BCCS observes World Cancer Day

Dhaka, Feb 3 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) – Bangladesh Childhood Cancer Society is holding programmes to mark the World Cancer Day on Wednesday.

A human chain will be formed and a rally will start at 10 am from the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and a press conference will be held at 11 am at the National Press Club, said a press release issued on Tuesday.

"Since its inception in 2007, BCCS has been undertaking several programmes to mark the day every year on Feb 4," said the press release.

"Mass awareness could drastically cut the rate of cancer deaths as strict hygiene is a must-do for the patients and their parents as viral and bacterial attacks by the uncontrolled visits cause cross infections that accelerate death," the statement said.

No less than 6,000 children are struck with the dreadful disease annually, says the Society.

But just 500-600 children affected with cancers get treatment in the paediatric haematology and oncology ward of BSMMU, the lone full-fledged and recognised centre in the country, says the Society.

"Medical care in the area is almost non-existent in the country except in Dhaka," it says.

BCCS is striving to reach the treatment to the doorsteps of people across the country, the statement continued.

It is building a Home for the Childhood Cancer Patients and planning a composite medical institute with a hospital, BCCS secretary general ADM Alauddin said.

"We are planning to set up branches all over the country, and reach medical care to the ailing humanity," he said.

Hasina orders steps for Barapukuria victims

Dhaka, Feb 3 (bdnews24.com) – The prime minister ordered authorities on Tuesday to take urgent steps to relocate the victims of land subsidence around the Barapukuria Coalmine in Dinajpur.

The prime minister directed her private secretary Nazrul Islam Khan to ensure steps were taken to list the victims, stratify them and rehabilitate them as well as to be on guard that they do not face the same plight in future.

Hasina directed authorities to move in this regard as soon as possible after she heard from affected families, who met her in parliament.

She also wondered that no measures had yet been taken although they have been suffering for the last 10 months.

The PM's adviser Toufique-e-Elahi and state minister for energy Shamsul Haq Tuku, were among those also present.

The PM's deputy press secretary Naqib Uddin Ahmed briefed reporters in this regard.

EC to probe RO 'mistakes' in filing UZ results

Dhaka, Feb 3 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) – The Election Commission is exploring the "shortcomings" of returning officers in submitting their Upazila election results sheets, said the chief election commissioner on Tuesday.

"The Upazila returning officers in some cases have published one set of election results at night and another in the morning." said polls chief ATM Shamsul Huda.

"The results sheets also contained shortcomings in addition and subtraction," he said.

The concerned officers would be called to the capital to explore these 'mistakes', he added.

The chief election officer also said they might need one month in total to publish all the Upazila results in an official gazette, revising all the shortcomings.

He said they were sending the authenticated results to the press in phases for publishing.

Asked on whether any more Upazila results would be held up, he said, "I don't like to say anything about something under process."

Dhaka leads climate war: Danish minister

Dhaka, Feb 3 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) — Bangladesh sets a unique example in tackling climate change disaster, says the visiting Danish climate and energy minister.

"One of the biggest challenges right now for Bangladesh is adaptation to climate change," the Danish minister, Connie Hedegaard, said in Dhaka Tuesday.

"During my visit here I have learnt that in Bangladesh up to 40 percent of the investment in development and infrastructure is likely to be affected by climate change."

Bangladesh has invested some Tk 10 billion to tackle disaster management over the last two decades, a seminar was told Tuesday.

"Denmark remains committed to assist with adaptation to climate change in these two sectors as already planned under theme one, 'Food security, Social Protection and Health', in your strategy and action plan for climate change," she said.

Environment and forest minister Mostafizur Rahman said Bangladesh had already set up a climate change fund.

"We have little time to lose to come to a global agreement on how to manage climate change, its causes and adverse impacts in all but most particularly, in developing countries and the least developed countries," said Rahman.

Swedish ambassador Britt Hagstrom and DFID country representative in Bangladesh Chris Austin both said Bangladash was not just vulnerable to climate change, but was rather in a unique position to develop expertise to tackle climate change.

Among others, Danish ambassador Rinar H Jensen, environment and forest secretary Rezaul Kabir and ERD secretary Mosharaf Hossain also spoke.

Bangladesh Center for Advance Studies executive director Dr. Atiq Rahman delivered the welcome speech and moderated the conference.

Boucher arrives Saturday

Dhaka, Feb 4 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) – US assistant secretary of state for south and central Asian affairs Richard A Boucher is scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh Saturday on a two-day visit, a US embassy press release issued Wednesday said.

