HSBC adds to sweeping bank job cuts in Europe

HSBC Holdings Plc is poised to axe about 700 jobs in its UK retail bank arm, as swingeing staff cuts begin in earnest at banks across Europe stung by a limp economic recovery, trading woes and tougher regulation.

The fresh round of layoffs, affecting Switzerland's Credit Suisse Group AG and Italy's Banco Popolare among others, is hitting investment banking divisions and branch networks after months of mounting scrutiny on costs.

Smaller-scale cuts throughout the early part of this year as banks discreetly trimmed back in some weaker areas look set to escalate dramatically.

Job reductions at HSBC will mainly affect retail banking, people close to the matter said on Thursday. About 460 financial advisory positions are set to go across its UK branches, one of the sources said.

The move comes prior to the implementation of new UK rules that will affect how banks offer advice, expected in January 2013 and known as the Retail Distribution Review.

The redundancies will add to 15,000 jobs set to go at Britain's part-nationalised Lloyds Banking Group Plc after new boss Antonio Horta-Osorio unveiled a strategy overhaul.

This latest round comes on top of 27,000 job losses at Lloyds since the 2008 financial crisis.

Trade union Unite slammed the redundancy plans at the two British banks, adding it was 'flabbergasted' by HSBC's move.

'Unite has been informed that these cuts will generate savings of around 9 million pounds for HSBC. Is it a coincidence that this figure is the equivalent to the bonus for Stuart Gulliver, HSBC chief executive, due to be paid later this month?' said David Fleming, Unite national officer.

Source : New Age

KSA bans domestic workers from Indonesia, Philippines

Saudi Arabia announced on Wednesday it would stop granting work permits to domestic workers from Indonesia and the Philippines, following hiring conditions imposed by the Asian countries.

The ministry of labour said it would 'stop issuing work visas to bring domestic workers from Indonesia and the Philippines, effective from Saturday' due to 'the terms of recruitment announced by the two countries,' according to a statement carried by state news agency SPA.

'The ministry's decision coincides with its great efforts to open new channels to bring domestic workers from other sources,' said the statement in English quoting the ministry's spokesman Hattab bin Saleh al-Anzi.

Last week Indonesian president Susilo Bambang YKSA bans domestic workers from Indonesia, Philippines   udhoyono denounced the beheading in Saudi Arabia of an Indonesian maid and accused Riyadh of breaking the 'norms and manners' of international relations.

His comments signalled Indonesia's growing anger over the treatment of its manual labourers in the Gulf countries, after a spate of cases of abuse and killings.

Ruyati binti Sapubi, 54, was beheaded on June 18 after she was convicted of killing her Saudi employer, prompting Indonesia to recall its ambassador in Saudi Arabia for 'consultations.'

Indonesia also announced a moratorium on sending migrant workers to Saudi Arabia, where hundreds of thousands of Indonesians toil as maids and labourers.

Saudi Arabia and the Philippines have also clashed over the working conditions of Filipina domestic workers in the oil-rich kingdom.

Earlier this year the Philippines asked Saudi Arabia to guarantee higher pay for Filipina housemaids but the request was turned down.

The Philippines demanded $400 in monthly wages for housemaids but Saudi authorities offered a base monthly salary of $210, Filipino labour official Carlos Cao had told the AFP in Manila in May.

Manila had also demanded proof that that Saudi households employing Filipina housemaids would pay and provide humane working conditions.

Rights groups say millions of mostly Asian domestic workers are regularly exposed to physical and financial abuse in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states due to poor or absent labour laws.

Source : New Age

Dhaka stocks continue to gain for fourth day

Dhaka stocks on Thursday continued with heavy gains for the fourth day as the bourse's president said that the government decision to allow investment of undisclosed money in the stock market would increase liquidity supply in July.

The DGEN, the benchmark general index of the DSE, gained 78.56 points, or 1.30 per cent, to close at 6,117.23 points though the index skidded 38 points in first few minutes of trading. The key index gained 68.18 points or 1.14 per cent on Wednesday.

DSE president Shakil Rizvi at a press conference at the bourse office said that the budgetary measures for the capital market would bring a positive impact and increase liquidity supply.

He thanked the government for allowing investment of undisclosed money in the capital market, along with the treasury bonds, by paying a 10 per cent tax.

Shakil, however, warned that they would remain vigilant so that the market did not become overpriced.

He requested the government to offload shares of profitable state-run companies to increase supply of good shares in the market.

DSE vice-president Ahsanul Islam urged the ruling and opposition parties not to do politics with the capital market.

The DSE wrapped up the week's trading with increased turnover, so far the highest after April 11, as the investors traded heavily for another day.

The day's turnover stood at Tk 954.84 crore, mainly driven by the government decision to allow investment of undisclosed money in the capital market. The turnover was Tk 937.66 crore on Wednesday and it was Tk 1,224.16 crore on April 11.

Of the 259 issues traded, 181 gained, 72 declined and six remained unchanged though most of the share prices went down at the beginning of the trade.

Source : New Age

Rice export ban extended for one year

The government has extended the ban on rice export for one more year till June 2010.

The commerce ministry on Thursday issued an order extending the ban, which was due to expire on the day, to keep the price of rice stable in the local market.

The food ministry earlier requested the commerce ministry to extend the ban for two more years.

The commerce ministry officials said that they had already forwarded the order on extending the ban for more year to the National Board of Revenue.

The government earlier in 2008 had first imposed ban on export of rice, except aromatic rice, for six months.

It continued to extend the ban every six months and imposed ban on

aromatic rice in

December 2010 along with other rice.

A high official of food ministry said that the some unscrupulous traders misused the opportunity of rice export and created volatility in the local rice market.

He said that the demand for rice had increased in market because of the rise in population and that was why the government decided not to withdraw the ban on rice export.

Source : New Age

DGEN ends FY 2010-11 where it began

The general index of Dhaka Stock Exchange ended the just-concluded fiscal year flat because of the massive volatility in the second half, although it had posted a 100 per cent growth in FY2009-2010.

The DGEN, which stood at 6,153.68 points on June 30, 2010, closed slightly lower at 6,117.23 points on Thursday, the last day of FY2010-2011, despite listing of 19 companies and mutual funds in the year.

The DGEN in FY2009-2010 had swelled by more than 3,143.41 points, or 104.42 per cent. The index stood at 3,010.26 points on June 30, 2009.

Share-trading in the just-concluded fiscal year began upbeat on the DSE floor with a huge number of investors flocking to different brokerages as both government high-ups and leaders of the bourse called upon people to invest in the market.

The growth of DGEN was robust in the first half of the FY2010-2011 reaching 8,918.51 points and the turnover of the bourse crossing Tk 3,200 crore mark on December 5.

A number of decisions of the central bank capping the lending rate of banks at 13 per cent and allowing banks more time to cut their overexposure in the capital market helped the stock prices to swell.

The stock prices, however, had begun to tumble since mid-December following the Bangladesh Bank moves to increase the banks' statutory liquidity ratio and cash reserve requirement and to reduce their exposure in the stock market.

When banks and other institutional investors rushed to sell shares making hefty profits, the DGEN crashed as panic spread among the general investors.

Angry investors took to the street as the DGEN took a 600-point plunge in five minutes on January 20, following massive slides in the previous few days.

Although the market started to rebound slightly from mid-March, it began to slide again as uncertainty spread about implementation of the recommendations of a probe committee on the January's stock market debacle.

The government changed the high-ups of the Securities and Exchange Commission including its chairman as the commission was also held responsible for its failure to avert the market crash.

The bearish run in the market had continued till the day before the passage of the national budget on Wednesday. Investors are now hoping that the market would rebound as the government has allowed investment of undisclosed money in the capital market by paying a 10 per cent tax.

A number of investors told New Age that they were still in losses because of the bear run that had begun in December. 'So far, I have lost almost 50 per cent of my Tk 10 lakh investment because of the last six months of market debacle,' said Sohel Rana, an official at a private enterprise.

Market operators said the investors who had entered the market in November-December, when the share prices peaked, were the worst losers.

The market capitalisation of the DSE increased to Tk 2,85,389.22 crore on Thursday from Tk 2,70,074.45 crore on June 30, 2010 because of the listing of 19 companies and mutual funds in the just-concluded year.

The DSE's market capitalisation, however, increased to as high as Tk 3,68,071.42 crore on December 5, 2010.

Source : New Age

New FY begins with economic stability under severe strain

The new financial year begins today with macroeconomic stability under severe strain because of high inflation, liquidity crisis, dwindling balance of payment, and looming political uncertainty.

Economists and lending agencies have already identified the new financial year, especially implementation of the huge budget for the year, as a daunting challenge due to global price hike of commodities, declining remittance inflow, and looming political uncertainty over the caretaker government issue.

The budget for the fiscal year will be implemented from today as the treasury bench of the parliament on Wednesday passed the national budget for the fiscal 2011-2012.

Although the Tk 1,63,589 crore budget with a huge deficit of Tk 45,204 crore aims at containing the inflation within 7.5 per cent, economists apprehend that the inflation which was 10.20 per cent in May might not come down to the level targeted in the budget.

'I don't think the inflation would be eased soon as the commodity prices on international market are high. We had a favourable weather in the last two/three years, resulting in good harvest of grains. But this year, there are signs of early flooding. If the flood really hits, it will also affect aman cultivation and aggravate the inflation situation,' Zaid Bakht, research director at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, told New Age on Thursday.

He also said the country's balance of payment was also not in a good position because of high import cost due to increased commodity prices on the international market.

As per the latest data of Bangladesh Bank, as of April 2011 the country has a BOP deficit of $0.5 billion while the current account balance had nosedived in the first 10 months of the just-concluded fiscal year to $641 million from $2,653 million in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

Besides, the continued depreciation of the taka against the US dollar has made import of all items, from essential to luxury, expensive over the last six months, fuelling inflation.

The weak taka has also put the BOP under stress and widened the trade deficit.

