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Local News
Wednesday, October
09, 2002
Head Lines
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News Brief, Summary of
more than 20 leading Bangla & English Dailies, Source : News Garden |
Wednesday, October
09, 2002
National
As the BNP-led alliance government
completes one year in office on October 10, senior leaders of ruling
parties and ministers claim "spectacular success" in governance and
brace for observing the day amid fanfare. Awami League chief and Leader
of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina yesterday said that the people of the
country were oppressed with bad governance since the ascendancy of the
four-party alliance government as it presented the nation with
terrorism, murder, extortion, corruption and hooliganism during its one
year rule.
Leaders of the left-leaning political parties, have made no secret of
their dislike for both the immediate past AL government and the present
alliance rule but likened the situation to "jumping from frying pan to
fire", reports The Independent.
Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia has asked the Ministers and Whips in
charge of districts to go to their respective areas and address public
meetings on Thursday, as part of the countrywide celebrations marking
the first anniversary of the four-party alliance government. A
three-day programme has been chalked out to celebrate the occasion.
Jatiya Party (M) president Anwar Hossain Manju observed that people got
frustrated as their expectations were not fulfilled but said any change
in state power should take place through constitutional way.
Expressing deep concern over the deteriorating law and order, economists
and businessmen yesterday said it is taking a heavy toll on the
country's investment. They said the law and order has deteriorated to
such an extent that the businessmen as well as the commoners are
suffering from 'a sense of insecurity'.
Security has been beefed up with deployment of additional police force
and para military BDR ahead of Durga Puja, the biggest festival of the
Hindu community, which begins in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country on
Friday. All preparations have been made to celebrate the festival
smoothly.
In Dhaka city, a total of 136 puja
mandops have been erected this year. Puja is being held at the Ramna
Kali Mandir for the first time after the liberation. The government has
decided to set up an International Foreign Trade Institute (IFTI) with a
view to formulating comprehensive strategy on foreign trade by
establishing effective linkage between the public and private sectors.
NGO representatives attending a conference in the city yesterday
strongly criticized the political role actively pursued by Proshika
chairperson Dr Quazi Faruque Ahmed. NGO representatives said the role of
the Proshika chief has substantially tarnished the image of dedicated
NGOs among the country's people.
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Neighbours
A US State Department report strongly
criticises the failure of several South Asian countries to protect the
rights of minorities.
Pakistan yesterday successfully tested a medium-range ballistic missile
called Hatf-IV (Shaheen-1), its second missile test within five days,
the official news agency Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
Pakistani authorities have arrested a group of men accused working with
rival India and plotting to sabotage Thursday's parliamentary elections.
Kashmir's final day of voting has ended as it started, with bloodshed,
as voters fled after suspected Islamic militants disguised as police
stormed a polling station southeast of Srinagar.
Two policemen and a civilian were killed in an attack by rebels on a
polling station soon after voting began early today in Doda district of
Kashmir, police said. The entire area was swamped with security
personnel within minutes of the attack, with troops using sniffer dogs
to hunt down the rebels.
Indian cinema's biggest icon, Amitabh Bachchan, will spend a day at
Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh before going to Mumbai on Friday to celebrate
his 60th birthday, Times of India reports.
A New Delhi court yesterday granted 14 days judicial custody to a
senior IPS Officer R K Sharma, the prime accused in the journalist
Shivani Bhatnagar murder case. Ravi Kant Sharma told the court that the
police tortured him and used third degree methods to make him sign the
confessional statement and never recorded the statements in which he
named prominent politicians involved in the crime.
Indian police on Tuesday arrested Avdesh, the prime accused in the south
Delhi gangrape case. A 20-year-old woman was allegedly abducted and
raped in an Alaknanda flat by six men on Sunday night.
In an effort to save the river Yamuna from getting polluted further,
Indian Pollution Control Board has proposed that Durga Puja organisers
be persuaded not to immerse their idols of the goddess in the Yamuna.
The Pollution Control Board is responsible for monitoring pollution
levels in the river.
Australia has become the biggest foreign investor in Nepal after signing
a deal to build a $860m (£549m) hydro-electric plant.
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International
President George W. Bush warned that
if Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein does not abandon any chemical, biological
or nuclear weapons, the United States "will lead a coalition to disarm
him." "The time for denying, deceiving, delaying has come to an end.
Saddam Hussein must disarm himself or, for the sake of peace, we will
lead a coalition to disarm him," Bush said.
An American charged with conspiring to assist al Qaeda and the Taliban
in waging war against the United States has been arrested in Malaysia
and faces deportation within days.
Hours after four Israelis were wounded in a roadside ambush, Israeli
armored personnel carriers rolled into the West Bank city of Hebron
Tuesday.
The nomadic Saiga antelope of central Asia could soon be taking its last
leap, China's wild Bactrian camel its last drink and the Ethiopian water
mouse its last dip. All are on the brink of extinction, say
conservationists.
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Sports
Bangladesh will take on South Africa
in the third and final match of the one-day series today in Kimberley.
The match at the diamond city of South Africa will have no effect on the
series as the home side have already taken a 2-0 lead, winning the first
one-day by 168 runs in Potchefst room before crushing the visitors by 10
wickets in Benoni in the second match. Bangladesh Ansar lifted the
championship trophy in the Japan Cup Karate Do Tournament, which
concluded on Tuesday at Mirpur Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium.
China's overpowering Asia men's basketball champions had their first
less-than-spectacular half of the Asian Games and still led the
Philippines by 17 points at half-time.
Martina Hingis returned Tuesday to the place where an ankle injury cost
her the No. 1 ranking, sweeping Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in straight sets
to reach the second round at the Porsche Grand Prix. Hingis, seeded
seventh, needed 63 minutes to beat the Spanish veteran, 6-4, 6-2 at the
US$625,000 event, which has drawn seven of the Top 10 players.
Top seed Marat Safin beats French teenager Richard Gasquet 6-4 7-6 to
reach the second round of the Lyon Grand Prix - plus a full round-up.
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