The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Rangpur

Speakers at a day-long workshop here on Tuesday stressed the need for making local government institutions more effective to establish democracy and ensuring rights of the backward and distressed Monga-hit people at grass roots level.

The workshop was organised for the public representatives on building social awareness and ensuring social rights of the Monga-hit distressed people at the conference room of Gangachara UP Parishad complex.

Association for Social Organisation and Development (ASOD) organised the workshop with a view to create mass public awareness and educate the public representatives about their responsibilities in ensuring social rights of the backward people for accelerating their developments.

Chaired by ASOD Executive Nizam Uddin, the workshop was addressed by UP members Nargis Akhter, Rumali Begum, Nilufar Yasmin, Habibul Islam, Abdul Khaleque, UP chairmen and Supervisor of ASOD Anowarul Islam.

The speakers discussed various issues like social rights, birth and marriage registrations, family planning, eradication of repression on women and children, ensuring child rights, reproductive health, women education, women empowerment, adolescents' health care, sanitation, nutrition, social curses like dowry, child marriage, divorce and superstitions, human trafficking and other related issues in the workshop. The local UP authorities could contribute a lot in ensuring the social rights for all people in the society including the backward, poor and distressed men and women at the grass root levels that would also help eliminating Monga from the poverty-prone areas, they said.

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Week-long divisional drama festival named 'Grameen Phone-Shabdaboli Nataya Utsov-07' with the slogan of 'tune the victory-songs of life, began in Barisal Wednesday.

M. Hamid, Chairman of Bangladesh Group Theatre Federation, inaugurated the festival as chief guest of the inaugural ceremony at Aswani Kumar Hall of the city with hoisting of flags and holding colourful rally on city roads.

Inaugural ceremony of the festival was presided over by Syed Dulal, Shabdaboli President and BGF Presidium member, and among others, Faruk Hossain, Shabdaboli secretary and member secretary of the festival committee, Mamunur Rahman Khan and Kazi Farhad Ahmed, outgoing and newly joined regional in charge of Grameen, Kajaol Ghosh, Nazrul Islam Chunnu, S M Iqbal and others addressed the ceremony. '

Seven dramas would be staged by five teams of three districts of the division at 6-30 PM every night of the festival week.

On the first night, Shabdaboli staged drama 'Shilari', written by Golam Shafik and directed by Aminur Rahman Mukul.

Three dramas of Shabdaboli, one of Barisal Natok and one of Kheyali Group Theatre of Barisal city, one of Protik Nataya Gosthi of Ihalakati and one of Sagorpari Theatre of Barguna would be staged in the festival.

Closing ceremony of the festival would be held on November 6 with Khan Sayeed Hassan, Commissioner of Barisal Metropolitan Police as chief guest.

The programme was arranged under the project of patronising local and traditional culture and promoting healthy amusement activities by Grameen Phone.

BSS, Chittagong

Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Ferit Ergin here today said Bangladesh and Turkey have been enjoying warm relationship in all spheres and it will be strengthened further in the days to come.

The Turkish envoy said this while speaking at a reception on the occasion of the 84th anniversary of Proclamation of the Turkish Republic at the Turkish Honorary Consul General Salahuddin Kasem Khan's Batali Hill residence here.

Government and military officials, diplomats, academics, trade body leaders and journalists were present at the function. President of Turkish-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce (TBCC) Fikret Cicek was present.

Ferit Ergin said after establishment of the diplomatic relations in 1974 and setting up of Bangladesh Embassy in Ankara in 1981, the ties between the two countries have been enhanced further in every aspect, including diplomatic, military, economic, commercial and cultural sectors.

"I am proud of the deep-rooted historical brotherly relations between the two countries and the close cooperation that happily exist between the two countries," the Turkish ambassador said recalling the all-out support to the Liberation War of Turkey by the Bengali Muslims.

Salahuddin Kasem Khan said the existing bonds of ties between the two brotherly Muslim countries will be enhanced further.

Fikret Cicek said trade and economic relations between Bangladesh and Turkey have been increasing rapidly after the TBCC floated a few years back.

At present, the trade volume between Bangladesh and Turkey stood at US$ 250 million, he observed.

