Exclusive Stories

MNA Exclusive Desk: The High Court (HC) on Thursday has ordered the government not to approve any more industries within 10km of the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest. Forest and environment secretary, industries secretary and the director general of the Department of Environment have been asked to submit the lists to the court. An HC bench of Md. Moinul Islam Chowdhury and JBM Hassan passed the order following a writ petition filed by Save the Sundarbans president Sheikh Faridul Islam. The court also issued a rule as to why setting up of industries in a 10-km radius of the ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: The police verification before obtaining passport triggers the way for corruption, says Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB). A total of 72.2 per cent of the passport applicants are subject to such corruption and harassment, while 70.3 per cent have to give the police bribes or unofficial payments. The data was showed in a study titled “Good governance in passport services: Challenges and the way forward” conducted by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) from September 2016 till May this year. And 1,453 respondents took part in the survey. The highest percentage of this was in Sylhet at 60 per cent, ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: More than 16 million people affected by monsoon floods in Nepal, Bangladesh and India, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said Friday. “This is fast becoming one of the most serious humanitarian crises this region has seen in many years and urgent action is needed to meet the growing needs of millions of people affected by these devastating floods,” the IFRC said in a statement Friday, citing its staff for Asia Pacific region. According to the statement, more than one third of Bangladesh and Nepal have been flooded, and the humanitarian crisis ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: Australian senator Pauline Hanson wore a burqa to parliament on Thursday as part of her campaign to ban the all-enveloping garment worn by some Muslim women, reported news agency. Hanson sat in her seat in the assembly for about 20 minutes covered by the black burqa before removing it to call for them to be banned in public for national security reasons. Hanson, who first rose to prominence in the 1990s because of her strident opposition to immigration from Asia and to asylum seekers, has in recent years campaigned against Islamic clothing and the building of mosques. ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: The Saudi authorities have approved all pending applications of intending Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims paving ways for them to perform the holy Islamic ritual, a Bangladesh foreign ministry statement said in Dhaka on Tuesday. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to inform that 118,924 pilgrims’ visas have been approved by Saudi authorities as of 14 August 2017,” the statement read. “The Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Dhaka has informed that there is no pending application with them.” It also added. It is “closely working” with the Saudi authorities in this regard. Some 1,27,198 pilgrims from Bangladesh are ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: The suspected militant of Neo JMB, who was killed in self decorated explosion in a hotel of Panthapath area in Dhaka on Tuesday, planned to commit attack on Dhanmondi 32, said Inspector general of police (IGP) A K M Shahidul Hoque. The deceased is identified as Saiful Islam, a resident of Dumuria upazila in Khulna. The police chief was briefing media after the operation ‘August Bite’. Earlier, law enforcement agency cordoned off a building of Hotel Olio International near Square Hospital in Panthapath since morning on Tuesday. Sounds of explosions and gunshots were heard from the hotel. ...

MNA News Desk: Ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) general secretary Obaidul Quader visited the residence of chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha and had dinner together on Saturday night. Obaidul Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, went to the CJ’s official residence around 8:30pm and then to the Gono Bhaban, reported news agency. What was discussed at the meeting could not be known immediately. Obaidul Quader met Surendra Kumar Sinha at a time when the judiciary, the executive and the legislature are apparently at loggerheads over supremacy and which has intensified recently following the 16th amendment annulment verdict of ...

MNA National Desk: Central Leaders of Bangabandhu Shishu Kishor Mela (BSKM) paid rich tribute to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing wreaths at his Mazar at Tungipara. Iqbal Sobhan Chowdury, the chief adviser of Bangabandhu Shishu Kishore Mela and Prime Minister’s Media Advisor, placed wreaths at the mazar. Mir Mosharref Hossain Pakbir, chief patron of BSKM national committee, also paid homage to Bangabandhu marking the 42nd martyrdom anniversary and National Mourning Day. Besides a huge number of children participated in a mourning rally arranged by the BSKM before placing wreaths at the Mazar. Bangabandhu Shishu Kishore ...

MNA National Desk: The High Court has granted permanent bail to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in Zia Orphanage Trust and Zia Charitable Trust corruption cases. An HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Shahidul Karim on Wednesday passed the order after final hearing on the rule issued by the court in 2008 granting anticipatory bail to Khaleda in the graft case. The court also said if Khaleda misuses the bail, the trial court concerned may scrap her bail. The ACC filed the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case on July 3, 2008 with Ramna Police Station accusing Khaleda, her ...

