Archive for December 8th, 2008
Monday, December 8th, 2008The Election Commission (EC) is facing tremendous difficulties in resolving a plethora of problems regarding finalising parliamentary candidacies within the deadline, as rival candidacy seekers lodged complaints with it against acceptance of 81 party nominations.With the commission yet to complete hearing the appeals against rejections of applications for candidacy, it now has to hear for the first time the complaints filed against the acceptance of nominations.Sources in the EC said candidacies of the 81, most of whom are nominees of the two major electoral alliances led by Awami League (AL) and BNP, have become uncertain due to the challenges from ...
(read more) Monday, December 8th, 2008A total of 865, or 35.22 percent, of the people who filed nomination papers for the upcoming parliamentary polls neither pay income tax nor have any Tax Identification Number (TIN).The total number of people who filed nomination papers for this year's general election number 2,456.A high official of National Board of Revenue (NBR) said, "It is unbelievable that those who spend lakhs of taka for election do not have the minimum taxable annual income of Tk 1.65 lakh."Ahmed Ali, a member of the NBR, told The Daily Star, "We are examining these again. If anybody does not submit ...
(read more) Monday, December 8th, 2008Thousands of home-goers flocked to the bus, railway and launch terminals in the capital yesterday, the last working day before the Eid-ul-Azha, the second largest religious festival of the Muslims, to be celebrated tomorrow across the country.Well-off Muslims will sacrifice animals and share the sacrificial meat with their relatives, neighbours and the poor commemorating Hazrat Ibrahim's devotion to almighty Allah as illustrated by his readiness to give up his dearest son Hazrat Ismail.Although the rush of homebound people at the city terminals started on Thursday evening, a good number of employees of government and non-government organisations left the capital ...
(read more) Monday, December 8th, 2008A human tide washed over Mount Arafat yesterday as hundreds of thousands of devoted Muslims performed the key events of the hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.Starting just after dawn, in mild weather, the faithful made their way slowly on foot or by bus onto the hill, also known as the Mount of Mercy, where Prophet Hazrat Mohammed (SM) delivered his last sermon more than 14 centuries ago.So far no major problems have developed, organisers said, although a record number of people have come from outside Saudi Arabia for the event and media say the total number of participants may reach ...
(read more) Monday, December 8th, 2008The jail authorities yesterday cancelled the division status of detained former BNP lawmaker Mosaddak Ali Falu on charge of holding a meeting with Islami Oikya Jote leader Mufti Shahidul Islam at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.A jail guard was also suspended for his negligence in duty, a high jail official said.Sources said Falu met the IOJ leader, also a former lawmaker, at the chamber of a DMCH doctor on Saturday and the jail authorities found the matter to be true through an investigation."Falu is now taken to an ordinary cell of Kashimpur jail. The authorities gave him three blankets and utensils ...
(read more) Monday, December 8th, 2008US Senator John McCain has said he believes that if Pakistan does not act against individuals and groups linked to the Mumbai terror attacks, it could be a "matter of days" before India carries out surgical strikes against such elements.There is enough evidence of the involvement of former Inter-Services Intelligence officers in the planning and execution of the Mumbai attacks and terrorist training camps are still operational in Pakistan, McCain told a small group of senior Pakistani journalists at an informal lunch in Lahore yesterday.Ejaz Haider, a senior editor with the Daily Times group, quoted McCain as saying that ...
(read more) Monday, December 8th, 2008The sale of sacrificial animals in the capital was yet to gather momentum yesterday even though tomorrow is Eid-ul-Azha. Traders were demanding high prices saying there are fewer animals on sale this year.Traders said the number of animals on sale in the capital is 15-20 percent lower than previous years'. They, however, hoped to sell a large number of animals today, the last day before Eid.Many browsing the markets yesterday said a good number of people, especially people affiliated with politics, are leaving to celebrate Eid at their homes outside Dhaka and to take part in election campaigns. ...
(read more) Monday, December 8th, 2008The deputy commissioner (DC) and returning officer (RO) of Bogra has okayed the nomination paper of four-party alliance candidate Mohammad Shokrana although police informed him of criminal records the MP aspirant had concealed.The DC defended his decision of rejecting an allegation against Shokrana saying the police did not give him any information about his past crimes. But documents show that on December 4 the police submitted the criminal records of Shokrana to the DC."The police gave information concerned and necessary papers as sought in a letter from the office of the returning officer to the police on December 3," said ...
(read more) Monday, December 8th, 2008Bangladesh has been nominated for the vice-chair of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) that implements all decisions of convention and protocol under United Nations Framework Convention of Climate Change (UNFCC).AKM Rezaul Kabir, secretary to the Ministry of Environment and Forest and the present leader of the Bangladesh delegations, will represent Bangladesh as vice-chair in SBI when Iran chairs it.Meanwhile, Bangladesh included the "international migration issue" on the agenda of contact group discussion. If all parties agree, the climate change victims will get the chance of international migration once their locality becomes affected.Items on the agenda are ...
(read more) Monday, December 8th, 2008Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved 14 development projects with a total outlay of Tk 2,954 crore in communication, education, power, defence and local government sectors.Of the projects, 10 will be implemented at the government expenses, while IDA, JDCF and ADB will provide Tk 1,396 crore as financial assistance for the four other schemes.The projects were approved at a meeting of the Ecnec with its Chairman Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair.Finance and Planning Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam, Home Adviser M A Matin, Local Government Adviser M Anwarul Iqbal, Agriculture Adviser Dr CS Karim, Health ...
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