During his stay, Boucher will meet with the prime minister and government officials, parliamentarians, business people and members of the civil society, engaging in consultations with the newly-elected government spanning a broad range of regional and bilateral issues, the statement said.

The assistant secretary last visited Bangladesh in May last year.

Climate change: 'Not a distant fury'

Dhaka, Feb 3 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) — Visiting Danish climate minister Connie Hedegaard says climate change is not some "distant fury", its widespread consequences are already being felt in Bangladesh and around the globe with one thing in common: unpredictability.

"During my visit I saw people are struggling with climate change. It is already here," Hedegaard told bdnews24.com in an interview on Tuesday.

"It's not a distant fury, it's not a distant future."

"Things are not as they used to be, you cannot use the knowledge that you inherited from your mother and father," said the visiting minister, who arrived in Dhaka on Monday to attend a conference titled 'Bangladesh on the road to Copenhagen'.

The main focus of Hedegaard's visit was to assess Bangladesh's preparedness for the year-end UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

Low-lying Bangladesh, located in the Ganges Delta, will be one of the countries worst affected by escalating climate change.

Denmark has already pledged to contribute to a multi-donor trust fund for chalking out climate change mitigation and adaptation programmes in Bangladesh.

"One of the biggest challenges right now for Bangladesh is adaptation to climate change I have learnt that in Bangladesh up to 40 percent of investment in development and infrastructure is likely to be affected by climate change," said Hedegaard.

Her delegation travelled to the southern district of Patuakhali "to see the consequences of climate change, to listen to the people already now living with the consequences of climate change," she said.

Witnessing those consequences—entire villages decimated by 2007's Cyclone Sidr, crops and livestock affected by more frequent floods—she said: "The villagers from Patuakhali share the fate of millions of vulnerable people all over the world, directly affected by climate change."

"And their stories indeed underline the importance of an urgent global effort to combat the threats of climate change."

Unpredictability

Hedegaard said she was struck by how she heard "the same story" around the world.

People affected by climate change have one experience in common, she said.

"Unpredictability - the climate is becoming ever more unpredictable."

"Before, we knew when to seed and when to harvest. Before, we had six seasons, now we have three."

"What people learned from their forefathers—when to seed, harvest and hunt—that knowledge cannot be used any more. And that is a real challenge."

"This is the same message I heard last year in West Africa; I heard it in North Thailand, in Greenland."

Climate change affects the economic, security and social structures of our world today, she said.

"Climate change recognises no borders, knows no cultural or political divides; its impacts will be felt by all people, at every level," said the minister.

"That is what the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December is all about: The world must come together now."

Copenhagen

Denmark's prime minister, in recent days, has urged rich and poor countries alike to commit to big cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, ahead of the year-end talks he will host.

"It is essential to engage heads of state and government stronger in the whole process to ensure a positive result in Copenhagen," Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday.

Hedegaard told bdnews24.com Tuesday: "The industrialised countries must show clear leadership."

"We need to find a way how growth and sustainable development can go hand in hand. Because in 2050 it is said there will be around nine billion people in the world. An eight of them will be living in what we today call the developing countries."

"Also, it is necessary to secure additional financial flows. And it cannot be only pledges year after year from industrialised countries. We have to create steady revenues by means of new, innovative financial sources."

Bangladesh's example

"The urgency to act is ambitiously reflected in Bangladesh's timely development of a Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan," said Hedegaard.

"Denmark looks forward to supporting Bangladesh in achieving its objectives and committed additional initial funds in support of the new Strategy and Action Plan."

Denmark is contributing Taka 120 million (10 million Kroner) in addition to the more than Taka 2 billion that it already commits each year to Bangladesh, said the minister.

"I firmly believe that adaptation efforts must be integrated in national development plans and strategies."

"Let me finish where I started – with the villagers we visited," said the Danish minister.

"They belong to the world's most poor and vulnerable. And they have the right to expect improvements. They must get out of poverty and into a prosperous, climate resilient and sustainable future."

The answer, says Hedegaard, is leadership and political courage from governments all over the world.

"Courage to make a change right now," said the minister, speaking of the international community.

"And we need you," she said of Bangladesh, "as belonging to the group of LDC countries to speak up even more strongly in calling for global emission reductions."

"The Bangladesh example of putting climate change in front and centre of national development efforts gives me strong reasons for optimism."

"I promise you that what I learned here will not stay here in my head. I will let the case of Bangladesh be known to the whole world so that we know why we have to act and why we have to act now," said Hedegaard.

