Bitter cold kills 4 in Chuadanga

Four people died due to extreme cold at different villages in Jibannagar upazila Monday night.

The deceased are: Tarun Nesa, 70, and Sabbir Ahmad, 12, of Goyeshwarpur village, Arji Banu, 90, of Koya village, and Sharifan Nesa, 105, of Medinipur village.

Chuadanga Met Office sources said cold spell has been sweeping the district for the last several days. Mercury dipped as low as 6.7 degrees Celsius in the district town early Tuesday.

Sky remained overcast almost throughout the last week. Extreme cold with fog and dew paralysed life in the district.

The harsh weather hit most the poor, especially children and old people.

Hospital sources said several hundred people, who have been attacked by cold-related diseases, received treatment in different hospitals in the last three days.

Scores more got admitted to hospitals during the period.

Deals inked to produce 1,105 MW from coal, solar

The government on Tuesday signed four agreements with Orion Group and Solarium Power Ltd for producing 1,105 megawatt of electricity from coal and solar system as part of its efforts to diversify energy sources.
Power Development Board (PDB) inked separate deals with Orion Group to set up three coal-based power plants at a ceremony at the Bidyut Bhaban in the city.
The plants will be set up at Mawa in Munshiganj with a capacity of 522 MW, Chittagong with a capacity of 282.67 MW and Khulna 282.67 MW.
Orion Group will invest US$ 1.4 billion to set up the load-based plants, said its Chairman Obaidul Karim.
PDB signed the fourth deal with Solarium Power Ltd, which will set up a thermal solar system in Mymensingh with a capacity of 18 MW, the country's first renewable energy-based power plant with a capacity over one megawatt.
The plant will cost Tk 235 crore, Nazmul Abedin, managing director of Solarium, said at the signing ceremony.
The coal-based power plants will be ready between 36 and 45 months while Solarium plans to start commercial operation in two years.

‘Punish Fakrudddin, Moeen for DU violence’

lincoln mahmud
Dhaka 20 december : A parliamentary watchdog has held former caretaker chief Fakhruddin Ahmed, army chief Moeen U Ahmed, then the police chief and top detectives responsible for the violence at Dhaka University in 2007.
In its report submitted to the parliamentary standing committee on the education ministry on Tuesday, the sub-committee formed to investigate the atrocities recommended punishment for them, panel head Rashed Khan Menor told reporters on Tuesday. newsbnn

Economy under inflation strains: Muhith

Dhaka, Dec 19 (402 zia hall du)

Finance minister A M A Muhith has admitted that the economy is under severe inflationary pressure and pointed to the fuel and fertiliser subsidies.

He also blamed several internal policies for the tight situation at the launch of a workshop at a city hotel on Monday.

"The country's economy is facing troubles because of excessive inflation. It can't be said that the inflation has been there only for the international price situation. Rather, several internal policies are also responsible for this," he said.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the inflation on a point-to-point basis was 11.58 percent in November and 11.42 percent in October.

Responding to criticisms by opposition BNP and concerns by economists over the state of economy, the minister had earlier said that he was concerned about investment and trade balance, not inflation. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina had also said that the country's economy was doing fine.

On Monday Muhith admitted that the allocation for subsidies in the budget, which was 2.7 percent of GDP, is increasing.

He mentioned subsidies given to the power sector and said, "The amount of subsidies increased more than the target. The main reason is the delay in adjustment of prices of fuel oil and power. But the subsidies helped develop the industries and increased domestic production."

He mentioned that the subsidies in the fertiliser sector has gone 'very much higher' than the target.

"More coordination is needed in the country's monetary and financial policies for sustainable growth and development," Muhith said.

Bangladesh Bank governor Atiur Rahman said, "Such a workshop will increase the skills of officials in monetary management and policy making."

The United Nation's resident representative Stephen Prisoner, UN official Ainul Hasan, Bangladesh Bank deputy governor Ziaul Hasan Siddiqui, among others, spoke in the programme.

The central bank, UN DESA and UNESCAP jointly organised the four-day workshop The reason behind inflation: Alternative policy and structure for stable growth and effective development .

Representatives from 18 countries and the World Bank, IMF, Asian Development Bank, researchers and diplomats are taking part in the workshop.  source : bdnews24bd

BNP to probe 'mystery murders' if elected: Khoka

Dhaka, Dec 17 (402 zia hall du)

The BNP will probe "mystery murders" that have surfaced over the last few weeks if it comes to power in the next general elections, party leader and former Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka has said.

