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The price of red lentil increased in the week and most other essential goods and vegetables remained stable or marked a fall in city kitchen markets.
   Commodities, including sugar, remained stable at the high prices they registered before and during the initial days of Ramadan. None of the goods are sold for prices as suggested by the government.
   Fish, chicken, egg and vegetable prices declined; sugar remained unchanged and red lentil prices increased in the week.
   Aubergine sold for prices between Tk 40 and Tk 60 a kilogram at Mohakhali on Friday, marking a decline by Tk 20 in the week. Cucumber sold for prices between Tk 32 and Tk 36, down by Tk 8. Aubergine and cucumber prices went up at the beginning of Ramadan.
   Green chilli was retailed for prices between Tk 60 and Tk 80 a kilogram, down by Tk 20 in the week, as, market sources said, the supply increased.
   Egg prices came down by Tk 2 in the week to sell for prices between Tk 26 and Tk 28 four pieces. Market sources said the news of egg import from India pushed down the prices.
   Different varieties of chickpea sold for prices between Tk 46 and Tk 48 a kilogram, down by Tk 4 in the week.
   Red lentil became dearer by at least Tk 4 a kilogram, because of, the sources said, increased import cost.
   Sugar, which remained unchanged in the week, sold for prices between Tk 48 and Tk 50 a kilogram. Sugar prices increased by Tk 2 the week before although the refiners had set the retail price at Tk 42.
   Fish prices declined in the week as the supply increased. A medium-sized hilsa, weighing about 800g, sold for Tk 180 at Mohakhali. The prices was Tk 250 a week ago.
   Prices of tilapia, pangas, rohita, mola and other fishes declined by Tk 20 to Tk 50 a kilogram in the week.
   Inferior grade Canadian variety of red lentil sold for prices between Tk 100 and Tk 104 a kilogram, up by Tk 4 in the week. Fine grade Nepali or local variety sold for prices between Tk 118 and Tk 120.
   Live broiler sold for prices between Tk 105 and Tk 115 a kilogram, marking a decline by Tk 10 in the week.
   Coarse rice sold for prices between Tk 22 and Tk 24 a kilogram and fine rice between Tk 30 and Tk 34.

The Ekattarer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee on Friday asked the government to announce a roadmap for trying the ’71 war criminals by September 30, and threatened that otherwise it would launch a tough movement along with other like-minded organisations.
   They also demanded immediate arrest of some recognised war criminals before the formal beginning of the trials for the sake of maintaining peace and stability in the country.
   The organisation also called for the compilation of a list of ‘razakars’ and placed a nine-point charter of demands including appointing judges, jurists and investigators for war crimes trials on the basis of their expertise instead of political affiliation, barring war criminals from going abroad, excluding them from the state function invitees’ list, stopping activities of the financial institutions of the war criminals, and reinstating the Constitution of 1972.
   Academic Kabir Chowdhury, at the inaugural session of the conference, demanded arrest of the identified war criminals before the formal beginning of trials as they are a threat to peace, law and order.
   ‘A few persons, whom the people know were directly involved in the killings, rapes and lootings during the liberation war, need to be arrested under the provision of Preventive Detention.
   Their staying free remains dangerous for the country and poses threats to peace and stability,’ said Kabir Chowdhury while presiding over the inaugural session of the conference at the Supreme Court Bar Association’s auditorium.
   He also praised the government for barring some persons from going abroad and urged it to fully restrict war crime suspects from leaving the country.
   Justice Golam Rabbani regretted the governments’ dilly-dallying tactics in starting the war crimes trial and said, ‘I am very hopeful to see the trial of war criminals before our death.’
   Dhaka University’s history teacher Professor Muntassir Mamun said, ‘When the entire nation is eager to try the war criminals, the ruling Awami League doesn’t seem to be ready, thus giving people the impression that they have no intention to try the war criminals.’
   Mamun said some leaders of the Awami League and BNP had patronised war criminals in their own interest.
   Acting president of the committee, Shahriyar Kabir, urged the government to initiate diplomatic moves to ease the pressure from outside the country to halt the war crimes trial, and pointed out that Pakistan had already begun lobbying to protect the war criminals.
   Ferdausi Priyabhashini, Shirin Banu Mitil, Salma Haque, Zeyad Al Malum and Kazi Mukul were present, along with others, at the inaugural session. Representatives from 80 units of the organisation attended the conference.

