Month: January 2009

Staff Correspondent Recently appointed khatib of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Principal Salauddin Ahmed, yesterday led the Juma prayers amid tight security with the presence of a huge contingent of law enforcers and intelligence

UNB, Dhaka Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Friday said the proposed high-powered political committee would be in place anytime now to face the possible affects of the global recession on the country’s economy. “It’ll be there anytime. It’s awaiting cabinet approval,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a 3-day Bangladesh Chemical Congress that began ... Read more

Staff Reporter The “Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2009” will begin tomorrow (Sunday) at the Bangla Academy premises in the city in memory of the historic Language Movement of February 1952. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the month-long festival at 3:00pm at the Bangla Academy as chief guest. National Professor Kabir Chowdhury and Information and ... Read more

UNB, Dhaka Labour and Employment Minister Engr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain yesterday said the government started work to create a database of the unemployed members of every family to give job to one member of each family as per the pre-election pledge of the government. “We’ve already started to create a database of unemployed members of ... Read more

Staff Reporter Hindu community, the second largest religious community of the country, will celebrate Saraswati Puja today. The Puja is celebrated every year on the fifth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Magh, as Goddess Saraswati was born on this day. The day is called ‘Vasant Panchami’. As Saraswati is considered the ... Read more

Staff Correspondent Leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manu-facturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) have urged the government to raise cash incentive in Ready Made Garment (RMG) sector to 15 per cent from existing 5 per cent to face the adverse effect of the global meltdown. Talking to The Bangladesh ... Read more

Staff correspondent Lawmakers of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led main opposition refrained from attending the parliament session Thursday as the speaker, Abdul Hamid, kept pending a decision on their demand to return their front row seats. A BNP parliamentary delegation met the speaker at the latter’s office Thursday morning and demanded that the previous seating arrangement ... Read more

Hasina terms it a national demand Staff Correspondent Parliament on Thursday night approved unanimously, in the absence of the opposition lawmakers, a resolution seeking speedy prosecution of the 1971 war criminals. ‘The resolution seeking trial of the war criminals has been approved unanimously,’ pronounced the speaker, Abdul Hamid, after the house voted ‘yes’ to the ... Read more

Staff Reporter The government will take steps to resettle and compensate the affected residents of several villages covering a area of three square kilometres at Barapukuria Coalmine project in Dinajpur. “We requested the locals to form committee and submit their report about the compensation due to subsidence of their agricultural land and crack occurred in ... Read more

Our Correspondent The annual three-day Bishwa Ijtema, the second largest Muslim congregation after Hajj, begins today on the bank of the River Turag at Tongi, 20 kilometres off the capital, amid heightened security. Hundreds of people from across the country have already reached the place and many others are on their way to attend the ... Read more

Staff Correspondent Police yesterday recovered 14 pieces of the body of a man brutally murdered by unknown criminals in the city. The bare pieces of the body were recovered from a two square kilometre area of Lalbagh. However, the head and a hand, severed from the wrist, are still missing. The victim has been identified ... Read more

Illegal land grabbing by developers continues Real state business faces setback for lack of proper rules Staff Correspondent Real Estate and Housing business continues to face severe setback in absence of proper guidelines in this sector and mistaken plans of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing as well as RAJUK. To The Bangladesh Today, ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The government yesterday signed an agreement with the New Zealand-based consultant firm Maunsell AECOM Ltd for preparing the design of the Padma Bridge. The first major contract signed by the Awami League-led government after three weeks of taking office is also a significant step towards fulfilling the long-awaited desire of the people of ... Read more

Bdnews24.com, Dhaka Food Minister Abdur Razzak said yesterday the government would be “satisfied” if it could bring the price of rice down to a around Tk 18-19 per kg. “But, the price will not fall abruptly as the process depends on the overall food production,” Razzak told a press conference at the food ministry on ... Read more

Staff Reporter The third proposed amendments of the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) Act -04 has been returned to the ACC by the government for more revision if needed. The commission recommended – four amendments ranging from seeking specialists in investigations, inclusion of ACC as a party in the lawsuits that is filed by the commission, ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The Election Commission (EC) has directed banks and other service oriented organisations not to make National Identity (NID) card mandatory for clients and service seekers while providing their services, including opening a bank account, until distribution of NIDs is fully completed. The EC directive came as some banks and service organizations are asking ... Read more

Says Islamabad Cnn-ibn, Islamabad/new Delhi After weeks of dithering, Islamabad has now rejected the 26/11 evidence dossier provided by India. Reports indicate that Pakistan’s internal probe has concluded that the Mumbai terror attack was planned outside its territory. The report that was to be submitted to India by Wednesday is now likely to be communicated ... Read more

Agence France-Presse . Kuwait City Kuwait’s parliament on Thursday approved in principle a new labour law that provides the emirate’s 2.35 million foreign workers better conditions but fails to scrap the controversial sponsor system. Of the 44 members present, 43 voted for the bill while one abstained. If approved in the second and final reading ... Read more

15-member special body to work till standing committees formed; Hasina, Khaleda may sit to decide business before session resumes today; PM to answer lawmakers Shakhawat Liton Parliament will constitute a 15-member special committee today to scrutinise the ordinances to be tabled as bills and make recommendations on those. To be comprised of senior lawmakers from ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The Election Commission on Tuesday suspended the results of seven upazilas, although, according to sources, it found proof of irregularities, stuffing of ballot boxes, capturing of polling centres and intimidation in at least 41 upazilas. The seven upazilas are Banchharampur in Brahmanbaria, Araihajar in Narayanganj, Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar, Kaliganj in Gazipur, Mehendiganj ... Read more