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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

Blockade puts boro cultivation in peril The farmers of the country, especially of the northern region, are facing serious problems in cultivating robi crops because of a shortfall in supplies of diesel and fertilisers. Supplies have been hit as the continuous blockade programme enforced by the BNP-led 18-Party Alliance has affected transportation of diesel and ... Read more

Nelson Mandela’s tearful widow was among scores of family and dignitaries who stopped to pay their last respects before Nelson Mandela’s open casket Wednesday, as the celebrated leader lay in state. Clad in a black head-dress, Graca Machel stood in silence before the raised coffin, which was guarded at each end by two navy officers ... Read more

Shishu Park Bus Arson Masuma dies after 13 days ‘She called me in the morning and asked me to hold her hand and hug. I tried to hug, but the burn wounds she was suffering from did not allow me to embrace her,’ Mahbubur Rahman, husband of Masuma, the latest victim of Shishu Park bus ... Read more

Salimullah Medical College located in Old Town of Dhaka was closed for an indefinite period on Wednesday in the wake of Tuesday’s clash involving staff, interns and students. The students were asked to vacate their dormitories by Wednesday night. The decision was taken at a meeting of the academic

China wants Bangladesh to find out a peaceful solution to the political stalemate on forthcoming general election. A five-member Chinese delegation, led by Director General of Asian Affairs of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Luo Zhaohui, made this comment after a call-on the opposition leader, Khaleda Zia, at latter’s Gulshan residence on Wednesday night. The meeting

Amid the ongoing dialogue between two major political parties ahead of the crucial national election, British senior foreign and commonwealth office minister Baroness Warsi will arrives in Dhaka today to discuss polls issues with political leaders. Warsi is likely to meet prime minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia during her short stay in

A man, who was tortured allegedly by his wife and her associates in the capital’s Khilgaon area Monday night, died from his injuries in a city hospital early Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Md Jahangir Alam, 35. Police and family members alleged that Bakul Akhter,

Appellate Division hears defence plea at 10:30am today; Jamaat calls countrywide daylong strike In a dramatic development, just two hours before the scheduled execution of the Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah at 12.01 am on Wednesday, the Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division stayed the execution. The order was passed by the Chamber Judge at ... Read more

Hectic parleys by visiting UN assistant secretary general for political affairs Oscar Fernandez-Taranco resulted in a crucial meeting between Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam and BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir here on Tuesday. Both the rivals also expressed their will to

Four people were killed and at least 100, including policemen, were injured across the country in stray incidents of violence on Tuesday, during the ongoing 6-day blockade programme called by the BNP-led 18-Party Alliance. The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami complemented the blockade programme by enforcing a daylong hartal on the day, in protest of

Scores of children fell victim to political violence in 2013, with at least 20 dying and many others still fighting for life as political parties continued to use children in demonstrations, according to rights watchdog Ain o Salish Kendra and New Age reports. At least 6 out of 20 have died since November 8

The European Union (EU) and UK Tuesday reiterated separately their opposition to death penalty saying that the case of Abdul Quader Mollah now reached a stage where an execution of the death sentence given by the Supreme Court on September 17 could be imminent. “The European Union is opposed to the use

War Crimes Killing of witness Mostafa rings alarm bells The death of 58-year old prosecution witness Mostafa Haoladar on Tuesday following stabbing prompted the International Crimes Tribunals to express concern over the security of those testifying in war crimes cases. Mostafa was among 28 prosecution witnesses on whose testimony Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee was handed ... Read more