বিভাগ/বিষয় নিরপেক্ষ

সুপারিশকৃত লিন্ক: ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩

আজকের লিন্ক

মুক্তাঙ্গন-এ উপরোক্ত শিরোনামের নিয়মিত এই সিরিজটিতে থাকছে দেশী বিদেশী পত্রপত্রিকা, ব্লগ ও গবেষণাপত্র থেকে পাঠক সুপারিশকৃত ওয়েবলিন্কের তালিকা। কী ধরণের বিষয়বস্তুর উপর লিন্ক সুপারিশ করা যাবে তার কোনো নির্দিষ্ট নিয়ম, মানদণ্ড বা সময়কাল নেই। পুরো ইন্টারনেট থেকে যা কিছু গুরত্বপূর্ণ, জরুরি, মজার বা আগ্রহোদ্দীপক মনে করবেন পাঠকরা, তা-ই তাঁরা মন্তব্য আকারে উল্লেখ করতে পারেন এখানে।
ধন্যবাদ।

আজকের লিন্ক

এখানে থাকছে দেশী বিদেশী পত্রপত্রিকা, ব্লগ ও গবেষণাপত্র থেকে পাঠক সুপারিশকৃত ওয়েবলিন্কের তালিকা। পুরো ইন্টারনেট থেকে যা কিছু গুরত্বপূর্ণ, জরুরি, মজার বা আগ্রহোদ্দীপক মনে করবেন পাঠকরা, তা-ই সুপারিশ করুন এখানে। ধন্যবাদ।

১৩ comments

  1. মাসুদ করিম - ১ ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩ (১:৫১ অপরাহ্ণ)

    নাৎসিদের বিরুদ্ধে ১৯৪২ সালের ১৭ জুলাই থেকে শুরু হওয়া মরণপণ লড়াইয়ে ১৯৪৩ সালের ০২ ফেব্রুয়ারি সোভিয়েত ইউনিয়ন জয়লাভ করে স্তালিনগ্রাদ শহরে। অবশ্য এই জয়কে নিশ্চিত করেছিল ৩১ জানুয়ারি ১৯৪৩ সালের ভয়ঙ্করতম যুদ্ধদিনে নাৎসি বাহিনীর বিরুদ্ধে সোভিয়েত বাহিনীর দুধর্ষতম আক্রমণ সংঘটনের মধ্য দিয়ে।

    এবছর হতে যাচ্ছে সেই যুদ্ধজয়ের ৭০ বছর উদযাপন, কিন্তু যুদ্ধজয়ের ওই শহরটির নাম এখন আর স্তালিনগ্রাদ নেই, ১৯৬১ সাল থেকে তৎকালীন সোভিয়েত ইউনিয়ন ও বর্তমান রাশিয়ার এই শহরটির নাম ভলগোগ্রাদ, দাবি উঠেছিল এই উদযাপনে শহরটিকে আবার স্তালিনগ্রাদ নামে অভিষিক্ত করার, কিন্তু তা সম্ভবত হচ্ছে না, যা হচ্ছে তা হল শহরটিকে ” বীরের শহর স্তালিনগ্রাদ” এই অভীধায় অভিষিক্ত করা হবে আগামী ০২ ফেব্রুয়ারি এবং বিশেষ বিশেষ দিনে এই শহরকে সমাবেশে, বক্তৃতায় ও অফিসিয়াল প্রতিবেদনেও ‘স্তালিনগ্রাদ’ বলা যাবে, লেখা যাবে।

    311981[1]
    পশ্চিমবঙ্গের দৈনিক ‘গণশক্তি’র আজকের প্রথম পাতার শীর্ষছবি

    Volgograd to Regain Stalin’s Name For Battle Anniversary

    The Russian city of Volgograd will call itself Stalingrad again for a few days this year, to mark the 70th anniversary of the epic World War II battle in that city, after local officials approved the measure on Thursday.

    The city legislature said Volgograd would be named “hero-city Stalingrad” on February 2, marking the end of the battle and other milestone dates, over half a century after the city’s name was changed in 1961, following the campaign against Soviet leader Joseph Stalin’s “cult of personality.”

    The decision was made “after numerous requests” from World War II veterans, the city government said in a statement.

    The city decree means the city’s old name – Stalingrad – can be used at demonstrations, in speeches and official reports on at least six dates starting this year, including Victory Day (celebrated in Russia on May 9), November 19 (the launch of the counterattack in Stalingrad) and September 2 (marked in Russia as the end of World War II), and other war-related occasions.

