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The participation rate in schools of children from national minorities is significantly below the national primary enrolment rate. The rate of literacy, the ability of a person to write a letter, amongst those belonging to national minorities is also far behind the national rate, government surveys and studies conducted by development partners and research

Law enforcers picked up the Jatiya Party chairman, HM Ershad, from his house at Baridhara about 11:40pm on Thursday, the party’s secretary general ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader, said. ‘RAB 1 personnel picked up our leader. He was later admitted to Dhaka Combined Military Hospital because of “illness” after he had officially

Amid the current political turmoil in Bangladesh opposition leader Khaleda Zia on Thursday called on India to show respect to the ‘demands’ of people over the dispute relating to the poll-time government. “I urge influential neighbour India and its people to express solidarity with the world community by showing respect to the aspirations and demands of

Ganajagaran Mancha erupted into joy and chanted slogans soon after the announcement of the execution of Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah for committing crimes against humanity during the country’s war of liberation. The activists of the Mancha chanted slogans like ‘Ei Matro Khobor Elo, Quader Mollah’r Fasi Holo (Here comes the news, Quader Mollah

The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on Thursday called a countrywide dawn-to-dusk general strike for December 15 in protest at the execution of its assistant secretary general Abdul Quader Molla, convicted of committing crimes against humanity in the independence war in 1971. The acting Jamaat amir Makbul Ahmad in a statement

UK senior foreign office minister Baroness Warsi, who came to Dhaka on a one-day visit on Thursday, stressed the importance of free, fair and transparent elections saying that the acceptability of the elections would be determined by the people of Bangladesh. Warsi visited Bangladesh for the second time

Jatiya Party (JP) Chairman Hossain Mohammad Ershad has requested the Election Commission (EC) not to give the symbol — Plough — to any party or individual as it is JP’s logo. In a letter to EC secretary Dr. Muhammed Sadik, Ershad said that as chairman of a registered political party he has the right to ... Read more

The Bangladesh railway authorities on Thursday suspended all railway services across the country for about four hours fearing sabotage shortly after the execution of Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Abdul Quader Molla. Dhaka divisional railway manager Sardar Shahadat Ali told New Age that the authorities had suspended all train services for about four

The Bangladesh Railway is facing uncertainties in launching its trial basis train tracking system on mobile phones for the benefit of the passengers. The launching scheduled for last month became uncertain due to political unrests, said BR officials. They said that the plan was to display

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad has said the army is ready to get deployed during the 10th parliament elections slated for January 5. “The army has already been alerted…they’re ready to get deployed,” he said while talking to reporters Thursday evening. Kazi Rakibuddin, however,

A schoolboy was killed in a road accident in front of Lafarge Cement Factory colony in Chhatak upazila on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Al-Nabin Sadik, 14, student of class IX of Kamar Ali High School and son of Saudi expatriate Chand Mia, hailing from Chhonkhair village of the upazila. Shahjalal Munshi, officer-in-charge of Chhatak police ... Read more

ACC grills 6 bank officials The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) on Thursday interrogated six officials of Sonali Bank in connection with the much-talked-about Sonali Bank loan scam, reports UNB. A seven-member investigation team, led by its deputy director Mir Zainul Abedin Shibly, interrogated them at the Commission head office in the capital as witnesses of ... Read more

AL, BNP stick to stances The much-hyped Taranco mission ended inconclusively on Wednesday as both the ruling and the opposition parties remained firm on their respective stances over the poll-time government format, the apple of discord of the current impasse. But according to many, the UN Assistant Secretary General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco has at least been ... Read more

The United Nations stands for a free, fair, inclusive and non-violent election which the people in Bangladesh want and deserve and the credibility of the election will ultimately rest with the people, the UN assistant secretary general, Oscar Fernández-Taranco, said on Wednesday. Fernández-Taranco specified three measures that

Execution halted till petition disposal The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned till Thursday morning the hearing on the maintainability of the review petition filed by the death-row war crimes convict and Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah. Both the chief law officer of the state, attorney general Mahbubey Alam, and the chief ... Read more

Jamaat unleashes anarchy across country At least two people were killed and 150 others injured on the fifth day of the nationwide blockade, called by the BNP-led 18-Party Alliance, on Wednesday. Besides, the hartal called by the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami triggered sporadic violence acoss the country. A poultry trader was killed and five others hurt when ... Read more

Losses Of Life, Economy Top parties to shoulder responsibility: FBCCI The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday said that the two major political parties would have to take liability of catastrophic damages of economy and loss of life during frequent non-stop blockades and hartals. FBCCI, the country’s apex trade body,

UN chief Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry called Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday to stress the need for talks with the opposition to resolve the country’s election standoff. “John Kerry emphasised (the need for) continuous talks between the two parties,” and that the US “expects a peaceful solution” to ... Read more

Ershad withdraws from 3 seats The Jatiya Party (JP) on Wednesday started withdrawing its candidates from the 10th parliamentary polls slated to be held onJanuary 5. JP chairman Hussain Muhammad Ershad on Wednesday withdrew his candidature from the three constituencies — Dhaka-17, Rangpur-3

BNP standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan has said there is no visible progress made in the talks held with the ruling Awami League and warned that the antigovernment movement will continue until any tangible result is attained to end the political impasse. “We don’t see any meaningful progress in the talks. We will continue ... Read more