Women who quit smoking 'cut risk'

Women who give up smoking by the age of 30 will almost completely avoid the risks of dying early from tobacco-related diseases, according to a study of more than a million women in the UK.

The results, published in the Lancet, showed lifelong smokers died a decade earlier than those who never started.

But those who stopped by 30 lost, on average, a month of life and if they stopped by 40 they died a year younger.

Health experts said this was not a licence for the young to smoke

The study followed the first generation of women to start smoking during the 1950s and 60s. As women started smoking on a large scale much later than men, the impact of a lifetime of cigarettes has only just been analysed for women.

"What we've shown is that if women smoke like men, they die like men," said lead researcher Prof Sir Richard Peto, from Oxford University.

He told the BBC: "More than half of women who smoke and keep on smoking will get killed by tobacco.

"Stopping works, amazingly well actually. Smoking kills, stopping works and the earlier you stop the better."

Early death

The records from 1.2 million women showed that even those who smoked fewer than 10 cigarettes a day were more likely to die sooner.

Sir Richard said that it was exactly the same picture as for men.

The British Lung Foundation said the prospects for long-term health were much better if people stopped smoking before they were 30, but cautioned that this was not a licence to smoke "as much as you want in your 20s".

Its chief executive, Dr Penny Woods, said: "Stopping smoking can also be difficult to do - an estimated 70% of current smokers say they want to quit, so you shouldn't start and just assume you'll be able to quit smoking whenever you want to.

"The best thing for your health is to avoid smoking at all."

Prof Robert West, from the health behaviour research unit at University College London, said it was important to remember that smoking had more effects on the body than leading to an early death, such as ageing the skin.

"Around your mid-20s your lung function peaks and then declines. For most people that's fine - by the time you're into your 60s and 70s it's still good enough. But if you've smoked, and then stopped there is irreversible damage, which combined with age-related decline can significantly affect their quality of life.

"Obviously there is an issue around smoking if they want to get pregnant because it affects fertility and then there are the dangers of smoking during and after pregnancy."

The chartered health psychologist, Dr Lisa McNally, who specialises in NHS stop smoking services, also emphasised other factors.

Speaking to BBC News, she said: "There's the danger isn't there that people could almost take permission to continue to smoke to 30 or even to 40, but actually in my experience younger women quit smoking for other reasons other than life expectancy.

Ctg mother, kids murdered for expensive cellphones

Tareque Chowdhury, the house tutor who was held over the triple murder in Khotiber Haat area of Chittagong city, on Friday confessed that he hacked and killed the kids for two expensive mobile phone sets.

Later, he also killed Doly Akter, 30, the children’s mother, as he had a dispute with her over the children’s tuition.

Tareque said this at a press conference in Chittagong Metropolitan Police Headquarters (CMP) on Friday.

He however denied the allegation of sexually assaulting the mother, reports our correspondent in Chittagong.

Tareque said Doly misbehaved with him earlier and also did not pay his salary in due time, which annoyed him a lot. So, he killed the kids when their mother went outside to buy snacks for him on that day.

Later, when Doly returned he also hacked her and dragged her from the drawing room to the dining room, he confessed.

After the killing, Tareque returned to his residence and washed himself and the knife and left. He told his uncle, with whom he lived in the city's Bayezid Bostami area, that the blood on his clothes was the result of an accident, he added.

Earlier on Thursday, police arrested Tareque, a HSC student of Kulgaon City Corporation Evening College, from the building in Khotiber Haat area, when returned their and asked the landowner about the murder, said CMP Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam.

Police found two mobile phones belonging to the victims and Tareque's blood-stained clothes from his house while blood and a footprint on the crime scene were found to be his, he added.

Doly, wife of expatriate worker Anwar, and her two children-- Albhi, 10, and daughter Payel, 6,-- were hacked to death at their rented flat in Chittagong city on Tuesday.

