BANGLADESH

BNP Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and other senior leaders met Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday night after being granted a seven-day reprieve by the High Court.

He was accompanied by A S M Hannan Shah, Mirza Abbas, Amanullah Aman and other top brass of the party during the visit to Khaleda's Gulshan office.

Fakhrul and other senior BNP leaders, after spending a week in 'hiding', appeared before the High Court earlier in the day to press for their anticipatory bail plea in two cases filed over bomb blasts, arson and vandalism during Apr 29 countrywide shutdown.

The bench of justices Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Mohammad Nazrul Islam Talukder gave a split verdict on the petition but gave them respite for seven days by ordering police not to harass them during the intervening period.

Immediately after the order, the BNP spokesperson went to the party's headquarters in Naya Paltan and vowed to continue anti-government demonstrations on the streets.

A Political Science lecturer of the Dhaka University has allegedly been abducted.

Proctor Amzad Ali told bdnews24.com: "A student told us about the abduction of Nur Uddin Alo around Monday midnight. The police have been informed and the steps have been taken on the part of the university"

The reportedly abducted lecturer has no fixed residence. He is said to be running a school at Tongi. "No one was found there," the proctor added.

A general diary was filed with Shahbagh police on Tuesday evening over the incident.

Officer in charge Shirajul Islam told bdnews24.com, a Political Science Department student of DU, Enamul Haque, filed the GD.

Haque claimed in the diary that his teacher sent a text message over mobile phone saying he had been kidnapped.

Islam continued that Alo was at Tongi when the SMS was sent. However, police could not find him there.

With the assistance of Rapid Action Battalion, police traced the mobile at Noakhali last, the official said.

"Nur Uddin Alo and his wife have filed a number of cases against each other earlier and police are looking into the matter," he added.

Jatiya Party (JP) chief Hussein Muhammad Ershad has spoken in favour of initiating national poll dialogues in parliament, a senior party leader has said.

Ershad spoke his mind on the poll dialogues during an hour-long visit to ruling Awami League chief and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office on Tuesday, a leader attending the meeting said.

JP presidium members Anisul Islam Mahmud and Ziauddin Bablu accompanied the former president to the prime minister.

"Discussions or dialogues, whatever you call it, the opposition will have to start it and start it in parliament", he quoted Hasina as saying.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also emphasised on the need for talks between the government and the opposition to resolve political differences, during her recent Bangladesh visit. Foreign diplomats and businessmen operating in Bangladesh have also been making similar appeals.

BNP, which has been pressing for reinstatement of the caretaker government provision, said that they were ready for the talks. However, one of the party's senior leaders, Moudud Ahmed, said on Tuesday that the government should initiate the talks.

Police submitted their first progress report on investigation into the missing of BNP leader M Elias Ali with a Dhaka court on Sunday.Banani Thana Inspector Kazi Mainul Islam submitted the report with Metropolitan Judge Moniruzzaman on Sunday noon.
The progress report stated that police sent wireless massages in every police stations of the country as part of their initial step to find out Elias Ali and his driver.
Meanwhile, an application has already been placed to BRTA authority for verifying the ownership the abandoned private car seized by police from city’s Mohakhali area.
Earlier, BNP Organizing Secretary of Sylhet Division and former MP M Elias Ali went missing along with his car and driver in the early hours of Wednesday.
Tahsina Rushdi Luna, wife of Elias Ali, lodged a General Diary (GD) with Banani Thana over the incident on the same day.
The High Court on Thursday issued a rule on the government to explain within 10 days why it should not be directed to produce Ilias Ali before the court.
The HC bench comprising of Justice Farid Ahmed and Justice Sheikh Hasan Arif issued the rule following a writ petition by the BNP leader`s wife, Tahsina Rushdi.

The HC bench of Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik and Justice Jahangir Hossain Selim also issued a suo moto order on the government asking it to find Ilias Ali on the same day.

Meanwhile, a Dhaka court also directed Banani police to submit reports to it every 48 hours on the progress of the investigation into the whereabouts of Ilias Ali.

The postmortem of the bodies of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Mehrun Runi has been completed at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) morgue on Thursday afternoon.
Forensic Department chief of DMCH Kazi Golam Mokhlesur Rahman conducted the post mortem. Assistant professors of the same department Kamrul Hasan Sardar, Parvez and Iftekhar assisted him.
Golam Mokhlesur said, “We have kept necessary evidences as the bodies have been decomposed. These would be sent to chemical laboratory of Mohakhali. If they had fed something before killing, it would be disclosed in the report.”
Shariful Islam, brother-in-law of Sagar, said, “Two and half months have been passed. But, police could not do anything. We hope something may be revealed this time.”
Nowsher Alam, younger brother of Merun Runi, said, “I don’t think they can find out anything, which they could not in last two and half months.”
Earlier, a team of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) stared exhumation of the bodies from 1015am and completed at 1107am.
The exhumation has started in presence of Investigation Officer and RAB ASP Jafarullah and RAB director (legal and Media Wing) Commander M Sohayel.
On Tuesday, Judge Bikash Kumar Saha of Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court ordered exhumation of the bodies of the journalist couple to ascertain the reason of their murder.
Executive Magistrate M Shahiduzzaman was appointed for supervising the exhumation.
Later, the bodies were buried again at Azimpur graveyard in the afternoon.
On February 11, senior reporter of ATN Bangla Runi and her husband Sagar Sarowar, who was news editor with Maasranga Television, were murdered at their west Rajabazar rented house in the city.
Nowsher Alam Roman, younger brother of Runi lodged a case accusing some unidentified persons on February 12.
On February 16, the twin murder case was transferred to the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) for fair investigation.
On April 18, the High Court directed the authority concerned to transfer the twin murder case of journalist couple Sagar and Runi to Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) after the detective police had admitted their failure in this regard.

