Archive for August 1st, 2006
Tuesday, August 1st, 2006Authorities of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) in an urgent notice yesterday announced the university closed sine die following a violent student movement demanding deferment of examinations. The authorities also directed the students to vacate all the dormitories by 5:00pm yesterday 'to ensure security of life and property and to bring back a congenial atmosphere of education' on the campus.The notice came from an hour-long emergency meeting of teachers yesterday.At least 30 people were injured when the students demonstrating for deferment of examinations clashed with police on Buet campus Sunday night.Hearing the authorities' decision, angry ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 1st, 2006The Power Development Board (PDB) had to swallow a loss of Tk 43 crore between May last year and June this year due to frequent shutdowns of the 80 megawatt Tongi Power Plant triggered by technical glitches and sub-standard machinery. According to data of the PDB and Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB), the grossly flawed Tk 360 crore Tongi plant remained out of operation for 2,231 hours exclusively due to the plant's incompetent Chinese builder Harbin's faults.Experts say the shutdowns alone deprived the PDB of Tk 42.83 crore in revenue.Power generation at the plant remained suspended for around ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 1st, 2006Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee, whose membership of the parliament was cancelled by a High Court judgement in 2003 on grounds of election fraud, is continuing as a lawmaker while the tenure of the current parliament is scheduled to expire on October 27 this year, thanks to a stay order by the Supreme Court. Effectiveness of the historical judgement of the High Court (HC) passed on September 14, 2003 has ostensibly been lost due to the death of the petitioner Shudangsu Shekhor Halder, who contested against Sayedee from the parliamentary constituency of Pirojpur 1 in 2001 election. Halder died in ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 1st, 2006National Front of Teachers and Employees (NFTE), who are on indefinite strike, will barricade roads and waterways in all districts today to force the government meet their demands.NFTE's blockade will however exclude the capital. Their demands include cent per cent basic salary from the government exchequer and elimination of discrimination in providing other facilities.The NFTE, a platform of 11 teachers' and employees' organisations, will blockade road and waterways from 11:00am to noon. NFTE will also organise representatives' meetings at educational institutions from tomorrow to August 5 as part of their month long agitation programme.The leaders of NFTE will ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 1st, 2006Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Moudud Ahmed yesterday ruled out the possibility of withdrawing corruption cases against the deposed dictator HM Ershad by saying "The judiciary would follow its own course".Moudud made the remark at a press conference at Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs ministry in reply to a question about the speculation that the government reached an understanding with Ershad to withdraw the corruption cases against him if he joins the ruling alliance.Moudud termed the question a hypothetical one and said that he was unaware of any such understanding. "I do not think there was such an understanding with ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 1st, 2006Seventy-three more Bangladeshis, who got stranded following the Israeli attacks in Lebanon, returned home yesterday morning with the financial assistance of International Organisation for Migration (IOM).With them, the number of returnees stands at 205. On Sunday, two batches comprising 132 Bangladeshis returned home from war-torn Lebanon.Officials of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and Qatar Charity received them at Zia International Airport (ZIA).On their arrival at ZIA by Etihad Airways, Qatar Charity donated Tk 3250 and the expatriates' welfare ministry Tk 500 to ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 1st, 2006Jatiya Party (JP) Chairman HM Ershad yesterday said he will not tolerate anyone in the party ranks defying his decision on whether to join the ruling coalition. He voiced the warning at a view-exchange meeting with grassroots level leaders from Comilla, Chandpur and Brahmanbaria districts.On the issue of joining the four-party alliance, the former president said, "I only have shared my views with the BNP high-ups and it has yet to be finalised. However, I hope we will be able to reach a consensus."Many of the JP rank and file, meanwhile, said they will back the party chairman ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 1st, 2006The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has identified a huge subsidy on energy products, unrest in garment industry, power crisis and possible political instability centring the next general elections as major challenges facing the country.The ADB yesterday released Bangladesh Quarterly Economic Update that suggested the government to withdraw all kinds of energy subsidy gradually to allow the national economy and individual consumers to adapt to higher energy prices.Success in the garment sector can be reversed if social compliance issues, including labour unrest, are not addressed, says the ADB report released at a press conference at its office in the capital."Recurrence ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 1st, 2006The Awami League (AL)-led 14-party opposition combine yesterday decided to hold a national convention in the capital this month to give strategic directives to the district and upazila leaders.The convention would inform the leaders about the latest political situation and give them directives to further strengthen the opposition in different districts and upazilas."We have decided to hold the convention to inform them about the latest political scenario, to convey political decisions to our grassroots leaders and to strengthen the opposition combine's activities where we are yet to have an organisational shape," a senior leader told The Daily Star after a ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 1st, 2006Along with dengue and viral fever, typhoid is spreading fast in different parts of the capital while the city's government and private hospitals are witnessing an increase of typhoid-affected patients.Physicians suspect the water supplied by the Dhaka Water and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) has been contaminated and this might be a key cause behind the spread of the intestinal disease.Sometimes dirty sewer water leaks into water pipelines that leads to an outbreak of typhoid, they said.Officials of the Microbiology department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) said 60 of the 436 diagnosed patients at DMCH were reported to be typhoid patients. ...
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