Archive for September 19th, 2007
Wednesday, September 19th, 2007The US government expects Bangladesh to take additional steps for restoring democracy as soon as possible.Visiting US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State John Gastright said this at a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday.The US embassy in Dhaka later issued a press statement on the around one-hour talks held at the CEC's office."Gastright said the US government looked forward to additional steps by Bangladesh to restore democracy as soon as possible, and the two discussed the steps underway to prepare for elections by the end of 2008," the statement said."He reiterated the US government's willingness ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 M Naser Rahman A Sylhet court yesterday sentenced detained former BNP lawmaker M Naser Rahman to nine years in prison in an extortion case.Three others--Roads and Highways executive engineers Shafiqul Islam and Abdul Khaleque, and district BNP leader Moulavi Wali Siddique--each were given five years' imprisonment. They have been on the run since filing of the case.Naser, son of former finance minister Saifur Rahman, copped jail terms of seven years and two years on separate counts. He will have to serve out both the sentences concurrently.The Third Additional District and Sessions Judge's Court, Sylhet, however, acquitted ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 19th, 2007Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said the Election Commission (EC) will get 4,000 laptops in the next month for expediting the ongoing task of preparing a voter list with photographs."We have a secret plan. We will not say how we are going to get the laptops. There are many people who might try to foil the plan," CEC Huda told reporters yesterday afternoon adding, "We will get 2,000 laptops by October 10 and 2,000 more by October 25."The CEC also claimed that procurement of all equipment for voter listing will be completed next month, but ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 19th, 2007Prof Neem Chandra Bhowmik, chairman of Applied Physics Department of Dhaka University (DU) and an accused in two cases filed in connection with the August violence on Dhaka University (DU) campus, was sent to jail yesterday after he surrendered before a Dhaka court.Meanwhile, a Rajshahi court framed charges against 14 people including two Rajshahi University (RU) professors for violating the Emergency Power Rules and torching a vehicle belonging to the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) during the violence on RU campus in August.Neem, who is sick, was given first class division in jail and the court ordered the jail ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 19th, 2007Mashrafe Bin Mortaza removed both openers with dangerman Sanath Jayasuriya out for a duck as Sri Lanka struggled to 39 for two in 6 overs in a crucial Super Eights tie of the ICC World Twenty20 Championship in Johannesburg yesterday.Facing his first ball, Jayasuriya crashed a long hop from Mashrafe to the point boundary where Mahmudullah Riyad, making his tournament debut, was posted precisely and he gleefully obliged.And then in the sixth over, Mushfiqur Rahim somehow held on to an outside edge from Upul Tharanga (23) off Syed Rasel. The ball lodged in between his legs as he made up ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 19th, 2007A Dhaka court yesterday relieved former president and Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad of the gold smuggling case.The judgement of the case had been adjourned seven times before for different reasons.Former president Ershad faced numerous charges after he was deposed in a popular uprising in 1990. In August and September last year, he was acquitted of four graft cases following his announcement of joining the BNP-led four-party alliance.The gold smuggling case was filed 16 years ago on July 17, 1990 while president Ershad was in office. Primarily, the persons accused in the charge sheet were Bernhard Rudiger from Germany, David ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 19th, 2007Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury has sought support of the Afghan authorities in securing the release of abducted Brac employee Nurul Islam.The adviser yesterday sent a letter to his Afghan counterpart Rangin Dadfar Spanta in this regard.In his letter, the foreign adviser stated, "Brac is a Bangladeshi NGO reputed worldwide for its social services. Nurul Islam's mission was purely of a peaceful and humanitarian nature. His family understandably is deeply distraught.""Here, I would like to add that the people of Bangladesh have always stood by their Afghan brethren at all times under all circumstances," he added.Iftekhar requested Spanta to give ...
(read more) Wednesday, September 19th, 2007Law enforcement agencies yesterday arrested daily Prothom Alo cartoonist Arifur Rahman for a cartoon "hurting religious sentiments" published in the daily's satire magazine "Aalpin" on Monday.The government has also confiscated all copies of the Aalpin's 431st issue containing the cartoon titled "Naam" (name) on page six, a government press release said.The press release also said Prothom Alo has already apologised and withdrawn the cartoon and dismissed an Aalpin sub-editor in this connection.The government hopes everyone concerned with this unwarranted incident will exercise restraint and show sense of responsibility, said the press release.Dhaka metropolitan detective police picked up Arif from his ...
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