Tuesday, August 31, 2010

President, PM greet members of Hindu community on Janmashtami

President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today greeted members of the Hindu community on the occasion of holy Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Sri Krishna.
In separate messages on the eve of the occasion, they wished success of all programmes across the country marking the day.

They referred to the existing communal harmony in the country and hoped that harmony, amity and fraternity among the people would strengthen further in future.
In his message, President Zillur Rahman said the ideals of Sri Krishna were to forge the bond of true love and amity between man and man.
Bangladesh is a country of religious harmony and followers of all faiths have been living in harmony in the country since the old days, he said.
This communal harmony would have to be strengthened along with building Bangladesh as a happy and prosperous country, the President said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said Sri Krishna throughout his life devoted to upholding human love and justice.
Sri Krishna used to adore truth and beauty through his work, lifestyle and messages, she said.
The Prime Minister hoped that the ideals and teachings of Sri Krishna would be inspiring his followers constantly.
She wished a happy and peaceful celebration of the festival.
-BSS

ADB offers $100m to power project

ADB offers $100m to power project

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will extend a $100 million equivalent loan for a cross-border electricity initiative between India and Bangladesh that will provide impetus for increased power trading in South Asia.
ADB’s board of directors on Tuesday approved the loan for the Bangladesh-India Electrical Grid Interconnection Project, said a statement.

The funds will be used to build a 40-kilometer 400-kilovolt transmission line, along with a high voltage direct current substation and connecting loop, linking the western electrical grid of Bangladesh with India’s eastern grid.
Around 500 megawatts of power are expected to flow into Bangladesh by 2012 as a result of the project, with the possibility of more in the future.
Staff from the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh will be trained to manage the new facilities, while officials of the state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board will learn cross-border power trading skills.
ADB’s assistance from its concessional Asian Development Fund makes up 63 percent of the total investment cost of $156.8 million.
The loan has a 32-year term including a grace period of 8 years, with interest charged at 1.0 percent per annum during the grace period and 1.5 percent per year for the rest of the term. The balance of the investment of $58.6 million will be funded by the Bangladesh government, while interconnection facilities on the Indian side will be financed, developed and operated by India.
The Power Grid Company of Bangladesh is the executing agency for the project, which is due for completion in December 2012.
Bangladesh’s fast growing economy has seen power demand sharply outstripping supply, resulting in frequent power cuts, voltage fluctuations and losses in economic output estimated at nearly $1 billion a year.
While the economy has grown by an average of 6 percent a year since 2005, less than half the population of 156 million has access to power. Unreliable power supply has hurt industry and will hamper efforts to provide better economic opportunities and social services for the poor.
The project will signal a new era in energy cooperation in South Asia and is likely to herald further power trading agreements, resulting in more effective use of existing energy resources in the region, said Sultan Hafeez Rahman, director general of ADB’s South Asia Department.
“Connecting the two grids will demonstrate the substantial economic benefits that come from enhanced regional cooperation and help address energy gaps across the region,” Rahman said.
It will also allow Bangladesh to reduce its current reliance on stopgap power measures such as rental generation facilities, and help generate jobs and new business opportunities by providing a more reliable supply of power to industries.
-UNB

 

DSE turnover dips to 7-week low

The daily turnover on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) dropped to a 7-week low on Sunday when regulator, stock exchange authorities and merchant bankers failed to reach an understanding on margin loa
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) held a meeting on Sunday with executives of Dhaka and Chittagong stock exchanges and Bangladesh Merchant Bankers Association (BMBA) to ensure proper enforcement of margin loan criteria.

But the meeting ended only with mere understanding that they would meet again on next Sunday (September 5) to discuss the issue.
The market was greatly concerned about the meeting, which transmitted a volatile wave into the transactions and dragged the daily turnover to 7-week below.
The daily turnover dropped at Taka 1,154 crore on the week's opening day, which was lower than the nearest record low of Taka 1,169 crore on July 12 this year.
The fund flow to the market declined by Taka 531 crore in only three trading sessions after the SEC on August 25 directed the merchant bankers and brokerage houses to determine the market price of portfolios or securities for providing margin loans in accordance with the Margin Rules of 1999.
Under the rules, the brokers and merchant bankers have to evaluate the market price of a share by dividing the sum of its current price and net asset value (NAV) by two to provide margin loans to their clients.
But the brokerage houses do not have the effective technical setup to follow the new rules, which created a serious problem in providing their clients with margin loan that subsequently narrowed down the fund flow to the market.
According to asset management company, Aims of Bangladesh, the SEC's new loan criteria pulled DSE index 1.84 percent down in two days when the financial, power, engineering, food, telecom and tannery sector were mostly affected by it. The DSE index, however, gained some margin on Sunday on the hope that the meeting on margin loan would bring some positive news to the investors.
The index finished the day at 6670.16, 16.87 points or 0.25 percent higher than the last week closing.
-BSS

