BANGLADESH

Zia Ahmed, a retired major general from the Bangladesh army's Signals Corps, was reappointed on Monday as chairman of the Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission for another year.

Ahmed was made BTRC chief in February 2009 and completed his three-year tenure on Thursday.

An official announcement to this effect was made on Monday after prime minister Sheikh Hasina gave her formal clearance the day before.

A highly-placed PMO source said the other names that had come up for consideration included current vice chairman Giasuddin Ahmed, a retired civil servant.

Zia Ahmed was sent into retirement during the BNP-Jamaat regime as a brigadier general but got promoted to major general with retrospective effect after the Awami League government returned to power in 2009.

The benchmark index of Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) rose sharply in the first half of trading on Tuesday.

DSE general index increased to 4637.16 points, gaining 115.83 points or 2.56 percent at 1pm.

Shares and mutual funds worth Tk 3.06 billion changed hands until then, with prices of 231 issues advancing, 12 declining and 12 remaining unchanged.

The index rose to 4645.90 points with a gain of 124.57 points or 2.75 percent at 12:08pm.

After posting a rise of 174.72 points or 4 percent to 4542.53 points on Sunday, the DGEN shed 21.20 points, or 0.47 percent, on Monday to 4521.33 points.

The general index had closed the week at 4367.81 points on Thursday, a day after a committee recommended waiver of up to 50 percent interest on margin loans taken by small investors.

The previous week saw the benchmark index gaining on the last two days of trading, a 121.5-point rise on Thursday and a 62.78 point rise the day before.

The gains helped tide over losses it experienced earlier in the week, losing 30.96 points on Monday and 44.56 points on Sunday. At the end of the week, 108.76 points were added to DGEN.

The index has been steadily gaining over the two weeks before that with a 245-point gain in the week between Feb 12 and Feb 16 and a 165-point gain in the week before that (Feb 5-Feb 9).

In a stunning reversal of its previous decision, the governing body of the Bangladesh Premier League early on Tuesday said Barisal Burners – not Chittagong Kings – will play the second semifinal against table toppers Duronto Rajshahi as the fourth team.

The governing body took the decision at a 2am meeting with the technical committee .The authorities in a press statement made it clear that Barisal were through and the previous declaration that Chittagong Kings had qualified for the semis would stand void.

It had been announced initially on Sunday that Barisal Burners were through to the semifinals riding on the net run-rate after their dramatic victory against the Kings. And Chittagong, Khulna Royal Bengals and Dhaka Gladiators were left to fight it out among themselves for the remaining two spots.

On Monday, Dhaka Gladiators lost to Duronto Rajshahi by a narrow margin and Khulna Royal Bengals thrashed Sylhet Royals and the results put Khulna in the second place with 12 points, leaving Dhaka, Barisal and Chittagong tied on 10 points.

But in the head-to-head results, Dhaka had a superior net run rate and qualified for the semifinals taking third place, having beaten Barisal Burners twice and Chittagong Kings once. It meant Chittagong Kings and Barisal Burners were to fight for the fourth spot.

Chittagong Kings had two wins, against Barisal Burners and Dhaka Gladiators, while Barisal had only one, against Chittagong. But, Barisal's net run-rate was superior to Chittagong's.

Chittagong Kings at a press conference at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel late in the morning said they would challenge the latest BPL governing body's decision in court.

The late night meeting ruled that Duronto Rajshahi (14 points) and Khulna Royal Bengals (12 points) finished top two on points and qualified for the semis as the first and second placed teams.

The drama began to unfold on Monday afternoon when BPL governing council president Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu announced that Barisal Burners were left out following the head-to-head results and Chittagong were in the semi-finals, apparently on the basis of a better head-to-head record in the three-way tie on 10 points, which included Dhaka.

But the BPL statement in the wee hours of Monday said that Barisal would be the fourth semi-finalists – understandably because their head-to-head record with Chittagong was tied and they had a better net run rate.

The press statement said the governing body and the technical committee "sincerely regret any misunderstanding that may have risen regarding this issue".

Just two hours before the first semifinal is set to start on Tuesday, Chittagong Kings said they will move court over the BPL authorities' decision to allow Barisal Burnerst to play Duronto Rajshahi in the second semifinals.

Samir Quader Chowdhury, CEO of SQ Sports, which owns the Kings, told a media conference about the decision of the team. Coach Khaled Mahmud and manager Nasir Ahmed were present there.

Shafiqul Haque Heera and Faruque Ahmed, the managers of semifinalists Dhaka Gladiators and Duronto Rajshahi, respectively, and Khulna Royal Bengals media manager Jahid Razzaq Masum were also present in the conference.

Dhaka's Heera said his team will support the Kings if they were thrown out illegally.

Faruque of Rajshahi said they will also back the Kings if they were dropped unlawfully. He, however, added they are not abandoning the first semifinal against the Burners at 2pm.

The University Grants Commission has formed a probe committee to investigate allegations of harassment brought against North South University's trustee board chief Mohammad Shajahan by their teacher Nashid Kamal.

The four-strong committee headed by its convenor, UGC member professor Atful Hye Shibly, would also probe accusations of corruption against the university's authorities.

UGC member professor Abul Hashem, director Shamsul Alam and an official Durga Rani Sarkar will man the probe.

"Allegations has been received that one of the teachers has been sexually harassed by an owner of the North South University. The committee will probe the accusation," Shibly told on Sunday night.

"Besides, the work to probe the corruption charges against the university authorities will soon start."

Nashid Kamal, a teacher of the university's public health department, on Saturday sent a letter to UGC accusing Shajahan of harassing her. Shibly confirmed that she has filed a written complaint against the trustee board chief.

