25,000 MT rice import to arrive next month

The cabinet purchase committee on Sunday selected a Singapore-based company to supply 25,000 MT of unboiled (Atap) rice, expected to arrive in April, aimed at lowering the market price of the staple.

More rice will be imported later, food minister Abdur Razzaque said.

Just days ago, Razzaque told a seminar on food security that Bangladesh was moving toward self-sufficiency in production of rice and other crops.

“We have taken this decision to reduce the rice price. More rice will be imported later on,” the minister told reporters Sunday after the purchase committee meeting.

Concerning the amount of the rice to be imported, the minister said, “It is not fixed yet. But we have an offer of another 25,000 MT.”

The food ministry on Jan 25 invited tenders for import of 50,000 MT rice.

Among the competing companies, Singapore-based Indo-Sino Trade Private Limited got permission to supply 25,000 MT rice to Bangladesh at a cost of Tk 68.73 crore. The price is $395 per tonne.

Asked why Atap rice is being imported, Razzaque said, “Other kinds were not available.”

Food directorate chief Pius Costa told bdnews24.com the rice would arrive in a month. He said that more will be imported from Myanmar or Pakistan.

Source: bdnews

Husband’s life term upheld

The Supreme Court has upheld the commutation of banker Azam Reza’s death sentence to life imprisonment for the 2004 murder of his wife architect Jayanti Reza.

The murder caused a media sensation five years ago. Brother of noted actress Shampa Reza, Azam Reza’s initial death sentence was commuted to a life imprisonment by the High Court in 2008.

A four-member Appellate Division bench, headed by chief justice Mohammad Fazlul Karim, on Sunday dismissed a leave to appeal by the government against the High Court order commuting the death penalty.

It also dismissed a leave to appeal by Azam Reza challenging the High Court’s sentence.

Azam Reza married Jayanti, daughter of journalist M Sadekin in 2000. On Jan 9 2004 Jayanti was found murdered in their Banani home.

Jayanti’s mother Nusin Sadekin filed a murder case with Gulshan Police Station the next day. Police immediately arrested Azam Reza.

A Dhaka speedy trial tribunal handed down the death sentence to Azam Reza on Jan 14 2005. The High Court commuted the sentence to life imprisonment on July 21 2008.

At Sunday’s hearing, advocate AK Bodrul Haque stood for Azam Reza while deputy attorney general ASM Mubin stood for the government.

source: bdnews

Iran’s Ahmadinejad: Sept. 11 attacks a ‘big lie

Iran‘s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday called the official version of the Sept. 11 attacks a “big lie” used by the U.S. as an excuse for the war on terror, state media reported.

Ahmadinejad’s comments, made during an address to Intelligence Ministry staff, come amid escalating tensions between the West and Tehran over its disputed nuclear program. They show that Iran has no intention of toning itself down even with tighter sanctions looming because of its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.

“September 11 was a big lie and a pretext for the war on terror and a prelude to invading Afghanistan,” Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by state TV. He called the attacks a “complicated intelligence scenario and act.”

The Iranian president has questioned the official U.S. version of the Sept. 11 attacks before, but this is the first time he ventured to label it a “big lie.”

In 2007, New York officials rejected Ahmadinejad’s request to visit the World Trade Center site while he was in the city for a U.N. meeting. The president also sparked an uproar when he said during a lecture in New York that the causes and conditions that led to the attacks, as well as who orchestrated them, still need to be examined.

At the time, he also told Iranian state TV the attacks were “a result of mismanaging and inhumane managing of the world by the U.S,” and that Washington was using Sept. 11 as an excuse to attack others.

He has also questioned the Sept. 11 death toll of around 3,000, claiming the Americans never published the victims’ names.

On the 2007 anniversary of the attacks, the names of 2,750 victims killed in New York were read aloud at a memorial ceremony.

source: yahoo news

Herbal treatment for piles

Ghrita-kumari is a common medicinal plant which is well-known to the people for its jelly like mucilage substance. The coarse-looking plant with a short stem 1-2 feet high has fleshy leaves (about 15 inches long and 4 inches broad) with sharp spines which are full of this substance. This plant is a native of north Africa, Canary Islands and Spain and has gradually spread to East and West Indies, Bangladesh, India China and other countries. Many of the forms of this species are naturalized and are found in a semi- wild state in almost all areas of our country. Botanical name of Ghrita-kumari is Aloe vera, Linn.

