Archive for May 26th, 2008
Monday, May 26th, 2008The cabinet yesterday approved formation of the Truth and Accountability Commission (TAC), providing corruption suspects with an avenue to avoid imprisonment in exchange for confessions and surrender of their illegally earned wealth or the equivalent amount in cash to the state.A government news release states that TAC has been created to curb corruption and reduce the massive load of corruption cases through quick adjudication within 30 days of filing."Any person who earned wealth through corruption could get clemency by disclosing his [sic] wealth statement to the commission voluntarily and depositing the same wealth to the state," reads the government release.All ...
(read more) Monday, May 26th, 2008Most grassroots leaders of the Awami League (AL) are for recommending the central leadership of the party to participate in dialogues with the government and press for the six-point demand that includes release of party chief Sheikh Hasina prior to the national elections.Their written recommendations will be placed today at the party's extended meeting, first time in eight years, scheduled at 10:00am at Institution of Engineers' Bangladesh (IEB) auditorium in the capital.Many AL grassroots leaders told The Daily Star that their recommendations also include refraining from adopting tougher agitation programmes for the time being as the programmes might collide with ...
(read more) Monday, May 26th, 2008Leaders of the pro-reform BNP faction expect detained Chairperson Khaleda Zia, scheduled to appear before a court today, would give them the nod to make a dignified return to the fold.They however have decided to observe the death anniversary of late President Ziaur Rahman on May 30 on their own if the factions fail to reunite by that time.The decision came at a dissident group meeting behind closed doors yesterday. Some 40 former BNP lawmakers attended the meeting chaired by Major (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed, acting secretary general appointed by the standing committee.Talking to reporters afterwards, Major Hafiz said ...
(read more) Monday, May 26th, 2008Police yesterday arrested a woman after she admitted to masterminding the killing of her drug-addicted son failing to endure his torture. The mother, Momtaj Begum, also told the police that her only daughter assisted her in making the plan while three men executed the murder of her son Riaz Ahmed Chowdhury alias Suman.The police also arrested Momtaj's daughter Farzana Hossain and the three suspected murderers--Zakir Hossain, Khalilur Rahman and Prashun Kanti Pal.Suman was found slaughtered at his Shyamoli house on May 15."Suman used to torture me if I failed to give him Tk 1,000-1,500 daily," Momtaj told reporters at a press ...
(read more) Monday, May 26th, 2008Police yesterday arrested retired army chief Gen Mustafizur Rahman, an accused in the MiG-29 purchase scam case, at a city hospital where he has been undergoing treatment.He, however, is still being treated at the Apollo Hospitals at Bashundhara in the city under police custody."We have executed an arrest warrant issued against him by a court recently," Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Naim Ahmed told The Daily Star.Shahnaz, daughter of Mustafizur, told The Daily Star last night that a team of police has been deployed outside her father's room since yesterday noon. He was admitted to the hospital on May ...
(read more) Monday, May 26th, 2008Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) on the second day of dialogue between political parties and the government yesterday proposed formation of a 'national government' for three to five years after the elections to ensure sustainable democracy in the country.JSD President Hasanul Huq Inu also urged the government to take 'special administrative measures' to ensure participation of detained former premier and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina in the dialogue by releasing her, even if temporarily.“The government should take administrative steps to ensure Sheikh Hasina's participation in the dialogue,” Inu said at a joint press briefing after meeting Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed ...
(read more) Monday, May 26th, 2008The government has cancelled the licenses of 32 travel and recruiting agencies in the last two months for irregularities in manpower business and involvement in human trafficking.The facts were disclosed at an inter-ministerial meeting held at the Home Ministry yesterday afternoon.The licenses were cancelled after law-enforcing agencies in an investigation found the agencies illegally sending manpower abroad, which in most cases led to trafficking of women and children, meeting sources said.Police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are at present investigating the activities of some other agencies and their licenses could also be revoked on the same grounds, the meeting ...
(read more) Monday, May 26th, 2008Clashes between students of two private universities in Uttara left 25 students and policemen injured yesterday.Students of Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology in Sector-3 vandalised the building of Asian University of Bangladesh in Sector-7 and torched its furniture and equipments. Students of Asian University ransacked the building of Shanto-Mariam University and torched its furniture and equipments in return.Police had to fire six teargas canisters and charge truncheon in their attempt to disperse the clashing students.Both universities were declared closed for five days to avert further untoward incidents.According to sources, the clashes started following the spread of a rumour that Mehedi ...
(read more) Monday, May 26th, 2008A Dhaka court yesterday sentenced AZM Zahid Hossain, secretary general of Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB), a pro-BNP doctors' association, to 13 years' imprisonment for amassing wealth illegally and concealing information about his actual wealth in the wealth statement submitted to the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC).The court also sentenced Zahid's wife Rifat Hossain to three years' imprisonment for abetting her husband in amassing wealth worth around Tk 3.98 crore illegally.Judge Tanzina Ismail of Special Court-6, set up on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban premises, also fined Zahid Tk 10 lakh in default to which he would have to serve one more ...
(read more) Monday, May 26th, 2008Monir Hossain went to Malaysia in July last year with high hopes of earning a lot, but after his return on Thursday, he was hospitalised yesterday for severe weakness caused by over work and lack of adequate food.He could not send a single penny to his family in Daudkandi in Comilla; rather he had to survive on little food as the employer paid him lump sum salaries after four months and none at all for the rest five months.Monir is one of the 65 Bangladeshis, who went to Malaysia on July 25-26 last year through recruiting agency Sunbeam Travels ...
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