"Opposition leaders and activists are falling victims to extrajudicial killings in many parts of the country -- an uncanny echo of similar incidents between 1972 and '75. A conspiracy is on to destroy the country's independence through these killings," he said at the party metropolitan unit's joint meeting on Saturday.

Urging everyone to raise voice against these murders, unit convenor Khoka also asked to prepare the unit from the grassroots level for a movement against the present anarchy.

The meeting, held at the BNP city unit's Naya Paltan office, discussed the reception to be accorded on Sunday to freedom fighters at the capital's Engineers Institution, as also making Monday's rally to mark the Victory Day a success.

Recent incidents of alleged abduction and what the opposition party calls "extrajudicial killings" have made various human rights organisations, including the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), express concern.

In most cases, the victims were picked up by people in the guise of law enforcers, especially acting as Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel. Amid protests and criticisms, the law enforcement agency has denied the allegation.

DEATHS POSE POSERS

According to NHRC, at least 27 people have gone missing over the last month or so. Bodies of several victims were found later.

What is uncanny, says the opposition party, is many victims were BNP local-level leaders or activists. Among them was Ismail Hossain, a leader of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the pro-BNP student body.

A former president of Chhatra Dal's ward-50 unit in Dhaka, Ismail went "missing" on Nov 28. His body was recovered, along with two others, from Dhalehswari river near Munshiganj on Dec 8.

Chhatra Dal members alleged that law enforcers had picked up the organisation's three leaders, including Ismail, from the capital's Hatirpul area. While Islamil's body surfaced 10 days later, the two others are still missing, the organisation claims.

The latest victim of such "mystery killings" is Jessore BNP leader Nazmul Islam, whose body was found in Gazipur on Dec 15 -- a day after he was abducted from the capital's Mohammadpur area while returning home in Dhanmondi.

At least seven bodies were recovered from Munshiganj's Dhalehswari river in the last seven days.

Saturday's meeting was the first time Khoka entered the Naya Paltan office since Dec 4, when he was injured during the citywide dawn-to-dusk strike called by the BNP that day to protest the bifurcation of Dhaka City Corporation.  source : bdnews24bd

joy call to all 'in AL family' to unite

Dec 19 (402 zia hall du)

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed, also an adviser to the Awami League chief, has urged supporters of the ruling party to prepare for the general elections slated for 2013.

"Election is ahead. So, everyone on the Awami family will have to be organised," he told a rally of the party's US unit in New York on Sunday – Monday morning in Bangladesh.

"We will have to look towards the future and work collectively for improvement of Bangladesh," added Sajeeb, better known in Bangladesh by his nickname Joy.

The rally was organised to mark the 40th Victory Day on Dec 16 and introduce the new committee of the unit.

Sajeeb, the grandson of the nation's father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, said, "My grandfather had dreamt of Sonar Bangla — a prosperous Bangladesh without oppression 40 years ago. We have to rethink where the country stands now after 40 years."

"Awami League, the pro-independence party, was in power for 12 of these 40 years," he added.

The AL-led coalition won a landslide in the 2008 elections to form government. Barring eventualities, the next national parliamentary elections will be held at the end of 2013.

Sajeeb also projected different aspects of the country's economy in his 17-minute speech and said there was nothing to be worried about the pace at which the country was making progress.

"The rate of poverty fell by 10 percent last year in Bangladesh, which means 15 million people have freed themselves of poverty's curse. No one now dies of Monga (a famine-like situation). Exports have also increased adequately," he said

"Many criticise the budget of Bangladesh, but they do not see that tax revenue increased by 50 percent in the last one year. This is government's own income.

"So, we can claim that the government has a lot of money in hand," he added.

Even though the government puts the current economic growth at seven percent, he claimed the 'unofficial' rate is 2.5 percent more than that.

About World Bank's suspending funds for the Padma bridge project, the prime minister's son said the days of running the state with WB's loans are gone.

He said the government has to pay 'the money borrowed with several conditions attached' back to the World Bank.

"Instead, several countries like Malaysia and China are keen on giving money for building Padma bridge under the PPP (public-private partnership).

"The government will not have to pay the money back. The financiers will recover the money themselves," Sajeeb said.

