Hasina nominated for Indira Gandhi Gold Plaque

Sheikh HasinaStar Online Report

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been nominated for this year's Indira Gandhi Gold Plaque as she had significant contribution to human development.
The prime minister of Bangladesh was also nominated for the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2009.
The Asiatic Society of Kolkata awards the “Indira Gandhi Gold Plaque” annually to an eminent person of international repute for significant contribution to international understanding or inter-cultural cooperation or for significant contribution towards human progress.
Outgoing Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty during his farewell call on the prime minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) handed over a letter of the Asiatic Society to her in this regard on Sunday.
The letter reads: “The Council of the Asiatic Society in its meeting decided, unanimously, to confer the Indira Gandhi Gold Plaque 2009 on Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh.”
Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela were awarded with the plaque respectively in 1987 and 1989. Other recipients of the plaque included Dr Javier Pervez de Cuellar, 1988, Rev Desmond Titu, 1990, Yasir Araft, 1993, Aung San Suu Kyi, 1995, Dr Gabriel Garcia, 1998, Gunter Grass, 1999, Fidel Castro, 2000, Ernst Steinkellner, 2006, Pranab Mukherjee, 2008, Dinkar Kowshik, 2007, Somnath Hore, 2004, Ustad Bismillah Khan, 2003, Pandit Ravi Shankar, 2001, and Prof Amartya Sen, 1994.
The prime minister and the Indian high commissioner discussed various matters of national, regional and international development, Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told reporters after the meeting.

Mymensingh, Netrakona road crashes kill 7

Mymensingh, Netrakona road crashes kill 7

At least seven people were killed and 32 others injured in three road accidents in Mymensingh and Netrakona Sunday afternoon.
Five people were killed and 12 others injured as a bus crashed into a human hauler (Laguna) on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway at Jamtala in Mymensingh Sadar upazila Sunday afternoon, reports UNB.
Three of the deceased were identified as Rubel, 25, son of late Abdul Kadir and Dulal, 40, son of late Muslem Uddin of Digarkanda in Sadar upazila and Abdul Hye, 45, son of late Hatem Ali of Radhakanai village in Phulbaria Upazila in the district.
Police said a Jamalpur-bound passenger bus coming from Dhaka hit the hauler coming from the opposite direction at about 12:30pm leaving four people dead on the spot and 13 others injured.
Nine of the injured were admitted to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital (MMCH) where an unidentified person succumbed to his injuries.
Police seized the bus but failed to arrest its driver.
In Netrokona, one person was killed and 20 others injured when a bus skidded off the road and fell into a paddy field at Gumai under Kalmakanda upazila around 9:00am.
The deceased was identified as Kasur Ali, 54, of Rahamatpur village under Kalmakanda upazila.
Four of the injured were taken to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital in critical condition.
In another accident, a trolley driver named Eklash Mia was killed in Gugbazar after his trolley fell into a ditch around 11:00am.

Govt set to import palm oil from Malaysia

A worker loads an oil tanker with crude palm oil. Photo: InternetStar Online Report

Bangladesh for the first time in the government-level is going to sign an agreement with Malaysia to import palm oil aiming to keep stable the local edible oil market, Commerce Minister Faruk Khan said on Sunday.
The agreement is expected to sign in the next week between the state-owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) and Malaysian government.
The commerce minister revealed this in a meeting with Malaysian Plantation, Industry and Commodities Minister Bernard G Dompok at the secretary office without mentioning the quantity of the palm oil to be imported

Nearly 1,000 climate protesters released

Demonstrators gather outside Bella Center, the venue of the Climate Conference, on December 12, 2009. The UN climate change conference is underway in Copenhagen to way out how the world will be protected from global warming. Photo: APAP, Copenhagen

Danish police said they have released hundreds of activists who were detained during a mass rally to demand an ambitious global climate pact.
Police also said only 13 of the 968 people detained during the demonstration in Copenhagen remain in custody Sunday. Of those, three — two Danes and a Frenchman — are set to be arraigned in court on preliminary charges of fighting with police.
An estimated 40,000 people joined Saturday's mostly peaceful march toward the suburban conference center where the 192-nation U.N. climate conference is being held.
Riot police detained activists at the tail end of the demonstration, when some of them started vandalizing buildings in downtown Copenhagen.

Follow-up process begins as apex court delivers verdict

BSS, Dhaka

Jail authorities has initiated the follow-up process of the final verdict in the Bangabandhu Murder Trial conveying the five convicts in prison the apex court's decision upholding their death penalties, officials said on Friday.
Jail officials said the process began as they informed the decision to the condemned five ex-army officers at Dhaka Central Jail hours after the Supreme Court's Appellate Division pronounced the judgment.
Legal experts and concerned lawyers said the judgment was likely to be executed in two months after exhaustion of two more legal steps that were open for the convicts.
"The jailor accompanied by several other prison officials went to the isolated cells of the convicts and loudly read out the copy of the Appellate Division's short order last evening in line with the Jail Code," a senior jail said.
He added that the five ex-army officers wanted to see their relatives as well as their lawyers as they apparently preferred to seek a review of the verdict by the apex court itself as the last legal step ahead of seeking the presidential clemency.
Lawyers of the convicts also told newsmen that they were preparing for filing petitions for review of the judgment.
Several legal experts separately told newsmen that the execution of the verdict could take as high as two months as according to the constitution they were entitled to the opportunity to seek a review of the verdict at the Appellate
Division within 30 days, and if rejected they would have a last chance to seek presidential clemency within subsequent seven days.
Under the jail code, a death row convict would be hanged in between 21 and 28 days on exhaustion of the last legal option.
State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam, however, told newsmen after the verdict on Thursday that the assassins could be hanged by late December or early January on exhaustion of legal procedures.
The five death row convicts are sacked lieutenant colonels Syed Faruque Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Muhiuddin Ahmed, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and sacked major Bazlul Huda are in jail while the first three of them faced the trial in person since the process began in 1996 while the rest two were brought back home later abroad where they were hiding.
A total of 11 ex-army officers were to walk gallows but six of them were hiding abroad while Foreign Minister Dipu Moni
On Thursday told newsmen that a process was expedited to track them out and bring home to expose to justice

Suicide bomber kills 13 in western Afghanistan

Afghan soldiers secure a street in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday. Photo: AP/File AP, Kabul

A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle killed 13 people, including a police officer, and wounded 30 others Friday in a busy city square in western Afghanistan.
Several children were among those wounded in the morning explosion, said a doctor at the hospital in Farah city, Shir Agh Asas.
Afghan police shouted, "Stop! Stop!" at the motorcyclist before he detonated the explosives, provincial police chief Gen. Mohammad Faqir Askar said.
Provincial governor Rohul Amin said the deadly blast occurred about 50 metres from his compound in a crowded square in the city of Farah.
"These days Taliban are causing high casualties because the foreign forces and Afghan forces have been conducting operations against the insurgency in the region," Askar said.
An operation three days ago in another part of the province killed five insurgents, including a Taliban commander and a bomb-maker, said Askar.
The violence comes a day after Afghan President Hamid Karzai, in his second inaugural address, said he has placed national reconciliation with insurgents at the top of his peace-building agenda.
"We invite dissatisfied compatriots, who are not directly linked to international terrorism, to return to their homeland," he said.
Karzai also set a five-year benchmark for the Afghan security forces to be in the lead in defending the nation, a goal that would allow international forces to take on more of a support role.
As the inaugural ceremony took place in Kabul on Thursday, a suicide bomber killed two U.S. service members in the southern province of Zabul, local officials and Nato said. Hours later, another suicide bomber blew himself up in a busy marketplace in another province, killing 10 civilians, including three boys, and wounding 13 other people.
Also on Friday, three civilians were wounded in a roadside bomb in Khost province, according to Wazir Pacha, deputy police chief of Khost.

Man shot dead in Mirpur

Star Online Report

Unidentified assailants on Thursday night gunned down a middle-aged man in the capital's Mirpur area.
On information, Shah Ali police recovered the body of the around 40-year-old man, who was not named instantly, from Block-F at Mirpur-1 this morning.
The officer-in-charge of the Shah Ali Police Station told The Daily Star this morning that they recovered the bullet-hit body after being informed by locals.
He also said the reason behind the killing could not be known immediately.

Rebels blow up train track in India, killing 1

Photo: NDTVAP, Patna

A passenger train derailed after Maoist rebels blew up a key track in eastern India, killing one person and injuring at least 30 others, a police official said Friday.
The rebels bombed the track shortly before the train passed through a sparsely populated area in Jharkhand state Thursday night, said Sindhu Hembram, a deputy inspector general of police.
Eight of the train's coaches went off the tracks and toppled over, killing one woman instantly, Hembram said. Five of the 30 injured passengers were in critical condition, said BN Mete, a railway official.
Efforts were underway on Friday to clear and repair the track, which is one of main rail routes linking the cities of Calcutta and Mumbai.
The rebels, who say they are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, have been fighting for more than three decades demanding land and jobs for farm laborers and the poor.
Thousands of people, including police, militants and civilians, have died in the violence in recent years.
The rebels have called for a 24-hour strike in Jharkhand on Friday to protest next week's elections for the state legislature.

