Dhaka, Feb 7 (UNB) – A court here on Thursday fixed February 27 for starting defence hearing in the Gatco corruption case against BNP chief Khaleda Zia and others. Judge Abu Syed Diljar Hossain of the Special Judge Court-3 of…
Category: Politics
Rizvi invites Quader to join BNP
Dhaka, Feb 7 (UNB) – BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Thursday invited Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader to join BNP as its adviser since he has long been giving the party various suggestions. “Awami League…
Play due role for conbstitutional stability: PM Hasina
Dhaka, Feb 7 (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday asked the Armed Forces to play the due role in advancing the nation as well as maintaining democratic and constitutional stability in the country. “Bangladesh Armed Forces are making significant…
New generations can lift Arab Region out of current crisis
GENEVA, Feb 5 2019 (IPS) – History testifies that there is no end to its evolution despite what some have claimed. This is because aspirations of its actors are in constant flux and because the quest for an « ideal…
Oikya Front demands reelection under neutral govt
Dhaka, Feb 06 – Leaders of opposition alliance Jatiya Oikya Front on Wednesday demanded of the ruling Awami League-led government to announce a new schedule to hold a fresh election under a non-partisan govt. Otherwise they warned launching a resistance…
BNP slams CEC for his UZ election comment
Dhaka, Feb 6 (UNB) – BNP on Wednesday termed ‘deceptive’ Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda’s comment about holding the upcoming by-polls to Dhaka North City Corporation ‘as fair as the 11th parliamentary election’. “The CEC yesterday (Tuesday) said the…
Govt has nothing to do with Jamaat ban: PM
Dhaka, Feb 6 (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday told Parliament that the government has nothing to do right now to ban Jamaat-e-Islami as a political party as a case in this regard remains pending with the court.…
Many BNP leaders ready to join UZ polls, claims Quader
Dhaka, Feb 5 (UNB) – Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Tuesday said many BNP leaders want to participate in the upazila parishad elections and they have the proof of that. “Whatever the decision at the centre is, the…
Venezuela’s dueling political movements each push elections
Caracas, Feb 6 (AP/UNB) — Venezuela’s opposition-dominated Congress on Tuesday said it will hold new elections as soon as possible within a year — once embattled President Nicolas Maduro is ousted from power. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s socialist party boss, Diosdado Cabello,…
RU BCL leader suspended for assaulting journalist
Rajshahi, Feb 05 – A leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League Rajshahi University (RU) unit was suspended for a month yesterday (Monday) for assaulting a campus reporter in last year. The suspended leader is Sabrun Zamil Sushmoy, is the organizing secretary…
Does European Union generate external instability?
by Branko Milanovic The historic achievement of peace within a Europe of universal norms is belied by the external instability engendered by violent and incoherent interventions. The European Union is justly admired for making war among its members impossible. This…
Oikya Front to protest ‘vote robbery’ wearing black badges
Dhaka, Feb 5 (UNB) – Jatiya Oikyafront is going to form a human chain wearing black badge in the capital on Wednesday, protesting what it said ‘vote robbery’ in the December-30 national election. The programme will begin at 3pm in…
PM asks police to be people friendly
Dhaka, Feb 5 (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday asked the police personnel to discharge their duties with patriotism saying they will have to be people-friendly ones. “Police have to discharge their duties being imbued with patriotism for…
Bullets in the Crackdown on Venezuela’s Protests
CARACAS, Feb 1 2019 (IPS) – The protests in Venezuela demanding an end to the presidency of Nicolás Maduro in the last 10 days of January, whose soundtrack was the sound of banging on pots and pans in working-class neighbourhoods, had…
Ali Asghar Lobi quits BNP on health ground?
