3 killed after rape Star Report A five-year-old girl was strangled after being violated at Kashiani in Gopalganj on Friday while a teen-age girl was allegedly raped and then killed in Bhanga upazila of Faridpur yesterday just because she had turned down a proposal for marriage. In another incident, a housewife was raped and then ... Read more
Dhaka Mirror
JS session resumes today
Staff Reporter Parliament resumes its session this afternoon after two-day recess amid uncertainty of joining of the opposition lawmakers who boycotted the session over seat rearrangement by the Speaker. “We are yet to decide whether we will join the session today. We are waiting to hear from the Speaker about the rearrangement of seats in ... Read more
Amar Ekushey Boi Mela begins today
Staff Correspondent The month long Amar Ekushey Boi Mela 2009 begins today on the Bangla Academy premises in the city, commemorating the martyrs of the historic Language Movement. With a record number of institutions taking part, the book fair this year will also have special visiting hours for women and
Zillur collects form
Presidential Polls Zillur collects form Staff Correspondent Nomination form for veteran Awami League (AL) leader Zillur Rahman has been collected from Election Commission (EC) secretariat for contesting country’s presidential election to be held on February 16. Chief Whip Abdus Shahid collected the form from EC Additional Secretary Rafiqul Islam yesterday afternoon. The AL-led grand alliance ... Read more
Flat allotment for MPs soon
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Dhaka The newly elected members of parliament, who have no residence in the capital city, will be allotted flat on an urgent basis in Nakhalpara and Manik Mia Avenue areas in Dhaka. A decision to this effect was taken at the first meeting of the House Committee in Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban ... Read more
Asgar murder suspect remanded in custody
Staff Correspondent Jahirul Islam Jahir, arrested in connection with the killing of businessman Ali Asgar of Lalbagh and slicing the body into 15 parts, was on Saturday remanded in custody for five days for interrogation. The Detective Branch, assigned to investigate the case, produced Jahir in the chief metropolitan magistrate’s court Saturday afternoon seeking him ... Read more
Rare Australian heatwave claims homes, lives
MELBOURNE: Australia’s second-largest city Melbourne ground to a halt Saturday, crippled by a once-in-a-century heatwave that has claimed almost 30 lives and razed at least 17 homes. Wildfires raged through the southeastern state of Victoria, where authorities said flames had come dangerously close to major electricity transmission lines which supplied power to Melbourne on Saturday. ... Read more
Giant sculpture honours Iraqi shoe-thrower
BAGHDAD: A huge bronze shoe sculpture has been erected in tribute to the Iraqi journalist who grabbed instant fame when he threw his shoes at former US president George W Bush last year. The shoe, in which a tree has been planted, stands three metres high (about 10 feet) and sits atop a white pedestal ... Read more
Committee to assess recession impacts awaits cabinet’s nod
Staff Correspondent Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Friday said a high-powered committee, which will monitor global recession and work out remedies for its adverse effects on Bangladesh’s economy, would be formed soon. ‘It’ll be there anytime. It’s awaiting the Cabinet’s approval,’ he told reporters at the 3-day Bangladesh Chemical Congress which began on Friday. On ... Read more
Sixty percent construction work of Kirtankhola-Khairabad Bridges over
Our Correspondent, Barisal Sixty percent construction work of two bridges named the Kirtankhola (Dapdapia) and the Khairabad Bridges over the Kirtankhola and Khairabad rivers in Barisal has been completed. Construction of these bridges would influence the development of socio-economic infrastructures of the region connecting it with Chittagong and Mongla sea ports and Kuakata tourist zone. ... Read more
40 lakh tonnes additional rice production possible by farming flood-tolerant varieties
Mamun Islam, BSS, Rangpur Agri-scientists have completed necessary research, experiments and validation of new flood- tolerant varieties of Aman paddy to pave the way for producing 40 lakh tonnes of additional paddy every year by large-scale farming in Bangladesh alone. Repeated success of the scientists and farmers in getting expected production of flood-tolerant paddy in ... Read more
Girls acting as messengers of hygiene, sanitation
Shahidul Islam Chowdhury When nature calls, most of the time Liza, 6, falls in trouble as her family does not own a latrine. ‘At times, I have to defecate in open spaces, no matter whether it is day or night, even knowing that it is bad,’ she said on Tuesday in the yard of their ... Read more
‘Comprehensive approach needed to conserve beneficial insects’
Dr Aynal Haque, BSS, Rajshahi Environmental scientists and researchers underscored the need for taking a comprehensive approach to conserve the beneficial insects in the greater interest of maintaining a sound biodiversity and ecological balance. They also said, the farmers destroy various species of the insects during the time of eliminating the destructive ones due to ... Read more
Govt to borrow $75m from IDB for fuel import
Asif Showkat The finance ministry has given its consent to seek $75 million loan for fuel import from the Jeddah–based Islamic Development Bank with a six per cent mark-up rate, officials said on Thursday. The ministry has also suggested more negotiations with the IDB for reduction of the mark-up rate. The government will seek the ... Read more
SoftExpo ends today with IT boom in vision
Alpha Arzu The country’s largest software and information technology exhibition of the year, BASIS SoftExpo 2009, concludes today, with a target to increase the income from IT-enabled services to $150 million from the present $7 million by 2011, software and information service leaders said. Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services coordinator of events Nurul ... Read more
Three decades of enlightening a nation
Bishwa Shahitya Kendra celebrates 30th anniversary Jamil Mahmud Eminent educationist and president of the trustee board of Bishwa Shahitya Kendra (BSK), Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, said that the organisation’s journey for enlightened people is eternal. “There are some dreams that have no specific destination. These dreams are unbound and they move forward. The movement, triggered ... Read more
War criminals barred from leaving country
Govt alerts agencies concerned but no list prepared Staff Correspondent The government on Friday ordered all agencies concerned to bar the suspected war criminals from leaving the country. ‘All relevant information about the war criminals have already been sent to the agencies concerned asking them to guard all points so that the war criminals cannot ... Read more
IOCs surpass state-run cos in gas production
Chevron allowed to extract more gas than tolerable capacity Aminul Islam The daily gas production by the international oil companies in the last few days has exceeded that of the state-run companies for the first time because of the successive governments’ refusal to provide the latter with the required fund to explore and develop gas-fields. ... Read more
BNP to give ‘moral support’ if war crimes trials transparent, says Delwar
Staff correspondent The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Friday said it would lend ‘moral support’ to trial of war criminals ‘if it is done properly’. ‘BNP was never against holding trial of war crimes. We have moral support to the demand for trial of war criminals. But it must be done properly. It must ... Read more
Bishwa Ijtema begins amid unprecedented security
Staff Correspondent Bishwa Ijtema, the religious gathering of Muslims Ummah from around the world began at Tongi on the outskirts of the capital amid tight security measures on Friday. Organised by Tablig Jamaat on the bank of the river Turag in Gazipur district, the event is being attended by around three million Muslims including around ... Read more