8 militants killed in reported US strike in Pakistan

The picture shows an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as Drone plane. Photo: InternetAP, Mir Ali

Missiles fired from a reported US drone killed at least eight suspected militants Friday in Pakistan's lawless tribal area along the Afghan border, intelligence officials said. It was the fourth such attack since the Pakistani military began an offensive in a nearby area in mid-October.
A drone fired two missiles at a compound being used by suspected Taliban militants in a village near Mir Ali in North Waziristan, according to two intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information.
The compound was destroyed and eight bodies were pulled from the rubble, the officials said, adding that two other suspected militants were wounded.
Ahmed Nawaz Dawar, a local tribesman, said Taliban militants buried those killed and took the wounded to a hospital.
US officials rarely discuss the unpopular missile strikes and the reports could not immediately be confirmed.
Anti-American sentiment is pervasive throughout Pakistan. The Pakistani government publicly condemns the US strikes as violations of its sovereignty, but many analysts believe the two countries have a secret deal allowing them.
Militants are believed to have fled to North Waziristan to escape the Pakistani offensive under way in South Waziristan. The army has retaken many towns in the region, but the militants say they avoided fighting and will now begin a guerrilla campaign.
The United States has welcomed the offensive, but wants the army to do more against the insurgents in the border area blamed for violence across the border in Afghanistan.

Pabna AL leader chopped dead

A local Awami League leader was chopped to death in Santhia upazila of Pabna district on Thursday night.
The deceased, Rezaul Karim Dipu, son of Abdul Kader of Dhulauri in the upazila, was the secretary of ‘Dhulauri’ union unit of AL, reports our Pabna correspondent.

Police said criminals chopped Dipu mercilessly as he got onto a road after saying Esha prayers at a mosque of the village, leaving him dead on the spot.
Later, the criminals left the place by firing, the police added.
Reason behind the murder could not be ascertained initially, Police Superintendent of the district Nibash Chandra Majhi said.

Killers to walk gallows

Appellate Division upholds HC verdict in Bangabandhu killing case, rejects pleas of 5 convicts

Julfikar Ali Manik and Ashutosh Sarkar

The light of justice yesterday completely removed the darkness that had hung over the nation for 34 years following the heinous killing of Bangabandhu as the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence to a dozen killers earlier confirmed by the High Court.
Amid an unprecedented tight security on the court premises as well as across the country, a five-member special bench of the Appellate Division delivered the nine-minute "short order" of the judgment around 11:45am in a jam-packed courtroom of the chief justice.
"We are of the view that it [killing of Bangabandhu] is not a case of criminal conspiracy to commit mutiny, rather it is a criminal conspiracy to commit the murder of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other members of his family," said Justice Md Tafazzul Islam, the most senior member of the bench, while reading out the order.
This order dismisses the appeal petitions of five convicts against the third judgment of the High Court that handed them and seven others death penalty.
These five, now languishing in jail, had filed the petitions in October 2007 giving five different points to challenge the High Court verdict.
Of seven other convicts, six have been absconding while the other is dead.
With yesterday's verdict, their punishment remains valid.
"The appellants having failed to make out a case of extenuating circumstance to commute their sentence of death, we are not inclined to interfere with the sentence of death awarded to the appellants by the learned sessions judge and maintained by the High Court Division," says the Supreme Court verdict.
The other members of the five-member bench were justices Md Abdul Aziz, BK Das, Md Muzammel Hossain and SK Sinha. They heard submissions of the appeals for 29 days beginning on October 5.
When the delivery of the verdict was finished, the courtroom got filled with cheerful buzzes only to be hushed into silence within a few moments. After the nerve-racking silence, some of the relatives of Bangabandhu, including grandson Fazle Noor Taposh, burst into tears.
Soon the judges left the courtroom.
The emotional outburst continued for another 15 minutes. Bangabandhu's relatives, lawyers, the complainant and investigation officer of the case, and a few Awami League leaders were seen hugging each other, tears still in their eyes. They came out of the room but stayed on the court premises for a while.
"The nation has got justice," Chief State Counsel of the case advocate Anisul Huq told The Daily Star at that moment.
Attorney General advocate Mahbubey Alam said, "This verdict will be considered as the best historic judgment of the nation."
Barrister Abdullah Al-Mamun, who represented the convicts, told The Daily Star, "According to the law, we will file a review petition with the Supreme Court as soon as we get the certified copy of the judgment."
In general, most lawyers considered the verdict to have freed the nation from the shame of killing the father of the nation and set the example that no matter how powerful a killer is, they are not beyond the purview of the law.
According to lawyers, if the review petition fails to produce any result, the convicts could seek the president's mercy.
If the president refuses their mercy petitions, the convicts will get 21 more days before they are hanged within the next week, said defence lawyer barrister Abdullah Al-Mamun.
In case of absconding convicts, whenever one is arrested he will be sent to jail. He will have the right to file a petition with the Supreme Court through the jail. The court may either entertain the petition or reject it. The convict can then seek the president's mercy.
The court wore a different look yesterday with closed circuit cameras installed at two points and several metal detectors set up. Security staffs from all agencies of the government were seen everywhere in the court. They checked the chief justice's room before the court opened.
People started pouring in the Supreme Court as early as 8:00am. By 11:00am, there were so many people in the corridors of the court building that it became very difficult even to walk. Hundreds of curious onlookers were seen waiting on the footpath outside the Supreme Court boundary.
Soon after the verdict, a small group of people chanted slogans and held a rally on the court premises for a short time expressing their joy.
The whole country remained glued to TV sets for live telecasts from the court to hear the final verdict.
Many schools in the capital were kept closed. The traffic movement in the city was unusually thin for any given Thursday.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's personal assistant Mohitul Islam, who had survived the attack by a gang of army officers on the night of August 15, 1975, filed the case for the killings on October 2, 1996.
On January 15, 1997, the charge sheet was filed against 20 living and four dead persons--Khandakar Moshtaque, Mahbubul Alam Chashi, Capt Mustafa and Risalder Sarwar.
As all except the dead were brought to trial, the court examined 61 witnesses and heard submissions for 151 days.
On November 8, 1998, the trial court handed death sentence to 15 of the 20 accused.
On December 14, 2000, a two-member High Court bench gave a split verdict on the trial court's judgment: one judge upheld the death sentences of all 15 convicts while the other upheld that of 10. The judges were also divided on which section of the Code of Criminal Procedure to be followed for the death sentence of one convict.
On April 30, 2001, a third judge of the High Court resolved the matter and finally gave death sentence to 12 killers. Of them, the following are now in jail: Lt Col Syed Farooq Rahman, Lt Col Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Maj Bazlul Huda, Maj (Lancer) AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and Lt Col (Artillery) Mohiuddin Ahmed, who appealed with the Supreme Court against the High Court verdict.
The six absconding are: Lt Col Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Lt Col Shariful Haque Dalim, Lt Col SHMB Nur Chowdhury, Lt Col AM Rashed Chowdhury, Capt Abdul Mazed and Risaldar Mosleuddin Khan. The other convict Lt Col Abdul Aziz Pasha died in Zimbabwe in June 2001 where he took political asylum.
Of the jailed convicts, Huda was brought to Dhaka from Bangkok in 1998 while AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed was brought from USA during the last caretaker government's rule. The other three were arrested in Dhaka.
According to sources, the absconding convicts took refuge in Pakistan, Libya, USA and Canada.
Soon the convicts in jail filed leave-to-appeal petitions with the Supreme Court against the High Court verdict.
But its hearing was stalled with the change in government in October 2001. After the BNP-led alliance government came to power, the Supreme Court did not hear the case even for a single day.
The hearing of the leave-to-appeal petitions finally took place on August 7, 2007, and the appeals were granted on September 23 the same year.
The hearing of the appeals against the High Court verdict began on October 5, 2009.
The killers murdered Bangabandhu and seven of his family members and three security personnel at his Dhanmondi residence on August 15, 1975. Soon after the killing, their accomplice Khandaker Moshtaque took over power as president and framed an indemnity ordinance to protect the killers.
Later, subsequent military governments led by Ziaur Rahman and HM Ershad had rewarded the killers with various diplomatic posts.

