Cyclone Helen moves northwest

The severe cyclonic storm "Helen" over west-central Bay and adjoining area moved slightly northwestwards over the same area and was centred at 12 noon today.

It is about 1.185 kms southwest of Chittagong port. 1.140 kms southwest of Cox's Bazar port and 1.010 kms southwest of Mongla port, a Met Office weather bulletin said today. It is likely to intensify further and move in a west-northwesterly direction.

Maximum sustained wind speed within 64 kms of the storm centre is about 90 kph rising to 110 kph in gusts/squalls. Sea will remain very rough near the centre of the storm.

The maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Mongla have been advised to keep hoisted distant warning signal No.two (r) two.

All fishing boats and trawlers over North Bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice. They are also advised not to venture into the deep sea.

Joynal Abedin Faruk urges President to initiate talks in time

Opposition Chief Whip Joynal Abedin Faruk has urged the president to take an initiative in time to hold talks in a bid to arrange a free, fair and credible election. "Time has not ended yet and it is possible to reach a consensus between the ruling and the opposition parties for holding the next election under a non-party government. You are not President of Awami League rather than the guardian of country's 16 crore people", he said.

Joynal Abedin Faruk was speaking at a discussion on 'on-going crisis, role of President and our expectations' at the National Press Club on Thursday. 

He opined that the time of present parliament can be extended in a bid to restore the caretaker government system in the constitution if it is needed.

Still waiting for BNP : Obaidul Quader

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader has said we are still waiting for the main opposition BNP that it will join the polls-time interim government. Otherwise, the chance for BNP will slip away as no one will be allowed to join the polls-time government after the polls schedule. 

Obaidul Quader said this at a press briefing at the Secretariat on Thursday.

He urged the opposition to join the cabinet before the polls schedule and again offered that BNP would be given 10 to 12 ministries if it joins the cabinet.

Khaleda: 60 hour strike if no caretaker

Bangladesh opposition leader khaleda Zia says she and her allies will stage a three-day general strike from Sunday morning to back demands for a caretaker government made up of people from outside political parties to oversee elections due by early January.

Zia told a rally Friday that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has two days to agree to the demand, otherwise more protests will be announced.

Such a caretaker government has been used in the past but Hasina's government scrapped it in 2011, citing a Supreme Court ruling saying the provision was unconstitutional.

Hasina has proposed establishing an all-party government with herself as the leader to oversee the elections, but Zia, a former prime minister, rejected that.

Eid ul Azha on October 16, 2013

The holy Eid-ul-Azha, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Muslims, will be celebrated in the country on October 16 as the moon of  the month of jilhaj was sighted in the Bangladesh sky on Sunday.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Moon Sighting Committee held at Islamic Foundation's Baitul Mukarram conference room in the city on Sunday evening.

Director General of Islamic Foundation Shamim Mohammad Afzal presided over the meeting in absence of State Minister for Religious Affairs and also Chairman of the committee Advocate M Shahjahan Mia, Other committee member also attended the meeting.

After the meeting, the Islamic Foundation DG told reporters that the Jilhaj moon was sighted in Gaibandha district.

Prime Minister defeated forces want to see the state fail

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, "When defeated forces come to power, they try to make the state fail. It is as if they want to take revenge for their defeat." The Prime Minister said this when inaugurating the second unit of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Thursday. She said only the pro-liberation forces want to see the country flourish and develop.

"Everyone has to work together to realize the dream of creating a golden Bengal by the year 2021," the Prime Minister said. She also asked everyone to remain vigilant against the conspiracies of the defeated forces.

Alamgir; Any attempt to thwart polls to be resisted

Home Minister Dr. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir on Thursday said any attempt to thwart the upcoming elections would be resisted strongly.

"Those who will try to foil the polls will be resisted with full force," the minister said while speaking at the inauguration programme of the new headquarters of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab-7), Chittagong Zone at Patenga here at noon.

"Some autocratic forces undercover of political parties want to foil election which is the main foundation of democracy," he said.

