Nothing Can Stop Aminul

Physically challenged Aminul Islam of Monutala village in Khijirpur union under Monohardi upazila in Narsingdi district prepares to sit for SSC examinations that started yesterday. He first appeared at the SSC examinations in 2007 but failed in English. His could not appear last year. The underprivileged boy had to borrow to manage money for the purpose this year.

Microsoft launches portals for developers and IT professionals

Microsoft Bangladesh on Wednesday announced that it would run two online community portals each for developers and IT professionals in Bangladesh.

Microsoft Bangladesh launched msdnbangladesh.net (developers) and techbangladesh.net (IT Professionals) in a ceremony held at the BIAM Foundation auditorium in the Capital.

These portals are the realisation of Microsoft's commitment to create and build strong knowledge based ICT community in Asia and uplift the software development and IT engineering in the country.

The event kicked off with the inaugural speech by Moshiur Rahman, solutions manager of Microsoft Bangladesh, who then introduced Risman Adnan, developer evangelist of Microsoft Regional Asia. Feroz Mahmud, country manager of Microsoft Bangladesh was also present in the occasion along with other officials.

“Internet has created incredible new opportunities for people around the world to meet and share ideas about topics they care about. These portals are the special ones, the first online communities for IT professionals of Bangladesh who are working with Windows systems on Microsoft platform”, said Rahman.

Risman Adnan gave a presentation on the topics 'Lap around Microsoft Web Platform and Technologies' and 'Developer Introduction to Windows 7' to the audiences; who were mostly IT professionals, developers and students of different organisations and universities.

“Every time a new door opens online, it creates opportunities for people to share their experiences, exchange ideas, collaboration and innovation,” said Risman Adnan.

He also provided the main theme of the MSDN and Technet portals as 'Next generation software developer and IT professional community in Bangladesh'.

Risman Adnan also said that a very promising number of IT developers and professionals are there to move Bangladesh forward as a key player in worldwide IT ecosystem. As Bangladeshis have very good English skills, the potential of becoming the second outsourcing option after Philippines are there. And a strong developer and IT professional community is one key indicator of that potential.

The MSDN and Technet portals will provide free memberships with the opportunity to interact with Microsoft's people and partner in the Asia-Pacific region. These portals will create a new gateway of online interaction and collaboration among developers and IT professionals by providing features like online blogs, forums, user groups, wikis, media gallery, media streaming, news letter and job posting.

MSDN Bangladesh portal will focus on next generation software development technologies such as ASP.NET, Silverlight 2.0, Azure Service Platform and parallel computing while Technet Bangladesh portal focuses more on core infrastructure and platform technologies like Windows operating system specially Windows latest beta version Windows 7 (Client and Server), Exchange Server, SQL Server, Sharepoint, BizTalk Server and Unified Communication. Risman Adnan provided a brief description of all the contents in his presentation.

In his concluding speech Feroz Mahmud said, “We can all learn from each other as we are in the knowledge industry. We will share and exchange our views, works and thoughts to other developers and IT professionals through these two portals and to make sure that everyone has access to ICT, even for the people living in remote areas”.

He also told the audiences that as Microsoft basically focus on people to improve productivity in every sector of life, they usually spend a huge amount of money in Research and Development (R&D) to serve the best product to the consumers thus they can enhance their efficiency.

By-elections to 7 seats March 30

By-elections to seven parliamentary constituencies vacated by President Zillur Rahman, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, BNP chief Khaleda Zia and Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad will be held on March 30.

Election Commissioner M Sohul Hussain today declared the schedule for the by-elections at the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat.

The deadline for submission of nomination is March 2, scrutiny March 5 and the last date for withdrawal is March 12.

Kishoreganj-6 constituency of Zillur Rahman fell vacant after he was sworn-in as the president of the country on Tuesday evening.

The six constituencies -- Bagerhat-1, Rangpur-3 and 6, Bogra-6 and 7 and Kurigram-2 -- which Hasina, Khaleda and Ershad won in the December 29 parliamentary elections felt vacant after they left the seats just before taking oath as the members of the parliament.

Hasina is retaining Gopalganj-3, Khaleda Feni-1 and Ershad Dhaka-17.

