Dhaka, 23 May : Bangladesh boy Musa Ibrahim has scaled Mount Everest as the first Bangladeshi, said friends and family of the mountaineer.He reached the summit at 6:00am Bangladesh time today, Musa's wife Sorabon Tahura Rimi told Daily Star. She was citing an e-mail sent by the manager of Himalayan Guide, the firm that arranged the expedition. The news came at around noon in Dhaka. Soon, greetings began pouring in on different blogs and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Musa, a sub-editor at The Daily Star, used the North Alpine route on the Tibetan side to conquer the top of the world, Anik Khan, a friend of the climber, told The Daily Star from Kathmandu in the evening. Iswari Paudel, managing director of Himalayan Guide, has confirmed the news, he added. “Iswari learned about Musa's feat when her brother Bhola Paudel, manager of the advanced base camp, called via satellite phone.”All 26 members of the expedition including 14 Sherpas got to the summit (8,848 metres), Anik said quoting Iswari. Besides Musa, three Montenegrins, six Britons, one American and a Serb are in the team. Musa, founder of the North Alpine Club in Bangladesh, left Dhaka for Nepal on 8 April.
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Maoists, security forces fight gun battle in troubled Lalgarh
Jhargram, Kolkata, 23 May : Maoists and joint security forces exchanged heavy firing in trouble-torn Lalgarh of West Midnapore district Sunday.
“An encounter took place between the Maoists and the security forces near the Bakisol forest. There are no reports of casualties or arrests,” said West Midnapore Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma. The gun battle happened close to the spot between Ramgarh and Pingboni where the Leftwing guerrillas had triggered a landmine blast, killing five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers 19 May.
The joint forces have been deployed in the area for over 11 months to flush out Maoists, who had earlier turned Lalgarh into a virtual free zone by torching police camps and driving out the civil administration for about seven months.
Jhargram, Kolkata, 23 May : Maoists and joint security forces exchanged heavy firing in trouble-torn Lalgarh of West Midnapore district Sunday.“An encounter took place between the Maoists and the security forces near the Bakisol forest. There are no reports of casualties or arrests,” said West Midnapore Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma. The gun battle happened close to the spot between Ramgarh and Pingboni where the Leftwing guerrillas had triggered a landmine blast, killing five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers 19 May.
The joint forces have been deployed in the area for over 11 months to flush out Maoists, who had earlier turned Lalgarh into a virtual free zone by torching police camps and driving out the civil administration for about seven months.
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Assam's chief minister Tarun Gogoi says AGP is 'fascist'
Guwahati, 23 May : Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Sunday launched a vicious attack on the main opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) by saying the regional party had “ruled like Hitler” and functioned like the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
“The AGP is party of fascists and during their two previous tenures (1985 to 1999 and 1996 to 2001) they ruled like Hitler. I would say the AGP is like the ULFA,” the chief minister said. Gogoi was addressing a mammoth public rally here to mark the fourth anniversary of the second straight term in government.
Guwahati, 23 May : Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Sunday launched a vicious attack on the main opposition Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) by saying the regional party had “ruled like Hitler” and functioned like the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
“The AGP is party of fascists and during their two previous tenures (1985 to 1999 and 1996 to 2001) they ruled like Hitler. I would say the AGP is like the ULFA,” the chief minister said. Gogoi was addressing a mammoth public rally here to mark the fourth anniversary of the second straight term in government.
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Bangladesh President for strengthening cooperation within SAARC to combat climate change
BSS, Dhaka, 23 May : Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman today laid emphasis on further strengthening regional cooperation among the member sates of SAARC in combating against natural calamities specially the adverse affects of climate change.
"We have to work collectively to handle natural calamities like flood, drought, earthquake, Tsunami along with environmental degradation through exchanging data of weather and climate as well as technological and IT- knowledge," he said while inaugurating the 9th Apex Body Meet of SAARC Diploma Engineers Forum (SDEF) at Institute of Diploma Engineers of Bangladesh (IDEB) here.
Mentioning that poverty is a curse of the people of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) region, consisting 1.5 billion people who are the one-fifth of total civilization, the President said it needs collective efforts to free the people from this suffering.
"We have to work collectively to handle natural calamities like flood, drought, earthquake, Tsunami along with environmental degradation through exchanging data of weather and climate as well as technological and IT- knowledge," he said while inaugurating the 9th Apex Body Meet of SAARC Diploma Engineers Forum (SDEF) at Institute of Diploma Engineers of Bangladesh (IDEB) here.
Mentioning that poverty is a curse of the people of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) region, consisting 1.5 billion people who are the one-fifth of total civilization, the President said it needs collective efforts to free the people from this suffering.
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1 Kg RDX, explosives recovered in Assam's Dibrugarh dist
PTI, Dibrugarh, 23 May : One kg RDX and other explosives, suspected to have been hidden by ULFA, was today recovered from Joypur Reserve Forest in this Assam district, officials said.
Acting on a tip-off, troops of 310 Field Regiment launched an operation in the reserve forest and found a bag containing the explosives. One kg of RDX, an improvised explosive device weighing 1.5 kg, five gelatine sticks, a remote antennae, a fused wire cap, a rubber stamp with ULFA logo and some track suits were found in the bag, which was handed over to police.
PTI, Dibrugarh, 23 May : One kg RDX and other explosives, suspected to have been hidden by ULFA, was today recovered from Joypur Reserve Forest in this Assam district, officials said.
Acting on a tip-off, troops of 310 Field Regiment launched an operation in the reserve forest and found a bag containing the explosives. One kg of RDX, an improvised explosive device weighing 1.5 kg, five gelatine sticks, a remote antennae, a fused wire cap, a rubber stamp with ULFA logo and some track suits were found in the bag, which was handed over to police.
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Bangladesh govt to enact law to make jute use compulsory
IANS, Dhaka, 23 May : Bangladesh is set to enact a law to make use of jute compulsory in packaging certain commodities, taking a cue from a 1987 law enacted by India - also a major producer of the commodity - to raise domestic demand.The move is also intended to meet the rise in demand for jute packaging in the international market. 
The intended law would stipulate that jute sacks should be used for grains such as rice, wheat and other commodities such as sugar, fertiliser and cement. Jute and Textile Secretary Ashraful Moqbul told New Age newspaper that the proposed law would be placed in parliament in the budget session next week. Bangladesh and India are leading producers of jute who have faced dwindling markets at home and abroad. Ministry officials examined India’s Jute Packaging Materials (Compulsory Use in Packing Commodities) Act 1987 to prepare the proposed law.Sugar and grain producers in India have used jute sacks since the enactment of the law. Experts here say Indian jute farmers benefited from the law. India is now the No.1 jute-growing country ahead of Bangladesh, Bangladesh produces 5.5 million bales (1 bale equals 180 kg) of raw jute every year compared with 7 million bales produced a decade ago.
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At least 12 killed in Assam's Goalpara district road mishap
Guwahati, 23 May : At least twelve people have been killed and three others were injured when a speeding truck mowed them down in Assam's Goalpara district last night.
According to sources, the mishap occurred when the driver lost control of his vehicle and hit the people on a national highway in Dudhnoi town in Goalpara, about 90 km Guwahati. The victims were returning home after attending a cultural show held at a local field.
Guwahati, 23 May : At least twelve people have been killed and three others were injured when a speeding truck mowed them down in Assam's Goalpara district last night.
According to sources, the mishap occurred when the driver lost control of his vehicle and hit the people on a national highway in Dudhnoi town in Goalpara, about 90 km Guwahati. The victims were returning home after attending a cultural show held at a local field.
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