    The massive battle started on July 17, 1942 and ended on February 2, 1943. A total of around two million people were killed on both sides.

    Volgograd was originally named Tsaritsyn until 1925, when it was renamed after Stalin for his role in leading the Red Army in the city during the Civil War. The city got its present-day name under Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev as part of his de-Stalinization campaign, eight years after Stalin’s death.

    Sergei Mitrokhin, leader of the liberal opposition Yabloko party, spoke out against honoring Stalin during this year’s celebrations, saying victory in the battle was won by the people, not the Soviet leader. “Let’s hope they won’t rename the city officially,” Mitrokhin told RIA Novosti.

    Earlier this week, a group of activists from the Communist Party and Trade Union of Russian Citizens movement collected over 50,000 signatures in a petition asking President Vladimir Putin to rename the city, which has a population of one million, as Stalingrad. Putin has not yet commented on the proposal.

    “I’d really like it to become Stalingrad again, it deserves this name,” war veteran and city native Boris Kryzhanovsky told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

    In a poll by the independent Levada Center held in October, 60 percent of those asked were against renaming Volgograd, while 18 percent favored the idea. The margin error of the survey, which polled 1,601 Russians across the nation, was 3.4 percent.

    A rehearsal for a parade was held in downtown Volgograd on Thursday ahead of Saturday’s celebrations, marking the surrender of the Axis forces at the end of the 200-day Battle of Stalingrad, which is seen by historians as one of the pivotal points in the war.

    Russian and German symphony orchestras will perform together at a concert in the city on Sunday as part of the celebrations.

    A group of pro-Stalin activists plan to run controversial “Victory Buses” in Volgograd (also known as “Stalinobuses” or “Stalin buses”) decorated with portraits of the Soviet leader, during the anniversary. The Stalin-themed buses will also run in St. Petersburg and Chita.

    “Stalin buses” for the Victory Day celebrations in 2010 and 2011 aroused protests from human rights groups.

  2. মাসুদ করিম - ৩ ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩ (১০:১৬ পূর্বাহ্ণ)

    করাচি থেকে ৭০০ কিলোমিটার দূরে ২০০৭ সালে উদ্বোধন হয়েছিল পাকিস্তানের গভীর সমুদ্র বন্দর, গওদর পোর্ট প্রজেক্ট (Gwadar Port Project), প্রায় সিংহভাগ চীনের খরচে সম্পন্ন হওয়া এই বন্দরের পাঁচ বছর পর আজো কার্যক্ষমতার মাত্র ১৫ ভাগ ব্যবহৃত হয়, বলা হয়ে থকে গভীর সমুদ্র বন্দরের পাশাপাশি স্থলভাগে প্রয়োজনীয় সড়ক অবকাঠামো গড়ে না ওঠায় এই হাল বন্দরটির। বন্দরটি চালানোর দায়িত্ব চল্লিশ বছরের জন্য পেয়েছিল সিঙ্গাপুরের একটি প্রতিষ্ঠান, বর্তমানে ওই প্রতিষ্ঠান থেকে বন্দর চালানোর দায়িত্ব চীন কিনে নিতে আগ্রহী। এই বন্দরের বাণিজ্যিক ভবিষ্যৎ কী হবে কে জানে, কিন্তু আরব সাগরের এই গভীর সমুদ্র বন্দর করার সময় থেকেই চীনের দৃষ্টি ছিল এর কৌশলগত অবস্থানের দিকে — হরমুজ প্রণালী ও ভারত মহাসাগর থেকে কাছাকাছি দূরত্বের কারণে এই স্থাপনা চীনের জন্য খুবই গুরুত্ববহ। বাণিজ্যিক উদ্দেশ্য দেখিয়ে নির্মিত এই বন্দর কি শেষ পর্যন্ত চীনের হরমুজ প্রণালী ও ভারত মহাসাগরে নজরদারির ঘাঁটি হিসাবে ব্যবহৃত হবে?

    The construction of the port, in the former fishing village of Gwadar in troubled Balochistan province, was largely funded by China at a cost of about $200 million. It has been a commercial failure since it opened in 2007, because Pakistan never completed the road network to link the port to the rest of the country.

    Chinese control of the port would give it a foothold in one of the world’s most strategic areas and could unsettle officials in Washington, who have been concerned about Beijing’s expanding regional influence.