PM reported stable after surgery

NEW DELHI, Jan 24 (bdnews7.blogspot.com/Reuters) - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh underwent coronary bypass surgery on Saturday, with local television channels saying his condition was stable after a seven hour operation. Doctors are due to give a briefing on the prime minister's condition at 6 p.m. local time (1230 GMT). The 76-year-old leader may be unable to return to work for several weeks, while confusion has emerged about who would be charge of government just months before a general election. Some officials said Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee would take over most prime ministerial responsibilities, including defence, security and the finance portfolio, while Singh was recovering from the surgery. "Pranab Mukherjee is in charge of the government until the prime minister resumes his duty," an official in the prime minister's office, who asked to remain anonymous, told Reuters. "This is normal procedure as he is the most senior member of the cabinet, so there has been no official announcement." But a government spokesman insisted this was not the case. "The prime minister is still in charge," he told Reuters. "Nobody has taken over his functions." That confusion was mirrored in the media, where some papers and television channels said Mukherjee was in charge but others disagreed. "Nobody named in charge," the Mail Today announced on its front page. "No clarity on who controls the nukes. No succession plan leads to ad hocism. The confusion led to speculation that the ruling Congress party did not want to give Mukherjee a public endorsement as acting prime minister just before an election, and overshadow other candidates within Congress battling to be Singh's successor. Many ceremonial duties, for example, will be transferred to the vice-president, not Mukherjee. The operation came just as reports surfaced that Rahul Gandhi, heir to one of India's most powerful family dynasties, was emerging as a potential successor. A general election is due by May this year and Singh has been expected to continue as prime minister if the Congress coalition wins. The main battle is between the Congress-led government and a coalition led by the Bharatiya Janata Party. The surgery could mean that Singh will not be able to carry out full vote campaigning. But the soft-spoken economist was never central to Congress's campaigning plans, analysts said. Singh underwent bypass surgery in 1990 in Britain. He also underwent wrist surgery in 2006, a prostate gland surgery and a cataract removal procedure last year, officials said. One expert said on Friday a new operation presented little risk for the prime minister. "There is 1 to 2 percent risk factor associated with a bypass surgery on a patient with a long history of cardiac problems like the prime minister," said Dr. T.S. Kler, head of cardiology at the Escorts Heart Institute & Research Centre Ltd. In neighbouring Bhutan, hundreds of Buddhist monks have begun special prayers for the Indian prime minister.

Storm kills 15 in Spain, france

MADRID/PARIS, Jan 25 (bdnews7.blogspot.com/Reuters) - Four children aged from nine to 12 years were killed on Saturday when a sports center collapsed near Barcelona in strong winds which battered parts of northern Spain and southwest France. At least 11 adults were killed in separate incidents in Spain and France as gales buffeted the region for a second day, cutting power, disrupting flights and blocking roads. Forest fires, one caused by felled power lines, raged in Spain. In the sports center disaster, winds of more than 100 km (62 miles) per hour, ripped the metal roof off a building next to a baseball court in Sant Boi, causing the breeze block walls to collapse inwards. "It was horrific," Jose Antonio Godina, a parent, was quoted as saying by El Mundo newspaper. "We heard a loud noise and we thought a tree had fallen on a roof. But when we got here, the roof of the annexe had literally flown off and the walls had fallen in on them." Four children, members of a junior baseball team, were killed, local authorities said. Nine people were injured, including seven children. A policeman was killed by a falling tree in Galicia, northern Spain on Saturday, a police spokesman said, while a 52-year-old woman was killed when a wall collapsed on her as she walked down a street in Barcelona on Friday. A 51-year-old man was killed by a falling wall in Alicante, authorities said, while two more adults were killed by falling trees in Catalonia on Saturday. A Portuguese captain died after being rescued from a ship in high seas off the coast of Galicia. A 73-year-old woman was killed when a door blew on top of her in the northern province of Burgos, local authorities said. The Spanish army stepped in to help fight a forest fire in La Nucia, north of Benidorm in Alicante, started by an electricity pylon felled by gales, the Ministry of Defense said. Thousands were evacuated from nearby housing estates. Forest fires also raged in the region of Catalonia, putting emergency services on high alert, authorities said. In France, gales cut power supplies to around 1.7 million homes and closed roads, railways and airports. Local authorities in the Landes area said a 50-year-old man was killed when a tree fell on a car. A 78-year-old man died in his garden when he was hit by a piece of debris. The body of a third victim, a 75-year-old man, was found crushed by a tree. Later, French state television reported that an elderly lady died when her respiratory support machine failed because of a power cut caused by the storm. POWER CUTS Tens of thousands in Spain were left without power and gales disrupted flights and rail travel. Waves of more than 20 meters (65 feet) were registered off the northern coast and high winds stranded dolphins on beaches in the region. Winds of up to 190 km an hour paralyzed southwest France. The French weather agency Meteo France placed the region on red alert and asked residents to stay indoors for their own safety. French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier said the storm was the worst since 1999, when a huge storm killed 88 people, and said France would call on the European Union to help fund reconstruction efforts. President Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters he would travel to the affected area on Sunday. Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said she had ordered 700 extra security forces to be sent to help with rescue efforts and that extra equipment would also be sent to help clear roads and electric lines. The airports at Bordeaux, Biarritz and Pau were closed. The national power grid manager, Electricite Reseau Distribution France (EDF), said it could take a long time to restore power. The French state railway company SNCF said it had been forced to halt services completely in the Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrenees regions, and asked travelers to postpone their journeys. It said high-speed TGV trains from Bordeaux had been stopped because of an electrical fault caused by the storm.