The government is planning to loosen its grip on sales of the vital antiviral drug Oseltamivir, prescribed for healing swine flu, and allow its local producers to sell the drug directly to stores, officials said.
   ‘The health ministry will hold a meeting Sunday to decide whether the five pharmaceutical companies will be allowed to sell Oseltamivir on their own,’ director general of health services Shah Munir Hossain told New Age Friday.
   On Thursday, the health ministry met the private hospital and clinic authorities and discussed the option of making the drug available in the open market.
   It was agreed in the meeting that Oseltamivir or its locally produced brands could only be sold on prescription of qualified doctors.
   The government has so far restricted its sales in the open market to ensure enough supply to public hospitals and prevent it from being leaked to the black market as the number of swine flu patients keeps rising steadily.
   Pharmacologists and medicine experts feared that freeing the sales of the drug might encourage irrational use of the expensive drug and make it ineffective for swine flu cure, leaving no other alternative.
   Four professors of pharmacology and medicine at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, while talking to New Age Friday, expressed their common apprehension that unrestrained use of the high-powered antiviral drug would invite further complications and cause severe health hazards.
   Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research senior scientist Dr Mushtaq Hossain also expressed similar views.
   The experts felt that the antiviral drug should be made available at all outlets of the public health services and hospitals to prevent its overuse.
   Shah Munir Hossain said public hospitals across the country have already received enough supplies of the rarely-used medicine as the government has built abundant stocks of the drug from World Health Organisation and state-owned Essential Drugs Company Limited.
   Leading local drug makers Beximco, Square, Popular and Eskayef are licensed to manufacture Oseltamivir and their trade names of the drug include Ose flu, SK Flu and Oselta. Roche Bangladesh Ltd imports Tamiflu, its global trade name.
   The official count of the people infected with swine flu reached 281 as IEDCR detected 6 more cases Friday.
   More than 30 patients were taking treatment in different hospitals in the city whereas hundreds of patients were crowding hospitals across the country with symptoms of common flu.
   The Chest hospital in Dhaka received about 50 such patients. ‘Two of them were admitted till Friday noon. Three others are already under treatment,’ emergency medical officer Mohammad Ishaq said, adding that only one patient was administered swine flu drug Friday and others were advised to go home and take rest.
   About eight patients were admitted to the Infectious Disease Hospital till Friday noon, said emergency medical officer Dilara Akhter.
   Patients complained about poor services by doctors and nurses and shortage of oxygen cylinder at the IDH.

Workers of two garment factories in Gazipur staged demonstration, demanding their arrears and festival bonus on Friday.
   The police and local sources said nearly 800 workers of Rain Sweater factory in Tongi BISCIC industrial area took to the street in the morning and staged demonstration.
   They also hurled brickbats at their factory and blocked the road inside the industrial area to realise their demands.
   On information the police rushed in and talked to the factory officials.
   The workers returned their works after assurance given by the authority to meet their demand by September 12.
   Meanwhile, workers of Samu Apparels in Bhabanipur area under Sadar upazila staged demonstration in front of the factory this morning following Thursday night’s police action on them while demanding their arrears.
   The police said the agitated workers of Samu Apparels went on rampage in the area Thursday night demanding their arrears.

Three people, including joint convener of district unit BNP, were injured on Friday in an attack by the activists of Juba League and BCL allegedly for making derogatory comments against district Awami league.
   Witnesses said BNP district joint convener Kazi Mohitul Hossain Jatna criticised the different activities of the present government and district Awami League at a discussion meeting organised to mark the 1st jail release day of BNP senior joint secretary general Tarique Rahman.
   Later, in a sequel, some Juba League and BCL activists swooped on Jatna at around 7:45pm in front of his own chamber when he was gossiping with some of his friends after iftar. He fell unconscious in the attack.
   The attackers also injured Mohammad Rafique, elder brother of Jatna and Jewel as they tried to resist them. All of them were rushed to Sadar hospital.
   On information, the police rushed to the spot and interrogated some people who were present during the incident.

Health and family welfare minister Dr AFM Ruhal Huq on Friday visited Square Hospital to see Professor Anu Mohammad, member secretary of the national committee to protect oil, gas, resources, power and port.
   Anu Mohammad was injured in police action on a procession of the committee on September 2 in the city.
   The health minister inquired about the health condition of Anu Mohammad and treatment and extended his profound sympathy.
   Later, the minister also visited noted businessman Abul Kalam Azad, who is undergoing treatment at the hospital.

