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

Archive «
Launch Supplement «
Special Supplements «

Donors and lenders will focus on proper utilisation of foreign aid by the country in the Bangladesh Development Forum that will be held in Dhaka next week.
   The government will highlight its efforts to ensure Bangladesh’s graduation from the status of a least developed country to the middle income group.
   This was said at a joint press conference by the Economic Relations Division and the Local Consultative Group, a platform of 32 donors and lenders, at the finance ministry on Monday ahead of the development forum to be held on February 15-16.
   Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the two-day forum, which is being held after more than four years, in the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
   The BDF will discuss the revised version of the second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, called the National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction II, as the present government decided to hold the meeting to apprise donors and lenders of its development agenda.
   The government will focus on its vision including the next five-year plan to mobilise more external resources to reduce poverty and attain various other development goals, the secretary of the ERD, M Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, told newsmen.
   Chris Austin, country director of the UK Department for International Development and co-chairman of the LCG, said they would review the government’s development targets to streamline their cooperation.
   He felt that Bangladesh should highlight its success stories to present the proof for good utilization of external assistance, which, he said, was the taxpayers’ money.
   There will be around 40 stalls at the BDF which will also be attended by representatives from India, China, Saudi Arabia and some donor countries, apart from members of the LCG.'

Another pair of conjoined twins — Moni and Mukta — was separated successfully by surgeons at the Dhaka Shishu Hospital on Monday.
   ‘The conjoined twins have been separated successfully and are now in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the hospital,’ said the head of surgery of Dhaka Shishu Hospital, AR Khan, who led the team of 25 specialist physicians in separating the twins.
   ‘They are doing well, but their exact condition can only be known after 48 hours,’ AR Khan, also the director of the hospital, told reporters.
   ‘The twins’ chest, abdomen and the bones of their chests and two kidneys were conjoined. Even their intestinal tubes were jumbled up,’ he said.
   AR Khan led the 25-member team, comprising specialist physicians of different departments of the hospital and anaesthetists, which took part in the operation that lasted from 9:20am to noon.
   Trishna Pal, wife of farmer Joyprokash Pal of Palpara village at Birganj upazila in Dinajpur, gave birth to twins in a caesarean operation at a local clinic on 22 August, 2009.
   They were brought to Dhaka Shishu Hospital on January 31 and admitted to Ward No 6 of the hospital.
   Moni and Mukta are the fourth pair of conjoined twins who have so far have been separated in the country.
   According to paediatric surgeons, a pair of conjoined twins was separated in 2004 at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, but one of them died because of the entry of toxic material from the other twin, who also died later.
   Another pair of conjoined twins — Banya and Barsha — was
   separated by the surgeons at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital after a long seven-hour
   operation on 6 August, 2008. Barsha died about nine hours after the operation and Banya was kept in the intensive care unit of the neonatal department. She left the hospital on 23 September, 2008.
   A pair of conjoined twins died at Chittagong Medical College Hospital on 7 July, 2009 after four days of their birth despite all the efforts of the physicians, said hospital sources.
   They expired after three days of an initial operation on them to make separate passages for passing stool and urine as they lacked the normal system.

