|
Hasina's govt. under scrutiny
Sadeq Khan
During her ordeal under military-backed state of emergency of Dr. Fakhruddin's Caretaker Government, which Sheikh Hasina hailed before and after the ordeal as the "harvest" of her sustained (and violence-prone) movement for liberal democracy and good governance, the leader of the Awami League-led grand alliance spent a lot of time in the United States.
Prior to the general election, while on parole for medical treatment in the United States, Sheikh Hasina held long meetings with top State Department officials. It was presumed that she made a positive impression on the then US administration, since there were no negative indications in press briefings...[ FULL STORY ]
ECONOMY FACES OMINOUS SIGNS
Policy shift needed to avert disaster
M. Shahidul Islam
The crippling recession has put into full motion the Darwinian theory of survival as conventional approaches to economic policy making are facing greater challenges everywhere. Although a few positive indications here and there are being used by various governments to boost morale, provoke investment and rekindle hope of the recession's end, the picture in its totality is quite the opposite.
The recession is lingering with devastating effects on lives everywhere, and, it being a global phenomenon, our Government must soon re-calibrate the focus of its foreign policy in order to empower itself with the necessary economic tools that will be much needed to embark upon substantial investments to create jobs within, to sustain demand, and to avoid an economic disaster that might end up with lamentable and uncontrollable social upheavals...[ FULL STORY ]
New budget proposal placed before
the parliament
Holiday Report
In the back drop of global recession and Awami League's expansive electoral pledges, the new government placed its first budget proposal before the parliament on Thursday when opposition BNP abstained from attending the session over a seating dispute.
Finance minister AMA Muhith proposed a budget of Tk 1,13,819 crore for FY2009-10, or 16.5 percent of total GDP. The finance minister forecast 6 percent GDP growth for 2009-10.
In his budget speech, Muhith has set the target for revenue collection at Tk 79,461 crore against a deficit of Tk 34,358 crore...[ FULL STORY ]
After Manipur, Mizoram govt. agrees on Tipaimukh project
Moinuddin Naser in New York
Amidst the objections from various circles, officials of NEEPCO (North Eastern Electric Power Corporation) held a meeting with the Mizoram government on June 10 for obtaining forest clearance tag from that state which is still pending, according to a report of North East Watch from Imphal, India. The report which was put on website on June 9 stated that even though there have been reports that there is the possibility of objection of the Bangladesh Government to the construction of Tipaimukh Multipurpose Hydel Project, the Indian Central Government is Determined to go ahead with the construction of the project...[ FULL STORY ]
Pintu alleges torture in custody to
extract confession
Faisal Rahim
Former BNP lawmaker and the party's old city leader Nasiruddin Pintu, now under remand in police custody in a case of his alleged involvement in BDR mutiny, made heartbreaking disclosure last week before the court. CID investigators produced him before the Metropolitan Magistrate on Monday seeking another fresh five-day remand to interrogate again after his arrest on June 3.
Crossfire
Pintu told the magistrate that he was blindfolded, shackled, tortured and was hung from above during interrogation to extract his confession. As he declined, the interrogators threatened to put him on 'crossfire' meaning shoot to death. ..[ FULL STORY ]
CLASH OF THE TITANS
US intelligence bosses fight
over jurisdiction
Fazle Rashid in New York
The CIA agents are active in Bangladesh! They are gathering intelligence reports. Do not get panicked. This is a standard CIA practice all over the world. The CIA operators are sent all over the world under cover posting. In many sensitive areas like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq they use local legmen to beef up their support.
The US has a number of intelligence networks. Apparently they lack coordination amongst themselves and their failure to crosscheck information helped terrorists to mount ghastly attacks in New York and Washington in 2001. This is the view of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission announced in its report. The Commission called for integrating the intelligence units under one single command and suggested that they should be allowed to maintain their individual entity...[ FULL STORY ]
President's health causing concern
Shahriar Nuri
The health condition of President Zillur Rahman has caused concern among the senior leaders of the ruling Awami League.
