Bangladesh News Archives

“The customs officials opened all the sealed boxes and checked the items at the airport in front of government-formed expert committee and the media”

A forklift takes a box of artefacts into the National Museum at Shahbagh in the capital yesterday after they were brought back to Dhaka from Guimet Museum in Paris. via The Daily Star

“We have noticed no drop-off in business since the ban on bags was introduced. Some people are buying bags and using fewer of them, while many others bring in their own bags to reuse.”

London, Banish the Bags: How the world shames Britain in dealing with 'plastic poison' bags Britain lags behind the rest of the world in dealing with the 'plastic poison' caused by the distribution of billions ... via This Is London

“We also do not want to see war criminals and anti-liberation forces in the elections”

DHAKA: Demands for barring anti-Liberation War forces from elections, announcement of a specific date for the next parliamentary polls and lifting of the state of emergency dominated the second round electoral ... via South Asian Media Net

From correspondents in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 04:03 PM IST Bazlur Rahman, former editor of the daily Sangbad and a freedom fighter, has died following a massive heart attack. via India eNews

Bangladesh News.Net Tuesday 26th February, 2008 Former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday lost appeals before two courts that allowed the current government to prosecute her in different corruption ... via Bangladesh News

A ferry carrying more than 100 people capsized in a river near the Bangladeshi capital Thursday, killing at least 17 people, authorities said. via Guardian Unlimited

DHAKA: Nearly 70,000 fowls were culled and 2,35,408 eggs destroyed in the last two days in three districts of Bangladesh following detection of the deadly H1N5 avian influenza virus, The Daily Star reported ... via Gulf Times

Dhaka, Feb 27 : Bangladesh's former prime minister Khaleda Zia and 10 ministers in her government have been accused of receiving kickbacks while awarding a coalmine operation contract to a Chinese firm during ... via Newkerala.com

PABNA: A reception was accorded to four renowned language heroes of the district at Pabna Annada Gobinda Public Library auditorium Monday. via South Asian Media Net

“Railway minister fulfilled our long standing demand to connect Tripura's southernmost sub-divisional town of Sabroom by a railway line”

From correspondents in Tripura, India, 04:00 PM IST Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar Wednesday welcomed the railway budget as it provided many sops for the northeastern states. via India eNews

Bangladesh News.Net Tuesday 26th February, 2008 Dhaka, Feb 26 The Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission Tuesday filed a case against former prime minister Khaleda Zia for allegedly awarding a contract to a ... via Bangladesh News

“The purchase decision will be announced by March 15.”

Staff Reporter The world largest commercial aircraft manufacturer Airbus SAS of France and US airplane producer Boeing are competing to supply aircraft to Biman Bangladesh Airlines. via The New Nation

“The election commission has already missed some targeted steps that created doubts on holding elections as per the roadmap by this year”

DHAKA: The Awami League , one of Bangladesh's two main political parties, called on the Election Commission on Monday to immediately announce a date for a poll meant to restore democracy in the south Asian ... via Daily Times

“As a result, the farmers will get fair prices of their produces while the market prices of the commodities will be stabilised”

MYMENSINGH: Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed Monday urged the people to cast their valuable votes judiciously in local body and national elections, and elect honest and dedicated candidates to fulfill the ... via South Asian Media Net

“To re-establish defence ties between the two neighbouring countries will be a major focus during the visit”

Bangladesh's army chief, General Moeen U. Ahmed, left Dhaka on Sunday for a week-long visit to India aimed at reviving defence and political ties and boosting security co-operation. Moeen is a key figure in ... via Reuters UK

“Later, judges will be appointed to run sessions courts there on a permanent basis”

DHAKA: In efforts to ensure access to justice for the hills people, sessions courts will start functioning in the three districts of Chittagong Hill Tracts within next 10 days. via South Asian Media Net

DHAKA: Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board has proposed slashing the call tariff by 33 per cent for making call to mobile operator's network in a bid to withstand stiff competition from its rival ... via South Asian Media Net

US oil company Chevron Bangladesh starts a three-dimensional seismic survey on eco-sensitive Lawachhera Reserve Forest next month for better understanding the reserves of the nearby Moulvibazar gas field amid ... via News from Bangladesh

“We have protested against the killing and dispatched a letter to the BSF authorities for the return of the bodies of the deceased Bangladeshis”

Sources in the Ministry of the Interior said seven Bangladeshi civilians were shot dead by BSF along the country's northern frontier with India in January. via Gulf Times

“Nearly 90,000, or 60 percent of total poultry farms in the country, have been so far shut down due to the direct or indirect effect of bird flu, leaving around 150,000 people out of jobs”

Via Reuters: Bird flu strikes another Bangladesh district . Excerpt: Bird flu has spread to another district in Bangladesh despite massive culling by authorities to fight the deadly outbreak, officials said, ... via Crofsblogs.typepad.com

