Ecuador army rescues captive President Rafael Correa

Soldiers in Ecuador have rescued President Rafael Correa from a police hospital after a day of protests by security forces angry at benefit cuts.


Mr Correa was rescued after soldiers opened fired on dissident police.
Moments after being freed he appeared on the balcony of Quito's presidential palace and spoke to thousands of cheering supporters.
He thanked the crowds and said he had just lived through the saddest day of his government.

The violence came after dark on a day of unrest in Ecuador that the president and his supporters said amounted to an an attempted coup.

Mr Correa had been holed up in the police hospital, where he was treated after being hit by tear gas in a confrontation.
Hundreds of police, angry over a law that would cut their benefits, appeared to have prevented him from leaving the clinic.
Under cover of darkness Mr Correa was reportedly smuggled out of the hospital in a wheelchair even as a gunbattle between troops and police was under way.
Unrest had been reported across Ecuador on Thursday amid anger at a new law cutting benefits for public servants.
Speaking to his supporters, Mr Correa said he hoped the events of the day would serve "as an example to those who want to bring a change and stop the citizens' revolution without going through the polls".
Mr Correa said at least one police officer had died during the gunbattle at the clinic. Earlier there had been unconfirmed reports that one person had been killed and several injured during the unrest.
There are unconfirmed reports that a second army operation against dissident police is still under way in Quito.
'Kill the president' The drama began on Thursday morning when members of the armed forces and police angry at the austerity measures occupied several barracks and set up road blocks across the country.

TV stations showed images of police setting tyres on fire in the streets of Quito, Guayaquil and other cities. The National Assembly building was also occupied.
Police also took control of Quito's international airport for several hours.
In an emotional speech to soldiers from Quito's main barracks, President Correa tore at his shirt and said: "If you want to kill the president, here he is. Kill him, if you want to. Kill him if you are brave enough."
Moments later Mr Correa was forced to flee the barracks wearing a gas mask shortly afterwards when tear gas was fired by the protesters.
The president was later treated for the effects of the gas at a police hospital. His supporters said that dissident officers were preventing him to leave the clinic.
Mr Correa has blamed the Patriotic Society Party (PSP), led by Lucio Gutierrez, for fomenting the unrest, and said "all bad elements" in the police force would "be removed".
During the day Mr Correa received strong support from governments throughout the Americas, with a string of Latin American nations and the US all speaking up for the embattled president.

Tributes for 'fine actor' Curtis

Tributes for 'fine actor' Curtis

Tributes are being paid to Hollywood star Tony Curtis who has died at his US home in Nevada aged 85.

Sir Roger Moore, who worked with Curtis on 70's TV series The Persuaders!, called him "a fine actor".

He added: "He was great fun to work with, a great sense of humour and wonderful ad libs."

Curtis's daughter Jamie Lee Curtis praised her father saying he "leaves behind a legacy of great performances in movies and in his paintings".
"He leaves behind children and their families who loved him and respected him and a wife and in-laws who were devoted to him. He also leaves behind fans all over the world," she added.
The Oscar-nominated actor, who starred in Some Like it Hot opposite Marilyn Monroe, passed away peacefully in bed, a family spokesman said.
The star received an Oscar nod in 1959 for The Defiant Ones, in which he starred with Sidney Poitier.
His career spanned six decades and he made more than 120 films including Trapeze, Spartacus and The Vikings.
'Wonderfully indiscreet'
Clark County coroner Mike Murphy told the Associated Press that the actor died at 2125 local time on Wednesday.
Sir Michael Parkinson, who interviewed Curtis several times, said his performance in Some Like It Hot would live forever.
"Some Like It Hot is one of the greatest comedies of all time," he said.
"Billy Wilder, did not suffer fools so for Tony Curtis to work with him and make that film shows just how good he was. He was an extraordinary man.
"Hollywood tried to make him into a sex symbol in the 1950s and 1960s but he was his own man. He was a great chatshow guest and was wonderfully indiscreet but he was very bright and did not take himself too seriously," he added.
He is survived by his wife, Jill Vandenberg Curtis, and six children.