Eid shopping gets momentum

The shopping for Eid-ul-Fitr festival has started gaining momentum as people of different ages thronged the city's shopping malls to buy panjabis, dresses and other necessary items for their near and dear ones for celebrating the biggest occasion in the country with joy and gaiety.
Eid shopping
With the advent of the Eid-ul-Fitr, city's customers especially women in good number thronged the Mouchck market, Anarkoli market, Concrod Twin Tower, Eastern Plaza, Gulistan Maket, Pir Yemeni Market, New Market, Gausia Market, Rapa Plaza and Bashundhara Shopping mall for buying dresses for their family members to avoid last moments of rush.
The traders in different shopping malls in the city are keeping their businesses open till mid night as growing number of customers are turning up after the iftar.
Punjabi, is traditional and most common attire for men of different ages and professions is a vital item. Without a punjabi and pajama many could not think of complete pleasure on the Eid day.
The varieties of different colours and designs of punjabis are being made of adicotton, pure cotton, khadi, Rajshahi silk, reshmi cotton, jute cotton and bexicotton fabrics have been selling in the markets as those have a high demand among the customers.
The prices of punjabis with hand stitched embroidery varied on their qualities and designs. The prices of locally made punjabis were sold between Tk 500 and Tk 7,000 each at different shopping malls in the city.
Eid shopping
Many fashion houses like Anjan, Nitya Upuhar are selling exclusive designed punjabis.
However, in the makeshift shops, per punjabi is selling between Tk 150 and Tk 450 yesterday, according to traders.
"The collections of punjabis at different markets are sufficient, but those prices are too high compared with the last year's price. Finally, after visiting three markets, I managed to buy two punjabis for my family members" Ferdous Ara, a banker told the correspondent.
This year, the prices of different varieties of punjabis are a little bit high since the prices of yarn and other raw materials for producing cotton went up high compared with the previous years, traders asserted.
But despite this, the demand of punjabi this year goes high compared with the previous years. Different garment factories and fashion houses have been working relentlessly to meet the growing demand of punjabis.
This year approximately 3.5 crore punjabis are expected to be sold through out the country since locally made punjabis have a high demand to the customers, manufacturers told The New Nation yesterday.
Considering the growing demand, garment factories and different fashion houses in the country have increased their production to mitigate customers demand.
Sharif and Rupali Markets, located at Sadarghat area, are the biggest wholesale punjabi markets in the country.
The best quality locally made punjabi is between Tk 2,500 and Tk 3000 each. Shops in different shopping malls imported panjabi from neighbouring countries and sold between Tk 5,000 and Tk 7,000 each, traders said.
The wholesalers at Sadarghat said, they made punjabis by their own capacity and designers help in completing the design of punjabis.
On the other hand fashion houses like Arang, Anjans, Mantra and Probartana and others make panjabi through their appointed weavers and designers.
Different types of punjabi with embroidery, block print and manually designs were sold between Tk 1,500 and Tk 8,000 each.
On the other hand, cotton panjabis with simple design was sold between Tk 600 and Tk 1,500 each at Aesha Shopping Complex and Mouchack Market at Malibagh in the city yesterday.
Asked whether the prices would increase before the Eid, traders said, the prices of panjabi and other dresses would increase a little bit when the public and private service holders get their salaries and bonuses before the Eid.
-New Nation

Militants threaten to blow up KPIs, attack judges, lawyers and police

Militants have threatened to blow up important establishments as well as carry out simultaneous attacks on judges, lawyers and police if what they called their four ‘national leaders’ are not freed within the Eid.

 
 
Threat to attackThe unidentified militant outfit under the banner of ”M.D.M.T” sent an email containing the threat to the Law Commission on August 25.
However, the email did not mention the names of their four national leaders.
The Registrar of the International Crimes Tribunal Shahinur Islam told UNB that the Law Commission got the email when it opened it today. He said the police was informed of the matter.
Officer-in-charge of Shahbagh police station Rezaul Karim said he registered a general diary with his police station Tuesday noon.
Investigation began to trace out the e-mail senders, he said, adding security which is already in place is enough for ensuring the security of the Supreme Court compound.
-UNB

PM delivers another of her ‘warnings’, against campus violence this time

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday renewed her warning against hooliganism and violent activities on educational campuses in the name of Chhatra League, or other fronts of Awami League.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday renewed her warning against hooliganism and violent activities on educational campuses in the name of Chhatra League, or other fronts of Awami League.
She also warned Chhatra League leaders for giving sanctuary to Chhatra Dal and Chhatra Shibir activists in Chhatra League to serve their own personal interests.
The Prime Minister made the remarks at a discussion marking the August 15 tragedy at Bangabandhu International Conference Center.
Hasina urged the Chhatra League workers to work with devotion and strong morals to redeem the lost glory of the student politics.
Awami League presidium member Obaidul Qader, DU Vice-chancellor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, Chittagong University teacher Dr Hamida Banu and journalist Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul also spoke at the discussion. BCL president Mahmud Hasan Ripon was in the chair.
-UNB

Hasina sheds crocodile tears: Delwar

BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain has bitingly criticized the Prime Minister for her remarks on Begum Zia’s feelings towards her sons, saying the Prime Minister is shedding ‘crocodile tears’.
On Monday, Hasina at a discussion on August 15, 1975 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center questioned Khaleda’s fulfillment of her role as a mother, citing the BNP chairperson’s lack of visits to her ailing sons abroad. The PM extended this line of thought to question how Begum Zia could be expected to stand beside the people, if she could not even stand beside her ailing sons.
Responding in kind on Tuesday, Delwar cranked up the personalization of the country’s politics by questioning how many days the Prime Minister used to stay with her husband, and why her son Joy only came to Dhaka well after Dr Wazed Miah’s death.
“Questions remain about these matters. We do not want to talk about these things as we don’t feel it is good to comment on someone’s personal matters,” said the BNP secretary general at a meeting at Mohanagar Natya Mancha marking BNP’s 32nd founding anniversary tomorrow.
BNP Vice Chairman Selima Rahman presided over the meeting, which was addressed by BNP standing committee member Dr Khondkar Mosharaf Hossain, MK Anwar, Nazrul Islam Khan, Vice Chairman Altaf Hossain Chowdhury, chairperson’s adviser Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Prof MA Mannan and joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
Delwar asked the BNP men to stay united considering country’s current situation.
Dr Khondkar Mosharaf Hossain said both local and foreign conspiracies are being hatched in the country, before indicating the foreign powers were holding greater sway over matters.
-UNB

