In the pantheon of Islamic states, Bangladesh seems an unlikely place for a secular revolution. It is a dry country with no bars, casinos or horse races. Bangladesh is not liberal in its social mores, compared to Muslim-majority countries like Turkey or Indonesia. And secular principles are far from being consistently upheld: Madrassas receive state funding, while citizens are often hounded for perceived slights to Islam.

Yet since its landslide election in 2008, the ruling Awami League party has rolled back the Islamization trend of recent decades. In July, the government banned the extremist scholar Syed Abul Ala Maududi’s books. A historic Supreme Court ruling last month struck down a constitutional amendment that had paved the way for Islamist politics. And a special tribunal to try war crimes of the 1971 Liberation War began its work last month.

These trials are garnering a significant amount of public attention, as the accused are mostly leaders of Islamist political parties. The Awami League is emboldened no doubt by its resounding majority?its alliance controls 264 out of the 300-seat parliament. Its leaders sense a historic opportunity to redress the past. In the late ’90s, the Awami League adopted an arguably more moderate course, but this leniency was violently repaid when an alliance of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami won power, when repeated terroristic attacks killed top Awami League leaders. This, combined with the desire to see justice done, has shaped the party’s determined mood.

Activists demand war-crimes trials, March 2010.
.Cynics argue that the trials are politically motivated. The principal target, Jamaat-e-Islami, is a crucial ally of the main opposition BNP. Yet, any perceived benefits to the Awami League are not as straightforward as they may seem. Driving Jamaat underground might make it more dangerous, and any votes lost by Jamaat due to the trials will accrue to BNP, not to the Awami League. Indeed, it might have been safer for the Awami League to ignore the historical injustices. With the advent of the trials, many are now anxious of violent extremist reprisals. Yet repeated opinion polls indicate overwhelming public support for the trials.

Aside from the political jousting, the widespread public support for all the secularizing measures is worth closer scrutiny. Bangladesh’s Sufi Islamic roots clearly play a big role. Religious practice in this delta consisted of practices woven gently into the existing cultural fabric, not harshly imposed from outside. While the Islamism that has swept the region in recent decades has left a mark?from greater numbers of madrassas to the prevalence of burqas worn by women?it did not uproot a deeper cultural antipathy to extremism.

Yet this is also a society where the high court dared to declare fatwas illegal and ruled last week that no woman can be forced to wear burqas at work or school; a society where the secular holidays like Bengali New Year and Valentine’s Day?both irritating to the fundamentalists?are celebrated by millions of youth. Even in its heyday, Jamaat never garnered more than 10% of the popular vote.

Why? Credit women’s empowerment, which provide not only a sign of societal progress, but also remain its most salient cause. The prime minister and the opposition leader are both women. The foreign affairs, home and agricultural ministries are all run by women. Women hold top jobs in government, banks and business, and are especially prominent in legal, medical and social industries. They excel in art, culture and sport. They serve in the armed forces and fly planes for the national airlines. In the lower socio-economic spheres, women work in agriculture, microfinance and the garment industry. Tens of millions of women are economic decision-makers.

Of course the struggle for gender rights and equity still has a long way to go. But the attempt to achieve these worthy goals, led mainly by nongovernmental organizations, has also increased social resiliency against religious fanaticism. In fact, it’s not a stretch to argue that the government’s actions to stem Islamism could never have been imagined without society’s secular backdrop.

The foreign community could reinforce these positive trends by supporting the war crimes tribunal. Important in its own right, the success of the trials is crucial to the secularization process as well. Trade and development partners also need to review their economic policies. The United States, for example, could reduce its punitive tariffs on Bangladeshi garments, providing an immediate boost to the economy.

Just as importantly, it’s key to recognize that Bangladesh has come further on its own in the struggle to stay secular than many Muslim countries?even those with greater foreign aid or intervention. Which just goes to show that Bangladeshis can do much to build themselves a better future. Is there a more positive example for the Islamic world?

