'Magsaysay' awardee dares govt arrest her on 'Maoist talks'

PTI, Kolkata, 7 May : With the Centre warning of action under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against civil society representatives speaking in favour of Maoists, social activist and writer Mahasweta Devi today dared Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to arrest her.
"I invite Chidambaram to arrest and jail me for 10 years if the central government thinks I am a Maoist," the Magsaysay award winner told PTI here. The renowned writer who has spent most of her life projecting the plight of the tribals and promoting their rights said, "I condemned police atrocities against the Naxalites in the '70s and I am not scared that by supporting the right cause I will be labelled a Maoist."
Controversial Trinamool Congress MP Kabir Suman, whose statements supporting Maoists embarrassed party supremo Mamata Banerjee said, "I have been advocating the cause of tribals all through.

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Asian woman MPs create history in UK poll,Rushanara won
London, 7 May : A new record has been set with the election of several woman candidates with origins in the Indian sub-continent, including the first Muslim woman MP Shabana Mahmood, who won on a Labour ticket.
Among the woman winners were Indian-origin Priti Patel (Conservative) and Valerie Vaz (Labour). The latter's brother, Keith Vaz, was once again elected from the Leicester East constituency. Results indicate that the number of MPs from ethnic minority background will break the previous record of 15 in the 2005 election. Bengalee ledy Rushanara Ali (Labour) romped home victorious from the Bethnal Green and Bow constituency with a majority of over 11,000 votes.

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B'desh water vessel workers’ strike from Friday midnight

Dhaka, 7 May : Bangladesh Noujan Sramik Federation is going to start water transport strike from Friday midnight despite the announcement of a new pay scale for the water vessel workers on Thursday.
Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan announced the new structure raising wages by 60-50 percent following a tripartite meeting between the vessel owners, workers and the government representatives. The launch workers' group decided to go for the strike as it believes the new pay scale did not meet its expectation since it demanded 300-350 percent increase in the salary. Meanwhile, the shipping minister on Friday warned of action against any attempt to disrupt the river communications.
Speaking at a press briefing on the new pay scale at Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) auditorium in the city, he termed the strike illogical and unlawful.

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Sudip second to none in upholding Parliamentary values
PTI, New Delhi, 7 May : Days after reprimanding him for his "quite unbecoming" behaviour, Speaker Meira Kumar today said Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyay was "second to none" in upholding the values and traditions of Lok Sabha.
"Let me make it clear that I consider you as one of the senior and serious-minded members of the House. I have always appreciated your contribution in the House," the Speaker said in a letter to the TMC Chief Whip.

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Stranded in Benin : Ten seamen to return home tomorrow
Dhaka, 7 May : Ten of the 28 seamen will arrive in Dhaka tomorrow from Benin after being stranded for four months on ships offshore the West African country.
"We are extremely happy. We cannot express our emotion in words," Iqramul Haque, one of the ten seamen, told The Daily Star over the phone from a hotel in Benin last night. The ten crewmembers were brought to the mainland on Tuesday. The rest had already been taken to Benin's Cotonou port, said an official at foreign ministry in Dhaka. They will first fly to Nigeria from Benin and arrive in Dhaka via Dubai by a flight of Emirates airline, he said.

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Foil plot against democracy : Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

UNB, Dhaka, 7 May : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday urged the people to remain alert against any plot by undemocratic forces to destroy the democratic process in the country.
“In the past, evil forces for lust of power repeatedly denied people’s democratic rights and their right to vote,” she told journalists at Gano Bhaban on the occasion of the 3rd anniversary of her homecoming from the United States during the army-controlled caretaker government. On this day in 2007, Hasina returned home fighting down the restrictions imposed by the erstwhile caretaker government on her re-entry into Bangladesh in a bid to implement the so-called minus-two theory.
“We believe in people’s power and we stand for it. People of this country must remain vigilance against anti-democratic evil forces,” the prime minister said.

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Six Naga MLAs in Manipur resign on Muivah's ancestral visit
PTI, Imphal, 7 May : Six Naga MLAs in Manipur have resigned in protest against the state government disallowing NSCN(IM) General Secretary T Muivah to visit his ancestral village in the state.
The MLAs, all independents, who were camping in Delhi, have sent their resignation letters to Speaker Budhi Singh by fax, assembly sources said on Friday. The sources said the Speaker had received the resignation letters, but they have not been accepted so far.

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Six killed in Tangail, Narsingdi road crashes in morning

Tangail, Dhaka, 7 May : Six people were killed in separate road accidents in Tangail and Narsingdi Friday morning.
People blocked the Dhaka-Tangail Highway for about two hours after three people were killed and two injured in an accident in Mirzapur upazila of Tangail. Locals said a Dhaka-bound bus from a northern district of the country crashed into a motorbike and a CNG-run auto rickshaw coming from the opposite direction in Kodimdolla area at about 7:30am(BDST).
In another accident, three people were killed and five others injured as a tractor ploughed through a bazaar on Dhaka-Charsindur road in Polash upazila.
Witnesses said the tractor ploughed through Charsindur bazaar as its driver lost control over the steering, leaving Dana Miah and Dulal dead on the spot and injuring another six people. Among the injured, an unidentified man died on way to the upazila health complex. Others were admitted to the same health complex.

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2 ULFA insurgents surrender, 3 infiltrators held in Assam
PTI, Shillong, 7 May : Two ULFA militants surrendered with weapons before the BSF today, which apprehended three infiltrators from different places in Assam.
Madhav Bora and Abhijay Mising, both belonging to the outfit's '28th battalion', surrendered before the border guards in Golaghat district. They also deposited a .22 mm pistol, a 9 mm pistol and some live rounds, a BSF statement issued here said. The militants joined the outfit in 2000 and claimed they underwent training in Myanmar. However, a person Sagar Toppo, who claimed to be 'commander' of the ULFA's '28th battalion', called up local TV channels and said the two did not belong to the group, the statement said.
In Dhubri district, the BSF apprehended three persons hailing from Bangladesh while they were trying to enter India. Fake Indian currency having face value of Rs 3,000 was seized from them, the statement said.

