Bangladesh News

Law Commission wobbles with no chief for 7 months

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 The 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)

Graft suspects still reign supreme

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 An 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)

15 hurt, 60 arrested in Kuwaiti police action

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 At 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)

Food procurement drive almost halted

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 With 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)

Saarc Food Bank starts functioning soon

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 Foreign 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)

City hospitals struggle with rise in viral fever patients

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 Sitting 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)

Thrice mugged in 40 minutes

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 A 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)

Reappointment of 10 judges stayed by SC

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 The 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 ... (read more)

Bhuiyan, Shamsul, Engr Mosharraf, Pintu get bail

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 The High Court (HC) yesterday granted bail to 10 persons including three former ministers and four former lawmakers who had been arrested in the anti-corruption drive of the military backed caretaker government. The ten, who had been accused in separate corruption cases filed by the Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) and the government, were granted ad-interim and anticipatory bail. After hearing separate petitions, an HC bench comprising Justice Sharif Uddin Chaklader and Justice Md Emdadul Haque Azad stayed the proceedings of the cases against the accused. The court also issued separate rules upon the government to explain why the petitioners should not be granted regular ... (read more)

Tk 186 crore gobbled up from 2 toll centres

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday approved filing of two cases against 36 staff of the Roads & Highways Department (RHD) for embezzling Tk 185.91 crore meant for the state coffers. An ACC probe carried out as part of the measures against institutional corruption found that the RHD employers and officials had skimmed the sums after collecting those as tolls for Tongi-Ashulia highway and Meghna and Meghna-Gomati bridge through fake money receipts or without any receipt. Of the amount embezzled, Tk 174.35 crore was collected at Meghna and Meghna-Gomati toll point in between 2002 and 2006 while Tk 11.56 crore at Tongi-Ashulia in ... (read more)