Meanwhile, a teacher of the university, on condition of anonymity, told : "The university authorities have held an emergency meeting with deans and members of all faculties on Sunday in the wake of the current situation. University's vice-chancellor professor Hafiz G A Siddiqi and trustee board chief Mohammad Shajahan were present there."

However, when contacted, the vice chancellor declined to talk to journalists claiming that he is not well.

"Nashid Kamal wants to be the chairperson of the public health department. Since the matter was not approved in the board meeting, she is making false accusations against me. I have always respected her like an elder sister," Shajahan claimed to refuting the allegations.

Nashid Kamal could not be reached over phone for her comments.

Journalists staged an hour-long strike on Monday, demanding proper investigation and trial of the murders of all their colleagues, including the recently slain couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi.

They wore black badges and demanded an immediate end to torture on journalists through the pen down from 12 noon to 1pm.

As per the programme announced earlier by the National Press Club, Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU), Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ), journalists across the country will stage a token hunger strike from 10am to 4pm on Mar 1.

The hunger strike programme will be centrally held at the National Press Club premises.

On Feb 11, Maasranga Television news editor Golam Mostofa Sarowar, alias Sagar Sarowar, and his wife, ATN Bangla senior reporter Meherun Nahar Runi, were found murdered at their rented flat in the city's west Rajabazar.

Police are yet to arrest anyone or name any suspect over the murder.

On Sunday, the investigators said they are 'almost certain' about the motive behind the killings of the journalist couple but cannot disclose it for the sake of the investigation.

The Public Works Department (PWD) started demolishing a shrine and several associated structures, all deemed to be unauthorised, near Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday following the High Court's order on Feb 22.

"A small part of the shrine has been demolished. But the grave and the adjacent mosque are untouched," magistrate Al Amin, who is leading the demolition work, told .

"The High Court will be notified of the drive," he added.

The demolition work began in the presence of PWD officials, Dhaka University officials and a large posse of police personnel.

"The demolition work is going on without any obstruction. No one tried to stop (the demolition work)," officer-in-charge of Shahbagh police station Sirajul Islam told journalists.

A correspondent reported from the spot that two lavatories at the rear end of the shrine (adjacent to the Nursing Hostel boundary), a kitchen-cum-storeroom, rooms of the mosque's imam and the shrine server on western part of the shrine, the shrine's main gate, ablution place, water tanks and several small establishments have been pulled down.

The bench of justices A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Jahangir Hossain had issued the order on Feb 22 to demolish the illegal establishments, after hearing a petition filed by historian Prof Muntasir Mamun.

Mamun's lawyer Manzill Murshid told that the 'shrine' of 'saint Tel Shah' was built illegally on a 20-katha land of Shaheed Minar. "The court ordered pulling down the shrine. But it retained the grave," he said.

Abdul Mannan, a devotee at the shrine, said, "Following the High Court order, demolition work is going on. The main 'majar' (shrine) or the mosque has not been touched."

A Feb 20 report in the newspaper 'Kaler Kantha' quoted former students of Dhaka Medical College, which is beside Shaheed Minar, saying there had been no shrine earlier. There was only a grave of a class IV employee of the college, and some people raised structures on the grave and turned it into a shrine in the 1990s, they told the daily.

The report added that the shrine is built on land that is part of the four acres allotted for Shaheed Minar.

It said the monument for language martyrs has been endangered by a plan of the 'shrine traders' to build a dome on the grave of a 'so-called' pir (saint) and a complex beside it.

Doctors have urged the government to pass the draft amendment of the tobacco control law to curb use of tobacco and related businesses in the interest of public health.

In the backdrop of nearly 57,000 annual deaths and 382,000 disabilities due to tobacco related illness, the government had started amending the 2005 law two years ago to make it 'stricter'. The idea was to help smokers give up, and deter youths from taking up the habit.

After completing all processes, the draft law was ready to be placed in a cabinet meeting in December last year. But the health ministry's deputy secretary, Azam-e-Sadat, who was assigned the task, said in a meeting late last year that the finance ministry had recalled the draft.

Addressing a seminar on 'tobacco and endangered public health' in the capital on Saturday, national professor brig Abdul Malik (retd) urged everyone to be "persistent" in order to realise the demand for a "stricter" tobacco control law.

United Forum Against Tobacco, a platform of doctors and professional bodies, organised the seminar.

Referring to pressure from the tobacco companies, Malik, chairman of the forum, said, "Our opponents (tobacco companies) are very strong. But we should be persistent in the interest of public health."


MORE TEETH NEEDED
Taifur Rahman, a member of the law amendment committee, said if passed and implemented, the draft amendment could help curb tobacco consumption "substantially".

He said smokeless tobacco products such as zarda, sada pata and gul had been incorporated as tobacco products in the draft law, which also suggested pictorial health warnings to be put up, covering 50 percent of a cigarette packet, to discourage smokers.

He said they also suggested declaring restaurants smoke-free and stopping duty-free shops from selling 'duty-free' cigarettes.

Studies suggest two-third of smokers in Bangladesh pick up the habit before they are 17, so the draft law barred children below 18 to sell and buy cigarettes.

Penalty has been increased from Tk 50 to Tk 500 for individuals who violate the law, while companies will have to pay up to Tk 1 million for violating the law, according to the draft.

Chairman of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society Prof Mohammad Sirajul Akbar MP said the 2005 anti-tobacco law should be updated at the earliest.

"Farmers should be encouraged to cultivate alternative crop instead of tobacco products," he said. "And at the same time, higher taxes should be imposed on tobacco products."

Member of Parliament Prof Matiur Rahman said a "vested group" is active against raising tobacco tax. "Lower economic groups are worst affected because of cheaper prices of bidis (local cigarettes)," he said.

Organising secretary of the forum Dr Sohel Reza Choudhury said a tougher tobacco control law would be able to save thousands of lives, lost untimely to diseases triggered by tobacco.

