The New Nation - Internet Edition

Abdul Muqit Chowdhury

The holy Ramzan is the month of Allah's infinite Mercy. 'Roza' (fasting) is an important 'Rukn' (pillar) of Islam. The holy Quran ordains fasting obligatory on capable Muslims. The Messenger of Allah Hazrat Mohammad (SM) demonstrated the way to perform fasting with necessary rituals and described unique merit of this injunction of Islam.

The Muslims of Bangladesh including the Muslims of the world accept this exceptional month heartily and engage themselves in a continuous process of self-restraint through fasting.

The holy Quran says: 'O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may learn self-restraint (may be Allah-fearing)." (2:183) The verse says, 'as it was prescribed to those before you.' This makes it clear that the followers of earlier prophets were also prescribed fasting and the holy tradition comes down as a virtuous occasion.

The verse also says about the aim of fasting - 'that ye may learn self-restraint' So, by fasting with complete allegiance to the Commandments of Allah the Muslims can learn to achieve the goal of Allah-fearing through self-restraint This is called 'Taqwa', which teaches to avoid all forbidden things.

This Ramzan is thus an opportune moment to reach the nearness of Allah. This gracious period should be utilised in proper perspective as detailed in the Quran and Sunnah. However, none should try to misinterpret the meaning. Ramzan is in no way 'simple or mere fasting'. The very meaning or teaching of Ramzan is self-purification. Learn (or atain) the practice of warding off all the evils in oneself, to earn the virtue of surrendering to the Will of Allah and to adhere to the teachings of His Messenger prescribed (for mankind) and to pray for His Mercy with devotion.

Staff Reporter

An angry mob beat up two members of the elite Rapid Action Batalion (RAB) for torturing a garments businessman at the city's Mirpur under Kafrul thana yesterday morning.

All the RAB members and the businessman were admited to the Casualty Unit of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

DMCH sources said the condition of businessman Ali Huq, who is an ex-footballer and the owner of garments factory Royal Bangla Design Ltd, was stated to be critical as his left hand was broken due to the RAB torture and eight stitches were given him at his backside and head.

The injured RAB members were identified as ASI Kamran, 30, and Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) Safayet Hossain, 30, of RAB-4.

Witnesses said that as the motorbikes of RAB members' and Ali Huq collided, near the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) office at about 11 am, Ali Haq locked in an altercation with the RAB members over the incident

At one stage, the RAB members beat up Ali Haq, who was going to shopping along with his 4-year-old son Shahed, by iron rods. Witnessing the incident, the local people got infuriated and beat up the plain clothes RAB members Kamran and Safayet, witnesses said.

Meanwhile, other RAB members also rushed to the spot and joined their colleagues.

Sub-Inspector Faruq Hossain of Kafrul thana admited the incident and said, "We heard the incident but none come to file any case."

Special Correspondent

Consumption of energy and many other critical resources is consistently breaking records, disrupting the climate and undermining life on the planet, according to the latest Worldwatch Institute report, Vital Signs 2007-2008 released yesterday, says a message received from Washington DC.

The 44 trends tracked in 'Vital Signs' illustrate the urgent need to check consumption of energy and other resources that are contributing to the climate crisis, starting with the largest polluter, the United States, which accounted for over 21 percent of global carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning in 2005. Europe, already feeling the effects of climate change, should pressure the United States to join international climate negotiations, according to Erik Assadourian, Vital Signs Project Director.

"The world is running out of time to head off catastrophic climate change, and it is essential that Europe and the rest of the international community bring pressure to bear on U.S. policymakers to address the climate crisis," said Assadourian, who spoke at the launch of Vital Signs at the Catalonian Ministry of the Environment in Barcelona, Spain, organised by the UNESCO Centre of Catalonia, the message says.

"The United States must be held accountable for its emissions, double the per capita level in Europe, and should follow the EU lead by commiting to reducing its total greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050."

Assadourian urged European leaders to push the United States to engage more constructively with the international community on climate change, starting at the United Nations later this month and in the Bali climate negotiations at the end of the year. With a global population of 6.6 billion and growing, the ecosystem services upon which life depends are being stretched to the limit due to record levels of consumption: In 2006, the world used 3.9 billion tons of oil. Fossil fuel usage in 2005 produced 7.6 billion tons of carbon emissions, and atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide reached 380 parts per million. More wood was removed from forests in 2005 than ever before. Meat production hit a record 276 million tons (43 kilograms per person) in 2006.

