Other Headlines

A day after the opposition called for presidential intervention to end the current political stand-off over the forthcoming national election, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday told parliament that the president has given her permission to head the poll-time government. Urging opposition leader Khaleda Zia to take part in the upcoming election

Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Wednesday rejected the decision to hold the next general elections under the government, led by prime minister Sheikh Hasina, as stated by her in parliament. BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, flanked by the party senior leaders at a news briefing at the party chairperson’s

At least 10 more people, including two police men, were injured on Wednesday in clashes between RMG workers and police at Pagar area of Tongi, Ashulia, in a continuing labour unrest over pay hike. Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel, along with additional police and Rab members, have been deployed in the area to maintain law and ... Read more

The prime minister is learnt to have allocated portfolios to ministers of the poll-time government. The portfolios were allocated on Wednesday night and a gazette notification in this regard will be issued on Thursday. According to sources, Awami League (AL) advisory council members Tofail Ahmed has been given the charge of industries and land ministries

The police fired several hundred shots to contain a wave of violence on Dhaka-Chittagong highway on Wednesday as activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir went on the rampage at Sitakunda vandalising vehicles and attacking houses of ruling party activists. The news of the killing of a local leader

1 held for question leak in Dinajpur Primary and ibtedayi education completion examinations began on Wednesday amid allegation that question paper was leaked in Dinajpur. The police arrested a coaching centre director Masud Rana in Dinajpur town in connection with the alleged leak of question. Dinajpur Kotwali

The Election Commission is planning to announce the schedule for the 10th parliamentary election next week, election commissioner Mohammad Shahnewaz told reporters on Wednesday. The EC would fix the date for announcement of the election schedule within a couple of days. The commission had also apprised the President

The Armed Forces Day that marks the establishment of Bangladesh military during the country’s War of Liberation will be observed today with due solemnity and enthusiasm. On this day in 1971, Bangladesh Armed Forces comprising Army, Navy and Air Force came into being and launched an all-out attack on the

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested a total of 1,41,164 criminals for the last nine years, sources at the police headquarters said quoting a brief of the elite force prepared for the high-level delegation of the commonwealth meeting held at Sri Lanka. Of the arrested criminals, 1087 belonged

Two minor boys were injured, one more seriously, Wednesday afternoon as a cracker they had picked up taking it for a ball exploded in the city’s Tejgaon area. Tofazzal Hossain, 11, a student of class III lost three fingers and the wounds of his friend Lokman Hossain, 10, was less serious. The misfortune

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will leave for Saudi Arabia Thursday night to perform Umrah. She will be accompanied by a delegation of about 50 members comprising the prime minister’s family, Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, officials of the foreign ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office, security and media team, said the sources concerned. After performing Umrah

At least seven Bangladeshi nationals were injured in bomb blasts in Beirut on Tuesday, an official of the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. It has been gathered that seven Bangladeshi nationals sustained injuries in the blasts and of one of them was in critical condition, said the official.

Despite widespread criticism, President Abdul Hamid has signed a much-talked-about bill into law that introduced a controversial provision curtailing the Anti-Corruption Commission’s authority to file graft charges against the government officials on its own. From now on, the anti-graft body will

In a span of three days, customs officials again seized at least 8 kilograms of gold worth about Tk 3.75 crore from a passenger of an incoming flight at Shah Amanat International Airport Wednesday morning. A man was arrested for his alleged involvement in gold smuggling, the officials said. He was identified as Jamal Uddin who ... Read more

The cyclonic storm, ‘Helen’, over the west-central Bay and adjoining area moved slightly westwards. It was centred at 3:00pm on Wednesday about 1200 kilometres southwest of Chittagong port, 1150 kms southwest of Cox’s Bazar port and 1040 kms southwest of Mongla port. It is likely to intensify further and move

The BNP-led opposition alliance on Tuesday urged the president to play ‘a historical role’ by taking an initiative for holding a dialogue to resolve the ongoing impasse. The president assured the alliance leaders, who met him at Bangabhaban in the evening, of taking steps within his constitutional authority.

Chief election commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad has sought the support of President Abdul Hamid for conducting free, fair and peaceful elections, with all political parties participating in them. He also sought the President’s support for deploying the Army as early as possible after the election schedule is announced, which is supposed to be declared

At least 80 people were injured as ready-made garment (RMG) workers clashed with police at Ashulia in Savar and in Gazipur on Tuesday, protesting Monday’s deaths of two workers and demanding a minimum monthly wage of Tk 8,144. About 50 RMG units in these areas were also closed for Tuesday because of the agitation and ... Read more

Again accusing the opposition BNP-Jamaat-Hefajat for conducting sniper attacks on common people as well as burning people to death in vehicles during the countrywide shutdowns, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday called upon the countrymen to unite against such anarchy and violence by the opposition. “They (BNP-Jamaat-Hefajat) want to take political

Terming the passage of the Anti-Corruption Commission (Amendment) Bill 2013 as “unconstitutional”, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Tuesday urged the President not to sign it. “The government wants to amend the Act so that it can satisfy persons who will assist the ruling party to stay in power,” TIB chairman advocate Sultana Kamal said. She