| Hearing of Bijoy TV
graft case begins |
Staff Correspondent
Hearing of private Bijoy TV channel corruption case sued against City Mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury and two others city corporation high officials began in the Divisional Special Judge's Court here Tuesday.
Two main witnesses, Abu Mohammad Arif Siddique, Deputy Director of Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of Chittagong and Haniful Islam, Officer-in-Charge of Kotwali thana, gave their depositions of statements before the court on the first day .
Divisional Judge SM Solaiman recorded depositions of the two witnesses.
Earlier on May 27, last year, ACC filed the case against Mayor ABM Mohiuddin and Chief Executive Engineer of Chittagong City Corporation Mohammad
Imtiaj Hossain and its Chief Engineer Muktar Alam on charge of misappropriation of Tk 80 lakh in the name of running private channel Bijoy TV . |
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| Khairuzzaman
urges bizmen
to take help of
his office |
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Tax Ombudsman Khairujjaman Chowdhury delivered his speech at a discussion arranged by Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industries yesterday. Photo : People's View. |
Staff Correspondent
Tax ombudsman Khairu-zzaman Chowdhury on Tuesday urged the businessperson to take all out assistance from his office in resolving any dispute and allegation relating to payment of tax and duty at free
of cost. " The concept of the ombudsman is quiet different and its office in fact will play the role of arbitration between aggrieved tax payees and tax officials " Khairuzzaman Chowdhury said this while addressing the leaders of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industries at its auditorium.
The Ombudsman observed that the businessmen are largely depended on tax advisors in paying taxes for this reason they are often subject to be harassed for erroneous submission of tax return either faulty, less or excess of information
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| Ensuring environment freindly
building our aim : Aynul |
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Rehab Fair organizing comittee convenor Dr. Aynul Hoque and CEO of Sanmar M I Khasru talking with The Daily People’s View.
Photo : SK Morshed. |
P View desk
A 3-Day REHAB (Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh) Fair 2008 kicks off on January 17 to continue through January 19 at Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh, Chittaong Chapter, says a press release.
The slogan of this year is " Working for a Better Environment" which implies easing of housing problem in the district.
"Forty one Real Estate Developers and Builders and four financial institutions are taking part in the fair", said Dr. Kazi Aynul Hoque, Convener of REHAB Fair Chittagong Sub-Committee.
The fair aims at holding a dialogue and introduction between the promoters and customers, he informed saying " We are trying to build environment friendly buildings and help people to have their own home.
While stressing the observance of building code put forth by CDA strictly he called for government cooperation in this regard.
" This should be joint venture of the government and the builders" he said adding while seventy thousand apartments should be built every year to house increasing number of population as per WB statistics, only ten thousand apartments are being constructed a year so far. |
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| 2 crab pickers
drowned at
Banskhali loast |
Staff Correspondent
Two crabpickers drowned in the bay at Banskhali coast on Monday late evening.
Eyewitnesses and family sources said the crabpickers cum fishermen suddenly trapped in the quicksand and sank into the sea during the full tide while they were returning after angling in the western side of Banskhali coast at around 5:00 pm.
The tragic death thrown the two families of the dead into street as their lone earners are no more alive to bear the livelihood of the survivors .
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National News |
| Dialogue process with
political parties begins |
Adviser Shawkat phones Matia Chowdhury
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A caretaker government adviser called Awami League presidium member Motia Chowdhury Tuesday, seeking opinions about probable dialogue. Contacted Tuesday night by bdnews24.com, Motia said: "Mr Shawkat Ali (health and family welfare adviser) is my acquaintance. As an adviser to the government, he rang me around 11.30am and wanted to know what we are thinking about any dialogue with the government." "I said I would get back to him after taking a decision with other Awami League leaders in the party forum," she said. "I have informed acting party president Zillur Rahman about it," she said. Chief adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed in his address to the nation on Jan 12 promised to start dialogue with political parties soon.
Besides, the five new advisers in separate reactions to the media said they were keen on dialogue with the political parties. In a groundbreaking move the incumbent caretaker government Tuesday initiated practical steps towards dialogue with political parties to resolve knotty issues ahead of parliamentary polls. |
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New portfolios given to advisers, Spl Asstts
Matin takes charge of home |
Two advisers and three special assistants to the chief adviser have been given new portfolios, officials said. The Cabinet Division issued a circular on the distribution of portfolios among the three special assistants to the CA. Adviser MA Matin has been given the charge of the home ministry and colleague Anwarul Iqbal has been assigned to the labour and employment ministry, the chief adviser's press secretary Syed Fahim Munaim told bdnews24.com by phone Tuesday. He said the chief adviser's special assistant MA Malek Mollah has been assigned to the social welfare ministry, barrister Debashish Roy to the environment and forests ministry and M Tamim to the power division. The advisers and the special assistants will continue to be in charge of the ministries they are now alongside their new responsibilities.
