BANGLADESH

Fighting against wide-ranging contagious viruses, the authorities are finally strategising on a unique platform — taking all living creatures into equation to wage a common war.

As part of the design, experts have assembled in Dhaka to draft a 'one health' strategy for Bangladesh. This comes against a backdrop of emerging infectious diseases, such as avian and pandemic influenza, SARS, anthrax and nipah that threaten both human and animal health.

Once adopted, the strategy would be the first of its kind in the world.

"It (one-health approach) is an understanding that the health of humans, animals and of the environment is inextricably linked," said Prof Nitish C Debnath, coordinator of 'One Health Bangladesh' project.

He said the strategy would find ways to promote health safety of all species, and can be achieved "only through collaboration, cooperation and coordination across disciplines, professions and sectors".

"Our mission is changing from a focus on individual diseases and disciplines to looking at health across the lifetime," he said.

Bangladesh has experienced repeated outbreaks of avian influenza (commonly known as bird flu), nipah and anthrax of late.

With its devastating effect on the poultry industry, bird flu is even now hurting 52 of the country's 64 districts.

In 2010, an outbreak of anthrax from cows afflicted more than 600 people, apart from 100-plus livestock, in 15 districts.

And returning like an annual haunting spectacle, the ongoing nipah virus infection has killed all infected patients in Joypurhat.

A NEW DISEASE EVERY EIGHTH MONTH

Prof Nitish Debnath said: "We got 35 new diseases over the last 25 years, and 75 percent of them are zoonotic, meaning they are transmissible across species. Based on this pattern, we can say we are getting a new disease every eight months."

Globally, Bangladesh witnessed the onset of avian influenza in 1997, nipah virus infection in 1999, hantavirus in 1993, SARS in 2002, and Prion and HIV in the 1980s, he said.

Prof Debnath said they are even more "intriguing" in terms of their cross-species transmissibility. "And here lies the importance of one-health approach," he stressed.

BRAINSTORMING UNDERWAY

Besides the ministries of health, fisheries and livestock and environment, the five-day brainstorming effort to draft the national strategy has representation from UN agencies FAO, WHO and Unicef as well.

UNICEF chief of health Dr Lianne Kuppens said a strong collaboration is needed to contain the spread of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. "Emerging infectious diseases pose enormous challenge as the threat is invisible because (these) diseases are still evolving, or exist in limited pockets of wildlife or livestock," she said.

With this framework of one health, she said, Bangladesh reaffirms the need to shift off crisis response to focusing on building systems to combat emerging infectious diseases.

Health secretary Md Humayun Kabir told that activities of different ministries would be pinpointed as part of the strategy. "There will be clear instructions on which ministry would do what work during any situation of disease outbreak," he said.

At the inauguration of the workshop on Sunday night, fisheries and livestock minister Abdul Latif Biswas said the strategy is vital to expand and institutionalise existing inter-ministerial collaboration. He also asked experts to consider the context of Bangladesh while drafting the strategic paper.

"The strategy should be practical and actionable, and I hope you will consider this while drafting the strategy framework," the minister said, addressing experts assembled for the session.

NEED TO OVERCOME BARRIERS

Prof Debnath said there are challenges to adopt the one-health concept, the most important being the need for "key leadership" to embrace the concept and execute programmes on a national and international basis.

"Its success also depends on overcoming many barriers, including changing the mindset of healthcare providers from disease care to preventive medicine," he pointed out.

He said research should be undertaken by pooling insight and expertise of professionals from the fields of health, veterinary, agriculture and environmental. "The main emphasis is on working to enhance the quality of life, and to respond to change occurring around the globe at large, and specifically in Bangladesh," he said.

The Jahangirnagar University has decided to rusticate seven students for their alleged involvement in the murder of English department student Zubair Ahmed.

Of these, three are already expelled by the vice-chancellor's decision. At a meeting on Monday, the university syndicate decided to permanently expel them after a probe committee submitted their report, registrar Abu Bakr Siddique told reporters.

The students are: Ashiqul Islam, Khan Mohammad Rais and Jahid Hassan of zoology, Rashedul Islam Raju and Istiak Mahbub Arup of philosophy, Mahbub Akram of government and politics and Nazmus Sakib Tapu of biochemistry.

Along with them, six others have been expelled for two years. All the students are from the university's 37th batch (session 2007-08).

"Police have been asked to include ten more names in the case filed by the university in Zubair's death," Siddique said.

The syndicate had also decided to compensate Zubair's family with Tk 200,000 and employ one of his family members.

Another probe committee had been formed to look into the scuffle at a teachers' committee meeting, the registrar added.

Zubair, a final year undergraduate student of English literature, died at the United Hospital in Dhaka on Jan 9 from excessive bleeding from wounds he had suffered the day before. He was beaten severely, allegedly by activists of a Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) faction on the campus.

The faction is said to be patronised by vice-chancellor professor Sharif Enamul Kabir himself – a charge he denied.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party's Rajshahi metropolitan unit has called a half-day strike in the city on Tuesday after one person was killed in a clash between Jamaat-e-Islami activists and police on Monday.

Shafiqul Islam Shafique, a ward boy of the town's Islami Medical College Hospital, was shot dead in the afternoon when the activists of key ally of main opposition BNP clashed with the law enforcers during an antigovernment procession in the northwestern city.

Former Rajshahi mayor and metropolitan BNP unit president Mijanur Rahman Minu announced Tuesday's shutdown at a press briefing held at the city BNP unit office in the evening.

Though, Rajshahi Metropolitan Police commissioner Mohammad Obaidullah confirmed the clash and the death, but claimed that Shafique was not shot by police.

"Police did not fire any bullets, they only shot teargas shells," he clarified.

Regional connectivity is crucial for greater trade among SAARC countries and would help the region achieve its potential, prime minister Sheikh Hasina said on Monday.

"As leaders, we must ensure greater cooperation in enhancing regional connectivity," Hasina said at the inaugural ceremony of the fifth SAARC finance ministers' meeting at a city hotel.

Finance ministers of the eight SAARC countries and other senior officials are taking part in the meeting.

Hasina said regional connectivity would ensure all-round prosperity for people of the region.

FISCAL PRESSURE AMID GLOBAL RECESSION

Crises in Eurozone and the US have adversely affected South Asian countries, with fiscal space now becoming very limited, the prime minister said at the meeting.

"Expansionary economic policy is difficult to sustain for long and levels of public debt have also gone up," she noted.

According to Hasina, global inflationary pressure "is very strong" and instability in foreign exchange rates "is very risky". "In such a situation, there is a need for concerted action by SAARC," she said.

The prime minister also emphasised the need for faster dismantling of non-tariff and para-tariff barriers. "The progress on harmonisation of product standard must also be speeded up," she said.

About the 'sensitive list' among countries of the region, the prime minister said the process to reduce this list is slow and urged that it must include major goods of export interest.

DOWNSIDE RISK

Finance minister AMA Muhith, as chairman of the meeting, said there are some downside risk that can affect the SAARC countries.

Amid the current economic flux, he said, there may be problems in remittance inflow or slackness in export growth. "Oil export can increase the price of primary commodity."

"SAARC countries need to identify factors that destabilise economies and take necessary action," he added.

Finance secretary Mohammad Tareq said some countries in the region have already felt the pinch of the global crisis but added that Bangladesh was moving in a direction of higher growth.

Earlier, on Sunday, finance secretaries of the SAARC countries discussed regional cooperation and put forward their recommendations during the meeting of the ministers.

Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) has dropped the hint that water tariff may be increased to prevent waste in the subsidised sector.

At a views-exchange meeting in the city on the use of water on Monday, WASA managing director Taksim A Khan said that there was no alternative to raising the price of water to check its wastage.

He said that the water tariff in Dhaka city was comparatively low than any other cities across the world.

"It will be very difficult to run the organisation by providing subsidy if the water tariff is not increased," he added.

The water tariff was increased to Tk 6.66 from Tk 6.34 for 1000 liters of water (1 unit) on Aug 1 last year for the last time.

In 2009, WASA charged Tk 5.57 per unit which was raised in 2010 to Tk 6.04 in the first phase and Tk 6.34 in the second phase.

The Dhaka WASA chief said the process to repair and replace the shabby pipelines was in progress. "The work has already started by dividing the whole city into 81 areas and it is expected to be completed by the next two years."

The WASA pipelines in a number of areas have become ramshackle over the years causing leakage of a huge quantity of water on the one hand and disruption in water supply on the other.

Khan claimed that the wastage and illegal business in water take place mostly in the slum areas.

International Training Network (ITN) Centre of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) organised the discussion at the National Press Club.

Reading out the keynote paper, ITN director Prof Mohammad Mofizur Rahman stressed on the use of water from alternative sources by reducing dependence on ground water, considering the growing demand.

Former chief engineer of the Public Health Engineering Directorate Aminuddin Ahmed and incumbent chief engineer Mohammad Nuruzzaman, among others, also spoke in the programme.

Bangladesh will not impose any transit fees on India and will rather collect all charges permitted under GATT, a prime minister's advisor said on Monday.

"There is no such term (as) transit fee in 'books', and the government should strictly follow the principles laid down in GATT and transport economics," Mashiur Rahman, who advises prime minister Sheikh Hasina on economic affairs, told .