Medicinal Properties: The plant is sweet, biter; cooling; purgative, alterative, fatening, tonic, aphrodisiac, anthelmintic, alexiteric; useful in eye diseases, tumours, enlargement of spleen, liver complaints, vomiting, fever due to bronchitis, erysipelas, skin diseases, biliousness, asthma, leprosy, jaundice, strangury, ulcers. The flowers are anthelmintic; useful in biliousness and ” vata” (Ayurveda ). The plant has a biter bad taste; purgative, carminative, tonic, digestive; useful in inflammation of the spleen, lumbago, pain in the muscles, inflammations, opthalmia. The leaves are good for piles and biliousness (Yunani). Aloes is emmenagogue, purgative, and anthelmintic. It is used in constipation, dyspepsia, menstrual suppressions, and piles. The fresh juiceof the leaves is cathartic and cooling. It is used in fever, spleen and liver troubles, also in eye diseases. The extract is quite ineffective as an anthelmintic against hook worm (Indian Medicinal Plants, Kirt and B.D.Basu, Vol.- IV,2505 )

Aloes (Mosabbar ) is used as a stomachic, purgative and emmenagogue. It is regarded as valuable in the treatment of piles and rectal fissures. The mucilage is cooling and is used to poultice inflammations (The Wealth of India, Raw Materials,Vol-1, 61,62 ).

The fresh juice from the leaves is said to be cathartic, cooling, and useful in fevers, spleen and lever disease, enlarged lymphatic glands, and as an external applicant in certain eye diseases. The pulp of the leaves is, in native practice, applied to boils, and is regarded as acting powerfully on the uterus, and useful as an emmenagogue. It is also largely used in veterinary medicine. The root is supposed to be efficacious in colic ( Dictionary of the Economic Products of India,Vol.-1, 188 ).

Ghirta-kamari

This plant is a species of Aloe vera found in a semi-wild condition in Bangladesh and India specially in West-Bengal. It has beautiful reddish and orange flowers, with the bases of the leaves purple- coloured and so dilated as to have in all probability suggested the name A. perfoliata , given by popular writers to this and many other species of Aloe.

Medicinal Properties: ” In cases of chronic fissures and ulcers about the rectum, indigenous aloes have been largely used by the natives both internally and externally. It acts also as an emmenagogue and anthelmintic. It is a favourite medicine for intestinal worms in children. As an aperient it is generally given in combination with turkud or scammony. dissolved in utar of roses it is used in various affections of the eye. Mixed with bartung it is said to be very useful in chronic discharges from the nose or ears. Dissolved in spirit it is used as a hair dye, and it is said that it also stimulates the hair to grow. Dissolved in warm water and spread over a betle-leaf and applied hot to the belly of a child, it is said to act as an aperient” ( Asst Surgeon Gholam Nabi. ) ” A sweetmeat, halwa,is prepared from the pulp of the leaves and given in cases of piles, and apparently with very good effect” ( Surgeon-Major C.W. Calthrop, M.D., Morar. )

” The resinous extract obtained from this plant is applied to swellings in the form of paste to cause absorption. It is used internally by native practitioners in melancholia and brain diseases, complicated with gastric symptoms.

It produces griping, to correct which is added confection of roses and mastich. Given as a night pill in haemorrhoids. A paste of fresh aloes and turmeric relieves the pain of contusions.” (Surgeon G.A.Emerson. Calcuta.) ” The pulp with a solution of alum is very extensively used by native practitioners in every form of ophthalmia, but especially in catarrhal and purulent ophthalmia,” ( Ast Surgeon Jaswant Rai, Mooltan. )

” The inspissated juice, in combination with gum asafoetida, is applied as a warm plaster in colic and the pneumonia of infants. It is also given internally in these cases in doses of one grain with borax in the same quantity with the mother’s milk.” (Lal Mahomed, Hoshangabad, Central Provinces.) ” It is applied over the abdomen for constipation and tympanitis.” (Surgeon-Major Robb, Ahmedabad.) ” I have seen the juice administered powdered turmeric by village native practitioners in enlarged spleen.” ( Assistant Surgeon Shib Chunder Bhutacharji, Chanda, Central Provinces.) ” Aloes have been found useful in piles, mixed in small quantities with sulphur. It is applied by natives externally in the form of lep -paste- in pleurisy.” (Assistant Surgeon Bhugwan Das, Rawal Pindi. ) ” a sort of pickle, prepared with aloe, salt, and ajowan, is very useful in colic and dyspepsia.” Surgeon J.C. Penny, M.D. Amritsur.)

