The New Nation - Internet Edition

Concert for mother

Popular singer Subir Nandi rendering song at a
concert titled 'Song for the Mother' at the TSC auditorium
of Dhaka University yesterday. Banglar Chokh

Staff Reporter

A musical event titled 'Concert for Mother' was held at the TSC Auditorium of Dhaka University (DU) to raise funds for the ailing mother of Shakil, a student of the university.

Hamida Begum, a teacher and mother of the student, has been suffering from cancer. She needs taka three lakh for her treatment. But it is not possible for her family to bear the expenses. As a result, the DU authority came forward and organised the concert.

Vice Chancellor of DU Prof SMA Faiz inaugurated the concert, as chief guest, while Secretary of the DU Alumni Association Rakib Uddin Ahmed, Provost of Bangabandhu Hall of DU Prof Mahmud Osman Imam, among others, were present on the occasion.

The concert began at 2:30pm. Ticket price of the show was Tk 150. Tickets were made available at the main entrance of the TSC before the concert. About 700 tickets were sold in the concert, which will be given to Shakil's family for treatment of his mother.

Country's noted and popular artistes performed in the concert. Artistes Subir Nandi, Samina Chowdhury, Fahmida Nabi, Agun, Close Up stars Himu and Rinku, band groups Raaga, Mohakal, Beduin and Artcell performed in the show. The audience was enchanted by the performance of the artistes.

The concert was wrapped at 9:00pm with the solemn prayer for early recovery of the ailing mother of Shakil. A huge number of students gathered at the concert venue.

Huge haul of contaminated powder milk at Ctg Port

Chittagong Correspondent

Clearing of a big consignment of contaminated powdered milk worth Taka 125.8 million has been blocked here at Chittagong port last evening.

Chittagong Customs House (CCH) denied appraisal and subsequent clearing formalities of the consignment on charges of no or tempered date of expiry on the packs of the powdered milk.

According to informed sources the total volume of the consignment is 450 metric tons. Each of the packs contains 25 kilograms of full-cream powdered milk.

Senior customs officials in presence of the joint force people physically checked four of the 18 containers laden with powdered milk and did not find reason to be convinced of its food quality.

A top official of the CCH said that the whole lot of the powdered milk would be placed under intensive physical and laboratory examinations tomorrow (Sunday).

Abul Khair Milk Products, a subsidiary of the Abul Khair Group, is learnt to have imported the consignment of powdered milk from Australia.

Though Australia is the origin of the powdered milk, a controversial pre-shipment inspection (PSI) company Bureau Varitas reportedly examined the consignment in Singapore and generated clean report of findings (CRF) for it.

The leading business group has records of selling rotten-wheat, and adulterated butter oil apart from creating artificial crisis of rice in the market by hording after the January 11 political change.

The business group is also facing several cases of document frauds and tax dodging allegedly in collaboration with the PSI companies.

Audit, investigation and research (AIR) wing of the CCH reportedly received information beforehand regarding the contaminated powdered milk and subsequently carried out the physical inspection.

An official of the AIR said that the milk packs had no date of expiry or manufacturing what were mandatory for food items of any kind.

"Missing of these information virtually forced us to suspect the milk unfit for human consumption," Superintendent of the AIR wing Pravash Chandra Tarafdar told reporters.

Yet another scandal: Spotlight on US presidential race

BBC Online

Former Democratic US presidential hopeful John Edwards has admitted that he had an extra-marital affair and that he lied about it during his campaign.

Edwards, whose wife has terminal cancer, said the affair in 2006 was with a film-maker whose company made documentaries for his campaign.

He denied fathering Rielle Hunter's child, born in February, but said he was willing to take a paternity test.

He confessed to the affair in an interview with US broadcaster ABC News.

The admission followed reports of the sex scandal in the National Enquirer newspaper, which Edwards had previously dismissed as "tabloid trash".

Now the truth is out, and the repair work that began in 2006 will continue Elizabeth Edwards. In a statement released following his television appearance, Edwards said he had made "a serious error in judgment".

"I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic," Edwards said, trying to explain his behaviour.

He said he was "ashamed" of his actions, and that he had informed his wife about the affair in 2006 and had asked for her forgiveness, the statement said.

Elizabeth Edwards later released her own statement, in which she confirmed that her husband had told her of the affair and that she had hoped it would remain private.

She described the affair as "a terrible mistake", and said that coming to terms with it had been "a long and painful process".

But she added that the healing process was "oddly made somewhat easier" when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2007.

Mrs Edwards said she was proud of her husband despite his shame, and she asked that her family's privacy be respected.

