AFP, PARIS - Frenchman Sebastien Tellier is in the eye of a growing storm for planning to sing in English in the upcoming Eurovision contest, prompting political outrage and suggestions that he is a turncoat.

The 33-year-old electro sensation sparked ripples in his country -- fiercely proud of its traditions and language -- by deciding to perform his song 'Divine' with almost exclusively English lyrics in the competition.

Agency

Acting deputy director general (news) of state-run Bangladesh Television Shahida Alam has been suspended for "professional inefficiency", the government said in a statement Sunday.

Senior journalists at a workshop Monday suggested forming a media forum on Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) for achieving the target by 2015, reports agency.

They said the forum, comprising journalists from all tiers, will reach the messages on MDGS to all people. The suggestions came at the workshop on `Strengthening Media Network for Development’ organized by UNDP at its seminar room at Agargaon in the city.

The Bangladesh Betar will broadcast a programme on different steps taken by the government on agriculture, food and to control prices of commodities through its various centres, a Betar release said Monday, reports agency.

The 15-minute programme titled “ nutrition and food habit” will be aired every day at 4-45pm from Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Thakurgaon, Barisal, Sylhet and Cox’s Bazar centres.

Information Secretary Jamil Osman has directed the concerned officials to quickly prepare an amended project proposal for opening a terrestrial education channel by Bangladesh Television (BTV), reports agency.

The directive came at a meeting to review the progress of different projects under annual development programme (ADP) of the Information Ministry.

Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, hounded into hiding in India by death threats from Islamic militants, said Tuesday she has heart problems and is losing her eyesight because of stress, reports AFP.

Speaking to AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location, Nasreen said she hoped to leave for France or Denmark for medical treatment after months in isolation also sent her blood-pressure soaring.

Staff Correspondent

The government has formulated a policy on the installation, broadcast and operation of community radio to facilitate information dissemination, said a Press Information Department handout on Sunday.

UNB, Dhaka

The government on Tuesday formed the 7th Wage Board with retired judge of the High Court Division Habibur Rahman Khan as its chairman to recommend increased wages for journalists, employees and press workers after reviewing the 6th Wage Board.

The nine-member wage board will submit its recommendations to the government within two months, said an official announcement.

Agence France-Presse . Los Angeles

Violent thriller 'No Country for Old Men' won the best picture Oscar at the 80th Academy Awards late Sunday as European stars scored a clean sweep in the acting honours in an historic Hollywood night.

'No Country for Old Men' emerged as the biggest winner of the evening, scooping four Oscars including best director for brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, best adapted screenplay and best supporting actor for Javier Bardem.

Agency

More women's representation both in print and electronic media is needed to help the country move on towards progress, speakers said at the inaugural session of a seven-day workshop in Dhaka on Sunday.

They also urged the country's media management to create more job opportunities for women in the media as women represent only five-percent of the total journalists in the Bangladesh media.

Staff Correspondent

Incidents of acid violence are declining due to wide media coverage, social campaign and introduction of stringent laws to punish acid throwers, said speakers at a workshop in the city on Monday.

'Media are covering widely the issues relating to acid violence and thereby helping create mass awareness against the crime and as a result incidents of acid violence have reduced significantly in recent times', said ASM Sowket Hossain, acting chairperson of Acid Survivors Foundation, at the workshop.

Staff Correspondent

Literary scholars at a function in Dhaka on Saturday said Khondokar Ashraf Hossain's poetry is deeply concerned with motherland, its myths and political awareness.

They made the observation at the launch of Ashraf's selected poems in English version 'On Behula's Raft' at the RC Majumder Hall of Dhaka University. Writer.ink published the 64-page book, which contains 34 poems.

Press Trust of India . Kolkata

After getting extension of her visa to stay in India, Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen on Friday said she was living a 'caged' life and asked the government to remove the curbs on her movement.

'My freedom of movement is severely curtailed. I cannot meet friends and fellow writers causing stress to my mind and health.

Staff Correspondent

British television presenters Jackie and Laurence Llewelyn-Brown have visited Bangladesh's Sidr-hit remote localities to tell Britons back home about the woes of the survivors and their struggle to build life afresh in the ruins.

'Getting back home, they will tell the stories of how November 15 cyclone survivors are fighting to rebuild their homes and what assistance they might need to survive,' Chloe Bayram, the event coordinator of CARE United Kingdom, said on Wednesday after the team concluded its trips to Sarankhola and Morelganj, two badly affected upazilas in Bagrhat district.

UNB, Dhaka

Close coordination between the information department and the media was underscored at a meeting of the information officers at the secretariat on Wednesday for implementation of government policies and development programmes.

People should be properly informed of the government policies and programmes.

Staff Correspondent

The Bangladesh Film Archives has taken up a project to carry out researches on a number of aspects of the country’s film industry, including the lives and works of eminent actors, directors and other artistes.

Staff Correspondent

Politicians and civic leaders have stressed that the government should initiate dialogues with political parties immediately and without imposing any condition to lead the country towards elections as planned.

Ban on politics needs to be lifted to pave the way for fruitful talks, some of them suggested as they were speaking at the BBC Bangla-desh Sanglap in Dhaka Saturday. ‘We are in deep crises.

Staff Correspondent

The Bhasha Andolon Museum has initiated the process of making a list of the heroes of historic language movement in 1952.

Names of the people who had contributions to the language movement but opposed the war of independence will not be included in the list, the museum authorities told a news briefing in Dhaka on Saturday.

They said they would try to complete the job by this year and keep in mind about the controversies over the list of freedom fighters.

Staff Correspondent

Odhikar, a non-governmental human rights body, has expressed deep concern over the government's fresh attempts to curb media freedom and curtail rights of the citizens with imposing Emergency Powers Rules.