SSC, Dakhil exams begin

The Secondary School Certificate (SSC), Dakhil and SSC vocational examinations under 10 education boards across the country started this morning amid strict measures to prevent students from adopting unfair means.

The examinations commenced at 10:00am with the English First Paper.

A total of 10,63,484 regular and irregular students are taking the SSC and equivalent examinations in 1,888 centres under Dhaka, Rajshahi, Comilla, Jessore, Chittagong, Barisal, Sylhet, Dinajpur, madrasa, and technical education boards.

Seven more centres have also been set up in foreign countries for expatriate examinees.

The number of candidates for SSC and equivalent certificates is 50,183 more than last year's.

The Dhaka board has the highest number of 2.40,198 examinees, while the Sylhet board has the lowest number of candidates, which is 37,544.

Around 8.01 lakh students of 15,216 high schools are taking the SSC examinations under eight general education boards, 1.86 lakh students of 9,424 madrasas are sitting for the equivalent Dakhil examinations, and 75,057 students of 1,599 technical institutes are appearing for the SSC vocational examinations.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid has recently said that the examinations this year would be free of unfair means and any attempts to adopt such dishonest means would be handled sternly.

The authorities have taken measures to provide sufficient security and ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity at the examination centres, sources said.

Some 2.4 lakh students are sitting for the exams from the Dhaka Board, 1.14 lakh under Rajshahi Board, 88,523 under Comilla Board, 1.07 lakh under Jessore Board, 62,037 in Chittagong, 48,808 in Barisal and 1.02 lakh in Dinajpur, according to the education ministry.

This is the first ever SSC examinations being held under the Dinajpur board.

Under the madrasa board 1.86 lakh students are sitting for the Dakhil examinations and 75,057 for the SSC vocational exams under the technical education board.

Another 254 students are sitting for the examinations from seven overseas centres.

Bandarban deaths up to 9, probe launched

At least nine picnickers died and 41were injured Thursday night when a Chittagong-bound picnickers' bus uncontrollably skidded and swerved down the roadside hill into a ravine.

The bus was carrying a group of Chittagong College economics students back from picnic.

The dead were identified as third-year students Farzana Ali, 23, Papri Mallick, 21, Shanta Chakrabarty, 22, Mahmudul Hasan, 21, Reshma Sultana Deepa's parents Siddique Hossain Chowdhury, 50, and Dilara Zaman, 40, and Kapil Barua Sunny, 23, son of Chandan Barua of Moghultully,Chittagong and Solaiman, 22.

The first seven of them died at Bandarban Hospital. Dilara Zaman passed away while she was being moved to Chittagong Medical College Hospital. Sunny died at CMCH.

Fire service, army and police officials called off the rescue operations at 7:30pm, station officer of district fire service Md. Idris said. The bus could not be retrieved, he added.

Principal Muhammad Abu Zafar Chowdhury said another student, Priasi Mutsuddi, daughter of Temio Mutsuddi of Chittagong city's Hamshem Lane, has been missing until 2:00pm Friday.

The college authorities have declared three days for mourning, the principal said.

The authorities also formed a three-member committee headed by physics teacher Mojammel Haq to enquire into the reasons of the crash, he said.

However, the college authorities have confirmed the death of eight, six students and two guardians. Among the six, four are female.

Sub-inspector Jamal, duty officer at Chittagong Medical College Hospital, told bdnews24.com Friday morning, "Of the Bandarban bus injury cases, 34 were admitted to CMCH, of whom two died. Of the rest, Siddique Hossain Chowdhury and Deepa went home after receiving medical care."

Of the students under treatment at the CMCH, 28 were identified as Afsana Akter, Hasan, Nazrul, Touhid, Rashed, Jannatul Baker, Tuhin, Nurul Islam, Sujan, Amjad Hossain, Saiful, Ershad, Pinki, Shahidul, Sameer, Fazlul, Wahed, Mujahidul Islam, Somen Bhattacharya, Belal Hossain, Nazneen Sultana, Helal, Mainuddin, Jewel, Nipa, Litu, Mohsin and Tipu.

Ibrahim Khalil, a student who survived, said the bus had some 50 students on board. They were on a picnic tour in five buses.