 

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Entertainment

Gohine Shobdo in Parisian Cinema Theatre

Much talked-about Bangla movie ‘Gohine Shobdo’ by Khalid Mahmood Mithu is going to achieve the honor to be released commercially in eight theatres of Paris- the capital of world art and culture.

With the French sub-title, the film is hoped to be appreciated by the Parisian viewers.
Not only that- Impress Tale film, the producing company of the movie, is also going to release it in various countries of Europe like Switzerland, Belgium and Germany.
Director (Marketing) of Impress Telefilm, Ibne Hasan says, ‘this is going to be very first gateway for the Bangla movies to Europe. We have been trying to achieve this feat for couple of years. We hope that other producers of the country would be benefited from this opportunity in near future.’
The cast includes Kusum Sikdar, Emon, Sams Sumon, Jui, Ariful Haque, Abul Hayat, Khaleda Akter Kalpona, Haider Hussain, Munira Mithu and Ahsanul Haque Minu.
Noted Tagore artiste Rezwana Choudhury Bonya, popular singer Hyder Hussain and promising singer Rinku did playback in the film. 

The story unfolds the miseries of a freedom fighter named Nura reduced to begging, who along with other beggars, asks for alms in the city. He lives in a slum in the outskirts of the city. His only daughter Swapna (Kusum Sikdar), a university student, falls in love with Emon who is a student too. Emon was born and raised in the upper tiers of society.
Desperate Emon frantically tries to convince her that he truly loves her. However, Swapna suggests that he should look deeper into the matter. She requests Emon not to view love emotionally, but realistically.

Business

WB lifts commitment fee on loans not released in’09

The World Bank (WB) has withdrawn commitment charges on loans approved, but not yet released in the fiscal 2008-09, following a request by the government

However, the multilateral lending agency will not withdraw such charges on loans that have already been released for Bangladesh, according to a WB letter sent to the Ministry of Finance recently.
The WB generally charges 0.5 percent commitment fee on committed and unutilized disbursed loans. Every year the government has to pay a huge amount of money as commitment fees due to its (the government's) failure to spend money or for the donor's unwillingness to release committed money claiming faults in expenditure.
Earlier in 1986, the WB had also withdrawn commitment fees fully, which was effective till 1998. It again attributed such fees in the following year.
The letter, sent by the WB Loan Service Group Division, said in 1988 the Executive Director (ED) of WB decided that the commitment charge levied by the International Development Association (IDA), the WB's concessionary arm, be made variable within a range of 0-0.50 percent per annum.
It was further agreed that the applicable charge for each fiscal year would be reviewed and set on an annual basis.
Concerned officials of the Ministry said Bangladesh has demanded to withdrew commitment charge while a high level WB mission came to Dhaka in November last year. But, they did not say anything in this regard at that time.
Later, they abstained from addressing commitment charge in loan agreements.
Sources said commitment charges normally became effective 90 days after signing loan agreements. Sometimes the government has to pay commitment charge if the money is not released by the donor, showing glitches in the disbursement or project implementation procedures.
An official of the Ministry said in many cases hard conditions imposed by the donor delay the disbursement process and also project duration.
"As donors attribute tough conditions for loan disbursement, commitment charges become a burden for government," he added.
He further said sometimes donors delayed loan disbursement following lack of coordination between concerned Ministries and Divisions.
Though the WB had realised 0.5 per cent commitment fee for long, in 2000 it reduced it to 0.35 per cent.
Economic Relations Division (ERD) sources said regarding the WB loans to Bangladesh, in an average around US $1.5 billion remains in pipeline every year.
In that case, government has to pay a huge amount of money as commitment charges on different grounds.
An ERD official, however, said that commitment charge was not attributed in the last seven to eight loan agreements with the WB.
-New Nation

Govt extends tax return deadline to Oct 7

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) yesterday extended the deadline for submission of income tax returns to October 7 on 'special consideration' following strong demand from leading business chambers.