The 47th birth anniversary of Sheikh Russel, the youngest son of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and brother of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is being observed Tuesday in tears.
Russel, born this day in 1964, was killed along with his father and most other family members on August 15, 1975 during a putsch by a group of disgruntled military-men.
The ruling Awami League has chalked out daylong programmes to mark the day.
Sheikh Russel Jatiya Shishu Kishore Parishad began the programme of the day hoisting the organization’s flag at around 7am.
The elaborate programmes include placing floral wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi and offering prayers at the grave of Sheikh Russel.
A discussion and prize-distribution programme was arranged at Bangabandhu International Conference Center at around 10am. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was scheduled to attend the programme.
The city Awami League will hold a discussion at Bangabandhu Avenue at 3pm.
Awami League acting general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, in a statement published Monday, urged the party leaders and activists to observe the day with due solemnity.

Awami League (AL) lawmaker and former state minister for home Tanjim Ahmad Sohel Taj resigned as parliament member on Monday.A confidential parliament source confirmed about the matter on Monday.
According to source, Sohel’s additional personal assistant Abu Kawsar sent the resignation letter to the speaker’s office at about 1030am.However, acting parliament secretary Mahfujur Rahman said that he knew nothing in this regard.
Earlier, Sohel Taj, son of country`s first Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed, sent a letter to cabinet secretariat asking why a huge amount of money was sent to his account after two and a half years and why no gazette notification on his resignation was issued.
Meanwhile, he demanded that the government take back around Tk 40 lakh deposited in his account in remuneration and allowances for the post.
Earlier on June 1, 2009, he stepped down as state minister for home affairs about five months into his appointment.
Sohel Taj, son of country`s first Prime Minister Tajuddin Ahmed, submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her Office on the same day.
Later, he was made a minister without portfolio.
Sources said Sohel Taj did not specify any reason except `personal ground` for his resignation.

A Dhaka Court has indicted journalist Shafiq Rehman, daily Naya Diganta editor Alamgir Mohiuddin and its publisher Shamsul Huda for libel. The Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrates court of Hakim Shahriar Mahmud Adnan framed charge against the three on Thursday.
Bangladesh Quoran Shiksha Mission president Maolana Abu Bakar Siddique, who is also Awami Olama League vice-president, filed a case accusing the three for hurting religious sentiment and defaming Islam on Mar 6 in 2011.
According to the case statement, Naya Diganta ran a column on Feb 25 in 2011 written by Shafiq Rehman titled Not a chance editor, a chance adviser quoting former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque. In another column in the same newspaper, Shafique Rehman identified Khairul Haque as Chance Muhammad, it was alleged in the case.
It was alleged in the case that Shafiq Rehman criticised prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) by writing the column and hurt emotions of the Muslims and the religion Islam was defamed.
But the judge took into cognisance only the charge of the defamation.
All the three accused pleaded their innocence after the charge was read out before them.
A T M Golam Daud argued for the plaintiff while Abdullah Mahmud Hasan stood for the accused.

At least 10 people were killed and several others injured in storms and lightning strikes triggered by pre-monsoon rains at different parts of the country from Tuesday night to Wednesday afternoon.

According to reports, four people were killed in lightning strikes in Bagerhat, Kishoreganj and Habiganj districts on Wednesday while six died in house-collapse incidents as a Nor'wester lashed Thakurgaon and Dinajpur districts on Tuesday night.

In Thakurgaon, five people were killed and over 50 injured as the Nor'wester swept through Pirganj upazila.

Pirganj upazila executive officer (UNO) Abdur Rouf told that the storm hit the upazila around 7:30pm and continued for 30 minutes.

The deceased were identified as Abdul Halim (26), son of Sohrab Ali, Rina Akther (7), daughter of Yousuf Ali, and 'Sakibul' (9), son of Mohasin Ali of Jagannathpur village under Boirchuna union, and Sharifunnessa (70), wife of late Shakir Mohammad of Hazipara village, and Halima Banu (50) of Chandaria village under Jabarhat union.

Of the injured, 27 were admitted to Dinajpur and Rangpur medical college hospitals.

The Nor'wester damaged at least 5,000 houses and crops on a vast tract of land, the UNO said adding that at least 25 villages of Boirchuna and Jabarhat unions were badly affected by the storm. A large number of trees and electric poles also got uprooted.

In Dinajpur, Rezia Begum (40), wife of Moksed Ali of Barapukuria area of Parbatipur upazila, died instantly as a wall of her house collapsed on her during the storm.

In Bagerhat, a college student was killed in lightning strike at Nalua village of Chitalmari upazila on Wednesday around 1:30pm. A thunderbolt struck Ramjan Sheikh (20), son of Amjad Sheikh, of the village when he was collecting fallen mangoes.

In Kishoreganj, two people died in lightning strikes at the district's Tarail and Karimganj upazilas when they were working in the fields at noon.

The deceased were identified as Bassu Mia (60) of Mougaon village under Tarail upazila and Kajal Chandra Debnath (35) of Panahar village under Karimganj upazila.

In Habiganj, one was killed and six more injured as a thunderbolt struck them while working on a cropland at Jatradighi in Baniachang Haor area on Wednesday noon.

