The European Commission (EC) has expressed its readiness to assist the government by supporting the current efforts to reinforce safety standards in commercial buildings. The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Durão Barroso, made the offer in a letter of condolences, sent to President Abdul Hamid over the Savar tragedy, said a Foreign Ministry
Other Headlines
Savar death toll crosses 350; many still trapped
After the passage of 80 hours since the tragic collapse of the 8-storey Savar building that housed nearly 5,000 workers of five garment factories, rescuers, on Saturday, were able to rescue 26 people, thus negating the perception that no one would be able to survive for 72 hours inside the debris. Besides, some of those ... Read more
Irate RMG workers clash in Dhaka, Chittagong
Thousands of irate readymade garments (RMG) workers went berserk and clashed with law enforcement personnel in the capital, Savar, and in the port city of Chittagong, on Saturday. Five people sustained bullet injuries and some 20 others were wounded, when police fired shots on agitating garment workers, near Rana Plaza at Savar,
BNP sees govt plot to save Savar accused
BNP, on Saturday, accused the government of plotting to help Sohel Rana, owner of the collapsed building at Savar, to flee the country. “The government is hatching a plan to save Rana. Awami League is trying to shift the people’s attention on this, by holding the opposition party responsible for the tragedy that claimed over ... Read more
Hopes fade for finding alive the missing
As the rescue operation continues for more trapped victims of Savar tragedy from the rubble of infamous Rana Plaza, hopes fade for finding them still alive. Till Saturday – the fourth day since the eight-storey Rana Plaza on the outskirts of Savar collapsed – over 1,000 people were still missing, according to several
Where is Sohel Rana?
Even after three days of the collapse of Rana Plaza, law enforcement agencies are still in the dark about the whereabouts of its owner, Sohel Rana. There are rumours that Rana, who is an influential Jubo League leader in the Savar area, has already escaped to India. The Prime Minister, on Thursday, asked the law ... Read more
Bangladesh faces tough HR questions at UN
Bangladesh is set to answer to some tough questions posed by different countries with regards to human rights issues in the country at the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday. Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni will lead the Bangladesh delegation to the second cycle of the ... Read more
Short takes
Opposition BNP-led 18-party alliance has called nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal for May 2 in protest against what it called a pre-planned killing of people in the Savar building collapse. The hartal will be observed protesting the government negligence in the rescue operation leading to a greater number of casualties in the tragic incident. Newspaper holiday
Building collapse: Owners get away with murder
Despite huge loss of life in building collapse incidents, none of the owners of the illegally constructed buildings have been brought to book by the administration. In most cases, the buildings caved in, owing to the sheer profit-making attitude of the owners, which resulted in their flouting the building code. Over 500 people
Scientists warn against neglect of farm sector
BRRI is contributing to raise food output constantly developing varieties of rice through painstaking research despite various constraints, helping farmers grow more to feed the nation despite shrinking of lands by 240 hectares annually. Agro-Scientists, however, warns that the success must be retained to maintain the output, inventing newer varieties
Govt will provide legal aid to Savar victims: Law Minister
Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Barrister Shafique Ahmed on Saturday said the government would give legal assistance to the family members of garment workers who were killed and injured in the Wednesday’s Savar building collapse. “It is very much necessary to provide the workers and their family members with legal aids under
Factory owners, engineers on remand
A Dhaka court on Saturday placed two garment factory owners of Rana Plaza on 12-day remand for interrogation, six days each in two cases. Police on Friday night arrested New Weave Bottoms owner Mahbubur Rahman Taposh and Bazlus Samad Adnan, owner of New Weave Style, in connection with
US journos keen on US cos’ involvement
United States media is interested to know if any American company sourced product from any of the garment factories housed in the ill-fated Rana Plaza that was collapsed on Wednesday morning killing scores of people. During daily press briefings on Thursday and Friday at the US State Department, journalists asked acting deputy spokesperson Patrick Ventrell
90 pc of buildings in Dhaka’s outskirts unauthorised
Nearly 90 per cent of the buildings in the outskirts of the capital, including Savar, have been built illegally or without authorization from the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkhya (RAJUK), said sources in the country’s capital development authority. The collapse of the eight-storied Rana Plaza in Savar on Wednesday, which claimed over 200 lives and injured around 2,000,
Death toll in Savar tragedy climbs to 314
With every tick of the clock, hope is diminishing for those who have remained trapped under the rubbles of the crumbled eight-storey building in Savar. Though the death count rose to 314 till Friday evening, rescuers said it would go up. Maj. Gen. Chowdhury Hasan Suhrawardi, GOC of the 9th division, who is coordinating the rescue ... Read more
PM for quick arrest of Savar building owner
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday ordered police to immediately arrest the owner of the collapsed eight-storey Rana Plaza and the proprietors of the garment factories housed in the building in Savar on the outskirts of Dhaka. The PM’s directive followed a similar order by home minister MK Alamgir. The death toll on Friday stood ... Read more
Sohel Rana, 5 others responsible for Savar ‘killing’: Probe body
The chief of an inquiry committee and additional secretary of the home ministry, Mainuddin Khandokar, stated that the owner of Rana Plaza, Sohel Rana, and the owners of five garment factories are fully responsible for the Savar tragedy that claimed the lives of over 300 workers and injured more than 2,000. After conducting an inquiry into ... Read more
HRW stresses on workers’ security
The collapse of an eight-story factory building near Dhaka shows the urgent need to improve Bangladeshi workers health and safety; Human Rights Watch, a New York-based global rights body, stated. In a statement on Thursday it also said that reforms should include a drastic overhaul of the government’s system of labour inspections and an end ... Read more
RMG units to remain shut Saturday, Sunday
The country’s trade bodies of the apparel sector on Friday decided to keep the production in all readymade garment (RMG) factories closed on Saturday and Sunday for, what they said, ensuring proper treatment and completion of rescue operation successfully. The leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh
Savar building collapse sparks workers’ agitation
Thousands of readymade garments (RMG) workers from different factories in Dhaka, Gazipur, Savar and Narayanganj vandalised more than 150 vehicles and set fire on several factories on Friday. This has left 50 workers injured. The workers took to the streets, demanding exemplary