Vol. 5 Num 335 Sun. May 08, 2005       Home  News Today's Index Front Page Business Sports Point-counterpoint Metropolitan National International Culture General Views Editorial Letters to Editor Write to Editor Sections Others About Us Contact Advertisement Supplements Archives Today's Index Front Page Campaign ends with signs of close finish The two cardinal contestants in the port city mayoral race are set for a neck-and-neck finish tomorrow, when over 11 lakh voters will choose the next city father of the country's commercial capital.   PM orders action against 6 top brass A top-secret prime ministerial order has prompted the telecoms ministry to initiate departmental action against officials who allegedly tampered with the bid evaluation of the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar optical   25 fall sick in toxic gas leak At least 25 people have fallen sick after inhaling toxic fumes emitted from a newly built fertiliser factory in Maddhya Dharmaganj of Fatullah in last two days.   HC stays cancellation of Faizee's enrolment The High Court (HC) in a rule yesterday stayed Bangladesh Bar Council's cancellation of Additional Judge Faisal Mahmud Faizee's certificate of enrolment as an advocate and ordered it to explain why the   Tk 800cr planned in revised budget The government plans to allocate Tk 800 crore in the revised budget for the current fiscal year to implement the new pay scale for state employees to be announced formally in early June, says an economic   Rigorous checks at all stages sought Engineering experts and architects, in the light of rising pubic concern over building safety, yesterday proposed forming a high-powered regulatory body to rigorously check every stage of building construction   Opposition out to foil next polls: PM Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday accused her main political foes of involvement in conspiracies to foil the next general elections as they have no chances of winning the polls.   NDF rejoinder, our reply In a rejoinder to a report headlined '600 JCD men watch Ctg Election' published in The Daily Star on May 6, President of National Democratic Foundation (NDF) Dr Assaduzzaman Ripon disclaimed engaging600   14 local groups to observe polls At least 14 local poll observation groups and several other international bodies will monitor voting in the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) election tomorrow.   Busy bees at poll camps Amir Hossain, a contractor, his younger brother Md Yousuf, a cable operator, and Md Shafi, a small trader, were busy at a polls campaign camp in Bagmonirum ward for Awami League (AL)-backed Nagorik Committee   Nasir poster claims Ershad support A poster featuring a letter of Jatiya Party (JP) Chairman HM Ershad to Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin was circulated in the port city yesterday apparently to mobilise support for the ruling alliance candidate.   Tagore's 144th birth anniversary today Today is the 144th birth anniversary of poet Rabindranath Tagore.   20 hurt as cops club freedom fighters At least 20 people, mostly war-maimed freedom fighters, were wounded in a baton charge by police in the capital yesterday when they were proceeding towards the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to submita   Scores dead as 4 bombs rock Myanmar capital Four huge bomb explosions rocked the Myanmar capital Yangon yesterday killing dozens of people and leaving over 200 injured in the worst attack since the military junta took power 40 years ago, witnesses   Caretaker chief should be acceptable to all parties Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh (BDB) and Jatiya Oikya Mancha yesterday resolutely expressed the view that the head of a caretaker government should be acceptable to all political parties and the chief election   Candidate hurt in 'Jamaat rival's' attack A pro-BNP rebel ward commissioner candidate in the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) polls suffered injuries in an attack allegedly led by his Jamaat-e-Islami-backed rival on Friday.   Bac director Hannan stand-released The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday stand-released Lt Col Abdul Hannan Mridha, a director of now defunct Bureau of Anti Corruption (Bac) as he continued to work even after his earlier withdrawal   Sacked MD appeals to BB Sacked Premier Bank managing director (MD) Kazi Abdul Mazid yesterday appealed to the Bangladesh Bank (BB) board against his removal order.   One killed in 'crossfire' An alleged criminal died in 'crossfire' between police and his accomplices in Kumirmara in Pirojpur in the early hours yesterday.   Quayum takes over as IGP Special Branch (SB) chief Abdul Quayum yesterday took over as the inspector general of police (IGP).   EC finds polling centre shifting illegal The Election Commission (EC) yesterday directed the Returning Officer (RO) for Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) polls to restore a city school's status as a polling centre as it finds the RO's relocating   BNP top shots seek vote for Mir Nasir Top leaders of the BNP-led ruling alliance at an election rally yesterday called upon the people of the port city to vote for alliance mayoral candidate in tomorrow's Chittagong City Corporation (CCC)   AL holds rallies across country today The main opposition Awami League (AL) will hold protest rallies across the country today against alleged extra-judicial killings by Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), police and other security agencies. Business Steps needed to plug graft loopholes in tax systems A businessperson paying taxes properly feels discouraged in the present context when he or she sees another person easily evading taxes, said Kutubuddin Ahmed, president of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce   Govt to re-fix gas prices for foreign investors The government is going to re-fix the tariffs of natural gas for foreign investors.   