Abahani Race closer to title

Dhaka, Jan 24 (bdnews24.com) – Mohammedan Sporting Club slipped out of the Citycell B. League title race on Saturday with a heart-breaking 2-1 loss to leaders Abahani Limited in the second-leg derby at Bangabandhu National Stadium. Alamu Bukola Olaleken put the Black and Whites ahead in the 45th minute before Jahid Hasan Emily pulled one back for the Sky Blues in the 67th minute. Emeka Christina sealed the match for Abahani one minute from time. With the 12th triumph in 16 matches, Abahani stretched their lead to 38, four and nine points ahead of Sheikh Russel KC and Mohammedan SC, who, however, played a match less. The match started half an hour late as Mohammedan insisted on the shifting of the tie a later date and the punishment to the match referee and the officials of Sheikh Russel KC, who had held Mohammedan 1-1 thanks to a 'controversial' penalty. Mohammedan president Mosaddek Ali Falu intervened at the request of BFF president Kazi Salahuddin to get his side to take the field. The high-voltage match got off to an electric start before some 8000-strong crowd—a low turnout due to the uncertainly over the match—with both sides attacking in the first 10 minutes. Abahani, however, went into the defensive as the match progressed and they sorely missed Ghanaian playmaker Auwdu Ibrahim as Mohammedan controlled the midfield. Yet, it was Abahani who made the first foray in the third minute when Abul Hossain headed a Mamunul corner. A Mohammedan defender cleared it but Abahani's defender Sujan headed on the follow-up before goalkeeper Aminul Haq. Mohammedan coach Maruful Haq sent on defender Kamal Hossain in the 25th minute in place of captain Jewel Rana, who ended his 20-year career. Players from both teams shook hands with him and the match was halted for almost five minutes. The former national defender waved to the fans of both teams before walking off the pitch. Mohammedan finally broke the deadlock in the 45th minute when Bukola headed home from a terrible play by Abahani's Arif Khan Joy and netminder Biplob Bhattacharya. Ripon hurled a throw-in from the left and both Joy and Biplob rose to clear the ball, but it went to Bukola taking deflection off Joy and the Nigerian striker did not make mistake to score in the open net. Abahani, after resumption, went all out and midfielder Pranotosh narrowly missed the target from close nine minutes into the second half. Mohammedan's Korean striker Oh Ddogyi once again failed to prove his worth. The tiny striker broke the off-side trap but failed to beat Biplob in a one-on-one situation in the 61st minute. Six minutes later, Abahani's Mamun with his favourite left foot curled a well-judged cross from the right for Emily, who headed the cross home to level the margin. With the match locked 1-1, Mohammedan stepped up the attack with Oh releasing a defense-splitting pass for Abdul Baten. The winger shot over the Abahani post despite getting goalkeeper Aminul alone in the 81st minute. Five minutes later, Mohammedan came close to scoring from a counter-attack, but Abahani defender Mohammad Sujan brilliantly tackled Bukola. As the crowd was preparing to leave the stadium thinking of a 1-1 draw, Emeka struck the 89th minute stunner. Emily drove a powerful shot outside the right-side box that got a bit of out-swing and though goalkeeper Aminul fisted it, but it went to unmarked Emeka, who side-volleyed in from 10 yards. "It was totally a team work as we played all out in the second half," said Abahani coach Amolesh Sen, who admitted that he wanted to parry Mohammedan off in the first half due to the absence to Ibrahim. "It was just bad luck as the players could not take the chances that came their way IN the match," said Mohammedan coach Maruful Haq. Haq thought their title hopes now depended on 'ifs and buts.'

