Archive for November 23rd, 2008
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008The Election Commission (EC) will announce fresh dates for the parliamentary and upazila elections today.Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said, “It's almost certain that the national election won't be held on December 18.”Asked what would be the election date in that case, he replied it might be any day between December 27 and 29.He was talking to reporters after meeting the Awami League-led grand alliance at the EC Secretariat in the evening.The new polls schedules come when the deadline for filing candidacy applications in both the national and upazila elections expires today.Sources at ...
(read more) Sunday, November 23rd, 2008The moral right of the government to move along the Truth and Accountability Commission (Tac) has great weakened by obtaining stay on a High Court (HC) verdict that declared Tac illegal and unconstitutional, say intellectuals and civil society members.Legal experts have meanwhile observed that though there is no legal bar for Tac to function now, its activities would not be smooth due to the stayed HC order."Although there is no legal bar for the Truth Commission to act, I doubt whether anybody would go to the commission after knowing that it has become a lame horse after the High Court ...
(read more) Sunday, November 23rd, 2008Former diplomats have suggested that the next elected government formulate a foreign policy prioritising regional connectivity for economic growth, impacts of climate change, international labour market, energy crisis and access of Bangladeshi products to global market.They regretted that Bangladesh is failing to gain many benefits because of divergent foreign policies of successive governments and a lack of coordination between the foreign ministry and other ministries concerned.While formulating the policy, the government should have a broader national consensus and consider the changed world's aspects, especially the economic crisis, they said yesterday at a roundtable.The ambassadors who represented Bangladesh in different countries ...
(read more) Sunday, November 23rd, 2008While edible oil prices came down by around 50 percent in the international market in the recent times, prices of both brand and non-brand edible oil witnessed a sharp rise in the local market.Wholesalers and retailers said the importers in collaboration with a section of businessmen have created an artificial price hike by decreasing the amount of imports, but importers said it is the retailers and wholesalers who increased the oil prices.AKM Fakhrul Alam, regional manager of Malaysian Palm Oil Council, said the prices of per tonne crude soya bean and palm oil reached to $1450 and $1350 in the ...
(read more) Sunday, November 23rd, 2008Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Chairman Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury fears that under an elected government it might not be possible for them to continue the anti-graft drive the way they did in the last two years.He believes an organisation's independence is 'relative' in a sovereign country, and its effectiveness depends largely on the political will of the government.Still, his commission would seek to carry on its efforts in consultation, not through compromise, with the government.In an interview with The Daily Star, the ACC boss also said, “I won't deny that we couldn't achieve all that we thought was possible. I ...
(read more) Sunday, November 23rd, 2008The Awami League (AL)-led grand alliance yesterday blasted Education Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman for making 'false statement' on why the caretaker government had failed to negotiate a deferment of the general election.The adviser Wednesday said the government and the Election Commission could not broker any consensus between the two major alliances on the issue despite multi-faceted communications and maximum efforts on their part.His comment came after two days of intense discussions with the BNP-led four-party alliance collapsed."We informed the Election Commission that the education adviser made false statement to the nation. He did it either intentionally or mistakenly," AL spokesman ...
(read more) Sunday, November 23rd, 2008Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday held talks with some party leaders who were denied nomination and assured them of reviewing their appeals.Meanwhile, several people were injured as police charged batons on the supporters of nomination seekers demonstrating in front of Hasina's Sudha Sadan residence in the capital.Police swung into action twice and snatched the banners, festoons and placards from the protesters. Some of the protesters jumped into the Dhanmondi Lake to escape.After the completion of the party's nomination process, around 300 protesters had been staging demonstrations in front of Sudha Sadan, calling for a change ...
(read more) Sunday, November 23rd, 2008Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) thinks that Section 91(e) of the Representation of the People Order (RPO) 2008 empowering the Election Commission (EC) to take measures against the candidates for violating the code of conduct should not be cancelled.A TIB statement signed by its senior advocacy officer Mohammad Imam Uddin yesterday said that if Section 91(e) of the amended RPO is cancelled, there will not be any official procedure to make the candidates comply with the code of conduct. It will also obstruct the way of empowerment of the Election Commission.”This rule of the RPO is very important in ensuring the ...
(read more) Sunday, November 23rd, 2008Defaulted loans with private commercial banks (PCBs) increased by 37 percent in nine months till September with the rate of rise being the highest in the last three months due to excessive disbursement of low quality loans.According to Bangladesh Bank (BB) statistics, the rate of increase of defaulted loans was above 100 per cent with more than one third of the 30 PCBs.On the contrary, defaulted loans with the PCBs were coming down gradually over the last few years.BB sources said defaulted loans rose due to granting of excessive loans, which caused concern for the central bank.A BB press ...
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