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Duke remanded for 4 days

A Dhaka court has granted four days' remand for Saiful Islam Duke in the August 21 grenade attack case. 26/8/10

BSTI Disposes of Adulterated Puffed Rice

A mobile court disposes of adulterated puffed rice into the river at Keraniganj ferry port on Thursday. 26/8/10

Ifter Party Organised Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and Dhaka Journalists Union

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia says prayers before Iftar on Thursday, organised by pro-BNP factions of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and Dhaka Journalists Union. 26/8/10

Azam Khan on his way home

Ailing Bangla pop guru and freedom fighter Azam Khan will return on Monday after a month-long treatment in Singapore, his family has said.
The pop-song pioneer has been suffering from mouth cancer and flew to Singapore on Aug 14 for better treatment.
The operation on him was done successfully at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore on Aug 21.
Azam's elder daughter Ima Khan told bdnews24.com: "He is almost healed but will be given Tomotherapy to cure the affected place."
For this, the pop guru will fly to Singapore on Sept 10, the Tomotherapy will start from Sept 13.
"My father's verbal condition is not quite stable yet," Ima added.
Azam Khan will reach Dhaka on 9pm.
Before going to Singapore on Aug 13, Azam, in an exclusive interview, told bdnews24.com that he felt a piece of flesh under his tongue but didn't take it seriously. The doctors later examined his mouth cancer.
He was born in the capital's Azimpur on Feb 28, 1950. He has released 17 solo albums to date. A large number of his songs were also released in mixed albums.
'Ore Saleka, Ore Maleka' is one of his songs that became very popular in the eighties.
-bdnews

Tropa working on Lalon play

Actress Tropa Majumdar is now busy with her new directorial venture on stage with a play based on the life and philosophy of the great baul maestro Lalon Shah.
Titled ‘Baramkhana’, the play is written by Pantha Shahrier, and will be staged by Theatre.
Being inspired after reading the novel ‘Moner Manush’ by Sunil Gangopadhaya, Tropa planned for a theatre production on baul philosophy. Later, she gave the novel to Pantha for reading. ‘Our play is mainly inspired by that novel. However, we have included some other things related to our present socio-political context,’ Tropa told about her new ventures.
According to her, the ‘canvas’ of the play will be wider. It will cover Lalon’s life, works and the situation after the Partition of India in 1947. Tropa, who earlier directed the play ‘Chhay Beharar Palki’ with Jaglul Alam and later, had her solo directorial debut by the play ‘Mukti’, says that the latest play will include more than twenty persons as cast and most of them are new. She hopes to bring the play on stage within two months.
Tropa expects to bring some variations in the play which will uphold Lalon’s philosophy and the culture based on the mazar (shrine) in the country as well. In the play, Lolon’s songs will be incorporated with dialogues. ‘No doubt, music will play an important role in the play, but variation in style will also be there,’ she added.
Tropa believes, some people tried to Islamise Lalon’s secular philosophy after the Partition. ‘Many people have also been doing politics with his ideals to meet their own vested interest. I want to show these odds by presenting Lalon as a symbol,’ she said.
Tropa is also performing in the popular drama serial ‘Poush Faguner Pala’, directed by Afsana Mimi and telecast on ATN Bangla. Adapted from Gajendra Mitra’s novel ‘Trayee’ and jointly scripted by Iraj Ahmed and Mansur Rahman Chanchal, the play is set against the backdrop of the capital and its outskirt areas at the sixties and seventies, ‘For the first time in my performing career I am playing the role as a daughter of my mother Ferdousi Majumdar in the serial,’ says Tropa.
For the approaching Eid, Tropa has completed shooting for a one-hour play written and directed Subarna Mustafa. In the play, Tropa played a kleptomaniac woman.
She is also regularly performing on stage in the plays ‘Meraj Fakirer Ma’, ‘Madhabi’ and ‘Mukti’ by Theatre Expressing her optimism about theatre she said that the theatregoers are getting better productions in recent time. Many of the contemporary plays have interesting aspects to move the audience, she said. While appreciating the tendency to experiment on the form and style of theatre, she mentioned that the experiments should be done carefully.

Manmohan orders to change Kashmir strategy


Security forces in Kashmir need to find non-lethal means of controlling violent mobs to prevent more deaths in the unrest roiling the Indian-ruled region, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said yesterday in rare remarks directly questioning government tactics.
Violence related to near-daily protests against Indian control of Kashmir has led to the deaths of at least 64 people over the last two months, mostly civilians. The protesters have set official buildings and vehicles ablaze, and government forces have fired guns and tear gas to contain the unrest.
Speaking to police chiefs from around India, Singh noted that militant activities have declined in Kashmir, but maintaining public order there has become a serious concern and a challenge for the government.

"We cannot have an approach of one size fits all," Singh said. Public agitation has to be dealt with "with non-lethal, yet effective and more focused, measures," he said.
Civil rights activists have accused Indian paramilitary soldiers and police of using a heavy-handed approach, and each death caused by security forces sparks further clashes with rock-throwing demonstrators.
Singh has made at least two recent appeals for calm, telling the people of Kashmir his government is ready to hold talks to resolve their problems.
Rule by Hindu-majority India is widely opposed in the majority Muslim region, which separatists want to become independent or merge with Pakistan.
In his speech to police chiefs, Singh dwelt on a slew of problems faced by police and security forces in the country, including threats by separatists and Maoist rebels, commonly known as Naxalites.
Singh, who has often called the rebels India's biggest internal security threat, again Thursday voiced the government's willingness to talk to the guerrillas if they give up violence.
"We recognize that the Naxalites are our people and are ready to talk to them provided they abjure the path of violence," he said.
The rebels, who have tapped into the rural poors' anger at being left out of the country's economic gains, are present in 20 of the country's 28 states and have an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 fighters, according to India's home ministry. About 2,000 people have been killed in rebel-related violence over the past few years.

