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India need 280 to win Bangladesh 279/7 (50ov) Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim finally left the crease after hitting a marvelous century first Asia Cup match against world champion India at Fatullah Stadium in Narayanganj today. Middle-order Nasir Hossain gave away his wicket behind the wicket on a delivery of pacer Mohammed Shami. Indian pacer Varun Aaron bowled opener Anamul Haque Bijoy on his 77 runs off 106 balls. However, Mushfiq was still on the crease playing a captain's knock with a tight half-century.

AH Mahmood Ali has been made the new minister for foreign affairs. 0   0   0  

BNP today alleged that the government has moved to influence the second phase of upazila elections scheduled for tomorrow after its defeat in the first phase. “In a bid to influence the polls result, law enforcers are harassing the chairman aspirants backed by the BNP-led 19-party alliance, their supporters and even their family members,” said BNP joint secretary general Rizvi Ahmed. The BNP leader came up with the statement at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan office in the capital.

Grameenphone Ltd, the country’s largest mobile phone operator, has been awarded the Green Mobile Award for its Climate Change programmes. “This programme has set clear targets for the adoption of renewable power sources, including water conservation, and displays commitment to long term pursuit of the project aims,” the GSMA award judges said while presenting the prize to GP. Vivek Sood, CEO of Grameenphone, received the award at the Global Mobile Award prize ceremony during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Tuesday. The Global Mobile Awards uniquely offer organisations the opportunity to showcase the latest mobile products, services and initiatives to the world.

The government is trying to win favour from the US banking on the issue of al-Qaeda threat, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir alleged today. “In a bid to get US favour, the government is telling the so-called threat of the al-Qaeda since the US and whole world rejected the January 5 election,” the BNP leader said at a press conference at the party headquarters in Nayapaltan of the capital. The press conference was organised to reveal the party's reaction to allegation that the ruling Awami League lawmakers made in the parliament linking the BNP-led alliance with the recent audio message said to be from the global militant organisation.

The Malaysian law enforcers detained 57 more Bangladeshis between Thursday and Sunday under an ongoing nationwide crackdown against illegal foreign workers. With this, at least 508 Bangladeshis have so far been held since the beginning of the crackdown on January 21 in order to streamline the country's labour market, according to the Malaysian media. Malaysian English daily The Star today reported that the immigration department with the law enforcers conducted raids and arrested at least 4,640 illegal immigrants and 48 employers.   Of them, 1,800 are Indonesians, 642 Myanmar nationals, 502 Filipinos, 288 Nepalese, 239 Indian nationals, 209 Pakistanis and the remaining 452 from various countries, said Malaysian Immigration Director Datuk Aloyah Mamat.

State-owned Petrobangla has signed a deal with Indian state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) for the hydrocarbon exploration and extraction of oil and gas in shallow-water Blocks 4 and 9 of the Bay of Bengal. 0   0   5  

The audiovisual message allegedly issued by al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri was uploaded from the US, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) suspected. The message was uploaded from the state of Arizona, a BTRC official seeking anonymity told The Daily Star. An audiovisual message purported to be from al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has urged the Muslims in Bangladesh to wage an intifada (popular uprising) to confront the “crusader onslaught

Over 100 students of Rajshahi University were injured as police charged batons and fired rubber bullets on the demonstrating students today. Of them, 18 people including eight journalists sustained rubber bullet wounds, reports our RU correspondent quoting witnesses. The demonstration started on January 16 demanding cancellation of the university authorities' decision of fee hike and continuing the evening master's programmes. The activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of ruling Awami League, also joined the law enforcers to foil the students' movement, witnesses said. The situation however became normal around 2:30pm.

Moudud Ahmed and Khandaker Mahbub Hossain BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed and the party chairperson's adviser Khandaker Mahbub Hossain were denied bail by a Dhaka court today in two cases. Judge Md Zahirul Haque of the Senior Special Judge's Court rejected the bail prayers of Moudud and Mahbub after their lawyers submitted two separate petitions before the court challenging a lower court's bail rejection orders. The case against Moudud was filed for grabbing abandoned government property at Gulshan in the capital filed by Anti-Corruption Commission.

  Former minister of state Syed Mohammad Kaiser has been indicted on 16 war crimes charges. 0   0   2  

The High Court's grant of bail to four senior BNP leaders has been upheld by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. 0   0   0  

  Syeda Iqbal Mand Banu, mother-in-law of BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman, would submit her wealth statements to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) if given ‘enough time’, her lawyer and BNP central leader Barrister Nasiruddin Asim said on Sunday. 0   0   0