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UK's toughest polls : First Bangalee to become British MP

London, 7 May : The Bangalee community in Britain is eagerly waiting for the outcome of the UK General Election 2010 as a Bangalee is certainly going to make the history of becoming a lawmaker of the Commons.
It is now definite as all the parliamentary candidates nominated by Labour Party, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Respect and the Green Party from London's Bangla Town area are all Bangalees. Meanwhile, Britain voted yesterday in the closest general election for decades, with polls suggesting David Cameron's opposition Conservatives will win most seats but not enough to form a government alone.
Rushanara Ali is contesting with Labour Party ticket while Zakir Khan from Conservatives. Green Party nominated Farid Bakht and Liberal Democrat chose Ajmal Masroor. Abjol Miah is contesting from Respect-Unity Coalition. Rushanara Ali has a strong chance of winning from Bangla Town as a Labour MP. Some of the major Bangalees' organisations and the press have pledged their support for her.

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Biman Bangladesh gets $114m syndicated loan from 10 banks

Dhaka, 6 May : Ten local banks on Thursday handed over a syndicated loan of $114.49 million to Biman to facilitate the national flag carrier making pre-delivery payment for inducting two new aircraft next year.
Bankers termed the move as a landmark agreement in Bangladesh’s banking history with local banks providing loans in foreign currency through offshore units. They said borrowing from local banks would help save as much as $7 million of Biman Bangladesh Airlines which would have to repay the loan with the interests of less than 5 percent within two years.
Eastern Bank is leading the syndicate consisting of AB Bank, BRAC Bank, Dhaka Bank, IFIC Bank, Mutual Trust Bank, National Bank, Prime Bank, The City Bank and Premier Bank. “It indicates that our banking sector has indeed come of age,” said Atiur Rahman, governor of Bangladesh Bank, at the loan handover ceremony at a city hotel.
Biman will use the loan to make PDP for buying two Boeing- 777-300 ER planes, which are expected to be delivered in October 2011. The remaining 8 aircraft - two 777-300 ER, two 737-800 and four 787-8 Dreamliner - are expected to join in Biman fleet in between 2013- 2019.

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Celebration of Tagore’s birth anniversary in Andamans
Port Blair, 6 May : To celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindra Nath Thakur here, a core committee named ‘Arghyaanjali’ has been formed in these islands. ‘Arghyaanjali’ will organize various functions related to Gurudev’s life and works, during the next one year, commencing from 9 May, 2010.
Accordingly, four Patrons, Subhash Ranjan Banik, Raz Andamani, Shyamal Chowdhury and Dr. Mrinal Kanti Debnath, a President, Dr. Abani Sinha, two Vice President, Dr. Arun Kumar Barman & NC Ghosh, a General Secretary, Phalguni Gangopadhya have been elected, a communication said.

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Court gives death penalty to Kasab
Mumbai, 6 May : Exactly 528 days after he landed on the city’s coast, with nine other gunmen, and mounted attacks that killed 166 people, a special court on Thrusday sentenced Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab (22) to death for murder and waging war against the India.

Special judge M L Tahilyani before pronouncing the sentence, said that Kasab's crime was against humanity and "he has lost right of getting humanitarian treatment. He deserves no lesser punishment than death." The court rejected the argument of Kasab's lawyer that he was influenced and under duress from Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyeba leaders to commit the crime and said: "There is no evidence to prove that. He acted on his own and was mentally prepared to commit the crime." The court also refused to take his young age into account and show leniency and said: "He killed people after meticulous planning by using modern equippment."
On Monday, the special court had convicted Kasab on a total of 80 charges that include being a member of a terrorist organisation (Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyeba), committing a terrorist act, smuggling arms and explosives and setting off bomb blasts in the city. To convict Kasab, the court primarily relied on his confessional statement and held that he had confessed voluntarily. န Photos : AFP, PTI

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Pilkhana security unit asked to appear before court 8 May
Dhaka, 6 May : The Special Court-6 set up at the Darbar Hall of Bangladesh Rifles on Thursday asked the prosecutor to produce all the 113 accused mutineers of the force’s Pilkhana headquarters security unit before it on 8 May.
The court also adjourned the proceedings of the case till Saturday 12:15pm(BDST). Nayek Subedar Abdul Matin filed the case against the accused minutes after the court start its function. Of the accused, 57 have already been detained in mutiny case filed earlier while the remaining 56 are still serving the unit. The court also ordered to show the 57 arrested in the case and arrest the rest ahead of producing them before the court.

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BJP denies having supported 'Gorkhaland' state demand

Kolkata, 6 May : Denying that it had supported the demand by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha for a separate Gorkhaland to be carved out of West Bengal, the BJP today said it was against the division of the state.
"Shyama Prasad Mukherjee was against division of Bengal. We can't talk of dividing Bengal," BJP National spokesperson Tarun Vijay told reporters here when asked about the party's stand on the issue. To a question, he said the BJP had not made any assurance to the GJM on the matter before last year's Lok Sabha polls.
Former union minister Jaswant Singh, who was expelled from the party, was elected from Darjeeling constituency with the backing of the GJM in the general elections. န File Photo

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NSCN's Muivah puts off visit to ancestral village in Manipur
PTI, Visema, 6 May : NSCN-IM leader T Muivah on Thursday put off his visit to his ancestral village across the Nagaland border in Manipur's Ukrul district on the request of four Naga NGOs.
Speaking to a small gathering in Visema, where he spent the night after arriving from NSCN-IM headquarters at Camp Hebron near Dimapur on Wednesday, Muivah said he was postponing his visit to Somdal village, where he was born, after the NGOs requested him to put off his visit by a day or two till the situation returns to normal in Manipur.

