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Local News
Thursday, October 17,
2002
Head Lines
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News Brief, Summary of
more than 20 leading Bangla & English Dailies, Source : News Garden |
Thursday, October 17,
2002
National
The government of Bangladesh has
strongly denied a report in the American magazine Time which alleges
that the country is a safe haven for Taleban and al-Qaeda fighters.
Foreign Secretary Shamser Mobin Chowdhury termed the Time magazine
report on Bangladesh 'fictitious, baseless and imaginative'.
Against the backdrop of an alarming fall in groundwater level, Prime
Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday called for the optimum use of surface
water in irrigation for the country’s sustainable development.
Awami League (AL) President and leader of the opposition Sheikh Hasina
has accused the ruling alliance of harbouring and encouraging terrorists
and asked it to immediately stop "persecution" of the leaders and
activists of her party.
The cabinet failed to decide on rejuvenation of the upazila system after
a lengthy and heated debate at a special meeting late last night. Local
Government and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan yesterday said
the government was committed to strengthen local government institutions
and it was working towards that direction.
Union Parishad election across the country will be held from January 11
to February 27 next year. The decision was taken at a meeting of the
Election Commission yesterday with Chief Election Commissioner M A
Sayeed in the chair.
Poor law and order continues to adversely affect development and
investment climate in Bangladesh, according to the September 2002
Quarterly Economic Update (QEU) of Asian Development Bank released
yesterday.
The ADB also noted that Bangladesh's economy has stabilised in recent
months. Revenue collection during the first quarter of current fiscal is
encouraging, exports are picking up, growth in remittances shows no sign
of abating, and reserves remain at healthy levels.
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Neighbours
Three letter bombs exploded in separate locations across the Pakistani
port city of Karachi, injuring six people, including a police official.
The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai is concerned that the campaign to
hunt down al-Qaeda and Taleban fighters could be affected following the
success of a six-party Islamist alliance in Pakistan.
The Indian government said Wednesday it will redeploy a half million
Indian troops, pulling them back from India's border with Pakistan.
Pakistan has banned smoking in indoor public places as well as tobacco
advertising. The governor of Indian-administered Kashmir has given the
three major political parties until 5 pm on Monday to stake a claim to
form the next government. The sale of tobacco products to anyone under
18 years-old or within 50 metres of educational establishments will also
be banned.
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International
President Bush on Wednesday signed an
Iraq war resolution overwhelmingly approved by Congress and told wary
world leaders to "face up to our global responsibility" to confront
Saddam Hussein, reports AP.
U.S. diplomatic and intelligence officials say they repeatedly told the
Indonesian government of information suggesting terrorists were planning
attacks against "Western tourist sites" in the two weeks before the Bali
bombings.
North Korea has revealed to the United States that it has a secret and
active nuclear weapons program, an acknowledgment made only after
Pyongyang was confronted with evidence that it has enough plutonium for
at least two nuclear weapons, senior administration officials said
Wednesday.
Vicky Davidson, an owner of a fish hatchery in Florida , has been
charged with killing 4,000 endangered or protected birds and an
alligator, police said. DeSoto County Jail released Davidson Tuesday
night after she posted $4,500 bail.
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Sports
The Federation Cup football
tournament will begin at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur
from October 23 although the Bangladesh Football Federation were yet to
name a sponsor.
Top-seeded Amal Roy began his campaign in the Bangladesh Open tennis
tournament with a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 victory against Mahmudul Haq on
Wednesday, the opening day of the men's singles main-draw.
Spin bowling will again be the key to success for India as they take on
West Indies in Madras with a 1-0 lead in the series.
Lieutenant General Tauqir Zia is to stay on as Pakistan Cricket Board
chairman despite offering to resign last weekend. Zia and PCB director
Chishty Mujahid said they would step down in the wake of the national
team's humiliating defeat by Australia in the second Test in Sharjah.
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