Headlines

Staff Reporter A fear has been dismissed about any sabotage on the December 29 parliament elections, the law enforcement agencies have taken special protection measures said top most officials of the Police and RAB. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nur Mohammad and Director General of RAB Hasan Mahmud Khandaker made the remarks to reporters separately ... Read more

Staff Reporter The central bank has so far identified 300 out of the total 9,961 Upazila election candidates as loan defaulters and sent their list to the Election Commission. “Correction to the list is going on and will continue until Friday,” Bangladesh Bank Executive Director Khandakar Muzharul Haque told newsmen at his office yesterday. He ... Read more

Rwandan Genocide Afp, Arusha A UN-backed tribunal yesterday sentenced the man accused of having masterminded the country’s 1994 genocide to life in prison for his part in the massacres that killed some 800,000 people. Theoneste Bagosora, who prosecutors had portrayed as the mastermind of the genocide was convicted “of genocide, crimes against humanity and war ... Read more

Agence France-Presse. Stockholm Several Nobel science prize committees in Sweden are being investigated for possible bribery, a special corruption prosecutor said on Thursday. The first case involves several members from the prestigious Nobel committees for medicine, physics and chemistry who visited China at the expense of the Chinese authorities. Special corruption prosecutor Nils Erik Schultz ... Read more

Unb, Dhaka Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed has called upon the armed forces to discharge their election duties with hundred percent neutrality, honesty and transparency and extend all-out cooperation to the Election Commission for holding a free, fair and meaningful election. “Remember, this responsibility is important. So, the armed forces will have to remain alert ... Read more

Shahidul Islam Chowdhury Political parties and candidates contesting the December 29 general elections have plunged into full-scale campaigns with the withdrawal of the state of emergency after restrictions on civil and political rights for two years. Top leaders of political parties, including the Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina, and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson, Khaleda ... Read more

M Abul Kalam Azad BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia owns more assets than Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina, although Khaleda’s annual earning is less than her rival’s, according to the wealth statements submitted by the two leaders to the Election Commission. Khaleda’s annual earning amounts to nearly Tk 25 lakh while Hasina earns Tk 30 ... Read more

Nazrul Islam The military-backed interim administration has no specific timeline as yet to hand over power to an elected government to be formed after the December 29 parliamentary polls. ‘Handover of power depends on the next elected government’, the chief adviser, Fakhruddin Ahmed told New Age on the sidelines of a tea party arranged for ... Read more

Deposit for plot to be confiscated if tax number proves false Rejaul Karim Byron and Helemul Alam Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) will cancel allotments of plots and confiscate deposited money of applicants for both Purbachal New Town and Uttara Residential Model Town (Third Phase) projects, if they submit fake Tax Identification Numbers (TIN). “We will ... Read more

Staff Reporter Awami League (AL) president Sheikh Hasina yesteday called upon the people to vote for the candidates of the AL led grand alliance for achieving economic independence of the country. She promised to build self-reliant digital Bangladesh by giving priority on the development of science and technology, if voted power in the coming parliamentary ... Read more

BSS, Bogra BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia yesterday urged the people to vote for `sheaf of paddy’ in the December 29 elections to restore democracy and safeguard the country’s independence and sovereignty. “The sheaf of paddy is not only a poll symbol, it is the symbol of development, independence and sovereignty,” she told a huge ... Read more

Agence France-Presse . Baghdad The Iraqi journalist who became an instant media star for hurling his shoes at the US president, George W Bush, appeared on Wednesday before a judge investigating the incident, his brother said. Muntazer al-Zaidi, 29, a television reporter who relatives and colleagues said acted because he ‘detested’ Bush and America, was ... Read more

Unb, Dhaka Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma and US Ambassador in Dhaka James Moriarty have welcomed the lifting of the state of emergency. In a statement in UK yesterday, Sharma said parliamentary elections are extremely important for Bangladesh, offering an opportunity for the resumption of normal democratic life in the country and re-constitution of the ... Read more

Staff Correspondent   The Rajuk authorities on Wednesday extended to January 15 the December 18 deadline for submission of the applications for the plots of Rajuk’s Uttara and Purbachal projects in Dhaka. ‘We have decided to extend the deadline following requests from various quarters for filing the applications for the plots,’ housing and public works secretary, ... Read more

Normal life disrupted due to fog and cold Chilly wind sweeping country Staff Correspondent The intensity of the cold now sweeping across the country and the capital has led to a sharp fall in temperature with the mercury level dipping low everywhere in 24 hours till Wednesday evening. The density of fog will continue in ... Read more

Staff Correspondent An ambience of relief and festivity is now prevailing across country as the two year long emergency is no more in place and election is getting momentum all around. The state of emergency imposed on January 11, in 2007 had snatched away the freedom of movement and speech, assembly, association, thought and conscience ... Read more

Anwar Ali, Rajshahi Around 200 birds of various species were killed in the last 20 days after getting tangled up in illegal fine nets while flying aro Around 200 birds of various species were killed in the last 20 days after getting tangled up in illegal fine nets while flying around a fruit orchard at ... Read more

Star Report ETV reporter Rashed Ahmed and two crewmen of the private TV channel were injured in a road accident in Sirajganj as a bus hit their microbus following BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s motorcade yesterday. Two other injured are cameraman Asaduzzaman Asad and microbus driver Rabiul Islam. Immediately after the accident, they were taken to ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The High Court on Wednesday asked Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha to explain in four weeks why its notification inviting fresh applications for plots at Uttara in the third phase cancelling in 2007 the previous plot allotment would not be declared illegal. The High Court bench of Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Quamrul Islam ... Read more

Staff Reporter Despite world economic recession there is no possibility of an adverse affect on Bangladeshi labour markets abroad, a senior government official said yesterday. The assurance came at a press conference held at National Press Club jointly by the Expatriate Welfare and Oversees Employment Ministry, Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) and Manuser ... Read more