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10,000 fake NID cards seized by Rapid Action Battalion
Dhaka, 6 May : Bangladesh Rapid Action Battalion seized 10,000 fake national identity cards, 2,610 SIM cards of different mobile phone companies conducting a raid in the capital’s Gulistan area early Thursday.
The elite force members also arrested three people in this connection from a shop at Sundarban Square Market in the area. RAB personnel recovered 1,20,000 photos gathered for fake registrations of SIM cards.

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150 years on : Rabindranath's magic still alive on screen

Madhusree Chatterjee, New Delhi, 6 May : Rabindranath Tagore's words will once again cast a spell when his 'Noukadubi', a tale of four cross-wired lovers, gets a contemporary makeover in director Rituparno Ghosh's film, 150 years after the Nobel laureate's birth.

A rather progressive Bollywood-style story from "Galpa Guccha" (Collection of Stories published in 1912), "Noukadubi" had raised eyebrows during the bard's lifetime for its "freewheeling slant". Ghosh said he has completed work on the movie starring Prosenjit Chatterjee, Jisshu Sengupta, Raima and Riya Sen. It will be released this year. It was first made into a movie in 1947 by Nitin Bose and produced by Bombay Talkies.
Tagore said the flow of images constitutes cinema. This flow, he wrote, should be used so that it can communicate with the help of words. "This cinema is still enslaved to literature," he wrote in a letter to a long time friend, the brother of late theatre legend Sisir Kumar Bhaduri in 1929.
Tagore, whose birth anniversary falls on 9 May, has left an indelible imprint on the psyche of the Indian movie audience, helped along by ace directors like Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha and Rituparno Ghosh. His stories were endowed with natural cinematic potential because they were rich in visual metaphors and dramatic intensity.

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India to ease visa rules for Bangladeshis : India government

PTI, New Delhi, 5 May : Building on improved relations with Bangladesh, India today said it proposes to ease visa rules for visitors from the neighbouring country.
"There is a proposal to relax the procedure relating to grant of conference visa to Bangladeshi citizens. The matter is under consideration," Home Minister P Chidambaram said in the Rajya Sabha. Answering questions, he said the categories of visitors for whom visas may be relaxed include professionals regularly visiting India and requiring longer stay than one year in rare and exceptional cases.
Visa on medical grounds including for those accompanying attendants and relatives, may also be eased, Chidambaram said. As for Indians visiting Bangladesh, he said the visa regime is reciprocal.

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Bureaucrat-level talks on Gorkhaland issue on 11 th May
Kolkata, 5 May : With bureaucrat-level talks on the Gorkhaland issue scheduled for 11 May in Delhi, the West Bengal government today said it wanted a constitutional status for the proposed alternative administrative framework in the hills replacing the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.
"The new set-up must enjoy a constitutional status to make it strong," Urban Development Minister and Siliguri MLA Ashok Bhattacharya told reporters after a meeting with Chief Secretary Ardhendu Sen and Home Secretary Samar Ghosh on the matter.

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Plane landing after burqa-clad person arouses suspicion

Kolkata, 5 May : A Spicejet flight on Wednesday made a 'priority landing' here after a burqa-clad passenger with a man-like physique aroused the suspicion of crew members on board.
The Delhi-Kolkata-Dhaka Spicejet flight 208 with 123 passengers on board landed at the N S C Bose Airport here around noon after the pilot was given clearance by the ATC to make a priority landing, airport sources said. The aircraft was immediately taken to an isolation bay and was surrounded by CISF personnel, the bomb squad, fire brigade and the police. The burqa-clad passenger and another person sitting next to her were offloaded and the aircraft searched. The burqa-clad passenger, however, turned out to be a woman, the sources said.
Her large physique made the crew suspect that she was actually a man and since her identity could not be verified on board, the pilot asked for permission from the ATC to make a priority landing, the sources said. န Photo : AP

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Hasina government makes judiciary partisan : Khaleda Zia

Rajshahi, 5 May : BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Wednesday said the Awami League-led government has turned the judiciary into a partisan establishment where no one could expect justice.
Addressing a grand rally at Rajshahi city's Madrassa Maidan, Khaleda also alleged that the government had injected its party men in all spheres of the administration. “Innocent employees of the government have been made OSD (Officer in special duty) and they are being harassed by terming them opposition supporters,” the BNP chief said. Terming the government an ‘absolute failure’, Khaleda urged all to get ready for an anti-government movement.
This was the former premier's first public meeting in Rajshahi after the 2008 general election. န Photo : UNB

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JSW Bengal Steel to begin work on Salboni plants in Oct
PTI, Kolkata, 5 May : JSW Bengal Steel will conduct the 'ground-breaking ceremony' for its proposed steel and power plants at Salboni, in October.
"We plan to start the ground-breaking work on 1 October," JSW Bengal Steel CEO Biswadip Gupta told PTI, adding that the company has already acquired 5,000 acres of land for the purpose. "The boundary wall will be completed soon, and we are currently working on the water supply system," Gupta said.

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B'desh War crimes Chief investigator Abdul Matin resigns

Dhaka, 5 May : Chief investigator Abdul Matin of the agency probing the war crimes and crimes against humanity resigned Wednesday morning.
Matin handed over his resignation letter to Bangladesh Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder at the ministry in the morning. While talking to reporters at her office in the morning, Home Minister Sahara Khatun said the chief investigator resigned as there has been raised controversy over his political identity. “As there is so much controversy centring me, I think I should not continue with this position,” said Matin, who was also present at the home minister’s office. He however denied the allegations against him.
Matin’s resignation came following allegations of his past affiliation with an organisation widely accused of crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.

