Archive for November 30th, 2007
Friday, November 30th, 2007Ruining the beautiful, green landscape, cyclone Sidr has dealt a severe blow to the Sundarbans, destroying 1,528 square kilometres of the forest out of around 6,000 square kilometres, according to forest officials' primary assessment.Of the devastated areas totalling about one-fourth of the forest, 1,200 square kilometres are land and the rest water bodies.The officials assess that more than Tk 1,000 crore worth of forest resources have been lost in addition to another Tk 20 crore in infrastructure damage.Though a chunk of the forest has been completely destroyed carcasses of only one tiger, 38 deer and one monkey have so far ...
(read more) Friday, November 30th, 2007Mufti Abdul Hannan yesterday told interrogators that Huji operatives had attacked late poet Shamsur Rahman with intent to kill him on his orders about eight years ago.Hasan, a student of Dhaka College, led the attack at the poet's Shyamali residence, sources in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told The Daily Star, quoting Hannan, the detained operations commander of Harkatul Jihad al Islami (Huji).Rahman, who died on August 17, 2006, was attacked by a gang of youth on January 18, 1999. After managing their way into the house, the attackers tried to cut his head off with an axe. He was ...
(read more) Friday, November 30th, 2007The World Food Programme (WFP) is going to start an emergency six-month food aid for 2.2 million worst victims of cyclone Sidr in nine most affected districts within a week.The donor organisation will provide a basket of 30kg rice, 9kg lentils, 1kg salt and 2.75 litres of edible oil and nutritious biscuits for a five-member family for one month from December 1.In an interview with The Daily Star, WFP country director Douglas Broderick yesterday said the aid will cost the WFP $51.7 million. He urged the international community to come forward in assistance of the WFP."I need $51.7 million to ...
(read more) Friday, November 30th, 2007The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday expressed dissatisfaction over slow implementation of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) of this fiscal year.Only 7.44 percent of the ADP has been implemented in the first quarter of the current fiscal.Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam told reporters after the meeting that the implementation rate of the ADP was not satisfactory. He said that different ministries had informed the meeting that natural disasters like floods were responsible for the slow implementation of the programme.Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed chaired the meeting held at the National Economic Council Auditorium. The meeting approved a ...
(read more) Friday, November 30th, 2007Special Courts yesterday sentenced two fugitive corruption suspects -- Ziaul Haq Zia, former BNP state minister, and Monwar Hossain Dipjol, film actor and a ward commissioner of Dhaka City Corporation from the same party -- to eight years' imprisonment each for tax evasion.The courts set up on the premises of MP Hostel of Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban also fined Zia Tk 2 crore and Dipjol Tk 3.5 crore. In default of which, Zia would have to serve an additional one and a half years in prison while Dipjol would have to serve another six months.Both the courts also ordered confiscation ...
(read more) Friday, November 30th, 2007Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday hoped that the cyclone-hit people would not only return to their normal life as in the past, but also lead a better life in near future following combined efforts of the government and the people.The head of the caretaker government expressed the optimism while receiving donations for the Chief Adviser's Relief and Welfare Fund from a number of government and private organisations at his office.He said cooperation of all, in aid of the cyclone victims, will contribute to the government efforts to restore normal life for the cyclone-affected people.Mentioning his visits to the cyclone-battered ...
(read more) Friday, November 30th, 2007Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed yesterday said the cyclone-affected people, whatever the number, will be brought under the Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) programme beginning next month."I requested the chief adviser to bring all the affected people under the VGF programme for the next four months and he agreed," the army chief said while receiving cyclone donations from various institutions and individuals for the Army Relief Fund.He said the government had earlier decided to give VGF cards to 26 lakh affected people from December 1. The programme will continue for four months until March next year.General Moeen received cheques for ...
(read more) Friday, November 30th, 2007Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday reiterated that the Election Commission (EC) has no doubt that the election will be held by December next year and there is no reason to deviate from the electoral roadmap."We are very much confident of holding the parliamentary election within the time frame," he said during the electoral reform talks with a 10-member delegation of Samyabadi Dal (ML).About questions raised over the plan for polls to the local government bodies before the parliamentary election, he said the commission has no ulterior motive here."Just to see how the voter list with ...
(read more) Friday, November 30th, 2007Over 300 people of Galachipa upazila yesterday staged a demonstration, protesting neglect of the true cyclone affected people by Dakua union parishad (UP) chairman and members and distribution of relief allegedly among their relatives and supporters.The protesters came from Dakua in procession around 11:00am and placed their complaints before the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO).But UNO Abul Kashem M Mohiuddin said sufficient relief materials have already been distributed among the cyclone-affected people and that the demonstrators were not among the worse affected and so they did not get relief.The UNO, however, pacified the protesters by allocating four tonnes of rice for ...
(read more) Friday, November 30th, 2007Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf was sworn in as president for a second term yesterday. He set a date for lifting of the emergency rule and promised polls on January 8.Musharraf promised to lift Pakistan's state of emergency on December 16, in a long-awaited gesture of reconciliation hours after being sworn in as a civilian leader.Addressing the nation on state television, Musharraf said he would also restore the constitution that was suspended when he declared emergency rule on November 3."I have full resolve to lift the emergency and withdraw the PCO on December 16," Musharraf said, referring to the provisional constitutional ...
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