Rights activist Binayak Sen, two others sentenced to life in CG

PTI, Raipur (Chhattisgarh), 24 December : Rights activist Binayak Sen, Maoist ideologue Narayan Sanyal and Kolkata businessman Piyush Guha were on Friday convicted for sedition and sentenced to life imprisonment for colluding with Maoists to establish a network to fight the state.

Additional District and Sessions Judge B.P. Verma held the trio, who were present in the jam-packed courtroom, guilty under provisions of section 124A (sedition)and 120 B (conspiracy) of IPC and Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act. The 58-year-old Dr. Sen, a paediatrician by training and vice-president of the People’s Union of Civil Liberties, had been accused by the prosecution of acting as courier for Sanyal, who was in jail, by carrying his messages and letters to the underground Maoists. Dr. Sen was arrested on 14 May, 2007 from Bilaspur and was in jail for two years before being granted bail by the Supreme Court in May last year.
All the three were sentenced to life imprisonment under sections 124A and 120(B) of IPC. The trio were also found guilty under Section 8(1) of Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act and awarded two years imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 1,000.
They were sentenced to one year imprisonment and Rs. 1000 fine under section 8(2) of the state Act, to three years prison term and a fine of Rs. 1000 under section 8(3) of that Act and to five years imprisonment and fine of Rs. 1000 under its Section 8(5), Mr. Dubey said.

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Christmas to be celebrated tomorrow; President, PM greet
Dhaka, 24 December : Christmas, the biggest religious festival of Christians, will be celebrated tomorrow in Bangladesh like elsewhere in the world.
The Christians across the country will observe the day, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, with pledges to work for peace and upholding humanity. Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in separate messages greeted all, including members of Christian community, on the occasion.

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Finance Min Pranab not worried about high capital inflows

PTI, New Delhi, 24 December : Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday said he would not press the panic button due to high capital inflows, including an over USD 38 billion by FII’s till November, though a higher level could be a constrain for the economy to absorb.
“We have the capacity to absorb these levels (of capital inflows). If this goes beyond a point, definitely that would be a matter of concern but that may be in a near future but not right now and therefore I am not pressing a panic button right now,” he said.
Mukherjee who was speaking at the Annual General Meeting of industry body PHD said he is not unduly perturbed about the FIIs inflows while FDI inflows have moderated.

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Trinamool Cong only alternative to CPIM in W Bengal : Mamata

PTI, Kolkata, 23 December : In an another salvo at Congress, Trinamool supremo Mamata Banerjee today said that her party is the only alternative to CPI(M) in West Bengal.
Without naming the Congress, Banerjee questioned why a political change had not come about in the state. "It is because many sold out to the CPI(M). But Trinamool Congress cannot be bought by money or allurements or through coercion or character assassination," she told a party rally here. "Change then also did not come because the NDA government supported the CPI(M)," Banerjee, who had resigned as Railway minister in 2001 during the NDA regime, said.
Hinting at Congress, she said that attempts were being made to jeopardise the grand alliance. "We will free the state from CPI(M) terror in 2011 through the people's mahajot (grand alliance)," she said.

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Son kidnapped to force my surrender, says Paresh Baruah
IANS, Guwahati, 23 December : The elusive commander-in-chief of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), Paresh Baruah, Thursday claimed his teenaged son was kidnapped and held hostage to exert mental pressure on his family and to force him to surrender.
"My son has been kidnapped and then held hostage with the sole idea of putting mental pressure on us and then force us to surrender, or make us to dilute our stand and ideology for which we have been fighting," Paresh Baruah said in an e-mail statement received by IANS. According to Indian intelligence sources, Paresh Baruah's son Akash (19) is a college student in Bangladesh capital Dhaka. READ Subir Bhaumik's REPORT ON BBC

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Trial of '71 war criminals to be held in phases: Law Minister
Dhaka, 23 December : Bangladesh Law Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed on Thursday said those who killed intellectuals, committed war crimes and various crimes against humanity during the 1971 liberation war would be brought to justice in phases.
He said the trial of the war criminals who have already been arrested on specific evidence and documents will commence in January-February. Shafique made the remarks at a reunion of the freedom fighters organized by Betiara Shaheed Sahajoddah Sangsad at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

