Archive for March 1st, 2008
Saturday, March 1st, 2008Following detection of quite widespread use of mobile phones by prisoners in violation of the jail code, the government decided to install cellphone jammers at all 67 prisons across the country.Inspector General of Prisons (IGP-prisons) Brig Gen Zakir Hassan told The Daily Star yesterday, "Recently we seized a few mobile phones from prisoners, which they had been using while in jail. That's why we have taken the decision to make it impossible for the prisoners to make unauthorised contacts with people outside.""A low range cellphone jammer has already been installed at Dhaka Central Jail experimentally about 15 days ago. ...
(read more) Saturday, March 1st, 2008The passenger train service between Kolkata and Dhaka is likely to begin from 'Pahela Baishakh', Chief of Bangladesh Army Staff Gen Moeen U Ahmed said yesterday.''If everything goes well, the train will run from 'Pahela Baishakh' (Bengali New Year's Day in mid-April),'' Moeen told the newsmen after visiting the Indian border station Gede where the necessary infrastructure has been put in place for operation of the train.Stating that the Bangladesh government was keen to begin the train service as early as possible, he said he was visiting Gede to ascertain the bottlenecks still to be sorted out for the service ...
(read more) Saturday, March 1st, 2008The death toll from launch disaster in the river Buriganga on Thursday afternoon rose to 39 with the recovery of seven more bodies yesterday while at least 10 passengers remained missing.The sunken launch, Sourav-1, was salvaged early Friday and seven more bodies were found inside the launch.The rescue vessel, Rustam, pulled the launch from a depth of 45 feet under water at about 5:30am and then the rescuers wound up their operation.The double-decker MV Sourav bound for Taltola in Munshiganj from Sadarghat launch terminal with around 140 passengers on board sank in the river after a sand-laden cargo vessel ...
(read more) Saturday, March 1st, 2008In a rare move, a good number of smaller political parties are working to forge a common platform to resist the anti-liberation forces and deal with pre- and post-election situation.Mostly left leaning and moderate, the organisations want to counteract Jamaat-e-Islami and the religion-based political parties that they believe patronise militancy in the country.Workers Party of Bangladesh, Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh (BDB), Gono Forum, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Gonotantri Party and Samyabadi Dal have already met on a number of occasions.Workers Party General Secretary Bimal Biswas told The Daily Star yesterday that they are ...
(read more) Saturday, March 1st, 2008New billboards are still being installed on top of roadside buildings in the capital flouting a Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) ban on the practice.Meanwhile, DCC is losing Tk 3 crore a year in lost revenue since it is neither being able to collect taxes from outdoor advertisers for those billboards, nor is it being able to dismantle those due to a court injunction against the city corporation ban.Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka however told The Daily Star, "We don't have any information regarding new installation of illegal billboards.""Whenever we get information fresh about installation of illegal billboards, we dismantle those. ...
(read more) Saturday, March 1st, 2008Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie produced the highest South African opening partnership as they sent Bangladesh on a leather hunt on the opening day of the second and final Test match at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium yesterday.At the devastation of the home team bowlers, the openers finished the day with the scoreboard reading 405 for nought in 90 overs. On their way to a happy hunt, the pair has broken a number of South African records and were close to rewriting some world records after a long time. They were eight runs shy of the world record opening partnership, between ...
(read more) Saturday, March 1st, 2008Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said governments since the country's independence in 1971 neglected the teachings of history eventually leading to the changeover of 1/11.“We write the most beautiful things about the worst persons who looted people's money and sent those abroad. But nobody is held accountable,” said the CEC while speaking at the ninth reunion of alumni of History Department of Dhaka University (DU) at DU Teacher-Student Centre.Dhaka University History Department Alumni Association organised the event with participation of over 700 former students.“Country's development was hampered by corruption. Therefore, I am not surprised at the ...
(read more) Saturday, March 1st, 2008The Malaysian authorities have agreed for the first time to allow transfer of Bangladeshi workers from one company to another.Malaysian and Bangladesh embassy officials informed Foreign Affairs Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury of the latest concession during his brief stopover at Kuala Lumpur on Thursday on way back home from Tokyo.The officials told the adviser that a Workers' Welfare Committee had been set up to assist the Bangladesh high commission to tackle the workers problems.Besides, a hostel to accommodate 800-1,000 workers has been set up as a shelter for the distressed workers and a microbus is being procured for their transport.The ...
(read more) Saturday, March 1st, 2008The US's second-ranking diplomat today signalled that the Bush administration was distancing itself from Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf after Opposition victories in last week's elections.Deputy secretary of state John Negroponte told senators that the US was supporting Pakistan's people as they chose their leaders after the parliamentary elections. But he made scant mention of Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, during his testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.Senior Bush administration officials, including Negroponte, have previously underlined their view that Musharraf has been "indispensable" to the US-led fight against extremists along Pakistan's rugged border with Afghanistan.Negroponte testified that ...
(read more) Saturday, March 1st, 2008Former prime ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina provided their personal data yesterday to fill their voter-registration forms.Deputy Inspector General (Prisons) Major Shamsul Haider Siddiqui yesterday told The Daily Star, "All the required personal data of the former prime ministers have been collected. Their signatures, finger prints and photographs will be taken either on Sunday or Monday."Yesterday was the last date for voter registration in Dhaka City Corporation.The Awami League chief and BNP chief are detained in jails set up on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises.Sources said Hasina gave her Dhanmondi home address and Khaleda gave her cantonment home ...
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