Bangladesh works to keep GH Gas emission at minimum : PM

UNB, Abu Dhabi, 17 January : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday expressed the firm determination of continue her government’s efforts to keep green house gas (GHG) emissions at a minimum level and reach the status of carbon-free nation in the near future.

“With own reserves of gas and coal and import of oil and nuclear power, we aim to strike a mixed balance of all sources of energy, with clean energy technology, to keep GHG emissions at a minimum level,” she said while addressing the inaugural session of the 4th World Future Energy Summit (WFES) at Abu Dhabi Exhibition Center (ADNEC). Hasina said that her government would strive to get Bangladesh out from the list of GHG emission countries in the near future. “Our aim is to be finally free of GHG in the near future.”
The Summit began here with the objective to find out a suitable solution for the future energy, the main concern of the world right now. Some 25,000 participants from around the world are expected to attend the WFES over the four days.
WFES is the world's largest conference and exhibition on renewable and future energy solutions, innovations, investments, policy and vision. The theme of this year’s Summit is: Enabling Future Energy Solutions. န Photos : Reuters

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Coming soon : Swiss bank account details on WikiLeaks
BBC NEWS, London, 17 January : A former Swiss banker has passed on data containing account details of 2,000 prominent people to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
The data - which is not yet available on the Wikileaks website - was held on two discs handed over by Rudolf Elmer at a press conference in London.....READ FULL STORY

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Protests against fuel price hike; traffic disrupted in Bengal
Kolkata, 17 January : Traffic across West Bengal came to a standstill on Monday with the trade union arm of the ruling CPI(M) and main opposition Trinamool Congress separately protesting with rallies and strikes against hike of petrol prices.
Whilst the CPI(M)'s labour wing Centre for Indian Trade Unions (CITU) called a three-hour transport strike in West Bengal between 12 am and 3 pm, the TMC staged protests at different junctions demanding roll back of the hiked price on fuel. Commuters, especially office-goers and students, faced extreme harassment being stuck in traffic for long hours on the first working day of the week.
TMC chief and Railways minister Mamata Banerjee said that her party would hold procession in the city against the price rise and protest in every block of the state. န Photo : Avijit Mondal

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Bangladesh protests 'killing' of innocent girl by Indian BSF

Dhaka, 17 January : Bangladesh government Monday formally protested the ‘brutal and senseless’ killing of a minor girl at the Fulbari border in Kurigram district by Indian BSF on 7 January.
Indian High Commissioner Rajeet Mitter was summoned to the Foreign Ministry at 3pm(BDST) and a note verbal protesting the killing was handed over to him by the acting Foreign Secretary. The Indian High Commissioner assured that he would convey the concerns of the Bangladesh government to the concerned authorities in India.
He also assured that all necessary actions would be taken to prevent the recurrence of such inhuman acts of killing of the innocent at Bangladesh-India border. န File Photo READ BBC Bangla NEWS

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Sheikh Hasina-Asif A Zardari meeting focuses on militancy

UNB, Abu Dhabi (UAE), 17 January : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari have held talks at the Hotel Emirates Palace, on the sidelines of the World Future Energy Summit that began here Monday.
After the meeting, PM’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told reporters that Asif Ali Zardari praised Sheikh Hasina for her able leadership in restoring democracy in Bangladesh, as well as running a democratic government.
He also lauded the bold and pragmatic leadership of Sheikh Hasina in raising the issues of climate change in different international forums. Talking about global terrorism during the meeting, Hasina said there is no room for terrorism and militancy in Islam, as it is the religion of peace. န Photo : PID

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India rebel group in Assam 'offers talks' with Government
Subir Bhaumik, BBC News, Kolkata, 17 January : The leader of a separatist group in India's north-eastern Assam state has offered to start negotiations with the government, officials said.
Arabinda Rajkhowa, chief of the United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa), has written to the state chief minister Tarun Gogoi seeking a dialogue. Rajkhowa, who was being held on charges of sedition, was released from prison earlier this month.... READ FULL STORY

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Anti-terror steps to be discussed at India-Bangladesh talks

PTI, New Delhi, Dhaka, 17 January : Handing over of ULFA leader Anup Chetia to India, cooperation in anti-terror steps and firing along the international border will be high on the agenda during the Home Secretary level talks between India and Bangladesh beginning Wednesday.
Indian delegation, led by Union Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai, will engage in extensive deliberations with the Bangladesh team, headed Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder, on all bilateral security issues during the two day dialogue in Dhaka.
Pillai is expected to take up with Sikder the issue of early handing over ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia, who has completed his sentence in Bangladesh, to India so that he can participate in the proposed peace talks with the banned outfit.
Chetia has been languishing in a Dhaka jail even since his arrest on 21 December, 1997.

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Tripura govt not to implement new education Act this year
Agartala, 17 January : The Tripura government has decided not to follow Centre's fresh guidelines under new education Act in current academic year as implementation mechanism was yet to be developed in the state.
Principal Secretary (School education) Banamali Sinha said here today that the state has decided to follow the existing norms for admission, which is through lottery system, and the parents would be allowed to get their children admitted according to their preference. The Central regulation for mandatory education for children between 6-14 years of age till the eighth standard in schools that fall within periphery of one kilometre from the students location is being held up this season as the survey process was not completed, Sinha stated.

