Archive for November 18th, 2008
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008BNP-led four-party alliance yesterday issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the caretaker government to meet its four-point demand in order to make way for its participation in the upcoming general election.The four demands, cut short from the alliance's earlier seven-point demand, are total lifting of the state of emergency, suspension of some 'objectionable' clauses in the amended Representation of the People Order (RPO) including repeal of clause 91(e), deferring the December 28 upazila elections till one month from the parliamentary poll, and rescheduling of the polls ensuring that the hajis will get to cast their votes."BNP and the four-party alliance ...
(read more) Tuesday, November 18th, 2008Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed has called an emergency meeting with advisers today to discuss and review the situation arisen out of the BNP's ultimatum over its participation in the next parlia-mentary election, sources said.Fakhruddin also talked to a few advisers about the issue over the telephone last night."He is aware of the latest situation and want to discuss it with the panel of advisers negotiating with political parties," the government source added.Meanwhile, Awami League (AL)-led 14-party alliance last night said any delay in holding December 18 national election is inexcusable while the caretaker government and Election Commission did not make ...
(read more) Tuesday, November 18th, 2008The revelation of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh's (JMB) explosives cache sends a chill down the investigators' spine that the outlawed militant outfit has developed expertise to manufacture powerful grenades and explosives using materials available in the local market.Some investigators say they were stunned to see JMB could produce such explosives again even in the heart of the country and without smuggling in materials from abroad."We had information regarding JMB regrouping and recruitment moves through dawat [invitation] activities. But after the latest operation, we learned they have gone further as they stockpiled explosives too," Col Gulzar Uddin Ahmed, Rab additional director general, ...
(read more) Tuesday, November 18th, 2008Awami League (AL) yesterday finalised its nominations for the December 18 national polls, leaving out a good number of party bigwigs apparently for conviction under emergency power rules, post-1/11 role, and allegations of corruption and patronising crime.The same day the party began issuing formal letters to those picked to be on its ticket. As of 11:00pm, some 150 candidates including over 35 new faces and 10 women received their papers at party President Sheikh Hasina's Sudha Sadan residence.Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Kazi Zafarullah, Mohammad Nasim, Salman F Rahman, Abul Hasnat Abdullah, Mofazzel Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Sheikh Helaluddin, Shamim Osman, Engineer Mosharraf ...
(read more) Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 Eminent educationist and author Prof Serajul Islam Choudhury has said the country urgently needs an alternative political movement aiming at realisation of the Liberation War's objectives, which were to bring about a radical democratic transformation in the state and society."The patriotic and democratic forces in the country should come together to bring into being people's own political party to achieve such a transformation," he said in an interview with The Daily Star.People are sick and tired of the electoral alliances. What they want to see is a party capable of ensuring equal rights and opportunities for all, decentralisation ...
(read more) Tuesday, November 18th, 2008Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed reaffirmed yesterday that his caretaker government is committed to giving the nation a free, fair and neutral election with participation of all political parties."All preparations are at the final stage for holding the parliamentary election on December 18 and the upazila polls on December 28. We are committed to holding both elections in free, fair, neutral and acceptable manner," he said.The head of the interim government made the remarks while addressing field level senior government officers in his office.Divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners (DCs), police commissioners and superintendents of police (SPs) attended the meeting."The entire ...
(read more) Tuesday, November 18th, 2008Loan defaulters aspiring to participate in the coming parliamentary election are among the luckiest persons at the moment because the caretaker government has relaxed electoral laws twice to make it easy for them to contest the polls.Individuals, who borrowed thousands of crores of taka from public banks promising to pay back in time but have defaulted, have now got opportunities to become lawmakers by rescheduling the defaulted loans just seven days before filing nominations.These people never care about the laws; the government also rarely takes measures to recover the amounts from them. But when the national polls come these people ...
(read more) Tuesday, November 18th, 2008The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday directed the health ministry to send samples of all brands of powdered milk available in domestic markets to any European country through World Health Organisation (WHO) for laboratory test and submit the reports to the High Court (HC) by December 31.The five-member full bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice MM Ruhul Amin also extended until January 3, 2009, the HC order lifting the ban on sale and display of the five popular brands -- Dano, Red Cow, Diploma, Nido and Anlene -- among the eight brands.The apex court passed the order disposing ...
(read more) Tuesday, November 18th, 2008The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has expressed serious concern as credit by the private commercial banks went up by 38 percent in the first three months of the current fiscal year, although it recommends keeping the credit growth at 18 percent by June next year.During the July-September period, private sector credit growth was 27 percent and the IMF is also concerned about the credit quality.The IMF in its draft report submitted to the government last week suggested that Bangladesh Bank bring down the private sector credit growth to 18 percent by June 2009."There are serious concerns about credit quality, especially ...
(read more) Tuesday, November 18th, 2008At least 30 people were injured in a tripartite clash involving garment workers, outsiders and police at Rishipara in Savar yesterday morning over supplying of low quality food among the workers.Witnesses said the angry workers also damaged at least 20 vehicles and put barricade on Dhaka-Aricha highway, disrupting traffic movement for half an hour in the morning.The clash ensued first between the workers and hired cadres of food suppliers at about 9:00am following a protest against the supply of low quality food among the workers of Abani Knitwear Textile Mills of Babylon Group.At one stage of the clash, Savar police ...
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