Archive for November 16th, 2008
Sunday, November 16th, 2008The government is considering further relaxation of the Emergency Power Rules after finalisation of the election seekers' nomination, said Commerce and Education Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman yesterday."If the environment for election emerges, a total withdrawal of emergency rules is also being considered,' said Zillur while reading out a written statement at a hurriedly called press briefing at the Chief Adviser's Office around 12:45pm.As per the Election Commission (EC) schedule, the last date for filing of nomination papers for the next general elections is November 20, scrutiny of those on November 23 and 24 and the last date of withdrawal ...
(read more) Sunday, November 16th, 2008The Election Commission is finally sure that mayors of city corporations and municipalities are not eligible to contest parliamentary polls as they hold office of profit, said EC sources.For long, it was confused about the definition of 'office of profit' in the Representation of the People Order.That confusion has gone on legal experts' opinion that mayors are not qualified to compete in the national election since they enjoy financial and other benefits from statutory authorities like city corporations and municipalities.According to the RPO, a person shall be disqualified for election as a member of parliament if he is ...
(read more) Sunday, November 16th, 2008Detained former ministers Moudud Ahmed, Nazmul Huda and Mirza Abbas and former lawmaker Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan yesterday denied holding meetings with party men in their BSMMU prison cells.Sources said their replies to the show-cause notices issued on them did not satisfy the jail authorities that have evidence against the claims of these four VIP prisoners. Punitive measures like cancellation of their division status would be taken against them.The jail authorities have already locked the doors of the cabins of Moudud, Huda, Mirza Abbas and former state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar.Authorities of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) would also ...
(read more) Sunday, November 16th, 2008The government should form a panel of senior chemists to decide on a uniform, internationally recognised method for testing powdered milk again to remove existing confusions over the recent differing test results, said scientists and consumer rights activists.Several samples of each brand have to be collected from various places and those have to be homogenised before testing to get an average result, they said, opposing letting laboratories conduct tests in their own ways, which they said has caused the confusion.The recommendations come as the health ministry holds a meeting with chemists today to determine strategies to implement the High Court ...
(read more) Sunday, November 16th, 2008Celebrated author and scientist Prof Muhammad Zafar Iqbal finds no logic for delaying the December 18 parliamentary election."There is no scope for delaying the election anymore, it must be held on schedule and if the government fails, it will be held responsible," he said in an interview with The Daily Star on Friday.He also said the military backed caretaker government 'might have reasons for wanting to hold the poll under the state of emergency', but it should lift the emergency completely because, "If a major irregularity occurs during the election with the emergency in place, there will be no ...
(read more) Sunday, November 16th, 2008Nurbanu still wears the traditional Myanmarese attire of a thami and a kameez, she has not yet learnt to manage a long sari Bangladeshi women wear.She has been living in a rented hut in a slum of Samitipara in a suburb of Cox's Bazar, since she entered Bangladesh seven months ago crossing the border near Teknaf.She is one of the illegal Rohingya immigrants in Bangladesh, the number of whom already reached 3 lakh according to unofficial estimates.When this correspondent requested Mizanur, a local young Bangalee man, for an introduction to a recently migrated Rohingya family, he showed the hut ...
(read more) Sunday, November 16th, 2008Bangladesh is not getting any help currently from the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) in bringing back the fugitive criminals due to lack of extradition treaties with other member countries.Although the Interpol website has showed a list of 86 Bangladeshi fugitive criminals, including three former lawmakers, 11 top terrors and over 20 listed terrors, they are not being arrested and sent back home by the international police.Interpol Dhaka desk sources said around 600 more names of fugitive criminals are being verified for uploading on its website.NBK Tripura, additional inspector general of police (administration), told The Daily Star that the absence ...
(read more) Sunday, November 16th, 2008Leaders of the world's 20 largest economies yesterday thrashed out steps to reverse a looming global recession and prevent future upheaval despite differences over how to remedy the crisis.President George W. Bush, the lame-duck US leader hosting the emergency talks of the Group of 20 nations, warned against a relapse into trade protectionism as Wall Street's financial hurricane blows far and wide.Following what he called a "frank discussion" among the leaders over dinner Friday, Bush told reporters early yesterday: "One of the dangers during a crisis such as this is that people would start implementing protectionist policies."I am pleased that ...
(read more) Sunday, November 16th, 2008The BNP led-four-party alliance has rejected the government statement yesterday on relaxing or withdrawing the state of emergency, saying it is apparently intended to create confusion among the people.“It appears Hossain Zillur (education and commerce adviser) came up with the statement to confuse the people,” BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain said at a press briefing last night at the party chairperson's Gulshan office.A meeting of the four-party was going on there with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the chair when this report was filed at 9:00pm. Delwar and alliance leaders returned to the meeting after the briefing.Delwar ...
(read more) Sunday, November 16th, 2008The technical committee-level talks between Bangladesh and Myanmar on maritime delimitation begins today with a view to adopt a method of demarcation.Sources said during the talks Bangladesh will press for demarcating maritime boundary between the two nations on the basis of equity. Myanmar however had earlier argued for an 'equal-distance method' of delimitation.Tension between the two neighbouring nations mounted early this month after Myanmarese warships and oil and gas exploration rigs intruded into Bangladesh waters in the Bay of Bengal."Myanmar's trespass on Bangladesh waters is not on our agenda. We shall focus on setting a method of ...
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