Clash at Nilkhet leaves 25 injured
Clashes between the students of Dhaka University and traders from different markets in the capital’s Nilkhet area left over 25 people, including 15 students, injured yesterday.
Witnesses and police said the entire area turned into a battlefield during the skirmishes.
DU students set several shops on fire and vandalised many others. During the clash, all the markets in the area remained shut and vehicular movements suspended, triggering panic among other students and traders.
Police had to fire several rounds of blank shots and lob sound grenades to disperse the mob and bring the situation under control.
Sources said the clash had erupted when a group of book traders beat up some students following an altercation over purchasing books.
Mamata bashes central govt over Teesta
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is regarded responsible for not signing the Indo-Bangla Teesta water-sharing pact, has again started playing politics with the issue.
Also the Trinamool Congress chief, Mamata at an election rally yesterday urged the people to teach the central government a lesson “through ballots” as “the centre wanted to deprive the people of [India’s] north Bengal of drinking water by giving away Teesta water [to Bangladesh].”
She made the call while addressing election rallies in Dinhata of Cooch Behar district and Jalpaiguri of Jalpaiguri district in north Bengal of India.
“Mamata accused the central government of trying to deprive the state’s northern parts of drinking water and asked the people to teach it a lesson,” reports Zee News.
Fish trader now turns surgeon
Just five years back, Ratan Krishna Majumder was a fish trader by profession. The eighth-grade passed fish trader used to work nights during that period. After switching to medical profession, his fate had been changed overnight.
The incredible thing was that Ratan, 43, used to conduct surgery in a private hospital at Mohammadpur in the capital. His brother-in-law Babul Chandra Paik, 42, also owner of the hospital, had abetted him carry out orthopaedic surgery. Babul had only passed the SSC exam.
Babul appointed Ratan as an operation theatre assistant. After a couple of years, they started doing minor operations when the lone doctor of the hospital was not on duty.
Law enforcers yesterday raided the hospital named National Care General Hospital on Babar Road and arrested seven people, including the two. A mobile court later sentenced the duo to one year imprisonment and fined them Tk1.05 lakh each.
The magistrate, aided by a Rapid Action Battalion (Rab 2) team, also sealed off the hospital.
Khaleda greets Hasina on Pahela Baishakh
Reciprocating the Prime Minister’s greetings, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Saturday sent a card to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina congratulating her on the occasion of Bengali New Year 1421.
BNP assistant office secretaries Abdul Latif Jony and Asadul Karim Shaheen handed over the greetings card to Awami League central leader Syed Abdul Awal Shamim at the AL President’s Dhanmondi office in the afternoon. Jony told UNB that they on behalf of the BNP chief handed over the card to Sheikh Hasina’s political office.
The nation will celebrate Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangla calendar, on Monday amid traditional fanfare and festivity.
Obama rating rising in Bangladesh, says Gallup poll
A poll by Gallup World has found that the rating for US leadership – which, for most of the world, likely means its president, Barack Obama – jumped to 47% in Bangladesh last year.
It was 37% in 2012 and as low as 19% in 2007, the last year of George W. Bush’s presidency.
The US Global Leadership Report, a joint effort of Meridian International Centre and Gallup, was prepared to provide a comprehensive assessment of how the world residents view US leadership.
In Bangladesh, the survey was conducted from April to May last year and 47% of the respondents approved the US leadership while 24% disapproved and 30% said “don’t know” or “refused” to make comment.
The results are based on face-to-face interviews with 1,000 adults – aged 15 and older – conducted in the Bangla language. In contrast, 22% respondents in India approved the US leadership while 59% disapproved last year. It was 26% in 2012.
Six more gas projects on cards
The Energy Ministry has worked out a plan to implement six more gas projects involving Tk1,237 crore under the Gas Development Fund (GDF), a special fund created by the government through consumers’ money derived from increased gas prices.
The energy watchdog asked the government to utilise the extra money received from the consumers by hiking the price for the development of gas sector. Official sources said a recent high-level meeting at the Energy Ministry recommended the projects.
Bangladesh to submit report on GSP action plan on April 15
The government will submit a progress report on “Bangladesh Action Plan 2013” to the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on April 15 though the review for reinstating Bangladesh’s Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) benefits still looks uncertain.
The legal authorisation for the GSP programme expired on July 31, 2013 and the US Congress is considering a legislation that would extend the authorisation of GSP beyond this date, according to the USTR.
As long as the GSP programme remains with no authorisation, there will be no public hearing and no request for public comments for the ongoing GSP country and product reviews and no final disposition of these reviews.
BASIS to hand out outsourcing awards today
A total of 100 including individuals and organisations will receive “BASIS Outsourcing Award 2014” today at the Institute of Diploma Engineers auditorium in Dhaka.
Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) has chosen them from 2,000 candidates for the fourth edition of the award.
They have been selected in four categories which include organisations, freelancers, female freelancers and one freelancer from one district.
Fifteen organisations, 18 freelancers, three female freelancers and 64 freelancers from 64 districts will be awarded for outstanding performance in outsourcing software and IT- enabled services.