15 hurt in Ctg clash

At least 15 people, including eight policemen, were injured in a clash between the police and locals after Eid prayer at Sitakunda upazila of Chittagong on Saturday.

Police fired 14 rounds of rubber bullets and charged baton to disperse the clashing people, reports our Chittagong Correspondent.

Locals said the clash erupted when a group of people ransacked a salon and a grocery shop after attending Eid prayer at Sitakunda bazar around 10:00am alleging that the salon men played music in loudspeaker during the prayer.

Police rushed the spot and use baton to calm the angry people while the unruly locals threw brick chips on the members of law enforcers.

There is no report of bullet injuries and the situation is now under control.

UN warning over Myanmarese violence

An official said 64 people had been killed in violence this week between local Buddhists and Muslim Rohingyas - revising down figures he gave earlier.

Thousands of homes have been destroyed as clashes spread across the state.

This is the first serious outburst of violence since June, when a state of emergency was declared in Rakhine.

At that time deadly clashes claimed dozens of lives and thousands of people were forced to flee their homes - many are yet to return.

A local journalist told BBC Burmese the current situation was unclear and that the death toll may yet rise again as reports of killings come in from remote areas of the state.

Volatile atmosphere

The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says that the statement by the UN is the strongest yet on the unrest which has gripped the state since June

20 injured, vehicles vandalised in N’ganj clash

At least 20 people were injured and several vehicles, including buses, were vandalised when villagers clashed during a boat race in Narayanganj on Sunday.

Due to the clash, huge tailbacks were created on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway, causing immense sufferings to the people returning back to the capital after celebrating Eid-ul-Azha at their village homes.

Locals said the villagers got into the clash around 5:00pm during a boat race between Banti and Panchrukhi villages at Panchrukhi Canal in Araihajar upazila.

Local ruling Awami League lawmaker Nazrul Islam Babu was the chief guest at the programme, reports our Narayanganj correspondent.

Witnesses said at one stage of the clash, the villagers started vandalising buses and other vehicles blocking the highway.

The traffic movement on the highway restored around 8:00pm, police confirmed.

Govt won’t allow attack on religious institutions: PM

Those attacked Buddhist temples, monasteries to be punished, she reiterates

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday warned that the present government will not allow any attack on any religious institution and categorically said those who attacked Buddhists temples and monasteries will definitely be punished after proper investigation.

“It’s my question who’ve committed this heinous act and with which intention? Thousand years’ of valuable artifacts, idols and cultural relics have lost with these heinous attacks. It’s not only the loss of the Buddhist community, but also the nation,” she said.

The prime minister’s strong remarks came while exchanging greetings with the representatives of the Buddhist community at her official residence Gono Bhaban ahead of Probarona Purnima.

The premier said a vested quarter unleashed the attacks on the Buddhist monasteries and damaged the houses of the Buddhists in a bid to tarnish the country’s image.

Administering a note of warning, Hasina said the present government will not allow any attack on any religious institution or any religious sentiment as it wants to ensure free and peaceful celebration of religious festivals of all religions in the country.

Reiterating that her government has been working tirelessly to ensure the basic and constitutional rights of people, Hasina called upon all, including the Buddhist community, to work together for foiling the evil attempts of the conspirators to destroy the hard-earned democracy.

She said her government has already constructed makeshift houses for the victims and funds have been allocated to reconstruct the damaged temples and Buddhists sculptures and the country’s leading architects of the country have showed interest to redesign those voluntarily.

Hasina said all religions give importance to humanity, preaching the message of peace and showing respect to each others. “But sometimes such suicidal incidents take place in our society harming the fraternity.”

She mentioned that her government has already established the voting rights of people, one of the main constitutional rights. “Holding free, fair, peaceful and neutral holding of over 6,000 elections in nearly last four years is the bright examples of that.”

With the huge mandate of people, Hasina said, her government amended the constitution and restored the spirit of the Liberation War, ensured the equal rights of people of all religions and stopped the path of illegal grabbing of state power through unconstitutional means.