National policy sought to develop enterprises Speakers at a roundtable yesterday called for a comprehensive national policy for development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).   Frozen food exporters blame EPB for false export figure The Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association (BFFEA) claimed that the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) has made a false statement about the export figure of the sector.   Share prices dip again The capital market Saturday turned back to dipping trend following a recovery from the crashing shocks last week.   India to finalise negative list India will finalise by next week a negative list of 1,250 goods that will not qualify for tariff cut ahead of the meeting of Bimstec officials next month to firm up a free trade agreement, official sources   US takes another step to limit clothing import from China The Bush administration took another step Friday toward restricting billions of dollars in clothing imports from China by reactivating 12 industry petitions that it had been barred from considering.   Asian, European FMs call for alternative energy sources Asian and European foreign ministers expressed their concern Saturday over high oil prices and called for the development of alternative energy sources, including nuclear power.   Dollar gets tonic from strong US jobs figure The dollar got a boost Friday from strong US jobs data, which eased concerns of a US economic slowdown and supported the notion of more rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. The euro fell to 1.   Asia's rubber producers join forces to support prices Asia's big rubber producers are joining forces to support prices, but traders are skeptical the effort will be a success.   GM, Toyota to discuss tie-up Rick Wagoner, chief executive officer of General Motors Corp, will visit Japan, probably next Saturday, for a meeting with Toyota Motors Corp President Fujio Cho and other executives, apparently seeking Sports Cricket: Tigers touch down in England quietly Bangladesh cricket team reached London yesterday to play their first full series against England.   Football: Arambagh in last four at MSC's cost Arambagh Krira Sangha rubbed salt into the wounds of Mohammedan Sporting Club as they beat the popular giants 3-1 to move into the semifinals of the Independence Day football tournament at the Rajshahi   Cricket: BCCI panel talks coach issue today The process to find John Wright's successor formally begins on Sunday with the six-member committee, set up by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to select a new coach, holding its maiden   Tennis: Sharapova's dream shattered Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova's dreams of becoming world number one were ended in devastating fashion by former top ranked player Justine Henin-Hardenne in the quarterfinals of the German Open on   Table Tennis: Biman blank Noakhali Holders Biman got off to a flying start in the men's event when the Meril 27th National Table Tennis Championships began at the Mirpur Shaheed Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium yesterday.   Cricket: U-15s lift title in SL Bangladesh Under-15 cricket team won the triangular tournament title with a massive 109-run victory over hosts Sri Lanka Under-15s in the final at the Premadasa Cricket Stadium in Colombo yesterday.   Football: Brothers go to Turkmenistan today Brothers Union Club leaves Dhaka this morning to play their AFC Cup away match against Turkmenistan Nisa in Ashgabat, the capital of the central Asian country.   Cricket: Windies 86/3 West Indies were 86 for 3 in 22.2 overs after winning the toss against South Africa in the first one-day international at Kingston in Jamaica on Saturday.   Football: A final before the final Rafael Benitez has told his Liverpool players to forget about this season's Champions League final if they want to qualify for next season's competition.   Cricket: Sans Shoaib Pakistan will struggle: Wasim Former Test captain Wasim Akram believes Pakistan will struggle on their tour of the West Indies without bowler Shoaib Akhtar.   Football: They are very lucky Arsene Wenger raised the temperature ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with Liverpool by saying the Anfield club were "lucky" to be in this season's Champions League final against AC Milan.   Cricket: India to tour Pakistan in Jan 2006? The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced that the Indian tour, the second time in three years, would start in the first week of January next year.   Football: Thailand to host N Korea-Japan WC qualifier Thailand will host North Korea's home World Cup qualifier against Japan in June after crowd trouble at previous matches in Pyongyang led FIFA to order the tie played at a neutral venue, an official here   Football: Reyes in Wenger's heart Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insisted Friday that Real Madrid can forget about trying to sign striker Jose Reyes.   Football: Barca breaking with tradition Barcelona say they are making good progress in their talks in China to complete a first ever shirt sponsorship deal in the 106-year history of the Catalan club.   Cricket: Age-group cricket Rajshahi scored 191 in their first innings against Dhaka on the first day of the three-day Phase-II Under-17 Age Group Cricket development tournament final at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium yesterday.   