Archive for February 22nd, 2008
Friday, February 22nd, 2008Employment growth rate has shrunk by half while underemployment swelled by about 50 percent in three years since 2003, reveals the Labour Force Survey (LFS) Report 2005-06 of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) still in its draft form.Paid employment has grown little, and whatever increase it has seen was for the female population.The survey findings include some puzzling indications like a decline in female employment in manufacturing sector (-8.7 percent) and a negative male employment growth in construction sector (-0.1 percent).Besides, economic dependency ratio, which is measured by inactive people depending on those economically active, being higher in ...
(read more) Friday, February 22nd, 2008The widower of Pakistan's slain ex-premier Benazir Bhutto met political leaders to discuss forming a coalition yesterday as police clashed with protesters opposed to President Pervez Musharraf.Asif Ali Zardari was set to hold talks with ex-premier Nawaz Sharif on an alliance that could lead to the impeachment of Musharraf following the defeat of the president's allies in parliamentary elections on Monday.Just ahead of the In Islamabad Nawaz Sharif told hundreds of protesters outside the deposed chief justice's house yesterday that President Pervez Musharraf's rule was "illegal and unconstitutional".Sharif was addressing a crowd of lawyers who gathered outside ...
(read more) Friday, February 22nd, 2008The Central Shaheed Miner was flooded with flowers as thousands barefooted, wearing black ribbons and holding bouquets close to their bosoms thronged there to pay homage to the brave sons of the soil who laid down their lives in 1952 for mother tongue Bangla.At 12:01am, President Iajuddin Ahmed led the nation in paying homage to the martyrs placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar. Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed followed him.They stood there in solemn silence for a minute paying their respect to the language movement heroes.With daybreak people kept flooding in leaving hardly any space for free movement at the ...
(read more) Friday, February 22nd, 2008US oil company Chevron Bangladesh starts a three-dimensional seismic survey on eco-sensitive Lawachhera Reserve Forest next month for better understanding the reserves of the nearby Moulvibazar gas field amid concerns expressed by environmentalists.Environmentalists fear the three-dimensional survey might inflict colossal damage to the small but very resourceful forest that is home to many endangered wildlife, flora and fauna. Even the noise caused by the survey will harm the wildlife habitat.Chevron says the survey does not aim at drilling any wells in the forest, cutting down trees, or disturbing the wildlife. It will rather help Chevron increase gas production capacity of ...
(read more) Friday, February 22nd, 2008Detained Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina, who has been suffering from several health related complications, was taken to a city hospital yesterday for medical check-up for the first time since her arrest.She was taken back to the special jail on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises after about three hours of check-up by a 10-member medical team at Square Hospital amid tight security.The former prime minister and eldest daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was arrested on July 16 last year, has been suffering from high blood pressure and other conditions.The condition of her health deteriorated in the last ...
(read more) Friday, February 22nd, 2008At least 14 people died and 20 others were injured when a bus carrying picnickers slammed into an electric pole and was electrified in Cox's Bazar yesterday morning.Thirteen of the dead were passengers of the bus while a pedestrian was also killed. The bus was carrying around 50 garment factory employees and their families to their annual picnic in Cox's Bazar from Chittagong, police said.Identity of 11 victims could be known. They are Rehana, 20, Hasina, 17, Parvin, 25, Jasim, 24, Baki, 18, Bithi, 22, Mita, 24, Rokeya, 26, Arif, 25, Keya, 25, and Nabi Hossain, 22. Of the injured, ...
(read more) Friday, February 22nd, 2008Defaulted loans in the banking sector increased by 13 percent due to sluggish economy and loans disbursed on political consideration during the last government.According to Bangladesh Bank (BB) statistics, the loans defaulted till December 31, 2007, totalled Tk 22,624 crore, upped by Tk 2,526 crore from the previous year. Of the increase, the four state-owned banks alone accounted for Tk 2,288 crore."A number of big businesses began defaulting on their loans in the wake of anti-graft drives last year," said a top official of a state-owned bank, requesting not to be named.Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled, former deputy governor of the ...
(read more) Friday, February 22nd, 2008At least 92 Tamil Tiger rebels and three government soldiers died in intense battles for a bunker line in northern Sri Lanka, the defence ministry said yesterday.Government forces destroyed five bunkers held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during fighting on Wednesday afternoon, a ministry statement said."As per the military reports received from the northern battlefronts, at least 92 terrorists were killed and over 15 suffered injuries during yesterday's confrontations," the statement said."Also, three soldiers were killed in action while another 20 sustained injuries."The clashes came hours after suspected rebels struck in the deep ...
(read more) Friday, February 22nd, 2008Gaganath Tripura dropped out of school six months ago and has no intention to go back. The ten-year old kid speaks only indigenous language of Bandarban and failed to cope with the lectures and textbooks in Bangla."I was a student of class IV at Kalapara Govt Primary School in Thanchi upazila. I lost interest to go to the school because there was no opportunity for me to learn my mother tongue," he told The Daily Star."It's very difficult for me to remember school education. I couldn't practise my language at school, while Bangla taught by schoolteachers couldn't be studied at ...
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