Hasina said her government has been working hard to create such an environment where all, irrespective of their religion, caste and creed, will enjoy equal rights and perform their religious rituals and festivals with full freedom.

The people of all religions in Bangladesh have been living in the country maintaining peace and harmony as they freed it through a nine-month struggle in 1971. “So, all will enjoy the equal rights.”

Hasina said the main message of all religions is to give importance to humanity, preach the message of peace and respect the religions of others and that needs to be upheld.

Industries Minister Dilip Barua, Sanghanayak Suddhananda Mahathero, Sangharaj Dharmasen, Dharmasen Mahathero, President of the Buddhist Federation Biswapati Barua, Secretary General of Bangladesh Buddhist Association Ajit Ranjan Barua, Secretary General of Bangladesh Buddha Kristi Prachar Sangha and Awami League Advisory Council Member Prof Kanak Kumar Barua, Vice-Chairman of Buddhist Welfare Trust Sajal Talukdar Barua and Principal of Dhaka International Buddhist Temple Srimat Dharmamitra Mahathero also spoke on the occasion.

India reshuffles cabinet; Khurshid gets foreign ministry

Moily gets Ppetroleum from Jaipal Reddy

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi at swearing-in ceremony of the Union Council of Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday.

In a major reshuffle on Sunday, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inducted 22 lawmakers, including 17 new faces, to his cabinet.

Experts said the change, possibly the last before next general elections in 2014, is a means to show an image makeover to Manmohan’s government battling a series of alleged scams, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Of the 22 ministers sworn in by President Pranab Mukherjee at the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi Sunday morning, seven are of cabinet rank, two junior ministers with independent charge and 13 junior ministers.

After the oath taking ceremony, Manmohan Singh told reporters that this was hopefully the last reshuffle before the general elections in 2014.

Along with the reshuffle, the PM also carried out a change of some key portfolios, appointing Salman Khurshid, the 59-year-old lawmaker from India’s largest state of Uttar Pradesh, as India’s new Foreign Minister following the resignation of 80-year-old S M Krishna.

Harish Rawat, a veteran Congressman from the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, has been made the new Water Resources Minister, the portfolio earlier held by Pawan Kumar Bansal who has been given the key portfolio of Railway once held by Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee (before she became West Bengal Chief Minister) and later by her trusted aide Mukul Roy.

Khurshid had been law minister, a post that has now gone to Ashwani Kumar, a suave and articulate Congress lawmaker from Punjab.

Contrary to media speculation, Rahul Gandhi did not join the government in this reshuffle.

Manmohan Singh later told media persons that he would have been happy if Rahul had joined the government but the latter wanted to work for Congress party. Singh also ruled out early parliamentary elections which are due in first half of 2014.

Rahul, the 42-year-old Congress general secretary and scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family, was seen by many as future PM, is most likely to get a "bigger role" in the party in an internal reorganisation planned soon. He is currently one of the dozen-odd general secretaries in the party.

Rahul’s mother and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who along with her son was present at the swearing-in ceremony, said after the ministerial reshuffle that Congress party’s organisational revamp would take place but did not specify when.

Congress sources said Rahul could be given a much larger organisational role-- the party’s working president, formalising his position as second-in-command after Sonia Gandhi ahead of 2014 general elections.

Khurshid’s shift to the foreign ministry came in the backdrop of charges of financial irregularities in his NGO for differently-able people. The charges levelled by anti-corruption activist Arvind Kerjiwal were stoutly denied by Khurshid.

The other key portfolio change is that M Veerappa Moily has been moved from corporate affairs ministry to petroleum ministry to replace S Jaipal Reddy in the midst of an on-going conflict between India’s largest private company Reliance and the petroleum ministry over revising the cost of gas that the corporate giant is extracting from the Krishna Godavari basin. Reddy has been shunted to relatively less important ministry of science and technology and earth sciences.