Tropa working on Lalon play

Actress Tropa Majumdar is now busy with her new directorial venture on stage with a play based on the life and philosophy of the great baul maestro Lalon Shah.
Titled ‘Baramkhana’, the play is written by Pantha Shahrier, and will be staged by Theatre.
Being inspired after reading the novel ‘Moner Manush’ by Sunil Gangopadhaya, Tropa planned for a theatre production on baul philosophy. Later, she gave the novel to Pantha for reading. ‘Our play is mainly inspired by that novel. However, we have included some other things related to our present socio-political context,’ Tropa told about her new ventures.
According to her, the ‘canvas’ of the play will be wider. It will cover Lalon’s life, works and the situation after the Partition of India in 1947. Tropa, who earlier directed the play ‘Chhay Beharar Palki’ with Jaglul Alam and later, had her solo directorial debut by the play ‘Mukti’, says that the latest play will include more than twenty persons as cast and most of them are new. She hopes to bring the play on stage within two months.
Tropa expects to bring some variations in the play which will uphold Lalon’s philosophy and the culture based on the mazar (shrine) in the country as well. In the play, Lolon’s songs will be incorporated with dialogues. ‘No doubt, music will play an important role in the play, but variation in style will also be there,’ she added.
Tropa believes, some people tried to Islamise Lalon’s secular philosophy after the Partition. ‘Many people have also been doing politics with his ideals to meet their own vested interest. I want to show these odds by presenting Lalon as a symbol,’ she said.
Tropa is also performing in the popular drama serial ‘Poush Faguner Pala’, directed by Afsana Mimi and telecast on ATN Bangla. Adapted from Gajendra Mitra’s novel ‘Trayee’ and jointly scripted by Iraj Ahmed and Mansur Rahman Chanchal, the play is set against the backdrop of the capital and its outskirt areas at the sixties and seventies, ‘For the first time in my performing career I am playing the role as a daughter of my mother Ferdousi Majumdar in the serial,’ says Tropa.
For the approaching Eid, Tropa has completed shooting for a one-hour play written and directed Subarna Mustafa. In the play, Tropa played a kleptomaniac woman.
She is also regularly performing on stage in the plays ‘Meraj Fakirer Ma’, ‘Madhabi’ and ‘Mukti’ by Theatre Expressing her optimism about theatre she said that the theatregoers are getting better productions in recent time. Many of the contemporary plays have interesting aspects to move the audience, she said. While appreciating the tendency to experiment on the form and style of theatre, she mentioned that the experiments should be done carefully.

Ensure safe travel during Eid rush: HC

A High Court bench on Thursday directed the government to ensure that no water vessel can ply without safety requirements during the upcoming Eid rush.
It also directed the authorities to ensure that no launches or water vessels ply without having adequate number of buoys and beacon lights.
The division bench comprising Justice MA Wahhab Miah and Justice Kazi Rezaul Haque also directed law enforcers to prevent overloading of passengers in launches and vessels and also to prevent their plying without safety measures.
The judges passed the directives following a writ petition the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers’ Association.
-Daily Star

Govt to challenge HC ruling on money return

The government is considering to appeal against the High Court rule which had ordered returning money confiscated by the military-installed interim government between 2007 and 2008.
The High Court on Tuesday asked the government to return around Tk 3 billion to two companies in the next three months which it held was obtained illegally.
The last caretaker government had realised Tk 2.37 billion from Kafeli Dated Tea & Land Limited and Tk 0.60 billion from S Alam Steel Limited through issuing a total of 54 pay-orders in 2007 and 2008.
"If there's any opportunity, we will appeal against the decision," finance minister AMA Muhith said Thursday. The minister has long been maintaining his stance of not returning the confiscated funds.
"These [money] are the outcome of corruption and laundering, so I think there's no need to return these funds," he said while speaking to the press after a meeting at the Secretariat.
According to the documents, there were no options to return this money, added Muhith.
He said that the confiscated money has been debited to the government's consolidated funds and budgetary allocations require that these funds are made available.
"And I have not kept any contingency plans for anything otherwise."
Muhith reiterated that he does not see any point of returning these funds.
Replying to a query, the minister said that the government would examine the ruling and decide upon their next step.
"If we find any weak point [in the ruling], then we would go for appeal."
In its judgment, the bench of justices Mamnoon Rahman and Syed Afsar Jahan said the government had no power to do anything beyond the constitution and that it has to apply its power constitutionally."
It pointed to article 81, 82 and 83 of the constitution which set out clear ground as to when money can be exacted by the government.
So, the court said, the realisation of the money from the two institutions was illegal and beyond the government's jurisdiction."
-bdnews

