Archive for June 30th, 2008
Monday, June 30th, 2008The record-breaking SSC results demonstrate the widening gap between urban and rural education standard as most urban schools put on outstanding performance, while the bulk of failure goes to rural institutions.As many as 2,272 schools made 100 percent success and 52,500 students secured GPA-5 (grade point average) in this year's SSC examinations, while the number of schools with zero pass is 91.Most of these successful schools and students are from urban areas, while most of the poor performed institutions are in rural areas, according to sources in Inter-Board Computer Section.Private tuition and quality education make a huge difference in this ...
(read more) Monday, June 30th, 2008The Election Commission (EC) will look into whether the ongoing flurry of activities of Awami League (AL), BNP and other political parties centring the August 4 polls to four city corporations and nine municipalities violate the new electoral law.If their activities contradict the electoral law which clearly stipulates that polls to city corporations and municipalities are absolutely non-partisan, the commission will formally ask the political parties to abide by the law, sources in the EC said.Election Commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain told The Daily Star yesterday that the EC is aware of the ongoing activities of major political parties centring the ...
(read more) Monday, June 30th, 2008The upcoming 15th Saarc Summit in Colombo would focus on greater connectivity, food security and meeting growing demand for energy in the member countries, visiting Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday said.He was talking to reporters after a meeting with Foreign Affairs Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury at state guesthouse Padma.The Sri Lankan minister, who arrived in Dhaka Saturday night to formally hand in invitation to the 15th summit to Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, said the theme of this year's summit, to be held on August 2-3, is "Partnership for the People of Saarc.""We'll continue to focus on connectivity and ...
(read more) Monday, June 30th, 2008Germans were unfurling their flags and applying the black, red and gold face-paints on Sunday as three weeks of Euro 2008 football frenzy approached its climax of Germany versus Spain.From Chancellor Angela Merkel downwards, Germans will be cheering on "Schweini", "Poldi" and their teammates in a nation now much more comfortable with being patriotic ever since the 2006 World Cup was held on home soil.In towns and cities across the country, hundreds of thousands were expected at public viewing areas to watch the match beamed in from Vienna from 1845 GMT onto huge screens and tens of millions will be ...
(read more) Monday, June 30th, 2008The food department has unofficially stopped Boro procurement short of target in 16 northern districts of the country due to short supply and unpredictable weather.Officials concerned think they could fail to achieve procurement target if the government does not start importing rice and open market sale (OMS) soon.A senior official of the department said only 13,640 tonnes of Boro has been purchased between April 28 and June 28 in the area against a target of 1,03,000 tonnes.Food officials told The Daily Star yesterday that only 670 tonnes of Boro has been purchased in the food-surplus district of Bogra against a ...
(read more) Monday, June 30th, 2008Bangladesh Embassy officials in Kuwait today hold talks with Kuwaiti authorities to discuss the plight of 765 Bangladeshi workers -- which include over 300 women -- who have not been paid for the last six months by their employers.The cleaning companies they worked for did not arrange return tickets for these workers on completion of their contracts and now the residency permits of some have also expired.“We have an appointment with the Kuwaiti Labour Department and the companies involved on Monday morning,” Shahriar Kader Siddiky, labour councillor of Bangladesh Embassy in Kuwait, told The Daily Star over telephone yesterday afternoon.The ...
(read more) Monday, June 30th, 2008The BNP-led four-party alliance will not participate in the August 4 polls to city corporations and municipalities if the government does not meet its demands including withdrawal of the state of emergency.“There's no question of legitimising the government by taking part in a farcical election,” BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain told reporters after a meeting of the alliance yesterday.He reiterated the call for holding the parliamentary election first and asked the government to create an atmosphere conducive to free and fair polls by lifting the state of emergency and releasing all political leaders behind bars.The meeting held at the ...
(read more) Monday, June 30th, 2008The Awami League (AL) yesterday decided to participate in the upcoming city corporation and municipality elections with other components of the 14-party combine, and members of civil society and pro-Liberation War forces under the banner of Nagorik Committee.The decision came at an emergency meeting of the AL Presidium chaired by party's acting President Zillur Rahman at his Gulshan residence."We will take part in the polls under the banner on Nagorik Committee," AL acting General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam told reporters after the meeting where the AL urged all political parties to avoid the culture of boycotting election.The meeting demanded that ...
(read more) Monday, June 30th, 2008The council of advisers yesterday approved the proposed budget for 2008-09, bringing a few changes including raising the ceiling of individual income tax.President Iajuddin Ahmed through an ordinance will pass the budget tomorrow. Earlier on June 9, Finance and Planning Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam proposed the Tk 99,962-crore budget.Since at present there is no parliament in place to debate the proposed budget, the government invited different quarters to post their recommendations and suggestions regarding the budget till June 16 on the government's official website.The government made a few adjustments to the proposed budget taking into consideration the reactions and recommendations ...
(read more) Monday, June 30th, 2008Just three months after increasing the airfare to and from Saudi Arabia to $1,350 for hajj pilgrims, Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd has proposed increasing it again by $171 quoting rise in fuel price.The religious affairs ministry, which oversees the overall hajj management, and the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (Haab) have opposed the proposal, saying many pilgrims had already deposited money to perform hajj in December following government announcement of the hajj package.The ministry has informed Biman authorities of its opinion but Biman sticks to its position, said sources."When the airfare was fixed at $1,350, the fuel cost was $0.84 ...
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