Green activists, urban experts and prominent members of the civil society have demanded immediate demolition of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association’s building that was constructed illegally and in violation of the Open Space and Water Body Conservation Act on Hatir Jheel.
   The environmentalists, to press home their demand, on Monday formed a human chain in front of the BGMEA Bhaban on Panthapath.
   Four green organisations — Citizen Rights Movement, Seba, Green Voice and Sundar Jibon — organised the human chain and carried a banner on which was emblazoned ‘An open letter to the Prime Minister to demolish BGMEA building’.
   The green activists sought the premier’s
   intervention to raze the illegal building since, as they said, Sheikh Hasina is an environment-friendly prime minister who has already asked the
   authorities concerned to reclaim the capital’s 43 canals to save the environment.
   They also submitted a memorandum to the chairman of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha, asking him to take effective and immediate steps to demolish the building.
   ‘Recently the Rajuk has listed the names of
   some 5,000 buildings which were built in violation of the approved
   design and plans, and we are also seeing that
   Rajuk is conducting a drive to dismantle the unapproved portions of those buildings,’ said Tushar Rahman, secretary-general of Citizens Rights Movement.
   ‘Why is Rajuk not taking any action against the BGMEA’s building which has no approval from the city development authorities? Furthermore, the building has been built in violation of the Open Space and Water Body Conservation Act 2000,’ he argued.
   Before dismantling unapproved portion of 5,000 new structures, the Rajuk will have to demolish the BGMEA Bhaban to prove that it is really trying to enforce the law, he opined.
   The memorandum said the illegal BGMEA Bhaban will remain a ‘symbol of the pre-eminence of evil forces’ in our history if it is not demolished right at this moment.
   Rajuk’s chairman Nurul Huda had earlier told the New Age that the
   BGMEA’s building does not have any approval from the city development authorities.
   In the green activists’ memorandum was an 8-point charter of demands that included reclamation of the city’s 43 canals to solve the problem of water-logging.
   Citizens’ Rights Movement’s senior vice-chairman Mafizul Haque, chairman of Save the Environment Movement Abu Nesar Khan, former secretary Syed Margub Morshed, Green Voice’s coordinator Alamgir Kabir and environmentalist Mohammed Nazimuddin addressed the human chain, along with others.

The family of Faruk Ahmed Bhuiyan, who was murdered along with a domestic help at his Banani residence on April 12, 2008, on Monday demanded re-investigation of the killing.
   Addressing a press conference, his brothers and sisters also demanded that the perpetrators of the double murder be brought to justice.
   They also rejected the charge sheet prepared by the Criminal Investigation Department which dropped the name of Faruk’s wife Minara Akter Millie, who was also an accused in the case.
   Farhad Ahmed Bhuiyan, younger brother of Faruk, alleged that Millie had killed his brother in a bid to grab his property.
   Faruk, a wealthy Bangladeshi expatriate in the United States, was killed after he had come to Bangladesh for business purpose.
   Farhad alleged that Millie, claiming herself to be a member of the ruling party, had appealed to the government to withdraw the case on the plea that it was a ‘politically motivated’ case though she had never been involved in politics.
   Some ruling party men were trying to save the killers for kickbacks, he said.
   ‘We have come to know that some influential persons of the ruling party are out to save Millie and her accomplices who were directly involved in the killing. We call for a fresh investigation into the killing,’ he said.

The police unearthed an arms factory at Baritolyah Ghona in Moheshkhali upazila of Cox’s Bazar and seized firearms and huge arms-making equipment Monday.
   The also arrested two persons — Zafar Alam and Ekramul Haque — in this connection.
   Acting on a tip-off, a team of Moheshkhali thana police arrested Zafar, a trained arms mechanic, in the morning.
   As per his confessional statement, three separate police team raided the area in the afternoon and unearthed the arms factory in a hill cave of the island.
   They also recovered two guns, two cartridges, blades, drill machine from the factory.
   The arrested people were being interrogated at the police station, the police said.

The Awami League-led alliance will hold a meeting at AL’s Dhanmondi office at 4:00pm today.
   Awami League presidium member and deputy leader of the house Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, the coordinator of the alliance has requested all leaders concerned to attend the meeting, said a press release.

