Archive for March 31st, 2008
Monday, March 31st, 2008Detained Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday told a special court that the jail authorities are depriving her of fundamental human rights and produced her before the court forcefully although her treatment had not yet completed.During the hearing of charge framing in the barge-mounted power plant case against her and seven others, Hasina repeatedly complained about the jail authorities' behaviour and the quality of treatment she had received at hospital.Special Court-1 of Judge Firoz Alam later postponed the hearing until April 3 following Hasina's complaints and on the ground that her senior counsels were absent as she was not ...
(read more) Monday, March 31st, 2008In the wake of India's hiking the minimum export price for its rice, traders here have reportedly started hoarding the staple.Retailers and wholesalers across the country already raised the price of Indian coarse varieties by Tk 70 to Tk 80 and fine rice by Tk 20 to Tk 50 per maund (37.32 kg) yesterday.A section of traders is trying to create an artificial crisis by hoarding rice imported from India at Benapole, Sharsha, Bagchara, Nawapara, Navaran and Jhikargachha areas, reports a correspondent from Benapole.In the last six days, 12,878 tonnes of rice have been imported from the neighbouring country. ...
(read more) Monday, March 31st, 2008People sentenced to two years or more for corruption or corrupt practices won't be allowed to make voluntary disclosure before the Truth and Accountability Commission within five years of their release.The three-member Truth Commission would be a combination of former officials from the judiciary, military and civil administration.An eminent citizen can also be appointed to the commission, according to the draft of the "Voluntary Disclosure Ordinance, 2008".The commission may have up to six sub-commissions with its headquarters in Dhaka to cover the whole country.In addition to having no provision to challenge the commission's orders, its members will also enjoy indemnity ...
(read more) Monday, March 31st, 2008Bangladesh due to its geographic location has a high risk of experiencing earthquakes but the country does not have the capacity to combat such natural calamity, experts said at a roundtable yesterday.They pointed out that unplanned urbanisation, over population, poorly constructed structures, lack of coordination between institutions concerned, inadequacy of recovery tools and lack of awareness are putting the nation at high risk.The experts suggested launching massive earthquake-related awareness campaigns, retrofitting existing buildings, strengthening building inspection system, proper implementation of building code and training for masons, architects and engineers.Network for Information Response and Preparedness Activities on Disaster (Nirapad) in ...
(read more) Monday, March 31st, 2008Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday called for restructuring the country's agricultural system to increase the production of food grains for ensuring food security.Referring to the recent trend in the world food production, he said it is clearly understood in the changed situation that the strategy to replenish food shortages through import is risky.Inaugurating a three-day 'Bari Technology Transfer Workshop 2008' organised by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (Bari), Fakhruddin said the government has taken the initiative to formulate a new national agricultural policy considering the changed perspective at national and international levels.He called for adopting effective and sustainable short, ...
(read more) Monday, March 31st, 2008A visiting German parliamentary delegation yesterday said Berlin would not show any understanding and would exert political influence if the caretaker government in Bangladesh shows "unwillingness" to pass on power to an elected government.Expressing its optimism that the general elections are going to be held by the end of this year, the six-member delegation stressed the need for internal democratic reforms of the political parties and asked the government to either relax or lift the state of emergency to pave the way for it."If we see it is simply the government that does not want to pass on power, then ...
(read more) Monday, March 31st, 2008 A delegation of liberation war veterans from the Indian armed forces led by Lt Gen (retd) JFR Jacobs calls on Chief of Army Staff Gen Moeen U Ahmed at the Army Headquarters in Dhaka yesterday. Photo: ISPR "We were comrades in arms, we fought together shoulder to shoulder," said Lt Gen (retd) JFR Jacob, former chief of general staff of eastern command of India.The then Indian Army commander of the eastern front said this yesterday as he was reminiscing Bangladesh's Liberation War of 1971 at a reception in the capital's Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.Sector Commanders Forum (SCF) organised the ...
(read more) Monday, March 31st, 2008The number of severe arsenic contaminated patients is three times higher than the previous estimation done around two yeas ago, says a joint study of the government and JICA.The study shows the number of arsenicosis patients are increasing alarmingly due to want of safe water sources in affected areas.The study conducted under the project titled "Sustainable Arsenic Mitigation under Integrated Local Government System (SAM-ILGS)" also finds many identified patients died in last five years without proper treatment."The actual number of patients in the country could be even more than triple than that was identified previously if the contaminated areas are ...
(read more) Monday, March 31st, 2008Two units of Ashuganj Power Station were shut down yesterday after a fiery explosion severely burned four people including two engineers of the station.The two engineers and two electrician of the station were conducting repair work when a breaker of Unit-5 exploded and caught fire at around 11:45am, said sources at the power station.The injured -- Assistant Engineer Kamruzzaman, Assistant Engineer M Rukan Mia, electricians Brindaban and Mohammad Salam -- have been sent to Dhaka in a critical condition.Units 4 and 5 have been shut down following the incident and 450 MW of power is currently being generated at the ...
(read more) Monday, March 31st, 2008Bangladeshi troops serving with the international peacekeeping force in Ivory Coast has been decorated with the United Nations' peacekeeping medal.At present 2,728 Bangladeshi soldiers are serving in UN peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast, a country in West Africa.They have been on the current mission for over six months now.General Marcel Fernand Amoussou, the Force Commander of the United Nations Operation in Ivory Coast (ONUCI) presided over a medal ceremony honouring the Bangladeshi contingent in Daloa, 380km away from capital city of Abidjan, on March 26.Bangladesh's Brigadier General Mustafa Kamal Khan, the commander of UN operation in Sector West, expressed the ...
(read more) 