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All America is hallowed ground for freedom
By Bridget Kustin

Last week, I returned to Baltimore after spending a summer researching Islam, finance, and politics in Bangladesh. I still haven’t unpacked–I want to preserve the memories of hospitality and gratitude that couldn’t be captured in my field notes. The smell of wood smoke on clothes worn as my village host prepared me an elaborate Ramadan fast-breaking meal. The parting gift of pungent spices from an Islamic bank officer who accompanied me across my rural field site, answering my questions for hours. And when I arrived home, an email from one of Bangladesh’s most senior figures in Islamic banking and politics was waiting for me, asking if I made it back safely.
As I recovered from jet lag the day after my return, a passenger asked a cab driver in New York City if he was Muslim. When the cab driver responded affirmatively, the 21-year old passenger offered the traditional “Assalamu alaikum” greeting, then apparently slashed the driver’s throat and stabbed his arms and face. According to news reports, this horrific act will be charged as a hate crime.
The cab driver was an immigrant. He came to America 25 years ago from Bangladesh.
Critics of the proposed “Ground Zero” Cordoba House insist that America is exceptional because opposition to different religions and religious institutions is expressed peacefully. This is not true. Violence against Muslims is not systematic or state-sponsored, but it still occurs. These individual violent acts are all but sanctioned by media and political figures who undermine the humanity of Muslims by calling their religion inherently violent, or an existential threat to “American values,” or an innate threat to national security.
A less severe position is that Muslims can be good Americans, but projects such as Cordoba House are insensitive. According to these critics, constitutional rights should be subject to good taste.

Commissioners Richard Land and Nina Shea of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a federal advisory body, have opposed Cordoba House as insensitive and as a potential security risk, respectively. USCIRF commissioner chair Leonard Leo directs a Tea Party group collecting signatures against Cordoba House, billed on its website as an “affront to decency and common sense.”
The irony of American advocates of religious freedom opposing a Muslim community center would make for pitch-perfect political comedy a l??? The Daily Show if it wasn’t so deeply troubling. As a former USCIRF employee, the deep disconnect between these commissioners’ overseas advocacy and their domestic intolerance of the religious freedom of Muslims suggests to me that Islamophobia has worked its way well into the mainstream.
During my tenure at USCIRF from 2007 to 2009–first in communications and then as South Asia researcher–commissioners defended the right of religious minorities to build and maintain their religious institutions, no matter the popular objections or prevailing social norms. Among the countries in my portfolio, commissioners argued for the rights of Christians to maintain churches in Orissa, India, despite strong anti-Christian sentiment grounded partially in the fear of “forced conversions.” In Pakistan, commissioners defended the right of persecuted Ahmadis to call themselves Muslims and call their houses of worship mosques–despite the widespread, impassioned belief that Ahmadis are not ‘real’ Muslims. Commissioners criticized Sri Lankan government for citing security concerns while restricting the freedom of individuals to worship where and how they pleased.
Indeed, USCIRF advocacy is generally dedicated to upholding Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that every individual has the right, “alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.” Commissioners Land, Leo, and Shea should protect Cordoba House under Article 18 with the same vigor they have extended to foreign countries.
In Bangladesh this past summer, I met many Muslim Bangladeshis who excitedly told me about friends or relatives living in the United States, while gamely answering my probing questions about Islam. How shameful that being Muslim in the United States is now suddenly enough to have one’s religious freedom restricted via popular pressure–or even to get one killed.
To my host community in Bangladesh, and to my fellow Americans: that cab driver’s life is just as innocent and just as valuable as any of the 3,000 lost on September 11, 2001. All of America is hallowed ground for the freedoms that have made this country great. There is no greater affront to decency than to allow the slow erosion of our commitment to tolerance.

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Bangladesh is seeking to import 30,000 metric tons of non-basmati parboiled rice from any country other than Israel, the Directorate General of Food said in a notice on its website.

Suppliers have until Sept. 6 to submit offers, according to the Aug. 26 notice posted on the website. The grain is to be shipped 40 days from the date the contract is signed, it said

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Many factors are working as disincentives to higher education in Bangladesh. Opportunities here for higher education have progressively decreased over the years. Hundreds of aspirants vie for a single seat in any of the departments of the Dhaka University. The scene is more or less the same in all other public institutions of higher learning in the country.

