We are accountable to none but the president, claim ACC officials Parliamentary experts and members of a legislative panel have expressed resentment at the reported refusal by officials of the Anti-Corruption Commission to explain the activities and procedures that were undertaken during the two-year rule of the military-backed interim government. They said that the ACC’s ... Read more
Dhaka Mirror
Candidates asked to remove posters, banners in 7 days
DCC POLLS Candidates asked to remove posters, banners in 7 days The Election Commission on Thursday called on the people intending to contest Dhaka City Corporation elections to remove within seven days the posters, leaflets and banners they had stuck on roadside walls greeting people on different occasions or seeking their blessings. The commission reminded ... Read more
Social stigma major barrier to fighting AIDS: experts
Experts at a seminar have said social stigma is a major obstacle to fighting HIV/AIDS in the country. Describing the AIDS as a deadly disease, they said all should change their attitude towards HIV/AIDS-infected patients for the prevention of the disease. They were addressing a seminar titled ‘culture-sensitive HIV/AIDS prevention communication for behaviour change’ at ... Read more
Mahila Parishad observes token hunger strike
Gas supply to Khulna demanded The Khulna district unit of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad observed a day-long token hunger strike at Shaheed Hadis Park in the city on Thursday, demanding immediate gas supply to Khulna through pipeline. The speakers at the programme called on the government to cancel the decision to postpone the $125 million gas ... Read more
1 shot dead at manpower agent’s office
Unidentified criminals sprayed bullets at the office of a recruiting agency in the city’s Banani area yesterday that left its one staff killed and another injured. Following the shooting, the criminals escaped the scene leaving behind a sweetmeat packet which contains a piece of shroud, one bullet and a chit, inscribed with a threatening message ... Read more
Potato price doubles in N dists in two weeks
Potato price is galloping in the northern districts as the production faced a setback in the region this year. A kilogram of potato is now selling in the retail markets at a rate double its price two weeks ago. Regional Agriculture Office sources said potato production in Rangpur, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat and ... Read more
Local variety rice week begins today
Policy research for development alternatives organisation (Ubinig) on Thursday said the promotion of hybrid and high yielding varieties of rice ignoring the traditional and local varieties had left an adverse impact on the environment and caused serious harm to human health. Addressing a press briefing to announce holding of the ‘Local variety rice preservation week ... Read more
Modernisation of railway, waterway stressed
Experts, academics, politicians and green activists on Thursday asked the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to build a time-befitting rail and water ways network to bring dynamism in the country’s economy. They made the demand at a press briefing at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity where they also launched an organisation ‘Railpath-Noupath Rakkha O Unnayan ... Read more
Call to stop eviction of Dalit people
The Dalits and activists advocating their rights on Thursday formed a human chain in front of the National Museum and demanded that the eviction of Dalits from their lands in Sutrapur should be immediately stopped. They also demanded the trial and condign punishment of the land-grabbers and the rehabilitation of the ousted Dalits in that ... Read more
PCP demands full implementation of CHT peace accord
Pahari Chhatra Parishad (PCP), a student wing of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS), on Tuesday brought out a procession and held a protest rally in the premises of Deputy Commissioner’s office of the hill town of Rangamati. They submitted a 7-point demand memorandum to the Rangamati deputy commissioner for dispatching to the home ministry. ... Read more
50pc children under 2 at risk of physical impairment: experts
Half of the country’s total number of children under two years of age is at risk of physical impairments with 35 per cent living in rural areas and 15 per cent in urban areas. Child health experts made the disclosure at the inaugural session of an international conference on ‘towards a better understanding of children ... Read more
‘No’ to saline-water based shrimp farming
Farmers in Khulna and Bagerhat districts are now firm to resist saline water-based shrimp cultivation while women workers in shrimp processing plants in the districts have vowed to stop exploitation by the owners by depriving them of due wages and facility. Several thousands farmers of Khulna and Bagerhat districts recently staged protests against saline water ... Read more
Kumarkhali UNO assaulted by AL men
The activists of the ruling Awami League and its associate body on Thursday afternoon assaulted the upazila nirbahi officer of Kumarkhali in Kushtia for difference of opinion on appointment of a principal in the Kumarkhali Degree College. Tarun had persuaded to appoint their chosen candidate in the college, but the UNO stood by the illegible ... Read more
Bumper production of maize likely in Rangpur
Harvesting of early variety maize will begin soon though the same will get full momentum from mid- May as the process of seed formation continues everywhere in the northern region. Concerned experts, officials and farmers are expecting a bumper maize production in the region as the crop has been growing excellent under favourable climatic conditions ... Read more
Sorry state of poultry industry at Magura,Nearly 200 farms closed
More than 200 poultry farms have been closed during last two years in Magura district, sending hundreds of people to unemployment. Bird flu, price hike of poultry drugs and feed and fall in the price of poultry birds are the reasons to bring disaster in poultry industry. Alone in 2007, due to severe attack by ... Read more
Lending rates still high
Say economists Economists and experts said the central bank initiative to cap the maximum lending rate at 13 per cent is still high as they believe the local commercial banks have the scope to bring it down further. Bangladesh Bank on Tuesday directed the banks to bring their lending rates down except for credit cards ... Read more
Generators take local root
Sales of generators are rising on frequent outages and an electricity shortage in the country with local businesses increasingly getting involved in assembling and making parts of the power devices amid approaching summer. In the last three months, around 11,000 units of generator were sold mainly in Dhaka and Chittagong, marking a rise of 25 ... Read more
World’s cheapest car goes on sale in India
The world’s cheapest car went on sale on Thursday, with dealers and the company behind it confident of strong demand despite a slump in global car sales amid the world economic downturn. Bookings opened for orders of Tata Motors’ 100,000 rupee (2,000 dollars) Nano at dealerships around the country, with a spokesman describing sales as ... Read more
BGMEA seeks buyers’ cooperation
Readymade garment exporters in a parley with international buyers in Dhaka yesterday sought their cooperation in raising the trade volume in the face of global recession. They also bargained with the buyers for more prices of apparel items and export orders so that the country can gain more competitiveness. The buyers nowadays offer the lowest ... Read more
SoBs decide to keep deposit rates unchanged
Four state-owned commercial banks have decided not to reduce their deposit rates rather exert coordinated efforts to help their clients face the ongoing global recession. The decision came from a meeting of the managing directors of the Sonali, Janata, Agrani and Rupali banks at the Sonali Bank auditorium Thursday morning, banking sources said. In contrast ... Read more