Archive for October 14th, 2008
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008The Election Commission (EC) yesterday extended the time limit by five days for the political parties to apply for registration.This means the closing date for applications now is October 20.The time extension came in response to the demands of BNP and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami.The commission, however, still faces some difficulties as interim constitutions of Awami League (AL) and Jatiya Party(JP) contain provisions contradicting the registration criteria.AL that yesterday finalised its provisional constitution to get registered with the EC retained the clauses allowing chapters abroad and associated organisations consisted of students and workers.Okayed on Sunday, Jatiya Party’s constitution still ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 14th, 2008BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami will press hard for lifting of the state of emergency and deferral of the upazila election at talks with the caretaker government today.The parties will raise some other issues from a common standpoint, said sources close to the BNP-led four-party alliance.Besides calling for a level playing field in the December 18 polls, they will oppose some provisions of the revised Representation of the People Order (RPO), they added.The parties will keep on pushing for the government to cancel re-demarcation of the constituencies.Talking to The Daily Star, BNP leaders said as their Chairperson Khaleda Zia has yet ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 14th, 2008For the first time since imposition of the state of emergency, Awami League (AL) yesterday announced countrywide protest rallies scheduled for October 19.The rallies are aimed at pressing home the party's demands for making permanent and unconditional the release from detention of its President Sheikh Hasina, and complete withdrawal of the state of emergency before the December 18 national election.AL's announcement of the demonstrations came following BNP-led four-party alliance's countrywide protest on Sunday to press home its five-point demands including complete withdrawal of the emergency, withdrawal of cases against party Chairperson Khaleda Zia and other leaders, cancellation of ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 14th, 2008A large number of jute products developed by local scientists have not made it to the market despite their huge commercial potential, mostly due to the laid-back government attitude towards promoting and marketing them.Efforts to encourage more use of traditional jute products like sacks in packaging food grains, cement and fertiliser and increase the use of jute-based geotextile are also non-existent.The sepia-toned picture is largely due to the fact that the government does not have any research wing to analyse market data and create local and international markets, experts and officials said.“Only a market research can give a clear picture ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 14th, 2008The global financial turmoil appears to have an impact on garments as orders from buyers are slowing.Exporters have also said buyers are trying to cut down costs of imports to cope with a slump in consumer confidence.“Generally, September is a golden month for knitwear exporters, but this year's orders appear to be declining for the first time in four years,” said Fazlul Hoque, president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).However, remittance inflows, also allied with the global economies, are still immune to probable fallout from the unfolding financial crisis that rattled depositors and investors worldwide.Bangladeshi exports, mostly ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 A Dhaka court in a verdict of a law suit yesterday ordered former Awami League (AL) lawmaker and ex-chairman of Viqarunnisa University Foundation HBM Iqbal and seven others to pay Tk 8.09 crore to Viqarunnisa Noon School and College by October 31.Tk 6 crore was transferred to Viqarunnisa University Foundation fund from Viqarunnisa Noon School and College fund but the money was not returned.On April 10, 2004, the then acting principal of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College Royena Hossain filed the law suit with District and Sessions Judge's Court of Dhaka for the return of the Tk ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 14th, 2008The government has decided to start construction of a subway in the capital in the middle of next year to be completed by 2013 to improve communication and ease the nagging traffic congestion.The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting on construction of metro rail and elevated expressway held at the communications ministry yesterday.Overcoming the long bureaucratic wrangling, the meeting decided that feasibility study on construction of the subway will be funded by the government, meeting sources said.Tender for the Tk 10 crore study will be floated next month. The study is likely to be started in December ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 14th, 2008The government yesterday asked the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for a list of the convicts in its cases in the wake of speculations and newspaper reports on the fate of convicted politicians regarding their participation in the upcoming national polls."A list of the convicts in graft cases has been asked by the government today," said ACC Director General (Admin) Col Hanif Iqbal during a routine press briefing at the ACC Headquarters yesterday.Meanwhile, ACC yesterday approved filing of six cases against seven people including former lawmakers Dhirendra Nath Saha and Sarder Shakhawat Hossain Bakul and submission of five charge sheets against 17 ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 14th, 2008Economic decentralisation and proper planning are now crucial to make Dhaka liveable and for the growth of business and industries, urban experts and economists said yesterday.The concept of Clustered City Development (CCD) could help harmonise the emerging challenges of urbanisation, economic activities and investment in a planned manner, experts said at a discussion on CCD in the city.“Industries must be taken out of Dhaka and relocated, preferably along the highways, to keep the capital city functional and liveable,” noted economist and environmentalist Prof Muzaffer Ahmad said at the meet.The discussion titled “CCD: Innovative Intervention in South Asia Study on ...
(read more) Tuesday, October 14th, 2008Economic decentralisation and proper planning are now crucial to make Dhaka liveable and for the growth of business and industries, urban experts and economists said yesterday.The concept of Clustered City Development (CCD) could help harmonise the emerging challenges of urbanisation, economic activities and investment in a planned manner, experts said at a discussion on CCD in the city.“Industries must be taken out of Dhaka and relocated, preferably along the highways, to keep the capital city functional and liveable,” noted economist and environmentalist Prof Muzaffer Ahmad said at the meet.The discussion titled “CCD: Innovative Intervention in South Asia Study on ...
(read more) 