He said Bangladesh spends more to combat tobacco-related illnesses than it earns in revenue from tobacco producers.


NUMBERS RISE ASTRONOMICALLY
According to Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2009, at least 41.3 million people aged above 15 used tobacco either in smoke or smokeless form in Bangladesh. The number was 32.3 million in 2007.

According to experts, tobacco usage has decreased in developed world but increased in developing countries due to lax tobacco control laws.

Estimation suggests with 5.4 trillion cigarettes consumed, the developing world constitutes about 70 percent of the total global tobacco use.

According to the World Health Organisation, 'very poor' households in countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mexico and Egypt spend up to 15 per cent of their income on buying tobacco products.

Communications minister Obaidul Quader has said that he would travel the country extensively in the next six months and take measures to repair all the important roads after visiting those.

Quader said this at a views-exchange meeting with the deputy commissioner (DC) and local politicians at Mymensingh Circuit House on Saturday, after reviewing the progress of work to upgrade the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway into four-lane one.

The communications minister also directed the DCs and superintendents of police (SPs) to stop plying of 'Nosiman', 'Koriman', easy-bikes and other such vehicles on the highways and important roads to avoid accidents and ensure jam-free roads.

He also said the work for four-laning the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway would be completed by 2013, while the repair works of Mymensingh-Kishoreganj road by June this year.

The minister also said that all the roads in the country would be made fit for vehicular movement even during the rainy season.

Quader visited the Mymensingh-Jamalpur road after the meeting.

Authorities seized over 100 pirated books from the ongoing Amar Ekushey Book Fair on Saturday.

Bangla Academy director general Shamsuzzaman Khan led the drive against pirated books.

"Legal steps will be taken against the stalls where pirated books were found," Khan said.

Publishers said the authorities seized books on cartoon characters like 'Doraemon' and 'Pokemon' and some by Indian writers published without their permission.

Copyright Office's registrar Manzur Rahman said drive would also be conducted even beyond the fair.

Author Zafar Iqbal says that prominent Bangladeshi writers should write more for children in order to stop piracy and unexpected intrusion of foreign books.

"Piracy cannot be checked only by forming laws," he tells in an interview on the premises of Amar Ekushey Book Fair.
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"It will be possible to stop these annoyances if our eminent writers pay attention for children to see if it is possible to offer something better than pirated or foreign books," he says.

The popular author says publishing different types of books for children of different ages might increase their attention and enhance their reading habit.

"Books can captivate children if they have more and colourful pictures. There should be varieties in the books for juvenile readers in line with their choices and the trend of world literature," he says.

"Children will be addicted to television if we fail to do so. It will be dangerous," he warns.

Libraries in schools play an important role in developing reading habit among the children, Zafar Iqbal says adding that school libraries should be richer from both the points of number of collection and varieties.

Six books by the author, who is famous for his science fictions and works for children, have so far arrived the fair. Four of the six are for younger readers.

Tamrolipi published 'Keplar Two Two B', science fiction, Shomoy Prokashoni 'Rup Rupali', a novel for juvenile readers and Pearl Publication brought 'Ratuler Raat Ratuler Din'.

Jagriti Prokashoni brought 'Aro Proshno Aro Uttor', a collection of answers by Zafar Iqbal to questions by children. Ankur Prokashoni published a collection of his column 'Bodonkhani Molin Hole' and Anupam Prokashoni brought 'Kishor Natok Shomogro', a collection of plays for younger readers.

Publishing house Onnoprokash's manager Abdullah Naser has told , "After Humayun Ahmed, books by Zafar Iqbal have been sold best over the last few years."

Zafar Iqbal also emphasised extending space for the book fair.

"The space allocated for this fair needs to be extended so that readers can see and buy books in a relaxed mood. The extension must be done centring the Bangla Academy as the fair and the academy are intermingled by history."

The prices of books are above most of the readers' ability, he says adding that government's affiliation and patronisation is needed in the publication sector.

"The government can patronise the sector in various forms, including providing paper at a lower price and sanctioning money in a large scale so that public libraries can enrich their collection."

If these measures are taken to ensure publishers that their books are sold, they will be able to publish more books, which they usually do not publish in fear of potential loss.

The prime minister has said the ongoing trial of the guilty BDR (now BGB) personnel will be completed despite all hindrances.

Sheikh Hasina was speaking at a meeting organised by Rangabali upazila unit of the party after laying the foundation stone for a new upazila council complex at the newly-formed Rangabali upazila in the district.

Earlier, she reached Rangabali – a char area in the coastal belt – by a helicopter in the morning. She also inaugurated a number of development projects worth about Tk 2 billion.

Referring to the government's efforts to complete the BDR mutiny trial in the shortest possible time, Hasina alleged that main opposition BNP was trying to save the mutineers.

"You may find out who are the defence lawyers ... they are from BNP," she charged.

Saturday was the third anniversary of the mutiny at the para-military force's headquarters, in which at least 73 people, including 57 army officers deputed to the BDR, were killed.

The border guards were known as Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) until 2010 when they were renamed Border Guard Bangladesh. Its uniform, monogram and certain governing laws were also changed with an aim to free the force of the mutiny stigma.

Hasina, also the president of the ruing Awami League, said that development work in the country's southern region takes place only when Awami League comes to power.

"The people of the country's southern region get something when Awami League comes to power. On the other hand, when the BNP comes to power, the country becomes a hotbed of terrorism, loot, extortion and land-grabbing," she added.

Hasina said the district's Sonarchar would also be developed as a tourist spot like Kuakata – a panoramic sea beach on the southern-most tip of Bangladesh.

Recalling that Barisal region was once known as the country's warehouse of food grains, Hasina lamented that the region is currently lagged behind. "The present government is earnestly trying to restore the glorious past of the region."