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BNP has links with local and international terrorist network

UNB, Dhaka, 23 December : Bangladesh State Minister for Home Affairs Shamsul Haque Tuku Thursday alleged that the opposition BNP has connection with domestic and international terrorist networks.
“Hawa bhaban had links with militants and international terrorist outfits. Even now, they have the connections too,” Tuku told UNB in his ministry when his attention was drawn to BNP secretary general Khondoker Delwar’s recent remarks. BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain on Wednesday expressed concern over the Prime Minister’s reported remarks about possible subversive acts in the country as the trial of war criminals begins, alerting her ministers to remain vigil against it.
Delwar said such remarks by the Prime Minister at this time have created anxiety among the people. Tuku also said people know well who patronized militancy and terrorism in the country.

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Pranab wants apology from oppn for destroying Parliament
PTI, New Delhi, 23 December : Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today demanded an apology from the Opposition, accusing them of "destroying" Parliament after they rejected his offer of a special session to discuss the JPC issue on 2G scam.
"In the entire winter session, they (Opposition) did not allow any opportunity for any discussion on any issue....They have created deadlock in Parliament. They have destroyed the institution. They should apologise to the nation," Mukherjee told reporters here.

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ADB predicts higher GDP growth for Bangladesh in 2010-11
UNB, Dhaka, 23 December : Terming Bangladesh’s GDP growth of 5.8 percent for fiscal 2009-10 as respectable, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) expects a higher growth in the current fiscal if the trend of export growth is sustained and the domestic economy performs strongly.
The ADB, however, cautioned that the sharp slowdown in remittance growth is a concern and could affect GDP growth by depressing domestic demand.

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Mamata Banerjee criticises Central govt on Onion price hike

Kolkata, 23 December : After taking on the Centre for not curbing violence allegedly engineered by the CPI(M) in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief and Railway minister Mamata Banerjee today criticised the UPA government for its failure to tackle the price rise including that of onion.
"The price of onion is skyrocketing. Onion is being sold at Rs 70 a kg. We are very concerned over spiralling prices of onion and other essential commodities," Banerjee told a public meeting here. Mamata said that her part had suggested that there should be a coordination or a monitoring committee among UPA allies to discuss various issues, "but without consulting us petrol price was increased."
She said just as the Centre could not avoid its responsibility on spiralling prices, the state government was equally responsible as it had done nothing to curb it. န Photo : AFP

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Prosecution submit progress report on War Crime charges
Dhaka, 23 December : Submitting a progress report on the investigation into the allegations of war crimes against Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee, the prosecution in addition filed a petition on Thursday seeking extension of his detention until the formal charge is made.
The prosecution in compliance with the order of the International Crimes Tribunal submitted the report to its registrar on the last day of the deadline today.

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4 killed in separate attacks by wild elephants in Bandarban
UNB, Bandarban, 23 December : Four people, including three minors, were killed in separate attacks by wild elephants in Sadar and Naikhongchhari upazilas on Wednesday midnight.
Naikhongchhari UNO Shamim Sohel said a herd of 3/4 elephants entered a house at Bot Toli village in the upazila and trampled three inmates to death while they were asleep.

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Theme based x-mas cake herald social messages in Siliguri

ANI, Siliguri, 23 December : Prior to Christmas, unique theme based cakes have been prepared to spread awareness concerning a number of social causes in Siliguri.
Cakes depicting pictures of man-animal conflict and an elephant being hit by a train on railway tracks has been the main attraction. The theme-based cakes depicted innumerable mishaps of elephant herds being hit by trains passing through the Dooars region near Siliguri. Confectioner Ranjit Paul said through this cake he has endeavoured to spread awareness amongst people on the need to protect the elephants.
“Since few months, we are seeing many accidents in the Dooars area due to the railways. So, we thought of making this thing in the form of a cake and make people conscious about the elephants, which is one of our heritage animals in India. And it is one of our endangered species in the country and it should be protected,” said Ranjit Paul.
A five feet long cake has been prepared with butter, eggs, almonds, cream, cashew nuts etc. Visitors from far off places reached the bakery shop to view the theme based cakes. Michael Sherpa, a buyer from Darjeeling, said the cake comes as a special Christmas gift with a message for everyone. “That (cake) was great designing. In this Christmas season, that was a gift for all of us to save elephants,” said Sherpa.
Weighing around 10 pounds, it took over four days to prepare the cake that carries a price tag of rupees 1500. Other theme cakes include cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s recent 50 Test centuries and the country’s long standing demand for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council.

