Archive for February 2nd, 2010
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010n another move to ease traffic congestion in Dhaka, the government yesterday divided the capital into seven zones and fixed separate weekly holidays for shops, shopping arcades and other commercial establishments.The decision, made at a regular cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, will be in force immediately.Earlier, the government set fresh timings for the city's schools and private offices in an attempt to reduce congestion.After the meeting at the Cabinet Division of the Secretariat, Prime Minister's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told reporters that the government had taken up various initiatives to ease congestion in ...
(read more) Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010A section of Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders are doing trade over college admissions by forcing the authorities to get candidates of their choice enrolled.Many leaders of BCL, student body associated with the ruling Awami League, have already taken huge sums from admission seekers, promising them enrolment, said college sources.Lately, the authorities of several colleges in the capital and outside had to stop the admission process for rowdy demonstrations by Chhatra League activists incensed at not getting their so-called political quota.BCL men would not let the admission to honours first year under National University go on unless the authorities agree to ...
(read more) Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010At least three people lost around Tk 18 lakh and received bullets in separate incidents of mugging yesterday in the capital.The victims were Farid Khan, a trader and a resident of Noapara village in Munshiganj, Al Amin, a representative of Banglalink, and Selim Sarder, an accounts officer of Sourav Chemical in Mirpur.BANGLABAZAR Farid's nephew Shuvo said some six to seven armed snatchers attacked Farid at Banglabazar intersection on his way to Sadarghat branch of Islami Bank around 3:30pm. They shot him in the right leg and took away Tk 12 lakh from his possession.The snatchers left the scene, pointing ...
(read more) Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010Despite frequent natural calamities, worsening environment and growing salinity in the Sundarbans, the number of Bengal tigers has risen, observes the state minister for forest and environment.Hasan Mahmud, the minister, made the observation last week, citing the ongoing track monitoring survey by the forest department and Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh.He was speaking at the launch of the country's first Tiger Action Plan on January 25.The latest survey finds the number of big cats ranging between 400 and 450.Censuses in 35 years till 2009 put it between 350 and 450, while in last nine years at least ...
(read more) Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010Parliament resumes sitting today after a four-day recess.The main opposition lawmakers still mull over joining the House ending an eight-month boycott of parliament."The BNP Parliamentary Party is likely to sit this week to decide on returning to the House," Opposition Chief Whip Zainul Abdin Farroque told The Daily Star yesterday over the phone.Speaker Abdul Hamid on Thursday adjourned the fourth session of parliament sitting till 3:00pm today.Lawmakers from BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and Bangladesh Jatiya Party have been boycotting the House proceedings since the second session in June last year.Opposition leaders have recently talked about joining the House to protest against ...
(read more) Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed disappointment over the failure of the authorities concerned in easing the city's traffic congestion despite repeated instructions over the last one year.Presiding over the regular cabinet meeting at the Secretariat, she said she had been repeatedly asking the home and communications ministries and other bodies concerned to take measures and work in coordination to ease traffic jam.“But she was very unhappy as there was no progress in this regard. The prime minister held the home and communications ministries responsible for this,” said a cabinet minister.Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain, however, tried to ...
(read more) Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010Police rescued 16 indigenous children from a hotel and arrested a man on charges of child trafficking from Bandarban town yesterday morning.Acting on a tip-off, sadar police raided Habib Boarding in the morning and found them, said Sub-Inspector Mirza Mohammad Hasan.Police later arrested the alleged trafficker, Mohon Tripura, a local church employee.Banshi Chandra Tripura, a guardian, alleged that Mohon brought the children promising that he would get them admitted to an institution in the town.The children were taken from different villages of Lama upazila on Sunday.
(read more) Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010The Supreme Court (SC) will order today on the leave to appeal petitions challenging the High Court (HC) verdict that had declared illegal and unconstitutional the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution.The amendment legitimised all the governments that had been in power following the coup of August 15, 1975 till April 9, 1979 including late president Ziaur Rahman's ascension to the presidency.BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain and three SC lawyers Tajul Islam, Kamruzzaman Bhuiyan and Munshi Ahsan Kabir filed two separate leave to appeal petitions with the SC against the HC verdict on May 25 last year.Though they were not ...
(read more) Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010Having completed the execution of five killers of Bangabandhu, the government is now making preparations to start the process for the long awaited trial of the war criminals of 1971.The government is planning to start formal investigation against war criminals early March. The tribunal and other relevant offices for the trial will be completed within this month.Sources said the government is collecting documents and evidence of the offences committed during the nine-month Liberation War of the republic in 1971.A few pro-Liberation War organisations including Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee and Sector Commanders Forum will provide documents and evidence to the ...
(read more) Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010A woman and her four children were burnt to death in a fire at their house in Hathazari upazila in Chittagong on Sunday night.Two other adjacent houses were also gutted in the fire, locals said.The victims were identified as Raju Akter, 35, wife of Babul, her seven-month-old son Sakibul Islam, Shariful Islam, 3, Sathi Moni, 5, and Saiful Islam,10. Babul was not at home during the accident. The victims were asleep when the fire broke out.Police and witnesses said the fire originated from an earthen oven at Babul's house at Katakhalipool around 11:30pm. After two hours, fire-fighters of Hathazari fire ...
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