Bangladesh`s army-backed government said Wednesday it would not change the date for next month`s elections despite a threat from a major political force to boycott polls unless they were delayed.

Three ministers from Bangladesh`s last elected government, including the head of the largest Islamic party, were freed Sunday, a prison official said, just a month before the country goes to polls.

Motiur Rahman Nizami, leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, and two other ministers from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led government were last week detained over a coal mining graft case.

BARGUNA, Bangladesh, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - Thousands of people are believed dead and millions are homeless and destitute after the worst cyclone in years tore through impoverished Bangladesh, officials said Saturday.

More than 1,723 people were confirmed to have died and the number was rising by the hour as soldiers and relief workers battled to reach the worst-hit coastal districts that were smashed late Thursday as cyclone Sidr roared in from the Bay of Bengal.

DHAKA, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - Bangladesh said Saturday that 1,723 people had been confirmed dead in the cyclone-hit south of the country, with the toll from the disaster expected to rise further.

'The number of deaths so far is 1,723 and it is increasing still,' said Major Emdadul Islam of the armed forces control room.

Officials have said they expect 'thousands' of bodies to be recovered over the coming days as relief workers reach badly hit areas.

DHAKA, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - Bangladesh said Saturday that 1,595 people had been confirmed dead in the cyclone-hit south of the country, with the toll from the disaster expected to rise further.

'We have so far confirmed 1,595 deaths and still more are coming in,' said Salina Shahid of the relief and disaster management ministry control room.

Officials have said they expect 'thousands' of bodies to be recovered over the coming days as relief workers reach badly hit areas.

JHALOKATI, Bangladesh, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - Bangladesh said Saturday it feared thousands of corpses were littering its southern coast after the worst cyclone in years tore through the impoverished and low-lying area.

With over 1,000 confirmed dead, the army and relief workers were battling to reach the worst-hit districts, where most villages have been flattened by cyclone Sidr, which smashed into the disaster-prone nation overnight Thursday.

DHAKA, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - Bangladesh said Saturday that 1,070 people have been confirmed dead in the cyclone-hit south of the country, with the toll from the disaster expected to rise further.

'The death toll up to now is 1,070, but it will increase,' Salina Shahid, an official in the ministry of relief and disaster management, told AFP.

Officials have said they anticipate that 'thousands' of corpses are littering the area.

ZURICH, Switzerland, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - A Swiss church charity donated 200,000 Swiss francs (121,000 euros) Saturday to help victims of the Bangladesh cyclone.

The aid will pay for the transportation of food parcels, drinking water, medical and hygiene supplies to those stricken by the cyclone, which had claimed 932 lives according to the latest death toll issued on Saturday.

The donation comes from the EPER -- the aid agency of the Swiss Protestant Churches.

DHAKA, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - Bangladesh's vast Sunderbans mangrove forest, home to the endangered Royal Bengal tiger, bore the brunt of a deadly cyclone that smashed into the country, likely killing wildlife, an official said.

DHAKA, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - The number of people killed by a cyclone that tore through impoverished Bangladesh may run into the thousands, a government official told AFP Saturday, with the current death toll already at 932.

'We are expecting that thousands of dead bodies may be found within a few days,' said the deputy head of the government's disaster management office, Shekhar Chandra Das.

JHALOKATI, Bangladesh, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - Bangladesh said Saturday it feared thousands of corpses were littering its southern coast after the worst cyclone in years tore through the impoverished and low-lying area.

Officials said the army and relief workers were still battling to reach the worst-hit areas, where village after village was flattened when cyclone Sidr tore through the disaster-prone nation overnight Thursday.

DHAKA, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - The death toll from a cyclone that tore through impoverished Bangladesh may run into the thousands, a government official told AFP Saturday.

'We are expecting that thousands of dead bodies may be found within a few days,' said the deputy head of the government's disaster management office, Shekhar Chandra Das.

He said authorities and relief workers were still struggling 'to collect information about casualties in many remote and impassable places' along the impoverished southwest coast.

DHAKA, Nov 17, 2007 (AFP) - The death toll from a cyclone that tore through impoverished Bangladesh killing hundreds of people was expected to rise Saturday as relief workers reached some of the worst-hit districts.

DHAKA, Oct 19, 2007 (AFP) - Bangladesh condemned on Friday the deadly suicide bomb attack targeting former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, returning home after eight years in exile.

'The bombing is a dastardly act of cowardice,' said Bangladesh foreign ministry spokesman Nazmul Quaunine.

'We convey heartfelt sympathy to the families of the bereaved and pray for the early recovery of the injured,' he added.

