The United States is waiting for an official explanation of the Bangladesh government on holding January 5 elections, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said this afternoon quoting US Ambassador in Dhaka Dan W Mozena. During a meeting with Muhith at his secretariat office, Mozena…
The Jatiya Party has called a 48-hour hartal (shutdown) in Rangpur division for tomorrow demanding release of its party chief HM Ershad and protesting blasts at its district party office. The Rangpur city and district units of the JP came…
The BNP-led 18-party opposition combine has called a 72-hour countrywide blockade from 6:00am tomorrow demanding cancellation of the schedule of the parliamentary polls and holding election under a non-party government. Nazrul Islam Khan, a standing committee member of the main…
A total of 154 aspirants are set to be elected uncontested in the January 5 parliamentary election as they have no contenders in their respective constituencies. Of the aspirants, 127 are from the ruling Awami League, 20 from Jatiya Party,…
With white flags in their hands, the country’s businessmen today held rallies across the country urging politicians to restore normalcy through a political consensus. “We want peace, political solution to this prevailing crisis. We want business-friendly environment in the country,”…
Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad reiterated through one of his advisers today that he would not step back from his decision to boycott the January 5 parliamentary election. “I and Jatiya Party will not participate in the election as it…
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today alleged that Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad has been picked up for boycotting “a staged-managed election”. “His detention has proved that there is sign of democracy in the country,” the BNP…
Awami League senior leaders Tofail Ahmed and Gowher Rizvi met with Jatiya Party presidium member Rawshan Ershad this evening. Tofail, also industries minister, and Rizvi, international affairs adviser to the prime minister, went to her Gulshan residence around 6:30pm. Jatiya…
Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad has been picked up because of his repeated calls for a fair and transparent parliamentary election, the JP secretary general alleged today. “The way he was taken to hospital…it is normal that the leaders and…
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad today said that the army has been on alert and ready for deployment. The time and number of army personnel to be deployed will be decided in meeting with the security forces,…
Visiting UK Senior Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Baroness Sayeeda Warsi today said an inclusive election is necessary in Bangladesh for its stability. In a meeting with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, she also said the UK…
Jamaat-e-Islami today appealed to the Supreme Court against the High Court verdict that declared its registration with the Election Commission illegal making it unfit to contest the parliamentary polls. In the appeal, Jamaat prayed to the apex court to scrap…
UN Assistant Secretary General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco today said both the ruling Awami League and opposition BNP have agreed to continue the dialogue to end the ongoing political deadlock. “At the invitation of the UN Secretary General, senior representatives of Awami…
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US Secretary of State John Kerry today phoned Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to express their concern over the prevailing situation and countrywide violence. “Ban Ki-moon told the prime minister that he wants a peaceful election…
Visiting UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernández Taranco this evening met with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia for the second time in two days and discussed various issues about the next national election. “Various issues relating to the election…
Blockaders torched two buses and vandalised a human hauler in the capital’s South Jatrabari and Sobhanbagh today, the third day of the countrywide blockade enforced by the BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance. Hartal picketers torched a bus at Sobhanbagh around 6:30pm,…
Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad today said his party’s ministers tried to submit their resignation letters over the last three days but the prime minister was not available for an appointment. A smokescreen has been created over the resignation, he…
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Oscar Fernández Taranco has expressed optimism about a peaceful solution to the prevailing political impasse. “I do believe that there is possibility of a peaceful solution to this current deadlock if we have a…
The opposition alliance has extended its countrywide blockade to 6:00am Friday to press its demands for rescheduling of the parliamentary election, installation of a non-party polls-time government and release of leaders. The announcement, which came through a video message, turned…
Jatiya Party Secretary General Ruhul Amin Howlader this evening met with President Abdul Hamid to inquire about his health condition. They also discussed the country’s latest political situation including holding of a free, fair and inclusive general election, Hawlader told…
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed today said a lot of things are possible under the framework of law if a consensus is reached among political parties. The CEC said this at a meeting with an UN delegation headed…
The BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance has called dawn-to-dusk hartals in Natore, Narail and Jhenidah for tomorrow. BNP will enforce the hartal in Natore district while its student body Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) in Narail district and the 18-party combine in…
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this evening apprised President Abdul Hamid of the ongoing situation of the country. She also discussed with the president about the funeral of South Africa’s anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandel where Hamid is going to attend. President’s…
Oscar Fernández Taranco, UN assistant secretary-general for political affairs, met with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia this evening but the contents of the discussion were not available. The visiting UN official and the opposition leader had an hour long one-to-one parley…
