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She requests UN chief to send poll observers Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reiterated that general election will be held in the country by January 25 and urged the people to vote her party to a second term in government for the sake of democracy and continuity. “We will hold general election by January 25 ... Read more

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has said that it is not possible to create a level playing field for all political parties if Parliament remains functional during the 10th general election. “Considering our political perspective, a level playing field is not possible while keeping the Parliament functional during the general elections. If the elections are held,

Angry students of several polytechnic institutes across the country, including Dhaka, Comilla, Chittagong, Patuakhali, Barisal, Faridpur and Bogra, on Sunday engaged in clashes with law-enforcers, injuring about 100 people. They also vandalised about 40 vehicles and torched at least three vehicles while staging demonstrations across the country for immediate

The High Court (HC) on Sunday directed the government not to release the Bt Brinjal in markets till independent research is conducted on whether the vegetable species is harmful to public health and the environment. It directed the government not to take any further initiative before independent research is carried out in accordance with international ... Read more

More than a half of about 6,300 factories in the apparel sector are risky because of non-compliance being outside the purview of international buyers that do not import directly from them, according to a study. The Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies on Sunday shared its primary findings of the report, Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations ... Read more

Rampal Project Muhith says he does not care about ultimatum Cabinet committee okays eight more power plants Finance minister AMA Muhith said Sunday that he didn’t care about the ultimatum from the National Oil and Gas Committee for dropping the coal-fired power plant near the Sunderbans. ‘I don’t care,’ Muhith told reporters at his office ... Read more

A fresh writ petition was filed with the High Court on Sunday seeking a stay on the government’s move to start construction of the Rampal power plant till an assessment of the environmental impact of the project is carried out. Apart from this petition, four separate writ petitions relating to the matter were pending before ... Read more

Miscreants robbed a BRAC Bank officer of Tk 1 crore after stopping the bank’s car he was in at Dakkhin Surma on the Sylhet–Dhaka Highway, some 5km off the city centre, on Sunday afternoon. Bank officials said that Gawhar Altaf Chowdury, assistant manager of the bank’s branch at Bishwanath was carrying

At least one person was killed and 27 others were injured last night as a Dhaka-bound bus skidded off a bridge and plunged into the Titas River after hitting a tractor at Bijoynagar in the district. The bus was carrying some 45 passengers. Divers of Fire Service and Civil Defence said

Protest Against Drive Mitford medicine shops kept shut Traders of the country’s largest wholesale medicine market in the capital’s Mitford yesterday kept their shops shut, protesting Saturday’s drive against the sale of illegal and unauthorised medicine. A mobile court jointly raided the market with the help of Rapid Action Battalion-10, the Directorate General of Drug ... Read more

The government on Sunday filed an appeal with the Supreme Court against the High Court order that declared the Contempt of Court Act-2013 illegal and unconstitutional. The attorney general office filed the appeal to a relevant wing of the Supreme Court on behalf of the five secretaries including the Cabinet

Positive Bangladesh Of change-makers Keshab Roy, a Nilphamari boy. He is just 18 but he has already made himself internationally known by winning a UN award. For what he has been doing can change things for the better, and, who knows, for good perhaps. For in a country known for its rich and vibrant culture, ... Read more

Projects include 5 coal-fired plants, total capacity 2,706 MW The cabinet committee on purchase yesterday approved eight power plants — to be built, owned and operated (BOO) by local private companies — in a bid to tackle the country’s growing energy crisis The committee at a meeting chaired by Finance Minister AMA Muhith also okayed ... Read more

At least 30 garments worker were injured as they clashed with police at Natun Bazar of Sreepur blocking Dhaka-Mymensingh highway on Sunday. Police fired nine gun shots and 20 tear shells to disperse the workers from the highway. The workers also vandalised machine,

Marchers issue ultimatum to govt The Dhaka- Sundarban long march ended on Saturday giving the government until October 11 to drop the Rampal thermal power plant project or face a ‘strong movement’. On the last day of the five day march, activists held a rally at Digraj in Bagherhat and adopted the ‘Sundarban declaration’. The ... Read more

NBR forced to waive duty on car imports The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has withdrawn a provision that barred lawmakers elected in the last two years of parliament from getting tax waiver on car imports. Following repeated requests by the parliament secretariat, the revenue authority removed the provision on Monday, only four months

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday met with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Sing at headquarters of United Nation (UN) in NewYork. At the 30 minute-long meeting, head of the two governments discussed bilateral issues, ameeting sources told reporters. But, the authorities

The World Bank has expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of 12 projects approved by it and will speak to the Economic Relations Division (ERD) authorities on October 1 to resolve the issues. The Dhaka Water Supply and Sanitation Project was aimed at improving sustainable delivery of storm water drainage, waste water, and water services by ... Read more

Seminar decries govt’s inaction, urges people to rally behind rivers More than 10,000 acres of wetland, enough to make up 146 Ramna Parks, have been disappearing each year since 1999 owing to illegal earth filling in and around Dhaka city, experts said at a seminar in the city yesterday. The tendency to encroach on wetland ... Read more

The proposed Rampal power plant project will bring more harm than good for the country destroying the world heritage Sundarbans, according to an independent Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The EIA of physical, biological, social and economic environment indicates that most of the impacts of the coal-fired power plant are negative and irreversible,