Zia Charitable Trust Case: Khaleda’s bail extended until June 28

    Sabah Mannan: A Dhaka court yesterday extended bail for BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in Zia Charitable Trust graft case till June 28. The order was passed by Dhaka-5 Special Judge Court’s Judge Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman who also withdrew a production warrant issued against Khaleda, reports The Independent. Khaleda’s lawyer Sanaullah Miah said she could not appear…

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      Media coverage of ‘war on drugs’

      Md. Shamsul Islam, Executive Editor, Our Time : As a media-critic turned journalist, I find it quite difficult to objectively assess the role of the media in the ongoing drive against drugs and the extrajudicial killings associated with it. Following some classic quotes on freedom of expression, our expectations to the media always remain sky-high….

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        Habibun Nahar elected MP of Bagerhat-3 uncontested

        Raj Abrar: Awami League candidate Habibun Nahar has been elected MP from Bagerhat-3 constituency as there were no other contenders for the by-election. Returning officer Md Nuruzzaman Talukder declared her MP yesterday morning, reports UNB. She had submitted her nomination paper on May 24 as the lone candidate. Earlier on May 21, Awami League picked…

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          The housing sector and its challenges

          Tasmiah Nuhiya Ahmed, Law Research Officer, BILIA. She is an Advocate of the Supreme Court : The real estate business has not been going well for the last couple of years due to disproportionate price of flat and registration cost. The National budget 2015-16 imposed Value Added Tax (VAT) on apartment price including cost of…

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            Cabinet forms committee to review Tariff Commission Bill

            Sofian Khan: A six-member committee was formed by the Cabinet for further reviewing the Bangladesh Tariff Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2018 draft during a regular weekly cabinet meeting with Principal Secretary to Prime Minister’s Office as its convener yesterday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting. “The draft law was placed before the cabinet today…

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              Allocation of Tk 1 bn in budget for women entrepreneurs

              Selima Ahmad, Founder and President, BWCCI : An allocation of Tk1 billion should be kept in the upcoming national budget for the country’s women entrepreneurs. Women in the country are moving forward with their contributions to different sectors. They are also doing great as entrepreneurs. With the sign of a little cooperation, more women will be…

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                Bank loan scammers need to be brought to book

                Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique, Former Vice-Chancellor, Dhaka University : The government needs to have a close look on the country’s banking sector. The banks have to be brought under a unified policy. Increasing loan default coupled with loan scams is pushing the sector towards a crisis. Even the investors are feeling insecure over the issue….

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                  Melania Trump to skip G7, N Korea summit

                  Abrar Hussain: US First Lady Melania Trump will reportedly skip this week’s G7 summit in Canada and does not also plan to attend the planned June 12 summit in Singapore with North Korea, according to  a statement by the White House on Sunday. The wife of US President Donald Trump attended the G7 meeting in Italy…

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                    Feminist activists protest topless, Facebook Korea apologises

                    Abrar Hussain: Members of a feminist activist group held a ‘topless’ protest against Facebook Korea on Saturday for its “sexually discriminatory” policy, where the social media company was accused of deleting photographs of activists’ topless bodies during a previous protest. Facebook Korea later apologized on Sunday for the deletions and restored the posts.10 female activists of…

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                      Syria’s Assad plans to visit North Korea

                      Afrida Ahmed: A report by North Korea’s state news agency claimed that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has decided to pay a visit to the country. Ever since assuming power in 2011, it would be the first time North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is going to host a head of state. Recently, the controversial leader initiated…

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