Officer-in-charge of the Baniachang Police Station Nirmalendu Chakrabarti told that the injured were rushed to Habiganj Sadar Modern Hospital where doctors pronounced Imran Mia (16), son of Khasru Mia of Amirkhali village of the upazila, dead.

Police have arrested the disgraced army officer who allegedly led the looting of Tk 20 million from a Chittagong shrine while being the commander of a RAB unit.

The former RAB-7 chief, discharged lieutenant colonel Zulfikar Ali Majumdar, has been the prime accused in the case after the incident at Talsara Darbar Sharif in Chittagong during a raid on Nov 4.

A police officer in Dhaka said Thursday that he was arrested from a house in the city's Maghbazar area.

"He was in a house in Bhuter Goli and we took him into custody at around 4am," Ramna OC Shah Alam told .

A Chittagong police officer, Anwara Police Station OC Abdus Salam, also participated in the raid and was the one who identified Zulfikar.

A case was filed against the commander and nine of his subordinates on Mar 13 this year. They were accused of breaking open the almirah of the shrine during a raid on Nov 4, 2011 and stealing Tk 20 million in cash. The RAB team arrested five Myanmar nationals, whom they handed over to police, but did not say anything about the money.

The accused law enforcers were withdrawn from their duties after a preliminary investigation.

Former students of Jahangirnagar University on Tuesday demonstrated and held a rally in the city's Shahbagh area protesting attacks by 'VC-backed Bangladesh Chhatra League activists' on teachers and cultural activists.

Some university teachers and activists of Jahangirnagar Sangskritik Jote came under attack on Apr 28, as they had been agitating to demand resignation of vice-chancellor Prof Sharif Enamul Kabir.

At the rally, the protesters came up with a four-point charter of demands, including punishment to the attackers and removal of the VC.

Other demands include judicial probe into the killing of JU student Zubair and holding polls to all the central student unions of the university, including JU Central Student Union.

"Not only the students and cultural activists, but teachers have also been attacked for demanding the VC's resignation in protest against his illegal activities," said Shashanka Baran Roy, a former JU student, who joined the demonstration.

"An autocratic vice-chancellor is sitting at the top of a power structure that is standing with support from some opportunist teacher and student organisations," he added.

Several other organisations including the Bangladesh Chhatra Federation and the Bangladesh Chhatra Union also joined the demonstration. Teachers also expressed their solidarity with the demonstrators.

Dhaka University Prof MM Akash urged the education minister and the prime minister "to intervene and save innocent students from what is happening currently at JU and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology."

Pointing to the allegations of irregularities brought against the vice-chancellors of JU and BUET, he urged the minister to take action without further delay.

Meanwhile, the students demonstrating under the banners of the Jahangirnagar Sanskritik Jote and the Sontrasher Biruddhe Jahangirnagar on the campus began a fast-unto-death on Tuesday noon protesting the recent attacks and demanding the VC's removal.

Killing of Zubair, an English Department student of the university, fuelled the movement against the VC, already accused of appointing reportedly ineligible people as university teachers and felling trees on the campus for the sake of money.

Four days after being released on bail, miscreants threw acid on a witness of an acid attack case.

The victim, Selina Akter, 17, a resident of Matipur area in the district town, had testified against the attackers in the case filed for throwing acid on her younger sister, Farhana Akter, 15.

Noakhali district police superintendent Harunur Rashid Hajari said miscreants threw acid on Selina, a higher secondary student, after breaking into her house in the early hours of Tuesday.

Selina was admitted to the Noakhali Medical College Hospital immediately after the attack. Later, she was taken to the Acid Survivors' Foundation Hospital at Banani in the capital as her condition deteriorated.

The victim's mother, Mazeda Khatun, told bdnews24.com that her younger daughter Farhana had came under acid attack the same way on June 15 in 2010.

Farhana's family filed a case accusing Shahjahan Sunam, Yasin Arafat Sajib, Sharif Bihari, Giasuddin Raju, Mahmud and Parvez of the attack.

Selina had testified against them before a district court recently, and all the accused had obtained bail four days back, Mazeda added.

"They attacked my other daughter immediately after they were released," alleged Mazeda in presence of district police chief Hajari, who visited the victim at the Noakhali hospital.

Mazeda, a widow having six daughters, has been living on the help provided by her brothers since her husband had died last year.

"There is no justice in this country. My younger daughter did not get justice and now the elder one has become a victim of the same crime. What is the use of our survival? I along with all my daughters will commit suicide by taking poison," Mazeda continued to wail.

Doctor Mahabub Rahman of the hospital said Selina's face, neck and back had got burned with acid.

Hajari said Mazeda filed a case against the six youths at the Sudharam Police Station over the Tuesday attack and one of them had already been arrested.

"All the accused had been arrested earlier [in Farhana attack case]. Charge-sheet was pressed implicating all the six. But they have committed the same crime just after coming out of jail on bail," said Hajari.

According to Farhana, the youths used to harass her on way to and from school.

She alleged that the accused had been intimidating her family with dire consequences if the case filed against them was not withdrawn immediately.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said acquiring better skills and knowledge of technology application were necessary for workers to fight global challenges amid economic upheaval.

While global economic giants are passing hard times, Hasina said a concerted effort was needed for Bangladesh to stay afloat as many countries are adopting fiercer approaches to remain competitive in global market.

She said Bangladesh has a chance given the workers acquiring better skills despite tough challenges thrown by existing and emerging competitors.