"Now the truth is out, and the repair work that began in 2006 will continue," she said.

Rielle Hunter's daughter was born in February this year, and no father's name was given on the birth certificate.

Edwards told ABC that his affair had ended too soon for him to have been the father.

Correspondents say the revelations could affect John Edwards' chances of receiving a post in government if Democrat Barack Obama wins the presidency in November.

Delwar tells partymen: Get ready to wage movement for release of Khaleda

Staff Reporter

BNP Secretary General Khondoker Delwar Hossain yesterday called upon the party leaders and activists to get prepared for a movement to secure the release of detained party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and senior Joint Secretary Tarique Rahman.

He made the call while addressing a views-exchange meeting with the Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, the pro-BNP lawyers' group, at the Supreme Court Bar Association auditorium in the city.

"We have no time to waste. Everyone will have to prepare to launch a movement for the release of Begum Zia. We will announce programmes in phases," he said.

The BNP leader said the BNP did not take part in the local government elections, since it would have given acceptance to the government's unconstitutional activities.

He warned that the BNP would not take part in any election without the party's detained Chairperson Khaleda Zia

"We want to sit for dialogue with the government under the leadership of Begum Khaleda Zia and want to participate in a free and fair election after the withdrawal of state of emergency," he said.

Khondoker Delwar alleged that the caretaker government wanted to hold the general election under the state of emergency to see the victory of "politicians of entente" to get the seal of legitimacy

Dhaka Unit of Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum organised the function with senior vice-president of the forum Advocate Fazlur Rahman Khan in the chair.

Among others, the meeting was also addressed, by Forum President and BNP Vice-president TH Khan, Justice Habibul Islam Bhuiyan, Faisal Mahmud Foizee, Adv Mojibur Rahman, Adv Sanaullah Mia, Adv Masud Ahmed Talukdar, Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Adv Arfan Uddin Khan, Adv Joynul Abedin and Juba Dal secretary general Adv Moazzem Hossain Alal.

Khondoker Delwar Hossain criticised the government for its 'double-standard on the release of the former prime minister and said there are two sets of laws in force in the country.

"Somebody is being released and sent abroad. But our leader has been confined to jail," he said adding; it does not go with the characteristics of a neutral government rather they are working following the dictates of a special quarter.

Without mentioning the name of former BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, He said the decision not to take part in the local government polls was a right decision.

"The person who is saying that it was not the right thing to do has no right to pass such a comment. He is nobody in the BNP," he observed.

He also alleged that those who were involved in the creation of the January 11 incidents by creating instability want to hold polls keeping BNP out of the race.

Delwar Hossain said the government put BNP in an adversarial position, by 'producing a fake BNP in its factory'.

Terming the BNP a pro-election party he said a fair election must be held with the participation of all parties and leaders including Begum Khaleda Zia. "Otherwise the country would drift into further instability," he added.

The forum announced that the lawyers would form a human chain on August 21 for the release of Khaleda.

Lifting of emergency must for holding fair polls: Amu

Staff reporter

Awami League (AL) presidium member Amir Hossain Amu yesterday demanded holding of national election ahead of the upazila election and complete lifting of emergency to pave the way for holding the election in fair manner.

He reiterated the demand while addressing the audience at a discussion session organised by "Amara Surjamukhi", a socio-cultural organization, to commemorate the 33rd death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the National Museum.

Amu said, " We obviously want the upazila election but it must be held after or at the same day of the national election otherwise the political parties will strongly resist it."

He also pointed out that the people of the country were eager to over- come the political crisis through exercising their franchise to elect a democratic government. According to the constitution holding of the national election was the major duty of the Government keeping another job aside.

He also put forward logic to withdraw emergency saying," The arena of national election is quite large and it can not be held only through indoor politics. It requires out door politics. So it is the first prerequisite to withdraw emergency for holding national election."

Another presidium member Tofail Ahmed raised question about the jurisdiction of the Government for approving various ordinances, as the constitution of Bangladesh did not provide such power to a caretaker government.

About formation of alliance he said, "We may form alliance with any pro liberation party who will agree with us to bring the war criminals to book if voted to power."

He also demanded unconditional release of party chief sheikh hasina as the party-men were committed to participate in the national election under her leadership.

Professor AAMS Arafine Siddique, former president of Dhaka University Teachers' Association, presided over the discussion session.

Mahathir’s daughter due tomorrow

Staff Reporter

Paduka Marina Mahathir, daughter of Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad, will arrive in Dhaka tomorrow on a six day visit on an invitation of Bangladesh Centre for Development Journalism and Communication (BCDJC) to attend a conference on Women and Media.

