We must pursue democracy for progress, says Hasina

She slams Khaleda for urging the US to cancel GSP
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday highlighted the economic achievements of her government in the country during the last four years and said the nation must move forward on the path of democracy for continued progress and prosperity.  Winding up a three-week general discussion on the national budget for fiscal 2013-14 in the parliament, the prime

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CG issue can be resolved through talks: Khaleda

She urges US to withdraw GSP suspension
Leader of opposition and BNP chairperson, Begum Khaleda Zia, in a speech in Parliament on Saturday, made a clarion call for forging greater national unity, withering political conflict and clash, and urged the government to take steps to hold the next general election under a neutral and non-party government. She also noted that the ongoing crisis over the poll-time

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Rains cause misery to people’s life

Monsoon rains continued to play havoc with the people’s life, flooding south eastern parts of the country. In Dhaka, there had been 141 mm of rains during the past 30 hours ending at 6 pm on Saturday with 56mm showers on the day between 6am till 6pm, widely disrupting normal life.
The overnight showers in regular intervals caused

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Govt to place draft labour law at dev partners’ meet

The government is going to explain the draft labour law (amendment) 2013 at the Local Consultative Group (LCG) plenary meeting with its development partners on Sunday. Though the LGC plenary meeting is a routine matter for the government to inform the development partners about its overall policy on different issues, including the political situation, it will also place

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Newsprint import duty now at 10pc

Finance Bill-2013 passed in JS
Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Saturday announced the reduction of import duty on newsprint at 10 per cent from proposed 25 per cent in the budget for fiscal 2013-14.
He also waived the proposed 5.0 per cent supplementary duty on newsprint import.
The new import duty is, however, got a hike from earlier

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GCC poll candidates woo RMG workers

Candidates contesting for Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) election are leaving no stones unturned, to woo the voters working in different industrial zones, especially in garment factories. They are also devising different strategies in their campaign, to get the support of this sector. Even bad weather has failed to dampen the spirit of the contestants in their campaign trail. Many

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BNP to appeal to USA against GSP suspension

BNP will appeal to the US government, to lift the suspension of the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) facility for Bangladesh. BNP’s acting secretary-general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, said this to reporters, at the party’s Naya Paltan central office, here on Saturday. Alamgir also criticised information minister Hasanul Haq Inu, for holding opposition leader

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Govt must obey US norms to get GSP back: Dr Yunus

Nobel Laureate Dr Mohammad Yunus, on Saturday, said the government must adhere to the US guidelines on improving work conditions, to get the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) back.
“If the necessary US conditions are fulfilled, we would get the GSP facility back. The US has suspended the GSP, as Bangladesh could not fulfil their

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Shibir activists clash with cops, 10 injured

At least 10 people, including a child, were injured during clashes between police and Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) activists in Rajshahi, Chittagong and Dhaka, on Saturday.
In Rajshahi, trouble erupted around noon, when the Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing brought out a procession at GanakparaMore, to demand release

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Experts stress on fast reactors and closed fuel cycles

Experts from 89 countries across the globe, in St Petersburg, Russia, observed that the use of fast reactors and closed fuel cycles are the most viable options in enhancing the sustainability of future nuclear systems. They said that applications of the closed fuel cycles, including, by recycling uranium and using thorium, would further contribute to enhancing

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Extradition of Anup Chetia may run into rough waters

Extradition of ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia may run into rough waters yet again, with Bangladesh likely to “indulge in hard bargaining” with New Delhi following delay in signing of the Teesta Water Treaty and Land Boundary swap deal, reports The Assam Tribune on Friday. “Sources in Bangladesh High Commission said that while Dhaka is committed to release Chetia,

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Obama pays tribute to ill Mandela, meets family

Paying tribute to his personal hero, President Barack Obama met privately Saturday with Nelson Mandela’s family as the world anxiously awaited news on the condition of the ailing 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader. Obama, who has spoken movingly about Mandela throughout his trip to Africa, praised the former South African president’s “moral courage” during remarks from

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JP breaking away from grand alliance

Chairman of Jatiya Party (JP) HM Ershad on Saturday said his party does not want to remain with the Awami League-led 14-party alliance say it will alone take part in the next general election alone. “We don’t want to remain with the grand alliance. Party workers also prefer not to stay with them. We will take part in the polls alone. We will leave the alliance at an

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Officers start abstaining from work at RU

THE officers of Rajshahi University on Saturday started a two-day work abstention programme demanding rise in their retirement age to 62 from the present 60 years.
More than 700 officers, under the banner of RU Officers’ Association, refrained from joining their work from 8:00am to 10:00am on the first day.

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Workshop on HIV stigma held

Physicians, development partners and NGO workers at a workshop on Saturday in Rajshahi urged the country’s print and electronic media to work towards removing social stigma on HIV/ AIDS through objectively news presented in a positive light.
They also emphasised the need for creating awareness

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Greens demand Tk 2409cr as compensation from tanners

Green activists on Saturday urged the government to realise Tk 2,409 crore as compensation from tannery owners of Hazaribagh area for polluting river and surrounding areas.
At a press conference, they said the cost of per cubic metre wastes treatment was Tk 50 and the tanneries were polluting the river from the year 1950, so the tanners

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Tagore creations on monsoon presented

Tagore creations on monsoon presentedThe famous Tagore song Badolo dinero prothomo kodom phul has become a signature tune to glorify the distinctive features of the monsoon.
Along with the song, artistes presented an array of songs and poems on monsoon from the rich collection of Rabindranath Tagore’s compositions in the rainy Friday evening at the Music and Dance Centre of
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

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Gulshan wins award featuring Tazreen victims

NAT’L ART BIENNALE
Gulshan wins award featuring Tazreen victims
Gulshan wins award featuring Tazreen victimsArtist Gulshan Hossain has won Bengal Foundation Award in the ongoing 20th National Art Biennale organised by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy for her installation titled Eternal Journey of Burnt
Female Workers of Garment Factory.
The installation features the pathetic Tazreen factory tragedy in last November 24 in which more than

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Children paint portraits of legendary artists

Children paint portraits of legendary artistsChildren painted portraits of legendary artists Zainul Abedin, Quamrul Hassan, and SM Sultan and copied their famous artworks in a competition organised by the department of fine arts of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Friday at the plaza of National Art Gallery.
About 60 participants in three age groups participated in the competition. Zainul Abedin and his works were

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