Other Headlines

Hannan Shah sent to jail A city court on Thursday rejected the bail petitions of five senior leaders of BNP implicated in two hartal related violence cases in the city. Dhaka metropolitan sessions judge Md Jahrul Haque issued the order after hearing separate bail petitions of the opposition leaders in his chamber.

German ambassador in Dhaka Albrecht Conze on Thursday hoped conflicting parties would find a room of ‘compromise’ at the eleventh hour that would make it possible for every party to participate in the coming general election. After a meeting with new foreign minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali at the foreign ministry in the afternoon, he said

The Election Commission (EC) is planning to deploy the Army across the country after December 16, EC officials disclosed. The EC has already decided to deploy the Army across the country before the next general elections, scheduled to be held on January 5, for ensuring free and fair elections. The EC held a meeting with the law ... Read more

Around 600 expatriate Bangladeshis, who were staying illegally in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for a long time, are set to return home very soon. The Saudi authorities have asked the Bangladesh embassy to make a list of those expatriates who were staying in the country without any kind

The government has identified 632 railway points as extremely vulnerable where acts of sabotage may take place any time, and deployed some 3,792 security personnel to ensure smooth running of trains. “Some 1,050 more security personnel are also going to be deployed at these spots to thwart any attempt at disrupting train services or destroy government

Bangladesh has supported Dubai of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to win its bid to become the venue for World Expo 2020. In the second and the third round of voting in Paris on Wednesday, Bangladesh supported the UAE, said sources concerned. Dubai finally won the vote in the third round

Jatiya Party faction chairman HM Ershad and senior presidium member Kazi Zafar Ahmed expelled each other on Thursday. Ershad at a meeting with some selected newsmen at a Baridhara hotel announced that he just signed the letter of expulsion of Kazi Zafar for talking against him. The news spread out through electronic media immediately and in less ... Read more

Nomination Paper Submission Banks to remain open Saturday Tax offices on Friday, Saturday Bangladesh Bank on Thursday asked the scheduled banks to keep open their branches on Saturday to facilitate the filing of nominations for the upcoming national election on January 5. On the other hand, all field level offices of income tax of the ... Read more

Police in Arizona say three sisters were held captive in filthy conditions for up to two years by their mother and stepfather in the city of Tucson. Investigators say two of the girls, aged 12 and 13, escaped and alerted a neighbour after their stepfather tried to attack them with a knife.

Programme extended until 5am Friday At least nine people were killed and over 300 injured as supporters of the BNP-led 18-party alliance clashed with law enforcers and ruling party activists across the country on the second day of the opposition’s blockade programme on Tuesday. Explosion of bombs, uprooting of rail tracks, vandalism and arson attacks ... Read more

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Wednesday that “fears of absolute debacle” had made the BNP reluctant to participate in the general election scheduled for January 5. “If you (Khaleda Zia) have a huge popularity as you claim, then why are you afraid of contesting the poll,” the PM said, iterating her call to the ... Read more

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed will sit with the commissioners and law enforcing agencies on Thursday to take a decision on the privileges of mayors and upazila chairmen in the event of their participation in the general election. EC officials said this is important for implementation of election rules for returning officer (RO) to ... Read more

The UN assistant secretary-general for political affairs, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, will visit Bangladesh in the first week of December amid escalating violence to discuss preparations for the next general elections with all the stakeholders, diplomatic sources said. It would be his third visit to Bangladesh which

The countrywide blockade virtually paralysed railway communication between Dhaka and outlying destinations for the second consecutive day on Wednesday. Bangladesh Railway could not restore the train service between Dhaka and Mymensingh. No Chittagong bound train left Dhaka

Jobs being shed, fresh recruitment stopped Apparel manufacturers are adopting alternative measures, including shedding manpower, to stay in business in the prevailing tumultuous situation in the country. As part of the measures the manufacturers were adjusting their costs in the wake of the new wage structure announcement by stopping any fresh

The government, for the first time, has taken a move to formulate a national insurance policy aiming at expanding insurance business in the country through necessary reform initiatives. The insurance regulator — Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority (IDRA) — has already prepared a draft in this connection saying it

Mushfiqur Rahim will be leading the Bangladesh cricket team until the 2015 ICC World Cup, to be held in Australia and New Zealand. The 25-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman’s role as captain, which was originally scheduled to end this year, was extended at a meeting of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) at its headquarters in Mirpur yesterday. The appointment will

The home ministry has asked the chiefs of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Coast Guard and the Police to strengthen patrolling along the border to check fertiliser smuggling from the country. The ministry issued the directive recently to the Director General (DG) of BGB, DG of Coast Guard and Inspector General of Police (IGP), sources

The final hearing on the maritime boundary dispute between Bangladesh and India will take place at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague in the second week of December. “The final hearing will begin on December 9 and will continue until December 13,” a senior official of the foreign ministry told The Independent

Tk 2,600cr Swindling Bail for Hall-Mark boss extended A Dhaka court yesterday again extended the bail to Hall-Mark Group Chairman Jasmine Islam till January 22, 2014 in connection with 11 graft cases filed for swindling over Tk 2,600 crore out of Sonali Bank. The court also rejected bail prayers for Hall-Mark Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud, its ... Read more