A number of ruling party lawmakers yesterday criticised the propose budget for keeping the provision of money whitening. The ruling party, however, praised the budget by terming it chartered for change, pro-people and investment friendly. During the budget discussion, several lawmakers said the provision went against the electoral manifesto of ruling
Month: June 2009
Akhtar Hamid freed on bail
Former deputy speaker Akhtar Hamid Siddiki was yesterday released on bail from Naogaon jail in connection with a sedition case. The Court of District and Sessions Judge M Habibur Rahman granted him bail in the sedition case early in the day. A crowd of party-men and relatives at the jail gate greeted BNP bigwig Hamid ... Read more
LPG price slashed by Tk 150
The government has reduced the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by Tk 150 per cylinder with effect from tomorrow (Friday). Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) yesterday fixed the new price of 12.5 kg cylinders following recommendation from Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC). “We have reduced LPG price of each cylinder from Tk 850 to 700,” ... Read more
Manpower export sector overlooked in budget: BAIRA demands Tk 500cr stimulus package
Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) president Golam Mostafa Wednesday expressed dissatisfaction over the proposed budget saying all its demands to keep the prospective manpower export sector alive have been overlooked. Terming the budget as frustrating, he said the government’s ‘charter of change’ is unlikely to achieve if the sector neglected. The BAIRA president ... Read more
No meeting in more than a decade
Nat’l Environment Committee No meeting in more than a decade The national environment committee headed by the prime minister to deal with environment issues did not hold a single meeting in more than a decade, a parliamentary sub-committee disclosed yesterday, and urged the national committee to sit immediately. Although environmental disasters occurred repeatedly, the highest ... Read more
Swine Flu cases rise in Gulf states: American-Bangladeshi boy tested positive in Doha
Swine flu cases in Arab states in the Gulf, a high-traffic transit zone for millions of air travellers, rose to 34 on Tuesday after Qatar reported its first cases, two of them young boys. Three people arriving in Doha on international flights were diagnosed with A(H1N1) influenza, and Kuwait also reported that one of its ... Read more
Govt. decides to connect BD with Asian Highway: PM
Activities of intelligence agencies to be coordinated, she says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday told the House that the government has decided in principle to connect Bangladesh with the Asian Highway. Replying to a question from treasury bench member Md. Shahiduzzaman Sarkar, she said the issue is now under discussion at the policy level ... Read more
Adieu Gen Moeen: An anatomy of past two years
General Moeen U Ahmed, the man behind the Fakhruddin’s Caretaker Government, is still in the newspaper headlines even after his retirement as the Chief of the Army Staff. The newspapers are replete with stories and counter-stories about his next job in the country or outside. Speculation is ripe that he is going to succeed Ismat ... Read more
Dhaka to lodge protest at UN
Sea Boundary Claims of India, Myanmar Dhaka to lodge protest at UN Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said in parliament Bangladesh will soon send a diplomatic protest note to UN against the claim of India and Myanmar over extended continental shelf of the Bay of Bengal. “Bangladesh’s permanent mission at UN is preparing the protest ... Read more
Boon for tax-dodgers, bane for taxpayers
Tk 18,000 crore whitened since ’76; only Tk 2,285 crore pumped into industries, stocks The provision for whitening black money in the proposed new budget comes with certain strict conditions this time, but the rate of tax for whitening money still remains unduly favourable for black money owners, compared to regular income tax rates, just ... Read more
Dhaka city elevated expressway gets govt nod
The cabinet committee on economic affairs on Wednesday gave the go-ahead for constructing the proposed Dhaka City Elevated Expressway under Private Public Partnership initiative to ease traffic congestions in the capital. ‘We have asked the communications ministry to construct the elevated expressway after studying its feasibility study and inviting tenders for the project,’ finance minister ... Read more
Language hero Gaziul Haque passes away
Gaziul Haque, a top language-movement hero, passed away yesterday at the age of 80 after prolonged illness. Also a valiant freedom fighter, Gaziul Haque had been suffering from various ailments like diabetes, heart disease and old-age complications. He was admitted to Square Hospital in the capital on Tuesday morning and died there yesterday afternoon, sending ... Read more
Photographer sued for alleged intrusion into Indian territories, court grants bail
A court here yesterday granted bail to renowned Bangladeshi photojournalist Dr Shahidul Alam in a case filed against him by BDR troops on charge of intruding into Indian territories during his photographic work. Bangladesh Rifles Roumari company commander Daud Ali filed the case against him with Roumari Police Station in the morning following the allegation ... Read more
Five injured in train-bus collision: Talk of woman’s death
One woman was reportedly killed and at least five people were injured, three of them seriously as a train hit a passenger bus pushing it to some other vehicles at Magbazar rail crossing in the city yesterday afternoon triggering a severe traffic jam there for over one hour. The woman reported to have died was ... Read more
Speaker to ‘mull’ SQ Chy issue
Speaker Abdul Hamid yesterday said he would carefully consider the Election Commission’s letter on the issue of BNP MP Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury’s seat in the House. “The letter has reached the parliament secretariat, but not to me,” speaker Abdul Hamid told reporters in the afternoon. “I will examine it in due time and give my ... Read more
South Africa face Pak in first semis today
June 17: An intriguing battle is on the cards when favourites South Africa clash with buoyant Pakistan in the semi-final of the World Twenty20 here on Thursday. The South Africans have showed their all-round prowess during an unbeaten run in the tournament, including emphatic wins in all three Super Eight games against the West Indies, ... Read more
Kat is Salman’s Sweetheart
Neil Nitin Mukesh found himself in an awkward and uneasy situation recently. It seems that the actor received a phone call from new friend Katrina Kaif one day, and as usual answered in his friendly manner, “Hi Sweetheart.” You can only imagine his shock when the voice on the other side went ahead to reply, ... Read more
Akshay Kumar signed for Rs. 31 crore in present recession times There is recession around everywhere in the world and every business person and even a lay man is trying to cut costs as much as possible. But in Bollywood despite films flopping left right and center and two months delay of big projects due ... Read more
Cancer boost from whole carrots
The anti-cancer properties of carrots are more potent if the vegetable is not cut up before cooking, research shows. Scientists found “boiled before cut” carrots contained 25% more of the anti-cancer compound falcarinol than those chopped up first. Experiments on rats fed falcarinol have shown they develop fewer tumours. The Newcastle University study will be ... Read more
Michigan man claims he was N.Y. boy who vanished in 1955
NEW YORK (CNN)–For more than a half-century Jerry and Marilyn Damman wondered what happened to their 2-year-old boy, who mysteriously vanished into thin air outside a Long Island bakery. Now, 54 years later, a Michigan man claims he is the missing child whose name was Steven Damman. Within the last six months, the unidentified man ... Read more