Tag Archives: Bdnews24
Govt to decline WB fund if charges unproved
Dhaka, Jan 26 (bdnews24.com)—In a thinly veiled dig at the World Bank, prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday hinted that her government will not take money from the global lending agency to implement the Padma bridge project if the donor fails to prove charges of corruption it raised in the country’s biggest infrastructure project.
“A donor organisation has raised allegation of corruption relating to the Padma bridge. But we have not found any proof of corruption,” she told a function at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city.
Taslima’s ‘Nirbashan’ to release in Dhaka
Dhaka, Feb 2 (bdnews24.com) —Taslima Nasreen’s latest book, Nirbashan, whose official launch was cancelled at the Kolkata Book Fair, will be released at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair on Thursday.
This is the seventh instalment of the controversial writer’s autobiography, which Kolkata Book Fair organisers – Publishers and Booksellers Guild – avoided the launch because the release might have affected security of the thousands of visitors at the fair.
The book was published by the People’s Book Society in Kolkata and Agami Prokashani in Dhaka.
Shariatpur nominations in by Feb 13
Dhaka, Feb 2 (bdnews24.com)—The Election Commission on Thursday published the schedule for by-elections to Shariatpur-3 constituency slated for Mar 15.
The circular, published by EC secretary Mohammad Sadiq, sets the last date for nomination submission on Feb 16; they would be screened on Feb 19 and can be withdrawn until Feb 26.
Farhad Ahmed Khan, the regional election official for Chittagong, will act as the returning officer for the polls.
The parliamentary seat has been vacant since senior Awami League MP Abdur Razzak’s death late last year. Razzak, one of the leading organisers of 1971 Liberation War, died on Dec 23 at a London hospital.
BNP to revive all withdrawn political cases: MK Anwar
Dhaka, Feb 1 (bdnews24.com)— BNP will revive all the cases withdrawn during the tenure of Awami League-led incumbent government, the party’s standing committee member M K Anwar said on Wednesday.
“The incumbent government has so far withdrawn 7,131 cases against themselves. None of the withdrawn cases were against the opposition parties. Fifteen corruption cases against prime minister Sheikh Hasina were withdrawn. When we come to power, those cases will be revived and tried quickly,” he said at a discussion at the National Press Club.
According to reports, the home ministry withdrew more than 7,000 political cases filed against Awami League leaders and supporters, filed during the past military-backed caretaker government.
SSC, equivalent exams begin
Dhaka, Feb 1 (bdnews24.com)—Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations began on Wednesday across the country.
On the first day, students under general education board are sitting for Bengali (compulsory) first paper, those under Dakhil board are sitting for Easy Bengali first paper and those under Vocational board are sitting for Bengali Language and Bangladeshi Culture first paper.
This year, all the papers will see creative questions except Bengali second paper, English first and second paper and mathematics.
The tests commenced simultaneously in 2,464 centres under eight general education boards, Dakhil and vocational board.
Power price hike Wednesday
Aminur Rahman Rasel
bdnews24.com correspondent
Dhaka, Jan 31 (bdnews24.com) – Bulk power prices will go up from Wednesday, as announced by the government last year.
Bulk power will cost Tk 3.74 from 3.27.
On average, all power tariff rates at the retail level will be raised to Tk 5.02 from Tk 4.71 per BoT unit, marking a 7.09 percent rise.
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission in November last year announced hiking the power price at retail levels by a total of 21.28 percent in two phases.
SPECIALCall to disclose military court records
Abu Sufian
bdnews24.com Senior Correspondent
Dhaka, Jan 31 (bdnews24.com)—Relatives of death convicts and human-rights activists have demanded that confidential records of all military trials be flung out in the open for public view to dispel misgivings.
Former ambassadors, civil servants and a retired Supreme Court judge have rallied behind the call.
In the context of the recent developments in the army and its rare admission of a coup plot, they suggest that declassification of the old secret documents could do away with the general confusion among the citizens.
‘Shafique joined procession to save job’
Mujtaba Hakim Plato
bdnews24.com
Dhaka, Jan 30 (bdnews24.com) – Shafiqul Islam Shafique, the man who died allegedly in a clash between police and Jamaat-e-Islami workers, had been forced to go to the Jamaat procession, his brother claimed.
