Archive for February 15th, 2008
Friday, February 15th, 2008The Election Commission (EC) kicks off the second round electoral reforms talks with political parties on February 24.The commission yesterday said it will separately sit with three parties each day to complete the talks in five days. These parties had attended the first round of the talks during September-November last year.However, the EC has excluded the BNP from its talks schedule as it could not yet hold the first round talks with the party because of disputes over the party leadership.The second round talks will clear the passage for the caretaker government to initiate steps next month to hold a ...
(read more) Friday, February 15th, 2008Law Adviser AF Hassan Ariff yesterday said that relaxing of state of emergency is a must before polls as it blocks pre-election activities of the political parties.He, however, observed that there is no bar to holding polls with the state of emergency in force."The elections, as such, are not obstructed due to state of emergency. But it has indirect implications on pre-polling activities like campaigns, meetings and processions. These are now remaining suspended for some emergency power rules," the law adviser said.He was talking to the reporters during his weekly briefing at the land ministry.In cases of local government ...
(read more) Friday, February 15th, 2008Petrobangla yesterday announced the 2008 offshore oil and gas exploration bidding round inviting offers from international companies by May 7.The bidding will offer eight shallow water blocks and 20 deep sea blocks-- each having an exploration area between 3,000 and 7,000 square kilometres. The bidding is the first of its kind for the country where the focus is kept exclusively on the Bay of Bengal.India has been exploring the Bay heavily in recent years and has discovered 100 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas and two billion barrels of oil.Even Myanmar last year discovered 7 tcf of gas ...
(read more) Friday, February 15th, 2008A special court yesterday sentenced former state minister for shipping Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya to 13 years imprisonment for amassing wealth illegally and concealing wealth information.Judge Ashraf Hossain of the Special Court-5 sentenced the accused in absentia in a courtroom set up at the MP Hostel in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban Complex.The court also fined the Awami League (AL) leader Tk 5 crore and ordered confiscation of about Tk 6 crore of his ill-gotten wealth.Maya would have to serve an additional year in jail if he fails to pay the fine.The court acquitted Maya's wife Parvin Chowdhury, their sons ...
(read more) Friday, February 15th, 2008Import of rice from India through Benapole land port was hampered yesterday as the Indian customs authorities suddenly imposed restriction on the export of rice that is priced below $ 510 a tonne.A correspondent from Benapole quoted importers as saying that they had imported 6,500 tonnes of rice at $ 505 per tonne on Wednesday, but yesterday, Deputy Commissioner Anwar Hossain of the Indian customs authority at Petrapole land port enforced restriction on the export of rice that was priced the same.However, after engaging in arguments with the Indian customs authorities, Indian traders convinced the Indian customs officials to allow ...
(read more) Friday, February 15th, 2008National Housing Authority (NHA) yesterday started bulldozing illegal structures on 24 acres of land at a Wakf Estate in Doaripara in Pallabi, leaving over 5,000 families homeless.The NHA officials with 500 workers led by three magistrates started demolition of two and three-storey buildings, tin-shed concrete houses and other structures at 10:00am with eight bulldozers. About 550 policemen were on hand to ward off any unwarranted situation.Many of the house owners were confused to remove their household goods in what they said was a less-than-24-hour notice. Many of them burst into tears seeing helplessly the bulldozers knocking down their houses."Where will ...
(read more) Friday, February 15th, 2008Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday said the government has taken steps to get connected with a second submarine cable soon to overcome some weaknesses that have limited the adoption of ICT in all sectors.“Despite some successes during the last few years in this sector, including formulation of National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy -2002, adoption of ICT in all sectors have so far been limited,” Fakhruddin said.He was inaugurating the SOFTEXPO 2008 at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the capital, organised by Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS).The CA said the government has identified some of ...
(read more) Friday, February 15th, 2008The Energy Division has requested the finance ministry to arrange a loan of $900 million for Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) as it is going through huge financial losses due to under-pricing of imported petroleum products.The loan request came following the corporation's failed effort to get $500 million from Bangladesh Bank (BB). The central bank refused to provide the amount, saying the BPC has already got $300 million loans in the current fiscal year and any new loan would create a pressure on the foreign exchange reserve.Sources said BPC, the government-owned monopoly in importing petroleum products, incurred a loss of Tk ...
(read more) Friday, February 15th, 2008Bangladesh and India signed an air service agreement on Wednesday raising the number of weekly flights from 30 to 61.The pact signed in New Delhi will allow Bangladeshi airlines to operate flights to 18 destinations in India and Indian airline Air India to operate flights from Sylhet for the first time, reported our New Delhi correspondent.Civil aviation authorities of the two countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to allow the designated airlines of both the sides to operate seven all-cargo flights per week within their territories by any type of aircraft.The decisions were reached at a three-day ...
(read more) Friday, February 15th, 2008Adviser to BNP chairperson Brig Gen (retd) Hannan Shah was released on bail yesterday after he spent a night in Joydebpur Police Station in Gazipur in connection with an extortion case.Hannan was arrested Wednesday night at his Mohakhali DOHS home in the capital just 24 hours after he was released from Narayanganj jail on a three-month interim bail which the High Court gave.A Gazipur court released Hannan, BNP leader vocal in his support for party chairperson Khaleda Zia, on bail after police produced him before it in connection with the extortion case filed by Morshed Mollah, a union parishad member, ...
(read more) 
