BANGLADESH

bangladesh won the toss
west-indies
run:298
w: 4
over:50

Bangladesh
run:258
w:7
over:50

result: West indies won the match .........40 runs

The police have rescued a 30-year-old man whose family kept him locked in a toilet for around three years labelling him a mental patient.

Mohammad Firoz Alam of Sahebganj village at Faridganj Upazila in Chandpur district was freed from the toilet on Wednesday.

His father Shamsul Alam, 60, who was detained over the incident along with Firoz's mother Halima Begum, 50, and brother Shah Alam, 35, claimed that Firoz was suffering from mental illness.

Shamsul, an assistant teacher of Sholla Government Primary School, said Firoz lost mental balance around three years back. The family kept him locked in a toilet out of fear that he could harm the neighbours, he added.

However, physician Aminul Islam Sumon of Faridganj Upazila Health Complex, where Firoz is being treated, said, "He's not a mental patient. He has become weak because of the confinement for a long time."

Faridganj police chief Mohammad Jabed said police raided Shamsul's house based on information by the local people.

"The detainees have admitted that they confined Firoz. But they claim that he is mentally sick," he said.

"We're investigating into the matter," he added.

One of Firoz's brothers, 'Nasir', along with several local people, told bdnews24.com that Firoz was tortured during the confinement.

"I was driven out of the house as I protested the torture. I informed many of the influential people about the matter. Those who tried to take steps were rebuked harshly," Nasir said.

Local union council chairman Billal Hossain Khan said he started collecting information on Firoz when he had been informed recently.

"Everyone said he was not mentally sick," Khan added.

Local people said Firoz was a polite person. He never had a quarrel with anybody, they said.

They suspect that dispute over property was the reason behind the incident.

Firoz told that he had never been a mental patient. He had passed Secondary School Certificate exams in 1998 and Higher Secondary Certificate exams in 2000.

He said he had gone abroad too.

"I went abroad in 2002. Then I returned in 2006 and got married. After three months, I went abroad again," he said.

Firoz went on, "I came to know that my father, mother and brother Shah Alam had behaved badly with my wife. Not only this, they beat her up. To escape torture, one day my wife returned to her father's house and never came back."

He said he returned home after coming to know his wife's leaving.

"My father, mother, brother and I quarrelled frequently over various issues. I was divorced. They confined me in the toilet," he added.

Firoz also said he was given little food during the confinement.

"I would cry for food. But they won't give me food or water when I asked for. I even consumed junks," he added.

The newly-formed specialist committee on coal extraction has held its first meeting.

The committee will prepare a report and submit it to the energy ministry in four months, committee head and former Petrobangla chairman Mosharraf Hossain said after the meeting on Wednesday.

The government formed the 15-member committee on Sept 8 to prepare a comparative financial analysis of coal extraction's profit and loss and of water management.

It will also recommend procedures to properly compensate and rehabilitate the people, who will have to give up lands to make the way for coal mining.

About the much-debated issue of mining method, Mosharraf said: "We're considering underground mining and open-pit mining as options."

The present committee is the second one formed by the incumbent government on coal issue. The first committee, headed by energy secretary Mohammad Mezbahuddin, was formed in April 2010.

That first committee had prepared a draft coal policy and published it on their website on Oct 2010 for public opinion.

The communications minister has said the government has a budget outlay large enough to take care of Padma bridge project funding on its own.

"The government has a budget of Tk 1.5 trillion. Tk 200 million is not a large amount for the government," Syed Abul Hossain told reporters at his ministry on Wednesday responding to a query whether the government will look for alternative funding sources if the World Bank declines to oblige.

"The government can implement the project by allocating Tk 50 billion every year for four years," the minister said.

The World Bank has committed $1.2-billion fund for the country's longest bridge over the Padma River. However, it announced on Monday temporary suspension of the funding following allegations of corruptions in the execution of the project.

"The bank has levelled allegations of corruption during river dredging, appointment of consultants and preliminary selections. They have temporarily suspended the funding," finance minister A M A Muhith had said.

