News

The Power and Energy Ministry yesterday finally made a move to create a mega-fund for development of the country’s power-energy sector that has been experiencing cash crunch for long. At a meeting, the ministry decided to move for the huge fund under which a gas sector development (GSD) fund will also be created first through ... Read more

Mauritius is phasing out its Bangladeshi male workforce and it is not renewing their job contracts. The country, however, continues to hire female workers in readymade garment sector and fish packaging factories, recruitment agencies said. “Mauritius has not been issuing work visas to male workers for several months now as part of its policy. But ... Read more

15th Summit begins NAM for tackling challenges of global recession The two-day 15th Non- Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit began on Wednesday at the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El Sheikh with a call for tackling the challenges arising out of the global economic recession. More than 50 heads of state and government, including Bangladesh Prime ... Read more

Hasina tell NAM leaders Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday called for united approach of the Non-Aligned Movement grouping to deal with climate change, world economic recession and terrorism as the present-day world faces these three-pronged problems on way to progress. The Bangladesh prime minister made the call in her country statement while presiding over the ... Read more

Bangladesh’s overseas job market is set to get another blow in months as Mauritius authorities have decided to send some 6000 Bangladeshi workers back home in six months citing global recession impacts. This will be the second biggest case of job loss after Malaysia had cancelled over 55,000 job visas in March. Quoting local workers ... Read more

The Awami League government is amending administration promotion rules, allowing evaluation of employees’ reputation and performance throughout the service career besides the annual confidential reports for promotions at all levels. The secretary-level committee on administrative development affairs at a meeting on Wednesday approved the proposal for amendments to the promotion rules for administration cadre officials ... Read more

They work in stove burner factories without protection, earn Tk 200-250 a week As darkness descends on the Buriganga river, Tauhid begins blowing sulphuric-acid-dipped nozzles of stove burners in bare mouth being completely unaware of the corrosive impacts the acid would leave on his body. Tauhid tests several hundreds of such burners throughout the evening ... Read more

The government’s blanket review of what they called politically motivated cases has given rise to many questions regarding the way in which the whole exercise has been undertaken. In all 2000 petitions were filed before the various review bodies set up in different parts of the country seeking withdrawal of cases. The fact that all ... Read more

British high commissioner in Dhaka Stephen Evans on Wednesday refuted allegations that the diplomatic community in Bangladesh had a hand in “calling the army out of barracks” during the Jan 11, 2007 changeover. Evans said the state of emergency was imposed at the time as an “internal dynamic” in Bangladesh “I do not think neither ... Read more

Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni in her address to the ministerial meeting of the 15th NAM Summit in Egypt on Tuesday called for more coordinated efforts to achieve the best of the two themes of this year’s Summit: “International Solidarity for Peace and Development” and “Current Global Economic Crisis”. According to a press release issued ... Read more

With the continuation of downward trend in Country’s premier bourse Dhaka Stock Exchange for the third consecutive day yesterday, DSE noted that the dowenfall was the outcome of some recent steps taken by the central bank. Dhaka Stock Exchange, the premier bourse, sees the central bank’s recent intervention in the market as main reason for ... Read more

Collect tolls, as they say, for ruling party men, law-enforcers Some extortionist groups are collecting tolls in the names of ruling party men and law-enforcers from the city’s bus terminals–a phenomenon that has started in recent times after a halt of over two years. “To depart from Sayedabad bus terminal, I have to pay Tk ... Read more

The Jamuna bridge approach road and its guide embankment on the Sirajganj end have come under fresh threats or erosion as the swelling river with strong current has put the western Brahmaputra Right Embankment in danger, water officials said. Collapse of a major portion of the ‘hard point’ of the Sirajganj Town Protection Embankment on ... Read more

3,125-strong technology-based unit; proposal sent to PMO The police headquarters has sent a proposal to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for formation of a 3,125-member specialised and technology-based police unit to combat militancy and terrorism. Sources said the proposed unit, National Police Bureau of Counter Terrorism, will have forces having expertise in information technology (IT), ... Read more

The country’s trade deficit may go up in the current fiscal year due to higher imports and lower exports, central bank officials forecast. Bangladesh Bank has projected that external trade deficit might balloon to $5.530 billion this fiscal as an impact of declines in export prices caused by the global recession. ‘We have forecast an ... Read more

COUNCIL SESSION BNP indecisive about whether to seek time The Bangladesh Nationalist Party seems indecisive about whether to approach the Election Commission for an extension of the deadline for political parties to submit their amended constitutions after having them approved in the party council session. The Election Commission has set July 25 as the deadline ... Read more

50 hurt as students clash with villagers over trifling matter Maulana Bhasani University of Science and Technology (MBUST) was closed yesterday for an indefinite period following a fierce clash between students and local people that left at least 50 persons injured. Several student messes and shops adjacent to the university were also ransacked during the ... Read more

BSF kills 789 Bangladeshis in 9 years A three-day top-level meeting between the officials of the border guards of Bangladesh and India begins in the capital today against the backdrop of a sudden increase in the incidents of killing of Bangladeshi villagers in the border areas by the Indian Border Security Force. The director general-level ... Read more