Archive for August 29th, 2006
Tuesday, August 29th, 2006Thousands of demonstrators took control of Phulbari on the second day of an indefinite strike yesterday, and set fire to houses of some Asian Energy employees, clamouring for ouster of the London-based company.The agitators also vandalised the Asian Energy office and cut off road and rail links between Dinajpur and the other districts in protest at Saturday's police actions that left at least five people dead and over 300 injured.According to unconfirmed reports, seven people died that day when police and Bangladesh Rifles men fired on the locals demonstrating against open-pit coalmine project at Phulbari.Meanwhile, leaders of the National ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 29th, 2006Islamic political parties and organisations have mushroomed in the country since the constitutional ban on them was repealed in 1976, allowing formation and functioning of organisations based on religion. No one knows the number of such parties and other organisations floated since withdrawal of the ban as neither the government nor the Election Commission (EC) has any accurate figures on them.Government intelligence agencies' records however showed existence and activities of about 100 Islamic political parties and organisations since repeal of the ban while around 11 were active in between 1964 and 1971, sources said.Of the existing parties and ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 29th, 2006The government's attempt to float the third round bid for oil and gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal in October is likely to fall flat due to 'bad timing', sources said.After remaining inactive for five years in the field of major exploration, the government recently made a lot of exercises concerning the third round bid.The energy ministry is hoping that the cabinet will soon approve its proposal to float the third round bid in 26 blocks in the bay. The ministry started the process for the bid late last year.But sources said this attempt is 'impractical' as the ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 29th, 2006The Privatisation Commission yesterday approved the bid of US $330 million offered by Saudi Prince Bandar Bin Mohammad Bin Abdul Rahman Al Saudi for buying 67.26 percent share of state-run Rupali Bank."We will send the approved financial offer to the prime minister by tomorrow for the final approval for the bidding," said Privatisation Commission Chairman Enam Ahmed Chaudhury yesterday.On getting the nod from the prime minister, the commission can wrap up the process within the next month, Chaudhury hoped. "As soon as we receive the final approval of the prime minister we will start negotiations and sign the sell and ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 29th, 2006Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman yesterday found himself in an embarrassing position when a meeting to review Annual Development Programme (ADP) disclosed that the performance of the two ministries under him was among the lowest in expending allocations.Four departments under the ministries of finance and planning were listed among the 10 low performing ministries and departments in implementing the ADP in last fiscal year, a Planning Commission report revealed at the meeting chaired by Saifur Rahman.As the disappointed minister asked the officials concerned to explain the reasons, they said the delay in releasing funds against the projects was ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 29th, 2006Over 100 people including 17 policemen and four journalists were injured in a series of clashes between transport workers and police in Rajshahi Bus Terminal area yesterday. The policemen fired 100 shots and lobbed 71 teargas shells to disperse the transport workers after they torched a police motorcycle and damaged three other vehicles.The angry cops also damaged some 50 buses and 25 shops and beat up the transport workers, pedestrians and journalists during the three-hour rampage, witnesses said.Rajshahi Motor Sramik Union and Rajshahi Bus-Minibus Owners' Association called an indefinite transport strike in Rajshahi from today protesting the police ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 29th, 2006A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced Enayetullah Jewel, Gazipur regional commander of banned Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), to 64 years' rigorous imprisonment (RI) in two cases filed with Joydevpur Police Station in January this year.Jewel is accused in 33 other cases now pending and under investigation with different police stations in five districts.Judge Shahed Noor Uddin of the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 gave the verdict in presence of the lone accused for possessing illegal firearms, explosives and ammunition.In its order, the judge said the accused was given 44 years' RI for possessing firearms and ammunition while 20 years' RI for ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 29th, 2006The National Committee to Protect Oil-Gas-Mineral Resources-Electricity-Port observed mourning day yesterday across the country paying tribute to the innocent people who perished as law enforcers opened fire on a demonstration in Phulbari coalmine area in Dinajpur on Saturday.The committee will organise countrywide agitation today and observe a half-day countrywide hartal tomorrow demanding immediate cancellation of Phulbari open-pit coalmine project and expulsion of Asia Energy Corporation (AEC), the UK based company operating the Phulbari coalmine project, from the country.Wearing black badges and carrying black flags, hundreds of the people from all walks of life gathered at the Central Shaheed Minar in ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 29th, 2006Implementation of Phulbari coalmine project requires dismantling of at least 20 thousand public and private structures, including residential and commercial ones, at Phulbari in five years, Phulbari Pourasabha chairman says.Asia Energy officials at Phulbari however claimed that the number of such structures would not be more than 4,000."Twenty thousand buildings, mostly of which are residential and commercial ones, will disappear if the open-pit mining project is implemented," said Shahjahan Ali Sarker Putu, chairman of Phulbari Municipality.But Field Manager of Asia Energy that is implementing the project Ahsan Habib Deepu said these buildings would not be dismantled at one go. "The ...
(read more) Tuesday, August 29th, 2006The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) yesterday said the nation has plunged into a "grave crisis" with the judiciary put at stake and the constitution trampled."We, the members of the Bar, today have no alternative but to leave it to the court of the people to judge and resist the evil designs for the interest of free judiciary, constitution and democracy," SCBA President Barrister Amir-Ul Islam told a press conference in the association's hall room.Former SCBA president Dr Kamal Hossain, Vice-Chairman of the Bar Council Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud and senior lawyer Humayun Hossain Khan also expressed their concern over confirmation ...
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