Bangladesh

    Three men, including two former executives with Canada-based engineering giant SNC Lavalin, have been acquitted of bribery in a massive corruption case involving the building of Padma bridge. Lawyers appeared in front of Superior Court Justice Ian Nordheimer in Toronto on Friday, where Kevin Wallace and Ramesh Shah, former vice-presidents at SNC Lavalin, and Bangladeshi national Zulfiquar Bhuiyan pleaded not guilty to bribery, reports f3nws.com. The Crown the legal embodiment of executive, legislative, and judicial governance announced it would not be calling any evidence, and asked Nordheimer to order acquittals. The case revolved around an alleged bribery scheme related to a $2.9-billion development project in Bangladesh. As part of that project to build the Padma Bridge...

    A murder case has been filed over Friday’s death of three stone quarry workers in Bichanakandi area of Gowainghat upazila of Sylhet. Police filed the case against five stone traders with Gowainghat Police station on Friday night, reports UNB. The accused are Basir Miah, a resident of Bichanakandi, Azad Miah, Kamal Hossain, Jahid Miah, hailing from Chittagong and Raju miah alias Jahid Hasan, hailing from Laxmipur. Meanwhile, police arrested Jahid Miah, and Raju Miah, said Delwar Hossain, officer-in-charge of the police station. The three stone quarry workers were killed when part of a hillock collapsed on them while lifting stones from Bichanakandi in Gowainghat upazila early Friday. After the incident, the bodies were taken away from the spot to hush up the incident. Later...

    Hundreds of people queued up with flowers to pay tributes to legendary parliamentarian and politician Suranjit Sengutpa at the Dhakeshwari National Temple. The body of Sengutpa, who died early on Sunday aged 71, was taken on the premises of the temple in the afternoon with politicians, diplomats, professionals, cultural and social activists thronging to have a last glimpse of him. Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, Awami League (AL) Advisory Council member Amir Hossain Amu, AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader, Prime Minister's International Affairs Adviser Professor Gowher Rizvi, Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokan, Indian Deputy High Commissioner in Dhaka Adarsh Swaika, AL Advisory Council member Mukul Bose, Oikya NAP President Pankaj Bhattacharya, Gono Foru...

    Abdul Hakim Shimul, a local correspondent of Daily Samakal, was shot dead by Shahjadpur municipality Mayor Halimul Haque Miru, said ruling Awami League (AL) lawmaker of Sirajganj-6 constituency Hasibur Rahman Swapan. Miru went into hiding after the incident and police helped him to run away, the lawmaker claimed on Saturday. The lawmaker while attending the last ritual of the journalist said the shooting spree took place in presence of police but they took no action. On Friday, Abdul Hakim Shimul, Shahjadpur upazila correspondent of vernacular daily the Dainik Samakal, who suffered bullet wounds during a clash between two associate bodies of Awami League at Shahjadpur in Sirajganj on Thursday, succumbed to his injuries around 1:00pm while being taken to Dhaka from Shaheed ...

    A team of the customs detectives seized a luxurious BMW X5 car from a house in Dhaka’s Banani area on Wednesday morning on charges of tax evasion and concealing information. Though the BMW X5, worth around Tk 3.5 crore, was seized, the vehicle’s owner Mohammad Muhsin Alam is yet to be detained in this connection, said Director General of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) Moinul Khan. Tipped off, a team of the CIID conducted a raid at the basement of a house named Akashprodip in the area and seized the car that had a British registration plate on it, he added. Moinul Khan said, ‘We recovered the vehicle on Tuesday night, but formally seized it on Wednesday morning after checking the documents.’ A case was filed with the Banani Police Station in t...

    Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid rich tributes to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing a wreath at his portrait in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi in Dhaka on Tuesday morning, marking the Homecoming Day of the great leader. After laying the wreath, the Prime Minister stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of Bangabandhu, the architect of Bangladesh’s independence. Cabinet members including Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Commerce Minister Tofael Ahmed, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Qader were present. Flanked by central leaders of the party, Sheikh Hasina, also the president of Bangladesh Awami League placed another wreath on behalf of her part...

    Customs intelligence on Monday seized an expensive private car of Rolls Royce Ghost model of an expelled North Korean diplomat from Kamlapur in Dhaka. ‘We seized the silver colour car of 6600cc worth about Taka 30crore from Kamlapur ICT depot today (Monday),’ said director general (DG) of customs intelligence Dr. Mainul Khan. The car was imported in the name of Han Son Ik, ex-first secretary of the North Korean embassy in Dhaka, with a false declaration that it’s a BMW model car and the tax of the car is Taka 22 crore, he also said. Earlier on August last the diplomat was expelled after accusing him of smuggling banned cigarettes. Bangladesh earlier expelled a previous North Korean first secretary in March last year after he was caught for smuggling 27 kg (60 lb) of gold—w...

    The members of law enforcement agencies continue the drive at Ashkona militant hideout in Dhaka for the second consecutive day on Sunday with the recovery of five grenades and two suicide vests. A total of five grenades were recovered at the militant den,’ said Bomb disposal team chief Sanowar Hossain, ‘The ground floor used as militant hideout in Ashkona is in volatile condition as gas is coming out of one of the rooms where the body of the militant Afif Kaderi Ador is still lying. Bomb disposal team of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, Crime Scene Team of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) entered to the militant hideout at Surya Vila at about 11:00am on Sunday. After disposal of the explosives, the police will recover the dead body of a...

    Bangladesh today received the design of Jatiya Sangsad prepared by world famous American architect Louis I Kahn, leading to the restoration of the JS Complex’s original design. The original document that was preserved in the Architectural Archive, University of Pennsylvania reached the parliament secretariat office in Dhaka this evening, JS Speaker Shirin Sharmin Choudhury confirmed The Daily Star. In 1973, Kahn designed the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, built on 200 acres of land, which is a part of an 800-acre citadel of 1600-acre capitol complex in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, according to leading architects. Though Chandrima Udyan, and the sites of the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, and the Planning Commission were parts of Kahn's original design, no space had been allo...

    Biman Bangladesh Airlines and the Aviation and Tourism Ministry have formed two separate probe committees to investigate the technical glitch in a flight carrying Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Biman Bangladesh Airlines formed a four-member probe committee, led by Chief of Technical Captain Fazal Mahmud Chowdhury. Prove body has been asked to submit its report by December 1, said Shakil Meraj General Manager (Public Relations) of Biman on Monday. Meanwhile, the Aviation and Tourism Ministry formed another probe committee, led by Additional Secretary Swapan Kumar Sarkar (Administration and Tourism) to investigate the incident, Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon told reporters. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resumed her journey for Budapest from Turkmenistan on Sun...