    The port on the Arabian Sea occupies a strategic location between South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. It lies near the Strait of Hormuz, gateway for about 20 per cent of the world’s oil.

    …

    Some experts view Gwadar as the westernmost link in the ”string of pearls,” a line of ports from China to the Gulf that could facilitate expansion of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean. That has sparked concern in both the US and India.

    Pakistan’s Cabinet agreed Wednesday to a proposal for a company owned by the Chinese government, China Overseas Port Holdings Limited, to purchase control of the port from Singapore’s PSA International Pte Ltd., which won a bid in 2007 to operate the port for 40 years. The transaction has not yet occurred, a spokesman for Pakistan’s Ministry of Ports and Shipping, Mohammed Raza, said Friday.

    Pakistan views China as one of its most important allies and a counterweight to the United States, which has given Islamabad billions of dollars in aid but is often viewed as a fickle taskmaster.

    China is expected to pay $35 million for control of the port to PSA and two other groups that own an interest, said Aqeel Karim Dhedhi, one of the other shareholders. The third shareholder is the National Logistics Cell, which is controlled by the Pakistani army. The Chinese are waiting for a Pakistani court case challenging PSA’s control of the port to be dismissed to complete the transaction, Dhedhi said.

    বিস্তারিত পড়ুন : China poised to control strategic Pakistani port।

    • মাসুদ করিম - ১৯ ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩ (৯:৩২ পূর্বাহ্ণ)

      এবং গওদর পোর্ট প্রজেক্ট (Gwadar Port Project)গতকাল পাকিস্তানের প্রেসিডেন্ট আসিফ আলি জারদারির উপস্থিতিতে এক অনুষ্ঠানের মধ্য দিয়ে ‘পোর্ট অফ সিঙ্গাপুর’ থেকে ‘চায়না ওভারসিজ পোর্ট হোল্ডিং কোম্পানি লিমিটেড’এর কাছে হস্তান্তরিত হয়ে গেছে।

      gwadar port pk
      লালচিহ্নিত স্থানটি গওদর (Gwadar)

      Pakistan hands over Gwadar port to Chinese company

      President Asif Ali Zardari, speaking on the occasion, expressed confidence that the agreement will give new impetus to Pakistan-China relations, Radio Pakistan reported.
      “Today, the agreement is transferred from the Port of Singapore Authority to China Overseas Ports Holding Company Limited,” he announced.

      Zardari expressed confidence that the award of the contract will open new opportunities, particularly for the people of Balochistan.

      He said it will “give new impetus to Pakistan-China relations and take further our political cooperation into the realm of economic cooperation”.

      The president said handing over of Gwadar Port operations to China is “a manifestation of our growing ties and also shows the trust Pakistan has in the Chinese ability to deliver on our infrastructure projects”.

      He said development of a trade corridor linking Xinjiang to the Middle East through Gwadar Port will enhance trade and commerce not only between the two countries but also in the region.

      Zardari said the port also has strategic importance for China as around 60 percent of China’s crude oil comes from the Gulf countries that are close to Gwadar.

      He said Gwadar is now a potential hub of trade and commerce in the region. It also holds the key to bring together the countries of Central Asia.

      In his speech on the occasion‚ Chinese ambassador Liu Jian said the transfer of Gwadar Port’s operations to China will bring tangible benefits to the two countries and contribute to peace‚ stability and development of the region.

      He said Gwadar Port is part of greater framework of economic cooperation between Pakistan and China.

  3. মাসুদ করিম - ৩ ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩ (২:৪৫ অপরাহ্ণ)

    তার জনপ্রিয় পরিচয় তিনি সফদর হাশমির মা, কিন্তু তিনি নিজেও এক অসাধারণ লড়াকু ও গুণী মানুষ, তিনি কামার হাশমি, গত শুক্রবার গভীর রাতে মস্তিষ্কে রক্তক্ষরণজনিত কারণে ৮৭ বছর বয়সে দিল্লিতে তার মৃত্যু হয়েছে, তার জন্ম হয়েছিল ঝাঁসিতে ০৪ মার্চ ১৯২৬ সালে। ভারতের বেশ কয়েকটি ভাষায় ছিল তার সাবলীল দক্ষতা, জানতেন ঘোড়ায় চড়তে, রাইফেল চালাতে আর ১৯৯৬ সালে সত্তর বছর বয়সে এম এ পাশ করেছিলেন, ৬৯ বছর বয়স থেকে বই লিখতে শুরু করেছিলেন।

    312156

    লিন্ক : কামার হাশমির জীবনাবসান।

  4. মাসুদ করিম - ১২ ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩ (৬:৪১ অপরাহ্ণ)

    Tagore Memorabilia Brought From Argentina

    A pair of spectacles and a golden-bordered stole used by Rabindranath Tagore besides some books gifted by him to the famous Argentinian poetess Victoria Ocampo have now been acquired by Visva Bharati university.