The value of taka has depreciated by more than 5 per cent against the dollar since January this year because of increased number of letters of credit opened for imports.

Although the country's export earnings have increased by more than 40 per cent in the first 10 months of the just-concluded fiscal year, on the other hand, the trade deficit also widened to $6.43 billion from $4.5 billion in the same period of FY2009-10. The total trade deficit in the just-concluded year would cross $8 billion mark, if the accounts of the last two months are added.

Zaid Bakht said the decelerated growth in remittance inflow was increasing pressure on the BOP.

Economists and business leaders have also expressed concern over the government's projected bank borrowing for this fiscal year as the banks are struggling to provide loans to private sector because of liquidity crisis.

The government in the budget targets to borrow Tk 18,957 crore from the banking system to meet a part of the yawning budget deficit.

The amount of government borrowing from the banking system in the July-April period of FY2010-11 was Tk 11,380 crore against the targeted Tk 15,000 crore.

Zaid Bakht also pointed out that the looming political unrest over the caretaker government issue might affect the economy in the new fiscal year.

The treasury bench of the parliament on Thursday passed the 15th constitution amendment bill, scrapping the caretaker government system.

The opposition parties led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which already enforced a number of general strikes against the government move to scrap the caretaker government system, are likely to launch tougher movements after the passage of the bill.

'We are not seeing any middle ground between the feuding parties. Any election without the participation of all the major parties will not be an acceptable one. So, it is the ruling parties' responsibility to create an environment that facilitates all political parties to participate in the elections,' said Zaid.

For the sake of the country and its economy, all parties should reach a consensus, he said.

Mostafizur Rahman, executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, told New Age on Thursday that they had already highlighted the challenges of fund mobilisation for implementing the budget and the risks, like inflation, the economy would face in the new financial year.

'There is a huge investment and expenditure plan in the budget for the fiscal 2011-2012. To accumulate funds and implement the development budget, the political environment should be conducive to growth of export, order placement, and foreign direct investment,' he said.

He said they hoped there would be discussion and compromise among the political parties over the issue for the sake of economy.

Source : New Age

New police service in Ctg for female RMG workers

The Chittagong Metropolitan Police is going to launch a fresh service to quell violence towards female RMG workers in the city.

The CMP officials hope that the special service would come into force by July, 2011.

The police say, according to the new service system, two deputy commissioners and four assistant commissioners will receive complaints over phone about sexual harassments and other violence against the workers.

According to the magnitude of the complaints, the respective police officers will give the victims legal suggestions and, if necessary, the police will lodge cases, the police tell New Age.

The police officials say they have mulled over the service since long as the 3.5 lakh female RMG workers in the port city often face violence and sexual harassment at their workplaces and on their way home.

They think that the service will ensure security of the workers so that they can return home safely with their belongings and move freely.

The police say that the complaints can be filed with deputy commissioner (North) Amena Begum at 01713373253, deputy commissioner (Port) Kushum Dewan at 01713373264, assistant commissioner (Kotwali) Manjur Morshed at 01713373254, assistant commissioner (Panchlaish) Abdul Mannan at 01713373255, assistant commissioner (Double-mooring) SM Tanvir Arafat at 01713373266 and assistant commissioner (Port) Emran Hussain Bhuyian at 01713373265.

CPM deputy commissioner Amena Begum tells, 'We will hold a meeting on the new service system with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association authorities with in shortest possible time for the service's successful implementation.'

She also hopes that through the service the violence towards female workers will be curbed to a large extent.

Assistant police commissioner (Kotwali) Manjur Morshed says the police will inspect the garment factories and talk with the female workers and the members of the Workers' Welfare Committees and receive information on the problems the workers face at workplaces and on the way.

The police also supply mobile numbers of the respective police officers to the workers that they can launch complaints at any time, Manjur Morshed says.

BGMEA first vice-president Nasir Uddin Chowdhury welcomes the police initiative and thinks through the service the security of the workers will be ensured: 'The workers will regain their confidence to come to the workplaces and return home safely.'

Bangladesh OSK Garment and Textile Workers' Federation Chittagong unit convener Abdur Razzaque, however, expresses his doubt over the new police initiatives.

'Female RMG workers face sexual harassment and are often killed across the country and the police fail to curb the crimes,' he says.

He also complains that the police failed to play their role when RMG worker Panna Rani Das was raped and later killed in the Chittagong city on July 8.

Source : New Age

Robbers loot house leaving six inmates bullet-wounded

Six members of a family were injured when a gang, fleeing after committing robbery, fired on them at Shah Mirpur in the Chittagong city early Thursday.

The Karnaphuli police said that the gang made off with goods worth about Tk 15 lakh.

The police and local people said that a group of 20-25 men entered the two-storey residence of expatriate Abul Kashem by cutting the window grilles at about 2:30am.

Holding the family at gunpoint they took away valuables, including Tk 5 lakh in cash and about 30 tolas of gold ornaments.

Karnaphuli police officer-in-charge Aslam Hossain said that the women of the family captured one of the burglars and held him down despite his gang fired on them to free him. 

'The gang had to leave without him. The neighbours after giving him a serious beating handed him over to the police,' Aslam Hossain said.

The injured, three of whom were women, received treatment at hospital, he added. 

The victim family informed that Abul Kashem and his 10 brothers were working in different countries in the Middle East, adding that five of them were in the country during the robbery.

Source : New Age

Gayyum for tapping kidney expertise of Bangladesh

Mamun Abdul Gayyum, former president of the Maldives, on Thursday said that the health service providers from his country could obtain training on the treatment of kidney related diseases from Bangladesh.

He said this at a programme held by the Kidney Foundation Hospital and Research Institute at its office.

Gayyum came to Dhaka on June 26 to attend the 4th convocation of the University of Science and Technology of Chittagong held Wednesday.

Gayyum, presently chairman of Mamun Foundation, also stressed that the two organisations exchanged knowledge of modern medical sciences.

Every year around 18 million people in Bangladesh get affected with kidney related diseases, said the physicians at the programme.

Harun-r-Rashid, president of the KFHRI, said that both kidney transplantation and dialysis, the only treatments available at present for irreversibly damaged kidneys, were very costly.

National Professor Nurul Islam and former vice-chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Nazrul Islam attended the programme, among others.

Source : New Age

Rajshahi auto-rickshaw drivers withdraw strike

The auto-rickshaw drivers in the Rajshahi city withdrew their strike on Thursday as their employers gave assurance to meet their demands.

The decision to withdraw the strike came after the meeting between the auto-rickshaw drivers and owners held at the office of the battery-run auto-rickshaw owners' association on Thursday morning.

Sources said that the owners, responding to the demand of the drivers, pledged at the meeting to take action against the toll collectors.

Association president Halimuzzaman Alal and leaders of the drivers Khodabakhs and Nayon led the meeting.

The battery-run auto-rickshaw drivers enforced a wildcat daylong strike in the city on Wednesday protesting at the toll collection at every crossing. They vowed to continue their strike on Thursday also if no step were taken to stop the toll collection.

Source : New Age

BCL activists beat 2 Shibir men at RU

Bangladesh Chhatra League activists at Rajshahi University on Thursday beat two Islami Chhatra Shibir activists and handed them over to the police under the case in connection with the campus violence on February 9, 2010.

The arrested are Mahmudul Hasan and Zafar Hossain, both fourth year students of accounting and information system department of the university.

Witnesses said a group of BCL activists chased Hasan and Zafar while they were gossiping behind the university central library at about 11:00am and they took shelter inside a shop at the university transport market.

The BCL men brought them in front the Madar Bakhs Hall and severely beat them with sticks. Later, the Shibir men were handed over to the Motihar police.

RU BCL general secretary Abu Hussain Bipu said the Shibir men took part in February 9 campus violence that left BCL activist Faruk Hossain dead.

University proctor Chowdhury Mohammod Zakaria also echoed Abu Hussain.

Akbar Ali, officer-in-charge of Motihar police station, told New Age that they would take action against the Shibir men after interrogation.

Source : New Age

Speakers demand enough allocation for public health sector

Participants in a human chain in the Barisal city on Thursday demanded adequate budgetary allocation for the public health sector.

Swastha Adhikar Andolan Barisal committee organised the programme in front of the Aswani Kumar Hall.

They had also called for expanding the public health services to ensure quality healthcare for the grassroots particularly the underprivileged, rural and marginal groups.

The government must keep in mind that healthcare is not a privilege but a basic citizen right and its health related services should reflect the principle, they urged.

They also put emphasis on enhancing communication between the service providers and stakeholders to ensure accountability and transparency in the sector, training volunteer groups to monitor the quality of health services and implementing the citizen charter to achieve the millennium development goals.

The rally was addressed, among others, by Syed Habibur Rahman, Anwar Zahid, Ranjit Datta, Mohammad Nurul Islam, Muhammad Hossain Shikdar and Abdul Huq.

Source : New Age

1 killed as tree branch falls on car

A man was killed when a branch of a roadside tree broke down on a private car at Pahartali in the Chittagong city on Thursday morning.

The deceased was Abdul Hannan, 35, son of Abdus Salam, a resident of Sitakunda in the district.

Pahartali police officer-in-charge Omar Faroque said a large branch of Raintree broke down on a private car in front of the Railway Workshop in the city at about 10:00am leaving the passenger of the car injured critically.

Abdul Hannan, the passenger, was taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital, where the on duty doctors declared him dead.

Source : New Age

50 corrupt DWASA employees punished

The Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority have taken punitive measures, including termination and demotion, against 50 of it employees on charges of corruptions.


