Headlines

Staff Correspondent The authors of the controversial book ‘contribution of women in the liberation war’ have denied the charge of plagiarising the manuscript of the book claimed to have been written by Rokeya Kabir. Earlier, on Wednesday, Rokeya Kabir, executive director of Nari Pragati Sangha at a press conference at the National Press Club alleged ... Read more

Staff Correspondent Noble laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus yesterday said Bangladesh needs more motivation in information technology for achieving swift prosperity. He was speaking as the chief guest at the BUET Alumnae Association reunion programme at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury, president of the association, chaired the inaugural session of ... Read more

Central leader says they have no info Our Correspondent . Rajshahi The police arrested two local leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh at Mohanpur in Rajshahi on Friday on charge of killing a freedom-fighter during the War of Independence in 1971. The officer-in-charge of the Mohanpur police station, Asaduzzaman Milon, told New Age that the police ... Read more

Tushar Hayat . Chittagong Death toll in Thursday’s road accident in Bandarban on Friday rose to at least eight, including six Chittagong College students. Thirty-four were critically injured and one remained missing till Friday evening. One of the five buses, carrying Chittagong College students from a picnic in Bandarban to Chittagong, fell 300 feet down ... Read more

Staff Correspondent Armed assailants shot dead a video editor of private television channel NTV and hijacked his motorbike in a Taltola alley near the Moghbazar level crossing Friday night. Atiqul Islam Atiq, 35, who was shot, died in Dhaka Medical College Hospital at about 10:15pm. Witnesses said a gang of three armed thugs on a ... Read more

Islamic Foundation Three books on Bangabandhu reintroduced Bss, Dhaka The Islamic Foundation has reintroduced three books on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The books–Jatir Janak Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Mohan Neta Bangabandhu and Hridoy Jure Bangabandhu — were banned by the past four-party alliance government, a press release of the foundation said ... Read more

Afp, New York A commuter plane crashed into a house in New York state unleashing a fireball and killing all 48 passengers and crew and one person on the ground, officials said yesterday. Flames higher than nearby houses lit up the night sky for hours. Firefighters from a nearby fire station were quickly at the ... Read more

Afp, Taipei An overwhelming 82 percent of Taiwanese people who are in relationships do not plan to get married this year, mainly because of lack of money and the economic downturn, a poll showed yesterday. Nearly half of respondents reluctant to tie the knot cited financial woes while 31.77 percent of them said their relationships ... Read more

Staff Reporter Veteran politician and Awami League Presidium Member Mohammad Zillur Rahman was sworn in as the 19th President of Bangladesh at a simple ceremony at Bangabhaban, the presidential palace, yesterday

Traffic jam rises on unfit buses, illegal rickshaws, VVIP movements, lax law enforcement Helemul Alam Return of unfit buses and illegal rickshaws on the city streets is one of the reasons why traffic congestion has worsened over the last two weeks, say traffic cops and public transport employees. They blame the tailbacks also on

Staff Reporter Re-election of the suspended six upazilas will be held on April 6, Election Commission (EC) senior assistant secretary Md Abdul Baten said yesterday. The upazilas are Brahmanbaria Sadar, Ramganj of Laksmipur, Barura of Comilla, Belkuchi of Sirajganj, Dighinala of Khagrachhary and Ukhia of Cox’s Bazar. Polls to two upazilas of them were postponed ... Read more

Tackling Recession Fallout Dhaka says no to IMF support offer Staff Correspondent IMF offers Bangladesh support in its efforts to offset any negative impact the country may face due to the global financial crisis, but Bangladesh says it does not need such assistance right now. IMF Director of the Asia and Pacific region Anoop Singh ... Read more

Staff Correspondent Thirteen distinguished persons of the country will be awarded the Ekushey Padak-2009 in recognition of their outstanding contributions to their respective fields. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs yesterday made a list of the awardees. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hand over the award to the persons at Osmani Memorial Auditorium at 11:00 am ... Read more

BSS, Dhaka The Awami League Parliamentary Party (ALPP) yesterday elected party presidium member Begum Sajeda Chowdhury, MP, as the deputy leader of the House. Sajeda Chowdhury replaced elderly leader Zillur Rahman who was elected as the country’s 19th president. A meeting of ALPP in the treasury bench meeting room in the Jatiya Sangsad with Prime ... Read more

Staff Reporter The government, under a broad-based reform programme, is carrying out a number of core tasks to make the public procurement system in Bangladesh well-functioning, transparent and accountable, according to official sources. Procurement or purchase of goods, works and services by any procuring entity (PE) using public funds is called public procurement. The main ... Read more

Pulack Ghatack Finance minister AMA Muhith yesterday said that the global economic recession has started biting Bangladesh, a view, which has been opposed by former Finance and Planning Adviser of the erstwhile caretaker government Dr Mirza AB Azizul Islam. “There is a negative effect of the global economic meltdown on the sectors of jute, jute-made ... Read more

Staff Reporter Senior leader of the ruling Awami League Mohammad Zillur Rahman has been declared next President of the country. The Election Commission (EC) yesterday unofficially declared him as President-elect of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Zillur Rahman will be sworn in at the Darbar Hall of Bangabhaban, the presidential palace, at 7:00pm today. Before ... Read more

Legal action against extra-judicial killings Staff Correspondent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that her government would publish ‘whitepaper’ on corruption committed during the erstwhile Army-backed Caretaker Government and BNP-led four party alliance government regimes. During the ‘Question and Answer Session’ in the Parliament on Wednesday, the leader of the House said, “All extra-judicial

Dutch firm takes $25m for 8yr redundant service, seeks another $28m for future Sharier Khan The Rural Power Company Ltd (RPCL) is faced with the dilemma of respecting a very costly and redundant 15-year power plant service contract with a Dutch company that was signed on the basis of a secret and unsolicited negotiation in ... Read more

Shamim Jahangir Load shedding of electricity has been disrupting normal activities of the people and affecting production in mills and factories across the country for the last several days. In some areas of the country the power outage