Meat consumption is one of several factors driving rising soybean demand. Rapid expansion of soybean plantations in South America could displace 22 million hectares of tropical forest and savanna in the next 20 years. The rise in global seafood consumption comes even as many fish species become scarcer: in 2004, 156 million tonnes of seafood was eaten, an average of three times as much seafood per person than in 1950.

The expanding global appetite for everything from everyday items such as eggs to major consumer goods such as automobiles is helping to drive climate change, endangering organisms both on land and in the sea: The warming climate is undermining biodiversity by accelerating habitat loss, altering the timing of animal migrations and plant flowerings, and shifting some species toward the poles and to higher altitudes.

The oceans have absorbed about half of the carbon dioxide emited by humans in the last 200 years. Climate change is altering fish migration routes, pushing up sea levels, intensifying coastal erosion, raising ocean acidity, and interfering with currents that move vital nutrients upward from the deep sea. Despite a relatively calm US hurricane season in 2006, the world experienced more weather-related disasters than in any of the previous three years. Nearly 100 million people were affected.

While US carbon emissions continue to grow, the fastest rise is occurring in Asia, particularly China and India. But without a US commitment to emissions constraints, persuading China and India to commit to reductions is unlikely. "The only hope for reducing the world's carbon emissions is for the US to begin reducing its emissions and cooperating with other nations immediately. The EU may be the only entity that can make that happen," said Assadourian.

Already, the window to prevent catastrophic climate change appears to be closing. Some governments are starting to redirect their atention away from climate change mitigation and toward staking their claims in a warming world. "Canada is spending $3 billion to build eight new patrol boats to reinforce its claim over Arctic waterways. Denmark and Russia are starting to vie for control over the Lomonosov Ridge, where new sources of oil and natural gas could be accessed if the Arctic Circle becomes ice free-fossil fuels that will further exacerbate climate change. These actions assume that a warming world is here," asserted Assadourian, the message adds.

Staff Reporter

The Election Commission is going to take the initiative for delimitation of election areas with a view to reducing discrimination of voters in different constituencies.

Election Commissioner Muhammad Sohul Hossain said while talking to journalists at his office yesterday.

He, however, said that the EC is yet to decide whether the delimitation will be in all 300 constituencies or in the constituencies constituted with minimum and maximum number of voters.

The Commission will take a decision soon in this regard, he added. Sohul Hossain said the EC is likely to increase the expense ceiling of the candidates during the Parliament elections.

The increase of election expense of the candidates is being considered in view of the number of voters and geographical aspects of the constituencies, he said.

He observed that the ceiling of election expense should be increased at least in some areas as the election expense increases due to the differences of population and geographical location of the constituencies.

Referring to the differences of number of voters, he said there are some constituencies where the number of voters over six lakh whereas in some constituencies the number of voters below two lakh.

The Election Commissioner said the Commission in its electoral reforms did not propose increase of expense ceiling of the candidates. The expense limit for a candidate kept unchanged at the amount to Tk 5,00,000 in line with the existing election law, he said.

In this context, he mentioned that the Islami Oikya Jote leaders during their talks with the Commission on Wednesday proposed increase of election expense from Tk 5,00,000 to Tk 25,00,000 for each candidate.

Replying to a question Sohul Hossain said the Commission now is hearing the statements of the political parties on the electoral reforms and decision would be taken after completion of the dialogue. The Commission will not argue with the political parties but explanation on any topic will be given if they want, he said.

Staff Reporter

South African police is learnt to have protected the killers of a Bangladeshi couple by taking huge bribe.

Earlier police arrested five Bangladeshis who confessed of killing Alamgir and his wife Zakia. Later they were freed on a mysterious reason .

Fatema Khatun, mother of the deceased Bangladeshi repatriate yesterday at a press conference in Dhaka made this allegation.

They said, Utam of Munshiganj, Jahangir of Comilla, Alam of Begumganj, Majid of Noakhali and Bahauddin slaughtered his son and his wife on March 19, and looted huge amount of money from his residence in Lenesia.

There are three children of the deceased couple, two of them are handicapped. The killers are threatening us urder case, she alleged.

Accusing the Bangladeshi High Commission in South Africa of non-cooperation they said, if they helped us, we would get justice.

''Yet we did not get the documents of my son's house, insurance in South Africa due to the non-cooperation of our embassy'', she said.

She appealed to the Chief Adviser for ordering the Foreign Ministry so that the Bangladesh Embassy in association with South African police take legal action against the killers.

Alamgir, son of Mobarak Hossain hailing from Kochua Upazila under Chandpur district, was a phone card wholeseller in South Africa and possessed huge properties there.

AFP, Seoul

The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus called for a worldwide lifestyle change, saying global warming is "a mater of life and death" for low-lying nations like Bangladesh.