DWASA officials at an opinion sharing meeting at the WASA building in Dhaka on Thursday disclosed the information.
The meeting was organised marking one year of the DWASA Turnaround Programme 2010-12 that began in June, 2010.
DWASA managing director Taqsem A Khan said the programme was trying to bring transparency, accountability, and corporate management in the authority's character with a view to ensuring better customer services.
'We do not want to indulge corruption but it is harsh reality that we are not free from corruption,' he said, adding that 'You can not deny it in the situation of present Bangladesh.'
On curbing corruption, the managing director said they filed about a hundred departmental cases against about one hundred employees, ranked from security guards to superintendent engineers, in the first year of the turnaround programme.
'About 50 per cent of the cases were settled and the rest are under trial,' he said.
He also said that four employees were terminated without giving job benefits, some were terminated with giving limited benefits, some were demoted, and some employees were deprived of annual salary increment.
Responding to a question whether the WASA would make public the names of the employees responsible for the crimes, Taqsem A Khan said they would consider the issue later.
He said that if the authority published the names, the people concerned could be humiliated socially, though DWASA would consider the journalists' request.
He assured the media that the WASA management was not hostage to any power over making the names public though the service providing agency was engaged in a culture of corruption.
He also told media that, on the occasion of forth coming Ramadan, the authorities concerned had planned several programmes, including supplying free water at mosques and slum dwellers, ensuring fitness of water tankers and generators and setting up new deep tube-wells and repairing the olds.
He said the system loss of DWASA reduced to 29 per cent from 34 per cent.
At the programme, among other,
DWASA chief engineer SDM Quamrul Alam Chowdhury, deputy managing directors Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, Mohammad Liakath Ali and Sayed Golam Ahmmad were also present.
Source : New Age

Gayyum for tapping kidney expertise of Bangladesh

Mamun Abdul Gayyum, former president of the Maldives, on Thursday said that the health service providers from his country could obtain training on the treatment of kidney related diseases from Bangladesh.

He said this at a programme held by the Kidney Foundation Hospital and Research Institute at its office.

Gayyum came to Dhaka on June 26 to attend the 4th convocation of the University of Science and Technology of Chittagong held Wednesday.

Gayyum, presently chairman of Mamun Foundation, also stressed that the two organisations exchanged knowledge of modern medical sciences.

Every year around 18 million people in Bangladesh get affected with kidney related diseases, said the physicians at the programme.

Harun-r-Rashid, president of the KFHRI, said that both kidney transplantation and dialysis, the only treatments available at present for irreversibly damaged kidneys, were very costly.

National Professor Nurul Islam and former vice-chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Nazrul Islam attended the programme, among others.

Source : New Age

Rajshahi auto-rickshaw drivers withdraw strike

The auto-rickshaw drivers in the Rajshahi city withdrew their strike on Thursday as their employers gave assurance to meet their demands.

The decision to withdraw the strike came after the meeting between the auto-rickshaw drivers and owners held at the office of the battery-run auto-rickshaw owners' association on Thursday morning.

Sources said that the owners, responding to the demand of the drivers, pledged at the meeting to take action against the toll collectors.

Association president Halimuzzaman Alal and leaders of the drivers Khodabakhs and Nayon led the meeting.

The battery-run auto-rickshaw drivers enforced a wildcat daylong strike in the city on Wednesday protesting at the toll collection at every crossing. They vowed to continue their strike on Thursday also if no step were taken to stop the toll collection.

Source : New Age

Youth jailed for life in rape case

A court in Kurigram on Thursday sentenced a young man to life term imprisonment in a rape case.

The court also fined him Tk 30 thousand, in default, one year more rigorous imprisonment.

Kurigram district judge and also the justice of women and children repression tribunal, Md Sajedul Karim, handed down the verdict at about 2:30pm.

According to the prosecution, Zamat Ali of village Azmata under Nageswari upazila in Kurigram, raped a house wife at the same village at dead of night on September, 2006.   Zamat Ali went into hiding after the incident. The victim was divorced by her husband following the incident.

Later, the victim filed a case on January 3, 2007.

The public prosecutor advocate Abrahan Lincoln conducted the case on behalf of the state while advocate Siiddekur Rahman stood for the accused.

Source : New Age

No bar to religion-based politics, organisations

Religion-based political parties and other organisations using religion as their guidelines that have been facing the threat of being banned since the cancellation of the fifth amendment to the constitution can now operate legally following Thursday's sweeping constitutional amendments.

The parliament on Thursday passed the Constitution (15th Amendment) Bill, 2011, adding a new proviso to Article 38 instead of restoring the proviso scrapped by the fifth amendment.

The Article 38 says, 'Every citizen shall have the right to form associations or unions, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interests of morality or public order.'

The amendment, however, adds a proviso barring formation of any association or union 'for the purposes of destroying religious, social and communal harmony among the citizens; creating discrimination among citizens on the ground of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or language; organising terrorist acts or militant activities against the state or the citizens or any other country;' or if its formation and objects are inconsistent with the constitution.

Following the Appellate Division's decision upholding the High Court's landmark verdict that declared the fifth amendment to the constitution illegal, law minister Shafique Ahmed repeatedly said religion-based parties stood banned following cancellation of the fifth amendment as the previous proviso of Article 38 was restored.

The previous proviso said, 'Provided that no person shall have the right to form, or be a member or otherwise take part in the activities of, any communal or other association or union which in the name or on the basis of any religion has for its object, or pursues, a political purpose.'

Islamic political parties and organisations have mushroomed in the country since the constitutional ban on them was repealed during the first martial law in the country.

At least eight Islamic political parties including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami was registered with the Election Commission before the last general elections.

Chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda on Thursday said the government, not the election commission, would take decision about the religion-based political parties. He made the statement at a dialogue with the Ganatantri Party at the EC secretariat conference room.

Source : New Age

Youth jailed for life in rape case

A court in Kurigram on Thursday sentenced a young man to life term imprisonment in a rape case.

The court also fined him Tk 30 thousand, in default, one year more rigorous imprisonment.

Kurigram district judge and also the justice of women and children repression tribunal, Md Sajedul Karim, handed down the verdict at about 2:30pm.

According to the prosecution, Zamat Ali of village Azmata under Nageswari upazila in Kurigram, raped a house wife at the same village at dead of night on September, 2006.   Zamat Ali went into hiding after the incident. The victim was divorced by her husband following the incident.

Later, the victim filed a case on January 3, 2007.

The public prosecutor advocate Abrahan Lincoln conducted the case on behalf of the state while advocate Siiddekur Rahman stood for the accused.

Source : New Age 

Maj Gen Anwar new DG of BGB

Major General Anwar Hossain joined as the director general of Border Guard Bangladesh Thursday.


At a simple ceremony at BGB headquarters, Major General Anwar took charge from outgoing DG Major General M Rafiqul Islam, a press release said.
Major General Anwar got commission in Artillery Corps of the Bangladesh Army in 1979 and served in different positions in the army at command and staff levels.
Before taking the new charge, Major General Anwar was serving as GOC of Army Training and Doctrine Command of the Bangladesh Army.
Source : New Age

Nasreen Sultana’s death anniv today

The 6th anniversary of death of Nasreen Sultana will be observed in Dhaka today.

He was wife of freedom fighter Majibur Rahman Khoka, also a publisher, said a press release.

A prayer session will be held at her residence and food will be distributed among the poor today.

Source : New Age

Fazlul Karim’s death anniv today

The first anniversary of death of Fazlul Karim Majumder, former vice-principal of Comilla Victoria College, will be observed today.

A prayer session and recitation from the Quran will be held at village Noapara in Hajiganj, Chandpur, after jumma prayers. 

Another prayer session is scheduled to be held in his Comilla Housing Estate residence after asr prayers.

Fazlul Karim died of kidney diseases at Apollo Hospitals in Dhaka in 2010.

His youngest son Tarek Mahmud works with Bangla daily Prothom Alo as a special correspondent.

Source : New Age

12 AL-led alliance MPs absent while amendments passed

Twelve lawmakers of the Awami League-led alliance were not present in the Parliament when the Fifteenth Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2011 was passed on Thursday.

A total of 292 lawmakers, including an independent member, were present in the House, while the lawmakers of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led opposition alliance remained absent, along with the lone lawmaker of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Sources in the AL parliamentary party said that 11 AL members did not attend the session as most of them were ill and some were abroad, and one Jatiya Party lawmaker, AKM Mayeedul Islam, failed to attend due to illness.

AL lawmakers Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu, Monirul Islam and Shahiduzzaman Sarkar are in London, the USA and India respectively for medical treatment, while AHM Mostafa Kamal is in Malaysia to attend a conference.

Other AL lawmakers who failed to attend the session due to illness were Abdullah Al Kaiser, Chayan Islam, Matiur Rahman, Syeda Zebunnesa Huq and Meher Afroz Chumki.

Another lawmaker, Abdur Rahman Badi, failed to attend the session as he missed the flight from Cox's Bazar in the morning, while Sheikh Helal Uddin was absent due to urgent personal business, said sources.

AL lawmakers Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun and Tanzim Ahmed Sohel failed to vote as the doors of the Sangsad's lobby were closed before they could enter.

'All of our lawmakers, excepting 11 of Awami League and one of Jatiya Party, were present during the voting,' AL whip ASM Feroz told New Age, adding that the attendance of the ruling party MPs was satisfactory and most of the absentees were ill.

Source : New Age

18 dy secys shuffled

The government has transferred 18 deputy secretaries.

A statement from the public administration ministry said on Thursday an order had been passed to this effect.

The government also transferred four upazila nirbahi officers through the same order.

Source : New Age

Transport labour leaders support committee’s hartal

The leaders of road transport workers on Thursday extended their support to the half-day hartal called by the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources and Port in the capital on July 3.

We are generally against hartals but we support the hartal called by the national committee to save the mineral resources of the country from being plundered by foreigners, they said.

The national committee's leaders exchanged views with the transport labour leaders at the central office of the Bangladesh Sramik Federation on Rajuk Avenue.

The senior vice-president of the federation, Abdur Rahim Baksh Dudu, chaired the meeting attended by general secretary Osman Ali, Badal Chowdhury, national committee's convener Sheikh Muha-mmd Shaheedullah, member-secretary Anu Muhammad, Ruhin Hossain Prince, Bazlur Rashid Firoz, Ragib Ahsan Munna and Mehdi Hasan.

