Archive for December 3rd, 2008
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008Bangladesh Bank has identified 76 loan defaulters on the Election Commission's (EC) list of candidates of different political parties for the upcoming parliamentary elections.The central bank is cross checking records of another 31 candidates.Some 20 candidates have, meanwhile, filed writ petitions with the High Court (HC) for stay orders on the process of declaring them loan defaulters.Relevant departments of Bangladesh Bank and other banks have been directed to work for vacating the HC stay orders as early as possible.Of the 76 loan defaulters, eight are candidates of the Awami League, 12 of BNP, four of Jatiya Party, two of Gono ...
(read more) Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008The Election Commission (EC) plans to organise electoral debates on crucial issues before the December 29 parliamentary elections with participation of top political leaders. This might bring archrivals Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia face to face.Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain yesterday held a meeting with senior officials of Bangladesh Television (BTV), BBC World Service Trust and UK's Department for International Development (DFID) to proceed with the plan.The meeting discussed different technical aspects of organising the debates and Sakhawat asked the agency officials to prepare proposals on it for further discussion, sources said.Later, Election Commissioner Sakhawat told The ...
(read more) Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008A Thai court stripped Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat of his post and outlawed the ruling party yesterday, prompting jubilant anti-government protesters to lift a blockade of Bangkok's main airport.Party leaders quickly vowed to form another government under a new banner but without Somchai, who was barred from politics five years by the Constitutional Court in a vote fraud case.The move was welcomed by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which occupied Suvarnabhumi airport a week ago to cap a months-long campaign to oust Somchai, the brother-in-law of exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra."My duty is over. I am now an ordinary ...
(read more) Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008In the wake of severe criticism of the nomination decisions, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is now making some changes to the party ticket for the December 29 general election.A revised list of candidates was already handed to the election officials yesterday while another might be sent today, said BNP sources.Late at night, Khaleda Zia met some standing committee members including just released Moudud Ahmed to review the nominations.Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain and Joint Secretary General Nazrul Islam Khan were also present in the discussions at the former prime minister's Gulshan office.Nothing could be known about ...
(read more) Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008The returning officers (ROs) today start scrutinising nomination papers filed by candidates to decide who are qualified to contest the upcoming parliamentary polls as per the stringent criteria laid down in the electoral laws.After the scrutiny, which will be completed tomorrow, any MP aspirant can appeal against the ROs' decision, acceptance or rejection of anyone's nomination, to the Election Commission (EC) in the next three days.Nominations of a number of political bigwigs might be rejected as they have been convicted under the Emergency Powers Rules (EPR), which prevents them from contesting the polls.Bangladesh Bank has directed banks and ...
(read more) Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday said if voted to power she would take an initiative to form an antiterrorism taskforce in South Asia to fight terrorism."If voted to power, I'll propose to other South Asian countries to jointly form a South Asian Taskforce to root out terrorism and establish peace in the region," Hasina told a faction of Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ) leaders when they met her at her office.She said Islam is a religion of peace and there is no room for terrorism in Islam. Those who are tainting Bangladesh and other Muslim countries by committing terrorist ...
(read more) Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008Ten political parties have each nominated less than 10 candidates in the upcoming parliamentary elections and their total number of nominees is 48, according to a report prepared by the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat.Another 11 parties have each nominated less than 50 candidates against the 300 seats in parliament.The report shows the strength of a number of parties that had rushed to the commission to get registered and qualify to contest the national polls.Officials in the EC Secretariat expressed surprise over the strength of these political parties. Most of the parties' previous polls records were very poor and their ...
(read more) Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008The High Court (HC) yesterday extended its earlier order granting bail to BNP Chairperson and former prime minister Khaleda Zia in the Gatco graft case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) until disposal of the rule issued by it.Upon a petition moved by Khaleda's counsel AHM Mizanur Rahman, an HC bench of Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain and Justice Quamrul Islam Siddiqui also extended the court's earlier order, staying the proceedings of the case until disposal of the rule issued in this connection.On September 9, upon a petition filed by Khaleda Zia, the HC vacation bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider ...
(read more) Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday said the press in Bangladesh is totally free as no restrictive regulation was imposed on the media under the present state of emergency.He said after his assumption of office on January 12, 2007, he asked the authorities concerned that “there should be no restrictions on the press”. And restrictions under the emergency power rules on the press were lifted thereafter.The head of the caretaker government made the observations when a delegation of the International Press Institute (IPI) led by its Director David Dadge made a courtesy call on him at the CA's office.The ...
(read more) Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008US Senator John McCain, who was the Republican nominee in the recent presidential election, arrived in Dhaka last night as part of a regional visit.A chartered plane carrying him from New Delhi landed at Zia International Airport at 10:25pm. He is accompanied by Senator Joseph Lieberman and Senator Lindsey Graham.Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury received them at the airport.He told journalists that McCain would call on Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed this morning. “They are expected to discuss Bangladesh's parliamentary election,” he added.The senator will hold a press briefing at the airport at 8:00am today before leaving for ...
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