MNA Editorial Desk: A study has found that the honesty scores of those who did not complete secondary school was nearly twice than that of those with postgraduate degrees. One theory is that more educated people may be better able to calculate the risks of being caught out lying, reported news agency. Researchers of Middlesex University analyzed data on 6,000 people from deception tests used by psychologists. Generally, men told more fibs than women. But while age had no effect, education had a significant impact. Postgraduates had the lowest honesty rating, followed by graduates. Next were people who had vocational ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Three people, including a woman, have been shown arrested in a case filed over death of a domestic help in the city’s Banasree area. The arrestees are Moin Uddin, owner of the house, his wife and caretaker Kamal. The death of the 25-year-old, Laili Aktar, sparked angry protest in the area on Friday afternoon as locals alleged that the domestic help was killed in a planned way. The angry locals ransacked the house, torched a vehicle and damaged a dozen following the death. Violence erupted after police had tried to disperse the agitated crowd, leading to running ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Secretary General of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Dr Yousef bin Ahmad Al Othaimeen suggested holding an interfaith dialogue between Bangladesh and Myanmar to resolve the Rohingya crisis. Dr Yousef said this when he met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in the morning. After the meeting, PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters. The OIC Secretary General also thanked Bangladesh for giving shelter to Rohingya refugees and told the Prime Minister, “You are very generous”. Sheikh Hasina said her government has already earmarked an island to give temporary shelter to the Rohingya refugees so that ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson promised on Tuesday that the United States is not trying to topple Kim Jong-Un’s North Korean regime, but warned it must halt its nuclear missile program, reported news agency. Briefing reporters on diplomatic efforts to pressure Pyongyang, Tillerson said Washington would be willing to talk to the North if its leaders accept that they must disarm. “We don’t think having a dialogue where the North Koreans come to the table assuming they’re going to maintain their nuclear weapons is productive,” he warned. But he sought to reassure the isolated authoritarian regime that ...

MNA Editorial Desk: UNESCO has reiterated concern about the environmental impact of the Rampal coal-fired power plant near the Sundarbans, in a new report contrary to the government’s claim that the UN agency has withdrawn its objection. The final report on the decisions adopted during the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee held in Poland was published on Sunday. It stated that the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has requested that a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) be carried out regarding the impact of the Rampal power project on the Sundarbans and ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: Six Bangladeshi workers, including two siblings, were killed in a road accident in Saudi Arabia on Thursday night. Five of the deceased were identified as Ershad Bepari, 25, his younger brother Humayun Bepari, 20, sons of Ohed Ali Bepari, hailing from Daraper Dangi, Miraz Mondol, 26, son of Saher Mondol of Shamsu Mondol Bazar and Kobbat Khan, 25, son of Osman Khan of Matubbar Para in Goalanda upazial of Rajbari district, and Idris Dewan, 30, son of Haran Dewan, of Zahiruddin Matubbar Dangi in Faridpur Sadar upazila. The six Bangladeshis along with five Saudi citizens were returning ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday resigned from his post, his office said hours after the country’s Supreme Court disqualified him over corruption claims against his family. The Supreme Court said Sharif is not fit to hold office and ordered a criminal investigation into him and his family. The court also disqualified finance minister Ishaq Dar. The prime minister’s office said in a statement that Sharif has “stepped down” despite having “serious reservations” about the judicial process. The ruling came after a probe into his family’s wealth following the 2015 Panama Papers dump linking Mr Sharif’s ...