In a keynote speech to a symposium on climate change, Yunus suggested a "traffic rule" under which products bear red, yellow or green markings to indicate the extent to which they come from renewable sources.

Yunus, honoured for his creation of the Grameen Bank which grants microcredit to the poor, said Bangladesh is bearing the brunt of climate change, with 40 per cent of its land mass less than one metre (3.3 feet) above the sea level.

Sea levels are rising on an average three millimetres a year, he said, and Bangladesh's 150 million people are already confined to living on around 144,000 square kilometres (55,598 square miles).

"Floods and Bangladesh are becoming synonymous," Yunus said, adding that their frequency and intensity are increasing year by year.

"For many people around the world this is an issue of concern but for us it's an issue of life and death."

He called for global lifestyle changes to make the world a beter place.

"Can we come to a decision, this simple decision globally? Each generation will make a pledge they will leave the world safer than we found it when we came to this world. I think that is the best start to make it happen."

Yunus said allegations that rich countries are the polluters and developing countries the victims no longer apply since the quality of life and consumption levels are also rising in underdeveloped countries.

"The worst part of it is, we (developing nations) are imitating the world which created pollution. So our lifestyle is imitating the lifestyle of the people who have already led the way. That is the most dangerous part of it"

Yunus said the lesson was that the world could not continue a lifestyle at the cost of the planet itself.

"So we have to find a lifestyle which is consistent with our principle or decision-we should leave the world safer than we found it"

BSS, Dhaka

Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed Thursday said Bangladesh army is seting up seedbeds in all cantonments of the country to distribute seedlings among the flood- hit farmers for rehabilitating them quickly.

"A seedbed on 10 acres of land at Savar cantonment has already been set up with which nearly 100 acres of land can be cultivated," he said while receiving donations for the flood- affected people from individuals and various organizations at the Banquet Hall of Army Headquarters officers' mess at Dhaka Cantonment here.

General Moeen said army personnel are distributing different kinds of vegetable and crop seeds as well as fertilizers among the flood affected farmers across the country so that the farmers can recover their losses quickly after recession of floodwaters. "I can assure you all, who donated money and relief goods that every penny will directly go to the flood affected people," he told the donors.

General Moeen expressed thanks and gratitude to people of all strata who have come forward to help the flood-hit people.

A total of Taka 13,095,000 was donated on Thursday to the Bangladesh Army relief fund. So far Taka 14,545,000 have been received for the fund till now, ISPR sources said. The donation included, Exim Bank and NASSA Group Taka 5,000,000, Abul Khair Group Taka 2,000,000, Navana Group Taka 2,000,000, Amin Mohammad Group Taka 1,000,000, Dhaka Club Taka 1,000,000, Sinku A. Zaman Taka 3,00,000, Gulshan Spinning Mills Ltd taka 250,000, Banani DOHS Parishad Taka, 200,000, Probashi Polli project of Inspire Development Ltd Taka 200,000, Bangladesh International School Taka 100,000, Aga Khan School Dhaka Taka 100,000, Friend's Co-operative Society Taka 100,000, Dr Shafiqul Azam Taka 65,000, Bangladesh Publishers and Book Sellers' Association Taka 50,000, Alhaj M Abdur Rahim Taka 50,000, Integrated Security Services Limited Taka 50,000, Bangla Security Service Ltd Taka 50,000 Shakkhor Environment and Education Development Society and Radio Announcers' Club Taka 20,000, film celebrities Omar Sani and Moushumi Taka 160,000, Brig General (retd) Mashuk Ahmed Chowdhury Taka 100,000, Legion Herbal Group Taka 100,000, Hashil Trust Taka 125,000 and Shyamoly Shahi Masjid Commitee Taka 75,000.

Among others, senior Army officers and high officials of donor organizations were present on the occasion.

UNB, Dhaka

Former Agriculture Minister and Awami League leader Matia Chowdhury Thursday blamed the government for destroying country's potential cash crops following what she said prescription of two donor agencies.

"We are gradually losing our cash crops. Farmers are not showing interest in cultivating jute and sugarcane as the government shows reluctance towards these crops," she said, as experts took a fresh look at the country's economic health.

They re-appraised the economic situation based on a study titled 'Markets and Prices: Findings from a Triangular Study of Producers, Traders and Consumers'. The study findings were analyzed at a seminar organized jointly by Power and Participation Research Center (PPRC) and Commerce Ministry at the LGED Bhaban.

Finance Adviser of the caretaker government Dr Mirza Azizul Islam atended the seminar as chief guest while Agriculture Adviser Dr CS Karim as guest of honor.