Thus, many in the student population with potential for higher education are finding themselves excluded from the opportunity of such education mainly because the number of general public universities and specialised universities has not increased. Furthermore, the capacities in such institutions have not expanded to make it possible for them to admit more students. The private universities that have cropped up, normally charge high fees that cannot be afforded by many otherwise good students. Thus, the way to higher education is narrowing. Such education is also becoming like a commodity to be purchased by students of affluent parents.

Even in the limited number of public universities or specialised centres of higher education, courses get too frequently disrupted by aimless party politics. Frequent violent incidents linked to such politics contribute to undermine the academic atmosphere. The other fall-outs from campus violence — session jams — painfully lengthen the time that students have to spend for their graduate and post-graduate studies. The public universities are also found lacking in introducing or providing up-to-date courses and teaching aids. The teachers in them, as a consequences of their involvement in party politics and pulls outside for private teaching assignments, are seen spending less than the expected time to their main teaching posts.

Improving conditions of higher education will require adequate attention to both quantity and quality factors. It is very necessary to substantially increase government’s investments in new general universities, specialised universities, engineering universities, science and technology universities, medical colleges, engineering colleges, agricultural colleges and universities, etc. Not only increasing their number, every effort must also be made to impart quality education in them. The resources of the publicly-run institutions of higher learning will need to be increased with greater allocations from the national budget for the purpose. The institutions themselves can reasonably increase tuition fees and other charges to meet increasing costs. Presently, tuition and other costs at public universities are nominal. Guardians will probably not find it hard to pay somewhat higher fees and other charges for the sound education of their young ones from such institutions.

Most private universities also need to progressively meet the criterion to be fully regarded as worthwhile centres of higher education. The deficiency of many of these institutions, in terms of not having their own campus, competent teaching staff and their own spacious premises to provide a healthful academic environment, excessive opportunities to study on a few subjects to the relative neglect of others, etc., do need to be addressed within a time-frame to ultimately overcome them. The operators of private universities do also need to take moves to set up campuses at sites away from Dhaka. Presently, 80 per cent of the existing private universities are located at or around the capital city, Dhaka. Private universities should be set up all over the country to create balanced opportunities for higher education.
Sources :

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Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda
Jis Nay Ki Justuju
Mil Gaya Usko Tu
Sab Ka Tu Rehnuma

Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda
Jis Nay Ki Justuju
Mil Gaya Usko Tu
Sab Ka Tu Rehnuma

Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda

Yeh Zameen
Yeh Falak
In Say Aagay Talak
Jitni Dunyaeen Hain
Sub Main Teri Jhalak

Yeh Zameen
Yeh Falak
In Say Aagay Talak
Jitni Dunyaeen Hain
Sub Main Teri Jhalak

Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda
Jis Nay Ki Justuju
Mil Gaya Usko Tu
Sab Ka Tu Rehnuma

Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda

Har Sehar Phoot’ti
Hai Naye Rang Say
Sabza-o-Gul Khilay
Seena-e-Sang Say

Har Sehar Phoot’ti
Hai Naye Rang Say
Sabza-o-Gul Khilay
Seena-e-Sang Say

Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda
Jis Nay Ki Justuju
Mil Gaya Usko Tu
Sab Ka Tu Rehnuma

Aye Khuda

Har Sitaaray Main
Aabaad Hai Ek Jahaan
Chaand Sooraj Teri
Roshni Kay Nishaan

Har Sitaaray Main
Aabaad Hai Ek Jahaan
Chaand Sooraj Teri
Roshni Kay Nishaan

Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda
Jis Nay Ki Justuju
Mil Gaya Usko Tu
Sab Ka Tu Rehnuma

Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda
Jis Nay Ki Justuju
Mil Gaya Usko Tu
Sab Ka Tu Rehnuma

Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda
Aye Khuda

Artist: Adnan Sami
Song: Aye Khuda
Album: Kisi Din

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Show us the straight path:In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,(1:1)The Beneficent, the Merciful.(1:2)Owner of the Day of Judgement.(1:3)Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help. (1:4)Show us the straight path,(1:5)The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; (1:6)Not (the path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray. (1:7)

First of all let’s look at the meaning of Shab-e-Barat. Shab=night?in farsi and barat=fate/decree in Farsi. In short, Shab-e-Barat=Night of Fate/Decree

If you translate Shab-e-Barat to Arabic it translates to Laylatul Qadr(Night of Fate/Decree).

