The government is planning to issue guidelines to all ministries and divisions on their roles during violent situations to curb untoward incidents and save public property. The home ministry has prepared a draft guideline after getting instructions from the top, sources in the ministry said. The guidelines would be sent to all ministries and divisions ... Read more
Other Headlines
Hasina’s 1/11 remark draws flak from BNP
The BNP’s standing committee member, Rafiqul Islam Miah, on Saturday criticised the Prime Minister for saying that the consequences of 1/11 would be repeated for the Opposition leader Khaleda Zia, if the caretaker government system was restored. “Do you (Sheikh Hasina) think that you will be in heaven if Khaleda is put in jail,” he ... Read more
Amendment to water act recommended
Speakers at a roundtable on Saturday stressed the need for the removal of inconsistencies and ambiguities from the water act to ensure people’s right to water in the country. Mass hearing is required to make the law people friendly, bringing necessary amendments to it, they said. Water Rights Forum organised the roundtable titled
Dhaka allows transit for foodgrains for northeast India
Bangladesh will allow India ferry foodgrains for the mountainous northeastern states via its territory. “Initially, the Bangladesh government has agreed to transport 10,000 tonnes of foodgrains for Tripura through its territory,” Tripura Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bhanulal Saha told IANS in Agartala. “The Bangladesh government issued necessary orders
Sherpas start work to bring back Khaled’s body
The rescue operation to bring back Bangladeshi climber Mohammed Khaled Hossain alias Sajal Khaled who died while descending from Mount Everest after successfully climbing the summit started on Saturday. A 10-member Sherpa team has started from the base camp. Riaz Ahmed and Babu, two friends of Khaled, are also helping the team.
Cleaning up of Buriganga proves futile
All steps to revive the Buriganga river from persistent pollution have turned into a fiasco, as dumping of garbage and untreated industrial effluents into the river is going on unhindered. People living on the banks of the river continue to dump garbage into the Buriganga, even though the government has already spent Tk. 16.53 crore ... Read more
Opposition calls hartal on Sunday
The BNP-led 18-party Opposition alliance has called a daylong countrywide hartal on Sunday, demanding restoration of the caretaker government system, release of its arrested leaders and activists. It is also to protest against the “ban” on rallies and processions. The BNP chairperson’s adviser, Shamsuzzaman Dudu,
Wrong use of pesticides rings alarm bells
The untrammelled, excessive use of pesticides, which are applied by farmers to their croplands without following relevant instructions, is resulting in widespread pollution of ponds, canals and rivers. This has caused serious health hazards not only to humans but has also led to extinction of aquatic species. It is an ecological disaster waiting to happen,
Economy gradually slowing down
The country’s economy is slowing down gradually and is unlikely to achieve the targeted growth rate in the current fiscal mainly because of the slow pace of investment and political unrest. Sources said most of the economic indicators are going from bad to worse, causing the country’s economic prospects to turn gloomier. The situation will ... Read more
Khokon Razakar may have fled country
Though investigations against Khokon Razakar, a notorious killer of 1971, are in the final stages, rumours are rife that he has fled the country to evade trial for crimes against humanity. According to sources, Khokon fled the country soon after investigations began last year. “We’re also speculating that he is not in the country. Most ... Read more
Rain turns capital streets into canals
A total of 115 mm of rains in 36 hours since 6 am on Thursday till 6 pm on Friday again contributed to flooding of some city streets, whose clogged drains were unable to flush out the pre-monsoon downpour. There was a rerun of the worst scenario on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway near Gazipur, which remained ... Read more
Legal action to be taken against Tarique: Qamrul
Calling upon Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) senior vice-chairman Tarique Rahman to surrender in the money laundering case, Suranjit Sengupta, minister without portfolio, said on Friday that the government would not rob him of his political rights as he was a citizen of the country. “We will not bar Tarique Rahman’s democratic rights to do politics ... Read more
Prof Asif Nazrul gets death threat
Dhaka University teacher Professor Asif Nazrul received death threat over his mobile phone by an anonymous caller on Thursday. Sub-inspector (SI) of Shahbagh Thana, Surujuddin Ahmed confirmed the news. He further said that SI Sohel was investigating the matter.
EU DFQF benefit withdrawal to hurt economy, experts say
Bangladesh needs to consider the European Union (EU) threat to withdraw its duty-free, quota-free (DFQT) access to the EU market seriously and act promptly as the EU might take serious decisions dealing a big blow to the RMG sector in particular and the economy in general, experts said. They think Bangladesh needs to send out ... Read more
Ctg Jamaat-Shibir men go into hiding fearing arrest
Most of the senior leaders of Chittagong unit of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student association Islami Chhatra Shibir including Jamaat lawmaker ANM Shamsul Islam and former Jamaat lawmaker Shahajahan Chowdhury, went into hiding fearing arrest, leaving organisational activities almost inoperative. As a result, there was no significant presence of the Jamaat-Shibir
Hasina will head next poll-time govt: Nasim
Ruling Awami League’s presidium member, Mohammad Nasim, reiterated that the next general election will be held under the supervision of an interim government, and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be the chief of that government. “No election will be held under a spineless government. The next general election must be held under an interim government
18 Bangladeshi youths return from Greece
A total of 18 Bangladeshi youths today returned home from Greece after enormous suffering abroad. Official sources said, the Bangladeshi youths landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) this morning by an Emirate flight with the help of International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and Bangladesh Embassy in Greece. “Unidentified international brokers
Strong quake recorded
A strong earthquake occurred today at 11 hours 44 minutes 49 seconds (BST). The distance of the epicenter was about 6142-kilometer in north-east of BMD seismic centre, Agargaon, Dhaka, a meteorological department press release said. The magnitude of the earthquake was 8.2 on Richter scale and the location of the earthquake was at Sea of ... Read more
Next poll under interim govt headed by Hasina
Environment and Forest minister Hasan Mahmud on Friday reiterated that the next general election will be held under the supervision of an interim government and the incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be the head of that government. “No election will be held under non-party caretaker government. The next polls must be held under an ... Read more
30 extrajudicial killings, 10 enforced disappearances in 2012, says AI
Some 30 alleged extrajudicial killings took place in Bangladesh in 2012 alongside at least 10 enforced disappearances, said the Amnesty International in its report on the state of human rights across the world. State security forces were implicated in torture and other ill-treatment and the government failed to protect ‘indigenous communities from attack by