Cyclone Nargis over the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining southeast Bay has intensified into a severe cyclone, according to a special weather bulletin issued Tuesday., reports bdnews24.com.

The cyclone was centred about 1170km southwest of Chittagong port, 1110km southwest of Cox's Bazar port and 1050km south-southwest of Mongla port Tuesday.

The Election Commission (EC) Tuesday published the draft electoral district re-demarcation gazette, proposing reshuffling 133 electoral seats for the 2008 polls, reports bdnews24.com.

The remaining 167 electoral districts will remain unaffected, the draft gazette said. The EC has published the proposed changes division-wise according to their administrative districts.

Staff Correspondent

Former BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan said

Chittagong City Corporation organized Khatme Quran and Milad Mahfil to pray for those victims who lost their lives during the disastrous cyclone on April 29 in the country at its prayer hall yesterday , says a press release.

Acting CCC Mayor Alhaj M Monzur Alam was present on the occasion Madrasha inspector Moulana Alhaj Harunor Rashid conducted the religious function while Moulana Alhaj Mostaq led the monajat.

The advisers who concluded pre-dialogue talks with political parties Monday have started preparing recommendations on the topics discussed over the past weeks, and adviser said Tuesday, reports agency.

Following a meeting with three other advisers, commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman told reporters: "The pre-talks ended yesterday. Now, synthesis of the topics discussed is necessary."

The timetable of Dhaka-Kolkata passenger train Maitree Express will be rescheduled to let passengers reach their destinations in daytime, according to a proposed plan, reports bdnews24.com.

Besides, the railway authorities of Bangladesh and India are likely to reduce the time for customs and immigration formalities in Darsana and Gede stations.

Emergency meet

Staff Correspondent

The Association of Bus Companies has asked bus operators not to charge hiked fares on city routes on the excuse of a rise in the CNG fuel price.

A month long Sweet Sixteen Fair organized by Meridian Hotel and Restaurant was held at Institute of Engineers Bangladesh, Chittagong chapter recently, said a press release.

The fair featured among other events painting, dance, song, recitation and gifts for guests and children. Besides, raffle draw also added extra charm on the colorful concluding and prize giving ceremony.

A Dhaka court is set to deliver Wednesday a verdict on the corruption case over the waiver of loan against former military ruler HM Erhsad, former state minister AKM Mosharraf Hossain and four others.

Dhaka divisional special judge Golam Mortuza Majumder on April 22 fixed the date for judgement after hearing arguments of the prosecution and defence attorneys.

REUTERS, Geneva - Leading figures from the United Nations met in Switzerland on Monday to chart a solution to dramatic food price increases that have caused hunger, riots and hoarding in poor countries around the world.

Vietnam acted to quell panic over rice supplies on Monday, banning speculation

Sporting dark glasses under a beating sun, the group of cricketers in downtown Dhaka look like any other enthusiasts in the cricket-mad city, reports Reuters.

But the young team are not just whacking balls far into the distance, they're making history as the first blind sportsmen to take up the game in Bangladesh.

A 5-member German delegation led by Udo Weber visited Multi-Sectoral HIV/AIDS Project jointly implemented by German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and Chittagong City Corporation on April 23, 08, said a press release.

On the occasion, a discussion meeting with the representatives of CCC, Education and Business Sector and the NGOs was held organized by Ashar Alo Society.

REUTERS, SEOUL - US rice futures fell more than 2.5 percent on Tuesday, deepening a retreat from last week's record high as top exporter Thailand said it would release government stocks and traders looked ahead to Asian harvests.

Chicago corn futures, however, jumped by more than 1 percent to near their April 9 record high as the US Department of Agriculture said the US crop was 10 percent planted as of Sunday, well behind the five-year average of 35 percent and below trade estimates for 15-19 percent.

REUTERS, NEW DELHI--India plans to launch at least six satellites a year as it expands its capabilities to claim a bigger chunk of the global space business, the head of its space agency said on Tuesday.

India sent 10 satellites into orbit from a single rocket this week and is planning more launches before a manned mission to space by 2015.

REUTERS, NEW YORK - Confidence among the US consumers fell to a five-year low in April as they confronted the grimmest jobs market since autumn 2004, the Conference Board said on Tuesday.

The private Conference Board's index of consumer sentiment fell to 62.3 in April, the lowest since March 2003, when the Iraq war was launched, from an upwardly revised 65.9 in March.

REUTERS, BEIJING - A Chinese court jailed 17 people for terms ranging from three years to life on Tuesday for their roles in Tibet's deadly riots, which triggered anti-China protests ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

China has blamed Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and his government-in-exile for plotting the riots, in which at least 18 "innocent civilians", according to Beijing, were killed by Tibetan mobs in the regional capital, Lhasa, last month.

REUTERS, KATHMANDU - Nepal has issued a bird flu alert and is testing poultry along the border with India, where the virus rages despite the culling of tens of thousands of chickens since 2006, officials said.

Nepal, which has not reported any bird flu cases, banned the import of poultry from India in January. But it shares an open border with the Indian state

REUTERS, PARIS - European stocks were flat on Tuesday, as a fall in mining shares along with metal prices overshadowed robust quarterly results from oil giants BP and Royal Dutch Shell.

Banks dipped, with UBS down 1.3 percent and Commerzbank down 1.4 percent, after Deutsche Bank unveiled more asset writedowns.

DNA tests on Tuesday confirmed that Josef Fritzl is the father of his daughter's six surviving children born while she was a prisoner in a cellar for 24 years, investigators said, reports internet.

The 73-year-old Fritzl appeared in court to be remanded in custody while doctors shielded the Elisabeth Fritzl and her surviving children in isolation from a world they barely know.

Agency

The Bangladesh Awami League submitted a petition on Monday signed by 2.5 million people to the office of the head of the interim government seeking the release of detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Awami officials said they collected the signatures, mostly of her followers and supporters in the capital Dhaka, over the last few weeks to pressure the army-backed authority to set her free.