The New Nation - Internet Edition

A.T.M.Nurun Nabi

The river shad (hilsha fish) price has come down to taka 200 per kilo giving an opportunity to the members of the lower income group to bargain but the price of the green chili continues to ride over taka 100 per kilogram on Friday at Khilgaon Taltola Market "Never saw I green chili selling over taka 100 for days together. It is true that the July-August flood damaged standing green chili to a certain extent but the damage is not so much so that it would continue to sell at such a high rate for months," said a teacher of Economics of a college on condition of anonymity, "The ministry of agriculture should have carried a survey to assess the losses and apprise the nation accordingly. The government's indifference to the mater has added extra courage to the traders to fix price beyond economics index."

Brinjal was selling at taka 44, onion shows an upward trend and moves higher to taka 48 and is likely to rise further if the traders know it that India had banned onion export to Bangladesh for a fortnight while biter gourd was selling at taka 32 the same day at the same market Soybean of two liters can (Rupchanda) was selling at taka 170, a rise of taka 10 from last week.

The interesting mater is that the people have gradually become accustomed to high cost of living and that is why they do not like to make it an issue for creating unrest in the society. The cucumber price has decreased substantially to taka 22 per kilo but tomato continues to stay over taka 50. Prices of some other essentials were as under:

Ladies finger taka 24, basil taka 20, calery taka 24, green banana taka 10 by fours, garlic taka 55, ginger taka 60, beef taka 170, climbing fish taka 200, kachki fish taka 120, mola taka 100, salmon (big size) taka 150, carp taka 120, lancer fish taka 590 and sour cards taka 40 only.

"We should change our food habit We should also bring business under certain laws. As trading in Bangladesh does not follow ethics and morality, the retailers in particular, make buyers ransom since the government has failed to build an effective counter market channel. There is no doubt that the Para-military Bangladesh Rifles Fair Price Shop and the kitchen markets have given a lot of relief to the members of the poor and the fixed earners but the strength has not reached to the length of bringing the price to normal."

Grameenphone Ltd. has signed an agreement with Bangladesh Bank recently to provide complete communication facilities under its Business Solutions package.

GP Business Solutions is an integrated telecommunications service specially designed for the business entities of Bangladesh, providing customized telecommunications solutions through a consultative approach, tailored to the needs of individual businesses or organization.

Bangladesh Bank is the central bank of Bangladesh.

GP Business Solutions, comprising of modern mobile telecommunications services for any business need provides voice, text messaging and mobile data and internet services. Also an offer is a complete Mobile-Office solution, including mobile email, mobile high-speed data access, internet access, mobile fax and more, providing the freedom to work from anywhere within Grameenphone's wide network coverage.

According to the agreement, Bangladesh Bank is being provided complete communications solutions tailored to its needs, including voice, data and other services.

Bangladesh Bank will use the services to further improve communication amongst its different branches, at an affordable cost

The agreement was signed by Asoke Bandhu Das, General Manager Expenditure Management Department of Bangladesh Bank, and Arif AI Islam, Director - Finance of Grameenphone, on behalf of their respective organizations.

Md. Mozibar Rahman, Deputy General Manager - Expenditure Management Department, Md. Jahangir Alam, Joint Director; Md. Razibur Rahman, Deputy Director; Md. Masudur Rahman Mondal - Assistant Director of Bangladesh Bank, and Mainur Rahman Bhuiyan, Head of Treasury, Mahboob Hossain, Head of Direct Sales, Grameenphone; Ahsan Sharif, Head of Strategic Sales, and Nasim Imran Ahmed, Manager - Finance of Grameenphone were also present at the signing ceremony.

A discussion on the "Significance and Teachings of Holy Ramadan" followed by an Iftar Mahfil organised by Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited head office Complex Branch held at Mohammad Younus Auditorium, 40, Dilkusha C/A, Dhaka on Monday.

The mahfil was presided over by the Branch incumbent & Senior Vice President of the bank Abdus Sadeque Bhuiyan. The mahfil was atended, among others by M. Fariduddin Ahmed, Executive President of the bank as chief guest and Md. Abdul Mannan, Deputy Executive President & In-charge of International Banking Wing of the bank of special guest Moulana Abdus Shahid Nasim, Member, Shariah Council of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited was the discussant on the topics.

