Staff Correspondent The chief election commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda, on Sunday directed the returning officers for upazila elections to suspend the balloting in any centre if law and order of the polling stations deteriorate or voters cannot cast their vote freely. ‘I asked the returning officers to suspend the polls of the centres where voters ... Read more
News
Half the planet may be hit by food crisis by 2100: study
Agence France-Presse . Washington Half of the world’s population could face food shortages by the end of this century due to climate change, a new study warned Thursday. According to researchers, there is a 90 per cent probability that by 2100 the minimum temperatures in the tropics and sub-tropical regions will be higher than the ... Read more
Corruption deepens crisis in power, energy sectors: Experts
Staff Correspondent Energy experts have demanded of the new government to realise their charter of demands – including formulation of coal policy, cancellation of anti-national interest treaty like that with Asia Energy and imposing restriction on gas-coal exporting through enacting specific law. Their demands also include: setting up a new ministry or directorate titled ‘Sea ... Read more
Banks to set up more ATMs as demand surges
Staff Correspondent Cash Link Bangladesh, a company formed by a group of banks and Euronet Worldwide, has decided to set up 855 Automated Teller Machines (ATM) across the country in the next two years, officials said. “We will set up 350 ATMs in 2009 and 505 in 2010,” Syed Masodul Bari, Head of IT of ... Read more
Sri Lanka take on Zimbabwe today
Sports Reporter Mighty Sri Lanka will take on confident and spirited Zimbabwe today in the second match of the Grameenphone Tri-Nation Cricket Tournament at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. The match starts at 9.00 AM. Earlier. Zimbabwe defeated Bangladesh in the opening match of the tournament by 38 runs at the same venue on January ... Read more
Ex-Biman officials want jobs back
Staff Correspondent Around 1000 ex-Biman officials, who lost their jobs under a voluntary retirement scheme in 2007, staged demonstration at the national airlines’ headquarters, Balaka, in Dhaka Saturday for getting
Fertiliser carrying cost rises as Baghabari port idle
Poor navigability in Jamuna keeps vessels away Golam Mostafa Jibon, back from Nagorbarighat Baghabari port has been virtually lying idle for weeks as cargo vessels and barges with huge quantity of fertiliser, rice and fuel are not arriving there due to problem of navigability and dispute between
Tourism booms on quiet politics
Sayeda Akter The number of foreign tourist arrivals in the country grew significantly in 2008, thanks to a relatively stable political situation, said industry people. According to statistics of civil aviation and tourism ministry, a total of 3.50 lakh foreign tourists visited Bangladesh until October 2008, which was a sharp rise from 2.65 lakh in ... Read more
Govt to streamline SOEs to reduce subsidies
Asif Showkat The government has taken an initiative to streamline the loss-making state-owned enterprises to reduce the subsidies doled out to them through its fiscal policy, official sources said. ‘The finance ministry will want to reduce subsidy that is given to the loss-making SOEs as the money will be diverted to the country’s productive sectors,’ ... Read more
DSE stock prices fall last week
Staff Correspondent Dhaka stocks dropped last week due to a profit-taking selling pressure from investors after a two-week bull run, market operators said. The daily average turnover at the Dhaka Stock Exchange, however, went up by 6.11 per cent to Tk 407.39 crore from the previous week’s Tk 383.93 crore. The DSE general index lost ... Read more
Govt plans large-scale admin reshuffle
Strong lobbying on for good positions Staff Correspondent The government plans large-scale reshuffle in bureaucracy with some bureaucrats at various levels in a hectic lobbying for good positions. Some officials, especially the beneficiaries of the BNP-led government, are in fear either of being dumped as officers on special duty or being forced into retirement as ... Read more
Gaza-blitz on
UN chief disappointed at Israel offensives; 15 militants, 22 civilians killed in fighting, airstrikes Ap, Afp, Gaza City Israeli forces pounded rocket-launching sites and smuggling tunnels in Gaza yesterday and planes dropped leaflets warning of an escalation in attacks, as Palestinian militants fired at least 10 more
Hasina asks partymen to stay above personal interests
No more politics of vengeance Unb, Dhaka Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged her party men to forget personal interests and devote themselves to the service of the common people who overwhelmingly voted Awami League to power. “This is not the time for reckoning what we have got and what we haven’t…The main consideration is ... Read more
BCL men violate Hasina’s instruction
DU Correspondent Activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the associate organization of Awami League (AL), have been engaging in clashes, capturing university dormitories and vandalizing student’s assets across the country in violation of AL president Sheikh Hasina’s instructions. After the landslide victory of AL-led grand alliance on Dec 29 election, Sheikh Hasina asked BCL leaders ... Read more
KMCH closed as BCL, ICS activists clash
Staff Correspondent . Khulna Nine students of the Khulna Medical College Hospital were injured in a clash between the Bangladesh Chhattra League and Islami Chhattra Shibir Friday night over establishment of supremacy at the college hostel. The college authorities, meanwhile, declared suspension of all the classes for an indefinite period and asked the students to ... Read more
US seeks to recover Koko’s ‘bribe money’
Bdnews24.com, Washington The US government has moved to recover funds worth US$ 3 million allegedly obtained by the younger son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and kept with a Singapore-based bank, a top justice official has announced. “The forfeiture action was filed Jan. 8 2009 in the US District Court in the District of ... Read more
Experts’ body suggests: 120 ordinances may be ratified temporarily
Rafiqul Islam Azad Members of the Review Committee on legal aspects of the ordinances promulgated by the Caretaker Government have viewed that the ordinances may be ratified in the new Parliament for the time being. Barrister Rafiq-Ul-Haq, a member of the committee, yesterday told reporters that the committee had reviewed all the 120 ordinances. “I ... Read more
Child labour…
Courtesy: thedailystar.net
Bush greets Hasina over phone
BSS, Dhaka US President George W Bush telephoned Sheikh Hasina yesterday evening and congratulated her on assuming the charge of Prime Minister of Bangladesh. President Bush, who made the phone call at 6:40 pm Bangladesh time, termed Hasina’s success in the parliamentary election ‘a huge victory’, an official handout said. He said the verdict of ... Read more
Dhaka condemns Israeli attack on Gaza
Staff Correspondent Bangladesh has condemned the continued Israeli attacks on Gaza as flagrant violation of human rights and international humanitarian laws. ‘The Israeli atrocities are mediaeval carnage in modern times,’ said Bangladesh’s permanent representative to the UN Office in Geneva, Debapriya Bhattacharya. He said this while addressing a special session of the Human Rights Council ... Read more