Claiming that the price of rice has come down to Tk 25 to 30 per kilogramme outside the capital city, the prime minister held rising commodity prices in the international market responsible for the recent price hike in the domestic market.

"No farmer has yet been killed during the tenure of the Awami League government, rather the farmers are being provided with fertilisers," she added.

During the tenure of the BNP government during 1991-96, a total of 17 farmers were killed in police firing during the agitation against poor power supply that hampered farming activities and protest against shortage of fertilisers crops need to be fed to help them grow.

Claiming that a certain quarter was obstructing the ongoing war crimes trial, Hasina said the trial of those who had committed crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War must be held on the Bangla soil.

"The trial of the killers of Bangabandhu has been held and the trial of Aug 21 grenade attack case will also be taken to its logical conclusion," he added.

After the end of the meeting, the prime minister went to Kuakata where she inaugurated 'Jubo Pantho Nibas', a Parjatan Corporation motel and a 20-bed hospital.

She also laid the foundation stone of Kuakata Municipal Bhaban.

Later, she went to Kalapara where she formally opened 50-bed Kalapara Upazila Hospital, upgraded from a 20-bed one.

Hasina also laid foundation stones of three bridges on 22-km-long Kuakata-Kalapara road. The bridges are named after three sons of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman -- Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel, also her brothers.

The prime minister later addressed a public meeting as the chief guest at Mozahar Uddin Biswas College ground in the afternoon.

A Chinese geophysical service firm, BGP Incorporation, has launched two-dimensional seismic survey for exploration of oil and gas in two blocks of the Bay of Bengal.

"The survey was started this week," Energy and Mineral Resources Division secretary Mohammad Mejbah-uddin told on Wednesday.

He said the survey is expected to end by April.

BGP is surveying blocks 10 and 11 in the Bay to determine the exact location and volume of oil-gas reserves.

US oil giant ConocoPhillips chose the Chinese firm from a shortlist of eight companies for the survey.

On Sep 22, the Chinese firm won the final tender called by the US firm. Petrobangla gave go-ahead to ConocoPhillips on Dec 7 to appoint the Chinese firm.

The government on Jun 16 last signed a production-sharing agreement (PSC) with ConocoPhillips authorising it to operate seismic surveys and lift gas in sea blocks 11 and 12 -- an area of 5158 square kilometres.

The two blocks, some 280 km from Chittagong port, are about 1 km to 1.5 km deep.

The agreement provides for conducting two-dimensional seismic survey covering 973 line kilometres in the initial stage.

The US firm, as a part of the nine-year deal, has given a bank guarantee of $160 million and agreed to operate surveys and excavation in three stages.

The National Committee on Protection of Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources, Power and Ports — comprising academics, students, professionals and media activists — has since been holding series of demonstrations to protest the deal.

No sooner had the deal been inked with ConocoPhillips than the committee enforced a half-day general strike in protest.

The committee claims that the deal allows the US firm to take away 80 percent of oil and gas it will extract off the deep-sea, while Bangladesh will count losses carrying the remainder to mainland, or buy oil and gas from ConocoPhillips.

At present, Bangladesh produces around 2 billion cubic feet of gas a day against daily demand of more than 2.5 billion.

Ferry services on the Mawa-Kewrakandi route remained suspended for at least three hours early Thursday due to dense fog.

Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation's Mawa manager Sirajul Hoque told ferry operations on the route stopped around 6am Thursday to avoid any accident.

Six ferries had been anchored in the mid-river while five others got stuck in the pier during the suspension.

The halt created long lines of vehicles on both sides.

Sirajul said the ferries resumed services around 9am after the fog eased.

The war crimes tribunal on Thursday rejected the second bail petition for Jamaat-e-Islami guru Ghulam Azam facing charges of crimes against humanity.

The International Crimes Tribunal, set up to try crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, said that it found no documents substantiating the former Jamaat-e-Islami chief's claim of deteriorating health.

Justice Nizamul Huq, chairman of the tribunal, said in his order that charges had already been taken into cognisance and the court was currently in the middle of hearing formal charges while stated that the prisoner had been in custody since Jan 11, 2012, which was not unreasonably long.

There were several other items that the court dealt with on Thursday.

In the case against Jamaat executive council member Delwar Hossain Sayedee where the court was expected to hear further witness testimonies, the tribunal adjourned the proceedings till March 4 as the prosecution could not produce witnesses on Thursday and it failed to guarantee presenting any further witnesses next week.

The tribunal also adjourned the scheduled indictment hearing of Jamaat secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed till March 11, as defence counsel Munshi Ahsan Kabir pleaded that he had not even been able to read the documents served upon him on Feb8, which were in total almost 7,000 pages.

In response to petition brought by the defence against Bengali daily Janakantha, the tribunal chairman has asked the reporter concerned to be present at the court on Sunday at 10:30 for further proceedings on the matter.

The biggest exhibition of Bangladesh's software industry, BASIS SOFTEXPO-2012, is set to start on Wednesday.

To be held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, the exhibition will remain open from 10am to 8pm every day until Feb 26.

A total of 140 local and foreign companies will participate in the event, convenor of the exhibition's organising committee, Tamzid Siddique, said at a media conference on Saturday.

Tamzid, also joint secretary-general of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), organisers of the event, said more than 80 seminars, technical sessions, open sessions and business matchmaking presentations will be held during the fair.

The expo will have seven zones: business software, outsourcing, mobile application, cloud and communication, IT-enabled services, IT education and e-commerce.

This year, more than 100 new IT inventions will be displayed as part of the exhibition, Tamzid said. Code Warriors' Challenge, IT Innovation Search Programme, Job Fair, BASIS Freelancer of the year award and the gala award night would be the highlights of Soft Expo, he added.

The entry fee has been set at Tk 50. There will be no entry fees for students.

BASIS is organising the expo since 2003.

