Headlines

Aug 21 Attack, Hasina’s Jeep Gunshots muted by probe The Criminal Investigation Department’s charge sheet in the August 21 grenade attack case draws no conclusion about the much-reported bullet scars on the jeep that drove Sheikh Hasina out of the blast site. It only cites local and Interpol experts’ diametrically-opposite opinions on the matter, find ... Read more

Three namaz-e-janazas of veteran BNP leader and former finance minister M Saifur Rahman, who died on Saturday in a car crash, were held in Dhaka yesterday where Ministers, Politicians, Professionals and thousands of followers paid their last homage. They also offered special prayers for peace of the departed soul of Saifur Rahman.

Swine Flu Outbreak District hospitals lack preparedness Most of the district hospitals in the country are not yet ready to treat swine flu patients although the number of infected people with the virus has been swelling every day. Some hospitals, however, have set up separate flu units but are yet to open any separate corner ... Read more

The government on Sunday decided to allow ‘controlled sales’ of the swine flu drug down to upazilas through designated pharmacies which could be bought only on prescriptions. ‘Designated pharmacies will be allowed to sell antiviral drug oseltamivir down to upazils only on prescriptions of qualified physicians,’ the health minister, AFM Ruhal Haq, said after a ... Read more

Ministry relaxes power project implementation period, but sticks to hard penalty provision The energy ministry yesterday finalised some terms and conditions for upcoming tender on eight rental power projects with a total capacity of 530 megawatt, relaxing the deadline for implementing the projects. The ministry however has kept the option for strong penalty against contractors ... Read more

RAB admits 577 ‘crossfire’ deaths in five and half years At least 26 people were killed in ‘crossfire’ or shootout with RAB and Police in five weeks from August 1 to September 6. Among them, 19 were killed in August and 7 in last six days. However, Home Minister Sahara Khatun denied that there were ... Read more

At least 8 lakh motorized vehicles and 5-lakh- pedal-rickshaws ply in the city everyday ahead of the Eid and causing traffic situation deteriorated in the capital. The government’s efforts to ease nagging traffic congestion has failed due to shortage of equipment and lack of coordination among the agencies. Witnesses said every intersection in the city ... Read more

Opposition may not join The third session of Jatiya Sangsad (JS) begins today (Monday) amid a likely BNP boycott. The BNP, which boycotted the House during the budget session which was the second session of the ninth Jatiya Sangsad (JS), continues its boycott alleging that the ruling party didn’t create a congenial atmosphere for the ... Read more

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed yesterday said that the trial of war criminals would be started before December this year. “The concerned authorities are arranging necessary logistic support like setting up special tribunal court room and office of the proposed investigating agencies and prosecutors for starting the trial of war criminals,” ... Read more

Bangladeshis working abroad sent home a record 937 million dollars in August despite a global recession that has dried up overseas jobs, bank officials said Sunday. Remittances are Bangladesh’s second-highest earner after exports and have been credited for a sharp decline in poverty in the nation of 144 million people. “This is the highest monthly ... Read more

M Saifur Rahman, veteran BNP leader who was Bangladesh’s longest-serving finance minister, died at Brahmanbaria General Hospital following a road accident yesterday. The most experienced former finance minister M Saifur Rahman died on the spot after a Pajero Jeep carrying him fell into a roadside ditch at Khairala in Ashuganj at 2:30pm as its driver ... Read more

5 burnt at ship-breaking yard; HC order stuck in legal tangle Five workers sustained severe burns at a ship-breaking yard in Sitakunda upazila yesterday. The victims–Hossain, 35, Ashek, 20, Md Kuddus, 32, Jahangir, 28 and Khokon, 22– were rushed to the burn unit of Chittagong Medical College Hospital. Fire broke out at Kabir Steel Yard ... Read more

A construction worker died of swine flu at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) early yesterday, raising the number of fatalities to two. Doctors clinically diagnosed 20-year-old Abdus Sobhan Sagar a swine flu victim, four days after the country’s first death at a city hospital. “Sagar turned up to the swine flu ward with high fever ... Read more

Weak monitoring by the law enforcing agencies and lack of maintenance by road authorities leave the highways free for deadly race of long route vehicles, causing fatal accidents almost every day. A few weigh machines and speed detectors, set at different points on highways, remain either out of order or useless, and the highway police ... Read more

Health screening at land ports has been sloth against the widespread occurrence of swine flu infection in the country. Every day thousands of people are checking in and out through the country’s 16 land ports for business and other purposes. But the heedless health screening at the ports is making people more vulnerable and exposed ... Read more

Speakers stress at Roundtable discussion in city Underlining the importance of conducting a joint impact assessment on the proposed Tipaimukh Dam by the two neighbouring countries, speakers at a roundtable here Saturday said a national consensus is needed to resist India from constructing the dam. “Let’s get united… the matter should be discussed in parliament,” ... Read more

The big business houses though they are investing in our newspaper industry but their stories mostly are of disasters than of successes. In the 90s, the Beximco, the premier business conglomerate, launched six news organisations with a big bang but only two the Independent, an English daily, and an entertainment weekly Ananda Bhuban still survive. ... Read more

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Saturday said former Finance Minister M. Saifur Rahman had undertaken many economic reform measures, some of which are memorable and some others could be followed. “Some of his (Saifur) reform measures are still being pursued,” he told UNB in a telephonic interview hours after his predecessor died in a fatal ... Read more

Politicisation, anomalies rule rice distribution for poor Politicisation, mismanagement and the practice of graft marred the very purpose of providing the poor with free food under the government’s special vulnerable group feeding (VGF) programme devised for the month of Ramadan. The special Ramadan VGF that kicked off on September 1 with a target of reaching ... Read more

Around 1.42 lakh buildings in the port city are under the threat of earthquake. Of them, 5,000 are at severe risk. Some 50,000 people are feared to die from the destruction of these buildings, which is likely to happen in tremors of 6 to 6.5 magnitude in Richter scale, according to a recent research conducted ... Read more