Having denied Indian allegations that jehadis have set up camps in Bangladesh, Begum Khaleda Zia's Government was forced to climb down after blasts in four cinema halls in and around the northeastern town of Mymensingh killed more than 20 and injured more than 300. Home Minister Altaf Hussein Choudhury was quoted as saying, "Al-Qaida or another terror group is behind the blasts," only to deny it the next day.

WRONG TARGETS: Zia visits a blast victim at Mymensingh hospital

Instead of arresting the "terrorists", the hardline Zia Government arrested 40 opposition leaders. The Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina was the main target. Her political secretary Shabir Hussein Choudhury, former minister Tofail Ahmed and former youth wing leader Shafi Ahmed were taken into custody along with two journalists, Shahriyar Kabir and Muntasir Mamun, known for their liberal stance. After Hasina's high-profile visit to India, Zia is keen to score political points against her arch rival.

Armed with a landslide win in the 2001 elections, the Zia regime is preparing for a showdown with the Opposition. The Mymensingh blasts have come in handy to attack an Opposition that is planning to take to the streets. But in all this politicking, Dhaka is ignoring the larger terror threat.

-Suman K. Chakrabarti

Uncle Sam is a Bad Boy

The US-led campaign against terror was opposed by most people surveyed in Muslim nations-79 per cent in Egypt, 85 per cent in Jordan, 64 per cent in Indonesia, 58 per cent in Turkey (a long-time US ally) and 45 per cent in Pakistan, Washington's main ally in the war against terror.

Similar responses were seen when Pew Center representatives asked whether they believed that violence against civilian targets is justified in order to defend Islam from its enemies. Seventy three per cent in Lebanon support suicide bombings and so do 25 per cent in Pakistan.

A startling info-byte for the Americans, who are gearing up for a fresh conflict with Iraq.

-Anil Padmanabhan

Blair's Scare

Forget those six-pack stomachs and Salman Khan-type muscles or even chocolate-box looks. Women's idea of male beauty is not a Hercules or an Adonis, but just an average looking guy. Researchers at the St Andrews University's psychology department discovered that women are most attracted to a man with expressive eyes set in a symmetrical face, a straight nose and rounded hair and jaw line. Admittedly these add up to slightly girlie looks, but modern women seem to want feminine traits rather than macho markings. The researchers say bearded men and those with features that suggest they are unlikely to wash up or change a nappy can forget about impressing women. Single women want a trophy partner, a "new man" her friends can admire at a party, but who can be trusted not to go home with one of them.

Researchers believe that such features signal that the individual belongs to the mainstream majority who has survived the evolutionary process, and is less likely to carry harmful genes. Man is an animal, but women prefer a refined one.

-Ishara Bhasi