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There were mixed reactions to the new labour law amendments, with the apparel manufacturers and garments workers expressing diverging views. Apparel manufacturers welcomed the newly amended labour law but the trade union leaders and garment workers expressed their concern, terming it “anti-worker” and “employer friendly”.

Most of the 75 public parks and playgrounds in the Dhaka city are in a deplorable condition. The city’s green spaces are gradually disappearing, thanks to encroachment and illegal occupation by influential quarters, which are exploiting them for commercial purposes. Ideally, a city should have at least 10 to 25 per cent open

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday said if opposition leader Khaleda Zia returns to power she would build a new building replacing the much-talked-about “Hawa Bhaban” to initiate a “new trend of corruption.” “If voted to power, Khaleda Zia will build a country

Bangladesh Nationalist Party acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday said the party’s senior-vice chairman Tarique Rahman’s health had improved remarkably and he would return from the UK ‘very soon’. Fakhrul made the remarks at the Shahjalal International

Only 36 per cent of the work of upgrading the Dhaka-Chittagong highway to four lanes has been done till June 30, though the deadline for the project is set for December 2014, according to a recent Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) report. In the report, the project consultant, Md Rafiul Islam,

President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) Judge Shunji Yanai on Thursday appointed Jean-Pierre Cot as arbitrator on Thursday in the arbitral proceedings instituted for the settlement of the maritime delimitation dispute between Bangladesh and India in the Bay of Bengal. Cot replaces Tullio Treves (Italy), who has

Smuggling of oil from ships, particularly foreign-owned vessels, has become rampant in Chittagong. Several strong syndicates are engaged in smuggling oil from ship to ship, or from the oil companies, in the name of industries. The syndicates are also smuggling oil from state-owned Padma Oil Company, Jamuna Oil Company and Meghna Oil Company

The Awami League-led 14-party Grand Alliance will launch a massive campaign after Eid-ul-Fitr against the propaganda spread by Hefazat-e-Islam and Jamaat-e-Islam and highlight the government’s achievements in the last four-and-a-half years. In this regard, the party would also announce a month-long series of programmes, including discussions, rallies

Eid shoppers on Friday rushed to the city markets, winning their freedom after the four day hartal ending on Thursday but the sudden crowd in the shopping malls left the streets of the capital in a traffic nightmare with gridlocks continuing late in the evening. The situation was worsened by not only the automobiles but ... Read more

The first death anniversary of noted writer and dramatist Humayun Ahmed was observed on Friday across the country in a befitting manner with various commemorative programmes on his life and works. Hundreds of fans from different parts of the country, along with the family members, friends and well-wishers visited the Nuhash Palli where he was

Indian Border Security Force once again shot dead a Bangladeshi at Narayanjot-Panditpara border in Panchagarah district early on Friday. The latest killing took place when Bangladesh-India joint working group was holding meeting in New Delhi to discuss border killings,

Human trafficking to Malaysia has found a new route. At least 25 syndicates, with several thousand agents, are transporting Bangladeshi people to Malaysia, with false promises of work, through the sea route. Law enforcement agencies have been kept on their toes to prevent such trafficking. However, they are yet to arrest any of the trafficking

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday warned that those who are agitating for the cancellation of the BCS quota system would “be identified and disqualified for all kinds of jobs in the country.”  “Pictures of those who are vandalizing public and private property in the name of movement over BCS quota system would be collected ... Read more

Khaleda says her party will ensure good governance BNP chairperson and leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia said on Thursday that if voted to power in the next general election, her party would form a new type of government which would be free from corruption and would ensure good governance and democratic norms. Addressing an ... Read more

The Election Commission is going to amend the RPO to ensure that those convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) cannot contest elections. “Those who have been convicted by the ICT will not be able to contest elections. The EC is going to amend the existing RPO incorporating such provisions,” Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin ... Read more

The ongoing political crisis of Bangladesh should be resolved by the political parties of the country, says Lord Avebury, Co-chairman of the All Party parlaiemntary Group of United Kingdom. Addressing a seminar in the committee room of the House of Lords in London on Wednesday night, he also stressed the need for a participatory, credible ... Read more

The Paresh Baruah-led hardliners’ faction, now known as Ulfa (Independent), on Monday wrote a letter to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressing its resentment over the swapping of Bangladeshi criminals in exchange of Ulfa’s founder general secretary Anup Chetia, reports Times of India online. The Ulfa(I) said Chetia should be handed over to India

A trader, who was injured in an attack by miscreants here on Wednesday night, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Thursday. The deceased was identified as Mintu Chandra Dhar, 30, son of Chitta Ranjan Dhar of Badda Bhattapara in Savar municipality area.

The government has threatened legal action against Yunus Center if it did not  withdraw the statement over a ‘remark’ by Sheikh Hasina. The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement to this end signed by the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad on Thursday, a day after issuance of the statement by the Yunus Center. ... Read more

New Delhi believes that the bilateral cooperation between Bangladesh and India will not stop even if there is a change of government in Dhaka, Anandabazar Patrika, a Kolkata-based influential daily, reported on Thursday. “From security to trade, The cooperation between New Delhi and Dhaka has enhanced in all sectors since the government of Sheikh Hasina