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ACC got info on Koko’s transactions on Sept 30: Mashhud UNB, Dhaka Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) on Monday defended revelations about BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s youngest son Arafat Rahman Koko’s transactions in Singapore days before elections saying the Commission considers it unacceptable to curb or interrupt its activities for political activities. “It’s unacceptable that the ... Read more

6 Days To Go Polls fever too intense Arun Devnath for Star Online Walk down any road in the capital — quiet or busy — and you can feel the tide of emotions over the year-end elections runs deep. On a Dhaka morning, dulled by winter, one thing emerges urgent for a nation that is ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The Election Commission (EC) will blacklist election observers if any of them are found biased towards any particular political party during polls monitoring, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said. Terming the upcoming polls “different from previous elections”, the CEC said fresh voters could change the country’s political culture by casting ... Read more

Star Business Report The prices of petroleum products were lowered yesterday to help farmers before the boro season, said chief adviser’s special assistant Dr M Tamim. The prices of kerosene and diesel were reduced by Tk 2 per litre while petrol by Tk 4 and octane by Tk 3 a litre, said Tamim, also in-charge ... Read more

CONSTITUENCY DHAKA 5 Voters do not believe in pledges Taib Ahmed With the candidates running for Dhaka 5 and making plenty of promises for the development of the constituency, the general voters tend to believe 30 per cent of their pledges will not be implemented after the elections. The voters, however, expect that some of ... Read more

Indian Americans ask UN to declare Pakistan terrorist state Press Trust of India . New York The incoming Obama administration will put pressure on Pakistan to take strong action against terrorists as also their organisations and dismantle their training camps, a top US lawmaker has said. Addressing a fund-raiser organised by the Indian community in ... Read more

NBR moves to expand tax net Staff Correspondent The number of contestants in the upcoming general election, who have no record of paying tax, still stands at 493, out of the total 1,545 candidates in the Election Commission’s final list. Earlier, the National Board of Revenue found around 870 candidates, who were in the race ... Read more

Agence France-Presse . Istanbul The maker of the shoes that an Iraqi journalist hurled at the US president, George W Bush, has had to take on 100 extra staff to cope with a surge in demand for his footwear, he said on Monday. ‘Between the day of the incident and 1:00pm today we have received ... Read more

Khadimul Islam The Supreme Court has rejected the move of both the home ministry and Election Commission to invest executive magistrates with powers to try electoral offences during the December 29 general elections. The commission received a letter from the Supreme Court, said a high official in the commission secretariat. According to the official, the ... Read more

Fading Ershad charm, multiple candidates may help BNP Rakib Hasnet Suman Jatiya Party (JP) Chairman HM Ershad’s waning popularity in the greater Rangpur area and Awami League’s (AL) continuing indifference to its leaders’ electoral rivalry with JP nominees there despite being partners in an electoral alliance, have brought new hopes for BNP-led four-party alliance nominees ... Read more

4-party lodges complain against ATN Bangla for terming Jamaat leaders war criminals Staff Correspondent Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said a favorable atmosphere is prevailing in the country and the EC is waiting for holding a successful parliamentary election slated for December 29. He also urged both print and electronic media to ... Read more

Mostafa Kamal Majumder The Awami League is setting up equipment for video conference of party chief Sheikh Hasina with voters to ensure that she can reach her messages to a maximum number of people at the shortest possible time, it is learnt. This is a technological response to BNP chief Begum Khaleda Zia’s whirlwind tour ... Read more

Shariful Islam and Aminul Islam from Mymensingh Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her life is under threat since a certain quarter is afraid of the mass surge in favour of Boat, her party’s electoral symbol, ahead of the parliamentary election. “You have already read in newspapers about the apprehension of attacks on ... Read more

Star Report BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday said, if voted to power, her government will construct the Padma Bridge at Mawa to connect the southern region with the capital. She also pledged to supply natural gas from the Shahbajpur gas field in Bhola to other parts of the region. The BNP chief made the pledges ... Read more

Sceptics term it routine promise Mustafizur Rahman Major political parties in their respective election manifestos have made ‘routine pledges’ that they will not meddle in the function of public administration and ensure smooth service delivery for the public. They have announced that if voted to power they will introduce a merit-based appointment and promotion system ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The Election Commission is in a quandary over allotting election symbols to the two candidates of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party for the Comilla 10 constituency. The commission and the returning officer for Comilla have changed election symbols for the two candidates for Comilla 10 constituency at least three times in two days. The ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The home affairs adviser, MA Matin, on Sunday assured all that there was no chance of any attacks on the life of the Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina, also a former prime minister. He said the authorities had taken all-out measures to ensure the security for Hasina following reported threat on her life. ... Read more