What ppl refer to as Shab-e-Barat, aka the night of the 14th of Sha’ban, it is actually referred to as Nisfu Sha’ban in the hadeeth. However, the ahadeeth regarding Nisfu Sha’ban are da’eef(weak). To be on the safe side, it’s better not to follow da’eef ahadeeth. We always have the option to worship Allah(swt) on any night.

A lot of Bid’ah came out of “Shab-e-Barat,” like people think that their fate for the following year is given to the angels, etc.

However, let’s look at the Quran regarding this matter:

“By the Book that makes things clear;- We sent it down during a Blessed Night(the Night of Fate/Decree): for We (ever) wish to warn (against Evil).
In the (Night) is made distinct every affair of wisdom(Or is “separated” or “apportioned,” from what is inscribed in the Preserved Slate. The Angles record and descend with whatever Allah has decreed for the coming year)
By command, from Our Presence. For We (ever) send (revelations),
As Mercy from thy Lord: for He hears and knows (all things);

Surah Ad-Dukhan Verses: 2-6.

LAILATUL-QADR

Its excellence is great, since in this night the Noble Qur’aan was sent down, which leads one who clings to it, to the path of honour and nobility, and raises him to the summit of distinction and everlasting life. The Muslims who adhere strictly to the Sunnah of Allaah’s Messenger SAW do not raise flags on this night, nor suspend colourful decorations. Rather they vie in standing during it (Lailatul-Qadr) in Prayer out of sincere faith and hoping for reward. Here, O Muslim, are the Qur’aanic Aayaat and authentic prophetic ahaadeeth referring to this night:

* Its excellence

As regards its excellence it is more than sufficient to mention that Lailatul-Qadr is better than a thousand months, He, the Mighty and Majestic, says:

” Verily! We have sent it (this Qur’aan) down in the Night of Decree (Lailatul-Qadr). And what will make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. Therein descend the angels and the Rooh (i.e. Gabriel) by Allaah’s Permission with all Decrees, Peace! until the appearance of dawn.” (Al-Qadr 97: 1-5)

And in it every decreed matter for the year is conveyed, He, the Most High says:

” We sent it (this Qur’aan) down on a blessed Night. Verily, We are ever warning (mankind of Our Torment). Therein (that Night) is decreed every matter of ordainment. Amran (i.e. a command or this Qur’aan or His Decree of every matter) from Us. Verily, We are ever sending (the Messenger). (As) a Mercy from your Lord. Verily! He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.” (Ad-Dukhaan 44: 3-6)

* When is it?

It is reported from the Prophet SAW that it is within the twenty-first, twenty-third, twenty-fifth, twenty-seventh, twenty-ninth or the last night of Ramadhan.

Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee, rahimahullaah, said: To me it is as the Prophet SAW used to answer according to the question posed, it would be said to him: “Shall I seek it in such and such night?” So he would reply: “Seek it in such and such night.” And Allaah knows best. (Reported from him by al-Baghawee in Sharhus-Sunnah)

The most correct saying is that it occurs in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadhan and this is shown by the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah, RA, who said: “Allaah Messenger SAW used to practice I’tikaaf in the last ten nights and say: ‘Seek out Lailatul-Qadr in the (odd nights) of the last ten days of Ramadhan.” (Bukhari, Muslim )

However if the servant is too weak or unable, then he should at least not let the last seven days pass him by, due to what is reported from ‘Ibn ‘Umar, who said: Allaah’s Messenger SAW said: “Seek it in the last ten, and if one of you is too weak or unable then let him not allow that to make him miss the final seven.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

This explains his, SAW saying: “I see that your dreams are in agreement (that it is in the last seven) so he who wishes to seek it out then let him seek it in the last seven.” (Bukhari)

