Import of capital machinery fell by 30 percent in the first quarter of the current fiscal year due to slow growth of both local and foreign investments.

Despite its urgency, Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) is unable to have a backup optical fibre line for its submarine cable as one option is too costly and the other -- 'free of cost ' -- is being resisted by the telecom regulatory authorities 'arbitrarily'.

Generosity doesn't depend on means; that's what the dwellers of a city slum have proved.

Production of aman rice dropped alarmingly in 16 northern districts in the current season compared to the last season's, due to the devastation wrought by this year's consecutive floods and a fertilizer crisis, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) officials and field level information.

Pakistani opposition leaders were divided yesterday on whether to contest parliamentary elections under President Pervez Musharraf, a day after he bowed to international pressure by saying he would end emergency rule ahead of the ballot.

Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Pranab Mukherjee is scheduled to arrive here this morning on a daylong visit for a first hand assessment of the devastation wrought by Cyclone Sidr.

Bangladesh will stress the need for increasing the climate change adaptation fund at the Climate Change Conference on the Indonesian island of Bali.

The cyclone survivors of Patuakhali are suffering from severe crises of baby food and warm clothes as about two lakh families are passing their days under the open sky there.

Eminent jurist Dr Kamal Hossain yesterday said corruption is a violation of human rights and the main barrier to establishing the nation as prosperous and freeing it from discrimination.

The government yesterday began sending artefacts to France for an exhibition in Paris.

The trial of detained BNP leader Ariful Haque Chowdhury in a tax evasion case will begin on December 10.

Distribution of rice through Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) cards will not begin today as list of the cyclone victims has yet to be completed, BBC reported last night.

Five staffs of Rocky Knitting Mill were killed in a road accident on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway under Rupganj upazila of the district yesterday morning.

The archaeologically important Nabaratna temple at Hatikumrul in the district has become a safe haven for drug addicts and gamblers due to lack of proper initiatives for its preservation and maintenance by the Archaeology Department authorities.

Yet another housewife has fallen victim to acid violence and is now fighting for life at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).

A plane operated by a budget airline crashed early yesterday in mountains in southwest Turkey after apparently veering off course, killing all 57 people on board, officials said.

The leaders of Sector Commanders' Forum yesterday urged all the political parties not to form any alliance with anti-Liberation War forces.

Jim Karygiannis, a member of Canadian House of Commons, yesterday urged the international community to come up with more assistance for the cyclone victims in Bangladesh.

Five more decomposed bodies were found in the paddy fields and canals in cyclone-hit Barguna yesterday.

Robber shot dead a retired agriculture officer and injured two others at Gabtali Puranpara on the outskirts of the district town early yesterday.

Retired workers of six state-owned jute mills in Khulna and Jessore industrial areas have threatened self-immolation on December 3 if the government fails to pay their arrears by December 2.

UN Assistant Secretary General Jane Holl Lute arrives in Dhaka today on a three-day visit to see for herself the relief activities in some cyclone-hit areas.

Three out of five JMB activists, who made an attempt to escape from the district jail on Sunday night, were sent to Dhaka Central Jail yesterday morning for security reason.

A Sidr victim, Siddiqur Rahman, 35, was killed in a stampede triggered by scramble during relief distribution at Char Baleswar village under Zia Nagar upazila of Pirojpur district yesterday.

al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden called on Europeans to stop helping the United States in the war in Afghanistan, according to a new tape released Thursday.

Australia's new leader said Friday that he would pull his country's combat troops out of Iraq by mid-2008 making good on an election promise that is likely to disappoint the US government.

US President George W Bush, who rejected the Kyoto protocol, remains opposed to international constraints on curbing carbon emissions despite growing isolation ahead of a world climate summit. "Energy security and climate change are two of the important challenges of our time," Bush said this week ahead of a world meeting on global warming which starts Monday on the Indonesian island of Bali.

At a roundtable discussion on prevention of HIV/AIDS a must, speakers have called for open dialoguing at all levels of the society for sensitising people about HIV and its dreadful consequences. An atmosphere should be created so that open discussion can take place at all tiers of society, including at the family level.

