Archive for July 16th, 2008
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008It still remains unresolved whether an aspirant electoral candidate is disqualified from contesting in polls on conviction by a trial court for a criminal offence involving moral turpitude or the person is allowed to contest in polls as long as an appeal against the verdict is pending in a court, which might go on until the appeal is adjudicated in the Appellate Division of Supreme Court.According to the country's constitution, a person shall be disqualified from contesting in elections if he or she is convicted of a criminal offence involving moral turpitude and sentenced to imprisonment for a term ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 16th, 2008The High Court (HC) yesterday stayed for two months the proceedings of Gatco corruption case filed by the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) against detained former prime minister Khaleda Zia.Meanwhile, the Supreme Court (SC) yesterday upheld an HC order staying the proceedings of the Niko graft case filed by the ACC against the former premier.After hearing a writ petition filed by Khaleda Zia, the HC bench comprising Justice Khademul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Mashuque Hosain Ahmed also issued a rule upon the government and the ACC to explain within four weeks why the proceedings of Gatco case against the petitioner ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 16th, 2008Two mayoral candidates in Khulna have accused Jute and Textiles Adviser Md Anwarul Iqbal of violating electoral code of conduct by reopening a privatised jute mill at Khalishpur as it would directly benefit another mayoral candidate.The adviser should not have reopened the People's Jute Mills as he had played the key role in forming the mayor panel for Khulna City Corporation (KCC) and BNP leader Moniruzzaman Moni, also a candidate for the upcoming mayoral poll, was made the acting mayor from the panel, they said at separate press conferences yesterday, reports our staff correspondent in Khulna.Khulna city Awami League (AL) ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 16th, 2008The High Court (HC) yesterday issued a rule upon the government and the Election Commission (EC) to explain within eight days as to why the EC's August 4 schedule for holding elections to four city corporations and nine municipalities without the final voter list should not be declared illegal.Responding to a writ petition filed by Jasim Uddin Sarker, a Supreme Court (SC) lawyer and a leader of the Dhaka city unit of Jamaat-e Islami, an HC division bench comprised of Justice Md Imman Ali and Justice Md Emdadul Huq issued the rule.The chief adviser of the caretaker government, ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 16th, 2008Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami was released last evening from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital prison cell on a two-month ad interim bail given by the High Court (HC).Nizami, an ex-minister, was set free around 6:50pm 24 hours after the HC granted him bail in the Gatco corruption case in which BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is also an accused.Arrested on May 18 at his Moghbazar home in connection with the Gatco case, the Jamaat ameer is the second high-profile political figure to be released, after arrest, since the government launched the anti-corruption drive early last year. ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 16th, 2008Eight months into losing their homes to Cyclone Sidr, nearly 23,000 families may not see their houses rebuilt before this winter, as the countries that promised assistance in the reconstruction are yet to complete their formalities.Saudi Arabia promised to construct 21,200 houses in Bagerhat, Borguna and Patuakhali -- the three districts affected heavily by the cyclone, while India promised 1,600 houses in 11 villages in Bagerhat, said officials at Ministry of Food and Disaster Management.Saudi Arabia has already completed the financing formalities for the assistance and India is still in the middle of the process, added the officials.It is taking ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 16th, 2008Excessive cost of finding overseas employments and fraud lead to situations where workers find themselves in debt and enter indentured and slave-like labour, said International Labour Organisation (ILO)."Most blame this on profit margins of recruitment agents, but it is also due to high transaction costs--passports, work permits, documentation," said ILO Director in Dhaka, Panudda Boonpala, yesterday at the inaugural session of a symposium titled "Deployment of workers overseas: A shared responsibility".In cases where employers pay agencies recruitment costs in advance, there are complaints of unacceptable salary deductions, while in order to pay back their recruiters, workers often go unpaid for ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 16th, 2008No decision on India's proposal for transit will be taken at the foreign secretary-level talks beginning in New Delhi tomorrow, said Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain who flies to the Indian capital today.“Nothing to be worried, no decision will be taken at this point in time,” he told reporters yesterday.Quoting the foreign adviser's statement made to dispel speculations over the transit issue, Touhid reaffirmed that nothing would be done against Bangladesh's interest.Earlier, Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakarbarty had told reporters that the transit issue would be raised at the foreign secretary-level meeting in Delhi as India is interested in it.Touhid ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 16th, 2008The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has lauded the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for making 'significant progress' in its fight against corruption but did not make any specific reference regarding the matter.The UNDP commended the ACC in a study on the commission's sustainability."The study found that the commission has made significant progress in the past 18 months in building an effective anti-corruption initiative in Bangladesh," said primary findings of the study the UN body conducted from June 12 and July 15.A team of national and international experts conducted the study on 'Sustainability of the ACC' at the request of the ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 16th, 2008US Ambassador James Moriarty had a closed-door parley with leaders of major political parties and leading lawyers to know their views on holding general election under the state of emergency and upazila parishad polls before the national election.Awami League leaders Syed Ashraful Islam and Asaduzzaman Noor, BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan, Jatiya Party leader Ruhul Amin Howlader, Jamaat leader Mohammad Qamaruzzaman, SCBA President Barrister Shafique Ahmed and Barrister Naushad Zamir joined the meeting at the ambassador's Gulshan residence.Insiders told the news agency that the leaders and lawyers put forward arguments in favour of lifting the state of emergency before ...
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