The national committee's leaders also staged a rally near the Railgate in Khilgaon and later marched up to Basabo Bazaar and distributed leaflets to drum up support for the hartal called by it.

National committee leaders Ashraf Hossain Ashu, Zonayed Saki, Ahsan Habib Lablu, Shahidul Islam Sobuj and others took part at the programme.

Source : New Age

Sylhet lawyers oppose joint survey

Lawyers staged a demonstration in Sylhet city on Thursday opposing a fresh joint survey designed to hand over to hundreds of acres of Bangladesh territory in Sylhet to India.

Hundreds of lawyers formed a human chain, under the banner of District Lawyers' Association, defying torrential rains opposing the joint survey.

They called the fresh joint survey an Indian ploy for grabbing Bangladesh territory along the Sylhet-Meghalaya border.

There is absolutely no need to re-demarcate the boundary disregarding the existing border pillars, they said.

The protesters said India set its eyes to grab hundreds of acres of Bangladesh territory in Goainghat, Jaintapur, Companiganj, Kanaighat and Jakiganj in Sylhet along its border with Meghalaya.

They said that there was no need for a fresh joint survey disregarding the concrete border pillars established in 1947 following boundary demarcation by Radcliffe Commission.  

They said setting up new border pillars in the village Padua inside Bangladesh and similar other points meant Bangladesh losing its territory to India.

Padua is in Goainghat upazila.

Later, they told a rally that the boundary pillars were established in 1947 after the demarcation was done by Cyril Radcliff Commission.

They took out a silent procession from the Second Bar Hall and gathered at the Court Point to form the human chain.

The rally was addressed by, among others, the association president EU Shahidul Islam, general secretary Fayzur Rahman Chowdhury Shahin, joint secretary Golam Razzaq Chowdhury, assistant secretary Khaled Jubayer, executive members Abdur Rakib, Kabir Ahmad Babar, Fakhruddin Ahmad, Abdul Khalique, Abdul Mannan, Sad Uddin, Mohammad Zakir Hossain, Ashiq Uddin Ashuq and Abdul Hye Quayum.

Source : New Age

Problems of minority leaders, commission members hinder resolution: Shafique

The law minister, Shafique Ahmed, on Thursday said that land disputes in the Chittagong Hill Tracts could not be resolved because of the problems among the national minority leaders and within the CHT land commission.

He said that the CHT land disputes resolution commission chairman was sincere enough to ensure the land rights of national minorities. 'The problem lies with the members of the land commission… They [other members] must have some interest.'

Shafique said this during an argument with Bangladesh Bar Council's Human Rights Committee chairman ZI Khan Panna at the launch of a book in the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka.

The Association for Land Reform and Development organised the programme where 'The CHT Regulation 1900,' compiled by the Chakma circle chief Raja Devashish Roy and Supreme Court lawyer Pratikar Chakma, was launched.

Justice Golam Rabbani presided over the programme, attended by Supreme Court lawyers including Karunamoy Chakma and Rana Das Gupta and the ALRD executive director, Shamsul Huda.

Emphasising communal ownership of land and customary laws of the national minorities, the minister said, 'Plain-land people have no authority to encroach on your land but you [national minorities] have to prove to the land commission that you are the owners.'

ZI Khan Panna asked how the land commission could survey the community property as the constitution does not recognise community ownership.

Raja Devashish, who is also a member of the CHT land disputes resolution commission, tried to speak but was stopped by Justice Rabbani.

Source : New Age

Hold student union polls to make way for new leadership: Obaidul

Awami League presidium member and lawmaker Obaidul Quader on Thursday said a lack of elections to student unions at educational institutions was creating anarchy in the student politics.

He urged the student leaders to refrain from holding on to positions in violation to the constitution of their organisations which set certain age limit for holding an office and to pave the way for leadership from the competent newcomers.

He said AL president Sheikh Hasina ordered the leaders of all student organisations to hold councils in time in line with their constitutions.

Obaidul Quader made the remarks in his address as the chief guest to the council of Bangladesh Chhatra League Dhaka University unit at the Institution of Engineers, Bangl-adesh at Ramna in the capital.

BCL president Mahmud Hasan Ripon inaugurated the council chaired by BCL DU unit president Sohel Rana Tipu.

BCL general secretary Mahfuzul Haider Chowdhury Roton and BCL DU unit general secretary Sajjad Sakib Bads-ha, among others, also addre-ssed the inaugural session.

The present office bearers of the BCL DU unit will resign and new leaders elected in the council, the speakers told the council.

Source : New Age

Labour leaders demand reopening of Adamjee Jute Mills

Leaders of labour and peasant organizations and rights activists on Thursday demanded immediate reopening of the Adamjee Jute Mills and fixing the rate of raw jute at Tk 2000 per mound (40 kilogram) ahead of the the jute harvest season.

They made the demand at a discussion on 'Challenges in Jute Sector: Our Responsibilities' jointly organized by Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihood and Nagarik Sanghati at Mukti Bhaban in city's Paltan area to mark the ninth anniversary of closure of AJM.

The then government of BNP-led four-party alliance had declared the AJM closed on June 30, 2002.

The industries minister, Dilip Barua, who addressed the meeting as chief guest, did not respond to the demand directly, but said it would be difficult to reopen the mills that have been once closed.

'There were national and international conspiracies to destroy the country's jute industry… But the present government has taken the jute sector as a potential sector and is trying to restore its lost glory,'he said.

The minister said that the government was trying to ensure that the farmers can get fair prices for jute, but it was not possible to meet the farmers' expectation overnight.

He said the government would encourage establishing industries in the private sector and opined that the jute industry should be modernised with advanced technology to ensure higher productivity.

Referring to urea price hike, Barua said that the government had fixed the urea rate at Tk 20 per kilogram while production rate was Tk 34 per kilogram.

Addressing the ceremony, National Jute Commission member Shahidullah Chowdhury said the BNP-led four-party alliance government had closed down the AJM. But on the other hand, the Awami League during their 1996-2001 regime, had begun to downsize the mill by sacking its workers.

Jibananda Jayanta who presented the keynote paper at the discussion suggested for considering the  interest of the country and public to adopt a policy to ensure mandatory use of jute goods and adopt measures for development of seed, improving technology and expanding local and international market for jute.

Chaired by CSRL member secretary Ziaul Haque Mukta, the discussion was also addressed by Rezaul Karim of International Jute Study Group, Jatiya Krishak Jote general secretary Anwarul Islam Babu, Jago Bangladesh Garments Shramik Federation president Md Baharane Sultan Bahar and Nagarik Sanghati general secretary Sharifuzzaman Sharif.

Source : New Age

SC suggestion for independence of judiciary ignored

The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution made on Thursday in the Parliament will not ensure the absolute independence of the judiciary, as an observation made by the Supreme Court was ignored.

Law minister Shafique Ahmed, speaking about the reasons for, and objectives of, the Constitution (Fifteenth Amendment) Bill 2011, said that the Bill proposed restoration of the basic character of the original Constitution framed in 1971.

However the Bill, passed by the Jatiya Sangsad, did not restore the original Articles 115 and 116 of the Constitution, which deal with the appointments to, and control and supervision of, the lower judiciary.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, in its verdict that declared the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution void, which necessitated the Fifteenth Amendment, observed that the original Articles 115 and 116 should be restored.

The highest court observed in its verdict, 'However, we are of the view that...unless Articles 115 and 116 are restored to their original position, independence of the judiciary will not be fully achieved.'

'It is our earnest hope that Articles 115 and 116 of the Constitution will be restored to their original position by the Parliament as soon as possible,' said the verdict.

The Bill, however, contains no amendment to Article 115, which absolutely empowers the president to appoint judges to the lower judiciary.

Although the Bill replaces the existing Article 116 by a new one, the text of the Article has not been changed.

The existing Article 115 reads, 'Appointments of persons to offices in the judicial service or as magistrates exercising judicial functions shall be made by the President in accordance with rules made by him in that behalf.'

The original Article said, 'Appointments of persons to offices in the judicial service or as magistrates exercising judicial functions shall be made by the President — (a) in the case of district judges, on the recommendation of the Supreme Court; and (b) in the case of any other person, in accordance with rules made by the President in that behalf after consulting the appropriate Public Service Commission and the Supreme Court.'

The original Article was substituted by the existing Article by the Fourth Amendment in 1975.

The existing Article 116, the text of which remains unchanged, in its new form says, 'The control (including the power of posting, promotion and grant of leave) and discipline of persons employed in the judicial service and magistrates exercising judicial functions shall vest in the President and shall be exercised by him in consultation with the Supreme Court.'

The original Article said, 'The control (including the power of posting, promotion and grant of leave) and discipline of persons employed in the judicial service and magistrates exercising judicial functions shall vest in the Supreme Court.'

It was changed through the Fourth Amendment by substituting the term 'President' for the term 'Supreme Court', empowering the president with absolute supervisory authority over the lower judiciary.

The existing provision of consultation with the Supreme Court was added by the Fifth Amendment, partially restoring the independence of the judiciary.

In its verdict the court said that the Fifth Amendment made 'partial restoration of the independence of the judiciary' which was 'curtailed by the Fourth Amendment'.

Sources in the parliamentary special committee on Constitution amendment said that the committee had initially agreed in principle to restore the two original Articles in line with the Supreme Court's verdict.

It, however, backtracked from its position as the government did not agree with its move, said the sources.

Finally the special committee recommended retention of the changes to Article 116 brought about by the constitution's Fourth Amendment and marital law proclamations. It did not say anything about Article 115.

Law minister Shafique Ahmed, however, on Thursday claimed that the independence of the judiciary would be ensured by the amendment.

Now it is not possible to restore Article 115 to its original position as other rules are related to the existing Article, and appointments and control of the lower judiciary are being made according to those rules, he said.

At present everything relating to the lower judiciary is being done in consultation with the Supreme Court and the ministry is providing secretarial support only, he claimed.

