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JP contemplates pulling out of poll-time govt In a new twist in the latest political development, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad on Tuesday announced to boycott the upcoming national polls scheduled for January 5, saying that he has already directed party candidates to withdraw their nomination papers. Former military dictator Ershad,

In the country’s politics, HM Ershad is synonymous with the term ‘unpredictable’ for his frequent changes in stance throughout his political career. His Tuesday’s announcement to shy away from the election race has proved it once again. There is a saying that in politics there is no final

People in the capital Dhaka are going out to work panicked amid the continued blockade the BNP-led opposition alliance is enforcing centring on the demand for an election-time, non-party government, cancellation of the polls schedule and release of opposition leaders arrested during the blockade.

As the wrangling over the general elections remains muddled, Bangladesh’s friends and development partners including USA and Canada continued to press upon the two major parties to undertake constructive dialogue to end violence and hold free, fair and credible polls. The US embassy in Dhaka on Tuesday

Ranking slightly better; TIB terms it insignificant Bangladesh ranked 16th from the bottom in this year’s graft index, released globally by Transparency International yesterday. It scored 27 points out of 100, one point higher than the last year when it became 13th in the corruption perception index. Chairperson of the Transparency International

Amid the tumultuous political situation in the country, Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh arrives in Dhaka on Wednesday. Although Sujatha is coming to Dhaka at the invitation of her Bangladeshi counterpart Shahidul Haque to hold bilateral talks, political situation in Bangladesh will dominate the agenda of their talks, said diplomatic sources. The Indian

The main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has welcomed the latest move of Jatiya Party (JP) chairman HM Ershad to boycott the 10th parliamentary polls under the current set-up of the all-party poll-time administration led by Premier Sheikh Hasina. Senior leaders of the

The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed Tuesday said that the time to reach a consensus over the upcoming polls was running short with every second passing by and the politicians needed to pay urgent attention to the issue. “The people are the supreme authority and

The BNP-led 18-party alliance has threatened to continue its movement under the leadership of Khaleda Zia until its demand for election under a non-party poll-time administration is met. “The government is carrying out repression

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday decided to hoist white flags in front of all business institutions across the country in next seven days demanding a business-friendly environment. The decision was made at an emergency meeting

The country started receiving 500 MW of electricity from India at zero hour on Tuesday under the joint agreement between Bangladesh and India for cooperation in the power sector. “We initiated the test run and successfully reached a level of 422 MW within an hour. If everything goes all right,

The government is contemplating issuing a 16-point charter of directives to different administrative tiers to take necessary steps to maintain communal harmony in the country and to prevent any deterioration of the current situation, according to sources in the home ministry. Already the home

The work of the International Crimes Tribunal will continue amid hartal and blockades and the tribunal is independent and not under any court the chairman of the International Crimes Tribunal-2 Justice Obaidul Hassan said on Tuesday. “We are not under the High Court or the Appellate

Sound levels everywhere in the capital are double the limit permitted under the Sound Pollution (Control) Rules 2006, revealed a recent survey by Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba), reports UNB. The survey was conducted at 85 spots of different categories and recorded the daytime sound level in ‘silent

Lowest nomination filing since 1991 The 10th parliamentary polls is witnessing the least amount of interest among politicians with less than four aspirants filing nomination forms for a constituency amid opposition’s decision to boycott, what it calls, a lopsided election. Only 1,107 candidates have field nomination forms for the elections scheduled for January 5, which ... Read more

Blockade extended to 5:00pm Thursday At least two people were killed and dozens injured on Monday as sporadic clashes and acts of arson and sabotage marked the third day of the fresh spell of the opposition-enforced rail-road-waterway blockade which has been extended by 59 hours ending at 5:00pm Thursday. Buses were burnt and railway lines ... Read more

Meet Hasina, Khaleda Country’s apparel associations on Monday met with prime minister Sheikh Hasina and submitted a memorandum to opposition leader Khaleda Zia asking them to reach a consensus and resolve the political crisis over the next general elections. Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters

Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday asked the government to come to the path of consensus shunning ‘conspiracies’ and stop ‘repression’ on the opposition for the sake of peace in the country. In a press statement, Khaleda, also leader of the opposition, urged the Election Commission to postpone the election schedule for the 10th

Dhaka along with other 48 least developed countries who are the members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will push forward their five-point agenda including getting duty-free and quota free market access for their products at the 9th WTO ministerial conference in Indonesian resort island Bali. The three-day conference will begin today as the trade

Urging the two bickering political camps — Awami League-led ruling alliance and BNP-led opposition alliance — to reach a consensus, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakiuddin Ahmad on Monday said they could reschedule the election if there is an understanding. “The Election Commission will make arrangements for everything if they (govt and opposition) reach