A group of people has attacked a function organised to mark the 'Amar Ekushey' – the Language Martyrs Day and International Mother Language Day – at Sakhipur in the district.

They chanted 'Naraye Takbir' [shout out loud] during the attack made when a dance competition was in progress at the function on Dak Bungalow premises on Tuesday evening.

Prof Aleem Mahmud, convenor of the cultural sub-committee of the programme organising committee, told : "30-40 people attack all of a sudden chanting Naraye Takbir."

"They vandalised chairs, loudspeakers and sound boxes," he added.

A discussion, poetry recitation, and music and dance competition were organised marking the Amar Ekushey.

Sakhipur upazila chairman Shawkat Shikder, also ruling Awami League's upazila unit committee general secretary, said the police have been asked to take action against the people responsible for the incident.

Sakhipur police station inspector (investigation) Mizanur Rahman told journalists that preparation was on to file a case in this connection.

A witness, preferring anonymity, said a group of people saying the Maghrib prayer at a nearby mosque got infuriated due to the use of 'disturbing' loudspeakers, and hence, the attack.

SHAHEED MINAR VANDALISED

A Jamaat-e-Islami leader allegedly vandalised a makeshift Shaheed Minar at Patharghata in Barguna on Monday evening.

Witnesses said local youths built the Shaheed Minar at the playground of a madrasah at Patharghata to pay homage to the language martyred.

But superintendent of the madrasah and local Jamaat-e-Islami leader Gazi Shahadat Hossain vandalised it.

The Shaheed Minar was, however, rebuilt with the help of at police in the wee hours of Tuesday.

Transport workers in eight districts under Rajshahi division enforced a 72-hour strike on Wednesday morning to demand that authorities end extortion by police, issue appointment letters to the workers and ease licence renewal conditions.

They have been demanding those for months but the authorities' reluctance to pay heed to their eight-point charter of demand has forced them to stop running vehicles, said Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Shramik Federation's Rajshahi division president Abdul Latif Mandal.

He said their demands had not been met despite repeated assurances from the authorities.

"For this, the 72-hour strike has been enforced from Wednesday," he told .

No buses were seen leaving the central terminal in the division headquarters on Wednesday.

Transport workers of Jaipurhat, Chapainawabganj, Natore, Pabna and Sirajganj have expressed solidarity with the protest, he said.

The strike put passengers in grave trouble. Many were seen waiting at the bus station on Wednesday.

Bogra's deputy commissioner Sarowar Mahmud, police superintendent Humayun Kabir and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) assistant director Gias Uddin on Tuesday sat with the transport workers' federation and other workers' platforms in an attempt to convince them to call off the planned strike but failed.

"We had sat with the government and the local administration a few times with our demands but all went in vain. We had no choice but to go on with the strike," Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Shramik Federation's Rajshahi divisional committee general secretary Kamal Hossain Robi said.

With the clock striking a minute past Monday midnight, the nation started paying homage to the martyrs of the historic Language Movement of 1952 to mark 'Amar Ekushey' – the Language Martyrs Day and International Mother Language Day.

President Zillur Rahman led the nation in paying tributes to the martyrs by placing wreath at the altar of Central Shaheed Minar at 00:01am Tuesday, followed closely by prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Hasina, along with cabinet members, her advisors, lawmakers and party leaders, also placed wreath on behalf of her party. Thereafter, deputy speaker Shawkat Ali paid tribute on behalf of Parliament.

BNP chairperson and leader of opposition in Parliament Khaleda Zia placed wreaths along with the party's acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other leaders around 20 minutes after midnight.

Chiefs of the three services, the attorney general, members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of UN organisations, and Dhaka University vice-chancellor Prof Dr A A M S Arefin Siddique also paid their tributes to the martyrs.

Various political parties and their front organisations as well as numerous socio-cultural organisations continued paying homage to the language martyrs by placing wreaths all through the day.

MORNING OF EKUSH

In the morning, chief justice Mohammad Muzammel Hossain placed wreaths at the altar of Shaheed Minar, followed by members of Bangladesh Judicial Service Commission.

Ruma Azad, a resident of Lalbagh, brought her son Toufiq-ul-Islam Siam, a nursery student, to show him the traditional programmes of Ekush.

"He (Siam) will be able to discover his identity by seeing this," Ruma said. She said they would return home after visiting the Amar Ekushey Book Fair at Bangla Academy.

"I offered flower at the school; now I've come here. I feel happy," little Siam said.

Dhaka University student Romana Akter, meanwhile, said she found more people in the morning on Tuesday than the last few years.

"I stood in a line in front of S M Hall at 7am but could place a flower only at 1pm," she said.

Besides law enforcement agencies, members of Bangladesh National Cadet Corps and Rover Scouts were at work at the venue to maintain order in the area.

MESSAGES

President Zillur in his message recalled with profound reverence the unfading memories of the language martyrs, namely Barkat, Rafiq, Salam, Jabbar, Shafique and many others unknown, who made the supreme sacrifice in 1952, and prayed to the Almighty for the salvation of the departed souls.

"The great language movement is a historical and significant event in our national history. This movement not only achieved the demand of mother tongue but also revealed the sense of Bangalee nationalism and inspired tremendously to achieve independence. This spirit of Bangalee nationalism paved the way for the long-cherished independence in 1971."

He also recalled with deep respect Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and then member of Legislative Assembly Dhirendra Nath Dutta, whose undaunted courage and indomitable inspiration finally helped Bangalee achieve the status of mother tongue.

"Language movement inspires us to protect and bring up our own language and heritage as well as reminds us to oppose all injustice and unfairness. Therefore, the 21st Feb not only inspires the growth of our own language, literature and culture, but also encourages to preserve and promote the language and cultures of various nations around the world," he added.

