At least 80 students were attacked with mass hysteria at Durgapur in Rajshahi in the past three days.
   About 50 students of the Durgapur Hoza Government Primary School were attacked with mass psychogenic illness during class hours on Monday.
   The students were admitted to upazila health complex immediately after they had fallen sick.
   Mass hysteria spread quickly among the students after a Class V student had fainted in the morning, school sources said.
   Most of the victims complained of severe headache and stomach. They were all shivering, teachers and students said.
   The school authorities later closed the school for three days.
   At least 30 students of the Singra Model Government Primary School, Pachubari School, BRAC School and Kathalbaria School of the upazila were also attacked with the disease between Monday and Wednesday.
   The Durgapur upazila health officer on Wednesday said many of them were not admitted to hospital as the doctors diagnosed the disease as mass hysteria and advised bed rest.
   Panic spread among the students in the upazila.

A man was sentenced to life imprisonment in Moulvibazar and another was jailed for 10 years in Rajshahi on Wednesday.
   The New Age correspondent in Moulvibazar said a court sentenced a man to life imprisonment in connection with the abduction and rape of a girl. The court also fined him Tk 20,000, in default to suffer 6 more months in jail.
   The convict is Abul Kashem, a resident of Bara Dahar at Juri in Moulvibazar.
   Abul Kashem abducted a 13-year-old girl of his village and raped her on September 6, 2004. The victim’s father filed the case accusing Kashem.
   A special judge of a women and child repression (prevention) tribunal gave the verdict.
   The United News of Bangladesh said a court in Rajshahi also sentenced man to 10 years’ imprisonment in an arms case on the day. The convict is Benajir, known for his criminal activities in the city.
   The Rapid Action Battalion arrested Benajir on May 2 at his house in the Fire Brigade Crossing in possession of a
   pistol, four bullets and a
   magazine.
   As the battalion approached his house, he opened fire. He was injured when the battalion fired back. He was later admitted to Rajshahi Medical College.
   An arms case was filed with the Boalia police against him the same day.
   The police said Benajir was accused in several other cases of extortion and criminal activities.
   A court of Faridpur on Monday sentenced a man to 14
   years in jail in an arms case.
   The convict was identified as Suman Ahmed, 30, of north Alipur village in the district town.
   According to the prosecution, a team of RAB arrested Suman from his
   house along with a revolver loaded with four rounds of bullet on November 29, 2006.
   Later, RAB filed a case against Suman with Kotwali thana under Arms Act.
   After examining the witnesses and records Additional District and Sessions Judge Akbar Hossain handed down the
   verdict.

Speakers at a workshop called for ensuring safe water and sanitation in the country’s flood-hit areas to protect people from health hazards.
   They said this at a workshop titled ‘Water, Sanitation and hygiene’
   Jointly organised by BRAC and Bogra district administration held at Bogra Circuit House on Monday with deputy commissioner, Humayun Kabir, in the chair.
   ‘No measures have yet been taken for ensuring sanitation in the flood affected areas when the sanitary latrines collapsed by flood-water,’ said Faruque Ahmed, director of BRAC health Programme.
   They called upon government and non-government organisations and donor agencies to come forward for protecting people from health hazards by ensuring sanitation and drinking water.
   They said unsafe water and lack of sanitation in the flood affected areas cause various water-borne diseases including diarrhoea and dysentery.
   They also laid emphasis on creating mass awareness, including ensuring availability of sanitation equipment and supply of drinking water for poor people, to achieve a cent percent sanitation in the country by 2010.
   It mentioned that sanitation coverage in the district was 82 per cent before the current flood.
   Some 70 people, including all UNOs of the district and other representatives from government and non-government organisations, took part in the workshop, moderated by BRAC AHRU Manager M Ruhul Amin. A documentary on BRAC WASH activities was shown in the workshop.
   Director of BRAC Health Programmes, Faruque Ahmed, chief of development cooperation of Netherlands Embassy, Fritz Meijndert, additional deputy commissioner, Mizanur Rahman, Milon Kanti Barua of WASH programme, Civil Surgeon Dr Nurunnahar, among others, spoke at the workshop.

The police arrested the Bhoail union council chairman on charge of extortion at the house of his father-in-law at Sarishabari in Jamalpur early Tuesday.
   Tipped off, the police raided the house at about 5:00am and arrested Golam Mostafa.
   The police said Golam was arrested in an extortion case filed by Rina Aktar, a female member of the union council. Rina said Golam had demanded Tk 2 lakh from her when she was implementing a project. The United News of Bangladesh reported that the Rapid Action Battalion in another drive arrested a wanted criminal at Melandaha in possession of a shotgun at Bakai in the upazila Tuesday afternoon.
   Tipped off, the battalion conducted a raid on the village and arrested Jainal Abedin.

Traffic movement on the Sylhet–Companiganj road had remained suspended for more than 13 hours Wednesday as a mudslide blocked the Sylhet Osmani International Airport bypass road.
   The traffic resumed at around 2:00pm after the Sylhet Road and Highway Department had cleared the huge piles of mud from the road in hours of frantic efforts.
   Locals and eyewitnesses said hundreds of vehicles had remained stranded at both
   sides of point since large chunks of earth of a roadside hill loosened by the heavy rain rolled down the hillside on the road at around 1:00am.

Three children drowned in floodwater in Sunamganj on Monday.
   Shaymol Chandra Das alias Moina, 9, son of Sunil Das of Kristapara village, was washed away by floodwater as he came out of his house at about 10:00am.
   Local people later recovered the body from a nearby haor.
   In another incident, Barsha, 3, daughter of Majnu Mia of Laorergor village, met the watery grave in floodwater near her house at about 2:00pm.
   Another report from Pabna adds, A baby boy drowned in a water body at Chakugrad village in Sadar upazila on Monday.
   The dead was Rashidul Islam, 5, son of Hasa Pramanik of the village.
   Local people said the boy suddenly slipped into the water body and drowned while he was playing near it at about 10:00am.
   Later, after hectic search his body was recovered at about 5:00pm.

A Worker of a garment factory allegedly committed suicide at the factory in Savar on Tuesday.
   The police quoting the workers said Finishing Operator of JK Garments, Habib, 25, attended his duty at about 8am.
   As his health condition deteriorated at about 9:00am, he was rushed to nearby Mukti Clinic and later shifted to Enam Clinic where on duty physician declared him dead.
   Factory manager Redwan claimed that Habib committed suicide by taking thinner used for removing spot on clothes.
   An unnatural death case was filed with the police.