MNA Editorial Desk: The government has adopted a plan to introduce 4,500 new buses in the capital to ease the existing transport sufferings of the city dwellers, said Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) mayor Annisul Huq on Monday. “Government is going to replace aged and unfit fleet of buses from the city road with these new ones. It is also mulling the idea of deploying air-conditioned buses for women. Sufferings of women, school going children and office goers will be reduced significantly once these new buses come to the streets,” the DNCC mayor said. Annisul came up with observations while ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Prime Minister’s information affairs adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury said that the Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act will be cancelled soon. He said that the government has taken the initiative of scrapping the Section 57 of ICT Act following movement of the journalists across the country. The adviser on Saturday also urged the children to prepare themselves to lead the country in future. “Besides education, our children should obey parents and take part in different activities, including sports and culture and they should also prepare themselves to lead the country,” Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: The traffic congestion in Dhaka eats up 3.2 million working hours per day, according to a new World Bank analysis shared at a high-level international conference in the city on Wednesday. The average traffic speed in capital Dhaka has dropped from 21 kms per hour to 7 kms, slightly above the average walking speed, in the last 10 years, it said. The World Bank arranged the daylong conference on ‘Development Options for Dhaka Towards 2035’ at Songaon Hotel. The participants discussed the preliminary findings of the draft report ‘Towards Great Dhaka: A New Urban Development Paradigm Eastward,’ ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda says he does not find the BNP’s reaction to the polls roadmap to be worrying and has described it as political rhetoric. The Election Commission or EC announced its work plan leading to the next general elections. Among several other issues, the EC’s work plan stipulates a series of talks with stakeholders, centering on seven specific matters, including legal reforms and delimiting the constituencies to finalize their territorial areas. While unveiling the roadmap on Sunday, CEC Huda said they will initiate legal measures to ensure a congenial atmosphere for the polls ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Politicians on Saturday came down heavily on the government and police for raiding and cordoning off a tea party where several senior political leaders met on Thursday night. Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia condemned and protested at the ‘unwarranted’ presence of law enforcers at the house of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal faction president ASM Abdur Rob during a meeting with political leaders and eminent persons of the society. Police cordoned off the house of ASM Abdur Rob at Uttara in Dhaka on Thursday evening as he invited leaders of different political parties to the tea party. In ...

MNA Editorial Desk: The government has blacklisted 16,000 rice miller owners for hoarding in an effort to manipulate prices, Food Minister Qamrul Islam said on Thursday. “We have black listed 16,000 dishonest owners of rice mills for three years when the government would not procure any rice from them,” the minister said. He said the country’s rice stock will be increased to 10 lakh tonnes by August. “There is no food crisis in the country”, the minister asserted during a press conference at his secretariat office. According to the minister, 1.10 lakh tonnes of rice would reach in Chittagong Port ...

MNA Editorial Desk: The Election Commission (EC) made it clear in their roadmap that Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) won’t be used in the next parliamentary election. However, the EC will begin dialogue with political parties and other stakeholders from July 31 to hold the next parliamentary elections. “The roadmap was finalized after reviewing it in the commission meeting and it will be formally published as a book form on July 16,” Secretary at the EC Secretariat Mohammad Abdullah told the reporters. Abdullah said the EC will begin dialogue with the political parties, stakeholders, civil society, media personnel, observer organizations and ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Parliament Members on Sunday expressed their dissatisfaction over the recent Supreme Court’s verdict scrapping the 16th constitutional amendment that restored the parliament’s authority to remove Supreme Court judges on grounds of incapacity or misconduct. Taking part in an unscheduled debate in the House, they strongly criticized appellate division and its pronouncement that the Jatiya Sangsad has no power to remove Supreme Court judges, reported news agency. Speaking in the JS on points of order, the ministers and MPs, including Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon, and Information Minister Hasanul ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Police have arrested Gulshan cafe attack suspect Sohel Mahfuz and three other suspected militants in Chapainwabganj. Three others were described as associates of Sohel. They were named as Hafiz, Jewel and Jamal. Police said Sohel Mahfuz is one of ‘masterminds’ of Holey Artisan Bakery attack in 2016 that claimed 22 lives. Two police officers were killed in grenade blasts while responding to the café attack. Sohel is accused of supplying the grenades used in the attack on Jul 1, 2016. He was an executive member of the JMB and later joined neo-JMB, police counterterrorism unit Chief Monirul ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Months into the alleged rape at Banani’s Raintree hotel, a university girl was reportedly been raped after responding to a birthday party invitation at Banani. The victim filed a case against a certain Bahauddin Ivan with Banani police station on Wednesday morning. Banani police said Bahauddin, son of a businessman, lives with his family at NAM Village apartment in the area. On Tuesday night, Bahauddin called the university student to his apartment, alluring her to celebrate his birthday party. Responding to the call, the victim went to his house on Tuesday night. At one stage, host Bahauddin ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Around 2000 Bangladeshis, mainly regular migrants from Iran, Lebanon and Jordan, got stuck in Turkey as their attempts to illegally enter Europe through Turkey have become difficult. Bangladesh Ambassador in Ankara M Allama Siddiki fears a humanitarian crisis and slower repatriation of stranded Bangladesh nationals and conveyed the overall situation to the relevant ministries in Dhaka. The number of Bangladesh nationals from various countries in the Middle East, especially from Iran, Lebanon and Jordan is increasing in Turkey with a hope that they will get entry to Europe illegally, reported news agency. Describing the scenario, the Ambassador ...