Messi Double helps Barca go 15 points clear

MADRID, Jan 25 (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - Lionel Messi scored twice as leaders Barcelona overcame Numancia 4-1 at the Nou Camp to go 15 points clear at the top of the Primera Liga on Saturday. Modest Numancia are the only team to have beaten Barca in the league, winning 1-0 at home on the opening day of the season, and they made life difficult for their hosts early on. After the break, however, Messi, twice, Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry all scored as Pep Guardiola's side stepped up a gear, and they moved to 53 points from 20 games. Jose Barkero's blistering freekick for the visitors had made it 2-1 after 61 minutes. "I congratulate Numancia. Their team knew what they were doing on the pitch, but Barca are lucky to have good players who can make a difference in a game, and they delivered the victory," Guardiola said. Second-placed Real Madrid host Deportivo Coruna at the Bernabeu on Sunday, when Sevilla welcome Racing Santander. Earlier, struggling Osasuna came back to draw 1-1 at Villarreal with a spirited performance at the Madrigal. The visitors were rewarded for their ambition when substitute Dady scored from close range following an error by Pascal Cygan in the 65th minute, cancelling out Giuseppe Rossi's stylish first-half opener. Villarreal remained fifth with 34 points, kept out of the Champions League places on goal difference by Valencia. Osasuna climbed off the bottom, drawing level on 14 points with Real Mallorca but above them on goal difference. EARLY SCARE Numancia gave the leaders an early scare when Javier del Pino headed in at the back post after 18 minutes at the Nou Camp, but the goal was harshly ruled out for a foul. The visitors resisted until the 49th minute when Daniel Alves set up Messi by chipping over his marker and heading a cross in for his team mate to break the deadlock. Iniesta threaded through for Eto'o to notch his 19th goal of the campaign soon after, before Barkero pulled one back, but it was only a brief respite from Barca's constant pressure. Henry bagged the third from Messi's run and pass, and the Argentine made it 4-1 as he squirmed through two defenders and rounded the keeper to score. Messi was denied his hat-trick near the end when he hit the crossbar. By then Numancia were down to 10 men following the 81st minute dismissal of Cesar Palacios.

Berbatov Gives Man United Cup win over Spurs

LONDON, Jan 25 (bdnews7.blogspot.com/Reuters) - Dimitar Berbatov scored what proved to be the winning goal against his former club as Manchester United scored twice in two minutes to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday. Berbatov, who left London for United in August, outpaced the defence after 36 minutes, latching on to a lofted pass from Michael Carrick and firing past goalkeeper Ben Alnwick before celebrating the goal in front of the Spurs fans. That put the home side ahead just after a deflected long range shot from Paul Scholes had cancelled out Roman Pavlyuchenko's fifth minute opener for Tottenham. Championship (second division) Swansea City had earlier scored the day's biggest upset when they knocked out holders Portsmouth with a deserved 2-0 win at Fratton Park. Portsmouth, who beat Cardiff City in the Cup final in May, had no answers against another Welsh side, Swansea winning with first half goals from Nathan Dyer, on loan from Portsmouth's arch-rivals Southampton, and a penalty from Jason Scotland. Portsmouth manager Tony Adams, who took over from Cup-winning coach Harry Redknapp when he moved to Spurs in October, could not hide his disappointment after his side had been outplayed. "It is not nice going out, full stop," Adams said. "It doesn't matter whether you're the holders. When you are out-fought and outplayed for 45 minutes then you are always likely to be dumped out of the Cup." There was little room for FA Cup romance elsewhere with none of the other unfancied teams managing upset victories. Minor League Kettering Town came close to achieving a draw against Premier League Fulham before Andrew Johnson and Bobby Zamora scored late goals to give the visitors a 4-2 win while Championship side Doncaster Rovers held Premier League high flyers Aston Villa to a 0-0 draw. LITTLE KNOWN Along with Sunday's Liverpool v Everton clash, the United-Spurs match was the highlight of the fourth round with Redknapp, whose Portsmouth side beat United in the FA Cup at Old Trafford last season, looking for his fourth career FA Cup victory over United. United, struggling with an injury crisis and chasing four trophies, ran out fairly comfortable winners in the end against a Spurs side struggling at the wrong end of the Premier League. Apart from a bright start and a late fightback at the end, the visitors rarely looked like salvaging much from the game as United dominated for long periods. Pavlyuchenko's superb opening goal—a glancing header from a Tom Huddlestone cross—gave Spurs a surprise early lead. However, United soon took control and Carlo Tevez went close twice, first being denied by the bar and then by a stunning save from Alnwick, playing only his second match for Spurs in place of Brazilian Heurelho Gomes. The sides are due to meet again in the League Cup final at Wembley Stadium on March 1. HARD WORK Apart from Portsmouth and Spurs, none of the other Premier League teams involved on Saturday lost with West Ham United seeing off League One (third division) Hartlepool United's challenge with a 2-0 win at Victoria Park. Chelsea, though, made hard work of beating Championship side Ipswich 3-1 at Stamford Bridge with Michael Ballack scoring twice and Frank Lampard adding the third with a stunning 35-metre freekick in the closing stages. Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers drew 0-0 in the only all-Premier League match of the afternoon. Hull City reached the fifth round for the first time in 20 years with a 2-0 win over League One (third division) Millwall and Middlesbrough scored a 2-1 win at Championship leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers with Marvin Emnes scoring the late winner for the visitors. Doncaster Rovers, struggling at the wrong end of the Championship, played above themselves to hold high-flying Premier League visitors Aston Villa to a goalless draw. Burnley of the Championship also did well to draw 2-2 at West Bromwich Albion with a late equaliser from Martin Paterson. The fourth round will be completed on Sunday when Cardiff City host Arsenal and Liverpool welcome Everton for the second Merseyside derby in six days after their league meeting on Monday.