DHAKA, Oct 14, 2007 (AFP) - Muslims prayed for political stability in emergency-ruled Bangladesh on Sunday as the country celebrated the Eid al-Fitr festival that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

'We pray for the peace and prosperity of the country. Let us forget enmity in politics and give us strength to go forward to make a good nation,' a cleric told a 50,000-strong congregation at Dhaka's national mosque.

DHAKA, Oct 13, 2007 (AFP) - A fourth private airline is set to take off in Bangladesh amid a boom in the air travel market following the scrapping of flights by the state-run airline, an official said Saturday.

Royal Bengal Airlines, owned by London-based Bangladeshi expatriates, will start flying domestic routes within four weeks and a London-Dhaka flight via the Middle East would begin by year end, said the company's director Abdus Shukur.

DHAKA, Oct 12, 2007 (AFP) - Bangladesh will on Sunday celebrate the major Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, an official said Friday.

'Eid will be held on Sunday because the moon was not sighted on Friday,' said Ataur Rahman, secretary of the religious affairs ministry, adding that a two-day public holiday had also been declared for Sunday and Monday.

The government announced the date of the festival as thousands of people thronged Bangladesh's ferry ports, rail and bus stations anxious to get home in time.

DHAKA, Oct 12, 2007 (AFP) - Thousands of people thronged Bangladesh's ferry ports, rail and bus stations on Friday, anxious to get home on time for the major Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr.

Some crammed onto dangerously overcrowded ferries and buses, while others climbed onto train roofs to reach their family villages in time for the holiday marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

'People have been rushing to get to their villages. All the ferries are packed,' said government ferry inspector Babulal Baidya.

DHAKA, Oct 11, 2007 (AFP) - Millions of Bangladeshis were homeward bound on Thursday as they set off for their family villages to celebrate the Eid al-Fitr festival marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

The traditional mass exodus from cities including the capital Dhaka caused chaotic scenes at ferry ports and bus and train stations with migrant workers and their families clamouring to secure limited places.

DHAKA, Oct 10, 2007 (AFP) - Iraq is to reopen its embassy in Dhaka which was closed following the US-led invasion, a report said Wednesday.

'In recognition of Bangladesh's support for Iraq this decision has been taken,' the state-run BSS news agency quoted Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, as saying in a letter to the Bangladesh government.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Iftekar Chowdhury welcomed the decision to reopen the embassy, which closed in 2003.

DHAKA, Oct 8, 2007 (AFP) - Bangladesh on Monday announced plans for a 'truth commission' to ease the pressure on the country's economy from a tough court-led crackdown on corruption.

Under the scheme, business people who have been detained or who are on the run after being named as graft suspects by the military-backed government would be pardoned if they confessed their crimes.

NATORE, Bangladesh, Oct 6, 2007 (AFP) - On a simple wooden boat in a remote part of Bangladesh, school is underway for young housemaid Mosa Rita who has been up since dawn toiling for a few taka in the homes of better-off villagers.

It is now nearly 9:00 pm, but nothing can dim her enthusiasm for her lessons.

Outside, parents and other villagers -- most of them illiterate due to their own lack of schooling -- gather to listen to what the children are learning.

DHAKA, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) - Bangladesh's highest court refused bail Thursday for former prime minister Khaleda Zia and ordered that a corruption case against her should proceed, an official said.

'The Supreme Court refused bail to Khaleda Zia and ruled that the proceedings of the graft case could go on,' deputy attorney general Abdur Rouf said.

'She will stay in custody and the case will continue against her,' he said.

DHAKA, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) - Bangladesh could re-open negotiations with British company Asia Energy on an open-pit mine deal worth 1.4 billion dollars which was abandoned last year, a report said Thursday.

The country's last democratically elected government promised local protesters last August that the project would be cancelled after unrest in which five people and a police officer died.

DHAKA, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) - Bangaldesh could re-open negotiations with British company Asia Energy on a 1.4 billion dollar open-pit mine deal which was abandoned last year, a report said Thursday.

The country's last democratically elected government promised local protesters last August that the project would be cancelled after unrest in which five people and a police officer died.

DHAKA, Oct 3, 2007 (AFP) - Bangladesh is planning to sign a deal with Britain to recover hundreds of millions of dollars siphoned off by corrupt politicians and stashed abroad, an official said Wednesday.

'We will strike a deal with Britain's Scotland Yard to bring back the money siphoned off illegally by the country's corrupt bigwigs,' said Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) secretary Mukhlesur Rahman.

