Archive for October 6th, 2006
Friday, October 6th, 2006The much-awaited dialogue over electoral reforms between ruling BNP and main opposition Awami League (AL) began yesterday with the AL asking for resolving first the issue of appointment of the chief adviser to the caretaker government.After the 70-minute one-to-one parley at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil at a joint press conference said they will sit today to continue the talks after discussing yesterday's outcome with their party high command."Abdul Jalil on behalf of the Awami League and 14-party opposition combine placed their demands before me. I asked for explanations ...
(read more) Friday, October 6th, 2006The country's trade deficit with India narrowed by around 14 percent in the last financial year when exports rose sharply and imports declined moderately.Exports to India shot up by 68 percent, amounting to $241.96 million in fiscal 2005-06. In the preceding year, they stood at $143.66 million only.On the other hand, imports from India dropped by around 8 percent, totalling $1,868 million in the last financial year from $2,025.78 million in FY 2004-05, according to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) statistics.The trade deficit with the neighbouring country ballooned to a record $2,003 million in 2003-04. However, it came down to ...
(read more) Friday, October 6th, 2006The Minimum Wage Board yesterday announced the final pay structure for the workers in the readymade garment (RMG) sector fixing Tk 1,662.50 as the minimum monthly wage including basic salary, house rent and other allowances for the entry-level workers. All the six members of the board signed the final recommendation, which will be sent to the government on the next working day.The board yesterday announced two separate pay structures for the garment workers and the employees.There are seven grades for the workers and four grades for the employees. Minimum wage for grade one workers will be a total ...
(read more) Friday, October 6th, 2006The Malaysian government once again imposed a ban on recruiting Bangladeshi workers--only two months after lifting a similar ban--as the agencies concerned failed to send 21,988 workers who had been allowed to enter that country.Ishak Mohamed, enforcement director of Malaysian immigration department, yesterday told AFP that they have decided on a temporary ban suspecting that the workers are entering the country ignoring the proper system set by the government.The Malaysian government blamed the recruiting agencies in Bangladesh for failing to send workers as of now although it was scheduled to start from August. The Malaysian government said the agencies are ...
(read more) Friday, October 6th, 2006Leaders and lawmakers of the ruling BNP, opposition Awami League (AL) and their allies, journalists and commoners thronged the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Bhaban yesterday as the crucial talks between the two parties got underway in a festive mood. Leaders and lawmakers of BNP and Awami League (AL) started to gather at the dialogue venue much before the kick-off of the long-awaited talks. They expressed hope that the dialogue will be meaningful and thus able to break the political stand-off over the electoral reforms.The first day's discussions between BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil ...
(read more) Friday, October 6th, 2006The United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union yesterday welcomed the initiation of dialogue between BNP and Awami League (AL), saying that it would pave the way for free and fair elections with participation of all political parties. In his reaction, British High Commissioner in Bangladesh Anwar Choudhury welcomed the dialogue and expressed the hope that both the parties would be able to find a way of resolving the differences over the coming elections.“We are very pleased that the dialogue is taking place; the national parliament house is the right place for such talks-it is the symbol of ...
(read more) Friday, October 6th, 2006Sportsmen and officials of the arena yesterday threatened to boycott sports and go for tougher programmes if the government does not put policemen involved with assaulting shooter Asif Hossain Khan and others on trial before Eid-ul-Fitr.The speakers at a human chain organised by the Sammilita Krira Paribar, yesterday also demanded an apology from the state minister for home and Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner for giving false statement, and punishment for the policemen responsible."It is not only a matter of shame that the state minister and DMP commissioner supported the brutal deeds of the policemen, but they also gave false ...
(read more) Friday, October 6th, 2006The Executive Committee on National Economic Council (Ecnec) Wednesday rejected a proposal to approve revised budget for the 150-megawatt (MW) Chandpur power scheme -- which was already all set to be awarded to an incompetent Chinese company Harbin -- and asked the power ministry to re-tender the project.In January, the Cabinet Purchase Committee had approved the Power Development Board's (PDB's) arbitrary selection of Harbin's bid and brushed aside a decision of a government review panel formed under the Public Procurement Regulation (PPR) 2003, which opposed the bid.The review panel in October 2005 had asked the PDB to disqualify the ...
(read more) Friday, October 6th, 2006Prime Minister Khaleda Zia again said the next general elections will be held on time and the trend of democracy and development will continue in the country."The coming general election is very important for the country and people will thwart all conspiracies to foil the polls," she said while addressing a public rally at Samad Smriti Maidan at Kaliganj yesterday.The prime minister accused the opposition of lacking patriotism, saying that instead of responding initially to the government's call for dialogue, it (opposition) preferred foreign intervention on the issue."We had earlier invited them to the dialogue but they did not ...
(read more) Friday, October 6th, 2006A Jubo League activist was murdered after abduction allegedly by Jamaat-Shibir activists in Chouddagram upazila early yesterday.The victim, Hedayetullah, 35, of Shaktola village was kidnapped while he was returning home from local Dhorkora Bazar at 9:00pm on Wednesday.On information, police searched for Hedayet at different places and recovered his bloodstained shirt from the house of Jamaat leader Abu Taher in Payer Khola village at 1:00am yesterday.Later, they (police) found the bullet-hit Jubo League activist lying in an unconscious state near a pond at the same village. He was rushed to Chouddagram Upazila Health Complex where he died.Outraged by the killing, ...
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