Samir Kanti Barua

On the very onset of the new year country's low and middle-income people are once again hard-pressed by the unusual jump in prices of rice, edible oil, ataa and flour in local markets. Wonderstruck consumers are almost speechless with all time record of price soaring and reeling under lone question that is it really well nigh impossible to bridle the price hike? Economists and food experts are in the opinion that if the situation continued unabated the country will plunge into food crisis or famine.
The sky rocketing price hike and all time record of the essential commodities like ginger, onion, ediable oil, pulse, potato, powdered milk and rice one after another is nothing but a clique of the unscrupulous syndicate , alleged the consumers.
Different market related bodies play blame game on each other on the price hike of the essential commodities. However, the commoners don't want to understand shortage in supply, price hike in Indian market , purchasing capacity and , hoarding of commodities by the dishonest traders but they want the price of everyday needs must keep stable and under tolerable price . Even some of the consumers questioned what is the next in the list of price spiral.
Very high prices of essentials including staple food rice and wheat and a fear of further price-hike also gave rise to panic when there is no rice being sold at below TK 30 per kg. for details...

Staff Correspondent

Kana Bakkar, a ringleader of underground terrorist group, now undergoing treatment under police custody at Chittagong Medical College (CMCH) underwent in two minor surgeries yesterday. Sources at the CMCH told this correspondent that three bullets extracted from different parts of his body after surgery.
Police quoting attending
physicians told the reporters that he is out of danger now and few more days will be needed for his full recovery.. for details...

Roudro Moin

Admission test for the academic session 2007-2008 of Chittagong University (CU) is going to start from tomorrow (Sunday) and will conclude January 14.
Around 31 candidates would vie for one seat in the upcoming admission test for the first year honors courses (2007-2008 session) in different departments of Chittagong University (CU).
The university of Chittagong which came into being in 1968 which located at picturesque undulating hills and valleys and 22 km away from the port city is running 36 departments and two institutes. Most of the students are mainly targeting department of Law, English, Communication and Journalism, International Relations, Economics, Bio Chemistry, Microbiology, Computer Science and Sociology.
Mahmud Hasan, who came from Khulna for the first time in the CU campus, told this correspondent that he is really happy to see a nice campus and said, "I want to be a student of Law department, a session-jam free department at any cost." for details...

bdnews24.com Chittagong

Prices of rice have fallen in wholesale markets in Chittagong but it has hardly made any impact on retail markets. A market survey by bdnews24.com found that the price fell by Tk 140 per maund at Khatunganj and Chaktai wholesale markets over past two and a half days.
But in retail market the price has fallen only Tk 1 per kg.
The Khatunganj and Chaktai markets being closed Friday have had no impact on the retail market.
Rice traders and importers said the price fell since new consignments of imported rice started arriving from India. The importers have also planned to import rice from Myanmar, they said.
Another 17,000 tonnes of rice are waiting to be offloaded in the Chittagong port. A ship with rice from Myanmar is expected to arrive today.
The traders said the rice was coming through both private and official channels.
Omar Azam, general secretary of Chaktai Rice Traders Association, said India's decision to raise the price of rice had serious impact on the local market. for details...

bdnews24.com Dhaka

The government Friday started selling rice through dealers at Tk 22 a kg in three upazilas on the fringe of Dhaka to curb the spiralling price of the staple. The sale began in 29 unions in Keraniganj, Dohar and Nawabganj with three selling centres set up in each union, said the joint forces camp commander of the three upazilas.
"The rice has been allocated from the Test Relief programme and is being sold to the dealers at Tk 20.21," Major Farid told bdnews24.com. The dealers are selling the rice to the people at Tk 22, he added.
"One person can buy a maximum of 5 kg per day at this price," said the camp commander. The staple is selling at Tk 33 a kg in the retail market.
"Seventy dealers have been appointed for distribution under this programme," said Major Farid, adding that the programme will continue for another seven days in the three upazilas.
"I hope that the rice market in these three upazilas will become stable by this time."
The rice selling centres will remain open from 8am to 8pm, Farid said. for details...

P View Desk

Awami League leaders Friday extended support to the Election Commission's roadmap to national election, a day after demanding polls in June-July jettisoning the roadmap.
They also reiterated their demand for the incumbent caretaker government to open dialogue with the political parties to resolve the staggering political dilemmas, UNB reports from Dhaka.
Speaking at a discussion organized by pro-Awami League Chattra League, acting party president Zillur Rahman said AL is not against this government and supports the EC-announced electoral roadmap.
He said the country is now passing through a transition and called for the caretaker government to hold the elections at the earliest possible time and hand over power to an elected government.
Demanding release of detained party chief Sheikh Hasina, Zillur said she should be treated as per her doctor's advice -- be it at home or abroad.
Speaking on the occasion, AL presidium member Abdur Razzak urged all to remain alert and get united against those who want to divide the country by promoting militancy.for details...

