Month: January 2009

Wants to modify ordinances to remove restrictions; LGC opposes bid to make such changes, asks govt not to give block allocation to MPs for fear of graft Shakhawat Liton and Hasan Jahid Tusher The Awami League-led (AL) government is likely to bring major amendments to local government ordinances, allowing elected representatives to continue holding posts ... Read more

Staff Correspondent In association with police, leaders and workers of different associate bodies of ruling Awami League have started collecting toll from retailers, traders, businessmen, transport owners, footpath vendors at different places in the city as well as throughout the country. These groups had remained inactive in the last seven years but soon after the ... Read more

Staff Reporter Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday agreed that he would allow international agencies to talk about the alleged abuse of illegal migrants by the Thai authorities, according to news agencies. “They (the agencies) should talk with us and see how we can work together. But they also have to recognise the fundamental problem ... Read more

Chaotic situation may arise centring Deputy Speaker: MK Anwar Staff Correspondent BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar on Wednesday asked party leaders and activists to be united and work together to strengthen the party’s organisational activities. He said as the number of women is half of the total population in the country, “we along with women ... Read more

PM assures co-op in continuing the drive UNB, Dhaka Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assured the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of necessary cooperation in continuing the anticorruption drive, which climbed its climax during the past interim regime throwing many high-profile graft suspects behind bars. “The PM has assured us of providing all cooperation for continuation of the ... Read more

Looks for honest leaders for party revival Staff Correspondent BNP is now suffering from a severe crisis of suitable and clean- image leaders for the posts of secretary general and national standing committee members of the party. Party insiders said change of the incumbent secretary general is now a matter of time as most of ... Read more

Not considered for ministerial job, they will now miss front row in JS Rashidul Hasan Some of the old guards of Awami League (AL), who were excluded from the cabinet of ministers, might also not get the privilege of sitting in the front row of the treasury bench in parliament, according to party insiders. The ... Read more

Staff Correspondent Foods at restaurants have still remained costly despite substantial fall in prices of edible oil, flour and other items by 25 to 30 per cent over the past few weeks. Owners of restaurants raised the prices of their items ranging from 30 to 50 per cent in the middle of last year, citing ... Read more

Wasim Bin Habib A upazila parishad consists of a chairman, two vice-chairpersons (one of them a woman), chairmen of all union parishads under the upazila concerned, mayors of all municipalities, if there are any, and women members of the reserved seat. The chairman and vice-chairpersons are going to be elected today. One-third of the total ... Read more

Staff Reporter Industries Minister Dilip Barua yesterday said that the government would start dialogue with business bodies to formulate a business friendly industrial policy in the country. He was talking to reporters after a meeting with a business delegation on prevailing situation of trade, commerce and industries of the country at Shilpa Bhaban. International Business ... Read more

Unb, Dhaka Saudi Ambassador Dr Abdullah N Al Bussairy yesterday said his country will recruit more doctors from Bangladesh apart from workers. Talking to reporters after meeting Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and State Minister Hassan Mahmud, the ambassador said a team from Saudi ministry concerned came to Dhaka on Tuesday to recruit several thousand doctors. ... Read more

WASHINGTON: Barack Obama took the oath of office to become the first African-American president in US history on Tuesday, proclaiming America had chosen “hope over fear” and must unite in a “new era of responsibility” to triumph over its multiple crises. Witnessed by a huge crowd of more than two million people, Obama, 47, became ... Read more

ELECTION TO 480 UPAZILAS Electioneering ends, polls tomorrow Staff Correspondent Candidates and their supporters put in all their efforts in the last-minute campaigns on Tuesday to seek votes in their favour for upazila elections. Scheduled on Thursday amidst tight security, bringing an end to nearly a month long hustings with a festive touch. Electioneering ended ... Read more

May modify ordinance to ensure their authority over local govt M Abul Kamal Azad The newly elected Awami League (AL)-led alliance government is likely to modify the Local Government (Upazila Parishad) Ordinance to bestow some authority on lawmakers which the immediate-past caretaker government removed by promulgating the ordinance. LGRD and cooperatives ministry sources say the ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The government will unlock within one week 298 bank accounts of politicians, businessmen and government high officials frozen by the caretaker government in connection with their corruption and irregularities. “The account-holders will be able to start drawing cheques and financial transactions through these accounts after a week the” after a meeting with visiting ... Read more

United News of Bangladesh . Chandpur Rescuers recovered Tuesday bodies of 22 of the victims of Monday’s trawler capsize in the River Meghna, all but one from the same locality. Divers of BIWTA, Coast Guard and Fire Service pulled up the bodies from inside a cabin of the sunken trawler in a macabre scene. The ... Read more

Staff Correspondent The president, Iajuddin Ahmed, on Tuesday appointed ruling Awami League lawmaker Abdus Shahid chief whip of parliament, a parliament secretariat official said. ‘I will be attending office from tomorrow,’ Shahid, the lawmaker for the Moulvibazar 4 constituency, told New Age on Tuesday, confirming his appointment with the rank of a minister. The Moulvibazar ... Read more

Staff Correspondent BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain on Tuesday said the BNP leaders and activists will foil the government’s move to form regional task force in the name of combating terrorism. “The BNP will never accept foreign troops on the soil of Bangladesh in the name of combating terrorism through forming regional task force. ... Read more

Suranjith Deabnath Pro-Awami League (AL) teachers of different public universities are now lobbying hard with new government high-ups to get appointment as vice chancellor (VC), pro-vice chancellor (pro-VC) and other top vital posts after the political changeover. On Thursday, Mass Communication and Journalism Department Professor and Dhaka University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) former president AAMS Arefin ... Read more