Cites global meltdown impact as reason, denies entry to 532 Bangladeshi workers in Kuala Lumpur Staff Correspondent Malaysia on Tuesday cancelled visas for more than 55,000 Bangladeshi jobseekers, which were approved back in 2007, citing the impact of global economic recession on its manufacturing sector. These workers were scheduled
News
Govt asked to explain judicial magistracy legality
Staff Correspondent The High Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the government for delaying the passage of two ordinances to make the judiciary independent of the executive. The High Court bench of Justice ABM Khairul Haque and Justice Abdul Hye, in a rule issued suo moto, also asked the government to explain by March ... Read more
Army Act being considered for fastest trial: Shafiq
bdnews24.com, Dhaka The law minister, after a meeting with the attorney general and the army’s judge advocate general on Wednesday, said trying the BDR mutineers under the Army Act is still being considered for the fastest trial. “As Bangladesh Rifles is a ‘disciplinary force’ and it killed officers of another ‘disciplinary force’ their trial could ... Read more
MPs fear agitation by city dwellers over water shortage
Mustafizur Rahman Shortage of water, which is gradually becoming acute in the capital with the summer setting in, may trigger demonstrations by city-dwellers, fear Members of Parliament. The city’s lawmakers expressed their concern at a meeting with the LGRD and cooperatives minister, Syed Ashraful Islam, at the secretariat on Wednesday. They demanded immediate solution of ... Read more
No sign of improvement in power, gas supply: Water crisis turns serious in city
UNB, Dhaka Although the government set up monitoring cell in Power and Energy Ministry, no substantial improvement appeared in the power and gas supply situation across the country. The country has been experiencing more than 2000 MW power shortage and about 200 million cubic feet (MMCF) gas shortage
Four army officers laid to rest
Body of Maj Hakim identified Staff Correspondent Two army officers killed in a chopper crash on Monday and two during the massacre at Pilkhana BDR Headquarters were laid to eternal rest yesterday at city’s Banani Army Graveyard. The officers buried with state honour are Maj Gen Rafiqul Islam, general officer commanding of 55 Infantry Division ... Read more
Tanveer asked to explain breach of discipline
Staff Correspondent The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has asked one of its policymakers, Chowdhury Tanveer Ahmed Siddique, to explain why action will not be taken against him for breaching party discipline and defaming the party chief. The party’s joint secretary general Nazrul Islam Khan on Wednesday told New Age that the show-cause notice was served to ... Read more
Scotland Yard cops arrive to advise local agencies
UNB, Dhaka A four-man Scotland Yard team that arrived here yesterday will not investigate the BDR carnage but advise law-enforcing agencies here as to how the UK would conduct investigation into a matter of this magnitude. “They are not here to solve the crime-that role must sit rightly with the Bangladeshi law-enforcement agencies. The UK ... Read more
Confce on special economic zone held
Staff Reporter A three daylong conference on special economic zone (SEZ) development styled ‘Deep Dive’ to stimulate discussions on best practices and actionable strategies begins yesterday at the Hotel Radisson. The World Bank Group’s (WBG) Investment Climate Department organised the programme. The objective of the Deep Dive is to serve as a networking and learning ... Read more
Extraction ban makes stone chips rare, pricey
Kawsar Khan The supply of stone chips has dropped in recent times raising its prices in local markets because of a partial government ban on stone collection from two rivers in Sylhet. Since February 2, the Department of Environment (DoE) imposed a ban on the use of machines to collect stone from the Piyain and ... Read more
AL names 36 women candidates for reserved JS seats
Staff Correspondent The ruling Awami League on Monday published the list of its 36 women candidates for women’s reserved seats in parliament, including two from allied parties and two others from the families of army officers slain in the February 25-26 BDR rebellion. The AL announced the names of its women candidates for reserved JS ... Read more
The dowry system breaking family ties, destroying women’s dream
Md. Shakib Hasan The dowry has a long history in Europe, South Asia, Africa and other parts of the world. One of the major functions of the society and the state should be to protect women against ill treatment by their husbands and husbands’ kin. The giving of a dowry more or less disappeared in ... Read more
Supermarkets to spread out
Sohel Parvez Supermarket biggies have attempted a massive expansion drive this year to catch up more shoppers who still depend on unorganised wet markets to buy their essentials. The rise in supermarkets, according to analysts, will diversify consumer choices and boost consumer spending needed for economic growth, while the wet markets will also witness an ... Read more
Investors may get money whitening facility again
Staff Correspondent The government might provide facility again to legalise the undisclosed money to boost up the industrialisation and employment in the wake of global financial recession, hinted the revenue board chairman on Sunday. ‘We want all kinds of money should come into the formal economy,’ Abdul Mazid, national board of revenue chairman, said at ... Read more
Carnage plotted at least 2 months back
Investigators cite phone records; so far 100 people’s involvement found in Pilkhana killing Shariful Islam Citing telephone records of some suspects, investigators yesterday said the February 25 massacre at BDR Pilkhana headquarters might have been planned at least two months back. They said so far they have collected the last
Sufferings of city dwellers mount due to severe power crises
Manufacturing industries count huge loss Sufferings of city dwellers mount due to severe power crises Staff Correspondent In the capital, frequent power disruption and load shedding is seriously affecting the city dwellers, educational institutions, business establishments and hospitals as the supply of electricity fell drastically due to gas
Agriculture Ministry suffers officer shortage frustrating agro promotion
Sale of fake fertiliser across the country Agriculture Ministry suffers officer shortage frustrating agro promotion Staff Correspondent A section of unscrupulous vendors are selling sham fertilisers across the country causing a risk of affecting agricultural production heavily. Although Awami League government is committed to increase agricultural production to control price hike but its plans are ... Read more
BDR rebellion a grave conspiracy, says PM
Staff Correspondent The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, said Thursday that last week’s troop rebellion at the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters was a ‘grave conspiracy’ against the country’s nascent democracy. ‘It [the rebellion] was a big conspiracy against democracy. It is presumed initially that the rebellion was staged to embarrass and put the democratically elected government in ... Read more
Conspiracy on to divide nation, says Khaleda
Staff Correspondent The leader of the opposition in parliament, Khaleda Zia, on Thursday said conspiracies were on to divide the people amid a national crisis by spreading hatred and pitting one side against another. ‘Bangladesh is under attack. The attack is on country’s independence, sovereignty and national security and we must be united to repulse ... Read more
Five rebels remanded, quizzed by CID
Another army officer’s body identified, BDR soldiers who did not return are now fugitives Staff Correspondent As the Operation Rebel Hunt enters the fourth day, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) started interrogating five BDR mutiny suspects including suspected ringleader Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) Syed Towhidul Alam after