Our Correspondent, Jessore

An acute crisis of smaller demoninations of bank notes and coins has been prevailing in Jessore district for the last one year, creating immense problems and discontent among the payers and recipients.

The buyers and sellers, commuters, bus conductors, rickshawpullers and peddlers are experiencing problems to a great extent due to the shortage of the bank notes and coins of Tk. one, two and five, Shopkeepers and conductors of various types of vehicles alleged that they freequently have to face awkward situation when they fail to get smaller notes and coins that sometimes lead to undesirable situation.

They also said that the crisis has been created as huge quantity of coins are being smuggled out to India. Moreover, most of the widely used notes of Tk.2 have become so worn out.

On the contrary, the district is flooded with fake notes of Tk. 100 and Tk. 500 creating a state of dilemma.

Our Correspondent, Pabna

A leader of the Sarbahara Party was killed in crossfire with police at Baraipara village under Atghoria upazila of Pabna on Tuesday night.

The deceased was identified as Belal Hossain, 35, of Hydrapur village in Atghoria upazila in the district also the leader of Sarbahara Party. Tipped off, a team of the Atghoria police arrested Hydar Ali from his uncle's house at his village about 8:30 PM.

On his confessional statement the policemen with Belal went to the area to nab and seize hidden firearms. As the lawenforcers reached the area, his associates opened fire forcing the lawenforcers to fire back.

The police said Belal was killed on the spot in the crossfire at about 10:30 PM. His associates managed to get away.

Belal was wanted in nine criminal cases, including 6 for murder.

The police seized a country-made shutter gun and three bullets from the place.

National Youth Day observed in Faridpur

RAFIDPUR, Nov 3: The National Youth Day-2007 was observed here yesterday amid different programmes befitting to the day. On the occasion of the day, a discussion meeting was held at Faridpur Youth Training Centre here. Deputy Commissioner of the district Yahyah Bhuiyan was present as the chief guest at the function. A total of eight young entrepreneurs in poultry and fisheries sector were given Taka two lakh as loan and 20 youths were given trophies and certificates for their outstanding success in different fields on the occasion, reports BSS.

Body recovered

COMILLA, Nov 3: Police recovered a body of unidentified young man from Baropara area beside Dhaka-Chittagong road in Daudkandi upazila on Thursday. Police said being informed by the local people, they recovered the body of the youth, 30, with injuries on different organs from the area and sent it to the hospital for autopsy. A case was also lodged with local thana in this connection, reports BSS.

Criminals held

RANGPUR, Nov 3: Police arrested 25 persons including suspected criminals from different parts of the district during the past 24 hours till this noon. The arrested persons include thieves, absconding accuseds in different cases, warrantees, drug peddlers and traffickers, suspected criminals and anti-social elements. Police also seized ganja, Phensidyl, locally produced wine, illegal things and recovered stolen goods during the drives, reports BSS.

Training on electoral roll

NARAIL, Nov 3: The training programme for the officials concerned to prepare an electoral roll in the pourasabha with photographs and national identity (ID) card began here on Wednesday. A total of 120 officials have been given training on how to make the electoral roll smoothly in the pourasabha under the supervision of Bangladesh Army, reports BSS.

Urs sharif

BARGUNA, Nov 3: The two-day 24th annual Urs sharif of Waliye Kamel Hazrat Shah Wazid Ali (Ra) will be held on November 4 and 5 at Kazirabad village under Betagi upazila in the district. The programmes of the urs sharif included Khatme Quran, milad mahfil, zikr and waz mahfil. On the concluding day of the urs, munajat will be offered seeking peace for the country and nation as well as salvation of the human world, reports BSS.

DMSDC academic bldag opened

RANGPUR, Nov 3: The newly built academic building of Dhaperhat Monikrisna Sen Degree College (DMSDC) was formally inaugurated at Dhaperhat under Pirganj upazila of the district on Tuesday. The Education Engineering Department (EED) completed the construction works of the academic building at the cost of Taka 39 lakh recently, officials said on Tuesday. Pirganj UNO Rezanur Rahman presided over a simple ceremony organised on the occasion that was attended by Deputy Commissioner of Rangpur Khondker Atiar Rahman as the chief guest, reports BSS.