NBR Chairman Nasiruddin Ahmed told The Daily Star last night that the deadline, which expired yesterday, has been extended for a week.
"We have extended the deadline on special consideration after the businessmen made strong demand," he said.
The extension came on the last day of the five-day long income tax fairs in Dhaka and Chittagong, organised to boost tax collection and bring more people under the tax net.
Earlier, Ahmed, at a press conference at the Diploma Engineers Institute in Dhaka, said 55,707 taxpayer identification number (TIN) holders submitted their income tax returns worth Tk 117.19 crore.
Such fairs would be organised at divisional cities from next year, he added.
It was the first fair of its kind in the country and a total of 17,560 new TINs were registered.
The fairs opened simultaneously at the auditorium of Diploma Engineers Institute in Dhaka and the MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong on September 26.
Thousands of businessmen, professionals and share traders thronged the fairs. Many queued for hours to submit their returns.
The events offered TINs to new taxpayers and helped them fill income-tax forms from 10:00am to 6:00pm each day. The authorities, however accepted statements till 8:00pm yesterday.
As of September 29, about 3.26 lakh TIN-holders submitted tax returns, which is less than half of the last year's submission by 7.57 lakh people, according to NBR officials.
A meagre 7.57 lakh people paid income taxes in a country of 160 million people, although there are about 27 lakh TIN holders.
At 8.5 percent, Bangladesh's tax-gross domestic product ratio is one of the lowest in South Asia.
-Daily Star

Sports

Transfers open today

The players' transfer for the 2010-11 football season begins today with very little expectations of the usual last-minute drama, with most of the excitement centered around the emergence of a new force and the reinvention of a former champion.

Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and Muktijoddha Sangsad have challenged the power of Abahani and Mohammedan Sporting Club by signing most of their big name players, a long time before the official players transfer.
Despite that, the headquarters of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) will become slightly busier on the opening day of the transfers that will last a week for the local footballers and 15 days for the foreign brigade. The transfers will officially kick off at 3pm but only a few smaller clubs will probably show up to confirm their players on the first day.
Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, a new brand name for club that has been in existence since 1962, has taken all the headlines since July. They have roped in as many as sixteen national team players.
In a ceremony earlier this month, the new faces of the club paraded its acquisitions that include Aminul Haque, Zahid Hasan Emily, Enamul Haq, Wali Faisal, Mohammad Sujan, Mamunul Islam, Atiqur Rahman Mishu, Zahid Hossain, Nasiruddin, Komol and Shahed, all poached from the two Dhaka giants.
In the same vein, Muktijoddha have renewed hope of a title push this season as they have revamped their entire squad. They have roped in some 19 players, many of them top stars from giants Abahani and Mohammedan.
Muktijoddha have confirmed the services of goalkeeper Biplob, defenders Firoz Mahmud Titu, Obaidur Rahman, Yeamin Munna midfielders Motiur Munna, Enamul Haq Sharif, Arman Aziz, Azmal Hossain Biddut, Alamgir Kabir Rana, strikers Rokonuzzaman Kanchan and Mithun Chowdhury.
To counter the exodus, the league authorities have confirmed yesterday that five foreign players (with the fifth being the goalkeeper) can be part of the starting eleven of all the teams.
But that factor won't confirm success and Abahani have confirmed the services of Mehdi Hasan Ujjal, Nazrul Islam, Abul Hossain, Mohammad Robin, Pranotosh Kumar, goalkeeper Zia, veteran striker Alfaz Ahmed, defender Amit Khan Shuvro, defenders Arup Kumar Baddya and Monayem Khan Jitu.
Mohammedan, who disappointed in last season's Bangladesh League, have lost the most number of stars such as Emily, Aminul, Wali, Mamunul, Ariful to Sheikh Jamal and later lost Arman Aziz, Sharif, Nasir and Saikat to Muktijoddha.
All these players are just a step away from officially coming under the clubs' umbrella as they have to put pen to paper at the BFF headquarters.
According to sources, Mamun Mia is the only player who could create a bit of a problem as Sheikh Russell Krira Chakra has claimed that Mamun has taken money in advance from them although the player himself claims to be in Abahani's books and has already won the Bordoloi Trophy with the Dhanmondi giants.
Tomorrow could see some of the bigger clubs coming with all their players and finishing the formalities but that too, is a forgone conclusion.
-Daily Star

Rain ruines 1st practice gamehttp://fognews24.blogspot.com/

Rain ruines 1st practice game

Today's first limited-over warm-up match between the visiting New Zealand and BCB XI was called off due to wet outfield at the BKSP in Savar following incessant rain over the last few days.