It is also known from the Sunnah, that knowledge of the exact night upon which Lailatul-Qadr falls was taken up because the people argued, ‘Ubaadah ibn as-Saamit, RA said: The Prophet SAW came out intending to tell us about Lailatul-Qadr, however two men were arguing and he said: “I came out to inform you about Lailatul-Qadr but so and so, and, so and so were arguing, so it was raised up, and perhaps that is better for you, so seek it on the (twenty) ninth and (twenty) seventh and the (twenty) fifth.” (Bukhari)

Some ahaadeeth indicate that Lailatul-Qadr is in the last ten nights, while others indicate that it is in the odd nights of the last ten, so the first are general and the second more particular, and the particular has to be given priority over the general. Other ahaadeeth state that it is in the last seven – and these are restricted by mention of one who is too weak or unable. So there is no confusion, all the ahaadeeth agree and are not contradictory.

In conclusion: The Muslim should seek out Lailatul-Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten: the night of the twenty-first (the night before the twenty-first day), the twenty-third, the twenty-fifth, the twenty-seventh and the twenty-ninth. If he is too weak or unable to seek it out in all the odd nights, then let him seek it out in the odd nights of the last seven: the night of the twenty-fifth, the twenty-seventh and the twenty-ninth. And Allaah knows best.

* How should a Muslim seek Lailatul-Qadr?

One who misses this blessed night then he has missed much good for no one misses it except one from whom it is withheld. Therefore it is recommended that the Muslim who is eager to be obedient to Allaah should stand in Prayer during this night out of Eemaan and hoping for the great reward, since if he does this, Allaah will forgive his previous sins.

He SAW said: “Whoever stands in (Prayer) in Lailatul-Qadr out of Eemaan and seeking reward then his previous sins are forgiven.” (Bukhari)

It is recommended to supplicate a great deal in it, it is reported from ‘Aa’ishah, RA that she said: “O Messenger of Allaah! What if I knew which night Lailatul-Qadr was, then what should I say in it?” He said: “Say: Allaahumma innaka ‘affuwwun tuhibbul ‘afwa fa’fu ‘annee.” (O Allaah you are the one who pardons greatly, and loves to pardon, so pardon me.) (at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)

O brother! You know the importance of this night, so stand in Prayer in the last ten nights, in worship, detaching oneself from the women, ordering your family with this, and increasing in actions of obedience and worship in it.

From ‘Aa’ishah, RA who said: “The Prophet SAW used to tighten his waist-wrapper (izaar) – (meaning detached himself from his wives in order to worship, and exerted himself in seeking Lailatul-Qadr), spend the night in worship, and wake the family in the last ten nights.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

From ‘Aa’ishah, RA: “Allaah’s Messenger SAW used to exert himself in the last ten nights more than he would at other times.” (Muslim)

* Its sign

[Many people believe in all sorts of superstitions about Lailatul-Qadr, and false beliefs from them are that the trees prostrate, and buildings sleep! And these things are clearly futile and baseless.] Allaah’s Messenger SAW described the morning after Lailatul-Qadr, so that the Muslim may know which day it is. From Ubayy, RA who said: that he SAW said: “On the morning following Lailatul-Qadr the sun rises not having any rays, as if it were a brass dish, until it rises up.” (Muslim, Abu Dawood, at-Tarmidhi, Ibn Majah)

From Abu Hurairah, RA who said: “We were discussing Lailatul-Qadr in the presence of Allaah’s Messenger SAW, so he said: ‘Which of you remembers (the night) when the moon arose and was like half a plate?’” (Muslim) [Qaadi 'Iyaad said: "It contains an indication that it was towards the end of the month - since the moon does not appear like that when it arises except towards the end of the month."]

From Ibn ‘Abbaas, RA who said: Allaah’s Messenger SAW said: “Lailatul-Qadr is calm and pleasant, neither hot nor cold, the sun arises on its morning being feeble and red.” (at-Tayaalisee, Ibn Khuzaimah, al-Bazzaar with hasan isnaad)

Let us seek abundance rewards from our Creator by performing extra actions in these last few days of the noble month of Ramadhan as it could be our last…

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object classid=”clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000″ width=”640″ height=”385″ codebase=”http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0″> Situation now under Control.
The cap on BP Plc’s (BP.N) (BP.L) stricken Gulf of Mexico oil well appeared to hold on Friday, but officials intensified monitoring after a critical test showed pressure rising slower than they hoped.