"The country's manufacturing sector is facing a stiff competition because of global economic crisis. I call upon you to enhance skill and increase capability of application of technologies," she told a May Day discussion at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium.

The labour and employment ministry organised the discussion to commemorate the day.

The prime minister said united efforts by workers, employers and government could build Bangladesh as a developed and modern country.

Hasina also urged all to uphold the country's interest.
She said workers, employers and the nation would survive, if industries and factories sustain.

Saying her government has fulfilled demands of the workers, Hasina also urged them to pay more attention towards keeping the country's export market on course.

"We have fulfilled all of your demands. The working force would flourish if the industries sustain," she said.

Detailing her administration's various steps, she said the government formed the National Wage and Productivity Commission after assuming office this time.

She said the government decided to raise the salary and allowances by about 70 percent and a law will be enacted in this regard.

Hasina said her government has enhanced retirement age of the workers to 60 from 57 and announced minimum wages in different sectors including Tk 3,000 in the garment sector.

The prime minister said her 1996-2001 government had leased out a number of mills and factories to the workers on a partnership basis, and many of those mills and factories are now running well.

"This time, we resumed production at People's Jute Mills and Qaumi Jute Mills bringing smiles on the faces of the workers," she said.
Hasina said the government has formulated a contemporary policy for the industrial sector.

She said the government has also rolled out a policy to remove child workers and provide them with educational and vocational training after freeing them from sweatshops.

Hasina said her government wants that the lives of the workers be solvent and developed.

She said her administration had solved problems the workers faced and called on them to keep in mind what role the state was playing for them.

Addressing the industry owners, she said they needed to become a part of their workers' 'well and woes' to ensure a proper industrial state with high level of production.

Hasina recalled the sacrifice of the workers in Chicago and said Bangladesh has held its head high in the world, getting respects worldwide.

She said Bangladesh has become a model of development in the world and asked the workers to maintain this trend.

Hasina recalled various steps taken by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to ensure the rights of the workers.

She said the Father of the Nation had declared May Day a public holiday after independence.

"He had ensured the rights of the working people in the articles 14 and 19 in the constitution. He formed the wage commission and revived abandoned factories, banks and insurance by keeping them under public sector."

The prime minister said the government is working to increase exports by building factories.

She said her government's aim is to strengthen rural economy as production would increase in line with the rural people's buying capacity.

The prime minister said the objective of her party's politics is to improve quality of life of the working people.
Hasina also inaugurated the online trade union registration and factory registration and a May Day fair at the venue.

Nearly seven months after beheading eight Bangladeshis over murder charges, Saudi Arabia executed two more on Tuesday for killing and theft, the local media said.

The duo, Najoum Mohammad Amin Abdul-Sharif and Abdul-Majid Abu Bakr Hamza, were accused of killing another Bangladeshi national Mohammed Shaheen Mohammad Kabir and stealing his money and mobile phones, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported quoting a Ministry of Interior statement.

The statement said the Bangladeshis were executed in the city of Jazan.

"The General Court issued the sentence against them. It was approved by the Cassation Court and the Supreme Court. A royal order was issued to implement the sentence," it read.

The statement underlined the keenness of the government of Saudi Arabia on 'achievement of security and justice and implementation of rules of Sharia against anyone who attacks innocent people and sheds their blood'.

The ministry also warned of punishment against anyone who tried to commit crimes.

On Oct 7 last year, death sentences to eight Bangladeshis, found guilty of robbing a warehouse and murdering the security guard, were carried out at Saudi Arabia's Riyadh.

The beheading had attracted condemnation from Bangladesh and elsewhere.

Results of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations will be published on May 7.

Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid said on Sunday that a copy of the results would be handed over to prime minister Sheikh Hasina at 10am on May 7. "Formally the results will be published through a press conference at the ministry at 1am," he added

The examinees would be able to collect their results after the press meet, Nahid added.

An estimated 1,420,057 students of 26,855 educational institutions under eight general education boards, Dakhil and vocational boards sat for the SSC and equivalent tests which began on Feb 1. Among them, 735,229 are boys and 684,828 girls.

Total 1,052,969 students sat for SSC tests. Among them 532,818 are girls and 520,115 boys. For the first time, girls have outnumbered the boys in SSC examinations.

In addition, 275,930 students appeared for Dakhil tests and another 91,158 students are SSC (Vocational) tests.

For the first time this year, there were 'creative questions' in all the papers except Bengali second paper, English first and second paper and mathematics.

The number of total students took part from abroad is 274. They appeared in tests at Jeddah, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Bahrain and Tripoli centres under Dhaka Education Board.

ssc result published in 7th may. go to the following link and get your result. good luck

http://www.educationboardresults.gov.bd/

please following the instruction

select your examination
select year
select board
input roll
and click submit

The government has formed a committee to investigate explosions inside the Secretariat during hartal hours on Sunday.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) additional commissioner Mili Biswas will head the panel while assistant deputy commissioner (Ramna Zone) Mahtabuddin will be the other member.

Ridiculing strict security measures during the BNP-enforced shutdown, two unidentified youths riding a motorcycle hurled the bombs right in front of law-enforcers on guard and sped away around 3:45pm near Gate-2 of the Secretariat.

One of the bombs exploded on the boundary wall near Zero Point, while the other went off in the parking lot near the cars of the home minister and the state minister for home, damaging a window glass of Ansar official Ashish Kumar Rai's car.

The BNP had called the shutdown to protest against disappearance of one of its organising secretaries and former MP M Ilias Ali.