The lower judiciary was made independent of the executive branch on 1 November, 2007 following the Appellate Division's directives, which entailed amending the Code of Criminal Procedure and framing four sets of rules.

The Bill replaces the existing Article 95(1) by a new one, which says, 'The Chief Justice shall be appointed by the President, and the other judges shall be appointed by the President after consultation with the Chief Justice.'

The existing article says, 'The Chief Justice and other Judges shall be appointed by the President.'

A new Article 95(1) was substituted for the original Article by the Fourth Amendment. The amended clause had said, 'The Chief Justice and other Judges shall be appointed by the President.'

The Bill replaces the existing Article 96, which deals with the tenure and removal of the Supreme Court's judges, with a new Article.

The proposed Article 96, however, stipulates similar provisions, including the provision of the Supreme Judicial Council, stipulated in the existing Article.

The Bill substitutes the existing Article 99 by a new one, which will disqualify the Supreme Court judges from holding any office of profit in the service of the republic that is not a judicial or quasi-judicial office after their retirement or removal, but qualify a retired or removed High Court judge to plead before the Appellate Division.

It amends Article 103, allowing an aggrieved person to appeal to the Appellate Division, without any permission, against any High Court verdict that 'has confirmed a sentence of death or sentenced a person to death or to imprisonment for life'.

Source : New Age

Ministry orders termination of contract with Intraco for forgery

The communications ministry on Thursday asked the roads division to terminate the contract won by Intraco BD Associates Ltd for converting two sections the Joydevpur-Mymensingh Highway into four lanes by submitting forged documents of joint venture with a Chinese company.

Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain asked the roads division secretary, in a letter, to initiate other actions as well against Intraco.

He also asked for initiating steps for forfeiting the company's performance guarantee deposit and recovering advance payments made to it.

He asked the roads division secretary to initiate an inquiry to find out why proper scrutiny was not done during the tender evaluation process as well as before signing the contract with the company in January, 2011.

The company was awarded the contract to convert into four lanes 12.65 km of the highway from Joydevpur to Rajedrapur and another 17.60 km stretch from Rajendrapur to Maona at a cost of Tk 329 crore.

In the letter, Abul Hossain also asked the secretary for issuing directives to the roads and highways department for filing a criminal case against Intraco BD Associates and for taking other punitive actions for forgery under the public procurement rules of 2008.

He issued the order after a newspaper reported about the company forging documents of HRBC, a Chinese international construction company, to get the contract.

HRBC had complained to the ministry the forgery.

Following the complaint the ministry found that Intraco BD Associates had submitted fake documents of joint venture agreement and power of attorney of HRBC by forging the signatures of legal representatives and managing director of the Chinese company to get the contract, officials said.

They said that the ministry initiated the action as its senior officials, while visiting the sites in May, found no representative of the Chinese company there.

Following the complaint from HRBC a two-member investigation team of the roads and highways department visited its head office in China from June 10 to 13, 2011.

The Chinese company told the team that it did not bid for the tender.

Source : New Age

Two teenage boys drowned in city

Two children drowned in two ponds – one at the Botanical Garden in Mirpur and the other at Muradpur in Jurain – in capital on Thursday.

At Muradpur, 12-year-old Abdur Razzak drowned in a pond in Medical Road, where he had gone to swim at around 12:30pm.

Abruk Razzak, son of Jumman Khan, was a Class VI student at the Islamia Alim Madrassah of Muradpur. He hailed from Chandpur district.

The body was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for post-mortem examinations.

In Mirpur, a Class X student at the Mirpur Adarsha High School drowned in a pond at the Botanical Garden at around 3:00pm while taking a bath.

The deceased was identified as Apu Islam, 15, son of Abdul Matin, a resident of Senpara Parbata of Mirpur.

The police recovered the body and sent it to the DMCH morgue for autopsy.

Two cases of unnatural death were filed in these connections.

Source : New Age

Security beefed up in capital

Security in the city was beefed up to fend off any untoward incident as parliament passed the 15th amendment bill in absence of the main opposition.

Tejgaon zone deputy commissioner Mohammad Imam Hossain on Thursday said patrol in and around parliament building had also been geared up.

'The security measure has been taken as there is an apprehension of trouble on the streets over the amendment,' he told the news agency.

Shahidul Haque, officer-in-charge of Paltan police station, was on duty at Naya Paltan, where the central office of the main opposition is situated.

He said the security had been tightened around the BNP office, too. 'The police personnel have taken position at every intersection. They're also checking people, if necessary.'

Ramna zone deputy commissioner Krishnapada Roy, in-charge of Shahbagh, National Press Club and Dhaka University areas for Thursday, said police had been put on highest alert

to deal with any possible trouble.

Source : New Age

Man kills 10-month-old son

A man killed his 10-month-old son throwing him into a well at Gilajuki Uttarpara village of Chengmari union under Mithapukur upazila of Rangpur district on Thursday noon.

Police and locals said Saiful Islam, 30, son of the late Nur Mohammad, married Rezina Begum, daughter of Mantu Miah, a resident of the same village, three years ago. Saiful started to torture Rezina physically and mentally soon after the marriage, asking her to bring dowry from her parents. Rezina gave birth to a boy 10 months back and named him Rabbi Hasan.

Rezina left her husband's house for her father's home four months ago, being unable to tolerate the torture by her husband any more. Saiful sent a man to Rezina with the message that he wanted to see his son. The man accordingly brought the baby on Thursday. Later in the day, Saiful threw the child into the well of his house.  

Saiful tried to flee the scene soon after committing the infanticide but locals captured him. The police on information came to the spot and arrested Saiful. They also recovered the body of the child from the well.

Rezina filed a murder case against her husband with Mithapukur police station the same day.

Source : New Age

BSF kills Bangladeshi at Burimari

Mizanur Rahman, a 25-year old Bangladeshi cattle trader was killed by Indian Border Security Force at Burimari in Patgram upazila in Lalmonir-hat early morning Thursday.

Patgram police recovered his body from the river Saniyazan at Burimari border.

Son of Fazlul Haque, Mizan hailed from the village, Bamondol, close to the  Burimari border, in Patgram upazila.

Quoting family members and neighbours, Patgram police station officer-in-charge Murshidul Karim said, Mizan was caught by BSF when he and four other traders were returning from India with the cattle they had bought.

He said Mizan died during 'inhuman torture' by BSF.

He said that BSF later threw his body into the river Saniyazan.

Local people informed the police after they saw his body floating in the river.

The police recovered his body with help from them, he said.

BGB had no information about it, said its camp commander at Burimari subedar Based Miah.

The police sent his body to Lalmonirhat Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Source : New Age

Teachers beat up for protesting at stalking

Stalkers beat teachers of Hashimpur High School of Jessore sadar upazila for protesting at harassing the girl students Thursday.

Witnesses said a group of spoiled young boys led by Abul Kalam Azad alias Mintu and Azizul were harassing the girl students in the school compound. Headmaster Ranjit Kumar Ghose protested and asked the stalkers to leave the compound.

That angered the stalkers. They beat up Ranjit Kumar and other teachers.

Soon the teachers and students staged a demonstration. They also submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner demanding adequate punishment to the stalkers.

Source : New Age

Myanmar state press warns against Suu Kyi ‘games’

Myanmar's state media on Thursday warned pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi not to 'go on playing political games', a day after the government told her to stay out of politics.

Suu Kyi has no intention of cancelling her first planned tour since being freed, she said Wednesday, after the regime warned it could spark riots and chaos and wrote to her to state that her party's activities had broken the law.

'If they go on playing political games, disregarding the constitution and the government that have been internationally recognised, they cannot hope for any fruitful results,' said the English-language New Light of Myanmar.

'But what they are resorting to will have adverse effects on the interests of the people.'

The democracy icon was freed in November after seven straight years of house arrest, less than a week after an election in Myanmar that left her sidelined and which critics said was a sham aimed at cloaking ongoing military rule.

Her party, which won a landslide election victory in 1990 that was never recognised by the junta, was disbanded by the military rulers last year because it boycotted the election, the first in 20 years, saying the rules were unfair.

No schedule has been announced for 66-year-old Suu Kyi's trip around Myanmar, which would be a test both of her popularity and of her ability to travel around the country unhindered by authorities.

Thursday's newspaper comment also referred to a BBC lecture by Suu Kyi broadcast earlier this week, in which she said the recent uprisings in the Middle East had given fresh hope to people in her country.

The New Light piece said she should help to transform Myanmar 'from functional into ideal democracy, instead of dreaming of following the trend of uprisings in the Middle East'.

The newspaper said that just after her release last year, 'Aunty Suu' was seen to be acting 'in a gentle way for national unity', focusing more on social welfare than confronting the government.

'I would like to remind her that she should take correct approaches to put her words into deeds,' it added.

Expressing 'concern' for Suu Kyi's safety and security, Washington on Wednesday urged Myanmar to respect the Nobel laureate's freedom to travel and engage in political activities.

Source : New Age

30 injured in polls in 17 unions

At least 30 people were injured in stray incidents of violence after Thursday's elections in 17 unions.

Earlier, 30 people were killed in violence in the second phase of the staggered union council elections which began on May 31 amid stray clashes, intimidation and snatching of ballot boxes.

The local elections are set to end on July 5.

New Age Correspondent in Pabna reported that at least 30 people were injured in separate post-poll clashes in the villages, Holudbaria and Charbolarampour, in Bhanrara union in Pabna sadar upazila on Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

Police and witnesses said supporters of defeated member candidates Khaibor Ali and Abdur Rashid clashed in the

village Holudbaria following altercation over a trifling issue Thursday morning, leaving at least 20 people including women injured.

At least eight of the injured were admitted to Pabna Medical College Hospital.

In a separate incident in the village Charbolarampur in the same union, at least 10 persons were injured in clashes between the supporters of chairman elect Abu Sayeed and his contestant Gholam Mostafa Kafil Wednesday night.

