The newly-elected members of parliament (MPs) in recently held bypolls of Jatiya Sangsad were sworn in yesterday making the House filled with all its 345 seats. The lawmakers of Awami League Sheikh Helaluddin, Nazmul Hasan Papon, Abul Kalam Azad and Zafar Ali, Bangladesh Nationalist Party lawmakers Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar and Barrister Moudud Ahmed, and Jatiya ... Read more
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Russia to assist Bangladesh in generating hydropower
A delegation to visit next month for feasibility study Russia is ready to assist Bangladesh in generating hydropower by providing financial and technological supports utilizing river currents to meet the growing demand of electricity. After a meeting with Prime Minister’s Adviser Dr Toufiq-e-Elahi at his Secretariat Office yesterday, Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Dr Gennady P ... Read more
UZ bill goes against AL poll manifesto
Even a cabinet decision to keep upazilas free of MPs’ influence ignored With the passing of the new upazila parishad bill in the Awami League (AL) majority parliament, the government empowered lawmakers to meddle in the functioning of upazila parishads, burying AL’s electoral pledge of making the parishads self-reliant and autonomous. The government could not ... Read more
The use of compressed natural gas (CNG) in the transport sector has not only reduced carbon emission but also is saving over $800 million worth of petroleum import annually, Petrobangla sources say. However, rapid expansion of CNG delivery network in the last few years has significantly contributed to instability of gas supply pressure in many ... Read more
Amnesty Int’l welcomes UN help in war crime trial
Amnesty International (AI) has welcomed the UN assistance to Bangladesh’s efforts to investigate and prosecute crimes against humanity and other serious violations of humanitarian law during the War of Liberation in 1971. Welcoming the news, the AI said four international war crimes experts, Louis Bickford, Priscilla Hayner, Bogdan Ivanisevic and Alexander Mayer-Rieckh, have been named ... Read more
MPs’ advisory role to create chaos
Upazila chairmen express anger over provisions curbing their powers A good number of upazila parishads might have difficulty functioning properly as they will have more than one lawmaker as advisers as per the upazila bill passed on Monday. “Due to the latest delimitation of parliamentary constituencies, more than 100 upazilas are made up of areas ... Read more
All need to work together for sake of country, democracy: Hasina
All political parties, irrespective of differences of opinion, need to work together in the interest of the country, its sovereignty and democracy, said the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Tuesday when the first session of the ninth parliament was prorogued. Hasina urged the opposition to give the government some time to ensure people’s welfare and ... Read more
Over-ambitious army men conspire during interim govt: Khaleda
The leader of the opposition in parliament, Khaleda Zia, on Tuesday said the army as an institution was not involved in wrongdoings during the tenure of the interim government, but some over-ambitious persons, involved in conspiracy, tarnished the reputation of the Armed Forces. She said the army as an institution was not involved in misdeeds ... Read more
Bangladesh Bank package for facing economic meltdown
BB also asks commercial banks to lower lending rate to 13pc Bangladesh Bank asked the commercial banks to waive down payment on loan rescheduling for next six months for the industries being affected by the global economic meltdown, as part of a government package measure for cushioning businesses against effects of the recession. The central ... Read more
CrPC passage allows exec magistrates to take cognisance of offences
The parliament on Tuesday, the last working day of the first session, passed the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill allowing the government to empower executive magistrates to take cognisance of any offences. The bill re-enacted two ordinances promulgated by the immediate-past interim government, with some changes made by the parliamentary standing committee on the ... Read more
1973 war criminal trial law being examined to remove loopholes
Govt bound to try war criminals: Tuku The government will not allow any loophole in 1973 law which may either facilitate any war criminal to escape punishment or obstruct expedited trial procedure. At a press briefing Tuesday, Law State Minister Advocate Quamrul Islam said examination of the law of 1973 goes on to ascertain as ... Read more
Govt offers bounty to find BDR mutineers
The government on Tuesday announced a reward of Tk 50,000 for anyone assisting lawmen to arrest any of the absconding soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles who are suspected of being involved in the February 25-26 carnage in the Pilkhana. ‘A sum of Tk 50,000 will be given in cash to anyone who can help the ... Read more
4 more suspected BDR rebels make confessions
Four more soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles, who were remanded in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department, made confessional statements in the court of chief metropolitan magistrate on Monday. The CID police produced the four BDR soldiers, naik Kamruzzaman, lance naik Anwarul Islam, sepoy Fazlur Rashid and sepoy Asaduzzaman, in three courts after they ... Read more
Split order on fugitive convicts’ bail to be heard on April 22
The special High Court bench of Justice M Imman Ali on Monday set April 22 for hearing the split order passed by a High Court bench on nine petitions filed by five high-profile fugitive convicts seeking bail without surrendering to trial courts. The court set the date after hearing an application filed by Rafique-ul Huq, ... Read more
Latif urges media to help ensure social development
Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdul Latif Biswas Saturday said media could play an important role in the overall social development as envisaged in the “Din Badaler Sanad” and Vision 2021 of the present government. He was speaking at a divisional correspondents’ conference of Bhorer Ka-goj at Zila Parishad auditorium in Joypurhat as the chief guest. ... Read more
57 percent post of doctors in public hospitals lying vacant
Patients in public hospitals of Barisal division are suffering badly because of lack of doctors in public hospitals. Sources in the health directorate office in Barisal said 374 doctors against 889 post of doctors are working in six districts of the division meaning 57.9 percent of the posts are lying vacant. The sources said one ... Read more
Separation of judiciary for ensuring human rights emphasised
The speakers of a daylong discussion meeting on democratic governance, human rights and access to justice of all people on Saturday were stressed the need for implementation of separation of judiciary for promoting access to justice and human rights. The discussion was arranged by “Save the underprivileged and the needy(SUN) a NGO with the help ... Read more
Agri-technology fair begins at Narsingdi
A three-day agriculture technology fair 2009 under National Technology Project began on the premises of Narsingdi Sadar Upazila Parishad on Friday. Minister for Post and Telecommunication Razi Uddin Ahmed Razu formally inaugurated the fair as the chief guest while local MP Lt. Colonel (retd) Nazrul Islam Hiro, Birpratik, was the special guest. The minister went ... Read more
Salinity starts rising in N-region potato-farming fields
Soil scientists and agronomists revealed that salinity has started rising in the agriculture fields with indiscriminate and unwise using of salt in the country’s northwestern region creating an apprehension of detrimental impact to soil nutrients and fertility. They said the farmers, potato, paddy and banana growers in particular, have been applying salt (sodium chloride) in ... Read more
‘Dead man’ tells court he is alive
A ‘dead man’ whose body was recovered by police on January 16 and identified by his father reappeared on Thursday to tell the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate that he is still alive. The magistrate immediately sent Rubel Sarder, son of Rustam Sarder, to district jail. Rustam, who identified the body of his son Rubel ... Read more