Safina Fights back to beat Cornet at Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Jan 25 (bdnews7.blogspot.com/Reuters) - Russian world number three Dinara Safina saved two match points and won the last five games in an extraordinary comeback to beat French teenager Alize Cornet 6-2 2-6 7-5 in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday. Cornet was on the verge of a huge upset when she recovered from losing the first to lead 5-2 in the third when her game suddenly fell apart under a ferocious attack from Safina. Cornet twice failed to serve out the match and squandered two match points in the 10th game as Safina turned up the heat to snatch victory. Safina, whose brother Marat Safin saved a match point in the semi-finals against Roger Federer before winning the Australian Open men's singles title in 2005, will play either Jelena Dokic or Alisa Kleybanova in the quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Jankovic Blames loss on lack of preparation

MELBOURNE, Jan 25 (bdnews7.blogspot.com/Reuters) - World number one Jelena Jankovic lamented her lack of preparation as a factor in her Australian Open fourth-round loss to Marion Bartoli on Sunday. The 6-1 6-4 defeat cemented the worst performance by a women's top seed at the year's first grand slam since Germany's Steffi Graf lost at the same stage to South Africa's Amanda Coetzer in 1997. "I haven't played for a while. For two months I didn't compete. I was supposed to play an exhibition in Hong Kong," the 23-year-old Jankovic told reporters. "Unfortunately, me and my mother, we got sick, so it was very hard where I couldn't play some matches over there, which I wanted, just to feel the atmosphere, get the rhythm on the court. "I'm this kind of a player who needs a little bit of time to get used to it, to get the routine playing matches and get the confidence. "Then I feel that I can do whatever I want on the court. At the moment I'm still not there." Jankovic added: "I'm still finding my range, to get that confidence when I'm playing. …Today I just couldn't find it." An aggressive Bartoli capitalised on the Serbian's inconsistent serve, blasting winners at every opportunity. "My opponent was really on fire today and she was hitting everything and really went for her shots," said Jankovic. "Most of those were going in. It was tough. "I couldn't do my own thing, …I just couldn't do what I needed to do. My shots were not where I wanted to be." Jankovic, who has yet to win a grand slam, will lose the world's top ranking at the end of the tournament if Serena Williams or Elena Dementieva make the final. "I really enjoy being the number one and I proved that at the end of last year when I won three tournaments in a row," she said. "You know, it doesn't matter because it's just the beginning of the year, and there are many more tournaments to play. "So maybe it will change, the number one ranking, but it's not important what you do now, it's the whole year ahead of us. "(There are) a lot of tournaments, a lot of battles out there. You know, the best one will finish it. I think, at least for me, the most important thing is how you finish, not how you begin."