"We will evaluate all admissible charges stipulated in GATT and add up all charges to fix a single figure," he said. "Our plan is to make a transit deal with India following international practice to fix admissible charges stipulated in GATT."

He said the amount would be linked with the volume of cargo and long-term business prospect.

"If the government can assure that India can enjoy the service for long-term with quality service ensured, the amount will be higher," he explained.

Rahman, however, had said at a seminar in October last year that transit and transshipment fee would be fixed in the next renewal meeting of protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade, to be held before this March 31.

Transit has become a thorny issue between Dhaka and Delhi, especially after the neighbouring countries failed to strike an interim Teesta deal during Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh's Dhaka visit last September.

GOING FOR LUMP SUM

On Monday, advisor Mashiur Rahman said it would be inefficient for Bangladesh to charge Indian cargoes on a per-tonne-per-kilometre basis. He said the country should rather charge a lump sum amount.

"When determining the lump sum figure, all admissible charges allowed by GATT will be taken into consideration," he explained.

"We have to evaluate efficiency of operations, stability of the friendly Bangladesh-Indian regimes, conformity of GATT principles and transport economics before taking any transit decision."

About the Jan 28 meeting at the Indian prime minister's office, where it was decided to 'consider providing additional money, if need be, to ensure night navigation facilities on Indo-Bangladesh Protocol route', Rahman remarked, "Why should we say no if they want to give us more money?"

India pays Bangladesh Tk 55 million each year to maintain navigability of transit routes.

The meeting also decided that the Indian foreign ministry would try to extend the period of Inland Trade and Transit Protocol beyond March 2012, when it comes for renewal to provide longer certainty to vessel operators, according to a media release of the Indian PMO.

"Further efforts shall be made for early completion of Ashuganj multi-modal port by Bangladesh and its regular use as a transit port," the release said.

Dhaka signed protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (IWTT) in New Delhi in 1972. As per the protocol, Indian cargoes can travel from one part of the country to another through Bangladesh.

NEGOTIATIONS ON-GOING

Rahman said the shipping ministry is negotiating with its counterpart to renew the IWTT protocol. The ministry, he said, would consult the core committee's report before taking any decision.

The core committee on transit formed by the government has submitted its final report.

Asked about regular transit movement, he said it was never stopped. "There were several trial runs on multi-modal transit but now there is no barrier to regular movement."

The first commercial transshipment under trial run was held through Ashuganj port on Sept 28 last year.

Shafiqul Islam Shafique, the man who died allegedly in a clash between police and Jamaat-e-Islami workers, had been forced to go to the Jamaat procession, his brother claimed.

Police say they did not fire on the mass procession that Jamaat's Rajshahi unit took out on Monday afternoon.

His elder brother Rafiqul Islam said Shafique was not involved in politics. "We heard that the procession was standing at a place peacefully when the clashes began. My brother died when he was running away. We heard that he was shot," Rafique said.

He added that the deceased was a receptionist at the town's Islami Medical College Hospital.

"You have to say you are a Shibir [Jamaat student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir] member if you want a job at Islami Bank. My brother also got his job that way," Rafique said.

Rafiqul, who works in a private clinic's pathology section, said all employees of the Islami Bank Hospital were forced to go to the procession.

"Shafique was forced to go, to save his job," he said.

He said the family wanted to bury Shafique at Hetem Khan graveyard after the post mortem on Tuesday. Shafique had a seven-year old son. According to Rafique, he started working right after high school to support the family.

A purportedly Jamaat-e-Islami activist died when the opposition supporters clashed with police in Rajshahi City on Monday.

The deceased, Shafiqul Islam Shafique, was a receptionist at the town's Islami Medical College Hospital, his brother Rafiqul Islam told .

Police also detained 47 people during the clash in the afternoon.

Main opposition BNP's Rajshahi metropolitan unit will enforce a half-day general strike in the city from 6am on Tuesday in protest at the death and arrests.

Former Rajshahi mayor and city unit chief Mizanur Rahman Minu announced the shutdown at a press briefing held at the city BNP unit office in the evening.

Several Rajshahi unit leaders of Jamaat, a key ally of BNP, did not receive phone calls made to ask for their comments.

Rajshahi Metropolitan Police commissioner Mohammad Obaidullah confirmed the incident but claimed that Shafique was not shot by police.

Monday's event is an echo to Sunday's clashes between police and opposition BNP activists which left four people dead in Chandpur and Laxmipur during BNP's processions across the country.

Eyewitnesses said Jamaat activists took out the procession in the city as part of the opposition's antigovernment agitation in the afternoon. Violence erupted when police obstructed their procession.

Commissioner Obaidullah told that police only fired rubber bullets and teargas shells to disperse the gathering. "One has died during the clash. But police did not fire any bullet."

Two Jamaat activists including Shafique were injured in the clash. He died on his way to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.

A RMCH doctor seeking anonymity told Shafique was brought in dead. When asked about his wounds, he said the doctors had not examined the wounds and nothing could be said before the post mortem.

His brother said Shafique was not involved with any political party.

"Police obstructed the procession as they took it out to create chaos. That's why they assaulted the police," the police official said.

Minu, however, claimed, "Police attacked the Jamaat leaders and activists while they were preparing for the four-party-alliance procession in the city's Loknath School. One of the Jamaat activists died from their bullets."

In a media release on late Monday evening BNP declared a three-day nationwide mourning to protest what it said were the deaths of antigovernment 'demonstrators' in police firing on processions on Sunday and Monday.

The programmes include raising black flags at party offices, lowering the party flag, protest rallies at the district and Upazila headquarters on Tuesday and special prayers at mosques on Feb 3.

The High Court on Sunday summoned the author, publisher, editors and National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) chairman for terming late president Ziaur Rahman as the 'proclaimer of independence' in text books.

The order from the bench of justices A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Jahangir Hossain will require them to appear in court in person on Feb 2 to explain the reason behind providing such 'confusing' information in the books.

The author of the book is Ratan Siddiqui, publisher Mohammad Tafazzal Hossain, and editors are Safiquddin Ahmed and Muhammad Abdul Jalil.

The court ordered the five and the education secretary to explain in two weeks why they should not face trial under criminal and civil laws over the matter.

It also asked them to explain why the publication and distribution of the books would not be declared illegal and why seizure of the books not be ordered.

The High Court directed the inspector general of police to submit a report after removing all copies of the books across the country within 15 days.

The orders were issued following a writ petition filed by one Mohammad Ahsanul Haque over the mention of former president General Ziaur Rahman to have proclaimed independence in the text books named Pragati Nimna Madhyamik Bangla Byakaran o Rachana for classes seven and eight.

Belal Hossain Joy and Awlad Hossain argued the case for the petitioner while deputy attorney general ABM Altaf Hossain stood for the state at the hearing.

Hossain told the book mentioned 'Major General Zia' as the proclaimer of independence in one place.

"Though, the late president was a Major then," he added.

"In another section," he said, "Ziaur Rahman was mentioned as the proclaimer of independence on Mar 27 on behalf of Bangabandhu (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman)."

"Such contradictory and confusing information is misleading for the future generations," the counsel contended.

The High Court on Jun 21, 2009 had settled a longstanding dispute over the proclamation of independence saying it was the nation's father Sheikh Mujib who proclaimed the independence in 1971.

A speedy trial tribunal has passed capital punishment on one Zahidul Haque Rintu for murdering his niece Sadia Naoshin Priyanka, a class XII student of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College.

Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 judge Mohammad Motaher Hossain delivered the verdict on Sunday.

According to case details, the convict had strangulated Priyanka, 17, with a scarf sometime between 10:30am and 11:45am on July 18, 2007. The girl was murdered at her home: 536/1 Peyarbagh Noyartol.

According to details, Rintu, who stayed with his brother's family, regularly abused Priyanka sexually. After the victim's father learnt of the crime, he threw Rintu out of the house.

An irate Rintu, according to the complainant, threatened to kill the family. On July 18, he found Priyanka alone at home and strangulated her.

Priyanka's father Mohammad Sultan Faruk, an accountant with Border Guard Bangladesh, filed a murder case with Ramna police the following day.

Police submitted the chargesheet on June 27, 2009, making Rintu, then 28, the lone accused.

On Sunday's Priyanka's parents expressed satisfaction over the verdict.

Special public prosecutor S M Rafiqul Islam and former special public prosecutor Sarkar Shahidul Islam took part in the hearing on behalf of the state.

Testimonies of 26 people were taken during course of the trial.

Activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, have allegedly torn down the newly constructed security wall of the Shahid Minar at Rangpur Carmichael College.

Principal of the college Dwipakendra Nath Das said the Shibir supporters did this early on Sunday morning. Construction of the boundary wall had commenced on Thursday.

Kotwali police station officer-in-charge Altaf Hossain told that the principal filed a case accusing some unnamed Shibir activists in this connection.

President of the organisation's college unit 'Palash' had warned him on mobile phone Saturday night not to erect the 200-metre long wall as their camp, called Shibir or tent, is beside the wall, Das said.

"He had also threatened that the wall will be crushed if his warning is not heeded," he added.

"They are giving me death threats since the filing of the case," the principal said and alleged that his request for police deployment has been ignored.

The deputy inspector general (DIG) of Rangpur police range Binoy Krishna Bala ordered the district police superintendent (SP) Saleh Mohammad Tanveer to ensure security and safety of students as well as the principal after he had informed him about the threats, Das said.

