Archive for July 30th, 2008
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008The High Court (HC) yesterday directed the Election Commission (EC) to bar the candidates, who have given false or incomplete personal information in affidavits, from the August 4 polls.In response to a writ petition, the HC bench of Justice Khademul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Mashuque Hosain Ahmed also ordered the EC to probe the allegations of contestants giving false information or keeping something back.Besides, it issued a rule on the chief election commissioner (CEC) and secretary to the EC to explain within two weeks why they should not be directed to take necessary measures including cancellation of candidatures of those ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 30th, 2008The Law Commission can hardly function properly as most of the positions including that of the chairman and a member have been left unfilled for more than seven months.Aside from the two key positions, ten out of thirteen official positions of the commission have been vacant, worsening the situation, said sources.The chairman position has been vacant since December 5 of 2007 when the term of then chairman Justice Mustafa Kamal expired.The term of one of the two members of the commission expired on February 22 this year and that position has not been filled either.The commission's lone remaining ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 30th, 2008An ironic situation prevails at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) as graft suspects identified by several probe bodies survive despite efforts even from the government's top level to rid the institution of corruption.The officials involved in investigations into corruption at the university are struck dumb with amazement, as no-one knows how and when action will be taken against the graft suspects.Meanwhile, the latest probe body formed by the university has failed to make any headway in the last few months. Instead, there are allegations of corruption against BSMMU Deputy Registrar Kazi Ebadullah, who has been appointed as its member ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 30th, 2008At least 15 Bangladeshi workers were injured while 60 others were arrested as Kuwait police dispersed the workers protesting against low wages, bad working conditions and other exploitations by cleaning companies in Kuwait on Monday.Kuwait's Cabinet Minister Faisal Al-Hajji, meanwhile, said the workers had agreed to return to work after the government said it would ensure their rights and warned that "anyone participating in riots would be deported", the Kuwait Times reported yesterday.The Arab Times reported that several Kuwaiti MPs slammed a lack of government's control over cleaning service companies that have been defaulting on payment of workers' salaries.After a ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 30th, 2008With the caretaker government's food procurement drive almost halted, it has started negotiating with the country's rice millers to achieve its target, changing its previous tough stance of not listening to the millers' demands.A committee headed by the director (admin) of the food directorate was also formed on Monday following a meeting between Food and Disaster Management Adviser AMM Shawkat Ali and a group of rice mill association leaders.But officials said the government might fall short of achieving its procurement target as the rice millers started declining to sell rice to the government at the rate fixed by the latter, ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 30th, 2008Foreign secretaries of South Asian countries yesterday focused on the question of food security and reached a consensus on making Saarc Food Bank operational immediately to help any member state in case of exigencies.Briefing reporters after the first day of the 35th session of the Saarc Standing Committee, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain said they also agreed on transfer of technology and extending institutional support for increasing production in agriculture sector.He said the Saarc Council of Ministers comprising the foreign ministers, who will meet here July 31-August 1, will finalise the Standing Committee's recommendations on these matters.Touhid said at least ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 30th, 2008Sitting on a bench at the outpatient department of Dhaka Shishu Hospital, two-year-old Shourav wailed in pain and discomfort as his mother tried to clam him down.The situation was repetitive in the department where everyone seemed to be waiting in queue for a doctor to see them.Shourav and his mother had been waiting since morning for admission at a general ward but there was no bed left at the hospital that has seen a surge in number of patients suffering from viral fever and colds.The picture is the same in all public hospitals in the city as the number ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 30th, 2008A rickshaw ride from Gabtali to Shahbagh gave a private-university teacher the taste of life in Dhaka out at night. He ran into three marauding gangs of muggers in all of 40 minutes from 4:00am Monday.In every case, he said youths in white cars seemingly from well-off families waylaid him on his way back home."The first gang stopped my rickshaw at Kalyanpur, snatched my two cellphones and the wallet containing several hundred taka," he said preferring anonymity.He managed to escape the second gang as he asked the rickshaw-puller to turn back quickly after being intercepted in front of Bashundhara City ...
(read more) Wednesday, July 30th, 2008The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday stayed for three weeks the High Court (HC) judgment that directed the government to reappoint with seniority 10 additional judges not confirmed during the BNP-Jamaat coalition government's rule.A five-member full bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice MM Ruhul Amin passed the order following two petitions filed by the government and another by 19 HC judges.The apex court asked the petitioners to file regular appeals with it within this time.It also permitted advocate Ashraf-uz Zaman, a pro-Jamaat-e-Islami lawyer, to file a leave to appeal as public interest appeal with the SC against the ...
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