Headlines

The state petitioned for permission to file appeal with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court against the High Court judgment in the Jail Killing Case concerning the assassination of four national leaders in captivity during the 1975 political topsy-turvy. Advocate-on-Record Musfiqur Rahman filed the leave-to-appeal petitions with the relevant sections of the SC on ... Read more

The half-day hartal called by the National Committee to Protect Oil-Gas Mineral Resources, Power and Ports passed off peacefully in the city excepting some stray incidents. Traffic movement at some places in the city was partially disrupted and some vehicles were damaged by pro-hartal elements during the period. The activists of the national committee brought ... Read more

Power Cell shortlists 4 bidders for 450MW Bibiyana plant The Power Development Board (PDB) on Sunday floated tender for 10 public sector power projects totalling 820 megawatt capacity, while the Power Cell pre-qualified four out of seven interested bidders for its tender for 450 MW Bibiyana power project. The PDB power projects would mostly be ... Read more

The inter-ministerial meeting on the BDR mutiny trial is expected to make a decision today on how to expedite the trial of the BDR mutineers after the Supreme Court gave its opinion on the President’s reference last week. Law Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed said yesterday that the meeting will decide under which law the trial ... Read more

Total killings since January rise to 76 As the killing spree of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) on Bangladesh border continues unabated, two more Bangladeshi citizens were gunned down by BSF on Monday taking the total number of such killing since January 1, to 76 and between January, 2000 to mid September, 2009 to 803. ... Read more

About 40 percent of people who have died of swine flu or fallen seriously ill were young and otherwise healthy, an expert from the World Health Organisation told a conference in Vienna yesterday. Forty percent of the most serious cases, as well as deaths, concerned people “who would otherwise be considered healthy,” WHO expert

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina and leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia shared a table at an armed forces iftar party in Senakunja on Thursday. Hasina arrived at the cantonment at 7pm, while Khaleda had reached the venue a little earlier. Both leaders shared pleasantries and enquired after each other’s wellbeing over the iftar. Cabinet members ... Read more

BDR Carnage SC against trial under army act Sends its opinion to president The Supreme Court does not approve of applying the army act to try those accused of mutiny and carnage at the BDR Pilkhana headquarters on February 25-26, sources said. The apex court sent its formal opinion to the Bangabhaban yesterday afternoon. Earlier ... Read more

Joint statement issued after Dipu Moni’s visit to India says Bangladesh and India have recognized the need to expedite negotiations for finalizing an agreement to share the waters of Teesta river. “Towards this end, they agreed to mandate their respective foreign offices to meet and discuss the technical and other parameters of this issue,” a ... Read more

Many other animals sick; poor healthcare blamed A male lion of Dhaka zoo died yesterday just three days after the death of a young giraffe, showing poor health care management for the zoo animals. With the death of lion Ringo, a total of 20 rare animals died at the zoo in a year. While visiting ... Read more

Swine flu can infect cells deeper in the lungs than seasonal flu, thus helping to boost the severity of the illness, a study released on Thursday said. The paper provides the first laboratory corroboration of reports from front-line doctors that some patients with A(H1N1) virus suffer worse symptoms compared to those with run-of-the-mill seasonal flu. ... Read more

Maritime Boundary Dhaka protests at UN against Yangon claim Similar protest against Indian claim soon Bangladesh has sent a ‘diplomatic protest note’ to the United Nations against the claims of Myanmar over the extended ‘continental shelf’ in the Bay of Bengal while it will register such protest against the sea boundary claims of India soon. ... Read more

Finally, the government kick-started the process of installing eight rental power plants having an aggregate generation capacity of 530 megawatts as the state-owned Power Development Board (PDB) on Thursday invited tender for the schemes conceived in a crash course to mitigate a nagging electricity crunch. Of the 8 plants, 4 will be high-speed diesel (HSD)-based ... Read more

The government has planned to recruit teachers at non-government educational institutions by repealing the existing qualifying test for NTRCA certificate, made mandatory for candidates for teaching positions since March 2005. The BNP government in early 2005 made it mandatory for people to pass a qualifying test to become candidates for teaching positions in non-government secondary ... Read more

Home minister tells JS Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun told the Jatiya Sangsad yesterday that some 2,279 people were killed across the country over the last eight months. Dhaka metropolitan area alone had 201 murders during the said period. Responding to star-marked question of Zafrul Islam Chowdhury during the question-answer session, she said 873 cases ... Read more

A ruling party lawmaker Thursday moved two private members’ bills, including one seeking protection against torture, cruelty and custodial deaths, in parliament to help ensure rule of law in line within constitutional framework. Saber Hossain Chowdhury piloted the bills styled Oppression and Custodial deaths (Prevention) Bill 2009 and Eviction of Slum Dwellers from

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday said Bangladesh would remain isolated from rest of the world without being linked with the proposed Asian Highway. Replying to both main and supplementary questions raised by the lawmakers in the House during the Prime Minister’s question-answer session, she made it clear that her government doesn’t believe the country’s sovereignty ... Read more

Environment ministry blames industrialists, seeks help from the top to end river pollution After over four years’ futile negotiations with factory owners on preparing an action plan on setting up effluent treatment plant (ETP), the environment ministry is now seeking intervention from the highest level of the government. State minister for forest and environment in ... Read more

The government is yet to make any significant progress in retrieving the money, which was smuggled out of the country by a section of people including some politicians. It is widely believed that the corrupt goons have siphoned off a huge amount of money and kept it illegally in different countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland, ... Read more

It is none but the traffic police who violate the automated traffic signal themselves in the city, which encourages drivers and commuters to disobey the rules. The encouragement further comes from the total inaction of traffic police in stopping and penalising violators, especially public motor vehicles that stop to drop and pick passengers at traffic ... Read more