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Tiger reserves to remain open for tourists : Tourism Ministry

PTI, New Delhi, 5 May : India government today ruled out any plan for banning tourism in tiger reserves in the country.
"There is no intention in the government to stop tourism at tiger reserves. There is no such plan or proposal," said a senior Tourism Ministry official. Some media reports had said that the government was planning to stop tourism activities in the country's tiger reserves to protect the big cat. However, the official said, "Tourism at some reserves needs to be better regulated as revenues generated from visitors can flow back directly into the management of each of the tiger reserves."
According to the official, the government's policy is to develop a set of guidelines for eco-tourism in a sustainable way, linked to the carrying capacity of the reserves.

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Rio requests P Chidambaram to ensure Muivah's safe visit
PTI, New Delhi, 5 May : Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram is understood to have asked Manipur Chief Minister Ibobi Singh to ensure a safe visit of NSCN-IM leader T Muivah to his birthplace in the state following a request by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.
"I met the Home Minister and requested him to see that Muivah could visit his ancestral home. The Home Minister was kind enough to call up the Manipur Chief Minister in front of me and asked him to ensure peace and do the needful for the visit," Rio told reporters after meeting Chidambaram.

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Maoists kill Congress leader, 2 CPI(M) workers in Lalgarh

PTI, Jhargram, 5 May : Bodies of a Congress leader and two CPI(M) workers killed by suspected Maoists were found today near Lalgarh in West Midnapore district.
Bikash Mahato (40), working President of Jhargram Block Congress, was shot dead by Maoists this morning and his body was found near roadside at Baghmuri village, police said. Mahato was picked up by armed Maoists from his residence last afternoon. Maoists suspected him to be working as police informer.
Two CPI(M) workers Shankar Pal (35) and middle-aged Haripada Singha Deb - were also shot dead today by Maoists, the police said. Pal and Deb were picked up from their residences last night and their bodies were found at Murar and Basantapur villages respectively in Lalgarh police station. The Maoist posters left at the spot near Singha Deb's body said he was killed on charge of spying for the police, sources said.

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Indian citizen held with 20 Kgs of Heroin at Dhaka airport
Dhaka, 5 May : The Department of Customs Intelligence and Investigation arrested an Indian citizen at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport early Wednesday with 20 kilograms of heroin in his bag.
The arrested Indian national, identified as Maro Khamu Ju Ila Mugogu, was on his way to Singapore by a Singapore Airlines flight. With nothing found in his body, police later searched his luggage and found the narcotics. The heroin-like powder was sent to the University of Dhaka, the Department of Narcotics Control and Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research for test.

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Andaman & Nicobar to be notified as Major Indian Port soon
PTI, New Delhi, 5 May : Indian government today said that Andaman and Nicobar Islands would soon join the league of the 12 major ports in the country.
A Parliamentary Committee attached to the Ministry of Shipping informed that Andaman would soon be notified as a major port, an official statement said. The 12 major ports in the country handle close to 72 per cent of the total sea-borne traffic. The traffic of major ports during 2011-12 is projected at 615.70 million tonnes and a capacity of about 800 million tonnes is required to meet it, the statement said.
Of the total 276 projects planned under the government's National Maritime Development Programme (NMDP), 50 have been completed at a cost of Rs 5,717.28 crore, while work is in progress in 74 projects at a cost of Rs 1,6502.68 crore.

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NSCN(I-M) Muivah sets out for visit to Manipur home village

PTI, Kohima, Imphal, 5 May : NSCN (I-M) general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah set out on Wednesday for his home village of Somdal in Ukhrul district in neighbouring Manipur, defying the Manipur government's decision not to allow him to enter the state.
Muivah left from Camp Hembron, the NSCN (IM) headquarters, near Dimapur in a convoy escorted by members of Naga civil society organisations and reached here this afternoon. From here he will drive to the Mao checkgate in Manipur, 40 km away, official sources said. "I must go there and no force can stop me. My parents died waiting to meet their son," Muivah, who recently arrived in Nagaland after holding the second round of peace talks with the Centre's representatives, said.
Muivah said he was surprised at the opposition to his visit agreed to by the Centre and which was for "peace and to meet family and friends and not to disturb anyone". န File Photo

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W Bengal govt to give employ slain EFR personnel's family
Kolkata, 5 May : West Bengal government decided to provide employment to one family member of each of the 24 Eastern Frontier Rifle personnel killed during the Maoist attack on the EFR camp at Silda on 15 February.
"The cabinet has decided to provide employment to one member of the family of each of the EFR personnel killed in the attack," Chief Secretary Ardhendu Sen said lastnight. Stating that there were 600 vacancies in the EFR, he said the cabinet decided to immediately recruit into 250 posts. Anyone from the family of the slain EFR victim will get priority in the recruitment, he added.

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Newborn Snow Leopard cub debuts at 'Darjeeling Zoo'

New Tang Dynasty Television, NY, 5 May : A newborn snow leopard cub is keeping zookeepers busy at one zoo in Darjeeling. Nurturing this cub will be the zoo’s second attempt, after the first cub died in 2009, 72 days after it was born. This time around the cub is in good health and is now 42 days old.
Darjeeling Zoo's Director Alonkar Jha said, “This is a female cub and that is very important for our future breeding. Second thing is that we have learnt by our experience that if a cub is born at this time, its health will be all right. Rearing of cubs is difficult during rainy season. So, now we hope it will grow well.”
The zoo is a home to bears, leopards and tigers. It was set up in 1958 and is a great center of attraction to visitors from all over the world. Snow leopards are considered an endangered species, and are native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia.