    Prof Tapati Mukhopadhyay, director of Rabindra Bhavana museum in Shantiniketan, said the items have been brought back recently with the help of Prof Shyama Prasad Ganguly, a well-known Hispanist and former lecturer of Jawaharlal Nehru University.

    The bard had met Ocampo in 1924 in Argentina when he was recuperating from a severe illness. He had gifted her his own spectacles and a stole besides four books.

    One of the books is an inscribed copy of ‘Purabi’, the book of poems he wrote in Argentina and dedicated it to Ocampo.

    These objects were inherited from the poetess by her secretary Maria Renee Cura and brought by her to India.

    After many years they are now being brought to Shantiniketan by Ganguly, a well-known Hispanist, who knew Cura personally.

    Visva Bharati professor Amrit Sen said Ganguly has gifted the central university the memorabilia which would now be a part of its repository at Rabindra Bhavana museum in Shantiniketan, known the world over for its rich archival material related to Tagore and his family.

    Gurudev’s spectacles and the stole will be exhibited during a seminar ‘Rabindranath Tagore and Victoria Ocampo’ to be held at Lipika, Shantiniketan this Sunday.

    During the programme, correspondence between Rabindranath Tagore and noted Bengali litterateur Annada Sankar Roy and an unpublished manuscript of Roy that includes corrections made by Tagore, would also be presented to the museum.

  5. মাসুদ করিম - ১৯ ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩ (১২:৩৪ পূর্বাহ্ণ)

    Rural Muslim poverty highest in Gujarat, Assam, WB, and UP: UNDP

    United Nations has observed that poverty head count ratio for Muslims is highest in the states of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat even as it expressed satisfaction over India’s efforts to meet the millennium development goals in important areas.

    “India is well placed to meet the millennium development goals on reducing poverty by half and achieving universal primary education and gender parity in education. However, it is not likely to meet targets in areas of maternal mortality, infant mortality, under-five mortality and sanitation,” said UNDP country director Caitlin Wiesen.

    She was addressing a national seminar on “Millennium Development Goals and Rural Development in India: Policy Initiatives Targets and Achievements”, organised by the National Institute of Rural Development here.

    “It is commendable that India is meeting its overall poverty reduction target but there are multiple manifestations of poverty in rural areas. Scheduled Tribes exhibit highest level of poverty at 47 per cent and Scheduled Castes at 42 percent,” she said.

    Wiesen said as far as religious groups are concerned, poverty head count ratio for Muslims is “very high in states of Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat”.

    “Nearly, 50 per cent of agricultural labourers and 40 per cent of other labourers are below poverty line in rural areas, where households with primary level and lower education have the higher poverty ratio,” Wiesen pointed out.

    She said though India has improved on poverty reduction, the situation is grim for the poor in rural areas because agriculture sector, the mainstay of rural people, has not grown on expected lines.

    “There is an urgent need to strengthen accountability systems within government and communities, convergence between rural development and other key departments and social mobilisation of the poor into self help groups and federations,” the UNDP director said.

    Wiesen said development strategies in India need to take into account the challenges posed by climate change which has a direct bearing on natural resources and livelihood of the rural population.

    “UNDP is moving into its new five-year program which will focus on areas of rural development, inclusive growth, democratic governance and environment”, she said.

    Wiesen said the UNDP program will be launched in nine states including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Assam.

    National Institute of Rural Development Director General Dr M V Rao and NIRD professor Dr B Chakaravarty were also present at the event.

  6. মাসুদ করিম - ২০ ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩ (১:১৩ অপরাহ্ণ)

    Jallianwala Bagh a ‘shameful event in British history’: David Cameron

    On a visit to Amritsar, British Prime Minister David Cameron described the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919 as “a deeply shameful event in British history.”