"The Shibir activists are still roaming around freely," he said.

The SP acknowledged the order but denied the allegation. "We have never said that we would not deploy forces. We will send the forces at the earliest."

Pro-government student organisation Bangladesh Chhatra League's Rangpur city unit and general students have taken out procession on the college campus protesting against the demolition.

The protesters held a meeting after the procession and declared a ban on political activities of Shibir on the campus.

The prime minister has warned her party's MPs to 'mend their ways' in time.

Also the Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina told a meeting of the party's parliamentary party on Sunday that she had up-to-date information on all the legislators and she had already gone through 200 of them.

Several sources at the meeting said it was on the basis of these reports that she made her warning.

Hasina also urged Awami League MPs to improve communications with citizens and party workers. A source said she had warned the MPs that those who cannot earn the trust of party colleagues in the next two years would not get a nomination in the next election.

The source said Hasina announced that she would hold meetings with teams of 25 MPs once she had gone through all the reports.

A bill was tabled in parliament on Sunday with provisions of up to seven years of jail sentence for production, storage, marketing, sale, carrying, supply and exhibition of pornography.

Home minister Shahara Khatun presented the 'Pornography Control Act 2012' after which it was sent to a parliamentary committee for scrutiny.

According to the bill pornography is any dialogue, acting, posture, unclothed or partially unclothed dance in cinema, video, photography, graphics, audio-visual image or imagery otherwise captured and displayable, which causes sexual arousal and has no artistic or educational value.

Also, such books, magazines, sculptures, cartoons and leaflets which cause the sexual arousal, and their negatives and soft copies would also be considered pornography.

The home minister said pornography was spreading like 'a terrible disease' across society and in absence of any law the 'crime and criminals' cannot be stopped.

The highest punishment, that of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of Tk 500,000, is reserved for those making pornography using children.

The cabinet approved this law on Jan 2. On that day prime minister's press secretary Abul Kalam Azad had told the media the crimes under this bill would be tried under special tribunals.

A seven-year term and Tk 200,000 fine was reserved in the bill for those who will lure a person, with or without their knowledge and film or photograph them.

For blackmailing a person with pornography, two to five years of jail and Tk 1-200,000 fine was proposed.

The BNP has shortened the route for its public procession in Dhaka on Monday.

"The route of the procession has been cut short taking Khaleda Zia's safety and the environment into consideration," BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced after a meeting of the highest policymaking forum, National Standing Committee.

The procession will start at 2pm from the party headquarters in Naya Paltan and parade down Kakrail, Shantinagar, Malibagh, Mouchak before ending at Maghbazar. The previous route would have gone past Maghbazar to Bangla Motor.

The BNP chairperson chaired the one-hour long meeting of her party's senior advisors at her Gulshan office after clashes between police and opposition supporters during countrywide antigovernment demonstrations left at least four people dead.

Four were killed as police opened fire on BNP processions in Laxmipur and Chandpur earlier in the day.

Committee members, R A Gani, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, M Shamsul Islam, Mahbubur Rahman, M K Anwar, Jamir Uddin Sircar, A S M Hannan Shah, Rafiqul Islam Mia, Abdul Moin Khan, Mirza Abbas, Nazrul Islam Khan, Gayeswar Chandra Roy and acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir were present at the meeting.

Metropolitan BNP president Sadeque Hossain Khoka and chairperson's adviser Osman Faruk were there on special invitation.

BNP's Dhaka procession was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday after police declared section 144, a ban on public gathering and processions, on that day.

Fakhrul called on the government to cooperate in the procession. "We hope the government will come to its senses and it will not impede our peaceful protest programmes," he said.

He warned that the government would have to take the responsibility if the processions were barred.

"On Monday, there will be processions in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Bogra, Joypurhat and Habiganj as well. The procession in Khulna will be held later since the police ban there," he added.

"The government's tyrannical face has been revealed to the people through these police attacks on ordinary people," he said.

In reply to a query, he said the party's programmes to protest the police attacks would be announced after Monday.

Farmers of Sripur in Magura district have alleged that Robi crops on at least 10,000 acres of land have been damaged following early release of water in the Ganges-Kapotakkho Irrigation Project's canal.

Although authorities had comforted them, it has taken no initiative yet to mitigate the disaster, the region's farmers have complained.

Affected farmers of Sripur upazila's Taarazail village say water in the irrigation canal has never been released during this time of the year, as they complain Robi crops of 30 villages in the region have been 'devastated' due to untimely release of water.

Deputy-assistant engineer of Khustia Water Development Board Subir Chowdhury says, "Water in the GK project is released on March 10 every year. But this year, water was released from Jan 20 considering preparations to make seed-beds for Boro crops."

Subir, however, says he is not aware of any devastation of Robi crops in Magura's Sripur upazila.

The GK Irrigation Project was conceived in 1954 to facilitate 1,350,000 hectors of arable land in 13 upazilas of Magura, Jhenaidah, Kushtia and Chuadanga districts during the dry season.

Farmers of Taarazail village say as water in the irrigation canal has suddenly been released, unwanted water inundated fields of 30 villages last week.

Baffled farmers say they went for Robi crop cultivation in the dry season instead of paddy or jute cultivation. They say they manage irrigation with 'shallow machines' for Robi crops.

Agriculture official of Sripur upazila Ruhul Kabir has told that an assessed 40 percent of the total Robi crop will be affected, which will be no less than Tk 150 million in financial estimates.

Kabir says on January 10 Sripur Upazlila Agriculture Office had informed the Upazila Nirbahi Officer, Upazila chairman, district administration and Water Development Board for not releasing water in the canal.

According to the agriculture official, the current situation is the result of untimely release of water in the GK canal from Khustia's Bheramara.

The local upazila agriculture office has said lentil was cultivated in 1,530 acres of land, pulse in 660 acres, mustard in 810 acres, onion in 2,000 acres, garlic in 464 acres, wheat in 3,770 acres, crops in 840 acres, pea in 400 acres, linseed in 245 acres, coriander in 125 acres.

Farmers would have brought home the crops within a month, according to the agriculture office.

Deputy-assistant engineer of Magura Water Development Board Motiar Rahman has told : "Robi crops in some areas of Sripur have been damaged by the water released in advance. The GK project officials have been informed of the matter."

The official says steps will be taken to "resolve" the situation "as soon as possible".

Mentioning that this is the first time water has been released ahead of schedule, he says, farmers who intend to cultivate Boro in the upcoming season will need the water to prepare their seed-beds.

The communications minister says roads are being repaired in a hurry wherever he is to visit, which is why he is planning to tour the whole country.

"They repaired all the broken roads because I was coming," Obaidul Quader told a rally on Saturday at Satkhira after inspecting repair work.

"So I plan to go wherever there are broken roads," he said.

He added that the Roads Division had been asked to repair the roads across the country before next monsoon.

The last communication minister Syed Abul Hossain lost his portfolio two months ago amidst a torrent of criticisms over the sorry condition of roads and highways. He was succeeded by Awami League presidium member Quader.

The communications minister held rallies at Satkhira Sadar Hospital intersection, Atharomile, Noapara, Madanpur and some other places and exchanged views with local leaders.

"We should behave nicely with everyone, otherwise the votes will be zero. If we show muscle when in power, people will not say anything now but will reply with ballot," he told his party colleagues.

He urged them to do less talking and more work. "People want to see development. So the slogan now should be – less talk, more work," he added.

Dhaka Metropolitan Awami League has cancelled its Sunday rally.

The organisation's vice-president Mukul Chowdhury told on Saturday evening that the rally was postponed following a police ban on gathering in the city.

Minutes earlier, BNP rescheduled its procession programme to Monday from Sunday. Awami League Dhaka unit however, did not issue an alternative date for their programme.

After city Awami League announced a rally on the same day as the BNP mass procession, police imposed section 144 in the capital effective from 6am Sunday to 12pm.

"Our Sunday rally has been cancelled since the government has banned processions and gathering," Mukul Chowdhury said.

General indices of both the bourses have plummeted sharply, a day after closing high.

On Wednesday, the index at the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) lost 94 points and 155 on the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE).

Asked, CSE president Fakhor Uddin Ali Ahmed told , "The index fell as the assured steps to keep the market stable have not been fulfilled."

He said, "The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has declared taking various steps like increasing netting facilities, minimising transaction time, reducing CDBL charges and increasing time to adjust subsidiary loan. But as the implementation is yet to happen, the market has fallen again."

After a meeting with the Bangladesh Merchant Bankers Association (BMBA) on Tuesday, SEC spokesman Saifur Rahman said the central bank had decided to give merchant banks more time to adjust their single-party exposure limit in a bid to help the drooping capital market.

The measure triggered the indices at both the bourses, until Wednesday morning, after which it started falling.

Small investors in frustration staged demonstration in front of the DSE.

BMBA president Mohammad A Hafiz in the evening told that shares were being bought from different institutions including merchant banks.

He also urged the investors to have patience, anticipating that the market would rebound within a day or two.

"Assurance has been given to extend time for loan adjustment. Therefore, there's nothing to panic," he observed.

Capital Market Investors Council's Mizanur Rashid Khan said there was a rumour that the adjustment time would not be extended.

"We've heard that a circular was supposed to be published, but it did not happen at last," he added.