'We are doing the homework and setting up the strategy. The British authorities said they would help us bring the money back to Bangladesh,' he said.

DHAKA, Oct 2, 2007 (AFP) - Myanmar's military junta on Tuesday sent home 11 Bangladeshi monks following its violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests, a security official said.

'Myanmar immigration officials sent us a message that they were sending back 11 Bangladeshi monks to Bangladesh,' commanding officer of Bangladesh border guards lieutenant colonel Shawkat Imam said.

STOCKHOLM, Oct 2, 2007 (AFP) - The Right Livelihood prize, an annual 'alternative' to the Nobel prizes, was awarded Tuesday to peace and environmental activists from Sri Lanka Lanka, Kenya, Canada and Bangladesh.

The two million Swedish kronor (310,000 dollars/220,000 euros) prize will be shared by Christopher Weeramantry of Sri Lanka Lanka for 'his lifetime of groundbreaking work to strengthen and expand the rule of international law' and Dekha Ibrahim Abdi from Kenya for her 'effective peace work and conflict resolution' in many divided countries.

DHAKA, Oct 1, 2007 (AFP) - Budget airline AirAsia will begin operating from Bangladesh this month after the authorities adopted a three-month 'open sky' policy allowing foreign airlines more flights, an official said Monday.

From October 1 to December 31, Bangladesh hopes to clear a backlog of 150,000 people who have jobs waiting abroad but no flights to get them there.

DHAKA, Sept 30, 2007 (AFP) - One of Bangladesh's richest men, his wife and three sons were sentenced in absentia Sunday to five years each in jail as part of a government anti-corruption drive, officials said.

Property tycoon Ahmed Akbar Sobhan and his close family were convicted by a special anti-graft court of evading taxes worth 8.22 million taka (1.2 million dollars), state prosecutor Shamim Ahsan said

DHAKA, Sept 30, 2007 (AFP) - Former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia was granted bail by the country's High Court Sunday after nearly a month in custody on corruption charges, her lawyer said.

Zia was arrested in early September along with her younger son on charges of illegally influencing the awarding of a government contract.

'A High Court bench today ordered her bail and halted the proceedings of the case under the emergency powers laws,' lawyer Mohammad Sanaullah said, adding the court had also demanded more explanation over the case.

DHAKA, Sept 27, 2007 (AFP) - A pioneering project that takes education by boat to thousands in a remote part of Bangladesh has won a major UN environmental award, a statement said on Thursday.

The 200,000 dollar United Nations Environment Programme Sasakawa prize was jointly won by Bangladesh sustainable development organisation Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha and the founder of Food and Trees for Africa, the UN statement said.

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 26, 2007 (AFP) - Six Bangladeshi workers were killed and two others seriously injured Wednesday when their minibus collided head-on with a truck, a security source said.

The source said the accident took place on the seventh ring road, some 25 kilometres (16 miles) south of Kuwait City.

Around 200,000 Bangladeshis work in oil-rich Kuwait, mostly as domestic helpers and in other unskilled jobs.

DHAKA, Sept 26, 2007 (AFP) - The European Union has asked Bangladesh's military-backed government for information on individual human rights cases, reports said Wednesday.

Bangladesh has been under emergency rule since January when elections were cancelled following months of political turmoil over vote-rigging allegations.

The United States said last week it had concerns about human rights in the country.

KABUL, Sept 25, 2007 (AFP) - Afghan television aired Tuesday a clip of a blindfolded man said to be a kidnapped Bangladeshi national and said his abductors threatened to cut off some of his limbs unless a ransom was paid.

The short video broadcast on Private Tolo TV showed a man said to be development worker Nurul Islam, who was abducted nine days ago in Logar province, 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Kabul.

He was standing in front of a rock wearing jeans, his eyes covered in a blindfold. He appeared to be talking but his voice could not be heard on the broadcast.

DHAKA, Sept 25, 2007 (AFP) - Bangladesh's anti-corruption commission on Tuesday summoned six former ministers for questioning over corruption allegations against detained former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

The ex-ministers from the last elected government included former finance minister Saifur Rahman.

Two more ministers who are already in custody would also be quizzed in connection with the charges against Zia, leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and her younger son Arafat Rahman, said commission official Reba Halder.

LONDON, Sept 24, 2007 (AFP) - British supermarket giant Tesco will discuss the causes of protests by 25,000 textile workers in Bangladesh over the weekend with its suppliers, The Independent reported on Monday.

'We have recently audited all of our suppliers' sites in Bangladesh and do not believe the workers' grievances are related to these locations,' a Tesco spokesman was quoted as saying by the newspaper.