Of the seven cabinet ministers, three are new faces—K Rahman Khan, Chandresh Kumari Katoch and Dinshaw Patel while four current junior ministers are -- Ajay Maken Pallam Raju, Ashwini Kumar and Harish Rawat have been elevated to the cabinet rank.

Manish Tewari, 47-year-old Congress leader from Punjab and the party’s most prominent face in the media, and actor-turned-politician K Chiranjeevi from southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh have been inducted into the ministerial council as junior ministers with independent charge.

Among the 13 junior ministers there are former UN Under-Secretary General Shashi Tharoor who had resigned two years ago in the wake of his controversial “cattle class” remarks about air passengers travelling in economy class and allegations of a conflict of interest in his backing of an IPL cricket team linked to his wife Sunanda Pushkar.

Another prominent junior minister sworn in today is Tariq Anwar, general secretary of Nationalist Congress Party, a constituent of Congress-led UPA. Anwar will be in agriculture ministry headed by his party boss Sharad Pawar.

Three lawmakers from West Bengal Adhir Ranjan Chowdhry and Abu Hashme Khan Chowdhury, brother of late Congress leader Abu Barkat Ghani Khan Chowdhury, and Deepa Dasmunshi, wife of former federal minister Priyaranjan Dasmunshi.

All the junior three ministers from West Bengal are known staunch detractors of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party Trinamool Congress which snapped its alliance with Congress and pulled out of UPA in September this year protesting hike in diesel price and foreign investment in multiband retail decisions of the federal government.

Contrary to domestic media reports, today’s reshuffle had very little young faces as the two youngest ministers inducted were 47 years old—Manish Tewari and Chiranjeevi.

However, Manmohan maintained his government is now a combination of youth and experienced and he has moved some “competent people” to the cabinet.

Ahead of today’s reshuffle, Krishna and six other cabinet and junior ministers had quit on Friday and Saturday.

Six ministers of Trinamool Congress resigned in September when the party quit the ruling United Progressive Alliance and the government.

A vacancy was created when senior Congress leader Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was minister for science and technology, died in August while two cabinet berths vacated by another UPA constituent party DMK leaders A.

Raja and Dayanidhi Maran stepped down in the wake of the 2G telecom spectrum allocation issue has not yet been filled up.

The cabinet reshuffle came at a time when the UPA government is buffeted by allegations of corruption and ahead of the winter session of parliament to be held November-December.

Khaleda’s visit to boost ties: India

Khaleda Zia

India said on Friday that the forthcoming visit of Opposition Leader and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to New Delhi would provide an opportunity to exchange views on all matters of mutual interest ‘with a view to building upon the positive momentum’ in relations between the two countries.

Khaleda’s visit is “part of our ongoing engagement with a democratic and multiparty policy in Bangladesh,” said Syed Akbaruddin, spokesman of India’s external affairs ministry, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

“It would provide an opportunity to exchange views on all matters of mutual interest with a view to building upon the positive momentum in India-Bangladesh relations,” he said in response to a question from the media.

He said Khaleda, a former prime minister, will be visiting India at the invitation of the Indian external affairs minister from October 28 to November 3.

During her stay, she is scheduled to call on Indian President Pranab Mukherjeee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, the spokesman said.

The announcement made by Akbaruddin makes no mention of Khaleda’s meeting with ruling Congress Party Chief and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Sources in India said a meeting between the two is unlikely.

Khaleda’s meeting with President Mukherjee is expected on Sunday evening, a few hours after her arrival from Dhaka. She is likely to meet Prime Minister Singh on Monday (October 29) and other Indian leaders subsequently.

Khaleda is also expected to visit Ajmer Sharif, where she would travel by road on November 3, before returning to New Delhi the next day and going back to Dhaka the same day.

The BNP chairperson’s last official visit to India was in 2006 when she was the prime minister of Bangladesh.

Sources said the main thrust of Indian leaders’ interactions with Khaleda would be to continue the stress on sustaining the dynamism and momentum the relations between India and Bangladesh received in the last four years through a series of decisions and agreements signed during the visits of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to New Delhi in January, 2010 and Indian Prime Minister Singh to Dhaka in September last year.

