Staff Correspondent

Switzerland on Wednesday lau-nched a cooperation strategic plan in Bangladesh involving Tk 600 cr-ore with focusing on two key areas like income generation and imp-roving local government system.

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation launched its strategic plan for the period from 2008-2012.

Staff Correspondent

The High Court on Wednesday acquitted Shahidur Rahman alias Shahid Commissioner, sentenced to death penalty, and Tanoy Mollah, jailed for life, of the charges of killing BNP leader Habib Mandol in 2000.

The High Court bench of Justice AKM Fazlur Rahman and Justice Quamrul Islam Siddiqui pronounced the verdict after hearing appeals filed by the two convicts against the trial court judgement delivered on May 29, 2003.

 UNB .

Benapole Farmers blocked the road to traffic for three hours at Shankarpur under Jhikargacha upazila in Benapole demanding supply of fertiliser.

Alleging sale of fertiliser in the black market the angry farmers confined two junior agriculture officers — Jibon Babu and Siddique Hossain. Later, the police rescued them.

Staff Correspondent

Professor Aysha Begum of Dhaka University has been honoured with the University Grant Commission Award. An Islamic history and culture department teacher of DU, Professor Aysha got the award for his book 'Pabnar Oitihashik Imarat.'

Professor Mustafa Nur-Ul-Islam handed over the award to her as chief guest in a ceremony held at UGC auditorium recently. Chaired by the UGC chairman, Professor Nazrul Islam, the function was also attended by Professor Sirajul Islam as special guest.

Staff Correspondent

The Bangladesh Cricket Board is all set to appoint former Sri Lankan Test cricketers Ruwan Kalpage and Champaka Ramanayake as the head coach of the National Cricket Academy and fast bowling coach of development squads respectively, officials said on Wednesday.

Kalpage, who worked as the fielding coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team under both John Dyson and Tom Moody, will replace Shaun Williams at the GP-BCB Academy.

Staff Correspondent

Badda Jagarani upset B league champions Abahani 1-0 in the inaugural match of the Protiti Pharma Victory Day Club Cup Football Tournament at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Wednesday.

Milon scored the all-important goal in the 47th minute. While Abahani’s national stars clearly looked out of sorts their opponents reaped the benefits of playing regular football in the senior division league.

The countrymen have long demanded independence of the Election Commission from the control of the executive branch of the state. However, successive governments have dragged their feet on the issue on one pretext or the other. Hopefully, the decision will be implemented through requisite legal procedures without any further delay. Here, it is pertinent to point out that the draft ordinance that the law ministry prepared and the council of advisers approved on Tuesday falls short of even the expectations of the Election Commission itself.

Staff Correspondent

Vodafone Group, the world's largest mobile network operator by turnover, has shown interest in buying a 30 percent stake in mobile operator AKTEL in Bangladesh, the BTRC chairman said Wednesday.

After a meeting with a Vodafone delegation in Dhaka, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission chairman Manzurul Alam told reporters that they had discussed two proposals—investment in the mobile sector as a whole and purchasing a share of a local mobile operator,

Agency

Probashi Palli, country's biggest housing project for the non-resident Bangladeshis, will be set up at Purbachal on the outskirts of the Dhaka city.

An agreement to this effect was signed in the city on Tuesday by Mohammad Mahidur Rahman, managing director of Inspired Development Limited, Mohammad Ali Manju,

Staff Correspondent

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday approved the right offers application of Summit Power, paving the company's way to issue 68.64 lakh right shares.

'We have approved the company's right offers as it is found that the company board does not have any loan defaulter now,' said Farhad Ahmed, executive director of the SEC.

Agence France-Presse . Mumbai

India's central bank on Tuesday held key interest rates steady, saying the risk of higher inflation had increased amid global threats to economic growth and financial stability.

The Reserve Bank of India kept its repo rate — the lending rate to banks — unchanged at 7.75 per cent, and left the amount of cash banks must set aside as reserves at 7.50 per cent.

Agence France-Presse . Beijing

China Mobile, the country's top wireless operator, said Tuesday it planned to take advantage of the global stock market downturn to acquire overseas telecom firms that have now become cheaper.

'China Mobile would like to acquire high-quality and profit-making telecommunications enterprises overseas,' Lei Yu, a spokeswoman of China Mobile's Hong Kong-listed unit, told AFP.

Agence France-Presse . Washington

Sales of newly built homes across the United States plunged by 26.4 per cent during 2007 compared with the prior year, marking the biggest annual fall on record, a government survey showed Monday.

The Commerce Department reported that US new-home sales dropped to an estimated 774,000 properties in 2007, compared with 1.051 million homes in 2006, amid a worsening property slump.

Agence France-Presse . Geneva

Australia's trade minister said Monday that despite 'positive' talks on the Doha trade round at the Davos World Economic Forum no deal on agriculture seemed imminent.

'It was a positive outcome from Davos, I think it did surprise people,' Simon Crean told journalists on a visit to World Trade Organisation headquarters in Geneva. But he added that he 'wouldn't like to predict that we're close to a deal on agriculture.'

Agence France-Presse . Madrid

Global tourism rose more than six percent in 2007 and confidence remains high for this year despite the financial crises and high oil prices, the UN World Tourism Organisation said on Tuesday.

In its annual report, the Madrid-based body said the Middle East recorded the largest increase, 13 percent, followed by the Asia-Pacific region, with 10 percent and Africa, eight percent.

Agence France-Presse . Seoul

Iraq has stopped crude oil exports to South Korea in protest at an exploration deal involving Korean firms in Iraqi Kurdistan, officials said Tuesday.

Iraq on January 1 suspended an annual contract with South Korea's top refiner SK Energy to export 90,000 barrels per day, the energy ministry said.

Agency

Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled, former deputy governor of the Bangladesh Bank, joined the Bangladesh Krishi Bank Limited as chairman of the board of directors on Monday, said a press release.

Earlier, he worked as the managing director of Krishi Bank, Sonali Bank, Agrani Bank and Pubali Bank.

Staff Correspondent

The telecoms regulator Wednesday asked Grameenphone (GP) to explain why its licence would not be cancelled or suspended on charges of breaching agreement and telecoms rules.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission gave the country's largest mobile phone operator 30 days to come up with a reply to its notice.

Agency

Plaintiff Azam J Chowdhury testified in court Wednesday that he filed extortion charges against Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, not other accused—former prime minister Sheikh Hasina or her sister Sheikh Rehana.

"I know Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim only as the accused in the case. I do not know anyone else," said businessman Azam as he was questioned by a lawyer for the prosecution during his testimony.

Staff Correspondent

The High Court Wednesday ruled that the detentions of Tarique Rahman and ASM Hannan Shah were illegal.

The court ordered the government to release the two if there were no other cases pending against them.