Other Headlines

A high-powered delegation of the European Union (EU) will arrive in Dhaka any moment to assess the challenges to holding the 10th parliamentary election, and to inspect the pre-election environment and Election Commission’s (EC) measures to implement the electoral codes. “A pre-assessment team will arrive in Dhaka to examine the election environment. Although

India vowed Wednesday to bring one of its diplomats home at any price after her arrest in New York, as she told how she broke down in tears after being stripped and cavity-searched. As a leading daily hailed the government for “taking on Uncle Sam”, Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid pledged to “restore the dignity” of ... Read more

Shipping and War of Liberation Affairs Minister Shahjahan Khan on Wednesday said the government will give protection to all vehicles that will ply on highways from Friday defying the opposition blockade programme. “We have decided to operate all types of transport, including the long-distance buses, from Friday during the opposition’s hartal and blockade

One of the suspects of Tuesday’s killing of two construction workers at Badda was killed in a shootout with police in the capital’s Rampura area on Wednesday afternoon. Police said Mohammad Sohag, 26, received bullet wounds during an exchange of gunshots and succumbed to his injuries at Orthopaedic Hospital

Singapore plans to deport 53 people and issue warnings to about 200 more for their involvement in the city-state’s worst riot in more than 40 years this month, which shocked a nation that prides itself on its safety and orderliness. Another 28 face criminal charges for the riot, which broke out earlier this month in ... Read more

Dan Mozena, the United States Ambassador to Dhaka, held a meeting with Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali on Wednesday to discuss issues with regards to the security of the US embassy as well its personnel. During the meeting the US envoy had voiced his deep concern over the security of the embassy and its staffs ... Read more

The Election Commission (EC) has sought support from the Army, BGB and police to transport electoral equipment across the country as it felt that the regular surveillance of law enforcement agency is not adequate to ensure safety for transporting poll-related papers and equipment. Following the recent sporadic violence, triggered by the BNP-led 18-Party Alliance’s

Upset at the ongoing political turmoil that has taken its heavy toll on their business, the country’s the CNG refueling station owners on Wednesday a placed 3-point demand to survive, reports UNB. Their demands are rescheduling due payment against bank loan by at least one year without charging interest and taking interest in the block ... Read more

A fire broke out at a shop in the capital’s Gausia Super Market on Wednesday night. Mohammad Ali, duty officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence told the Independent that the fire broke out at a shop located on the third floor of the market around 8:30pm. Getting the information, five units, one from Palashi Station ... Read more

Summons High Commissioner over meddling in internal affairs In the face of criticism by some countries for executing Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah for his crime against humanity during the country’s liberation war, the government on Tuesday made it clear that it does not like any interference in its domestic affairs. And apparently to send ... Read more

Four people were killed in violence on Tuesday, the first day of the fourth spell of the 72-hour-long countrywide blockade programme, called by the BNP-led 18-Party alliance. The 18-party alliance called the blockade, demanding that the next election should be held under a non-party poll-time administration and that

The current political stalemate is seriously affecting the project implementation in different ministries as the officials in the ministries and district headquarters cannot have coordination meeting with the field level project officers because of the series of blockade programmes. Officials concerned said the development activities are being seriously

European Union ambassadors in Dhaka have recommended to its Brussels headquarters that no international observers should be sent to monitor the forthcoming elections in Bangladesh, New Age has learnt. In a report sent on Monday to the EU political and security committee, the Dhaka-based ambassadors stated that the election due to be held

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Tuesday said the United States awaits statement from the government on how the January 5 elections are going to be held. Muhith said this after a meeting with US Ambassador Dan Mozena at the secretariat. The finance minister told reporters that during the nearly

US ambassador in Dhaka Dan Mozena on Tuesday said the US is still assessing the evolving political situation mentioning that the current situation underscores the need for proceeding more urgently to find some way for an election that the people of Bangladesh want and deserve. ‘We’re still assessing the situation. I’m certainly aware of that,’

The Jatiya Party chairman, HM Ershad, who was picked up by people of an intelligence agency on December 12 and was admitted to Combined Military Hospital, is likely to be sent to a hospital abroad, party leaders and the family told New Age on Tuesday night. ‘Passports of four people, including that of Ershad

BCIM kicks off at Kunming today Bangladesh is likely to emphasise regional connectivity in the first two-day meeting of the joint working group of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor, which begins at Kunming on Wednesday, so that academic discussions can be transformed into reality. Sources in the Economic Relations Division (ERD) said Bangladesh is

Improvement of generation, distribution aimed at The government would seek US$2.28 billion from donors, specially from China, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and Japan for developing the country’s power sector, officials said Tuesday. The fund will be used for nine power generation and distribution projects, they said. The Power Division has made the demand for ... Read more

Deadly volence HRW urges govt, political parties to show restraint Human Rights Watch (HRW) has expressed its concern over the ‘deadly street violence’ in Bangladesh and urged both the government forces and the political parties to show restraint to stop endangering lives, reports UNB. The New York-based global rights watchdog urged the government to ‘publicly ... Read more

The verdict in the Biswajit killing case will be delivered on Wednesday, a year after the gruesome murder was committed, a Dhaka court said. Biswajit Das, a 24-year-old shopkeeper, was allegedly chopped to death by some Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activists of Jagannath University.