Fire service officials and police said while returning to Chittagong after the daylong revelries, at around 6:30pm one of the buses skidded 300-feet downhill at Manur Tek, one kilometre from the Bandarban district town along Bandarban-Keranihat road.

Police and fire service personnel rushed to the spot.

Bandarban civil surgeon Syed Abdus Salam said three students died in the hospital.

Bandarban District Council chairman Thanjama Lusai, deputy commissioner Moudud AK Quayum Chowdhury, police superintendent Shamsuddin and army officers stationed there visited the injured at the hospitals.

Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid condoled the deaths and instructed local administration to take necessary measures.

Shipping and inland water transport minister Afsarul Amin, industry minister Dilip Barua, state minister for home Hasan Mahmood and Chittagong mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury visited the injured.

Spring ushers in joy, hope

Thousands of city dwellers thronged Dhaka University campus, Ekushey Book Fair and Dhanmondi Lake to welcome the spring or Pahela Falgun today.

The campus of Dhaka University was buzzing with various programmes specially at Bakultala of the Fine Arts Faculty, Battala in front of Arts Building, Business Faculty and Teachers and Students Centre as elsewhere in the city.

Girls in orange and yellow saree and boys in panjabi added more colour to the programmes. Many including the children got their faces painted gaily by the fine arts students.

Dhaka University students hit the first programme of spring at Bakultala early in the morning.

Jatiya Bashanto Utshav Udjapan Parishad organised a cultural programme at the Fine Arts Faculty.

Thousands of visitors came to enjoy the colourful event that includes various chorus, folk dance, folk music, recitation, musical drama, jatrapala and rally in the university arena.

Banglalink sponsored the main entrance and venue of the programme while Channel i telecasted the event live.

Special greetings card and flowers were also distributed amongst the audience at Mahila Samity, Jatiya Natyashala and Experimental Theatre in association with Group Theatre Federation.

"Aha Aji E Basante and Baul minstrel Shah Abdul Karim's song "Basanto batashe..." floats in the air on the day.

Rabindra Sarobar at Dhanmondi is hosting a musical programme in the afternoon, where star performers are set to enchant the citizens, which will include dance and recitations too.

Unruly AUST students confine teachers, staff for 10hrs

Police freed over three hundred teachers and employees of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST) from their terrible ordeal of confinement for over 10 hours at its Tejgaon premises.

About 600 students of the Civil Engineering Department of the university confined those teachers and employees to the university building at 11 am protesting the expulsion of their two fellow students.

Police freed them at 9 pm by charging truncheons on the agitating students leaving around 20 students injured while five others were arrested.

The students padlocked the main entrance of the university and vandalised its furniture demanding cancellation of the authorities' decision of expelling the two students.

During the agitation, they also set chairs, tables and other furniture on fire in the evening and said they would not sit for the exams scheduled for Saturday.

Witnesses said confined teachers and staffers of the university including women remained unfed from 11 am to 9:30 pm.

The university authorities on February 3 expelled those two students of the Civil Engineering Department for three terms for their brawl with students of the Electrical Engineering Department on November 27.

Following the incident of November 27 a probe committee was formed that recommended expulsion of the two students on January 10.

But the protesters termed the investigation report biased and demanded withdrawal of the decision. They said they would stay back on the campus until their demand is met.

AUST Vice-Chancellor Kazi Shariful Alam told The Daily Star many of the teachers and employees fell sick, as they remained confined for a long time.

When asked the VC said he could not change the decision of the university syndicate.

Replying to a question, the VC said they would not file any case against the students who confined them and set fire to the furniture.

Earlier, over 250 police and RAB personnel sealed off the area and waited till 9 pm for a mutual solution. As the situation was getting worse they swung into action and freed the confined teachers and students.

Mahbubor Rahman, deputy commissioner for Tejgaon zone of the DMP, said they resorted to baton charge only to free teachers and students confined for hours without food.

The DC confirmed that the law enforcers picked up five students in this connection.

Zillur sworn in as 19th president of Bangladesh

Veteran Awami League (AL) leader Zillur Rahman was sworn in as the country's 19th president in a simple ceremony at Bangabhaban yesterday.

