News Watch (18-5-2018)

Arrest warrants against Khaleda in two libel suits

A day after Khaleda Zia secured bail from the top court in a graft case, two Dhaka metropolitan magistrates have ordered execution of arrest warrants for her in two libel suits. The BNP chief was not released after the Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld her bail granted by the High Court in Zia Orphanage Trust graft case because the police had already showed her arrested in six more cases. Metropolitan magistrates Khurshid Alam and Ahsan Habib were set to hear cases against Khaleda on Thursday on charges that she had insulted Bangabandhu by celebrating her birthday on a wrong date, and undermined Bangladesh's national flag and map. Both the magistrates ordered the police to execute the arrest warrants the courts had issued earlier for Khaleda and set July 5 for the next hearing. The lawyers for Khaleda pleaded for her bail in the two suits earlier on Thursday.

— bdnews24.com

Customs recover 80 gold bars at HSIA

Customs officials recovered 80 gold bars weighing 9.28 kgs from a flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport early Thursday. A flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines BG-087 landed at the airport from Kuala Lumpur around 4:30 am. Tipped off, a team of customs officials conducted a search operation in the flight and recovered the gold bars worth Tk 46.8 million from under a seat wrapped in black tape. — UNB