bdnews24.com Dhaka

Police interrogated elder son of Khaleda Zia Tarique Rahman at the Dhaka Central Jail gate Friday.
Investigating officers of Gulshan and Dhanmondi police stations questioned him in regard to two separate extortion cases.
Deputy inspector general of prisons Shamsul Haider Siddiqui told bdnews24.com that Tarique was interrogated from 12.00 pm to 03.15 pm, excluding the period of Friday prayers.
Sub-inspector of Gulshan Police Station Imtiaz Hossain told bdnews24.com that he questioned Tarique for about one and a half hours on the Tk 1.32 crore extortion case filed by businessman Khan Md Aftabuddin on Mar 27, 2007.
"We may have to question him further, if needed," Imtiaz said.
Dhanmondi Police Station sub-inspector Kazi Mainul questioned Tarique for about an hour on the Tk 53 lakh extortion case filed by contractor Mir Zahir Hossain on Apr 1, 2007.

bdnews24.com Dhaka

The Bikalpadhara Bangladesh Friday demanded the government start importing more rice and launch open-market sale (OMS) in unions to curb the steep prices.
The party also demanded steps for better production in the next boro harvest to avoid any food crisis.
MA Mannan, secretary general of the party, made the demand at a press briefing after a meeting of the party's executive committee in its Segun Bagicha office.
"The crisis could have been overcome if the government took immediate steps for production of crops after cyclone Sidr hit. Still the rice price can be brought down. To be able to do that rice has to be imported from Myanmar and Thailand in a week."
Replying to a question the former minister said, "It will not help if any adviser resigns taking responsibility for the rice crisis. The government will have to take lesson from the crisis and move ahead."for details....

AP, DES MOINES, Iowa

Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses last night as the candidates move on to New Hampshire.
On the Democratic side, Obama scored 38 percent of the vote with John Edwards second with 30 and Hillary Clinton third with 29. Obama won 16 delgates with Clinton getting 15 and Edwards 14. Overall, Clinton leads with 175 delegates, including superdelegates, followed by Obama with 75 and Edwards with 46.
For the Republicans, Huckabee won with 34 percent, with 25 percent for Mitt Romney, 13 percent each for Fred Thompson and John McCain, 10 percent for Ron Paul and 3 percent for Rudy Giuliani. Huckabee scored 30 delegates and Romney got 7.
After the caucuses, Democrats Joe Biden and Chris Dodd dropped out of the race.for details...

AP/UNB, Jerusalem

U.S. President George W. Bush is optimistic that Israelis and Palestinians can reach an agreement before he leaves office in a year's time, Bush said in a newspaper interview published Friday ahead of his arrival in the region next week. Bush also said he plans to use his time in the Mideast to rally opposition to Iran's nuclear program, saying a recent U.S. intelligence report that claimed Iran had suspended its program did not mean the danger was over. The interview was published Friday, in Hebrew, in the Israeli mass-circulation daily Yediot Ahronot. Israelis and Palestinians relaunched peace talks at a U.S.-hosted Mideast conference in November, and both Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas have said they hope to reach a final peace agreement by the end of 2008. Polls have shown large majorities of Israelis and Palestinians skeptical of that target date, but Bush said he thought it remains realistic.for details...

bdnews24.com/Reuters LONDON

Oil eased below $99 a barrel on Friday as investors took profits from a record rally that swept prices above $100 a barrel and heightened concern over the world's economic wellbeing. Oil marched to $100.09 on Thursday, the second straight day of triple digit prices, after crude stocks in top consumer the United States sank to a three-year low. US crude slipped 24 cents from the previous day's close to $98.94 by 1216 GMT. London Brent crude rose seven cents to $97.67. "With the circus surrounding the breaching of $100 due to move out of town soon, the market is now likely to enter something of a quieter period of consolidation, before next month's pivotal OPEC meeting," said Paul Horsnell of Barclays Capital. for details...

AP/UNB, Yangon

Myanmar's military rulers celebrated the 60th anniversary of independence from Britain on Friday with a simple flag-hoisting ceremony and a message from the junta chief calling for more discipline in the country. The annual message from junta leader Senior Gen. Than Shwe did not directly mention the pro-democracy street rallies that were violently suppressed by troops in September, but he reiterated that the military-ruled government will make democratic reforms according to its own so-called road map.for details...

New Delhi AP/UNB

A teenage student shot and killed a younger classmate after a fight at a government-run school in central India, a news report said Friday.
Police arrested the 16-year-old after he allegedly used his father's pistol to kill Dharmu Kohli, 15, on Thursday in the remote village of Chor-Bari in Madhya Pradesh state, The Times of India newspaper said.
"We know that they had a dispute. But we are investigating," the daily quoted Manish Rastogi, the district administrator, as saying.
for details...