People on both the sides were injured as the two groups attacked each other with sticks and other weapons.

At least three of the injured were admitted to hospital.

According to United News of Bangladesh

in Jhenidah, elections

in 67 unions in 6 upazilas ended almost peacefully but for some stray incidents.

According to district election office, ruling Awami League-backed chairman candidates won 38 unions and main opposition BNP backed candidates bagged 16, Jamaat backed candidates won 13 in the elections held from June 1 to 28.

Source : New Age

BCL attacks protests in girls’ hostel in Rajshahi College

Leaders and activists of Chhatra League, the ruling Awami League-backed student organisation, on Wednesday night attacked a rally of the female students inside a hostel in Rajshahi College.

Witnesses said that about 9:00pm, residents of Ramatunnessa Hostel went on demonstrations demanding that the decision on seat rent increase should be revoked.

Soon after, the college principal and vice-principal, along with some Chhatra League leaders and activists, reached the place asked the students to call off their protests.

But the students continued rallying to push for their demands and confined the principal, Ali Reza Abdul Mohammod Mazid, the vice-principal, Habibur Rahman, and Rajshahi city unit Chhatra League president, Shafikuzzaman.

Chhatra League men later attacked the rally, dispersed the students and forced them to go inside the rooms.

In protest at the attack, Rajshahi College students on Thursday morning formed a human chain and went on demonstrations at the main college gate.

The protesters in the human chain that continued for an hour demanded exemplary punishment of the attackers.

They said that the college unit Chhatra League president Rocky Kumar Ghosh and former convener Abdul Wahed Khan Tito during the agitation the night before tried to abuse female students and the students ran away for shelter.

Speakers at the rally also said that they were paying Tk 3,000 for an academic year but now the authorities are charging them the same amount for each calendar year.

They said that if the authorities increased the seat rent, the students would need to pay Tk 6,000 to Tk 9,000 more

to complete their edu-

cation because of the session jam.

Speakers at the human chain demanded that the decision on seat rent increase should be cancelled. They threatened to announce a tough movement, otherwise.

The principal told New Age that the demand of general students would be considered. He also said that they went to the hostel with BCL men to discuss the matter.

The city unit Chhatra League president told New Age that as they are leaders of students' organisation, it was their duty to sand by the students and that is why they had gone to the hostel.

Source : New Age

NATO says not involved in arms aid to Libya rebels

NATO was not involved in a French airlift of weapons to Libyan rebels, the alliance's chief said on Thursday, sharpening differences over how far Western powers should go to oust Muammar Gaddafi.

France on Wednesday became the first NATO country to openly acknowledge arming rebels seeking to topple Gaddafi, who has resisted an uprising against his rule that has turned into the bloodiest of the 'Arab Spring' revolts sweeping the region.

The French weapons airlift has ruffled diplomatic feathers, with some governments questioning whether it contravenes a United Nations arms embargo and goes beyond the terms of a UN resolution authorising the use of force to protect civilians.

NATO secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen, was asked by reporters on a visit to Vienna if NATO was involved in the French move. 'No,' he answered.

'As regards compliance with the UN Security Council resolution, it is for the UN sanctions committee to determine that,' Rasmussen said.

China, a permanent member of the Security Council which has taken a cautious line on military intervention in Libya, weighed into the debate, though it stopped short of criticising France.

'China urges the international community to strictly abide by the spirit of the relevant UN Security Council resolution and not take any actions that exceed the authority granted by that resolution,' Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said when asked about France's action.

In the rebel-held city of Misrata, about 200 km east of Tripoli, six rockets landed early on Thursday in the Habara district, near the city's oil refinery and port. A Reuters journalist in Misrata said there were no casualties.

Britain's military said its Apache helicopters had attacked a government checkpoint and two military vehicles near Khoms, on the Mediterranean coast between Misrata and Tripoli.

Insurgents in the area say Gaddafi's forces are massing, and bringing up weapons, to quell an uprising in the nearby town of Zlitan, though this cannot be independently verified.

France said on Wednesday it did not break a UN arms embargo by airlifting weapons to Libya's rebels because the weapons were needed to defend civilians under threat.

Le Figaro newspaper said France had parachuted rocket launchers, assault rifles and anti-tank missiles into the Western Mountains region, southwest of Tripoli, in early June. A military spokesman later confirmed delivery of arms.

The French airlift highlights a dilemma facing NATO in Libya. If it sticks to the letter of the UN resolution, Gaddafi could hold on to power for months.

But if it takes a more pro-active role in helping the rebels, the already fragile coalition backing military action could fall apart.

At an Africa Union summit in Equatorial Guinea, AU Commission chief Jean Ping said arms going into Libya could end up in the hands of al-Qaeda allies in the region.

'Africa's concern is that weapons that are delivered to one side or another ... are already in the desert and will arm terrorists and fuel trafficking,' Ping told reporters.

Even France's allies reacted cautiously. British minister for International Security Gerald Howarth said he had no criticism of France's actions, but added: 'It's not something we shall be doing.'

The rebels, though, encouraged more arms deliveries. 'Giving us weapons we will be able to decide the battle more quickly, so that we can shed as little blood as possible,' senior rebel figure Mahmoud Jibril told a news conference in Vienna.

Gaddafi's aides say the NATO campaign is an act of colonial aggression aimed at stealing the North African state's oil.

They also dismiss International Criminal Court arrest warrants issued this week against Gaddafi and his son for crimes against humanity, saying the court is a tool of the West.

Gaddafi's government says NATO bombing has killed more than 700 civilians, although it has not presented evidence of such large numbers of civilian deaths and NATO denies them.

Source : New Age

Manmohan fears sudden change in Bangladesh

Ahead of his proposed visit to Dhaka, the Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, has said Bangladesh's political landscape could 'change anytime'.

He also said 25 per cent of Bangladesh's population count on anti-India Jamaat-

e-Islami, which was often influenced by the Pakistani spy agency Inter Services Intelligence.

'Our relations (with Bangladesh) are quite good. But we must reckon that at least 25 per cent of the population of Bangladesh swear by the [Jamaat-e-Islami] and they are very anti-Indian, and they are in the clutches, many times, of the ISI.

'So, a political landscape in Bangladesh can change at any time. We do not know what these terrorist elements, who have a hold on the [Jamaat-e-Islami] elements in Bangladesh, can be up to,' said Manmohan.

He made the remark while interacting with some of the senior editors of Indian newspapers on Wednesday. His office made public the full transcript of the question and answer session.

Though India recognises that its relations with Bangladesh significantly improved after Sheikh Hasina took over as prime minister, Manmohan's remark apparently reflected New Delhi's concerns over vulnerability of the Awami League government in Dhaka.

The Indian prime minister made the remark at a time when Dhaka is set to play host to a number of dignitaries from Delhi.

India's external affairs minister SM Krishna is likely to reach Dhaka on July 6 next for a visit to Bangladesh.

Water resources minister Salman Khurshid may also visit Dhaka soon for a meeting with his counterpart Ramesh Chandra Sen. Sen and Khurshid are expected to give final touches to an interim agreement on sharing of water of the River Teesta.

President of India's ruling Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, is also expected to be in Dhaka on July 25 to attend a special conference on disabled and autistic children.

Sonia, who also chairs the ruling United Progressive Alliance, accepted an invitation from Hasina to attend the conference.

Manmohan, who himself is also likely to go to Dhaka on a state visit to Bangladesh within the next few months, made the remark on Bangladesh, when he was asked by a senior editor to comment on the situation in the neighbourhood of India.

He started his reply to the question admitting that he was worried by the situation in the neighbourhood. 'Well, neighbourhood worries me a great deal, quite frankly.'

He lauded the Awami League government in Dhaka for going out of its way to detain the leaders of the Indian insurgent organisations from Bangladesh and hand them over to India in 2009 and 2010.

'With Bangladesh, we have good relations. The Bangladesh government has gone out of its way to help us in apprehending the anti-Indian insurgent groups which were operating from Bangladesh for a long time. And that is why we have been generous in dealing with Bangladesh,' said Manmohan.

He was obviously referring to the tacit cooperation between Dhaka and Delhi that led to the arrest of several top leaders of the Indian insurgent organisations like United Liberation Front of Assam and National Democratic Front of Bodoland along the border in November and December 2009 as well as in May 2010.

The arrested militant leaders included ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and NDFB chief Ranjan Daimary.

Neither Dhaka nor New Delhi, however, recognised the role of Bangladeshi agencies in creating the situations that led to the arrests of the top militant leaders. But, according to New Delhi's official versions, all of them were arrested after the Border Security Force personnel spotted them near the Bangladesh-India border.

New Delhi has since long been alleging that insurgents active in India's North-East have bases and training facilities in Bangladesh and many leaders of its proscribed militant organisations live in its eastern neighbour.

'We are not a rich country. But we offered it a line of credit of one billion dollars, when Sheikh Hasina came here (Delhi). We are also looking at ways and means of some further unilateral concessions,' he added.

Manmohan said New Delhi and Dhaka were also 'looking at ways and means of finding a practical and pragmatic solution to the sharing of water of the Teesta'. 'I plan to go there myself,' he said, referring to his proposed visit to Bangladesh.

Indian prime minister's remark on the ISI's influence on Jamaat-e-Islami also came at a time when the testimony of terror-plotter David Coleman Headley during the trial of his childhood friend and accomplice Tahawwur Hussain Rana in a court in Chicago exposed the Pakistani spy agency's role in the November 26, 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

The carnage perpetrated by 10 terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba left at least 174 killed and many others injured.

Both Headley and Rana were arrested by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation in Chicago in October 2009 for plotting the terror-attacks in Mumbai and Denmark.

Source : New Age

Nat’l minorities resent being recognised as Bengalis

http://newagebd.com/newspaper1/frontpage/24545.htmlPolitical parties and organisations of national minorities condemned the passage of the Constitution (Fifteenth Amendment) Bill 2011 by the force of absolute majority which they think has 'identified the nationali-

ties speaking other languages as Bengalis.'