Vigilance team to monitor bus train ticket fare

The Ministry of Communication today has formed a vigilance team headed by a deputy secretary to monitor the bus and train fare and smuggling of the Eid-tickets.
The team within a day or two would start its work in the city as the allegation of taking excess fare from the passengers were reported in the press.
The team was formed in a meeting of the senior officials and heads of various departments under the ministry with Communication Minister Syed Abul Hossain in the chair.
Secretary of the ministry M Mozammel Huq Khan, heads of BRTA, BRTC, Road and Highways and senior officials of the ministry were present
The communication minister asked railway officials concerned to report to the ministry within one- week on how the railway Eid tickets are being sold out in the black-market.
At the beginning of the meeting, the minister drew attention of the officials on a report published in today's newspapers regarding smuggling of railway's Eid tickets.
A senior official expressed his reluctance to discuss the issue in presence of media people. But, welcoming the media people, the minister said, "I think it would be better if more media personnel were present in the meeting to know about our actions to curb smuggling of Eid tickets and make people aware on this particular issue".
The minister asked the officials to take necessary measures for maximum utilization of railway carriers and BRTC buses to allow the commuters to travel to home on the occasion of the holy Eid-ul-Fitr.
The meeting discussed four proposals for waiving and re-fixation of the fees charged for crossing some bridges and decided to waive the toll from Natun Bazar-Puran Bazar access road in Chandpur.
The meeting also decided to take toll from second Karnaphuli Setu at current rate and formed a committee headed by the Chief Engineer of the Road and Highways to scrutinize the proposals for waiving tolls from the two bridges.
The bridges are Shaheed Rafiq Setu on Hemayetpur-Singair-Manikganj road and Shaheed Captain Mohiuddin Jahangir Setu on Chapainawabganj-Kansat-Sonamasjid road.
The meeting was informed that drive of the mobile courts under the Ministry of Communication will resume again in the city as financial constraint has gone after the Ministry of Finance allocated required fund to bear operating expenses of the drive.
-BSS

HC upholds visa discrimination challenge

The High Court on Thursday issued a rule on the government for gender discrimination in visa regulations.
The court ordered the government to explain why its directives stipulating more stringent regulations for foreign nationals married to Bangladeshi women should not be declared discriminatory and unconstitutional.
The ruling came regarding a home ministry circular which does not allow a 'No Visa Required' stamp on the passports of foreign men married to Bangladeshi woman.
However, the same notice allows passports of foreign woman married to Bangladeshi men to obtain the same ('No visa required') stamp.
The petitioner, a Bangladeshi/Australian dual national woman married to a US national, had challenged the circular of Aug 19, 2007 for violating her fundamental rights to gender equality and to life, including family life, referring to the constitution and to the state's obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Violence against Women.
"We are delighted that the court has responded so promptly, and we hope that the government will now deliver on its pledges and take early action to deal with a glaring example of gender discrimination written into the law," said Sara Hossain, who represented the petitioner.
A division bench comprising justices Syed Mahmud Hossain and Gobinda Chandra Thakur issued the rule and passed the interim order.
-bdnews

Japan gives US$ 9.7 million for vulnerable people

The World Food Programme (WFP) today welcomed a cash donation of US$ 9.7 million contribution from the government of Japan for vulnerable people.
The contribution will provide urgently needed food and nutrition assistance to the most vulnerable people including children, pregnant and lactating women in high food insecure and disaster prone areas.
WFP will use this Japanese fund to distribute some 14,000 metric tons of wheat, 3500 metric tons wheat soya bean and 200 metric tons of tuna cans to 500,000 extreme poor people in 12 districts including Kurigram, Gaibandha, Bogra, Serajganj, Pabna, Jamalpur, Lalmonirhat, Bagerhat, Khulna, Shatkhira, Barguna, Bhola and Patuakhali.
Tamotsu Shintosuka, Ambassador to Bangladesh observed, "Food is the basic needs of the people. We can understand this needs and that's why we gave the food aid on a priority basis for the ultra poor of the country. We hoped that this assistance will help the poor people to have food and fulfil the basic needs even in the remote area of the country."
This Japanese assistance will help WFP to implement its Enhance Resilience (ER) programme which aims at enabling ultra poor households to enhance their life skill, income earning, capacity and resilience to natural disaster by creating human and physical assets.
"WFP is very grateful to Japan for its generous donation at this critical moment. This donation provides WFP with the opportunity to support the most vulnerable people in Bangladesh particularly those suffer the combined challenges of food insecurity, under nutrition and the impact of climate change," said John Aylieff, WFP Representative in Bangladesh.
The government of Japan will complete an exchange of letters with the United Nations World Food Programme for a donation of some US$ 54 million (approximately JPY 4.6 billion) on 25th August 2010, in Italy. Other countries which will benefit are Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Chad, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Lesotho, occupied Palestinian Territory, Sudan, Uganda, and Yemen.
The government of Japan has been one of the key donors to food aid programme in Bangladesh since its independence in 1971.
Japan has given approximately US$30 million to WFP Bangladesh since 2007. So far this year, Japan's contribution to WFP has reached US$209 million (approximately JPY 18.1 billion), making it the third largest donor to WFP.
-BSS

PM requests Iran to legalize undocumented Bangladeshi workers

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today requested the Iranian government to legalize the undocumented Bangladeshi workers there.
She made the request when the newly appointed Iranian Ambassador to Bangladesh Hossein Aminian Tousi paid a courtesy call on her at the Prime Minister's Office here.
They discussed matters relating to bilateral interest, expansion of trade and business between the two countries as well as climate change issues, Prime Minister's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told newsmen after the meeting.
The Prime Minister told the Iranian Ambassador that her government pursues foreign policy `friendship to all, malice to none.' She said her government values its relation with Iran.
The Ambassador conveyed Iranian President's invitation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to visit the country at a convenient time.
Ambassador At Large M Ziauddin, Secretary to the Prime Minister's Office Molla Waheeduzzaman and Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad, among others, were present.
-BSS

Jamdani fair begins in city

A 16-day International Jamdani Taant Bastra Fair began on the premises of Siddeshwari Girls School at Baily Road in the city.
The Bangladesh Weavers Product and Manufacturing Business Association (BWPMBA) organized the fair with the aim to regain its lost glory by promoting the traditional products at home and abroad.
Nilufar Faruk Khan, wife of commerce minister Lt Col (retd) Faruk Khan, inaugurated the fair as the chief guest.
BWPMBA senior vice-president M Salauddin, member of the school managing committee Kutubuddin Ahmed, among others, were present on the occasion.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Nilufar Faruk underscored the need for providing the sector with special incentives for expanding its export market.
She said the sector has huge potential to grow and has already created employment opportunities for poor especially the tribal people.
M Salauddin said exporters are suffering due to the recent hike of yarn prices and the government should look into it to help maximize profit of exporters in the sector.
The main objective of the fair is to know about customers' choice and attitude so that the quality of the jamdani clothing can be improved.
A good number of traditional clothing including jamdani saree, lungee, handloom products, 3-piece, 2-pieces are being displayed in 60 stalls.
The fair will remain open for all from 10am to 8pm and continue till before the Eid day.
-BSS

