Archive for September 9th, 2008
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008The government is considering introducing a 'national integrity strategy' (NIS) in a bid to create an ethical society to back up its drives against rampant corruption.The government aims at achieving the goal through 'rebuilding integrity' in every segment of the society including public, private and political sectors.Though the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is responsible to prosecute the corrupt, policymakers of the present government believe it's impossible to fight graft only by ACC through prosecution, say sources involved in formulation of NIS."So the government has taken initiatives to formulate NIS to combat corruption through moral-based approach to complement the ACC's functions," says ...
(read more) Tuesday, September 9th, 2008The Election Commission (EC) might announce within a week a specific date for the parliamentary poll, and detailed schedules for upazila parishad and Dhaka City Corporation elections, dispelling doubts about the long overdue national ballot.If everything goes according to the commission's plan, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda will unveil the final leg of the roadmap for the much awaited ballots with a major breakthrough in the prevailing political stagnation in the country.At a meeting in the office of the chief adviser (CA) on Sunday, the council of advisers to the caretaker government and the EC finalised ...
(read more) Tuesday, September 9th, 2008Awami League (AL) is scheduled to sit for a talk with the Election Commission (EC) today, hard on the heels of a boycott by BNP and its four-party alliance partners Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ).Jamaat and IOJ boycotted their scheduled electoral dialogues with the EC yesterday saying the talks will not yield any positive result as the 'previous ones also failed'.BNP declined to sit with the commission the day before saying it did not want to have a dialogue with the EC with 'unconstitutional' rules still remaining in the new electoral law.The EC meanwhile re-invited BNP to ...
(read more) Tuesday, September 9th, 2008Waterborne diseases and poor relief efforts coupled with lack of jobs and price hike of essentials are putting the lives of poor flood-hit people in misery.The flood situation is worsening in the central parts but the situation is improving in the northern districts, reports received from different areas stated.The Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre stated, the situation in the south central districts would start improving in a day or two. Water levels of all large rivers are going down, it added.A correspondent from Faridpur said: Flood situation in Faridpur worsened in the last 24 hours. Around 68,000 ...
(read more) Tuesday, September 9th, 2008The High Court yesterday granted ad interim bail for three months to former law minister Moudud Ahmed, former housing and public works minister Mirza Abbas and former BNP lawmaker MAH Salim in separate cases.Upon petitions of Moudud, Abbas and Salim, two HC vacation benches also stayed the case proceedings against the petitioners for the same period.Lawyers concerned said in spite of the HC bail Moudud and Mirza Abbas cannot be released from jail as they are arrested in other cases.The HC bench comprising Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Mamnoon Rahman passed the orders in the cases against Moudud and ...
(read more) Tuesday, September 9th, 2008The Law Commission that turns 12 today is being unfairly blamed for failing to modernise the laws and judicial system of the country due to the lack of political will of subsequent governments.Operating without a chairman and required manpower, the Law Commission has so far drafted as many as 86 recommendations since its establishment on September 9, 1996, for legal amendments. However, except for only three, all of its recommendations were brushed aside as those were not in favour of the governments."The Law Commission sent its recommendations to the government but never received any response. We do not know why ...
(read more) Tuesday, September 9th, 2008Six Titas Gas officials yesterday confessed to having ill-gotten wealth worth only about Tk 10 lakh before the Truth and Accountability Commission (Tac) whereas taskforces' investigation revealed some of their colleagues became millionaires through corruption.Sources say the six are from the ranks of meter reader, assistant accountant and junior-level officer who claimed before the commission that they don't have much ill-gotten wealth for disclosure.Ironically, a taskforce of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) to Combat Corruption and Serious Crimes, tasked to investigate graft in Titas Gas, in February this year found that over 150 supervisors and meter readers became millionaires by ...
(read more) Tuesday, September 9th, 2008The current literacy rate of the country -- at only 63 percent -- is not satisfactory considering the number of programmes taken in the country to beat illiteracy.Chief Adviser of caretaker government (CG) Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday said, “It is regrettable that though the country's efforts in literacy campaign are long-running, the achievement relatively low.”He said this while inaugurating programmes organised by the Primary and Mass Education Ministry at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital to mark International Literacy Day-2008 yesterday.The theme for this year is 'Literacy is the best remedy'.The Chief Adviser called on all including teachers, ...
(read more) Tuesday, September 9th, 2008The sufferings of inmates crammed into the Dhaka Central Jail is likely to continue as the construction of a new central jail in Keraniganj has delayed due to legal tangles.The construction work began last year but it was put on hold for months due to legal complications. Officials said the jail is expected to be completed by 2015.Construction work of the jail started with the filling up of low lands. But the High Court (HC), upon writ petitions by land owners seeking compensation, issued an injunction on land filling in March this year.Sources involved in the project ...
(read more) Tuesday, September 9th, 2008The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh ICDDR,B is experiencing an unusual rise in the number of diarrhoea patients due to the worsening flood situation in the low-lying areas in the eastern part of Dhaka.The patient inflow at the hospital increased to more than 600 yesterday, which normally remains at 200-250, an ICDDR,B press release said.“Typically we see a large increase in the number of patients twice a year -- once in pre-monsoon and then in post-monsoon period, which is closer to the end of September due to flood situation,” said Henry Richards, manager, communications unit of ICDDR, B. ...
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