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British training Bangladesh 'death squad' Rapid Action Battalion

BBC News, Dhaka, 23 December : British officials in Bangladesh have confirmed Wikileaks reports that the UK is training a police force in the country accused of being a death squad.
Rapid Action Battalion members have been taught "interviewing techniques" and "rules of engagement" by the UK authorities, said the leaked cables. One message says the US would not offer tactical training to the RAB because of its alleged human rights violations. UK officials told the BBC the focus of the training was on human rights.
Set up in 2004, the 9,000-strong RAB is accused of more than 550 killings. The whistle-blowing website Wikileaks has obtained a cache of about 250,000 US diplomatic cables, which it has released to several newspapers, including the Guardian.
In a cable dating from May 2009 published by the Guardian, the US ambassador to Dhaka, James Moriarty, writes: "The US and UK representatives reviewed our ongoing training to make the RAB a more transparent, accountable and human-rights compliant paramilitary force. "The British have been training RAB for 18 months in areas such as investigative interviewing techniques and rules of engagement." READ FULL REPORT

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WB Speaker wonders whether 'dark 1970s' have returned

Kolkata, 23 December : In the backdrop of escalating political violence and campus clashes in West Bengal, Assembly Speaker H A Halim today wondered whether the state was returning to the "dark days" of the 1970s.
Apparently referring to the seventies when the Congress was in power, Halim said "I hope it will not get darker. People are being killed. Youths are getting killed. I do not know whether this is happening because of the approaching elections." "It is a matter of regret that there is no agreement of mind (among political parties). A consensus has to forged," he said.
Meanwhile, Leader of Trinamool Congress Legislature Party, Partha Chatterjee said that it would examine the feasibility of bringing a privilege motion against the Speaker for his comment that "dark days" of seventies were being brought back. The Trinamool was not in power in early seventies in the state, he said. န File CPI(M) Cartoon

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Bangladesh's Injured Mortaza doubtful for world cup cricket
AFP, Dhaka, 23 December : Bangladesh pace spearhead Mashrafe Mortaza sustained an injury to his right knee during a domestic match, the country's cricket board said, putting his World Cup appearance in doubt.
Tests confirmed Mortaza sustained a near-complete tear of his reconstructed anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the Bangladesh Cricket Board said in a statement Wednesday. The board's statement said Mortaza would rest for 10 days and his condition will be reviewed after three days.

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Maoists to support Mamata Banerjee's opposition to "offensive"

PTI, Kolkata, 20 December : The Maoists today said they will support Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee's opposition to joint forces operating in Jangalmahal, although she was objecting because 'Operation Greenhunt' was allowing access to CPI(M) "goons".
A statement issued by the rebels said, "Mamata is one of the important partners of the UPA government at the Centre and she is opposing the Greenhunt operation because it is giving access to the CPI(M) goons." The statement was written by the Purulia division of the CPI(Maoist) and faxed to PTI office here.
The statement said distinction cannot be made between CPI(M) and Congress leaders as far as support for the offensive was concerned. "But as Trinamool Congress is opposing the joint forces' offensive, so we will extend our full support to its political programmes." န File Cartoon

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VP Hamid Ansari calls for more funds for State Universities

Kolkata, 20 December : Indian Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari on Monday said that higher education cannot improve in India unless State Universities, which are the backbone and represent the bulk of enrolment, are able to obtain greater funds, create new infrastructure and enrich their existing academic programmes.
Delivering foundation day lecture at University of Calcutta, Vice President Ansari said anecdotal evidence suggests that the budget of one Central University is almost the same or more than the budget of all State Universities in some States, and added that there are five questions pertaining to higher education that need to be addressed urgently.
The Vice President further said there is a need to liberate education from the strict and fragmented disciplinary confines of our formal higher education structures. န Photo : Avijit Mondal

