Archive for October 5th, 2006
Thursday, October 5th, 2006Amid heightened hope in the public mind, the much awaited dialogue between ruling BNP and opposition Awami League (AL) kicks off today in Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban to break the ongoing political impasse over longstanding proposals for electoral reforms. On the eve of the secretary-general level formal talks, BNP Chairperson also Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and AL President also Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina yesterday in parliament expressed their hopes that the dialogue will be meaningful.BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil, who will sit for one to one talks at 11:30am today, were ...
(read more) Thursday, October 5th, 2006Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday said she hoped that good sense will prevail and the main opposition will agree to a reasonable solution to the impasse over electoral reforms through dialogue, not confrontation."Time is running out fast...a consensus must be reached quickly and it must be reached with us," Khaleda, also chairperson of ruling BNP, said in her speech concluding the 23rd session of parliament.The tenure of the present parliament expires on October 27."It will be better for the nation as well as for you [main opposition Awami League (AL)] to come to a agreement soon," the PM said, urging ...
(read more) Thursday, October 5th, 2006Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the prime minister to immediately implement the electoral reform proposals after reaching a consensus through a dialogue with the opposition so the people can exercise their constitutional right to universal franchise."Since a possibility for a dialogue exists, I hope the government will accept the demand at the discussion table. Accepting the demand it should give up the plan for stealing votes and should rather concentrate on protecting the people's votes," Hasina, also the president of Awami League (AL), said while addressing the House on the last day of the 8th ...
(read more) Thursday, October 5th, 2006The current parliament sat on the last workday yesterday before curtain is brought down on it after 23 days amid debates between the ruling and main opposition parties over the effectiveness of the House in the last five years.Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar in an inventive move declared names of 21 lawmakers who attended maximum of the 373 workdays in 23 sessions of the House since October 28, 2001 when the current parliament started.The Speaker declared to reward these lawmakers to encourage others to attend the House regularly as the current parliament has faced severe quorum crisis since the beginning because of ...
(read more) Thursday, October 5th, 2006The home ministry has directed the intelligence agencies to arrest the local operators of the top terrors hiding abroad, as the authorities have information that they were planning to kill personalities like former vice-chancellor of National University Dr Aftab Ahmed.The directive came from a meeting on law and order at the home ministry yesterday with State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfozzaman Babar in the chair.A home ministry official said the intelligence agencies have been asked to gather information about the local operators so that they could be put into jails.The meeting was attended, among others, by Home Secretary Safar Raj ...
(read more) Thursday, October 5th, 2006Agitation for power continued yesterday all over the country including in Dhaka and Teknaf. In the capital, power starved people blocked the Tongi diversion road at Tejgaon and the Jatrabari-Demra road for about an hour that led to a huge traffic gridlock in a wide area.Residents from BG press staff quarter at Tejagaon and Begunbari vandalised five vehicles on Tongi diversion road and blocked the road in the evening following Iftar. Hundreds of people from all walks of life came out of mosques after their Magrib prayers and joined the agitating people on the street demanding relief from power ...
(read more) Thursday, October 5th, 2006The Minimum Wage Board will announce today a final and single pay package for the workers in the readymade garment (RMG) sector recommending around Tk 1,700 as the minimum wage for the entry-level workers. Earlier a draft proposal with recommendation for three-tier pay package failed to get support from owners and workers.The final proposal may also have seven grades like the draft proposal but there would be significant reduction of pay in the grades other than the seventh, sources said, adding that the final proposal is likely to be accepted by all the six members of the board.Besides, there ...
(read more) Thursday, October 5th, 2006The government is going to shift the wholesalers and retailers from the city's Karwan Bazar kitchen market to four other places in the capital with a view to introduce an improved market monitoring system and better supply and distribution of agro-products.The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved a Tk 206 crore project for constructing four new wholesale kitchen markets in the city's Jatrabari, Aminbazar, Lalbag and Tejgaon.Presided over by Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman, the Ecnec also okayed nine other development projects worth Tk 1,284 crore, including a Tk 39 crore project for port and ...
(read more) Thursday, October 5th, 2006Thousands of people travelling to the port city and the capital faced immense sufferings yesterday as the agitating jute mill workers in Chittagong blockaded the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway at different points of the division to press home their demands for payment of arrear salary. Hundreds of buses, trucks and other modes of transports were stranded during the 10:00am-2:00pm blockade creating a severe traffic gridlock.Under the banner of All Party Workers-Employees Action Committee, Chittagong the workers put up barricades at AK Khan Jute Mill Gate in city's Pahartali and in front of Anwara Jute Mill, Hafiz Jute Mill and SKM Jute Mill ...
(read more) Thursday, October 5th, 2006National Shooting Federation (NSF) yesterday decided to file a case against the policemen who assaulted national shooters and NSF employees at its complex in Gulshan on Monday.The NSF, at an executive committee meeting yesterday afternoon, also decided to move in the higher court to defend the three shooters, a cook and an on-duty Ansar member who are facing charge for assaulting policemen.Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) yesterday decided to provide legal assistance to the injured shooters.A number of police officials felt embarrassed about Monday's police atrocities, especially on gold medallist shooter Asif Hossain Khan. They admitted that police's ...
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