Hang the killers: SC

slide showStar Online Report

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the High Court verdict that confirmed death sentences of 12 retired and dismissed army men in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assassination case.
The five-member bench comprising Justice Md Tafazzul Islam, Justice Md Abdul Aziz, Justice BK Das, Justice Md Muzammel Hossain and Justice SK Sinha delivered the verdict dismissing the appeals filed by five convicts against their death sentences in this case.
Lt Col (sacked) Syed Farooq-ur Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Lt Col (retd) Muhiuddin Ahmed, Lt Col (retd) AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda, who are now behind bars, filed the appeals with the apex court in October 2007 against their convictions and death sentences by a lower court.
Of the other seven condemned killers, Lt Col (retd) Md Abdul Aziz Pasha had died earlier.
The death sentences of Col (retd) Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Maj (retd) Shariful Haque Dalim, Lt Col (retd) AM Rashed Chowdhury, Lt Col (retd) SHMB Noor Chowdhury, Capt (retd) Abdul Mazed and Risaldar (retd) Moslemuddin delivered by the High Court will stand valid as they are absconding at present.
In his immediate reaction to the justice, chief counsel for the state Anisul Huq told The Daily Star, "The nation has got the justice."
Barrister Abdullah-al Mamun, counsel for convicts Bazlul Huda and AKM Mohiuddin, said they will submit a review petition with the Supreme Court within the stipulated 30 days after receiving the SC certified copy of the judgment.
The SC observed in the verdict that Justice M Fazlul Karim has properly delivered the verdict and this court cannot interfere in it.
The court said Justice Fazlul Karim has reviewed the matter of six accused as earlier two judges of the HC had expressed same opinion about the nine other accused, out of 15, in this case.
The apex court said that the trial court and the HC have properly explained the delay in filing the first information report (FIR) of this case.
The court of judges said the incidents of August 15, 1975 were a simple murder and it was not a result of mutiny.
Criminal conspiracy was committed to murder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and this was not committed for any mutiny, it added.
The court further said there was no contradiction or anomaly in the evidence and the statements in this case. So, there is nothing to interfere in the HC verdict. And the HC verdict has been confirmed, the court said.
After hearing for 29 days the appeals, the special bench delivered the verdict.
Convicts Lt Col (sacked) Syed Farooq-ur Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Lt Col (retd) Muhiuddin Ahmed, Lt Col (retd) AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, and Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda, who are now behind bars, filed the appeals with the apex court in October 2007 against their convictions and death sentences by a lower court.
Earlier on November 8, 1998, Dhaka Sessions Judge Golam Rasul handed down death sentences to 15 of the 20 defendants in the case.
The court gave the capital punishment to Lt Col (dismissed) Syed Farooq-ur Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Lt Col (retd) Muhiuddin Ahmed, Lt Col (retd) AKM Mahiuddin Ahmed, Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda, Lt Col (retd) Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Maj (retd) Shariful Haque Dalim, Maj (retd) Ahmed Shariful Hossain, Lt Col (retd) AM Rashed Chowdhury, Lt Col (retd) SHMB Noor Chowdhury, Lt Col (retd) Md Abdul Aziz Pasha, Capt (retd) Md Kismat Hashem, Capt (retd) Nazmul Hossain Ansar, Capt (retd) Abdul Mazed, and Risaldar (retd) Moslemuddin.
A division bench of the High Court comprising Justice Md Ruhul Amin and Justice ABM Khairul Haque on December 14, 2000, delivered split verdicts on death reference appeals in the case.
First judge Justice Md Ruhul Amin upheld the death sentences of 10 and acquitted five -- Muhiuddin Ahmed, Ahmed Shariful Hossain, Md Kismat Hashem, Nazmul Hossain Ansar, and Moslemuddin.
Second judge Justice ABM Khairul Haque upheld the death sentences of all 15 convicts.
On January 15, 2001, Justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim was appointed as the third judge to adjudicate the appeals.
He delivered the final High Court verdict in the case on April 30, 2001, affirming the convictions and death sentences of 12 of the 15 defendants. The three that he acquitted are Md Kismat Hashem, Ahmed Shariful Hossain, and Nazmul Hossain Ansar.
The deafening sound of gunshots broke the stillness of dawn on August 15, 1975 on road No 32 of Dhanmondi residential area. In less than an hour, the darkest chapter in the political history of Bangladesh was written on that fateful morning.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the following members of his family were assassinated in three separate attacks: his wife Begum Fazilatunnessa, sons Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and nine-year-old Sheikh Russel, daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal, Parveen Jamal, Bangabandhu's brother Sheikh Naser, brother-in-law Abdur Rab Serniabat, 13-year-old Baby Serniabat, Serniabat's son Arif, four-year-old grand son Babu, a visiting nephew, three guests, four servants, Sheikh Fazlul Huq Moni, a nephew of Bangabandhu, his wife Begum Arju Moni, and Bangabandhu's security chief Colonel Jamil Uddin Ahmed.

The judgment hailed

Photo: Star/Anisur Rahmanslide show Star Online Report

The nation on Thursday hailed the verdict in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman murder case.
In his immediate reaction, chief counsel for the state in this case Anisul Huq told The Daily Star, "The nation has got the justice."
Awami League Lawmaker Fazle Noor Taposh said, "Today is my birthday and this is the best gift for me."
Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said the verdict will be considered as the best judgment.
"Through this judgment the nation has got rid of disgrace," he said.
Hundreds of people thronged the Dhanmondi road-32 residence of Bangabandhu this morning and chanted slogan after the verdict was declared, demanding immediate execution of the judgment.

Verdict shows justice: Ashraf

Awami League General Secretary and LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam Star Online Report

Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam on Tuesday expressed his party’s reaction on the final verdict in the Bangabandhu assassination case saying it has been proved that no one is above the law, no matter how influential he or she is.
The AL welcomed the verdict on the August 15, 1975 killings that had remained as a stigma for the nation during the last 34 years, Ashraf told reporters at the party's Dhanmondi office after the Supreme Court upheld the High Court's verdict awarding capital punishment to the killers of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members.
The verdict couldn’t bring joy to the AL men, as it would not be able to bring back Bangabandhu and his assassinated family members, he added.
Ashraf, also the LGRD minister, said the AL was not a vindictive party and never will be. It only wants to establish the rule of law and human rights.
Answering a query on Prime Minister and AL President Sheikh Hasina’s reaction on the judgement, the LGRD minister said she got what she wanted.
She sought nothing but the justice, he said adding that she expressed her satisfaction after the verdict, but she was also lamenting remembering her assassinated family members.

Hasina nominated for Indira Gandhi Peace Prize

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been chosen for this year's Indira Gandhi International Prize for peace, disarmament and development.
The Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust made the announcement, our correspondent from Delhi Reports.

Verdict restores rule of law: Moudud

Barrister Moudud Ahmed Star Online Report

BNP leader and former law minister barrister Moudud Ahmed said on Thursday the rule of law has been reestablished through the judgment and the nation got relief.
"We all have to accept the verdict delivered by the apex court of the country," he said while giving his reaction to the verdict in Bangabandhu murder case at his Motijheel office.
It will not be fair to consider the judgment politically, he added.

IFAD promises Tk 280 cr for agricultural development

Star Online Report

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has assured Bangladesh of Tk 280 crore financial assistance for rural agricultural development especially, in the coastal belt areas.
IFAD President Kanayo F Nwanze made the pledge at an hour-long meeting with Food and Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzaque at the organisation's Rome headquarters. The minister came to Rome with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on November 15 to attend the world summit on food security.
"The IFAD will assist Bangladesh with Tk 280 crore for the agricultural development of the coastal belt in the country," Razzaque said.
Comprehensive projects would be launched to ensure development of the coastal areas by constructing cyclone shelters and embankments," he added.
Issues including climate change, food security and agriculture also came up at the discussion.
Highlighting different problems the country has been facing, he told the official that the main problem of Bangladesh is poverty, which needs to be reduced significantly by ensuring employment.
He also said the smallholders must be given priority to ensure food security in Bangladesh.
The minister said he urged IFAD to extend their assistance to Bangladesh, a politically stable and democratic country with good law and order.
In this context, the IFAD chief said he would take all necessary measures to involve other donor agencies including DFID, the World Bank and the US Aid for co-financing the development projects.

AG gets threat on life

Attorney General Mahbubey AlamStar Online Report

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam received a letter at his office containing a threat on his life on Thursday.
The three-page letter with a piece of shroud also threatened to kill all lawyers of the prosecution side of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assassination case.
Kabir Ahmed, personal assistant of Mahbubey Alam, filed a general diary with Shahbag Police Station around 4:45pm in this connection.
An unknown organisation called Jamia Islamia Al Hulhulia Bangladesh owns up the letter.

Karzai sworn in for 2nd term

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, front left, walks with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, front right, at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday. Photo: AP

AP, Kabul Afghan President Hamid Karzai says his country's security forces should take the lead in tackling the insurgency there, and that the forces should be able to take control of security in the next five years.





Karzai also addressed corruption during his inauguration ceremony in the presidential palace. He says officials who are corrupt should be "tried and prosecuted." Karzai has come under intense international pressure to tackle the issue, and he described corruption as a "dangerous enemy of the state."





The president stressed he wants "expert" and competent ministers in his government, and said his administration would seriously fight drug traffickers.

SC security beefed up for Bangabandhu verdict

File photo Star Online Report

The security of the Supreme Court was beefed up on Sunday ahead of the announcement of verdict by this court in the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assassination case.
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court will deliver the verdict on November 19.
Supreme Court registrar Shawkat Hossain told The Daily Star that the authorities have strengthened the security of the SC, some judges and lawyers, so that no untoward incidents can take place on the court premises.
He said the government authorities have deployed additional security forces inside and outside the court premises and the forces have been checking up the people entering the court compound.
Shawkat Hossain also said the additional security will remain in force on the court premises after the announcement of the verdict in Bangabandhu murder case, if necessary.

