Along two bordering rivers Ichhamati and Kalindi

Indo-Bangla joint River Demarcation Survey begins
Satkhira, 23 February : A joint river demarcation survey along international water frontier has began in Satkhira. A total of seven experts from Bangladesh and India are carrying out the survey. On the first day, the survey works have started from the main pillar number-1 in Padmasakra area under sadar upazila of the district. The survey will continue along two bordering rivers Ichhamati and Kalindi.
Sources said during the 1947 partition, the mid-streams of these rivers were taken as the demarcation line between the two countries. Due to river erosion over the years, As India Bangladesh also lost several villages along the rivers and chars were emerged in the other side, and mid-streams of the two rivers are no more remain as demarcation line.

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Kabir Chowdhury is new Bangla Academy president

Dhaka, 23 February : Bangladesh National professor Kabir Chowdhury has been named new Bangla Academy president, the academy's director general said on Monday. He is yet to join, said Syed Mohammad Sahed.
The Bangladesh cultural affairs ministry appointed Chowdhury to replace Professor Harun-Or-Rashid, whose tenure ended on 3 February.

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Oscars On Poverty..... ??? Eight on Ten for Indian film 'Slumdog Millionaire'
Reuters, Los Angeles, 23 February : Indian film 'Slumdog Millionaire' sweeps eight Oscars at the 81 st Academy Awards including Best Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Sound Slumdog Millionaire shines at the 81st Academy Awards. Mixing, Film Editing, Original Score, Original Song, Direction and Motion Picture. Indian music maestro A R Rahman brings home two awards with his Jai Ho... composition.
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Another 7 War Criminals sued for 1971 killings in Rajshahi
Rajshahi, 22 February : Seven more people face 1971 'war crimes' charges in Rajshahi in a case filed with a magistrate's court Sunday. Sufiya Begum, daughter of Tasir Uddin of Senduri village in Mohanpur, filed the case with Rajshahi Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court.
Magistrate Mohammad Alamgir directed Mohanpur police to take legal steps after investigation. According to the case details, the accused were involved in the deaths of the plaintiff's brothers Mofij Uddin and Kafil Uddin, killed by Pakistani occupation forces in 1971. "After they were killed, the bodies were not even returned," said Sufiya. She also claimed the case was known to all the villagers.
Police on 12 February arrested another two Rajshahi men in a case filed on 22 June, 2008, on charges of killing 19 people of Mugrail in Mohanpur during the liberation war.
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Delhi-Dhaka work together to strengthen Democracy
Dhaka, 22 February : Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman today emphasised the importance of regular contacts and exchange of visits by parliamentarians of Bangladesh and India to further bolster bilateral ties between the two countries.
He also said Dhaka and Delhi could work together to further strengthening parliamentary democracy in the region. "There are scopes for working together to make our parliament main centre of decision-making and accountability," he said while talking to Indian Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee when he called on the Bangladesh president at Bangabhaban.
President Zillur welcomed Somnath Chatterjee and thanked him for visiting Bangladesh. "We believe people-to-people contact is essential to deepen relations between the two countries," he said.
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Poppy field destroyed near Jhenidah border
Jhenidah, 22 February : Jhenidah Members of the law enforcing agencies today destroyed a poppy field at Nepa village under Moheshpur upazila in the district.
On a tip-off, Police, Rab, BDR and the officials of drug and narcotics control department raided the area and destroyed the 'opium poppy' grown on five bighas in the village, 62 kilometre away from the district town. Police said, a citizen of Ayet village, cultivated the poppy.
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India's Bengali speaker oriented Bangladeshi MPs
Know issues before you speak in JS : Somnath
Dhaka, 22 February : The MPs must not speak in parliament the way they do at political rallies and need to educate themselves on national issues, Indian speaker Somnath Chatterjee has aid. "Talking in parliament and addressing rallies in the public places are quite different," Somnath Chatterjee said at the launch of a four-day orientation programme of newly-elected MPs at Hotel Sonargaon Sunday.
