Dhaka, Malaysia will give Bangladesh $35 million for a state Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) project that will generate an additional 150 million litres of water in the capital city of Dhaka, where running water is an acute problem in many areas. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two governments Monday in this regard, Xinhua quoted an official press release as saying Monday. The project will help generate water in Dhaka's Mirpur residential district. The agreement was signed in presence of a high-level Malaysian delegation led by special envoy of Malaysia Dato Seri Samy Vellu and Bangladeshi State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives(LGRD) Jahangir Kabir Nanak. WASA presently produces 2,100 million litres of water everyday for nearly 12.5 million people in the capital, according to the Dhaka WASA ...
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New Delhi, Custodial killings, police abuse including torture, and failure to implement policies aimed at protecting vulnerable communities marred India's record in 2011, according to the Human Rights Watch World Report. The global report released Monday pointed out that impunity for abuses committed by security forces also continued, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, the northeast, and areas facing Maoist insurgency. However, the report found that killings by the Border Security Force (BSF) along the Indo-Bangladesh border decreased dramatically. "India, the world's most populous democracy, continues to have a vibrant media, an active civil society, a respected judiciary, and significant human rights problems," the report said. The report highlights that India is yet to repeal laws or change policies that allow de jure and de facto impunity for human rights violations, and has failed to prosecute even known perpetrators of serious abuses. "The Indian defence establishment resisted attempts to repeal or revise the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), a law that provides soldiers in disturbed areas widespread police powers," it said. The report says that ...
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Dhaka, The Bangladeshi government has signed a USD 290 million financing agreement with the World Bank for the country's second Local Governance Support Project, said the Washington-based lender. The project will continue to support Bangladesh's decentralisation efforts through provision of direct block grants to Union Councils, the lowest tier of local government system in the South Asian country, for financing local priorities, Xinhua quoted a world bank statement as saying. With its nationwide coverage to all 4,504 Union Councils, the project would benefit 86 percent of the country's population or nearly 130 million people, it said. The project would also provide increased discretionary resources and introduce performance based grants in addition to expanding the amounts and coverage of direct block grants, said the statement. The project will channel 30 percent of funds to schemes prioritised by the women and would support formation of Women's Forum at the sub-district level, it ...
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Islamabad, Pakistan says it wants to forge closer political and economic ties with Bangladesh. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Bangladesh High Commissioner Suhrab Hossain Thursday discussed matters of mutual interest and agreed to strengthen ties. Khar said Pakistan greatly values its relations with Bangladesh which is an important regional country, Associated Press of Pakistan reported. Hossain delivered an invitation to Khar from Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni to visit the country. They also agreed to high-level exchanges to realize the potential between the two countries. ...
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Dhaka, The Bangladeshi government has approved an anti-pornography law that includes a maximum ten-year jail sentence for making or selling any kind of pornographic material using children. It is believed to be Bangladesh’s first law specifically targeting the spread of pornography. Those found guilty could also be fined up to 6,000 dollars, The BBC reports. Abul Kalam Azad, a government spokesman, said the measures aim to protect young people and women from pornography, which had spread like a disease through the internet and mobile phone technology. In many cases, the police failed to act against the culprits, saying existing laws did not enable them to prosecute those involved in production and distribution of such videos. The move apparently comes after a string of sex tape scandals involving female celebrities. Victims alleged their videos were doctored or filmed in secret to tarnish their ...
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DHAKA : Thousands of Bangladeshi protesters gathered in central Dhaka on Thursday to demand a faster trial for those accused of committing crimes during the country's war in 1971, local media reported. The 14-party combine led by the Bangladesh Awami League (AL) held the rally in front of the Shikha Chiranton, which honors the unknown martyrs of the War of Liberation. It is also the place where Pakistani forces finally surrendered to the joint forces of Bangladeshi troops and the Indian army on December 16, 1971. The rally was also an attempt to foil the opposition's alleged "conspiracy" to save those facing war crimes charges, who are also key members of the opposition parties. Awami League presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury claimed during the rally that the suspected war criminals are still committing murders across the country. The Awami League-led 14-party combine and other like-minded political parties supporting the trial of war criminals said rallies will be held in every district of the country on January 7, Bangladesh News 24 reported on its website. The war broke out on March 26, 1971, when West Pakistan launched a military operation against Bengali ...
