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B.N.P. AGREED TO 28 DEC POLL
Zillur's announcement shocks nation
Sayed Kamaluddin
The military-backed caretaker government's decision that national polls would take place as earlier scheduled on 18 December, which was announced by Education and Commerce Adviser Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman Wednesday evening, belied all expectations. Rather it came as a rude shock to most people.
It was a shock because Rahman in his brief announcement did not tell the whole truth. Yes, not all the political parties agreed to accept the suggested 28 December as the polling date. But it was agreed to by the BNP-led four-party alliance and it was also agreed that after the meeting at the CA's office, Rahman would announce to the press accordingly...[ FULL STORY ]
DISABLED DEMOCRACY WILL AFFECT ECONOMY
CG's rigidity a ploy to keep BNP
out of race?
Faruque Ahmed
The caretaker government's (CG) decision to stick to the election date on December 18 came not only as a shock to the nation, it has also virtually left BNP, Jamat and other four-party alliance groups to take a decision whether to join the poll as lame duck or opt to keep out of the race to allow the opponents to take unilateral victory...[ FULL STORY ]
Public expectation ignored BNP alliance elbowed
out of polls
Abdur Rahman Khan
In a complete disregard to public expectation and a total denial to four-point demand put forward by the BNP-led alliance, a two-third majority in the last parliament, the military backed caretaker government finally expressed its rigidity to hold the next general elections on December 18.
However, nomination deadline for National and Upazila elections have been pushed back three days to Nov. 23 but election dates on Dec. 18 and 28 remain unchanged...[ FULL STORY ]
CG FACES TRYST WITH DESTINY
Views from bigger canvas are horrible
M. Shahidul Islam
Constitutionally mandated to govern for 90 days only, writ of might had afforded almost 720 days to the caretaker government (CG) to prove its worth. Yet, the statesmanship being all about using sound judgment to choose between available options, the CG will have run out of all palatable options and hit the precipice of indecisiveness and danger unless it can make an acceptable transition to democracy by the last day of the last month of 2008.
And, as its tenure approaches an end, it faces a tryst with the destiny amidst evidence of bad governance and mismanagement mounting in all fronts. The CG may also run out of legal shelters to lean on...[ FULL STORY ]
WHO BENEFITS FROM HUNGER?
Artificial scarcity pushes food prices up, brings windfall profit
Peter Phillips in Washington
A new World Bank report published earlier this year admitted that 314 crore (3.14 billion) people live on less that $2.50 a day and about 44per cent of them survive on less than $1.25 a day. Complete and total wretchedness can be the only description for the circumstances faced by so many, especially those in urban areas. Simple items like phone calls, nutritious food, vacations, television, dental care, and inoculations are beyond the possible for billions of people...[ FULL STORY ]
Bush to be grilled in Congress after leaving office, says NY Times
Fazle Rashid in New York
President George Bush faces the uneasy prospect of being put to tough questioning by the Democratic Party dominated Congress once he leaves office on January 20. The Bush administration overstepped its executive authority and will try to withhold information from the nation, the New York Times quoted Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who sits on judiciary and intelligence committees, as saying...[ FULL STORY ]
OBAMA'S EVEN-HANDED POLICY IN SOUTH ASIA?
India reels over Obama's silence
M K Bhadrakumar
Diplomatic predicaments can at times be almost laughable. Indian officials were scurrying around like headless chickens because 120 anxious hours had passed and United States president-elect Barack Obama had not yet put a phone call through to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh - as he has done to at least nine other heads of state...[ FULL STORY ]
GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT
Ivan Boesky
K. Z. Islam
Ivan Frederick Boesky (1937-) has been immortalised by his most unforgettable phrase "Greed is good." As it happens, 20th Century Fox is already working on a sequel to the 1987 classic 'Wall Street', with Michael Douglas playing the same role as Gordon Gekko, the predator in chief of junk bond boom.
The character of Gordon Gekko in the 1987 movie Wall Street is based at least in part on Boesky, especially regarding a famous speech he delivered on the positive aspects of greed at the University of California, Berkeley in 1986, where he said in part "I think greed is healthy. You can be greedy and still feel good about yourself...[ FULL STORY ]
Pakistan seeks $7.6 billion bailout
loan from IMF
Jonaid Iqbal in Islamabad
The emergency session of Pakistan cabinet approved on Tuesday the bailout loan seeking $7.6 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The cabinet also approved the economic stabilisation plan, hammered out by a panel of economists constituted by the Planning Commission. Economists suggest new cuts of government expenditure by about Rs 115 billion to stabilize the country's economy over the next three years.
The economic panel was headed by Hafeez Pasha, a former Minister in Musharraf's government...[ FULL STORY ]
U.N. BRIDGE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN ASIA-PACIFIC
Bangladesh is in bottom 5 states
in Internet use
Moinuddin Naser in New York
Bangladesh is among the bottom five countries of the world whose access to Internet is very poor. Less then one per cent of its population has access to internet compared to 80 per cent of the developed countries of Asia only. On November 18, the regional office of United nations in Bangkok discussed the issue how to overcome the 'digital divide' between the poorest countries and developed economies in Asia and the Pacific...[ FULL STORY ]
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