US$7 million Australian grants for water and sanitation

Australia will provide about seven million US dollar to Bangladesh as a grant for ensuring access to clean water and sanitation to four lakh marginal people of country's three southwestern coastal districts.
The grant will channel through the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) as an additional aid to the existing Hygiene, Sanitation and Water Supply (HYSAWA) Fund of the governments of Bangladesh and Denmark.
The Australian support will enable the HYSAWA fund to extend its coverage from 513 to 553 Union Parishads, benefiting an additional 400,000 people in the Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts, Australian High Commission source said here today.
Australia's new involvement in water and sanitation development of Bangladesh reflects an overall increase in the bilateral development cooperation program, it said.
Australia's assistance in Bangladesh has reached 70 million Australian dollars in 2010-11 fiscal year, which is double comparing with the 2006-07 fiscal.
Bangladesh is currently the eighth largest bilateral recipient of Australian government development assistance globally, the source added.
An arrangement detailing Australia's support for HYSAWA was exchanged between Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dr Justin Lee, Denmark's Charge d' Affaires Jan Moller Hansen and the Chair of HYSAWA's Governing Board Manzur Hossain, at a ceremony at the High Commissioner's residence on Wednesday night.
Secretary of the Economic Relations Division M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, the Managing Director of HYSAWA Dr Enamul Kabir, Denmark's Ambassador-designate Svend Olling and AusAID's Dhaka head Rachel Payne were present on the occasion.
-BSS

EC rejects 'prostitution' as vocation

The Election Commission has rejected the proposal to include prostitution in the central database of voters' roll.
Election commissioner Sohul Hossain said the vocation 'sex worker' was omitted from voter registration forms to discourage it.
He said during the formulation of the voter list in 2007, 14 vocations were included in the registration form — government employee, private sector employee, physician, engineer, teacher, lawyer, banker, trade, labour, farmer, student, housewife, daily wage workers and unemployed.
People not falling under these categories would have to resort to 'others' for indicating profession.
The Photograph with Electoral Roll Project had proposed that the Election Commission (EC) to include 30 vocations in the registration form including prostitution. EC approved 29 of them, omitting prostitution.
Sohul Hossain told bdnews24.com that it might have seemed that prostitution was encouraged if it were included in the registration form.
"The proposal was rejected to discourage the vocation," he added.
He also said that people of this occupation will have to use 'other'.
The commission's position was that it did not have the authority to recognise or acknowledge vocations. But the inclusion of 'sex worker' in the voter form could hint at the commission's acknowledgement of the vocation.
The occupation is also discouraged by the society and religions, he said.
Sohul Hossain said that district administration does not give licenses to prostitutes; many of them carry on their activity under notary.
The registration form also includes occupations like blacksmith, fisherman, carpenter, cobbler, boatman, porter, butcher, cook, vendor, rickshaw puller, barber, tailor, judge, contractor, driver, nurse, journalist, retired government employee, and gardener.
In a query on the reason behind keeping 'student', 'house wife' and 'unemployed' in the form, the election commissioner said, "These pieces of information indicate a state of voters."
He also said that the registration form can provide 28 types of information about the voters and the national ID cards do not indicate the holder's vocation.
Prof SM Lutful Kabir, director of Information and Communication Institute (IICT) in Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), said the more information stored in the central database, the more useful it will be.
"Use of the database will be multidimensional then," he added.
Lutful Kabir worked as a counsellor in with the project in electoral roll preparation with photographs.
He said information collected by the election commission does not mean acknowledgement of certain vocations.
"However, the database may be helpful for statistics about voters in different professions," he said.
-bdnews

Monday, August 23, 2010

Headline News

Headline News

Indo-Bangla ties worsened after Bangabandhu's death

Relations between India and Bangladesh worsened after the death of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, as political parties instilled anti-India sentiment in people to gain political advantage.
Such practice by the political parties even adversely affected the economic development of both the countries, said speakers at a discussion yesterday on “Bangabandhu: Relationship with India under present perspective” at the city's Engineers' Institute organised by Shaheed M Mansur Ali Smrity Sangsad. The organisation arranged the discussion to mark the August 15, 1975 tragedy.
They also said Bangabandhu had established a strong bilateral relationship with largest neighbouring country India considering its economic potentials.
Without mentioning any political party, Golam Sarwar, editor of Dainik Samakal, said political parties were reluctant to identify India as a friend in fear of losing public acceptance during elections.
He however said the situation has changed for the last one and a half years and bilateral relations have improved.
Manjurul Ahsan Khan, president of Bangladesh Communist Party, said Bangabandhu had never compromised on anything that went against the country's interests.
Rashed Khan Menon, president of Workers Party of Bangladesh, said there were fears after the country's independence as to whether it would be a right decision to build a good relationship with India, but Bangabandhu had made it clear that there was nothing to be ashamed of having good relations with a friendly state.
Speakers have expressed frustration saying that even 39 years into the Liberation War, no memorial has been made in Bangladesh in memory of Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in 1971.
They praised the ruling Awami League-led alliance government for signing contracts with India and hoped that the contracts would be implemented accordingly.
At the programme, Commerce Minister Faruk Khan said it is expected that people of both the countries will start getting benefits of the bilateral agreements from next year.
-Daily Star