Parvez Musharraf has finally hung his military uniform to add a civilian touch to his second term in office as the president of an embattled Pakistan. Discernibly it was a move to appease his opponents at home and abroad, while he maintained his political power. Musharraf gave an emotion-charged speech after taking oath when he vowed general elections on January 8 and lifting of emergency on December 16. But the international community did not perhaps fail to notice that underneath his civilian clothes he remained as rhetorical as before, all the time refusing to acknowledge the slogans and clashes on the streets of Pakistan. In a brazen show of self-importance, he called his standing down from the army top post and taking oath as the civilian president as a “milestone in Pakistan's transition to democracy.” He went on to boast that the January elections would go ahead “come hail or high water.”

In the Bangla calendar, 'Aghrayan' is a month we wait for. It heralds the season of harvesting. Optimism and happiness is reflected in the many rituals associated with the festival of 'Nabanno'. It is a time of joy not only in the villages but also in the urban areas.

We always find that international communities, including Bangladeshis living abroad, donate generously whenever a mega-disaster hits Bangladesh. According to recent reports, around $550 million have been pledged by donor nations, World Bank and Asian Development Bank. However, even after one week since the cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh, millions of people in the remote areas had received little or no relief at all. Roads and ferry ghats were damaged by the cyclone. The only mode of immediate and fast relief delivery to these remote areas is helicopters. Bangladesh Armed Forces do an excellent job as first responders to this kind of disasters. Our soldiers and officers are a dedicated and competent lot, but their mission is often hobbled by lack of sufficient logistical support -- most importantly an adequate number of helicopters for fast delivery of relief goods to the remote and disconnected areas.

Yet another November 4, the date to commemorate the adoption of our constitution just went by unnoticed, uncelebrated. However much it cuts across the political divide as a statement of enduring values of the constitution, we patently failed to dedicate this date as Constitution Day for the last thirty-six years of our nationhood. It is a pity to find this date disappear from the consciousness and conspicuously missing in the array of our designated national dates. Our inadequacy to comprehend the significance of this date in our civil life refrained us from according it a national status like most other nations. (In US Constitution Day is an official holiday). Beyond our commitment to republicanism, the exigency of the Constitution Day is vividly underlined when viewed against our national track record defiled by military take-overs and one-party rule, ironically imposed by an elected government, a classic example in the realm of our constitutional history.

Chittagong completed a seven-wicket victory over Barisal in the sixth round while the other two matches petered out to draws on the final day of the 9th National Cricket League four-dayers across the country yesterday.

Wasim Jaffer closed in on his second double-century as India exposed Pakistan's bowling limitations to reach a healthy 352-3 on the opening day of the second Test here on Friday.

Mohammedan Sporting Club's first of two charity matches ended in a draw when the Dhaka giants shared a goalless 60 minutes with Sylhet XI at the Sylhet Stadium yesterday.

Tamim Iqbal will not play the three remaining one-day matches for Bangladesh Under-19s in Pakistan as he returned home yesterday to join the national camp for the New Zealand tour.

Sri Lanka will not be sidetracked by the record feats of Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralidaran when the first Test against England starts on Saturday, captain Mahela Jayawardene said.

Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) has roped in government cellular phone operator Teletalk as the title sponsor of the three-match charity series for the cyclone victims.

M Asafuddowlah won two swimming events in the veteran group swimming competition on the opening day of the Dhaka Sports Carnival at the Uttara Club Swimming pool.

Exactly four years and four days after they had last beaten a major Test-playing team, Zimbabwe turned the clock back at the same venue, and against the same opposition. What must have seemed like a gentle start to their African tour turned into a nightmare for West Indies, as Zimbabwe pulled the rug from under their feet during a stunning 31-run win in the first ODI of the five-match series in Harare. The match was set up by a spirited batting performance, which gave them a challenging total of 274, before the bowlers stifled the runs so effectively that West Indies fell short despite Shivnarine Chanderpaul's unbeaten 127.

Shaun Pollock made a battling half-century as South Africa recovered from a poor start in the second one-day international against New Zealand at St George's Park Friday.

