Bangladesh News

Scrutiny serves AL, BNP major salvo

dotcomUNDERGROUND — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:17:37 +0000

Awami League (AL) and BNP plunge into deep crisis as the scrutiny of nomination papers by election officials has left the arch-rivals without an official candidate in at least 19 constituencies. In some constituencies, even the back-up or independent candidates loyal to the electoral alliances led by two parties were declared unfit to contest the polls. At [...]

Big guns get exit order

dotcomUNDERGROUND — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:15:05 +0000

The nomination papers of some candidates including a few former lawmakers of both the major electoral alliances were cancelled yesterday, the last day of scrutiny of nomination papers. Returning officers (RO) cancelled nominations of BNP leaders Mirza Abbas and his wife Afroza Abbas, Amanullah Aman and his wife Sabera Aman, Sadeque Hossain Khoka, MA Hashem, and [...]

AL pledges to review caretaker system

dotcomUNDERGROUND — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:13:44 +0000

Awami League (AL) in its draft electoral manifesto pledged to review, if needed, the caretaker government system and will continue electoral reforms to strengthen the country’s election system. AL policymakers made plans to come up with the promise as the formation and function of the caretaker government since October, 2006, has been mired in controversy, [...]

6 burnt alive in city fire

dotcomUNDERGROUND — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:10:23 +0000

At least three children and three women were burned alive in two fire incidents that gutted around 50 small plastic factories, 20 warehouses and 100 houses at Lalbagh in the city yesterday. The first fire occurred around 9:00am at East Islambagh and the second one at Islambagh Namapara Mosque Lane, just 200 yards from the spot [...]

Bangladesh riskiest on global climate index

dotcomUNDERGROUND — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:08:09 +0000

Bangladesh is on top of the global climate risk index as the country was most affected by extreme weather events cyclone Sidr and floods in 2007. International NGO Germanwatch has prepared the index of 170 countries styled Global Climate Risk Index 2009 and released it yesterday at the conference centre of UN climate change summit in [...]

Bail denial under EPR illegal

dotcomUNDERGROUND — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:05:33 +0000

The High Court yesterday declared illegal and void some provisions of the Emergency Powers Ordinance (EPO), 2007 and Emergency Power Rules (EPR), 2007 that deny some rights including that to obtain bail in cases filed under these provisions and rules. The HC declared illegal the provisions suspending HC jurisdiction to stay the convictions handed down by [...]

Discard corrupt politicians

dotcomUNDERGROUND — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:58:28 +0000

Speakers at an anti-corruption rally here yesterday urged the people to discard corrupt politicians in the next parliamentary polls for building a corruption-free country. “The rally should be resonate with a pledge of electing honest candidates in the upcoming election,” said Shushashoner Janney Nagorik (Shujan) President Prof Muzaffer Ahmad while releasing balloons at the rally in [...]

Mayors barred from JS polls

dotcomUNDERGROUND — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:53:14 +0000

The High Court (HC) yesterday upheld the Election Commission’s (EC) decision, banning city corporation mayors from contesting the parliamentary election. The court dismissed the writ petition filed by Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka challenging the EC’s decision. After hearing, the HC bench of Justice Tariq ul Hakim and Justice Farah Mahbub delivered the [...]

Nurul Islam’s 36-hour fight for life ends

dotcomUNDERGROUND — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:49:47 +0000

Ganotantri Party President Nurul Islam died yesterday afternoon after 36 hours of fight for life with fatal burn injuries at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in the capital. Nurul Islam, a nominee of the Awami League-led grand alliance for the upcoming parliamentary election for Noakhali-1 constituency, suffered burns in a mysterious fire at his Lalmatia apartment [...]

Hospital of imposters

dotcomUNDERGROUND — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:49:12 +0000

Everybody knew him as Dr Shakil Ahmed until Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday found out that he did not even pass the SSC examination. Shakil treated patients at Mohanagar Medical Services in Mohammadpur in the capital as a doctor in medicine for one year. He was not the only fake doctor there. Another person known as Dr [...]