The 38th death anniversary of Birshrestha Shaheed Nur Mohammad Sheikh will be observed at Nur Mohammad Nagar in a befitting manner today.
   Birshrestha Nur Mohammad Sheikh Trust and district administration jointly undertaken various programmes to mark the anniversary.
   The programme will begin with Quran khwani, offering fateha and milad mahfil. A discussion on the life and works of Shaheed Nur Mohammad Sheikh will be held at Nur Mohammad Sheikh Memorial Museum and Library auditorium in Narail.
   President of Birshrestho Nur Mohammad Sheikh Trust and deputy commissioner of Narail Mohammad Anwar Hossain is expected to attend the programme as the chief guest while wife of Nur Mohammad Begum Faziletunnesa and member secretary of the trust
   Azizur Rahman Bhuiyan will be present as special guests. All preparations to observe the day have been made, administration sources said.
   The Liberation War veteran Nur Mohammad Sheikh was born on February 25 in 1936 at Mohishkola (present name Nur Mohammad Nagar) under Narail.
   He joined East Bangal Rifles in 1959 and took part in the War of Liberation in 1971.
   Nur Mohammad embraced martyrdom on September 5 in 1971 while fighting against the Pakistani occupation forces at Goalhati under Jessore.

An earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale, occurring along the Myanmar-India border, jolted Banglade-sh’s north-east early Friday.
   ‘The earthquake hit Bangladesh at 2:51am and lasted for a few seconds,’ an assistant meteorologist at the Dhaka Met office told New Age.
   The US Geological Survey recorded the tremor to be measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale.
   No damage or casualties were reported. Reports reaching from outside the capital said panic-stricken people came out of their houses. No loss of property or life has so far been reported.
   The quake originated in the Myanmar-India border region, 424km off Dhaka in India, the meteorologist said.
   Bangladesh on August 31 and 13 was jolted by a series of mild earthquakes as a moderate tremor occurred in the Indian Ocean off the Andaman Islands for three consecutive days.

Nine officials of Bangladesh Bank’s Khulna office, including its general manager, have been temporarily suspended on charges of attempting to embezzle Tk 28 lakh by dealing in torn notes.
   Managing director Abdus Sattar told the news agency that he had received a notice of his suspension from Bangladesh Bank’s head office.
   Sattar claimed, ‘There were other reasons behind my suspension.’ But he declined to elaborate.
   The other suspended employees are deputy managers Syed Shafiqur Rahman and Mojammel Haq, assistant managers Sajjad Hossain, Kohinoor Aktar, Shuli Biswas, Ashok Kumar Sen, Rehana Aktar and Bazlur Rahman.
   An official of the Khulna branch, not wanting to be named, said the police had recovered the Tk 28 lakh last month but no one was arrested.
   A three-member team of Bangladesh Bank came to Khulna on Aug 25 and returned to Dhaka after a two-day investigation.
   A three-member probe committee, headed by Khulna branch deputy manager Asim Kumar Majumdar, was formed to look into the incident.

At least three people were killed and 25 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck at Paniumda in Nabiganj on Friday.
   The identities of the dead, including the truck driver, could not be ascertained immediately.

The green activists, academics and national oil-gas committee activists in separate demonstrations in the capital city on Friday condemned and protested at the Wednesday’s barbaric police actions on Prof Anu Muhahammad and around 50 other leaders and activists of the committee.
   They also expressed doubts about finding out the real culprits involved behind the attacks on the peaceful marchers of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Port through the government probe committee.
   However, the leaders and activists of the national oil-gas committee vowed to continue their movement along with the people until the government cancels its decision for awarding three offshore gas blocks to foreign oil companies.
   Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon formed a human chain in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh while the national oil-gas committee organised a public rally at Khilgaon area in Dhaka in protest against the barbaric police attacks on Prof Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the committee, and its other leaders and activists.
   Prof Anu, also a teacher of Economics department of Jahangirnagar University, and other left leaning leaders of the committee, were leading the marchers towards Petrobangla headquarters to lay a seize to the office as per their declared programme on Wednesday.
   Addressing the human chain programme, BAPA president Prof Muzaffer Ahmad said that it is a constitutional right of the citizens to lodge protest against any wrong-doing of the government. ‘When the government fails to understand the language of conscience, the citizens go to lodge protest against the government misdeeds to protect their rights,’ he added.
   Expressing doubt about finding out of the real culprits involved behind the barbaric attacks on the marchers, including Prof Anu, who were very much active in protecting the country’s mineral sources for the national interest, he said adding that they would form a citizens’ probe committee to investigate into the incident.
   He criticised the ruling Awami League as a conspiracy was going on within the government for exporting gas, although the party while remaining in the opposition said that they would not allow gas export without ensuring a reserve for 50 years.
   Terming the police attacks on the oil-gas committee marchers unbecoming to an elected government, former Dhaka University teacher Prof Khan Sarwar Murshid said, ‘It is a manifestation of undemocratic attitude of the government.’
   The citizenship of people becomes meaningless if they are to face government-sponsored torture and repressions for making protest against the wrong-doing of the government, he added.
   He made an appeal to all to get united for raising their voice against the government-sponsored tortures and repressions on the patriotic people of the country for differing with the government policy.
   Committee leader Ruhin Hossain Prince said the government should cancel the production sharing contracts with the two foreign companies –– ConocoPhillips of US and Tullow Oil of Ireland for awarding three offshore gas blocks.
   Convener of the national oil-gas committee, Engineer Sheikh Muhammad Shaheedullah, and its leader Bazlur Rashid Firoz, among others, addressed the Khilgaon rally of the committee, demanding finding out of the real culprits behind the police attacks on Prof Anu Muhammad and other leaders and activists, and their exemplary punishment.
   The rally was followed by a protest procession that paraded the major streets in Khilgaon area.
   As part of their protest programme, the national oil-gas committee will hold a protest rally at the Plassey crossing in Azimpur in the city today.