The changed nature of the pitch from green to barren brown has forced England to delay naming their team for the first Test against Sri Lanka starting on Saturday.

Until Friday, Muttiah Muralidaran was a peripheral presence on England's tour of Sri Lanka. He popped up briefly at the Nondescripts ground on Sunday to grab a sneak preview of his opponents, but by and large he's been keeping a low profile, recovering from a tough tour to Australia and leaving others to speculate about the unique challenge that he poses. But there's no hiding from the hype any longer.

Leading Australian players want the annual home triangular cricket one-day series dumped from their playing schedule, reports said Friday.

Chandigarh Lions, lead by former New Zealand star Chris Cairns, emerged victorious in the first match of the Indian Cricket League at Panchkula yesterday.

Sri Lanka bowler Chaminda Vaas will retire in 2008.

Mohammad Yousuf, the Pakistan batsman who recently pulled out of the Indian Cricket League (ICL), is set to face an arbitration hearing in Mumbai on December 15. Yousuf had signed with the ICL in the wake of his omission from Pakistan's squad for the ICC World Twenty20 before cancelling his contract after talks with the Pakistan board.

Football in India has been given a boost after the Portuguese Football League (LPA) signed a deal with Indian football bosses on Friday to help develop the country's youngsters.

Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton gave their fans a UEFA Cup night to remember Thursday as Bayern Munich were held to a draw by Portuguese minnows Sporting Braga.

In a week where the managerial merry-go-round took several spins, Arsene Wenger - one of the Premier League's longest-serving bosses - will hope his youthful Arsenal side can bounce back from their first defeat of the season when they travel to Aston Villa.

AC Milan's Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf is hoping the visit of title rivals Juventus this Saturday will help them banish their unforgettable home form.

After two dismal away performances in the last week, Spanish league leaders Real Madrid will be glad to be back in their Santiago Bernabeu stadium to face Racing Santander on Saturday.

For a few minutes on Sunday the attention of Europe's major footballing powers, England apart, will be focused on 16 small balls being plucked out of an urn on the banks of Lake Lucerne.

AC Milan striker Ronaldo is unsure whether he will be able to play at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan next month because of a new injury scare.

There is little doubt that Kaka will be awarded the 2007 Ballon d'Or on Sunday.

Juan Roman Riquelme completed his transfer back to Boca Juniors from Villarreal on Thursday.

Real Madrid favour the creation of a new body to represent Europe's clubs in place of the G14, the Spanish champions' president Ramon Calderon said on Thursday.

The government has decided to offload shares in nine energy and power companies on the stock exchanges next year, a move market operators believe could help boost the capital market.

The present caretaker government has announced a three-year export and import policy 2006-09. The government also gave a nod to the Export Development Strategy Paper (EDSP) for the same term. The Finance adviser is quite optimistic that the new policy will facilitate rapid import of essential commodities and thus help keep the price level stable. However, maintaining a single digit inflation level will likely be a major challenge for the government in the coming days. On the other hand, further liberalisation of import policy, along with a few other measures suggested here, may be needed to boost export growth.

With special interests in Japanese brands, quality conscious consumers yesterday thronged Japan Trade Fair 2007 at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.

India has announced a third package of sops in less than a year for exporters in textiles, leather, handicraft and marine products sectors hit hard by sharp appreciation of the national currency Rupee.

The International Monetary Fund urged Sri Lanka on Friday to adopt tough measures to cut subsidies, especially on fuel, in order to salvage the economy.

India has surpassed China for the first time as the most attractive long-term manufacturing base for Japanese companies, which are particularly keen on the auto sector, a survey said Friday.

Oil prices fell Friday on expectations that Opec will increase output next week and on fading concerns of a supply disruption from a U.S. pipeline fire.

Japan's Sharp Corp. announced Thursday a 200-million-dollar investment in solar cells as manufacturers compete for a slice of the burgeoning market for alternative energy products.

The United States announced Thursday that China has agreed to eliminate a dozen WTO-banned subsidies that have given Chinese exports a broad, unfair trade advantage.

India's blistering economic growth is expected to show a slowdown when second-quarter GDP data is released Friday, with tighter monetary policy dampening consumer spending, analysts say.