Salam Pintu remanded in N'ganj attack case

Abdus Salam Pintu Star Online Report

Former deputy minister and BNP leader Abdus Salam Pintu was placed on a five-day remand in a case filed for the bomb attack on Awami League office at Chasara in Narayanganj in 2001.
Chief Judicial Magistrate of Narayanganj Arifur Rahman passed the order after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) produced him before the court praying for 10 days remand.
Earlier on Thursday, the BNP leader was shown arrested in the case following a petition by investigation officer of the case Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Yusuf Ali Mollah.
Pintu has already been arrested in connection with the August 21 grenade attack case.
The bomb attack on the Awami League office took place on June 16 in 2001 that left 20 people dead and a number of people, including former AL lawmaker Shamim Osman, injured.

DU VC gets death threat

Prof AASM Arefin Siddiqui Star Online Report

Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University Prof AASM Arefin Siddiqui on Sunday received a death threat.
Dr Siddiqui received a letter sent by post at the VC office at about 1:00pm.
The writer in the letter identified himself as Abdul Hamid and claimed to be a leader of the banned Islamist outfit Harkatul Jihad al Islami (Huji).
The letter threatened the VC to kill him within three days if he fails to take any step for admission of the madrassa students to some specific departments within 24 hours.
They will blow up the VC office within three days, the letter said.
The letter also said the VC will have to give Tk 2 crore to them if he wants stay alive. It gave a mobile phone number in the letter and asked the VC to contact.

Explain legality of CrPC's amended rules: HC

File photo Star Online Report

The High Court on Sunday issued a rule upon the government to explain within three weeks why the amended rules of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) empowering the executive magistrates to perform judicial functions should not be declared illegal.
The HC bench of Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury issued the rule upon a petition filed by the Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB), a human rights organisation.
Earlier in the day, a SC lawyer and the president of HRPB, advocate Manzill Murshid filed the petition as a public interest litigation seeking a direction upon the government to revoke or cancel the amended rules of CrPC.
Talking to The Daily Star, Manzill said the petition challenged the amended CrPC rules, which are against the provisions of the constitution and the principles of the Supreme Court judgement in Masdar Hossain case, popularly known as Judiciary Separation Case.
He said the executive magistrates were empowered to pass orders in the cases through the amendment of the CrPC, which only the judicial magistrates are entitled to do as per the provisions of the constitution and the Supreme Court directives in the judgment of Masdar Hossain case.
“As per sections 145 to 147 of the CrPC, the executive magistrate decides issues of possession, grants ad interim injunction, appoints receiver, restores possessions and grants permanent injunction in the cases until the cases are settled by the courts of the judicial magistrate,” he said, adding that these were the judicial powers.
He also said the secretaries to the cabinet division, the president's secretariat, the Jatiya Sangsad secretariat and the law ministry were made respondents in the petition.

Court orders attachment of 3 Rid staff's properties

File photoStar Online Report

A Dhaka court on Sunday ordered attachment of moveable and immovable properties of one of the directors of Rid Pharma Ltd and its two pharmacists in connection with in a case filed against them for manufacturing toxic Paracetamol syrup that claimed lives of at least 28 children.
The accused are Rid Pharma director Abdul Gani and pharmacists Mahbubul Islam and Enamul Haque.
Judge Golam Mortuza Majumder of the Drug Court issued the order as they did not appear before the court today.
Meanwhile, the court asked officer in-charge of Brahmanbaria Sadar Police Station to appear before it in person before January 5, 2010 to explain why he could not submit any report on execution of arrest warrant issued earlier against the three accused.
The same court also rejected a bail petition of Rid Pharma managing director Mizanur Rahman in this case filed by his lawyer.
Earlier on September 16, the court ordered attachment of movable and immovable properties of the five Rid Pharma officials, including MD Mizanur Rahman, directors Sheuli Rahman and Abdul Gani and pharmacists Mahbubul Islam and Enamul Haque. A case against them has been filed in Brahmanbaria as well.
The court the same day also asked the Brahmanbaria police chief to submit their property attachment reports by October 14.
On October 12, Mizanur surrendered before a Dhaka court following a High Court directive and sought bail in the case.
Judge ANM Bashir Ullah of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's court fixed October 19 for hearing on the bail petition submitted by Mizanur in his presence.
On August 18, Mizanur's wife Sheuli Rahman, also a director of the company, appeared before the HC, sought anticipatory bail and secured bail for six months in the case.
The case in brief is that 28 children died of renal failures, following intake of Rid's Paracetamol syrup and suspension, across the country from June to August.
Earlier on August 11, the same court issued arrest warrants against the managing director of Rid Pharma, its two directors and two pharmacists after drug superintendent Shafiqul Islam filed the case with the court.
Three other cases have also been filed against Rid Pharma in Comilla, Narayanganj and Sylhet.

Check graft, population to eradicate poverty: Speaker

Speaker Abdul Hamid Star Online Report

Speaker Abdul Hamid on Sunday said poverty reduction is not possible unless corruption and growing population are in control.
He was speaking as the chief guest at a discussion on the role of municipalities in reducing poverty at city's Cirdap auditorium in the morning.
The speaker also viewed that the interest rate for the micro-credit programmes carried out by the NGOs should be reduced, terming them high.
Hamid also called on everybody to prevent corruption to eradicate poverty from the country.

Fire at indoor SKorean shooting range kills 10

A victim, who was injured in Saturday's fire at an indoor shooting range, receives treatment at a hospital in Busan, south of Seoul, South Korea, on Nov 15. Photo: APAP, Seoul

A fire tore though an indoor shooting range in southern South Korea, killing 10 people, including at least two Japanese tourists, and injuring six.
Some people were on fire as they ran out of the building Saturday, Yonhap news agency quoted a witness as saying.
An official at the National Emergency Management Agency said authorities were struggling to identify the dead because of their burns. A police official said at least two Japanese were confirmed killed and three other Japanese were presumed to have perished.
Nine Japanese tourists and their South Korean guide were inside the facility in the southeastern port city of Busan when the fire broke out on the second floor of a five-story building, police official Han Jong-seok said. He said it was not known how many other people were in the building at the time.
Yoo Seung-ho, a detective handling the case, said four other Japanese were being treated in hospitals.
He said police plan to conduct DNA analysis in coming days to identify the bodies burned beyond recognition.
A Japanese man was in life-threatening condition with severe burns at Dong-a University Medical Center in Busan, said Kim Won-ha, an emergency room nurse.
Five people _ two Japanese, two South Koreans and one person of unidentified nationality _ were being treated for burns over 50 percent to 90 percent of their bodies at Hana hospital in Busan, which specializes in burn treatment, the hospital said.
"They are in a life-threatening condition as they inhaled a lot of toxic gas," said Kim Se-yeon, a doctor at Hana hospital's intensive care unit, adding four of them were placed on respirators and the fifth also might have to go on life support.
The emergency official, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing policy, said the fire raged for about 40 minutes before being put out. Police and fire officials were trying to determine its cause.
Prime Minister Chung Un-chan instructed South Korea's minister for public administration and security to visit the site and take steps to provide support to the families of the dead, Yonhap said.
Repeated calls to Chung's office went unanswered Saturday night.
Yonhap said the four indoor shooting ranges in Busan, about 200 miles (325 kilometers) southeast of Seoul, are popular with Japanese visitors to the city.
Last year, a fire and accompanying explosions ripped through a cold storage warehouse in a city south of Seoul, killing 40 people.

Tigers take winning lead over Zimbabwe

File photo
Star Online Report

Bangladesh took a 3-1 lead in the five-match Bangladesh v Zimbabwe series after a tremendous victory of six wickets in the 4th ODI at Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong.


Zimbabwe was dismissed for 44 by Bangladesh earlier on this day, giving the struggling African squad three of the five lowest totals ever in limited-overs internationals.


Bangladesh scored 49 for 4 (Tamim 22) in just 11.5 overs.


With this win, the tigers has confirmed their third successive series success over the Zimbabweans and their third series victory on the trot after inspiring successes in the Caribbean and Zimbabwe.


Enamul Haque and Shakib Al Hasan took three wickets apiece for the hosts, while only Malcolm Waller (13) and Stuart Matsikenyeri (11) reached double figures for Zimbabwe, which lost its first four wickets for just eight runs.


Zimbabwe's 35 against Sri Lanka at Harare in 2004 is the lowest ODI total ever, one lower than ICC associated member Canada's total against Sri Lanka at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.


Zimbabwe also has the third-lowest total 38 against Sri Lanka at Colombo in 2001 and now the fifth-lowest with its innings at Cittagong.


Bangladesh kept an unchanged team that won the third match in Dhaka last week to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.


Zimbabwe replaced Forster Mutizwa with Mark Vermuelen in the only change.