Two major political parties of the national minorities, Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti and the United People's Democratic Front, and a coalition of national minority groups, Bangladesh Adivasi Forum, have condemned the changes saying that 'no state can change the identity and culture of a community.'

Jana Sanghati Samiti said, 'We condemn the passage of the Constitution (Fifteenth Amendment) Bill that features clauses that undemocratic, communal and aggressive against nationalities by ignoring strong public opinions by the force of absolute majority.'

'The clauses denied indigenous people their national identities and their basic rights as was done in the past. It dishonoured and demeaned the indigenous communities by identifying them as "tribe," "ethnic sects and communities",' the party said.

'The clauses identify all the people irrespective of their ethnicity as the Bengalis. The government has once again showed its ultra-chauvinist, ultra-communal and undemocratic mentality in the bill,' the party said.

Jana Sanghati Samiti rejected the clauses adopted the in parliament in the constitution amendment bill and gave a warning that the government should shoulder the responsibility for any consequence of the imposition of rules that are undemocratic, communal and aggressive against nationalities.

The United People's Democratic Front condemned the passage of the bill and asked the president not to give his consent to the controversial and anti-people bill.

The party's president Prasit Bikash Khisa and general secretary Rabishangkar Chakma in a statement said that the passage of the bill was the first step of the government to grabbing absolute power in the style of the BKSAL. 'It will trigger chaos and political conflicts which will have serious impact on the stability of the country and its economy.'

The leaders also criticised three lawmakers elected for the Chittagong Hill Tract constituencies for supporting the bill which wipes out the identities of ethnic and linguistic minorities. 'People elected them to protect the interest of the hill people but they proved that they were government's people.'

The party went on demonstrations at places in the Chittagong Hill Tracts immediately after the passage of the bill condemning the state's refusal to recognise the ethnic and linguistic minorities and the retention of state religion and other contradictory provisions.

It also announced to hoist red flags for an indefinite period and called on all ethnic and linguistic minorities not to join any state-level programme of the government.

The police obstructed the party's procession carrying red flags at places in the Khagrachari town and in upazila headquarters.

Speakers at the rallies said that the wrongdoing of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman of establishing 'one state, one nation' was repeated by his daughter and she would face the consequence of the similar wrongdoing.

The Adivasi Forum general secretary, Sanjeeb Drong, expressed his dissatisfaction at the passage of the constitution amendment bill without acknowledging the existence of 'indigenous peoples' although it was an election-time pledge of the ruling Awami League.

'We wanted to be recognised as indigenous but the government has termed us tribal and ethnic minorities… We are disturbed, hurt and aggrieved,' he said.

Sanjeeb said that the ruling Awami League had also backtracked from its election manifesto in the passage of the bill.

Source : New Age

Pakistan ends US use of base for drone attacks

Pakistan has stopped the United States from using an air base in the southwest of the country to launch drone strikes against militant groups, the defence minister was quoted as saying, as ties remain strained between the two countries.

Pakistan has long publicly opposed the missile attacks as a violation of its sovereignty, but has in private given support including intelligence to help target members of al-Qaeda and the Taliban in the northwest region along the Afghan border.

The Financial Times quoted defence minister Ahmed Mukhtar as saying that Pakistan had ended US drone flights out of Shamsi base in the south-western province of Baluchistan, long reported to have been used for the covert war against militants.

'No US flights are taking place from Shamsi any

longer. If there have to be flights from the base, it will only be Pakistani flights,' Mukhtar told the newspaper.

Ties between the countries, strained since the killing of two Pakistanis by a CIA agent in January, suffered a further setback after US SEALs killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a secret raid last month that Pakistani officials said

further breached its sovereignty.

Pakistan's army has drastically cut down the number of US troops allowed in the country and set clear limits on intelligence sharing with the United States, reflecting its anger over what it sees as continuing US interference in its affairs.

Washington had been asked to remove all its infrastructure from the Shamsi air base, the Financial Times cited an unidentified Pakistan official as saying. The official, though, said, no drone flights had taken off from the base since 2009.

Since the US president, Barack Obama, took office, drone strikes have been stepped up, focused on the Waziristan region in northwest Pakistan, a hub for militants from around the world.

These attacks have further intensified since bin Laden's killing which reinforced suspicion in the United States that elements of Pakistan's security establishment may have helped hide him.

Source : New Age

Police foil left parties’ march

More than 30 activists of 11 left and democratic political parties were injured as police charged batons on their march towards parliament in the city on Thursday.

The police stopped the marchers in front of National Museum at Shahbag and dispersed the activists.

Communist Party leaders Sazzad Zahir Chandan, Sadequr Rahman Shamim, Khan Asaduzzaman Masum and Kulsum Begum, Workers Party's Ragib Ahsan Munna and Juba Moitri's Saiful Islam Tapan were among the injured.

CPB general secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim at an impromptu rally on the spot termed the passage of the constitution 15th amendment bill by the Awami League government as a 'grave betrayal of  the nation' and said the day would be remembered as a 'black day'.

The parties brought out the procession in protest at the passage of the 15th amendment bill.

He said the government had recognised the military rule of Hussein Muhammad Ershad by retaining 'Islam as the state religion' in the constitution. 

'The Awami League has betrayed the spirit of the war of independence which was fought for a secular and democratic Bangladesh,' Selim said.

Cultural activist Kamal Lohani said that the state could never have a religion of its own and the people of the country would not accept it.

The march started from the Central Shaheed Minar at around midday and ran into the police barricade at Shah-bag where the law enforcers charged batons on them.

CPB president Manzurul Ahsan Khan, presidium member Shahidullah Chow-dhury, Workers Party general secretary Anisur Rahman Mollik, politburo members Bimal Biswas and Hazera Sultana, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal leader Afroza Haq Rina,Ganatantri Party president Mohammad Afzal, general secretary Nurur Rahman Selim, Gana Forum presidium member Pankaj Bhattachariya, Communist Kendra's Wajedul Islam Khan,  Lutfar Rahman of Samyabadi Dal and Parbatya Chattagram Janasanghati Samiti leader Dipayan Khisha led the march.

Leader of the 11 political parties, seven of them partners of the Awami League-led ruling coalition, took part in the protest programme.

Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal also joined the programme after holding a rally in front of the press club after the police stopped them in front of the High Court.

Source : New Age

Inu, Menon vote for amendments after recording objections

Workers Party's president Rashed Khan Menon and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal's president Hasanul Haq Inu said that the five lawmakers of their parties, which are partners of the ruling alliance, had voted for the Constitution (15th Amendment) Bill 2011 with objections to five Clauses of the Bill.

They recorded their objections against Clause 2 which puts Bismillah-ir-Rahman-Ar-Rahim before the preamble of the Constitution, Clause 4 that retains Islam as the state religion, Clause 6 that identifies the people as Bangalees, Clause 14 that identifies the ethnic minorities as 'tribes, minor races, ethnic sects and communities' and Clause 16 which allows religion-based politics.

When the speaker put all the clauses of the Bill in a package for division vote, the lawmakers of Workers Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, and woman lawmaker Amina Begum of the National Awami Party, who was nominated by the Awami League, abstained from voting.

Chief whip Abdus Shahid, senior Awami League lawmakers Tofail Ahmed, Abdul Jalil, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam and finance minister AMA Muhith rushed to Inu, Menon and other objectors, and insisted that they vote.

The proceedings of the House remained stalled for at least ten minutes when the AL's senior leaders were trying to persuade the objectors to cast their votes in favour of the Bill, reminding them that their seats would become vacant if they abstain from voting as they were elected under the symbol of the 'boat', the Awami League's symbol.

Article 70 of the Constitution says that 'a person elected as a Member of Parliament in an election at which he was nominated as candidate by a political party shall vacate his seat if he resigns from the Parliament or votes against the party'.

Menon said that Inu and he had submitted their notes of dissent to the committee and later insisted that the speaker put the Clauses of the Bill separately to vote. 'But the speaker put all of the clauses in a package and so we decided to abstain from voting.'

'But senior leaders of the ruling party and the chief whip came to us and insisted that we vote. After a few minutes of persuasion, we reached a compromise — that we dissenters would mention our objections while voting,' said Menon.

Inu and Menon said that they had objected to Clauses 2, 4, 6, 14 and 16 of the Bill.

Inu also expressed his resentment at the allotment of only two minutes for discussion on their proposals for some amendments to the Bill.

As Menon entered the chamber from the lobby after voting, senior AL lawmaker Suranjit Sengupta teased him, saying, 'It has to be yes or no. There is nothing in the middle.'

Menon and Inu placed their objection motions during discussion on the Bill.

JSD lawmaker Shah Zikrul Ahmed and women lawmaker Amina Ahmed took part in the discussion and proposed several amendments in relation to 'Bismillah', Islam as the state religion, religion-based politics, nationality and recognition of the ethnic minorities as indigenous people.

All their 65 amendment proposals were, however, rejected by voice vote.

The lone independent lawmaker, Fazlul Azim, raised an objection motion and wanted to have the Bill sent back to the scrutiny committee for testing public opinion, but was later turned down by voice vote. He walked out thrice during the passage of the Bill.

Chief whip Abdus Shahid said that Amina Ahmed might not have understood the instruction initially but she voted after being reminded by him.

He said Inu and Menon were confused about the distinction between abstaining from voting and voting against the party, so they voted when the confusion was cleared up.

Source : New Age

Don’t create unnecessary disturbance: Hasina

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has again urged the opposition to come up with their formula about interim government without creating unnecessary disturbance in the country.

As the parliament passed the Constitution (Fifteenth

Amendment) Bill, 2011 by division 291-1 Thursday afternoon, Hasina also urged the Islamic parties not to mislead the people as she said Islam as state religion and 'Bismillahir Rahmainir Rahim' had been retained in the Constitution.

Hasina said alongside Islam, other religions were given due respect and equal rights through the amendment as people irrespective of their religious faith fought and won the independence in 1971.

