Archive for November 14th, 2009
Saturday, November 14th, 2009The Detective Branch of police arrested three Pakistanis with suspected links to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Tongi and the city's Uttara early yesterday.Later in the day, a Dhaka court placed them on a two-day remand each, allowing the detectives to quiz the two over the reported LeT plans to attack the US and Indian embassies in Dhaka.The arrestees are Syed Abdul Kaiyum Azhari alias Sufian, 22, Mohammad Ashraf Alia Zahid, 24, and Mohammad Monwar Ali, 30.Talking to The Daily Star, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner AKM Shahidul Hoque said, "We know a good number of Lashkar operatives are on a covert campaign ...
(read more) Saturday, November 14th, 2009Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) is once again buying the major part of the country's oil needs at a very high premium rate from Malaysia, making an extra cost of around Tk 50 crore which still can be avoided, sources say.The BPC in recent years purchased petroleum products from several countries to meet the country's petroleum needs of 3.5 million tonnes. In the past the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) had been the main supplier of BPC till it started charging high premium when the oil price skyrocketed and BPC started delaying payments.To meet the country's oil demands for 2010, BPC in ...
(read more) Saturday, November 14th, 2009BNP is planning to bring massive changes to the party constitution bolstering the chairperson's authority, in light of its experience during the immediate past emergency regime when it almost split.The amendment proposals also include one for electing the secretary general through the national council, and another for expansion of the central executive committee.The party's constitution and declaration amendment sub-committee that had been formed as a part of the preparations for the national council scheduled for December 8, came up with the proposals, after collecting reform proposals from workers and leaders of all levels.Now the streamlined proposals will be ...
(read more) Saturday, November 14th, 2009A powerful suicide car bomb ripped through the Peshawar headquarters of Pakistan's top spy agency yesterday, killing at least 10 people and leaving much of the fortified building in ruins.A similar bombing killed eight people in another northwest town, the latest in a spate of attacks as 30,000 troops press their most ambitious assault yet against Taliban militants in their mountain strongholds on the Afghan border.The attack devastated the three-storey Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) provincial headquarters in the northwestern city of Peshawar, sending huge clouds of smoke spewing into the sky and destroying more than half of the building.The bomber, ...
(read more) Saturday, November 14th, 2009The government's much-expected food-rationing programme for readymade garment workers (RMG) went into hibernation apparently for factory owners' indifference toward it.After the inauguration of the programme on August 27, BGMEA and BKMEA members had withdrawn only 200 metric tonnes of rice, which was distributed among 5,000 workers [20 kilogram each per month] for two months although they announced they would initially distribute rice to around 6.5 lakh workers.Admitting that the programme has become sluggish, senior vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin said the factory owners were confused about the programmes. The programme requires ...
(read more) Saturday, November 14th, 2009BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain yesterday said people will accept the upcoming verdict in Bangabandhu murder case."People of the country will certainly accept the final verdict of Supreme Court against the real killers of Bangabandhu," he said at a function.Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of BNP, organised the function at Ramna in the city marking the 45th birth anniversary of BNP senior joint secretary general Tarique Rahman.Delwar, however, came down heavily on the recent remarks of Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and government's counsels saying they are commenting on the issue even before the final judgment of the ...
(read more) Saturday, November 14th, 2009Detained former BNP state minister for home Lutfozzaman Babar was sent to Dhaka central jail yesterday after 12 days' remand in the August 21 grenade attack case.Investigation Officer of the case Abdul Kahar Akand produced Babar before the Metropolitan Magistrate's Court on expiry of the former minister's remand in the third phase.Babar gave vital information about the grenade attack, sources of grenades, 10-truck arms haul in Chittagong and other militant attacks in the country, said Kahar, also senior assistant superintendent of police of Criminal Investigation Department."Information given by Babar is being verified and he should be kept in jail ...
(read more) Saturday, November 14th, 2009A nonstop Kishoreganj blockade programme enforced by people in Bhairab and Kuliarchar upazilas began yesterday demanding that Bhairab and Kuliarchar upazilas be upgraded into a full-fledged district.Bhairab District Implementation Committee and All Party Action Council also enforced the programme from 6:00am in protest against burning down the effigy of the President Zillur Rahman.Hundreds of protesters took position on highways, waterways and railway stations in Bhairab in the morning.However, no untoward incident was reported from anywhere during the blockade programme.Train services on Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Sylhet routes, while bus services on Dhaka-Kishoreganj Highway and launch services on different routes remained suspended following ...
(read more) Saturday, November 14th, 2009The National Institute of Diseases of Chest and Hospital (NIDCH) in Dhaka lacks capability to run an Intensive Care Unit despite being fully equipped around five years back.A 10-bed ICU was set up to provide service to patients of acute respiratory tract distress syndrome and respiratory failure in 2005, and to facilitate treatment, hospital authorities brought 10 ventilators at Tk 48 lakh.But the efforts went in vain as the main pre-requisites, continuous power supply and trained manpower, for running the ICU could not be ensured. Therefore 10 ventilators remained idle for a few years with two becoming inoperative by ...
(read more) Saturday, November 14th, 2009At least seven people, including six of a family, were killed while 10 others injured in a head-on collision between a truck and a microbus at Patiya upazila headquarters on Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway early yesterday.The victims, all passengers of the microbus, were returning to Goirala village of Patiya after attending a pre-marriage programme at the bride's house at Kala Ujan in Lohagara upazila.Meanwhile, agitating people blocked Dhaka-Aricha highway protesting deaths of three people in a road accident at Golora under Saturia police station in Manikganj yesterday morning.In Chittagong, the deceased were identified as Tejendra Lal Dhar, 65, Babul Dhar, 55, ...
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