At least four people were injured as opposition activists blasted a crude bomb near the Awami League office in Chapainawabganj town this evening. The injured were named as Azizur Rahman Khan Pavel, the district unit vice president of Bangladesh Chhatra…
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told visiting Oscar Fernández Taranco, UN assistant secretary-general for political affairs, that deferring the election schedule is the jurisdiction of the Election Commission. Sheikh Hasina said this when Taranco, visiting Dhaka in a move to break…
Jatiya Party leaders in the polls-time cabinet sought the prime minister’s appointment to place their resignation in her hand, JP Secretary General Ruhul Amin Howlader said today. “We have wanted to meet her, but are yet to get appointment due…
Amid news reports that Rowshan Ershad has been made acting chairman of Jatiya Party, HM Ershad today said he would be at the party’s helm as long as he lives. “It’s a propaganda,” the embattled JP chief said about the…
Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad again said today if all political parties participate in the polls, his party will join the race. “I am firm and steady on my decision. It will not change,” the former dictator told reporters at…
Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain today said people of the country are ready to sacrifice their life to resist any one-sided election. “I shall give up life at first if anything other than a free, fair and neutral election…
BNP has called a 24-hour hartal in the Dhaka city from Sunday morning to protest the arrest and remand of the party’s Vice-President Sadeque Hossain Khoka. Meanwhile, the main opposition party declared a two-day dawn-to-dusk shutdown in Moulvibazar district from…
Railway authorities have suspended night-time train services on four routes under Lalmonirhat railway division of West Zone for an indefinite period since Thursday night to avoid sabotage on train in the dark hours. The decision came after several incidents of…
A local Jubo League leader was stabbed to death by unknown assailants in Pabna last night. The reason of the killing was not clear instantly, but the local leaders of Jubo League, youth front of the ruling Awami League, alleged…
Two ministers and two state ministers of Jatiya Party have submitted letters to their party chief for resigning from the cabinet. “The president of our party will submit our resignation letters to the president,” Ruhul Amin Hawlader, civil aviation and…
Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad has threatened that he would shoot himself to death if any attempt is made to arrest him. The former dictator made the statement before journalists hours after law enforcers cordoned off his house at…
Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Dhaka city convener of the main opposition BNP, was detained from a house in Uttara tonight. Law enforcers made the detention from house No-18 in Sector-4 of Uttara around 10:00pm, Mohammad Moyen, personal secretary to Khoka, confirmed…
Visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh in a meeting with opposition leader Khaleda Zia today said India wants to see stability and continuation of democracy in Bangladesh. “The Indian foreign secretary said they want peace and stability to prevail in…
Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad said today that neighbouring India had advised him to participate in the next parliamentary election warning that militants might rise if JP keeps off from the polls. “They said if we don’t participate in the…
A Jubo Dal leader was killed and at least 50 including three policemen were injured during a clash between the youth wing of BNP and law enforcers at Sadar upazila of Feni this afternoon. Deceased Harun Ur Rashid was the…
Main opposition BNP called a dawn-to-dusk hartal (shutdown) in Gazipur and Manikganj districts while Jubo Dal called hartal in Feni for tomorrow. Kazi Saiedul Alam Babul, general secretary of Gazipur district BNP unit, announced a daylong hartal in the district…
Law enforcers have entered the house of Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad in Baridhara in the capital hours after he directed his partymen to resign from their posts of ministers and adviser to the PM. Meanwhile, all four ministers, two…
The government today transferred divisional commissioner of Dhaka AN Shamsuddin Azad Chowdhury and deputy commissioner of Khulna Mesbahuddin in line with the instruction of the Election Commission (EC). Additional health secretary Md Zillur Rahman has been made the divisional commissioner…
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today alleged that the government is spreading propaganda to derail the opposition’s ongoing movement. In a statement this afternoon, he said: “Some ministers said talks are going on behind the scene. But…
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed today called upon the government and the opposition to reach a consensus before the time is over. “We have requested the president to take initiatives for a political consensus. Two weeks have past,…
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia today urged the Election Commission to postpone the schedule of the 10th parliamentary election. In a statement this evening, she said: “Instead of being used as the puppet of a particular party, put off the announced…
The main opposition BNP on Monday alleged that the government is going to put the last nail in the coffin of democracy by arranging a ‘one-sided farcical election’. “The government has completed all the preparations for holding a one-party farcical…
The Election Commission (EC) today requested the authorities to transfer the divisional commissioner of Dhaka and deputy commissioner of Khulna. An election commissioner seeking anonymity confirmed it to The Daily Star. He however did not disclose the reason for transferring…
Former home minister MK Alamgir is the lone candidate in Chandpur-1 (Kachua) constituency as no other aspirant submitted nomination today. Monday was the deadline for submitting nomination papers to contest the 10th parliamentary election scheduled to be held on January…
Business leaders led by the BGRMA met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this evening to share their concerns over the ongoing political violence that affected the business activities badly. After the meeting with the premier at her official residence Gono…
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, the student and youth wings of the main opposition BNP, have called a half-day hartal in Chittagong district for tomorrow. The shutdown aims at protesting “false charges” against senior leaders of the party,…