BP began pressure tests on the well after choking it off on Thursday for the first time since the April 20 rig explosion that triggered the leak. Underwater robots scanned the sea floor for signs the undersea well was damaged.

“We’ve seen no negative evidence of any breaching there,” said Kent Wells, BP’s senior vice president of exploration and production.

The tests, which began Thursday afternoon and are expected to last up to 48 hours, showed the cap was building pressure in the well, meaning it was strong enough to contain the oil without leaking. But it was not rising fast enough.

“We have decided to move forward with another six-hour increment (of testing),” retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the U.S. government’s point man on the spill, told reporters at a briefing on Friday afternoon.

Allen had said pressure above 7,500 pounds per square inch would show the well was intact, while pressure that lingered below 6,000 psi would signal damage.

The pressure Friday afternoon remained close to 6,700 psi — the same level as BP announced eight hours earlier — and was barely rising by two to 10 psi per hour.

BP was told to step up monitoring for any seabed breaches and gather additional seismic data to detect any pockets of oil in the layers of rock and sediment around the well, Allen said.
Earlier, U.S. President Barack Obama warned that more work was needed before the well could be considered fixed.

“We won’t be done until we actually know that we’ve killed the well and that we have a permanent solution in place. We’re moving in that direction, but I don’t want us to get too far ahead of ourselves,” Obama said at the White House.

The U.S. leader is under fire to push BP to permanently plug the leak and clean up an environmental and economic mess across five U.S. Gulf states. The spill has cut into multi-billion dollar fishing, tourism and drilling industries.

The offshore spill, the worst in U.S. history, has spewed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf.

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On May 24, 2010, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA??s Terra satellite captured this false-color, high-resolution view of the very tip of the Mississippi River Delta. Ribbons and patches of oil that have leaked from the Deepwater Horizon well offshore are silver against the light blue color of the adjacent water. Vegetation is red.

Our oceans are generally resilient in the wake of contamination such as industrial waste, in part due to the highly effective filtration by deep sediments that can ??bury?? the toxins. Of course, there are limits. The BP Oil Spill is an alarming example. What happens when the ocean??s filtration system, a delicate balance of sediments working together, are shut down?

Not surprisingly, wastewater generated from oil production can be quite toxic. An unappealing cocktail of toxins including heavy metals, this water contains high levels of mercury, lead, cadmium and arsenic. Of particular concern is arsenic: such waste can contain up to one hundred thousand times the safe limit in drinking water set by the Environmental Protection Agency. About two liquid ounces of contaminated wastewater consumed by a 150 pound person in one day corresponds to a lethal dose.

Fortunately, oil rig wastewater is not a beverage of choice and sediment filtration in our oceans can effectively ??eliminate?? the waste or least minimize any leaching.

British scientists recently conducted a study of the effect of crude oil on how ocean sediments can filter out toxic chemicals such as arsenic. They found that arsenic absorption within sediments is significantly reduced when exposed to oil. With the filtration system essentially shut down, arsenic can then be dispersed freely affecting the entire food chain, including us.

Potential dangers of arsenic-contaminated water are reminiscent of Bangladesh, with widespread reports of skin lesions and a higher incidence of cancer. Drinking water in Bangladesh is widely recognized as an environmental and public health nightmare, having poisoned up to 77 million residents, resulting from the widespread use of groundwater. Hand-pumped wells can access water containing extremely high levels of arsenic leached from rocks, not to mention contamination from mining and industrial production plants. Indeed, the World Health Organization has referred to this as ??the largest mass poisoning of a population in history??.

Lessons learned from Bangladesh should guide us in the event that arsenic-laced waters begin washing ashore in the Gulf. A number of technologies were specifically developed for arsenic removal.