PPRC executive director Hossain Zillur Rahman read out the summary of the study. Prof. Wahiduddin Mahmud and former Agriculture Minister and BNP leader MK Anwar also spoke on the state of economy. "We will have nothing to do except for using jute ropes for hanging ourselves as the government is continuously closing down the jute mills as per prescription of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)," Matia, also a firebrand leftwing student leader of the 60's, told her audience. She also fulminated that voice of the poor farmers failed to reach the ears of the Finance and the Industries advisers of the present government

The ex-minister suggested that if the government helped the farmers, it would be good for the country to pull people up from under the poverty line.

Directly denying the allegation of the former Agriculture Minister, the Finance Adviser said his interim government did not close down the jute mills as per advice of the World Bank or the IMF. "I can swear upon God that neither the IMF nor the World Bank did uter any word for closing down the jute mills," he said. Defending his government's decision to shut down four jute mills recently, the Adviser said that since 1992, government has funneled Tk 7,500 crore into the jute sector.

"Even after taking charge of the Finance Ministry I gave Tk 300 crore to this sector. How long this could continue," he said. The Adviser apprised the audience that per-capita money income has been raised 11 percent in the last one year. "But the inflation on food-grains causing a lot of suffering to the unemployed and poor people," he said about the price rises that pose to upset monetary gains.

Reaffirming his stance against appreciation of the Taka against the US dollar, he said this would widen trade gap, reduce remitance flow and thin the foreign reserves.

Agriculture Adviser Dr CS Karim struck a note of concern that it is not far off when "we will fail to get any food- grain to import".

The saving grace here is, said the advisor, "We have made ourselves self-sufficient to face that day".

Prof. Wahiduddin Mahmud emphasized building a structure to control the market system. "But, before that, we have to understand the market Otherwise, it will be boomerang to us."

Staff Reporter

A housewife of Mohammadpur in the city yesterday urged all concerned to come forward to protect her family from eviction from her house by some criminals, who are hatching a plot to sell her property and giving them death threat

Nurjahan Begum, 48, at a press conference held at the Reporters' Unity, also urged the government to ensure her family's security and rescue her husband Syed Golam Mohammad, 60, from the trap laid down by his divorced 2nd wife Nilufer Yesmeen Pakhi and her brothers.

She said Pakhi's brother Pintu frequently gives them death threat and threatened her family members to vacate the house at Block-F, 2/12. Nurjahan Begum said, "Pakhi is maintaining illegal relation with my husband even after their divorce on July 17, 2004 and is forcing him to keep the illegal relation by threatening him with death."

Nurjahan's son Syed Sharif Ahmed Raju, 19 at the conference said Pakhi was the mastermind of the plot to evict them from their house in which they were living for many years.

Raju also said his mother was the owner of the house built on the plot bought by her at a cost of Tk 7.6 lakh in 1988. Later, his mother built the house, he added.

Nurjahan married Golam Mohammad in 1978 and the couple has one son and three daughters. Their eldest child is aged 29.

Nurjahan was an employee of the Bangladesh Secretariat and has been maintaining the family from the beginning of their conjugal life.

BSS, Dhaka

East Invest Private Equity Limited, a British company, wants to invest one billion US dollars in Bangladesh's financial, IT, energy and transport sectors in three years.

"We will participate in the pre-qualification bid of Oriental Bank on September 23 to buy the bank," said the company's director, Bangladesh Operation, MM Roni at a press briefing at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel on Thursday.

If the efforts of buying Oriental Bank are successful, this will be the East Invest's first venture of investing in Bangladesh, Roni said and added then the other plans will be executed in phases. The British company, after buying the Oriental Bank, will establish a separate subsidiary from it for running a full- fledged microcredit institution. At the outset it will introduce 'microcredit card' for five lakh poor people, said Roni.

The East Invest executive said it is a credit card for small amount of money, but other innovative ideas would be injected into the project when it goes into operation.

In addition to those, he said, "Distribution of two million personal computers in the rural areas free of cost with the cooperation of Bill Gates also is in our cards." The cost of IT connections will also be done with free of cost, he said. The cost of those noble causes will be spent from the corporate profit of the East Invest The London-based company is eager to invest about 40 percent of its profit on noble causes, he said.

In reply to a question, Roni said they have informed the Board of Investment about their intention and all the bindings will be followed accordingly when the process of acquiring Oriental Bank is finalised, he added.

