Archive for March 7th, 2008
Friday, March 7th, 2008The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday ruled that appellate courts, also including High Court, do not have the jurisdiction to grant bail to those convicted by special graft courts under the Emergency Power Rules (EPR).Headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Ruhul Amin, the seven-member full bench of the Appellate Division of the SC delivered the significant judgment following appeals of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) against HC's bail order to corruption convicts barrister Sigma Huda and barrister Mir Helaluddin.Upholding the ACC appeal, the SC said when an appeal against a special court's verdict in a corruption case under the EPR is referred to ...
(read more) Friday, March 7th, 2008Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said he does not know anything about the plans for upazila elections in May as announced only a day before by the LGRD adviser."I know nothing about it. You better ask the one who's made the announcement," an apparently irritated Huda told reporters after a meeting of the Election Commission (EC).Earlier on Wednesday, LGRD Adviser Anwarul Iqbal said the government has plans for elections to 100 upazila parishads in May, reported different national dailies and private television channels.Contacted by The Daily Star yesterday, he however claimed he did not mention ...
(read more) Friday, March 7th, 2008Detained former premier and BNP chairperson Khaelda Zia yesterday told investigators that she personally did not violate any rules of business as her government signed a gas deal with Canadian exploration company Niko.Denying any personal involvement in the process of awarding the contract for gas exploration to Niko, Khaleda also told the investigation team that she even did not sign on the final agreement between her government and the Canadian company.Khaleda made the comments when a four-member task force team quizzed her at a sub-jail on the national parliament building premises in connection with the Niko graft case filed against ...
(read more) Friday, March 7th, 2008A probe committee formed to investigate the launch disaster of February 28 in the Buriganga found that the launch had capacity to carry only 67 people but had seats for 150.The five-member probe committee in its report submitted to the government yesterday also said they found huge irregularities on the part of the surveyor as the official gave survey certificate to the launch MV Shourav-1 without surveying it."The irregularities are so horrifying… a surveyor issued the survey token for the launch from Barisal when it was plying on Dhaka-Taltola [Munshiganj] route," said one of the members of the probe ...
(read more) Friday, March 7th, 2008The US state department on Wednesday formally labelled Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami-Bangladesh (Huji-B) as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) and as a specially designated global terrorist (SDGT), to allow the US government to target the Islamist terrorist group's finances and operations.The group, notorious for carrying out armed attacks on unsuspecting targets, is more commonly known as Harkatul Jihad Al Islami in Bangladesh.Huji, as a global terrorist outfit, was previously put on the list of 'Other Terrorist Oragnisations' in 2003 by the US, but the latest move provides the government of that country with the legal basis for actions against the group.The ...
(read more) Friday, March 7th, 2008The Social Welfare Directorate yesterday cancelled registration of two fraud NGOs in Natore while officials of two more NGOs disappeared with around Tk 7 crore in Natore and Rajshahi.Registrations of Freedom Unnayan Sangstha and Probhati Grameen Unnayan Sangstha that disappeared on February 28 and March 4 with huge amount of money were cancelled.Bank authorities said they have been asked by the district administration to freeze accounts, if any, of the two NGOs.Victims of these NGOs held a protest meeting in Nasratpur from where they announced to besiege Natore Deputy Commissioner's Office on Sunday.Meanwhile, Jibon Dhara, an unregistered NGO in Dhamongram ...
(read more) Friday, March 7th, 2008Today is the historic 7th March, a prelude to the nation's final struggle for independence fought and earned in 1971.This day in 1971, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made a clarion call for non-cooperation movement and asked the nation to prepare for the war of independence from the exploitative Pakistani regime."The struggle this time is for freedom, the struggle this time is for independence, Joy Bangla," Bangabandhu declared from a mammoth rally at the historic Racecourse Maidan (now Suhrawardy Udyan).In his speech, compared with US President Abraham Lincoln's historic Gettysburg speech, Sheikh Mujib said, "Since we have learnt to give blood, ...
(read more) Friday, March 7th, 2008The government is going to form a statutory body styled 'National Identities Registration Authority (NIRA)' to give legal coverage to Election Commission's national ID card and voter registration project.The government is also promulgating an ordinance incorporating NIRA's formation process, its duties for issuing national ID cards, and conviction provision for wrongdoings by citizens in this regard.The proposed ordinance will empower the home ministry to direct citizens to show their ID cards and submit copies to obtain certain services and facilities as citizens of the country, said law ministry sources.National ID card will have to be showed or copies be submitted ...
(read more) Friday, March 7th, 2008The Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC) chairman yesterday said arbitrary filing of corruption case by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) would demoralise the bureaucrats and have negative impact on the economy.Meanwhile, the Public Service Commission (PSC) chairman said this would create havoc since the ACC is losing cases in courts which would result in the release of corruption suspects."The Anti-corruption Commission would have been in a favourable position if it had dealt its cases under existing laws instead of Emergency Power Rules (EPR)," said Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC) Chairman Akbar Ali Khan.The observations came at the launching ceremony of two policy ...
(read more) Friday, March 7th, 2008Bangladesh has become the prime transit route for trafficking heroin to Europe from South East Asia, according to the latest report from the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB)."There is evidence that heroin consignments destined for Europe are increasingly passing through Bangladesh," states INCB's annual report 2007, that was released worldwide on Wednesday."The geographical nature of Bangladesh, in particular its long borders with India and Myanmar, makes it particularly suitable for heroin trafficking," the report adds.INCB notes that the most common methods and routes for smuggling heroin into Bangladesh are -- by courier from Pakistan, by commercial vehicles and trains from ...
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