"The pitch is okay but the outfield condition is unplayable as it's soggy, soft and still water-soaked. It would be risky for the players to play in this kind of condition and that's why after inspecting the ground the match was called off," informed match referee Raquibul Hassan yesterday.

The late monsoon is in full flow at the moment and after the downpour in the last few days it was impossible for the groundsmen to make the ground match-fit. And there is serious doubt over the second and final practice match, which is scheduled for Sunday at the same venue, as another downpour in the area within the next two days may keep the condition the same.

"The second match is still on. Actually we even tried to play a 20-over-a-side match tomorrow but the condition was so bad that the ground's man was not confident about taking a risk. There were also two representatives from the New Zealand side (performance director Roger Mortimer and coach Shane Jurgensen) during the visit and they were also not ready to take a risk," said Raquibul.

The former national skipper however informed that New Zealand expressed their desire to play the match tomorrow at Mirpur and organising secretary Gazi Ashraf Hossain said that they would look into the matter.

"We have to check many things before taking a decision regarding the issue. We get back to them after checking everything," said Ashraf.

The focus would definitely have been on former national skipper Mohammad Ashraful but the batsman who was dropped for the five-match series, was not focusing on the warm-up matches but instead was looking forward to the domestic competition to recover his form.

"It's nice that I got a chance to play the warm-up match but I'm not focusing too much on it. My main target is to score runs in the domestic competition. I will try my best to return to form when I play ten innings in the national league," said Ashraful, who was captain of the BCB XI for the first match.

"This is not a good situation for me as I was out of the team when there is a one-day series at home ahead of the World Cup but I have to accept the reality. I was out of the team because of my poor performance which has been lingering this time," he added.

Ashraful however said that he was not frustrated rather he was confident about comeback to the national side.

"There is hardly any problem with my batting but the fact is that I was not getting runs. I need some good innings to emerge from the vicious circle and I am hopeful because still I am young and I have to long way to go," said a confident Ashraful.

"I don't believe there is any psychological problem behind the poor run of form. Once again I need some good innings and that's why I am looking forward to the domestic competition where I want to play some big knocks," he added.

-Daily Star

Bangladesh is no more a `basket case'

Nearly four decades after US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger dubbed Bangladesh a bottomless basket, the largest circulated newspaper of his country the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has said the South Asian nation was no more a `basket case'.