Zimbabwe innings (50 overs maximum)


Fall of wickets1-2 (Masakadza, 0.5 ov), 2-3 (Taylor, 1.3 ov), 3-4 (Coventry, 2.3 ov), 4-8 (Vermeulen, 5.3 ov), 5-32 (Matsikenyeri, 13.3 ov), 6-32 (Chibhabha, 15.3 ov), 7-36 (Waller, 16.4 ov), 8-36 (Chigumbura, 17.6 ov), 9-39 (Price, 18.6 ov), 10-44 (Jarvis, 24.5 ov)


Bangladesh innings (target: 45 runs from 50 overs)


Fall of wickets1-33 (Tamim Iqbal, 6.3 ov), 2-33 (Mohammad Ashraful, 6.6 ov), 3-36 (Junaid Siddique, 7.4 ov), 4-38 (Naeem Islam, 9.1 ov)


Did not bat Shakib Al Hasan*, Mahmudullah, Enamul Haque jnr, Abdur Razzak, Nazmul Hossain

Dhaka Mass Transit Authority to be formed abolishing DTCB

Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain
Star Online Report

Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain on Tuesday said the government is set to form Dhaka Mass Transit Authority (DMTA) abolishing existing Dhaka Transport Coordination Board (DTCB) to look after Dhaka’s transport system.


“The DMTA Act 2009 will soon be passed in the Parliament to institute a more efficient and empowered body for Dhaka’s transportation system,” he said while addressing a seminar on Urban and Transport Development.


DTCB and Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) jointly organised the seminar at a city hotel.


The new body is intended to remove the inadequacies of DTCB that has so far been unable to function effectively, he said.


The DMTA Act will also have provisions to institute Dhaka Metro Rail Authority and other bodies as well, said the minister.

Kushtia AL leaders, outlaw caught with AK-47

Kushtia AL leaders, outlaw caught with AK-47
Star Online Report

Three Awami League leaders and activists and a member of outlawed Gono Mukti Fouz were arrested along with an AK-47, a shotgun and 82 rounds of bullet at Trimohoni, on the outskirts of Kushtia town, on Monday night.


The AL leaders were identified as Taslima Khan Ankhi, secretary of Kushtia Mohila Awami League, Abdur Razzak, AL leader of Daulatpur unit, and activist Rani while the outlaw was identified Shahin, reports our Kushtia correspondent.


Detective Branch of Police, Rapid Action Battalion and police along with the arrestees were conducting drives at different places in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia to recover more firearms till filling of this report at about 12:00pm on Tuesday.


Acting on a tip-off, police intercepted a microbus carrying Ankhi, Razzak, Rani and Shahin at Trimohoni check post at about 11:00pm yesterday and arrested the four along with the firearms and ammunitions.


They collected the firearms from Daulatdia and were taking those to the residence of Ankhi in Kushtia town, Assistant Sub Inspector of Kushtia Police Station Alamgir Hossain told The Daily Star.


The ASP said all of them, including Ankhi and her husband, are involved with Gono Mukti Fouz and supplied firearms for the outfit.


Taslima, wife of former poura commissioner Kohinoor Khan, was arrested on October 30, 2006 after the bullet-hit body of Jamirul Islam alias Jamu, Jubo League leader of Kushtia town, was recovered from her house. She was released on bail after six days.

2 held with 17 firearms in Jhenidah

2 held with 17 firearms in Jhenidah
Star Online Report

Police recovered 17 firearms and arrested two arms traders from a bus at Arabpur bus stand in Jhenidah on Tuesday morning.


The arrestees are Azad Hossain and Saidul Islam of Andulia village in Chowgachha upazila, Jessore, reports our Jhenidah correspondent.


Officer in-Charge Anwar Hossain of Jhenidah Sadar Police Station said they recovered the firearms and arrested the two traders from a Rajshahi-bound bus at about 9:40am today.


The firearms apparently seem air gun and are used in different operations. The cost of those firearms is about Tk 68 lakh the OC said.


Police conducted the drive after they received information that huge firearms would be shifted to Rajshahi illegally through the district.


Police super Rezaul Karim of Jhenidah confirmed that the arrestees were illegal arms trader.


He said the seized air guns have been modified and used in different fatal cases. Those were being taken to Rajshahi zero point from Jessore BRTC counter, he said.


The arrested are taken in police custody for interrogation.

Bangabandhu case hearing ends for 22nd day

Bangabandhu case hearing ends for 22nd day
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Star Online Report

The Supreme Court concluded hearing on the appeals in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assassination case for the 22nd day on Tuesday.


Chief counsel for the state in the case advocate Anisul Huq placed his submission before the five-member Appellate Division bench, headed by Justice Md Tafazzul Islam.


The court adjourned the hearing in the case till 9:30 tomorrow.


Five convicts -- dismissed army personnel Syed Farooqur Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Mohiuddin Ahmed, AKM Mohiuddin, and Bazlul Huda, now behind the bars, lodged the appeals with the SC in October 2007 against their death sentences pronounced by the High Court.


The Supreme Court started the hearing on the appeals on October 5.

Vietnam storm kills 11

Vietnam storm kills 11
AP, Hanoi

Tropical Storm Mirinae unleashed severe flooding in parts of central Vietnam, killing 11 people, leaving two missing and forcing families onto rooftops, disaster officials said Tuesday.


Floods in Phu Yen province killed 10 people after the storm hit, drenching the region with heavy rains Monday, said disaster official Duong Van Huong.


Several villages in neighboring Binh Dinh province suffered the worst flooding in four decades after the Ha Thanh River surged over its banks, said disaster official Nguyen Van Hoa. One man drowned in Binh Dinh and two others were missing, Hoa said.


Local authorities asked the central government to send

helicopters to rescue people who were still trapped on rooftops a day after the storm, which lost force as it moved inland.


"We have received many calls for help from people who are still stranded," Hoa said by telephone.

Soldiers in speedboats navigated to submerged areas and ferried out residents.


Mirinae hit the Philippines with typhoon strength over the

weekend, killing 20 people before losing strength as it moved across the South China Sea toward Vietnam.


Both Vietnam and the Philippines were still recovering from Typhoon Ketsana, which brought the Philippine capital of Manila its worst flooding in 40 years when it struck in September. Ketsana killed 160 people in Vietnam.

In the Philippines, Ketsana and two later storms killed more than 900. Some 87,000 people who fled the storms were still living in temporary shelters when Mirinae struck.


In a separate incident in northern Vietnam on Monday, one woman drowned and five others were still missing after a whirlwind toppled two boats in the northern province of Quang Ninh, disaster official Le Thanh Nam said.

Sixteen other passengers managed to swim to safety after the boats sank, Nam said.

Five Muslims killed in Thailand

Five Muslims killed in Thailand
AFP, Yala

Suspected Islamist insurgents shot dead five Muslims, mostly civilians, in a new spate of attacks across the troubled south of Thailand, police said Tuesday.


Gunmen killed a former village chief and his deputy in a drive-by attack on their car in restive Yala province on Monday, they said.


A Muslim villager was killed when attackers broke into his house in Narathiwat province on Monday night while two Muslim rangers died in separate shootings in Pattani province, also on Monday, said police.


Separately a ranger was critically wounded in a bomb blast in Pattani.


More than 3,900 people have died in shootings, bombings, beheadings, burnings and crucifixions since a separatist insurgency erupted in Thailand's southern provinces bordering Malaysia in January 2004.

Gunmen attack Pak army HQ, 10 dead

Pakistani army troops arrive to take positions following an attack by gunmen at the army's headquarters in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. Photo: APAP, Pakistan

Gunmen wearing military uniforms and wielding assault rifles and grenades attacked Pakistan's army headquarters Saturday, sparking a ferocious gun battle outside the capital that killed four of the assailants and at least six soldiers, authorities said.
Two of the attackers managed to infiltrate the heavily fortified compound in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, and troops were trying to flush them out hours after the initial assault, the military said. An Associated Press reporter at the scene heard four gunshots from inside the compound — long after an army spokesman said the situation was under control.
The audacious assault was the third major militant attack in Pakistan in a week and came as the government said it was planning an imminent offensive against Islamist militants in their strongholds in the rugged mountains along the border with Afghanistan.
It showed that the militants retain the ability to strike at the very heart of Pakistan's security apparatus despite recent military operations against their forces and the killing of Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud in a CIA drone attack in August.
Pakistani media said the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, and Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the ongoing assaults strengthened the government's resolve to launch the offensive.
"We have been left no other option except to go ahead to face them," he told Dawn television.
The attack began shortly before noon when the gunmen, dressed in camouflage military uniforms, drove in a white van up to the army compound and tried to force their way inside, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said.
The assailants shot at the guards at one checkpoint, killing some of them, and then jumped out of the van and ran toward a second checkpoint, he said. Abbas said the guards were likely confused by the attackers' uniforms.
The heavily armed attackers then took up positions throughout the area, hurling at least one grenade and firing sporadically at security forces, said a senior military official inside the compound. The official, who said top army officials were trapped in the compound during the assault, spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
After a 45-minute gunfight, four of the attackers were killed, said Abbas, who told the private Geo news television channel the assault over and the situation "under full control."
But more than an hour later, gunshots rang out from the compound, and Abbas confirmed that two more gunmen had eluded security forces and slipped into the headquarters compound in Rawalpindi. The city, adjacent to the capital of Islamabad, is filled with security checkpoints and police roadblocks.
Troops were closing in on the men, he said.
Abbas said six troops were killed and five wounded, one critically. An intelligence official said eight soldiers were killed. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Khan Bahadur, a shuttle van driver, was standing outside the gate of the compound when the white van pulled up, and shooting erupted.
"There was fierce firing, and then there was a blast. Soldiers were running here and there," he said. "The firing continued for about a half-hour. There was smoke everywhere. Then there was a break, and then firing again."
The gunbattle was the latest in a string of attacks on Pakistani cities, following a car bombing that killed 49 on Friday in the northwestern city of Peshawar and the bombing of a U.N. aid agency Monday that killed five in Islamabad. The man who attacked the U.N. was also wearing a security forces' uniform and was granted entry to the compound after asking to use the bathroom.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which appeared to be a message to the army that the militants intend to ramp up their strikes across the country in response to the government's planned offensive against Taliban strongholds in the border region of South Waziristan.
Pakistan vowed Friday to launch the new offensive in the wake of the massive Peshawar bombing.
The United States has been pushing Pakistan to take strong action against insurgents using its soil as a base for attacks in Afghanistan. The assault could be risky for the army, which was beaten back on three previous offensives into the Taliban heartland.
But the army may have been emboldened by its successes against the militants in the Swat Valley and by the killing of Baitullah Mehsud.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the militants had left the government "no other option" but to hit back. "We will have to proceed," he told a local television station Friday. "All roads are leading to South Waziristan."
Islamist militants have been carrying out nearly weekly attacks in Pakistan, but the sheer scale of Friday's bombing — which killed nine children — pushed the government to declare it would take the fight to the lawless tribal belt along the border where al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden may be hiding.