“Comparing the past and present satellite images, we have found some changes. We have been working on it and preparing a report under a project of the foreign ministry”

From correspondents in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 04:30 PM IST Lower riparian Bangladesh fears large-scale loss of land due to erosion caused by rivers from India and Myanmar. via India eNews

Dhaka, Feb 22: International human rights lawyer William Sloan of Canada was barred from holding his pre-departure press conference here this afternoon. via Newkerala.com

Dhaka, Feb 23: Bangladesh Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed will leave for New Delhi tomorrow on a week-long visit to India. via Newkerala.com

DHAKA: The 42 artefacts of Bangladesh that were sent to the Guimet Museum in Paris for an exhibition will be brought back home today amid a strong apprehension whether the country is getting back the original ... via South Asian Media Net

" The events of 1952 triggered a nationalist struggle for independence that came through the 1971 victory of the combined forces of India and Bangladesh under a unified command against Pakistan." Dhaka, Feb 21 ... via Nerve News

“He had made remarkable contribution to the ongoing movement against 'vulgarity”

Bangladesh News.Net Tuesday 19th February, 2008 Bangladesh's leading film actor S.M. Manna, who has acted in over 300 movies, is dead. via Bangladesh News

Dhaka, Feb 19: A Bangladeshi court Tuesday sentenced six young men to death for raping a housewife at a village in Feni district, about 165 km southeast of capital Dhaka. via Newkerala.com

“The airline is also going to operate daily flights on the Delhi-Dhaka route starting April 2008. If everything goes as per plan, we may also fly to Jaipur to tap the growing inflow of Bangladesh-based religious tourists to Ajmer.”

Bangladesh-based GMG Airlines is working on an aggressive expansion plan in India by introducing flights between Dhaka and Mumbai, Chennai and Guwahati. via India Gazette

From correspondents in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 02:30 PM IST A cache of 41 live grenades recovered from an Islamist outfit over the weekend in Bangladesh's south western Satkhira district was to be smuggled into ... via India eNews

A former Bangladeshi prime minister, jailed and accused of extortion, returned to lockup Thursday after a medical checkup at a hospital, a party colleague said.

Earlier in the day, former Premier Sheikh Hasina was taken to Square Hospital in the capital, Dhaka, said John Gomes, the hospital's general manager. Hasina has been suffering from high blood pressure and ear and eye complications, her aide Hasan Mahmud said.

'She looked tired and gloomy,' Mahmud said.

Hasina's lawyers have been demanding the 60-year-old be allowed to seek outside treatment for weeks. They have been unhappy with the care she has received from doctors at the jail. Read more

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh : A bus carrying garment workers heading for a picnic lost control and crashed into an electricity pole in southern Bangladesh on Thursday, killing at least 14 people, an official said. via International Herald Tribune

“China will be an importing country rather than an exporting country after the withdrawal of the safeguard measures.”

DHAKA: China might not be a threat for Bangladeshi RMG market in global competition following the withdrawal of safeguard measures against China from EU and US markets since the country has a strong ... via South Asian Media Net

Pharmaceuticals sector is one of the fastest growing sectors of the country's economy, which has the opportunity to grow further under the provision of the TRIPS Agreement of WTO, said business leaders ... via News from Bangladesh

“We have found a few places - Pizza Huts, Italian food, steak houses and burger outlets”

Chicken has become off-limits for the South African cricketers as Bangladesh has been hit hard by bird flu. via Pretoria News

“If foreign carriers can do business in Bangladesh, why can't we?”

Private airline operators say the industry is growing by 7.5 to 8 percent every year, adding, the market size of passengers is worth around Tk 3,500 crore. via The Daily Star

DHAKA: Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority yesterday officially launched its online billing system, with a view to reducing customer harassment and ensuring transparency in the billing process. via South Asian Media Net

“If we find quality and cheaper products from Beximco, then why won't we buy from it?”

Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd, a leading local drug manufacturer, eyes to capture one percent of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries' pharmaceutical market worth around US$ 4 billion. via The Daily Star

BSS, Dhaka Visiting Sri Lankan Deputy Minister of Higher Education Mohammed Mustaffa on Saurday called on Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof SMA Faiz at the Senate Bhaban of the university. via The New Nation

“It is our right to see the body of our beloved hero. Police must allow us to have a last glimpse of him and pay our respects”

DHAKA * At least 30 people were injured yesterday as mourning fans clashed with police as they paid their respects to a popular actor who died in the Bangladesh capital at the weekend. via The Peninsula

“Consumption of poultry and eggs in our family has almost halved even though we heard that there is nothing to be afraid of”

When malnutrition is considered a major cause of child mortality in countries like Bangladesh, bird-flu panic is deteriorating the situation as the protein intake of some people has decreased significantly. via Asia News Network