In response to the main opposition's allegation of corruption, the communications minister dared BNP to launch its own investigation.

In fact, Abul Hossain took the line he had taken in response to allegations of corruption and irregularities in his ministry previously.

He had invited Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Berlin-based corruption watchdog Transparency International, Bangladesh to look into his ministry's activities.

BNP chief Khaleda had alleged that corruption and irregularities in the communications ministry were impeding construction of Padma bridge.

In response to Khaleda's remarks, Abul Hossain said there had been no corruption by the government in the project.

He said the tender evaluation committee comprising a World Bank official, Jamilur Reza Chowdhury and Ainun Nishat sent the list of consultation firms to the World Bank.

"No one from my ministry was appointed as member of the committee to avoid questions on corruption or transparency," he said.

"There is no scope to question the eligibility and integrity of the committee members," he added.

Besides, no one could question the transparency of the ministry now as the World Bank was yet to send its opinion, he said.

Construction of the $2.9-billion bridge over the river to connect the northwest of the country to the capital Dhaka and Chittagong port was expected to begin before the end of this year.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said the country's army is being modernised in line with the technological advancement.

"It's the era of science and technology. The government has taken many steps to modernise Bangladesh Army in line with the technological development," she said on Wednesday.

The prime minister was addressing an army parade at Syedpur Cantonment in Nilphamari district on the occasion of the national standard award-giving ceremony to Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME) Centre and School of Bangladesh Army, and the fourth reunion and annual conference of the EME Corps Commanders.

She said around 1,400 Bengali members of the EME Corps joined the Liberation War in 1971 at the call of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 162 of them sacrificed their lives to liberate the country.

Hasina said seven members of the EME Corps were given various gallantry awards for their roles in the war.

She mentioned that Military Institute of Science and Technology, Armed Forces Medical College and Armed Forces Nursing Institute were established during her government.

Hasina also referred to her government's initiatives to resolve the accommodation problems of the army personnel.

Earlier, she reached Syedpur airport onboard a special aircraft of Bangladesh Airlines around 9:30 am.

Former president and chairman of Jatiya Party Hussain Muhammad Ershad, state minister for home Shamsul Haque Tuku, local parliament members and chief of the three services were present at the parade.

Khaleda Zia wants to hand over power to her 'corrupt' elder son Tarique Rahman, a ruling coalition MP has remarked.

"Those who are speaking against the trial of war crimes know that if war criminals are tried, they won't be able to do politics in this country," Workers' Party president Rashed Khan Menon MP said on Wednesday.

He was pointing at the opposition chief's speech in Sylhet on Tuesday.

Pointing out Khaleda's remark that she wanted to 'leave the power to new leadership', he said, "Which means you want to hand over power to corrupt men like Tarique Rahman."

Arguing against her demand for a caretaker government system, he said, "Khaleda Zia knows the caretaker system was for three elections only. Why is she fighting for this system? We all know what problems we faced during caretaker governments."

The opposition four-party alliance, led by Khaleda, has been opposing election under a political government, since the 15th amendment to constitution abolished the caretaker government system.

The holy Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest religious festival of the Muslims, would be celebrated on November 7, subject to sight of the moon.

Islamic Foundation communication officer Anowarul Kabir told bdnews24.com that Eid-ul-Azha is celebrated every year on the 10th of Islamic month of Zilhajj."

A preparatory meeting in connection with the celebration of the festival was held at the religious affairs ministry on Wednesday, said a media release.

As per the decision of the meeting, the main Eid congregation would be held at the National Eidgah ground at 8:30am. In case of any inclement weather, it would be held at the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque at 9.00 am.

Chaired by religious affairs state minister Shahjahan Miah, the meeting was attended by ministry secretary Habibul Awal and representatives of different agencies and ministries concerned.

The state minister urged all concerned, including government officials, civil society members and law enforcing personnel, to perform their duties properly to celebrate the festival in a befitting manner.

Rumana Monzur, a master's student at the University of British Columbia (UCB), has not only lost her sight to the attack by her husband in Bangladesh in June, she believes she has lost her life too.