Sources said that despite speculation the health of the president is fairly well. He had delivered a written speech and by passing the officials' suggestion, watched a dance performance, listened to a song and recitation of a poem in a cheerful mood on the birth anniversary of national poet Nazrul Islam at Osmani Memorial Centre on May 25 last.
The sources, however, said Bangabhavan will have to face a great challenge for delivering a written speech by the president in the parliament which the Constitution made it mandatory for once a year. The speech has always been a lengthy one reviewing the activities of the government...[ FULL STORY ]
Obama's vision for a better future
for humanity
Abdul Hannan
The speech president Barack Obama made at Al-Azhar University in Cairo was remarkably direct and honest. It was conciliatory and not condescending in tone and there was humility and no hectoring or preaching like those by his predecessors. It was a carefully crafted balanced message to his Muslim audience, Israelis and his listeners back home in the United States at rebuilding bridges and repairing damaged relations with the Muslim world caused by cycle of suspicion and discord arising of George W Bush's obsession with America's war on terror, precisely directed against Muslims.
It is significant that throughout his 45 minute's speech there was not a single mention of terror or Islamic terrorists but instead only 'extremists'. In his quest of rapport and rapprochement with the Muslim audience 'to seek a new beginning of relationship with Muslims around the world' based on mutual interest and mutual respect, Obama displayed masterly touch and proved himself as a quintessential charming orator at his best with extreme sensitivity and suppleness. It is equally important to note his subtle semantics, sadly missed by many commentators, that he never for once used the expression 'Muslim world' but used 'Muslims around the world' because he is fully aware of regional and local diversities of Muslim culture in the Arab world, Asia, Africa, Europe and America...[ FULL STORY ]
GRASSROOTS LEADERS' DESIRE FULFILLED
BNP announces convening committee, stays out of parliament
Special Correspondent
Finally the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has announced convening committee for its 71 of 75 political districts on Wednesday keeping the Dhaka metropolitan district, Dhaka, Manikganj and Sunamganj districts in the waiting list.
Party Office Secretary Rizvi Ahmed on Wednesday handed over the list of convening committees to reporters at a briefing held at the party's central office...[ FULL STORY ]
GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT
Oscar Wilde
K. Z. Islam
When he was born on 16 October 1854, the parents gave their second son the names Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde. Though in later years, he was to declare that 'nothing succeeds like excess' he dropped the three middle names and even toyed with the idea of being known simply as 'The Oscar' or 'The Wilde' - 'just as a balloonist when rising higher sheds unnecessary ballast'.
At Oxford, when he went up in 1874, he discovered 'the dangerous and delightful distinction of being different from others'. 'Golden ... decadence', an ingenious paradox. But nothing that Oscar ever said in high spirits should be taken literally and this was one of the keys to his provocative success when, on leaving Oxford, he set out to conquer London. The phrase sounds like a cliché, but in this case is accurate. He planned his strategy with care. In his pocket he had a first-class degree in the Humanities and the Newdigate Prize, awarded annually, for his poem 'Ravenna'. Oscar captured the citadel and soon was the darling of society. ..[ FULL STORY ]
Women entrepreneurs need special budgetary support
Abdur Rahman Khan
The country's women entrepreneurs need credit and policy support for developing the economy in general and improving the condition of women folk in particular.
This was viewed by Selima Ahmad, President of Bangladesh Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI). In an exclusive interview with The Holiday she referred to the micro-credit programmes that helped the growth of women entrepreneurs at different levels but feared that they would not be able to develop small and medium enterprise without credit and policy support...[ FULL STORY ]
US policy change: Its impact in Asia, ME
MI Ali
New lines are being drawn in the global politics, thanks to former President George Bush Junior. His ultra right policies and obsession with establishing a new American empire exposed the US for what it is, a country that produced nothing and depended on the sale of bogus financial instruments to foreign countries and institutions to pay for its imports.
Unfortunately for Bush Jr., when the bills for the Iraq and Afghan adventure started mounting, the myth of the US economy was exposed and this precipitated the collapse of the US financial system. The US electorate were quick to see that Bush Jr. and his ultra rightist gang were isolating the country from most of the world and the economic condition of their allies in the war against terror were equally bad, if not worse...[ FULL STORY ]
|
