Staff Correspondent Jahirul Islam Jahir, arrested in connection with the killing of businessman Ali Asgar of Lalbagh and slicing the body into 15 parts, was on Saturday remanded in custody for five days for interrogation. The Detective Branch, assigned to investigate the case, produced Jahir in the chief metropolitan magistrate’s court Saturday afternoon seeking him ... Read more
News
Committee to assess recession impacts awaits cabinet’s nod
Staff Correspondent Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Friday said a high-powered committee, which will monitor global recession and work out remedies for its adverse effects on Bangladesh’s economy, would be formed soon. ‘It’ll be there anytime. It’s awaiting the Cabinet’s approval,’ he told reporters at the 3-day Bangladesh Chemical Congress which began on Friday. On ... Read more
Sixty percent construction work of Kirtankhola-Khairabad Bridges over
Our Correspondent, Barisal Sixty percent construction work of two bridges named the Kirtankhola (Dapdapia) and the Khairabad Bridges over the Kirtankhola and Khairabad rivers in Barisal has been completed. Construction of these bridges would influence the development of socio-economic infrastructures of the region connecting it with Chittagong and Mongla sea ports and Kuakata tourist zone. ... Read more
40 lakh tonnes additional rice production possible by farming flood-tolerant varieties
Mamun Islam, BSS, Rangpur Agri-scientists have completed necessary research, experiments and validation of new flood- tolerant varieties of Aman paddy to pave the way for producing 40 lakh tonnes of additional paddy every year by large-scale farming in Bangladesh alone. Repeated success of the scientists and farmers in getting expected production of flood-tolerant paddy in ... Read more
Girls acting as messengers of hygiene, sanitation
Shahidul Islam Chowdhury When nature calls, most of the time Liza, 6, falls in trouble as her family does not own a latrine. ‘At times, I have to defecate in open spaces, no matter whether it is day or night, even knowing that it is bad,’ she said on Tuesday in the yard of their ... Read more
‘Comprehensive approach needed to conserve beneficial insects’
Dr Aynal Haque, BSS, Rajshahi Environmental scientists and researchers underscored the need for taking a comprehensive approach to conserve the beneficial insects in the greater interest of maintaining a sound biodiversity and ecological balance. They also said, the farmers destroy various species of the insects during the time of eliminating the destructive ones due to ... Read more
Govt to borrow $75m from IDB for fuel import
Asif Showkat The finance ministry has given its consent to seek $75 million loan for fuel import from the Jeddah–based Islamic Development Bank with a six per cent mark-up rate, officials said on Thursday. The ministry has also suggested more negotiations with the IDB for reduction of the mark-up rate. The government will seek the ... Read more
SoftExpo ends today with IT boom in vision
Alpha Arzu The country’s largest software and information technology exhibition of the year, BASIS SoftExpo 2009, concludes today, with a target to increase the income from IT-enabled services to $150 million from the present $7 million by 2011, software and information service leaders said. Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services coordinator of events Nurul ... Read more
War criminals barred from leaving country
Govt alerts agencies concerned but no list prepared Staff Correspondent The government on Friday ordered all agencies concerned to bar the suspected war criminals from leaving the country. ‘All relevant information about the war criminals have already been sent to the agencies concerned asking them to guard all points so that the war criminals cannot ... Read more
IOCs surpass state-run cos in gas production
Chevron allowed to extract more gas than tolerable capacity Aminul Islam The daily gas production by the international oil companies in the last few days has exceeded that of the state-run companies for the first time because of the successive governments’ refusal to provide the latter with the required fund to explore and develop gas-fields. ... Read more
BNP to give ‘moral support’ if war crimes trials transparent, says Delwar
Staff correspondent The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Friday said it would lend ‘moral support’ to trial of war criminals ‘if it is done properly’. ‘BNP was never against holding trial of war crimes. We have moral support to the demand for trial of war criminals. But it must be done properly. It must ... Read more
Bishwa Ijtema begins amid unprecedented security
Staff Correspondent Bishwa Ijtema, the religious gathering of Muslims Ummah from around the world began at Tongi on the outskirts of the capital amid tight security measures on Friday. Organised by Tablig Jamaat on the bank of the river Turag in Gazipur district, the event is being attended by around three million Muslims including around ... Read more
Bapex finally breaks free from red tape, to buy €20m rig
Sharier Khan Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration Company (Bapex) has outwitted a five- year-old vicious cycle of bureaucratic bottleneck to procure a drilling rig for 20 million euro to expand its oil and gas exploration capacity. After four rounds of failed tender bids since 2004, Bapex succeeded in its fifth round tender opened in April last year. ... Read more
Motive for Lalbagh killing still unclear
Versions differ as alleged killer’s house attacked Staff Correspondent Detained Sheikh Zahurul Islam Zahir confessed to his involvement in the gruesome murder of Asgar Ali of Lalbagh during police interrogation yesterday. Quoting Zahir, detective police said the accused called Asgar to Zahir’s residence at DND road around 9:00 Wednesday night and strangled him with a ... Read more
Unscientific use of obsolete ships spoils coastal environ
Chittagong Correspondent Environment pollution at Sitakund coast here in Chittagong has allegedly been mounting to an alarming level mainly due to unscientific recycling of obsolete ocean-cruising vessels, dumping of toxic substances and unused bunkers in the seawater. Obsolete ship scrapping, one of the emerging sectors and major source of raw iron supplies to the steel ... Read more
Formalin use in food items rampant
Mahbubur Rahman Khan Consumtion of formalin mixed milk carries the risk of Kidney troubles, cancer, liver diseases and gives rise to any other health problems according to medical experts. A syndicate of milk traders uses formlain in domestic liquid milk to preserve milk and milk products for a long period. Sweetmeat producers and sellers across ... Read more
Shibir leader stabbed to death in city
Staff Correspondent Muggers stabbed an Islami Chhatra Shibir leader to death in front of the Aziz Cooperative Supermarket at Shahbagh early yesterday. The deceased was identified as ATM Fazlullah, son of Fazlul Karim in the city’s Purana Paltan and assistant publication secretary of Shibir. Another Shibir activist Shafiullah, a BA (pass course) student of Kabi ... Read more
CCC plans to house 2 girls’ schools in commercial complex
Move sparks protests Dwaipayan Barua and Abdullah Al Mahmud, Ctg Students and guardians of city’s two reputed girls schools and civil society members expressed resentment at Chittagong City Corporation’s (CCC) plan to demolish the schools and construct a 16-storey multi-purpose building to
Khatib leads prayers amid tight security
Staff Correspondent Recently appointed khatib of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Principal Salauddin Ahmed, yesterday led the Juma prayers amid tight security with the presence of a huge contingent of law enforcers and intelligence
Political committee to face recession-effect to be in place anytime, awaits cabinet nod
UNB, Dhaka Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Friday said the proposed high-powered political committee would be in place anytime now to face the possible affects of the global recession on the country’s economy. “It’ll be there anytime. It’s awaiting cabinet approval,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a 3-day Bangladesh Chemical Congress that began ... Read more