The Appellate Division on Monday stayed for six weeks the High Court’s order to frame a new Warrant of Precedence in 60 days that has placed the district judges, chief metropolitan magistrates, additional district judges and chief judicial magistrates above chiefs of the three military services and the secretaries.
   Justice Md Muzammel Hossain, the judge of the Appellate Division’s chamber court, also asked the government to soon file a regular petition seeking permission to appeal against the High Court’s verdict.
   The court passed the order after hearing a provisional petition filed by attorney-general Mahbubey Alam, seeking stay of the High Court’s verdict delivered by the bench of Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury. Their verdict declared illegal the existing Warrant of Precedence of 1986 in which the position of the chiefs of the army, navy and air force and secretaries was above that of judicial officials.
   The court delivered the judgement after hearing a writ petition filed in 2006 by the then Judicial Service Association’s secretary-general Ataur Rahman, who is now a district and sessions judge, challenging the existing Warrant of Precedence.
   The government was also asked to submit the new Warrant of Precedence on May 13. The court posted for May 25 the examination of the new Warrant of Precedence and for further ruling in this regard.
   ‘As the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, all constitutional office-holders are to be placed first in order of priority in the table of the new Warrant of Precedence,’ said the court in its eight-point directive detailed in the verdict.
   The court ordered placement of ‘constitutionally recognised and referred post-holders, namely district judges’ immediately after the constitutional offices.
   Moving the stay petition, the attorney-general told the court that judges of the lower courts are employees of the republic, so their posts are not constitutional.
   ‘The High Court has committed a mistake in the judgment by ordering the government to frame the new Warrant of Precedence in which the lower court judges have been given constitutional status,’ Mahbubey Alam argued.
   ‘If the government has to frame the new Warrant of Precedence that prioritises all district judges, there will be chaos over the seating protocol of officials at the state programmes,’ he added.
   The petitioner’s counsels — M Zahir, Rokanuddin Mahmud and M Asaduzzaman — along with others opposed the stay petition.
   ‘The High Court’s verdict has upheld the supremacy of the Constitution by ordering the government to place constitutional office-holders first in order of priority in the table of the new Warrant of Precedence,’ argued Rokan.
   ‘The Warrant of Precedence of 1986 has ignored the dignity of the judges by lowering the positions of the district and sessions judges to serial number 25, thus making deputy commissioners and officers of the rank of lieutenant colonel equal to them,’ he further said.

No committee to probe the incident that occurred on January 30 night, the concluding day of the two-day centenary celebrations of Ananda Mohan College, has yet been formed. Some female students were harassed and two or three fainted out of fear when several groups of outsiders swooped on them.
   The general students of the college blamed the college authorities for not taking proper security measures at such a large gathering on the college’s playing ground. It was very easy for trouble-mongers to enter the venue as the function was held in an open place.
   Some 40,000 people of different ages, including students of the college, took part in the programme.
   Many students of the college who were there told this correspondent that the programme started at around 7pm (January 30), and when band music was being played several groups of the teenage outsiders forcibly entered the ground, and some of them began to harass the female students who became panic-stricken.
   They raised a hue and cry that drew the attention of the guests including lawmakers KM Khalid Babu and Mushtaq Ahmed Ruhi. At one stage Ruhi urged the spectators through the loudspeakers to repel the eve-teasers but the situation continued for some ten minutes more. After the incident, the apprehensive female residential students were taken to their hall by the students and teachers.
   Perhaps the celebration committee had very little idea of what could happen at such open gatherings so they did not take strict security measures.
   The principal of the college, Professor Md Zahurul Islam, claimed that no incident of the harassment of girls was reported and no girl or guardian filed any complaint with the college authorities till today.
   He said that they had not formed any probe body as they had been informed of any such incident. He also termed the reports published in various national dailies as baseless and fabricated.

The rising rice of price may provide an incentive to farmers in Bangladesh to grow more food for feeding the increasing population and ensuring national food security.
   The top executive of a multinational agri-business company sounded a cautionary note by saying that the food crisis that hit most countries in 2008 was not over yet in view of the increasing demand for food in the years to come.
   He pointed out that mechanization, and education of growers, would be a ‘very important step’ for ensuring further progress in Bangladesh’s agriculture by helping it to tackle the challenge of land and water scarcity and climate change effects.
   ‘The rising prices of rice have provided a greater incentive for farmers. Also, use of technology can help the country to grow more food,’ Andrew Guthrie, Asia Pacific head [crop
   protection] of Syngenta, said in a views-exchange meeting with members
   of the Forum for Information Dissemination on Agriculture in Dhaka on Monday.
   He pointed out that the previous year was difficult for Bangladeshi farmers as price of rice went down. ‘Bangladesh is the only country where rice price declined,’ he claimed.
   Agricultural investment has been neglected in the Asia-Pacific region over the past decade or so. There should be more research and development in the agricultural sector, said Guthrie, and insisted that governments must make more effort to make agriculture sustainable.
   Expressing confidence in the ability of Bangladeshi farmers, Syngenta’s executive expressed his optimism by saying that there might be significant development in terms of technology and extension in the next 5-10 years for bringing about a second green revolution in agriculture.
   Referring on the Bangladesh government’s move to introduce farmers’ cards, he appreciated the initiative and said his company would be interested in working with the public sector to help Bangladeshi farmers.

