ব্রাহ্মণবাড়িয়া, অক্টোবর ১৭ - ট্রাক চালককে বিজিবি সদস্যের মারধরের জেরে ব্রাহ্মণবাড়িয়ার আখাউড়া স্থলবন্দরে পাঁচঘণ্টা ধর্মঘট করেছে শ্রমিকরা।

সোমবার সকাল পৌনে ১০টায় শ্রমিকরা কাজ বন্ধ করে দেয়।

পরে অভিযুক্ত বিজিবি সদস্যকে প্রত্যাহারের ঘোষণা দিলে বিকাল ৩টায় আবার কাজে যোগ দেয়।

বিজিবি'র ১ নম্বর ব্যাটালিয়ন অধিনায়ক লেফটেন্যান্ট কর্নেল মোস্তাফিজুর রহমান বলেন, বিজিবি'র অভিযুক্ত সদস্যকে আখাউড়া স্থলবন্দর বিওপি থেকে প্রত্যাহার করার পর শ্রমিকরা কাজে যোগ দিয়েছে।

স্থানীয় ট্রাক চালক সমিতির সভাপতি স্বপন সরকার জানান, সুজন নামের এক চালক সকাল সা   More

Dhaka, Oct 14 ) — Finance minister A M A Muhith is spreading confusion over the Padma bridge project, BNP acting secretary-general says.

"The World Bank says there has been corruption in the project and sent a letter to the government suspending its fund for it. On the other hand the finance minister is creating a smoke screen by saying that there was no corruption in the project," Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Friday.

"He (Muhith) is embellishing to protect himself," he added.

He claimed that prime minister Sheikh Hasina was trying to save her 'corrupted' ministers.

Fakhrul was speaking with reporters after placing wreaths, with opposition chief whip Zainul Abdin Farroque, on BNP founder Ziaur Rahman's grave at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

Farroque, who returned from the US recently, said, "I am undergoing treatment in the US. The government filed a false case against me on the 6th of July. I returned to appear before the court hearing of the case."

"Even though I am yet to recover, I returned in respect of the law."

During the July 6 general strike imposed by BNP, Farroque was injured critically in an attack by police. He went to the US for treatment on July 13.

Asked about BNP's stance in the Narayanganj City Corporation polls, the acting secretary-general of the par  More

Dhaka, Oct 17 —A Dhaka court has bailed five people accused in two fraud cases filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Dhaka's Chief Metrpolitan Magistrate Court's judge A G M Al Maud granted the bail requests of Abu Sadat Mohamad Sayem, Abdul Amin Molla, Syed Siraj-ud-Doulla, Rasheda Akhter Maya and Habibur Rahman Morol on Tk 5,000 bonds on Monday.

The suspects had allegedly conned the investors by making transactions in bulk among themselves before selling their shares off at high prices for unlawful gains, according to the cases.

SEC director Mahbuber Rahman Chowdhury on Aug 21 filed one case against Siraj-ud-Doula, his wife Maya and Morol for trading shares of People's Leasing and Financial Services Limited by increasing the face value.

The case alleged they purchased and sold shares of People's Leasing and Financial Services Limited among each other at the brokerage house FPI Securities.

Another case was filed against Sayem and Mollah for manipulating the face value of shares of Eastern Housing Limited.

They had raised the price of Eastern Housing Limited shares by 25 percent by trading through eight accounts at Motijheel's Salta Capital Limited, the case said.

The cases are based on the report of the government-commissioned investigation committee, formed over the stocks debacle that caused two bours   More

Dhaka, Oct 17  — Stocks gained marginally on Monday amid protests and steps taken to stabilise the drooping capital market.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) general index gained 36.87 points or 0.68 percent to close at 5423.91 points.

Of the 259 traded issues, 178 advanced, 71 declined and 10 remained unchanged.

The turnover stood at Tk 2.27 billion, lowest in the past nine months. On Jan 25, the DSE turnover was Tk 2.06 billion.

The DSE general index lost 181.31 points or 3.25 percent to close at 5387.04 points on the first trading day of the week on Sunday.

On the last trading day last week, the DSE general index rose 208.74 points or 3.89 percent to close at 5568.35 points.

Monday's trading started amid overnight protests by investors.

They were demonstrating demanding circular on the tax cut decisions announced on Wednesday.

The market regulator, Securities and Exchanges Commission, held talks with stakeholders on Wednesday, following investors' agitations over the last few days in protest against the slump in the market.

At the end of a meeting with the National Board of Revenue (NBR), SEC chief M Khairul Hossain said the NBR had agreed to provide income tax rebate on stock market investments, lower taxes on mutual funds and also halve the current 0.10 percent tax at source on stock market  More