Criminal Investigation Department (CID) filed a case against three of its former investigators in connection with intentionally misdirecting the probe into the August 21 grenade attack case.

Pakistan security forces yesterday overpowered gunmen who stormed a police academy in a spectacular commando-style raid in which eight police recruits and four attackers died.

The committee formed to report on restructuring and renaming of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) yesterday submitted a brief initial proposal to the government for changing name and uniform of the paramilitary force.

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) yesterday questioned Jamaat-e-Islami leader barrister Abdur Razzaq for over three hours about his alleged telephone conversations with BDR mutineers on February 25-26, said sources.

A parliamentary probe body yesterday asked the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat to come up with all necessary documents on Tk 40 lakh medical bills drawn by immediate past speaker Jamiruddin Sircar 'ignoring' financial rules.

The government is going to bring fresh amendments to the Public Procurement Act, which was made to bring transparency in government expenditure under donors' pressure.

The police headquarters have sent directives to all the district police chiefs to mount watch on Qawmi madrasas in the wake of the March 24 arms and ammo haul at a Bhola madrasa-cum-orphanage.

The government yesterday decided to hang portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with photo of the head of the government at all government, semi-government, autonomous bodies, educational institutions and Bangladesh missions abroad.

The Bangladesh chapter of Kuwait-based NGO Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS) is still running its offices and covert activities although its registration was cancelled nearly two years ago.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday cautioned people against possible political rowdiness, militancy and bomb attacks.

A Dhaka court yesterday discharged former president and Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad from a sedition case filed against him on charges of taking power from the then president Justice Abdus Sattar at gunpoint in March 1982.

The home ministry probe committee investigating last month's BDR carnage got 30 more working days to submit its report. This is the fourth time the ministry extended time for the probe body.

Police have submitted charge sheets in three cases in connection with the seizure of explosive materials from the operatives of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and detonating explosive at district police super's office.

The government might request Interpol's support in quizzing suspects of the Pilkhana massacre who are now abroad, said Commerce Minister Faruk Khan yesterday.

Parliament yesterday passed two bills giving Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDCL) and Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd (BBAL) legal status for continuation of their functions after over a month when they ran their activities without any legality.

Petrobangla and Chevron have successfully commissioned a spur pipeline at Jalalabad gas field, which is to raise the country's gas production by about 40 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd).

Myanmar will erect barbed wire fence 100 metres off the 'no-man's land' along 40 kms of Bangladesh-Myanmar border to check smuggling, including drug trafficking, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hasan Mahmud said yesterday.

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is going to start interrogating Coast Guard members soon in connection with 10 truckloads of firearms hauled at Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited jetty on April 02, 2004.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is eager to invest in hotel, tourism, oil and telecommunications sectors in Bangladesh, said State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hasan Mahmud yesterday.

At least 55 Tamil Tiger rebels have been killed in land and sea battles on Sri Lanka's northeast coast as an army offensive moves forward in a bid to end 25 years of civil war, the military said yesterday.

A heavily-armed gunman shot dead eight people, many elderly and infirm patients, in a North Carolina nursing home Sunday, authorities said, announcing that the shooter was in custody.

Thailand's prime minister avoided his office Monday as thousands of protesters calling for his resignation and allied with deposed leader Thaksin Shinawatra surrounded the seat of government for a fifth day.

WITH the deadline for submitting poll expenditure reports to the Election Commission expiring today, only four out of the 38 political parties that took part in the December 29 general election have so far complied with the requirement. Worse still, none of the major parties figure in the first four.

THE government deserves our congratulations for passing the RTI bill. It was long overdue. Thanks must also go to those organisations and members of the civil society, teachers and journalists who had been relentlessly pursuing the matter. The erstwhile caretaker government should also be credited for drawing up the RTI ordinance 2008. This we feel is the first step towards establishing good governance and ensuring a regime of accountability in all government institutions.

LOOK at those youngsters throwing bricks at the police in the name of Islam! Those pranksters are making a mockery of religion instead of doing anything good. And then read the hair-raising stories about another young man's castle-madrasa (literally with a moat, draw-bridge and dungeon) in Bhola where bullets and bombs were made to protect Islam! Now we hear that some of those weapons and bullets were sold to river pirates of that remote area. Good Lord! What do we hear next!