He mentioned that two bridges will be constructed on the river Padma under PPP.

In October this year, the World Bank suspended its promised $1.2billion funding for the much-hyped Padma bridge project following allegations of corruption in river dredging, appointment of consultants and selection of pre-qualified contractors.

On Dec 10, prime minister Sheikh Hasina said she would made calls to several country to execute the project, with the bank's support. Later, she hinted that the project would be completed under PPP.

Sajeeb, an ICT professional himseIf, spoke of the government plan to build a 'Digital Bangladesh' by 2021. "The 'Doyel' laptops are being sold in Bangladesh for only 130 dollars. Farmers in villages are soliciting advice from agriculturists on the type of pest attacks on their fields by taking pictures and sending them on the mobile phone. The work for having a Digital Bangladesh is fast going ahead this way."

He also expressed his hopes that Bangladesh would be middle-income economy by 2021 if the current trend of development is maintained.

Sajeeb made it clear that the ongoing war crimes trial will not be allowed to be foiled at any rate and sought the blessings of the expatriates for the smooth completion of the trial and implementation of the measures taken by the prime minister.

At the start of the programme, a new 76-strong committee of the party's US unit was introduced.

Sajeeb unveiled the cover of a souvenir 'Swapno Siri' (Stairs of the Dream), too. source : bdnews24bd

Tribunal strikes out 2 defence queries

Dhaka, Dec 19 (402 zia hall du)

The war crimes tribunal had two questions struck out during cross-examination when Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee's defence was trying to discredit a prosecution witness on Monday.
Jamaat's executive council member Sayedee has been indicted on 20 counts of crimes against humanity by the International Crimes Tribunal set up to deal with such crimes as murder, rape, arson and loot during Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War.
Manjur Ahmed Ansari of the defence had asked witness Ruhul Amin Nabin whether it was true that his brother had been forced to leave Pirojpur because Nabin had filed cases against him.
"It is not true," Nabin said.
The judges reacted to the question saying that it had little to do with the case and went too much into the witness' personal life.
Tribunal head Justice Nizamul Huq said that it was too personal and instructed the clerk to strike out the question. "It won't stay in the records."
Ansari then asked Nabin about a false case of rape that he had his domestic maid file against certain persons. Justice Huq reacted even as the witness was denying the suggestion. "This is nothing but personal scandal."
Once again he instructed the clerk to remove the question. Ansari brought the cross-examination to a close.
He concluded suggesting that Nabin had been well-cared for over the last week that he was in Dhaka for giving testimony. "During this time you have been trained to make these allegations by the prosecution."
Nabin denied the suggestion.
Earlier when Mohammed Kafil Uddin Chowdhury was cross-examining Nabin, he was asked about his ice factory business in Parerhat which he had set up with a loan but was unable to repay. "You only settled the repayment of the loan this month with government assistance and the interest was exempted."
Nabin said it was not true. "I have made the repayment in full."
Chowdhury also suggested that Nabin had been arrested for tampering with the factory's electricity metre being unable to pay the power bills. He had been charged with power theft.
Nabin said that he had been later acquitted from the case and the allegation was not true.
Justice Huq had said at that point, that once a person is acquitted, the entire matter comes to nought. "It is of little significance if one is merely arrested. Then no one is safe," he said responding to the suggestion of the defence that it reflected on the character of the witness.
The tribunal disposed of a petition of the prosecution after returning from lunch recess which requested a court order for the prosecution witnesses being threatened.

After a discussion with the prosecution, when Justice Huq suggested that the prosecution could itself ask police to conduct investigation, the tribunal agreed to dispose of the petition with an order.
Huq said in his order that a copy of the petition with the all the details of the mobile phone numbers that had been used to threaten the prosecution witnesses and other details be forwarded to the inspector general of police for follow-up action.
It asked the police chief to conduct necessary investigations and take appropriate measures based upon its findings.
Sayedee is the first to face prosecution for his alleged war crimes against humanity.
The prosecution on Sept 4 proposed the framing of charges against Sayedee on 31 counts for crimes against humanity and genocide in ICT Case-1/2011. The tribunal indicted Sayedee on 20 counts on Oct 3.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party's standing committee member Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, also a lawmaker, has also been detained, along with others, on charges of committing war crimes.
The tribunal, however, on March 31 granted conditional bail to former BNP MP and minister Abdul Alim. source : bdnews24bd