Tennis: Clijsters to miss French Open Kim Clijsters looks likely to miss the French Open after learning that she strained the medial ligament of her right knee during the injury which caused her retirement from the third round of the German Metropolitan WB won't fund it, claims minister World Bank has assured the government that they would not finance the Indian River Linking Project (IRLP) as Bangladesh and other co-riparian countries have raised objections against the project, said   Govt plans to make Nasir winner thru' vote frauds: Hasina Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday said most people in Chittagong want to see ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury re-elected in tomorrow's mayoral polls, but the alliance government wants to snatch   Most of 40 lakh acres of khas land illegally occupied Most of the 40 lakh acres of Khas land in the country, illegally occupied by the influential quarters, could provide some three crore landless people with a piece of land if properly distributed, speakers   ADB asks Reb to inform about latest position Asian Development Bank (ADB) has asked the Rural Electrification Board (Reb) to let it know about the latest position on the divestment of its shares in the Rural Power Company Limited (RPCL) to local   Laws to be amended to ensure speedy justice Law Minister Moudud Ahmed yesterday said the government will amend the exiting civil laws with a view to ensuring speedy justice at affordable price.   Rickshaw rally in favour of Nasir violating code of conduct A massive rickshaw procession was brought out in the port city yesterday in favour of ruling four-party alliance candidate in tomorrow's CCC polls Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin, violating the election code   9 Bangladeshi criminals on 6 days' remand in West Bengal The West Bengal police produced nine top criminals of Bangladesh in Barrackpore SDJM Court yesterday. The court ordered six days' police custody for the criminals.   3-day programme opens at Dakkhindihi In celebration of the 144th birth anniversary of poet Rabindranath Tagore, a national level programme begins at Rabindra Complex at Dakkhindihi village under Phultala upazila of the district today.   BFF fund raising concert postponed Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) yesterday postponed the fund rising concert at Bangabandhu National Stadium as the Home Ministry did not give permission to stage the concert with the participation   BACE to get Chand Sultana Literacy Award Bangladesh Association for Community Education (BACE) has been selected for Chand Sultana Literacy Award-2004 in recognition of its contributions to non-formal education and the spread of literacy, says National Mili murder sparks wave of protests in Rajshahi The city dwellers staged an angry demonstration and laid a siege to Boalia Police Station (PS) yesterday demanding proper investigation into the rape and murder of 11-year-old school girl Mili.   Erosion victims in Gaibandha besiege BWDB office Hundreds of people of Fulchhari upazila (UZ) yesterday besieged the office of the executive engineer of the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) here demanding immediate steps to halt the Brahmaputra   Shortage of medical staff hampers FP activities in Kishoreganj Family Planning (FP) activities are being hampered in Kishoreganj district because of shortage of medical officers in different upazila FP offices.   PSTU students begin indefinite class boycott Over 500 students of the agriculture faculty of Patuakhali Science and Technology University (PSTU) are boycotting their classes for an indefinite period from Saturday.   No trace yet of 2 'missing' Khoksa BNP leaders Police could not trace whereabouts of two leaders of Khoksa BNP who were missing for 18 days. Point-Counterpoint In praise of Mother's Day Mother's Day is here. Many of us have already planned for this day, some are still planning. Mother's Day is not new for the international community but to many Bangladeshis, it's a relatively new celebration.   Savar building disaster The sudden collapse of a 9-storey garment factory building at Savar on April 11 has brought immense misery to the families of the victims, who were mostly poor factory workers. Culture The voice that continues to enchant Little did "Onima" know how her life was about to be changed forever the day she ventured out after the boishakhi storm in search of the luscious green mangoes.   Tagore: Pioneer of subcontinental painting Talking about how he believed that in Rabindranath Tagore was the beginning of modern art in the subcontinent, Rafiqun Nabi said, "Tagore didn't go into painting suddenly.   Tagore's timeless plays Many of us are unaware that the number of plays written by Rabindranath Tagore is more than that of many world famous playwrights such as Shakespeare or others.   "Rabindrik dance form: Bangalee's very own"--Sharmila Bandyopadhyay Momo chittey niti nrittye Ke jey nachey Ta ta thai thai… When one hears these verses, the first image that comes to mind is of a dancer, sophisticatedly clad in a non-gaudy yet colourful   "Tagore's creation: A blend of classical and modern dance" --Shibli Muhammad Rabindranath introduced dance as a performing art in Bengal. Earlier this art form was not even recognised among the Bangalee civil society because it was usually practiced by the courtesans. General Trade with India thru' Benapole resumes Export-import between Bangladesh and India through Benapole land port resumed yesterday as port users called off their strike.   PM inaugurates Jhenidah Polytech Inst Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday inaugurated Jhenidah Polytechnic Institute and several other institutions in the southwestern frontier district. International Nepali parties forging common front Nepal's opposition parties are close to forming a common front to push for the restoration of democracy three months after King Gyanendra seized power, a communist party official said yesterday.   