UNB, Dhaka, 2 April : Bangladesh has a very bright prospect for enhancing the domestic and international market of software products to around Tk 7,000 crore by 2014 if proper government attention and support is given to the sector.“There is a huge scope for market expansion. The domestic market and volume of exports could be raised to Tk 7,000 crore by 2014 with proper government attention and support,” said Habibullah N Karim, president of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services. He informed that the total size of software industry in the country is presently around Tk 1,000 crore that includes software products, IT services, IT Enabled Services (ITES), graphic design, animation, business process and outsourcing.
The country’s software industry was able to raise its export to US$ 32.91 million in the 2008-09 fiscal with an increase of around 32 percent from US$ 24.82 million in the previous fiscal (2007-08).
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Rail link, airport for Arunachal soon : P Chidambaram
PTI, Itanagar, 2 April : Arunachal Pradesh will soon have a rail link and an airport which will help it in exploiting the tourism potential, Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram said.
Work on both projects were on and millions of tourists from the world over were waiting to enjoy the pristine natural beauty of the hilly forested border state, Chidambaram said at a function after launching a bamboo processing unit at Poma model village, 35 km from here. He said tourism created more jobs than the same amount of money invested in other sectors.
PTI, Itanagar, 2 April : Arunachal Pradesh will soon have a rail link and an airport which will help it in exploiting the tourism potential, Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram said.
Work on both projects were on and millions of tourists from the world over were waiting to enjoy the pristine natural beauty of the hilly forested border state, Chidambaram said at a function after launching a bamboo processing unit at Poma model village, 35 km from here. He said tourism created more jobs than the same amount of money invested in other sectors.
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B'desh War Crime Trial : UN to send observers, if requested
Dhaka, 2 April : The United Nations hopes that Bangladesh will maintain international standard in trying 1971 war criminals.
"The UN will consider sending international observers to monitor the trial if Bangladesh requests," United Nations Resident Coordinator Renata Lok Dessallien told reporters after meeting Law Minister Shafique Ahmed at his secretariat office. In response, the minister said the government will welcome international observers for fair and transparent trial of crimes against humanity during the Liberation War. "There will be no scope for deprecation," he told the reporters after the meeting.
He said the present government has pledged to hold the trial under the law of the country and that it will conform to the international standard.
Dhaka, 2 April : The United Nations hopes that Bangladesh will maintain international standard in trying 1971 war criminals."The UN will consider sending international observers to monitor the trial if Bangladesh requests," United Nations Resident Coordinator Renata Lok Dessallien told reporters after meeting Law Minister Shafique Ahmed at his secretariat office. In response, the minister said the government will welcome international observers for fair and transparent trial of crimes against humanity during the Liberation War. "There will be no scope for deprecation," he told the reporters after the meeting.
He said the present government has pledged to hold the trial under the law of the country and that it will conform to the international standard.
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India-Bangladesh 'historic' pacts in full swing : Tripura CM
Agartala, 2 April : New Delhi and Dhaka have started implementing the agreements finalised during the January visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said here Friday.Sarkar was in Dhaka last week to attend Bangladesh's Independence and National Day celebrations. During his two-day stay in Dhaka, Sarkar met the Bangladesh prime minister, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and leaders of different political parties besides business leaders. "The Bangladesh prime minister, other ministers and leaders are deeply keen to improve communications, trade and business, and people-to-people relations with India's northeastern states," he told reporters.
Quoting Hasina and other leaders, Sarkar said the Bangladesh government would soon undertake a survey to set up a rail track connecting Tripura capital Agartala, the second rail link between the two neighbours after the Dhaka-Kolkata rail connection.
During Hasina's New Delhi visit in January, it was agreed that the construction of the proposed Akhaura (Bangladesh railway station)-Agartala railway link would be financed by India. A joint team of the railway authorities of the two countries will identify the alignment for connectivity. "Bangladesh has also commenced work for improvement of roads linking India, specially Agartala to Dhaka roads."
"Senior ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) officials would visit Dhaka April 5 to finalise the transportation of heavy machineries and turbines for ONGC's upcoming power project from Haldia port in West Bengal to land-locked Tripura via Bangladesh's Ashuganj sea port," he said.
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Rs12 lakh bounty on top Maoist leader Kishenji?IANS, Ranchi, 2 April : Jharkhand police have recommended to the state government to place a cash reward of Rs.12 lakh on information leading up to the arrest of top Maoist leader Kishenji. In a tit-for-tat, the rebels too announced "price" for capture of seven police officials.
"The police headquarters has recommended to the state home department to announce Rs.12 lakh reward for providing information about Kishenji's whereabouts. The home department will take a decision in this regard soon," a police official told IANS.
Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji is the most wanted Maoist leader in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa. He is believed to be hiding in the forest areas on West Bengal-Jharkhand border.