Shahbagh and Tejgaon police have separately sued BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir for his alleged role in bomb blasts at the Secretariat and vandalism during Sunday's nationwide general strike.

Fakhrul and 26 others have been accused in the first case at Shahbagh Police Station over the explosions of two crude bombs at the Secretariat.

The second case involves charges of smashing vehicles and arson in front of the Prime Minister's Office. Fakhrul and 42 others have been accused in the case.

Shahbagh sub-inspector Hirendrana Pramanik filed the case on Sunday night, his colleague sub-inspector M A Jalil told bdnews24.com .

Meanwhile, the case with Tejgaon police was filed around 9:15pm, Tejgaon Police Station officer-in-charge Imam Hossain told

Police clashed with BNP activists in parts of the capital, Dhaka, as the opposition-sponsored nationwide general strike began on Monday for a second day on Monday amid detention and vandalism.

Police dispersed a procession in front of the BNP headquarters when the opposition activists tried to march through the street there in the beginning hour of the day's shutdown. Police detained at least three opposition activists including former deputy health minister Sirajul Haque from there, said Paltan Police Station chief Shahidul Haque.

Clashes took place in Naya Paltan, Mohakhali and Mirpur.

Like previous days, police kept the BNP headquarters cordoned off.

In the morning, police searched the house of BNP's acting secretary-general Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in the city's Uttara residential area, his wife said.

Rahat Ara Begum said her husband was not home at the time.

Meanwhile, police filed cases charging Fakhrul and few other party functionaries with role in Sunday's Secretariat blasts.

At least a dozen bombs exploded in Dhaka on Sunday during the daylong shutdown. Two of them were thrown at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

The BNP has set a new deadline of Monday to find M Ilias Ali, an organising secretary and the chief of Sylhet district unit of the party.

Bangladesh's medical curricula is going to be updated with lessons of proper under-2 feeding practices in an effort to reinforce the battle against malnutrition.

With almost all health indicators showing the right move, the South-Asian country is still grappling to combat malnutrition, largely because of improper feeding practices, experts say.

The Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey 2011 showed only 21 percent families strictly follow the under-2 feeding practices in the country where 41 percent children show dwarfed growth and 36 percent remain underweight.

"Doctors need to learn proper feeding practices of under-2 so that they can advise appropriately to the parents," Prof Md Ekhlasur Rahman, Line Director of the National Nutrition Services (NNS), told bdnews24.com.

The government launched NNS in July 2011 giving infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices one of the top priority interventions.

The Line Director said IYCF was not 'adequately' mentioned in the medical curriculum.

"We have already started the process of inserting its details in the curriculum," he said.

According to IYCF rules, a child has to be breastfed within first hours of birth and continue exclusively up to six months and given homemade food after six months while continuing with breastfeeding.

Starting homemade food before six months is early while it is very late if someone starts after one year.

"We cannot tell mothers what type of food they should offer after six months," said Dr Samiul Islam, a medical officer of Nangalkot Upazilla Health Complex, Comilla.

"Not even doctors will be able to give the correct advice of what type of food should be given after six months, unless trained up," he told bdnews24.com, "We could not learn it during our medical studies."

Prof Sameena Chowdhury, a member of Obstetrics and Gaynecology Society of Bangladesh, who is also involved on the updating process, said they were trying to identify the gaps in the curriculum.

Nutritionists recommend homemade food twice a day in half of a 250 ml bowl for the babies of seven to eight months.

It is thrice a day with the same amount for babies of nine to 11 months, and in full bowl (250ml) thrice a day for between 12 and 23 months.

"Early start of homemade food causes indigestion as the babies' intestines are not prepared to digest," said Prof Chowdhury.

"If delayed, it does not meet the nutritional requirements for growth."

Police have raided several places in Chandpur to trace missing BNP leader M Ilias Ali.

However, there was no news of any breakthrough until 10pm Saturday.

Additional superintendent of Chandpur police Mohammad Amir Jafar told bdnews24.com: "We have information that an ambulance carrying Ilias Ali entered Chandpur from Comilla. We are searching various places ... he is yet to be recovered."

Police patrolling had been intensified in the district, he added.

The car of former MP and one of BNP's organising secretaries Ilias was found abandoned at Mohakhali near his Banani residence in the capital on April 18. Ilias and his driver Ansar Ali has been missing since then.

His family and the party have alleged that government's henchmen had picked up Ilias.

The party has already enforced three days of dawn-to-dusk general strike and announced to observe another round of two-day hartal on Sunday and Monday in protest against his disappearance.

The forest department on Friday seized 155 turtles smuggled in fruit baskets to Bangladesh through Benapole border from India.

Chief forest conservator (wildlife and nature conservation circle) Tapan Kumar Dey told bdnews24.com 87 of the recovered turtles are Three Keeled Tortoise (Melanochelys tricarinata) and the rest 68 are Snail-eating Turtle (Melanochelys trijuga).

He said the baskets with the turtles were smuggled into Bangladesh on Thursday. Then they were taken to Continental Courier Service branch office at Jessore's Jum Jum area in a covered-van.

Border Guard Bangladesh's (BGB) Jessore Battalion and forest department officials jointly raided the courier service office upon information on Friday morning and found the rare turtles in three baskets.

But the smugglers managed to flee the scene right before the raid, Dey said.

He said, "The turtles have been brought to forest department building (Ban Bhaban) in Dhaka immediately from Jessore."

