Archive for September 23rd, 2007
Sunday, September 23rd, 2007Several thousand garment workers staged fierce demonstrations against sudden closure of a factory in Tejgaon Industrial Area yesterday.They rampaged through the city's industrial hub, damaging 20 factories and other establishments soon after they found out about the shutting down of the Nassa Mainland factory.Tension has been simmering over the last couple of days with the workers clamouring for increases in iftar allowance and Eid bonus.But it all reached fever pitch yesterday morning as the authorities responded by closing the factory at Begunbari.The demonstrations left over 50 people including several policemen injured.The workers and other staffers of ...
(read more) Sunday, September 23rd, 2007 As part of a measure to resolve future gas crisis, the government in October may announce the third round of block bidding for oil and gas exploration in the offshore and deep-sea areas of the Bay of Bengal."The amended model production sharing contract (PSC) for the block bidding is now under law ministry's scrutiny and the government's committee on marking maritime boundaries has almost completed its task," said a competent energy ministry source.However, the government is also ready to open a number of on-shore blocks, especially in the western region of the country, in the same bidding. ...
(read more) Sunday, September 23rd, 2007The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) has urged the government to release businessmen, including its two former presidents and two sitting directors, who are not facing any specific charges.At an emergency board meeting yesterday, the apex trade body also demanded formation of a guideline so that the organisations of these detained businessmen may run smoothly.Sources meanwhile said the finance ministry has already sent a guideline to Bangladesh Bank and the central bank may send it to all commercial banks today or tomorrow.Chaired by FBCCI President Mir Nasir Hossain, the meeting observed that the confidence of the ...
(read more) Sunday, September 23rd, 2007The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday arrested six people accused in the GATCO graft case -- in which former prime minister Khaleda Zia and her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko were also charged.Among the arrestees, four are former Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) officials -- AMM Shahadat Hossain, ex-chairman, Luthful Kabir, ex-director, AM Sanwar Hossain, ex-director (transport) and Ahmed Abul Qashem, former chief finance and accounts officer. The other two arrestees are directors of Global Agro Trade (Pvt) Company Ltd (GATCO) -- Syed Galib Ahmed and Syed Tanveer Ahmed.Golam Shahriar Chowdhury, deputy director of the ACC, filed the case with Tejgaon Police ...
(read more) Sunday, September 23rd, 2007At least 177 fishermen of 15 fishing boats that went down in the Bay of Bengal Thursday due to a storm are still missing, surviving fishermen said.The depression that caused the sinking of the vessels intensified to a deep depression over the northwest Bay, prompting weather watchers to advise Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Mongla ports to lower the local cautionary signal three and hoist local warning signal four.Heavy sea is preventing rescue operations to begin. Authorities concerned, however, said they are prepared and would start their operations as soon as the stormy weather subsides.Surviving fishermen of the coastal belts ...
(read more) Sunday, September 23rd, 2007Friday's demonstrations by some Islamist groups centring the publication of a cartoon in the daily Prothom Alo's weekly satire magazine Aalpin defied the state of emergency, said speakers at the BBC Bangladesh Sanglap yesterday.They urged the government to take stern action against the lawbreakers."The state of emergency rule was violated and the government should take stern action against those who violated the rules," said Maj Gen (retd) Ghulam Quader, former director general of Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS).He said there might have been political interest behind Friday's protest. "Now it is the duty of the government to ...
(read more) Sunday, September 23rd, 2007Both factions of BNP are planning to discuss with other four-party alliance leaders the matter of sitting down in a dialogue with the Election Commission (EC) regarding electoral reforms."I have contacted our alliance partners informally and we will sit with them to discuss the issue following a decision in our party forum," BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain told reporters yesterday at a news briefing in his NAM apartment in the capital.Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, the expelled secretary general, also said yesterday that his faction too is talking to the four party alliance leaders, albeit unofficially."We will finalise our decision ...
(read more) Sunday, September 23rd, 2007The recent violent protests at various garment factories are a 'conspiracy' of a certain quarter and a small number of rowdy workers have been inciting the violence, ready-made garment factory owners said yesterday.At an emergency press conference called by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) at its office, Nazrul Islam Swapan, managing director of Nassa Group, said the allegations -- not providing adequate Iftar and other allowances -- being cited against Nassa Group as the reasons for the recent protests are 'baseless' because the workers of Nassa Group are among the best paid workers in the country.ABM Shamsuddin Ahmed, ...
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