Former captain David Beckham will be in England's 2010 World Cup squad providing he is fit and playing regularly, manager Fabio Capello said on Monday.

The Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder arrives in Italy later in the day for the start of a second loan spell at AC Milan after the conclusion of the Major League Soccer season.

Myanmar deputy foreign minister Maung Myint arrived in city on Monday to lead his country's delegation at foreign secretary-level talks, which are likely to feature the thorny issue of Rohingya refugees entering Bangladesh from the neighbouring state.

The two-day talks between Bangladesh and Myanmar starts on Tuesday at foreign ministry.

The government will set up a specific zone for ship-breaking yards at Sitakunda in Chittagong and introduce greater regulation for better environmental and safety standards, Hassan Mahmud, state minister for environment, said on Monday.

He said a meeting between officials of the environment and forest, industries and shipping ministries will be held soon to discuss establishment of the zone.

The Supreme Court will hear on January 3 an appeal against a landmark High Court judgment that declared the fifth amendment to the constitution illegal.

Appellate Division chamber judge S K Sinha set the hearing date on Sunday following an appeal of the petitioner's counsel Ajmalul Hossain QC.

Police in Noakhali on Sunday arrested seven members of the blacklisted Islamist outfit Hijbut Tawhid, including three women, on suspicion of involvement with militant activities.

The men were arrested from a house situated at Uttar Fakirpur area of Noakhali town. Police also arrested the gatekeeper of the house suspecting him too.

Investors who kept faith in Asia as the world teetered on the brink of financial meltdown a year ago have been richly rewarded -- the region's markets rode out the storm in spectacular style and posted stunning gains.

The economic outlook for 2010 appears far sunnier. But with frothy markets betting on a smooth return to business as usual, the danger of a sudden correction hangs over Asia, unless the region can steer its way past some treacherous political risks.

Dhaka stocks opened the week in an upbeat mood as the bourse's benchmark index gained by one percent.

The general index or the DGEN ended on 4475.44, rising by 46.25 points or 1.04 percent from previous day's closing.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina said on Sunday her government will talk with India over sharing the waters of 54 common rivers, including the all-important Teesta.

Hasina said the technical committee had already met on the issue, and the Joint River Commission will sit soon. The prime minister will fly to New Delhi on Jan 10 for a much-anticipated summit with Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh.

Rapid Action Battalion is seeking to expand its forces with two more battalions, on top of the current 12 each comprising around 800 troops.

The home ministry, after a meeting on Sunday, returned a proposal by the elite crime force, asking it to resubmit it with more details.

Sitakunda police lodged a case Sunday against the owner of a ship breaking yard and five contractors after an explosion aboard a scrap oil tanker killed four workers the day before.

Sitakunda police sub-inspector Azam Khan told bdnews24.com the case was filed against Md Israfil, the owner of Rahim Steel and Ship Breaking Yard, and labour contractors Md Alam, Mohammad Alam, Zafar Ahmed, Md Yusuf and Abu Saleh, for failing to ensure safety of workers.

China pressed into operation the world's fastest passenger train on Saturday, which covered a 10 and half hours journey in three hours at 350-km per hour.

According to Xinhua news agency, the passenger trains – one rolled out from the Wuhan Railway Station and the other from Guangzhou North Railway Station at about 9 a.m. and reached each others' terminal at the speed.

Food minister Abdur Razzak said that Open Market Sales (OMS) of rice might be resumed to ensure price stability.

The minister, speaking at a seminar Saturday on food price inflation, said the government has undertaken to distribute around 26 lakh metric tonnes of food grains under the social security net programmes, "even though foreign aid has been reduced."

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has warned that actions will be taken against authorities of the educational institutes which do not enroll disabled students.

"If the handicapped are received cordially in educational institutions they will recover fast from their disability," Hasina said in her address at a programme marking the 18th International Disability Day at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on Saturday.

BNP has decided to mark January 11 as 'black day' and January 25 as 'democracy killing day', BNP secretary general Delwar Hossain said Saturday.

"Some army personnel entering Bangabhaban on January 11, 2007 compelled the then president Iajuddin Ahmed to impose emergency rule in the country and thus foiled the process of democracy," Delwar said at a press briefing.

Former cricketer and match referee Zahid Razzaq looks set to replace Naimur Rahman Durjoy on the Bangladesh Cricket Board selection committee.

His name was tabled at a BCB meeting, the cricket board's media wing chief Zalal Yunus told reporters on Saturday.

BNP's criticism of the role of Bangladesh at Copenhagen climate conference came from ignorance, the state minister for environment said on Friday.

Hassan Mahmud hit back at the main opposition party after its standing committee member Abdul Moeen Khan claimed that Bangladesh had failed to effectively raise its interest at the recent conference.

The United Nations unveiled a website on Thursday aimed at improving transparency about sexual misconduct allegations and other charges leveled against members of its missions.

The website (cdu.unlb.org/) tracks the number of alleged offenses by UN personnel over the last three years, collected from political and peacekeeping missions across the globe.

Christians prayed for God's blessings on the country in the capital's main Christmas Eve mass, led by the Archbishop of Dhaka Paulinus Costa, at St Mary's Cathedral in Kakrail on Thursday.

Costa wished Christmas greetings to people of all faiths in a special reception at the Archbishop's House in Kakrail before conducting the 'midnight mass', which actually began just before 9pm.

Clocks will go back again on Dec 31 night, the government decided on Thursday, with mornings getting darker as winter draws in.

The prime minister's press secretary Abul Kalam Azad told reporters after a cabinet meeting that the government also decided to introduce Daylight Saving Time on an annual basis.

A Dhaka court passed an order for further investigation on a 19-year old murder case in Mymensingh in which Major (retd) Bazlul Huda, one of the death sentenced convicts in Bangabandhu murder case, along with 29 others, is accused.

Dhaka's Second Speedy Trial Tribunal judge Md Asgar Ali on Thursday passed the order and also asked the Kotwali Police of Mymensingh to submit the report by February 1.