On Wednesday, turnover stood at Tk 3.79 billion, 225 share prices declined, 25 advanced and seven remained unchanged.

The DSE general index rose 134.32 points or 2.26 percent to 6055.17 on Tuesday.

The local government ministry has initiated a move to amend the Local Government (City Corporation) Bill to extend the deadline for staging elections to the split Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) and also to increase the tenure of the DCC administrators.

The effort comes after the Election Commission (EC) expressed its inability to stage the DCC elections, given the paucity of time.

The ministry has forwarded the amendment proposal for discussion in the cabinet. The draft recommends holding DCC elections within 180 days instead of the stipulated 90 days, local government secretary Abu Alam Shahid Khan told on Saturday.

Khan said the amendment is being brought to extend the deadline for elections, as the EC "could not, or did not" stage the polls within 90 days.

"We have sent the bill to the Cabinet Division for approval of the amendment," he said. "In this case, the provision to stage the polls within 90 days will be changed to 180 days, and the administrators' tenure will be the same (180 days)."

The bill would be tabled in parliament after approval of the cabinet, he added.

The divided DCC polls will have to be staged by May if the bill is amended. Khan said he hopes the bill would be presented in one of the next two cabinet meetings.

ELECTION PREPARATION

Election commissioner M Sakhawat Hossain welcomed the initiative to amend the law that would give EC time to hold the polls within 180 day. He told that though the outgoing EC could not hold the polls, all necessary preparations for a successful election would be done.

He said the government has been informed of the matter.

"EC officials have been asked to be ready for at least 10 pre-election preparatory activities, including (preparing names of) proposed poll centres, the voter list, among others," he said.

Sakhawat Hossain hoped that there would not be any problem in staging the elections within May.

He also expressed disappointment for not being able to stage the polls under the incumbent EC and believes the elections will be a challenge for the new EC.

DCC SPLIT IN TWO

The Local Government (City Corporation) Amendment Bill-2011 was passed in parliament on Nov 30, splitting DCC into North and South zones.

Then the mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka and the councillors had to leave office after president Zillur Rahman approved the bill and a gazette was published.

Subsequently, the government, on Dec 4 appointed Khalilur Rahman as DCC South administrator and Khorshed Alam Chowdhury as his counterpart in DCC North.

The administrators are supposed to hand over power to the elected mayors. As per law, mayoral elections are to be held in the two city corporations within 90 days of appointment of the administrators.

According to the bill to split DCC, administrators of the new city corporations will not be able to hold office for more than 180 days, while those of corporations with expired dates would have to hand over power within 90 days of appointment.

The bill also says an administrator cannot be appointed twice to the post.

PRESENT EC 'UNABLE' TO HOLD POLLS

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Shamsul Huda had earlier expressed the incumbent EC's inability to hold the elections in the scheduled 90-day period. The shortage of time was among the three reasons he had cited for this.

The commission issued a letter to the local government ministry in this regard last December.

Criticising the "contradictory" position of the EC and the government, local government minister Syed Ashraful Islam said elections to the divided DCC would take place under a new commission.

The previous Dhaka City Corporation had ended its tenure in May 2007. There had been no elections since.

Warning that the consequences otherwise will be "unpleasant", BNP chief Khaleda Zia has demanded lifting of the ban on all sorts of gathering in the capital meant for Sunday.

"Awami League announced a counter-programme two days ago to foil the (BNP) mass procession. The government has now imposed Section 144 citing chances of conflict," Khaleda said at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) on Saturday.

Khaleda was addressing a programme on the closing ceremony of diploma engineers' national council.

The Dhaka metropolitan unit of Awami League announced a counter-programme on Sunday, to coincide with BNP's mass procession. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) subsequently imposed a ban on all kind of gathering and procession in the city on Sunday.

According to DMP officials, the ban has been imposed as a pre-emptive move to avoid possible law and order breakdown.

Khaleda had given a call for Sunday's public procession, demanding reinstatement of the caretaker government system, during a rally in Chittagong on Jan 9.

But AL's metropolitan unit on Thursday called for a rally of its own on Sunday in front of the party's Bangabandhu Avenue office.

Khaleda said the government is taken aback at the huge participation in BNP's "peaceful programmes". "Fearing this, they (government) have taken a wicked path," she alleged.

The former prime minister cited her 2001-6 administration's efforts for the improvement of technical education and engineers.

She supported the diploma engineers' slogan, 'Save Rivers, Save Country' and called on them to unite to save the country from the 'current crisis.

The closing ceremony of the 19th and 35th national council of diploma engineers was held in Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the programme on Thursday.

Around 6,000 diploma engineers from Bangladesh and 30 representatives from the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, took part in the programme.

BNP chief Khaleda Zia has sat with her senior advisors, hours after police banned gatherings in Dhaka for Sunday when she was scheduled to lead a procession of her party..

The meeting of the highest policymaking forum, the National Standing Committee, kicked off from 7pm on Saturday at her Gulshan office.

It is aimed at discussing the next course of action in the wake of the changed situation created by Dhaka Metropolitan Police's ban on gatherings, her press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan said.

Standing committee members R A Gani, Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, M Shamsul Islam, Mahbubur Rahman, Tariqul Islam, M K Anwar, Jamiruddin Sircar, A S M Hannan Shah, Rafiqul Islam Miah, Mirza Abbas, Abdul Moin Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan and acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam have joined the meeting.

BNP vice-president, also Dhaka metropolitan BNP convenor, Sadeque Hossain Khoka is participating there on special invitation.

Son Reza Kibria has demanded that investigators question former speaker Jamiruddin Sircar over the killing of former finance minister Shah A M S Kibria.

He also thinks former Habiganj deputy commissioner Emdadul Haque needs to be interrogated in the matter.

Reza made these demands in a statement at a discussion on Saturday on his father's seventh death anniversary at National Press Club.

Former minister and Awami League leader Kibria and four others were killed in a grenade attack on an Awami League rally in Habiganj on Jan 27, 2005. Over 70 people were also injured in the gruesome attack.

Additional investigation is ongoing in the case.

"BNP-Jamaat government tried to manipulate this investigation. They wanted to shield the real conspirators of the crime and punish mere tools," Reza said.

"This investigation needs a brave and skilled police officer," he added, speaking on the family's position regarding the ongoing enquiry.

Reza Kibra remembered that after his father was injured, he had tried repeatedly to ask the then speaker Jamiruddin Sircar for a helicopter to bring him to Dhaka.

"But he bolted his door and stayed home. He did not even pick up phone calls. Later, he said at a press conference that he was sleeping," he added.

"I'm not saying he was involved in the killing, but he knew who was. If it can be found out on whose instructions he was sleeping that evening, the investigation will advance a long way," he said.

"Deputy commissioner Emdadul Haque did not provide police for my father's safety. He had contacted the then junior home minister Lotfuzzaman Babar and many others that day," he said.

Babar, who is in jail, is charged in both Aug 21 grenade attack and Chittagong 10-truck arms case.

A member of parliament who led a mob into Rangpur Medical College Hospital demanding appointment of the locals was injured in the counterattack by hospital employees.

Around 50 people, including policemen, workers and journalists received injuries during the conflict.

Later the injured Rangpur-1 MP Mokbul Shahriar Asif, also the nephew of Jatiya Party chairperson Hussein Muhammad Ershad, was admitted to the same hospital for treatment.

Witnesses said around 7-800 people came in trucks to attack the medical college.

"Angry locals besieged the hospital because it had ensured no quota in recruitment for my election area Gangachharha," Asif told before the chaos began.

The recruitment in 186 third and fourth-class positions of RMCH is underway. Around 4,500 applicants took part in the written examination on Dec 30.

Authorities say Awami League, Bangladesh Chhatra League and Jatiya Party have been demanding quota for their favourites from the very beginning.

At one stage of the clash some of the MP's supporters rushed to the director's room. They started vandalising various establishments inside the hospital when they failed to get the director. The employees of RMC resisted and a large scale clash ensued.

Police arrived and used batons and tear cells to disperse the conflict. "Police fired 20 rounds of tear gas canisters to control the situation," Kotwali Police Station officer-in-charge Altaf Hossain told reporters.

Six journalists including Desh TV Rangpur correspondent Abu Aslam received injuries. According to locals, the total number of injured may exceed 50.

Faced with police onslaught, the rioters dispersed. MP Asif himself rushed to a room in the medical college where he was found with a wound on his head.

He told reporters the attack on him was 'deliberate'. His companions blamed the hospital employees for the injury and Asif threatened a case against them.

The hospital's doctor Saiful Islam said Asif's head required two stitches but he was out of danger.

OC Altaf told reporters in the afternoon the situation had calmed down and additional police had been deployed at the scene. No cases had been filed until afternoon, he said.

The BNP has rescheduled Sunday's procession to Monday after police put an embargo on public gathering fearing lawlessness since that programme coincided with an Awami League rally.

Acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir emerged halfway through a standing committee meet to make the announcement.

"Due to the ban, the Dhaka procession will take place on Monday, starting at 2pm from the party office. Khaleda Zia will lead the procession.

"We hope the government will cooperate with us in this peaceful protest programme," he said.

"But the government should not mistake our tolerance for weakness," the spokesperson emphasised.

Party chief Khaleda Zia had given a call for Sunday's public procession, demanding reinstatement of the caretaker government system, during a rally in Chittagong on Jan 9.

