Ship breaking industry at Sitakundu dying
A persistent slump in the ship breaking Industry due to decreasing demand for scraps is threatening units with closure and workers with unemployment.
The Industry built 20 years ago was once a source of huge revenue for the govt, but is now facing a major setback, with the absence of any technological innovation.
Amartya Sen's prize money
Nobel laureate Amartya Sen announced on December 27 the setting up of a charity trust named after his residence Pratichi', with his prize money for work in the fields of education and healthcare in India and Bangladesh, after paying taxes on the money. He made the announcement while speaking at a reception in the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Calcutta amidst thunderous applause.
Protesting students attacked at DU
At least eight were hurt on December 27 when activists under the banner of Students Protesting Sexual Harassment (SPSH) came under attack from their 'rivals' on the DU campus.
The rival group styled 'conscious students' whose declared objective is to 'save the image of teachers at the university' swooped on SPSH students when they set fire to effigies of teachers accused of sexually harassing students.
Vice-Chancellor A K Azad Chowdhury appealed for restraint and blamed both groups for trouble.
Child patient hit by doctor? .
A child patient fell unconscious on December 27 after he was allegedly pushed on to the wall by a young doctdr in the children's ward of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Family sources said that an assistant CA pushed the 11-year-old when he uttered obscenities at the doctor. He was admitted there on the 26th in a critical condition of fever.
Mandatory for motor vehicles from today
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has made it mandatory for all public and private motor vehicles to display tax, fitness and route permit labels from Jan 1. 1999.
The new rules are meant to • easily detect vehicles that do not have necessary fitness, tax clearance and route permit. As Er issued specimen, the tax ?el is circular red. fitness triangular blue and the route permit quadrangular green.
Police have been directed to intercept vehicles without the labels and take legal action.
BB Bows to Beximco:
The Bangladesh Bank has finally allowed Beximco’s fictitious loans to be rescheduled, but the terms and conditions would mean huge financial losses for IFIC Bank (owned by owners of Beximco). Under the new arrangements, a simple interest rate with be applied on the consolidated loans’of Beximco taken under fictitious accounts. This means that IFIC will have to incur losses and the shareholders will have to share the burden.
CPA, Dock Workers Sign Accord on Incentive Scheme
A memorandum of understanding was signed on Dec 25 to introduce the much awaited incentive scheme for the dock workers of Chittagong Port. The agreement was signed between the authority of Chittagong port and leaders of three dock workers union in presence of Deputy Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury.
Russia, Belarus will Merge
Boris Yeltsin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukshenko agreed on Dec 25 to take moves to merge the two former Soviet Republics into a •single state as early as next year. They also agreed to introduce a single currency and harmonise taxes.
Iraq bans all UN flights to Baghdad
Iraq banned all United Nations flight into the country on Dec 23. Iraq ordered the UN to re-scheduled flight of military observers headed towards Baghdad. For this. Baghdad offered no explanations.
Iraqi air defences were still alert for further possible attacks, and the cancellation of the UN flights was thought tc , the result of Iraq's fears th? lt it could have come in harm r , way. Iraq warned that it would j never forgive Kuwait for allow jng the US and UK to use its n .jjjitary bases to launch the a jrstrikes against the country.
Film Star Da- ra Shiko Dead:
Eminent fil’m and TV actor, film director • and producer Dara Shiko died c ,n Dec 25 at a city clinic here . He was 65.
Iraq F ighting Fire with Fire?