Bangladesh Sun
BangladeshSun.com Saturday 31st July 2010 Edition 2010/0731
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"Those who commit war crimes must face justice. We must not allow difference to be a license to kill, and vulnerability an excuse to dominate. "
George W Bush
The former president was speaking at the White House, August 3 2001.

bullet Exchange Rates corner
$£€ United States, Dollar Euro Bangladesh, Taka India, Rupee Myanmar
United States, Dollar - 0.766 69.50 46.40 6.410
Euro 1.304 - 90.69 60.54 8.364
Bangladesh, Taka 0.014 0.011 - 0.667 0.092
India, Rupee 0.021 0.016 1.497 - 0.138
Myanmar 0.156 0.119 10.84 7.238 -

bullet More Bangladesh News corner
Gazipur BCL men block road
Construction workers demand re-fixing of wage
At Least 100 Injured in Day 2 of Bangladesh Pay Protests
Two Bangladeshi nationals held
Much publicity, little recovery of canals

bullet Hindu corner
Hindus laud UN for declaring safe drinking water as human right
Bill will bar the tainted from judiciary: Moily
Medical ethics violation to be made punishable offence
Lalu: RJD committed to all-round social inclusion
Crime Branch launches hunt for kingpin of credit card scam
First reactor at Koodankulam to go critical by year-end: AEC Chairman

bullet Travel corner
Meet the 'idiot' who plans to travel 32,000km by jetski
Pilots quit Philippine Airlines for higher-paying jobs
Obama envoy to visit India to engage with Muslims
Don't expect great deals on airfares! Rising prices, fees put airlines in black
Dragon Duncan Bannatyne blows fire as hotels ransacked
Aussie airlines ground in-air mobile chat

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Dhaka weapons find triggers hunt
Police in Bangladesh say they have launched a massive hunt for suspected Islamist militants, after a huge arms cache was found in the capital,...

Violence in Dhaka over wage rise
Violence erupted in the Bangladeshi capital as thousands of garment workers protested over a government-backed wage increase that fell short of...
Husband strangles wife at Mirpur
A man strangled his wife to death in the city's Mirpur area early on Friday.The deceased was Labonno Jahan Nargis, 18, wife of Riffat Hossain Suman, 25, of Purba Monipur area.Officer-in-Charge (OC)...
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Asian floods leave millions strandedAsian floods leave millions stranded
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Homes destroyed in Russian forest firesHomes destroyed in Russian forest fires
Russia has sent its army in to battle forest fires that are threatening dozens of towns and...
Kashmir violence rages againKashmir violence rages again
There has been renewed violence in Kashmir, resulting in the killings of a teenage boy and another protester over the...
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Air cargo investigation leads to guilty plea for NorthwestAir cargo investigation leads to guilty plea for Northwest
Northwest Airlines has decided to plead guilty for its role in fixing air-cargo...

Code share arrangements between US and Mexico stoppedCode share arrangements between US and Mexico stopped
Mexico's aviation safety rating has been downgraded by the US oversight organisation, the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA has given Mexico a category 2 rating, which is often given to Third World countries. Mexican airlines will not be able...
Report says interns could claim back wagesReport says interns could claim back wages
A new report from a US think tank, Internocracy, has said young people working for free as interns are legally entitled to be...
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bullet Dhaka workers go on rampage to protest new wage structure corner

Thousands of readymade garment workers Friday rampaged through different parts of the national capital to protest the new wage structure announced for them by the government.

The angry workers put up barricades on the roads. They ransacked several buses, private cars and motorcycles and also vandalised buildings, including garment factories and business enterprises, Star Online reported.

Bangladesh Thursday announced new wage scales for its ailing garment industry but the workers are persisting with their Taka 5,000 ($71) minimum wage demand.

Many of the workers' collectives threatened a stir, minutes after the government formally announced the new scales.

An apprentice will get Taka 2,500 under the new wage scale. The current minimum wages paid to workers is Taka 1662.50 per month.

Local Government Minister Syed Ashraful Islam asked lawmakers representing Dhaka, Naryanganj and Gazipur constituencies, where a majority of readymade garment manufacturing units are located, to be ready to face any 'disorder', New Age newspaper said Friday.

The minister said: 'A quarter is trying to cause unwanted incidents using the issue of the wage board.'

Labour Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossian announced the new wage structure Thursday.

It came amidst months of industrial violence during which workers have died, numerous man-days have been lost and factories have been frequently vandalised and closed down.

Employing 3.5 million workers, Bangladesh's readymade garment sector is the highest money-spinner. It netted $12 billion in foreign exchange last year.

However, poor working conditions and wages and absence of collective bargaining system in industrial units have left the garment sector turbulent, causing delays in meeting export commitments.

The employers had 'lobbied' with the government to delay the announcement for four months and demanded compensation before the wages were revised, media reports said Friday.

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry has advised employers to accept the new wage structure and implement it to avoid further industrial violence.

The wage rise marks an increase from 57 percent to 108 percent, the latter at the apprentice level, as per a table published by The Daily Star.


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Newspapers the world over strive to provide readers with the ultimate news coverage.

The Bangladesh Sun is no exception.

As an online news service we have advantages over traditional newspapers in that stories can be added and updated 24 hours day.

Our objective is to provide the most comprehensive Bangladesh news available, from our resources, contracted wire services and an inventory of some thousands of sources comprising newspapers, cable and TV networks, radio stations, public broadcasters, NGOs and others, Bangladesh news is a priority.

National news comes first. We do however strive to provide a complete news services for our readers. World news headlines top several of our pages, we also provide news on what's happening in business, and in the financial markets.

Whether it's the latest Nikkei 225 reading in Tokyo, the sterling exchange rate in London, or the status of the Nasdaq in New York, whether it's local Bangladesh news, the weather forecast for Bangladesh you'll find it all in the Bangladesh Sun.

From Dhaka to Chattagam, the Bangladesh Sun should be your number one choice for breaking news - local, regional, and national.

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    bullet Record Your Vote corner
    Do you think Tony Hayward should have had to leave BP?


    bullet Hotel Review corner
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    bullet Southeast Asia corner
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    No compromise on Pak's nuclear program: Gilani
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