Every institution, he said, had its own rules, and parliament had rules of procedure which the MPs must follow. Chatterjee, who came yesterday, Dhaka to train the newly-elected MPs of Bangladesh, said frequent commotion in the House was not good for any country. On the Indian experience, Chatterjee said, "We have formed parliamentary forums on women, children, climate change and water management. There are many public-importance issue which people don't know.
The USAID and Washington-based National Democratic Institute co-organised the first ever orientation workshop for the MPs. Among the 296 MPs of the ninth Bangladesh parliament, 162 MPs have been elected for the first time, who know little about how parliament works.
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Abhishek-Aishwarya's Ravana descends on Agarpara
Dum Dum, 22 February : After his tryst with the City of Joy in 2004 for the shooting of 'Yuva', director Mani Ratnam is back for his ambitious project 'Ravana', starring by Bollywoood's star couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. Though the film has characters named Ram, Sita and Ravana it has no connection with the Ramayana, Art Director Samir Chanda said.
"It is a film set in contemporary times and it is fascinating the way Mani treats his concept," said Chanda who was instrumental in zeroing in Agarpara as a locale for the new film along with international fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee.
Simultaneous Hindi and Tamil shots were taken in the first three days of shooting at the sprawling Saheb Kuthi villa besides the river Hooghly at Agarpara in the northern outskirts. This celluloid venture began at Agarpara from 17 February. It was expected to continue till the first week of March, a unit member said.
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On arriving to lay the foundation stone of East-West Metro Railway
WB CM Buddhadeb shown Black Flags by TMC
Kolkata, 22 February : West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee was on Sunday shown black flags by women activists of Trinamool Congress when he was arriving at Salt Lake stadium here to lay the foundation stone of East-West Metro Railway.
Members of the women's wing of Bidhannagar Block TMC waved black flags as they chanted "Go Back Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee" when his convoy was entering the stadium. The activists alleged that the foundation stone laying programme was a ploy to woo voters ahead of parliamentary election. Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Swadesh Chakraborty, Howrah MP, are attending the programme.
East-West Metro will run below the Hooghly river to connect Kolkata's IT hub of Salt Lake with Howrah Maidan.
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Book fair begins in Rangamati on Amar Ekushey
Rangamati, 21 February : The Bangladesh state minister of for the Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs, Dipankar Talukdar, inaugurated a week-long book fair in the Rangamati Old Stadium as part of the observance of International Mother Language Day, which is today.
Chittagong Development Board vice-chairman SM Ashraful Islam and the Rangamati municipal mayor attended the programme as guests. The deputy commissioner, Nurul Amin, presided over the programme.
Also an eight-day book fair begins in Rajshahi city today to mark International Mother Language Day.
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100000 Rasagolla for Bangladesh from West Bengal
Benapol, Dhaka, 21 February : The West Bengal government presented Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina 100000 pieces of rasagolla, a popular Bengali syrupy dessert, Saturday, the International Mother Language Day.
West Bengal's transport minister, handed one of the sweets packets to Jessore-1 MP Sheikh Afil Uddin at a ceremony at No-Man's Land near Benapol Land Port in Jessore around 11am. The sweets have been given as a gesture of goodwill on the victory of Hasina-led Awami League in the general elections and in appreciation of the development of democracy in Bangladesh.
Bengali-speaking people from either side of the border joined a fair, seen as reunion of sorts, where the ceremony took place. A daylong cultural function followed.
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Pay-hike bonanza for Tripura government employees
Agartala, 21 February : The Tripura government Saturday announced 30-35 percent hike in salaries of its 138,300 employees, with retrospective effect from last month.
'After the sixth central pay commission, Tripura is the first among the eight northeastern states that announced new salaries and allowances for its employees, making 30 to 35 percent salary hike with effect from January,' state Finance Minister Badal Chowdhury told reporters after a cabinet meeting.