Archive for April 17th, 2008
Thursday, April 17th, 2008Seventeen persons were killed and 25 others injured in a fatal accident early yesterday when a Dhaka-bound intercity train rammed a passenger bus on a level crossing in Kalihati upazila of Tangail.Of the dead, 14 were cloth traders from Rampur and Mominnagar villages under Balla union of the upazila. The three others were the driver and two helpers of the bus.Riaz Ahmed, officer-in-charge of Kalihati Police Station, told The Daily Star that 44 cloth traders from Balla union were on the bus headed for Karatia market in Tangail Sadar.The bus left Ballabazar around 2:00am. The intercity Ekata Express from Dinajpur ...
(read more) Thursday, April 17th, 2008The Election Commission (EC) yesterday formally invited both factions of the BNP to sit with it today in an effort to resolve their differences so they can join the long stalled electoral reform talks together.The BNP faction led by M Saifur Rahman is scheduled to sit with the EC at 10:00am while the other faction loyal to detained BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at 12:00noon at the EC Secretariat conference room.The EC Secretariat sent the "courtesy call" invitations through a messenger to Khandaker Delwar Hossain, secretary general appointed by Khaleda, and Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, secretary general nominated by the ...
(read more) Thursday, April 17th, 2008Stressing institutional reforms for a 'meaningful democracy', leaders of pro-Saifur faction of BNP yesterday said all political parties should become pledge bound through formulating a 'code of conduct for political activities' before the poll, so the people's verdict is reflected on the post election system of governance.Demanding implementation of the announced electoral roadmap they also asked the military backed interim government to stop 'harassing' political leaders, demanded lifting of the emergency, and urged it to allow political activities so the parties may prepare for the election.Alluding to pro-Khaleda faction leaders, some pro-Saifur former lawmakers said those who want ...
(read more) Thursday, April 17th, 2008The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday instructed nearly a dozen banks to seize 20 accounts and a savings certificate worth Tk 15 lakh belonging to Dhaka Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka and his family members.Dhaka city BNP chief Khoka is accused in a corruption case filed on April 2 by the corruption watchdog for amassing over Tk 17.57 crore worth of wealth illegally and concealing information about wealth worth more than Tk 10 crore in his wealth statement submitted to the ACC in December last year.Khoka's wife Ismat Ara, daughter Sarika Sadeque and son Ishrak Hossain are also accused in the same ...
(read more) Thursday, April 17th, 2008It is now hard to be recognised even as a canal, although the foundation stone of the bridge over it connecting the Hotapara and Pirujali roads still reads "Bridge on Labandaha River".The Labandaha has virtually no water now, as only pitch-dark stinky industrial waste is flowing through the river-turned narrow canal. Untreated liquid waste from washing and dyeing factories is the main source of the flowing 'water'.A vast wetland on both sides locally known as 'Labandaha Sagar' was once the main source of fish and rice. But all species of fish have disappeared and hardly one crop grows since the ...
(read more) Thursday, April 17th, 2008Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday called on textile entrepreneurs to ensure the welfare of workers.He said the government would always stand beside the entrepreneurs by acting as the auxiliary force for industrialisation and hoped that the entrepreneurs would also put in their best efforts in industrialising the country.Fakhruddin was speaking at the inaugural function of a three-day exposition of textiles, titled TEXBANGLA 2008, the fourth of its kind, organised by Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre."Made in Bangladesh" is the theme of this year's expo which coincides with the silver jubilee of the BTMA.The exhibition ...
(read more) Thursday, April 17th, 2008Price of coarse rice is likely to remain Tk 27 to Tk 30 per kg even if the country witnesses a bumper Boro production this season, food ministry sources and economists say.They attribute this to high cost of Boro production, and global shortage and price hike of rice.In the wake of around 50 percent increase in production cost, the food ministry has set procurement price of Boro rice this season at Tk 28 a kg , considering 40 percent profit on production cost of farmers.“We are trying to strike a balance between producers and consumers' interests by fixing procurement ...
(read more) Thursday, April 17th, 2008Ras Al Khaima Investment Authority (Rakia) on Tuesday sought from the Bangladesh government large chunks of land in Chittagong and Cox's Bazar to establish an economic zone and a tourism township.Visiting Chief Executive Officer of Rakia Dr Khater Massaad in an interview with The Daily Star yesterday in a capital hotel talked about the multi-billion dollar investment proposal."We will set up all types of industrial components our group has to offer at the proposed Chittagong Special Economic Zone, as the country has tremendous business opportunities and a huge ready market," said Massaad, chief executive officer (CEO) of the investment arm ...
(read more) Thursday, April 17th, 2008Bangladesh will push for a special UN programme on Global Food Security at the twelfth UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) meet in Ghana next week to increase food availability around the world.Speaking to reporters at his office yesterday, Foreign Adviser Iftekhar A Chowdhury said as the chair of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) at the UN, Bangladesh would push the UN for a thrust programme through a Global Food Security Compact.Iftekhar said the programme would serve to find ways to meet worldwide shortages in food grain, as it would seek a New Green Revolution through greater research ...
(read more) Thursday, April 17th, 2008Commerce and Education Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman yesterday said the formal dialogue between the government and the political parties will begin within this month.“Preparations for the political dialogue in national level are going on in the form of pre-dialogue meetings, which will conclude within five or six days. We hope the dialogue would start within this month,” Hossain Zillur told reporters after inaugurating a seminar at the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) in the capital.“We will place the feedback from the pre-dialogue meetings to the chief adviser so that the dialogue becomes successful,” the commerce adviser, also one ...
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