project.
   As the project cost of another GSDP-funded project to establish gas compression station at Sylhet and Ashuganj was increased from $55 million to $150 million, the energy ministry on March 23 decided to transfer the allocated money of the two projects to provide gas in southwest.
   They threatened to go for tougher movement if the decision to postpone the gas supply projects for Khulna is not cancelled immediately.
   The Khulna mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque broke their fast at 5:00pm by offering water to the participants.

A three-day book fair began at Dhaka Club on Thursday.
   Writer Syed Shamsul Haque inaugurated the book fair, said a press release. Editor of the daily Prothom Alo Motiur Rahman was, among others, present at the inaugural function.
   The fair will remain open to the club members and their family members from 10:00am to 8:00pm.
   Nine publishing houses, including Academic Press and Publishers Library, Anyaprakash and Mawla Brothers, are taking part in the fair.

A group of students of the Islamic University in Kushtia vandalised the medical centre of the university Wednesday night as their fellow failed to get treatment from the centre.
   Campus sources said Raushon Ali, a residential student of Saddam Hossen Hall, fell sick at night and his friends immediately to him to the medical centre.
   But the on-duty doctor Wahidul Hasan failed to provide Raushon with medication as the pharmacist of the centre Saidur Rahaman is on unscheduled leave, campus sources said.
   Being enraged, fellows of Raushon went on the rampage. They damaged furniture of the centre including chairs, tables, and damaged medicine kept in almirahs.
   The chief medical officer of the medical centre, Liakat Ali, said the action would be taken against those involved in the incident.

A meeting was held at Jahangirnagar University on Thursday to reduce the prevailing session jam.
   With vice-chancellor Sharif Enamul Kabir in the chair, the meeting laid emphasis on holding the examinations and publication of the results on time in the greater interest of cutting session jam.
   At the meeting, chairmen of the respective departments placed their suggestions regarding to educational activities.
   The VC urged the teachers of the departments, which are lagging behind, to play a more responsible role in reducing the session jam. He also hoped that such meetings would help quicken the academic progress.
   Pro-vice-chancellor (education) Mohammad Muniru-zzaman, pro-vice-chancellor (admin) Mohammad Farhad Hossain, treasurer Syed Abdul Hai, acting registrar, deans and chairmen of different departments were present at the meeting.

The 66th grand group art exhibition of Bangladeshi artists will begin at the Saju Art Gallery in the city’s Gulshan area on Saturday.
   Professor Anisuzzaman will inaugurate the month-long exhibition to be organised by the Saju Art Gallery.
   A total of 167 artworks of 107 artists will be put on display at the exhibition, which will remain open to all from 10:00am to 8:00pm every day except Friday.

The Sylhet City Corporation will accord a reception to the members of parliament, elected from the Sylhet division, at the registrar’s ground in the city on Saturday.
   The SCC authorities said this at a view-exchange meeting held at Nagar Bhaban.
   The Sylhet mayor, Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran, told newsmen that all preparations were set to give reception for the lawmakers.
   He said cultural function would also be held after the main programme and eminent singers, including Subir Nandi, would render songs in the cultural function.
   All the candidates, nominated by the Awami League-led alliance, have been elected in the December 29 national election from the 19 constituencies in the Sylhet division. Of them, 17 were from Awami League and 2 from Jatiya Party (Ershad).
   Later, Syeda Jebunnessa Haq of AL and Shammi Akhtar of BNP have been elected as members of parliament for the reserved seat of woman from Greater Sylhet.

American and Bangladeshi employees of the US embassy in Dhaka donated blood to the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society under its blood donation programme.
   ‘Donating blood gives others a chance to live. This collaboration between the embassy and the Red Crescent will strengthen our partnership and provide blood supplies for hundreds of Bangladeshis,’ said the embassy’s regional medical officer. Dr Michael Morris.

Rain or thunder showers accompanied by gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at a few places over Chittagong and at one or two places over Rajshahi, Dhaka, Barisal and Sylhet divisions and the regions of Jessore and Kushtia in next 24 hours till 6:00pm today.
   Weather may remain mainly dry elsewhere over the country with partly cloudy sky, Met Office said. Day temperature may fall slightly over the country.
   Country’s highest temperature 36.7 degrees Celsius was recorded on Thursday at Jessore and lowest 19.5 degrees at Sylhet.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 6:18pm and rises tomorrow at 5:42am.