    “We must never forget what happened here,” he said of the shooting of nearly 1000 peaceful Indian protestors by British troops on the orders of General Reginald Dyer.

    “This was a deeply shameful act in British history, one that Winston Churchill rightly described at that time as ‘monstrous.’ We must never forget what happened here and we must ensure that the UK stands up for the right of peaceful protests,” Mr Cameron wrote in the visitors’ book at the memorial site. Before that, he paid his respects at the at the holiest shrine for the Sikh religion, the Golden Temple.

    Mr Cameron’s three-day visit to India has focused heavily on the potential of Indo-British ties, particularly business collaborations.

    Yesterday, he met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi and promised cooperation in an inquiry to determine if massive kickbacks were paid by Anglo-Italian venture AgustaWestland to sell 12 helicopters to Delhi in 2010.

    Mr Cameron is the first UK prime minister to voice regret over the Jallianwala Bagh shooting.

    In 1920, Winston Churchill, then the secretary of state for war, called the Amritsar massacre “a monstrous event”, saying it was “not the British way of doing business”.

    On a visit to Amritsar in 1997, Queen Elizabeth called it a distressing episode, but said history could not be rewritten. However, her husband, Prince Philip, delivered a massive controversy by opining that the death count of the shooting had been “vastly exaggerated.”

    Before he became prime minister, Tony Blair said the memorial at Amritsar was a reminder of “the worst aspects of colonialism”.

  7. মাসুদ করিম - ২২ ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩ (১:৪৪ অপরাহ্ণ)

    Hyderabad twin blasts: First probe report points at aluminium, nitrate; why Dilsukhnagar, NIA to find out

    The initial analysis for the twin blasts in Hyderabad that killed 16 and injured 119 has been completed.

    The report reveals that aluminium containers were used to keep the explosives and nitrate might have been the base element of the powerful bombs. The power source to detonate the bombs were between 3V and 9V.

    The National Investigation Agency has been tasked to find out why Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad was made a target, sources have said.

    NIA officers are interrogating those caught for the Pune blasts last year and who are claimed to have recced Dilsukhnagar in July, 2012. Sayed Maqbool and Imran Khan, both from Nanded, are reported to have marked out Dilsukhnagar, Begum Bazar and the Abid areas for a terror attack. They had apparently checked out the areas on the instructions of Indian Mujahideen (IM) co-founder Riyaz Bhatkal. Thos Bhatkal had ordered the recce, he had not specified the locations. These were chosen by the two.

    Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde was at the blast spots in the morning. He is expected to make a statement in Parliament today as demanded by the opposition.

    The Home ministry will also take a call today whether to transfer the case to the NIA from the Hyderabad police. Shinde and Home Secretary R K Singh had a meeting with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Rao Reddy and the Director General of Police to work out the modalities of transferring the probe to the NIA. NIA teams from Delhi and Hyderabad are already on the trail of the attackers.

    Meanwhile, BJP President Rajnath Singh will visit Hyderabad today to meet the injured and family members of those killed in the twin blasts in the city.

    Singh, accompanied by BJP MP and spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain and party secretary Murlidhar Rao, is likely to visit the Dilsukhnagar area of Hyderabad where the two blasts took place yesterday evening.

    The BJP leaders will also visit the hospitals where the injured are being treated and later meet the kin of those killed. Fourteen have been killed and 119 injured in yesterday’s blasts.

    BJP is also likely to demand suspension of Question Hour in Lok Sabha to discuss the terror issue.

    In a statement issued yesterday, Singh had condoled the death of innocent people in the blast and demanded that immediate steps be taken to provide relief to the injured.

    UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has joined the international community in condemning the terrorist attack in Hyderabad that killed more than a dozen people and injuring scores of others.

    “The Secretary-General strongly condemns the indiscriminate attacks against civilians which occurred in the Indian city of Hyderabad,” said a statement issued by the office of the UN Secretary General yesterday.

    “He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government and people of India,” the statement said.

  8. মাসুদ করিম - ২৩ ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩ (৬:২৪ অপরাহ্ণ)

    A Call For Secular Bangladesh
    Youngsters in Dhaka are demanding a radical break from the country’s fracturedpast

    SOMETHING REMARKABLE is happening in Bangladesh. For over two weeks now thousands of youngsters have been protesting at the Shahbagh Square around the university area in Dhaka, demanding that war criminals of 1971 be given capital punishment. Interestingly, it is the post-1971 generation that is at the heart of the protests.

