Staff Correspondent

Former BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan said

The advisers who concluded pre-dialogue talks with political parties Monday have started preparing recommendations on the topics discussed over the past weeks, and adviser said Tuesday, reports agency.

Following a meeting with three other advisers, commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman told reporters: "The pre-talks ended yesterday. Now, synthesis of the topics discussed is necessary."

The timetable of Dhaka-Kolkata passenger train Maitree Express will be rescheduled to let passengers reach their destinations in daytime, according to a proposed plan, reports bdnews24.com.

Besides, the railway authorities of Bangladesh and India are likely to reduce the time for customs and immigration formalities in Darsana and Gede stations.

Emergency meet

Staff Correspondent

The Association of Bus Companies has asked bus operators not to charge hiked fares on city routes on the excuse of a rise in the CNG fuel price.

A Dhaka court is set to deliver Wednesday a verdict on the corruption case over the waiver of loan against former military ruler HM Erhsad, former state minister AKM Mosharraf Hossain and four others.

Dhaka divisional special judge Golam Mortuza Majumder on April 22 fixed the date for judgement after hearing arguments of the prosecution and defence attorneys.

Agency

The Bangladesh Awami League submitted a petition on Monday signed by 2.5 million people to the office of the head of the interim government seeking the release of detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Awami officials said they collected the signatures, mostly of her followers and supporters in the capital Dhaka, over the last few weeks to pressure the army-backed authority to set her free.

Staff Correspondent

The Anticorruption Commission Monday appealed to a Dhaka court seeking to exempt former food minister Motia Chowdhury and eight others from corruption charges in a 2002 case.

ACC assistant director Moniruzzaman Khan submitted a final report to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court for Dhaka and sought exemption for them.

Staff Correspondent

The High Court has ordered a three-month stay on the activities of the Supreme Judicial Commission formed to recommend judges' appointments to the higher courts.

It has also ordered the secretary to the law ministry and the registrar of the Supreme Court to explain why the ordinance for formation of the judicial commission should not be declared unconstitutional and cancelled.

Commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman has invited the pro-Khaleda faction of BNP to an informal pre-dialogue talk scheduled to be held Monday, a party spokesperson said, reports agency.

Monday's meeting, meant to be preparatory to political dialogue between the government and parties slated for May, is expected to start at 5pm at the state guest house Meghna.

Agency

The deep depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining southeast Bay moved slightly northwards, concentrated into a cyclonic storm "Nargis", a special weather bulletin issued early afternoon Monday said.

The depression was centred at 12 noon Monday about 1245 kms south west of Chittagong port, 1175 kms south west of Cox's Bazar port and 1130 kms south-southwest of Mongla Port.

Outgoing British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury Monday said his country would not support military rule in Bangladesh, reports agency.

"Our view is that we will never

Staff Correspondent

A Dhaka court Monday ordered former Bashundhara Group director Abu Sufian into jail. Magistrate Md Golam Rabbani of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court-3 for Dhaka rejected the appeal for bail and put him behind bars.

The court, however, ordered authorities to make arrangements for his good treatment. The Anticorruption Commission (ACC) arrested the former Bashundhara director Sunday for attempting to hush up the murder of Bashundhara Telecom director Humayun Kabir Sabbir.

The first day of Supreme Court Bar Association election ended Monday with 539 out of the 1,780 voters casting ballots, reports bdnews24.com.

The two-day polling began at 10.00am and continued until 5.00pm with a one-hour break from 1.00pm. After the first day's voting, Nizamul Haque Nasim, convener of a sub-committee on election, said: "Everything was all right.

A Bogra court Monday sentenced former BNP lawmaker Helaluzzaman Talukder Lalu to 10 years in jail on charges of suppressing wealth information and accumulating illegal wealth, reports bdnews24.com.

Judge Anwar Hossain of the Special Judges' Court for Bogra also fined Lalu Tk 10 lakh and he will have to stay another one and a half years in jail in failure to pay the fine.

REUTERS, DHAKA - Bangladesh is at a political crossroads, analysts say, with the country uncertain whether it needs to follow a path of continued reform or revert back to the status quo that has existed for much of the country's history.

The debate comes at a time of uncertainty over the south Asian country's political future, although preparations for an election later this year are underway despite threats by major parties to boycott it unless their leaders are freed

Staff Correspondent

Utility agencies are set to launch a drive Sunday to ensure that shops are closed at 8.00pm in the city, now reeling under acute power outages, a senior government official said.

Staff Correspondent

Khandaker Delwar Hossain termed the Election Commission's electoral reform talks with the pro-reform BNP faction Sunday a "blueprint dialogue".

"BNP will not go to any election or dialogue without Khaleda Zia. The two leaders have to be released for a fair election," the Khaleda-nominated secretary general said to reporters at his NAM flat residence.

Staff Correspondent

A Dhaka court Sunday sentenced former Awami League lawmaker Haji Mohammad Selim to 13 years in jail in his absence on twin charges of suppressing wealth information and accumulating illegal wealth.

Special judge Md Sirajul Islam also fined him Tk 10 lakh with a legal binding that the convict will have to serve another year in prison in failure to pay the fine.

U.S. energy group Chevron Corp suspended its seismic survey work in a Bangladeshi gas field after a forest fire in the area, the company said on Sunday, reports agency.

"Chevron has initiated an investigation into the fire and although there is no evidence that the fire was related to the seismic survey work, Chevron has suspended all of its seismic-related work in the forest pending the results of initial findings," the company said.

REUTERS, BANGKOK - Thai authorities have seized more than a thousand fake Asian and Western passports and arrested a man in one of the biggest anti-counterfeiting operations in recent years, police said on Sunday.

Mohammed Karim, a 56-year-old from Bangladesh, was nabbed in a Bangkok townhouse late on Saturday where they found a sophisticated passport making operation and more than 1,000 finished and unfinished documents, Police Major-General Chaktip Chaichinda said.