The High Court on Monday asked the managing director of Jamuna Builders’ Ltd to appear before it on February 22 to explain why he would not be prosecuted for committing contempt of court by misinterpreting its order that had dismissed Jamuna’s writ petition against a demolition notice served on the Jamuna Future Park Shopping Mall.
   The High Court bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Justice Borhan Uddin passed the order after hearing a contempt of court petition filed by the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha’s chairman, Nurul Huda, against Jamuna’s managing director Shamim Islam for distorting its order.
   The same court on February 3 summarily rejected the writ petition filed by the Jamuna Group, challenging the Rajuk’s notice that asked the group to demolish the unauthorised top four floors of the 10-storey Jamuna Future Park on Pragati Sarani.
   Shamim Islam on the same night submitted two appeals to Rajuk’s chairman against Rajuk’s notice to cancel the notice, and claimed that he had submitted the appeals as per the High Court’s direction.
   Moving the contempt petition, Rajuk’s lawyer AFM Mesbahuddin told the court that Shamim had distorted the High Court’s verdict while filing an appeal with the Rajuk to cancel its demolition notice issued on January 13.
   ‘Shamim filed the appeal claiming that it was filed as per as the directive of the court,’ Mesbahuddin argued. ‘The statement is a misquotation of the verdict.’

Explosion with big bang on the outskirts of Chuadanga town Monday night created panic in the area but none was reported hurt.
   Witnesses said unknown miscreants blasted the homemade bomb at 8:45pm near Bangos Biscuit Factory.
   The police went to the spot and found leaflets left behind by outlawed Purbo Banglar Commu-nist Party (M-L) threatening police and RAB to avenge the killing of its leaders including comrade Jamal.
   The red leaflets also spread venom against the Awami League leaders.

Garment workers on Monday blockaded the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway at Tongi in Gazipur for more than five hours to press home their five-point demand, demanding reopening of their factory and their dues.
   According to the police and local sources, the workers of Joint and 6 H garment factory at the Sena Kallayan complex blocked the highway at about 8:30am from the Uttara House Building to the Tongi Station Road, disrupting traffic between Dhaka and the northern districts.
   The factory has remained closed since January 14 as its electricity, water and gas connections were snapped due to non-payment of bills, employees said.
   The workers withdrew the blocked at about 2:00pm after a discussion with the police and the local administration.

The district administration imposed Section 144 in and around WAPDA Colony field in the town to bar Juba Dal from holding a rally there on Monday.
   Sources said Juba Dal called a rally at 4:00pm at the venue demanding execution of the verdict of its leader Sabbir Ahmed Gama murder case on the occasion of his 6th death anniversary.
   The police said Section 144 was imposed as Juba Dal did not take any permission from the WAPDA authority to hold rally at its filed.

A trade delegation from Canada will arrive in Dhaka on a visit from February 13 to 17 to promote the export of Canadian agricultural products in Bangladesh.
   The delegation includes members of the agricultural ministry of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership, said a news release from the trade section of the Canadian high commissioner in Dhaka.
   The delegation is expected to meet senior government officials and members of the business community.
   The objective of the visit is to develop relationship with the local agri-commodity companies and to promote Canada’s pulse producers and processors.
   Canada exported a record 3,900 crore taka in food and other agricultural products in Bangladesh in the first 11 months of 2009.

