The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution proposed by the Maldives to hold a panel discussion on the relationship between human rights and climate change. The resolution states that “Global warming violates human rights of millions of people, especially in countries vulnerable to climate change such as the low-lying island state of the ... Read more
Dhaka Mirror
Congress alliance wins India polls: Sonia names Manmohan next premier: BJP concedes defeat
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s ruling coalition won an overwhelming election victory on Saturday, boosting hopes of a stable government as the emerging Asian power faces economic downturn and tensions with Pakistan. Singh’s Congress-led coalition, riding on the back of years of economic growth, did better than expected and will probably be only just short ... Read more
Two ex-NSI chiefs nabbed for links to Ctg arms haul
They’re to be produced in Ctg court today Former Directors General (DGs) of National Security Intelligence (NSI) Major General (Retd) Rezzaqul Haider and Brigadier General (Retd) Abdur Rahim were arrested in the capital early yesterday for their suspected links to the 10 truckloads of arms haul in Chittagong in 2004. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) ... Read more
JMB has at least 50 bomb experts now
All of them learnt the ropes from ‘Boma Mizan’ Law enforcers suspect there are at least 50 operatives in the militant Islamist organisation Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) who can make bombs, and almost all of them were trained by now detained Jahid Hossain Sumon alias ‘Boma Mizan’. ‘Boma Mizan’, key-explosives expert of the banned outfit, ... Read more
Sustainable architecture can ensure best use of resources: BUET team wins world award
Architects at a programme here yesterday said Bangladesh needs sustainable architectures to ensure the best use of its existing resources. “Bangladesh suffers from various problems due to mismanagement of wealth and lack of sustainable architectures,” Architect Ahsan Ullah Mojumder of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) told a press conference on the campus. Sustainable ... Read more
Rajuk set to falter on timeline, again
Purbachal, Uttara Projects Rajuk set to falter on timeline, again Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) may miss the deadline for allotment of plots at Purbachal New Town Project and Uttara Model Town (3rd Phase) by June due to non-completion of scrutiny of around 1.65 lakh applications submitted against over 7,000 plots. Besides, Rajuk has missed the ... Read more
Left’s red fort in West Bengal falls
The red fort in West Bengal crumbled yesterday as the poll results came out there. After being in power in the state for 32 years without a break, ruling Left Front suffered a severe drubbing at the hands of the alliance of Trinamool Congress and Congress, which swept the Lok Sabha elections. Trinamool Congress-Congress alliance ... Read more
Lanka President declares victory in civil war
May 16: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said today that his country had defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels on the battlefield and emerged victorious from its quarter century civil war. “My government, with the total commitment of our armed forces, has in an unprecedented humanitarian operation finally defeated the LTTE militarily,” he said referring to ... Read more
National probe report likely in a day or two
BDR Carnage National probe report likely in a day or two The national probe committee on BDR carnage is likely to submit its report in the next few days. Sources close to the probe committee told The Daily Star that the report is prepared to submit any time but some other formalities including binding the ... Read more
17m Bangladeshis to be displaced: Sea level rise due to meltdown of West Antarctic ice
More than 17 million people in Bangladesh would be displaced by a sea level rise of 1.5 metres, warned Jonathan Bamber, a professor at Bristol University in England, disclosing a study report which found that a collapse of the ice sheet of West Antarctica would push up world sea levels by 3.3 metres (11 ft) ... Read more
India confirms first swine flu case
The number of confirmed swine flu cases has soared again to top 8,000, the World Health Organisation said yesterday as India and Turkey reported their first infections. Japan also confirmed its first three infections among teenage students who had not picked up the virus abroad, and officials voiced fears that it would spread in the ... Read more
JMB’s mini bomb-making factory busted in city
The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday morning busted a ‘mini-munitions factory’ of banned Islamist outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) at the city’s East Monipur in Mirpur, and recovered a huge cache of bombs and bomb-making materials. They carried out the raid following up information obtained from detained JMB explosives expert ‘Boma Mizan’ and his wife ... Read more
Extortions continue unabated
Extortions continue unabated on a massive scale in all sectors of industries and business despite an intensified countrywide clampdown by law enforcers after the assumption of office by the Awami League-led government. Sources said toll collectors and all kinds of extortionists had been active in industrial and business establishments, shopping malls, bus terminals and construction ... Read more
Crime spurt adds to businesses’ worries
Business leaders Friday expressed their grave concern over the fast deterioration of law and order, especially in the country’s commercial areas, in recent weeks, saying it will aggravate the economic downturn amid global recession. Terrorists killed one garment entrepreneur and four others in Dhaka and its adjoining areas, mugged and injured many others in the ... Read more
EC bid to cut DC, UNO influence on its field staff
Commission asserts its position The Election Commission (EC) has taken initiatives to stop domination of District Commissioners (DCs) and Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) over the field-level election officials and employees, reliable sources have said. Although the EC is a constitutional institution, and, in accordance with law, the EC Secretariat is independent, the DCs and the ... Read more
BNP yet to announce convening committees due to internal feud
Standing committee meeting today BNP yet to announce convening committees due to internal feud Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is yet to announce 74 district convening committees due to party internal feud though the committees were likely to be announced early in this month. The party will take final decision today (Saturday) at a standing committee ... Read more
Pedestrians worst victims of road crashes
Almost three quarters of people killed in road accidents in Dhaka city are pedestrians while mostly minibuses are involved in these accidents. Even though pedestrians constitute around 60 percent of the road users in the capital they are one of the least cared for. According to Accident Monitoring Cell of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) ... Read more
Mizan, wife disowned by parents for militancy
Detained Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) man Mizan alias ‘Boma Mizan’ was disowned by his parents five years ago for his Islamist terrorist connection, and his first wife Sharmin was also disowned by her family three months after they had come to know that her husband is a terrorist. “We got married in 2006 after I ... Read more
ICDDR,B receives 450 diarrhoea patients a day
People advised to avoid roadside sharbat Though the residents of the capital got some respite from the scorching heat as the mercury dipped well below 35 degree Celsius following rainfall that significantly improved the overall situation of water borne diseases, expertes warned people ‘not to be complacent’. International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), ... Read more
Slumdog star’s home demolished
The Mumbai slum home of one of the child stars of the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire has been demolished by city authorities. Reports say that police smacked the boy, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, with a bamboo stick before ordering him out. The authorities claim he and other families were squatting on land that was owned by ... Read more