The New Nation - Internet Edition

RU classes resume amid tight security

BSS, Rajshahi University

Classes of Rajshahi University (RU) resumed on Sunday amid tight security after 51 days of unscheduled closure.

Most students attended the classes and hundred of scholars visited the central library of the university. Additional policemen have been deployed on the campus.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mamunul Keramat visited the central library and different classes of the university. He urged the students to refrain from any further agitation and sought cooperation from all to maintain congenial atmosphere on the campus.

The vice-chancellor said many demands of the students were met and assured that all rational demands of them would be considered.

"We are very happy, because after a long time we have come to the campus and met our friends," said Sarmin Akhter Liza, a third year student of the Management Department of the university.

The university remained closed since August 20 following a clash between students and villagers.

Bangladesh-Turkey trade likely to be $1b by next year

UNB, Dhaka

The bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Turkey would be raised to US$ 1.0 billion in the next one year from the present level of US$ 300 million, Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Sakir Ozkan Torunlar said here Sunday.

"The government of Turkey is actively considering introducing Dhaka-Istanbul direct air flight to achieve the target," he told Chief Adviser's Special Assistant for Industries, Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Jamil at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

They also discussed issues relating to bilateral cooperation in other areas, including tourism and infrastructure, between the two countries.

Sakir said the two countries could cooperate with each other to tap the economic and trade potentials of Bangladesh. He apprised the Special Assistant of specialized skills of Turkish entrepreneurs in the areas of airport, deep seaport, communication infrastructure and construction.

Jamil invited Turkish entrepreneurs to invest in the construction sector of Bangladesh to take advantage of the country's cheaper workers.

He apprised the Turkish envoy that there is no procedural bottleneck to introduce direct air flight between the two cities and said the direct flight would help promote the tourism industry of both the countries.

2 killed in Gazipur road mishap

UNB, Gazipur

Two engineers were killed and three other people injured when a microbus plunged into a roadside ditch at Kaliakoir bypass road on Dhaka-Tangail highway early Sunday.

Locals said a Sirajganj-bound microbus from Dhaka fell into the ditch after a passenger bus hit it at about 1.30 am, killing two engineers on the spot and injuring three other passengers.

The engineers were identified as Rafiqul Islam, 42, and his brother-in-law Roisudin, 55. Both the deceased hailed from Sirajganj district.

Of the injured, two were admitted to the local upazila heath complex.

Police seized the microbus.

Another report from Comilla adds: A minor girl was crushed under the wheels of a bus at Padua Bazaar on Dhaka-Chittagong highway at about 11 am on Sunday.

The deceased was identified as Jasmine, 8. She went to visit her grandfather's house at Rampura in Sadar Dakkhin upazila of the district from Rangpur district recently.

A case was filed with the local thana.

Journalist team to leave for Malaysia to attend CJA confce

UNB, Dhaka

A 12-member journalist delegation will leave here for Malaysia early Monday to attend the 26th conference of the Commonwealth Journalists Association (CJA).

The six-day conference, scheduled to begin at Kuching in the Sarawak Province of Malaysia on Monday, will discuss media in the 21st century, practices in Asian journalism, role of global media in the climate change controversy and social harmony and unity.

The Chief Minister of Sarawak is expected to open the conference, which will also be attended by the dozens of journalists from the Commonwealth countries, including Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh delegation is being led by Farid Hossain, president of CJA's Bangladesh chapter.

President of global CJA Hassan Shahriar and a senior Bangladeshi journalist is already in Kuching to preside over the conference.

The other members of the delegation are: Shamsuddin Ahmed, Shymol Dutta, Abdul Jalil Bhuiyan, Abdur Rahman Khan, Saiful Amin, Naeem Nizam, Subash Chandra Badal, Osman Gani Mansur, Humayun Rashid Chowdhury, Sultana Rahman and Ferdaus Abbey.

The last CJA conference was held in Dhaka in 2003.

Court asks CMP to return passports of CCC Mayor

UNB, Chittagong

Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Court On Sunday asked Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) to return two passports of City Corporation Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury.

