Archive for December 4th, 2006
Monday, December 4th, 2006The advisers to the caretaker government talked with the two major political alliances last night with a package proposal in an apparent last ditch effort to resolve the prevailing political crisis.The proposals include making inactive two controversial election commissioners SM Zakaria and Modabbir Hossain Chowdhury, appointment of new election commissioners, transfers of home and establishment secretaries and others related to the election, and minor changes in the election schedule creating scope for correcting the updated voter list, sources present at a daylong meeting of the council of advisers said.The package proposal also urged Awami League (AL)-led 14-party coalition to ...
(read more) Monday, December 4th, 2006Acting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice Mahfuzur Rahman yesterday said the Election Commission (EC) does not agree with the National Democratic Institute's (NDI) survey report claim that there are 1.22 crore names registered in the voter list which are either excess or duplicates."We do not agree with the claim," the acting CEC said while talking to journalists at his office after an NDI team along with US Ambassador to Bangladesh Patricia Butenis met him to deliver their survey report.The US ambassador told journalists that there are excess voters in the voter list but most of them are due to ...
(read more) Monday, December 4th, 2006A leader of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) was killed and over 50 were injured in clashes between rival political activists in Sylhet as the fourth round of countrywide indefinite transport blockade by the 14-party combine began yesterday.The 14-party enforced the blockade demanding President Iajuddin's resignation from the post of chief adviser of the caretaker government and reconstitution of the Election Commission.JCD leader Foyez Ahmed Anu, 22, was killed when activists of Awami League (AL) and BNP got locked into a gunfight at the Biswanath upazila headquarters yesterday noon. Foyez Ahmed was the publication secretary of the upazila unit of JCD, ...
(read more) Monday, December 4th, 2006The country's premier seaport, the Chittagong Port, is headed towards another crisis as the workers this time stopped container handling for vessels with gear (crane) following the directives of the city mayor.Chittagong City Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury yesterday asked the dockworkers not to allow any more gang bookings for ships with gear. Containers will be handled for the three ships that already had been anchored at the Chittagong Container Terminal (CCT), sources said quoting the mayor.The workers enforced the mayor's new directive from last night bringing the operation at the port to a near standstill, the sources added.A high ...
(read more) Monday, December 4th, 2006Speakers at a conference yesterday said there is an emerging east-west inequality in reduction of poverty in Bangladesh, and urged for new ways to tackle poverty in addition to micro-credit.The speakers were participating in the first day of a three-day conference titled 'What works for the poorest? Knowledge, policies and practices', organised by Brac at its Mohakhali head office in collaboration with Chronic Poverty Research Centre and Manchester University's Brooks World Poverty Institute.Citing a collaborative study by the World Bank and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the World Bank's Hassan Zaman noted, "We are seeing an emerging east-west divide in reducing ...
(read more) Monday, December 4th, 2006Eminent jurist Dr Kamal Hossain yesterday proposed immediate formation of a consultation body for the caretaker government to ensure protection of the president's post from any outgoing government's illegal and unconstitutional interference.Besides such a body comprising representatives from different political parties and the civil society, a national security council could also be constituted with men from the defence services, which will function neutrally as per the constitution, Dr Kamal said.The objectives of the measures are to prepare a level playing field for the next general elections, restoring public confidence in the electoral process, ensuring participation of honest candidates and law ...
(read more) Monday, December 4th, 2006The lawyers loyal to Awami League (AL) and BNP yesterday demonstrated on the Supreme Court (SC) premises throughout the day for and against the chief justice's staying the proceedings of the writ petitions filed against the president.No judicial work took place at the country's apex court yesterday due to the countrywide blockade enforced by the AL-led 14-patry combine. Additional policemen were deployed there to forestall untoward incidents.In an unprecedented move on Thursday, Chief Justice JR Mudassir Husain halted the proceedings of the petitions challenging the legality of the president's taking over as the chief adviser to the caretaker government.The order ...
(read more) Monday, December 4th, 2006The Asian Development Bank (ADB) in its quarterly economic update on Bangladesh cautioned yesterday that the present political unrest would take a heavy toll on the country's investment climate.According to the report released in Dhaka, the bank predicted several risks of the country in near to medium term, which included possible political disruption, infrastructure constraints and external volatility in oil prices.The report estimated that output of aus, the first rice crop of the year, would be 24 million tonnes lower than it was in the previous year. It, however, expects higher aman harvest this year compared to the previous year ...
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