European Union and Traidcraft have teamed up to provide small and mid-level farm producers at village level with business and price information to help them grow businesses.

The head of the World Trade Organisation said on Friday he hoped to finally secure a deal in the Doha round of international trade talks by the end of 2008, some four years later than initially scheduled.

Canada and Russia agreed Thursday to expand economic cooperation in areas of agriculture, fisheries, nuclear power and trade financing, officials said.

The number of jobless in Germany has dipped to the lowest level since 1992, data released Thursday showed, due to the rebound of Europe's biggest economy and the impact of unpopular labour market reforms.

November 25-November 29, 2007
Local FX Market
The US dollar/BDT market softened a little this week and the BDT gained some ground against the USD. However there was ample demand in the market throughout the week.

President Iajuddin Ahmed yesterday urged the cardiologists and cardiac surgeons to launch massive public awareness programmes to check high incidence of heart diseases in the country.

World AIDS Day will be observed in the country today as elsewhere in the world through different programmes to increase awareness in the society to combat the deadly disease.

Distribution of relief among the cyclone-hit people continued yesterday to provide succour to them.

An inter-ministerial focal point under the stewardship of home ministry should be established to periodically assess the status of acid-related offences and court cases in order to curb acid violence, speakers at a workshop said yesterday.

Engaging education volunteers in teaching students after school hours in each localities, especially in the poverty-stricken rural areas, would help reduce the drop-out rate among schoolchildren to zero, speakers at a seminar said yesterday.

Bangladeshi expatriates in the United States (US) staged a demonstration in front of the United Nations (UN) headquarters on Thursday demanding punishment to war criminals of 1971, says a report of News World.

Asia Pacific Telecommunication Network (APTN) yesterday decided to provide assistance to Bangladesh Sidr victims.

A two-day CHT Cultural Festival 2007 titled 'Experience and celebrate the indigenous culture of the CHT' began at Bangladesh-China friendship conference centre in the city yesterday.

The 'Freedom Fighters Day' will be observed in the country today to pay tributes to the liberation war heroes.

At least three people were killed and 17 others injured in separate road accidents in Sirajganj and Dinajpur yesterday.

Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen, who was hounded into hiding by hardline Islamists, said yesterday she will remove a passage from an autobiography which some Indian Muslim groups found offensive.

Customs officials yesterday seized 15 deer hides and 1296 small containers of Zarda kept in four large suitcases lying abandoned at Zia International Airport (ZIA) in the city.

Youngone Corporation, a multinational company in the readymade garment (RMG) sector, has been providing medical care and relief materials for the distressed people in cyclone-affected districts since November 25 and it will continue till December 5.

The 16th edition of BBC Bangladesh Sanglap will be held at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the city at 5:45pm today.

Alamgir Hossain of the daily Ittefaq was reelected president while Elias Khan of the Amar Desh was elected general secretary of Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) yesterday for 2008.

Bishwa Sahitya Pathchakra 2008 will start functioning soon at Bishwa Sahitya Kendra (World Literature Centre) in the city.

Zero Tillage Drill, a farming device developed with local materials at Wheat Research Centre (WRC) in Dinajpur, brings good prospect of better agricultural outputs at lower costs.

Diversified use of jute, especially for value added products, bears bright prospect of earning a good amount of foreign currency, speakers said at the inaugural session of a three-day fair of flamboyant jute items in the town.

Seven people were sentenced to life term rigorous imprisonment (RI) in various criminal cases including an arms case here in two days.

Speakers at a day-long workshop held in Chaughacha upazila in Jessore said trafficking of women and children will be prevented by creating awareness among people of all walks of life, says a press release.

At least 25 people including four policemen were injured when criminals attacked them for occupying a water body in Kalmakanda upazila in Netrakona district yesterday afternoon.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said yesterday Pakistan would not be responsible for any failure in the US "war on terror," insisting his country has been struggling against radicalism and terror for 30 years.

The EU foreign policy chief and Iran's top nuclear negotiator held last-ditch talks on Tehran's nuclear plans yesterday, but hopes of a breakthrough appeared slim amid a growing threat of new sanctions.

