|
RMG FACTORY RIOT CULPRITS IDENTIFIED
Local MP, associates allegedly involved
Faisal Rahim
Garment factories at Ashulia industrial belt early this month saw wanton violence including the blazing of a sweater factory owned by Ha-mim Group in the locality. The burning of the factory alone forced over 4,000 workers out of job.
Last week industries minister Dilip Barua, commerce minister M Faruk Khan and adviser to prime minister Dr Syed Mudasser Ali went on a site visit to the Ashulia industrial belt to see the scale of the destruction and assure the factory owners of the government highest priority to give protection to factories and save job to workers...[ FULL STORY ]
Nation enters dangerous crossroads
M. Shahidul Islam
Bangladesh now stands at a very critical juncture of history amidst gradually-built anti-Indian feelings reaching the extreme point, while the Government's passive, meek and subservient attitudes towards 'Indian wish lists' are making things even worse.
Not only policies must be changed to save the nation from an impending spasm, the evolving geopolitical snapshots must be viewed from historical perspectives to unearth the plausible reasons of why so much of Indian influence is pervading into our national affairs...[ FULL STORY ]
ASIAN HIGHWAY IN PRESENT FORM
It's useless for Bangladesh
Dr. Abul Hashem
The present Government of Bangladesh has already decided to sign the Asian Highway (AH) network agreement by accepting the routes proposed by India. It is strange that according to the ESCAP-crafted laws Bangladesh cannot even propose any amendment to the AH routes now without signing the agreement first! And not signing will mean that Bangladesh will be left out and the AH will bypass Bangladesh leaving it isolated and causing it to lose in the process the opportunities of trade, investment and service revenues. It is not clear where the AH can go in its westward advance if it bypasses Bangladesh.
This assertion has been made despite the knowledge that the cost-benefit of the proposed routes does not favour Bangladesh at all. Indeed Bangladesh will not be benefited from the currently proposed routes for the AH is quite clear. One question is whether this route would then serve merely as a transit corridor for India to carry its cargo of men and materials from its one part to another through Bangladesh...[ FULL STORY ]
G-8 SUMMIT
WB President: '2009, a dangerous year'
Fazle Rashid in New York
The religious leaders are not usually sucked into debates on mundane matters. But with G8 leaders meeting almost on his doorsteps, Pope Benedict thought it appropriate to open up his mind on the current economic tempest that has devastated and reduced the global economy into rubbles.
The Pope did not conceal his agony and anguish saying the "pernicious effects of sin are evident" in the current economic system and added forcefully the urgent need of the "redistribution of wealth". He called for return of ethics in the global economy and condemned "the grave deviations and failures" of capitalism.
The Papal exhortations will not go down well with the G8 leaders whose summit level meeting began last Wednesday in Italian city of L'Aquila. Pope Benedict called for reforms of the United Nations to make it a unified global authority that will allow the less powerful to have a say...[ FULL STORY ]
People's security ignored in Hasina Govt.'s priorities
Sadeq Khan
In a question and answer session of the National Assembly on July 7, Abdul Mannan Khan, State Minister for Housing and Public Works informed the House that the government is working to provide residential accommodation for all citizens within 2015 in line with election pledges of the Awami League-led grand alliance.
There was no Opposition presence in the parliament, and no supplementary question was raised as to what actual steps have been taken by the government to fulfil that wish, or whether the government means only to encourage people's own initiative to build a roof over their heads, leading to more city slums in underdeveloped parks, railway ramps and roadsides, and more rural slums spreading from coastal embankments to boat people's clusters clinging to jammed river ghats and secluded riversides. ..[ FULL STORY ]
China ripped by ethnic violence
Holiday Report
The ethnic violence in Urumqi, the capital city of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, appears to have been contained.
Described as the deadliest riot since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the crisis was so severe that President Hu Jintao had to cut short his trip to Italy, where he was to participate in a Group of Eight summit. It was embarrassing for Chinese government specially when the nation is preparing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Communist rule this October.
Rioting in the Xinjiang region broke out on July 5 and killed at least 156 people and left 1,000-odd injured. Violence continued for next couple of days despite swarms of paramilitary and riot police enforcing a dragnet that led to the arrest of 1,434 people in the region. ..[ FULL STORY ]
CRISIS CONTINUES
Nepal heading for President's
or Army rule?
Shamsuddin Ahmed
Crisis is deepening in the Himalayan new republic of Nepal. Political deadlock continues and parliament failed to transact its business since Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda resigned May 4 in a row over sacking of the Army Chief Katuwal. Finding the internal conflicts in 22-party new alliance led by Madhav Kumar Nepal and the weaknesses of his government, Prachanda has declared that his United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) will return to power within a few week.
Madhav K Nepal was defeated in two seats he contested in the last year's general election, yet he was chosen as a consensus candidate to become the new Prime Minister with the hope of overcoming the crisis...[ FULL STORY ]
GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT
Warren Buffett
K. Z. Islam
In 2008 Warren Buffett became the richest man in the world dethroning Bill Gates, worth $62 billion according to Forbes and $58 billion according to Yahoo. Bill Gates had been No. 1 on the Forbes list for 13 consecutive years. At a critical juncture in the 2008 presidential campaign, when Barak Obama was struggling to establish his bona fides in the economic policy, Buffett became a highly visible face at Obama's economic events. After the global meltdown Buffett was the only investor with the cleanest life long record. Buffett's investment style does not fit a mould. His success is grounded in a unique talent set: the rare ability to size up managements and companies, and the capacity to gather and synthesize prodigious amounts of information and then laser in on a business's heart. In June 2006 Warren Buffett pledged 85% of his fortune to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Warren Buffett was born in Omaha, Nebraska about 10 months after the great stock market crash of 1929. After high school, Buffett went to Wharton where he distinguished himself by his social clumsiness and his obnoxiousness in class - after the first week or so, he knew all the business text books by heart and liked to correct professors who misquoted their own books. Failing to get into Harvard Business School, he went to Columbia, took Graham's classes and found his vocation. Benjamin Graham and David Dodd were the authors of Security Analysis which is possibly the most famous investment text book in the world. From then on Graham was Buffet's mentor. ..[ FULL STORY ]
D.U. VC AREFIN SIDDIQUE SAYS
Students' healthy union activities vital for developing future leadership
Abdur Rahman Khan
Dhaka University, the prime seat of higher education in Bangladesh, has completed its 88 years of existence. The jubilant celebrations of the founding anniversary of the university took place on the campus on July 1 with Vice Chancellor Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique formally inaugurating the day-long festival by flying balloons and cutting a ceremonial cake in the morning. Teachers, students, their present and former students of Dhaka University joined the ceremony.
The University of Dhaka played a central role in all national movements for democracy and autonomy, including the historic Language Movement of 1952, Education Movement of 1962, Six-Point movement of 1966, mass upsurge against the autocratic rule of Pakistan in 1969 and mass movement leading to the War of Liberation in 1971...[ FULL STORY ]
| 
