Andaleeve Rahman Partho-led Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) announced its departure from the 20-party opposition alliance led by the BNP. In a press release, the BJP chairman said his party had ceased all political association with the 20-party alliance, over the matter of the BNP joining parliament. "We've left the 20-party alliance for a few reasons: BNP has become too Oikyafront-oriented, undermining the 20-party alliance only to express solidarity with BNP's decisions," Partha told our sister newsagency UNB over phone.

He said BNP together with 20-party turned down the December-30 'farcical' election. "Like the country's people, our party got stunned as Oikyafront's seven MPs-elect took oath. BNP didn't consult the 20-party partners about its decision to join. After theBNP-led alliance got a massive victory in the 2001 election, then Jatiya Party secretary general Naziur Rahman Manzur, Partha's father, quit the party and entered into the 4-parry alliance floating his new party BJP.

An additional inspector general of Bangladesh police was killed in a road crash in Congo during her visit to a UN peacekeeping mission there. Rowshan Ara Begum died on the spot in a collision between a civilian lorry and the vehicle carrying her and others on the way to a Medal Parade of the Bangladesh Female Police Unit (BANFPU) in Kinshasa, the capital, said Md Sohel Rana, assistant inspector general at police headquarters. The driver and two other passengers including Farzana, commander (SP), BANFPU, are safe, he added.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Rowshan. Rowshan Ara Begum, ppm, ndc, joined police in February, 1988 after obtaining masters degree from Dhaka University and served in a variety of high-profile positions, including that of assistant police commissioner of the accounts section, reserve office, traffic division and training unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

After back-to-back years of declining pass rates in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations, it bounced back this year with 82.80 percent students of general education boards becoming successful. The pass rate of Dhaka board decreased than that of last year but the other seven boards witnessed significant increases. According to the results published yesterday, girls did better than boys for the third year in a row. In terms of getting the much-sought after GPA 5 (Grade Point Average), girls did better than boys for the second consecutive year.

However, the number of GPA 5 achievers in the eight boards were fewer than that of last year (94,556 against 1,02,845), which is also a four-year low.

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday carried out an operation at the Dhaka Electricity Supply Company, or Desco, at its Banani office following allegations that the public sector utility is causing unnecessary suffering to consumers over new electricity connection, meter receipt and load increase.

The operation was conducted in connection with the volume of allegations logged by Desco customers on the ACC Hotline (106 from any phone registered in Bangladesh). The ACC team's "operation" fizzled out though, as they settled into what turned out to be a long conversation with Desco executive engineer Md Touhidul Islam, focusing mainly on long overdue, tired and obvious issues such as the need for 'system development'.

In another operation, an enforcement team of the coordinated district office, Patuakhali, conducted a drive at the site of the under-construction Barguna 250-bed hospital, where cracks were found on the walls in different parts of the building