Earlier on Apr 17, another consignment of smuggled turtles was apprehended at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Forest department officials suspect that both operations are work of the same smuggling syndicate.

Dey said, "They smuggle these rare turtles to Bangladesh from India and then send them to Thailand, Taiwan or China."

He also added that these Shila Turtle and Kali Kaitta species are also on the list of 'endangered' species in Bangladesh. They are mostly seen in adjacent hill tract areas of the rivers Ganges and Bhramaputtra.

The BNP-led 18-Party Alliance has called two consecutive shutdowns on Sunday and Monday as they say the government failed to 'return' missing BNP leader M Ilias Ali by the deadline given by the opposition.

The party's acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the new agitation programme at a press briefing at the party's Naya Paltan headquarters on Saturday.

"We will enforce dawn to dusk shutdowns on Sunday and Monday to protest the forced disappearance of Ilias Ali," he said.

"The government has failed to return Ilias and his driver Ansar to their families. They failed to return them by the deadline given by our party chief."

"That's why we are enforcing two consecutive shutdowns. Fresh protest programmes will be announced on Apr 30 after the shutdowns," Fakhrul added.

On Tuesday, BNP chief Khakeda Zia had given the government Saturday deadline to 'return' Ilias Ali or she had said they would go for tougher agitation.

BNP had enforced three consecutive countrywide shutdowns on Apr 22, 23 and 24 and a day-long shutdown at four Sylhet districts on Apr 20 on the same demand.

More than 20 vehicles were vandalised and set on fire in Dhaka only during the demonstrations. A driver of a bus was burnt alive in a pre-shutdown violence.

Three persons were killed in clashes at Ilias' home constituency, Bishwanath in Sylhet, between law enforcers and pro-shutdown activists.

BNP's one of the organising secretaries Ilias Ali, also the party's Sylhet chapter chief, and his driver Ansar Ali went missing since early hours of Apr 18. Police found his abandoned car and mobile phone at a street in the capital's Mohakhali area near his Banani residence.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) had raided a number of residences in Pubail, Gazipur and Dhaka in its bid to find the missing BNP leader, but failed.

Khaleda Zia accused that 'government agency and RAB picked up Ilias'. However, prime minister Sheikh Hasina denied the accusations and alleged that the BNP was staging a 'drama'.

The 11573 BCS applicants who moved the High Court will now be allowed to take their exams, a senior PSC official said on Wednesday.

"This was decided at a (Public Service) Commission meeting in line with a High Court order," A I M Nesaruddin, a controller of exams, told

These 33rd BCS hopefuls failed to make payments due to server shortcomings even after filling in forms online by the Apr 7 midnight deadline.

The PSC argued that it had advised beforehand against making the applications at the last moment and therefore those that failed would not be allowed to sit for the exams.

The PSC decision forced some of the civil service aspirants to seek redress at the High Court which slapped a three-week suspension of the recruitment process. The Commission then went to the Appellate Division and won an order, but eventually decided to give in to the applicants' demands.

These applicants would now be able to pay their fees through the payment system of state-run mobile phone operator Teletalk between 8am on Apr 29 and 10pm on May 2.

The Commission's data shows that a total of 183,627 applied online and collected their admit cards. The preliminary exam is scheduled for June 1.

The Commission had invited applications through advertisements on Feb 29 for 4,206 vacancies in the Bangladesh Civil Service.

A Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft made an emergency landing at India's West Bengal after it lost its way on Wednesday evening.

Assistant director of Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) Nur Islam told that the trainee pilot, Rashed, has managed to land safely at Murshidabad in India.

The aircraft lost its communication with the control tower half an hour after it took off from the Jessore Matiur Rahman airbase at 6pm, ISPR said.

Rashed called the airbase at 7:55pm to report that he landed on a field in a village of the Indian state of West Bengal at around 6:45pm.

"I have talked with him (the trainee pilot) after he landed in India and diplomatic efforts are on to bring the trainee pilot and the aircraft back," said Nur Islam.

The airbase control tower sergeant Matiur Rahman said that the airplane-PT-6 3806-suffered damages during the emergency landing.

Sub-divisional officer in Murshidabad Dipanjan Bhattacharya said that the Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi has been contacted, reports PTI.

All Higher Secondary Certificate and its equivalent examinations scheduled for Tuesday across the country have been postponed as opposition BNP has called a countrywide general strike for the third successive day.

Examinations of vocational board were scheduled for the day.

Tuesday's deferred examinations would now be held on May 23, said Dhaka Board chairman Prof Fahima Khatun.

HSC examinations scheduled for Sunday and Monday had also to be postponed on account of the opposition-sponsored general strike.

On Thursday, the government had put off Higher Secondary Certificate examinations of Sylhet board and vocational board tests across the country in view of the hartal called by BNP in the district on the day.

The government has been criticising the opposition for enforcing strike at a time when the examinations are in progress. Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid asked the opposition to withdraw the strike considering the sufferings caused to the students.

HSC examinations began across the country on Apr 1. Over 9 lakh students are taking part in examinations under eight general education boards, vocational board and Madrassa education board this year.

The High Court has directed the authorities to stop within 24 hours the unauthorised construction work of Destiny Group in Cox's Bazar district.

The bench of justices A H M Shamsuddin Chowdhury and Jahangir Hossain passed the order on Wednesday after hearing a writ petition filed by Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB).

The rights organisation pressed the petition following a report published in a Bengali daily that Destiny Group is building a multi-storied building in the Cox's Bazar without approval from the appropriate authorities.

