Ramadan begins Monday

Holy Ramadan, the lunar month of self-purification through fasting and abstinence, begins on Monday as the new moon was not sighted anywhere in Bangladesh sky on Saturday.

Lailatul Qadr, the night of divine blessings and benediction, will be observed on the night of July 25.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Moon Sighting Committee on Saturday evening after reviewing reports on moon sighting for the month of Ramadan of 1435 Hijri.

Religious Affairs Minister and chairman of the committee Motiur Rahman presided over the meeting held at the Islamic Foundation’s Baitul Mukarram office.

Religious affairs secretary Chowdhury M Babul Hasan, Islamic Foundation director general Shamim Mohammad Afzal and Baitul Mukarram National Mosque Khatib Maulana M Salauddin, among others, attended the meeting.  Sources: Prothom Alo

Brazil reach quarters after penalties

Brazil beat Chile 3-2 in a penalty shootout to reach the World Cup quarter-finals after their dramatic last-16 match in Belo Horizonte ended 1-1 after extra time on Saturday.

Chile's Gonzalo Jara missed the vital spot-kick after Neymar had converted for Brazil.

Inspection intensifies Bangladesh garment industry’s woes

It took Western safety inspectors only about an hour to tour a factory the size of three football fields before ordering a partial shutdown of Sonia & Sweaters Ltd, a Bangladesh clothing supplier to Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Debenhams.

Two weeks later, the group that the inspectors represented changed its mind and allowed the factory to stay open, even though none of the repairs they suggested had been carried out.

Such erratic decision-making poses a new set of problems for Bangladesh’s $ 22 billion garments industry, whose safety record has been under the microscope since the collapse of a factory near Dhaka that killed more than 1,100 workers last year.

‘People need to resolve internal issues’

Indian government will work with Bangladesh government, its external affairs ministry’s spokesperson has said, leaving Bangladesh’s internal issues to the people of the country to resolve.

Syed Akbaruddin was briefing journalists’ on Friday moment before the departure of his minister Sushma Swaraj who made a 38-hour long visit to Dhaka, first of her stand-alone visit to any country as foreign minister.

Shamim Osman threatens ASP

Awami League lawmaker Shamim allegedly threatened an assistant superintendent of police over phone.

ASP Md Basir Uddin told the journalist that Shamim Osman threatened him during the Narayanganj-5 polls on Thursday noon. He filed a General Diary in this regard.

Mahmood-Sushma meeting No talk on transit, LBA soon

Bangladesh has not given transit to India and no discussion was happened on this issue with visiting Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. 

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood

Selim Osman elected in Narayanganj-5 by-polls

AKM Selim Osman of Jatiya Party (JP-Ershad) has been elected unofficially in Narayanganj-5 by-election held on Thursday.

According to unofficial result, Salim Osman bagged 82,322 votes in 140 centres, out of total 141, while his nearest independent candidate SM Akram polled 62,297.

Voting in Char Srirampur in Bandar upazila was suspended due to violence.

Earlier, voting in the parliamentary seat was held from 8:00am to 4:00pm amid allegation of vote rigging and ballot box-stuffing against Salim Osman.