Other Headlines

Despite the suspension of cultivation of Bt Brinjal in India and a ban on its field trials in the Philippines, Bangladesh has released four controversial varieties of the genetically modified vegetable. Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has developed four Bt Brinjal varieties namely BARI BT Begun – 1, 2, 3 and 4 from local varieties ... Read more

At least 225 Bangladeshis were detained by the Malaysian authorities on the first day of a nationwide crackdown on illegal foreign workers residing in the country, a local daily reports. Malaysian law enforcers picked up at least 1,565 illegal expatriates including the Bangladeshis in the operation–Ops Sepadu– that started early yesterday,

The findings of the Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York-based rights organisation, mention that the country’s record on human rights has deteriorated in the last 12 months as compared with the previous year. “Bangladesh has tumbled backwards on human rights in 2013,” states the World Report 2014 of HRW, released on Tuesday. “The government, led ... Read more

Malaysia started a crackdown last night on illegal migrant workers, including those from Bangladesh. Earlier yesterday, a source at Bangladesh high commission in Kuala Lumpur said that the Malaysian police would raid work places of the migrants and their residences to detain illegal foreigners staying without valid documents. Meanwhile, Expatriate Welfare

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved a Tk 115 crore fund for spending on city infrastructure development and beautification of the capital ahead of the T-20 World Cup scheduled for March this year. The approval came at the first ECNEC meeting of the new government held at the NEC conference ... Read more

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday warned BNP-Jamaat that they will have to shun militant and terrorist activities if they want to do politics in Bangladesh, reports UNB. “You (BNP-Jamaat) will have to shun militant and terrorist activities if you want to do politics in Bangladesh, or else, people will reject them,” she said.

Delay In Signing Of Sc Verdicts Litigants kept waiting for years Many judgments delivered by the Appellate Division take years to be written up in full causing great difficulties to the litigants. Although, the operative parts of judgments are announced in open court and bench assistants take dictation, litigants have to wait to get certified copies ... Read more

They’re undecided over future investment The public announcement favouring peaceful programmes in place of violent blockades and general strikes by the BNP and its allies has not been able to restore confidence fully among the businesspeople. This scribe got the impression while talking to a number of businessmen during last couple of days. Economic activities have already ... Read more

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in its first mass rally of the year, plans to put-up a showdown at Suhrawardi Udyan in the capital tomorrow. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia will address the rally and thank people for ‘boycotting’ the 10th general election in support of the BNP stance.

The United States has called upon the political leadership in Bangladesh to ensure law and order and refrain from supporting violence, particularly against minority communities. Washington also urged the Bangladesh leadership to avoid inflaming rhetoric and intimidation. “We certainly are disappointed by recent incidents of violence. We condemn the violence in the

The prosecution in the war crimes trials expects verdicts against at least two more accused by the end of next month. Earlier, two International Crimes Tribunals delivered nine verdicts against 10 accused persons last year. The trial against former Awami League leader Mobarak Hossain is nearing its end, while almost 70 per cent of the proceedings ... Read more

BNP and its associate bodies is set to celebrate the 78th birth anniversary of party founder late President Ziaur Rahman across the country today. Born on January 19, 1936 at Bagbari in Bogra, Zia had become the country’s 7th president and formed Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). BNP has

Top leaders of the ruling Awami League will start organisational tour across the country after the end of the first session of the 10th parliament later this month in a bid to rejuvenate the party rank and file for the upcoming Upazila Parishad elections. “Workers’ meetings will be held in every Upazila to reinforce the ... Read more

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP’s) standing committee member, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, has described the government as “illegal”, saying that no opposition party exists in the 10th Parliament, if one considers the Constitution’s guidelines. “According to the country’s charter, the existence of an opposition party in Parliament is a must, but

Poll schedule announcement today The Election Commission will hold upazila election in the middle of next month, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said yesterday. The election to 113 upazilas will be held in the first phase, the CEC told journalists after a meeting with senior officials of different ministries at the

Severe gas shortage in the capital has affected households, commercial and industrial units in the last few weeks, a number of victims said Saturday. They did not get adequate gas supply even on weekends Friday and Saturday as their cookers, boilers and CNG refuelling stations could not operate.

This year, only two out of 20 species of migratory birds have come to one of their regular winter transit points in Bangladesh, the lake at Jahangirnagar University, bird watchers and ornithologists said. They blamed the decline on an alarming trend witnessed for the past five years. At least 61 species of birds used to ... Read more

Steep fall in sales forces realtors to stop taking new projects The real estate sector has almost stopped taking new projects following a drastic fall in the sales of plots and flats in recent times. The realtors said registration of new projects witnessed a significant fall last year for absence of a good business environment. They said ... Read more

A Japanese soldier, who hunkered down in the jungles of the Philippines for nearly three decades, refusing to believe that World War II had ended, has died in Tokyo. Hiroo Onoda was 91 years old. In 1944, Onoda was sent to the small island of Lubang in the western Philippines to spy on US forces ... Read more

Fishermen and divers caught at least 25 dolphins in a controversial Japanese fishing village yesterday, according to environmentalists, who said the process was captive selection ahead of a mass slaughter. Activists from the militant environmental group Sea Shepherd streamed live footage of the dolphin capture in the village of Taiji, which drew worldwide