But AL's metropolitan unit on Thursday called for a rally of its own on Sunday in front of the party's Bangabandhu Avenue office.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police subsequently imposed a ban on all kinds of gathering and procession in the city on Sunday.

"Jan 29 rally was announced a long time ago. But Awami League's announcement of its rally was pre-planned. We were sure then that the government would use this as an excuse to bar the mass procession," Fakhrul said.

He said the decision was a reflection of the government's autocratic attitude.

"The government forced a ban on our peaceful programme. We believe in peace. So we have rescheduled our programme to Jan 30," he added.

Earlier, addressing a programme on the closing ceremony of diploma engineers' national council, Khaleda had demanded lifting of the ban on all sorts of gathering in the capital meant for Sunday.

President Zillur Rahman has urged the opposition to return to parliament.

"Place all your (opposition) proposals and complaints in parliament. It will enrich democracy," he said on the opening day of the 12th session of the ninth parliament on Wednesday.

The session, the first this year, started at 3pm amidst continued boycott by the opposition lawmakers.

Parliament leader and prime minister Sheikh Hasina was present on the first day of the session.

The main opposition has been saying it will not join parliament without revival of the caretaker government system, which was annulled through the 15th Amendment to the constitution

Zillur, however, thanked the government for the amendment.

"The spirit of the 1972 charter has been revived through it…the four fundamental principles have also been re-established."

The president expressed his hope that trial of war criminals and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutineers will be completed soon.

"With respect to international laws and norms, laws to try war crimes have been passed. I hope the trial of war criminals will finish soon," he said.
"Those tied with the killings in BDR headquarters at Pilkhana will also be punished properly, I hope," he said.

After his speech concluded, speaker Abdul Hamid adjourned the session until Sunday.

Apart from Awami League MPs, JaSad president Hasanul Haque Inu and Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon attended the session.

Jatiya Party MPs, except chairman Hussein Muhammad Ershad, were also present in the House.

Five new woman MPs – A N Mahfuza Khatun Baby Maudud, Fazilatunnesa Indira, Pinu Khan, Hasina Mannan and Fazilatunnesa Bappy – took part in the proceedings on the opening session of the session. It is their first session.

The BNP on Wednesday called for the government's cooperation to peacefully stage the Jan 29 public procession in Dhaka, which opposition chief Khaleda Zia is scheduled to lead.

"Our programme shall be peaceful. We have already sent letters to the home minister, home secretary and Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner to take necessary steps to ensure peace and discipline," acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told journalists.

BNP will host processions in Dhaka and around the country on the day demanding reinstatement of the constitutional provision of caretaker government to oversee parliamentary elections.

"We hope that the government will help us to successfully host our peaceful, democratic programme," the spokesperson said but was quick to warn the government that it would have to bear consequences should there be any bar to the procession.

The caution was thrown in the air after a meeting of the four-party coalition and like-minded political parties in the evening at BNP's Naya Paltan headquarters.

"Hosting processions and rallies are the democratic and constitutional right of political parties. Any bar to this programme will force us to announce harsher agitation," he added.

However, when asked, the BNP leader could not specify which streets the opposition supporters will march down, saying, "The route is yet to be finalised."

Local authorities on Wednesday banned all sorts of public gathering at Narail Sadar upazila as two rival factions of Juba Dal, the youth wing of opposition BNP, announced simultaneous rallies at the same venue.

The Section 144, banning public gatherings, took effect within 200 metres of the city's main intersection near the BNP office from 9am to 8pm, additional district magistrate Khandakar Hasnat Tarik told .

Narail Sadar Police Station OC Mohammad Rafiqul Islam said Mashiar Rahman, the president of Juba Dal's Narail district unit, called a rally at 11am in front of the local BNP office to welcome the unit's new office-bearers.

Local Juba Dal leader Kamruzzaman also convened programmes at the same venue to observe the 76th birth anniversary of the party's founder late Ziaur Rahman, he said.

"It leaves chances of deterioration of law and order," Rafiqul Islam said.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday lavished tributes on Abdur Razzak, the late political stalwart who was one of the key organisers of nation's independence war.

"The country has lost a valiant freedom fighter and an efficient and patriotic leader at his death," she said at a discussion on the obituary references at the deaths of Razzak and 20 other eminent persons on the first day of the 12th session parliament.

Razzak, a former minister and Awami League presidium member, passed away at a London hospital on Dec 23 while undergoing treatment, thus bringing a 50-year-long distinguished career in politics to a close.

Hasina also paid tributes to 20 other eminent persons, including national professor Kabir Chowdhury, former state minister Rashed Mosharraf, Abdur Rouf, Shamsur Rahman Shahjahan and Rashid Talukdar, who died after the 11th session was prorogued.

Later on, a one-minute silence was observed as a mark of respect to their memory.

Referring to the beginning of Bangladesh Chhatra League, Hasina said she is fortunate that she could work with Razzak when she did politics of Chhatra League.

"He had led Chhatra League with efficiency during the freedom struggle and took advices from my mother in absence of Bangabandhu (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the independence hero who was then imprisoned)," she said.

Razzak was twice general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the Awami League's student front. In 1967, he served the East Pakistan Chhatra League as its general secretary.

Hasina said her mother had profound affection for Razzak and even arranged marriage for him.

Before her, senior AL leader and long-time comrade Tofail Ahmed said Razzak was uncompromising on the issue of the trial of suspected war criminals. "The trial is in progress."

Suranjit Sengupta said there had been an erosion of political idealism, honesty and ethics following the death of Razzak.

Deputy leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, senior AL leaders Amir Hossain Amu and Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Jatiya Party secretary general Ruhul Amin Hawlader, JSD president Hasanul Haque Inu, Workers Party president Rashed Khan Menon and Rahmat Ali also took part in the discussion on the obituary references.

In his opening speech, speaker Abdul Hamid said: "Parliament is the centre point of politics. It (parliament) is the main centre to fulfil the people's demands and expectations."

"Both the government and opposition party MPs can go ahead towards achieving political goals using this national assembly. Besides the ruling party, the opposition can play a crucial role in making parliament effective."

At the beginning of the session, the speaker nominated a five-member panel to preside over the current session when he and his deputy will be absent.

The members are Abdul Matin Khasru, Mohammad Mujibul Haque, A K M Mozammel Haque, Jafrul Islam Chowdhury and Nazma Akhter Khanam.

The search committee has invited the political parties that had dialogues with the president to put up their nominees for the chief and members of the new Election Commission.

The move was decided from the maiden meeting of the committee held at the Supreme Court conference room on Wednesday.

Senior information officer of the Cabinet Division Munshi Jalal Uddin in a media statement said each of those political party can propose a maximum of five names with bio-data of the nominees to the Cabinet Division secretary by 3pm on Jan 29.

The meeting, led by chairman Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain, an Appellate Division judge, asked the Cabinet Division secretary to send to it names of all his predecessors and retired former principal secretaries to the prime minister.

It also asked the Supreme Court registrar to send in the names of retired district judges.

The meeting also decided that the committee members would collect the names of the persons they deem fit to become election commissioners.

President Zillur Rahman formed the search committee, following a series of dialogues, to reconstitute the Election Commission.

The Cabinet Division published the names of the committee in a gazette on Tuesday. The committee has been given 10 working days to recommend names for the next Election Commission.

Though main opposition BNP took part in the dialogue, it demanded restoration of the caretaker government system, which was scrapped on June 30 last year through the 15 amendment to the constitution, before reconstitution of the electoral commission.

Two other members of the committee, High Court's Justice Md Nuruzzman and Public Service Commission chairman A T Ahmedul Hauqe Chowdhury were present at Wednesday's meeting.

Syed Abul Hossain has launched a passionate defence of himself against a rash of criticism over allegations of irregularities and corruption in the $2.9 billion Padma bridge project during his time as communications minister.

In an interview with , the man who shares much of the blame for the World Bank freezing its promised loan, said, "When facts are revealed, all unjustified allegations should be resolved and the misconceptions in the media, the World Bank and [among] the people should be cleared up."

The World Bank in last October suspended a $1.2 billion loan to the government for the project that has been awash in corruption allegations the Anticorruption Commission is currently investigating.

The loan, which was its biggest-ever off-credit line to any country, was signed in April last year to help finance Bangladesh's longest bridge that would link the country's north with its more-isolated south.

The tension between the government and the global lending agency burst into public view after the project co-financier slapped allegations against Abul Hossain that he was engaged in extortion during river dredging, appointment of consultants and preliminary selections.

Hossain, shuffled to the newly carved out information and communications technology ministry, says he "ensured complete transparency and accountability".

He pointed the finger at "the conspiracy and acts of sabotage by a faction" that delayed the much-vaunted scheme. The minister added, without calling names, that the faction "spread misinformation through nameless letters and created debilitating misconception about corruption in this project."

Things started to go wrong in early September when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police raided the offices of SNC-Lavalin, an engineering firm bidding on the bridge project, after the World Bank's anti-graft unit referred its concerns about violations of Canadian law.

"Sadly, not only the people of the country and the media, but even the World Bank have been caught in this web of misconception," the minister remarked.


He laments that the fund freeze stalled the process of main tender invitation and the contractor selection.

"Any allegation of corruption at this stage is nothing other than pure speculative and baseless accusation. These fictional and rumor-based accusations will inevitably be proven untrue in any thorough and fair investigation."