Khulna, Feb 4 (UNB) – Former MP and party’s executive committee member Ali Asghar Lobi has quit BNP on health grounds. Lobi, also ex-president of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and former convener of Khulna city unit BNP, sent his resignation…
BNP plunges into deep ditch of negative politics: Quader
Dhaka, Feb 4 (UNB) – Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Monday alleged that BNP leaders are making unguarded remarks about the 11th parliamentary election as the party has fallen into a deep ditch of negative politics. “BNP and Jatiya…
Jaha Alam’s jailing depicts country’s ‘criminal admin’: BNP
Dhaka, Feb 4 (UNB) – BNP on Monday alleged that the incident of long imprisonment of an innocent person like Jaha Alam has exposed the country’s ‘criminal administration’. “Innocent Jaha Alam had been in jail for 1092 days only because…
BNP postpones Feb 8 Surawardy Udyan rally
Dhaka, Feb 4 (UNB) – BNP on Monday postponed its scheduled public rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on February 8 due to the ongoing Ekushey Book Fair. Instead of the public rally, the party will now hold a protest rally at…
Force govt to work as per constitution: Dr Kamal
Dhaka, Feb 3 (UNB) – Jatiya Oikyafront Convener Dr Kamal Hossain on Sunday urged people to play a careful role during the next two years so that the government discharges its duties as per the constitution as the country is…
PM’s tea party like ‘pleasure without conscience’: BNP
Dhaka, Feb 3 (UNB) – BNP on Sunday described Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ‘tea party’ at Ganobhaban as pleasure without conscience and said no democracy-loving party leader joined it. “The tea party arrangement by a regretless government after a grand…
PM Hasina’s tea party at Ganobhaban
Dhaka, Feb 2 – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday hosted a tea party for the leaders of political alliances and organisations who had joined the prime minister’s dialogue before the 11th general election. Front-ranking leaders of different political parties,…
Bd minister terms demand for reelection ‘childish’
Chattogram, Feb 2 (UNB) – Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Saturday characterised the BNP’s demand for reelection as a ‘childish desire’. “If anyone loses a football match and demands holding the match again, it’s nothing but the tears of…
Right-wing nationalism threatens democratic norms
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 30 2019 (IPS) – The steady decline in multilateralism—accompanied by a rise in unilateralism– is beginning to threaten democratic norms, including press freedom, global governance, civic participation and human rights across Asia, Africa, South America and the…
People power will bring change — not Davos
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Jan 31 2019 (IPS) – They said they cared about climate change but they flew in on private jets in record numbers. They said they cared about inequality but laughed off the idea of higher taxes for…
Home minister meets Hefazat chief Mufti Shafi
Chattogram, Feb 01 (UNB) – Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal met with Hefazat-e-Islam Ameer Allama Shah Ahmed Shafi at Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Moinul Islam, also known as Hathazari Madrasa on Friday. The minister paid the courtesy call at the…
The criminalization of peaceful expression in Myanmar
This is the time to talk about freedom of expression. We expected it to become better, but it’s becoming worse and worse. —Maung Saungkha, activist and poet, Yangon, April 2018 They are not using the law to protect the people…
Mahbub for taking to streets to free Khaleda
Dhaka, Feb 1 – BNP Vice-chairman Khandker Mahbub Hossain on Friday urged their party leaders and activists to heat up the streets to have their chairperson Khaleda Zia freed from jail. “It would be very tough to free Khaleda Zia…
Oikya Front hails PM for invite explains why it can’t join tea
Dhaka, Feb 01 – The opposition alliance Jatiya Oikya Front on Friday hailed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for inviting its leaders to her today’s tea party at her official residence Ganabhaban regretting their inability to take part in it. The…
Quader criticises BNP for declining to join PM’s tea party
Dhaka, Feb 1 (UNB) – Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Friday said BNP’s decision not to join the Ganobhaban tea party at the invitation of the Prime Ministers has exposed the party’s old negative political attitude. Speaking at…
Barapukuria charge hearing against Khaleda deferred
Dhaka, Jan 31 – The Special Judge’s Court-2 of Dhaka yesterday deferred the hearing on charge framing against BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and nine others in the Barapukuria graft case till February 26. Judge ASM Ruhul Imran of the…