The prime minister said the 15th Amendment had well ensured people's power, voting rights and democracy.

In her brief statement, she repeatedly requested her political adversaries not to create trouble and inflict sufferings to the people.

Quoting Ayat 26 of Sura Al-Imran, Hasina told the opposition that 'if you have trust on the holy Qur'an and blessings of Almighty Allah you may come to power; otherwise not.'

Referring to the 13th Amendment that had incorporated the non-party caretaker government in 1996, Hasina said perhaps Almighty Allah did not grant it and that's why the Supreme Court scrapped the amendment.

The prime minister said with the 15th Constitution Amendment, people's power had been secured.

'We have been able to uphold the spirit of 1971 liberation war with the passing of the bill,' she said.

Hasina also rejected Independent MP Fazlul Azim's allegation that the amendment has been placed and passed hurriedly.

She said the special committee on constitution amendment was formed on July 21, 2010.

The committee has worked for 11 months and held 27 meetings to make recommendations for amending the constitution in the light of Supreme Court verdict.

Hasina said the BNP was requested several times to send their representation to the special committee and make their suggestion.  But they did not respond to it.

She said a vested quarter was making propaganda against the government by using religious sentiment of the people.

Hasina said the Awami League and the present government did not want to hurt religious sentiment of people of any religion.

The prime minister thanked the people for voting Awami League-led alliance to power and thus gave the government a chance to amend the constitution to preserve their voting right.

Source : New Age

DU’s reputation for excellence declines

Educationalists say that the past reputation of the University of Dhaka, which is celebrating its 90th founding anniversary today, for its educational excellence has fallen sharply in recent years.

The view of the educationalists is mirrored in its decline in the Quacquarelli Symonds rankings of universities around the world where it has fallen from 365th best university in 2005 to between 550 and 600 in 2010.

Once known as the 'Oxford of the East,' the university is now ranked only between 151 and 200 in its

Asian university rankings which have just recently been published.

Low-quality research work and publications, poor library and laboratory facilities, lack of motivation and interest of both teachers and students and a politicised teacher recruitment process has created the current situation, the educationalist argued.

'We have to admit that the education quality in Dhaka University had dropped during in recent decades,' professor emeritus Anisuzzaman told New Age.

Serajul Islam Choudhury, another professor emeritus of the university, told New Age that a 'serious lack of motivation on part of both the university teachers and students has helped in reducing the quality of education.'

Nazrul Islam, a former chairman of the University Grants Commission, told New Age that 'in the global context, the quality of the education in the university in general had deteriorated.'

He observed that the lack of quality research undertaken and the low number of quality journal publications along with politicised teacher recruitment had created such a position.

'Now we have a high quantity of journal publications and a large number of graduates but most of them are average or below average' he added.

Siddikur Rahman, a professor at the Institute of Education and Research in Dhaka University, also acknowledged that the quality of education has sharply dropped as the university had failed to address its main purpose of creating 'new knowledge.'

He also said that teachers' promotion should be made contingent on quality research and that the university authorities should strictly restrict teachers from teaching at institutions other than Dhaka University and from doing consultancy as 'this hampers classroom teaching a lot.'

All the educationists blamed the decline in the quality of research to a serious crisis of funding and condemned the politicised teacher recruitment.

'The best qualified, meritorious people should be appointed teachers in the university,' said Anisuzzaman as without the best teachers you would not get the best results regarding quality education and creating knowledge.

'A party-affiliated teacher fails to give proper guidance to the students in the classrooms,' added Serajul Islam Choudhury.

He also said that as there was little link between education and employment scope. Students these days hardly pay any attention to their books and simply depend on 'photocopying other people's notes,' he added.

'Most of the teachers are busy with consultancies, making project proposals for different organisations and teaching at other institutes and do not help with the needs of DU students,' Serajul said.

Former DU vice-chancellor SMA Faiz also said that the university lack behind other universities in library and laboratory facilities in the global context.

'The university which was known once as the Oxford of East has almost lost its status,' Faiz said.

The current UGC chairman, AK Azad Chowdhury, also former DU vice-chancellor, did not respond directly to questions about whether there had been a fall in education quality, instead he blamed the decline in rankings to 'other universities of the world progressing whilst DU is failing to keep the pace with them,' he said.

He also raised questions about the credibility of the ranking and said that many of these ranking criteria were based on issues that are not relevant to the university.

'But it is true that there is lack of providing priority for the tertiary-level education in our country,' AK Azad said.

AAMS Arefin Siddique, the vice-chancellor of the university, said that in terms of quality and efficiency, DU graduates were of international standards and this was not reflected in the rankings.

'I can assure you that the quality of education in the university has improved a lot,' Arefin told New Age.

He said that in the past, there were political recruitments but during his period, there was no recruitment of this kind.

'We will make our research visible and digitise publications as soon as possible,' he added.

The university enrols every year more than 5,800 students on the basis of merit in the first-year bachelor's course in different departments of the faculties and the institutes.

At present, approximately 32,000 students are enrolled in this university and are taught by about 1,700 teachers.

According to January 2011 edition of the Webometrics Ranking of World Universvities, which looks at the number of electronic publications relating to the university on the internet, Dhaka university ranked the 7707th amongst universities with Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology ranking far higher at the 2668th.

On the occasion of its 90th founding anniversary, the university will begin the day's programme with the hositing of the national and the university flag.

The authorities will also cut cakes, hold discussions, concerts and others programme today.  

The day's programme will begin at 9:00am at the mall in front of the registrar's building by hoisting the national and the university flag and cutting a 90-pound cake.

The university will hold a discussion at the Teachers-Students Centre after the opening ceremony.

The University Grants Commission chairman will read out the keynote paper on 'Tertiary-level education in national development' at the discussion.

The authorities along with the Alliance Française de Dhaka will hold a musical concert at the mall at 4:00pm. The Department of Theatre will stage a drama at the TSC in the evening.

The authorities said that the programmes would be open to all.

The university was set up on the first day of July 1921, opening it all doors to higher education in this part of the then British-India.

Source : New Age

Chronicle of amendments

With the latest amendment made on Thursday, the constitution framed in 1972 has been changed 15 times with the first one done just seven months after it was adopted.

The Constituent Assembly, a forum of people's representatives, adopted the constitution on November 4, 1972, presenting the country with a set of political principles in less than a year after the People's Republic of Bangladesh came into being through the 1971 war of independence.

The constitution came into effect on the Victory Day on December 16, 1972.

Constitutional rule was interrupted several times by martial law and marked by a series of amendments to the constitution either to legalise military regimes or to ratify major policy changes of successive governments.

Three of the 15 amendments have so far been scrapped entirely and one partly by the Supreme Court.

The first, second, third and fourth amendments were made by Awami League government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the fifth through martial law regulations and the Bangladesh

Nationalist Party, sixth by BNP, seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th by Jatiya Party, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th by BNP and the 15th amendment by Awami League-led alliance.  

The first amendment made on July 15, 1973, empowered the government to enact law to put perpetrators of war crimes on trial.

The second amendment was made on September 22, 1973 making provisions for the proclamation of a state of emergency, suspension of certain fundamental rights during a state of emergency and preventive detentions and empowering parliament to amend the fundamental rights stipulated in Part III.

The constitution was then amended on November 28, 1974 endorsing the Bangladesh-India boundary agreement, signed on May 16, 1974.

The fourth amendment, made on January 25, 1975, is considered the one which made the most controversial changes to the constitution in the country's constitutional history by introducing a one-party (BKSAL) rule, switching over to the presidential form of government and curtailing the independence of the judiciary.

The country's founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was assassinated before the fifth amendment was made on April 6, 1979, legalising the martial law regime between 1975 and 1979, inserting 'Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim' before the preamble to the constitution, dropping 'secularism,' one of the basic principles of the 1972 constitution, restoring partial independence of the judiciary, curtailing authority of parliament and allowing politics based on religion.

The sixth amendment, made on July 10, 1981 after the assassination of president Ziaur Rahman, also founder of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, to enable the then vice-president Justice Abdus Sattar to contest the presidential polls.

The constitution went through its seventh revision on November 11, 1986 that legalised the martial law of president HM Ershad, founder of Jatiya Party. It also extended the retirement age of Supreme Court judges to 65 years from 62.

The eighth amendment made on June 9, 1988 declared 'Islam' as the state religion of Bangladesh. It also made provisions for decentralisation of the High Court by setting up its benches in major cities.

Provision for election of a vice-president by direct votes was made by the ninth amendment on July 11, 1989, while the 10th on June 23, 1990 gave a 10-year extension to the provision for reserved seats for women in parliament increasing the number of such seats to 30 from 15.

The 11th amendment on August 10, 1991 made provisions for return of Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed to the office of the chief justice after discharging duties as the vice-president and the acting president of the first interim government, which was formed in December 1990 after the fall of Ershad.

The country returned to the parliamentary form of government through the 12th amendment on September 18, 1991, which set a rare example of consensus between the treasury and opposition benches.

The system of an election-time caretaker government was made a law through the 13th amendment on March 28, 1996.

The 14th amendment on 17, 2004 stipulated that political parties would have woman representatives in reserved seats proportionate to their representation in parliament. It increased the number of reserved seats to 45 from 30. It also extended the retirement age of Supreme Court judges to 67 years from 65 and made provisions for preservation and display of the portraits of the president and prime minister in all government, semi-government and autonomous offices, and all educational institutions.

The Supreme Court has so far scrapped three of the 15 amendments in entirety and one partly.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court declared void the fifth amendment on February 2, 1010, the 13th amendment on May 10, 2011 and seventh amendment on May 15, 2011.

The highest court declared void partly the eighth amendment on September 2, 1989.

The High Court, however, on June 8 issued a rule asking the government to explain why the insertion of Article 2A by the eighth amendment to the constitution declaring Islam as the state religion should not be declared unconstitutional and void.

No other amendments, however, has yet been challenged in the Supreme Court.

Source : New Age