Magistrate Helaluddin Chowdhury gave the order following a pray of the Mayor's lawyer Advocate Ibrahim Hossain Chowdhury, also Joint Secretary of City Awami League, as a High Court bench, earlier, gave permission to the Mayor for his treatment abroad.

Two passports of Mohiuddin were seized when he was arrested from his Chashma Hill residence in the port city on March 7, 2007 as part of an anti-graft drive by the military-controlled interim government. He was released from jail on bail on October 8, 2008 after 19 months of detainment.

Suffering from heart diseases, the Chittagong mayor had undergone a bypass surgery before his arrest. He had fallen ill in Bandarban Jail on May 14, 2007 and was taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital with heart, respiratory and urinary complications.

Mohiuddin was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit of Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital on May 15, 2007. He has secured bail in all the cases filed against him and had secured the latest bail in the Bijoy TV scam case with a Tk 80,000 bond on September 30.

SCBA condemns bomb blast at Judge's residence

UNB, Dhaka

Barrister Rafique-ul Huq, principal counsel for the two former Prime Ministers, Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, Monday alleged that a junior army officer dictated the cause list for hearing petitions by the Chamber Judge of the Supreme Court. Theis is very unfortunate," Barrister Rafique said.

He was addressing a lawyers' emergency protest meeting following Saturday's bomb blast at the residence of Justice Sharif Uddin Chaklader of the High Court and reconstitution of HC benches by the Chief Justice, sidelining senior judges from their important tasks after the long vacation.

"I'm sure the Chief Justice is not aware of it," Rafique said, adding that the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) should take immediate steps against such practice for upholding the image and dignity of the highest judiciary.

About the bomb blast at the Judge's residence, Rafique observed that there might be two reasons behind it-one to scare the Judges who deal with bail matters and the other as a back-stage exercise to sabotage the December 18 parliamentary polls.

Expressing his disappointment over reconstitution of the benches, he said that it has now become difficult to find any bench where the litigants could approach for relief.

Organised by the SCBA, the protest meeting was addressed among others by M Amirul Islam, Zainul Abedin, Abdul Matin Khasru, Abdul Mannan Khan, Bashir Ahmed, Azhar Ullah, Momtaz Uddin Mehdi and Nurul Islam Sujan. SCBA President Barrister Shafique Ahmed presided over the meeting.

The meeting in its resolution condemned the bomb blast at the Judge's residence and demanded punishment of those involved in the heinous act. The meeting also urged the Chief Justice to reconsider constitution of the HC benches with competent and efficient judges for speedy disposal of cases.

Police-mob clash over student's death in Cox's Bazar : 20 hurt

UNB, Cox's Bazar

A fierce clash between police and angry mob following the death of a student in Chakoria upazila here Sunday left 20 people, including two policemen, injured.

Police said the agitated people also torched four buses and damaged a number of passing vehicles on Cox's Bazar-Chittagong highway, disrupting traffic for about 6 hours.

They said Giasuddin, 21, a student of Cox's Bazar Govt College, was crushed under the wheels of a bus of Shah Amin Paribahan when the helper of another bus of the same company pushed him down from the bus at Chakoria bus stand at about 8am.

Outraged by the accident, local people put barricades on the road near the bus stand, sparking off the violence.

They also set ablaze a bus of Shah Amin Paribahan and damaged some other vehicles.

Meanwhile, students of the college also barricaded the Cox's Bazar-Chittagong highway and set afire three buses of Shah Amin Paribahan.

On information, a police team, led by Additional Police Super Imam Hossain, rushed in and tried to quell the situation, but failed.

Later, police fired shots in the air triggering a chase and counter chase. Five policemen, including Additional Police Super Imam Hossain and Assistant Police Super Sarwar Alam and 15 people, were injured during the melee.

The injured received treatment at the local health complex.

The situation became normal when Deputy Commissioner of the district M Manjur Alam Bhuiyan and the Chakoria UNO assured the angry people of taking action against those responsible for the accident.