Rapid Action Battalion personnel arrested eight cheats along with 500 passports from the city’s Maligbagh area Monday.
   The arrested were M Akhter Hossain, 45, Mohammad Ali, 40, A Jalil, 42, Harun-or-Rashid, 43, A Rahim, 30, M Nazmul, 18, Abu Sufian, 18, and Sohrab Hossain, 35.
   Acting on a tip-off, a team of RAB-2 conducted a drive at Azad Tower in the area at about 3:00pm and arrested the cheats.

The government Monday appointed Professor Abul Hossain Khan Chowdhury as the new director of the National Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases.
   Abul Hossain, a leading cardiologist, will replace AK Mohibullah.

Islamic scholar Shaikhul Hadith Moulana Mohammad Nurullah died of old age complications at his residence in Brahmanbaria town Monday. He was 84.
   He is survived by his wife, nine sons, three daughters, relatives and thousands of followers and admirers to mourn his death.
   Maulana Nurullah, a religious and spiritual leader, was well known alem of the sub-continent.
   His namaz-e-janaza was held at district Jatiya Idgah Maidan after Asr prayers. Thousands of people attended the janaza.
   He was buried beside the Jamia Islamia Yunisia Madrassah where he spent his last days.
   Born in 1926 in village Madhyanagar of Raipura upazila in Narsingdi Maulana Nurullah had his education at home and abroad.
   He devoted his long life to the teachings of Islam and is author of a number publications.
   ABM Motahar

ABM Motahar Husain, a retired joint secretary, died of old age complications Sunday morning. He was 92.
   He is survived by three daughters and a son.
   He was buried at the Banani graveyard and a prayer session will be held at 6:30pm at 7/K, Road 24, Banani, Dhaka on Thursday.

Reza Mohammed Jakaria, a second year (50th batch) student in the Rajshahi Mecical College, is suffering from a terminal disease, the Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and is in need of chemotherapy and a bone-marrow transplant.
   Jakaria needs about Tk 75 lakh for the treatment. The students of the RMC, along with Jakaria’s family, have sought financial help from the people.
   Money can be sent to savings account Monoara Begum No 10139 with the Ishwardi branch of the Janata Bank Limited.
   Or, to savings account Humayun Kabir No 156.101.75522 with the Maimansingh branch of the Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited.
   For more information, contact 01674633359

General students of Dhaka University, under different banners, on Monday protested against the killing of Abu Bakar in Chhatra League’s infighting.
   Abu Bakar, who sustained to injuries during a factional fighting of the ruling party-backed student organisation at Sir AF Rahman Hall on February 2, succumbed to his injuries in Dhaka Medical College Hospital the next day.
   A number of processions were brought out on the campus on the day. Left leaning Anti- Imperialist Student Union brought out a procession and held a rally in front of Aparajeya Bangla.
   Speakers at the rally blamed Dhaka University proctor KM Saiful Islam Khan for Abu Bakar’s killing as he had ordered the police force to enter AF Rahman Hall. They also condemned the remarks home minister Sahara Khatun made on February 6 on Abu Bakar’s death.
   Police foiled an attempt by the protesters to burn an effigy of the home minister and the proctor.
   Progressive Students Union, a combine of left leaning organisations, also brought out a procession and held a rally in front of Arts Faculty building.
   They said that the first investigation report of the university authorities mentioned they had found tear gas shells at Abu Bakar’s room but police denied firing tear gas shells targeting the room. ‘The two versions are conflicting,’ said Bangladesh Chhatra Union president Manabendra Dev.
   Ariful Islam, president of Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, was also present at the rally.
   Students Against Repression brought out a protest procession and held a rally on the campus where the speakers demanded proper investigation of Abu Bakar’s death and resignation of the proctor and Sir AF Rahman Hall provost.
   They also demanded expulsion of Chhatra League activists involved in the violence on February 2 from AF Rahman Hall.