Archive for July 14th, 2008
Monday, July 14th, 2008The council of advisers yesterday approved in principle the Representation of the People Ordinance 2008 making registration of the political parties mandatory and incorporating an option of negative voting.The new ordinance will reduce the maximum number of seats to be contested by a candidate to three from five. It will also make it compulsory for the contestants to submit the statement on polls expenditure within 90 days of the election.The advisory council nodded its approval for the ordinance at a meeting with Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair.Talking to reporters after the meeting, CA's Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim ...
(read more) Monday, July 14th, 2008Workers Party Politburo Member Fazle Hossain Badsha dropped out of the mayoral race in Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) yesterday clearing the way for Awami League (AL) leader AHM Khairuzzaman Liton for running in the August 4 poll there with an undisputed nomination from 14-party coalition.Badsha, who was earlier nominated by the AL-led coalition, quit the race in the face of a strong demand from the local unit of the coalition for nominating Liton, an AL central working committee member also Rajshahi city unit general secretary."I, Fazle Hossain Badsha, withdrew my candidacy for personal reasons," Badsha wrote in his request to ...
(read more) Monday, July 14th, 2008The Election Commission (EC) asked the caretaker government to reshuffle the field level public administration to facilitate holding of the long overdue upazila parishad elections and the stalled ninth parliamentary poll respectively in October and December this year.At a meeting with Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed on Saturday, the EC apprised the military backed caretaker government chief about the commission's plans and preparations, and asked his government to prepare the public administration for the polls by reshuffling it."Top officials of the field level administration, who will be engaged in election duties, must be changed," Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat ...
(read more) Monday, July 14th, 2008Geowa plants are abundant on the banks of Khalsi canal. Most of these species are less than a decade old; many others are growing for only couple of years. Not only geowa, some golpata (nypah) and other saline-tolerant plants are visible here and there along the canal.The canal is named after Khalsi village in Dakop upazila in Khulna where the residents are mostly Hindus.During a stroll around the village it was seen geowa is the main tree there. Locals say vegetation pattern of Khalsi has entirely changed in just 20 years. Just two decades ago, like other typical Hindu majority ...
(read more) Monday, July 14th, 2008Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has launched the Crime Intelligence and Research Unit formed with the help of the Detective Branch of police last month to monitor the performance of case investigators under DMP.The objective behind the monitoring is to find out whether or not investigations are carried out properly and to find out if people are harassed during the process and if any corruption is involved to hush the investigation process.This could result in disciplinary action against any case investigators found to be neglecting their dutiesAccording to information just released, the unit has contacted 50 complainants since its inception. Thirty-eight ...
(read more) Monday, July 14th, 2008Goods-carrying vessels resumed operations last night after 69 hours of workers' strike demanding pay hike.Their service resumed after a series of negotiation meetings between BIWTA, cargo vessel owners, coaster ship owners and the striking workers.A meeting held at the office of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) fixed the wage for workers of coaster tankers and goods-carrying vessels.The meeting only fixed the wage of the lowest grade, applicable for a period of five months. The interim wage would be effective from July 1.The meeting also decided that the interim-period salaries of workers of other grades will be fixed within 15 ...
(read more) Monday, July 14th, 2008Increased revenue earnings and low implementation of Annual Development Programme (ADP) in the last fiscal year has resulted in low government borrowings from the banking system -- Tk 6,308 crore lower than the targeted borrowing.As of June 30, the government has borrowed Tk 11,613 crore from the banking system from where the government had targeted to borrow Tk 17,921 crore including Tk 7,523 crore for the liabilities of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC).Portion of the increased earnings, Tk 1,230 crore, came from National Board of Revenue (NBR) that collected Tk 47,200 crore in revenue during 2007-08 fiscal year exceeding its targeted ...
(read more) Monday, July 14th, 2008A special court yesterday exempted Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina from appearing in person during the trial of Tk 2.99 crore extortion case filed by businessman Azam J Chowdhury.It however rejected former health minister Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim's petition for bail.Passing the orders, Judge M Ashraf Hossain of Special Court-5 set July 27 for resuming cross-examination of the prosecution witnesses and complainant.Earlier on June 19, Hasina's lawyers submitted a petition to the court for the exemption on health grounds.The former prime minister has already been excused from the obligation to be in courts during proceedings of three other graft ...
(read more) Monday, July 14th, 2008The freedom fighter who was assaulted Friday by Shibir cadres for demanding the trial of Jamaat leaders responsible for war crimes during the liberation war filed a general diary (GD) yesterday.Sheikh Mohammad Ali Aman, the war veteran, filed the GD with Ramna Police Station on charges of beating and keeping him confined.Police registered the GD as a case following investigation.Meantime, the Sector Commanders' Forum (SCF) threatened to go for nationwide protests if the government balks at bringing the Jamaat and Shibir men responsible for the attack on Ali Aman to trial.”If the government does not take immediate steps to identify ...
(read more) Monday, July 14th, 2008The dissident faction of BNP yesterday urged Khandaker Delwar Hossain, the party's chairperson-endorsed secretary general, to call a meeting of the standing committee for resolving internal disputes.Maj (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed, acting secretary general and leader of the dissident faction, made the call at a meeting at his residence where about 30 former lawmakers and party leaders were present.Meeting sources quoted the speakers at the meeting as saying that to strengthen the party in the grassroots level, the Delwar-led leadership should not have decided against participating in the local body polls and for the same reasons, the party should take part ...
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