Archive for October 12th, 2009
Monday, October 12th, 2009The House yesterday saw large scale absence of ministers and senior lawmakers, which forced postponement of the scheduled discussion on a draft of the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP).Even the finance and planning minister was absent when Speaker Abdul Hamid announced beginning of the discussion postponing the scheduled question-answer session at the start of House proceedings.Only Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal lawmaker Hasanul Haque Inu were present in the front row that has 23 seats, out of 29, allocated for the ruling alliance's lawmakers and ministers.Expressing his disappointment at the wholesale absence of lawmakers, the speaker said, ...
(read more) Monday, October 12th, 2009Inaccessibility of bank documents has rendered uncertain the fates of most cases of the Anti-Corruption Commission currently being enquired or investigated, dealing a serious blow to the commission's overall anti-corruption drive.In a legal interpretation based on sections 5 and 6(1) of the Bankers Books Evidence Act 1891 and section 94(1) of the Criminal Procedure Code, the ACC recently notified its officials that they cannot ask for one's bank statement without a court order.The ACC act itself does not allow its investigators to seek private documents like bank statements of an accused.The commission has not face such crisis earlier. Since its ...
(read more) Monday, October 12th, 2009The Myanmar military brought in heavy tanks, artillery guns, 12 warships and a frigate along its border with Bangladesh in the last 24 hours ended yesterday evening as part of its preparation for a large-scale conflict with Bangladesh, sources at the Bangladesh Armed Forces said.Bangladesh also has strengthened its military build-up in a bid to repulse a Myanmarese incursion by preparing 30 warships in Chittagong and Khulna, a Navy official stationed at Chittagong told The Daily Star.However, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni at a press conference yesterday rejected reports about the heavy military build-up by Myanmar along Bangladesh border, saying it ...
(read more) Monday, October 12th, 2009As many as 20 people including police were injured yesterday in a pitched battle when hundreds of students staged a protest halting traffic movement on city's Mirpur Road for over two hours.Students of different educational institutions in the capital are demanding cancellation of the gazette notification issued by the education ministry that determines GPA's equivalence in terms of class/division of public examination results.Students who completed their SSC in 2001 and HSC in 2003 took position in front of Dhaka College under the banner of Civil Students' Rights Movement at around 11:00am. As police asked them to disperse, a scuffle broke ...
(read more) Monday, October 12th, 2009The conspiracy to kill Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family began sometime around March 1975 at Khondker Moshtaq Ahmed's village home in Daudkandi.Moshtaq was sworn in as president of the republic a few hours after the gruesome killings of Bangabandhu, the then president, and most of his family on August 15 that year.Moshtaq, Mahbub Alam Chashi, Risaldar Syed Sarwar Hossain and Captain Mohammad Mostafa--all were accused in the murder case but died before the case went to trial.They had joined the convicts in scheming to kill Bangabandhu out of personal grievances and ambition.These are cited in the High Court ...
(read more) Monday, October 12th, 2009The government has not adopted any alternative measures over the last few years to make up for the shrinking labour market abroad against the backdrop of global recession that has already halved the number of overseas jobs.This year a total of 3.58 lakh workers have gone abroad till September while the figure during the corresponding period of the last year was around 6.88 lakh, official statistics say. At least 8.75 lakh workers went abroad last year, which might come down to around 5 lakh this year, recruiting agencies feared.The government attributed this slump to global recession. Businesses, however, said if ...
(read more) Monday, October 12th, 2009Troops stormed Pakistan's army headquarters yesterday ending a day-long hostage drama and freeing 39 people held by militants who brazenly struck at the heart of the military establishment.Three hostages, two soldiers and four suspected Taliban militants were killed in a rescue operation hailed by the military as "highly successful", despite a total of 19 dead since the rebels launched their assault.Six soldiers and four other militants had already been killed in the nearly 24-hour siege, which began Saturday in the garrison city of Rawalpindi and was the third dramatic militant strike in the nuclear-armed nation in a week.Tehreek-e-Taliban has claimed ...
(read more) Monday, October 12th, 2009The government compensation handed out to the injured in the mutiny at the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters during Feb 25-26 has not been enough to restore the life of a young tea vendor who has been left disabled from his injuries.Akhter Hossain, 14, one of the worst injured during the mutiny -- he was shot in his shoulder as well as chest -- is now dependent on the mercy of well-wishers for two square meals a day."I received only Tk 25,000 from the BDR headquarters, and that was long after I was released from Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH)," the ...
(read more) Monday, October 12th, 2009Military Secretary to the President Maj Gen Md Ehtesham Ul Haque has been transferred to 66 Infantry Division in Rangpur as its GOC (General Officer Commanding), hours after a media report linking him with militants.Highly placed sources at the Prime Minister's Office last night confirmed that Ehtesham has been transferred following a Prothom Alo report yesterday. The report linked him with militants who have been charged with attempting to assassinate Sheikh Hasina on Sep 26, 2001 during an election campaign.The militants involved in the conspiracy to attack Hasina in their confessional statement mentioned Ehtesham's name.Sources said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, ...
(read more) Monday, October 12th, 2009Holding trial of all Razakars (local collaborators of Pakistan occupation forces during the Liberation War) is under government consideration, and a complete list of them will be prepared at a convenient time, the state minister for liberation war affairs informed the House yesterday.Replying to lawmakers' queries, ABM Tajul Islam also said a list of Razakars was prepared during the war.“We have received part of the list. We will now prepare a complete list of Razakars and Al Badr members,” the state minister said. The government wants to bring all of them to book. The process of their trial will begin ...
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