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Local News
Thursday, October 31, 2002
Head Lines
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News Brief, Summary of
more than 20 leading Bangla & English Dailies, Source : News Garden |
Thursday, October 31, 2002
National
Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia yesterday
made a fervent appeal to the OIC member countries for more
generous assistance and cooperation for the development of the
Islamic University of Technology (IUT). Cooperation and efforts
of all concerned would turn the IUT into a most modern
educational institution, she hoped.
Three More died, 158 were held, 26 firearms
recovered yesterday during the anti-terrorism operations.
A Jatiyatabadi
Chhatra Dal (JCD) leader died allegedly during army
interrogation at Panchagarh and a listed criminal succumbed to
his injuries at Madaripur. Also, a college student whom army
arrested on October 22 in Choumohoni, Noakhali died at the Chest
Diseases Hospital in the capital Tuesday evening.
Opposition leader Sheikh Hasina said there
has been a resurgence of 'reactionary and anti-secular forces'
in Bangladesh since last year's general election. The
consequence is inevitable increase in violence and unbridled
violation of human rights throughout the country, she said in a
lecture on "Democracy, Human Rights and Security Threats" at the
Center for the Study of International Relations in Brussels
Tuesday night.
Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia yesterday
assured journalists that steps would be taken to ensure speedy
trial of the killers of journalists. She made the assurance when
family members of journalists killed and the newsmen subjected
to repression during the Awami League rule called on the prime
minister at her office.
Visiting Asian Development Bank (ADB)
President Tadao Chino yesterday said Bangladesh will have to
ensure 'appropriate and commercial use' of gas. But Bangladesh
itself has to decide what is the best appropriate commercial
use, Chino told reporters after talks with Finance Minister M
Saifur Rahman at the latter's secretariat office. The ADB
president arrived here yesterday on a five-day visit.
Detective police yesterday arrested four
persons in connection with the murder of Government Laboratory
schoolteacher Swapan Goswami, who was gunned down in the city on
Saturday last. The arrested were identified as Moshiur Rahman,
senior assistant secretary of Land Survey Directorate, his son
SM Sabbir Rahman Shantunu, Tanveer Sharif Apon and Rifat Akand,
18.
The government yesterday brushed aside
speculations that it is considering the formation of "national
security council" as a mechanism for ensuring a secure polity.
It is totally baseless and fabricated. The government has no
plan to form anything like national security council, said
Khandaker Monirul Alom, principal information officer (PIO) of
the government.
Speakers at a seminar in the city yesterday
demanded expediting the process of separating the judiciary from
the executive. They said in many cases proper justice could not
be ensured due to non-separation of these two important organs
of the government.
The government has drawn up elaborate
programmes to observe the National Revolution and Solidarity Day
on November 7 in a befitting manner. The programmes were
finalised at a meeting held in the city yesterday with Home
Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury in the chair. On the eve of the
historic day, President Iajuddin Ahmed and Prime Minister
Khaleda Zia will give separate messages. National flags will be
hoisted atop all the government and non-government buildings on
the day, and roads and road islands will be decorated with
national flags.
The government has decided to bring
fundamental changes in the country's judicial system by
introducing Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism to
ensure justice.
The Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court
Dhaka, yesterday fixed November 30 for hearing on charge-framing
against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and three others,
accused in a graft case. Judge Ahmed Jamil Mostafa passed the
order after the case was placed before him.
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Regional
New Delhi's representative in
Kashmir yesterday invited a coalition headed by Mufti Mohammed
Sayeed to form a government, ending weeks of political wrangling
in the violence-torn state. Governor Girish Chandra Saxena said
Sayeed, a former Indian home minister who has called for
unconditional talks with Muslim militants, will be sworn in as
Kashmir's chief minister Saturday.
Pakistan Privatisation Minister said Tuesday
plans were in place to privatise four major state enterprises by
March next year and assured investors a new government would
stick to the schedule.
Tamil Tiger rebels arrived in Bangkok
yesterday for a second round of peace talks with the Sri Lankan
government which will focus on securing aid to help rebuild the
shattered island nation. In a sign of the growing trust between
the two sides, the rebel delegation travelled together for the
first time through the Colombo airport which its suicide
fighters bombed 15 months ago.
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International
US consumer confidence plunged in October to
the lowest level since November 1993, a closely watched index
showed Tuesday, pulling securities markets lower in midday
trade.
The Bank of Japan eased monetary policy
Wednesday for the first time since the end of February, in what
analysts described as a symbolic gesture to support a government
drive to tackle bad loans and deflation.
Talks to save Israel's coalition government
from collapse failed yesterday and the Labour party chief,
Defence Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, submitted his
resignation, lawmakers said. The result cleared the way for a
parliamentary vote on the 2003 budget that Labour said it would
reject in a dispute over funding demanded by prime minister
Ariel Sharon's right-wing Likud party for Jewish settlements in
the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Thirty miners have died in a fire at a coal
mine in south China, officials said yesterday, just a week after
an explosion at another coal mine killed at least 36 people. The
miners had been confirmed as dead after a fire broke out at the
Ertang Coal Mine in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi region, said
an official with the Nanning city Production Safety Bureau.
Nearly 170 million children in the Third
World countries are underweight and over three million of them
die each year, according to the World Health Report 2002, which
was released yesterday. The report said underweight remains a
massive and pervasive problem in developing countries where
poverty is a strong underlying determinant. Twenty-seven per
cent children under five years of age are underweight.
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Sports
The decision of
the BFF (Bangladesh Football Federation) disciplinary committee
Tuesday to deduct points and impose fine on four teams for
playing fixed matches in the ongoing 18th Federation
Cup kicked up a row in the sports circle. Both the matches were
played Monday.
At the Army
Stadium, Rahmatganj deliberately lost to Bangladesh Air Force
0-3 in a Group 'A' match, apparently to help Mohammedan Sporting
Club qualify for the semifinals and Arambagh Krira Sangha, with
an aim to top Group 'D' and reach the last four, beat Sheikh
Russell KC 5-2.
Abahani Krira Chakra completed the semifinal
line up of the 18th Federation Cup when they came
from behind to register a hard fought 3-2 win over Victoria
Sporting Club in their final Group 'B' match at the
Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.
The Bangladesh cricket team returns home this
morning after spending a month on tour in South Africa. Apart
from playing two Tests, Khaled Mashud's men were involved in a
three-match one-day international series against South Africans.
Opener Sanjay Bangar top-scored with a
patient 77 as India battled to 275 for six against West Indies
on the opening day of the third and final Test at Eden Gardens
Wednesday. Bangar, dropped on five, relied on his stubborn
defence to play the anchor role and shore up the innings after
the dismissal of their top four batsmen had left India in
trouble at 165-4 at tea.
Victoria Sporting Club, Bhratritta Sangha and
Satirtha Sporting Club won their respective matches in the Bata
Metropolis First Division Handball League at the court adjacent
to the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. Victoria defeated
Dhanmondi Club 25-23 after leading the first half by 11-9 in the
day's first match.
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Weather
Light and drizzling rain is
likely at one or two places over Dhaka and Rajshahi divisions
and weather may remain mainly dry over the country with partly
cloudy sky at places till 6pm tomorrow. Day temperature may
remain nearly unchanged. The sun sets at 5:20 pm today in the
capital.
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