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BSF fires in Indo-Bangladesh border, child, Two others killed

PTI, Coochbehar, 4 May : Three villagers, including a child, were today killed after some BSF personnel allegedly fired at them during a clash here, police said.
The incident took place when a group of villagers from Ghonapara of Tufanganj sub-division clashed with the BSF personnel after their cattle was seized by them. The BSF had accused a local woman of smuggling cattle from across the Indo-Bangladesh border and seized some cows, police said.
An argument took place between the agitating villagers and the BSF personnel, which soon snowballed into a violent clash killing three of them, police said, adding a child and a woman was among those killed allegedly in the firing by BSF personnel.
A magistrate has rushed to the spot as tension prevailed in the area, they added. န Photo : PTI

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Rangamati BDR proceedings adjourned till 10 January, '11

Rangamati, 4 May : A special court of Bangladesh Rifles on Tuesday adjourned the proceedings till 10 January, 2011 against 75 accused mutineers of 9 Rifle Battalion at Marishya in Baghaichhari upazila of Rangamati.
All the defendants were produced before the three-member court, headed by BDR Director General Maj Gen Md Mainul Islam. The other members are Lt Col Md Abdur Rouf and Major Golam Mostafa Al-Mamun. The Special Court-4 set up at Mechanical Transport Shed at BDR sector headquarters in Rangamati took the depositions of two witnesses during the day’s proceedings.
The court so far has received depositions from 25 witnesses out of 100. Three cases were filed against 12 Rifle Battalion of Longudu, 9 Rifle Battalion of Baghaichhari and 18 Rifle Battalion of Barkal upazila of Rangamati following the February 25-26 mutiny.

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Assam lawyers refuse to defend separatist Ranjan Daimary
Subir Bhaumik, BBC News, Kolkata, 4 May : Lawyers in India's Assam state have refused to defend a rebel leader accused of a wave of bombings in 2008, which killed 87 people.
Ranjan Daimary, head of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), was recently arrested in Bangladesh and handed over to Indian authorities. The Assam Bar Association says it has adopted this position because court staff died in the bombings....READ FULL STORY

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BIFR benches may be increased : Pranab Mukherjee in RS

PTI, New Delhi, 4 May : The Government is considering increasing the number of benches in BIFR, the quasi-judicial body that looks at revival of financially sick companies, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said today.
Board of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) currently has only three benches, which is one of the reasons why revival or winding up cases get dragged for years. "Review of performance and expanding the number of benches (in BIFR) is under consideration of the Government," Mukherjee said during Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha.
He, however, said the Government cannot fix a timeframe for disposal of cases referred to it as BIFR was a quasi-judicial body.

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WB's CM Buddhadeb meets PM, discusses Maoist problem
New Delhi, 4 May : The issue of adopting a holistic approach involving several states to tackle the Maoist menace is understood to have come up for discussion between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee here today.
Bhattacharjee, who had an almost 30 minute meeting with the Prime Minister at Parliament House this morning, is understood to have raised the issue of political support being allegedly given to the Maoists in his state. The Chief Minister, however, refused to divulge anything about his discussions with Singh.

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Ceasefire with Nagaland militant outfit 'NSCN-K' extended

IANS, New Delhi, 4 May : The ceasefire agreement between India government and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) has been extended by another year, it was announced on Tuesday.
The decision to extend the agreement with effect from 28 April, 2010 was taken Monday evening at a meeting with home ministry officials and NSCN-K representatives, an official statement in New Delhi said. Active in the eastern parts of Nagaland, besides the Tirap and Changlang districts of neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, the Khaplang outfit aims at establishing a 'Greater Nagaland' comprising the Naga dominated areas of neighbouring states within India and contiguous areas in Myanmar. The outfit has largely observed a truce with security personnel since 1998.

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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Seoul, KL 16-21 May

UNB, Dhaka, 4 May : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to visit South Korea and Malaysia from 16-21 May, officials said here.
During the weeklong visit, the premier will primarily discuss with the South East Asian leaders on bilateral matters of mutual interests. After a brief stopover in Hong Kong, Hasina will fly to Seoul on 16 May to begin a three-day official visit. This will be the first visit by a Bangladeshi premier to South Korea after 15 years.
The PM and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will hold crucial talks on expanding Dhaka-Seoul cooperation in varied fields including infrastructure development to shipbuilding and transfer of green technology to environment. During the visit, several agreements and MoUs are likely to be signed relating to infrastructure development, environment and cultural exchange.
Hasina will be a keynote speaker at a seminar to be organised by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. The PM is expected to return home on 21 May.

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IGNOU to waive fees for sex workers, prisoners in WBengal
Kolkata, 4 May : Taking education to sex workers and prisoners in jail in West Bengal, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has decided to waive fees for them.
"To start with, IGNOU has decided to select the red light district of Sonagachi here from where 26 sex workers are likely to join courses on healthcare and food and nutrition programmes," IGNOU Vice-Chancellor V N Rajsekharan Pillai said here.

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Hoolock gibbon rescued from Meghalaya, to Assam Zoo

Guwahati, 4 May : An endangered Hoolock gibbon was found in a critically injured state in Meghalaya and shifted to Assam.
Assam State Zoo DFO Narayan Mahanta told reporters that the gibbon with a broken left leg and arm was brought to the zoo here for treatment yesterday. The gibbon's condition worsened and it was shifted today to the Assam Veterinary Hospital at Khanapara where it was operated upon. Doctors attending on the ape said that its condition was "very critical" and its chance of complete recovery was bleak. The Hoolock gibbon, is in Schedule I of the endangered species list, and is concentrated in the northeast region, Mahanta said.

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Khaleda Zia moves to send cantonment house plea to CJ
Dhaka, 4 May : BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Tuesday submitted a petition before a High Court bench to drop her pending writ petition on cantonment residence from this bench and send it to the chief justice.
In the petition, she expressed ‘no confidence’ in the bench of Justice Md Imman Ali and Justice Obaidul Hasan. Meanwhile, the bench fixed Wednesday for hearing the petition.

