Archive for October 29th, 2008
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday censured deputy commissioners (DCs) for their 'roles in past elections', and asked them to work with complete neutrality for the December 18 parliamentary poll.He was addressing the second election training workshop for DCs in the National Economic Council auditorium as part of the EC's preparation for holding the upcoming poll in a free, fair, neutral and credible manner. The first workshop was held on Saturday."You'll have to work in a completely neutral manner…..as the upcoming election will be held in the interest of the country's people."Strongly criticising the role some DCs ...
(read more) Wednesday, October 29th, 2008Law enforcers and mobile courts seized a huge amount of banned powdered milk of different brands from stores in the capital and elsewhere in the country yesterday and collected Tk 2.31 lakh in fines for displaying and selling those.A mobile court in Chapainawabganj also burnt 171 tins and packets of these brands of baby formula.The melamine test results of the eight brands due yesterday did not arrive from three laboratories at home and abroad.An official of the commerce ministry said they were not sure exactly when the results would arrive. A press release of the ministry said the results would ...
(read more) Wednesday, October 29th, 2008Despite repeated pledges made by the interim government early last year to punish the masterminds and patrons of outlawed Islamist militant outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), no effective measures have been taken so far.Some high-level officials in the law-enforcement agencies involved in investigations into rise of militancy and its patronisation say the existing laws are not adequate to bring the patrons or masterminds to book."We need new laws or amendment to some existing laws to take legal actions against the patrons," says a top official desiring not to be named.As the issue is sensitive and linked to the policy, the ...
(read more) Wednesday, October 29th, 2008Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said the use of translucent ballot boxes in the upcoming general election will prevent many of the past electoral malpractices.He was speaking at the launching ceremony of translucent ballot boxes, at Radisson Water Garden Hotel in the city.At the request of the Election Commission (EC), 240,000 translucent ballot boxes were procured at over $5 million through a UNDP project funded by the Canadian government."Since the ballots inside (the boxes) are visible from outside, it will not be possible to place filled-up boxes in the booths or take away half-empty boxes ...
(read more) Wednesday, October 29th, 2008ncessant rains and gales brought on by Cyclone Reshmi have destroyed vast swathes of crops and vegetables in southern districts including Barisal and Patuakhali.The storm that struck the country early Monday washed away around 20 kilometres of flood control dam in Patuakhali. Three fishermen were still missing in the coastal district.Our Patuakhali correspondent reports: Besides 20 km of flood control dam, 120 km of dirt roads have been wrecked.District Relief and Rehabilitation Office said three fishermen--Milon Majhi, 24, Faruq, 23, and Khokon, 18--all from Kuakata under Kalapara upazila, were still missing.It yesterday sent a report to the higher authorities, ...
(read more) Wednesday, October 29th, 2008Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon has said the next government should uphold the democratic character of politics, shunning its confrontational nature."Confrontational politics, as we have seen, never goes forward. It rather hinders economy and affects social relationship," Menon said in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star.About the dialogue between Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia he said political leaders should sit together in times of crisis and if the two top leaders sit together, that will bring some results.He also said mutual understanding could be strengthened through the election, elected parliament and its effective ...
(read more) Wednesday, October 29th, 2008The government has again extended the deadline for submitting income tax return up to November 6 from October 31.However, the time limit for legalising undeclared income, which will expire on October 31, remains unchanged."We have extended the deadline for submitting income tax return for six days considering long Eid and Puja vacations and also requests from various business chambers," National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Muhammad Abdul Mazid told The Daily Star yesterday."But we have decided not to extend the time limit for legalising undeclared money," the NBR chairman said.The deadline for submitting income tax return expires on September 30 ...
(read more) Wednesday, October 29th, 2008The BNP-led four-party alliance yesterday called on the government to implement their seven-point demand, including lifting of the emergency rules before announcing election schedule on November 2.They warned that they will not take part in any 'arranged and staged' elections.The alliance made the call at a meeting at the Diploma Engineers Institute in the city, presided over by Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General ATM Azharul Islam."We'll take part in the December 18 national election after the government meets our seven-point demand," BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain told the meeting over mobile phone.Delwar could not attend the meeting due to ...
(read more) Wednesday, October 29th, 2008Awami League (AL) leaders yesterday blamed the caretaker government for 'leniently' applying emergency power rules for Jamaat-Shibir and communal forces."State of emergency is strictly enforced in our case, but it is relaxed for Jamaat-Shibir and extremist communal forces," AL Presidium Member Tofail Ahmed said at a rally in the capital.Tofail deplored the government's talks with the Jamaat secretary general recently despite arrest warrant against him, 'inaction' against communal forces who staged violent demonstrations opposing the move for a policy for women and demanding reinstallation of Baul sculptures near the airport.The rally was organised to protest the killing of some ...
(read more) Wednesday, October 29th, 2008Advocate Habibul Islam Bhuiyan and barrister Abdur Razzaq, two senior lawyers of the Supreme Court, in a statement yesterday said the High Court (HC) bench comprising Justice Md Muzammel Hossain and Justice Afzal Hossain Ahmed had not refused to hear the petitions filed by five former ministers and one state minister for quashing the proceedings of Barapukuria coalmine case filed against them.They said a section of the press on October 28 had reported that the HC bench had refused to hear the petitions filed by former ministers M Saifur Rahman, Motiur Rahman Nizami, Khondoker Mosharraf Hossain, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid, ...
(read more) 
