Archive for November 28th, 2007
Wednesday, November 28th, 2007Bangladesh yesterday sought five lakh metric tons (MT) of rice from the international community as assistance for tackling any possible food crisis in the country because of the recent spate of floods and the cyclone."We have requested the donors to provide at least five lakh metric tons of rice, so that we can prevent any possible crisis of food," Food and Disaster Management Adviser Tapan Chowdhury said after a meeting with representatives of different donor countries and agencies in his office.Briefing reporters, he said the donors have been requested to procure the rice from the international market in a bid ...
(read more) Wednesday, November 28th, 2007The Election Commission (EC) will not register BNP unless the party amends its constitution to ensure practice of democracy within itself, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said."We have carefully examined the constitution of BNP. The party should apply for registration after amending its constitution," Huda said at the electoral reforms talks with the Workers Party of Bangladesh at the EC Secretariat conference room."I think a few other parties will also have to amend their constitutions to get registered with the Election Commission," the CEC said. Without naming these parties, he said, "They talk about democracy but do ...
(read more) Wednesday, November 28th, 2007Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday assured that the present government would carry out relief and rehabilitation work in the cyclone-hit areas as long as needed.The head of the caretaker government gave the assurance while talking to the local people and newsmen after distributing relief materials among the cyclone victims at Gabtola in Sharonkhola upazila of Bagerhat district.On arrival at Gabtola by a helicopter at 10:10am, the chief adviser was received by Deputy Commissioner of Bagerhat Syed Shahidul Islam, DIG Police of Khulna Range Asaduzzman Mia, Police Superintendent of Bagerhat Shahidur Rahman and other officials of the local administration.He said ...
(read more) Wednesday, November 28th, 2007Police yesterday arrested two wanted Harkatul Jihad Al Islami (Huji) operatives in the city for their suspected links to the August 21 grenade attacks on an Awami League rally in 2004 and Ramna Batamul blasts in 2001.Police arrested the two, Maulana Mohammad Monir Hossain, 35, and Maulana Mohammad Idris, 30, at around 11:00am after a raid on a student mess in Zakir Hossain Road in Mohammadpur. Police said both the arrested are active members of Huji.Sources in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said Monir Hossain is a brother of another Huji leader Moulana Abu Taher who is now on ...
(read more) Wednesday, November 28th, 2007Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday blamed the bureaucracy for the delay in making the Election Commission's (EC) Secretariat independent of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO)."You know about bureaucracy. We send proposals [on the EC Secretariat's independence] to the government. But their secretaries---the principal secretary and law secretary--change our proposals in such a way that we have to depend on them again," he said during the electoral reform talks with the Workers Party of Bangladesh."They send the proposals back to us after making changes that we do not agree with. We send our reply with amendments to ...
(read more) Wednesday, November 28th, 2007US Agency for International Development (USAID) as a goodwill gesture of the people of the United States has pledged more than $10 million worth of Food for Peace assistance for the cyclone-affected people of Bangladesh.Turkish Ambassador to Dhaka Ferit Ergin yesterday handed over a cheque of $ 1 million to Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury in the country's effort to stand by the victims of Cyclone Sidr.A Thai aircraft with relief materials from the government of Thailand arrived at Zia International Airport (ZIA) yesterday morning.Meanwhile, Jackson Heights Businessmen's Association, an organisation of expatriate Bangladeshis in the USA, has donated ...
(read more) Wednesday, November 28th, 2007Mismanagement of Biman hajj flights has again caused sufferings to pilgrims at the Ashkona hajj camp near Zia International Airport (ZIA).Hajj camp sources said about 3,000 pilgrims, who were supposed to leave ZIA in the last two days, could not be flown due to technical glitches of a Boeing-747, which Biman Bangladesh Airlines leased for hajj flight operation.Hajj pilgrims expressed annoyance at the authorities' failure and their relatives staged a demonstration at the hajj camp yesterday.After fixing the technical problem Biman yesterday operated four hajj flights to ease the backlog of aspiring hajis. Biman officials at the hajj camp, however, ...
(read more) Wednesday, November 28th, 2007The Supreme Court chamber judge yesterday rejected Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and government appeal for stay on the High Court ruling declaring the ACC notice served on former prime minister Sheikh Hasina for submitting her wealth statement illegal.However, the chamber judge referred the application to the regular bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court for hearing on December 2.The ACC and the government moved the application for halting the High Court judgment delivered on November 21.Chamber Judge M Hassan Ameen also passed a similar order on government petition seeking stay on operation of the November 22 High ...
(read more) Wednesday, November 28th, 2007Decomposed bodies of six persons including four children, killed by Cyclone Sidr, were recovered from Sharonkhola upazila of Bagerhat yesterday, raising the upazila's death toll to 653.With yesterday's recovery the total death toll rose to 3,246 at 3:00pm, the disaster management control room sources said.Witnesses said local people recovered the unidentified bodies from the paddy fields in Tafalbari and Bokultala under the upazila.Sources in the office of the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) said 300 residents of the upazila are still missing. The local residents said many decomposed bodies are still floating in the canals there. Bodies of a ...
(read more) Wednesday, November 28th, 2007Former adviser to caretaker government Justice M Fazlul Huq, who is among the 11 graft suspects served with notice by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) on October 18, submitted his statement of wealth to the commission yesterday.Besides, Awami League (AL) presidium members Tofail Ahmed, Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury and Rajuk CBA President Amir Khasru, who are also among the 11, submitted petitions to the ACC on Monday seeking extension of the deadline for submitting their wealth statements.Sources in the ACC said Fazlul Huq's wealth statement mentioned that he owns Tk 1.65 crore movable and immovable properties including that worth Tk 40 lakh ...
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