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Terming the outcome of the mayoral polls as a referendum against the present government, experts feel the anti-incumbency wave, coupled with government crackdown on Hefazat rally and internal rift in the ruling party, were instrumental in the debacle of the ruling party- backed candidates in the elections for the four city corporations. Talking to

Discontent is brewing among businessmen and industrialists in the port city following insufficient supplies of natural gas to the industrial units of Chittagong. New gas connections, too, are not being provided by the government. Ignoring the demands by businessmen and industrialists

BNP should join the elections as well  While urging the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to participate in the upcoming elections, the international community has called upon the ruling Awami League (AL) to find a mechanism to ensure participation of all parties, said Canada’s high commissioner to Dhaka, Heather Cruden, on Sunday. “The message that we ... Read more

Dhaka appears to be ready to sign much talked about Trade and Investment Cooperation Framework Agreement (TICFA) with the United States, as it will be placed in the Cabinet meeting on Monday for approval. “According to the Cabinet meeting agenda for tomorrow (Monday), TICFA will be placed and it is highly likely that it will ... Read more

For the first time Bangladesh is going to contest for the position of the Regional Director of South East Asia Region (SEAR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the term 2014-2019. Bangladesh has nominated eminent physician Dr Syed Modasser Ali, prime Minister’s health adviser for the post for which India and Myanmar is also ... Read more

Finance Minister AMA Muhith considers the defeat of Awami League (AL)-backed candidates in the four city corporation polls was an ominous sign for the AL since it was a negative vote against the party and observed that the AL should weigh them for correcting the mistakes ahead of the general elections. “Election is not a ... Read more

A scientific study has revealed that seeping of gas from several leaks in Tengratila-Chhatak gas field in Sunamganj has significantly affected the quality of water in nearby areas. The study observed that the pollution value of the water in nearby wells and tube wells was higher than the standard limit. This contaminated water was consequently

Election Working Group (EWG), an election watchdog comprising 29 civil society organisations, has termed Saturday’s polls for four city corporations as overall peaceful, barring some stray incidents and a few defaults in the electoral process. Leaders of EWG made the observation at a post-election press conference at the National Press Club, on Sunday.

The BNP, on Sunday, said the people had passed a “no-confidence verdict” against the government, in the four city corporation polls held a day earlier. “The government should accept the corporation poll results and resign immediately, paving the way for the next general election to be held under a caretaker

Awami League (AL) joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said the results of mayoral elections in the four city corporations would not have any impact in the national election. “The city corporation elections are not political elections. The people have given their verdict considering the work of the candidates. So, it would not put any ... Read more

BNP chairperson and leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia left Dhaka for Singapore on Sunday for medical purposes, party sources said. The opposition leader will be admitted at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital, her Special Assistant Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas told The Independent.

The scheduled meeting of the Joint River Commission (JRC) between Bangladesh and India in Dhaka on June 18-19 has been postponed due to Indian Water Resources Minister’s inability to attend the meeting. “Indian Water Resources Minister Harish Chandra Singh Rawat has informed his Bangladeshi counterpart Romesh Chandra Sen that he is unable to attend the ... Read more

Bangladesh on Sunday received United Nations awards in recognition of its notable and outstanding progress in fighting hunger and eradicating poverty through ensuring its food security. UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recognised Bangladesh at a special event during its 38th session conference in Rome, according to a message received here.

All the four candidates backed by opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have won the mayoral elections in the four city corporations – Sylhet, Barisal, Rajshahi and Khulna – with a large margin of votes over their rival candidates supported by the ruling Awami League. Ariful Haque was the first candidate to have been officially declared ... Read more

Terming the BNP’s allegations about the civic elections as “false, fabricated and baseless”, the ruling Awami League said on Saturday that fearing a debacle in the four city corporation polls, BNP leaders were  spreading falsehood. Addressing an impromptu press conference at the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi political office, senior Awami League leader

Opposition BNP on Saturday night asked the party leaders and activists to have patience instead of celebrating the partial results of the four city corporations’ polls. “The BNP chairperson has asked the leaders and activists of BNP and 18-party alliance not to pay heed to any provocation. She asked all to have patience,” said BNP ... Read more

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the voters in all the four city corporations cast their votes freely and peacefully on Saturday, which was very rare in the past. She made the statement while addressing the 27th rising anniversary of the Special Security Force (SSF) at her office. The prime minister said elections were

Tesco, the world’s No. 3 retailer, has stopped sourcing clothes from a factory in Bangladesh after discovering serious problems with the safety of a building, the company said on Saturday. The move follows a survey the British-based supermarket chain conducted in the wake of the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory complex in Dhaka in ... Read more

If technical books are written in the mother tongue, it can help inculcate the subject matter and knowledge more clearly and deeply in common readers and students, education minister Nurul Islam Nahid said on Saturday. “Most of the technical books are written in English. As a result, laypersons and students do not understand the subject ... Read more

A consortium of civic organisations on Saturday presented a charter of 11 demands for effective functioning of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The demands by the seven groups were made public in a joint press conference at Jatiya Press Club in the city. The seven groups are Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), Campaign for Sustainable Rural ... Read more