Staff Correspondent

The Appellate Division deferred its ruling Monday on the government appeal challenging a High Court verdict that last year granted bail in a case filed under emergency powers rules.

A full seven-member bench of the Supreme Court Appellate Division, headed by chief justice Md Ruhul Amin, was scheduled to give a judgement Monday but proceedings were deferred as justice Hassan Amin was absent due to illness.

Agency

New US ambassador James F Moriarty said Monday that it would be "extremely difficult" to hold elections with the state of emergency in force.

But Moriarty pinned hopes on an election, which was pledged to take place by year-end in a "free, fair, transparent and participatory manner".

Staff Correspondent

A peon of Agrani Bank's Brahmanbaria branch was sentenced to 13 years in jail for amassing money and concealing information about wealth.

Judge Md Sirajul Islam of the Special Judge's Court-7 on the Jatiya Sangsad complex jailed Md Anwar Hossain known as Kotipati Peon. Anwar was fined Tk 10 lakh.

Staff Correspondent

The Bangladesh Air Force has formed a three-member high-powered committee to probe into a London-based lawyer's allegations of 'assault' by members of the joint forces at Zia International Airport, the Inter-Service Public Relations Directorate said in a statement Monday.

The High Court issued a notice Sunday on the home secretary, chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh and director general of the Department of Immigration over the alleged assaults on barrister Rezwan Hossain.

Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed inaugurated a modern factory for production of sophisticated rifles of BD-08 model at Bangladesh Ordnance Factory (BOF) here (Sunday), reports UNB.

General Moeen said Bangladesh is a peace-loving country and the introduction of rifle BD-08 would not change the country''s policies, including that on defense.

Agency

Chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda Monday doubted reconciliation between the two BNP factions.

"Harmony in the BNP seems unlikely,"

Home Adviser Maj Gen (retd) M A Matin, Bir Pratik, said the government is contemplating promulgation of a police reform ordinance to raise standard of police services, reports agency.

“The police force will be modernised further through the reforms,” he said while inaugurating the “Second police executive development course”, a three-month long training programme, at the Police Staff College at Mirpur in the city as the chief guest.

Jatiya Party (Manzu) chairman Anwar Hossain Manju and Workers'' Party president Rashed Khan Menon urged the Bangladeshi immigrants in the United States to create pressure on the caretaker government to immediately hold free, fair and acceptable general elections, reports UNB.

Speaking at the town hall meeting at Club Sanam in Astoria here Saturday, both the leaders said the caretaker government took over power in a situation when there was no other option.

Journalism is democracy''s best friend and independent journalism is the crying need of the time to usher in a meaningful change and establishing genuine human rights in the Country, reports UNB.

This was stated by speakers at a journalism award giving ceremony in the city Sunday. The High Commission of Canada and Bangladesh Centre for Development, Journalism and Communication (BCDJC) jointly organized the function for distribution of ''Canadian Awards for Excellence in Bangladesh Journalism 2008''.

Foreign Adviser Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury has urged the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to immediately establish a high level Task Force to address the acute global food crisis, reports UNB.

He made the appeal while chairing a Ministerial Meeting of LDCs on the eve of the inaugural of UNCTAD-XII in the Ghana''s capital on Saturday.