On completion of one year in office, the caretaker government appointed new advisers and reshuffled portfolios after five advisers had resigned. Matin has been overseeing the shipping and liberation war affairs ministry. Earlier in the day, he said he was not thinking of resignation contrary to a newspaper report that he was quitting office.
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| Rights being hampered insome cases : Hassan Ariff |
Law, justice and parliamentary affairs adviser AF Hassan Ariff Tuesday said there were some cases where fundamental rights were being hampered due to the state of emergency.
"The state of emergency is not hampering fundamental rights in all spheres, but has done so in some cases," the adviser told reporters at the law ministry Tuesday
"Withdrawing the state of emergency will be considered when a normal atmosphere returns. We surely do not want to return to a situation such as occurred on Oct
28," Hassan Ariff said.
About the detention and subsequent release of businessmen by the High Court, Hassan Ariff said when the court cancels a detention order it is to be understood that the detention order was not legal.
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| US confident
about polls by
December: Pasi |
The United States is confident about the holding of parliamentary polls in Bangladesh by December this year as Foreign Advisor Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury Tuesday briefed the diplomatic community about government plans for free and fair elections.
"I am hopeful, I am confident and I am certain that elections by the end of 2008," US charge d'affaires Geeta Pasi told reporters after the briefing at the Foreign Ministry, UNB reports from Dhaka.
British High Commissioner Anwar Choudhury said the Foreign Advisor reassured them that " the progress
towards election is still on the right track".
He said the diplomatic community was briefed that there would be election by December, or earlier. The Foreign Advisor also briefed them the issues on board before the caretaker government.
Later, Iftekhar told reporters that the government-planned dialogue with political parties would open up a new chapter, echoing the Chief Advisor's assurance of lifting restrictions on indoor politics.
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Global News |
| Bush talks with Saudi king
about high oil prices |
AP/UNB , Riyadh
U.S. President George W. Bush on Tuesday nudged OPEC powerhouse Saudi Arabia and other cartel members to produce more oil, recognizing that soaring prices are straining the U.S. economy. Bush said he is speaking with Saudi King Abdullah, whose nation holds the world's largest oil reserves, about the situation that has seen the per-barrel price briefly top US$100 this month and U.S. pump prices jump past US$3 a gallon. "Oil prices are very high, which is tough on our economy," Bush said. "I would hope, as OPEC considers different production levels, that they understand that if ... one of their biggest consumers' economy suffers, it will mean less purchases, less oil and gas sold." The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries next meets Feb. 1 in Vienna, Austria, to consider increasing output.
Bush spoke before a discussion at the U.S. Embassy with Saudi entrepreneurs. While the president stuck to his schedule, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice slipped away from the Saudi capital for an unannounced visit to Baghdad for talks with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. One of his aides said Rice encouraged the prime minister to speed progress of legislation on provincial elections, constitutional amendments and a law to share oil and gas resources among the different sects..jpg)
Rice was en route to the Iraqi capital when the White House informed reporters traveling with the president. There was speculation before Bush left Washington last week on his eight-day Mideast trip that he would be the one to stop in Iraq.
Oil prices also came up during other stops on Bush's trip, largely in the context of his push for alternate fuels and sources of energy. White House counselor Ed Gillespie said Mideast leaders have talked to Bush about "the vast demand that's on the world market today for oil." He said that was "a legitimate and accurate point."
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| Troops to shoot anyone
disrupting Polls: Musharraf |
AP/UNB , Islamabad
Pakistan's largest city went on high alert Tuesday after the country's second deadly bombing in under a week, and the U.S.-allied president said he ordered troops to shoot anyone trying to disrupt next month's elections.
Western nations hope the Feb. 18 parliamentary polls will help bring stability to the nuclear-armed country as it battles rising attacks by al-Qaida and Taliban militants. President Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in a military coup eight years ago, is facing increasingly potent challenges to his rule.
A spasm of violence Monday underscored those challenges. Troops and militants clashed near the Afghan border, leaving 30 dead.
Separately, a bomb killed at least nine people and wounded 52 Monday in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi.
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