Bangladesh

    The government will write a letter to Facebook authorities tomorrow to strike a deal with it to be able to get in-formation about its users to ensure cyber security in Bangladesh. “I will write the letter as per our plan to strike the deal with Facebook,” Tarana Halim, state minister for posts and telecommunications, told reporters at The Daily Star centre today. The government is taking the initiative as the country becomes vulnerable to cyber attacks, especially through the use of Facebook, ministry sources said. Facebook showed their interest to sign the deal with Bangladesh government in 2006 on the condition that the networking site will not take responsibility for the users' posts. Tarana on November 17 informed reporters that the ruling Awami League-led government i...

Jahirul Islam Jewel with Andrew Eagle: It's a great pleasure to feed the fish each day, says an enthusiastic Kajol Rani Howlader of Choupala Bazar in Jhalakathi sadar upazila, standing beside an unlikely fish enclosure built on swampy, disused land. “We have thousands of fish and after throwing feed, there are so many that anybody can touch them,” she says. Kajol Rani is participating in a new style of pisciculture and vegetable growing project that aims to utilise water-logged non-agricultural land to improve people's lives. To ask the ten women in the group of thirty locals involved in the project, is to hear how their husbands used to pass days in idle gossip in teashops while wives were busy with household chores. It all changed last July, thanks to the BRAC-organised project, champion...

    Death row convicts Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mujahid have filed presidential mercy petitions. Magistrates of the war criminals visited them at the Dhaka Central Jail this morning. President Abdul Hamid to consult Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina before taking decision on the matter. The jail authority have already completed the preparations for hanging the death row convicts. Family members of Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mujahid visited them Thursday at the Dhaka Central Jail. On Thursday, the Supreme Court released its full verdicts that dismissed their petitions to review their death sentences. Later the verdicts were readout to the war criminals.

    Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (BTRC) has suspended the operation of social networking platform Facebook, Messenger, Viber and WhatsApp in Bangladesh for security reason. BTRC Secretary Sarwar Alam on Wednesday said they issued the order following a directive from a higher level of the government. Internet services, meanwhile, remained suspended across the country for over an hour from 1 pm fol-lowing the suspension of the operation of the four social networking and messaging platforms. The in-ternet services, however, resumed around 2:15 pm. About the disruption in the internet services, Sarwar said, “The disruption in internet services might have occurred while blocking the four social networking platforms, but there was no BTRC directive in this regar...

    The Appellate Division has upheld the death penalties for war criminals Ali Ahsan Mujahid and Salaud-din Quader Chowdhury after rejecting their review petitions. The 4-member bench of the apex court, led by the chief justice, gave the order today. Jamaat-e-Islami has called a day-long countrywide strike for Thursday protesting protesting Supreme Court’s order that upheld death penalty of its secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed on Wednesday. The court completed hearing on the review petition filed by Mujahid yesterday, and started hearing the review petition filed by of Salauddin today. The International Crimes Tribunal, or ICT-2, which is now defunct, sentenced Mujahid to death on 17th July in 2013. ICT-1 sentenced Salauddin to death on the 1st October the same y...

    A ruthless Bangladesh recorded its fifth straight ODI series victory at home, crushing Zimbabwe by 58 runs in the second match yesterday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in the capital. Unlike the first match, Bangladesh had to toil hard to seal the deal as Elton Chigumbura and Sikandar offered a staunch resistance in fifth wicket partnership. Fast bowler Al-Amin Hossain dismissed both of them in consecutive overs in his second spell to ruin the hopes of Zimbabwe. It was Bangladesh’s fourth straight victory at home in this year after they had successfully got the better of three top ranked teams- Pakistan, India and South Africa. Opener Imrul Kayes lifted Bangladesh to 241 for nine Zimbabwe, hitting 76 in his comeback. Zimbabwe were bowled out for 183 in 43.2 over...

    Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury has resigned as the vice chairman of the BNP. He submitted his resignation to BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia last night. The former BNP leader told Independent Television that he took the decision over considerations of health. He said that he had written to the party chief explaining his inability to continue in his position for health reasons. He said that his letter was handed to the party acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam last night. He joined the BNP in 2008 after serving as the Bangladesh envoy in the US for two years. Mobin was made a vice chairman after the BNP’s national convention in 2009.

    The Supreme Court on Wednesday stays a High Court order that halted the 7.5 percent value added tax (VAT) on the English medium schools’ tuition fees. In the photo, English medium school students and their guardians form a human chain on Saat Masjid Road in the capital's Dhanmondi on September 17 demanding withdrawal of the 7.5 percent VAT. -- Students have to pay the VAT, AG says -- SC stays HC order that halted the VAT -- HC stayed the VAT last month amid demo The Supreme Court today stayed a High Court order that halted the 7.5 percent value added tax (VAT) on the English medium schools’ tuition fees. Chamber judge of the apex court’s Appellate Division Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain stayed the High Court order for six weeks following a challenge filed by National Board of...

    Prices of different varieties of vegetables will not be stable until new crops come to the markets. It will take a month or more for them to pacify people with fresh tastes with cheap prices, according to the traders and DAE officials. Incessant rain in August led to nearly 7,000 hectare land across 24 districts going under water, causing huge losses to farmers. Seventy-eight per cent of the submerged crop lands were damaged, according to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE). Farmers who have sus-tained losses will soon be indemnified with 10,257 farmers of Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogra, Sherpur and Lalmonirhat already provided with late variety seeds of some crops free-of-cost which have been sowed in the fields after water left them. Even floating seedbeds in flood...

    The United States and Canada have warned their citizens of militant attacks in Bangladesh, asking them to remain alert. The directives came today, a day after the United Kingdom issued travel alert where it claimed militants may be targeting western interests in Bangladesh. Also yesterday, an Italian national, Cesare Tavella was shot dead in Dhaka’s Gulshan diplomatic zone. The 50-year-old Italian was working as the project manager of Profitable Opportunities for Food Security (Proofs), a project of Netherlands-based organisation ICCO Cooperation since May. The fear of militant attack was first expressed by Australia on Thursday when the Australia national cricket team delayed its start for Bangladesh. According to Australian government alert, Australian interests can be t...