Chief guest M. Fariduddin Ahmed said, "Siam (fasting) in the month of Ramadan is prescribed for ataining Taqwa, i.e. fearness of Allah.

Taqwa helps us to lead our life to the path of Allah. He urged all to lead their life by achieving the real teachings of Holy Ramadan."

An Indian company in the name & style M/s. JDC Recycling Pvt Ltd. is going to set up a Plastic Industry in the Mongla Export Processing Zone, saysa press release.

This 100% foreign owned company will invest US$ 34.725 million for producing plastic products. The company will create employment opportunity for 1028 Bangladeshi including 06 foreign nationals.

An agreement to this effect was signed between the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority and the M/s. JDC Recycling Pvt Ltd. in BEPZA Comnplex, Dhaka on Wednesday AZM Azizur Rahman, General Manager (Investment Promotion) of BEPZA and Sumeet Chopra, Chairman of M/s. JDC Recycling Pvt Ltd. signed the lease agreement on behalf of their respective organisations.

Among others, Member (Finance) AKM Mahbubur Rahman, General Manager (Security) Lt Col Md. Tawfiq-E-Elahi, Manager (Investment Promotion) Md.

Tanvir Hossain, Manager (Industrial Relations) Md. Abdus Sobhan and Asst Manager (Public Relations) Khadiza Parvin of BEPZA were present at the signing ceremony.

A seminar on 'Significant & Importance of Ramadan and Role of Us' organised by Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited, Local Office was held on Moneday, 1 October 2007 at BCIC Auditorium, Dilkusha, Dhaka. Prof. ANMA. Zaher, Chairman, Board of Directors of the Bank was present in the seminar as the Chief Guest and Mufti Sayed Ahmad, Vice Chairman of Shari'ah Council of the Bank presented the key discussion on the subject Presided over by Md. Setaur Ramzan, Executive Vice President & Incharge, Local Office of the Bank the Seminer was addressed among others by Advocate Jasimuddin Sarker, Eminent Lawer & Client of the Bank and Md. Abdul Jalil, Senior Vice President, Local Office of the Bank. The Seminar was atended among others by Md. Habibur Rahman, Deputy Executive President, Operations Wing, ATM Saleh, Executive Vice President, Dhaka Central Zone and Exeutives of Head Office & Local Office.

Prof. ANMA Zaher said that Ramadan is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is Paradise. It is the month of charity. Fasting bridges the gap between rich and poor, sustained and impoverished, fulfilled and needy. Muslims are encouraged especially during this month to go out and feed the hungry and to spend their wealth on good causes.

He said that Zakat plays a vital and deep role in self improvement and the development of the manners and atitudes. Zakat ensures cooperation between members of the same community. This is not only to purify the soul and help the poor and the needy but also because the principle of spending helps in the circulation of money which increases demand in markets and prospers the economy in turn. He called upon the rich & solvent people to come forward to establish zakat to build a prosperous Bangladesh.

Mufti Sayed Ahmad said that the holy month Ramzan is the symbol of self rectification, mutual empathy and equity. Ramzan teaches us Taqwah. Ramzan burns the sins. Almighty Allah has given us His best nia'mat 'The Holly Quran' to us in this month. We should do beter work in this month for Nazat

Md. Sertaur Rahman said in his presidential speech that Islam religion of peace and complete code of life. This is reflected in the Holy Qur'an. The Ramzan teaches us to Implement Islam in our life completely and inspires us to achieve peace, brotherhood and patience.

Reuters, Helsinki

Nokia, the world's top cell phone maker, said that it would co-brand a set of Renault Twingo cars which would go on sale later this month, packed with Nokia's navigation system and handsfree equipment

"Navigation is a new and fast growing industry and we are also looking for new ways to operate there. Co-operation of Nokia and a car industry is a natural step," Nokia's spokeswoman Eija-Riita Huovinen said on Wednesday.

Nokia offered earlier this week $8.1 billion for US-based digital map supplier Navteq in its largest takeover ever to get a stronghold in the navigation business, which is one of the fastest growing sectors in the technology industry. The global market for car navigation devices more than doubled in the second quarter, according to research firm Canalys, with US firm Garmin and Dutch company TomTom the leading vendors. Device vendors use map data from Navteq or Tele Atlas, the only two global vendors in the industry. TomTom has made an offer for Tele Atlas.

