Staff Correspondent, Dhaka The government has appointed New Age journalist Ahammad Foyez as senior assistant press secretary to the chief adviser. The Public Administration Ministry issued a gazette notification on Thursday regarding his contractual appointment. The Chief Adviser`s Press Wing is headed by Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam with two deputy press secretaries, Apurba Jahangir and Abul Kalam Azad Majumder. There are three assistant press secretaries in the press wing.

Staff Correspondent, Dhaka The High Court on Thursday overturned the seven-year prison sentence handed down to Giasuddin Al Mamun in a money laundering case and acquitted him of all charges. The bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the verdict following Mamun’s appeal against the trial court’s decision. The case, filed by the ACC on September 22, 2011, at Cantonment police station, alleged that Mamun had demanded an illegal commission from M Shahzad Ali, chairman of BTL and Globe Pharmaceuticals, in 2003 while finalizing a work order for the modernization of railway signalling by a Netherlands-based contractor. Under duress, Shahzad Ali deposited Tk6.01 crore into Mamun’s NatWest Bank account in London in 2004. On April 24, 2019, the Dhaka Special Judge Court-3, presided over by Judge Abu Syed Dilzar Hossain, sentenced Mamun to seven years in prison, fined him Tk 12 crore, and ordered the confiscation of Tk 6.01 crore held in his London account. Following his appeal, the High Court annulled the trial court`s verdict after hearing the case. Mamun was initially arrested on January 30, 2007, and remained in custody until his release on August 6 this year. The ACC filed a charge sheet against him on April 26, 2008, and charges were formally framed on October 31 of that year. During the trial, nine out of ten witnesses testified against Mamun.

Staff Correspondent, Dhaka Another 65 Bangladeshi nationals have returned home from conflict-ridden Lebanon on Wednesday night, bringing the total number of returnees to 865. Additionally, 105 more are scheduled to arrive on Thursday night, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A total of 1,800 Bangladeshis have registered to return from Lebanon, with repatriations being carried out in phases. Earlier, 54 expatriates, including seven children, were repatriated in the first phase on October 21. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to facilitate the safe return of those affected by the ongoing conflict in Lebanon. The Bangladesh Embassy in Lebanon has been actively coordinating the repatriation process. So far, repatriation efforts have seen 54 people return on October 21, 96 people across two flights on October 23, 30 returnees at midnight on October 28, 36 on October 29, 52 on October 31, 70 on November 3, 32 on November 5, 95 on November 12, 151 via an IOM-sponsored charter flight on November 5, and 6 individuals on an IOM flight on November 21. With the return of 65 more on Wednesday, efforts continue to ensure the safe homecoming of all registered Bangladeshis from Lebanon.

Staff Correspondent, Dhaka The High Court has acquitted Aman Ullah Aman, an adviser to the BNP chairperson), from a seven-year jail term handed down by a lower court in a case over alleged extortion. A High Court bench comprising Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the verdict on Thursday. Senior advocates Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon and Nazmul Huda argued on behalf of Aman, with legal assistance from Tariq Bhuiyan. The case dates back to March 6, 2007, when a complaint was filed at South Keraniganj police station by Rafiqul Alam, a resident of Purba Aganagar, accusing Aman of extortion. The allegations are related to an incident on June 26, 2004, where Aman was accused of collecting Tk5 lakh in two instalments in 2005. Aman was shown arrested in the case on March 7, 2007, and the trial court sentenced him on May 8, 2008 to seven years of rigorous imprisonment along with a Tk1 lakh fine. After the conviction, Aman appealed to the High Court in 2008, challenging the verdict.

Staff Correspondent, Dhaka Bangladesh has reduced electricity imports from three Indian sources, despite having the capacity to import 2,656MW daily. According to data from the Power Grid Company, as of 5am on Tuesday, the maximum electricity imported was 995MW, with even lower amounts during other times of the day. Electricity is imported to Bangladesh from three Indian sources. Through the Bheramara HVDC Substation, up to 1,000MW of electricity can be imported daily. On November 30, 900MW was imported, which is the usual amount imported throughout the year due to the lower cost. However, on December 1 at 1am, the amount was reduced to 482MW and has not increased since. On Tuesday at 3pm, 419 MW was being imported. From Tripura, up to 160MW of electricity can be imported via Comilla daily. However, due to cost concerns, an HVDC or back-to-back substation has not been established in Comilla. Electricity demand in the region is typically 160MW, and Tripura supplies electricity based on prior requests. When Tripura is unable to supply the required amount, electricity from Bangladeshi substations is used to meet the demand. On December 3 at 3pm, 62MW was requested from Tripura, but only 48MW was supplied. The Adani Group in Jharkhand has built a power plant capable of supplying 1,496 MW of electricity to Bangladesh daily. A few days ago, Adani forecasted supplying 1,348MW, but as of December 3 at 5am, it supplied only 506MW. The plant was then shut down for eight hours and resumed production at 2pm, supplying 60MW until 3, after which the supply increased to 186MW. Over the past few days, Adani has supplied 750-800MW on average. Indian and international media have analyzed the situation, but neither Bangladesh`s PDB nor Adani has made public comments. Khandaker Mokammel Hossain, a PDB member (production), said that the reduction is not intentional but due to the circumstances, particularly lower electricity demand in winter. This leads to reduced imports from various sources, including Adani. He also mentioned that oil-based power plants are being used less, with gas-based plants prioritized due to higher costs associated with oil. However, some oil-based plants are still in operation due to a gas shortage. Electricity imported from India costs around Tk5-6 per unit, while oil-based power generation costs Tk16-18 per unit. Despite this price advantage, imports have been scaled down for operational reasons.