Month: October 2013

The government is likely to curtail the power of the executive board of Grameen Bank by scrapping the latter’s authority of preparing rules. Finance ministry officials said such a proposal had been inserted in the draft of the Grameen Bank Act 2013 that is scheduled to be placed

The commission investigating the stalemate at Jahangirnagar University over the demand for the resignation of vice-chancellor Anwar Hossain submitted its report to the education secretary on Tuesday. The two-member inquiry commission recommended that the vice-chancellor maintain good relationship with deans and other teachers for the sake of

Lutfur Rahman, Bangladeshi-origin mayor of London Borough of Tower Hamlets, has overtaken Labour Party leader David Miliband in ‘Top 100 most influential Left-wingers in British politics’ poll conducted by The Daily Telegraph. Lutfur moved up to 53rd on the list, a jump of 15 places from last year when he was placed 68th. The newspaper ... Read more

At least 497 women fell victim to violence in September, according to a report of women’s human rights body Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP). The BMP report was complied based on news items published in 14 local dailies. Of the total victims, 69 were raped during the period while 13 gang-raped

Two day-labourers were electrocuted in Mehendiganj and Gournadi upazila of Barisal on Tuesday. The victims were Abubakar Mridha, 44, of Qadirabad under Mehendiganj upazila and Hakim Shikdar, 60, of village Bezgati under Gournadi municipal town in Barisal. The Muladi upazila health complex duty-doctor,

Hasina says on return from New York Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said the country which was going to be a failed state during the previous BNP regime has been turned into a role model of development after her government assumed power. She was addressing a civic reception accorded to her return home from ... Read more

War Crimes Trial SQC verdict today International Crimes Tribunal-1 will deliver its verdict today in the war crimes case of Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, MP. Taking up the record for setting the schedule at the outset of Monday’s hearing, the presiding judge, Justice ATM Fazle Kabir, said that the verdict, kept reserved earlier, was ready for ... Read more

1971  Killing Of Intellectuals Verdict in Ashraf, Mueen case any day The war crimes trial of absconding Al-Badr bosses Md Ashrafuzzaman Khan alias Nayeb Ali and Chowdhury Mueenuddin, ended on Monday and the judges said the verdict would be delivered at a later date. Their trial in absentia began on July 15. Having heard both ... Read more

Rana Plaza compensation committee makes recommendations A high-powered committee on fixation of compensation for the victims of Rana Plaza collapse in a meeting in Savar on Monday set about Tk 19.5 lakh as compensation to be paid to the families of each of the deceased, meeting sources said. The committee proposed that the total compensation ... Read more

One Year After Train Fare Hike No improvement in passenger services The government’s decision taken last year to increase train fares for the first time in 20 years has, one year on, helped the railway to increase its income by one third, but there has been little improvement in train services. The increase in income ... Read more

Tax Holiday Cap on Grameen’s privilege likely The finance ministry will place the new Grameen Bank Act in the cabinet meeting on Thursday with a proposal to cap the tax-exemption privilege for the microlender for a certain period. “The tax holiday benefit for Grameen Bank might be capped for a fixed period through a notification,” ... Read more

The government will open an “information centre” at B angabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novotheatre in the city on Tuesday, in connection with the establishment of the country’s first nuclear power plant in Rooppur. This step is being taken to comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA’s) precondition that public queries on nuclear energy

Bangladesh Chemists and Druggists Samity (BCDS) Leaders have urged the drug traders to keep their shops closed across the country on Thursday pressing for release of detained medicine sellers and opening of drug stores sealed by the mobile court on Saturday on charges of keeping spurious medicines. The medicine traders will keep their shutters down ... Read more

Bangladesh will honour 60 foreign friends and organisations from different countries for their outstanding contributions to the 1971 Liberation War. The list includes former Indian president late Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and ex-prime minister late Gulzarilal Nanda. The state accolades will

Food Adulteration Complainant to get 25pc of fine Twenty-five percent of the money to be realised through penalties against food adulterators will go to the plaintiffs if a new food safety bill is passed by parliament. According to the Safe Food Act, 2013, placed in the House yesterday, complainants against food adulteration will be rewarded ... Read more

Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Barrister Shafique Ahmed on Monday told Parliament that the trial of the top war crimes suspects would be completed within shortest possible time and the verdicts would also be executed at the earliest. The Law Minister made this comment while replying to a question from ruling party lawmaker ... Read more

The Finance ministry has asked the National Board of Revenue for taking steps to reduce duty on import of newsprint for newspaper industry by 50 per cent to facilitate the industry in implementing 8th wage board award, officials of the ministry said. They said that the ministry asked the