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The excavation and dredging of Gabkhan channel for smooth two-way navigation between Dhaka and Mongla and Chittagong and Mongla was inaugurated on Thursday.
   The shipping minister, Akbar Hossain, inaugurated the dredging.
   The fifteen-kilometre long and fifty-meter wide channel linking the River Bishkhali from east side with Kacha and Sandhaya rivers from west side was excavated in 1918 to shorten 112 kilometres distances of Dhaka-Khulna river ways by introducing one way navigation with manual signalling system.
   A four-year long project of Gaab Khan channel excavation and dredging for two-way navigation at a cost of about Tk 16 crore was approved in the meeting of the executive committee of the National Economic Council on December 11, 2004. But due to fund crisis its execution was delayed.
   The capsize of a clinker laden cargo vessel, CV Trishna-1, after its collision with a oil tanker, OT Jamuna, in the channel on March 10, 2005 caused closure of the channel for more than three weeks.
   Pressure for immediate implementation of the project increased after the accident and by open tender three private firms was given work order.
   After the complementation of the project in July 2007 the width of the channel will increase up to 100 meters and depth up to 4 meters suitable for two-way navigation of the large vessels.
   It is expected that with the completion of the project it will also flourish tourism industry in the region. The inauguration ceremony was presided over by Md Rafiqul Islam, secretary of water transportation ministry.
   It was also addressed and attended by the state minister for law, justice and parliamentary affairs, Shahjahan Omar and local lawmaker Israt Sultana Elen Bhutto.
   In his speech, the shipping minister emphasised on the execution of modern transportation concept to save bio-diversity and environment, and to avoid natural calamity.
   Still 20 per cent passengers are travelling and 30 per cent goods are carried out through the waterways in our country, Akbar said. But the minister lamented that budget allocation for the preservation and development of waterways was lees than one per cent.

At lest four pirates were shot dead while many others injured during a two-hour gunfight with the police at the Meghna estuary under Charfesson upazila in Bhola on Wednesday night.
   Mohammad Hossain, officer-in-charge of the Charfesson police, and Matiur Rahman, assistant police super, admitting to the incident, said a trawler carrying about 26 passengers, including Akkas Patowari, chairman of Char Kukri Mukri union, left Char Kachchhapia at about 5:00pm Wednesday for Char Patila.
   At about 7:30 pm, armed pirates led by Ismail in two trawlers attacked the passenger trawler and robbed the passengers of their belongings at the Meghna estuary.
   The crew and passengers of the victim trawler after reaching their destination at about 8:30pm informed the nearby Dakshin Char Aicha police camp of the incident over mobile phone.
   A contingent of the police led by Bahauddin, sub-inspector and in-charge-of the police camp, chased the pirates and engaged in gun battle with the miscreants.
   After the gunfight, the pirates fled in a trawler, leaving behind the other blood stained trawler.
   The police said they fired 47 rounds of shots and at least four unidentified pirates fell into the river after receiving bullets. They are suspected to be dead.
   The police recovered the blood stained trawler left by the pirates and till Thursday evening police operation in search of the pirates continued.

Twenty students were injured in a clash between Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and the Chhatra League at Laskarpur Degree College under Puthia upazila of Rajshahi on Thursday.
   Of the injured eight were admitted to the upazila health complex.
   The police said the clash erupted when a JCD activist pressed a boy to buy cigarette and one BCL activist, Faruque, protested it.
   Another report from Sirajganj adds: Ten persons were injured in clash among activists of Chhatra Dal, the Chhatra League and Islamic Chhatra Shibir at Belkuchi Degree College under Belkuchi upazila of the district Thursday.
   Six injured students were admitted to the upazila health complex.
   Witnesses said the clash began when some JCD and Shibir men obstructed a BCL procession welcoming new students of the college. Both the groups chased each other.
   Later the police brought the situation under control.

Three persons were killed in separate road accidents in Jessore and Sirajganj Thursday.
   An elderly man and a minor boy were killed when a truck hit them on the Jessore-Magura Highway under sadar upazila.
   The dead were Osman Morol, 60, and his nine-month-old grand son.
   In Sirajganj, a schoolboy was killed and four others sustain serious injuries as a truck hit a school van on the Bogra-Nagarbari Highway under Shahjadpur upazila Thursday morning.
   The deceased was Sobahan Ali, 10, of village Gangaprashad.
   The injured students — Monir, Bisha, Motaleb — and the rickshaw-puller, Shahidul, were admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and Shahjadpur Hospital.

The bodies of two babies were found in a water body at village Birgaon under Raipura upazila in Narsingdi on Wednesday night.
   On Friday morning villagers found the bodies of Rupasi, 5, and Tapasi, 2, daughters of Abu Sayeed, floating on water.
   Locals said Morsheda, mother of the deceased, had a quarrel with her husband, Sayeed, on that night. Since then Morsheda and her children remained missing.
   The children were buried without post-mortem examination. No case was filed.

A number of 77 HIV/Aids patients have been identified in Sylhet and six patients of them while receiving treatment under various specialist physicians, died in July 2005, it was revealed in a view-exchange meeting in Sylhet on Wednesday.
   An NGO — Ashar Alo Society — organised the meeting in the auditorium of the Sylhet City Corporation.
   Expatriates especially who had returned from the Middle East countries, are spreading HIV aids virus in this region, said the speakers. People who are going abroad should have clear concept on HIV\Aids before leaving the country, they added.

An outbreak of diarrhoea claimed lives of four persons and infected 100 others in three unions of Sherpur sadar in one week till Thursday.
   Of the victims, Chameli and Asif, both children of Samsul Haq, died on Saturday and Monday while Alam and Hajera Begum on Sunday and Thursday respectively. All the victims are of village Chaitolkhila.