The following is the compiled news stories on the current affairs of Bangladesh written by Siddique Islam (of National News Service), Dhaka for the Proutist Universal Website.
Siddique Islam (National News Service) Dhaka, Tuesday, May 10: The Nagorik Committee candidate and Awami League leader ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury won the election battle for Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), a port city in Bangladesh.
According to unofficial result, reported that Mohiuddin bagged 350,891 votes while his rival four-party alliance's candidate Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin got 259,410 votes in the Monday's much-talked-about polling that attracted eyes of millions of people.
The Nagorik Committee candidate Mohiuddin defeated Mir Nasir by 91,481 votes in the election took place in 577 centers of the CCC.
Returning Officer of the election Golam Kuddus declared ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury winner unofficially in the election at 6.20am Tuesday morning from the Control Room at the gymnasium of the stadium, which was surrounded by thousands of people since Monday afternoon.
Former Commerce Minister and BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury MP, who was present at the control room on behalf of ruling party candidate Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin, accepted the result, a local news agency reported.
"We wanted a peaceful, free and fair election. The result proved that BNP is a democratic party. We accepted the result," former minister told reporters.
On the other hand, Awami League president Sheikh Hasina's political secretary Saber Hossain Chowdhury told reporters at the control room that they were very happy over the victory. “We thank the people of Chittagong for their verdict for democracy after much of sacrifice," Saber added.
As soon as the declaration of the result spread, thousands of people took to the streets in several small, separate processions chanting slogans and throwing colored water. The port city Chittagong turned into a human sea with joyous people celebrating the victory of ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury.
The Chittagong city corporation polls, a local body election, charged with highest level of politics, was held peacefully Monday amidst unprecedented security measures. (End/si)
Siddique Islam (National News Service) Dhaka, Sunday, May 08: At least 40 people, including two Chinese chemists, were injured when a mob attacked a fertilizers factory in Narayangonj, alleging leakage of poisonous gas.
The incident occurred in the Hossain Chemical Complex at Fatulla industrial area in Narayangonj district about 12 kms from the capital city on Saturday morning.
Police and witnesses said the angry locals attacked the Chemical Complex after sulfur-dioxide and sulfur-trioxide gases spewed from a fertilizer plant killing at least 4 cows, 19 goats and 13 swans and causing sickness to ten people.
Police sources said 30 of the injured were the workers of the factory, including two Chinese chemists.
The angry mobs stormed into the factory breaking open its collapsible gate on the day and ransacked the factory. They damaged a microbus, two computers and two refrigerators and smashed the windowpanes.
Police rushed to the Chemical Complex, the first private sector fertilizer plant in Bangladesh, and disbursed the mob. The factory, now under police guard, has been temporarily closed.
It has been reported that the plant owners denied any gas leakage, saying none of their staff had fallen ill. (End/si)
Siddique Islam (National News Service) Dhaka, Monday, May 09: Bangladesh government and the Tata Group have agreed to kick off formal negotiation on May 23 and conclude it by August 31 to sign the contract for investing $2.5 billion in the country by November 30.
The broad-based timetable for negotiation was fixed at a meeting held at a local hotel Sunday between a high-level delegation of the Indian industrial giant and the prime minister-appointed committee to look into the Tata Group’s investment proposal.
The government has, meanwhile, formed four teams for handling the matters relating to the negotiation with the Tata Group.
Quoting State Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources AKM Mosharraf Hossain, the Daily Star reported that the government has to identify Tata's requirements of gas and pipelines, site selection and land requirements before inking the final agreement.
According to a Tata official, the investment will enable Bangladesh to earn around US$26.6 billion net foreign exchange in 30 years, which will play a positive role in the country's balance of payment benefit.
Meanwhile, the government has already formed four teams for handling the matters elating to the negotiation with the Tata Group.
The finance secretary will lead the negotiating team, the principal secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office will head the team to maintain contact between different agencies, the planning secretary-led team will negotiate with multilateral lending agencies for funding infrastructure development, and the foreign secretary will head the team which will hold talks with Indian authorities to clear up the bilateral issues.
Coming out of the meet, BoI chief executive Mahmudur Rahman told reporters that the investment of Tata is a complex and big one. Many critical as well as bilateral and multilateral issues are involved with the proposed investment.
“Actually, hard talks will begin with the start of the final negotiation meeting and both the sides will find some crucial issues,” he said.
He said besides the ministerial guardian body, the government formed four more committees to deal with the issues. (End/si)
Posted by proutist-universal on May 17, 2005 1:15 AM
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"Human beings have still not been able to form a human society, and have still not learned to move with the spirit of a pilgrim. Although many small groups, motivated by self-interest, work together in particular situations, not even a small fraction of their work is done with a broader social motive. By strict definition, shall we have to declare that each small family unit is a society in itself? If going ahead in mutual adjustment only out of narrow self-interest or momentary self-seeking is called society, then in such a society, no provision can be made for the disabled, the diseased or the helpless, because in most cases nobody can benefit from them in any way... in that case there always remains the possibility of some people getting isolated from the collective. All human beings must attach themselves to others by the common bond of love and march forward hand in hand; then only will I proclaim it a society." |