The man well known for his broad smile says he is "sure that the World Bank will discover the genuine facts" and "recognize the unfortunate misconception that has so detrimentally delayed this long awaited project".

After several deadly accidents and passenger sufferings on rundown roads and highways, his public spat with party colleagues – which degenerated into an ugly mudslinging match – played out on the front pages of newspapers and in primetime bulletins last year.

Asked what he makes of the intense media gaze during those tough times, he suggests the media blew things up in some cases, while he recognised the freedom of speech.

"What I found most unfortunate is that media's role is becoming perhaps an unsuspecting instrument in some of these orchestrated protests. To my absolute disappointment I witnessed several news articles that reported inaccurate conjectures."

He cited instances of getting a taste of often hostile media scrutiny.

"There were criticisms in the media about the renovation of the minister's office- the cost of which was colorfully reported by Prothom Alo to be 1 Crore 20 Lacs; but in fact, the cost was 7 Lac 20 thousand. There was also extensive news coverage about a luxurious car being bought by the Communications Ministry - which was in fact never bought.

"In 2005 I started the construction of a guesthouse in my village near the Sheikh Hasina Academy and Women's College with my own Tax Paid money. The construction was completed this year and I have never even stayed at this house for a single day. Even this philanthropic act of development for my constituency was scrutinized and criticised by Prothom Alo."

Despite all this, Abul Hossain says he is confident that he will be cleared of charges levelled by the World Bank over the Padma bridge project.

"I expect that if the investigation's report is completed and accurate, it should reveal that there [were] no acts of corruption or any other irregularities in the proceedings of the Padma Bridge Projects."

Guinness World Records on Tuesday recognised a feat by a Bangladeshi, Abdul Halim, for walking 15.2 kilometres with a ball on his head.

Magura man Halim is the second Bangladeshi to set a world record after Table Tennis star Zobera Rahman Linu, who had entered the records by becoming national champion 16 times.

Halim performed his record breaking exploit on Oct 28 last at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

The Guinness authorities inspected the video of Halim's walk, read newspaper reports in English and Bangla published the next day, obtained the venue's international standing and recorded five witnesses' accounts.

The old Guinness record for longest walk with a ball on their head was by E Ming Lu of Malaysia, who had walked 11.12 kilometres at the Majlis Perbandaran Subang Jaya stadium on Aug 21, 2009.

Halim is exhilarated with his extraordinary achievement. "I always believed one day I would get recognition for my achievements. I am delighted to see my name on the Guinness book. I do not have wrds to express my happiness.

"I am very grateful to the Guinness authorities," he said on telephone.

The 12th session of the ninth parliament, to begin on Wednesday, will end on March 8.

The Business Advisory Committee of parliament took the decision on the length of the session in a meeting on Tuesday, law minister Shafique Ahmed, who took part in the meeting on special invitation, told reporters.

Committee member Khaleda Zia, the opposition chief, skipped the meeting chaired by speaker Abdul Hamid.

The opposition MPs, who are absent in parliament for 53 working days on average, are not in risk of losing their membership of parliament in case of not attending the session with 27 working days.

According to law, membership of parliament is cancelled if an MP remains absent in parliament sessions for 90 consecutive working days.

The opposition MPs have been absent in seven of 11 sessions of the ninth parliament.

Their last attendance in parliament had taken place on Mar 24 last year. After a 74-day hiatus, BNP had joined the eighth session on Mar 15 the same year.

Earlier on Tuesday, chief whip Abdus Shahid expressed his hope that the boycotting opposition MPs will return to parliament to keep their membership.

Opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque said the opposition will consider returning only after a 'congenial atmosphere' is created by placing the caretaker government bill.

In line with rules, the president addresses parliament in the first session every year and MPs take part in discussion welcoming the president's speech.

The virus that killed five people at Jaipurhat in the last four days has been identified as Nipah.

The Institute of Epidemiology Diseases Control and Research (IEDCR) confirmed on its website on Tuesday that the five had indeed died from Nipah. A team from the institute are now working in the affected area.

The IECDR said human infections took place in Joypurhat municiplatiy and Khetlal Upazila.

Of the five deaths, two are from Khetlal and the others from the municipality. They died in Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogra and Rajshahi Medical College Hospital.

On Jan 21, a five-member IECDR expert team went to Bogra and Rajshahi to collect blood and other samples.

Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital said it had launched a separate unit for Nipah-infected patients.

Nipah virus causes severe illness characterised by inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), respiratory disease, seizures, vomiting and fainting.

Experts advise against drinking unprocessed date extracts, as fruit bats, the natural host of the Nipah virus, could contaminate the juice.
They also advise not eating partially eaten fruits, wash them before eating and washing hands after coming into contact with patients.

Bangladesh can earn around $12 million a year through waste management, according to environment minister Hasan Mahmud, who believes that the annual income is possible through carbon-trading.

Statistics revealed at the signing of a memorandum of understanding for an urban waste management project on Tuesday show that roughly 4.8 million tonnes of waste are produced daily in the 288 towns in the country.

Organic wastes make up 78 percent of the total daily produce, decomposition of which leads to the emission of 2.01 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over a year.

"Processing the organic waste through the method approved by UNFCCC could lead us to lowering that high carbon emission. Bangladesh can sell carbon credit at $6 [per tonne of carbon emission] in the world market and earn $12 million a year," the minister said.

According to the Kyoto protocol, each country is given the scope to emit carbon in ratio to its population. So if any country emits less, they can sell carbon credit to other countries.

The project, named Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), aims at tackling the effects of climate change and lowering emissions by urban waste management.

The Department of Environment (DoE) will implement this project with assistance from Denmark. DoE director general Monowar Islam and Danish ambassador to Dhaka Svend Olling signed the memorandum.

The North European country will provide Bangladesh with technical and specialist support in drawing up the project's concept paper and its implementation. In return, the Danish government will be given priority to buy, at the international market rates, the carbon credit put up by Bangladesh for sale.

Bangladesh will only be able to sell to other countries when Denmark declines.

Hasan Mahmud said, "Waste management is the responsibility of the city corporations. However, they and the local government organisations can only manage half of the wastes produced. The remaining half is unmanaged and emits carbon, which is harmful."

"Using modern technology to manage wastes would also allow us to generate power," he added.

The project will initially be implemented in Narayanganj City Corporation, Gazipur, Mymensingh and Cox's Bazaar municipalities. The project will later be implemented at all 64 districts over the next eight years.

Funds worth a total Tk 139.1 million have been disbursed from the climate change fund for the project's implementation, which will be used to set up compost plants, buy waste transport vehicles and meet transport costs.

In its move to digitalise Bangladesh, the government on Tuesday decided to reach internet facilities to people of 1,006 union councils through optical fibre cable.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) cleared a project in this regard in a meeting chaired by prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The project's objective is to extend reliable, cheap and easily accessible facilities of information and communication technology, planning minister A K Khandker told reporters after the meeting.

The project styled, Developing Optical Fibre Cable Network in 1000 Union Parishad, will cost Tk 7.19 billion, he said.

A total of 11,060 kilometre optical fibre cable will need to be laid to connect the 1,006 council, the minister said.

The top economic policymaking body also approved five other projects, including one to give internet facilities to rural people through post offices.

Rural people will be able to communicate with their relatives abroad through web cameras and receive money from them quickly once the Tk 5.41 billion-project, titled Post-E-Centre for Rural Community, is implemented.

The four other projects cleared are to develop Jahangirnagar University at an estimated cost of Tk 790 million, create employment opportunities in upazilas or sub-districts with Tk 1 billion, secure food and livelihood with Tk 2.23 billion and set up farms to produce seeds in coastal districts of Barisal and Patuakhali with Tk 1.45 billion.

Finance minister A M A Muhith, agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury, shipping minister Shahjahan Khan, among others, attended the meeting.

Home minister Shahara Khatun on Tuesday dismissed a report of Human Rights Watch that said forced disappearances in Bangladesh increased sharply last year.

"The report is not correct," she told journalists following the 51st meet of the National Smuggling Prevention Committee at the Secretariat.

The New York-based human rights organisation in its World Report 2012 said the number of extrajudicial killings by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has dropped following criticisms at home and abroad.

However, 'enforced disappearances' increased sharply last year in Bangladesh as security agencies replaced one form of abuse with another, it said.

"The accusations against the law-enforcing agencies are not right. They are carrying out their duty properly and are working to protect, not to force disappearances," Shahara said in her first reaction to the report.

The organisation had also claimed that the government took no significant steps to investigate and prosecute torture in custody and extrajudicial killings in 2011 and showed an increasing intolerance for criticism.

But Shahara said the government was investigating such disappearances and will search out those responsible.

Debates were sparked about the role of law enforces after a number of incidents of people were taken away by people identifying them as law enforcers, especially Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel. In most cases, bodies of the victims of such 'forced disappearances' were later 'recovered' by law enforcers from rivers, forests or isolated locations.

After National Human Rights Commission chief Mizanur Rahman urged the government to clear the confusion over such forced disappearances, Shahara had told journalists last month that she learnt about such incidents from newspapers.

Human Rights Watch said it thinks human rights organisations, journalists, trade unions, and civil society activists remain at risk in the country, with some suffering attacks.

