Archive for August 3rd, 2006
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday captured 25 Islamist militants while they were receiving military training in a remote jungle in Mymensingh.The captured militants include two prospective suicide bombers and a veteran of the previous Afghan war.The capture came a few days after the government had alerted all law enforcers about reorganisation of militancy in the country.Rab, which has been interrogating the arrestees, believes that the militants belong to outlawed Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) that carried out 500 bomb blasts simultaneously across the country on August 17 last year.The elite battalion also recovered some bomb-making materials and training equipment ...
(read more) Thursday, August 3rd, 2006Two weeks after the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat's proposal for a fund of Tk 40.86 crore for updating the voter list, the finance ministry yesterday allocated Tk 25 crore.The allocated amount is inadequate for conducting the huge task of updating the existing voter list, Secretary of the EC Secretariat Abdur Rashid Sarkar said, adding, "We will have to seek money again as it is not possible to complete the task with the allocated amount."The finance ministry will have to allocate more money, which is required for completing the constitutional task of preparing the voter list, he said."We disbursed ...
(read more) Thursday, August 3rd, 2006The much talked about electoral reforms have been sidelined by the latest politics of expanding electoral alliances, prompting political analysts to believe that the possibility of brining the reforms is slim during the tenure of the four-party alliance government. With a new election around the corner, neither the government nor the Election Commission (EC) has any plan at this moment to bring reforms in the EC and electoral laws, sources said.Sensing ruling BNP's strategy to pass the buck to the interim government, Awami League-led 14-party opposition coalition is now planning to realise the demand for reforms during the tenure of ...
(read more) Thursday, August 3rd, 2006Prices of the edible oil, spice, pulse and some import-based essentials shot up in the city markets as a syndicate of importers and wholesalers allegedly manipulated the market on the pretext of recent unrest in the Middle East.Prices of soybean oil went up by Tk 12 and palm oil by Tk 14 a litre in the retail market within a span of 15 days, and traders accused a syndicate of the market manipulation. Some spices and essentials were also turning costlier everyday because of this syndicate, traders at different retail market alleged.Soybean oil was sold at Tk 55-60 and ...
(read more) Thursday, August 3rd, 2006Mashrafee Bin Mortuza was flayed for 19 runs in the final over as Bangladesh suffered a painful two-wicket defeat against Zimbabwe in the thrilling third one-dayer at the Harare Sports Club ground on Wednesday.Mashrafee's nervous breakdown in the last over that saw Zimbabwe's Brandon Taylor hitting two sixes and a four to eke out a memorable win also spoiled a fantastic feat by fellow quickie Shahadat Hossain, who became the first Bangladeshi bowler to complete a hattrick in the abridged version of the game.The 20-year-old Shahadat almost turned the match on its head when he dismissed Tafadzwa Mufambisi, Elton Chigumbura ...
(read more) Thursday, August 3rd, 2006The Saarc Council of Ministers yesterday unanimously agreed that the commerce ministers of the member states would review the India-Pakistan trade disputes under Safta framework agreement before the 14th summit of the regional forum.The council granted Saarc observer status to the USA, South Korea and the European Union. They will be invited to participate in the 14th summit to be held in India on April 3-4 next year.Earlier, China and Japan were made observers of the South Asian forum that adopted Afghanistan as its 8th member.Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan who chaired the 27th session of the Council of ...
(read more) Thursday, August 3rd, 2006India yesterday formally announced to host the 14th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) in New Delhi on April 3-4 next year.Indian External Affairs Secretary Shyam Saran announced this while briefing journalists on the outcome of the Saarc Council of Ministers meeting that ended in Dhaka yesterday.Saran termed the two-day meeting "very successful and substantive."He said the Council of Ministers has decided to organise Saarc Car Rally in the run-up to the 14th summit. An organising committee will be formed with representatives from the member states to select routes and arrange fund and other ...
(read more) Thursday, August 3rd, 2006Bangladesh has failed to take advantage of foreign aid for poverty reduction programmes due to faulty project designs, corruption and donor conditions, a recent study finds. The study mentioned that around 250 missions of different donor agencies visit Bangladesh annually either to prescribe new conditions or monitor whether the pre-conditions are being properly complied with.Though the Paris Declaration of the OECD prevents donor agencies from setting any prior conditions, Bangladesh still has to swallow such measures as it has failed to check corruption and also due to lack of timely, transparent and reliable reporting on budget execution.Economic Research Group (ERG), ...
(read more) Thursday, August 3rd, 2006A warm reception was accorded to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia when she flew in here yesterday to attend an emergency meeting of the executive committee of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) on the Lebanon situation.In the OIC meeting, beginning today at Hotel Marriot in Putrajaya, the administrative city of Malaysia, Bangladesh will call for immediate and unconditional ceasefire with a "total cessation of violence in Lebanon", according to an official source.Bangladesh will also make a strong plea for "urgent deployment of an international force" under the auspices of the United Nations for stabilising theIsraeli-Lebanon border.A guard of honor ...
(read more) Thursday, August 3rd, 2006Registered non-government primary school teachers went on an indefinite strike at their educational institutions and non-stop sit-in at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital yesterday.They join the non-government high school, college and madrasa teachers who are also on an indefinite strike.The non-government primary teachers under the banner of Bangladesh Non-government Primary Teachers Association held a rally yesterday at the Central Shaheed Minar and submitted a memorandum to the prime minister demanding nationalisation of their jobs.Abdur Rahman Bachchu led the Bangladesh Non-government Primary Teachers Association in their agitation programme.Another faction of Bangladesh Non-government Primary Teachers Association, led by Mansur ...
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