Archive for October 17th, 2006
Tuesday, October 17th, 2006Rapturous ovation and heartiest greetings from all walks of life marked the reception of first Bangladeshi Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital yesterday as thousands thronged the venue to congratulate the nation's brightest star.Exhilaration and elation seemed to have had no bounds as the cheerful crowd witnessed the first mass reception accorded to the Nobel laureate and founder of the Grameen Bank.As soon as Yunus entered the hall room of the centre the audience burst into cheers giving him a standing ovation. An ecstatic wave of satisfaction and happiness swept the audience ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 17th, 2006Wrapping up the fifth round of ongoing dialogue over electoral reforms yesterday, both BNP and Awami League (AL) expressed hope to reach a decision over Justice KM Hasan on October 23 when the talks resume.Both BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil hinted that the next meeting will be the last.After the nearly 40-minute meet in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, Bhuiyan and Jalil claimed at a joint news briefing that they forged a consensus, which now needs approval of the prime minister and the opposition leader.PM and BNP chief Khaleda Zia is now on a ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 17th, 2006The government yesterday approved a project for expansion of power distribution when the entire country is reeling under perennial power cuts due to huge shortfall in generation and rising demand. Sources said the project was approved so that a number of ruling alliance loyalists could make brisk money.The Executive Committee on National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved six projects involving Tk 3,233 crore including the project for expansion of existing power distribution lines in 67 rural electrification association areas of Rural Electrification Board (REB).As per the meeting's decision, a total of Tk 953 crore will be spent in installing new ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 17th, 2006Bangladesh has registered a significant 50 per cent growth in foreign direct investment (FDI), the second highest in South Asia, with $692 million investment in 2005.The country also improved its ranking in receiving FDI, advancing to the 5th position from the previous 9th among the least developed countries (LDC).This was revealed at a launching programme of the World Investment Report 2006 of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development jointly organised by the Board of Investment (BoI) and UN Information Centre (UNIC) at a city hotel yesterday.Referring to Bangladesh Bank statistics, Energy Adviser and BoI Executive Director Mahmudur Rahman said ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 17th, 2006Several outlawed parties in the country's southwestern region are recruiting fresh 'cadres' in an attempt to reorganise themselves and increase their strength ahead of the next parliamentary election.And after recruitment, the outlaws are pushing these cadres into different political parties to work with them for the upcoming polls and camouflage their real identity to escape 'crossfire' deaths.Besides, top leaders of these outfits are also maintaining close contacts with some top political leaders of the region, including lawmakers, who earlier used the outlaws' strength to manipulate different elections particularly parliamentary polls.Sources including those close to the outlawed parties said the ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 17th, 2006Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has requested Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz to provide fuel oils for Bangladesh on 365 days' credit to maintain uninterrupted development and production in various sectors.The prime minister made the request during a meeting with the king at Safa Palace in the holy city of Makkah Sunday evening, according to a message received in Dhaka yesterday.During the meeting, the prime minister apprised the Saudi king about the unusual price hike of fuel oils in the world market and its negative impact on Bangladesh's development efforts.“Such oil price hike is creating excessive pressure on Bangladesh's ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 17th, 2006Awami League (AL) General Secretary Abdul Jalil yesterday said standoff on electoral reforms will be resolved through the ongoing dialogue, saying political leaders here never failed to solve any problem in the past."It is possible to solve this crisis through continuous dialogue and we are hopeful about a positive outcome," he told reporters at Prof Yunus' residence where he along with 14-party leaders went to congratulate him on wining the Nobel Peace Prize.Jalil said, "BNP Secretary General Mannan Bhuiyan and I are sincerely trying to reach a peaceful solution."He said the wining of Nobel Peace Prize has given people a ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 17th, 2006The government yesterday warned Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira) of making government-level deal with Malaysia in managing migration following allegations of Baira's overcharging from the aspirant migrant workers."We will write to Malaysia for arranging the manpower employment deal at the government level if you continue overcharging the workers," a Baira source quoted the State Minister for Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Lutfur Rahman Khan Azad as saying.Following the withdrawal of a ban after a decade, Malaysia in July this year entrusted Baira with managing the migration of the workers. As Baira started working on it, allegations were made ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 17th, 2006Public Works and Housing Minister Mirza Abbas, his brother DCC Ward Commissioner Mirza Khokan and four others were sued yesterday for killing an Awami League (AL) leader last month. Meanwhile, the government on Sunday withdrew the Constable Abu Naser murder case filed against Abbas, Khokan and three others in February 2001.Judge Mohammad Momin Ullah of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court on Sunday transferred the case to the Third Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court for its quick disposal.After hearing on the government withdrawal petition, Judge Mohammad Nazrul Islam granted the petition saying that the case was filed on "political motivation."The ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 17th, 2006Police last night charged truncheons on demonstrators injuring at least 40 as the protesters demanding uninterrupted electricity attacked a Palli Bidyut office at Ati Bazar in Keraniganj, UNB reports.Police said the protesters attacked the Palli Bidyut office around 7:00pm and shattered its windowpanes. They also vandalised a microbus and three motorbikes.In a bid to bring the situation under control, police charged truncheons on the demonstrators that left at least 40 people injured. Of them, 10 were admitted to the local health complex.Meanwhile, people of four localities in Kamrangirchar in the city, infuriated by power cuts, attacked a police post and ...
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