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Election on Dec. 18 appears uncertain
Abdur Rahman Khan
The public misgiving about timely holding of the general elections on December 18 now appears to have plunged into a real uncertainty.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda, while trying to leave his office through a rarely-used door of the EC office, was stopped by the newsmen to admit that things were at a critical stage and so the Election Commission (EC) was not ready to announce the schedule for elections...[ FULL STORY ]
TURNING RECESSION INTO REWARD
Strategic investment can cure
economic ailment
M. Shahidul Islam
A hybrid brand of 'National Socialism' is back in disguise as the governments everywhere is stepping into economic management of matters that have hitherto been under the purview of the private sector.
That does not mean the Hitlerism is back, but it does prompt one to wonder if there is something called independent economic policy making in the offing, like the sovereign foreign policy of nations, so to speak.
May be, although the very thought of a sovereign economic policy can not be envisioned without taking into account the variables that are embedded in the unique structure of any individual national economy and the degree of impact the global economic vagaries bring to bear upon it. Needless to say, the halcyon days of globalization are over, at least for now...[ FULL STORY ]
A HIDDEN AGENDA OF CARETAKERS FEARED
CEC's neutrality questioned
Faruque Ahmed
A biased, and therefore prejudicial, pronouncement came from the mouth of no other person than the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). The Election Commission (EC) is the country's constitutional body and the CEC is working to deliver a free and fair election to the nation. The CEC says he does not want to see "another election like the one held in 2001". Does the CEC sound like a political leader of a particular hue?
The CEC Dr A T M Shamsul Huda last week expressed his desire to hold an election that can be compared only with the one held in 1970. Going further down, he warned the deputy commissioners (DCs) who will work as returning officers of their districts at a meeting that he would not like the one held in 2001. This is an impolite aspersion on another Chief Election Commissioner, in this case a former civil servant of repute M A Sayeed, who was chosen by the Awami League while in power...[ FULL STORY ]
INDIAN JOURNAL QUESTIONS PROPRIETY
Delhi asked Colombo to 'ceasefire' in
LTTE stronghold
Shamsuddin Ahmed
Two events have pricked many minds. The first, Indian demand for ceasefire of Sri Lankan war when the last stronghold of LTTE is about to fall. The government forces are barely few miles away to completely defeat the LTTE, ending the decades old insurgency the seeds of which were allegedly sown in the Indian soil. The second, exposure in Indian parliament the involvement of RSS-Bajrang Dal in the explosion of bombs in different parts of the country, ending the myth that every bomb explodes in India is carried out by 'Muslims' and are branded as 'Islamic terrorists'...[ FULL STORY ]
Tremor kills 200 in Pakistan
Jonaid Iqbal in Islamabad
National politics appears to be moving ahead with cautious preparations in the government and political parties, while many are still confused what is The Chief Adviser in his address to the nation in September had announced that the parliamentary polls would be held on December 18 followed by Upazila polls within one week on December 24. Education Adviser Zillur Rahman at Rangpur on Wednesday has also reiterated that the parliamentary polls would be held as scheduled in December...[ FULL STORY ]
ABSOLUTE POOR TO INCREASE
Cyclone Reshmi causes extensive
damage to crops
Special Correspondent
Cyclone Reshmi that lashed Bangladesh's southern and south-western coastal districts last week brought in its wake gales at 80 kmph along with heavy rains, leaving at least nine people dead and crops on vast tracts of land damaged.
Even the interiors, right up to capital Dhaka and beyond were hit by the inclement weather caused by the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal. The gales and rains crippled life in the capital and elsewhere for three consecutive days. ..[ FULL STORY ]
1971 BENEFACTORS DESERVE RECOGNITION
An open letter to President from a citizen
Barrister Masood R. Sobhan
The Hon'ble President
Dr. lajuddin Ahmed
Dear Mr. President,
I write to you with the hope and reasonable belief that you would take into consideration an issue which involve our nation and the people, and act upon it.
I write to you to particularly recognise US Senator Edward M. Kennedy and singer George Harrison who stood by the Bengalis and worked for them during the most critical and painful time in our nation's history in 1971...[ FULL STORY ]
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Pollsters predict Obama's win but cautious observers are skeptical
Moinuddin Naser in New York
Democratic candidate Barack Obama is leading over his rival Republican John McCain ranging between 5 and double digit points, but serious observers are still sceptical to say anything definitely about his victory. It seems that Barack Obama may lead the US Congress also to a comfortable majority this time. In the Senate where 35 seats are being contested, the Democrats may win majority to capture at least 59 seats in the Senate to avoid any kind of filibuster in making crucial decision. Until now on an average Obama is maintaining overall 8 points lead, while the economic situation of the US is still gloomy...[ FULL STORY ]
Pakistan's woes mounting amidst financial crisis
Fazle Rashid in New York
Pakistan is slowly but steadily sliding towards a financial calamity. This is the view of the international observers. In the midst of a severe economy downturn , the North West Frontier Province of the country has been ravaged by an earth quake leaving a trail of deaths and devastations. More than 170 persons have perished in the earth quake. The death toll could mount...[ FULL STORY ]
GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT
John Maynard Keynes
K. Z. Islam
With the global financial and economic meltdown it is now time to turn to John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) - the most influential economist of the 20th century. In 1936 Keynes explained why there was cyclical employment in capitalistic economies. In his General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, Keynes' contention was modern capitalism contained no automatic mechanism which would propel the economy back toward full employment. The economy might languish for many years in depression. Indeed, the massive unemployment of the worldwide depression of 1930s seemed to provide sufficient evidence that Keynes was right. His basic policy recommendation - was for government in these circumstances to increase its spending to induce more production and put the unemployed back to work...[ FULL STORY ]
AN OPEN LETTER TO BAN KI-MOON
John Maynard Keynes
K. Z. Islam
With the global financial and economic meltdown it is now time to turn to John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) - the most influential economist of the 20th century. In 1936 Keynes explained why there was cyclical employment in capitalistic economies. In his General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, Keynes' contention was modern capitalism contained no automatic mechanism which would propel the economy back toward full employment. The economy might languish for many years in depression. Indeed, the massive unemployment of the worldwide depression of 1930s seemed to provide sufficient evidence that Keynes was right. His basic policy recommendation - was for government in these circumstances to increase its spending to induce more production and put the unemployed back to work...[ FULL STORY ]
Climate change protection is
a human right
Syed Tanveer Hussain
Dear Mr Secretary General,
Like life itself, a secure environment should be recognised internationally as a human right. Along with the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a healthy and secure environment is a vital prerequisite for every single right laid down in this UN Declaration. Human rights and climate change protection have become intricately intertwined. Those suffering the most from the impact of climate change are the least responsible for it, so it is also a matter of ethics and justice. Although there is no internationally-agreed universal right to live in a safe and sustainable environment, climate change has huge implications of the lives of the most poor and vulnerable, including on their human rights.
Who could have guessed that Canadian and Arctic ice melting would result in thousands of kilometers along the coastlines of Asia and the Pacific being submerged. We in Bangladesh are the victims of an unintended consequences barely perceived even 20 years ago...[ FULL STORY ]
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