Headlines

Self-claimed ‘Pir’ imposes the ban; administration yet to act Rafiqul Islam, back from Pirojpur Schoolteacher Jahanara Begum was rushing her sick son to a doctor around noon but she was halted by an elderly man when she was on Mathbaria Bara Masjid Road. She was told the road was off limits to women. As time

Nazrul Islam The Awami League-led alliance government is considering ways to restore professionalism in the police department which it thinks was politicised by the past government. ‘The government will do everything necessary to infuse professionalism into the police force. Their performances will be taken into consideration, nothing else’, the state minister for home affairs, Tanjim ... Read more

Talha Bin Habib The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has taken move to revamp its organisational capacities aimed at creating a new leaderships to be picked up from the grass roots levels. To this effect the party would soon hold council meetings of all committees from upper to grass roots levels. Party sources said the high ... Read more

Staff Reporter MPs-elect belonging to the BNP and its allies-Jamaat-e-Islami and Bangladesh Jatiya Party are likely to take oath tomorrow (Wednesday). Outgoing Speaker Barrister Jamir Uddin Sircar made the broad hint while talking to reporters yesterday. “I’ll administer oath to the BNP MPs-elect on Jan 14, as per constitutional guidelines,” he mentioned. The Speaker said ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The Anti-Corruption Commission’s spokesman on Monday hoped the commission would work independently and it had so far faced no interference from the political government. ‘The commission has so far faced nothing from the political government which can influence [its activities],’ the commission’s spokesman Hanif Iqbal, also director general (administration), said at its regular ... Read more

Staff Correspondent Twenty-six Bangladeshi job seekers returned to Dhaka on Monday night from a six-month ordeal in Singapore after being cheated by manpower agents. They arrived at the Zia International Airport by a Best Air

Agence France-Presse . Athens Hundreds of people protested Sunday in central Athens against the Greek authorities’ treatment of immigrants, following the recent deaths of two Asians near a police headquarters. Organisers said a 24-year-old Bangladeshi man died on January 3 when he fell into a ravine after a scuffle near a immigration police station in ... Read more

bdnews24.com, Dhaka The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has yet to receive reported allegations against Arafat Rahman Coco, former BNP alliance ministers and others, involving some Tk 1300 crore in bribes, an ACC statement said on Monday. “The Commission will probe any such allegations once it receives them,” the statement said. ACC Director General Colonel Hanif ... Read more

bdnews24.com, Dhaka Attorney General Salahuddin Ahmed resigned his position on Monday. “I have submitted my resignation in line with the tradition that the attorney general resigns after a new government takes over,” Salahuddin told bdnews24.com after handing a letter to the law ministry at around 3pm. “I ubmitted my resignation letter to the law minister ... Read more

PM Gets Down to Task Ouster for failure Hasina warns ministers over poor job, graft allegations; tells top bureaucrats not to clutch at excuses M Abul Kalam Azad Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday categorically warned her cabinet colleagues that she will not hesitate to remove them from offices if they fail to fulfil her party’s ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The United States and the United Kingdom have sought the cooperation of the government, law ministry, attorney general’s office and the Bangladesh Bank to recover $200 million allegedly taken by a dozen Bangladeshis, including former BNP ministers, leaders and businessmen, in bribe from different international companies in exchange for help in obtaining contracts, ... Read more

Israel hints at ending ‘war on Hamas’; 26 more Palestinians killed; Death toll nearly 900; UN aid agency resumes operation Afp, Ap, Gaza City Israel indicated for the first time yesterday that an end was in sight to its war on Hamas, amid some of the heaviest clashes of an offensive that has killed nearly ... Read more

Staff correspondent Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Sunday denied there was any case pending in the United States against Arafat Rahman, youngest son of the party chief, Khaleda Zia, for allegedly taking kickbacks from Siemens, a German telecommunications giant. ‘We have seen reports in newspapers naming Koko in the Siemens bribes case. But, according to the ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The government has decided to constitute a high-powered expert committee for a thorough review of the constitution, said a senior minister. The decision came from the yesterday’s cabinet meeting held at the Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. “The committee will be formed to enrich and update the constitution by ... Read more

Rashidul Hasan from Chatkhil, Noakhali Despite today’s polls in Noakhali-1 constituency, all seemed quiet yesterday in Noakhola village of Chatkhil upazila, the birthplace of late Nurul Islam, a candidate of grand alliance for the constituency for the December 29 polls whose mysterious death led to the deferment of the polls. While visiting the village, there ... Read more

Post-polls Violence BNP man killed in Ctg; 25 hurt in Natore Star Report A pro-BNP labourer was killed in Chittagong city Saturday night while at least 25 people were injured in a clash between the supporters of Awami League (AL) and BNP in Lalpur upazila of Natore yesterday. Our correspondent in Chittagong reports: Labourer Khokan ... Read more

UNB, Dhaka Agriculture Minister Motia Chowdhury on Sunday said the government would decide on Monday about reduction of diesel price and increase in subsidy on fertilizers as part of measures envisaged for boosting food production. “The government has already decided in principle. Everyone will be informed after meetings at ministry and expert levels. We’ll reach ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The chief election commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda, on Sunday directed the returning officers for upazila elections to suspend the balloting in any centre if law and order of the polling stations deteriorate or voters cannot cast their vote freely. ‘I asked the returning officers to suspend the polls of the centres where voters ... Read more

Agence France-Presse . Washington Half of the world’s population could face food shortages by the end of this century due to climate change, a new study warned Thursday. According to researchers, there is a 90 per cent probability that by 2100 the minimum temperatures in the tropics and sub-tropical regions will be higher than the ... Read more

Staff Correspondent Energy experts have demanded of the new government to realise their charter of demands – including formulation of coal policy, cancellation of anti-national interest treaty like that with Asia Energy and imposing restriction on gas-coal exporting through enacting specific law. Their demands also include: setting up a new ministry or directorate titled ‘Sea ... Read more