7 Rajshahi JMB men placed on remand

Star file photo of the seven JMB menStar Online Report

The seven Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) members, who were arrested in Rajshahi division over the last couple of days, were today placed on a seven-day remand each.
BM Tariqul Kabir of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Rajshahi granted the remand when sub-inspector Hafijur Rahman produced them before the court and sought a 10-day remand for each of them.
A team of Special Branch (SB) of police have arrested seven members of the JMB from four districts of the Rajshahi division.
The JMB members are Rajshahi divisional chief of the militant outfit Ashraf alias Haider, 32, JMB ehsar (full-time) members Md Momtaz, 20, Asadul Islam, 30, Rohidul, 35, and Isarul Islam, 22 and Naogaon district chief Abdur Rahim, 30, and Natore district chief Sahabuddin, 35.

Independent secretariat for judiciary soon: Shafique

Law Minister Shafique AhmedStar Online Report

Law Minister Shafique Ahmed today said an independent secretariat for the judiciary would be set up under the Supreme Court (SC) soon in order to implement the process of the separation of the judiciary from the executive fully.
The government will take necessary steps soon in consultation with the chief justice to set up the secretariat, he said while talking to the press after the inauguration of a training programme at the Judicial Administration Training Institute in the city.
A total of 22 joint judges and sessions judges are participating in the 91st judicial administration training course that will continue till October 29.
Replying a question on trial of war criminals, the minister said the government is working for setting up well-protected rooms for holding the trail of war criminals.
It is not possible to announce a timeframe for holding trial of war criminals, he said.
Replying to another question, he said the government has finalised appointment of 211 judges through the Bangladesh Judicial Service Commission (BJSC) for the lower judiciary, as a number of judges are going into retirement.
The minister said the government is introducing an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) system to resolve minor criminal and civil cases so that people get quick justice.

1,173 more get Purbachal plots

Star file photo of Purbachal ProjectStar Online Report

The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) today announced the names of 1,173 plot winners in three categories for the Purbachal New Town Project.
The three categories are private service holders, businessmen and lawyers.
Private service holders were allocated 10 percent of the total allocation, businessmen got eight percent while the lawyers received two percent.
Over 40,000 qualified plot seekers applied for the three categories which lotteries were held today.
Earlier on September 17, Rajuk announced the names of 1,077 plot winners in four categories for the projects.
State Minister for Housing and Public Works Abdul Mannan Khan formally inaugurated the draw at Osmani Memorial Hall at about 11:00am.
In his inaugural speech, the minister said the government will resolve the housing problems by constructing high-rise building across the country.
Housing Secretary Mahbubur Rahman said the lottery for the plot allocation in the Uttara project will also be held in this very month.

Obama urged to use prize as spur to peace

US President Barack Obama AFP, Paris

Citizens and world leaders urged US President Barack Obama to seize on his surprise Nobel Peace Prize win Friday to forge peace in the globe's trouble spots and rid the world of nuclear weapons.
From Tokyo to Cape Town, news that the 48-year-old had won the prestigious award just nine months into his presidency was met by a mixture of shock and appeals for Obama to solve a host of local and global issues.
The five-person Norwegian Nobel panel praised Obama's "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," in a win that astonished the laureate himself.
A "surprised" and "deeply humbled" Obama said he doubted he deserved the honour, but vowed to wield it as a "call to action" to lead a united world against its greatest challenges.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed the prize as "America's return to the hearts of the world's peoples" after disenchantment with the previous presidency of George W. Bush.
Former UN chief Kofi Annan called it "an unexpected but inspired choice." But the announcement was not universally lauded.
"Who, Obama? So fast? Too fast -- he hasn't had the time to do anything yet," was the incredulous response of Lech Walesa, Poland's historic trade union leader and the 1983 laureate.
For others, Obama's promotion to the rank of global peacemaker was an opportunity to give him some new assignments.
The prize is in "good hands," said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, expressing "hope that world peace is a reality and that we have no more nuclear bombs."
The Dalai Lama, who won the prestigious award in 1989, called on Obama to champion "freedom and liberty."
The exiled Tibetan leader wrote a letter to Obama congratulating him even though the president, in an apparent bid not to upset China, avoided meeting him during the Dalai Lama's weeklong visit to Washington.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Obama's win was an "incentive" for all to do more for peace, adding that his goal of a nuclear-free world is one "we must all try to achieve in the coming years."
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, meanwhile, said he hoped it would be a "boost to our joint efforts in forming a new climate in international politics and promoting initiatives that are critically important for global security."
The 2008 laureate, former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, noted that as Middle East peace efforts remain stalled, "this time, it was very clear that they wanted to encourage Obama to move on these issues."
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas said he hoped the prize would help bring about an independent Palestinian state, but the Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, decried Obama's win.
"He did not do anything for the Palestinians except make promises," said Hamas spokesman Samir Abu Zuhri.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, said the award "expresses the hope that your presidency will usher in a new era of peace and reconciliation."
In Afghanistan, where the United States is in the ninth year of a bloody conflict against Taliban extremists, President Hamid Karzai hailed Obama's "hard work and new vision on global relations."
But the decision was condemned by the Taliban, who said he had "not taken a single step toward peace in Afghanistan."
On the streets of Kabul, Afghans said they did not believe Obama's policies had improved the situation in their war-ravaged country.
"The situation is getting worse here," said shopkeeper Ahmad Tawab.
"At least I can say that he is better than George Bush," said tailor Abdul Hakeem, 18.
The Nobel committee acted "hastily," said arch foe Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, arguing a "good timing" for the prize would have been after US troops pull out of Afghanistan and Iraq "and the United States is standing up for the rights of the Palestinian people."
UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei -- another former winner -- said Obama had "reached out across divides and made clear that he sees the world as one human family, regardless of religion, race or ethnicity."
In Iraq, 45-year-old bank security guard Abu Istabraq said that Obama "really deserved this prize more than anyone else."
Obama "was able to calm the situation in Iraq and other countries, and he made America reach out to Islamic and Arabic countries," he said.
Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of Japan, the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack, said he saw "the world changing" since Obama entered the White House on January 20.
South African archbishop Desmond Tutu, who won the prize in 1984, saw Obama as a younger incarnation of Nelson Mandela, a 1993 co-laureate.
"It is a very imaginative and somewhat surprising choice. It is wonderful," he said in Cape Town.
Obama's Kenyan relatives reacted with delight.
"It is an honour to the family... we are very happy that one of us has been honoured. We congratulate Barack," Said Obama, the president's step-brother, told AFP. Obama's father was Kenyan and the president is considered a favourite son of the east African country.

'Corruption eradication impossible sans active JS'

Star Online Report

Corruption could not be eradicated unless the parliament becomes active, speakers said at the youth convention of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) in the capital today.
They also pointed out that the corruption spreads at all the level including the government offices.
Speakers also urged the political parties to respect people’s verdict on the ninth parliamentary election and their election manifesto to create an accountable parliament for the greater good.
Former adviser to the caretaker government and Chairman of TIB Trustee Board M Hafizuddin Khan, Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed, Prof Mozaffer Ahmad, former adviser to the caretaker government advocate Sultana Kamal, Executive Director of TIB Iftekharuzzaman, among other dignitaries, spoke at the annual conference of Concerned Citizen Committee (CCC) and Youth Engagement and Support Group (Yes) organised by the TIB at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
Speaker also stressed on the need to strengthen Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) so that it can fight corruption independently.
They also said, corruption is directly linked with human rights violation. It is not possible to implement human rights if corruption cannot be eradicated.
About 2,000 youth volunteers of Yes and CCC from 36 districts of the country participated in the convention pledging to uproot corruption from the country.
Sultana Kamal said, the power of the youth was manifested during the last parliamentary election. They clearly expressed their views of having a government that would run the country with righteousness.
While Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed said, corruption clearly is an obstacle to development.
The youth of today must take the leading role to uproot corruption. The youth proved their strength during the mass movement against military ruler Gen Ershad in 1991.
Mozaffer Ahmad on the other hand said, formal education couldn't alone create a cultured nation. "Our thinking pattern and perspective must be changed," he said.
Speakers urged the government, political parties, the civil society and the mass people to work together to upheld justice.