The Home Minister also urged the law-enforcers to play their due role in holding a free and fair election to safeguard democracy.

He said Rab was established as a force to mete out torture and repression during 2004-2008 but the present government has turned it into people-friendly one.

Environment Minister Hasan Mahmud, who was present at the progreamme as a special guest, said as along as the schedule for the election is announced the present government will work with its full force. "It'll be turned into an interim government when the election schedule will be announced."

PM: Remain united to protect the country

"Remain united in favour of war crimes trials. Keep this above party strategies. Remember, if they had the chance, they would not have spared you either," said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to freedom fighters who are loyalists to BNP.

The Prime Minister made the call when a representative group of US Freedom Fighters Sangsad met with her at Grand Hyatt Hotel on Wednesday.

She said BNP is blatantly trying to protect the war criminals of 1971. She said as freedom fighters they should not support such program mes.

Sayedee's petition rejected

The Appellate Division has rejected Jamaat Leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee's two petitions urging the Supreme Court's two judges to voluntarily abstain from the proceedings of his appeal challenging his death sentence.

The three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain passed the order the order on Thursday. The two other members of the bench are- Justice Wahab Mian and Justice Hasan Fayez Siddiqui.

The two judges against whom the petitions were filed are Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha and Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik.

Sayedee filed the petition on Wednesday fearing these two justices in question may not be unbiased when dealing with the appeal fighting his death verdict.

Government to procure 650 taxicabs with help from army

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader said the government will provide 650 new taxicabs to Dhaka and Chittagong. Dhaka will get 250, Chittagong 250 and army will supervise 150 cabs.

The Minister said the decision came at the annual development programme (ADP) review meeting on Wednesday at Communications Ministry.

The Minister said considering Dhaka's transportation system, a decision has been taken to give route permits in Dhaka to AC minibuses only.

He said the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Metro Rail, Dhaka Sustainable Urban Transport Project and second Kanchpur, Meghna, Gomoti bridge construction next month.

Obaidul Quader said the Tk. 22,000 crore project will be implemented under Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project. Of the total cost, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will provide Tk. 16,600 crore.

Government prepares for execution

Government is preparing to execute Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah's death sentence. Government believes there is no scope for review appeal against the apex court's verdict. In fact, there is even no need to wait for the full verdict. Jail authorities can start the procedure once it receives the certified copy of the abridged verdict. But is this case Quader Mollah will get a week to seek presidential clemency. Meanwhile, Quader Mollah's counsel has applied for a certified copy of the abridged verdict. They have appealed for a stay on the execution procedure stating a review petition will be filed as soon as the copy of the verdict is received. 

Executions are processed under penal codes and jail codes. The jail codes mandate that after receiving the verdict the authorities allow 1 week for the convict to seek presidential pardon. If the convict is not pardoned then the sentence is executed between 21-28 days. But these penal codes and jail codes will not be applicable to war crimes convicts because International Crimes (Tribunals) Act-1973 is a special law. The sentences in this case will be executed as per the government's orders.

The Appellate Division allows 30 days to file any review petition. Quader Mollah's chief defense counsel said yesterday filing a review petition is Mollah's constitutional right. However, law experts believe Section 105 of the Constitution does not apply to war crime convicts and as such there is no scope for review in Mollah's case. Both Law Minister and Attorney General believes there is no scope for a review of the verdict.

Defense counsel on the other hand believes execution of the verdict without first allowing to file a petition would make it a judicial killing. The jurisprudence in a death penalty cannot be resolved through a court. The Constitution also allows the filing of a review. A death sentence cannot be executed on the basis of the abridged verdict only. The convict has to receive a copy of the verdict. Even the President needs to have the copy of the full verdict to evaluate clemency decision.

Indian court finds border guard not guilty in Felani murder

A court in eastern India has acquitted an India paramilitary soldier who was charged with the 2011 killing of a teenage Bangladeshi girl along the border between the countries.