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Trinamool Congress in opposition's line of fire in Lok Sabha

PTI, New Delhi, 4 May : Trinamool Congress today came under attack from the Opposition which demanded an apology from its leader Sudip Bandopadhyay for shouting at a CPI(M) MP while the Left party sought an explanation on reports about an alleged arms deal involving minister Shishir Adhikari.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for over three hours when the entire opposition demanded an apology from the Trinamool Chief Whip for "hurling expletives" at Basudeb Acharia during a discussion on the Mumbai suburban railway motormen's strike.
The CPI(M) also moved a substantive motion in Rajya Sabha to demand explanation from Trinamool Minister Adhikari about his reported statement to the media that he had sent money for supply of weapons through a Bangladeshi arms dealer. န File Photo : PTI

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'Deutsche Welle' radio expands test broadcasts to 6 cities

Dhaka, 4 May : Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle has expanded its FM radio broadcasting to Khulna, Rajshahi and Rangpur.
In a tie up with Bangladesh Beta. DW-RADIO is now undertaking test broadcasts daily on 102.0 MHz in Khulna, 105.0 MHz in Rajshahi and 105.4 MHz in Rangpur from 8.00am to 8.30am and from 8.00pm to 8.30pm (BDST).
Since 14 April, they have been broadcasting on 97.6 MHz in Dhaka, 105.4 MHz in Chittagong and 105.0 MHz in Sylhet. This is the second part of the planned test roll-out, which comprises six major cities in Bangladesh The agreement between Deutsche Welle and Bangladesh Betar was signed on 9 March in Bangladesh.

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Bangladesh government starts today Swine flu vaccinations

Dhaka, 4 May : Bangladesh government launches today its H1N1 pandemic vaccination campaign to combat swine flu.
Health Minister Ruhal Haque is scheduled to inaugurate the programme at a city hotel. The country received some 30 lakh doses of vaccine from the World Health Organization (WHO) last week, official sources said, adding that the rest would come in two months. One crore and 60 lakh people under priority groups that include healthcare providers, pregnant women and those aged above 6 months with chronic medical conditions, will receive the vaccine first.
The Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) will conduct the H1N1 vaccination programme.

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Sarkar's mother-in-law Ela Bhattacharjee dies in Tripura
Agartala, 4 May : Ela Bhattacharjee, a leader of CPI(M) and mother-in-law of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, died here Monday night. She was 89.
Bhattacharjee, a teacher-turned-Communist, was not keeping well for the past five years. She died at her residence at Krishnanagar here. She is survived by a son and five daughters, a family source said Tuesday. Bhattacharjee's daughter Panchali Bhattacharjee, wife of Manik Sarkar and a social activist, told news agency : 'My mother was the first woman member of the Rajya Sabha from Tripura for six years (1980-1986).' Ela Bhattacharjee had spearheaded the women's movement in Tripura for many years. The cremation was held Tuesday afternoon.

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About 3000 families affected due to hailstorm in Sikkim
PTI, Gangtok, 4 May : The hailstorm that lashed Sikkim on 27 April has caused extensive damage to crops, especially kharif, affecting about 3,000 families, Horticulture and Cash Crops Development department said today.
The department held two consecutive meetings on 29 and 30 April to review the progress of various schemes and modify strategies for development programmes. It has been decided to immediately provide vegetable seeds and other logistic support to salvage the situation, besides providing UV film to repair the damaged greenhouse (a structure in which temperature and humidity can be controlled for the cultivation or protection of plants), the department stated in a release. The total damage includes standing bulbs which could have yielded up to Rs 50,000.

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Madhupur pineapple to be smaller this season but 'healthy'
Tangail, Madhupur, 4 May : The size of famous Madhupur pineapple is likely to be smaller this season as the plantations did not get sufficient water due to lack of rain while the local growers have decided to minimise use of chemicals that makes the fruit larger.

As a gesture of good will, farmers at a technology handover programme at Holdia village in Madhupur upazila recently also vowed to stop using harmful chemicals to ripen the fruit. Well-known for tasty 'honey queen' variety of pineapple, Madhupur Garh region produces over one lakh tonnes of the delicious fruit a year and it is sent to different parts of the country including the capital.
Pineapple was cultivated on 7,000 hectares of land in Madhupur and 1,000 hectares in Ghatail upazila of Tangail district this year, said sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE). The pineapple growers in the hilly areas of the two upazilas got bumper yield last season as weather was favourable, local DAE office sources said.
"Pineapple growers will harvest the fruit in July and they are expecting good yield this season also. Local agriculture officials are visiting the fields to give necessary support and advice to the farmers," Madhupur Upazila Agriculture Officer Mohammad Abu Hanif said. But size of the fruit will be smaller this season as there was not required rain during the months of Falgun and Chaitra, said Abdul Aziz, a pineapple grower of Shaliabaha village in Ghatail upazila, who has got this year's Channel i Agriculture Award.
With saplings brought from Meghalaya in India, local Garo leader Jevier Chishim (still alive) first cultivated pineapple at Idilpur village in Madhupur upazila in 1942 and since then pineapple cultivation has become gradually popular in the area.

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Wild elephants start return home in Dalma forest of Jharkhand

PTI, Jhargram, 3 May : The herd of wild elephants, which was stopped on their way to paddy and vegetable fields of Nayagram in West Midnapore has been diverted to their home in Dalma forest of Jharkhand.

"The elephants has taken the return route to their home after being stopped since April 15 near a jungle here. The herd was seen crossing the Kangsabati river and following a traditional route via Chandra, Binpur, Belpahari to Dalma forest," Forest Range Officer in Jhargram Samir Ranjan Majumdar told PTI. The herd of 80 elephants, including eight tuskers and five calves, were trying to cross train tracks in Jhargram and make foray into Nayagram where vegetables and paddy are currently being grown on the bank of Subarnarekha river, officials said. Forest officials said the elephants were prevented at a jungle near Panisola yesterday to stop their advance to Nayagram, south of Jhargram. Meanwhile, the elephants may take another route to Jhitka forest and enter Bankura district. But, that is unlikely to happen due to water and foodder scarcity in the area, forest officials said.

