Preparations for celebrating Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla New Year, on April 14 with fanfare and festivity are going on in full swing. Various cultural organizations and institutions, including Chhayanat, Dhaka University’s Fine Arts Faculty, Bangla Academy, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, National Press Club and Dhaka Reporters’ Unity have chalked out special programmes to ... Read more
Dhaka Mirror
Call to enforce ban on polybags
Speakers at a human chain programme yesterday demanded strict application of the law banning the use of polythene bags, and urged the government to arrange alternative bags for the consumers. Though the use of polythene bags has been banned, the businessmen and customers are using them without any fear as there has been no application ... Read more
CMP launches criminal database
Chittagong Metropolitan Police launched a criminal database system with fingerprint identification in its Double-Mooring zone on Friday for detecting criminals instantly. The shipping minister, Absarul Amin, inaugurated the system in a function at Hotel Agrabad. Deputy inspector general of police M Asaduzzaman Mia and Chittagong Port Authority chairman RU Ahmed were present as special guests. ... Read more
Shahara warns against bid to create anarchy
Cancellation of Khaleda house lease Home Minister Sahara Khatun yesterday warned the opposition against any attempt to create anarchy over the cancellation of base of Khaleda Zia’s cantonment house. Addressing a discussion, organised by the ‘Independent Homeopathy Doctors Parishad’ at the National Press Club, the minister further said the government would take tough action against ... Read more
Dhaka’s move for JWG on counter-terrorism
Meeting tomorrow to finalise strategy Bangladesh is looking forward to set up joint working groups (JWG) with a number of countries including the UK and US for tackling terrorism, money laundering, and human trafficking through sharing of information and counter-terrorism training. As a part of the move, the government will hold a meeting tomorrow at ... Read more
‘Democracy now reaching doorsteps of all people’
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith Friday said after travelling a long road of struggle, democracy has now reached the doorsteps of all people in the country, reports BSS. “It is now the duty of all of us to appropriately preserve and nurture democracy in the greater national interest,” the Finance Minister said this while ... Read more
Textbooks mention them in many names
Indigenous people hardly mind when they are called in many names, but academicians say it is a big problem for students when they are frequently called in different names in the textbooks of a particular class. But this is what has happened to textbooks from primary to secondary levels. A review shows that words like ... Read more
NDI, IRI see Bangladesh poll well-administered
People of Bangladesh should hold their politicians and government officials accountable and to encourage them to focus on nation-building, speakers observed at a briefing for Congressional staff Bangladesh: The Election and Future of Democratic Governance’ organised by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI) on last Tuesday in the US Capitol. ... Read more
6 more BDR men confess to involvement
Pilkhana Carnage 6 more BDR men confess to involvement Six more members of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) yesterday confessed to their involvement in the February 25-26 Pilkhana carnage before magistrates. Metropolitan magistrates Rashedul Kabir and Dilara Alo Chandana recorded the confessional statements of the six. Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested 15 more BDR members ... Read more
Returnees end protest on assurance of compensation
The 30 cheated workers who had been staging a sit-in at Zia International Airport upon their return from Kuala Lumpur last Sunday ended their demonstration yesterday. They calmed down after Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) promised to help them get compensation for their losses from the fraudulent recruiting agency by April 30. “Baira ... Read more
ACC bound to appear before JS body: Rafique-ul Huq
Brushing aside the ACC decision not to appear before the parliamentary standing committee, eminent lawyer Barrister Rafique-ul Huq yesterday said that ACC was bound to be present before the parliamentary standing according to the law of the land. “ACC is very much a government organ. An effort was made through promulgating the ACC Ordinance, 2007 ... Read more
War criminals must not go scot free, says Razzak
Senior member of Awami League presidium Abdur Razzak, MP, said yesterday that none would be spared who had committed crime against humanity by indulging in genocide and war crimes during the nine-month-old war of independence of the country in 1971. “Those who carried out and assisted the Pakistani occupation forces to commit genocide in Bangladesh ... Read more
94 RU teachers lose jobs for not joining duties on time
Apr 10: A total of 94 teachers of Rajshahi University(RU) lost their jobs in the university for not returning to it after finishing their research works abroad. The university authority deserves to get a big amount to the tune of Taka five crore from the 94 teachers. The authority of Rajshahi University terminated their jobs ... Read more
Minister assures Asif’s case will be settled
State Minister for Youth and Sports Ahad Ali Sarker promised Commonwealth Games gold medalist Asif Hossain Khan to settle his case filed in 2006 by police following a scuffle between cops and shooters at the National Shooting Complex. Asif and his mother called on the state minister on Thursday at the ministry. “He assured me ... Read more
JANIPOP’s observation on upazila re-election 2009
JANIPOP-Jatiya Nirbachan Parjabekhan Parishad- observed the upazila re-election 2009 on mobile basis under the overall supervision of its Chairman Professor Dr. Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, says a press release. Three observation teams from JANIPOP were involved in observing the re-election in three upazilas namely Belkuchi of Sirajgonj, Barura of Comilla and Brahmanbaria Sadar of Brahmanbaria It ... Read more
14 sued in Mymensingh, Satkhira for ’71 killing
Fourteen alleged collaborators of Pakistani occupation forces have been sued for killing four people, including a freedom fighter, in Mymensingh and Satkhira in 1971. In Mymensingh, a case was lodged with Additional Judicial Magistrate’s Court here on Thursday, accusing 10 people of killing freedom fighter Taleb Ali Mondal and his two brothers at village Bhalukia ... Read more
Debate over feasibility report tomorrow
Sonadia Deep Sea Port Debate over feasibility report tomorrow A deep sea port can be set up at Sonadia channel in three phases till 2055 at an estimated cost of Tk 60,000 crore with the first phase completed by 2016, says a feasibility study. The first phase of the port in the offshore island of ... Read more
Cross-border crimes go up after carnage
It’s dropping fast, says BDR DG Cross-border movement of criminals, and trafficking of illicit goods including small arms increased alarmingly in the days following the events in Pilkhana Headquarters of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), observed an internal security report. The national security is likely to be affected by the recent development, and trafficking of illegal weapons ... Read more
Civilian probe falters: Most investigators feel shaky
The high-powered Home Ministry probe committee is still in the dark over the motive and masterminds of BDR carnage even after one and half months of its formation, informed sources said. An influential member of the committee acknowledged that they still could not identify the reason and said “actually it is not our job… police, ... Read more
Peelkhana carnage: Finger raised at Nanak, Alamgir
The investigators tasked with probing the carnage at the Peelkhana BDR headquarters in February are learnt to have pointed their fingers at some rising leaders of Awami League for their possible involvement in the brutal mayhem. Sources said that LGRD state minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Jubo League general secretary Mirza Azam MP and former state ... Read more