The three-day conference on ‘Reaching Copenhagen Climate Summit’ ended Friday expressing deep concern over the slow progress in the current round of climate negotiation against the rising of the scale and magnitude of the climate adversities hitting hard countries like Bangladesh.
   The experts and participants also call for agreeing a deeper cut in emissions of industrialised countries in the forthcoming Copenhagen climate summit in December this year to protect the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable countries like Bangladesh, Maldives, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Fiji, Mozammique, Benin, Lao PDR, Lesotho and Sudan.
   At the closing session of the conference marking the 5th Meeting of World Water Forum of Journalists and 18th Congress of Asia-Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalists UN climate change convention secretariat official Festus Loboyera lauded the role of media in making complicated climatic jargons into useable information product making them understandable for local people.
   ‘On climate issue we generate a lot of information and some are very much complicated to understand by common people,’ he said.
   ‘So, I am very excited to see that a group of people plays role in turning the information into product so that people can use the information,’ he said.
   Festus said, without media’s active and innovative role across the world to transform the jargons into communicable messages the information would only be preserved in files and directories.
   The three-day congress concluded with adopting the Dhaka declaration, in which the APFEJ and WWFJ committed to undertake activities to make the media role much stronger in addressing the concerns with regards to climate change in future.
   With chairman of APFEJ and secretary general of WWFJ Quamrul Islam Chowdhury in the chair, the function was addressed, among others by former climate negotiators of Bangladesh in the UNFCCC Qamar Munir and Mohammad Reazuddin and newly elected secretary general of APFEJ Navo Joyti Thakuria.
   Over 100 participants of the Congress from 21 different countries earlier made their field visits to coastal Pirojpur, Patuakhali and Begerhat from August 28-29 and Tangail on September 2 to take their first hand experience on community adaptation to climate events particularly frequent floods and onslaught of grade-4 cyclone storm Sidr and Aila in the last two years.
   The congress also expressed grave concern over deterioration in both the quality and quantity of water, riverbank erosion and disputes over transboundary water issues.
   The congress decided to collect water voices from respective countries and initiate and participate in the global Internet debate and discussions.
   The WWFJ will organize a separate sessions on media at next water forum and Stockholm water week in 2010, 2011, 2012 and at the meetings of the parties of the UNFCCC.
   The WWFJ will also document indigenous knowledge and practices of water harvesting, water management and other water related issues in the different regions of the world both in electronic and print media.
   In addition, there should be a mechanism where experts are tapped by the journalists to ensure that highly technical water, sanitation and climate change issues and other relevant messages are disseminates at the highest possible means.

