Headlines

Container yards now used for keeping cars; CPA goes for new sheds Staff Correspondent, Ctg The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is now forced to keep imported vehicles in the container yards as the port sheds for vehicles have already been crammed with around 5,000 cars against the capacity of only 2,800. An increase in car ... Read more

Staff Correspondent Priyanka Gandhi, who arrived in Dhaka yesterday, visited Brac schools and is likely to finalise discussions with the NGO to introduce its education programme in India. On her arrival at Zia International Airport around 4:00pm on a two-day visit, Brac Executive Director Mahbub Hossain, director Ahmed Nazmul Hossain and

Staff Reporter Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun admitted that terrorists, extortionists and militants have raised their ugly heads once again and law and order situation has deteriorated after the December 29 elections. Sahara Khatun was addressing the inaugural ceremony of the 1st Senior Police Executive Management Course at the Police Staff College in Mirpur yesterday. ... Read more

BSS, Dhaka Import of raw materials and consumers goods increased significantly during the last July-December period indicating an upswing in the country’s economic activities. According to Bangladesh Bank import data released recently, the volume of L/C opening for import of scrap vassals rose by 209 percent during the period, compared to the corresponding period of ... Read more

Staff Reporter South Korea yesterday assured that it would recruit over 5,000 skilled and semi-skilled workers from Bangladesh in 2009. The assurance came during a meeting between State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hasan Mahmud and South Korean Ambassador to Bangladesh Suk-Bum Park in the city. Briefing reporters Dr Hasan Mahmud disclosed that some 1,500 Bangladeshis ... Read more

Khadimul Islam The Election Commission has withheld the publication of results of 14 more upazilas after January 27, when it suspended the results of 7 upazila elections, because of allegation of irregularities, stuffing of ballot boxes, capturing of polling centres and intimidation in the January 22 polls. The commission withheld the result of the upazilas ... Read more

Plans to stop special permits for buying logs from forest depots Pinaki Roy The government plans to stop issuing special permits for buying wood from its depots as the official documents often end up being abused by illegal traders and also mean a loss in revenue from timber sales. Usually, the permits are given to ... Read more

Speaker hints at seat rearrangement Staff correspondent Lawmakers of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led opposition are likely to decide today whether to return to parliament for the current session after the speaker told them that he hoped to settle the dispute over seat allocation before the next session. The lawmakers of BNP and its allies Bangladesh ... Read more

MOVE TO REVAMP BNP Local leaders want bad elements to go Abdullah Juberee Grassroots-level leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party have hailed the decision to reorganise all its committees stressing that the party should cleanse its ranks of harmful elements. The party’s top policymaking body, the standing committee, on Sunday decided to reorganise all the ... Read more

Muhith tells JS he’s upbeat Staff Correspondent Finance Minister AMA Muhith is optimistic about getting back the money siphoned off by Arafat Rahman Koko, Khaleda Zia’s youngest son. “We are trying to get the money back and some steps have already been taken in this regard,” Muhith told the parliament replying to a supplementary question ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The initiatives to establish a strong and effective local government system might be frustrated due to lack of coordination between Upazila Chairmen and MPs as they have already been locked in discords on several issues. This observation was made by participants at a round table discussion on ‘strong and effective local government’ organised ... Read more

Syful Islam Five milk powder brands, which were accused of melamine contamination, are now struggling to bring back consumers confidence and regain the market informed sources said. The changed world economic situation also pushed those towards terrific situation as those are facing stiff price competition from the market competitors. “Consumers are yet to get back ... Read more

Jail code violation to be probed Staff Correspondent Three deputy inspector generals (DIG-Prisons) including Maj Shamsul Haider Siddique were transferred yesterday. Meanwhile, the jail directorate yesterday formed a two-member internal committee to probe into the jail code violation by the authorities of the Dhaka Central Jail. As many as 400 visitors were permitted to meet ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is likely to reduce its annual income target by around Tk 2,000 crore due to the slide in import duties caused by the falling prices of commodities in the international market, said its officials on Monday. ‘The revised target may be reduced to Tk 52,500 crore from ... Read more

UNB, Dhaka Micro-finance pioneer Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus told the World Economic Forum in Davos that world’s poor people would be the ones most affected by the ongoing global financial crisis. A panelist at the Davos Philanthropic Roundtable, Professor Yunus said when the world is busy talking about bailout packages for companies, at the ... Read more

Diplomatic Correspondent Priyanka Gandhi, the daughter of ruling Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi of India, will arrive Dhaka this afternoon on a two-day visit to observe Brac’s education programme. On her arrival at 3:30 pm at the Zia International Airport on board a Jet Airlines, Brac Executive Director Mahbub Hossain, Director Ahmed Nazmul Hossain and ... Read more

Staff Reporter The three-day long 45th Biswa Ijtema, the second largest congregation of Muslims, concluded yesterday after Akheri Munajat seeking divine blessings of Almighty Allah for continued peace, prosperity of Muslim Ummah and for global peace and prosperity at the banks of the River Turag at Tongi in Gazipur. Moulana Jubayerul Hassan of India officiated ... Read more

Speaker says law, order situation could be addressed under existing law; other notices based on assumption Staff Correspondent Speaker of the Parliament Abdul Hamid yesterday turned down all 21 notices from BNP-led opposition lawmakers for holding discussions on various issues adjourning other scheduled businesses of the House. The opposition lawmakers in their notices, submitted to ... Read more

Staff correspondent Relations between the Awami League-led treasury bench and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led main opposition were strained over seating arrangement soon after the new parliament went into its maiden session on January 25. The session has become a dull and dreary affair as lawmakers of the BNP and its allies continued staying off the ... Read more

Staff Reporter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday stressed the need for building up a knowledge-based advanced and open thinking society for upholding the dignity of the mother language. She urged the people to come up with suggestions and cooperation for development and preservation of language and culture of the nation alongside enriching those through drawing ... Read more