Two get 10 years in jail for 2005 Bangladesh bombing

Dhaka, 16 August : A court in Bangladesh's Chittagong town Sunday awarded 10 years' jail term to two militants of a banned outfit for carrying out bombing near a shopping mall four years ago.
The bombing took place 17 August, 2005 when Bangladesh was rocked by over 500 blasts conducted across the country. Javed Iqbal alias Mohammad and JMB member Alauddin belong to the Islamist militant outfit, Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). No one was injured in the blast that took place in front of Apollo Shopping Centre in the port city's Kajir Deori crossing area. The then government of prime minister Khaleda Zia booked, besides these two, JMB chief Shaikh Abdur Rahman, his second-in-command Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, Shaikh's brother Ataur Rahman Sunny and Arshadul Alam for the bomb blasts.
The JMB chief and Bangla Bhai who had earned international criticism for their role in terrorising religious minorities and political opponents were later convicted for murdering two judges and executed in 2007.

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Bangladesh HC orders halt to Chittagong troops pull
Dhaka, 16 August : The Bangladesh High Court on Sunday directed the government to temporarily suspend withdrawal of troops from the Chittagong Hill Tracts until 19 August, on two separate petitions filed last week.
The two petitions were filed last Sunday seeking a High Court injunction on the ongoing single largest pullout of troops from the Chittagong Hill Tracts since a peace accord was signed in 1997. The government at the end of last month announced it was withdrawing a complete brigade, out of five stationed in the region, as part of the peace process.
The petitioners argued that the removal of army camps in the region threatens the security of Bangali settlers. န Photo : AP

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5 die in landslides in Kurseong sub-div of Darjeeling

Darjeeling, Siliguri, 16 August : Three of a family and two others died following landslides in the hilly Kurseong sub-division of Darjeeling district Sunday. More casualties are feared, an official said.

The landslides occurred at various places, including in tea gardens, along the National Highway 65 connecting Kurseong with Siliguri and Darjeeling, as also in areas like Pankhabari and Rohini Sunday morning following heavy rains over the past two days, Kurseong sub-divisional police officer Rakesh Singh told Bengal Newz. “The 3 members of the same family, a married couple and their child died at Gourishankar tea estate premises. Another person died in a remote tea garden, while the 5th death occurred near the Rohini-Sirubari road,” Singh said.
Police and fire brigade personnel are rescuing the injured and those trapped because of the landslides. The road connectivity between Darjeeling and Siliguri has snapped, he said. Altogether 28 people died in landslides in Darjeeling district in May. န Photos : Reuters

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Bangladesh government names ex-intelligence sleuth, diplomat as deserter
Dhaka, 16 August : The Bangladesh government has declared as deserter an army brigadier general who was a top military intelligence official posted in its mission in Washington last year.
Brigadier General Chowdhury Fazlul Bari could face a court martial if he returns home, The Daily Star said Sunday. Bari lives with his family in Washington after his leave was rejected and he relinquished charge at the embassy. He has the support of his in-laws who are American citizens. His brother Chowdhury Ashraful Bari Noman, a leader of BNP, told the newspaper: “Bari told me he was never involved in any subversive activities or corruption, and (that) he will come home in future.”
Bari was posted to the US mission last year by a caretaker government that ruled Bangladesh during 2007-08. The military authorities have declared Bari a deserter who defied repeated orders by the new government that took office in January this year.

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CM Buddhadeb to meet PM to discuss terror issues
Kolkata, 16 August : WB Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence for a breakfast meeting on 17 August.

Some other chief ministers will also be present at the meeting, which has been fixed especially to discuss "terrorism, communalism, insurgency in Jammu & Kashmir and the North-East. West Bengal will play a key role in the discussion because even as there has been no major terror attack here, according to intelligence reports the city does figure on the radar of terrorists", WB State home secretary Ardhendu Sen told Bengal Newz. Since entry to the country's mainland through Bangladesh border has to be through West Bengal, and the very fact that terrorists often use this state as corridor on their way to other parts of the country, makes West Bengal all the more vulnerable.
From Bangladesh, terrorists could cross over to Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya or West Bengal, but their further movement to south, north and west of the country has to be through West Bengal. This is one of the major reasons why such an important discussion includes West Bengal, officials said.
After this meeting at the PM's residence, there are two other meetings that Bhattacharjee is scheduled to attend in New Delhi. In the first one, the PM will discuss the country's internal security with all chief ministers. And in the second, home minister P Chidambaram will hold a meeting to discuss the Maoist menace in the country and this will include the states that are plagued by the Left-wing extremist problem. Lalgarh is expected to be a major point of discussion. State home secretary Ardhendu Sen will also accompany the CM in this meeting. န Photos : AFP

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IDCOL to introduce Solar Irrigation plants in B'Desh

UNB, Dhaka, 16 August : Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), a partner organisation of the government, is planning to set up multipurpose Solar Irrigation System (SIS) in off-grid areas of the Bangladesh which is expected to help save some 750 mw of electricity.
“We’re working to introduce mini-power plants within a year. It’ll be a large-scale investment and its benefit in rural areas will be comprehensive. It’s like solar home systems (SHSs) programme IDCOL introduced earlier,” IDCOL Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Islam Sharif told UNB in his office on Saturday.
IDCOL, a non-bank financial institution, promotes solar home systems (SHSs) in rural areas under a programme jointly being financed by IDA, Global Environment.

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Midnight raid in Chittagong port city after terror alert

Chittagong, 16 August : Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) conducted an hour-long drive in the port city last night apprehending militant attacks on gatherings or police establishments.
According to the CMP, police headquarters in Dhaka received information that a militant attack might take place on any public assembly or police establishments in the port city in between 11:45pm and 12:10am(BDST) today. Informed by the police headquarters, CMP police conducted the drive for an hour till 12:45am(BDST) today by setting up 38 check-posts at different points in the city, CMP Deputy Commissioner (north) Engineer Banaj Kumar Majumder said.
However, none was arrested during the raid and there was no report any untoward incident.

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