The new law on private universities has been designed with strict provisions to deal with the irregularities, according to the education minister.
   Nurul Islam Nahid told the news agency on Friday that the universities, leaving one or two, disregard law in running affairs.
   ‘But we’re going to enact the amended Private University Act 2009 soon with strict measures to supervise their activities,’ the minister added.
   Asked why had the president, the chancellor, not attended the convocation of Asian University Bangladesh, Nahid said, ‘The president and I did not join the ceremony because they do not have the approval to open campuses outside Dhaka and run distant learning education.’
   The convocation ceremony at the private university on July 27 was abandoned as students refused to accept diplomas from none other than the president, Zillur Rahman.
   The students of its Dhaka campus refused to join classes after the incident, while protests have been swelling on campuses outside Dhaka over recognition of its certificates, environment and removal of the vice chancellor.
   ‘I have heard that many private institutions are operating without government approval, certifying certain courses... the students will have to face trouble in the future.
   ‘They do not provide quality education, proper accommodation to ensure a sound environment for studies, and are violating the law, the minister observed.
   ‘They are taking chances.’
   ‘Those at fault still can ensure proper environment by providing necessary facilities.
   ‘The authorities will be given opportunity to address the lacking and continue operations for the students’ sake,’ Nahid added.
   The University Grants Commission chairman, Professor Nazrul Islam, told the news agency on Sunday the draft law, aiming to raise education standards in the private sector that has long been accused of irregularities, is set to be tabled in the upcoming parliament session.
   ‘We have submitted a draft of the law to the ministry and expect it to be placed in the next parliament session scheduled to sit from Sept 7.’
   Though the caretaker government passed the Private University Ordinance 2008 on Nov 24 last year, it became ineffective for not being enacted in time by the ninth parliament.
   An education ministry official told bdnews24.com that the proposed law would be sent to the cabinet for approval and subsequently placed in the parliament as a bill.
   There are 51 private universities in Bangladesh, many of which are charged, most commonly, with setting up without proper facilities and providing sub-standard education.

BNP standing committee member Khandker Mosharraf Hossain on Friday denounced gross politicisation of health services and asked the government to refrain from harassing physicians of different political opinions.
   He also criticised the Awami League government for forgetting their election pledges and indulging itself in activities against the country’s interests.
   ‘An organisation loyal to the party is doing what it likes in health services by not going by the rules. Doctors with different political ideals are being victimised after the government’s assumption of office,’ said Mosharraf, also a former minister for health.
   He was addressing an iftar party hosted by the party-backed physicians’ organisation, Doctors Association of Bangladesh, in the Officers Club, Dhaka. Senior BNP leaders were present.

Police arrested 30 leaders and activists of the Hizb ut-Tahrir Bangladesh from the north gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka on Friday when they were trying to hold a rally there marking the Badar’s battle day.
   Police said the Hizb ut-Tahrir men assembled at the north gate of the mosque along with huge banners, posters, placards and sticks to hold a rally to mark the Badar’s battle day after the Jumma prayers.
   On information, additional police forces were deployed inside and outside the mosque since the Friday morning to avert any untoward incidents. Immediately after the Juma prayers, the on-duty police personnel with the help of plainclothes police arrested 30 Hizb ut-Tahirir men and took them to the Paltan police station.
   The chief co-ordinator of the organisation, M Mohiuddin, told New Age over phone that they were arrested just before holding of the rally at the north gate of the national mosque after the Jumma prayers.
   A huge leaflets, booklets and posters of the organisations containing various provocative statements against the government were seized from their possession, police said. The officer-in-charge of Paltan police station, Mujibur Rahman, said they were arrested on charges of trying to create unrest in the name of religion.
   They would be produced before the court today, he added.

Police picked up six thieves, including a woman, from the Chittagong metropolitan areas in the past 24 hours ending at 4:00pm Friday.
   The arrested were Murad, 34, Mujibur Rahman, 30, Kamal Hossain, 28, Akash Ahmad alias Babul, 25, Bipul Barua, 20, and Swapna Begum, 20.
   DB police said on secret information they arrested the six thieves from Madarbari and Dewanhat areas in the port city, and recovered 18 cell phone sets and Tk 12,500 in cash from their possession.
   Wahidul Alam, assistant commissioner of DB, quoting the arrested thieves said that they were engaged in pilfering at shops and residences for long by cutting the window grills and breaking open the locks.
   During interrogation, the thieves confessed that they had pilfered cell phone sets and other valuables worth over Tk 16 lakh from the Bashar Enterprise, a mobile phone shop, at the Dewanhat crossing in last month, the AC said.

The detective branch of police seized huge quantities of stolen electric cables worth over Tk 50 lakh and arrested six criminals in the small hours of Friday, police sources said.
   On a tip off, a special squad of Rangpur DB police led by sub-inspector Minhaz conducted a sudden raid at the house of Abdul Mannan at Chhoto Nurpur area in the city and seized about two tonnes stolen electric cables and arrested six persons from there.
   The arrested persons were identified as Eskan Mian, 45, Nasim Uddin, 35, Okku Mian, 27, Nayan Mian, 26, Shajahan Ali, 25, and Musa Mina, 30, of different areas in the city and other places in the district.
   Two to three more criminals, however, managed to escape during the overnight raid that continued till this morning.
   Police suspects that an organised gang in connivance with some other vested quarters might be behind the stealing of such huge quantity of electric cables in the area.
   Sub-inspector Minhaz filed a case in this connection with Kotwali police station this morning and started investigation into the case, the sources said.