India is expected to convey to Khaleda that it is ready to work with any government democratically elected by the people of Bangladesh and what is important is to sustain the momentum in bilateral ties in a range of sectors—connectivity, trade, power, water-sharing and security.

The BNP chief, who arrives here on Sunday afternoon by a Jet Airways flight, is expected to meet the media after wrapping up her talks with Indian leaders.

People waiting for regime change: Khaleda

Claiming that the country’s people are eagerly waiting for a regime change, opposition leader Khaleda Zia on Saturday said the government must restore the non-party caretaker government system to hold the next national election in a credible manner.

“Once Awmi League had been in a movement for introducing the caretaker government claiming that a fair and credible election is not possible under a partisan government. Singing the same music, we’re now telling an impartial election is not possible under a party government,” she told reporters after exchanging Eid greetings with a cross-section of people at the city’s Ladies’ Club.

Kaleda Zia exchanged Eid greetings with political leaders, diplomats, city elite, teachers and people from the all walks of life from 11:45am to 1:35pm.

Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest religious festival of the Muslims, is being celebrated in the country today (Saturday).

Khaleda accused the government of having failed to run the country on all fronts and said the government even could not ensure people’s basic rights, including food and clothes.

“The government should understand that people don’t want to see them in power any more. They’ve got fed-up with the government’s performance and have lost their confidence in it. So, the government should quit on moral grounds. People are now looking forward to the 18-party alliance to save them from this messy condition,” the former premier said.

She also castigated the government for tainting the country’s image both at home and abroad by indulging in widespread corruption, saying the country is now known to foreigners as a corrupt one.

“Even foreigners also have no confidence in the present government,” Khaleda told her audience, adding, “Test your popularity joining the polls under a non-party caretaker government, if you (Govt) think you’ve any popularity.”

Mentioning that the people of the country are going through a tough time, the BNP chief said cattle traders could not sell their sacrificial animals as people are now in hardship. “Countrymen also couldn’t enjoy the Eid because of their waning purchasing power. “It’s now proved the country’s economic condition is not in good shape.”

Depicting a gloomy picture of the country, the BNP chairperson said people are not safe under this regime as the law and order situation in the country has been on the downslide. “A chaotic situation has been prevailing in the country with people are getting killed and disappeared every day. So, this government has lost its legitimacy to stay in office.”

Party central leaders, including its standing committee members were, among others, present on the occasion.

Later, the BNP chairperson along with the party leaders and activists placed wreaths and offered fateha at the grave of party founder and late president Ziaur Rahman.

Meanwhile, the BNP chief is set to fly to New Delhi on Sunday on a weeklong official visit at the invitation of the Indian government.

Khaleda reaches Delhi

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia reached New Delhi on Sunday on a weeklong official visit at the invitation of the Indian government.

A Jet Airways, carrying Khaleda and her entourage members, landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at 12:15pm (Bangladesh time), party sources here said.

They said high officials of Indian External Affairs Ministry and Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi Mahbub Hasan Saleh and its other officials received Khaleda at the airport.

Earlier, Khaleda left Dhaka at 9:20am.

India is giving much importance to Khaleda’s tour as she is visiting the neighbouring country for the first time at the official invitation as the leader of the opposition.

“The visit is part of our ongoing engagement with a democratic and multiparty polity in Bangladesh. It would provide an opportunity to exchange views on all matters of mutual interest with a view to building upon the positive momentum in India-Bangladesh relations,” an official at the Indian external affairs ministry told Indian official news agency PTI.

During her tour, the opposition leader will have meetings with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and key leaders of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Bilateral issues like Teesta water sharing, Tipaimukh Dam project, border killing and trade deficit will be high on agenda during Khaleda’s meetings with the top Indian leaders.

