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US accuses India of importing
secret weapons technology
Fazle Rashid in New York
Schism between India and USA appears to be widening. After an open discord over the nuclear question comes the accusation of New Delhi deliberately infringing the US law. The US Justice Department has charged the Indian government of consciously taking part in a conspiracy to side step American export regulations to obtain secret weapons technology from American companies. This unlawful practice is going on for past several years, the New York Times reported Tuesday... [ FULL STORY ]
New Delhi SAARC Summit
Can SAARC deliver as Indian PM asserts?
A. R. Khan
The 14th New Delhi Summit of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) concluded last week giving a wider mandate to promote peace, progress and development in the region through greater connectivity in trade, movement of people and through flow of ideas... [ FULL STORY ]
Iran frees captives as 'gift to Britain'
Tehran shows humane gesture
despite utter provocation
M. Shahidul Islam in Toronto
The Mollahs in Tehran are showing miracles, one after another. Sensing an imminent military aggression, the confirmation for which came from various sources in the last few weeks, Iran displayed a brilliant diplomatic theatric on April 4, declaring that, 'as a gift to Britain', Tehran will free the 15 British soldiers arrested in Iranian water on March 23... [ FULL STORY ]
Finding a way to democratic transition
Dr. Mizanur Rahman Shelley
The present government of Bangladesh is a unique product of extra-ordinary circumstances. Constitutionally described as 'Caretaker government' it has, in reality, assumed the character of an interim government. The tumultuous political situation existing since the close of October 2006 to the 11January 2007 made it impossible for the earlier caretaker government led by President Iajuddin Ahmed as the Chief Adviser to hold the elections scheduled for the 22 January. That situation itself was the product of polluted politics often epoch marked by hollow democracy... [ FULL STORY ]
Nation undergoing a paradigm shift
Faruque Ahmed
The country's political paradigm is fast changing. When the current caretaker government took over about three months ago the focus was initially on creating an environment to hold a free and fair election. But over the time the focal point appears to have changed to create a new political climate to bring about fundamental changes in the country's overall political landscape... [ FULL STORY ]
Govt. increases fuel oil prices
Risk of inflation, recession looms
Asjadul Kibria
The latest hike of prices of four types of fuel oils by 15-22 per cent may be justified, as it was happened in previous periods. No doubt that the price hike would give some breathing space to the interim government for adjusting fiscal burdens as well soften the lending agencies position on releasing the fund available with the pipeline. A day after announcing the prices of fuel oils on April 3, the World Bank has hinted that it would release $200 million before the next budget under the bank's Development Support Credit (DSC IV)...[ FULL STORY ]
Manipur's masked young men of dignity
Nava Thakuria in Guwahati
They are enthusiastic college students, come from lower middle class families and are rickshaw pullers on the roads of Imphal, the capital city of Manipur in Northeast India. The young men start their activities in early morning, bringing out the rented rickshaws to the road, have a look on the morning newspapers, go for rent and then rush to the colleges to attend classes. If the classes are completed earlier, they once again pull rickshaws and then go home to take study and to retire on bed at the earliest. While on their duty (pulling rickshaw) they talk too little or nothing and hardly haggle over fares and more interestingly they cover their faces, sans the eyes, with a piece of cloth and the cap... [ FULL STORY ]
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