Archive for September 13th, 2007
Thursday, September 13th, 2007Belying apprehensions, there were no tsunami waves visible in Bangladesh waters till late Wednesday night.Earlier, Met warnings said that a powerful earthquake that struck Indonesia Wednesday afternoon could send tsunami up to Bangladesh coast after Wednesday midnight.After a meeting of weather experts, Dhaka Met Office in its latest bulletin at 2am, said “according to the national and international models, a devastating tsunami is unlikely to affect the coast of Bangladesh as the expected time is over.”The bulletin further said, however 1-2 feet or more height on the top of the normal astronomical tide may occur over the coastal districts of ...
(read more) Thursday, September 13th, 2007Thousands of people ran for safety evacuating beaches and areas near seashore after the authorities yesterday evening issued a tsunami warning, for the first time in the country, following a massive earthquake that hit Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing 10 people.District administration and Red Crescent activists spread along the Cox's Bazar beach at 7:30pm and asked tourists to leave the beach immediately. Using megaphones they announced that a tsunami might hit the coastal belt at around midnight.The water level at Cox's Bazar shore unusually rose by about 2.5 feet at 8:20pm, sparking panic among tourists and residents of the resort ...
(read more) Thursday, September 13th, 2007Shouting no reforms would be implemented in the Awami League (AL) without the release of detained party President Sheikh Hasina, a number of agitated AL workers yesterday abused four senior party leaders including the acting general secretary at the party's Dhanmondi office.The leaders faced abuses and one of them was assaulted while going to attend the AL Central Working Committee (ALCWC) meeting and also when returning.Chanting anti-reform slogans, they also kicked cars of two of the leaders and went rough against two others known to be loyal to senior presidium member of the party Amir Hossain Amu.AL workers ...
(read more) Thursday, September 13th, 2007A tsunami may surge up to Bangladesh coast after Wednesday midnight following an earthquake near southern Sumatra of Indonesia, a Met warning said.“It may generate tsunami wave in the Bay of Bengal of the North Indian Ocean that may reach Bangladesh coast after midnight (tonight),” said a Met Office bulletin in the evening.A massive earthquake measuring 8.5 on Richter scale hit near southern Sumatra of Indonesia in the afternoon. The earthquake may trigger undersea waves called tsunami in Japanese terms.If so, it is going to be a re-visitation by the fearful calamity, as several lakh people were killed in many ...
(read more) Thursday, September 13th, 2007Experts at a seminar yesterday underscored the need to raise awareness to reduce the incidences of suicide among suicide-prone persons.A person commits suicide every 40 seconds in developing countries, they said, but the rate in Bangladesh is not so high.The Department of Psychiatry at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and Family and Community Empowerment Support jointly organised the seminar titled 'Curbing incidences of suicide' at BSMMU in the city.Presenting a keynote paper, Dr Noor Ahmed Giasuddin said people suffering from mental disorders are at high risk of committing suicide.Besides, hereditary reasons and social factors such as unemployment, ...
(read more) Thursday, September 13th, 2007The Election Commission (EC) is seeking to introduce an option of casting 'no votes' for the voters in the upcoming parliamentary election with a provision for holding fresh polls to a constituency if fifty percent or more of the cast votes there turn out to be 'no votes'.In the EC's draft ordinance for promulgating new election laws, repealing the current one, it included a number of new provisions including one of scheduling one or more days for holding the poll, changing the current provision of scheduling only one day for polling.In another significant move, the EC is seeking to ...
(read more) Thursday, September 13th, 2007A Dhaka court yesterday did not receive the bail petition of detained former prime minister Khaleda Zia in a graft case filed with Tejgaon Police Station on September 2.Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jalal Ahmed declined to accept the petition for hearing, saying that he had no jurisdiction to pass any order on the bail petition of a graft case.In the petition, the defence lawyers mentioned that the government had filed the case against Khaleda, her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko and 11 others under sections 409/109 of the Bangladesh Penal Code and section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. ...
(read more) Thursday, September 13th, 2007As both groups of the BNP stick to their claims of being the mainstream, the BNP central office at city's Naya Paltan will remain close until the party council decides who will use the office.Sources said leaders in the league of expelled BNP secretary general Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan have requested the authorities concerned not to open the BNP office before settling the party's leadership. They are planning to hold the party council as soon as possible to reorganise the party.Meanwhile, leaders loyal to detained BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia are thinking about not to create any pressure on the authorities to ...
(read more) Thursday, September 13th, 2007A Narayanganj court yesterday sentenced former Awami League (AL) lawmaker AKM Shamim Osman to eight years' rigorous imprisonment for concealing wealth information and dodging tax.The absconding AL leader, who did not appear before the court despite several notices and was tried in absentia, will have to pay Tk 17.68 lakh in fines in default and suffer six months more in jail. The court also ordered confiscation of his property.Meanwhile, a Dhaka court yesterday sentenced Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) Ward Commissioner Chowdhury Alam and his wife to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment (RI) each for extorting Tk 15 lakh from a construction ...
(read more) Thursday, September 13th, 2007With the rise of water levels at most points of major rivers Padma and Jamuna, the flood situation further deteriorated yesterday affecting 1.13 crore people in 256 upazilas of 46 districts.Hundreds of thousands of people are living on highlands and roadside areas amid food and water crises.The death toll stood at 861 due to flood-related reasons including drowning, diarrhoea and snakebites, according to control room of the Directorate General of Health Services. Water-borne diseases are spreading fast in the flood-affected areas.This year's floods destroyed crops on some 8,19,985 acres of land completely and on 9,83,383 acres partially, while some 3,621 ...
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