News

Staff Correspondent Most of the Dhaka city shops are violating the government ban on daily business after 8:00pm, adding to load shedding while the SSC examinees are being the worst sufferers owing to power outages during the evening hours. Most of the big shops and shopping malls in the Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Mirpur, Maghbazar, Khilgaon and ... Read more

MACHINE-READABLE PASSPORTS, VISAS Govt takes fresh move Asif Showkat The government has initiated a fresh move to introduce machine-readable passports and visas as the international deadline restricting travel without them expires at the end of March 2010, said the planning ministry’s officials on Monday. ‘The project proposal for introduction of the much-discussed machine-readable passports and ... Read more

Govt planning to enter into water sharing agreements for other 53 rivers Staff Correspondent Bangladesh is deprived of proper share in Ganges water as per treaty as India is not providing expected flow of water as required by the agreement signed between two countries in 1996. Article 2(2) of Sharing of the Ganges Waters stipulates ... Read more

Staff Correspondent Number of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) bearers may reach a threat-level abruptly as around 6.5 million people are drug users as well as the number is rising in the country alarmingly while 0.4 per cent of total injecting drug users (IDU) are infected with HIV. Around 15,000-25,000 people are infected with HIV and ... Read more

UNB, Dhaka After a relentless movement, the government yesterday assured the unsuccessful candidates of the controversial 27th BCS examinations of job in accordance with the first phase results. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid and Textile and Jute Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina instructed them to inform that they will get ... Read more

Syful Islam A move is afoot to start direct banking arrangement and border trade to accelerate business between Bangladesh and Myanmar. A Bangladesh delegation led by Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank Ziaul Hasan Siddiqui will visit Myanmar from February 19 to 26 to have detail discussion with proper authority. Other members of the delegation include ... Read more

Rakib Hasnet Suman The initiative for ensuring local government bodies’ transparency and accountability and the balanced development across the country is likely to be hampered as the local government commission (LGC) is set to lose its effectiveness. The parliamentary special committee recommended not to ratify the ordinance on LGC, which the caretaker government promulgated last ... Read more

Rejaul Karim Byron The much-awaited machine-readable passport (MRP) and visa project will be placed at a meeting of Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) today. The five-year project will be implemented at a cost of Tk 350 crore although the last BNP-led alliance government attempted to undertake the project with an estimated cost ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The cabinet yesterday approved in principle 10 of the 54 ordinances the parliamentary special committee recommended for making into laws. More ordinances out of the remaining 44 are likely to get the cabinet nod Wednesday, sources said. The special committee, formed to examine the ordinances promulgated by the last caretaker government, recommended 54 ... Read more

Agence France-Presse . Caracas The president, Hugo Chavez, and his supporters celebrated victory Monday after Venezuelans voted to scrap term limits on elected posts, paving the way for him to seek re-election in 2012 and beyond. Chavez, a flamboyant and tireless campaigner said he intended to stand for a third term in 2012. ‘The doors ... Read more

Staff Correspondent Jatiya Sangsad speaker Abdul Hamid on Monday rejected all 50 notices submitted in parliament by the opposition lawmakers seeking discussion on issues of ‘public importance’ by adjourning the day’s business. ‘The ministries concerned will take appropriate measures to address some of the matters while solution to a few other issues are possible within ... Read more

Two groups of BNP grassroots leaders locked in scuffles Staff Correspondent Two groups of BNP grassroot leaders and activists were locked in scuffles and chase and counter chase at Mowlana Bhasani party office at Nayapaltan on Monday. As part of party reconstitution process, Ahmed Khalil Khan, president of Chandanaish thana BNP at Chittagong south and ... Read more

bdnews24.com, Dhaka Pakistan is all for a South Asian taskforce against terrorism proposed by Dhaka, the president’s special envoy said on Monday. Mirza Zia Ispahani, the special envoy who came to Dhaka earlier in the day on a three-day visit, met foreign minister Dipu Moni and hailed the move to form the taskforce. He, however, ... Read more

Inflation revised at 7pc from earlier 9pc Staff Correspondent The government has decided to stick to the initial projection of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 6.5 per cent in the current fiscal, despite negative forecast by a lending agency. The decision for sticking to the initial projection, set by the immediate-past interim ... Read more

BANGLADESH-MYANMAR TRADE Border market and banking transactions to be discussed Khawaza Main Uddin Dhaka is sending a technical team to Yongon next week to work out the modalities of banking transactions and of making the planned ‘border market’ operational to increase trade between Bangladesh and Myanmar, a pariah state with huge business potential. According to ... Read more

Staff Reporter The government will form a land commission to resolve land problem issues for all aboriginal communities in Chittagong Hill-Tract districts as the ownership of land was not established on the basis of birthright. Food and Disaster Management Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque said this to a delegation at Secretariat. The seven-member delegation was led ... Read more

UNB, Dhaka There is no concrete action plan in sight to tackle the looming power and gas crises even though the country has started seeing load-shedding well before the summer. Power and Energy Ministry officials said the country is set to face a severe energy crisis as the policymakers of the new government are now ... Read more

DU Correspondent Dhaka University Journalists’ Association (DUJA) demanded immediate removal of DU Fine Art teacher Shishir Bhattacharya for allegedly provoking students to beat up it’s five reporters over ragging a female admission seeker Sunday. The association also demanded expulsion of the attacking students, treatment for the injured reporters and return of the snatched cameras, mobile ... Read more

Rakib Ahammed Three boys of class X — Russell, Mithun and Jewel — were moving from one stall to another to find some newly arrived science fictions at the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela. The boys have been saving money for last couples of months. “We have bought three science fictions by Muhammad Jafar Iqbal and ... Read more

Mumbai attacks prompted govt to a 34pc hike Our Correspondent, New Delhi India today announced a 34 percent hike in its defence budget keeping in view the security scenario in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks last year. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who presented the interim budget in parliament, said the allocation has been increased ... Read more