The World Report assessed progress on human rights during the past year in more than 90 countries, including popular uprisings in the Arab world that few would have imagined.

BORDER INCIDENTS

The home minister criticised the recent torture of a Bangladeshi by the Border Security Force and added that India suspended eight BSF members after the incident.

BSF's atrocities along the border recently came under the spotlight again after a video showing 22-year-old Habibur Rahman, being stripped, kicked and beaten by them, was aired by NDTV and some other Indian TV channels.

Habibur told that he was tortured by the BSF while returning to Bangladesh with cattle through Khanpur border of Paba upazila in Rajshahi district on Dec 9 last year.

The Indian border forces said that an investigation was ongoing.

State minister for home Shamsul Hoque Tuku told journalists, "The prevention of such untoward incidents requires awareness of the people living in the frontiers. The neighbouring country will also have to be aware."

"This problem shall be solved through discussion," he said, referring to the upcoming meeting between India and Bangladesh in March.

CENTRAL ANTI-SMUGGLING MONITORING CELL

The home minister, briefing journalists on the meeting, said that the ministry will form a central monitoring cell to combat smuggling. "Anyone can give information to the cell and help in preventing smuggling."

Admitting that many drug- and weapon-smugglers are going free after being detained, Shahara said, "Officials have been instructed to be more careful to ensure punishments are served."

She added that the government was conducting regular drives and that mobile courts were being deployed to prevent smuggling.

The cabinet, led by prime minister Sheikh Hasina, on Monday gave provisional approval to the amended draft of Bangladesh Workers' Welfare Foundation Act-2012.

Once implemented, the law will make it mandatory for companies to deposit 5 percent of profit to workers' welfare funds.

"The attendees of the meeting also decided to include penalties for those who violating this law," Cabinet Division secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said while giving details on the cabinet decision.

He said the legislative division of the law ministry has been asked to formulate the kind of penalties to be given on violation. "The law ministry will finalise a proposal on this matter and send it back for placing in the cabinet," he said.

The cabinet also endorsed the draft on Public Servants (Retirement) (Amendment) Act 2012 aimed at passing it into a law in parliament the ordinance promulgated by the president for extension of the retirement age of the civil servants, from 57 years to 59 years.

"The prime minister at the meeting directed the appropriate authorities to take quick steps to turn the ordinances promulgated during the last three years of the present government into laws," the Cabinet Division official added.

The cabinet meeting also accepted a proposal for exchange of land with Turkey for construction of own embassy buildings in the capitals of the two countries.

Though the draft of Bangladesh Pure Food (Amended) Act-2012 was scheduled to be placed before the cabinet for approval, the health ministry withdrew it at the last moment. The law will be placed in the next cabinet meeting after further modification and addition, he said.

89% DECISIONS IMPLEMENTED

Mosharraf said the cabinet was pleased with the rate of implementation of its decisions taken during the last three years.

The meeting was informed that the council of ministers had taken 901 decisions in 134 meetings in its first three years against 488 decisions in 131 meetings during the same period of the preceding government.

The execution rate is around 89.3 percent in comparison with 71 percent of the past government.

The number of laws passed by the present government during this time was 153 while it was 102 during the previous government, he added.

The Maldivian ambassador to Dhaka, Ahmed Sareer, on Monday confirmed that SAARC secretary-general Dhiyana Saeed has resigned.

"I can confirm that her resignation has been accepted. Ahmed Naseem, chairman of the SAARC council of ministers and foreign minister of Maldives, has already informed the SAARC countries about this development," he told .

Saeed was previously the Maldives' attorney general, and also served as the Maldivian government's envoy for South Asia.

The Maldives will also appoint a new secretary-general soon to complete the rest of the four-year tenure of the country.

She took over as the SAARC secretary-general in March last year and is the first to resign from the post before the end of her term.

The resignation comes over the recent controversy that arose with her participation in a lawyers' news conference condemning the recent arrests of the country's chief criminal court judge Abdulla Mohamed and senior opposition leaders.

The Maldivian president's spokesperson Mohammad Zuhair accused her of 'clearly contravening' with the SAARC Charter by stating her "personal and private position" on TV, the Male-based Haveeru newspaper reported.

"I did not interfere with any internal affairs of the Maldives and I will submit my resignation to Ahmed Naseem, Chairman of the SAARC council of ministers and foreign minister of Maldives today," she was quoted as saying.

She had also added that she had 'not' violated the SAARC charter.

Saima Hossain Putul, the prime minister's daughter who spearheads disability issues in Bangladesh, has said the country is making progress to ensure "equality" for such special people, and that state mechanism should take the issue forward.'

Talking to on Monday on the sidelines of the ongoing Fifth Shafallah Forum at Qatar's capital, she affirmed that Bangladesh was working in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

"We have not only signed the Convention but ratified it," Saima said. "How many countries will you find (that has) ratified the convention? We did it.

"We have a policy on disability, which is being updated. We hosted the global conference in Dhaka (and) you will not find many countries that could make this progress.

"We have also launched a South Asia Network on autism."

According to the UN, 153 countries, including Bangladesh, have signed the Convention that demands access to healthcare, education, employment and all other fundamental rights for persons with disabilities. But only 109 nations have ratified it thus far.

A US-licensed psychologist and a global advocate for the US-based research organisation 'Autism Speaks', Putul brought the disability issue to the forefront in Bangladesh in July last year when she organised first autism meet in South Asia. Among global leaders who took part in the event was Sonia Gandhi, president of India's ruling Congress party.

'NOT A POLITICAL ISSUE'

While Bangladesh's political culture has made people sceptical whether the issue would see any progress if the Sheikh Hasina government does not return to power and archrival BNP comes in, Saima said, "It should not be hindered."

"It's not a political issue. The government mechanism will work (and) it's their responsibility to carry out the programmes," Putul said, referring to bureaucrats.

Having dismissed any possible foray into politics in a previous interview with , Putul said she can use her "political connections" for the welfare of persons with disability.

At the opening of the forum on Sunday, Shafallah Centre chairman Hassan Ali said many countries are not abiding by the UN Convention.

Putul said: "This year, we discussed what we should do in any crisis for people with disability. People forget them during disasters and crises. They cannot stand up in a queue for relief."

THE SHEER NUMBERS

She stressed that the conference discussed their plight in detail and said, "It is a very relevant conference, as we are a disaster-prone country and have (many) people with disabilities."

Preliminary results of the latest census suggest 16 million people live with disabilities in Bangladesh, which is 9.07 percent of the population.

Suggesting ways to ameliorate the life of this significant section of population, Putul said: "We should make policies to build wheelchair-friendly buildings so that they can move everywhere. We should consider their numbers and they can contribute (to society and the economy) if we can make them part of the mainstream."

She said the conference discussed how policies could help to that end.

Besides panel discussions, there was a closed-door meeting of the first ladies attending the forum. Though details of the meeting were yet to emerge, it is learnt that Putul spoke there.

Ali, the chairman of Shafallah Centre, a state-of-the-art facility for children with special needs, meanwhile, told that they could assist Bangladesh in "training people and also brining people for training".

Putul said she was also interacting with the global centre to train Bangladeshis.

As part of that, she said, three principals of special schools will be sent to the US for a one-month training. Talks are underway with a Saudi Arabian centre as well.

"We have to go and learn. We will work on every possibility," she said.

Putul had earlier told that "creative utilisation" of resources can bring smiles to the children with special needs in such resource-starved countries as Bangladesh.

Zingers flew in the second half of the proceedings at the International Crimes Tribunal on Monday once the prosecution began replying to the defence.

The war crimes tribunal, set up to try crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, heard arguments of BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury's defence throughout the day.

Prosecutor Zead-Al-Malum was then asked to counter the defence arguments.

At one point of his deliberation, Malum mentioned the accused as "Saka Chowdhury" as is commonly written in Bengali newspapers taking the initials of the BNP MP's first two names.

Justice Nizamul Huq, chairman of the tribunal, stopped him immediately and said, "Although newspapers often refer to him as such, do speak out his full name as Mr Chowdhury does not approve of it."

Salauddin Quader Chowdhury's loud boom could be heard from the dock at the back of the courtroom, "Thank you sir, thank you!"

At this point the prosecutor, who has been faced with regular barbs of the feisty MP as he argues the case, complained to the court, "But Salauddin Quader Chowdhury calls me 'Halum', my lord."

There was the booming voice again from back, "What? Halum? No, no never. I never call him that."

The entire court cracked up at this exchange.

The obviously homonymous 'halum' elicited much laughter since it is the Bengali expression for what tigers or lions are supposed to say when they growl before jumping on a prey. The tiger's 'halum' is like the sheep's 'baa'.

But Malum was to face even more embarrassment when the tribunal came back with its queries regarding certain individuals mentioned in the charges against Salauddin Quader Chowdhury.

Tribunal member, judge A K M Zaheer Ahmed, reminded him that the tribunal had only a few queries that the prosecutor could not satisfactorily answer.

Malum kept insisting that the prosecution still had the scope to fill in on the gaps there were in its cases, when asked whether certain individuals were alive or dead, especially relating to one Sobhan, a supposed aide to Salauddin Quader, as mentioned in the first charge.

At one point judge Zaheer Ahmed said, "It is a very simple query. Is this Sobhan alive or dead?"

According to the charge, Sobhan was Salauddin Quader's aide and had abducted individuals, apparently at his behest.