"For the outside world, much of the country's (Bangladesh) history can be summed up as a blur of political protests and natural disaster punctuated by outbursts of jihadis violence and occasional coup', said a nearly 1,000-word analysis of the world's most read newspaper, which is regarded for its in-depth coverage of international business and politics.
It further noted that "Nearly 40-year ago, only the most reckless optimist would have bet on flood-prone, war-ravaged Bangladesh over relatively stable and prosperous Pakistan".
"But with a higher growth rate, a lower birth rate and more internationally competitive economy, yesterday's basket case may have the last laugh," read the analysis written by WSJ columnist Sadanand Dhume in the current issue of the journal.
The WSJ comments came days after US President Barrack Obama congratulated Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the country's MDG (millennium development goal) achievements.
The achievements also earned the country the prestigious UN Award on the sidelines of the 65th UN General Assembly session, where the world leaders including UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon too highly appreciated Bangladesh's progress, particularly under Sheikh Hasina's leadership.
Bangladesh was one of the six countries in Asia and Africa feted for its progress towards achieving its MDGs, a set of targets that seek to eradicate extreme poverty and boost health, education and the status of women and children worldwide by 2015.
"Bangladesh has much to be proud of," said the WSJ noting that its economy grew at nearly six percent a year over the past several years, while it exported 12.3 billion US dollars worth of garments alone last year, making it fourth in the world behind China, the EU and Turkey.
Against all odds, the WSJ noted, Bangladesh curbed population growth with the average Bangladeshi woman today bearing fewer than three children in her lifetime, down from more than six in the 1970s.
"Perhaps most strikingly, Bangladesh-the world's third most populous Muslim-majority country after Indonesia and Pakistan-has shown a willingness to confront both terrorism and the radical Islamic ideology that underpins it," the analysis read.
Since taking office in 2009, it said, the Awami League-led government arrested local members of the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, the al Qaeda affiliate Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami-Bangladesh, and Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, a domestic outfit responsible for a wave of bombings in 2005.
In July this year, the Supreme Court struck down a 31-year-old constitutional amendment and restored Bangladesh to its founding status as a secular republic while a long-awaited war crimes tribunal will try senior Jamaat-e-Islami figures implicated in mass murder during Bangladesh's bloody secession from Pakistan, the analysis said.
The WSJ also noted with appreciation Bangladesh's foreign relations affairs, saying its crucial ties with India were "on a high" while in development sector the country's leading NGOs including the microcredit pioneer Grameen Bank earned a global reputation for their anti-poverty campaigns.
The analysis, however, said it would take more than a burst of entrepreneurial energy and political purpose before Bangladesh turns the corner for good as the "long-running feud" between major parties and the "war of ideas" against the country's plethora of Islamist groups required the kind of sustained pressure that Dhaka has been unable to apply in the past.
"Despite these caveats, Bangladesh ought to be held up as a role model, especially for the . . . other Muslim-majority states," read the analysis which particularly tended to make a comparative study taking into account of the contemporary history of Pakistan.
It said Pakistan could learn about economic growth and combating terrorism from its former eastern province.
"Perhaps most importantly, Bangladesh appears comfortable in its own skin: politically secular, religiously Muslim and culturally Bengali. Bangladeshis celebrate the poetry, film and literature of Hindus and Muslims equally," it read.
-BSS

Babri mosque site 'split between Hindus, Muslims'

A court ruled on Thursday that the site of a demolished 16th century mosque in northern India would be divided between Hindus and Muslims, local television and a Hindu lawyer said.

The demolition of the 16th century mosque by Hindu mobs in 1992 triggered some of India's worst riots that killed about 2,000 people. More than 200,000 police have fanned out in India on Thursday to guard against any communal violence.
The television reports have not been confirmed by the court in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Local television said it was a 2-1 majority verdict, giving two thirds of the land to Hindus and one third to Muslims.
If confirmed, it could help appease both sides in one of the most divisive court cases in India's history.
"The majority of the bench has ruled that the place where Lord Rama is enthroned, that is the birthplace of Rama," Ravi Shankar Prasad, lawyer for a Hindu petitioner, told reporters.
Hindus wants to build a temple on the site. Muslims want the mosque rebuilt after it was demolished in 1992.
The verdict is almost certain to be challenged in the Supreme Court and a final decision could take years.
From the capital New Delhi to the financial hub Mumbai and towns of the northern Hindu "cow belt" along the holy Ganges river, many Indians had waited with apprehension on the verdict, some staying at home and stocking up with food ahead of the verdict.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called the verdict one of the country's biggest security challenges, and it comes at an already tense time when India worries about its international image days before the Commonwealth Games start in New Delhi.
Commentators say the verdict is unlikely to spark widespread riots that hit Mumbai and other cities in 1992. Political parties have called for calm and there is little electoral headway to be made in egging on religious riots in post-economic reform India.
The verdict's outcome will be a barometer of whether a rapidly globalising India with a growing middle class and an interest in investor stability has shed some of the religious extremism that often marred its post-independence years.
The issue haunts the ruling Congress party, a left-of-center group with secular roots, which will have to stand by a verdict that is likely to upset one or other major voter bloc.
-Daily Star

Technology

GP to instal solar panels

The country's largest telecom operator Grameenphone Ltd is going to instal environment-friendly solar panels, replacing diesel generator, to power its 140 off-grid base stations in the country's remote corners.