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Trinamool Congress leader attacked by partymen in Nadia
PTI, Kalyani, 3 May : A Trinamool Congress local leader and three partymen were beaten up by party supporters today for turning up late for filing their nominations for the civic elections in Nadia district, police sources said.
When PK Sur, Trinamool town Congress president and the three others reached the SDO's office here for filing their nominations, around 1000 party supporters waiting for them pounced on them and beat them up, the sources said. Sur, however, went to the SDO's office and filed his nominations.

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Boro harvest best in decade
Reaz Ahmad, Sirajganj, 3 May : The northern region of Bangladesh is eyeing at the best harvest of the decade as the biggest rice season sets at its peak.
For the resilient farmers of northern districts, who suffered erratic power supply and falling of groundwater table, prospect of a bumper boro production is exactly what they deserve. Farmers of Naogaon, Bogra and Sirajganj had a hard time irrigating lands in the last few months of dry spell. The spell, however, came as a boon as the boro farmers hardly suffered pest infestation this season unlike last year. Those who started harvesting early- from late April- are all happy at the prospect of a bumper boro output.

Though dissatisfied with the interrupted power supply, farmers are also very appreciative of the government's policy supports like, subsidy in diesel used in running irrigation pumps, lowering prices and ensuring adequate supply of urea and non-urea fertilisers and fixing encouraging prices for paddy (Tk 17 /kg) and rice (Tk 25 /kg) for public procurement.
Shafiqul Islam is from a farmer family of Raiganj upazila in Sirajganj. He is also hoping for the best harvest in the last 10 years from their 400 hectares of farmlands. He expressed satisfaction over the fertiliser supply and its prices and fixing of the rice prices in tandem with international market.
Naogaon, a food-surplus district with Mohadevpur as the agriculturally rich upazila, is contributing in food production from the front. Upazila Agriculture Officer of Mohadevpur Mostafizur Rahman said, " In 2008, we had the best boro output--3.8MT per hectare of land--in the last one decade. But this year the production is likely to exceed 4MT per hectare."
About the reasons behind this year's increased production Rahman said, "The fields had balanced proportions of urea and non-urea fertilisers. Previously, farmers had a tendency of over-using low-price urea, as non-urea fertilisers were costly."

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NDFB chief Ranjan Daimary held in Bangladesh, handed to India

IANS, Guwahati, Shillong, 1 May : One of India's most wanted fugitives Ranjan Daimary, founder of the outlawed National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), has been reportedly arrested in Bangladesh and handed over to India where he is wanted for ordering bomb attacks, a police officer said Saturday.
A senior intelligence official said that Bangladesh Rifles handed over Daimary, who is also chairman of NDFB, to the Border Security Force (BSF) at Dawki in Meghalaya Friday night. The BSF then handed him over to the Assam Police. 'Yes, we have heard about Daimary being handed over to the BSF, but I have not received any official information about it,' Meghalaya Director General of Police S.B. Kakati told IANS.

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Famous Assam tea estate goes organic
Subir Bhaumik, BBC News, Gossainbarie, 1 May : Visitors making their way along the muddy track leading to the Gossainbarie tea estate in India's north-eastern Assam state will be greeted by huge mounds of cow dung, rotting water hyacinth, as well as and fish and meat waste.
But this is no cause for alarm - the tea-estate has gone organic and is following the principles of India's ancient plant medicine Vriksh Ayurveda. "This is our fertiliser because we don't use any chemical ones in our gardens," says Gossainbarie's owner Binod Saharia. He has enlisted the help of a hermit-like bearded figure - former management consultant Swami Valmiki Iyengara.
Mr Iyengara says he has studied Vriksh Ayurveda, a system of traditional medicine, and evolved a concept of organic farming that is both sustainable and profitable... READ FULL STORY

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Congress-Trinamool alliance for Kol civic polls jeopardised

Kolkata, 1 May : The Trinamool Congress and Congress alliance that won the first non Left Lok Sabha Elections in West Bengal in thirty years has broken up for the Kolkata Municipal Elections.
The Congress and the Trinamool Congress alliance have decided to go their own way in the KMC elections scheduled for 30 May. The KMC elections described as the ‘semifinals’ in Mamata Banerjee’s own words, will see the Trinamool Congress contesting alone as the Congress Party declared a list of their eighty eight candidates today. Mamata Banerjee had earlier declared the Trinamool Congress list of candidates leaving just twenty seven seats for her alliance partner, the Congress party in the 141 seats of the Municipal Corporation. This comes as a major sign of relief for the ruling Left coalition at the KMC board that seems to be almost losing out to the growing mass support of the anti left alliance in the state.
It can be termed as a major blow to the anti Left alliance that had gained mass support last year in the Lok Sabha elections and was being considered strong enough so as to topple the thirty five year old Left regime in West Bengal in the coming Assembly elections.

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Workers staging rallies for fair wages in capital on May Day

May Day being observed in B'desh

Dhaka, 1 May : The historic May Day is being observed in Bangladesh along with the rest of the world on Saturday with the pledge to establish the rights of workers. The day is observed to commemorate the struggle of workers for their rights.

