Monday, March 19th, 2007 Two countries woke up on Sunday in contrasting moods that replicated in their tremendous emotional outburst. After Bangladesh crushed their gigantic neighbour India by five wickets in the World Cup far away at Trinidad and Tobago, the reaction from the winners and losers of the cricket match matched each other’s in being at its best.While the dawn broke in Bangladesh with joyous celebration in very nook and corner with people distributing sweets, spraying coloured water and displaying patriotism at its best with spontaneous rallies all across the country, flakes flew across the border.The mood was also reflected in the ...
(read more) Friday, March 9th, 2007 Nobody represents the rot that ate away into the very vitals of BNP more dramatically than Tarique Rahman. President Ziaur Rahman for all his constructive (Saarc) and shameful (Indemnity Act) actions was universally respected for his financial honesty. Tarique, as his elder son, on the contrary, appeared hell bent on destroying that core image. Leave alone being concerned, he seemed to bask in his reputation of corruption and never for a moment gave the slightest impression that he was either bothered by it or would ever do anything against it. He considered himself as the product of destiny and took ...
(read more) Tuesday, March 6th, 2007 Controversial High Court (HC) Judge Faisal Mahmud Faizee did not attend his court yesterday, a day after the Chittagong University (CU) syndicate cancelled his LLB certificate.Sources said he might not sit on his bench today as well.Faizee phoned Mahfuzul Karim Akhand, deputy registrar of the Supreme Court (SC) and also secretary to the chief justice, at around 9:00am and said he was going to have the day off but did not explain the reason, sources added.Later, the apex court authorities issued a notice saying that Faizee would not take part in the day's business yesterday.It, however, could not be ...
(read more) Sunday, March 4th, 2007 Chittagong University (CU) syndicate yesterday cancelled the LLB certificate of Judge Faisal Mahmud Faizee and 70 others on charge of tampering with their mark sheets, asking them to immediately return their certificates.A meeting of the university syndicate, which also cancelled the graduation certificate of around 2,350 examinees on the same offence, decided to refer the matter to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for taking necessary actions against the accused.Sources present at the meeting told The Daily Star that the syndicate also unanimously decided to lodge a case.The daylong 439th meeting of the syndicate was convened following submission of the report on ...
(read more) Tuesday, February 20th, 2007 The Prothom Alo on Monday ran a revealing interview with AHM Nurul Islam, who worked as Khaleda Zia's personal secretary during her term as prime minister in 2001-2006. The interview suggests how Khaleda turned a blind eye to numerous acts of corruption by her son and relatives. The Daily Star has translated the interview considering the importance of the subject and its public interest.Prothom Alo (PA): Bangladesh topped the international corruption list for five years. The names of several officials from the Prime Minister's Office and people close to it have been linked to corruption. You were working in the ...
(read more) Saturday, February 17th, 2007 Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus yesterday stressed the need for setting up a mega seaport, a mega airport and a transnational highway to speed up the wheel of economy and to materialise 'the dream of the people'."We have a lot of prospects and much less problems than many others and we only need to shrug off the narrowness of minds and widen the horizon of thoughts to build Bangladesh as we dreamt," said the Nobel laureate.Dr Yunus was addressing a reception accorded to him during a daylong programme organised by Nobeljoyi Muhammad Yunus Sangbardhana Parishad in MA Aziz Stadium in ...
(read more) Monday, February 5th, 2007 Salauddin Quader Chowdhury Holding sway down to the grubby politics at the grassroots from the top rung of power, Salauddin Quader Chowdhury has allegedly been involved in numerous crimes ranging from the bloody genocide of 1971 to gunrunning to murder and extortion.He was the parliamentary affairs adviser to the immediate past prime minister, Khaleda Zia. He had served as a minister during the despotic rule of Ershad. He was first elected to parliament in 1979 on the Muslim League ticket and then in 1991 from the National Democratic Party. He joined the BNP in 1996.He vied in vain for the ...
(read more) Thursday, February 1st, 2007 Eight former advisers of caretaker governments (CG) yesterday underscored the need for strict compliance with some rules for healthy democratic practices, saying only a free and fair election is not enough for upholding democratic values spoilt over the years.They also suggested non-politicised appointment of competent persons to key posts of constitutional bodies and other public institutions, and a thorough cleansing to depoliticise those for sustaining democracy.Keeping off interfering in local administrations and development works, the lawmakers will have to concentrate on their duty of making laws which they are voted for, the advisers said as they put their heads together ...
(read more) Monday, January 29th, 2007 Editors of national newspapers, news agencies and television channels, and senior journalists categorically told Law and Information Adviser Mainul Hosein that they will not abide by the restrictions imposed on the media by the emergency rules.The editors and journalist were up in arms against the rules in a meeting with Moinul yesterday and asked for immediate withdrawal of the media restrictions.During the meeting in his office yesterday, Information Adviser Mainul Hosein however said the interim government did not introduce any rule or order curbing press freedom, as the media and the people are the source of this government's power."I ...
(read more) Friday, January 26th, 2007 The government yesterday imposed a moratorium for six months on all activities of Oriental Bank except seven kinds of transactions, including limited level deposit withdrawal.The finance ministry in a gazette notification said the decision was taken to ease depositors' plight and create a congenial atmosphere to recover its outstanding loans.The total deposit of Oriental Bank was Tk 2,220 crore in December last year, of which public deposit was Tk 1,300 crore, government deposit Tk 570 crore, and other banks' deposit Tk 350 crore.The bank's accumulated loss was Tk 490 crore in June last year before being taken off by the ...
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