5 killed in Rajshahi bus crash

UNB, Rajshahi

Five people were killed and 30 others injured as a bus plunged into a roadside ditch at Kashiadanaga bypass crossing in Rajshahi city this afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Momita, 60, Dolly, 40, Jasmine Rani, 60, Bhabesh, 30, and Santosh, 40, of Baghmara upazila in the district.
Police said the accident occurred at about 5:00pm when the bus for Baghmara from Godagari skidded off the road and fall into the ditch as the driver lost his control over the steering.
“Five passengers died on the spot while 30 others sustained injuries in the accident,” said a spot account of the bus crash.
On information, police and firefighters rushed to the spot and carried out rescue operation.
The injured were admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital where condition of several of the injured was stated critical.

Amanullah Aman arrested

Amanullah AmanStar Online Report

Detective Branch of police this morning arrested BNP leader and former state minister Amanullah Aman in connection with an attempt to murder case.
He was arrested at Zia International Airport on his arrival from Singapore on a flight of Thai Airways at about 8:15am.
BNP leaders and activists started demonstration in front of the airport in protest against the arrest at about 11:30am, which was continuing till filling of this report at 2:15pm.

Guinean forces kill 87 in crackdown

Guinean police arrest a protester in front of the biggest stadium in the capital Conakry during a protest banned by Guinea's ruling junta. Photo: AFPAFP, Conakry

International condemnation mounted Tuesday after security forces in the world's top bauxite producer Guinea shot dead least 87 people protesting against a junta leader who seized power in December.
The outcry boiled over amid reports that troops were reportedly removing bodies in the seaside capital Conakry to hide the scale of the bloodshed.
"There are 87 bodies that were collected in and around the stadium after the military came through," a police source said, referring to the venue of Monday's rally and speaking on condition of anonymity.
There are currently 47 bodies at the Samory Toure military camp in Conakry, four of them women, the source said.
After crushing the protest against junta leader Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, military commanders issued instructions for all bodies from the demonstration at a city stadium to be taken to the Alpha Yaya Diallo military camp, rather than to morgues, a Red Cross source told AFP.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon slammed the "excessive use of force" and said he was "shocked by the loss of life, the high number of people injured and the destruction of property."
Former colonial ruler France condemned "the violent repression exercised by the army against the opposition and civil society during a peaceful demonstration held in Conakry."
Paris called on the junta to "show responsibility and to listen to the Guinean people's legitimate aspiration to democratically choose their leaders," and said Camara not standing for re-election "would allow for calm to return."
A senior US official in Washington said: "We're deeply concerned about the general breakdown in security in Conakry. We urge the Guinean government to exercise restraint and ensure the safety and security of Guinean and foreign nationals in accordance with universally accepted standards of human rights." The International Federation of Human Rights cited reports of several bodies with bullet marks arriving in Conakry hospitals and urged world bodies, including the United Nations and the African Union, to help stop the executions by what it said was an "illegitimate regime."
A source at Conakry's Ignace Deen hospital told AFP that an army truck had come by to pick up "dozens of bodies" to be taken to "an unknown destination" after presidential guards violently evacuated several thousand people out to demonstrate in defiance of a ban.
"It's butchery! There are dozens of dead," said another doctor who asked not to be named.
The protesters had gathered to oppose any bid by the junta leader, who took power in December 2008, to run for president in elections due next January. Camara is also under strong international pressure to step down.
In his first public comment on the violence, Camara told Senegal's RFM radio station that "I wanted to go (and see what was happening), I was so really disgusted when I was told" about the violence.
"I'd rather die (than see people killed) because I didn't take control of this country to have a confrontation," Camara said, speaking in disjointed sentences.
Two former prime ministers now in the opposition, Cellou Dalein Diallo and Sidya Toure, were injured in the violence and then taken to a military camp which serves as the junta's headquarters, according to Diallo's wife.
The houses of the two men were pillaged by soldiers, their neighbours said.
"There was a deliberate attempt today to eliminate all the opponents," Toure, who had suffered head injuries in the crackdown, told AFP.
Demonstrators had begun to gather outside Conakry's largest stadium, which was guarded by large numbers of police. Protesters carried placards reading "No to Dadis" and "Down with the army in power."
The junta banned the demonstration, but several political parties, trade unions and civic organisations vowed that the event would go ahead.
In the middle of the morning, riot police charged the protesters.
News of the ban came a day after Camara made his first visit outside the capital since he took power in a coup last December, travelling to Guinea's second city and opposition stronghold of Labe.
Camara installed himself at the helm of the francophone West African nation after leading a bloodless coup within hours of the death of Guinea's strongman leader Lansana Conte, who had been in power since 1984.

Voter list update starts in metropolises

Star Online Report

Updating the electoral roll with photographs kicked off in the capital and five other metropolises today.
Enumerators of the Election Commission (EC) will make door-to-door visits in the six city corporations -- Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet and Barisal -- till October 5.
The enumerators in the fourth and final stage of the voter list update programme will collect necessary information for registering fresh voters, deletion of names of the dead and transfer of names from one electoral area to another during this timeframe.
On June 15, EC started the nationwide task of voter list updating with photographs, which is scheduled to be completed on or before December 31 this year.
Photographs of fresh voters will be taken at the registration centre of each ward of the respective city corporations, which will start from October 12 and continue till November 10.
If any voter misses the deadline to give photo shots, they will be given seven days to appear before the respective centre to be enrolled as voters.
The enumerators will write down the information on the registration books after collecting it from others if the eligible persons remain absent during information collection process.
No-one would be allowed to get enrolled as a voter if they go to the registration centres and their information is not found on the registration books, sources say.
EC sources say the enumerators will provide a slip to each fresh voter mentioning the date and time when their photographs will be taken. An eligible voter will have to take the slip to the respective registration centre in their ward for giving photo shots and fingerprints.
The EC website says people born on January 1, 1992 or earlier will be eligible to register their names as new voters.
Those who will become voters this year will get national ID cards, the sources add.
The draft voter list is likely to be published in January next year after all objections regarding the voter list are resolved. A final voter list would be published after that.
Names of the listed voters who have died will be deleted from the existing voter list and those who were disqualified will be dropped from the list during the updating process.

Hasina goes to Washington for treatment

Prime Minister Sheikh HasinaUNB, New York

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left New York Monday morning for Washington to see doctors to check up her ears damaged in grenade attack on her rally in Dhaka.
Hasina is advised by US doctors for check up every year. She will be staying in Washington for a day and leave for Dhaka on September 29.

Khaleda leaves for Sirajganj

BNP Chairperson Khaleda ZiaStar Online Report

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia left Dhaka for Sirajganj this morning to visit a number of destitute families living on shoals of the Jamuna river who could not celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr for abject poverty.
The motorcade of the opposition leader left her Dhaka Cantonment residence at about 10:00am, reports private television channel ATN Bangla.
Khaleda along with the other senior party leaders will distribute relief materials among the destitute.
The former prime minister decided to visit the area after she came to know about their misfortune in newspaper reports, party officials said.
The BNP chairperson is scheduled to return by night.

Running car catches fire in city

A running private car caught fire in front of the daily Ittefaq office on RK Mission Road in the capital this afternoon.
Witnesses said the driver got down from the car soon after the CNG-driven vehicle caught fire at around 12:45pm.
On information, fire fighters of Phulbaria Fire Brigade rushed to the spot but the car was totally damaged before they reached there.
The fire might have originated due to technical glitches, police said.

RMG workers demonstrate in front of BGMEA Bhaban

Star file photoStar Online Report

Hundreds of ready-made garment workers from Ashulia demonstrated in front of the capital's BGMEA Bhaban this evening demanding their due salaries and arrears.
Nearly three hundred workers from Seasons Sweater factory in the Ashulia's Bypile area boarding on three trucks came to the capital and took position in front of the Karwan Bazar's Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Bhaban around 7:00pm as they did not get their salaries from nearly four months, the workers claimed.
Later, around 9:30pm the workers have withdrawn their agitation programme as the BGMEA leaders paid them a token amount and assured them to solve the problem after Eid vacation, sources said.
The workers said they demanded the BGMEA leaders' intervention in the matter so that they could get their salaries and arrears ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr, a largest festival for the Muslims.
When contacted Badal Roy, one of the directors of the BGMEA, told The Daily Star that they were in touch with the factory owner Ziaul Amin on Thursday and he (Ziaul Amin) assured them that he would pay the arrears and also cleared off the salaries within today.
But, today his cell phone was found switch off, the BGMEA director claimed.
The workers also said the owner of the factory padlocked his factory on September 6, in the wake of the protest by the workers, as he did not pay their arrears and salaries.
From that day, they have been demonstrating in front of their factory to press home their demand, the workers said, adding that at one stage Officer-in-Charge of Ashulia Police Station Monwar Hossain assured them that he would clear their salaries selling the machineries and furniture of the factory within this afternoon.
As, the Ashulia police chief failed to fulfil their demands, the workers found no other way to came to the BGMEA leaders to solve their problem, they going on.