    In December 2008, when the Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, won the elections the biggest promise it made, which resonated with the youth, was that it will institute the war crimes tribunal. For the youth in Bangladesh, memories of the liberation war are a valuable lesson in history and identity. They want to know if there are people in their midst who were against the formation of Bangladesh, who did not support the liberation war.

    After taking over as prime minister in January 2009 Sheikh Hasina ordered the setting up of the war crimes tribunal, which has been hearing cases ever since. The first verdict given by the tribunal was a death sentence to a popular Jamaat leader and cleric Abul Kalam Azad. The second verdict came two weeks ago, when Abdul Quader Mollah, assistant secretary-general of the Jamaat was awarded a life sentence. The sentence left a majority of the Bangladeshis bewildered, who felt that Mollah was let off even though there is staggering evidence against him for the violence that followed the liberation war.

    Following the sentence, Mollah expressed his pleasure over the verdict, flashing a victory sign outside the court. This irked a section of the youngsters who went on an offensive on the Internet. The blogging community started an online campaign demanding death sentence to those involved in war crimes. And soon the streets of Dhaka were flooded with youngsters, poets, artists, journalists and ordinary Bengali citizens avowing to rid Bangladeshi politics of Pakistani elements.

    The protesters are demanding a ban on religion in politics. Although, the Bangladeshi Constitution formulated under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, envisioned a secular state and banned the Jamaat, in the 15 years that followed his assasination, the Constitution was amended and the commitment to secularism was replaced with Absolute trust and faith in Almighty Allah, paving the way for Islamic elements to gain a foothold in matters concerning the State.

    While it is impossible to revert back to the secular Constitution of 1971, what is heartening is the younger generation, which is protesting in tens of thousands at the Shahbagh Square, does not seem to have any such concerns. In fact, they have renamed the square Projonmo Chottor (New Generation Square). Their approach and their secular philosophies are beyond something the political parties are willing to take on.

    And while the Awami League has empathised with this apolitical movement, its rival Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which had entered into an alliance with the Jamaat before the 2008 election, has really not been able to put the finger on the pulse of the people. In fact, the party finds the protest slogan, Joy Bangla, offensive. Joy Bangla was the slogan of the 1971 Liberation Army. Following Mujibur’s assassination, the slogan was banned and replaced with Bangla Zindabad by Ziaur Rahman, the founder of the BNP. The youngsters believe that Ziaur tilted towards Pakistan and therefore they revived the old slogans. The BNP now is unable to comprehend the youth.

    One of the biggest demands of the protesters is to separate religion and the state. The Jamaat-e-Islami is the largest Islamic political party in Bangladesh, and played a crucial part in the genocide of the 1971 Liberation War. The country’s first PM, Mujibur Rahman, banned the Jamaat. Following his assassination in 1975 the ban was lifted. The Jamaat has continued to play a pivotal role in the country’s politics since. In fact, the party came to power in 2001 in a four-party alliance.

    Banning a political party cannot be democratic. But separating religion and state can keep communalism at bay. Maulana Abul Kalam, our first education minister had said that in South Asia every person is religious. But this is fine as long as it remains at the personal level. And perhaps that’s what the essence of the protests at Shahbagh Square is.


    Former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Veena Sikri speaks to Kunal Majumder about the ongoing protests at Shahbagh Square of Dhaka and how it is a historical moment not just for Bangladesh but the entire region.

  9. মাসুদ করিম - ২৬ ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩ (১০:৫২ পূর্বাহ্ণ)

    ১৫ ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩তে উল্কাপিণ্ডের আঘাত ঘটেছিল রাশিয়া ও কাজাকস্তানে। এখন অনুসন্ধান চালাতে গিয়ে এক কেজি ওজনের বেশি উল্কাপিণ্ড খন্ড পাওয়া গেছে যা এবারের উল্কাপিণ্ডের আঘাতের পর পাওয়া সবচেয়ে বড় খণ্ড।

    179671275

    One-Kilo Meteorite Fragment Found

    Scientists from Russia’s Urals Federal University have discovered a meteorite fragment weighing more than one kilogram (2.2 lbs), the largest found so far from the meteorite strike that hit the Urals region on February 15, University expedition chief Viktor Grokhovsky said on Monday.

    A total of more than 100 fragments have been found by the expedition along a 50 kilometer (30 mile) trail under the meteorite’s flight path, he said.

