Archive for March 2nd, 2008
Sunday, March 2nd, 2008Different commercial banks charge customers for 51 services on transaction which, according to Bangladesh Bank (BB), increases prices of both export products and local consumer items.The commercial banks take 25 types of charges and commissions for import related transactions and 14 other types for export transactions. In addition to these, 12 types of fees are charged for local transactions.Amid allegations of high and unnecessary service charges, the central bank has recently held a meeting with the owners and top officials of the banks.On instruction from the BB, the owners and high-ups have formed a committee, which is working out ...
(read more) Sunday, March 2nd, 2008The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday expressed dissatisfaction over the performances of different ministries as only 25 percent of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) has been implemented in the first seven months of the current fiscal year.The original ADP for fiscal year 2008 was worth Tk 26,500 crore while spending in July-January period was only Tk 6,698 crore. During this period in the previous fiscal year, Tk 8,024 crore or 31 percent of the ADP was spent.After a meeting of the Ecnec presided over Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, Planning Secretary Jafar Ahmed Chowdhury told journalists that secretaries ...
(read more) Sunday, March 2nd, 2008Detained Awami League General Secretary Abdul Jalil needs an immediate kidney transplant or be put on kidney dialysis, doctors said yesterday.The six-member medical board set up yesterday to examine the ailing AL leader said that Jalil has multifarious health problems including a heart condition and warned that his health condition may deteriorate at any time.Dr Motiur Rahman, head of the medical board set up at the LabAid Cardiac hospital, told The Daily Star yesterday “we'll send a report recommending immediate start of dialysis to the jail authorities by tonight.”Meanwhile, Inspector General (Prisons) Brigadier General Zakir Hassan told The Daily ...
(read more) Sunday, March 2nd, 2008At least five people were still reported missing yesterday, three days after the launch capsize in the Buriganga. Relatives of the missing ones were searching for bodies, but could recover none since Friday morning.Earlier, police said the number of missing passengers was 10, but they put it down to five yesterday.Laxman Das of Panchabati of Narayanganj searched throughout the day for bodies of his seven-year-old son Ridoy, and niece Jhumka, 19. He found bodies of his wife Kabita Rani and two-year-old daughter Puja early Friday. The four were returning home after visiting a relative's house at Keraniganj.Fire Service and ...
(read more) Sunday, March 2nd, 2008The Power Cell's move to disqualify Summit Industrial and Mercantile Corporation from the Bibiyana 450 megawatt (MW) and the Sirajganj 450MW power project tenders has shrunk competition and raised serious questions about fairness of the tendering process.The Power Cell, under the power ministry, in a letter informed Summit of its disqualification to participate in the Sirajganj power project in January 10 without giving any explicit reason. On February 14, the cell in another letter disqualified Summit in the Bibiyana project citing reasons that Summit thought were wrong and unjust.A top source of the cell told The Daily Star yesterday that ...
(read more) Sunday, March 2nd, 2008A series of significant events are scheduled to take place this month, which are likely to set the immediate political scenario of the country vis-à-vis the stalled ninth parliamentary election, which is supposed to be held by the year end.The government is likely to decide soon on lifting or relaxing the state of emergency in city corporation areas where polls to the corporations are scheduled to be held in April, on countrywide lifting of the restrictions on 'indoor politics', and on fixing a timetable for holding dialogues with political parties, sources in the interim administration said.The Election Commission ...
(read more) Sunday, March 2nd, 2008If Day Two of the second Test at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium yesterday was a day of fulfilling individual desires then the wishes were granted in a most fascinating fashion.South Africa captain Graeme and Neil McKenzie broke a 53-year-old record when they produced a marathon 415 runs for the first wicket, edging out the previous best of 413 by India's Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad against New Zealand in Chennai way back in 1956.McKenzie, back into the Test fold after a long time, stroked his first double hundred. Wily left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique, playing his final Test match, got his ...
(read more) Sunday, March 2nd, 2008Young bride Nila's dreams have been shattered the night her husband poured down acid on her, burning her face, hands and other parts of the body.The barbaric act has landed the critically injured 18-year-old girl in a hospital bed of Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF) with no hope of taking the Secondary School Certificate examinations due next month.Nila cannot think of any explainable reason why the man who tied the knots with her a year ago would even do such an act that would put her life in danger.Her parents arranged the marriage with Akbar Hossain, 30, a Saudi Arabia expatriate ...
(read more) Sunday, March 2nd, 2008Manpower export figures from the year 2006 have doubled in 2007, according to statistics released by the foreign ministry yesterday.The ministry also says that the Saudi government continues to import manpower from Bangladesh, contrary to recent media reports claiming otherwise.The number of workers cleared to work overseas in 2007 was 8.32 lakh, up from 3.81 lakh in 2006, says a press release of the ministry.Meanwhile, a total of 1.59 lakh workers have already left for work abroad in the first two months of the current year, compared to 78,000 in the same period last year.The foreign ministry press release also ...
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