Prime minister Hasina in her message extended her best wishes to the Bangla-speaking people at home and abroad, and people of all languages and cultures across the world on the occasion of the glorious International Mother Language Day.

"The greatest Ekushey is the symbol of grief, strength and glory in the life of every Bangalee. On this day in 1952, many valiant sons of the soil, including Rafiq, Shafique, Jabbar, Barkat, Shafiuddin and Salam, sacrificed their lives for protecting the dignity of the mother tongue."

"I pay my highest respect to the memories of the martyrs. I also pay homage to the greatest Bangalee of all times, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who steered the language movement." She also recalled with great reverence contributions of all other language veterans.

She said that the International Mother Language Day is now a source of inspiration for all the people of the world in establishing the truth and justice. She said she has already placed the demand in the UNGA to make Bangla, spoken by 250 million people of the world, as one of the official languages of the UN.

Hasina further said the government established International Mother Language Institute for carrying out research on all languages of the world and preserving those. An International Mother Language Institute Act has also been enacted.

"The greatest Ekushey is the symbol of our democratic values, Bangalee nationalism, spirit of liberation struggle and secularism. We have made good progress towards realisation of the pledges made to build a modern digital Bangladesh free from hunger, poverty, terrorism, communalism and illiteracy in the last three years' journey of our government."

The prime minister urged the countrymen to make a fresh vow to work together to improve the lot of the people sinking all differences.

BACKGROUND

On Feb 21, 1952, students at Dhaka University took to the street in protest against the then government's denial of Bangla as the national language and imposition of Urdu as the sole official language of Pakistan.

Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar and a few other brave sons of the soil were killed in a police firing on this day in 1952 when students moved out in a procession from the Dhaka University campus, breaching Section 144, demanding recognition of Bangla as a state language of the then Pakistan.

The Pakistan government was ultimately compelled to incorporate an article in the constitution on Feb 29 in 1956 that declared "the state language of Pakistan shall be Urdu and Bengali".

The protest sparked on Feb 21, 1952 culminated into the long-drawn struggle that eventually led to the birth of independent Bangladesh in 1971.

On Nov 17 in 1999, the UNESCO declared Feb 21 as the International Mother Language Day. Since then countries across the globe observe the day to promote linguistic diversity and multilingual education, and raise awareness about cultural traditions based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.

The president of the Narail Bar association has put Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee at the scene of his elder brother's murder in 1971.

Also elected MP in 1986 and 1988, Saif Hafizur Rahman told the war crimes tribunal on Monday that Jamaat executive council member Sayedee was directly involved in the murder of his elder brother and two others during the independence war.

The International Crime Tribunal, set up to try crimes against humanity during the 1971 war, has indicted Sayedee on 20 counts of such crimes including murder, rape, loot and arson.

The 65-year old, 27th that the prosecution has produced, said that his brother, Saif Mizanur Rahman, who was a magistrate of Pirojpur in 1971, which was then a 'sub-division', the sub-divisional police officer Faizur Rahman and the acting sub-divisional officer Abdur Razzaque were picked up by Razakars and murdered on the bank of the nearby Baleshwar River.

Hafizur Rahman said he had heard of the incident from Khan Bahadur Syed Mohammad Afzal, a collaborator of the Pakistan Army.

The Razakars were one of the platforms set up by the Jamaat-e-Islami, besides other platforms like the Al Badr and Al Shams, to actively thwart the freedom struggle and oppose the pro-liberation forces. They were notorious for their atrocities and extent of collaboration with the Pakistani occupation forces.

Mizanur Rahman's widow, Hafizur Rahman's sister-in-law, had informed the family of the murder. Hafizur Rahman had gone to Pirojpur with his father and sister and heard about what had happened first hand from Afzal.

"He told us that my brother was collaborating with the freedom fighters and was actively supporting the liberation forces. So he was killed along with others."

Afzal had taken his brother away in a car along with one Munnaf Razakar. Hafiz said Delwar Hossain was present in that car. "I heard later that this Delwar Hossain later became known as Delwar Hossain Sayedee."

Mizanul Islam began cross-examination and is set to continue for at least another hour after when the court returns from lunch recess.

FIRST CASE TO TRIAL

Sayedee's is the first case to proceed to the trial stage at the tribunal. The prosecution on Sept 4 proposed framing of charges against him on 31 counts for crimes against humanity and genocide.

On Oct 3, the tribunal indicted Sayedee on 20 counts.

The tribunal also sent Jamaat's former chief Ghulam Azam to jail on Jan 11. His indictment hearing began on Feb 15 and the tribunal is expected to rule on a second bail petition on Feb 23.

Besides Sayedee, Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed and assistant secretaries general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla, and Bangladesh Nationalist Party's standing committee member and MP Salauddin Quader Chowdhury have been detained on war crimes charges.

The tribunal granted conditional bail to former BNP lawmaker and minister Abdul Alim on March 31 last year. The bail was extended further on Jan 16, ordering him to be present in the court on Mar 15 when the prosecution has been directed to submit formal charges against the BNP leader.

Nearly 1100 employees of the National University are going to lose their jobs as the High Court on Monday declared illegal their appointments made during BNP-led coalition government's tenure.

Appointed between Nov 17, 2003 and Aug 31, 2004, the staff, however, will be able to apply if any circular on new appointment is issued.

The two judge bench of justices Hasan Foez Siddique and Jahangir Hossain delivered the verdict and added that the condition of age of service may be relaxed for them.

Today primary scholarship result has been published.

goto this link and get your result

http://dpe.teletalk.com.bd/scholarship.php
(passing year will be 2011)

GOOD LUCK

Bangladeshi teachers and students of the United State's Oklahoma University have expressed their concern as no 'substantial' progress have been made in the investigation into the journalist couple's murder.

In a media statement issued by the Students' Association of Bangladesh (SAB), they demanded immediate arrest of the killer.

