London

The cabinet yesterday approved in principle the draft of 'The Law and Order Disruption (Speedy Trial) (Amendment) Act-2017' increasing the punishment up to seven-year jail sentence for law and order disruption-related crimes. The approval was given at the weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. According to the law, disruption to vehicular movement, blocking of roads, tender manipulation, issuing threats, extortion, mugging, terrorising people and vandalism of public properties will be treated as offences. The cabinet also approved a proposal for ratifying the 'Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities'. The Cabinet meeting also approved the draft of the agreement titled 'Agreemen...

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed her deep shock at the barbaric attack in London. “I am deeply shocked at the barbaric attacks in London Bridge and Borough Market of the central London..."We strongly condemn such mindless act of cowardice. We stand in solidarity with the people of the UK,” she said in a condolence message to British Prime Minister Theresa May yesterday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, highlighting the importance of the Sundarbans for the country's existence, said whatever project the government takes for development it does that keeping this mangrove forest in mind so that it does not get affected in any way. The Prime Minister was speaking at the function of World Environment Day, Tree Fair and Campaign for Tree Plantation at Bangabandhu International Conference C...

    David Cameron’s former policy guru has demanded Theresa May resign for security failures that led to terror attacks in Westminster, Manchester and London Bridge. Steve Hilton said Ms May bore responsibility for the attacks, should not be seeking re-election and had been blame shifting in statements since they unfolded. The accusation will come as a blow to the Prime Minister as she prepares to give a speech on Monday likely to be dominated by efforts to stamp out the terror threat. Ms May, responsible for the security services since 2010 as Home Secretary and then Prime Minister, has already been attacked by political rivals and police figures over severe cuts. Mr Hilton, who left Downing Street in 2012, posted reports relating to an alleged suspect of Saturday’s attack, b...

    The London Bridge terror attack ringleader appeared in a documentary about jihadis in the UK last year. The 27-year-old from Barking, East London, appeared on Channel 4 and is believed to have been the leader of the trio who ploughed into pedestrians before stabbing people in pubs and restaurants in the area on Saturday night. He is currently only being identified by his nickname Abz at the request of the Metropolitan Police. In 2016, he appeared in the documentary alongside a notorious preacher as they prayed to an Islamic State flag in a London park. Police continue to investigate the atrocity that left seven dead and 48 injured. Officers made 12 arrests on Sunday as they raided several addresses including a tower block. The brother-in-law of the attacker told The Sun: "...

Measures put in place by Tower Hamlets Council to combat electoral fraud for the UK Parliamentary General Election have been recommended nationally as good practice by elections watchdog, the Electoral Commission (EC). Will Tuckley, Acting Returning Officer for Tower Hamlets said: "We work closely with the police and the Electoral Commission to monitor elections and this has resulted in a significant reduction in allegations of fraud since 2014, and only a handful in the last three elections (GLA, EU referendum and Whitechapel by-election). "Some of the measures brought in by the council such as "exclusion zones" outside polling stations have now been recommended nationally as good practice." When residents go to the polls to elect Members of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow; and Popla...

    Seven people are confirmed to have died in an attack by three assailants who drove a van at pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing people in the nearby Borough Market area, London’s Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick said on Sunday. ‘It has now been confirmed sadly that seven members of the public have died. In addition, as you know, we believe, three suspects are dead,’ she said in a televised statement. Dick said police believed the incident was under control, but officers needed to conduct a thorough search of the area to ensure everyone was accounted for and no further suspects were at large. Our priority now is to work with our colleagues in the national counter-terrorism police network and also with the intelligence agencies and other security services to ...

Measures put in place by Tower Hamlets Council to combat electoral fraud for the UK Parliamentary General Election have been recommended nationally as good practice by elections watchdog, the Electoral Commission (EC). Will Tuckley, Acting Returning Officer for Tower Hamlets said: "We work closely with the police and the Electoral Commission to monitor elections and this has resulted in a significant reduction in allegations of fraud since 2014, and only a handful in the last three elections (GLA, EU referendum and Whitechapel by-election). "Some of the measures brought in by the council such as "exclusion zones" outside polling stations have now been recommended nationally as good practice." When residents go to the polls to elect Members of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow; and Popla...

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday told parliament that cyclone Mora-affected people would not face any shortage of food. She said steps are being taken to reconstruct the houses damaged by the cyclone Mora.“There will be no crisis of food. Besides, measures are being taken to rebuild the houses,” she told parliament while responding to a supplementary question. Irked by the very slow pace of repatriation of Myanmar nationals Rohingya from Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sought help from friendly countries to gear up the process."The visible progress on taking back the Rohingya people to Myanmar is very slow till today. I seek the cooperation of our friendly countries in this regard," she said. The Prime Minister made the request to Austrian Federal Chancellor Khristian Ke...

A red carpet was rolled out at Vienna International Airport yesterday as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived there on a two-day official visit to attend a conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). On her arrival at the airport, the Prime Minister was received by State Secretary in the Federal Chancellery Muna Duzdar and Bangladesh Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the UN Offices at Vienna Mohammad Abu Zafar. Various global issues, including bilateral cooperation in implementing sustainable development goals (SDGs), migration, refugee crisis, climate change and the situation in the Europe after Brexit, will come up for discussion during the visit, said Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali at a media briefing on Saturday. President Abdul Hamid yesterday urg...

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said her government successfully resolved the ethnic problems in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) through talks without any third-party mediation. She made the remarks when former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga met her at her official residence Ganobhaban. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina extended her heartiest congratulations to Bangladesh cricket team for their emphatic victory against New Zealand in the Tri-nation ODI Series at Clontarf Cricket Club Ground in Dublin yesterday. In a congratulatory message, Sheikh Hasina greeted all the players, coach and officials of the national team as well as Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials concerned for defeating New Zealand. The whole nation is proud of seeing the team spirit of...