As the first telecommunication company in Bangladesh to deploy solar power in a large scale, the initiative would save 1.15 million liters of environment polluting diesel fuel in a year, reducing carbon emission up to 3062 tones at the year-end, a senior GP official said.
"On the basis of feasibility survey, we have selected 140 off-grid base stations for solar power source where diesel generators were the only source," Chief Technology Officer (Technology Division) of GP Tanveer Mohammad told the FE.
Installation would be completed by the end of this year, likely to bring-about a green-energy era in the country's telecommunication industry applications, he said.
GP in early September of this year signed power purchase agreements with three solar power producing companies -- Cosmos Energy Services, InGen Technology and Acme Tele Power -- for purchasing solar power to operate its remote base station sites.
Under the agreements, suppliers will install solar panels in Grameenphone's Base Transceiver Station (BTS) premises and maintain them. The operator will buy electricity on unit (Kwh) consumption basis for a contract period of 10 years with a buy back option after that period, as per the agreement.
Grameenphone Ltd has the largest mobile network, covering with 12,000 BTS across the country, offers telecom service to 27.92 million Bangladeshi subscribers (up to August 2010).

HEADLINE NEWS

Sahara parries question on arrest of SQ Chy, Kashem

The home minister, Sahara Khatun, has said government would act in accordance with decision of the International Crimes Tribunal on arrest of accused for trial of war criminals.

She parried when newsmen asked about the possibility of arrest of BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury MP and Jamaat leader Mir Kashem Ali who were identified as war criminals by the International Crimes Tribunal.
‘As a minister I can’t say anything about their arrest. The decision would come from the Tribunal after investigation. The government would implement the decision,’ said Sahara.
She was talking to reporters briefly on way to a meeting with the Chittagong city Awami League leaders at the Circuit House that started at 6:30pm.
The home minister observed that the BNP-led alliance government was conducting in a farcical way the process of trial of the significant cases including the grenade attacks and 10-truck arms haul. ‘We are committed to bringing the trial process to right and impartial path.’ 

Khaleda retracts Ayodhya statement 

BNP chief Khaleda Zia has withdrawn a scathing statement issued on her behalf criticising the bias of the Indian state and its institutions skewed in favour of the Hindus.

Khaleda's statement, undersigned by her information secretary Maruf Kamal Khan, reads, "Like any concientious person, we too are deeply shocked at the decision to hand over Ayodhya's holy site housing the centuries old Babri Mosque to a temple."
The statement said, "We have no words to protest or condemn the decision." It went on to call upon the people of all faiths to remain patient and maintain harmony.
Khaleda Zia, said, by way of the statement, this was 'another instance which showed that the Indian state, as well as its institutions, have completely failed to ensure religious liberty'.
She ended the statement calling upon the Indian govenrment and the conscious sections of India's citizenry to ensure liberty and security for all religious communities.
There were subsequently a number of requests from the BNP chairperson's office, including from Maruf Kamal Khan himself, to 'withdraw' the statement. However, no reasons were cited for this withdrawal.

 

US keen about Bangladeshi troops in Afghanistan

Washington 'intensified' its discussion on Bangladeshi military presence in Afghanistan, a US embassy official said on Thursday.

"The United States has intensified its discussion on Bangladesh's engagement in Afghanistan for global peace and stability," Nicholas Dean, the current charge d'affaires of the US mission in Dhaka, told reporters at a press conference.

