Bangladeshis in Libya Dhaka seeks IOM help for evacuation Amid reports of deteriorating conditions of Bangladeshis in Libya, Bangladesh yesterday formally requested the International Organization for Migration to relocate them and arrange food for them. “In light of the latest prevailing situation the government has made a formal request to IOM for assisting the temporary ... Read more
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Over 100 guest birds killed
3 poachers held Only three days after bird enumeration ended at Hakaluki Haor, more than a hundred guest birds fell victim to poison traps set by poachers. Police has arrested three poachers in connection with the killing of birds at Sonapur village of Juri upazila in Moulvibazar district on Wednesday
Family now fears social exclusion
Serafina Suicide Family now fears social exclusion Serafina Mardi’s family is not willing to take fresh legal action against the rapists fearing social exclusion. The indigenous girl was gang raped and then set herself on fire succumbing to utter humiliation through her wedding to one of the rapists followed by an out-of-court settlement. With no ... Read more
1.51 lakh hens culled since January
The livestock department said it culled 1,51,222 hens affected by avian flu since January. It said 17,723 of the hens were culled at four poultry farms in Januray and 1,33,499 others at 41 farms in February. Livestock officials said that they have been culling hens since an outbreak was detected in four poultry farms in ... Read more
Nipah claims 2 more
Nipah encephalitis claimed two more lives in Rangpur yesterday, raising the death toll to 35. Maloti Rani, 38, died at Rangpur Medical College Hospital (RMCH) around 6:00am while five-year-old Rakib Hossain at about 9:00am, Dr Zakir Hossain, head of RMCH Medicine Department, told The Daily Star. Maloti, wife of Monoranjon of Kaharul upazila in Dinajpur, ... Read more
HSC exams start Apr 5
Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations will begin on April 5 instead of earlier announced date of April 1. Eight education boards, the Technical Education Board and Madrasa Education Board will conduct the nearly two-month-long examinations for
Safe exit not only worry
Bangladeshis Trapped in Libya Safe exit not only worry Thousands without food, water; Egypt denies entry to 400 Thousands of desperate Bangladeshis are crying for food, water and a safe exit from violence-riven Libya, witnesses said yesterday amid unfolding scenes of deepening chaos in the sprawling desert country. Brega, or Marsa Al Brega, about a ... Read more
Govt plans SIM tax cut
Also to rationalise 2G licence renewal fees The government plans to reduce SIM taxes, and rationalise the fees for 2G licence renewal and spectrum charges, Telecommunications Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju said yesterday. “I have already talked to the finance minister so the eight hundred taka tax on SIM [subscriber’s identification module] could be reduced in ... Read more
‘Must-win’ game for Tigers
Bangladesh will look to bounce from their opening defeat and keep their quarter-final dream on track when they face Ireland in their second World Cup match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Friday. A string of changes are expected in the Tigers’ line-up with pace bowler Shafiul Islam struggling for his fitness having picked up ... Read more
Polls to 596 UPs in Mar 29-April 3
Parties ignore EC invitation for talks Elections to 596 union parishads in 12 coastal districts will be held in a staggered manner between March 29 and April 3. The chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, on Thursday announced the schedule for the first phase of union parishad polls and said that elections to the rest ... Read more
No specific request to IOM yet
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) yesterday made an urgent appeal to the international community for funding so that it could help evacuate migrants from turbulent Libya. “We are very concerned for all those migrants who may wish to leave, but cannot. Many countries without the adequate resources to evacuate their nationals are now asking ... Read more
Nuke power deal with Russia inked
Bangladesh yesterday signed a primary deal with Russia for installing a 2,000MW nuclear power plant at Rooppur in Pabna. By signing the deal, the government launched country’s first nuclear power plant project (NPP) which would be completed in 2017-18 at a cost of $1.5 to
Wasa plans hike in water tariff
Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) is planning to increase the water tariff as a huge amount of money is needed to treat the surface water. Dhaka mainly depends on the underground water and its level has been going deeper alarmingly. If the situation continues like this, the city in near future may face ... Read more
Nine rapists stay safe
Serafina’s Protest in Suicide Nine rapists stay safe Nine rapists of Serafina Mardi were let off the legal hook as the victim and her family members gave misleading statements before a court here in a rape case, said SM Rokon Uddin, superintendent of Rajshahi police. The rapists and their fathers were not even accused in ... Read more
Plotters not identified
Soldiers’ grievances not met Even two years inside the February 25-26, 2009 rebellion in the then Bangladesh Rifles, later renamed Border Guard Bangladesh, the plotters of the bloody mutiny are still unidentified, the conspiracy is yet to be cracked, and the grievances, identified by two probe bodies as the primary reasons for the rebellion, have ... Read more
1,065 soldiers jailed so far
In two years since the bloody mutiny of BDR border guards took place on Feb 25-26, 2009, some 1,065 rebel soldiers have been sentenced to imprisonment for different terms ranging from four months to seven years till Thursday. All these convicts were also fined Tk 100 each by different special courts set up across the ... Read more
Poppy fields destroyed in Bandarban
Bangladesh army in a drive on Wednesday destroyed seven poppy plantations at remote areas of Remacry of Tanchhi upazila in Bandarban. Yesterday, it distributed vegetables seeds and musical instruments to indigenous people in remote areas of Bandarban close to the Myanmar border to discourage poppy cultivation
Girl commits suicide
A teenage girl allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at Pallabi in the city on Tuesday night. Afrin Afroze Anika, 18, an HSC student of Mirpur Commerce College was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her bedroom at about 11:00pm
Govt contacts ICRC, IOM to help stranded Bangladeshis in Libya
The government has contacted with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) to take measures to protect and evacuate, if necessary, Bangladesh nationals stranded in politically volatile Libya, a senior foreign ministry official on Wednesday said. ‘I have contacted the Libyan Red Crescent Society for ensuring safety and security ... Read more
Trapped in Tripoli
Bangladeshis in Troubled Libya Trapped in Tripoli Thousands of Bangladeshi migrant workers are trapped in trouble-torn Libya, while governments around the world are scrambling to evacuate their nationals from the chaos. Speaking to The Daily Star by phone last night, several Bangladeshi construction workers complained that the Bangladesh embassy in Tripoli is not extending any ... Read more