Chief Justice MM Ruhul Amin administered the oath of office and secrecy to Zillur at the Darbar Hall of the presidential palace in the evening. Zillur is the fifth president elected by the Jatiya Sangsad since the parliamentary system was restored in 1991.

The Election Commission (EC) Wednesday declared Zillur, an AL presidential nominee, elected president unopposed. Zillur was the deputy leader of the House.

Among those who witnessed the investiture were Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Speaker Abdul Hamid, Deputy Speaker Shawkat Ali, chief advisers to caretaker governments Fakhruddin Ahmed and Justice Latifur Rahman, Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, ministers, members of parliament, judges of the Supreme Court, and senior civil service and military officials.

After the oath-taking ceremony, Hasina said she was very happy to see a life-long politician become the president. "A new journey of democracy has begun in the country with Zillur Rahman as president," she told reporters.

BNP leaders MK Anwar and Barkatullah Bulu, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad, Workers' Party President Rashed Khan Menon, members of the diplomatic corps, senior journalists and Hasina's sister Sheikh Rehana were also present.

As Zillur, flanked by senior military officers entered Bangabhaban, at 7:00pm on the dot, outgoing president Iajuddin Ahmed welcomed him. The national anthem was played after he sat to Iajuddin's right.

Known as a close companion of independence architect and Hasina's father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the 79-year-old president shook hands with his predecessor and the chief justice immediately after taking oath. Zillur and Iajuddin swapped chairs amid a standing ovation.

After the swearing in, BNP Chief Whip Jainul Abdin Faruk said, "We congratulated Zillur Rahman earlier on his election as president and we congratulate him again today. He is an experienced politician. If he puts his experience to use, he will do a good job of upholding democracy."

Faruk said BNP will extend its cooperation to the new president if he performs his duty neutrally.

On January 3, AL Parliamentary Party unanimously nominated Zillur for the country's top post.

Son of late Meher Ali Mian, Zillur was born in a respectable Muslim family at Bhairab in Kishoreganj on March 09, 1929.

He started his academic life in Mymensingh town and passed his Matriculation examination from Bhairab KB High School in 1945. He obtained Intermediate of Arts (IA) certificate from Dhaka Intermediate College. In 1954, he got his MA with honours in History and LLB degree from Dhaka University.

He played an active role in the 1952 Language Movement. He presided over a student gathering held in the historic Amtala on Dhaka University campus on February 19, 1952, demanding Bangla be made the state language. Zillur was one of the prominent leaders of the 11 student-leaders who met beside the pond between Fazlul Huq Hall and Dhaka Hall on February 20, 1952, and decided to violate Section-144.

In 1953, he was elected vice-president of Student Union of Fazlul Huq Hall of Dhaka University without contest. The university authorities had expelled him and snatched his masters' degree for his active participation in the Language Movement.

However, facing intense students' agitation the university was forced to return his degree. At the time of Jukto Front Election in 1954, he was made the vice-chairman of Election Steering Committee of the greater Mymensingh district. He was elected general secretary of Dhaka District Bar Association in the 60s.

Zillur Rahman became close to Bangabandhu in 1946 when he was in Dhaka Intermediate College. He was engaged in campaign for a referendum in Sylhet during the British era. He took part in all mass-movements including the movement against military rule in 1962, the Six-point Movement in 1966 and Mass Upsurge in 1969. In 1970, he was elected member of the National Assembly of Pakistan.

He was one of the veteran organisers of the country's Liberation War in 1971. He was associated with the operations of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra (the radio station of independent Bangladesh) and publication of the newspaper Joy Bangla, the mouthpiece of the then Mujibnagar government.

In 1972, just after victory in the Liberation War, he became a member of Bangladesh Constituent Assembly and actively took part in forming the Constitution of Bangladesh.

He was elected lawmaker in 1973, 1986 and 2001. In 1996, after his election as lawmaker, he was made minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. He was also deputy leader in parliament then.

Hasina had made Zillur the acting party chief after she was arrested in 2007.

His beloved wife Ivey Rahman, a veteran leader of AL, succumbed to her injuries two days after the August 21, 2004, grenade attack on an AL rally on Bangabandhu Avenue. Zillur is blessed with two daughters and a son.