Agency

ACC officials Thursday arrested former secretary Khandaker Shahidul Islam in connection with the Niko corruption case, police said.

Dhanmondi police chief Monwar Hossain told bdnews24.com that the ACC officials had made the arrest and handed Shahidul, former secretary to the Prime Minister's Office, to the police.

Staff Correspondent

A Dhaka court Thursday sentenced former member of the Public Service Commission Prof Md Mahfuzur Rahman to 13 years imprisonment for illegally amassing wealth and concealing wealth information from the Anticorruption Commission.

The court also fined Mahfuzur Tk 50 lakh and told him failure to pay the fine would result in a further two years rigorous imprisonment.

Our Correspondent

Awami League presidium member Amir Hossain Amu Thursday advised the party's leadership and rank and file to be cautious over its demand to have party chief Sheikh Hasina released from detention.

"There are conspiracies against the party. Do not be over enthusiastic in your demand for the immediate release of our leader," said Amu at a meeting in Sadar upazila in Meherpur to mark Mujibnagar Day.

Staff Correspondent

Commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman has sent an SMS to BNP leader Khandaker Delwar Hossain, inviting him to informal pre-dialogue talks, set for Thursday evening.

BNP joint secretary general Goyeshwar Chandra Roy told bdnews24.com: "Hossain Zillur Rahman sent the sms to the secretary general.

Agency

Bangladesh Bank has published a citizen charter, which describes different services in detail, the central bank said in a Web posting Thursday.

The charter published in the form of a booklet also portrays the vision and mission of the central bank and provides information about its different departments and offices.

Speakers at a seminar Wednesday underlined the need for introducing disaster-related education into the national curriculum to reduce the risk and losses in natural calamities, reports agency.

The knowledge of disaster risk reduction provides rudimentary information, concepts, skills and capacities for early preparedness, survival during disasters and swift post- disaster recovery, they said.

The Anti-Corruption Com-mission is going to submit charge sheet in the case against detained Awami League joint general secretary Obaidul Kader and his wife for acquiring illegal wealth and hiding information, reports UNB.

ACC sources said the Commission approved the submission of charge sheet in the case against former State Minister for Youth and Sports Kader and his wife Ishratunnessa for amassing wealth worth about Tk 75 lakh beyond his known sources of income and concealing information of assets worth about Tk 25 lakh.

As part of investigation into the graft case filed against Dhaka City mayor Sadek Hossain Khoka, his wife and two children, the Anti-Corruption Commission will soon seize the files and documents relating to income tax and bank accounts, reports UNB.

ACC assistant director Samsul Alam, also the investigation officer, has already written to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) and the managers of the concerned banks for keeping the files and documents ready for the investigation team to seize those, sources at the Commission said.

Bangladesh will press for a Global Food Security Compact whereby the UN should initiate informational cooperation to expand food availability at the forthcoming UNCTAD XII Conference in Accra, Ghana, next week, reports UNB.

Foreign Adviser Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said this to the media at his office Wednesday morning while sharing some views on the upcoming UNCTAD meet.

Staff Correspondent

The Election Commission has invited two factions of the BNP to separate meetings for Thursday, said EC officials and BNP leaders.BNP leader Khandaker Delwar Hossain is scheduled

Staff Correspondent

Agriculture adviser CS Karim and army chief Moeen U Ahmed Wednesday urged people to build a habit of eating more potato to cut pressure on rice as the core food.

They made the call from a press conference after inaugurating a "potato feast" at Radisson Water Garden Hotel. The food promotion that will continue through to April 22 was designed to popularise the use of potato and showcase various local and international

Our Correspondent

A bus crashed into an express train at a rail-crossing in Kalihati upazila in Tangail early Wednesday. killing 17 people, police said.

The accident occurred shortly after three in the morning when a bus was hit by the Ekata Express train at Rajabari rail crossing, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Saifullahil Azam told bdnews24.com by phone from the scene.

Staff Correspondent

Commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman said Wednesday that pre-dialogue talks with the political parties had reached the last phase.

Emphasis is being given on wrapping up the process properly over the next few days, he told reporters after an hour-long meeting with housing and public works adviser Ghulam Quader and local government adviser Anwarul Iqbal at the housing and public works ministry.

Agency

The Appellate Division did not halt a High Court order that stayed proceedings against Tarique Rahman and his wife Dr Zobaida Rahman who are facing charges of amassing wealth beyond their known sources of income.

After hearing two separate appeals by the Anticorruption Commission seeking freezes on the HC orders, the appeals court Wednesday set April 28 for the next hearing.

The much-awaited subsidy on diesel for the farmers was launched Monday with an expectation that the subsequent governments would continue with the support, reports UNB.

"This government is with you (Farmers), We''ll do our best for you," Finance Adviser Dr Mirza Azizul Islam told the launching ceremony of the first such subsidy directly handed over to the farmers in Manikganj.

Finance Adviser Dr Mirza Azizul Islam Tuesday sought specific proposals of additional assistance from the international community to help Bangladesh face the threats to sustain the progresses the country has so far made, reports UNB.

"The progress we achieved so far is now under threat… Bangladesh has no contribution to global issues like climate change and consequently the global warming, but it is the worst victim," he said at the inaugural season of a symposium on social protection at Sonargaon Hotel.

A female student of Dhaka University committed suicide hanging herself with the ceiling fan inside her room at Begum Rokeya Hall Tuesday, reports UNB.

The deceased was identified as Sandhya Rani Sarker, daughter of Binoy Krishna Sarker, a fourth year (7th semester) student of the Institute of Education and Research (IER) of the university.

Islamic Law Implementation Committee Tuesday deman-ded scrapping of the National Women Development Policy and resignation of all the advisers of the caretaker government, reports UNB.

The committee chairman Mufti Fazlul Haq Amini told a rally at north gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in the afternoon that the policy providing for equal inheritance right to women was repugnant to the holy Quran.

Adviser for Foreign Affairs Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said the quota of Bangladeshi workers in South Korea during March 2008 to February 2009 has been raised to 8,000, which will be a one hundred percent increase than last year, reports agency.

Dr Iftekhar, who is also in charge of the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment expressed his satisfaction over the increase and directed the relevant authorities in Bangladesh for “speedy and transparent selection process under this employment permit system scheme”.

Staff Correspondent

BNP's 'reformist' leaders demanded the release of former prime minister Khaleda Zia Tuesday in its informal talks with five advisers ahead of political dialogue, a leader of the divided party said.

Five advisers sat with leaders of the party's 'reformist' faction, including acting secretary general Hafizuddin Ahmed, at state guesthouse Meghna.