"SAB members are deeply grief-stricken after losing a friend (Runi)," the statement added.

ATN Bangla senior reporter Meherun Runi and her husband Sagar Sarowar, who was news editor with Maasranga Television, were found murdered at their rented flat in west Rajabazar in the capital early last Saturday.

Runi and some other journalists went to the university in 2009 and the association organised a programme to honour all the Bangladeshi journalists, the statement added.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has complained to Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh that 80 per cent of the water from the Farakka Barrage goes to Bangladesh.

India's private television channel NDTV reported the interaction based on a letter the Trinamool chief sent to Singh.

Quoting a government official the report said, "Bangladesh was to get 35,000 cusecs during the dry season as per the water agreement between the two countries but was getting 82,801 cusecs due to the drainage of water from the barrage."

"The excess outflow of water from Farakka barrage through two damaged sluice gates has reduced its water level by three metres and is posing a threat of erosion at Jangipur area of Murshidabad district."

''The water level at the barrage, which should remain 21.90 metres has come down by three metres as gate numbers 13 and 16 have broken down,'' hydrologist Kalyan Rudra said.

The Ganges water-sharing agreement was struck with India during Awami League's tenure in 1996. A deal over sharing Teesta river's water was to be struck during Manmohan Singh's trip to Bangladesh last September, but the signing was stalled due to opposition from Mamata.

Scheduled to accompany the Indian prime minister on the tour, the West Bengal chief minister pulled out at the last moment saying that the amount of water to be given to Bangladesh was not disclosed to her earlier.

Head of the state government's experts' body studying the Teesta water-sharing issue, Rudra pointed out to the television channel that the excess outflow was causing scarcity of water at NTPC's Farakka plant as the feeder canals were also running out of water.

The barrage, commissioned in 1975, has 109 sluice gates, he said pointing out their annual maintenance was not carried out properly.

Mamata has been taking 'strong' stances against the Indian central government recently. She last declined to attend a function in her state that was inaugurated by central government's home minister P Chidambaram on Friday.

Her snub came a day after she lodged her protests against the home minister's new counter terrorism body - National Counter Terrorism Centre – a brain child of Chidambaram.

The Department of Livestock Services (DLS) has ordered relocation of its poultry farm adjacent to the National Zoo at Mirpur to Savar to protect the precious birds of the zoo from bird flu.

Director-general of DLS Ashraf Ali and the chief of the farm have been ordered to find out land for the farm in the outskirt of the city, livestock minister Abdul Latif Biswas told on Saturday.

"The farm has been affected by bird flu several times in past few years, putting the precious animals and birds of the zoo in danger," he said.

Farm chief Kalidas Sarker, a DLS deputy director, said they had been asked by the ministry recently to shift the farm.

"We are yet to start the work," he added.

According to Kalidas, the farm has properties worth about Tk 3 billion on a 21-acre land worth nearly Tk 2 billion.

It will take around Tk 15 billion for the government to shift it, he said.

The farm, built with financial aid of UN's World Food Programme in 1976, has a capacity to annually raise 1.8 million chickens, including 19,000 that lay eggs. It is possible to get 4.5 million eggs from the farm a year if it is run properly.

"But now only 700,000 chickens are raised and as many as eggs come annually," he said.

"The average production is 35-40 percent of the total capacity," Kalidas said.

He said the farm cannot be maintained properly due to lack of fund.

It needs Tk 35 million a year to maintain it in full pace, he said.

"But the government allocates only Tk 6-7 million. So it can't be used commercially."

The farm chief, however, admitted that it is risking the zoo animals.

The International Crimes Tribunal on Sunday declared a New Age article contemptuous but acquitted the accused with a strongly worded caution considering their image in the society.

The tribunal, formed to try crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War, had on Oct 3 issued the contempt notice against the newspaper's publisher A S M Shahidullah Khan, editor Nurul Kabir, and special reports editor David Bergman.

All three, who were asked to respond, had decided to defend the article "A crucial period for the International Crimes Tribunal", written by Bergman.

After the daily newspaper's editor Nurul Kabir finished his statement in response to the contempt notice on Jan 19, the tribunal set the date to issue the verdict.

Bergman's counsel Mustafizur Rahman Khan also made a brief submission after Kabir finished his reply on Thursday.

CONTENTIOUS ARTICLE

The litigious New Age article primarily deals with the tribunal taking into cognisance charges against Jamaat-e-Islami's executive council member Delwar Hossain Sayedee.

One paragraph that had caught the attention of a tribunal member stated: "First, the tribunal seems to have taken cognisance for many of these twenty offences on the basis of looking at just one witness statement. It is difficult to see, unless the statements were extremely strong, how the tribunal could come to the conclusion that there is 'prima facie' evidence for the commission of an alleged 'crime against humanity' which took place forty years ago just on the basis of one witness statement."

Another part of Bergman's article reads, "What appears to have happened is that the tribunal did not look in detail at each and every alleged offence and consider how witnesses or other evidence supported the different elements of the offence."

In a later part of the article, Bergman wrote, "Moreover, there is a separate issue about whether the tribunal even had, in its hand, all the witness statements when it took cognisance."

The benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange rose again on Wednesday, coming a day after Tuesday's fall broke a four-day rising spell.

The DSE general index rose to 4289.7 points, gaining 112.48 points or 2.69 percent.

Shares and mutual funds worth Tk 2.53 billion changed hands, with prices of 234 issues gaining, 17 declining and five remaining unchanged.

The benchmark index was 4235.79 points, with a gain of 58.56 points or 1.4 percent, at 1:08pm; and 4323.78 points, advancing 146.55 points or 3.5 percent, at 2:08pm.

On Tuesday, the DSE general index slipped to 4177.22 points, losing 113.31 points or 2.64 percent.

