Archive for November 11th, 2006
Saturday, November 11th, 2006The AL will enforce an indefinite blockade of roads, rail and water ways across the country from tomorrow as its deadline to the caretaker government to fulfill its 11-point demand for holding free and fair elections expires today.AL president Sheikh Hasina at a press briefing this evening said the blockade would be called off as soon as its demands are met.
(read more) Saturday, November 11th, 2006An ominous uncertainty is gathering again on the horizon of the political landscape of the country with Awami League (AL)-led 14-party coalition's second deadline ending today without its major demands being met by the caretaker government. The coalition is ready to enforce an indefinite countrywide blockade from tomorrow if the demands are not met by the end of the day, according to 14-party coalition sources.Meanwhile, BNP-led four-party alliance announced that it will resist the AL-led coalition's programme by being on the streets. "We will be on the streets too. If any body tries to attack us we will teach them ...
(read more) Saturday, November 11th, 2006The Awami League (AL)-led 14-party alliance leaders yesterday said President Iajuddin Ahmed opened up scopes for impeachment for 'violation' of his oath and making 'unconstitutional' remark that the present government has become a presidential form of government. "Through his speech, the president has violated the constitution as well as his oath and shown ignorance about the constitution. For this actions could be taken against him for contempt of constitution," 14-party coordinator Abdul Jalil said at a news briefing at his Gulshan residence in the capital.Demanding implementation of the 11-point task put forward by the 14-party within 24 hours to ...
(read more) Saturday, November 11th, 2006The immediate past government promoted officials with political leanings towards BNP and Jamaat to high-ranking posts of the civil administration with an aim to using the administration during the upcoming general elections, sources said.Officials of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) controlled promotions to key posts during the immediate past government's five-year tenure and the officers without political leanings towards the ruling alliance were either deprived of due promotions or got punitive postings, sources said adding that the highest number of officers were made OSDs (officer on special duty) by the last government.Recommendations of the Superior Selection Board (SSB), the ...
(read more) Saturday, November 11th, 2006Communication minister of the immediate past government Nazmul Huda exercised influence to bend rules for leasing 4.16 acre land of Bangladesh Railway in the capital without any tender process for constructing a five-star hotel.Millennium Holdings Ltd was given the land on the west of Tongi Diversion Road in Baro Maghbazar area under a nominal licence fee of Tk 35 per square foot to build Hilton Hotel of the US-based hotel chain giant.Sources said Huda directly influenced railway officials for leasing the railway land to the Millennium Holdings, which has no experience in construction business and an office of its own, ...
(read more) Saturday, November 11th, 2006Jatiya Party (Ershad) might not join any alliance led by Awami League or BNP before the upcoming election, instead they might seek to forge a new alliance with some religion based political parties, said sources. JP Chairman HM Ershad at a view exchange meeting with the party presidium and advisory council members and former lawmakers yesterday said within 15 of this month it will be finalised whether to join any alliance ahead of the next election.At the meeting, he spoke to clarify his position on the latest developments regarding JP and the possibility of its alliance with others.Later when the ...
(read more) Saturday, November 11th, 2006Caretaker government Adviser Akbar Ali Khan in his reaction to President and Chief Adviser Iajuddin Ahmed's remarks yesterday said it may not be correct to say now there is a presidential form of government.He told newsmen that according to the Rules of Business, the advisers of the caretaker government should be at the helm of the ministries, not the secretaries.They (advisers) are the heads of the ministries also if the matter is seen from the constitutional perspective. And if so, then likening the present system of government to the presidential type may not be correct, he noted.He said probably ...
(read more) Saturday, November 11th, 2006Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus yesterday said the term "presidential form of government" used by the chief adviser on Thursday needs an explanation for understanding the objective of his statement."It is needed to be explained in what circumstances President and Chief Adviser to the Caretaker Government Iajuddin Ahmed made the comment. We should tell President Iajuddin that his statement was wrong if he had made any mistake," Yunus told reporters.It is not the time to brand the president a failure and he should be given more time to prove his neutrality, he said before leaving for Canada to attend the ...
(read more) Saturday, November 11th, 2006The caretaker government will find out reasons behind anomalous bank borrowing by the immediate past 4-party alliance government during the last few months of its 5-year tenure. Bangladesh Bank (BB) statistics show that the government borrowed Tk 4,300 crore from banks during the first four months of the current fiscal year (FY) compared to Tk 1,737 crore during the same period of the last FY marking a 147 percent rise.Of the total, Tk 1,557 crore was borrowed from the Bangladesh Bank and the rest from different commercial banks, according to available data. The BB data also reveals that the past ...
(read more) Saturday, November 11th, 2006 Eighteen Asian nations yesterday signed an agreement to integrate the continent into a single railway network, moving a step closer to realising a decades-old dream. The inter-governmental agreement on establishing the Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) network aims to promote trade and balanced development in the world's fastest-growing continent.The signing came on the first day of a two-day annual ministerial meeting on transport, organised by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)."By signing today, you infuse life into the agreement," UNESCAP executive secretary Kim Hak-Su told them.The 81,000-kilometer (50,200-mile) network, first mooted by the ...
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