Dhaka Mirror

Khawaza Main Uddin Dhaka will not get any additional opportunity to export more goods or send more manpower to the US if it signs the proposed draft of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with Washington, observed eminent economists. Moreover, they pointed out that the proposed bilateral agreement itself could impose certain restrictions on ... Read more

More upazila poll objections poured in Staff Correspondent The Election Commission (EC) Secretariat continues to receive complaints from defeated upazila election candidates but the commission is yet to work out a procedure to investigate those, and go for the next course of action. Of the two complaints it received yesterday, one is against state minister ... Read more

BNP wants Iajuddin to be impeached Shakhawat Liton and Rashidul Hasan The main opposition BNP wants to see President Iajuddin Ahmed impeached for ‘violating the constitution by failing as the chief adviser to hold the parliamentary polls within the stipulated 90 days’. Policymakers of the ruling Awami League (AL) however do not subscribe to the ... Read more

Ctg Correspondent After the aborted ‘oust VC movement’ the potential aspirants of the Vice-Chancellor’s office here at Chittagong University have reportedly launched underground missions for attaining the sympathy of the ruling party big shots in Dhaka. It is learnt that more than half a dozen senior teachers of the university mostly from the progressive section ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The main opposition in parliament, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, will not become involved in the government’s move to amend the constitution to create the post of the second deputy speaker. ‘The BNP will not be involved in the creation of an additional post of a deputy speaker,’ said senior BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader ... Read more

Work for 47 Parliamentary committees going on Staff Correspondent Awami League leaders, deprived of getting different portfolios in the incumbent cabinet, would be evaluated in various aspects. Some mid-level AL lawmakers might be included in some 47 Parliamentary Committees likely to be raised in the adjourned session of the Jatiya Sangsad tomorrow (Wednesday). The upcoming ... Read more

AFP, Madrid The global food crisis which threatens to stoke social unrest and push millions more into poverty could get worse due to the international credit crunch and falling food prices, the head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said Monday. “The contraction in prices for agricultural goods and the financial uncertainty risks ... Read more

Agence France-Presse . The Hague The first-ever trial of the International Criminal Court began on Monday with a Congolese militia commander denying he committed war crimes by recruiting hundreds of child soldiers to kill and rape. ‘At this stage our client would like to plead not guilty,’ said Catherine Mabille, Thomas Lubanga’s lawyer at the ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) will file a case against 38 staff of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd (BTCL), formerly BTTB, including 21 divisional engineers for misappropriation and wastage of around Tk 23.04 crore. Meanwhile, the ACC yesterday approved filing two separate cases against former lawmaker M Shahjahan and seven others on charges of irregularities ... Read more

US ‘committed’ to global battle against hunger, says Hillary Afp, Madrid The global food crisis which threatens to stoke social unrest and push millions more into poverty could get worse due to the international credit crunch and falling food prices, the head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said yesterday. “The contraction in ... Read more

Staff Reporter Speaker of the House Adv Abdul Hamid yesterday said that he would correct the seating plan for the Members of the Parliament after consulting it with the treasury and Opposition leaders, as there is allegation of wrongdoing by former Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar. The treasury bench is annoyed as the former Speaker overruled Chief ... Read more

Staff Reporter The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has recommended taking necessary steps to permanently shut down all the telegraph offices of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL). The central telegraph office of Dhaka had earned about Tk 2 crore while the expenditure was about Tk 30 crore in the time span. As per ACC’s investigation it ... Read more

Staff Correspondent A local company, Active Fine Chemicals Enterprise, has started manufacturing raw materials and chemical reagents for the pharmaceutical industry with a view to lessening import dependency and cutting down time and costs, the company officials said. They said that although the pharmaceutical industry of Bangladesh has advanced much, backward linkage of this industry ... Read more

UNB, Dhaka As per government guidelines, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) itself is going to dispose of former Energy adviser Mahmudur Rahman’s complaint against the ACC Chairman accusing him of misappropriating Tk 22.41 crore through money laundering. “We sought guideline from then government about the complaint against the chairman. According to that guideline the Commission itself ... Read more

Asif Showkat The government, after a long gap of 16 years, has revived the Market Intelligence Unit to keep a vigilant eye on the market prices of essential commodities, said official sources on Monday. The unit will begin its work immediately. The commerce ministry abolished MIU in 1992 after Bangladesh became a member of World ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The cabinet committee on purchase on Monday approved a proposal for import of 13 lakh tonnes of crude oil from Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates for the current year. The committee, headed by finance minister, Abul Mal Abdul Muhith, at a meeting at the cabinet division gave the approval. The energy division ... Read more

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

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

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

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