1,793 workers killed, 2,684 injured in 2008 Staff Correspondent Around 1,793 workers and day labours of different sectors throughout the country were killed and around 2,684 were injured last year at their respective workplaces due to absence of adequate occupational safety and negligence of authorities concerned. This was disclosed by participants at a discussion meeting ... Read more
News
End of an era
British Airways set to exit from Bangladesh Sohel Parvez British Airways (BA) is set to bring down the curtain on Bangladesh next week, ending an era of direct Dhaka-London flights. Travellers are expected to pass more hours on their ways to Europe and North and South Americas. The airline will say goodbye to Dhaka by ... Read more
Rubber producers eye export market
Shakhawat Hossain The state-owned rubber producer has sought approval from the higher authorities to export its products in a move that has been hailed by private sector as well because it will open a new chapter to the local rubber growers. ‘We have sought permission from the forest ministry to export rubber,’ said Bangladesh Forest ... Read more
Cabinet moves to protect biodiversity of haors
Pilgrims will have to pay Tk 2,20,550 to perform Hajj Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday ordered the authorities concerned to cancel the leasing licences of any haor if its lessee was found catching fish or pumping out water from it. The order was issued at the meeting of the cabinet held ... Read more
Regular fire drill in public, private buildings stressed
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Dhaka Participants in a roundtable on Monday called for conducting regular fire drill in all the public and private buildings as well as educational institutions to create awareness of fire. They made the call at the roundtable titled ‘Fire Incidents at Multi-storied buildings: related thoughts’ at the National Press
Netherlands to give Euro 5M for BRAC University
BSS, Dhaka The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) will give euro 5 million (approximately Taka 50.4 crore) to support to the Institute for Educational Development (IED) of BRAC university for over five years under the Netherlands Development Programme. An agreement to this effect was signed here on Monday between the Netherlands Ambassador ... Read more
Move to construct high rise at RDA market protested
Our Correspondent . Rajshahi Businessmen at the RDA Market in Rajshahi city staged a demonstration on Monday, demanding withdrawal of the decision to build a multi-storied building in the market. The agitating businessmen brought out a procession in the city to press for their demand. The procession was followed by a rally in front of ... Read more
3 more army families receive PM’s cheques
BSS, Dhaka Three more families of army officers killed on February 25-26 Peelkhana carnage received cheques of Taka 10 lakh each and letters of compassion from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. A delegation on behalf of the Prime Minister led by Chief Whip Abdus Shaheed went to the houses of the army families and handed over ... Read more
FBCCI urges govt: Turn blind eye to black money if tycoons buy bond
Staff Reporter The government will go for a wide extension of the tax-net in the upcoming budget for 2009-10 fiscal year, as it will have to concentrate on internal resources, in view of a slowdown in foreign aid flow in the wake of the global recession. National Board of Revenue Chairman Mohammad Abdul Mazid said ... Read more
Video-audio evidence of BDR carnage found
Footage to help investigation greatly; another FBI team shortly; govt waits for post-mortem on BDR men’s death Staff Correspondent Investigators of the BDR carnage found audiotapes and footage of the BDR officers’ meeting held on February 25 morning at Darbar Hall in Pilkhana and the CCTV footage of arms being looted from the BDR arsenal. ... Read more
Landless to get govt land in upazilas
Govt also plans to set up shelters for the destitute Mustafizur Rahman The government has initiated a move to distribute ‘khas’ or government-owned land among the ‘landless people’ in each upazila across the country. The entire process, that includes listing of landless people, identifying khas lands not in use by any authorities and allocation, will ... Read more
Rice turns cheap
Good stock, low global market bring down prices Staff Correspondent The prices of both coarse and fine rice varieties are decreasing in this non-harvest season when rice prices normally remain high. Sufficient stock and supply of rice and paddy and a fall in food grain prices on the international market are the main reasons behind ... Read more
Delhi asks Dhaka for water transit to Tripura
Raheed Ejaz New Delhi has asked Dhaka to allow transportation of heavy machinery and other equipments from Kolkata to Agartala through Bangladesh’s Ashuganj river port. The cargo will be used to construct a power plant in Tripura state. The Indian delegation made the request on Monday, the first day of the two-day talks on water ... Read more
Minister craves for luxury car
Violates govt rules to get one at cost of public money Staff Correspondent In breach of government rules, Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has lately invited tenders for a cross-country vehicle to be used by Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain. According to procurement rules, a department cannot usually purchase of its own accord any vehicles, ... Read more
Source, cause of fire not known
Probe report blames Bashundhara for negligence in safety Hasan Jahid Tusher The probe committee that investigated the fire incident at Bashundhara Shopping Complex in its report yesterday could not identify the source and cause of the fire but mentioned gross negligence of the Bashundhara authorities regarding fire safety. The Bashundhara authorities did not cooperate with ... Read more
Body formed on BDR reconstitution
Staff Correspondent The government on Monday formed a committee on the reconstitution of the border force in the wake of February 25–26 rebellion of soldiers in the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters in which at least 81, mostly army officers, were killed, a high official said. ‘I will do it at the earliest in the interest of ... Read more
Cabinet amends National Hajj Policy
Adopts new hajj package UNB, Dhaka The Cabinet at its regular meeting Monday brought some amendments to the National Hajj Policy and adopted a new hajj package to comply with new rules introduced by the Saudi government. “The total cost of hajj will be Tk 2,20,550 per person under the new package,” PM’s Press Secretary ... Read more
Hazard in high rise: Firemen have to wait for the fire to climb down
Staff Reporter Speakers yesterday expressed the view that high-rise buildings in Dhaka city have multiplied the problems fire hazard, electricity, water shortage and equitable distribution of land and other resources. Fire is an issue not only for high-rise buildings but for many structures in the capital for failing to follow the building code or taking ... Read more
DU, BUET among world top varsities
Staff Reporter Two leading public universities of the country-University of Dhaka (DU) and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) have been ranked as 4922 and 3801 in global position respectively according to Webometrics January survey. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) of the USA has been ranked as number one in the world. Stanford University ... Read more
South Asian journalists at risk: CPJ
Agence France-Presse . Manila Journalists in South Asia face ‘severe risks’ amid escalating violence in the region, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said in a report released in the Philippines Monday. Attacks on media workers in Sri Lanka and Pakistan have increased and four other countries in the region — Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh ... Read more