President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a decision to suspend Russia's adherence to a Cold War treaty limiting military forces in Europe, the Kremlin said Friday.

Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto on Friday launched her party's manifesto for elections in January 8, but reiterated that she was taking part in the polls under protest.

Fifty military officers and their supporters including a former vice president were under arrest and others were being sought Friday following a failed attempt to trigger a "people power" revolt against the Philippines' president.

Sri Lankan troops have stepped up attacks against Tamil Tiger rebels killing at least 12 in overnight clashes across the northern district, the defence ministry said yesterday.

Authorities arrested more people on Friday after car bombs were found near the offices of Iraqi politician Adnan al-Dulaimi but did not say whether they thought he was the target or intended to use them himself.

Women who do night work for long periods face a higher risk of breast cancer compared to counterparts who work only in the daytime, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) cancer report released yesterday.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said yesterday he hoped Pervez Musharraf's term as civilian leader of Pakistan would see "greater and more effective" cooperation against the extremism confronting both nations.

On November 29, at the Rameshchandra Dutta Memorial Auditorium, Chhayanat arranged their regular monthly musical soiree, Srotar Ashor. The highlight of this programme was performance by Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta, the 76-years-old sarod maestro.

Perseverance and patience are what helped Rokaiya Begum Rekha achieve her artistic skills. Being the 6th among 10 siblings was not simple. The budget was always short and there was never enough to indulge in extra-curricular activities. Her father was the typical conservative middle class Muslim Bangladeshi. But Rekha's dogged determination conquered not only her father's sternness but also got many to take notice.

Shiropa Purna, nine, the talented daughter of artists KM Mithu and Kanak Chanpa Chakma, has recently won the Jury Award for her film Jellyfish at the Canadian competition 'Kids for Kids'. Earlier, Shiropa created a buzz with her film titled Five Finger Puppets, screened at the Bengal Gallery.

ATN Bangla will telecast the investigative programme Prapok today at 1:30 pm. Earlier, the programme was aired on Sundays at 5:10 pm.

The cultural saga of SAARC countries continues. After the rock groups from the eight member-countries came together here recently, in a few days it would be the turn of fashion designers of the region to weave their magic at two shows in the Indian capital early next month.

Bangladesh is a low HIV prevalence country with several well-documented at-risk groups, the most prominent of which is brothel-based sex workers and injecting drug users. Although prevalence rate is remaining low in the country, it is surrounded by nations with much higher prevalence rates and with its own at-risk population. Bangladesh has been identified as one of the five countries where HIV/Aids infections are rising in the Asia-Pacific region, it was revealed at the 8th International Congress on HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific held in Colombo, on August 19-23, 2007. The outbreak of HIV in neighbouring countries, cross borders and steady rise of STIs make Bangladesh a high-risk zone for HIV/AIDS prevalence.

World Aids Day is a day to celebrate a shared hope that we can thrash the global AIDS pandemic and that we can make AIDS history.

Lately, much discussion is taking place, as it should, on how to carry out devolution of power from the national government in the capital by strengthening the roles and authority of local government. This is, perhaps, the outcome of a belated reckoning by the nation that too much power concentrated in too few hands in Dhaka bred unbridled malfeasance within the higher echelons of the government.

It’s been just about two weeks Cyclone Sidr made landfall in the coastal districts, killing thousands and flattening houses and trees. No doubt the devastation will haunt our collective memory day in, day out.

Grameen Bank chief and Nobel peace laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus recently visited Google and Yahoo! headquarters in California. Internet heavyweight Google invited the microcredit guru to their Mountain View headquarters to share knowledge and seek his suggestion on enriching the firm's operation.

Japan's future dentists may soon be able to better appreciate patients' pain by training on a humanoid robot that can mumble "ouch" when the drill hits a nerve.

It was a mild evening in Dhaka on Nov 25 when Hewlett Packard (HP), the global technology giant, warmed up the local IT market by unveiling seven new notebooks for the corporate executives.

JAN Associates, one of country's leading IT accessories vendor has become the authorised distributor of Canon ICP (Image Communication Products). To mark the occasion JAN organised a press briefing in the city on Nov 22.

