Budget session begins tomorrow The treasury and the opposition bench in the parliament on Tuesday failed to reach any consensus on the sharing of the front-row seats, to the left of the speaker, only a day before the budget session is set to begin at 3:00pm Thursday. The parliament speaker, the chief whip and the ... Read more
Dhaka Mirror
Overseas employment drops to new low
Overseas employment outflow witnessed a five-month low in May this year, revealing another 57 per cent decline in yearly comparison. It was a net 8.19 per cent fall against the workers outflow recorded in April of the current year, official said on Tuesday. As the top job markets for Bangladeshi workers continued to face the ... Read more
Sleuths smell more Daud moles in country
Raids go on, another held The Detective Branch (DB) of the police has got vital information on that some more Indian nationals and accomplices of the International mafia don Daud Ibrahim are now residing in different parts of the country, even in the capital, Dhaka, police sources said. Following information extracted from the detained close ... Read more
400m hungry in S Asia
NEW DELHI: More than 100 million people have joined the ranks of the chronically hungry in South Asia in the fallout from the global financial crisis, bringing the figure to a 40-year high, a U.N. official said Tuesday, reports AP. The region”s poor, who have borne the brunt of the economic trouble, desperately need governments ... Read more
Clock goes 1hr ahead June 19 midnight
Cabinet fixes daylight saving time schedule The daylight saving time (DST) will take effect at midnight on June 19, setting the clocks an hour ahead. The decision came at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday. Briefing reporters afterwards, the prime minister’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad said the clocks will be ... Read more
Aila sufferings to last for months
Repair of damaged embankments to take long time The survivors of cyclone Aila in Satkhira are unlikely to be relieved of their sufferings anytime soon as it will take several months to complete the repair works of the damaged embankments there. Although the authorities concerned began repairing small breaches in the dams, it might not ... Read more
Tk 2 lakh income tax to be required for getting arms licence
Govt step on way to check criminal use of legal arms Persons who are entitled to possession and renewal of arms licences will be required to pay at least Tk 2 lakh income tax annually and they have to show income tax certification for the previous three years, according to the new system the government ... Read more
Speculations about resignation of Sohel Taj
Speculations were rife in the capital Monday that the State Minister for Home Affairs Tanjim Ahmed Sohel Taj has tendered his resignation. Conjectures as to the reasons for such a resignation include his frequent blunt comments to the media, his tough stand on controlling crimes which recently resulted in “cross-fire” death of two BCL activists ... Read more
People, firm legal action hold the key
Observe key personalities Eminent personalities yesterday said people’s movement and strict legal actions are a must to save the dying rivers from the clutches of land-grabbers and polluters. Distinguished professionals, academicians, NGO and top business leaders and others said this at the inauguration of a photography exhibition titled ‘Save Rivers, Save Dhaka’ held at the ... Read more
Shape up Ctg, Mongla as regional ports: WB
The World Bank suggested Bangladesh to shape up Chittagong and Mongla seaports as regional ports for smooth regional connectivity, which the donor agency thinks will spur the country”s economic uplift, reports UNB. Regional Director of the WB Dr Sadiq Ahmed came up with the proposition during talks with Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain at his ... Read more
French plane lost in ocean
228 feared dead An Air France plane carrying 228 people from Brazil to France has vanished over the Atlantic after a possible lightning strike, airline officials say, reports BBC. The Airbus sent an automatic message at 0214 GMT, four hours after leaving Rio de Janeiro, reporting a short circuit as it flew through strong turbulence. ... Read more
428 students fall sick after taking WFP biscuits
At least 428 primary school students of eight primary schools under Laxmichhari upazila in Khagrachhari district have fallen sick after taking the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) biscuits today (Monday). Laxmichhari upazila administration sources said, of the sick students, 150 were admitted into Manikchhari Upazila Health Complex and Laxmichhari Upazila Health Complex. A 5-member ... Read more
Set up food court in every district
HC asks govt The High Court (HC) in a verdict yesterday directed the government to set up a food court in every district and to appoint sufficient food analysts and food inspectors in all districts within one year in order to prevent food adulteration. The court also directed the government to inform the court by ... Read more
Meira Kumar set to become the 1st Indian woman Speaker
It has been finally decided that the Congress-led UPA government would put a woman at the most prestigious seat of Indian lower house as Speaker. Meira Kumar is all poised to become the first woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha as her name was cleared by the Congress core group. Meira will also be the ... Read more
Test results show pesticide poisoning
Children’s Death Test results show pesticide poisoning After testing biological and environmental samples taken from two villages of Dhamrai, Atlanta Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention of the US confirmed that pesticides caused the deaths of four children there in April and May. The CDC in their report said they found organophosphate, one of ... Read more
Hungry, they wait for help
Jhapa village still under water; survivors’ sufferings know no bound “My time has come, perhaps I will die this time round.” Sixty-five-year-old Santosh Mondol let out a sigh as he spoke the words. In the tiny makeshift shack he has managed to put up on the damaged embankment in Jhapa village, his future didn’t look ... Read more
Home Ministry received recommendations to withdraw 500 political cases
Application deadline expired, DCs asked to send recommendation soon The Home Ministry received recommendations from deputy commissioners of Dhaka and some other districts in favour of withdrawing 500 politically motivated cases. According to sources, 2675 applications were submitted to Dhaka DC who upon approval of PP gave his opinion for withdrawal of 155 cases including ... Read more
Fourfold increase in land prices from September 1
Land registration fees to be reduced by 6-8 per cent The government has decided to increase the price of land four times in a bid to increase non-tax revenue income, sources in the Prime Minister’s Office told New Age on Sunday. An official of the PMO said that the increased rate would come into effect ... Read more
NHRC calls for independent inquiries
EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS NHRC calls for independent inquiries The National Human Rights Commission on Sunday demanded ‘independent inquiries’ into every incident of extra-judicial killing and publication of the reports. The commission also expressed grave concern at the news of extra-judicial killings in the country, especially the recent death of two students of the Dhaka Polytechnic Institute ... Read more
Over 150 Daud operatives already in Bangladesh
Their payment comes thru’ a money exchange firm, Daud Merchant tells The Daily Star; he manages a passport in exchange for Tk 50,000 Detectives suspect that more than 150 highly paid agents have been working in the country for international mafia don Daud Ibrahim and that his second-in-command “Chhota” Shakil has been dealing with their ... Read more