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Trinamool ready to go to poll alone if alliance fails : Partha
Kolkata, 20 December : The Trinamool Congress is in favour of the alliance with the Congress, but is ready to go to Assembly polls alone if it breaks up, Opposition Leader in the Assembly Partha Chatterjee said today.
'' We want continuation of the alliance, but are prepared to go to the poll, even tomorrow, if it fails,'' Partha Chatterjee said while interacting with newspersons.

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Former rebel Daniel held for misappropriating Tripura funds

Agartala, 20 December : A former leader of a banned separatist outfit has been arrested in this Tripura capital for misappropriating Rs.18.10 lakh (over $40,000) meant for the rehabilitation of rebels who gave up arms, police said Sunday.
Daniel Debbarma, 45, a former self-styled home minister of the banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), was arrested late Saturday. He had surrendered along with a large number of cadres 25 December, 2004. Chief Judicial Magistrate Tridib Chandra Roy Bhowmik Sunday sent the ex-militant leader to four days' police custody for interrogation.
"According to the surrender package, Daniel was acting as a treasurer of a society called 'Yakam' which used to get funds from the Tripura government under the 'Livelihood Development Project' for surrendered militants," police inspector Manindra Chandra Debnath told reporters. "He (Daniel) forged the signatures of the member secretary of the society and withdrew about Rs.18.10 lakh by several cheques from banks," he said.
"In March, a case was registered with the police by the state's tribal welfare department against Daniel that he was involved in Rs.18.10 lakh worth of misappropriation," Debnath added.
The NLFT, along with another outlawed outfit All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), has been fighting for an independent tribal homeland in Tripura and operates out of Bangladesh, which surrounds the northeastern state. န File Photo

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WB Govt urges Mamata for clearance of pending projects
Kolkata, 20 December : The West Bengal government has urged Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee for clearance of several pending JNNURM projects and permission for taking up survey on railway land for projects for which central aid was sought.
The Centre has allotted Rs 4 crore for survey under the Rajiv Awas Yojana. "If these are not done, the Centre will not release any financial aid," Urban Development Minister Asok Bhattacharya said in a recent letter to Banerjee.

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Three Leopards to be relocated in Kolkata Alipore Zoo

ANI, Jalpaiguri, 20 December : Three leopards will be shifted from the Khayerbari animal rescue centre of West Bengal's Jalpaiguri District to the Alipore Zoo in Kolkata.
The shifting leopards came on the sidelines of the special provision of the Central Zoo Authority of India, The three leopards were rescued from the adjacent tea gardens of Doars. "Three leopards will be transferred from the Khayerbari animal rescue centre to the Alipore Zoo according to the instructions of the Central Zoo Authority. We can't do it by ourselves. When orders come from the authorities we perform our task. Such transfers are done if there is provision or need of such things and can happen in future too," said VK Sood, the Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), North Bengal.
Three leopards aged around two-and-half years are scheduled to leave for their respective destinations before Christmas. The leopards are being transferred because three cages are empty in the Alipore Zoo. န File Photo

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Sheikh Hasina asks ministers, partymen to show results
Dhaka, 20 December : A fortnight away from completing two years in office, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has warned her ministers and party colleagues that their "honeymoon is over" and they must work to show results over the next three years.
The people will want to see output, concrete results, and will evaluate the government critically in the remaining three years of its tenure, Hasina told her weekly cabinet meeting Sunday. Hasina directed all ministries to expedite their work, saying that her government's "honeymoon period is over after being in power for nearly two years", the Daily Star reported Monday.

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Students Federation of India observes student strike in WB
Kolkata, 20 December : Students Federation of India, the CPI(M)'s student wing, today observed a state-wide strike to protest against attack on their supporters in two colleges by Trinamool Congress Chhatra Parishad members.
The strike, which was called to protest against the death of Swapan Koley, a student of Jagabandhu College in Howrah and serious eye-injury to Sourav Santra of Asutosh College here, affected studies in colleges and schools across the state.

