AFP, NEW YORK- US lawmakers agreed a 700-billion-dollar bailout of financial groups, but the financial hurricane slammed into European banks and global markets Monday amid doubts over whether the deal would get through Congress.

REUTERS, KABUL- Some 20,000 people from Pakistan's northwestern tribal region of Bajaur have fled to Afghanistan this summer due to intense fighting between government forces and militants, the United Nations said on Monday.

The recent focus on a meeting between the two former prime ministers Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia could have an adverse impact on the Dec 18 election, a senior Kallyan Party leader said Sunday, reports bdnews24.com.

AFP, TRIPOLI, Lebanon- Five Lebanese soldiers were killed on Monday in a car bombing targeting an army bus on the outskirts of the restive northern city of Tripoli, security and military officials said.

AFP, BEIJING - The first Chinese man to walk in space was hailed as a national hero Monday, as the emerging space power gave one of its clearest indications yet that it is now reaching for the Moon.

AFP, CAIRO - A group of European tourists and their Egyptian guides snatched by armed bandits in a remote desert 10 days ago have been freed unharmed and a number of kidnappers killed, officials said on Monday.

AFP, VIENNA - Resurgent far-right parties dealt a severe blow to Austria's mainstream Social Democrats and conservatives in an election that left the country facing tense negotiations for a new government.

Agencies

The British chocolate maker Cadbury today said it was recalling 11 product ranges from sale in China as the country's tainted milk scandal continued to grow.

REUTERS, BAGDHAD- Doctors in Iraq will have the right to carry guns to protect themselves, the government said on Monday, in a bid to address the security concerns of a profession that has been targeted by gangsters and militants.

REUTERS, PATNA, India- Hundreds of police were deployed in flood-hit Bihar on Monday, a day after soldiers opened fire on angry villagers demanding food and relief, wounding at least a dozen people.

REUTERS, KHARTOUM- A helicopter with four crew on board crashed in Sudan's Darfur region on Monday, the UN and peacekeepers said, although it is not yet known whether there were any casualties.

Noor Ali Case

AL to file appeal against order

Staff Correspondent

The High Court on Monday refused Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina bail in the extortion

Staff Correspondent

Power will be 16 percent costlier for bulk consumers from Oct 1 in a decision announced by the regulators Monday that will soon see rates go up for retail customers.

Desk report

Awami League's Suranjit Sengupta sees the High Court's refusal on Monday to grant party chief Sheikh Hasina bail in the Noor Ali extortion case as 'not a good sign'.

Agency

Government offices will remain open on Tuesday, an official says.

Agency

A government decision to deny subsidised Urea fertiliser to tobacco farmers could result in chaos descending on the country's premier cash-crop tobacco, industry leaders say.

Bdnews24.com

Bus, train and ferry terminals have been teeming with homebound people leaving the capital ahead of Eid.

Staff Correspondent

The High Court has deferred a final hearing on the writ petition challenging the gazette for delimitation of the Jatiya Sangsad constituencies.

A High Court vacation bench of Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana and Justice Md Rezaul Haque on Monday gave the order when the petitioner's counsel appealed for more time.

Desk Report

Standard Chartered Bank CEO Osman Tarik Murad was granted bail Monday after surrendering to court in a car seizure case for which an arrest warrant had been issued against the foreign national.

A high-powered search committee of the education ministry has decided on two panels comprising three applicants each for appointment as vice chancellors of Comilla University and Jagannath University, reports bdnews24.com.