Agency

Prof M Tamim, a special assistant to the chief adviser, Tuesday underscored quick steps to help the country avoid a severe energy crisis that may strike in five years from now.

"A decision on exploration and production of energy from coal and its conservation has to be made as soon as possible," Tamim, in charge of the power, energy and mineral resources ministry, said in his speech to a seminar "Action Planning Exercise to Address Energy and Power Crisis in Bangladesh" at The Westin Dhaka.

Staff Correspondent

More than 300 foreign citizens who have seen through their terms are still languishing in Bangladeshi jails because of bureaucratic hassles, the country's prisons chief said Tuesday.

As many as 950 foreigners have been detained in the jails, he added. Hustin Abdullah, a Hungarian, who had recently been freed, served two years in jail although the sentence against him was of only one month, a case in point.

Agency

The Appellate Division has completed its hearing on the caretaker government's appeal against an earlier High Court verdict that declared it had the authority to consider bail prayers of people accused in cases under the emergency powers rules.

After a two-day hearing, a full bench of the appeals court, headed by chief justice Md Ruhul Amin, said it would deliver its verdict soon, as their deliberations were completed.

Staff Correspondent

A Dhaka court has reset the hearing on former prime minister Sheikh Hasina for Thursday in the barge-mounted power plant case.

Judge Md Firoz Alam heard an appeal for a fourth day Tuesday, which sought to exempt the Awami League president from the charges in the case.

Peacekeepers taking part in a peace support operations exercise have stressed the need for training to help them play a significant role in keeping world peace in an age rattled by the threat of terror.

Exercise Shanti Doot-2 began on April 1. The training being held at the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operations Training (BIPSOT) has been designed to show the difference between success and failure in future peacekeeping operations, said Brigadier General Saiful Ali, BIPSOT commandant, Tuesday.

For strengthening local body of the government, Bangladesh Union Parishad Oikyajote (BUPO) Sunday demanded of the Election Commission to hold elections for the Upazila Parishads, even if in phases, prior to the national elections as per the announced election roadmap, reports UNB.

Responding to the demand, Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda said the EC would hold all local-body elections, including election to the Upazila Parishads, announced as per its election roadmap.

The final deal between Biman Bangladesh Airlines and US aircraft manufacturer Boeing to procure eight aircraft for the national flag carrier at a cost of $ 1.265 billion was deferred for one week, reports UNB.

"We sought one week time from Boeing to sign the final deal that was scheduled to be initialed on April 15," said a high official of Biman. Biman earlier signed a MoU with Boeing representatives here on March 15.

Agency

A fourth-year student of linguistics at Dhaka University was found dead Tuesday, the police said. Md Ali Jinnah, assistant sub-inspector of Shahbagh Police Station, told bdnews24.com that Chhanda Rani Sarkar, 22, was found hanging from a fan in the room No. 80 (extension) of Rokeya Hall.

Agency

A Dhaka court Sunday sentenced former Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Shajahan Chowdhury to 10 years in jail on twin charges of accumulating illegal wealth and concealing information about assets.

Judge Amar Kumar Roy of the Special Judges' Court-2 set up in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban also fined him Tk 1 lakh. He will have to serve three more months in failure to pay the fine.

Staff Correspondent

The Anticorruption Commission Sunday filed a case against former caretaker government adviser Fazlul Haque on charges of amassing money by unfair means and concealing information about wealth, a police officer said.

ACC assistant director Mohammad Ibrahim filed the case with Ramna Police Station, sub-inspector Jahangir Alam of Ramna Police Station told bdnews24.com.

Some 1,500 anonymous people were sued Saturday in connection with Friday''s onset on Hathazari police station in a rowdy backlash against the troubles over the women policy in the capital, reports UNB.

Officer-in-Charge of Hathazari thana Mohammad Alamgir filed the case. Meanwhile, the authorities of Darul Ulum Mainul Islam Madrassah, known as Baro Madrassah, Saturday formed a five-member committee to investigate whether any of their students were involved in the thana attack.

Staff Correspondent

Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina was taken back to special jail Sunday from Square Hospital after she underwent a number of medical check-ups, a prisons official said.

Hasina was taken to Square hospital around 8:35am and taken back to special jail at 11:00 am. Deputy inspector general of prisons Shamsul Haider Siddiqui told reporters: "Doctors corrected her glasses for her eye-vision changes."

Staff Correspondent

Five advisers met with chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed Sunday to brief him on preparations for the dialogue between the government and political parties, an adviser said.

"The chief adviser has given us necessary guidelines that will help make the dialogue successful," communications adviser Ghulam Quader told reporters in his office after returning from the CA's office.

 Staff Correspondent

The Awami League Sunday demanded the release of its detained chief Sheikh Hasina in "informal" talks with five advisers in the lead-up to dialogue, an AL leader said.

The cabinet members held the talks with AL leaders, starting at 6:15pm at state guesthouse Meghna. After the meeting, acting AL general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam told reporters that they had demanded freedom of Hasina, one of the pressing issues discussed at the meeting.

Staff Correspondent

BNP joint secretary general Goyeshwar Chandra Roy Sunday asked the Chief Election Commissioner to reverse a previous decision and invite the party's "lawful" secretary general, Khandaker Delwar Hossain, to reforms dialogue.

"Khandaker Delwar Hossain is the lawful secretary general of the party," Goyeshwar told reporters at former BNP lawmaker Md Shahjahan's NAM flat.

Agency

Rail links between Sylhet and Dhaka resumed Sunday after seven hours of suspension in the wake of the partial derailment of a goods train at Bhanugachh Station near Srimangal Saturday night, a railway official said.

A wagon of the train on its way to Chhatak from Shayestaganj derailed at 8.45pm Saturday, Srimangal stationmaster Md Jahangir Alam told bdnews24.com.

BDR Director General Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed Saturday dismissed the Indian allegation that there are insurgent camps or hideouts in Bangladesh, reports UNB.

Talking to reporters at Zia International Airport on his return from BDR-BSF talks in New Delhi, he said Bangladesh never supported insurgents of any country, including India.

Awami League presidium Saturday accused Jamaat-e-Islami of staging violence at Baitul Mukarram Mosque Friday alleging that two Rokons of Jamaat led the attack on police, journalists and general people, reports UNB.

After a meeting of the presidium, party acting general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam questioned how the communal force could stage the incident while the state of emergency is in force.

BNP secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain Saturday said the High Court verdict did not say who is BNP secretary general and asserted that one cannot be a party leader with a court verdict or a certificate, reports UNB.

"We''ll run the party at the instruction of our chairperson, not with any judgment or a certificate," he told reporters at his NAM apartment after a meeting with a delegation of Barisal Bar Association that won the bar elections.

Newspaper owners Satur-day requested Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed to waive the existing 15 percent VAT on newsprint in the wake of abnormal price rises of the printing paper on the international market, reports UNB.

They also requested a fourfold increase in the rate of government advertisement as they said the existing rate has not been increased for last 20 years.