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New identity for Airtel Bangladesh
New Delhi, 20 December : Bharti Airtel on Monday launched its new identity for Bangladesh subscribers. With this, Airtel Bangladesh has joined the global Airtel family of 20-crore subscribers having completed the acquisition of Warid Telecom, Bangladesh, from the Dhabi Group for $300 million.
“We know the people of Bangladesh are very passionate about their identity, their culture and their language. The Airtel brand will represent these values, while retaining the youthfulness and dynamism of the global brand so that our customers here can enjoy the same best-in-class brand experienced across continents. We have already begun work to take our mobile network deeper into the rural areas and deliver world-class and affordable mobile services,” said Airtel Bangladesh CEO Chris Tobit.

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Mallya steps down as Bagan director to meet AFC criteria
PTI, Kolkata, 20 December : In order to meet the Asian Football Confederation club licensing criteria before the December 31 deadline, liquor baron Vijay Mallya has stepped down as director and chairman of Mohun Bagan.
Mallya was holding the same post of director in both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, which was not permitted under AFC licensing criteria if the two clubs want to take part in AFC competitions. "Mallya has resigned from his post," Mohun Bagan general secretary and managing director Anjan Mitra told PTI.

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World Bank's Rs 1,072 crore for Meghalaya State roads
PTI, Shillong, 20 December : The World Bank will pump in Rs 1,072 crore for road connectivity in rural areas of Meghalaya, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Agatha Sangma said today.
The implementation of the projects in the state is proposed to start from 2011. Altogether 567 habitations of the total 756 habitations eligible for road connectivity will be covered under the project which is expected to be completed within five years, Sangma said.

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Bangladesh Air Force' training plane crash kills 2 in Barisal

Barisal, 20 December : A training aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force has crashed near Barisal airport killing both pilots on board the PT-6.
Squadron leaders Mahmudul Huq, 30, of Gazipur's Kaliganj and Ashraf Ibn Ahmed, 35, died on the spot. The PT-6 aircraft burst into flames while it was approaching the runway. Air Force chief Air Marshal Shah Mohammad Ziaur Rahman and other top air force officials rushed to the spot after the incident.

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"Jackals" endangering flight safety at "Kolkata Intl Airport"

PTI, Kolkata, 20 December : Last week a jackal strayed onto the runway of the N S C Bose International Airport here forcing the pilot of an aircraft to abort take off and delayed two incoming flights.
The jackals as well as birds are attracted to garbage dumped from markets in areas surrounding the airport which pose a danger to air safety. Adding to the problems is the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS)'s recent ban on using guns and firecrackers to scare away birds and animals from the airport premises. The problem was discussed at a meeting of the Airfield Environment Committee headed by West Bengal Home Secretary G D Gautama with officials of the local civic bodies around the airport and the Airports Authority of India two weeks ago.
"Garbage attracts birds and animals, including jackals and wildcats causing trouble for airport operations," airport Dirrector R Srinivasan told PTI.

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37 bodies recovered after a boat capsized in Sunamganj district

Dhaka, 19 December : At least 37 people were killed and some others went missing after a boat capsized in Sunamganj district on Saturday.
Jane Alam, police chief of Jamalganj sub-district of Sunamganj district, told Xinhua over phone on Sunday morning the rescuers have recovered 37 bodies including 17 children and 20 women. Alam could not tell how many people are missing but expected the number is very few.

