Archive for February 3rd, 2008
Sunday, February 3rd, 2008The reconstituted Election Commission (EC) completes one year of operation today but is yet to begin a few major tasks, including publication of the draft voter list and holding polls to different local government bodies within January as per its electoral roadmap.The EC also could not complete some tasks that were supposed to be finished by this time. For instance, the dialogues with the political parties on electoral law reforms and institutional reforms were not held during September-November last year according to the EC roadmap.The commission is also yet to formulate rules it was empowered to do last August for ...
(read more) Sunday, February 3rd, 2008The Council of Advisers at its first meeting here yesterday gave a nod to the caretaker government's 14-point programme for the rapid socioeconomic development of the country's northern region, especially Rangpur.The programmes include close and round-the-clock supervision for ensuring the Boro production in the coming season, formation of a committee headed by an adviser to resolve Monga problem, setting up of a full-fledged university in Rangpur, activating the airports of the region and taking measures to export more manpower from there.The meeting was held at Rangpur Circuit House with Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair. The meeting started at ...
(read more) Sunday, February 3rd, 2008M Saifur Rahman, acting chairman appointed by the standing committee, yesterday urged the pro-Khaleda leaders to accept intra-party reforms, reinstate those expelled, and shun the practice of selling nominations in the interests of a united BNP.In a day or two, he and Khandakar Delwar Hossain, secretary general appointed by Chairperson Khaleda Zia, might meet to discuss different issues relating to reconciliation.Insiders say despite efforts a meeting between the two stalwarts could not be held last night as the former finance minister was feeling sick.The faction led by Delwar, meantime, remains rigid in their stance against return of the ...
(read more) Sunday, February 3rd, 2008 A close associate of Indian national Jibon Singh, a prime suspect in stealing the Nobel Prize medal of poet Rabindranath Tagore, was arrested at Azimpur in the city early yesterday.A team of Criminal Investigation Department (CID), led by Additional Superintendent of Police Abdullah Aref, caught Mohammad Hossain Shiplu after a three-hour sweeping raid in the area.CID sources said they had information that Jibon Singh is hiding in Bangladesh under the shelter of Shiplu and that both the men are members of an international artefact-smuggling syndicate.Indian police also informed their Bangladesh counterparts that they believe that the stolen ...
(read more) Sunday, February 3rd, 2008A wide network of organised carjackers in the capital are wreaking havoc on the lives of car owners with the help of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) officials who help the thieves to alter the identities of many stolen vehicles by providing genuine documents for them, said detective branch (DB) officials.Carjacking gangs take only a month to change the identification numbers of a stolen vehicle's engine, chassis and registration, and to procure other ownership documents, making it almost impossible to trace it.In some cases gang members mange to secure genuine replacements of original documents of stolen vehicles, kept with ...
(read more) Sunday, February 3rd, 2008Tajul Islam Farook who filed a Tk 3 crore extortion case against detained Awami League chief and former premier Sheikh Hasina in April last year is also accused in a case.The case was filed for selling two luxurious vehicles he had bought taking loan from Bangladesh Finance and Investment Company (BFIC) breaching the deed of agreement and aiming at embezzling those.Farook's wife Sultana Akhter was a guarantor of the loan and is also an accused.BFIC Legal and Recovery Officer Emdad Ullah filed the case with Motijheel Police Station on January 21 under sections 420 (cheating), 406 (breach of trust) and ...
(read more) Sunday, February 3rd, 2008Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed took a walkabout near Rangpur town yesterday, enquiring villagers about their everyday problems.The chief adviser got out of his car at Baldipukur bus stoppage in Pairaband union on his way to Mithapukur upazila where he met a cross-section of the society.Fakhruddin asked them about the prices of essentials in the area. The villagers told him that rice is selling at Tk 28 per kg and potato at Tk 10.Farmers said they are facing scarcity of urea and potassium fertilisers. "If these are sold in the open market, it would be easier for us," said many of ...
(read more) Sunday, February 3rd, 2008Outlawed outfit Harkat-ul Jihad Al Islami (Huji) carried out the grenade attack on an Awami League meeting at Hotel Gulshan Centre in city's Taltala on August 7, 2004, police said.CID Inspector Jubair Ahmed told the journalists yesterday that during interrogation, Huji leader Mufti Hanann and his brother Mofijur Rahman Ovi had confessed to their involvement in the grenade attack.Shahrif Sahedul Haque Bipul, Humayun Kabir Himu and Fahim were involved in the attack.Of them, Bipul is now in custody while others are on the run, said Jubair.Publicity Secretary of city AL Mohammad Ibrahim was killed and 30 others were injured ...
(read more) Sunday, February 3rd, 2008Acting Awami League (AL) President Zillur Rahman yesterday demanded immediate release of all political detainees, including party chief Sheikh Hasina, to make the next parliamentary polls credible."We're demanding release of all political detainees, including our great leader Sheikh Hasina immediately. We want to see a free, fair and credible parliamentary election," Zillur said.The acting AL chief was addressing a press conference at the party's Dhanmondi office in the morning.AL Relief Committee for Sidr victims, led by party presidium member Abdur Razzak, arranged the press conference to present statistics on relief materials, including cash, distributed by the party among Sidr victims ...
(read more) Sunday, February 3rd, 2008Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited suspended gas supply to a major part of Dhaka city for 48 hours from last midnight for repairing the main gas-transmission line at Daudkandi in Comilla.For suspension of gas supply, about a third of the capital city, particularly the southeastern part, is being directly affected as people of the area are looking for alternative sources of energy for cooking and other purposes.The affected areas include Postagola, Zurain, Jatrabari, Dhalpur, Bibirbagicha, Gopibagh, Kamlapur, Khilgaon, Basabo, Shahjahanpur, Badda, Rampura, Ulan, Tejgaon Industrial area, Mohakhali, Gulshan, Nayatola, Madhubagh, Santinagar, Siddheswari, Motijheel, Wari, Gendaria, Nawabpur, Sadarghat, ...
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