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Fifteen villages of Tala upazila in Satkhira have remained waterlogged while the Khulna-Satkhira highway has collapsed at three points because of overflow of water from the River Kobadak and heavy rain, causing sufferings to the people of the area.
   The waterlogged villages are Nawapara, Dhalbaria, Kalapota, Kolia, Dewanipur, Mirzapur, Bara, Kazipur and parts of Ghona, Khorerdangi, Bhobanipur, Laxmanpur, Shubhasini, Shrirampur and Khanpur, according to local people and Tala upazila administration.
   They also said the Khulna-Satkhira highway has collapsed at Nawapara, Dholbari and Mirzapur under Tala upazila.
   Continuous rain on Wednesday and Thursday and overflow of water from the River Kobadak have left the villages waterlogged.
   Md Abdul Matin, 43, son of Md Rois Uddin Sardar of village Nawapara, said the people of the waterlogged areas have been facing an acute crisis of drinking water as all the sources of drinking water have become polluted by wastes from the latrines and other filths.
   People of the area have no work as all the areas have been inundated, he added.
   Md Abdul Halim, 46, son of Abdus Sabur Sheikh of Sonadanga residential area in Khulna city, who was coming to Khulna from Satkhira, said it takes about two hours to pass the points where the Khulna-Satkhira highway has collapsed.
   Mokbul Hossain, chairman of Tentulia Union Parishad under Tala upazila, said the area became waterlogged due to continuous rain and overflow of water from Kobadak. He said that the water is not going out as the riverbed is upper than the villages.
   Tala upazila nirbahi officer Khan Reza-Un-Nabi told New Age he has informed higher authorities of the situation and some measures have already been taken.

Several hundred members of Ansar and Village Defence Party staged demonstration in front of the district office on Sunday as they were not deployed on the occasion of Durga Puja.
   Ansar and VDP members from different areas under Paba and Boalia upazilas reached the city with bag and baggage to perform their duty at puja mandaps.
   But they started demonstration as the officials concerned deployed other members of Ansar and VDP on Saturday.
   The members said the officials assured to deploy them on Sunday after they had completed training on September 25.
   Three hours after demonstration, the members returned their home and vowed not to discharge duty.
   ‘Even though we received training, the authorities concerned did not keep their word,’ said Rabina, an Ansar member of Choddapai area under Paba upazila.
   Hira Mian, adjutant of Ansar-VDP, admitted their fault, saying that they asked the Ansar and VDP members to be present at the district office on Sunday.

A man was beaten to death at Salua Bazar of Chaugacha in Jessore on Sunday after an altercation over occupying a seat in a bus.
   The deceased was Ishaq Ali, 38, a resident of Symnagar in the district headquarters.
   The police said one Pikul beat Ishaq after an altercation. He was admitted to Jessore General Hospital where he died from his injuries.
   Other bus passengers captured Pikul and handed him over to the police. A case was filed.

The board of directors of the Norwegian company, Telenor, the major shareholder of Grameenphone, will arrive today on a two-day visit, said a press release.
   The delegation, headed by its chairman Harald Norvik, will undertake both formal and social meetings with the Grameenphone’s management and employees.
   The Telenor’s board will be accompanied by the Telenor group’s president and CEO, Jon Fredrik Baksaas, and other members of the group’s executive management, said the release.
   The Telenor’s board will come to Bangladesh as part of its visit to its Asian operations.
   In addition to Grameenphone, Telenor is also present in Asia through DiGi in Malaysia, DTAC in Thailand and Telenor Pakistan.
   The visit of Telenor’s board follows the recent tug of war between Telenor and Professor Muhmmad Yunus of the Grameen Bank over the ownership of Grameenphone, controversies over child labour employed by Grameenphone’s subcontractors and the recent detection of illegal international call termination business by the Grameenphone.

The 14th World Teachers’ Day was observed in the country on Sunday without any official programme.
   But different teachers’ groups and non-governmental organisations drew up programmes like discussion and seminar to mark the day. This year’s theme of the day was ‘Teachers matter’.
   UNESCO declared October 5 as World Teachers’ Day in its 26th general meeting held in Paris in September 1994.
   In some countries, teachers have expressed their solidarity with parents and guardians through their involvement in social and community development initiatives, highlighting the significance of the day.
   But the programmes in Bangladesh were confined to some indoor discussions and seminars with a call for protecting teachers’ rights. Different teachers’ groups and non-governmental organisations working with education arranged discussions in the capital.
   To mark the day, Bangladesh Teachers and Employees Unity Council organised a discussion at its office in the city.
   Teachers-Employees’ Alliance in a statement criticised the government for not drawing up any programme to mark the day.
   The alliance called upon the government to stop all sorts of discrimination against teachers and repression on them.
   National Front of Teachers’ and Employees organised a meeting at National Press Club on Sunday.

Mosharraf Hossain Nannu, a language movement hero, died of old-age complications at his residence in the city Saturday night at the age of 81.
   He is survived by his wife, two sons and one daughter.
   He was buried at Barisal Muslim graveyard after namaj-e-janaza held in front of Ashwani Kumar Hall on Sunday.
   Thousands of people, including Barisal mayor Shawkat Hossain Hiron, attended the janaza.
   Earlier, people from all walks of life visited the house of Nannu Sunday morning and paid their last respect to him.
   Different socio-cultural organisations and political parties including Barisal Sangskritik Sangathan Samannay Parishad, Barisal Reporters Unity, Barisal Metropolitan Journalists Union, Barisal Bar Association, Muktijoddha Sangsad, Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Jatiya Party and Communist Party of Bangladesh in separate condolence messages expressed their deep shock at the death of Nannu and conveyed their sympathy to the members of the bereaved family.

Local units of the Awami League formed human chains at different bus stops and roadsides along Barisal-Dhaka highway from the city’s central bus terminal to Bhurghata point on Sunday demanding permanent release of the party chief Sheikh Hasina and cancellation of the convictions of former chief whip Abul Hasanat Abdullah.
   Police snatched banners and festoons from the protesters at Kashipur, Jayasri, Rahmatpur, Gournadi, Bhurghata, Barthi and Illa but failed to disperse the activists who staged the protest peacefully, the organisers said.