Jankovic Bundled out of Open by Bartoli

MELBOURNE, Jan 25 (bdnews7.blogspot.com/Reuters) - Top seed Jelena Jankovic was knocked out of the Australian Open by an inspired Marion Bartoli in the fourth round on Sunday. The Frenchwoman capitalised on the Serbian's shaky serve, blasting winners at every opportunity before ending the world number one's misery 6-1 6-4 in just 82 minutes. The unconventional Bartoli, who despite being right-handed plays two-handed off both sides, had not advanced beyond the Australian Open second round in seven previous attempts. The 16th seed set up a quarter-final against either Nadia Petrova or her fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva. "I was really confident because I played really well my last match against (Lucie) Safarova," the 24-year-old Bartoli told reporters. "I knew I could beat Jelena on a good day, it was just a matter of executing, you know, play the right shot at the right time and don't make too many mistakes. "But I was not overwhelmed by the situation, and I just went for my shot and everything went in today. It was just a great match." DELICATE DROP Bartoli, hitting winners from both sides off the baseline, won the first five games of the match, clinching the first set with a delicate drop push that left Jankovic wafting at thin air. The Serb won just 13 points on her own serve in the first set, but losing the set seemed to wake Jankovic up, although both players struggled with their serve in the second, each breaking the other twice in the first eight games. Bartoli hung tough, however, securing her fifth break of the match and booking her place in the quarter-finals after rifling a backhand cross-court winner past a deflated Jankovic. "It's obviously disappointing. Nobody likes to lose," said Jankovic. "Today was a tough day for me. I let my opponent completely come on top of me and play her game. "I had a slow start. I gave her a lot of confidence throughout the match and then in the second set I also had a lot of opportunities to come back and try to get in the game somehow. "She was the better one, and all the credit. She went for all her shots and hit whatever she could. She knew that she had to do that in order to win and it was her day.

Hurt in continued post-polls violence

Dhaka, Jan 24 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) – At least 75 people were hurt in continued post-polls violence in Sunamganj, Barguna, Bogra, Netrakona, Feni and Kurigram on Saturday. Some 50 people were injured in Ashuganj of Brahmanbaria district alone on Friday afternoon. There were reports of lootings and arson attacks around the country besides incidents of attacks on the UNO office in Feni and a defeated female candidate in Satkhira. One person was killed in Brahmanbaria on Thursday and two others in Narail and Faridpur the following day. On Thursday, when Upazila elections were held, polls at Belkuchi in Sirajganj, Barura in Comilla, Brahmanbaria Sadar and Ramganj in Luxmipur districts were called off due to alleged snatching of ballot papers, occupation of polling centres, rigging and clashes. bdnews24.com correspondents report 17 people including women were hurt in Sunamganj, four in Barguna, 22 in Bogra, at least 14 in Netrakona, two in Feni, one in Satkhira, five in Kurigram, and at least 50 in Brahmanbaria. Besides, some 1,500 broiler chicken of a poultry firm at Faridganj in Chandpur were burnt alive, sub-inspector of Faridganj police M Mahbub said. Matlab Sheikh Russel Smriti Sangsad office was also burnt down in the post-polls reprisals, witnesses said.

CHT leader Ent to rison

Dhaka, Jan 24 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) - A Dhaka court on Saturday sent to jail a Chittagong Hill Tracts leader, who had been on the run since two cases had been filed against him on charges of arms and currency smuggling in 2007. Ferdaus Ara of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, Dhaka, ordered Shaktipada Tripura, who is the organising secretary of the Parbotyo Choṭṭogram Jonoshonghoti Shomiti, into jail after he had been picked up from a Mirpur house on Friday night. Ara also rejected a petition for his bail. The cases had been filed against Tripura in a Khagrachhari court, said Mohammad Shahjahan Khan, sub-inspector of Mirpur Police Station. The lawyers for Tripura, who is also a leader of Adivashi Forum, said two cases were filed with the court in 2007. He was arrested when he had been preparing to return to Khagrachhari to fight the cases, they added.

New state ministers set for oath

Dhaka, Jan 24 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) – Six new state ministers will be sworn in on Saturday evening as prime minister Sheikh Hasina expands her government, highly placed sources said. The new state ministers are scheduled to take oath at around 7pm at the Bangabhaban, sources with knowledge of the matter at the Cabinet Division and presidential house confirmed to bdnews24.com. The new state ministers are ruling Awami League's Shamsul Haq Tuku, Abdul Mannan Khan, Motahar Hossain, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Kamrul Islam and Shahjahan Miah. Tuku got better of Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami in Pabna-1, AL office secretary Abdul Mannan won Dhaka-1 seat, Moahar Hossain secured Lalmonirhat-1 and Awami Jubo League chairman Nanak won Dhaka-13. Acting general secretary of Dhaka metropolitan AL Kamrul Islam emerged winner in Dhaka-2 and Shahjahan Mia took Patuakhali-1 constituency in the Dec. 29 general elections. All preparations for the swearing-in ceremony are complete, officials at the Cabinet Division told bdnews7.blogspot.com. After the Awami League-led grand alliance won a historic landslide in the ninth parliamentary election, Hasina took oath as prime minister and 32 others as ministers and state ministers on Jan. 6. The incumbent state ministers are Mostafizar Rahman Fizar, forests and environment, ABM Tazul Islam, liberation war affairs, Hasan Mahmud, foreign affairs, Munnuzan Sufian, labour and employment, Dipankar Talukdar, Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs, Ahad Ali Sarker, youth and sports, Tanjim Ahmed Sohel, home affairs, and Yafes Osman, science and ICT.