Asem ministers urge N Korea to resume talks Asian and European foreign ministers urged North Korea yesterday to return to talks on its nuclear arms programme "without any further delay" as concerns grew that Pyongyang was preparing for an atomic   LTTE poses threat to Indian security: Delhi Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger guerrillas may be taking part in the Norway-backed peace process but they remain "one of the deadliest terrorist organisations in the world", the Indian government says.   Baghdad residents enraged as new car bomb kills 17 Exasperation was growing among Baghdad residents yesterday after the latest in an unprecedented string of car bomb attacks killed 17 people, mostly civilians, in central Baghdad.   Blair pledges to govern 'wisely' British Prime Minister Tony Blair reshuffled his cabinet Friday, keeping his popular heir-apparent Gordon Brown as finance minister, as he pledged to govern "wisely and sensibly" after his Labour Party   Bush marks end of WWII in Baltics President George W Bush has laid flowers at a monument to Latvia's independence at the start of a tour marking the end of World War II. Mr Bush praised the Baltic country that "values freedom". Editorial Editorial: Rid us of sardine-packed traffic While attempts are being made to improve the city's traffic management, a major cause behind vehicular jams remains unattended to.   Editorial: Restoring democracy in Nepal The statement by the Nepali finance minister that the King intends to restore democracy fully within the next three years was moderately encouraging, but not nearly enough.   Inaction lends itself to uncharitable speculation It is now more than a year that truckloads of arms were seized in Chittagong, nine months since the attack on Sheikh Hasina and more than three months since Mr.   Appointing the Chief Election Commissioner The demands that have been made by the opposition political parties including the main opposition Awami League (AL) to overcome the present political impasse include, inter alia, (1) reformingthe Letters to Editor Hopes and beliefs A massive construction collapse is nothing new anywhere in the world but a lack of proper investigation is what is heartbreaking for the sufferers in Bangladesh...   Virtue of quietness! Sound is a system of life. The existence of life is felt and perceived through the presence of sound. Yet enough, sound is no longer a symphony (like music etc).   Be constructive I have read the news on bribery in Bangladesh.   Holiday issue Referring to the "Holiday issue" by MZ Islam, I and other forward thinking people totally disagree with you. If you and Mr.   For better democracy... We have crossed 34 years of our independence! Democracy is maturing and slowly gaining ground in our country. At present, people at large want peace, security and development.   Dr Samuel Kobia's visit My attention has been drawn to the letter of John Peter Biswas under the title "Dr Kobia's message" published in this column on April 8, 2005. The letter of Mr. Star Health Living donor liver transplant: Not mere a dream away With the increasing incident of liver diseases, there is a pressing need for liver donors. However, there is a critical shortage of cadaveric donor livers for transplantation in the world.   Help for halitosis or bad breath Foods can cause bad breath; garlic and onions are classic examples. Reflux of stomach contents can do the same, as can serious diseases of the liver and kidneys. But the usual culprits are oral bacteria.   IQ related brain areas may differ in men, women While neither men nor women may be the more intelligent sex, their brains may take different paths to reach the same intellectual level, according to one team of researchers.   Green tea may curb prostate cancer in men at risk Researchers have shown that compounds found in green tea may prevent the development of prostate cancer in men with a pre-cancerous condition called high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN).   Vitamin C for ulcers High blood levels of vitamin C are associated with a 25 per cent decreased risk of infection with Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria commonly responsible for peptic ulcers.   Vitamin D for gums Getting enough vitamin D may keep your gums healthy, according to a study of more than 11,000 people. Researchers measured how much the participants’ gums were attached to their teeth.   Vitamin E vs. colds Vitamin E may help prevent colds. Tufts University researchers gave vitamin E (200 IU of dl-alpha-tocopherol) or a placebo to 451 nursing home residents aged 65 to 103 (the average was 85).   Vitamin E may help ease menstrual cramps Women may find some relief from menstrual cramps by taking vitamin E a few days a month, new research suggests. Star City Govt unequipped to face a strong earthquake The government is not sufficiently equipped to manage a disaster in case of strong earthquake striking Dhaka City, sources in Disaster Management Bureau said.   Visitors flock Unmad show Unmad, the most popular satirical magazine of the country is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a cartoon exhibition where socio-political satirical theme based cartoons have once again proved themain   Mohakhali flyover to finally get its remaining STUs The Roads and Highways Department (RHD), the implementing agency of the Mohakhali flyover expects to finish the installation of shock transmission units (STU) by the end of the current month.   Swamp in North Bashabo pollutes area, causes waterlogging Residents of North Bashabo area are suffering from waterlogging, mosquito menace and various other problems caused by a swamp in the area.   © thedailystar.net, 2005. All Rights Reserved.