Headlines

bdnews24.com, Dhaka The government has suggested the United States make a written proposal on how it wants to assist Bangladesh in curbing militancy and terrorism, the home minister said on Tuesday. “We have asked the US to give a written proposal on how they will help us to curb militancy and terrorism,” Sahara Khatun told ... Read more

5,58,444 male & 5,05,040 female candidates to sit for Staff Correspondent Examinations of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent 2009 under education boards will begin on February 15 with 10,63,484 SSC examinees. At a press conference yesterday, Education Minister Nurul Islam Naheed said the government has taken all necessary steps to hold the examinations fairly ... Read more

Bangladesh, India sign two pacts on trade, investment; Promoting bilateral trade, investment UNB, Dhaka Visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Jamuna, when

JS might not ratify ordinances that made them PLCs; LGC ordinance also not among 53 picked to be made law Shakhawat Liton The fate of three public limited companies (PLC) hangs in the balance, as the ordinances promulgated by the immediate past caretaker government that transformed those into companies from government agencies, might not be ... Read more

JS SEAT ROW Opposition, speaker take hardline stances Staff correspondent The crisis over seat arrangement in parliament deepened with both the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led main opposition and the speaker, Abdul Hamid, seemingly taking hardline stances on Monday. The opposition lawmakers, who already abstained from eight out of 10 sittings, decided to keep pending a decision ... Read more

Freed on assurance of bringing money from parents Rakib Ahammed Nurul Alam was so happy when his only son Nazrul Islam made it to Dhaka University as Nazrul was on the path to becoming a magistrate, his father’s dream. The dream of this farmer of Cox’s Bazar was shattered and he became almost speechless when ... Read more

M Moneruzzaman The Anti-Corruption Commission has cleared 340 people, including 75 politicians, of corruption charges pressed against them in December 2008 and January 2009, ACC spokesman Hanif Iqbal told reporters at a news briefing on Monday. Hanif, also ACC director general (admin), said the commission had lodged 208 cases against the 340 accused persons on ... Read more

A Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar Hundreds of dead turtles are found being washed ashore along the coastal lines from Cox’s Bazar to St Martin’s island with bruises all over their bodies. Over 400 female dead turtles have floated ashore over the last two weeks alone, locals claim. Experts say that these turtles meet their death as ... Read more

Staff Reporter The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) personnel do not torture anybody to extract information rather emphasised on collecting hard evidence during inquiry and investigation. The Commission spokesman Col Hanif Iqbal said yesterday. “The ACC has neither scope nor infrastructure to torture anybody,” Hanif Iqbal, also the ACC Director General (admin), told at ACC’s regular briefing ... Read more

Our Correspondent, Dinajpur A minor boy was killed and three other children were wounded in gunshot as a bird hunter accidentally pulled the trigger in a beel in Parbatipur upazila yesterday. The dead was identified as Tanizul Islam, 8, son of Lal Chand Mia of Kalikapur village of the upazila. Police said Saidur Rahman, the ... Read more

UNB, Dhaka Popular film-star Kabori of the ruling party brought life and laughter in the otherwise dull and drab proceedings of parliament in the absence of the opposition. Her name appeared as ‘Begum Sarah Begum Kabori’ in today’s question-answer paper. This caught the eyes of humorous Speaker Abdul Hamid. “You are loaded with double Begums. ... Read more

Call for polls at all tiers, distance from Jamaat Shahidul Islam Chowdhury Grassroots level leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party have urged the leadership to democratically revitalise the party, instead of imposing committees from above. A section of the grassroots level leaders also suggested that the party should take a ‘right-of-the-centre position’ instead of being ... Read more

Shakhawat Liton The special committee of the parliament is trying to work out a way to give legality to the immediate past caretaker government’s rule of about two years, since it stayed in power beyond the three months timeframe allowed by the constitution. The high-powered committee which already opened talks on the matter, also plans ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The United States has hailed the proposed South Asian taskforce for addressing terrorism and militancy as a good idea and expressed its willingness to assist Bangladesh in this regard after assessing the views of other nations of the region. ‘I think it [South Asian anti-terrorism taskforce] is a good idea and we will ... Read more

Education minister iterates tough action Siddiqur Rahman Khan Private publishers and printers have missed the textbook supply deadline of Saturday, as set earlier by the government, according to statistics available with the National Curriculum and Textbook Board. ‘Only 35 lakh out of the total 74.62 lakh copies of textbooks have hit the markets till Saturday ... Read more

Primary Education in A Shambles- 2 One teacher for 55 students Suranjith Deabnath and Raihan Sabuktagin Lack of contact hours behind students and teachers at primary level is one of the main reasons behind poor quality education imparted at primary schools across the country. Lack of enough — and trained — teachers and insufficient

Emran Hossain Achhia and Kulsum wear ankle bracelets like many other girls, but the fashion becomes a source of embarrassment at lunchbreak as they must go outside the workplace barefoot. As the bell for luncheon rang yesterday, the

Staff Correspondent The parliament resumes its session on Sunday after a two-day weekend recess with the main opposition lawmakers still keeping off the house over the seating plan row. Scheduled to begin at 4.45 pm, the ninth sitting of the first session of the ninth parliament will deal with businesses such as regular question-answer session, ... Read more

Mamunur Rashid There has been a spurt in extortion, snatching and many other criminal activities particularly in those wards in Dhaka city which are without any ward commissioner at the moment. At least 23 ward commissioners, who had fled their areas since the emergency rule about two years ago on charges of corruption, are still ... Read more

Staff Correspondent Corruptions and irregularities in the transport sector have increased with realizing extra fares from passengers, snatching their goods, harassing them and making their lives unsafe. Transport owners in the capital and other parts of the country are realizing extra fare from the passengers although price of diesel has been decreased by the government. ... Read more