Tag: Featured

    The government will reward people for information leading to arrest of arson attackers, State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan said today. Amount of the reward will be informed later, the state minister said. Asaduzzaman’s remarks came when the protest of BNP-led 20-party alliance turned violent, with at least 25 people already killed, mostly in arson attacks. The minister gave the statement after a meeting with the delegation of Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh (Crab) at his secretariat office this afternoon. About, Viber and other voice and messaging apps blocked by the government on Sunday and Monday on security ground, the junior minister said the restriction will be pulled out soon. “We are not capable of monitoring the systems. But we hope that we wi...

    The richest one percent are likely to control more than half of the globe’s total wealth by next year, the charity Oxfam reported in a study released on Monday. The warning about deepening global inequality comes just as the world’s business elite prepare to meet this week at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, reports The New York Times. Unless things change, by 2016 wealth of the top 1% will exceed that of the rest of the world http://t.co/o1EwiTc6xRpic.twitter.com/B9osgHR4Ee — Oxfam International (@Oxfam) January 19, 2015 Rising #inequality & climate change are defining challenges of our time. You can help: http://t.co/ONSAl4jeRJ#wef15pic.twitter.com/B4ee6BVYvf — Oxfam International (@Oxfam) January 16, 2015 The 80 wealthiest people in the...

    The fifth session of the current parliament began this afternoon amid the ongoing nationwide blockade by the BNP-led 20-party alliance. The Jatiya Sangsad went into its session around 4: 15pm which will continue till March 5, according to the decision of the parliament business advisory committee. To finalise the duration of the JS session, the parliament business advisory committee sat in a meeting around 3:00pm today. President Abdul Hamid started his opening address around 4:35pm at the first JS session of the New Year. The president delivered his speech based on government activities highlighting development works. A bill related to the control of formalin is likely to be passed during the fifth session.

    Hrithik Roshan, who will soon start shooting for Ashutosh Gowariker’s magnum opus Mohenjo Daro, turned a year older. The Bang Bang actor celebrated his birthday quietly with his family first and then partied with his friends from the industry. How do we know, you ask? Well, the above picture was posted on the popular social networking site Twitter by Parineeti Chopra who also wrote, “What a happyy party last night!! @iHrithik is one of the sweetest people and hosts.” The Bajirao Mastani actress also tweeted, “Happy birthday @iHrithik !! Killer party!! I hope u have a fantastic year!!! Big love always.” Apart from partying hard with his industry buddies, Jr Roshan also celebrated his birthday at Umang Mumbai Police show 2015 which was held yesterday in the city. At th...

    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...