Staff Correspondent The education minister, Nurul Islam Nahid, on Sunday visited Banglabazar book market in Dhaka and found a powerful syndicate behind the artificial crisis of secondary textbooks. As soon the minister entered the market in the afternoon, a number of retailers who went to the market
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She died to save neighbour from killers
Quazi Amanullah, Khulna She died showing a rare courage of braving bullets and bombs of miscreants to save her neighbour. Parvez Howlader, 30, an activist of Awami League, died on the spot on the night of January 4 at Pabla Palpara under Daulatpur Police Station in Khulna city as miscreants sprayed bullets and threw bomb ... Read more
Past glory of port city to be revived
BSS, Chittagong Ministers, Lawmakers and Leaders of the Mohajote in greater Chittagong region at a public meeting here on Saturday said they would work together for bringing back the past glory of the port city as the country’s economic and industrial hub. In this respect, they sought wholehearted cooperation of the people to free Bangladesh ... Read more
400 students sued
Staff Correspondent More than 400 students of the Government Titumir College were sued for vandalising vehicles at Mohakhali and its surrounding areas in Dhaka on Saturday. The police sub-inspector, Nur-e-Azam, filed the case with Gulshan police against over 400 unidentified students of Titumir College. None was, however, arrested till Sunday evening in connection with the ... Read more
Exports post 13pc rise
Kawsar Khan Exports went up by 13.37 percent in November of the current fiscal year bagging $1.3 billion against the same month last year, and diffused the fear of a long-term effect of global recession in export assumed through the negative export growth in October. In October of fiscal 2008-09, the country’s export earnings dipped ... Read more
2nd ‘Made in Bangladesh’ trade show in New York Oct 2-6
Staff Correspondent US-based company First Multipurpose Services and Bangladeshi communication agency Mattra, in association with the Export Promotion Bureau, will organise a trade show ‘Made in Bangladesh 2009’ in New York of the USA in October 2-6. ‘The five-day trade fair will be held at the Penn Plaza Pavilion Exhibition Hall of Manhattan,’ announced Hossain ... Read more
Dhaka stocks open week downbeat
Staff Correspondent Dhaka stocks lost steam on Sunday, the first trading day of the week, due to a selling pressure from investors, depressed by the last week’s bearish trend, market operators said. The general index of Dhaka Stock Exchange lost 33.69 points, or 1.22 per cent, to close at 2726.98, while its blue chips index, ... Read more
Formation of Price Commission to check price hike of essentials vital
NATION BUSINESS REPORT A leading economist has suggested a price commission be set up involving the ministries of commerce, agriculture and finance to bring down prices of essentials within the reach of common people in a short span of time. Welcoming the government’s decision to cut diesel price at its first cabinet meeting, Chairman of ... Read more
Ouster for failure
PM Gets Down to Task Ouster for failure Hasina warns ministers over poor job, graft allegations; tells top bureaucrats not to clutch at excuses M Abul Kalam Azad Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday categorically warned her cabinet colleagues that she will not hesitate to remove them from offices if they fail to fulfil her party’s ... Read more
US, UK seek govt coop in recovering $200m bribe money
Staff Correspondent The United States and the United Kingdom have sought the cooperation of the government, law ministry, attorney general’s office and the Bangladesh Bank to recover $200 million allegedly taken by a dozen Bangladeshis, including former BNP ministers, leaders and businessmen, in bribe from different international companies in exchange for help in obtaining contracts, ... Read more
Fighting rages in Gaza
Israel hints at ending ‘war on Hamas’; 26 more Palestinians killed; Death toll nearly 900; UN aid agency resumes operation Afp, Ap, Gaza City Israel indicated for the first time yesterday that an end was in sight to its war on Hamas, amid some of the heaviest clashes of an offensive that has killed nearly ... Read more
Arafat not a party to Siemens bribes case, claims BNP
Staff correspondent Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Sunday denied there was any case pending in the United States against Arafat Rahman, youngest son of the party chief, Khaleda Zia, for allegedly taking kickbacks from Siemens, a German telecommunications giant. ‘We have seen reports in newspapers naming Koko in the Siemens bribes case. But, according to the ... Read more
Govt to form expert body to review constitution
Staff Correspondent The government has decided to constitute a high-powered expert committee for a thorough review of the constitution, said a senior minister. The decision came from the yesterday’s cabinet meeting held at the Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. “The committee will be formed to enrich and update the constitution by ... Read more
A village still in mourning for Nurul Islam
Rashidul Hasan from Chatkhil, Noakhali Despite today’s polls in Noakhali-1 constituency, all seemed quiet yesterday in Noakhola village of Chatkhil upazila, the birthplace of late Nurul Islam, a candidate of grand alliance for the constituency for the December 29 polls whose mysterious death led to the deferment of the polls. While visiting the village, there ... Read more
BNP man killed in Ctg; 25 hurt in Natore
Post-polls Violence BNP man killed in Ctg; 25 hurt in Natore Star Report A pro-BNP labourer was killed in Chittagong city Saturday night while at least 25 people were injured in a clash between the supporters of Awami League (AL) and BNP in Lalpur upazila of Natore yesterday. Our correspondent in Chittagong reports: Labourer Khokan ... Read more
Decision on diesel price, fertilizer subsidy today: Motia
UNB, Dhaka Agriculture Minister Motia Chowdhury on Sunday said the government would decide on Monday about reduction of diesel price and increase in subsidy on fertilizers as part of measures envisaged for boosting food production. “The government has already decided in principle. Everyone will be informed after meetings at ministry and expert levels. We’ll reach ... Read more
Polls to be suspended if voters unable to cast vote freely: CEC
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
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