The deputy commissioner (DC) of Cox's Bazar district, superintended of police (SP) and officer-in-charge of Cox's Bazar Sadar Police Station have been directed to implement the order and submit a progress report by May 6.

The court also issued a rule asking the government to explain why its inaction to protect the environment of Cox's Bazar would not be declared illegal and why it would not be directed to remove the construction materials.

The environment secretary, director general of the Department of Environment (DoE), the Cox's Bazar DC and SP and municipal mayor have been directed to respond to the rule within three weeks.

Counsel for the petitioner Manzill Murshid told that the High Court on Mar 13 asked the government to take steps to stop all constructions inside the "ecologically critical area" on the Cox's Bazar beach.

"But the Destiny Group is constructing multi-storied building there which is contrary to the rule of law," he added.

Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has interrogated at least 15 leaders of opposition BNP including one of the MPs as the elite force try to find out the party's missing organising secretary M Alias Ali.

RAB's legal and media wing director M Sohael told on Wednesday, "The disappearance of Ilias Ali is being dealt with the utmost priority."

Ilias Ali has been missing since the early hours of Apr 18 and the law enforcing agencies are yet to find a clue about his whereabouts.

After enforcing countrywide general strike for three consecutive days, BNP has given the government an ultimatum till next Saturday to 'return' Ilias.

Sohael said that RAB has already conducted raids in different places to find out the missing BNP leader.

"Besides, several people have been questioned in this regard. The list includes a BNP lawmaker too. The lawmaker was questioned for about two hours," he added.

The lawmaker RAB quizzed was once a leader of the BNP's student front Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal.

The list also includes Ilias' party colleagues who had gone to Ruposhi Bangla hotel along with Ilias just before he went missing. Sohael said that Ilias' lawyer has also been quizzed.

"Each of them was interrogated alone," Sohael added.

Detective police deputy-comissioner Mahbubur Rahman said, "Detectives have engaged their full strength to find out Ilias."

Both the officers, however, declined to divulge any information about investigation findings.

The war crimes tribunal on Monday 'reluctantly' adjourned proceedings of a case against Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee until Tuesday as defence counsels were not present due to general strike enforced by the BNP.

The three-judge International Crimes Tribunal-1, set up on Mar 25, 2010 to deal with crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, had adjourned the trial until 1:30pm, but the defence counsels did not turn up even after the lunch recess.

Jamaat's executive council member Sayedee was indicted on Oct 3, 2011 on 20 counts of war crimes including murder, rape, arson and loot.

An assistant of senior defence counsel Miznul Islam, Hasanul Manna Sohag told the tribunal that there was no way he could get the lawyer on a rickshaw or an auto-rickshaw, due to his physical disability.

The well endowed defence counsel moves around in a wheel chair and occasionally on crutches. With the leave of the court, Mizanul Islam conducts the cases and argues sitting down.

The tribunal chairman, Justice Mohammad Nizamul Huq told the junior counsels that he would like to reiterate what he had said in the morning and proceed with the case.

Justice Huq assured the defence that the proceedings would be adjourned at the slightest hint of prejudice.

Shohag then pointed out that the defence actually did have a very strong chance of suffering prejudice since the investigation officer would exhibit statements of certain witnesses, who could not be produced in court, as evidence.

Sayedee stood up to address the court. He said he had never so much as even addressed the court in any of the sessions in all the time that his trial started.

He then submitted to the court that the proceedings be adjourned. "Of course, it is up to the court."

Justice Huq then reiterated what he had said in the morning. "We will keep in mind that your counsels are not here and adjourn the proceedings at any hint of prejudice. The matter will remain open for the defence counsels to argue the next day.

Sayedee said, "I have never asked for an adjournment personally. I do have the fullest confidence in the court and am absolutely respectful of the tribunal. But I humbly request the court to adjourn the proceedings for one day.

The tribunal chief said, "But I had wanted to do at least some work today."

Sayedee reiterated his prayer, "Please do take it up tomorrow."

Justice Nizamul Huq then asked his bench officer to take down the order.

Prosecutor Syed Haider Ali, handling Sayedee's case, also told the court that he could not be present during the first half due to the general strike. "However, the defence might have agreed to proceed entrusting the tribunal with its confidence."

The order noted that even one of the tribunal members could not be present due to a general strike called by the opposition parties. As a result, the defence counsels could not come to the court.

The order said that the accused was present in the court and although he had full respect for the court, it was for his full satisfaction that the accused had personally requested an adjournment of the proceedings due to the absence of his counsels.

"Considering the situation we reluctantly allow the proceedings to be adjourned," said Justice Huq giving the order. He ordered that the case would be up for hearing on Tuesday.

Besides the Sayedee case, the tribunal is also scheduled to give an order in reply to BNP MP Salauddin Quader Chowdhury's review of his discharge petition which the court had rejected before. Senior counsel for the top Jamaat leadership, Abdur Razzaq is also expected to argue Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami and the party secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed's case on Tuesday too.

Earlier in the day, with tribunal member Judge A K M Zaheer Ahmed absent, the two other judges of the tribunal decided to adjourn the pending deposition of investigation officer Mohammad Helal Uddin until lunch upon a plea from a junior member of Sayedee's defence team.

Tribunal chairman Justice Huq allowed Muhammad Tarikul Islam to address the court although he was not appropriately dressed.

Dressed in striped dark trousers and a pink shirt, Tarikul Islam had come to the court premises to file an adjournment petition on behalf of Abdul Alim, a former BNP MP and member in Ziaur Rahman's cabinet, also detained for war crimes charges.