About his company, Roni said, "It is one of the leading equity companies in Britain which was founded 15 years ago" and Steeve Gabison is its chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

According to website, the East Invest has a capital worth of one billion British Pound Sterling(BPS) and its budgeted turnover in 2007 was 300 million BPS. Dividend of per share for 2006 was 25 percent

The return to the partners on investment by the East Invest was +9.2 percent The projected budgeted turnover of 2008 is three billion BPS, according to the website.

BBC Online

Ten people have been beaten to death by a group of villagers in the northern Indian state of Bihar, officials say.

The men, who arrived in a vehicle in Vaishali district early on Thursday, were stopped by villagers who suspected them of being thieves.

The villagers have set up patrols after complaining about a spate of thefts, and the lack of police action.

Correspondents say that the incident highlights the widespread problem of mob lynching in India. Bihar Home Secretary Afzal Amanullah told the BBC that one man had been injured in the incident in Dhelpurwa village and taken to a local hospital. The surviving man in the group, Ranjit Keuri, has told the police that they had come to the village to commit thefts, an official said.

No arrests have been made.

A local resident, Manjay Lall, said police had failed to take action after rising incidents of theft in the village.

"When the police did not act, villagers began patrolling the village. So they caught these men and lynched them at the spot," he said.

Vaishali police chief S Anupama Nilekar said an investigation had been launched to determine whether the men were thieves. "Only after a proper probe we can say whether those lynched were thieves or not The villagers are saying they were thieves and on the face of it, it seems so," she said.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has condemned the incident "The people should catch the criminals and hand them over to the police.

They should not take the law into their own hands," he said.

The eastern state of Bihar is considered to be one of India's most lawless states.

It has seen a number of recent incidents of mob lynching and alleged police brutality.

Last month, the local police were filmed joining a mob to punch and kick a man accused of stealing a gold chain in Bhagalpur town.

At least two policemen could be seen in the video.

Two have been suspended pending an inquiry into the incident

Last week, a mob beat three people suspected of stealing motorcycles in Nawada district and gouged out the eyes of one of them.

Staff Reporter

A leading travel magazine, The Bangladesh Monitor, has decided to introduce the first ever 'Airline of the Year Award'. The aim of the award is to evaluate the service to the passengers of the airlines and create a healthy competition amongst the carriers.

The award winner will be decided on the opinion polls of the frequent travellers. Leading cell-phone company Aktel will sponsor the 'Monitor-Aktel Airline of the year Award-2007.'

This was disclosed at a press conference at a city hotel yesterday afternoon. At least five thousand frequent travellers will give their opinions in 13 categories of questions in a specific form distributed by the organizers. Opinion can be sent online by logging into www.bangladeshmonitor.net/award. The deadline of taking opinion is October 30 and the award will be given in the last week of November 2007.

While disclosing this to journalists Editor of The Bangladesh Monitor Kazi Wahidul Alam said the airline sector of the country was expanding rapidly but traveling by air was also becoming expensive.

Wahidul Alam said the rate of increase in the number of airway passengers in the country was almost double than the rest of the world and the award aimed at creating a competitive mentality among the airlines.

The award programme is supported by the newly inaugurated hotel, The Westin Dhaka, and Galileo Bangladesh, while the media partners are Channel-I and ICE today.

Javed Tariq, Head of Corporate Affairs, Aktel, San Amalan, General Manager the Westin Dhaka, Tofael Ibne Solaiman, General Sales Manager of Galileo Bangladesh were present at the press conference.

Staff Reporter

British High Commissioner in Dhaka Anwar Choudhury yesterday urged the Working Holidaymaker (WHM) visa seekers to apply directly instead of going through the visa agents.

"The message is very simple. Do not use agents," he said in a press statement

The High Commissioner said the reported activities of some visa agents in deliberately misinforming applicants and charging high fees on the basis of false promises have apparently compounded pressure, at the expense of genuine applicants.

"No one can guarantee you a visa… Do not believe anyone who says they can. Don't become indebted - get the facts yourself from the British High Commission," Anwar Chowdhury said.

The High Commissioner also asked International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to temporarily stop new bookings for tuberculosis (TB) screening from those seeking Working Holidaymaker (WHM) visas to UK.

IOM's phone-booking lines will not receive calls, but existing bookings will be honoured, said a press release.

The press release also added that the WHM scheme is not suspended and the HC would continue processing WHM applications already booked.

"We know that the WHM scheme is very popular but limitless demand for applications creates pressures and risks the viability of the scheme," the High Commissioner said.

"So, we are looking to help applicants by taking advantage of a pause to find the best and most sustainable ways to match capacity to this demand," he said.

He added that a sustainable solution to keep the WHM scheme running is in the overall interests of potential applicants, not a quick fix.