The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Panchagarh

A Court here on Tuesday awarded capital punishment to a man and fined him Taka 20,000 in his absentia for killing his wife for dowry.

Additional District and Sessions Judge and Judge of Panchagarh Amullya Kumar Sarker delivered the verdict

The prosecution story, in brief, is that convict Chan Mia, son of Lal Mia of village Kawkhali, married Monwara Begum, daughter of Hossain Ali of nearby Bodeswari Amabri in Boda Upazila of Panchagarh some three years ago.

The husband used to torture his wife for dowry and other minor reasons since their marriage and at one stage Monwara, mother of a minor daughter, went to her father's house after failing to bear inhuman physical torture.

The husband went to his in-law's house on last March 15, 1996, for tactfully taking his wife home and on their way back to his house, Chan Mia strangled his wife and put the body under the soil before fleeing the scene.

The body was, however, found partially in the soil by a neighbour on June 23 of the same year on the Kartoa river bank when relatives of the victim identified the same. Father of the victim Hossain Ali filed a murder case with Boda Thana against Chan Mia.

Boda police recovered the decomposed body and conducted autopsy at Panchagarh Sadar Hospital.

After investigating the case, police submited charge sheets against the killer husband to the Court

After examining the witnesses and evidence of the case, the judge found the accused husband guilty beyond any doubt and handed down the verdict

Additional Public Prosecutor of Panchagarh Advocate Jahangir Alam conducted the case on behalf of the State while State Defense lawyer and senior Advocate Afzal Hossain defended the accused side.

UNB, Cox'sbazar

Eleven Bangladeshi monks who went to Myanmar for religious studies returned home Tuesday night through Teknaf border due to the closure of pagodas following an anti-junta movement in the neighbouring country.

Police said the monks, once inhabitants of Cox's Bazar, Rangamati and Bandarban districts, went to Myanmar as they said there is a lack of religious institutions for monks in Bangladesh. BDR jawans held the monks when they arrived at Teknaf border in a boat through the Na'f River at about 7pm and released them at about 11pm.

The monks told the BDR that they were studying at Seitway town of Myanmar and they came back home as the military junta shut down the pagodas and other institutions following the anti-junta movement

UNB, Dhaka

The High Court Wednesday stayed the proceedings of an income tax evasion case facing by detained former BNP MP Salah Uddin Ahmed of Demra.

Passing the interim order upon a petition, a division bench, headed by M Awlad Ali, issued a rule upon the National Board of Revenue to explain why the case pending with the special judge's court should not be quashed.

"The rule is made returnable in six weeks," says the court order. The court order came a day before the special court, set up at the Jatiya Sansad Bhaban, was supposed to frame charges against him. Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon appeared for Salah Uddin.

BBC Online

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhuto has said that talks on a power-sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf are "totally stalled".

Speaking in London, she said reports that corruption charges against her had been dropped were "disinformation".

Ministers said on Tuesday that an amnesty deal was about to be announced.

The self-exiled Ms Bhuto has pledged to return to Pakistan on 18 October. President Musharraf looks certain to be elected for a new term on Saturday.

A deal as appeared close on a number of occasions in recent months but nothing has been finalised as the two rivals try to gain the upper hand in negotiations.

Bhuto made her remarks as she arrived for talks with officials of her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in London.

I am afraid we are heading for a situation which could lead to street agitation Benazir Bhuto "It's absolutely wrong, the news the corruption charges have been dropped," she said.

"He [Gen Musharraf] is not prepared to give a level playing-field. We want to see Pakistan move from dictatorship towards democracy.

"This is just a typical disinformation campaign by the present regime.

"The longer the military regime continues in this fashion, the more anarchic the situation becomes."

Ms Bhuto, who denies the allegations of corruption, has lived abroad since well before Gen Musharraf seized power in a coup in 1999.

She has been one of his sternest critics, but is now a possible future ally as he looks for parliamentary support for a new term in office.

Suggestions from the government that it was near to meeting one of Ms Bhuto's key demands came after she threatened to join a parliamentary boycot being observed by other opposition parties in protest at Saturday's election.

The BBC's Barbara Plet in Islamabad said the government's announcement that it was close to finalising an agreement to drop corruption cases against her was perhaps aimed at preventing that

Pakistan has faced growing political and security instability in recent months.

The PPP is the biggest party in Pakistan. Observers say Gen Musharraf wants a power-sharing agreement with the PPP to give him more popular support

But Ms Bhuto has been insisting that the president gives up his power to sack the prime minister.

She also wants the repeal of a law banning anyone from being prime minister for more that two terms. She and political rival Nawaz Sharif have both been prime minister twice.

He returned to Pakistan in August but was promptly deported to Saudi Arabia. Ms Bhuto says she will return to lead her party in general elections due by mid-January.

Pakistan's president is elected indirectly by parliament and the four provincial assemblies. Gen Musharraf's supporters say they are confident he has the support to win another term.

Opposition resignations aimed at undermining the credibility of the ballot make victory for the president even more certain, observers say.

Meanwhile, judges in the Supreme Court are continuing to hear petitions challenging the president's right to stand for election while still army chief

UNB, Dhaka

An Indian company will set up a plastic industry in the Mongla Export Processing Zone with an investment of US$ 34.725 million.

This hundred percent foreign owned company named M/s JDC Recycling Pvt Ltd will create employment opportunity for 1,022 Bangladeshi and six foreign nationals.

An agreement to this effect was signed between the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) and the M/s. JDC Recycling Pvt Ltd at BEPZA Complex here on Wednesday.

General Manager (Investment promotion) of BEPZA AZM Azizur Rahamn and Chairman of M/s JDC Recycling Pvt Ltd Sumeet Chopra signed the lease agreement on behalf of their respective orgaizations.

Chitagong Correspondent

Caritas Bangladesh, a leading private voluntary development organization, here in the port city yesterday formally launched separate books writen in three indigenous languages-Chakma, Marma and Tripura - for the tribal population in Chitagong Hill Tracts.

Introduction of the indigenous-language books will offer easier accessibility to elementary education for the tribal kids. The tribal kids now can take up grade III level education using these books.

Earlier, the tribal population had no alphabets of their respective language and used to take lesson in Bangla.

Arch Bishop of Chitagong Patrice De Rojario joined the unveiling function held at the conference room of Chitagong regional office of Caritas Bangladesh this afternoon as the chief guest while Chairman of Bandarban Hill Tracts Zilla Parisod Professor Thanjama Lushai and Executive Director of Caritas Bangladesh Dr. Benedict Alo De Rojario addressed it as the special guest

Author of the Marma, Chakma and Tripura alphabets Koshaipru Khoka, Shrodhalonkar Mahather and Mathura Be Tripura in their speech respectively underscored the need for upholding the tribes' language through writings for next generation.