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Local News
Sunday, December 22, 2002
Head Lines
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News Brief, Summary of
more than 20 leading Bangla & English Dailies, Source : News Garden |
Sunday, December 22, 2002
National
The government will finalise a policy
report on the future activities of the non-government organisations
(NGOs) within next one week, Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD)
Ministry sources said Saturday. The report was supposed to be finalised
yesterday, but the government decided to take one more week's time to
discuss the draft report with the NGO leaders before its finalisation,
LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan siad after the
eighth meeting of the cabinet committee on NGOs.
A total of 140 people, including 21 listed terrorists, were picked up
during the ongoing joint operation by the law-enforcing agencies and
army in 24 hours ending at 8 am Saturday. During the joint drive, 19
firearms including two pistols, three revolvers, two pipe guns, eight
shot guns, one shutter gun and 121 rounds of bullet were recovered, said
a press release from the Home Ministry.
A moderate cold wave accompanied by blinding fog has gripped the
northern districts of Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Nilphamari, Dinajpur,
Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Kurigram, Joypurhat and Gaibandha. All domestic
and international flights from Zia International Airport (ZIA) in Dhaka
were cancelled until 11-45 am. Arrival and departure schedules of all
domestic and international flights to and from Dhaka were changed
Saturday due to foggy weather in the morning.
Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia leaves for Beijing tomorrow (Monday) on
a five-day official visit to China, which is likely to yield a number of
deals in trade and investment. An official announcement said Saturday
her December 23-27 tour is taking place at the invitation of Chinese
Premier Zhu Rongji.
Leader of the Opposition Sheikh
Hasina has called for taking bold steps internationally to protect the
environment of Bangladesh. She said internal steps would not be enough
to protect the Bangladesh environment because of the worldwide
deforestation, air and water pollution and global warming.
The Election Commission (EC)
announced Saturday January 1 next year as the last day for submission of
nomination papers for the upcoming Union Parishad (UP) elections. It
said January 2 is the day for scrutiny of nominations and January 9 is
the day for withdrawal of nominations.
A 155-member advance team of Bangladesh Battalion (BANBAT-10) left Dhaka
for Kuwait Friday by a UN chartered aircraft to join United Nations
Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKOM). Other members of this 767 member
Mechanised Infantry Battalion will join UNIKOM by the remaining four
flights during January 8-24, 2003, an ISPR press release said Saturday.
A team of Thai tour operators is
expected to visit Chittagong in the second week of January to explore
the tourism potentials in Rangamati, Bandarban, Khagrachhari, Cox's
Bazar, Sonadia and Saint Martin islands.
New chief representative of the Japan Bank of International Cooperation
(JBIC) Tsutomu Uchida hinted that the port city of Chittagong would get
'greater attention' in bank's future development assistance to
Bangladesh. "Chittagong will get greater attention for further
development projects," he said in an exclusive interview with a daily.
NGO worker Pricilla Raj, who was arrested in a sedition case, was not
released yesterday although the High Court granted her bail four days
ago. Meantime, Professor Muntasir Mamun, writer Shahriar Kabir and Awami
League leaders Shafi Ahmed and Mukul Bose have been shifted from Dhaka
to different jails.
Leaders of the Dhaka Medical College Students Union (DMCSU) yesterday
damaged chairs and plant tubs at the college administration building for
not increasing price of application forms for admission test. They also
called an indefinite student strike at the college from today demanding
an increase in price of application forms for MBBS admission test from
Tk. 20 to Tk. 120. They also demanded immediate resignation of the
college principal.
The government yesterday took actions against two police officers in
Narsingdi following their reported comments to the press about Friday's
seizure of a huge quantity of firecrackers and explosives.
Secondary level textbooks published by the National Curriculum and
Textbook Board (NCTB) will be available in the market from the first
week of January, said State Minister for Education ANM Ehsanul Hoque
Milon.
Bangladesh Bank and all scheduled banks will remain closed on December
25 on the occasion of Christmas, said a press release of Bangladesh
Bank.
Sabina Akhter Tuhin, president of the Mirpur thana unit of the Awami
League-backed Jubo Mahila League, yesterday filed an attempt to murder
case against the officer-in-charge (OC) and nine other policemen of the
Ramna station with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (CMM) Court,
Dhaka.
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Regional
Ten Indians including three women and
a minor boy, held inside Bangladesh territory at Hili border in Dinajpur
district, were sent back to India as a gesture of neighbourly goodwill.
The Special Branch (SB) of Kolkata Police arrested four Bangladesh
youths in the Armenina Ghat in Kolkata Thursday night. They were
produced before the court Friday and were remanded in police custody for
14 days. Police are now investigating the real identity of the four
arrested under the Foreigners Act.
Pakistan's securities regulator said yesterday it had set up a new unit
to combat money laundering, as part of an international drive to choke
off cash destined for terrorist groups. Securities and Exchange
Commission of Pakistan (SECP) Chairman Khalid Mirza told a news
conference that the unit started work this month with technical
assistance from the World Bank to ensure that markets are not misused.
Suspected Islamic guerrillas barged into a Muslim home in
Indian-controlled Kashmir and shot to death four members of a family,
police said Saturday.
Police in the Indian capital Saturday stopped around 150 Hindu activists
from performing prayers at a mosque which they claim was built over 27
demolished Hindu temples, police said.
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International
The United States announced Friday it
was virtually doubling its military strength in the Gulf as President
George W Bush said Iraq's weapons declaration was 'Not encouraging' for
those seeking to avoid conflict. British Prime Minister Tony Blair also
urged troops to be ready for war as world powers braced for weeks and
possibly months of wrangling at the United Nations over the best way to
disarm Iraq.
US and international diplomatic efforts have brought tensions between
nuclear-armed India and Pakistan down from "alarming levels," White
House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Friday.
The United States Friday night vetoed a UN Security Council draft
resolution proposed by Syria that would have condemned Israel for the
murders of several UN employees in the Palestinian occupied territories.
Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Caracas Friday to
oppose President Hugo Chavez, as oil workers defied a court order and
pursued a 19-day-old strike.
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Sports
The BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board)
yesterday announced a short list of 20 cricketers for the World Cup to
be held in South Africa in February-March. The Board will have to
announce the mandatory list of 15 players by December 31, the deadline
for naming the World Cup squads by the 14 contestants.
India's woeful batsmen collapsed to pace again on Saturday, but they
were consoled by New Zealand's equally ugly display at the crease as 22
wickets fell in a sensational day of Test cricket here. A battered New
Zealand side emerged from the third day of the Test needing 136 runs to
win the Test, after finishing off India's first innings for 99 runs and
claiming all 10 Indian second-innings wickets for 154. Finally, India
lost the match by 4 wickets.
The national football team preparing for the SAFF Championship will play
an exhibition match against Sporting Bengal of England at the
Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur today.
Mukesh Kumar captured the third edition of the Tk. 20-lakh Dutch-Bangla
Bank Bangladesh Open at the Kurmitola Golf Club Course yesterday.
Waqar Younus will retain his captaincy of Pakistan's national team for
the upcoming World Cup, the country's cricket chief announced Saturday.
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