The key index posted a gain of 64.37 points or 1.52 percent and rose to 4290.54 points on Monday. The premier bourse opened the week gaining 5.37 percent to 4226.18 points on Sunday.

Only last week, the bourse saw the index plummet to the lowest since December 2010. Despite undergoing topsy-turvy trading all through the week, DSE ended last week with a 201.03 points or 5.28 percent rise on Thursday.

The slide on Feb 6 set a new record with the DGEN plummeting to 3616.24 points—the lowest it has touched so far since December 2010. However, the rise on Thursday and an above 9-percent hike on Feb 7 saw the week closing at 4010.8 points, after gaining around 165 points.

Although the market stabilised a little in December 2011 after market regulator SEC declared a package of incentives, the stocks started taking a battering from the first week of the new year.

The foreign exchange reserve of Bangladesh Bank has increased on the back of falling import cost over the last three months.

The number of letter of credits (LCs) opened in January was 27 percent less than LCs opened last January, and 24 percent in December and 23 percent in November.

The foreign exchange reserve of the central bank was $9.8 billion on Tuesday, nearly $1 billion more than what it was a month ago.

BB governor Atiur Rahman expressed hope that the reserve will become satisfactory if import cost remains low.

"Banks have been directed to avoid giving loans for unnecessary and luxury products, which has impacted the entire economy positively," he told .

Zaid Bakht, researcher director at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), said there will be no problem if import of luxury and less necessary products decreases. But it will be a cause of concern, he added, if import of capital machineries and raw materials for industries also shrinks.

"Growth in the industrial sector will also drop if import of capital machineries and industrial raw material declines. In that case, the expected economic growth (GDP growth) may not be achieved," Bakht warned.

He also expressed his satisfaction over low import of food.

According to data provided by Bangladesh Bank, goods worth $17.82 billion were imported in the first half of the current 2011-2 fiscal. The amount is 16.91 percent higher than that of the previous financial year.

In July-December period of 2010-11 fiscal, import costs rose 36.59 percent over the same period of the previous year. The rise in the whole fiscal was 42 percent.

Importers opened 35 percent less LCs to import capital machineries, and 62 percent less LCs to import food (rice and wheat) in July-December period of the current fiscal, BB data says.

LCs to import industrial raw material also decreased by 9 percent, though LCs for fuel oil import increased 103 percent.

LCs to import food shot up 88 percent, capital machineries 86 percent and industrial raw materials 69 percent in the first half of 2010-11 fiscal. The amount of LCs to import fuel oil, however, decreased 3 percent.

Both Rahman and Bakht said import of fuel oil rose due to extra fuel needed for power plants.


FOREX RESERVE, VALUE OF TAKA

The BB governor Rahman said taka is getting stronger against dollar and the supply of dollar to the local market increased in recent days as flow of remittance and export earnings increased and import cost decreased.

"The pressure on foreign exchange reserve (has) dropped… Taka is strengthening against dollar. I hope the trend will continue."

He said value of taka is rising in the kerb market as well.

Expatriates remitted $ 1.22 billion in January, the highest in a month in the country's history.

The lowest inter-bank exchange rate of dollar on Thursday was Tk 83.4. On Jan 29, dollar was exchanged at a record high of Tk 84.84.

Rahman said the demand of foreign exchange was high in the last few months as expenses to buy fuel oil, machineries, fertiliser and consumer products increased. "So taka devaluated against dollar," he said.

Export earnings increased 15 percent in first seven months (July-January) of current fiscal. The flow of remittance grew 12 percent.

Less foreign aid has been released than usual in the ongoing 2011-2 fiscal year and it put pressure on supply of foreign currency, the finance minister told parliament on Wednesday.

And the shortage of foreign currency in the market resulted in depreciation of taka, AMA Muhith said, responding to a question of AL MP Mohibur Rahman Manik.

"The net foreign aid in the first five months of 2011-12 fiscal was only $68.9 million which was $322.7 million in the same period of the last fiscal."

The letter of credit settlement amount during July-Jan period of the current fiscal stood at $20.6 billion while export receipts was $11.77 billion and remittance inflow $7.28 billion, Muhith added.


LIQUIDITY PRESSURE

Steps have been taken to reduce pressure on liquidity by using different instruments including repo, reserve repo and liquidity support, the finance minister told MPs.

In reply to a question of treasury bench colleague Jafrul Islam Chowdhury, he said call rate is now less than 20 per cent and in future, it is likely to come down to a reasonable level.


WIDER TAX NET

The minister said the government has taken steps to widen the scope for levying value added tax and supplementary duty.

In reply to a question of Jatiya Party legislator Salma Islam, he said digitalisation at the revenue department is going on and by 2016 customs, VAT and income tax departments would be modernised.

In reply to another question AL lawmaker Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, the minister said the Modernisation of VAT Environment project has been undertaken.

"Under the project VAT return can be submitted online," he said.

SOE DEBTS

The minister said until November last year, state-owned enterprises (SoEs) had a total of Tk 316 billion in dues.

In reply to a question of Jatiya Party lawmaker Nasrin Jahan Ratna, Muhith said Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation owed Tk 163 billion followed by Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation with Tk 53 billion.

CITY BANK ANOMALIES

Employees at the City Bank can lodge complaints with the central bank if there is any anomaly in promotion or discrimination in salary packages, the minister said.

Mostaque Ahmed Ruhi in a question asked the minister whether the allegation about promotion and salary discrimination in the bank is true. In reply, Muhith said City Bank is a private commercial bank and it has its own guidelines on appointment, salary package, promotion and transfer.

"If there is any anomaly in promotion, salary discrimination or yearly increment, the aggrieved employees can lodge complaints with the board of directors of the bank and if they don't get any solution, they can take turn to the central bank."

"If the allegation is proved, the central bank will take necessary action," Muhith said.