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    The second phase of Biswa Ijtema, the second largest congregation of the Muslims after hajj, concluded on Sunday with Akheri Munajat (Final prayers) attended by millions of people at Tongi on the capital’s outskirt, amid countrywide non-stop transport blockade. Tablig Jamaat Sura member Maulana Sad from India conducted the Akheri Munajat at about 11:00 am. Several lakh Muslim devotees, both from home and abroad, converged on the congregation venue and attended the concluding prayers with reciting the name of Allah and hearing the sermons braving all the sufferings and obstacles caused by the transport blockade. Islamic scholars from different countries delivered sermons on various aspects of Islam. Five devotees died due to various ailments on the Ijtema ground till Sa...

    Apple's flagship smartphone is only a few months old, but already the rumour mill is hard at work with hints and leaks about its successor. Likely to be called the iPhone 6S or iPhone 7, the new device will come with twice the processor memory of the 2014 model, according to the latest reports. The iPhone 6's 1GB of Ram is relatively small by the standards of many Android rivals, although that doesn't seem to harm its performance. Most reviewers say Apple's phone is at least on a par with competition from Sony, Samsung and HTC. Nevertheless, a Taiwanese website with sources in Apple's supply chain reports that the iPhone 7 will get 2GB of Ram. "Doubling up on memory should mean a much faster and more capable iPhone," says TechRadar, "particularly when it's paired with ...

    Thousands of devotees have thronged the bank of Turag in Tongi of Gazipur as the second phase of Biswa Ijtema began there this morning defying BNP-led 20-party sponsored indefinite countrywide blockade. Organised by Tabligh Jamaat, Ijtema, the second largest Muslim congregation after Hajj, started after Fazr prayers with religious sermon by Indian Islamic scholar Maulana Ismail Hossain Batla. After Maulana Ismail ended at 10:30am, the devotees were discussing the sermon after Juma prayers. Meanwhile, four people died on Ijtema venue early today, said Adam Ali, who was guarding the bodies. Of them, Abdul Kuddus, 60, of Laximpur and Abdur Rahman, 65, of Bogra died of heart disease last night while Billal Hossain, 30, around 3:00am due to the same reason, reports our...

    Long working hours and the pressures of the job mean more of us are feeling the strain. Left unchecked, stress can lead to anxiety and depression as well as ulcers and high blood pressure, and has even been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. You might not be able to quit your job (or make your nightmare boss disappear) but making little changes to your workday could make all the difference.

Muhammad Azizul Haque: Freedom of speech or expression predates modern international human rights instruments. Like freedom of association and free media, freedom of speech is considered an indispensable pillar of democracy. Without this marble column, the great edifice of democracy is bound to rapidly collapse.    Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) asserts everyone's right to freedom of opinion and expression. Freedom of expression is also recognised in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). However, freedom entails responsibility and that 'responsibility' signifies 'limits.' This view is unambiguously corroborated by Article 19 of the ICCPR. It inter alia states that the exercise of these rights car...

    Drug Administration Department sees illegal transaction of money all through -- from issuing licence to drug registration, according to study of Transparency International Bangladesh. Around Tk 500 to Tk 15 lakh are exchanged for the issuance of new licences for pharmaceutical companies, its renewal, project handover, drugs registration etc, the report said. Drug companies have to pay Tk 5 to 10 lakh to the department for getting licences for Tk 50,000 to 1 lakh for its renewal. The largest illegal transaction takes place for project handover. Approximately Tk 10 to 15 lakh are transacted for this reason. The clients pay Tk 1 to Tk 1.5 lakh for drug registration and between Tk 6,000 and 7,000 for examining sample. Officials at the department and their clients are most...

    BNP has identified and expelled two of its US-based leaders for faking a statement of US House Committee on Foreign Affairs and six Congressmen condemning the confinement of party Chairperson Khaleda Zia. The two leaders have been identified as Zahid Sardar and Mojibor Rahman, both special advisers to the party and based in the United States. The announcement came from BNP’s Vice-Chairman Sadeque Hossain Khoka at a press briefing in New York on Tuesday local time, Syrul Kabir Khan, a staff of BNP chief Khaleda Zia’s media wing confirmed The Daily Star Online. “A press release will soon be floated to the media in this regard,” Syrul said. “Zahid Sardar and Mojibor Rahman were appointed as special envoys to BNP in the US. Their appointment has been annulled in wake of th...

BNP has to pledge to stop terrorism, cut militant ties and ask courteously, says HT Imam     The government would consider a dialogue with BNP if it “moves away from the path of violence” and “asks nicely”, a key adviser to the prime minister said today in a major policy decision for the ruling Awami League. The statement came in the backdrop of months of outright rejection of the proposal of a political dialogue demanded by the opposition bloc and recent violent demonstration that came along BNP-led alliance’s non-stop blockade. BNP also hinted putting an end to their ongoing countrywide agitation on the promise of a dialogue for an inclusive general election. Since the January 5, 2014 parliamentary election, key ministers and policymakers repeatedly rejected the proposa...

  Burglars stole Tk 1.57 crore from state-run Rupali Bank’s main branch in Faripur town using duplicate keys, authorities found out today. Police detained four people in this connection and were quizzing them in, our local correspondent reports quoting Bijoy Boshak, additional superintendent of Faridpur police. Authorities discovered the burglary this morning, said Ashak Kumar Singh Roy, deputy general manager of the victim Rupali Bank branch. “We opened the vault around 10:15am today and found around Tk 1.57 crore missing.” “Someone opened the volt of the bank by using duplicate key and theft the money anytime between Friday and Saturday,” he added. The detained were three security guards and a bank official, our Faridpur correspondent reports. “They are being interrogated ove...

  The first phase of the Biswa Ijtema, the second largest global Muslims’ congregation, ended today with Akheri Munajat seeking the spiritual wellbeing and welfare of the Muslim Ummah. Indian Islamic scholar Mawlana Saad began the Akheri Munajat around 11:30am today at the banks of river Turag in Tongi, reports our Gazipur correspondent from the spot. The prayers ended at 11:49am. The prayers were attended by hundreds of thousands of devotees who gathered at the venue defying an existing countrywide blockade programme sponsored by the BNP-led 20-party alliance. President Abdul Hamid took part in the Akheri Munajat from his Bangabhaban residence and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from her Gono Bhaban official residence. They sought peace and prosperity of the country as well as the...