The sports organisers of Chittagong are planning big with a Twenty20 cricket tournament styled as Port City Cricket League (PCL).

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has appointed a physiotherapist for the national team on temporary basis.

Abahani go to play the third super league match of the Premier Division Cricket League against Partex today to all but confirm their third consecutive title.

Andrew Strauss gathered 79 from 61 balls to lead England to a nine-wicket victory under the Duckworth-Lewis Method over West Indies in the rain-affected fourth One-day International at Kensington Oval on Sunday.

A heroic stand of 137 in nearly 11 hours at the crease by Gautam Gambhir ensured the second Test between India and New Zealand ended in a draw on Monday.

New cap Roelof van der Merwe and captain Johan Botha took South Africa to a series-clinching 17-run win in the second Twenty20 international against Australia at Centurion Park Sunday.

The IFIC Bank National Shooting Championships will start at the BKSP Shooting Range tomorrow with 218 shooters from 23 clubs taking part in the top domestic event.

Former cricket great Javed Miandad was Monday reinstated as director general of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), barely a month after resigning in an argument about lack of powers, an official said.

The Davis Cup Asia/Oceania Zone Group IV qualifiers will begin today at the Ramna National Tennis Complex.

Sandip hit 104 as Thakurgaon Cricket Coaching School got off to a flying start with a massive 108-run victory over Hazipara Krira Shikkha Parishad (HKSP) in the opening match of the First Division cricket league yesterday.

Brazil have work to do after the five-times world champions could only draw 1-1 in Ecuador in Sunday's World Cup qualifier.

Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho has thrown his backing behind FIFA's controversial "6+5" rule, designed to limit the number of foreign players in domestic leagues, and insists that focusing on home-grown players is the right path to take.

FIFA on Monday asked for a full report into what caused a soccer stadium tragedy that killed at least 19 people in the Ivory Coast.

Australia can clinch their place at the World Cup finals on Wednesday while the two Koreas face-off in a politically-charged clash in Seoul.

David Beckham insists he is happy to play a bit-part role for England despite becoming his country's most capped out-field player.

England captain John Terry has warned his international colleagues not to underestimate former Chelsea teammate Andriy Shevchenko in Wednesday night's World Cup qualifier as the Ukraine striker will be hungry to prove people wrong.

Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is fit to face Wales for Wednesday's World Cup qualifier at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, despite picking up a groin strain last weekend.

German coach Erich Rutemoeller has been appointed interim coach of the Iranian team after head coach Ali Daei was sacked at the weekend.

Republic of Ireland winger Aiden McGeady handed manager Giovanni Trapattoni a boost when he was able to complete light training ahead of Wednesday's World Cup qualifying clash with holders Italy.

AC Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati will be out of action for five to six months following surgery on his cruciate knee ligament, the club said on Monday.

Sadharan Bima and Badda Ekata were relegated to second division after the relegation playoffs of the First Division Cricket League ended yesterday.

Serena and Venus Williams and men's world number two Roger Federer cruised into the fourth round of the WTA and ATP hardcourt tournament here on Sunday but second seed Dinara Safina crashed out.

Ricky Ponting is confident that his developing team will benefit from their two Twenty20 losses in South Africa as the World Twenty20 approaches. South Africa won the second game in Centurion by 17 runs and took the series 2-0 after a similarly strong victory in the opening game at the Wanderers.

Allrounder Roelof van der Merwe's impressive international debut in the Twenty20 against Australia at Centurion on Sunday has earned him a place in the one-day squad for the first two matches. van der Merwe top scored with 48 and took the wicket of David Hussey with his left-arm spin to set up the team's 17-run win and bag the Man-of-the-Match award.

Amid the euphoria around a magnificent marathon from Gautam Gambhir, it's easy to forget that, coming into this match, New Zealand were the clear underdogs who were expected to offer few challenges to the Indians. In that context, the home team will take the draw, despite being on the field continuously for three days and a session, which can be demoralising and obviously tiring.

The New Zealand players involved in the ICL have received an e-mail from the tournament's organizers stating that they will be released from their contracts if they request for a termination, New Zealand's Sunday News has reported.