” Inspissated juice, mixed with sugar, frequently given in gonorrhoea with great advantage” (Brigade Surgeon S.M.Shircor, Moorshedabad.) ” The fresh juice of the leaves is taken with milk and water as a remedy for gonorrhoea and methritis. It acts as a mild purgative, emollient, and demulcent” (Brigade Surgeon J.H.Thornton, Monghyr). ” Hospital Assistant Gopal Chunder Gangooli of the Noakhali dispensary, reports that he has used the fresh pulp of the leaves, mixed with sugar, in cases of gonorrhoea, with good results; it acts as a demulcent” ( Surgeon Anund Chunder Mukerji, Noakhali.) ” The fresh juice from the leaves is cooling, diuretic; largely used by the natives in gonprrhoea. The tender pulp is eaten in rheumatism.” (Assistant Surgeon J.N. Dey, Jeypore.)

“I have used it as a stomachic purgative in veterinary practice with much effect It makes a good adjunct to sulphur, for internal use, in bad cases of mange. In the human subject, in cases of chronic cough due to dyspepsia, and in cases of foul evacuations I have given it in 5- grain doses with ghi, in the former with sulphate of iron, in the later two or three times a day, with much benefit” (Surgeon K.D.Ghose, Khulna.) ” The indigenous drug, Known in the bazaars as Musabbar, has all the properties of the Socotrine or Barbadose aloes.” ( Surgeon R.D. Murray, M.d., Burdwan.)

“A piece of the fleshy pulp ( peeled ), about two inches square, with 4 grains of turmeric, and 10 grains of burnt borax, is a favourite remedy for the enlargement of the spleen associated with constipation of the bowels.” ( Surgeon -Major E.C. Bensley, Rajshahye.) ” One grain of bazaar aloes, with 1 grain of bazaar sulphate of iron and 1 grain of asafoetida, is often used by natives in the form of a pill for spleen enlargement” (Surgeon K. D. Ghose, Bankura.)

Source: The New Nation

Baby Naznin ‘Live in Dhaka Concert’

Baby Naznin ‘Live in Dhaka Concert’ will be held on March 18 at ‘Hall of Fame’ of Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

With courtesy of United Commercial Bank Limited (UCBL), Cultural Journalist Forum of Bangladesh, an organisation of entertainment editors of leading dailies, will hold the programme.

The concert will also be held at six other divisions of the country. Ekushey Television is the media partner of the concert Partex Group, Uro Cola, Mondal Group, Persona, Vasavi, Stake House and Sangeeta are the co-sponsor of the programme.

Source: The New Nation

FTA’s to be signed with India, Lanka, Pakistan

The government has decided to sign bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with three south Asian nations India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan with a view to increasing trade with those countries, sources said.

The first agreement will be signed with India followed by Sri Lanka and Pakistan, commerce ministry sources said.

To this effect the ministry of commerce will sit next Wednesday to review a submission by a core group formed to determine Bangladesh’s position in FTA negotiation. An inter-ministerial meeting will also be held later this month on this issue. Following that the ministry will later start formal negotiation with the three countries to sign FTA, sources said.

The government late last year formed the 12 member core group headed by chief executive officer of Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) Dr Ali Taslim. The commitee recently has submited the report to the commerce ministry.

Informed sources said the core group in the report has suggested to sign FTA with India first and later with Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It also suggested to sign the goods-based agreement first before signing about service industry.

The report also suggested first to ascertain the preference of goods and service sector of those countries before signing the deals.

Core group members said, Bangladesh is already far behind in the race of bilateral trade deals. Now the country will have to offer concession to those countries under the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) deal without gaining anything.

Sources said the signing of FTA with India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan was first discussed in 2003 but fell behind due to indecision. The caretaker government did not go forward with the issue considering it highly sensitive.

Commerce Secretary Golam Hosen said, alongside the multilateral trade agreements bilateral agreement is also needed to raise trade. “Different countries are also signing FTAs to raise regional and international trades.”

He said the FTA negotiation was stalled for some years but steps have been taken to go forward. The Ministry has called a meeting in this regard, he informed.

Dr Taslim said core group has submited a report on FTA issue. “I don’t know how much of it the ministry will take.”

Core group member Manjur Ahmed said if the negotiation starts now, it will take two more years to finalise the agreement

He said the FTAs in no way would be signed before 2012. “We will have to give tariff concession to these countries under SAFTA agreement from 2015. Then we will have to give concession to them without gaining anything.”

Sources said a World Bank study has opposed signing FTA between Dhaka and Delhi. It said bilateral trade between the two countries will increase substantially if trade policy is liberalised.

Former Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said Bangladesh is geting trade preference under the World Trade Organisation as least developed country. It has to be taken under consideration before signing FTA.

“No deal can be signed which may put local entrepreneurs at bay and destroy our agriculture sector.”

Source: The New Nation