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20 killed in BSF firing in 3 months : Rights group 'Odhikar'
UNB, Dhaka, 2 April : Some 20 Bangladeshi nationals were allegedly killed by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) along the Bangladesh-India border between 1 January and 31 March this year, according to a report released by Odhikar, a rights group.Among the victims, nine people were killed allegedly by gunshots, while the rest were allegedly beaten to death, the report added. Besides, 20 people were injured in firing, and it is alleged that four others were assaulted while four were abducted by the BSF during the same period.
On the other hand, some 24 people allegedly died in the hands of law enforcers across the country during the same period. Among them, five were killed under custody, the Odhikar report said.
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BDR mutiny trial begins in SylhetSylhet, 2 April : Trial of 14 alleged BDR mutineers of 8 battalion stationed at Sunamganj under Sylhet sector began Friday morning at the Special Court-3 set up at the sector headquarters.
BDR chief Maj Gen Md Mainul Islam headed the 3-member panel. The two other members are Lt Col Md Akhtaruzzaman and Maj Md Maksudul Alam. Besides, Deputy Attorney General Mohammad Selim was present as the attorney general’s representative, reports The Daily Star's staff correspondent in Sylhet.
Public Prosecutor of Sunamganj district Abdul Mazid was also present while Deputy Assistant Director of the battalion Md Abdul Wahid read out the complaint against the BDR men.
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Air India flight returns after pilot suspect technical problem
Kolkata, 2 April : An Air India Kolkata-Agartala flight with 89 passengers on board on Friday returned to NSC Bose International Airport in Kolkata after the pilot suspected some technical problem in the plane, airport sources said.The IC 243 flight, which took off at 9.50 am, returned back after some time as the pilot suspected some technical problem in the plane, sources said. The passengers were then told to disembark from the plane and the aircraft was thoroughly examined by engineers. The plane was again readied for take off at 1.20 pm. But after travelling till the airport bay, the plane again returned back as the pilot told the Air Traffic Control that he suspected some technical problem in the aircraft.
When the passengers were told to disembark the plane they initially refused. But after the airline informed that another plane would take them to Agartala, the passengers relented and disembarked from the aircraft.
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BD's Gas Saving : Five fertiliser factories shut from tonight
BSS, Dhaka, 2 April : Five fertiliser factories will be shut down from midnight today to supply 246 millions of cubic feet per day (mmcfd) more gas to power plants to generate 500 megawatt power.
"As per an earlier decision, the authorities concerned have started the process of closing the factories. Nearly seventy-two hours are needed to shut down a factory," a top official of the energy ministry told BSS yesterday. "However, all the five factories would be closed from tomorrow and the load shedding situation would improve in the country," he added.
BSS, Dhaka, 2 April : Five fertiliser factories will be shut down from midnight today to supply 246 millions of cubic feet per day (mmcfd) more gas to power plants to generate 500 megawatt power.
"As per an earlier decision, the authorities concerned have started the process of closing the factories. Nearly seventy-two hours are needed to shut down a factory," a top official of the energy ministry told BSS yesterday. "However, all the five factories would be closed from tomorrow and the load shedding situation would improve in the country," he added.
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Baby elephant dies in Alipore Zoological Garden in Kolkata
Kolkata, 2 April : "A baby elephant died of diarrhoea in the Alipore Zoological Garden in Kolkata on Friday," a forest department official said."The four-month-old ailing elephant had been given five bottles of saline after it developed an infection," said West Bengal's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Atanu Raha. "It had been brought to the zoo when it was a month old after it got separated from its mother in a wild elephant herd at Danton in West Midnapore district," Raha said. A villager had spotted the lone pachyderm and informed the forest department officials. "In such cases, survival becomes difficult. They seek the mother's milk which provides them with a certain immunity. But this baby elephant did not get that," siad Raha.
"We had to feed it with artificial milk. Most of the times that does not suit them and they become prone to infection," said Raha."An efficient team of veterinary doctors were monitoring it round the clock. But in the end, the unfortunate struck," he added.
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A huge quantity, Tk10 lakh stolen drugs seized in Rangpur
Rangpur, 2 April : Kotwali police recovered a huge quantity of medicine meant for Rangpur Medical College Hospital and arrested a man in Dhap area of the district early Friday.
A police team at about 3:00am(BDST) raided the house of Abdur Rahim and seized the medicine worth around Tk 10 lakh. The law enforces also rounded up Rahim for possessing the government drugs. Police said Rahim in connivance with a number of employees of the hospital stole the drugs including life saving injections and high-powered antibiotic from its storeroom.
Rangpur, 2 April : Kotwali police recovered a huge quantity of medicine meant for Rangpur Medical College Hospital and arrested a man in Dhap area of the district early Friday.
A police team at about 3:00am(BDST) raided the house of Abdur Rahim and seized the medicine worth around Tk 10 lakh. The law enforces also rounded up Rahim for possessing the government drugs. Police said Rahim in connivance with a number of employees of the hospital stole the drugs including life saving injections and high-powered antibiotic from its storeroom.
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