Archive for October 5th, 2009
Monday, October 5th, 2009The final hearing of long pending Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assassination case will start today at the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, as a bench was constituted yesterday for hearing the appeals filed by five convicts against their death sentences.Chief Justice MM Ruhul Amin constituted the five-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Justice Md Tafazzal Islam for hearing the appeals. Other members of the bench are Justice Md Abdul Aziz, Justice BK Das, Justice Muzammel Hossain and Justice SK Sinha.Five convicts--dismissed army personnel Syed Farooq-ur Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Mohiuddin Ahmed, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, and Bazlul ...
(read more) Monday, October 5th, 2009Ruling Awami League is yet to make a move to formulate a code of conduct for political parties in line with its electoral pledge to bring changes in the country's political culture and establish good governance.During Awami League's nine months in office, the country's politics seems to have regained its old look in intolerance, unlawful activities by ruling party men, lax observance of democratic practices within major political parties and parliament boycott by opposition parties."Tolerance and decency will be developed in the political culture and criminal activities and extortions will be banned. Efforts will be taken to formulate a code ...
(read more) Monday, October 5th, 2009Children of Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana will be given lifelong special security along with their mothers, says a new government bill.Home Minister Sahara Khatun may place the bill titled 'Father of the Nation's Family Members Security Act 2009' in parliament today.Officials at the Parliament Secretariat said the home ministry has sent them copies of the proposed law and requested necessary measures for it to be tabled.According to the bill, the government will arrange for secure houses for Hasina, Rehana and their children. It may give them other privileges as well if necessary for their safety.The previous AL government enacted ...
(read more) Monday, October 5th, 2009The government yesterday suspended police officers Mazharul Haq and Kohinoor Miah on charge of "professional misconduct".A circular issued by home ministry said that a departmental case would also be filed against them.Meanwhile, Kohinoor Miah, who was an influential officer during the tenure of BNP-Jamaat-led government, filed a petition with the High Court yesterday, seeking anticipatory bail in a criminal case.Shahin Sultana Shanta, wife of Supreme Court lawyer Atiur Rahman, filed the case with a Dhaka magistrate court on March 24, 2006.In the complaint, Shanta said police assaulted and dragged her out of a clinic where she took shelter during a ...
(read more) Monday, October 5th, 2009Ruling Awami League lawmakers yesterday in the third session of parliament demanded immediate resumption of the task to enroll educational institutions in the monthly payment order (MPO) system as they are facing public wrath in their constituencies for its non-operation.During the question-answer hour a number of AL lawmakers said the system of MPO has been suspended for last five years. The government is yet to begin it though it assumed power in January, the lawmakers said.“We can't visit our constituencies because people often want to know when the MPO enrollment will begin. We are unable to inform them about resumption ...
(read more) Monday, October 5th, 2009The main opposition BNP and five other political parties will have to submit their ratified constitutions to the Election Commission by January 24 next year to retain their registration with the EC as per a provision of a new bill placed in parliament yesterday.Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shafique Ahmed placed the bill, set to be passed soon, seeking amendment to the Representation of People Order for extending the timeframe by another six months for submission of ratified constitutions of political parties to the commission.According to the existing provisions of the RPO, political parties were supposed to ratify the ...
(read more) Monday, October 5th, 2009With a section of ruling party still forcing local newsmen to stop further digging into the incident of September 25 gang rape of a teenage girl, district and police administration of Patuakhali district have not yet taken any steps to nab the kidnappers and rapists.Meanwhile, leading human rights watchdog Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) yesterday dispatched a four-member investigation team to Kalapara upazila to probe the incident.ASK officials in Dhaka said the team, including a lawyer, would prepare a report soon.The local leaders of Awami League (AL), who earlier staged arbitration and set free the perpetrators after awarding fines of ...
(read more) Monday, October 5th, 2009Government hospitals have started realising increased service charges, fixed by the health and family welfare ministry last month, putting an additional burden on poor patients.Health and Family Welfare Minister AFM Ruhal Haque told The Daily Star yesterday, “It is true that some service charges have been increased but the crucial ones remain unchanged."The government raised charges for most medical services including admission fees, bed charges, and pathological and imaging test fees, according to a notification issued by the health ministry on September 10.Charts with the names of services and their new rates were served to all medical college hospitals and ...
(read more) Monday, October 5th, 2009The draft National Health Policy-2009 suggests 'user fee' to be given by the patients for getting health services from public hospitals, which the health experts describe as a blatant attempt to commercialise the health sector.The health experts strongly criticised the draft health policy saying that imposing the 'user fee' would deprive poor people of their health rights at public hospitals and ultimately force them to seek health services from the private sector.Public hospitals provide health services without making any profit. So, why does the policy suggest realising user fee, they ask.Health Minister Prof AFM Ruhal Haque, however, said the main ...
(read more) Monday, October 5th, 2009Rescuers held out scant hope yesterday of finding more Indonesian quake survivors, leaving clean-up teams the grim task of retrieving the decaying bodies of thousands of victims from the rubble.The military and medics pushed deeper into rural areas where whole villages have been buried by landslides, and more international rescue teams arrived with sniffer dogs and specialist equipment.But they said there was little likelihood of plucking people out alive from the wreckage of the 7.6-magnitude quake, which struck on Wednesday.In the worst-hit city of Padang, heavy excavators moved over the crumpled remains of the Ambacang hotel, where hopes had been ...
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