Protection committee to sit in talks on condition

Star file photoStar Online Report

Leaders of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports today said they would sit with the government, if any formal invitation comes from it to hold talks on leasing out three offshore gas fields to two foreign companies.
The leaders of the committee also announced fresh agitation programmes including demonstrating black flags in front of Petrobangla on September 24 in protest against the government's decision on the offshore gas fields.
Sheikh Mohammad Shahidullah, convenor of the protection committee, announced the programme at a press conference today at Mukti Bhaban in the capital's Purana Paltan area.
Earlier, the government awarded Ireland-based company Tullow Bangladesh shallow water block SS-08-05 and US oil company Conoco Phillips South Asia New Ventures Ltd deep sea blocks DS-08-10 and 11 in the Bay of Bengal for oil and gas exploration.
On September 14, the committee announced to hold a national conference on October 16 in the capital.
Prior to it, the committee also hold conferences in divisional cities-- on October 3 in Khulna, October 5 in Barisal, October 7 in Chittagong, October 10 in Rajshahi and October 13 in Sylhet.
Earlier, on September 14 the committee enforced a half-day hartal in Dhaka to press home their demands.
After the hartal, they gave an ultimatum to the government until Oct 15 to meet their five-point demands including cancellation of the deals which they claimed gave the two companies the right to export 80 percent of any gas extracted from the fields.

Khaleda returns from Saudi Arabia

Khaleda ZiaStar Online Report

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia returned home this morning from Saudi Arabia after performing umrah.
The former prime minister arrived at Zia International Airport on an Emirates flight at about 9:45am.
She left Jeddah yesterday afternoon, the party sources said.
Her younger brother Shamim Eskander, his wife Kaneez Fatema, Khaleda's younger son Arafat Rahman Koco's wife Syeda Sharmila Rahman, her daughters Jasia Rahman and Jahia Rahman and former foreign secretary Shamsher Mubin Chowdhury accompanied her during the visit.
The BNP chief left Dhaka for Saudi Arabia on September 11 to perform umrah.

Muggers kill food trader in Narayanganj

Star Online Report

Muggers stabbed a food trader to death at Fatullah in Narayanganj last night.
Witnesses said a gang of muggers stopped Md Jasim, 30, at Fatullah rail crossing when he was returning home at around 8:00pm.
As Jasim tried to resist the snatching, the criminals stabbed him indiscriminately, leaving him critically injured.
Jasim was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where he died at about 11:00pm.

Outlaw killed in Pabna 'crossfire'

Star Online Report

A regional leader of outlawed Janajuddho was killed in 'crossfire' between his cohorts and police at Nandanpur in Pabna Sadar upazila early today.
The dead, Sukkur Ali alias Boma Sukkur, 30, son of Abdul Hakim Pramanik of Nandanpur village, was accused in six cases including murder, police said.
Acting on a tip-off, a team from Hataikula police raided the Nandanpur click intersection where Sukkur Ali and his gang were holding a meeting at around 1:00am, reports our Pabna correspondent.
Sensing the presence of police, they started firing that triggered a half an hour-long gunbattle between the outlaws and the law enforcers.
Police found the body of Sukkur lying on the spot after the criminals fled the scene at one stage of the firing.
Police also recovered one shutter gun, two rounds of bullet from the spot.

Obama: Health care anger not motivated by his race

US President Barack Obama delivers a statement regarding missile defense at the White House in Washington, DC, on September 17. Photo: AFPAP, Washington

President Barack Obama said Friday that angry criticisms about his health care agenda are driven by an intense debate over the proper role of government — and not by racism.
"Are there people out there who don't like me because of race? I'm sure there are," Obama told CNN. "That's not the overriding issue here."
The nation's first black president spoke about the issue of race during a battery of interviews on Friday. In a media blitz aimed at pounding home his health care message, he taped interviews with ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Univision to be shown during the networks' Sunday morning talk shows.
Some excerpts aired during Friday night broadcasts.
Time and again, Obama was asked about whether the tenor of the health care debate turned nasty because of undercurrents in racism. Former President Jimmy Carter raised the point prominently this week when he said the vitriol was racially motivated.
Not so, Obama said.
"There's been a long-standing debate in this country that is usually that much more fierce during times of transition, or when presidents are trying to bring about big changes," Obama told CNN.
To NBC News, Obama put it this way: "It's an argument that's gone on for the history of this republic, and that is, What's the right role of government? How do we balance freedom with our need to look out for one another? ... This is not a new argument, and it always evokes passions."
Obama said most people across the country are just trying to follow the debate and figure out how proposed changes would help them.
"Now there are some who are, setting aside the issue of race, actually I think are more passionate about the idea of whether government can do anything right," Obama said told ABC News. "And I think that that's probably the biggest driver of some of the vitriol."
Some health care town halls over the summer had bitter moments of confrontation. And South Carolina Republican Rep. Joe Wilson shouted "You lie!" at Obama during the president's address to a joint session of Congress last week. The White House has said for weeks that such moments are not representative and overblown.
Obama told CBS News that the media was partly to blame.
"The 24-hour news cycle and cable television and blogs and all this — they focus on the most extreme elements on both sides," Obama said. "They can't get enough of conflict. It's catnip to the media right now."
Obama also is visiting David Letterman on Monday, the first appearance ever by a sitting president on Letterman's "Late Show."

Australia to begin vaccinating against swine flu

File photoAP, Canberra

Australia approved a vaccine against swine flu Friday and said it would start administering the medicine this month to its most at-risk citizens, including medical staff, pregnant women and the chronically ill.
Australia's drug regulators on Friday approved CSL Ltd's vaccine for people above age 10, but the Therapeutic Drug Administration is awaiting the results of more clinical trials before approving it for younger children.
Health authorities recommend that immunizations start Sept. 30, Health Minister Nicola Roxon said.
"This announcement today means Australia will be one of the first countries to be providing vaccine to its population," Roxon told reporters.
The United States, which has also ordered the CSL vaccine, plans to start vaccinating in mid-October. China has approved swine flu vaccines but has yet to announce a vaccination campaign.
The CSL vaccine will first go to priority groups who make up more than 4 million of Australia's 21 million population — pregnant women, the chronically ill, the obese, Aborigines in remote Outback communities, handicapped children who attend special schools and front-line health workers.
Trials have found that a single dose is sufficient to immunize an adult.
CSL has already delivered 4 million of the 21 million doses the government has ordered. The rest will be delivered this year.
Australia will follow President Barack Obama's lead by committing up to 10 percent of its vaccine to the World Health Organization for distribution in the Asia-Pacific region, Roxon said.
But the vaccine eventually would be available to all Australians, she said.
WHO has said the swine flu strain has killed more than 3,500 people worldwide. Last week, it said the flu was declining in countries in the temperate region of the southern hemisphere including Australia, Chile, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa.
But Roxon said more than 300 Australians remained in the hospital with swine flu, including 56 patients in intensive care.

11 buses burned down in Savar

File photoStar Online Report

Eleven CNG-run buses of Trans Millennium Company Limited were burned down in Savar this morning.
Police said the fire originated in a bus at around 6:30am and burned down 11 buses, out of 23, kept at Anandapur bus depot in Savar.
Several fire fighting units with their frantic efforts could save the rest 12 buses.
Fire service said that the fire might have originated in one of the buses due to leakage in the gas line. There was no report of casualty in the incident.
Police termed the incident 'mysterious' as locals claimed most of the buses that gutted in the fire were out of services.

Star Online Report

Criminal killed in city 'shootout'

An alleged criminal was killed in a 'shootout' between his cohorts and Rapid Action Battalion at Mirpur-10 in the city early today.
The dead was identified as Mohammad Ali, 25.
ASP Kaniz Hossain of Rab-4 said the elite force members were conducting a drive in the area early today. But sensing their presence, the criminals opened fire at them forcing them to fire back, triggering a gunfight.
Mohammad Ali caught in the line of fire and died on the spot.

Khulna BNP leader dies while trying to escape arrest

Star Online Report

A BNP leader died after hitting a tree while trying to escape arrest at Ghatbhog union in Rupsha upazila in Khulna early today.
The dead was identified as Arbindo Mandol, 45, BNP general secretary of Ghatbhog union.
He was an accused in a case filed in 2008, reports our Khulna correspondent.
Police said a team of law enforcers went to arrest Arbindo at his Ghatbhog residence at about 2:30am.
Arbindo informed police that he was earlier released on bail in this case.
When police wanted to see his court order, he entered the house and tried to flee through the back door of the house.
Police said he was injured critically after being struck by a tree while trying to flee away. He died at Khulna Medical College Hospital later.
Arbindo's wife Nilima however claimed that police beat him to death.