Students Withdraw siege to Satrasta-Mohakhali crossing

Dhaka, Jan 24 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) – Hundreds of students of Dhaka Polytechnical Institute in Tejgaon blocked the Satrasta-Mohakhali crossing for an hour on Saturday morning demanding rescheduling of exam dates, police said. "The final exam for the diploma-in-engineering is supposed to begin on February 11 but the students have carried out protests to delay the test," officer in charge of Tejgaon Police Station Shafiqul Islam Sikder said He further said some 500 students congregated on the campus and began rallying. "Later the principal talked to authorities of the technical education board and told the agitating students that their demands would be met," said Islam. The students went back to campus at 11am, he added.

State ministers take oath

Dhaka, Jan 24 (bdnews7.blogspot.com) – Six Awami League MPs were sworn in as state ministers on Saturday evening as prime minister Sheikh Hasina expands her government. President Iajuddin Ahmed administered oath to office at the Bangabhaban at around 7pm. The new state ministers are ruling Awami League's Shamsul Haq Tuku, Abdul Mannan Khan, Motahar Hossain, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Kamrul Islam and Shahjahan Miah. Tuku got better of Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami in Pabna-1, AL office secretary Abdul Mannan won Dhaka-1 seat, Moahar Hossain secured Lalmonirhat-1 and Awami Jubo League chairman Nanak won Dhaka-13. Acting general secretary of Dhaka metropolitan AL Kamrul Islam emerged winner in Dhaka-2 and Shahjahan Mia took Patuakhali-1 constituency in the Dec. 29 general elections. After the Awami League-led grand alliance won a historic landslide in the ninth parliamentary election, Hasina took oath as prime minister and 32 others as ministers and state ministers on Jan. 6. The incumbent state ministers are Mostafizar Rahman Fizar, forests and environment, ABM Tazul Islam, liberation war affairs, Hasan Mahmud, foreign affairs, Munnuzan Sufian, labour and employment, Dipankar Talukdar, Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs, Ahad Ali Sarker, youth and sports, Tanjim Ahmed Sohel, home affairs, and Yafes Osman, science and ICT.

BNP will Attend opening session: Sircar

Dhaka, Jan 24 (bdnews24.com) – Outgoing speaker Jamiruddin Sircar on Saturday said BNP chief Khaleda Zia and her party MPs would attend the maiden session of the parliament on Sunday. "Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia has agreed to attend the parliament on the first day and continue to do so unless any discourtesy is shown to her and her party members," said Sircar after speaking to Khaleda about her party's joining the opening session. "And unless the constitution and the rules of procedure are not violated," he told bdnews24.com at his office, just a day before his departure from office. Sircar, the longest-serving speaker in the country's history, would be out of office on Sunday with the election of a new speaker. He failed to win the Panchagarh-1 seat on the BNP ticket in the Dec. 29 general elections. He added the main opposition would not boycott parliament if the new speaker or the treasury bench did not violate the constitution and rules of procedure of parliament. Citing rules of procedure, the speaker on Saturday afternoon overrode the government whips' decision on seat arrangements ahead of the inaugural sitting of the new parliament. BNP lawmaker Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury earlier hinted that the BNP might not join the opening session if the main opposition was not given seats in the front row in the opposition bench. The treasury bench wanted to allocate three out of 10 frontline seats of the opposition bench to the left of the speaker. The Awami League had accused Sircar of partisan attitude in running the eighth parliament. The outgoing speaker said he made the seat arrangements, which paved the way for BNP's joining the inaugural session on Sunday, as per the rules of procedure and the practices followed in the British parliament, Indian Lok Sabha and the West Bengal's provincial legislature. "I have made the seat arrangement to make the parliament effective," said Sircar who would be active in BNP's politics from Sunday. Taking oath as the speaker on Oct. 28, 2001, he was supposed to serve as speaker for more than five years and three months. But the prolonged tenure of the caretaker government gave him the opportunity to serve for two more years. He earlier told bdnews24.com he might run in the by-election in a Bogra seat if Khaleda, the BNP chief, 'insisted'. Khaleda vacated Bogra-6 and 7 constituencies and took oath as an MP from a Feni seat.