Power Macintosh, later Power Mac, is a line of Apple Macintosh workstation-class personal computers based on various models of PowerPC microprocessors that was developed, marketed, and supported by Apple Inc. from March 1994 until August 2006. The first models were the Power Macintosh 6100, 7100, and 8100, which offered speeds ranging from 60 to 110 MHz. These machines replaced Apple's Quadra series of personal computers, and were housed in cases very similar to systems sold by Apple up to that point. In August 2006, the Power Mac's retirement was announced at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference by Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller, making way for its replacement, the Mac Pro.

Since my boyhood, I remember our family being proud of having relatives abroad. There were levels, though. Having an uncle or aunt - first or second - in Calcutta (Kolkata) was not something worthy of mentioning boastfully, while having them in New Delhi or Bombay (Mumbai) might cause someone's eyebrows to be raised high. But the best was having one in London. So my paternal aunt, at her crooked age, in Delhi, my maternal uncle, senior in age, in Mumbai now, and today's Mama, some three years older to my mother, were like people from fairy tales. Mama is seventy five now, and I then felt unworthy at not having had a chance to meet him.

So Norman Mailer is dead, giving up the ghost on November 10 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Aged 84.

One afternoon in the Red-bird farm
outside Iowa city, you said
you found a rare flower, seldom
seen by men, flowers
only in spring.

The latest buzz on the political cacophony circuit is the bi-lateral treaty on nuclear cooperation under Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act, dubbed as Indo-US Civilian Nuclear deal.

Bismarck (1815-98) once said that politics is the art of the possible. Pakistani politicians are conducting themselves in accordance with Bismarck's dictum. Furthermore, observers say that leading politicians are behaving like a chameleon changing colours to achieve its purpose.

There have been lots of seminars, conferences and meetings on UN declared International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian peoples on 29 November 2007. But what will be the outcome? How long this problem will continue and where lies the solution of the conflict, nobody knows. How long will the Palestinian people suffer?

India to rebid army utility copters

Daoism (or Taoism) is one of the most ancient philosophical and religious doctrines in China. Institutionally, it is about two thousand years old, but out of institution, it is as old as Egyptian and Mesopotamian traditions and older than the Greek and Roman ones. Daoism developed through a natural course of events from the practices of life of the common people. So it is naturalistic and simplistic in its outlook, which reflects the profound human aspirations in a balance of pragmatism and spiritualism. Daoism has incorporated all the essential elements of traditional cultures of China deep-rooted in its soil patterning localised socio-psychological traits. That is why it is said, “If you want to know China you must know Daoism.”

Mumtaz Renu Farook Uz Zaman's writings and thoughts are based on the human touch, indeed based on truth, purity, beauty and the divine touch of love. Her poems spread the message of peace and love among mankind at a stage in our history when peace, within oneself and in the world, is most desired.

Philosophy, in our country, has always meant something of accessibility either only to the intellectual class or to people who study it as a course subject. We never thought that it should be studied in class, or be mandatory. Yet it has always been an inseparable part of our life. Prof Mozaffar Hossain has done a creditable job in encouraging us to read something on philosophy at a leisurely pace. More credit goes to him as he has done that difficult job particularly on the school of Greek philosophy.

Lonely Planet is a name of the biggest institution in the world travel industry. It has acquired much reputation worldwide for promoting and boosting the industry, basically through travel service publications. From its publication house, every year serious, dedicated travellers get a chance to enjoy many classical books on the travel industry and thus they find their travel easy and comfortable beforehand. Last year Lonely Planet published Code Green which has already been reputed as a guide to ecologically responsible world travel. It is a significant addition to its sizeable collections of travel service literature for which it remains unparalleled round the world.

Talking Books
The Thirsty Shore
Yasmeen Murshed
Printcraft Company Ltd.
Yasmeen Murshed likes to describe herself as a fulltime bookworm. An academic and till months ago an adviser to the caretaker government, she has always taken avid interest in writing about what she reads. This work is actually a compilation of some of those articles, all of which are based on wide-ranging erudition. The essays are a delight to read.