US Envoy visits ACD in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI, July 31, 2015 (BSS) - US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat visited the head office of Association for Community Development (ACD) today.

On her arrival at the office premises ACD President Prof Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan and its executive director Salima Sarwar received her warmly.

Afterwards she held a view-sharing meeting with the ACD officials and staffs on the prevention of human trafficking and shelter homes activities.

Bernicat praised the ongoing anti-human trafficking activities and stressed the need for infusing dynamism into the preventive activities.

Begum Zia not to do so, says Ashraf

DHAKA, July 31, 2015 (BSS) - General Secretary of the ruling Awami League and Minister of Public Administration Syed Ashraful Islam said BNP chief Begum Khaleda Zia would not repeat the same mistake as she had not participated the last parliament election.

"All the political parties have an opportunity to participate in the election under the present constitution; the next election also to be held as per the constitution, so the BNP chairperson would not do the same mistake again ", said the minister.

Syed Ashraf said this replying to a query of a journalist following a programme of the Jubo League at city's Shilpakala Academy here today.

Replying to another question of BNP's stance on the caretaker government issue as the party chairperson has demanded to form an impartial government in any name, Ashraf said "I am not sure that BNP and its allies have moved away from the caretaker government issue."

With Jubo League Chairman Omar Faruque Chowdhury in the chair, the meeting was also addressed, among others, by Principal of the Eden College Hosne Ara, Jubo League general secretary Harunur Rashid and former Chhatra League president HM Badiuzzaman Sohag.

Australia 'increasingly confident debris from MH370': search chief

SYDNEY, July 31, 2015 (BSS/AFP) - Australian search authorities Friday said they were "increasingly confident" plane debris that washed up on a tiny Indian Ocean island is from missing flight MH370, with formal identification possible within 24 hours.

"We are increasingly confident that this debris is from MH370," Martin Dolan, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, told AFP.

"We are still working with our French and Malaysian colleagues to analyse all the information, so we don't have certainty yet, but we hope that within the next little while we'll be able to get to that level of confidence. We're hoping within the next 24 hours."