Bangladesh

High court of Bangladesh proclaim Ruhul Amin Khandakar as guilty in absentia of contempt of court after failing to return from Australia in response to a court summons. Last year Mr Khandakar posted comments implying that he wanted Sheikh Hasina to die, high court officials said. His comment reportedly related to Bangladesh's high road fatality rate. It was posted following the death of one of the country's best known film makers, Tareq Masud, in a road accident in August, which left many Bangladeshis deeply shocked. According to officials, Ruhul Khandakar blamed the government for the fact there are so many road deaths in Bangladesh. The high court ordered officials to return Mr Khandakar, who is studying in Australia, to Bangladesh. It also directed his university employers to take action against him.

Manmohan Singh arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday on a two-day trip, accompanied by the minister for external affairs and four chief ministers of the bordering states. He is reciprocating the visit of prime minister Sheikh Hasina to India in January last year. Indian water resources minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and West-Bengal chief minister, who were in the list of the entourage of the Indian prime minister, did not come as Mamata was apparently testy over the proposed modalities of the Teesta water sharing. The prime ministers had one-on-one meeting before and after the official talks on the Day-1 of his tour. After the meeting, both the prime ministers signed framework agreement on cooperation for development, and witnessed signing of one protocol, addendum of one protocol and eight memoranda of understanding. However, following strong opposition from West-Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Bangladesh and India could not sign the agreements on Teesta and Feni water sharing. Manmohan ...