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Save Bangla groups shutdown call evokes partial response

IANS, Siliguri, 17 January : Normal life was partially affected in Siliguri in north West Bengal's Darjeeling district Monday on the second day of the 48-hour shutdown called by the Bangla O Bangla Bhasha Banchao Committee (BOBBBC) protesting the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha's (GJM) movement for a separate state.
"The shutdown evoked partial impact in Siliguri and Dooars (foothills of the Himalayas) areas of Jalpaiguri district. No untoward incident has been reported so far as the supporters did not hit the roads to enforce the shutdown," Inspector General of Police (north Bengal) Ranvir Kumar told IANS over phone. "The situation is under control and adequate security personnel have been deployed to thwart away any untoward incident," he added. However, the BOBBC claimed the shutdown was total.
"The shutdown was total and spontaneous. The people of Siliguri and even from Darjeeling Hills have supported our shutdown call. Offices and business establishments remained closed and no vehicles plied on the roads," BOBBBC secretary Mukunda Majumder said.
The shutdown was more successful Sunday, when normal life came to a standstill in Siliguri. To counter the GJM's phase-wise 27-day shutdown in the three hill sub-divisions of the district, the BOBBC has called the 48-hour strike in Siliguri 16-17 Jan, coinciding with a two-day relaxation in its shutdown announced by the GJM. န Photos : AFP

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CPI(M) launches fundraiser for Jyoti Basu research centre
IANS, Kolkata, 17 January : In a bid to intensify its mass contact programme ahead of assembly polls slated for later this year, West Bengal's ruling CPI(M) launched a door-to-door fund-raising campaign for setting up a research centre on Jyoti Basu on the former chief minister's first death anniversary Monday.
The state unit of the CPI(M) began the 10-day fund collection drive for building the 'Jyoti Basu Center For Social Studies and Research', at Jyoti Basu Nagar in the northern outskirts of Kolkata. The state housing department has already sanctioned land for the project.

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Maoists torch CPI(M) party office, bomb SHG's building
Jhargram, 17 January : Suspected Maoists torched a CPI(M) party office and bombed a building housing a self-helf group in West Midnapore district, police said today.
A group of suspected Maoists attacked a CPI(M) party office and set it ablaze at Dibibaksol under Jhargram police limit last night. Nobody was injured, police said. They also razed down a two-storeyed building by exploding a landmine at Khaerboni. A self-help group was operating from the the building.

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Buddhadeb Dasgupta to make film on Tagore's short story

Supratik Sengupta, Kolkata, 17 January : In a tribute to Rabindranath Tagore on his 150th birth anniversary, filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta will adapt 'Sey', a short story by the bard, for his next feature film in Hindi.
"I have finished the script for Sey and veteran Bengali actor Barun Chanda will play the protagonist, an old man," the director told PTI. Sey' (Woh) will be Dasgupta's third film in Hindi, the earlier two being 'Andhi Gali' and 'Bagh Bahadur'. 'Sey' had long been in the wish list of Dasgupta, but he was not able to fulfil his wish due to other commitments.
"Now that I am relatively free, I have decided to take it up without delay, this year being the sesquicentennial year of Tagore," Dasgupta said. န File Photo

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Gita Dey,Pintu Bhattacharya no more; WB suffers twin loss
Kolkata, 17 January : In what could be termed as an irreparable loss to the spheres of film and music in Kolkata today, the names the denizens rever with nostalgia, Gita Dey and Pintu Bhattacharya breathed their last.
Veteran Bengali movie actor and theatre personality Gita Dey (80) passed away at a private hospital following a cardiac arrest, while the life of celebrated Bengali singer of the 70s and 80s Pintu Bhattacharya got abridged at 71.

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Darjeeling hills receives 'snowfall' for 2nd time this season
Darjeeling, 17 January : Darjeeling hills has witnessed snowfall for the second time this season at an altitude of 6,800 feet, officials said today.
Snow fell at Ghoom, Jorebunglow, Tiger Hills and Lower Alubari last night, they said, adding earlier, on January 1 snow fell at Sandakphu, Tontonglu range, Falut and partially on Tiger Hill.

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Tripura govt initiates "Eco-Tourism" to boost rural economy

Agartala, 17 January : Tripura government has embarked on an ambitious eco and rural tourism plan to give fillip to the economy of the forest dwelling community, mostly tribals, of the state.

As part of the plan, a rural tourism centre had already been opened at Chindraipara village in Baramura hill range in West Tripura and the department had imparted training to as many as 20 forest officials use of non-timber forest produces. According to Forest minister Jitendra Chaudhury the members of Chindraipara Joint Forest Management committee would give training on hospitality. The villagers would also be adequately trained on how rural tourism works.
“We have opened it on experimental basis and if the move is successful, the department will implement it throughout the state”, Chaudhury said adding that the forest department had already established some Eco Parks in some areas.
Meanwhile, to increase the productivity and to reduce land crisis the state agriculture department started pilot project for traditional ‘Jhum’ cultivation, the minister said. Initially, about 2550 acre land would be covered over 34 blocks of Tripura. This four year project plan would be completed in three phases.
Traditional Jhumia’ families would get Rs 2700 per acre area for cultivation of land by an upgraded system of Jhuming under this project. More than 15000 hectare area was cultivated under Jhum system and over 3500 Jhumia families be benefited.

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