Police say they did not fire on the mass procession that Jamaat’s Rajshahi unit took out on Monday afternoon.
His elder brother Rafiqul Islam said Shafique was not involved in politics. “We heard that the procession was standing at a place peacefully when the clashes began. My brother died when he was running away. We heard that he was shot,” Rafique said.
Hasina warns AL MPs
Dhaka, Jan 30 (bdnews24.com)—The prime minister has warned her party’s MPs to ‘mend their ways’ in time.
Also the Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina told a meeting of the party’s parliamentary party on Sunday that she had up-to-date information on all the legislators and she had already gone through 200 of them.
Several sources at the meeting said it was on the basis of these reports that she made her warning.
Hasina also urged Awami League MPs to improve communications with citizens and party workers. A source said she had warned the MPs that those who cannot earn the trust of party colleagues in the next two years would not get a nomination in the next election.
Anti-porn law has 7 years in jail
Dhaka, Jan 29 (bdnews24.com) – A bill was tabled in parliament on Sunday with provisions of up to seven years of jail sentence for production, storage, marketing, sale, carrying, supply and exhibition of pornography.
Home minister Shahara Khatun presented the ‘Pornography Control Act 2012′ after which it was sent to a parliamentary committee for scrutiny.
According to the bill pornography is any dialogue, acting, posture, unclothed or partially unclothed dance in cinema, video, photography, graphics, audio-visual image or imagery otherwise captured and displayable, which causes sexual arousal and has no artistic or educational value.
Dhaka stocks sliding down
Dhaka, Jan 29 (bdnews24.com)—The Dhaka Stock Exchange general index has shed 246.08 points or 5.48 percent with an hour of trading left on Sunday with prices of most issues falling.
The DGEN was around 4240.90 points around 2:09pm. Shares and mutual funds worth Tk 1.83 billion changed hands by then with prices of 253 issues falling, one rising and one remaining at its opening rate.
In the closing day of last week, the DGEN skidded below the 4500-point mark on Thursday to 4486.98 points, the lowest since the market instability started in Dec 2010.
BREAKING NEWSDeal sealed for biggest power station
Dhaka, Jan 29 (bdnews24.com)—The government on Sunday signed an agreement with India to set up the biggest power station ever, with production capacity of 1320 megawatt (MW).
Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) struck the deal with India’s public sector National Thermal Power Company (NTPC). This is the 50th agreement signed by the Awami League-led government to set up power stations in Bangladesh.
PDB chairman A S M Alamgir Kabir and NTPC chairman Arup Roy Chowdhury signed the agreement.
The PDB chief said the power plant will be set up at Bagerhat’s Rampal and Bangladesh and India will have equal partnership in production.
Tours get roads repaired: Quader
Satkhira, Jan 28 (bdnews24.com) – The communications minister says roads are being repaired in a hurry wherever he is to visit, which is why he is planning to tour the whole country.
“They repaired all the broken roads because I was coming,” Obaidul Quader told a rally on Saturday at Satkhira after inspecting repair work.
“So I plan to go wherever there are broken roads,” he said.
He added that the Roads Division had been asked to repair the roads across the country before next monsoon.
‘Tevez could yet stay at City’
London, Jan 27 (bdnews24.com/Reuters) – Carlos Tevez could stay at Manchester City until the end of the season even though he has not kicked a ball for them since September and is unlikely ever to do so again.
The 27-year-old Argentine international, banned, fined and in self-imposed exile in his homeland, has been linked with moves to Inter Milan, AC Milan and Paris St Germain but City’s asking price of around 25 million pounds has partly prevented any deal from happening.
QPR’s Ferdinand receives bullet in post: reports
London, Jan 27 (bdnews24.com/Reuters) – Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand has been sent a bullet in the post, British media reported on Friday, less than 24 hours before an FA Cup tie in which he could come face to face with Chelsea’s John Terry, the player charged with racially abusing him.
England and Chelsea captain Terry, who denies any wrongdoing, is due to appear in court next week over the alleged racist abuse which has added extra tension to the build-up to Saturday’s fourth-round match at Loftus Road.
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