A legal notice was served yesterday to the government for taking immediate steps to stop illegal encroachment on the banks of rivers Buriganga, Turag and Shitalakkha. Human Rights and Peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) served the notice seeking steps to stop earth filling and building any kind of temporary and permanent structures along the rivers in ... Read more
Dhaka Mirror
Japan closes 4,000 schools for swine flu
178 infections confirmed Japan reported 178 swine flu infections yesterday and closed more than 4,000 schools, colleges and kindergartens for the rest of the week to slow the spread of the virus, officials said. Experts warned that infections had probably already spread to other regions including the capital Tokyo, which with almost 36 million people ... Read more
Three-decade abortive war of independence: Prabhakaran killed
Sri Lanka declared Monday it had crushed the Tamil Tiger rebels, killing their chief, Velupillai Prabhakaran, and ending his three-decade quest for an independent homeland for minority Tamils. State television broke into its regular programming to announce Prabhakaran’s death, and the government information department sent a text message to cell phones across the country confirming ... Read more
HC starts hearing Khaleda’s writ on cantt house
Hearing adjourned till May 25, govt directed not to disturb her till then At last the High Court took up hearing on writ petition challenging government notice asking BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia to vacate her cantonment house. A Division Bench comprising Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed and Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury started the hearing Monday ... Read more
Rohingya rebels trained JMB men
Investigators glean it from Boma Mizan; Huji too received training from the RSO Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) had close links with Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO), an insurgent group in the Myanmarese state of Arakan, JMB explosives expert ‘Boma Mizan’ revealed in interrogations. Sources close to Rab interrogators said Mizan and some other JMB operatives received ... Read more
Profile of Prabhakaran
From an increasingly small area in the north-east of Sri Lanka, Velupillai Prabhakaran heads the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or Tamil Tigers. He has a reputation as a fearless and ruthless guerrilla leader and under his leadership, the Tamil Tigers have become a highly-disciplined and highly-motivated guerrilla force. But in recent months his ... Read more
HR Watch for disbanding DGFI, Rab
Accuses them of abuse, extra-judicial killing Human Rights Watch (HRW) has recommended the disbanding of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), terming them symbols of abuse and impunity in a report released yesterday. The New York-based HRW said if the two forces are not disbanded they should be made to ... Read more
591 more BDR jawans arrested
Sent to jail after filing sedition cases A total of 591 Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) jawans were arrested at different units in ten districts on charge of staging mutiny following the Pilkhana carnage on February 25-26. Police and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) made the arrests after filing sedition cases against the suspected mutineers. The arrested border ... Read more
Newspaper reports speculative, says Faruk
Commerce Minister Lt Col (retd) Faruk Khan Monday questioned the veracity of newspaper reports on findings of the army probe report on BDR carnage, claiming that the newspaper reports are based on speculations, reports UNB. “It was not known to anybody except the investigators about findings of the probe report and I think the newspaper ... Read more
Suu Kyi’s release demanded
Several dozens of Rakhaing supporters of Burma’s long incarcerated democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi staged demonstration in front of city’s National Eidgah yesterday morning demanding her immediate release. Rakhaing Women’s Union (RWU) organized the hour-long programme and later placed their four-point demand at a press a briefing. Addressing the press briefing, RWU
Manju, Morshed granted bail in graft cases
The High Court yesterday granted bails to two bigwig graft convicts former, Communications Minister Anwar Hossain Manju of JP and Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan of BNP, in graft cases. A division bench comprising Justice MA Wahhab Mian and Justice M Marzi-ul-Huq passed the orders following separate petitions. The bails will remain valid until the ... Read more
Installation of solar power system in urban areas likely to be made easier, cost effective
The government is likely to take initiatives to make the installation of solar power system easier and cost effective in urban areas so people could cope with the mounting power crisis. Sources said the government appears positive to simplify solar power equipment import and offer special bank loan for its import and installation. Commerce Minister ... Read more
Bangladesh players lack basic skills
Bangladesh national hockey players lacked international basic skills and they need to play more international matches to improve their standard, Bangladesh national hockey team’s German coach Gerhard Peter Rach said on Monday. “We realized very bitterly in the 8th Asia Cup that the Bangladesh players lacked basic skills. The time we got before the Asia ... Read more
Mehrab to lead Bangladesh A
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a 15-member Bangladesh A team for the three-match one-day series against Maharashtra Cricket Association. Left-handed Mehrab Hossain will lead the team while all-rounder Sohrawordi Shuvo has been named his deputy. The Rafiqul Alam-led selection panel included players like Nafis Iqbal and Hannan Sarker, who were out-of-favour for a long time, ... Read more
Bashar’s belated wisdom
Former national skipper Habibul Bashar urged the new generation of cricketers to think twice before moving away from the mainstream. “Over the last eight months I realised the pains of staying away from the mainstream,” Bashar said explaining the reasons behind his decision to cut ties with the unapproved Indian Cricket League (ICL). It was ... Read more
BCB XI earns 2nd successive win in T20 Cricket, beating Maharashtra CA by 46 runs
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Eleven earned second successive victory in the three-match Twenty20 Cricket series beating Indian Ranji Trophy side Maharashtra Cricket Association by 46 runs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Monday. Hosts BCB Eleven, studded with the cricketers of Bangladesh national team for the next month’s ICC Twenty20 World Cup ... Read more
Ansar win Women’s v’ball title
Bangladesh Ansar & VDP team clinched the EXIM Bank 20th National Women’s Handball title beating hosts Faridpur DSA by 23-14 goals in the final at the Faridpur Stadium on Monday, reports UNB. The winners led the first half by 14-7 goals. This was the 14th national crown for the Ansar & VDP team including 11 ... Read more
Aishwarya Ruins Sonam’s Red Carpet Dream
Aishwarya Rai has apparently killed off Sonam Kapoor’s dreams of walking the red carpet at Cannes by refusing to let her walk for L’Oreal, the brand they both endorse. We told on Friday how both were set to walk the Red Carpet in Cannes but Aish has apparantly made sure this didn’t happen. A source ... Read more
Angels & Demons Review
Cast: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgaard Dir: Ron Howard Angels & Demons comes just three years after the box office success of The Da Vinci Code that, despite not being a hit with the critics, was one of the biggest grossing movies of 2006. Tom Hanks is back to have another crack ... Read more
Beyonce Knowles Learning To Race
Beyonce Knowles has been taking driving lessons from Lewis Hamilton. The ‘Halo’ singer and her rapper husband Jay-Z enjoyed private sessions with the Formula One World Champion racing driver at Monaco’s Grand Prix track following their recent arrival at the Cannes Film Festival. A source said: “Beyonce’s so excited to be learning from him. And ... Read more