Archive for November 19th, 2009
Thursday, November 19th, 2009The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the High Court verdict that confirmed death sentences to 12 retired and dismissed army men in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assassination case, dismissing the appeals filed by five convicts.The condemned were Lt Col (dismissed) Syed Farooq-ur Rahman, Lt Col (retd) Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Lt Col (retd) Muhiuddin Ahmed, Lt Col (retd) AKM Mahiuddin Ahmed, Maj (retd) Bazlul Huda, Lt Col (retd) Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Maj (retd) Shariful Haque Dalim, Lt Col (retd) AM Rashed Chowdhury, Lt Col (retd) SHMB Noor Chowdhury, Lt Col (retd) Md Abdul Aziz Pasha, Capt (retd) Abdul Mazed, and ...
(read more) Thursday, November 19th, 2009The nation waits to hear the ultimate verdict today in the Bangabandhu murder case trial with bated breath and also in the expectation that finally justice will prevail. It has been a long, painful journey for the people of Bangladesh. It ought not to have been this way, for the particular reason that the liberation of Bangladesh from Pakistani occupation in December 1971 was considered symbolic of a clean break with the past. That Bangalees would see democracy grow in their country, that under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman they would go forth to create Shonar Bangla, a ...
(read more) Thursday, November 19th, 2009Bangladesh will lose 8 percent of its rice and 32 percent of wheat production by 2050 if the sea level rises by one metre engulfing 20 percent of its land and displacing 20 million people.Fahmida Khatun, additional director of research of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said this yesterday citing an Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published in 2007.State Minister for Environment and Forest Hasan Mahmud said Bangladesh would demand a deal in Copenhagen that would ensure compensation measuring its vulnerability and number of people exposed to the impact of climate change."If we negotiate over the vulnerability ...
(read more) Thursday, November 19th, 2009Revenue earning from the construction sector increased sharply in the first three months of this fiscal year (FY) as whitening black money was allowed.But earning from a major sector -- power -- decreased due to a fall in power generation.This was found by analysing earning from income tax, value added tax (VAT) and import tax in the first three months of the current FY.During July-September period of this FY, VAT collection from construction firms was 28.33 percent higher than that in the corresponding period of FY 2008-09.In this year's budget, whitening black money was allowed in different forms. The beneficiaries ...
(read more) Thursday, November 19th, 2009The billion-dollar projects of elevated expressway and metro rail for the capital city without detailed feasibility study is likely to bring about financial and technical debacles, said country's leading transport experts.The communications ministry on November 18 embarked on a $2-billion project with invitation for tender bidding to build a 32.5km elevated expressway on public private partnership (PPP) basis.Prof Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, a noted civil engineer and transport expert, said the project seems to be the contractor-oriented."It is not understandable how the authorities will go for tender for the project without carrying out feasibility study,” he said adding, “It ...
(read more) Thursday, November 19th, 2009Lacking adequate number of vehicles, police stations of Dhaka Metropolitan Police mostly use requisitioned vehicles that torment vehicle owners as the authorities do not pay any compensation.DMP sources said the police stations need over 500 vehicles a day for smooth operation but they only have 132 vehicles of their own and the rest 368 vehicles are collected through either one-day requisitions or regular requisitions.DMP sources said most of the vehicles of police stations are very old and are broken down most of the times. They said 37 vehicles out of the 132 are reserved for the officers-in-charge of police stations.On ...
(read more) Thursday, November 19th, 2009Top leaders of different factions of Chittagong BNP yesterday pledged to accept party chairperson's decision regarding the city unit committee unconditionally.Dejected by the fact that the Chittagong council of the party on Monday was foiled because of intra-party clashes, they urged the party high command to form the new committee "with all dedicated leaders".During a closed-door meeting with party Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain, top leaders of Chittagong BNP Abdullah Al Noman and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury blamed each other for the clashes.A faction leader held city unit leadership responsible for the foiled council while another alleged that a few ...
(read more) Thursday, November 19th, 2009Elected representatives from different upazila parishads at a roundtable yesterday demanded that the lawmakers and bureaucrats refrain from interfering in the parishad affairs.Terming the upazila parishad paralysed, they said 10 months have passed since they took oath but they are yet to participate in the parishad activities. They urged the government to specify their scope of work.A strong local government is the prerequisite for good governance and balanced economic development, they said, demanding financial empowerment of the UPs to strengthen the local government.Shushashoner Janney Nagorik (Shujan) organised the roundtable styled "Local government -- Where are we?" in the city's Jatiya ...
(read more) Thursday, November 19th, 2009Shakib Al Hasan, world's number one all-rounder in ODIs, has just had another feather added to his already glittering career by becoming the first Bangladeshi cricketer to sign for an English county side.Worcestershire, the county side that have had greats such as Ian Botham, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev in their ranks over the years, have captured the signature of Bangladesh's stand-in skipper as their overseas player for 2010.However the 22-year-old left-hander will not be available until mid-July for the county because of his commitment with the Bangladesh team."I have been following his progress for some time. It ...
(read more) Thursday, November 19th, 2009Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has stated unequivocally that she wants a fair judgment in the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman murder case to be delivered today by the Supreme Court.“I just want justice. I don't want to say anything more about it now,” she said while addressing a reception accorded in her honour by the Italy chapter of ruling Awami League at Oriental Hall at Piazza Ri Di of the Italian capital Rome Tuesday night.Hasina is scheduled to return to Dhaka at about 9:00am today ahead of the apex court judgment on Bangabandhu killing.Referring to the BDR mutiny on February ...
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