Dean, also deputy chief of the mission, made the statement without any further elaboration when reporters asked about the US position about Bangladesh's military presence Afghanistan.
The press conference was organised for Ertharin Cousin, President Obama's representative to the UN agencies in Rome, to brief journalists about her four-day visit to Bangladesh.
Foreign ministry sources say, the US government has been trying to persuade Dhaka to send soldiers to Afghanistan as Washington reportedly plans to withdraw from the war-torn country supposedly dominated by fundamentalist Islamist radicals that are understandably strongly anti-American.
But Dhaka is very 'cautious' about the American request since the government would be in 'trouble' if it bows to this US pressure, the officials say.
Besides, officials say, Bangladeshi troops would not be able to face the brutal and fanatic fighters in Afghanistan as the American and NATO troops with sophisticated and superior weaponry could not root out them.
The French Press Agency (Agence France Presse – AFP) reported two days ago that the Islamic militants have warned Bangladesh about sending soldiers to Afghanistan.
The US-led forces occupied Afghanistan after the twin towers in New York were brought down on Sep 11, 2001 in a daring terrorist attack.
The American media as well as the global establishment subsequently made it out to be that the terrorists who had perpetrated the attack were based in Afghanistan. 

Dr Kamal urges govt to stop politicisation

Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain yesterday voiced deep concern over mounting pressure that the ruling Awami League men are putting on government officials to appoint the party activists to different jobs.

He also condemned the lawmakers who blazed with fury over the press in the parliament.
Dr Kamal was addressing his party's standing committee meeting at the party office in the city, a press release said.
The ruling party men are pressing the government officials to appoint their fellows to different jobs in districts including Pabna and Panchagar.
He said a section of AL men also remain engaged in admission and recruitment trade, urging to take necessary measures to stop politicisation of administration.
Commander (retd) Abdur Rouf, advocate Subrata Chowdhury and Jamaluddin Ahmed, among others, also spoke at the meeting.
-Daily star

 

36 parties submit audit report to EC 

The Election Commission has received annual audit reports of 36 registered political parties before the deadline expired on Thursday afternoon

EC official Delwar Hossain in the late afternoon told bdnews24.com that 36 registered political parties, including the ruling Awami League and main opposition BNP, have submitted their reports before the extended time limit.
But the commission did not say anything about annual earnings and expenditure of any political party as official scrutiny of the reports has not completed yet.
The parties that submitted reports on the last day are Jatiya Party, Samyabadi Dal of Bangladesh (ML), Jamiate Ulama-e-Islam Bangladesh and Biplobi Workers Party of Bangladesh.
The election official said Oikyabaddha Nagorik Andolon and Krishok Sromik Janata League have not yet submitted their reports.
"We are checking whether the two parties submitted reports by post or any other way," he said.
Election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain said, "The commission will issue show-cause notices to the parties which did not submit their reports."
He also said the commission is thinking to bring corrections to the Representation of People Order in this regard.
According to the order, political parties have to submit audits of the last year by July 31.
The commission received reports of 21 political parties before the original deadline, July 31. On Aug 3, on request from eight parties the deadline was extended.
The parties that sought an extension in the stipulated time were, Awami League (till Sep 1), Krishak Sramik Janata League (Sep 30), Ganotantri Party (Aug 31), Bangladesher Workers' Party (Aug 31), National People's Party (Aug 31), Jamiyate Ulamaye Islam Bangladesh (Sep 30), Islamic Front Bangladesh (not specified) and Jatiya Ganotantrik Party (Aug 31).
Parties that submitted reports by 1 August were Communist Party of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Bangladesh National Awami Party, Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh, Jatiya Party, Bangladesh Jatiya Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JASAD), Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu), Jaker Party, Bangladesh Tarikat Federation, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, Progressive Democratic Party, Bangladesh National Awami Party (Bangladesh NAP), Bangladesh Kalyan Party, Islami Oikya Jote, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Bangladesh Islami Front and Khelafat Majlish.
Thirty-nine political parties submitted their draft constitution before the ninth general elections. The EC on Jan 25 cancelled registration of Freedom Party for failing to submit the revised party constitution.
-bdnews

