Dhaka - A veteran of Bangladesh's left-wing political scene, Nurul Islam, 68, died at Dhaka's Combined Military Hospital Thursday, a day after he sustained critical burns in a mysterious fire at his apartment in the capital, officials at the hospital said.

The president of the leftist Ganatantry Party, Nurul succumbed to his injures at the hospital in the afternoon, the hospital officials said. His son Tamohar Islam, 35, also died in the fire that broke out at their residence in the early hours of Wednesday.

Nurul Islam had filed his candidacy for the December 29 parliamentary polls, on the Awami League-led political alliance ticket.

Dhaka - Bangladesh's interim government has set an ambitious target of meeting 10 per cent of its total electricity production from renewable sources by 2020, media reports said Thursday. To encourage setting up green energy plants, the government has also offered tax holidays for investors in the next five years.

"Investment in this sector from local and international investors will enjoy corporate income tax rebates for five years from now," New Age newspaper reported, quoting an official at the Chief Adviser's Office.

Dhaka, Dec. 1 : Bangladesh spinner Abdur Razzak has been banned from bowling due to an illegal action, a Bangladesh Cricket Board official said on Monday.

According to The News, the ban will be effective until he corrects his action.

The official said that Razzak was assessed by Marc Portusa, a member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) panel of human movement specialists at the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) on November 17 and it was deemed that the action was suspect.

The left-arm spinner''s bowling action was reported as suspect during the two-test series against New Zealand in October and therefore he was not chosen for the series against South Africa.

Dhaka - Bangladesh returned to election campaigning Monday,. with nearly 2,500 candidates competing in December 29 polls to lead the South Asian nation back toward democracy after nearly two years of army-led emergency rule.

With the full slate of parties and alliances filing candidates for 300 parliamentary seats, earlier doubts about whether the elections would be held have been swept aside.

"The uncertainty has apparently gone, but the challenges for future governance still remain," political analyst Ataur Rahman said.

Holding a credible election and conducting a smooth transition to democracy depend upon the sensibility of the election commission, the government and the political parties, he added.

Dhaka- A United Nations assessment team wrapping up a seven-day mission in Dhaka on Saturday said the chances for a smooth electoral transition to democracy in Bangladesh next month were "positive."

"Things are looking positive. There is no reason to doubt the cooperation from the political parties, caretaker government, electoral commission. Bangladesh will have a good election," said Francesc Vendrell, the head of three-member UN panel, at a press conference assessing Bangladesh's preparedness for the December 29 polls.

Dhaka  - Authorities in Bangladesh launched Friday a three- year-long celebration of 400 years of Dhaka, historically recognised as the country's capital since 1608, calling for measures to make the life in the crowded city of 12 million more liveable.

"A meaningful scheme is urgently needed ... as rapid population growth and unplanned urbanisation have hampered the pace and liveliness of our beloved city," the chief of the military-backed government, Fakhruddin Ahmed, said inaugurating the celebration programme at the Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad [national parliament] premises.

Fakhruddin released four pigeons and 400 paper balloons into the sky and inaugurated four postage stamps marking the occasion.