“But we still think things are under control”

"It's a natural disaster like cyclone or floods. The poor farmers who raise chickens in their backyards are particularly hard hit by the bird flu," said Abdul Baki, principal scientific officer of the livestock ... via Gulf Times

The 6th China-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge was formally open to traffic Monday in Bangladesh's Munshiganj district, 37 km southeast of capital Dhaka. via Xinhuanet

The movie industry in Bangladesh is shocked at the sudden demise of actor S.M. Manna. One of the leading actors of Dhaliwood, Manna, passed away yesterday at the United Hospital in Dhaka. He died of heart attack.
read more

This file photo shows JMB operatives Salahuddin alias Saleheen and Asaduzzaman Chowdhury alias Panir in police custody. via The Daily Star

On January 18 afternoon, the Winter Garden of Dhaka Sheraton Hotel was brimming with excitement. Ten contestants, five on each side of the hall were all set to display their culinary expertise. The competition started before five in the evening and went on for 90 minutes. The judges then went around each table, tasting the recipes. The contestants had to bring in all the ingredients, cutleries and crockery. Cleanliness, hygiene and organisation of all the features were thus a prime factor in judging the recipes. Since Malaysian Palm Oil was the Title Sponsor, they sponsored all the oil needed for a series of cooking for the event.read more

Three militants of an Islamic group were sentenced to death on Sunday by a special court in Bangladesh's Netrakona district, 140 km northeast of capital Dhaka for killing eight people and injuring 50 others ... via People's Daily Online

“This is the first case in the capital city”

DHAKA, Bangladesh : Health workers in Bangladesh's capital prepared to slaughter 150,000 birds Sunday after the bird flu virus was detected in the city for the first time, an official said. via International Herald Tribune

“The Islamist militancy is under control at the moment”

Mufti Abu Zandal and an accomplice were picked up during a raid on a village near Satkhira district town, 350 km southwest of the capital Dhaka, on Friday. via The Peninsula

“Firstly, I would request for an interest waiver till we can resume business.”

The culling of some 165,000 chickens at a poultry farm at Badda in Dhaka began yesterday after the detection of deadly avian influenza virus, which the officials say is the biggest ever culling in the country ... via Asia News Network

As avian influenza continues to spread almost everyday in Bangladesh, workers of the Livestock Department Saturday started culling more than 100,000 chickens in the capital Dhaka. via People's Daily

“The Bangladesh Embassy is exerting all efforts to find out more details about the case”

Eight Bangladeshi workers who have been sentenced to death in a highly publicized murder case have appealed the verdict at a higher court. via Arab News

At least nine people were killed and 40 others injured in separate road accidents in Dinajpur, Faridpur, Bagerhat and Jhenidah yesterday. via The Daily Star

DHAKA: The Election Commission has initiated a process of publishing area-wise voters' lists with photographs to seek claims and objections from registered and prospective voters. via South Asian Media Net

The success of democracy depends on various factors. Education is perhaps number one on the list. via Asia News Network

“The new initiative will help the banks and financial institutions to comply with the Bangladesh Bank instructions”

NCC Bank, TMSS tie up Star Business Report A local private commercial bank has tied up with a leading micro-credit lender to reach out remittances to its beneficiaries in rural remote areas fast. via The Daily Star

“We did not get any supply from Indian traders in the last three days, which have caused a crisis in our market”

Coarse rice price goes up amid Indian export ban The government is going to purchase 5.67 lakh tonnes of rice at a cost of Tk 1,592 crore to meet the local demand amid another spell of price hike in the ... via The Daily Star

“We have waited four months for the internal disputes of the BNP to be resolved. We have also requested the party leaders to resolve the disputes.”

The Election Commission kicks off the second round electoral reforms talks with political parties on February 24. via The Daily Star

Bangladesh's Army chief General Moeen U Ahmed is expected to visit India later this month to meet with senior government leaders and officials, sources said in Dhaka on Thursday. via Hindustan Times

COX'S BAZAR: Wild elephants straying into a Bangladesh village killed a man, injured another and trampled several homes yesterday, forest officials said. via Gulf Times

“We know their identity. We are tracking them down”

Fifteen members of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom trained to hijack planes have moved to neighbouring countries and are being tracked down, a top police officer in Assam has said. via India eNews

“A localised famine is going on in the worst affected areas like Sajek, Farua and Bilaichhari”

Thousands of people in remote southeast Bangladesh are facing famine after a plague of rats destroyed their crops, forcing families to rely on dwindling food stocks, officials said. via Arab Times

“Such delay and lack of appreciation of the crisis facing the industry could do it irreparable damage and, in so doing, cause disappointment to many British residents.”