The judge asked why then there were no charges against this Sobhan who was actively involved in the abduction if he was still alive.

Malum then said the prosecution had dropped seven charges against Salauddin Quader because it did not consider them legally authentic enough. "But the 25 that we have brought are solid and we will be able to answer all your queries."

Zaheer Ahmed returned, "If this is the situation with your first charge, I wonder what those seven were like."

At this Malum reacted saying that such remarks would be widely reported in the media and the news outlets would be rife with news that he was unqualified as a prosecutor and so forth.

Malum then went on about how certain media outlets were carrying reports that reflected adversely upon the tribunal as well as the prosecution.

"Although a large portion of the media report correctly, there are a handful that have a rather negative tone."

Justice Nizamul Huq reassured him that the media was there only to cooperate and there was nothing to be scared of.

Judge Zaheer Ahmed said, "But the media is the mirror of the society. And what difference does it make if one or two houses report negatively?"

Dhaka University student Abdul Kadar has sued former officer-in-charge of Khilgaon Police Station Helal Uddin for torturing him in custody and framing him after his arrest last year.

Kadar, a student of biochemistry and molecular biology, filed the case on Monday afternoon, Khilgaon OC Sirajul Islam Sheikh told .

According to case details, plainclothes police personnel arrested him in the early hours of July 15 last year while he was returning to Fazlul Haque Hall of Dhaka University from one of his relatives' residence at Eskaton in the city.

Kadar in his case alleged that he was severely tortured in police custody.

KADAR CLEARED OF CARJACKING

Earlier in the day, Dhaka metropolitan magistrate M A Salam cleared Kadar in the carjacking case following an appeal submitted by the Detective Branch (DB) of police.

DB police inspector Abdur Noor, also investigation officer of the case, submitted the final probe report to the court on Jan 19 excluding Kadar's name.

The report says the charges brought against Kadar were found "false and fabricated".

Controversy and confusion swirled over the police version of Kadar's arrest as they said they held him at Khilgaon on July 15 when he was about to commit robbery.

Khilgaon police lodged two cases, accusing him of robbery and possessing sharp weapons.

The carjacking case in which Kadar was implicated was filed with Mohammadpur police on July 14, a day before his arrest.

Mirash Uddin, the duty police officer at Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, told reporters that though Kadar was shown arrested in the carjacking case his name was not mentioned in the case details.

Police faced massive criticism when the Dhaka University students launched protest movements demanding Kadar's release claiming that he was arrested on false charges.

The High Court on July 28 ordered suspension of three police officers – OC Helal Uddin, a sub-inspector and an assistant sub-inspector – as they reportedly tortured Kadar.

The court also issued order asking authorities concerned to launch an investigation into the allegation and the police chief to carry out a departmental enquiry and submit their findings in four weeks.

The Dhaka court on Monday fixed Jan 26 to pass its judgment on the probe report submitted by DB inspector Mohammad Shahjahan in connection with a robbery case.

Bangladesh Power Development Board and National Thermal Power Corporation of India are set to float a joint venture for the 1320 MW power project in Khulna by the end of this month.

The NTPC chairman-cum-managing-director Arup Roy Chaudhary said that an agreement to set up the joint venture would be signed by Jan 29 next.

"It would be a 50:50 joint venture between NTPC and the Bangladesh government," Roy Chaudhary told journalists in New Delhi on Monday.

The NTPC and PDB on Aug 30 last year signed a memorandum of understanding for the joint venture project in Khulna.

The power plant is likely to be run on imported coal and operated by the NTPC that is also exploring cooperation with PDB for another power project in Chittagong.

New Delhi recently said that Bangladesh was welcome to take part in the power projects in north-eastern India.

"India has a liberal policy permitting 100% FDI in respect of projects relating to electricity generation, transmission and distribution. In this regard, the participation of Bangladesh in power projects in India, particularly in the north-eastern states of India adjoining Bangladesh, would be welcome," India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement issued on Jan 11, around the same time prime minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in Agartala – the capital of northeastern Indian state of Tripura – for a two-day visit.

New Delhi referred to Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in Sep 2011 and said that India and Bangladesh had agreed to promote trans-border cooperation in the management of shared water resources and hydropower potential as well as eco-systems and in the area of connectivity.

"It was also agreed (during Singh's meeting with Hasina in September 2011) that arrangements for cooperation in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, including electricity from renewable or other sources, would be established," said the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.

New Delhi said that such joint ventures in the power sector involving the two countries would also facilitate the evacuation of power from north-eastern India to Bangladesh and into other parts of India through Bangladesh.

"Details of such cooperation can be discussed at the forthcoming meeting of the Steering Committee on Power held at the level of secretaries between the two countries," it added.

According to the joint statement issued after the two prime ministers had met in Dhaka on Sept 7 last year, Hasina and Singh had called for expeditious conclusion of Power Purchase Agreement between Bangladesh Power Development Board and India's state-owned National Thermal Power Corporation for purchase of 250 MW power from India by
Bangladesh.
"It was agreed that Bangladesh would procure the additional 250 MW of power from the open market in India utilizing the full capacity of the power transmission line being established through inter-grid connectivity at Bheramara and Behrampur," read the joint statement.

Hasina and Singh had asked officials concerned to undertake necessary steps for conducting feasibility reports for the setting up of a similar 1320 MW coal based power plant at a suitable location in Chittagong.

A 400 KV high-voltage power transmission line is being constructed between Berhampur in India and Bheramara in Bangladesh and works could be completed by the end of this year or early next year.

Although India offered 250 MW power to Bangladesh according to the January 2010 MoU, the transmission line will have an initial transfer capacity of 500 MW. The transmission systems of India and Bangladesh, which are based on 400 KV Alternate Current (AC) and 230 KV AC respectively, are proposed to be synchronised by installing a back-to-back HVDC link.

Singh had thanked the Hasina government for allowing passage of over-dimensional cargo for the Palatana power project in Tripura through Bangladesh.

The High Court has declared illegal the dismissal of 29 police officers, including two deputy inspectors general (DIG).

The bench of justices Naima Haider and Farid Ahmed passed the order on Monday after a final hearing of some of its rules that had earlier been passed upon the government seeking explanation.

The counsel for the petitioners Salahuddin Dolan told that the police officials had been dismissed on different occasions between 2002 and 2003 when the BNP-led four-party alliance government was in power.

One petition was lodged in 2002, five in 2010 and four last year challenging the dismissal orders.

The High Court had passed rules upon all the petitions, asking the government why the dismissal orders would not be declared illegal.

Salahuddin said the court in its order asked the government to reinstate the police officers, aged below 59 years, to their jobs with all facilities.

"The government has also been asked to provide all facilities and outstanding payments to the police officers who are already more than 59-year old considering them in service from their compulsory retirement to usual retirement age limit," he added.

Of the 29 petitioners, two are DIGs and five are SPs. The DIGs are Ruhul Amin and Abdul Manna and the SPs Kazi Anwar Hossain, Mojibur Rahman, Ahmed Jalil, Shah Alam and Washiquzzaman Khan.

The remaining 22 others are inspectors and sub-inspectors.

Deputy attorney general Moklesur Rahman argued for the state during the hearing.

Forced disappearances increased sharply last year in Bangladesh as security agencies replaced one form of abuse with another, according to Human Rights Watch.

The New York-based human rights organisation in its World Report 2012 said the number of extrajudicial killings by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has dropped following criticisms at home and abroad.

Moreover, the government took no significant steps to investigate and prosecute torture in custody and extrajudicial killings in 2011 and showed an increasing intolerance for criticism, it said.

The organisation, in its 676-page World Report 2012 published at Cairo in Egypt on Monday, expressed its concern over 'the change of form to abuse by security agencies'.

The report said the government violated the rights to a fair trial of thousands of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) mutineers.

A bloodbath in the headquarters of the Border Guard Bangladesh, formerly known as Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), killed at least 74 people, including 57 army officers deputed to the paramilitary force, on Feb 25-26, 2009. The trial of the mutineers is on in several special courts across the country.

Human Rights Watch said it thinks human rights organisations, journalists, trade unions, and civil society activists remain at risk in the country, with some suffering attacks.

The World Report assessed progress on human rights during the past year in more than 90 countries, including popular uprisings in the Arab world that few would have imagined.

RAB HAVE NO EXPLANATION

Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch said, "The government of Sheikh Hasina has made repeated promises to end abuses and ensure justice and accountability, yet the security forces remain above the law."

"In the past year the government has moved from saying it would take action against abusive forces to denying abuses or defending the actions of the same abusive security forces that it complained about when it was in opposition," he added.

"Despite clear and voluminous evidence of Rapid Action Battalion responsibility," Adams said, "the government has not held anyone in RAB accountable for the large numbers of extrajudicial killings."

EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS SPREADING

According to the report, Bangladeshi human rights groups have documented nearly 1,600 extrajudicial killings since 2004.

"Many were disguised by law enforcement institutions as 'crossfire killings'." The organisation thinks RAB is the unit mainly responsible for such killings.

"…same culture of violations and impunity is infecting other security forces as members rotate back to their parent units in the police or intelligence departments," the report said.

Quoting the Asian Human Rights Commission, the report said that its representative, William Gomez, was abducted by plainclothes security personnel in May and tortured and verbally abused during an interrogation.