According to party insiders, the visit of the party chief to India is very significant on two counts -- one for consolidating political relations between the Congress and the BNP and another for reducing the gap between the BNP and the people of India.

She is expected to return home on November 3.

Meanwhile, the BNP chief visited China for a week from October 14 at the invitation of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

During her stay in China, Khaleda had meetings with key leaders of the CPC and high government officials, including Chinese Vice President Xi Jingpin, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Vice Minister of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Chen Fengxiang.

Party sources said the opposition leader may soon visit some other countries like Turkey, Korea and some European and Middle East ones, to make the international community understand about the necessity of the caretaker government to oversee the next general election.

Yunus made chancellor of GCU

Prof Muhammad Yunus

Nobel Peace Prize winner and global anti-poverty campaigner Prof Muhammad Yunus was made the Chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) on Friday.

The formal ceremony in the University’s Saltire Centre was preceded by a colourful procession through the city centre campus, with the new chancellor and members of the University Court and senior staff dressed in their academic robes and accompanied by the Bedellus carrying GCU’s ceremonial mace, a press release of the Yunus Centre said.

The ceremony was attended by 350 members of staff, students and invited guests, including representatives from other UK and international universities, national and local government, the arts, academia, business and charitable supporters.

The ceremony was also an emotional family occasion for Yunus with his daughter Monica, an international opera star based in New York, performing during the event accompanied by musicians from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Although the role of Chancellor is largely a ceremonial one, Yunus already has a strong working relationship with the University through the recently- launched Grameen Scotland Foundation, which will oversee the running of the first Grameen micro-lending system in the UK, The Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health in Glasgow, and the Grameen Caledonian College of Nursing in Bangladesh.

The University’s new chancellor has been honoured worldwide, including receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, for his pioneering work with the Grameen Bank which he established in his native Bangladesh in the 1980s and which has since helped lift millions of people out of poverty through its micro-lending system targeted at the least well-off in society.

Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Mike Russell MSP, GCU Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Pamela Gillies and Student President Carla Fyfe addressed on the occassion.

Yunus, who was formally installed as Chancellor by the Chair of the University Court, Antony Brian, also spoke eloquently about the “common good” mission he shares with the university and pledged his inspirational leadership to further GCU’s work in the community at home and abroad.

University Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Pamela Gillies said: “This has been a historic day for Glasgow Caledonian University. The appointment of Prof Yunus, who is a world thought leader in social business and a global anti-poverty campaigner, underlines not only our enduring commitment to the common good, but our status as a globally networked institution.

“I believe with Chancellor Yunus as our figurehead we will continue to grow as an institution and deliver real benefits for our students and the communities we work for in Scotland and overseas. I am incredibly excited and honoured to serve as his Vice- Chancellor.”

Her views were supported by the Chair of Court, Tony Brian, who commented: “This is a wonderful appointment for the university, building still further on our already strong relationship with Yunus. In his role as chancellor and through his inspirational leadership qualities he is uniquely placed to help the university deliver its mission, both at home and internationally.”

Yunus said he was particularly pleased to be working once again with young people: “Being installed as chancellor is a very happy occasion for me. As a teacher and then as founder of the Grameen Bank, I have always worked alongside young people. Because of this, I feel I have an easy connection with them. As chancellor, I will share my experiences and make them see there’s nothing unusual in what I do – and that they can do that too.”

A world thought leader in social business, Yunus is the founder of the Grameen Bank, a global movement dedicated to alleviating poverty through micro-lending. First established in 1983, the Grameen Bank now operates in 38 countries, with a further 60 having adopted variations of its micro-finance system.

The movement has won widespread international support and recognition, with Yunus receiving 113 awards from 26 nations. Among the highest honours are the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the US, which Yunus received from President Barack Obama in 2009.

Yunus has visited GCU on a number of occasions since 2008, when he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters of the university and delivered the inaugural Magnusson Fellowship Lecture, an annual event established in memory of GCU’s late chancellor, the broadcaster Magnus Magnusson, who died in 2007.