Alam said the boat carrying about 150 passengers clashed with a cargo trawler at around 9:30pm local time in Surma river in the district. Most of the passengers have swum to the shore. Local police and people are doing the rescue operation and they have already lifted the capsized boat. န Photo : AP READ BBC STORY

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Indian delegation visits Bangladesh from today on Tagore'

New Delhi, 19 December : A nine-member Indian delegation is due to visit Bangladesh from today to discuss Indo-Bangla Joint Commemorations of 150th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.
During the visit of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to India in January 2010, both the Prime Ministers had agreed for joint celebration of Tagore's 150th Birth Anniversary in 2011-12 in a manner befitting his vision and spirit, Indian official announcement said. A National Committee under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh and a National Implementation Committee under the Chairmanship of Finance Minister of India Pranab Mukherjee have been constituted to celebrate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore in an appropriate manner. The Indian National Committee in its meeting held on 20 May decided that special emphasis be given to the Joint Indo-Bangladesh Celebrations.
Indian cultural secretary Jawhar Sarkar and Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Rajeet Mitter, have been in constant touch in order to work out a detailed programme in the spirit of the Joint Communiqu.

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7 Bangladeshi construction worker abducted in Afghanistan
IANS, Kabul, 19 December : Unidentified gunmen have kidnapped seven Bangladeshi construction workers in a northern Afghanistan province, an official said Sunday.
‘Eight people, including seven Bangladesh nationals and an Afghan guard, were kidnapped in Balkh province on Saturday night,’ Xinhua quoted interior ministry spokesman Zamarai Bashari as saying. The abducted men were employees of a South Korean road construction company, he said.

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ICT issues arrest warrant against Salauddin Q Chowdhury

BSS, Dhaka, 19 December : The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) today issued arrest warrant against Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, granting a petition filed by the prosecution seeking an order to keep him under grill as the investigation agency gathered sufficient information of his involvement in several crimes against humanity during the War of Liberation.
The prosecution sought the order with the plea that the investigation agency while conducting inquiry on the crimes committed against humanity has gleaned information that Chowdhury was involved in gruesome crimes like genocide, killing, torture, arson attacks and enforcing exodus during the country's Great War of Liberation in 1971.
Chowdhury is now in judicial custody under police remand in connection with a criminal case. He was arrested on 15 December. The Tribunal also ordered the authorities concerned to produce Salauddin Quader Chowdhury before them on 30 December. န Photo : Ashraful Alom tito

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Porn shown on Dhaka Shahjalal Interntional Airport screen

AFP, Dhaka, 19 December : Bangladeshi authorities have launched an investigation after a pornographic film was aired on a large display screen at the country’s main airport, a magistrate said Sunday.
Hundreds of travellers and waiting friends and relatives at the main terminal of the Shahjalal International Airport were shocked as the film was aired for five minutes on Friday morning, magistrate Siddiqa Akhter told AFP. The display screen usually shows recorded documentaries about the culture and geography of Bangladesh.
“The operator has been jailed instantly for two months. We have also summoned the owners of the cable firm to investigate the incident. We have to find out whether any criminal intent was involved,” Akhter said. Every day, thousands of people throng the terminal to receive or send off their relatives.

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Attack on Journalists : Arunachal Pradesh media on strike
PTI, Itanagar, 19 December : Media organisations in Arunachal Pradesh today went on an indefinite strike in protest against the state government's failure to arrest those who had assaulted two women journalists last week.
The women, working with 'The Sentinel Arunachal', were assaulted by some unidentified persons on 12 December when they were gathering news of an accident, according to police. Under the aegis of Arunachal Press Club (APC) and Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ), the entire press fraternity has served an ultimatum of 48 hours to the government to arrest the culprits.

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Opposition-enforced strike in Bangladesh enters third day

IANS, Dhaka, 19 December : Bangladesh's port city of Chittagong and its surrounding areas were paralysed for the third consecutive day Sunday as the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) enforced a dawn-to-dusk strike to protest the detention of one of its top leaders.
BNP chief and former prime minister Khaleda Zia, who left for China Saturday, endorsed the strike call and demanded that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her principal political rival, step down. The country was "in danger", Zia told the media before leaving for Beijing.
Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, a member of the BNP's standing committee and considered close to the former prime minister, was arrested Thursday on charges of a murder that occurred in June this year. He is also wanted on "war crimes" charges - of targeting unarmed civilians during the 1971 freedom movement, leading Islamist militia and Pakistan Army personnel to homes of minority Hindu families.
The protest was peaceful in the early part of Sunday, The Daily Star reported. The International Crimes Tribunal that is holding the "war crimes" trials, is to hear Sunday an application by its investigators seeking detention of Chowdhury, a lawmaker who leads the Islamists within the BNP. န File Photo

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Indian NE capitals to be brought under railway, air network

New Delhi, 19 December : With lack of connectivity posing as a major hindrance in the economic growth of the Indian northeast, the Centre has decided to bring all the state capitals in the region under railway and air network.