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Dhaka, Bangladesh has issued an alert over Cyclone Thane that is heading towards its southeast coast. The storm was about 1,200 km from the Chittagong port, the meteorological department said Wednesday. It is likely to intensify and move in a northwestern direction, it added. Fishing boats and trawlers over north bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice, Xinhua reports. They are also advised not to venture into the deep sea. ...
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Dhaka, The Bangladesh government is working on a highly-sophisticated criminal database, the first of its kind in the country, that will recognise 150 particulars of a criminal and help law enforcers deal with offences. The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) began implementing the 2.5 crore taka project in June 2010 in cooperation with local software firm Tiger IT Bangladesh Ltd, the Daily Star reported. "As many as 150 particulars of a criminal, including photograph, prints of 10 fingers, images of retinas, blood group and available previous criminal records are being stored in the database," said Lt. Col. Ziaul Ahsan, chief of the RAB intelligence wing. He said the database would soon be available on website, "but its access will be restricted". It would be shared with other law enforcing agencies too. "We have so far incorporated the particulars of around one lakh criminals arrested by the RAB since its inception in 2004, to the new database," Ahsan said. The project would, however, need to record the latest particulars of inmates in at least 67 jails in the country. Following the arrest of a person, law enforcers now would be able to know when, where and why the ...
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New Delhi, Man-of-the-match Sagar Thapa curled in a free-kick in injury time to help Nepal register their first win in a Group B match at the ongoing SAFF Championship at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Nepal, by virtue of this victory move to 4 points from 2 matches while Bangladesh, who failed to convert from close on numerous occasions, stay on one point from two matches. In a match where both teams had their equal share of chances, Nepal were quick off the blocks. The initial thrust, which has by now been a hallmark of their play, pushed Bangladesh on the defensive right from the kick-off. Keen on making optimum use of the flanks, they kept the Bangladeshi goalkeeper Sahidul Alam busy. But much to the disappointment of the 2000 odd Nepali fans, they couldn’t capitalise. Changing over, Bangladesh weren’t just willing to defend. They depended on counter-attacks and broke in the rival box a number of times. Their best chance came in the 80th minute when Atiqur Rahaman failed to place in a free header from close – Nepal’s goalkeeper Kiran Limbu denying him with his quick reflexes. Maldives-Pakistan split points: In another group B match, Maldives and ...
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Pune, Dhaka's relations with Beijing in no way affect India-Bangladesh ties, Bangladesh Army chief General Mohammed Abdul Mubeen said here Tuesday after reviewing the passing out parade at the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla. He said China is only helping Bangladesh in infrastructure development and that the China-Bangladesh relations are not strategic and do not affect the India-Bangladesh ties. Mubeen was speaking to reporters here after reviewing the passing out parade of 302 cadets of the 121st NDA course at Khadakwasla, near here. As many as 302 cadets, including 16 from Bhutan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and the Maldives, who commenced their training June 30, 2008, graduated from the portals of this illustrious academy. The reviewing officer also presented medals to the award winners of autumn term 2011. Mubeen expressed hope that these visits would foster closer relations between the two countries and act as a catalytic tool for the mutual benefit of both the countries. Answering a question on the prospects of Bangladeshi cadets joining the NDA, Mubeen said the training and education structure of both the countries are different. He, however, ...
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Dhaka, Bangladesh war crimes trial has begun in Dhaka. The trial marks a significant moment for Bangladesh, which has yet to come to terms with its violent past, in which over three million people were killed and many others rendered homeless. Seven Bangladesh citizens, including Bangladesh Islamist Party leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee, who were accused of collaborating with Pakistani forces, are facing trial. Bangladesh’s Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said the country had waited 40 years for the trial to begin. "We lost many professors, teachers, musicians - the bright sons of our country at the time of the liberation movement. So it was our moral duty, our constitutional responsibility to try these offenders," the BBC quoted Alam, as saying. The chief prosecutor, Ghulam Arif Tipoo, said the trial is essential for the establishment of rule of law and democracy. The tribunal investigating the war crimes was set up in Dhaka in 2010. Human rights groups have urged the Bangladesh Government to ensure that the trial complies with the international ...
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