But he decided to appear before the court to bring to the tribunal's attention to an untoward incident that had taken place. It turned out that the judge was well aware of what had gone on.

When the counsel stood up to address the tribunal and said he had not intended to appear before the court, Justice Huq said, "And you are not properly dressed. I should ask you to leave the courtroom then."

However, defence counsel was allowed to continue. Tarikul Islam brought to the court's attention that police officers downstairs guarding Sayedee had been rather 'abusive'.

Generally sympathetic to such causes, Justice Huq told the counsel that it was the defence that invited it.

He said, "Despite my instruction why did you try to speak to the accused?"

Tarikul Islam could only get in a word or two in between what Justice Huq said.

"You had insisted to speak to the accused although the permission was not granted. I can see what is going on inside the premises on the CCTV cameras from my chamber. And you had disturbed the policemen."

Tarikul Islam insisted that he was merely trying to calm things down between the policemen and Sayedee's son who had engaged into a heated altercation.

"But the policemen said they would throw me out of the premises and that we could not even look at the accused to talk to him."

Justice Huq stuck to his point. "They were right this time at least. You are a lawyer and as an officer of the court why would you want to engage in such petty matters with the law enforcers? You must maintain the dignity of a counsel."

The tribunal chief said he thought all the parties behaved in a dignified manner and that he was rather proud of that.

"I do not understand why you must go and deal with the police. If there is a problem, inform the registrar's office or come before the court and tell us about it."

Tarikul Islam said he thought that the policemen were too rude and stepped out of line.

Justice Huq: That was something he said perhaps at the heat of the moment. They certainly don't mean what they said.

"And since you are here, let me also tell you that as a lawyer you must never come to the court without being appropriately dressed. You shouldn't even walk the corridors of the court if you are not properly dressed. And you must have your gown if you are appearing before the court.

The defence counsel said, "Yes, my lord."

The tribunal chairman then asked Saidur Rahman, one of the prosecutors assisting Syed Haider Ali, who is conducting Sayedee's case, whether he was ready and the prosecutor said that he was.

The investigation officer was about to begin his deposition for the ninth and presumably last day, when Sayedee stood up to address the court.

He said, "I have no understanding of law. You see that I sit in the dock reading the Quran during the proceedings and my counsels handle the entire matter. However, today none of them are present."

Justice Huq: "We are fully sympathetic. But rest assured that considering your counsels are not present, the tribunal shall act as your counsel. But at least one of the counsels should have been present."

The tribunal chairman then asked two of junior counsels of the defence team to come forward and note if the deposition was being recorded properly.

One of them, Abu Bakar Siddique, stood up and prayed for an adjournment saying that they were not competent enough and begged the court's permission to allow some time so that at least one of the senior counsels could be notified and brought to the court by 2pm.

Siddique pointed out that the senior defence counsel Mizanul Islam could not come to the court without a car, which was not really possible since there were 'no cars' on the streets because of the main opposition's countrywide daylong general strike. The Jamaat happens to be a key ally of the main opposition BNP.

When Justice Nizamul Huq asked the prosecution if they had anything to say, prosecutor Mukhlesur Rahman Badal said he did not have any objection to the plea. "I believe that this much (prayer for an hour's adjournment) could be considered."

Prosecutor Zead-Al-Malum, however, objected to the prayer.

But Justice Huq said that the defence could rightly feel prejudiced if the proceedings went ahead without any of their lawyers present in the court. He then adjourned the proceedings until 1:30pm.


FIRST CASE TO TRIAL

Sayedee's is the first case to proceed to the trial stage at the tribunal. The prosecution on Sept 4 proposed framing of charges against him on 31 counts for crimes against humanity and genocide.

The tribunal also sent Jamaat's former chief Ghulam Azam to jail on Jan 11. His indictment hearing began on Feb 15 and the court is scheduled to give Azam's indictment order on May 2.

Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed and assistant secretaries general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla have been detained on war crimes charges.

BNP MP and standing committee member, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, also behind bars, has been indicted for 23 charges on Apr 4. The prosecution has been ordered to begin with its opening statement on Apr 29.

The tribunal granted conditional bail to former BNP lawmaker and minister Abdul Alim on Mar 31 last year. The bail was extended further, until Apr 24 when the next hearing of Alim's case is scheduled. Alim has been ordered to be present in the court on that day. However, that case has been transferred to the second tribunal set up on Mar 23 this year.

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will announce party's next course of agitation over the alleged abduction of M Ilias Ali at a press conference after the countrywide dawn-to-dusk general strike for the third successive day on Tuesday.

After a meeting between Khaleda and the party's policymakers at her Gulshan office on Monday night, standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy informed reporters of the decision.

Her press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan added that the party chief would meet the press at 6:45pm at her Gulshan office.

He said Khaleda would speak at length about the situation arising out of the disappearance of Ilias at the press conference. "She will also speak about the overall political situation."

Roy said the protests against the disappearance of the organising secretary would continue until the government 'returns' him.

Asked whether hartal would be called again, he said, "Our street protests will continue ... we will protest in various ways."

Acting secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, standing committee members Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, R A Gani, Moudud Ahmed, Mahbubur Rahman, M K Anwar, Jamiruddin Sircar, A S M Hannan Shah, Mirza Abbas, Rafikul Islam Mia, Mirza Abbasm Nazrul Islam Khan and Abdul Moyen Khan, among others, attended the meeting.