Renault will sell Twingo Nokia, which includes the Nokia 6110 navigation phone, for prices starting from 12,150 euros ($17,220). Twingo Nokia will go on sale on Oct 29 in France. They will also be sold in Italy, Germany, Slovenia, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The 202nd meeting of the Executive Commitee of Al-Arafah Islami Bank Ltd. was held at its head office. Chairman, Executive Commitee Alhaj Hafej Md. Enayet Ullah presided over the meeting which reviewed the overall business and investment position of the bank. Chairman, Board of Directors, Alhaj Md. Anowar Hossain, Directors namely Alhaj AZM Shamsul Alam, Alhaj Nazmul Ahsan Khaled, Alhaj Md. Harun-ar-Rashid Khan, Alhaj Abdul Malek Mollah, Alhaj Dr. D M Amanul Hoque, Alhaj Kazi Md. Mofijur Rahman, Alhaj Mohammad Yahya, Alhaj Abdus Samad, Alhaj Kh. Meshbah Uddin Ahmed, General Manager of Bangladesh Bank Md. Amzad Hossain, Managing Director of the bank M.A. Samad Sheikh, Executive Vice President Jb. Syed Emdadul Hoque, Sr. Vice President ANM Abdus Shahid and Company Secretary & Sr. Vice President Md. Mofazzal Hossain were present in the meeting.

AFP, Chicago

In the first US trial to challenge the illegal downloading of music on the Internet, a single mother from Minnesota was ordered on Thursday to pay more than 220,000 dollars for sharing 24 songs online.

Jammie Thomas, 30, was the first among more than 26,000 people sued by the world's most powerful recording companies to refuse a setlement after being slapped with a lawsuit by the Recording Industry of America and six major music labels.

She turned down an offer to pay a few thousands dollars in fines and instead took the case to court

Unlike some who insist on the right to share files over the Internet, Thomas says she was wrongfully targeted by SafeNet, a contractor employed by the recording industry to patrol the Internet for copyrighted material.

Her lawyer said earlier this week that she had racked up some 60,000 dollars in legal fees because she refused to be bullied.

And while Thomas insisted that she had never downloaded or uploaded music, her lawyer tried to convince jurors there was no way to prove who had uploaded songs on the Kazaa file sharing network.

A jury took just five hours to decide that evidence provided by the music labels showed otherwise and found Thomas guilty of copyright infringement, court records showed.

Thomas, an employee of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, an Indian tribe, was ordered to pay a 9,250- dollar fine for each of 24 shared songs cited in the case, including Godsmack's "Spiral," Destiny's Child's "Bills, Bills, Bills" and Sara McLachlan's "Building a Mystery." It could have been a lot worse.

Had the record companies sued her for all 1,702 songs found in the online folder the fine could have run in the millions.

"This does send a message, I hope, that downloading and distributing our recordings is not OK," Richard Gabriel, the lead atorney for the music companies, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Gabriel said jurors had not explained how they had come up with a fine of 9,250 per song out of sentencing guidelines which range from 750 to 150,000 dollars.

Thomas and her lawyer declined to comment as they exited the courthouse, the paper said.

Titas gas transmission and distribution company ltd has been nominated for World Quality Commitment (WQC) award in Gold category by Spain based international organisation Business Initiative Directions (BID). The award will be given on November 26,2007 in Paris, France ceremoniously. Recent activities of the company have been considered for taking the decision to make the award. Titas gas achieved this prize for the first time.

This award has been given on the basis of activities of last ten months of 93 companies of the world. Titas gas is nominated for this prize at the world congress meeting of BID in Paris, London, Madrid, Geneva, Frankfurt and New York. Every year BID gives this award on 12 categories based on excellence, customer satisfaction, technology, leadership, strategic plan and business result Since 1986 BID has been giving this award to the different companies for their contribution to customer service and world trade.

Titas gas has adopted improved management plan for reduction of system loss and improvement of customer service for the last three years. As a result the company has made remarkable progress in different fields including customer service, recovery of arrears and system loss reduction. The above information has been collected through web site and media and for this reason the company has been considered for the award.

Please publish the above news on your widely circulated daily.