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The 2nd day of 72 hours hartal enforced by two Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) based Bangali equal rights demanding organizations Parbattya Bangali Nagorik Parishad (PBNP) and Parbattya Banagali Chattra Parishad (PBCP) in the Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban passed today without any untoward incident. Bangali communities of the CHT region has been protesting

Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, on Wednesday, came down heavily on the government, for its reported initiative to change the ownership structure of Grameen Bank. He said the people of Bangladesh will never allow anyone to deprive the poor women of the country, by snatching the bank away from them. Urging the government to let ... Read more

After nearly a weeks scorching heat and high humidity, a little thundershower totaling seven mm  on Wednesday after noon brought relief to the Dhaka city dwellers sizzling under  a  35.2 Degrees Celsius maximum temperature. Elsewhere in the country, the citizens at the southwestern port city of Khulna had a big sigh of relief, enjoying 63mm ... Read more

BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury on Wednesday termed Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s autobiography as a ‘national heritage’ at the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1). Giving deposition as the defence witness-1 for his own, Chowdhury said, he must be hung but the tribunal should not rush and allow him enough time to

Senior Opposition lawmaker Moudud Ahmed on Wednesday demanded a statement from the foreign minister in Parliament about the current status of the Indian Tipaimukh Dam and River Linking projects, as well as of the Teesta water agreement. The BNP standing committee member was delivering his speech on the “self- clarification” issue. He also demanded

Bangladesh will be one of the most-affected countries in South Asia by an expected 2°C rise in the world’s average temperatures in the next decades, according to a new scientific report released by the World Bank Group on Wednesday. It says the global warming will accelerate the sea-level rise and more extreme heat and more ... Read more

Some 7.6 million people became newly displaced due to conflict or persecution in 2012 — 1.1 million as refugees and 6.5 million as internally displaced people, said an UNHCR report on Wednesday. Developing countries hosted 81 percent of the world’s refugees, compared to 70 percent ten years ago, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) ... Read more

The indefinite transport strike enforced by a section of Bangladesh Transport Workers Union in Khulna division to press for their 13-ponit demand entered its third day  Wednesday. Bus services between the capital and 10 southeastern districts of Khulna division remained suspended due to the strike. Five main of the 13 demands

Bangladesh has requested Saudi Arabia to extend the period of amnesty and regularisation process for Bangladesh workforce which is set to end on 3 July 2013. Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni made the request during a meeting with Saudi State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Nizar bin Obaid Madani in Jeddah on Thursday,

National Board of Revenue (NBR) chairman M Ghulam Hossain on Wednesday said that the potential income tax payers in Bangladesh should not be less than 60 lakh considering the economic size and activities in the country. “Valid TIN holders in the country is around 20 lakh in the current fiscal of which only 12 lakh ... Read more

The High Court (HC) on Wednesday directed the chief factory inspector and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exports Association (BGMEA) to submit a report before it by July 18 on compensating the victims of the Tazreen fire incident. A devastating fire at Tazreen in Ashulia on November 24 last year killed at least 112 people ... Read more

Former BNP leader Abdul Alim was responsible for the killing of 370 people during the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971, prosecution witness-26 Jogen Chandra Paul said on Wednesday. Testifying against Alim at the International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2), he said the accused along with Pakistani occupation army and local peace committee members carried out the

The World Bank’s external panel of experts that conducted investigation into the Padma Bridge scam in its final report said it was disappointed at the exclusion of the name of communications minister Syed Abul Hossain from the list of persons under investigation by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC).

All eyes are focused on the Gazipur City Corporation elections, scheduled for July 6 after the debacle of ruling party backed candidates in four city polls on June 15. The landslide victory of the 18-party backed candidates showed which way the winds are blowing. Though it’s a non-party elections, the national political divide like the ... Read more

The US House of Representatives has approved an amendment to a defence authorisation bill containing a measure that will require military-branded garments made in Bangladesh and sold at base retail stores owned by the Department of Defence, known as exchanges, to comply with an enforceable fire and building safety accord aimed at improving conditions

Speakers at a roundtable on Tuesday emphasised the need for using balanced fertilisers for enhancing soil fertility to boost crop production in active flood plains and charlands of Bangladesh. They particularly stressed natural vermin-compost and organic nutrients. The Independent and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Bangladesh, jointly organised

Fears are mounting in Bangladesh  that violence and protests could derail elections later this year, though senior government officials are adamant that the polls will be free and fair, reports influential UK daily The Guardian on Tuesday. “Following street clashes last month and with opposition parties planning a campaign of protests that will build in ... Read more

Ganajagoran Mancha spokesman Imran H Sarker on Wednesday said that the Manch will carry on its movement until their goal to turn Bangladesh into a country free of collaborators was met. “We shall go ahead towards out destination braving all kinds of domestic and international conspiracy. We have started our movement to create a Bangladesh ... Read more

A comprehensive law would be formulated by July 15 to protect and ensure the rights of the disadvantaged groups including Hijra community and sex workers, Dr Shah Alam, chairman of the law commission said on Tuesday. “The disadvantaged groups in the society are facing different discriminations and stigmas from family, society, economy and culture. 

Bangladesh must ensure respect for workers’ freedom of association so as to effectively implement workplace safety, according to a review committee on Bangladesh at the International Labour Conference in Geneva. The 102nd session of the International Labour Conference, which is organised by the UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO), began on June 5 and