The Rapid Action battalion (RAB) on Sunday night arrested banned Jama’atul Mujahidin Bangladesh’s (JMB) information technology (IT) chief and three other members of the wing in separate drives in the capital and Mymensingh areas. RAB seized five detonators, two grenade covers, a binocular, a laptop and a number of books from their possession, official sources ... Read more
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IDB to provide US$1.3b for Padma bridge
The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has agreed to provide Bangladesh with US$1.3 billion for construction of the proposed Padma Bridge. The government of Bangladesh has also signed a loan agreement with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) under which IDB would disburse 18 million US dollars as project loan for harnessing renewable solar energy. Finance Minister ... Read more
Load-shedding continues despite daylight saving
Residents of both city and rural areas have been facing severe load shedding despite saving of 205MW of electricity on an average after introduction of daylight saving measure from June 19 midnight. State Minister for Power and Energy Advocate Shamsul Hoque Tuku yesterday told the reporters at his Secretariat Office that the power division had ... Read more
Students go on rampage as car kills DU teacher’s wife
Students went berserk following the death of Anima Rani Saha, wife of Professor Parimal Saha of Dhaka University, when a car hit her in front of Jagannath Hall of the university early Monday. The students set fire to the car that hit the victim and damaged a number of other vehicles after the incident on ... Read more
SQC talks to BBC, denies he gave wrong info to EC
BNP MP Salauddin Quader Chowdhury has said, he did not give wrong information in the nomination paper. He said, during state of emergency the joint forces took his educational certificates. That is why he marked ‘no’ in the space provided in the nomination form for noting educational qualification and certificate. The Election commission has taken ... Read more
DCC asks owners, authorities to preserve 93 city heritage sites
The Dhaka City Corporation is issuing letters asking the owners or the authorities of 93 city heritage buildings or sites, listed earlier for preservation, not to bring any changes to the structures. ‘The DCC is issuing letters to the owners or the authorities of 93 heritage sites the list of which was prepared by the ... Read more
Muhith spells new formula
Plans to offer tax rebate for honest taxpayers, money-whitening at fixed rate of tax In the face of intense controversy over whitening of black money, Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday came up with a new formula to do justice to white money holders. Black money holders would be allowed to make investments by paying a ... Read more
Remuneration of MPs to go up
Allowance and emoluments of the members of parliament (MPs) will go up further, as Speaker Advocate Abdul Hamid believes that the present remuneration structure is not enough for them. “Each of the MPs will get an office in the capital and one or more offices in their respective constituencies at upazila level. Each of them ... Read more
Strong information commission sought
Govt vows to implement RTI law The government is committed to implementing the Right to Information (RTI) law, however challenging the task may be, ministers said in response to advice from members of civil society and NGOs at a conference yesterday. The civil society members and NGO officials also emphasised the need for a strong ... Read more
BNP frustrated at court ruling
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Sunday expressed its frustration at the High Court rule which said Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and not Ziaur Rahman, had proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh in 1971. The party’s vice-chairman MK Anwar at a briefing in the party chief’s office at Gulshan at night said, ‘If courts continue to pass judgements
Speaker starts allotting office rooms to MPs in JS complex
The speaker of Jatiya Sangsad, Abdul Hamid, on Sunday started allotting office rooms to the lawmakers in the parliament complex pledging more privileges for the legislators in the coming days. ‘We will try to increase perks and privileges for the lawmakers in course of time so that they can do their work easily,’ the speaker ... Read more
JS body to probe DCC corruption
A parliamentary sub-committee was formed yesterday to investigate alleged corruption of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka and others of the local government body. The parliamentary standing committee on LGRD ministry formed the four-member probe body to enquire into the allegations it received against the incumbent mayor and other senior officials of the
HC verdict not final: Moudud
BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed MP has said that the High Court judgment given yesterday on who proclaimed independence is not final, as the issue raised will be finally settled by the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. Giving his reaction over cell phone to the news agency yesterday afternoon, the former Law ... Read more
Mayhem over illegal toll at Buriganga Bridge-2
50 hurt as CNG drivers, cadres clash for 6 hours Several hundred CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers and hired cadres of the leaseholder of Buriganga Bridge-2 engaged in a series of clashes for six hours over collecting toll, injuring at least 50 people. Transport movement to the south and southwestern districts of the country was suspended during ... Read more
JMB took part in Kansat movement
A member tells The Daily Star In a sensational revelation, a member of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) has said the militant group took part in the Kansat movement in April 2006 because they felt betrayed by the then BNP-led coalition government. The JMB part-timer or gayeri ehsar, interviewed by The Daily Star, also said the ... Read more
Eviction lost in confusion
The tenth day of the ongoing eviction drive against the encroachers of river Shitalakhya went almost wasted yesterday because of confusion and dubious survey by the authorities and their contradictory stance. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and Narayanganj district administration started the anti-encroachment drive at
Hasnat lands in jail
A Dhaka court yesterday sent Awami League leader Abu Hasnat Abdullah to jail after he surrendered before the court in a tax evasion case in which he was earlier sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment in absentia. Judge AK Roy of the Special Court-2 passed the order when Hasnat along with his lawyers appeared before the ... Read more
Ctg arms haul Court order to complete TI parade for Liakat
A court here on Sunday ordered to complete Test Identification (TI) Parade for detained former Deputy Director (DD) of the National Security Intelligence (NSI) Major (Retd.) Liakat Hossain, a prime suspect in hiring trucks introducing him as Abul Hossain in the sensational ten truckloads of arms and ammunition haul case in
30,000 people in Cox’s Bazar are in fear of eviction
June 21: More than 30 thousand people of Cox’s Bazar town are in fear of eviction. People of Nazirartek, Kutubdiapara, Fadhanardail, and Charpara slums adjacent to Cox’s Bazar Airport are in fear of eviction following a visit by the members of JS standing committee on Civil Aviation and Tourism to Cox’s Bazar from June-18 to ... Read more
Country has 2.65 million child workers
The number of child workers aged between five and 14 in the country is 2.65 million, according to Bureau of Statistics survey of 2002-3 which is the latest survey report. Of them, 0.56 million children are engaged in risky jobs, Labour and Employment Minister Engineer Khondakar Mosharraf Hossain said in reply to a question asked ... Read more