Archive for February, 2008
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 ...
(read more) Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 Aviation industry marks a boom with the launch of three private airlines in last eight months and another set to start commercial flights next month, thanks to a steadily growing demand for air transport.Private airline operators say the industry is growing by 7.5 to 8 percent every year, adding, the market size of passengers is worth around Tk 3,500 crore."The aviation industry witnessed a 7.6 percent growth globally last year and it was also the same in Bangladesh," said Captain Tasbirul Ahmed Choudhury, chairman and managing director of United Airways (BD) Ltd, which started operation in July 2007.Apart ...
(read more) Wednesday, February 20th, 2008Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's allies conceded defeat yesterday after elections, leaving the party of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto and other opponents headed for a crushing win.The political survival of Musharraf, a key ally in the US-led "war on terror", was placed in serious doubt as unofficial results on state television showed a rout of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), the ruling party."Musharraf has said he would quit when people tell him. People have now given their verdict," two-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif said.But a spokesman for Musharraf on Tuesday dismissed calls for the former general to ...
(read more) Wednesday, February 20th, 2008The Election Commission (EC) has decided to raise the ceiling of polls expenditures of political parties contesting parliamentary election with stringent conditions attached to ensure financial transparency of the parties.A registered political party, if it fields over 200 candidates, can spend Tk 3 crore for election purposes. If the number of candidates is in between 100 to 200, it can spend Tk 2 crore and Tk 1 crore if the number of candidates is below 100, says the EC's revised proposals regarding polls expenditures.But expenditures of candidates fielded by a party will be added with that of the ...
(read more) Wednesday, February 20th, 2008Demand for fish, beef and mutton has shot up in the past week as consumers panicked by the spread of bird flu across the country are looking for alternatives to poultry and eggs.The rising demands have apparently driven the prices of fish, beef and mutton upward, said retailers and restaurant owners."People are panicked. Many are including vegetables, beef and mutton in their meals in place of chicken and eggs," said Khandker Ruhul Amin, president of Bangladesh Hotel & Restaurant Owners' Association."Our suppliers are charging higher prices for beef and mutton due to the increase in demand," he said adding that ...
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