London: The multibillion-pound curry industry in Britain is facing ruin because of a crippling shortage of workers in the kitchen fuelled by harsh immigration rules that favour East Europeans over South Asians, ... via Sify

“The issue of environmental vulnerability of most LDCs due to global warming and climate change was also underscored”

Bangladesh News.Net Wednesday 13th February, 2008 Dhaka, Feb 13 The caretaker government of Bangladesh has urged the Group of Eight highly industrialised economies to grant access to their markets for all ... via Bangladesh News

“We arrested them late Sunday on charges of the robbery. The jewellery items and the money were recovered from them”

An assistant police commissioner and the two constables, all in uniform, went to the house and stole 175,000 taka in cash and gold ornaments late on Saturday, Chittagong police chief Akbar Ali said. via The Peninsula

“It is suspected that he died of heart attack as he had a history of the disease. We will now conduct post mortem to find out the actual reason of his death”

Khan was one of over 150 top politicians arrested by Bangladesh's army-backed government as part of a nationwide crackdown on corruption. via Gulf Times

“The lenders will release their money with interest through selling the investors' shares during the market correction period. But the investors will have to count the losses”

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Bangladesh yesterday cautioned small investors of possible risk in investing borrowed money in capital market. via Asia News Network

If whisking your loved one off to an exotic locale isn't in the budget this Valentine's Day, bring a taste of it home. via Ohio.com

Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain yesterday instructed Bangladesh embassy in Riyadh to approach the Saudi government seeking clemency for eight Bangladeshi workers sentenced to death in a killing case. via The Daily Star

The relatives of eight expatriate Bangladeshi workers sentenced to death by a Saudi court appealed to the government yesterday for taking necessary steps so the Saudi government grants amnesty for the convicts. via The Daily Star

“We are trying to keep the situation under control. We have taken all-out measures to prevent spread of the avian influenza virus”

He said the interim government had raised the amount of compensation for poultry farmers to encourage them to report and kill sick birds. via Gulf Times

“The situation is very serious. The people living in that region are very poor anyway. It is now a near famine situation”

The rat plague is expected twice a century A plague of rats has destroyed the crops of tens of thousands of people living in Bangladesh's remote Chittagong Hill Tracts. via BBC

Police detain former Bangladeshi PM and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh Bangladesh's Supreme Court will hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that declared former Prime Minister ... via Voice of America

“Almost everyone in the company is a millionaire. They made millions by depriving the country's millions of poor people”

AN employee of Bangladesh's biggest state-owned gas company who earned a mere $100 a month allegedly used his position to pocket a colossal $145 million in bribes over 12 years, an official said. via News.com.au

DHAKA: Britain yesterday asked the military-backed interim government in Bangladesh to lift the year-old state of emergency ahead of a general election that is to return derailed Bangladesh to the democratic ... via Gulf Times

“The fate of all other graft cases under this regime will be determined by the verdict in this particular case”

The extortion trial of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was declared illegal by Bangladesh's High Court on Wednesday, throwing the high-profile case and government efforts to crack down on corruption into turmoil.

A two-judge High Court panel supported Hasina's lawyers, who argued that the trial should be quashed because it was being held under emergency rules, while the alleged extortion took place before the state of emergency was imposed last year.

'It's a real victory. It has ensured the supremacy of the constitution,' lawyer Rafiq-ul Huq told reporters. Read more

“It was poor monitoring by the authorities and lack of efforts and awareness by poultry owners that led to the re-emergence of the killer virus in late 2007”

DHAKA - Bird flu has spread to two more districts in Bangladesh, taking the number of affected districts to 36, a livestock official said on Monday, as the government pledged to raise compensation to farmers ... via Reuters

From correspondents in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 11:00 PM IST A man was arrested in connection with the theft of a Nobel foundation gold medal from the Rabindranath Tagore Museum in Kolkata, the Criminal Investigation ... via India eNews

Dhaka, Feb 1: Professor Payam Akhavan, international counsel to former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has urged the military-backed caretaker government to immediately release her and ''allow justice ... via Newkerala.com

“We did not do anything wrong. It's you (journalists) who are the real culprits. You thwarted all our plans, everything.”

Seven militants of the outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh , sentenced to life imprisonment for carrying out bomb blasts, beat up journalists outside a court in Rajshahi in the country's west. via Hindustan Times

Livestock officials slaughtered more than 27,000 chickens and ducks in northern Bangladesh after bird flu was confirmed at a poultry farm near the border with India, a report said Friday.

Officials in India's West Bengal state, which borders Bangladesh, have been struggling to contain that country's worst-ever outbreak of the virulent H5N1 bird flu virus.

Several hundred chickens died at the poultry farm in Dinajpur district, 170 miles north of Dhaka, and laboratory tests confirmed that the H5N1 virus was responsible, the United News of Bangladesh news agency reported. Read more