 

Salahuddin back to assist spinners

Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons wants his former assistant Mohammad Salahuddin to assist the spinners in the national team’s training camp on Monday.
Salahuddin worked as a fielding coach of the national side until November 2009 when he was replaced by Sri Lankan Ruwan Kalpage. He was appointed again as fielding coach after Kalpage left in March.
The BCB recently added him to the coaching staff of GP-BCB National Academy side and appointed ex-British baseball player Julien Fountain as the new fielding coach of the Tigers.
During his days as the national team’s assistant coach Salahuddin also earned a reputation for assisting spinners something which Siddons had kept in his mind. One of his major tasks as coach was correcting the bowling action of Abdur Razzak, which had impressed the Australian highly.
The BCB is now at the closing stage of signing a deal with South African Lance Klusener as the bowling coach, but it is assumed that the appointment of former all-rounder will bring no benefit to the spinners, who are always at the heart of Bangladesh’s game plan.
Siddons found a solution for spinners in Salahuddin and approached the game development committee of the BCB, to which he is now attached, seeking assistance of his former assistant.
The game development committee made no delay in giving him the responsibility in addition to his current job as a coach of the GP-BCB National Cricket Academy. And Salahuddin also did not have any complaint.
‘I am always ready to help the national side in any capacity, although my first priority is now lies with the academy,’ Salahuddin told reporters on the sideline of Tigers’ practice session at Mirpur.
‘It would be great if I could come to any help for the national side provided it did not hamper the practice of the academy side,’ said Salahuddin.
Aminul Haque Moni, chairman of the game development committee, said they have no problem with Salahuddin assisting the national spinners.
‘We are always for greater benefit of Bangladesh cricket. If he can come to the help of national spinners we will always welcome the idea,’ said Moni.
Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak, the supreme beneficiary of Salahuddin’s coaching, was ecstatic at the inclusion of his former coach.
‘Nobody should have any doubt about his ability. The way he handled my bowling action problem was amazing. I don’t think any foreigner would have solved my problem that easily,’ said Razzak.
‘This is an age of specialisation and everybody should get specialised help. Definitely his inclusion will be of great help for us,’ said Razak.

 

333-member central committee of Swechhasebak Dal formed

  Jatiyabadi Swechha-sebak Dal, the voluntary wing of the BNP, has finally formed its 333-member full-fledged central committee, over 10 months after the announcement of its president and general secretary.
On October 11, 2009, the incomplete committee of Swechhasebak Dal was formed with Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel as president and Mir Sarafat Ali Sapu as general secretary. Later Shafiul Bari Babu was made organising secretary.
The BNP secretary general, Khandker Delwar Hossain, Monday approved the full-fledged central committee of Swechhasebak Dal.
Monir Hossain has been made senior vice-president while Ali Rezaur Rahman Ripon and Yasin Ali were made joint secretaries. A total of 33 members were made vice-presidents and 12 appointed joint secretaries. Some 146 have been made as central members.


JS panel to probe Aug 2007 incidents at DU

A parliamentary subcommittee on education ministry would probe the campus incidents across the country, originating from Dhaka University on August 20-23, 2007, to find out the exact role of military personnel, its intelligence and others, said Rashed Khan Menon, MP, on Monday.
‘We will submit a report of the findings to parliament, after reviewing media reports and interviewing the students, teachers and the army personnel, who were involved in the incidents,’ said Menon who heads a parliamentary standing committee on education ministry.
The subcommittee, he said, would reinvestigate the incidents not out of vengeance for any quarter, but to find out the truth.
Dhaka University observed Black Day on Monday, August 23, to mark the third anniversary of the excesses, the army personnel had committed against the students during a soccer match on the campus during the emergency.
The protests flared up after the assault of some students by army personnel camped on the university campus when a football match was in progress on August 20, 2007. Two university teachers were also assaulted by the army personnel of the temporary camp housed in the university the gymnasium.
The protests soon spread elsewhere, including major educational institutions in Dhaka and across the country.
Four Dhaka University teachers, three Rajshahi University teachers and scores of students were arrested in connection with the incident.
Marking the ‘black day’, teachers, students and employees of Dhaka University wore black badges on Monday. Classes at the university were suspended for two hours from 11:00am.
At a discussion meeting at the Dhaka University Teacher-Student Centre commemorating the incident, Menon also said the government had already decided not to continue with the 68 cases filed against the teachers, students and general people after the uprising.
‘If any more cases over the incident are detected, those will also be withdrawn…,’ the lawmaker said.
Dhaka University vice-chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique called for a complete and fair investigation and trial of the August 2007 incidents.
‘People should know who were involved in the incidents and whose failure caused it,’ he said.
‘Such nasty incidents will not happen again if everything relating to the August 2007 incidents comes to light,’ he observed. ‘It was the courage, honesty and patriotism of the Dhaka University teachers and students, which inspired them to protest against the undemocratic forces.’
The pro-VC Harun-ur-Rashid and DU Teachers’ Association’s former general secretary Anwar Hossain, who were arrested on August 23, 2007, and DUTA president Khandaker Bazlul Haq also addressed the audience, among others.
Teachers Against Oppression also held a rally on the foot of the Aparajeya Bangla at 10:00am to mark the occasion.
Since 2008, DU is observing August 23, the day its teachers Anwar Hossain and Harun-ur-Rashid were arrested, as ‘black day’.

