Headlines

Low monsoon rain and India’s food export ban could put Bangladesh’s food security at stake and require the government to give more incentives to farmers and watch global food price trend cautiously, warn local and global forecasters. The government, however, sees no immediate danger from the New Delhi’s move, claiming that it has sufficient food ... Read more

A parliamentary committee on Sunday strongly recommended realizing compensation by legal means from the foreign company concerned for the crack on the Jamuna multipurpose bridge that is so vital in integrating the country’s eastern and north-northwestern parts. The Parliamentary Stan-ding Committee on Com-munications Ministry in its meeting identified the reasons for not realizing compensation by ... Read more

City-dwellers witnessed severe traffic congestions on Sunday. Traffic movement on different busy roads and thoroughfares virtually collapsed triggering untold suffering to the commuters. Many commuters opined that travelling in Dhaka city has now become a nightmare. Thousands of motor vehicles, mostly passenger-buses, got stranded on busy city streets for hours causing severe traffic congestions. A ... Read more

A parliamentary sub-committee yesterday said it will recommend legal actions against former shipping adviser Maj Gen (retd) MA Matin, as it has ‘clear evidence of corruption’ against him. The sub-committee formed to investigate alleged corruption by MA Matin during the immediate past caretaker emergency regime, also changed its earlier position for summoning the former adviser ... Read more

Earth from hills used to fill up beach side motel plots; govt ban goes ignored Open spaces in the hotel motel zone of Cox’s Bazar beach are being filled with earth from hills, violating the government’s order. Sources said workers are carrying earth by digging into hills in broad daylight to fill in the open ... Read more

He is on leave, says HT Imam  Tanjim Ahmed Sohel Taj, absentee minister of state for home affairs yesterday set at rest all speculations about his political career by claiming that he personally handed over his resignation letter to the prime minister on May 31 and therefore was no longer a minister of the government. ... Read more

There has been a draught-like-situation across much of the country because of lower than usual rainfall in this peak rainy season, posing a serious threat to Aman cultivation, according to a government report. The country might face a full-fledged draught first time in eight years if the prevailing hot spell without sufficient rain continues in ... Read more

The Bangladesh Bank yesterday announced a “pro-active accommodative” monetary policy for next six months to spur investment, sustain growth, emphasising lending rate cut and keeping provision to supply fund from foreign currency reserve. “The prime goal of this monetary policy is to assist a sustainable and productive growth by keeping inflation at a tolerable level,” ... Read more

Submission of constitution With the deadline for submission of final party Constitution to the Election Commission only six days away, the BNP yesterday submitted an application to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) seeking time until January 31 next year for submitting its constitution following approval by the national council. While the ruling party the Awami ... Read more

If 6-point demand not met by July 31 CNG Filling Station Owners to enforce non-stop strike from August 1 Bangladesh CNG Filling Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association is “determined” on their stand to enforce countrywide nonstop strike from August 1 if their 6-point demands were not met by the government by July 31 deadline. ... Read more

Climate Change Battle $1,149m sought from donors The government yesterday sought $1,149 million global assistance for mitigating the impact of natural disasters on a long-term basis, especially in the coastal districts which are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. “We appealed for assistance from the international community mainly for construction of embankments, cyclone ... Read more

Former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam on Sunday said the co-riparian countries in the region should develop an efficient water management for their mutual benefit. “Better management of water can ensure regional benefit of this resource,” Kalam said during talks with Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus at the Grameen Bank headquarters after his arrival here ... Read more

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton defended Sunday Pakistan’s commitment to fighting terrorism, while warning that the perpetrators of last year’s Mumbai attacks must be brought to justice. “We believe there is a commitment to fighting terrorism that permeates the entire (Pakistan) government,” Clinton told reporters in New Delhi during her first trip to India ... Read more

July 19: The Chittagong Port, the country’s prime seaport, is suffering from acute shortage of container handling equipment causing serious problem in the field of maritime trade. The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) about four years back procured 141 container handling equipment at a cost of Tk 330 crore in order to gear up the container ... Read more

Target was to ensure foreign funding for militancy Banned Islamist outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami set up a charity called Faruqi Welfare Foundation last year to use it as a cover for receiving funds from abroad. The foundation however could not be in operation as it came under intelligence watch a few days after obtaining the certificate ... Read more

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Saturday urged all, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, to be united to protect the country’s interests over the Tipaimukh dam issue. Hasina, also the Awami League president, made the call at a meeting of the party’s national council preparatory committee at her Dhanmondi office in the evening. ‘Tipaimukh issue ... Read more

She assures cooperation, urges govt to be bold to protect nat’l interest Chairperson of the main opposition BNP Khaleda Zia on Saturday made a clarion call for Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to immediately make a formal announcement canceling the Tipaimukh-dam project, as the mega-scheme on a common river generated fear of ecological adversities ... Read more

As water engineers are yet to dig up the reasons for collapses in the Jamuna embankment’s hard point, Bangladesh Navy divers detected more scouring holes that could cause harms to the dyke like the last two Fridays. An 11-member team of navy divers joined BWDB divers Saturday and started underwater search adjacent to damaged sites ... Read more

The ruling Awami League is violating its own constitution by keeping General Secretary Abdul Jalil aloof from the process of holding its July 24 national council, which has sparked strong criticism among many party leaders. The AL constitution empowers its general secretary to convene the party’s national council upon orders or approval of the party ... Read more

Nineteen of the twenty on the Dhaka University unit convening committee of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the opposition BNP’s associate body of students, announced late Friday night, are no longer university students. Four of them are married, one is father of a daughter, two are businessmen, and at least half a dozen have criminal records related ... Read more