On 1 May, 1886, ten workers were killed when police opened fine on a demonstration in the US city of Chicago near Hay Market demanding an eight rather than a 12 hour working day. But that sacrifice ultimately led to the authorities yielding to the workers' demand and the eight-hour day has come to be introduced universally. On 14 July, 1889 in Paris, an international workers' rally declared 1 May as the International Workers Solidarity Day in recognition of the Chicago workers' sacrifice and achievement and since 1890, the day has been observed globally as the International Workers Solidarity Day.
In Bangladesh, the day is a public holiday. All industries and factories remain closed. Red flags have been hoisted at the offices of the political organisations. Worker organisations are hosting various programmes marking the day including processions, discussion sessions, cultural events and film exhibitions. Roads in the capital have been decorated with placards, banners and festoons.
President Zillur Rahman, prime minister Sheikh Hasina and chief opposition leader Khaleda Zia gave separate addresses marking the day. န Photos : Syed Ashraful Alom, Rasheduzzaman

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150 gelatin sticks recovered by CID from Raniganj hotel

Durgapur, 1 May : A CID team has recovered 150 gelatin sticks and as many detonators from a hotel in Raniganj town in Bardhaman district, police said on Saturday.
Acting on a tip-off, a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) team from Kolkata reached in Bardhaman last night and arrested Mohammed Kamruiddin Khan during the raid. Sleuths recovered the gelatin sticks and detonators from the arrested, they said, adding Khan has been taken to Kolkata for interrogation.

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Bangladesh Biman Airlines flight lands safely despite fault
Chittagong, 1 May : A flight of Bangladesh Biman Airlines Ltd from Muscat, Oman on Saturday made a safe landing at Shah Amanat Airport in Chittagong despite a damaged wing.
The passengers, however, were safe. Officer-in-charge of Immigration of the airport Shahabuddin Chowdhury told, that the Dhaka-bound flight, BG-022, en route to Chittagong landed at the airport with 303 passengers at scheduled time at about 9:54am(BDST). After the landing, the airport authorities found a portion of its right wing went missing, reports our staff correspondent from Chittagong quoting Shahabuddin.

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NSCN-IM leader TL Muivah to visit native village in Manipur

Imphal, 1 May : National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM)’s General Secretary Thuingaleng Muivah will be visiting his native Somdal village in Manipur’s Tangkhul community dominated Ukhrul district, about 100 km north of state capital next month after nearly 40 years.
Hectic preparations are on for a public reception of the militant leader at the Ukhrul district headquarters, about 84 km north of Imphal. “A public reception will be held at the district headquarter ground on 8 May”, a source from Ukhrul said today. Tangkhul organisations are also setting up stages for the public reception at Tangkhul Long ground.
Though it couldn’t be confirmed when the NSCN leader will be arriving at Somdal, a Guwahati edition of The Telegraph on Wednesday reported that he will be driving down from Dimapur(Nagaland) on 3 May next after coming back from New Delhi on 1 May.

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Skeleton recovered from Bhalukbasa jungle in Lalgarh area
Midnapore, 1 May : One skeleton was recovered today from Bhalukbasa jungle near Maoist-affected Lalgarh in West Midnapore district.
Acting on a tip-off from an arrested Maoist leader Nanigopal, the skeleton was found from near the spot where three more skeletons were spotted in the last one week, police said. Seven persons have been missing from the area in the past three months, they said. Family members of the missing have been informed to identify the remains, they added.

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Teesta water deal soon : BD Water resources minister says
BSS, Dhaka, 1 May : Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen said that Bangladesh is hopeful of signing the Teesta water sharing treaty with India soon.
Preparations in this regard are on to hold a secretary level meeting in Dhaka soon, he said while talking to BSS here yesterday. Ramesh said the meeting would discuss in detail the draft proposals placed by India and Bangladesh in the last Joint River Commission (JRC) meeting held in New Delhi to prepare specific proposals for the water sharing treaty.

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Tripura govt hospital asks docs not to prescribe 'Antibiotics'

Agartala, 1 May : Gobinda Ballav Pant Hospital and Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) authorities here have asked doctors of the casualty unit not to prescribe antibiotics for patients before admitting them to the hospital, official sources said.
Sources in the health department said the hospital superintendent in a recent circular had asked the doctors of the casualty block not to prescribe antibiotics due to a suspected nexus between some physicians and pharmaceutical companies. Doctors in the casualty block often presecribe a long list of antibiotics compelling the patients to buy them immediately, but when they are admitted to the hospital, specialist doctors often find those medicines as useless and change the prescriptions, the sources said.
Sources said, the decision for issuing the circular was taken in a review meeting of the senior doctors.

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Santosh Trophy Football may be held in Barasat, Howrah
Kolkata, 1 May : India's premier national football tournament, Santosh Trophy, may be held here this year although the IFA is yet to finalise the venue.
According to sources, Goa which was scheduled to host the 64th edition of the meet in June, has expressed inability to do so with the monsoon hitting the state by that time. "GFA may not host the tournament due to monsoon, so Kolkata will be hosting the Santosh Trophy sometime in September after the IFA Shield. Dates are yet to be finalised," said a source. He said grounds like Howrah Stadium and Vidyasagar Krirangan in Barasat will be considered for the tournament.

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Mizoram to take back 2,000 refugees from Tripura camps

IANS, Aizawl, Agartala, 1 May : On the union home ministry's advice, Mizoram has decided to take back 2,000 tribal refugees from six relief camps in Tripura where they have been living for the past 13 years, officials said Saturday.
'Before 15 May we will take back 462 tribal refugee families comprising 2,000 men, women and children. The union home ministry has asked the state government to repatriate the refugees from their camps in Tripura,' a Mizoram government official told reporters in Aizawl. 'We have not decided yet about the repatriation of the remaining refugees,' the official added.
Over 37,000 Reang tribal refugees have taken shelter in six camps in north Tripura, adjacent to Mizoram, since 1997 when they fled western Mizoram following ethnic clashes with the majority Mizos over the killing of a forest official. The Tripura government and the union home ministry have been asking the Mizoram government to take back the refugees. The union home ministry, through the Tripura government, has so far spent around Rs.1.74 billion on their upkeep.
The Reang tribal refugees, locally called Bru, are unwilling to return to their homes in Mizoram until their demands for adequate security and sufficient financial assistance for rehabilitation are accepted by the Mizoram government.

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