Officials in the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) said Railways has undertaken an ambitious project to link all capital cities at an estimated investment of Rs 17,000 crore by 2017. Till now, railway network is available in Assam and some parts of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
The officials said the government has decided to set up an airport in Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar while another has been planned for Kohima in Nagaland. Both the state capitals do not have aerial connectivity.
The government has set deadline of July, 2015 to complete work on the green field airport in Itanagar while no target has been fixed for the Kohima airport.

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Wikileaks reveal truth behind Minus 2, DGFI’ role in forming IDP

UNB, Dhaka, 18 December : The first batch of US embassy cables related to Bangladesh, released on whistleblower site WikiLeaks, has failed to reveal much that the public will find particularly enlightening or interesting, except maybe an affirmation that the “Minus 2” strategy to remove the leaders of the Awami League and BNP had in-fact been in place in 2007.

In probably the most damaging revelation contained within the handful of cables released so far that touch upon Bangladesh, the DGFI is implicated in an effort to absorb the banned terrorist organization, the Harkat ul Jihad, into mainstream politics through a misbegotten attempt at forming the Islamic Development Party (IDP), just before the December 2008 elections.
Hasina, Khaleda’s return put CTG at ‘crossroads’
The most intriguing cable as far as Bangladesh is concerned, originating from the US mission in New Delhi dated April 27, 2007, reveals the thinking between the US, the UK and India in the aftermath of the ‘1/11’ political changeover in 2007.
This was four days after the arrest warrant out against Sheikh Hasina at that time was suspended, and two days after the ban on her re-entering the country was lifted.

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Pro-Maoist group "PCAPA" calls 24-hour shutdown Monday
IANS, Kolkata, 18 December : Pro-Maoist tribal group, Peoples’ Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) Saturday called for a 24-hour shutdown Monday in West Bengal’s three Maoist-dominated districts to protest ‘atrocities’ of the joint security forces.
‘The shutdown on Monday has been called in Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore districts as the common tribal people living in the areas were facing torture and harassment from the joint forces and armed cadres of the CPI(M),’ a PCAPA spokesman told IANS on phone from Lalgarh area of West Midnapore.

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Maoists killed 7 'Forward Bloc' workers at Jhalda in Purulia dist

Purulia, Kolkata, 17 December : Maoists today shot dead seven Forward Bloc workers at Jhalda in Purulia district on suspicion that they acted as police informers.
All seven between the age group of 40 to 50 years, were picked up from their homes at about 2am and shot from close range in a field at hilly Baghbinda village in Jhalda bordering Jharkhand, Superintendent of Police Sunil Kumar Chaudhuri told Bengal Newz. The seven have been identified as Chapala Garai, Tapan Singh Sardar, Kinkar Singh, Rajesh Singh, Gopeswar Mahato Gobardhan Singh and Arjun Singh Mura. The police has found posters left by the Maoists at the spot that claim that the five villagers had been spying for the security personnel.
In Kolkata, Forward Bloc state secretary Ashok Ghosh condemning the incident said Chapala Garai was the pradhan of Darda gram panchayat. Ghosh accused the police of being inactive when the Maoists launched the attack and alleged it was carried out to take revenge for the anti-Maoist operation backed by the LF government. Calling upon people in West Bengal to protest against the heinous attack, Ghosh said the Left parties have called a bandh in Purulia district tomorrow. Senior party leader and state's agriculture minister Naren De and food and supply minister Paresh Adhikari have rushed to the spot.

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Bangladesh announced 30 preliminary World Cup squads
Dhaka, 17 December : Bangladesh has announce the 30 men preliminary squad for world cup cricket 2011. ICC has given 19th December deadline to all cricketing countries which are schedule to play world cup to announce their preliminary 30 men squad for the world cup.

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