I sincerely hope that relying on such lessons will be unnecessary, and that the study by these British scientists will simply give us one more reason to stop this leak immediately using the best technologies and minds that this country has to offer.

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Tigers are on the brink of extinction because only about 3,200 tigers are left in the world today, a report has said.

The still existing ones included six sub-species: Sumatran, Bengalese, Amurese, Indo-Chinese, South Chinese, and Malayan tigers, said the report released by the Indonesian Forestry Ministry yesterday, a day before delegates of 13 countries met for talks to save tigers here today.

The main threats facing the tigers around the world included damage of natural habitats, drastic decrease of natural predators, hunting and illegal trading, as well as conflicts between tigers and people living in the tigers?? habitat, the report said.

The Bali meeting, that would officially be opened by Minister of Forestry Zulkifli Hasan, was held before the World Tiger Summit in St Petersburg, Russia, from September 15 to 18, 2010.

In their a joint press statement, Chairman of the HarimauKita (Our Tiger) Forum Hariyo T Wibisono and Director of Bio-Diversity Conservation Harry Santoso said there are now only about 400 Sumatran tigers left.

These Sumatran tigers account for about 12 per cent of the world??s tiger population, making Indonesia a key country for tiger conservation in the world, they said.

??Ironically, the habitats of these Sumatran tigers have declined up to almost 50 per cent over the past 25 years.

About 70 per cent of their remaining habitats exist outside the conservation areas.??

Wibisono said the remaining habitats were located in 20 separated forests. This condition was vulnerable to the remaining tigers because they were not in good protection.

??To save these endangered Sumatran tigers, the entire stakeholders in Indonesia need to work together in taking concrete and effective conservation measures,?? he said.

If not, the Sumatran tigers would follow the fates of Javanese and Balinese tigers, Wibisono said.

In paving the way for the Sumatran tiger conservation efforts, Executive Director of WWF-Indonesia Dr Efransjah said the remaining natural habitats should be saved.

The critical forest areas need also be restored and sustainable development-strategies should be put in place so that the tigers have enough habitats, he said.

??How to minimize potential conflicts between tigers and people should also be a common agenda for related parties,?? he said.

Saving forests and Sumatran tiger habitats are relevant to the Indonesian government??s commitment to reduce carbon emission from deforestations and forest degradation, Efransjah said.

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The World Bank double it financial assistance for Bangladesh to more than $6.0 billion USD over the next four years for poverty reduction.
The World Bank’s Board of Directors Friday endorsed a new Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for Bangladesh proposing 6.1 billion U.S. dollars for the period 2011 to 2014 fiscal years.
A press release of the World Bank Saturday said the new strategy is aimed at supporting the Bangladeshi government’s vision of rapid poverty reduction and middle income country status within the coming decade, as articulated in the Second National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction.

The World Bank Executive Directors commended Bangladesh for a strong track record of over 6 percent economic growth in recent years, as well as sustained poverty reduction and human development over the past two decades.

It said nonetheless, Bangladesh continues to face daunting development challenges, with around 55 million people below the poverty line and two out of five children suffering from chronic malnutrition.

The World Bank said to reduce the population share living in poverty from 40 percent to 15 percent and to reach middle-income country status by 2021, Bangladesh will need to sustain growth of at least 8 percent per annum.

The new Country Assistance Strategy will support Bangladesh’s ambitions by contributing to accelerated, sustainable and inclusive growth, underpinned by stronger governance at central and local levels.

The strategy proposes support for technical analysis of key development issues, as well as record lending for Bangladesh, totaling more than 6 billion U.S. dollars in four years, based on continued strong country performance.

“This new country assistance strategy proposes a doubling of financial support for Bangladesh relative to the 2006-2009 fiscal years strategy,” said Ellen Goldstein, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh.

“To deliver this higher volume of support most effectively, we will work with the Bangladeshi government to shift to larger, more strategic interventions that enhance selectivity and leverage priority reforms and investments,” she said.

About the first priority of accelerating economic growth, she said Bangladesh will need a major increase in infrastructure investment and a more conducive business environment. The World Bank will ramp up investments in infrastructure, including power and gas.

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