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DEFENCE POLICY DERAILED
Threats lurking against sovereignty
M. Shahidul Islam
To cut one's own nose to allow others to breathe freely is sheer stupidity. The two things are not correlated at all. Yet, one does discover the display of such a stupidity in some of the latest policies of the Government.
Allegedly prompted by external mentors - who want economic gains and political control of the nation - the priority of the AL-led regime has shifted abruptly from strengthening national defence to tackling Islamic militancy which has already been enfeebled or crushed by previous regimes. The trend is achingly disquieting at a time when much is at stake with respect to the territorial sovereignty and vital economic interests of the nation. It also carries enormous risk of backlash if the country's armed forces fail to meet a host of existential threats waiting in the wings to pounce upon the nation...[ FULL STORY ]
GREAT FRIEND OF BANGLADESH
Sen. Edward Kennedy dies
Holiday Desk
US Senator Edward M. Kennedy, who evolved from the overshadowed youngest son to the patriarch of a famous political dynasty, died on Tuesday of brain cancer at his Cape Cod home at the age of 77.
Sen. Kennedy, a Democratic icon, who was praised for his passion, integrity and willingness to work across party lines, had been a strong supporter of Bangladesh War of Liberation in 1971...[ FULL STORY ]
BULLYING MARKET BY KHAKI TEETH?
Up and up gallop the prices
Hafiz Shamseer
Up and up gallop the prices like horses of the apocalypse. Unsolicited though, Commerce Minister retired Col Farukh Khan deserves some advice. He must not turn his office into a bully pulpit. He cannot shove the market by showing his former military teeth. Cobble together plans that are pragmatic and civilian-oriented. Khaki experience will never work on the people with inconsequential apparels. It will rather do more harm than good...[ FULL STORY ]
Has US unwittingly trumped a China card?
Sadeq Khan
The Indo-US common geopolitical outlook, as expressed in a Joint Statement during President Bill Clinton's India visit in March, 2000 and further confirmed by the Bush administration's strategic partnership initiatives including the nuclear cooperation deal for India's energy needs, began to have some profound impact on orientation of other countries of the region. By the time the Bush presidency ended its tenure, America was reeling under subprime credit crunch and global financial meltdown. Its costly wars in distant battlefields, albeit with some booties in some pockets, were getting tiresome...[ FULL STORY ]
Tipaimukh water bomb a curse for
Barak-Surma basin
Faisal Rahim
When the Indian environmental activist groups in the states of Assam and Monipur are fighting back terming the Tipaimukh dam project a 'water bomb' sure be a "living curse for the inhabitants of the Barak-Surma basin", Bangladesh's ministers and policy makers are describing it as even beneficial to the nation.
The Bangladesh parliamentary team that visited Tipaimukh dam site early this month gave a clean certificate to the Indian government's move on the dam issue saying that the Indian government ministers have given them assurance that Delhi would not do anything harmful to Bangladesh.
The team leader Abdur Razzak MP praised the Indian government for sharing "important" documents that were not made available earlier. He pointed out that all available data and information suggest that the dam construction is all but a fight in the air...[ FULL STORY ]
GOVT. SHIFTS PRIORITY
15th August overshadows
Independence Day
Shahriar Noori
This year's extensive observance of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's tragic assassination day has surpassed that of 26th March Independence Day which is regarded as the greatest annual national commemorative event. The new focus suggests an apparent shift in the ruling Awami League (AL) government's priority on August 15th lessening the significance of other memorial occasions...[ FULL STORY ]
UN SG may quit job, contest
S. Korean presidency
Fazle Rashid in New York
Facing a volley of criticisms for his inept and poor handling of the burning global issues, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon may step down well ahead of the end of his first term and contest the office of President of South Korea.
He was South Korea's foreign minister before becoming the chief of the UN. The speculation has gained momentum after Ban Ki-moon made an unscheduled trip to his native country. The Secretary General has come under fierce criticism from Norway's number-2 man in the UN head office. The Secretary General will visit Norway soon. Norway is the biggest UN donor. Ms Mona Jaul, number two at Norway's UN mission, in a report to her foreign ministry described Ban as bland, weak and lacking in charisma, The Financial Times reported. At a time when solutions by the UN and multilateral agencies are more necessary than ever to resolve the global conflicts, Ban and the UN are conspicuous in their absence, said Mona Jaul in her report, which was leaked out to Norwegian press, the report said...[ FULL STORY ]
Kissinger's 19 Aug 1975 cable to US envoys in Dhaka, Delhi, Islamabad
Moinuddin Naser in New York
Within five days of the August 15, 1975 coup in Bangladesh, the US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger opted for normalizing the situation in South Asia by sending telegram on the basis of the information given by Bangladesh Ambassador in USA Hossain Ali and the then Foreign Secretary Fakhruddin Ahmed. The telegram clearly indicated that after the coup the importance of the then Soviet Union was scuttled and the new government of Bangladesh also hinted reconciliation with Pakistan.
The telegram was declassified on August 7, 2009 by the State Department. The telegram was sent by Kissinger simultaneously to the US ambassadors in Islamabad, New Delhi and Dhaka. The telegram was dated August 19, 1975...[ FULL STORY ]
BNP to amend party's constitution
Special Correspondent
The opposition BNP is planning a fortnight-long programme on the occasion of its 31st founding anniversary. The late President Ziaur Rahman launched the party on September 1, 1978.
Party leadership has planned the programme beginning from September 1 to activate the workers and leaders, according to party sources. As a part of the programme, BNP and its front organizations will make a grand gathering at the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Mazar of Ziaur Rahman on September 1 followed by a colourful rally in the city on the following day...[ FULL STORY ]
SME financing on the rise, but slowly
Asjadul Kibria
The Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector is placed in the priority list in the government. Not only the incumbent government, but also the previous governments have emphasised on SME development. However, little progress has been made so far as rhetoric override deed.
In his speech on the budget for FY2009-10, finance minister AMA Muhit said that the budget would 'support growth of agriculture and rural economy and patronise small and medium enterprises.' Thus, focus on SME is in the agenda already.
The minister also said that 'SMEs can make important contribution to the economy by ensuring local value addition and producing exportable surpluses and helping employment generation in a big way'...[ FULL STORY ]
GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT
P G Wodehouse
K. Z. Islam
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975) was a prolific author writing 96 books in his remarkable 73-year-long career. Best known for the creation of two fictional worlds based on Blandings Castle and the Wooster - Jeeves duo, Wodehouse is appreciated the world over for his exceedingly clever and comically savvy send-ups of the idle rich in 20th-century England.
Both the name "Jeeves" and the character of Jeeves have come to be thought of as the quintessential name and nature of a valet, as well as the name of the internet search engine Ask Jeeves (currently Ask.com). A "Jeeves" is now a generic term in references such as the Oxford English Dictionary...[ FULL STORY ]
Stop piracy of foreign books to
protect publishers
Abdur Rahman Khan
Shahina Rahman had no desire to come to publishing business. However, after long eight years of dedication in the business, she feels that it was not merely to carry on with the legacy of her late husband but also a great service towards educating a the new generation by spreading the ideas and knowledge of the scholars.
Shahina Rahman is the managing director of a leading publishing house, Academic Press and Publishers Library (APPL). It publishes scholarly and academic books mostly in English language. Very recently it has started publishing some creative writings including travelogue and memoirs...[ FULL STORY ]
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