She has started over as a blind mother in Canada to her daughter, 5-year-old Anusheh. Her vision is damaged beyond redemption and she is trying hard to reconcile with the fact that she cannot read to her any more.

Rumana was blinded and her face partially mutilated by her husband Hassan Syed in Dhaka in a fit of rage on June 5.

"She came to Canada two weeks after me, with my mother. When she came, she came with the hope that her mom was okay," Rumana told The Vancouver Sun.

The former Dhaka University teacher now tells Anusheh stories, stories she remembered from her childhood.

She told the newspaper, "Now she helps me. She is learning to read, and she gets a book and brings it to me and tries to read."

"The slender thread of storytelling that has pulled her daughter back into her arms tells another story: that in a world that has suddenly gone dark, there is still a glimmer of light," The Sun observed.

Having lost weight and looking tiny and frail, Rumana is struggling to cope. "I am not okay," she says in a barely audible voice.

"Sometimes I feel someone has snatched myself from me, and I am living someone else's life."

Her little daughter is faced with the challenge of attending kindergarten in a foreign country, and learning a new language.

Regarding the case against her husband, who has not yet been handed down a sentence, Rumana said "she is focusing on her recovery, not on him".

"How can he be punished properly? His life hasn't changed. I have lost my sight."

To other women who may be in abusive relationships, she cautions, "Plan ahead, and plan to get out of that relationship. If I had been able to get out of that relationship, I would not be here like this today."

Rumana was taken to India on June 14 for treatment, as she was severely injured in a physical assault by Hassan, who allegedly tried to gouge her eyes out and chewed her nose off.

She is doing a master's degree in political science at the Vancouver campus of the university, where she was supposed to submit her thesis paper in October.

On June 15, Hassan was arrested and later grilled in a case filed in connection with the torture.

He claimed she had an extramarital affair with an Iranian man, whom Rumana met while studying in Canada.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has come out with a blazing response to her political rival BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia's question as to which faith she actually belongs to.

Hasina on Wednesday said, "She asked whether I'm a Muslim or not. I would like to tell her that my day starts with Fajr prayers while her morning begins at midday."

She also said that the BNP chief is creating disorder in the country as she could not tolerate the pain of defeat in the last national election and the current government's 'deluge of development'.

The Awami League president was addressing a public rally at Nilphamari Government High School ground.

At a public meeting in Sylhet on Tuesday, Khaleda said, "Prime minister Sheikh Hasina told a Durga Puja function that our Maa Durga has arrived by elephant. Is Durga her mother? We want to know which religion she actually believes in."

The opposition leader also slated Hasina for dropping the words 'Absolute Faith and Trust in Allah' from the constitution.

Criticising the trial for crimes against humanity during the nation's war of independence in 1971, the BNP chief had also claimed the government was targeting and arresting leaders of four-party alliance that BNP heads.

Hasina on Wednesday retorted that BNP has begun conspiring to save those people charged with war crimes.

"The four-party alliance had turned the country into a heaven for terrorism and corruption during its last term." Hasina said her (Khaleda) 'good boys' laundered abroad billions of public money that they had siphoned off.

"They must return the money or cases will be filed against them. The trial of those will be held on this land who steal money from the poor and orphans."

Khaleda's sons, Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Coco, are charged in two separate money laundering cases. A Dhaka court on June 23 jailed Coco for six years and fined him Tk 190.41 million for siphoning off funds worth Singapore $2,884,000 and US $ 932,000 to Singapore.

Khaleda and Tarique are also accused in the Zia Orphanage Trusts case.

During her speech on Wednesday, Hasina said, "Our target is to keep every people of the country in peace. Children will go to schools. They will get stipends. Loans are being distributed in each of the districts. Our main target is a Bangladesh free of poverty."

Hasina promised her big audience of steps to expand rail line up to Nilphamari's Uttara Export Processing Zone, introduce master's courses in Nilphamari Government College and honours courses in Nilphamari Women's College and set up a youth training centre.