An air of uncertainty looms over the fate of Grameenphone's initial public offering (IPO), as the stock market regulator seems unwilling to approve the IPO prospectus of the country's largest mobile operator.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has called for a shakeup in the existing financial system and replacing it with a new inclusive one integrating microcredit for the poor, as the global economic turmoil is expected to intensify.

The global auto sector was rocked by a major shake-up Monday as the heads of US giant General Motors and French peer Peugeot were booted out and Chrysler faced an ultimatum to forge a partnership with Italy's Fiat.

The prime bourse in Dhaka has invited the Chittagong Stock Exchange to go for joint budget proposals, instead of doing it separately, which will be the first of its kind.

Economist Dr Atiur Rahman yesterday urged the government to consider introducing an area-wise poverty mapping for proper distribution of wealth.

The government approved new insurance draft laws yesterday to replace the 71-year-old ones.

South Asia has commenced negotiations in to incorporating trade in services to the South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) but a lack of data could slow things down, a senior economist said.

Industries Minister Dilip Barua yesterday directed the BSCIC to take effective steps to set up the Central Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) at leather estate in Savar and relocate tanneries from the city's Hazaribagh area soon.

RAK Pharmaceuticals is scheduled to go into commercial production from April and the products will be available in the market from June 9.

European consumer and business confidence slumped to a new record low in March although the pace of decline slowed in a possible sign of stabilisation, according to an EU survey on Monday.

Vietnam exported 1.74 million tonnes of rice in the first quarter of this year, earning US$785 million, the General Statistic Office said.

Asia has come of age. In a few days, the region's rising powers -- China, India, Korea and Indonesia -- will be sitting at the global high table to decide on ways to reshape the world's financial and economic order.

The Group of 20, comprising the world's most powerful countries and representing 85 percent of the world economy, is scheduled to meet for a one-day summit in London tomorrow to help revive the world economy.

Asian markets plummeted Monday as investors took profits and sold off stocks following three weeks of rallies, following new concerns about the future of the US car industry.

Oil prices fell heavily Monday in line with stock markets on renewed concerns for the global economy, traders said.

The dollar dived against the yen Monday on fresh worries about struggling US carmakers General Motors and Chrysler after a task force said their plans for recovery are "not viable."

Japan's factory output and auto production have plunged for a fifth straight month, data showed Monday, as the government pledged to revive the recession-hit economy with more stimulus spending.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development on Monday urged "quick and decisive action" to restore global growth while warning that the OECD economies may shrink 4.3 percent this year.

Hundreds of owners of small businesses in Bahrain demonstrated on Sunday in protest against a monthly tax they have to pay for each expatriate worker they hire.

Russia's economy will contract 4.5 percent in 2009 due to the global financial crisis, the World Bank said on Monday, calling on the country to lessen its dependence on oil exports.

Bangladesh yesterday reached an understanding with Malaysia to tighten laws to ensure that Bangladeshi labourers are not sent to manufacturing and plantation sectors in Malaysia without the availability of jobs.

The government has taken initiative to implement the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Agreement, State Minister for CHT Affairs Dipankar Talukder said yesterday.

The council members of Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute (BSTI) will sit today to decide whether they would use new weight sets with security logo to address weight manipulation.

Commerce Minister Lt Col (Retd) Faruk Khan yesterday said the government will set up a primary school in every village and computer education to be made compulsory at HSC level by 2013.

Dhaka University Vice Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique yesterday urged the young generation to take forward the country using their strength and make the dream of common people true.

Speakers at a human chain programme on the Dhaka University campus yesterday demanded an increase in quota in higher education for the indigenous students, says a press release.

Speakers at a roundtable yesterday said the education system in the country is mired in discrimination manifold though the country has achieved independence 38 years ago.

Bangladesh Kazi Samity yesterday threatened to wage a movement from April unless the government cancels the amendment to the act regarding Muslim marriage and divorce over the appointment of Kazi.

The Grameen Bank is going to launch a new nutritional food and medicated mosquito net scheme in Bangladesh this year in collaboration with German company BASF.

At least five people were killed and 15 others injured as a Dhaka-bound coach rammed into a roadside tea stall at Rahbal in Shibganj upazila yesterday.

Leaders of the Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (Skop) yesterday demanded repeal of the Labour Law (amendment) Ordinance 2008.

