Archive for November 2nd, 2008
Sunday, November 2nd, 2008Jamaat yesterday opted to stay absent from a hearing in the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat, where a host of organisations and individuals submitted depositions and other documents proving the Islamist party's history of war crimes including genocide and rape.The hearing was called by the EC after eleven organisations including many comprising families and friends of martyred freedom fighters and intellectuals, and veteran freedom fighters including sector commanders had earlier submitted official objections to Jamaat's possible registration as a parliamentary party.Jamaat's Legal Affairs Secretary Jashim Uddin Sarkar however submitted an application to the EC seeking a five-day deferment of the ...
(read more) Sunday, November 2nd, 2008UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Bangladesh's most pressing need is to ensure a peaceful transition to democracy and for the incoming elected government to consolidate the democracy and reform to stem a recurrence of confrontational politics.“This is an opportunity for the country, and in particular the political parties, to address the serious problems that have given rise to the politics of confrontation and violence,” he told a banquet at Sheraton Hotel last night.Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed and his wife Neena Ahmed hosted the banquet in honour of the visiting UN secretary general and his spouse Ban Soon-Taek.The chief executive ...
(read more) Sunday, November 2nd, 2008Awami League (AL) leaders have alleged that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is demanding resignation of the election commissioners to foil the upcoming general election to kill time so that people forget corruption during her rule."If the election can be foiled somehow, people will gradually forget the corruption during BNP rule, and our (AL govt's) good deeds. And then using various ways, you (Khaleda) will take over power," AL presidium member Matia Chowdhury said at an extended meeting of the city AL at the party's Bangabandhu Avenue central office yesterday.She said people would foil 'conspiracy' against the parliamentary poll hatched ...
(read more) Sunday, November 2nd, 2008The Election Commission (EC) has decided to reject registration applications of around 40 organisations for not meeting the criteria.Islamic Democratic Party (IDP), formed by leaders of banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJi) with patronage from a US-Israeli lobby, is among the parties in question.As many as 107 organisations have applied for registration, now mandatory for seeking election to parliament. Of these, 22 are religion-based parties.As per the criteria laid down in the electoral laws, an organisation must have won a seat, or polled 5 percent of the vote in a constituency in any of the parliamentary polls since independence.It ...
(read more) Sunday, November 2nd, 2008After a 15-year hiatus in lending to the country's power sector, the World Bank (WB) yesterday approved a $350 million credit to Bangladesh for a 300MW peaking power project at Siddhirganj and a 60km natural gas pipeline project there.The credit from WB's concessionary arm, International Development Association, has 40 years to maturity with a 10-year grace period and carries a service charge of 0.75 percent.The loan will help the government complete the Siddhirganj gas turbine power project by 2011. It will also finance a 60km natural gas pipeline from Bakhrabad to Siddhirganj that will improve the reliability of gas supply ...
(read more) Sunday, November 2nd, 2008Demanding withdrawal of the state of emergency, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday questioned whether the government wants to hold the elections under the emergency to arrange selection of the next government.She said, "Even though they [the caretaker government] are talking about restoration of democracy, we think they want to establish a controlled democracy."The former premier said this while addressing a views-exchange meeting with leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dal at her Gulshan office last night."They are talking about holding the elections but they are yet to lift the state of emergency. We are unsure whether they want to ...
(read more) Sunday, November 2nd, 2008At least 14 people died and five others fell ill after drinking toxic alcohol in various parts of Bogra and Kalai upazila of Joypurhat in last two days.The deceased were identified as transport worker Bokul Mandal, 40, Abdul Mannan alias Putu, 42, and Abu Bakar, 45, of Shahjahanpur, Doulatuzzaman Doula, 45, and Shahjamal, 25, of Dhunat, labour leader Kalu Sheikh, 40, of Bogra town, Buda Paramanik, 35, of Sariakandi, Dilip Bashfore, 38, Bhaja Paramanik, 31, and Fariduddin, 33, of Adamdighi.Four others -- Kalai's former union parishad chairman Mahfuzur Rahman Montu, Bodon, Moazzem Hossain and Maku, a woman, -- died on ...
(read more) Sunday, November 2nd, 2008The two-day International Business Conference (IBC) ended yesterday with adoption of the 'Dhaka Vision' with the goal of making Bangladesh a mid-level income country in next 15 years.The Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) organised the IBC on the occasion of its 50th founding anniversary at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre (BCFCC). Different business personalities from home and abroad, scholars, academics, industrialists and experts attended the programme to share their knowledge.At the concluding session on "The Next Fifteen Years -- The Way Forward", DCCI President Hossain Khaled said important issues like the spillover impact of the ongoing global financial ...
(read more) Sunday, November 2nd, 2008Internal feuds in Jatyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) over future leadership of the organisation are heating up resulting in factional fights on the Dhaka University campus.Minor clashes between two rival groups of the pro-BNP student body break out often on the campus showing signs of persisting intra-organisation conflicts.The focus of attention of both the groups is a possible change of present leadership of the JCD as formation of a new central committee has been pending for about two years. No council of the student organisation was held in the last four years while its constitution provides for holding a council every ...
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