The conference, supported by the European Commission, is aimed at generating awareness and making policy recommendations on the issues related to women and media.

Marina Mahathir, a right activist, media person and columnist in Malaysia, will be the keynote speaker at a national conference on "Media and Gender Equity." She has recently agreed to become a trustee of a fund to help two Malaysian bloggers being sued by the New Straits Times Press (NSTP).

BCDJC President and Editor of the daily Amader Shomoy Nayeemul Islam Khan said her trip also includes programmes organised by United Nations joint Programme on HIV-AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Asian University of Women (AUW).

In addition to the BCDJC conference, she will launch the UNAIDS business coalition on HIV/AIDS UNAIDS in Dhaka and visit the AUW campus in Chittagong.

She is expected to meet Noble laureate Dr Mohammad Yunus and BRAC Chairman Fazle Hasan Abed, civil society leaders and activists. She will also visit field projects of Grameen Bank and BRAC.

Taslima Nasreen back in India

BBC Online

Controversial Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen has returned to India to renew her visa which expires on Tuesday, officials say.

She flew in to Delhi from a European capital and was whisked off to an undisclosed location, they said.

Ms Nasreen was forced to leave Calcutta last November after angry protests by Muslims. She spent four months in Delhi before moving to Sweden. She fled her native Bangladesh in 1994 when her book attracted death threats.

Ms Nasreen told some journalists by e-mail that she was keen to return to Calcutta to "gather her personal belongings, books and pet cats".

"I have to be in Delhi for renewing my Indian visa, but my heart is in Calcutta," Ms Nasreen said in her e-mail.

But the West Bengal state government is not willing to let her return to Calcutta now.

"We have to assess the situation because her coming back may provoke violence again," said a senior police official in the state capital.

He said the Indian federal government had asked for the West Bengal government's opinion on whether Nasreen could be allowed to go to Calcutta, at least for a few days.

After spending several years in Sweden, she moved to Calcutta, an Indian city close to Bangladesh where her mother tongue of Bengali is spoken.

Curbing of domestic violence urged

Staff Reporter

Speakers at a dialogue yesterday underscored the need for stopping the widespread domestic violence in rural and urban areas to pave path of the overall development of the country.

We need to stop the increasing domestic violence for the social and economic uplift of the country, they said at the dialogue on ' Domestic Violence in Bangladesh: Cost Estimates and Measures to Address the Attendant Problems' at CIRDAP auditorium.

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organised the event where Prof Rehman Sobhan, Chairman of the organisation presided over.

Women and Children Affairs Adviser Rasheda K Choudhury was present as chief guest while Advocate Sultana Kamal former adviser and Executive Director of Ain o Salish Kendra and Dona Rapold, Ambassador of Switzerland were also present as special guests.

They said pervasive awareness and enactment of favourable laws could significantly eliminate such violence.

CPD conducted a household survey that shows that 40 per cent women in urban areas and 42 per cent in rural areas have been physically abused by their husbands and about 19 per cent of them experienced severe physical assault.

The cost of spousal violence are related with health care, displacement, shalish, civil legal service, and criminal justice and lost working days. And average cost of per spousal violence is Tk 18,917.

Rasheda K Choudhury said unless attitudinal change takes place domestic violence against women and children could not be eliminated.

The Adviser who is also in charge of the Primary and Mass Education said from the next year gender issue would be included in the curriculum of primary school level.

More budgetary allocation and one stop crisis centre could help reduce the rate of spousal violence, she mentioned.

She said that the media could play an important role in deterring spousal and child violence in the country.

Prof Mustafizur Rahman, Executive Director, Dr Uttam Kumar Dev, senior research fellow of CPD and Ayesha Khanom, president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad among others, were present on the occasion.

The recommendations of the dialogue include the need of anti- domestic violence law, mainstream development of NGO's integration in creating awareness against spousal violence by their field workers, provision by to easy access the government should provide easy assess to legal aid to NGO's to help victims of the violence.

Call to recognise Kosovo

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh Kosovo Friendship Forum yesterday urged the government to give diplomatic recognition to Kosovo as an independent country.

In a seminar held at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity, leaders of the Forum made this call adding that Bangladesh should immediately recognise Kosovo with a view to expand the country's economic relations with the newly independent European country.