Different political parties yesterday protested the move to give special powers to Members of the Parliament (MPs) in upazila parishad.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia formed an enquiry committee to identify the people involved with the incident of assaulting party standing committee member Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman.

The Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) has imposed Section 144 in and around Chittagong College ground to avoid any untoward incidents, as a five-day Tafsirul Mahfil was scheduled to begin there yesterday.

A woman was killed allegedly by her husband at Aganagar in South Keraniganj area early yesterday.

The Police Week 2009 begins today with the pledge to discharging better services through ensuring security of public life and property.

The Election Commission has imposed restriction on election campaigns, meetings and processions from Tuesday (March 31) midnight in areas where the parliamentary by-elections will be held on April 2.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) yesterday hailed the government for passing the bill on the right to information (RTI) in the Jatiya Sangsad.

A student was injured in a clash between two factions of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) over occupying a seat at a female dormitory at Dhaka University (DU) last night.

A fast food shop was gutted in a fire at Rifles Square in the city last night.

Home Minister Sahara Khatun said in the parliament yesterday that she had ordered the police to immediately arrest people behind the attack on the motorcade of Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad in Kurigram on Sunday.

Several lawmakers of Bogra district, both from ruling Awami League (AL) and main opposition BNP, are taking part in the campaign for their party candidates, ignoring Election Commission (EC) directives, reports our staff correspondent from Bogra.

Fishermen in the coastal areas of the southern region continue Hilsa catching despite a two-month ban from March 1.

Police yesterday arrested three Jamaat men in Gopalganj and Thakurgaon on charges of planning subversive activities and selling controversial books.

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested a woman for assaulting two female Rab members at the temporary camp of Rab-7 at Chittagong International Trade Fair (CITF) ground on Sunday.

At least 25 people were injured in a clash between the activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Jatiya Party (JP-Ershad) at Shyamnagar upazila headquarters on Sunday night.

Son of a person martyred in the liberation war lodged a case with a Rajshahi court yesterday accusing 15 people for killing of his father Taher Mondol, a freedom fighter, during 1971 Liberation War.

Police early yesterday arrested an activist of banned Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) from Baje Goalkandi village in Bagmara upazila.

A court in the port city yesterday sent former Khagrachhari District Council chairman Monindra Lal Tripura to jail after he surrendered before the court for bail in Anupam Tripura murder case.

Army personnel arrested three indigenous people with three firearms at Ulum Para under Alikadam upazila of the district early yesterday.

Monday's assault on a police school and a wave of spectacular attacks underlines Pakistan's weakness and the danger posed by militants to the future of the nuclear-armed nation, analysts said.

The assault on a Pakistani police academy Monday that has so far claimed 20 lives echoes the brazen attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team -- and before that to the deadly Mumbai siege.

The Red Cross warned yesterday that it expected a surge in civilian casualties in Afghanistan and Pakistan over the coming months as military operations are stepped up there.

President Barack Obama ruled out sending US troops on a hot pursuit of extremists across the Afghan border into Pakistan -- but demanded Islamabad hold up its end of the anti-terror struggle.

Pakistan's opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, who recently made up with President Asif Ali Zardari after leading a movement against him, hopes to serve a third term as Prime Minister but only after the present government finishes its term.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Monday urged the incoming Israeli right-wing government to freeze settlements, stop unilateral actions in Jerusalem and ease conditions in Gaza, at the opening of the Arab summit.

A suicide attacker walked into a district government office in southern Afghanistan and blew himself up on Monday, killing nine people and wounding eight, police said.

The United States is struggling hard to identify the loopholes in its South Asian policy over the past seven years, as it has limited ability to control what happens in Pakistan, the Los Angeles Times reports.

India on Monday finally appointed a lawyer for the lone Islamist militant suspect captured by police during the Mumbai attacks, four months after his high-profile arrest.

Nepalese Prime Minister Prachanda said Monday he aimed to make the ongoing peace process in his country a model for surrounding countries in the region.

British forces will officially start to pull out of Iraq today, signalling the end of six years of military operations that began with the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.

US-backed Iraqi forces swept through a central Baghdad slum Sunday, disarming Sunnis from a government-allied paramilitary group to quell a two-day uprising launched to protest the arrest of their leader.