RU teachers, students observe Black Day

Black Day was observed at Rajshahi University on Monday, marking the repression on teachers and students on the campus on this day in 2007.
The Anti-communalism and Anti-imperialism Teachers Forum of the university brought out a rally and paraded the campus roads marking the day.
Afterwards, the repressed teachers and students were honoured at Kazi Nazrul Islam auditorium.
RU vice-chancellor Professor Abdus Sobhan, pro-VC Professor Muhammad Nurullah, Professor Hassan Azizul Haque, Kayesh
Uddin, Fayek Uzzaman, Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan, Golam Sabbir Sattar Tapu, Moloy Kumar Bhowmik, Dulal Chandra Bishwash,
Selim Reja Neuton, Al Mamun and Sakhawat Hossain, among others, spoke on the occasion.
Repressed teacher Professor Saidur Rahman Khan, who is now the Bangladesh high commissioner to the United Kingdom, also greeted the participants of the meeting through mobile phone message.

 


Entertainment News

Entertainment  News

Azam Khan on his way home

Ailing Bangla pop guru and freedom fighter Azam Khan will return on Monday after a month-long treatment in Singapore, his family has said.
The pop-song pioneer has been suffering from mouth cancer and flew to Singapore on Aug 14 for better treatment.
The operation on him was done successfully at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore on Aug 21.
Azam's elder daughter Ima Khan told bdnews24.com: "He is almost healed but will be given Tomotherapy to cure the affected place."
For this, the pop guru will fly to Singapore on Sept 10, the Tomotherapy will start from Sept 13.
"My father's verbal condition is not quite stable yet," Ima added.
Azam Khan will reach Dhaka on 9pm.
Before going to Singapore on Aug 13, Azam, in an exclusive interview, told bdnews24.com that he felt a piece of flesh under his tongue but didn't take it seriously. The doctors later examined his mouth cancer.
He was born in the capital's Azimpur on Feb 28, 1950. He has released 17 solo albums to date. A large number of his songs were also released in mixed albums.
'Ore Saleka, Ore Maleka' is one of his songs that became very popular in the eighties.

 

Nova’s glamour world career continues

Lured by the fun of it, Nova started modelling. At one point of her modelling career in 2006, she received an offer for acting in Animesh Aich’s TV play ‘Prem O Ghamer Galpo’ which went on air on Banglavision as special TV play on the occasion of Eid.
Bangladeshi model Nova
Since then, Nova became a regular face on the small screen. Despite she was very ill for more than two weeks and admitted to a hospital, Nova will be seen in several TV plays on the occasion of Eid. She has already acted in five TV plays that are expected to go on air on different television channels. Raihan Khan’s ‘Nashto Sukh’ and ‘Samudre Chandragrohan’ Mizanur Rahman Labu’s ‘Sharto’ and Nazrul Islam’s ‘Nibhrita Nirjane’ are among the plays.
According to Nova, the most challenging role was her character in the play ‘Nibhrita Nirjane’, which deals with the struggle of a single mother.
‘I have played the role of the daughter. Her mother develops a romantic relationship with a person but remain confused whether to move forward with it. RJ-actor Nawsheen played the mother. It was quite hard for both of us, as Nawsheen is only two or three years older than me,’ said Nova.
‘Another funny thing was I had to address actor Apurba as uncle in the play,’ Nova added with a big grin on her face. She had been paired with the popular actor in many TV plays.
In ‘Nashto Sukh’, Nova played a girl who betrays her lover by marrying someone else. Mosharraf Karim has acted against her in the play. And the story of the play ‘Sharto’ centres on the relationship between two sisters. The relationship is strained when both the sisters fall in love with a same guy. About her characters in these plays, Nova said, ‘Honestly, I enjoyed every character I have played, each were different from the others’.
Recently, Nova has completed shooting for a TV commercial for Diamond Melamine which is expected to be on air from this week. The TVC, also featuring Fair & Lovely superhero Sohan Khan, was shoot at the spectacular location of Himchori and Inani beach of Cox’s Bazar.

 

Thursday, August 12, 2010

CNG  Felling stations
            shut 
3-9pm from Aug 16

ORDER uninterrupted, ORDER uninterrupted power supply

    
ORDER  uninterrupted  power 
 supply 


Thu, Aug 12th, 2010 11:15 pm

Dhaka, Aug 12  (bbsnews24.com)—Prime minister Sheikh Hasina have  again  once ordered uninterrupted power supply  sufferings of the common people.

bbsnews24.blogspot.com

Monday, August 9, 2010

Today Stock Market Updates

Monday

$2.00 sign up bonus just for joining!

$2.00 sign up bonus just for joining (must log into your account the same day you joined and abide by the terms & conditions to get the bonus).
Signupandmakemoney: Sign up

Saturday

Today Stock Market  Updates   

 

Today Stock Market Market Updates

The markets trimmed its losses but still closed lower over a disappointingly high number of job losses in July. The Dow lost 21 points to 10,653 while Nasdaq slipped 4 points to 2288.

The markets trimmed its losses but still closed lower over a disappointingly high number of job losses in July. The Dow lost 21 points to 10,653 while Nasdaq slipped 4 points to 2288.

On the upside

Second quarter earnings for Radiant Systems (RADS) nearly doubled to top analyst estimates as revenue climbed prompting the company to lift its full year outlook.

PerkinElmer (PKI) reported higher second quarter earnings that more than doubled to beat expectations and the company raised its guidance for 2010.

Second quarter earnings surged for Sotheby's (BID) to surpass analyst estimates by a wide margin as revenue soared.

On the downside

PharMerica (PMC) disappointed with sharply lower second quarter earnings.

UBS analyst Amitabh Passi said that Jabil Circuit's (JBL) management team has adopted a more cautious view of the upcoming quarter.

Kendall Law Group is investigating Grand Canyon Education (LOPE) for possible breaches of fiduciary duties by company directors and executives.

In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of nearly 5 to 4 on the NYSE and by more than 7 to 5 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks lost 4 points to 650.


source
MarketMinute Market Updates