Bangladesh Kosovo Friendship Forum organised the seminar, which was addressed by former Vice Chancellor of Jahangirnagar University Prof Jashim Uddin as chief guest, while educationist Prof Dr Shaheda Obaed, former editor of the Daily Dinkal Kazi Shiraj and Dr Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, among others, as special guests. The forum president Shakawat Hossain Ibne Moin Chowdhury presided over the seminar and Adv Amirul Islam conducted it.

Prof Jasim Uddin said Bangladesh should recognise Kosovo as an independent country for the betterment of the country's economy, as its will open a new era for Bangladesh to export its skilled and unskilled workers and ready-made garments.

They said so far 41 countries accorded recognition to Kosovo, but Bangladesh did not yet.

Recently, US Ambassador to Bangladesh requested Foreign Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury for extending diplomatic recognition to Kosovo, they added.

Use firearms to fend off mugging: Cops with strict orders to protect people’s life

UNB, Dhaka

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) armed its cops with strict orders to use their firearms to forestall mugging in order to protect people's life and purse.

This is one of 29 guidelines issued for the 33 police stations under DMP domain in a bid to prevent mugging in the capital, as bandits again began prowling in the streets.

The guidelines came amid an upturn in the incidence of mugging, said a DMP official while revealing their plan to prevent the banditry.

Under the guidelines, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police has taken tough measures to curb the rate of this crime.

For an on-duty thana police, the guideline says the police will have to use firearms lawfully, if necessary, during a snatching incident to protect public life and property.

DMP sources said 436 spots were identified as vulnerable for mugging. At least 500 muggers everyday are active at those points to commit this crime as an alternative source of income.

Among the 33 police stations, the highest number of mugging points has been identified in Sutrapur area where 39 such crime zones are marked as black spots.

70 pc fertiliser wasted due to wrong application

Staff Reporter

Former adviser to the caretaker government Dhiraj Kumar Nath yesterday said that over 60 to 70 per cent of fertiliser is wasted on the fields due to ignorance of the farmers about their proper application.

This valuable input can be saved from extensive wastage if the field level officials train up the farmers about their proper use, he said while addressing as chief guest at a roundtable on 'Role of Media in Agriculture Development of Bangladesh', held at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Training Hall Room in the city. The Diploma Krishibid Institute (DKI) organised the roundtable.

He pointed out that huge quantity of irrigation water meets the same fate for the same reason.

He was of the view that adoption of 'deep irrigation system' which is followed in Malaysia, Thailand and Israel, can save huge quantity of underground water and surface water from wastage.

He called upon the media to disseminate agriculture related news for a day in a week. Media can play a vital role in updating the growers about new innovation in agriculture.

Foundation for Economic Development Chairman Dr MA Nasir presented the keynote paper while the DKI President Md Zahir Uddin presided over the roundtable. Chief Adviser of ATN Bangla Saiful Bari, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute Director General Dr Md Saahidul Islam, among other agriculturists, addressed the roundtable.

Dr MA Nasir in his keynote paper said that our media is not giving proper attention in publishing or airing agriculture related news during its prime time.

Saiful Bari laid stress on coordinated efforts for the development of agriculture sector.

He called upon the Government to stop use of agricultural land in non-productive sector.

Md Saahidul Islam called for strengthening the department of agriculture extension to enable it to supply agriculture inputs to growers in time.

3 kids injured in bomb explosion

Staff Reporter

Three kids were injured as a homemade bomb exploded in South Masundi under Sutrapur Police Station in the old Dhaka yesterday.

The children aged 5 to 10, while playing in the house of Kalu Bapari in the afternoon found an abandoned bomb, which exploded immediately after they touched it leaving them seriously injured.

The victims were identified as -Tamjid, 7, a student of Class II of Haji Golam Mostafa High School and son of Babu Mia, Shahidul Maji, 10, and his younger sister Kulsum, 5, children of Jainal Maji.

Local people rushed them to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital immediately after the explosion.

Tamjid suffered splinter injuries in his right hand and leg, while

Shahidul in his right wrist and Kulsum in her belly, according to the hospital sources.

BOI asked to redesign strategic plan to attract investment

UNB, Dhaka

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday directed the Board of Investment (BOI) to redesign its strategic plan incorporating new ideas, practical suggestions and forward-looking proposals to enhance investment.

He also asked for placing the restructured strategic plan in the next meeting of the Board of Investment.

The head of the caretaker government gave the instructions while chairing the 21st meeting of the Board of Investment at the CA's office when its proposed Strategic Restructuring Plan was elaborately discussed.

Development of BOI and updating its organogram, amendment to investment-related laws and the process of approval of investment projects and enhancing the capacity and efficiency of the BOI were also discussed, according to an official release.