Ruma Paul, Reuters, 15 January : Bangladesh's six mobile phone companies added a record 16.215 million subscribers in 2010, telecoms watchdog officials said, a 31 percent annual rise that makes it one of the region's fastest growing telecoms markets.Bangladesh's mobile sector has grown rapidly in recent years, helped by steady economic growth and a price war among fiercely competing operators. Competition intensified in 2010 after India's leading telecoms firm, Bharti Airtel (BRTI.BO), bought 70 percent of Abu Dhabi Group's Warid, Bangladesh's fourth-biggest operator. Industry watchers said providers came up with lucrative packages, putting pressure on profit margins and revenues, as they battled for customers.
The mobile sector is expected to grow from 68.645 million users at the end of 2010 to 120 million over the next five years, telecoms analysts have said. Airtel Bangladesh, which was launched last month to rename the Warid, attracted just below 1 million new users to reach 3.956 million in 2010. By comparison, top operator Grameenphone GRAE.DH, majority-owned by Norway's Telenor (TEL.OL), raised its subscriber base by 29 percent, or 6.71 million, to 29.97 million.... READ FULL STORY
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Sourav Ganguly breaks his silence over IPL auction snub
Kolkata, 15 January : Breaking his silence after being ignored in the IPL auction, Sourav Ganguly today said he never did politics and was always transparent in what he did as a cricketer.
Indirectly taking a dig at the IPL snub during a programme here, Ganguly said: "I never did politics. I would not have been here if I did politics. With my practical experiences I say whatever you do, you will not be at the top all the time.
Kolkata, 15 January : Breaking his silence after being ignored in the IPL auction, Sourav Ganguly today said he never did politics and was always transparent in what he did as a cricketer.
Indirectly taking a dig at the IPL snub during a programme here, Ganguly said: "I never did politics. I would not have been here if I did politics. With my practical experiences I say whatever you do, you will not be at the top all the time.
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9 policemen, incl. 2 Inspectors killed in Narsingdi accident
UNB, Narsingdi, 15 January : Nine police personnel, including two Officers-in-Charge (OCs) of Belabo thana, were killed and another policeman was injured, in a major road accident at Ghasirdia in Shibpur thana of the district on Saturday morning.
Police said the accident occurred at about 10:30 am(BDST) when a speeding truck crashed into the police van which was carrying the victims. The police team headed by OC Faruk was going to the District Police Lines to get briefing on Narsingdi municipal election and met with the fatal accident at Ghasirdia on Dhaka-Sylhet highway. All of them except one died on the spot.
UNB, Narsingdi, 15 January : Nine police personnel, including two Officers-in-Charge (OCs) of Belabo thana, were killed and another policeman was injured, in a major road accident at Ghasirdia in Shibpur thana of the district on Saturday morning.
Police said the accident occurred at about 10:30 am(BDST) when a speeding truck crashed into the police van which was carrying the victims. The police team headed by OC Faruk was going to the District Police Lines to get briefing on Narsingdi municipal election and met with the fatal accident at Ghasirdia on Dhaka-Sylhet highway. All of them except one died on the spot.
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CPI(M) to set up research centre in memory of Jyoti Basu
Kolkata, 15 January : CPI(M) has decided to set up a research centre in memory of party leader and former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu who died on 17 January last year.
"CPI(M)'s West Bengal State Committee has decided to set up a centre for mass movement in memory of Jyoti Basu. An organisation by the name of 'Jyoti Basu Centre for Social Science and Research' has been set up for the purpose," a party press release said.
Kolkata, 15 January : CPI(M) has decided to set up a research centre in memory of party leader and former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu who died on 17 January last year.
"CPI(M)'s West Bengal State Committee has decided to set up a centre for mass movement in memory of Jyoti Basu. An organisation by the name of 'Jyoti Basu Centre for Social Science and Research' has been set up for the purpose," a party press release said.
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Pranab one of the best PMs we are yet to have : Shourie
Kolkata, 15 January : Congress heavyweight Praanb Mukherjee Saturday got the thumbs up from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former minister Arun Shourie, who termed the finance minister "one of the best prime ministers" the country is yet to have.Speaking at the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) here, journalist-turned-politician Shourie said Mukherjee was the "key to governance" in the country and the most trusted man in Indian politics now. "Nobody is trusted more in Indian politics than Pranab Mukherjee. He is, of course, the keystone of the present government. But he is also, I believe, the keystone today to governance in India," he said.
Alluding to Mukherjee's role as the crisis manager of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government since it came to power in 2004, Shourie said: "Any problem, Pranab Mukherjee. He is, I am sure, one of the best prime ministers we are yet to have".
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