Both the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will lose partners after the Lok Sabha polls leading to the consolidation of the Third Front, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said Sunday.

A former teacher accused of carrying out the murderous policies of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge went on trial Monday, as prosecutors opened their first case against the hard-core communists who turned the country into a killing field three decades ago.

The Beijing Chest Hospital was packed with people on a recent weekday morning. In the waiting area, Wang Chong, a migrant worker who has been fighting tuberculosis for several months, was facing a dilemma: Does he continue treatment that has already cost him more than $5,000 or stop before his savings are wiped out?

A US sergeant pleaded guilty Monday to murdering a prisoner in Iraq in 2007, telling a court martial he thought carrying out the shooting was in the interests of his soldiers.

At a time when the nation has raised it's voice for the trial of war criminals and collaborators in the Liberation War of 1971, Bodhan Abritty Parishad staged its second production of a poetic play “Ekhono Ekattor”. Even the post-liberation younger generation of the country, brought up on the staple of historic distortion and disinterest in the era of the Liberation War, have expressed their interest in learning about our glorious past. A repeat presentation of the valiant struggle of the freedom loving people and the role of the evil anti-liberation force is therefore immensely needed. And “Ekhono Ekattor” is truly contemporary from this viewpoint. Bodhan staged the play for the second time on Saturday at the Theatre Institute Chittagong (TIC) while it was at first staged on December 18 last year.

Outside, the season's first hailstorm was on in full swing. Inside the auditorium, the audience paid little heed to the weather as the captivating music of Bhawaiya songs kept them spellbound until the sky cleared up. Bhawaiya songs, a soulful expression of working people from the northern area of our country and some parts of West Bengal, India, express the love and separation of lovers as well as spiritual themes. The genre is popular for its melancholic notes and unique style.

Anywhere in our country, if you are talking about 'magic,' the name Jewel Aich is bound to come up. Aich has set an example in showmanship and performing illusions. At a time when no one would consider taking the art of performing magic as a profession, Aich not only proved it possible, but, throughout his illustrious career, achieved international acclaim.

For the first time, British supermodel Naomi Campbell wrapped herself in a saree and walked down the ramp in Mumbai here on Saturday to pay tribute to the victims of last November's terror attacks in India's financial capital Mumbai.

Theatre activists observed World Theatre Day on March 27 with discussions, gatherings and cultural programmes at the Shabdabali Studio Theatre auditorium in Barisal city.

Seven eminent personalities were honoured with awards at a function in Sylhet held Saturday night for their achievements in different fields. The awardees are Major General CR Dutta Bir Uttam (retired) for his role in the Liberation War, Professor Abdul Aziz for his part in the Language Movement, Bidit Lal Das for songs, Abdur Rahim for drama, Dondon Lusai for sports, Rafiqur Rahman for literature and Shamsad Husam for journalism. General Dutta could not be present at the function while Shamsad Husam was abroad.

Satellite TV channel Banglavision turns three today. On the occasion the channel will telecast special programmes throughout the day.

Celebrity talk show "O Bondhu Amar" will be aired tonight at 7:45pm on Ekushey Television. Hosted by actress Naznin Hasan Chumki, the show will highlight two successful comedians, Faruk Ahmed and Swadhin Khasru.

THE predominant and prevalent discourse for poverty reduction is that the rich countries can help to lift poor people onto the bottom rung of the ladder through debt relief and/or a massive injection of aid. Those poor (countries) will then be able to climb the ladder of growth themselves, and thereby ascend out of poverty. Such a vision of economic growth is based on the notion that it is possible for all states to follow a broadly similar pattern of "development."

TODAY is "National Disaster Preparedness Day." Disasters such floods, river erosion, cyclones, droughts, tornadoes, cold waves, earthquakes, drainage congestion/ water logging, arsenic contamination in ground water, land slides, salinity intrusion, fire etc. are causing severe damage to Bangladesh's economy and society. Coastal inundation and erosion, deforestation, loss of bio-diversity and agriculture, large-scale migration, etc are also big threats.

WHEN it comes to exercise, you can divide people into two categories: spenders and non-spenders. The first decides he wants to get fit and applies to the World Bank for a US$100 billion loan so he can buy vast amounts of equipment, a gym membership, designer sports shoes and hi-tech clothing.