Friday, November 8, 2024

‘JS for change’ set in motion

President draws govt attention to food prices, anti-graft fight, trial of war criminals Staff Correspondent President Iajuddin Ahmed yesterday termed the new Jatiya Sangsad a “parliament for change” and said poverty alleviation, elimination of corruption and terrorism, trial of war criminals and establishment of good governance would be

EC’s final tally betrays reality

UPAZILA POLLS EC’s final tally betrays reality Khadimul Islam The upazila elections, held on January 22 amidst violence, intimidation, assaults and harassment of election officials, capture of polling centres and stuffing and snatching of ballot boxes, saw more than 71 per cent voter turnout, according to the Election Commission’s final tally. Academics, election observers, election ... Read more

EC takes hard-line against irregularities in UZ polls

Defeated candidates lodge complaints against ruling party men EC takes hard-line against irregularities in UZ polls Staff Correspondent The EC has taken a hard line against the irregularities that took place during third upazilla polls on January 22 and commission would take action against the candidates for allegedly violating the code of conduct during elections. ... Read more

Hamid, Shawkat elected Speaker, Deputy Speaker

Staff Reporter The ninth parliament had a formal start yesterday unanimously electing Advocate Abdul Hamid Speaker and Col (retd) Shawkat Ali Deputy Speaker to preside over the House. The Parliament elected Adv Hamid for the top office on a formal proposal from Chief Whip Abdus Shahid, seconded by Whip Shagufta Yasmin Emily. The deputy speaker’s ... Read more

BNP, allies stage walkout

Staff correspondent The lawmakers of the BNP-led main opposition in the ninth parliament in the opening session on Sunday staged a walkout before the speech of the president, Iajuddin Ahmed, accusing him of breaching his oath of office. ‘The president breached his oath of office by not arranging elections within 90 days of the assumption ... Read more

122 ordinances placed in JS

Staff correspondent The 122 ordinances promulgated in two years of the interim government of Fakhruddin Ahmed were placed for discussion in the parliament in its opening session on Sunday. The law minister, Shafique Ahmed, placed the ordinances in a single motion and the speaker, Abdul Hamid, read out the list of ordinances. According to the ... Read more

3 investigations find 3 different reasons

Railway Break-ins 3 investigations find 3 different reasons Staff Correspondent Three probe committees that investigated the recent break-ins at Rail Bhaban in Dhaka and a railway office in Chittagong came up with three different conclusions. However, all the reports said no important files went missing. The probe committee formed by Bangladesh Railway yesterday filed its ... Read more

Major shake-up in administration

7 promoted to secretary rank Staff Correspondent The government yesterday brought major changes in the civil administration, promoting seven officers to the rank of secretary and making one secretary and two additional secretaries the officer-on-special-duty (OSD). The government also gave postings to a number of officers who were made OSD by the BNP-led four-party government ... Read more

RMG sector likely to grow despite global meltdown

Chttagong Correspondent Experts on the apparel product quality and industrial productivity here at a seminar yesterday speculated further growth of the country’s readymade garment (RMG) industry when the biggest economies of the world were hard hit by ongoing economic slowdown. They said that the local apparel exporters would benefit from the consumer’s delight in the ... Read more

Heavy fog disrapts flights, road, river communication

Taib Ahmed Dense fog with cold continued to disrupt normal life widely across the country on Sunday as the sun has remained shrouded since Thursday affecting the river, road and air transports. At least 28 people were injured in accidents involving launches in the River Shitalakhya in Narayanganj Saturday night and trucks in

Unlocking of 298 frozen bank accounts uncertain sine die

Staff Correspondent Unlocking of 298 frozen bank accounts becomes uncertain as the government has retracted its decision of opening those accounts immediately. Yesterday Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhit said “The decision of opening the frozen accounts is likely to be delayed due to legal complications.” Merit of each case needs to be examined to ... Read more

Hajj pilgrims need int’l passport from this year

United News of Bangladesh . Dhaka The intending Hajj pilgrims will have to collect international passport to perform Hajj from this year. Hajj ministry of Saudi Arabia informed that as the system of pilgrim pass has been abolished the pilgrims will require

Amrita and Shakeel’s spontaneous love story

After a little family gathering at Goa in December, the most talked about couple in Bollywood – the lovely damsel Amrita Arora and her beau Shakeel welcomed 2009 in Dubai. After painting the city red, the couple wanted to spend some time alone in each other’s company so they headed off to a place where ... Read more

India revels in acclaim for ‘Slumdog Millionaire’

Some see hope for change as the film, with four Golden Globe awards and 10 Oscar nominations, spotlights the desperation of slum life. By Anuj Chopra MUMBAI, INDIA – John D’souza hasn’t yet seen the much-feted film “Slumdog Millionaire.” But he is convinced the film has the power to transform his life. Mr. D’souza, a ... Read more

Closing Guantánamo: Will Europeans take detainees?

Europeans, who have long pushed to close the controversial facility, are hesitant to take some of its inmates. By Robert Marquand Paris – On no single issue has Europe been more in disagreement with America than the Guantánamo detention center. The camp was a focus of anti-US protest here, synonymous with the image of a ... Read more

Let children break a leg!

UK government report says playgrounds must be designed to increase likelihood of injuries so children learn to manage risks By Agencies London: Children should be allowed to break their legs and eat poisonous plants as part of their physical and social development, says a UK report. The government document by Play England and the Department ... Read more

Is Sex Necessary?

Your Health Is Sex Necessary? Alan Farnham Fans of abstinence had better be sitting down. “Saving yourself” before the big game, the big business deal, the big hoedown or the big bakeoff may indeed confer some moral benefit. But corporeally it does absolutely zip. There’s no evidence it sharpens your competitive edge. The best that ... Read more