DAILY NEWS

Frustration grips local admin as AL men call shots



Sense of insecurity has taken hold of local administrations due to ‘undue pressure from ruling party activists’ in almost every district and the government’s apparent indifference to their concerns as well, officials have said.
Many deputy commissioners and upazila nirbahi officers have already expressed their worries to the higher authorities but no effective steps have been initiated to stop interference of the leaders of Awami League and its associate bodies in the function of local administrations.
‘Fear and uncertainty have gripped the local administrations because of the government’s indifference to threats and intimidation of the field officials who are unwilling to give in to the pressure from the ruling party men, especially in recruitment and tender process,’ said a senior official at the establishment ministry.
He said many officials had requested the ministry for their withdrawal from the field as they could not work with dignity in the present situation.
Conflict between lawmakers and upazila chairmen has crippled local administration in many areas where government officials find themselves helpless, said a number of UNOs.
On Monday, five officials of the Savar upazila filed general diaries with the local police, seeking security after they had received death threats allegedly from local leaders of the ruling party.
The Pabna deputy commissioner, AFM Monjur Kadir, who raised his voice against the attacks on the public servants at the DC office, was withdrawn and made an officer on special duty at the establishment ministry on Tuesday. The Pabna police superintendent was also closed on the day.
The establishment ministry is going to initiate departmental proceedings against the Pabna deputy commissioner, said another deputy commissioner, who expressed deep concern over the Pabna incident which had created indignation in the civil bureaucracy.
‘I have talked to a number of deputy commissioners over the matter. All are very frustrated by the government’s attitude in the present situation,’ he said.
The deputy commissioner of Pabna and other officials of the field administration on September 23 expressed their helplessness at a meeting with the civil society members after the attack by pro-government activists, prompting the prime minister’s adviser on administrative affairs HT Imam and state minister for home Shamsul Haque to visit Pabna 10 days after the incident.
Activists of the ruling Awami League on September 17 went on a rampage forcing the administration to postpone the recruitment examination for appointing some employees in the deputy commissioner’s office in Pabna.
Local activists of the AL and its associate bodies damaged vehicles of the administration and assaulted officials and staff.
They also set fire to answer scripts and admit cards and allegedly snatched away mobile sets, wristwatches and money from the examinees.
Talking to reporters on Monday over the matter, HT Imam, a career bureaucrat-turned politician, flatly denied involvement of the ruling party in foiling the test for recruitment of lower grade employees in Pabna.
Imam said, ‘Juba League and Chhatra League are not the associate organisations of Awami League.’
The adviser and the state minister for home had a meeting behind closed doors with all sections of Pabna district officials and asked them to work in keeping with the service rules. The officials were warned of departmental proceedings in case of violation of the service rules, said an official.
Imam said the officers had informed the meeting that the situation had been highly exaggerated by the media.
In reply to a query, he claimed that there was no resentment or insecurity in the administration.
A Pabna court on Sunday sent 21 Juba League and Chhatra League leaders and activists to jail after their surrender in connection with two cases filed for halting recruitment test of government employees.
Appointments to thousands of posts under various authorities, including civil surgeon’s offices, have been suspended in last 18 months of the Awami League government either for irregularities or interference by the pro-government activists.
The Jessore and Panchagar civil surgeon’s offices recently postponed appointments of around 100 employees following attacks by the pro-government activists.
Activists of Chhatra League in February this year attacked and injured the assistant commissioner (land) of Kachua upazila in Chandpur after he reportedly tried to prevent them from building structure on government land.
The BCL men also ransacked files, papers and a computer during the attack on AC (land) Md Mostafizur Rahman at his office.
‘Many upazila nirbahi officers, who represent the government at the grassroots, have already contacted the establishment secretary asking for their withdrawal from the field citing the conflicts between the local administrations and upazila chairmen,’ said an official at the establishment ministry.
He said that most of the officers on the list for posting as upazila nirbahi officers were unwilling to go to the field in the present situation.
Talking to New Age, some bureaucrats including a former cabinet secretary, said that frustration would grip the field officials in general if the government failed to ensure their security.
Former adviser to the caretaker government, Akbar Ali Khan, also retired cabinet secretary, said the government’s interest could not be protected if the interests of its officials and their honour remained unprotected.