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Democracy or kleptocracy?
AL, BNP show regressive trend
Special Correspondent
It showed lack of tolerance and respect to the law, which are sine qua non for functioning of a democracy. Awami League (AL) activists gathered in front of the party's Dhanmondi office where the AL working committee held a meeting on Wednesday. They shouted slogans and heckled some of the leaders known as reformists... [ FULL STORY ]
India resumes 3-pronged onslaught on Bangladesh
M. Shahidul Islam
Punishing a small neighbour is not always the best way to achieve geo-political objectives. Yet, that's what India has been pursuing vigorously for decades and there is no diminution in Delhi's strategic pursuit to strangulate Bangladesh... [ FULL STORY ]
Indoor politics
Ball in politicians' court to play
Sadeq Khan
The caretaker administration of Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed Ahmed has been able to make a quick recovery from the shock of student-teacher defiance of Emergency Powers Rules in Dhaka University. That shockwave had given the cue for a countrywide eruption of symbolic acts of violence or threats of violence albeit limited to divisional headquarters and some educational campus grounds. By acknowledgement of wrong-doings on its part and by resumption of strong disciplinary measures including temporary curfew to restrain rabble-rousing on the part of some open challengers, the caretaker administration was soon able to turn in its favour the tide of popular sympathy... [ FULL STORY ]
Dhaka-Moscow economic ties to grow
Nasrine R. Karim
Foreign Adviser Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov have agreed to expand mutual cooperation in political and economic fields between the two countries. Recently, Dr Chowdhury was in Moscow on a three-day visit at the invitation from Lavrov. During the parley, they covered issues of possible procurement of food grains, fertilizers and energy from Russia to Bangladesh and for import into Russia of greater quantum of Bangladesh products like readymade garments and pharmaceuticals... [ FULL STORY ]
Politics begins to boil amid relaxed ban
Abdur Rahman Khan
With the relaxation of restrictions on indoor politics imposed under the emergency rule, the Election Commission (EC) has initiated a dialogue with political parties on electoral reforms beginning with the Islami Oikya Jote as it comes first alphabetically... [ FULL STORY ]
List of corrupt persons to be finalised this month
Shahriar Noori
The National Coordination Committee (NCC) on corruptions and major crimes will complete its part of assigned duties by preparing the final list of the top corrupt suspects in the country by the end of this month. It has targeted 220 suspects, out of which two lists of 148 suspects have already been made public...[ FULL STORY ]
NBR should clean its house, not issue threat to businesses
Shamsuddin Ahmed
It's a veiled threat and is likely to frustrate the government efforts to restore confidence among the business community. National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Badiur Rahman on Sunday said they would launch a campaign to hunt down the tax-dodgers after the period of amnesty is over on September 30. The campaign will target the business community... [ FULL STORY ]
War games muddy APEC summit
Antoaneta Bezlova in Beijing
China's display of economic clout and diplomatic assertiveness at the Asia Pacific leaders' forum in Sydney last week has been overshadowed by a concurrent show of power in the Bay of Bengal where the United States is leading four Asia-Pacific countries in the largest war games ever held in the region... [ FULL STORY ]
GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT
Harry S Truman
K. Z. Islam
The news broke at 5:47 P.M. Eastern War Time, April 12, 1945. President Franklin D Roosevelt had died of a cerebral haemorrhage at 4:45 P.M. Roosevelt had been sworn in as President for the fourth term on January 20, 1945 along with Harry S Truman as Vice President. Having been Vice President for 82 days he was sworn in as a President exactly 2 hours and 24 minutes since Roosevelt's death. Thus began the very eventful Presidency of Harry S Truman. He was the President responsible for the Truman doctrine, the dropping of the Atom Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Marshall Plan, NATO, the amazing Berlin airlift, for firing General Mac Arthur, intervention in Korea and a great deal more besides... [ FULL STORY ]
NEWS NOTES FROM NEW YORK
Fazle Rashid
Grim days ahead
The Bangladesh Diaspora in New York greeted the interim government's decision to lift the ban on indoor politics and applauded Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed's firm reiteration that the general elections would be held by December 2008, a month after the US presidential election, if not earlier. The government's decision to slow down its efforts on other peripheral issues also won instant support... [ FULL STORY ]
Sharif's second exile ends, not Musharraf's woes
Jonaid Iqbal
Let's say, former twice Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif was at Islamabad, where he arrived aboard PK 786 (shortcut for Bismillah, I begin in the name of God Almighty), for four hours last Monday... [ FULL STORY ]
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