Killings of illegal migrants are common along the porous India-Bangladesh border, but this was the first time an Indian border guard had been put on trial for such a killing. India says most of the people killed along the border are smugglers.

A court in West Bengal state said Thursday that border guard Amiya Ghosh was not guilty of shooting the 15-year-old girl as she crossed into Bangladesh from the Indian side in January 2011.

The two countries are often at odds over issues involving their nearly 4,000-km (2,500-mile) border. Bangladesh accuses Indian troops of using extreme violence along the border.

The News: 17 Killed, 30 Injured in road Accident in Banglade...

The News: 17 Killed, 30 Injured in road Accident in Banglade...: At lest 17 people were killed and about 30 others injured as a goods laden truck and a night passenger bus collided head on in Banglade...

17 Killed, 30 Injured in road Accident in Bangladesh!

At lest 17 people were killed and about 30 others injured as a goods laden truck and a night passenger bus collided head on in Bangladesh's Shajahanpur sub-district of Bogra district, 197km northwest of the capital Dhaka, on Thursday morning.

Police was quoted by private news agency UNB as saying that the Dhaka bound truck collided head on with the passenger bus, leaving 11 passengers dead on the spot and over 30 injured at about 6 am local time. Six of the injured died on the way to local hospitals.

All the victims were passengers of the night bus which was over loaded.

Police said the drivers of both the vehicles were driving recklessly and lost control while taking a turn.

Bangladesh has one of the highest fatality rates for road accidents in the world due mainly to shoddy highways, poorly maintained vehicles, violation of traffic rules by inept drivers and lack of monitoring of the traffic department.

According to a recent study of Accident Research Center of Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology, some 10,000 to 12,000 people are killed in road accident in Bangladesh every year, of which about 75 percent fatalities occur in rural areas.

Nasim comment reflects Baksal : Dr. Mosharraf (BNP)

Slamming the Awami League (AL) leader Mohammed Nasim's comment that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would continue ruling the country if election wasn't held, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) standing committee member Dr. khandaker Mosharraf Hossain Friday said such a comment was reflection of the Baksal. He said, "There is no difference between Nasim's comment and principles of Baksal.

They said Hasina would continue ruling the country if election wasn't held. During the period of Baksal, it was said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman would stay in power for ever. The situation, however, is different now. This is 2013 and that was 1975. The BNP, the largest party of the country, wasn't born back then. This came as he was addressing a protest meeting at national press club in Dhaka Friday. 

Mosharraf Said, The government arrested Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman as it couldn't stomach criticism. Likewise, Odhikar secretary Adilur Rahman was arrested as the organization released exact death figures, all of whom lost their lives during the 5 May police crackdown on Hifazat-e-Islam workers, the BNP leader observed. He alleged the government was governing the country using Baksal strategy under the guise of democracy. They uttered lots of election manifestos. However, after assuming power, they just forgot about people. People are compelled to pay sky-high prices for essential commodities.

National Mourning Day: President, PM pay homage to Bangabandhu

Dhaka: President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid glowing tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Bangabandhu Bhaban at Dhanmondi Road No. 32 on Thursday morning by placing wreaths, marking the National Mourning Day.

On this day, in 1975, Bangabandhu and most of his family members were killed in this house by a group of derailed army officers as part of a long-running conspiracy by the anti-liberation forces.

The day is observed as the National Mourning Day.

One killed in city during 2nd day hartal of Bangladesh

One hartal picket was reportedly killed in a clash with police at Dania of Jatrabari here as Bangladesh Jamaate-e-Islami (JI)-enforced countrywide 48-hour hartal entered the second day today. Locals and hospital sources said the deceased was identified as Md Khalilur Rahman, 22, president of 88 no ward of Islamic Chhatra Shibir (ICS), student wing of JI.

Meanwhile, police claimed the victim was crushed under the wheels of a motor vehicle while police tried to chase them out as they (pickets) swooped on police with rude bombs, brickbats and lethal weapons early today.