    Over 1,500 people were injured and thousands of buildings damaged when the massive meteorite streaked across the sky over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk.

    US space agency NASA estimates the meteorite was roughly 15 meters (50 feet) in diameter when it struck Earth’s atmosphere, travelling several times the speed of sound, and exploded into a fireball brighter than the morning sun.

    Fragments of the meteorite have been found in an eight-meter (25 feet) wide crater in the region’s Lake Chebarkul, scientists said earlier this week.

  10. মাসুদ করিম - ২৭ ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩ (১০:৩৪ পূর্বাহ্ণ)

    Kremlin Museum plans to exhibit Nizam jewels

    The Moscow Kremlin Museum may exhibit jewellery from the priceless collection of Nizam of Hyderabad at an exhibition of Indian jewellery in the Russian capital.

    “A preliminary agreement has been reached with the National Museum in New Delhi. Talks are being held to present jewellery from the Nizam of Hyderabad collection,” Elena Gagarina, director-general of Moscow Kremlin Museum told reporters.

    “This is a unique project. No other country has seen the exhibits, which will be exposed at the Moscow Kremlin Museum,” Gagarina added.

    The exhibition is scheduled to be held from April through to August 2014.

    The Nizam`s jewellery, rated among the world`s priceless collections, is currently stored in government vaults after being exhibited a few times here at the National Museum and in Hyderabad.

    Gagarina said a proposal had already been made in talks with India`s Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch.

    “We explained that we were ready to hold an exhibition in India if we are allowed to present the Nizam`s jewellery in Moscow. We are ready to discuss with India about its … interest in our collection,” Gagarina said.

    The Nizam jewellery collection was purchased by the government in 1995 for Rs.217 crore after lengthy negotiations between the trustees.

    Comprising 173 jewels, the collection covers a period ranging from 18th century to the early 20th century. It includes necklaces, belts and buckles, bracelets and bangles, earrings, armlets and watch chains.

    While the diamonds in the collection originate from the mines of Golconda, there are Colombian emeralds, Burmese rubies and pearls from Basra.

    The Kremlin exhibition will also present Indian jewellery of the Mughal era between the 17th and 19th centuries, as well as from other Indian princely states.

    It will also feature the Indian collections of leading French jewellers like Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels.

    Collections from the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar and other private collections from different countries will be exhibited in Moscow, Gagarina said.

    “We are ready to present the exhibition in other countries. This possibility is being discussed now,” added Gagarina.

  11. মাসুদ করিম - ২৭ ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩ (১১:১৪ পূর্বাহ্ণ)

    দক্ষিণি পার্সি দক্ষিণি উর্দু, খুবই সমৃদ্ধ, বিশেষত শিক্ষা বিস্তারে এবং সেশিক্ষা সবার জন্য, এবং ভারতে সবার জন্য শিক্ষায় অগ্রগণ্য পার্সিরাই — বলছেন ইতিহাসবিদরা।

    Persian paved way for secular, mass education in India: Historian

    According to him, until the British rule was enforced, education in India was restricted only to Brahmins.

    “Aside from Muslims, no other Indian of a caste lower than Brahmins had access to literacy. In such a situation Persian offered itself as a language open to one and all,” he said while explaining why Persian and not an Indian language was used as an official language in India.

    The former professor of Urdu and the history of Indo-Islamic art and culture at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, was delivering key-note address at an international seminar on Persian organized at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) here Tuesday.

    Speakers from India, Iran and other countries are attending the three-day seminar on ‘The contribution of Adil Shahis of Deccan in promotion of Persian language, literature and culture’ organized by the H.K. Sherwani Centre for Deccan Studies of MANUU in collaboration with Iranian consulate in Hyderabad.

    Eminent art collector and historian Jagdish Mittal made a presentation to highlight the contribution of Bijapur painting during the period of Adil Shahis.

    Shakeeb noted after shifting of capital from Delhi to the Deccan in 14th century, the Perso-Islamic culture by the end of 15th century was not in its pristine Iranian form as it had already assimilated a good deal of Indian influence linguistically and culturally.

    “In almost a century and a half of Bahmani rule in the Deccan there had been a huge influx of sufis, poets, scholars who wrote in Persian language, administrators, architects, painters, calligraphers and other sections of the Delhi elite,” he said while observing that it was a beginning of a major change in the administrative system in the Deccan.

    Bijapur was a multilingual state with Kannada and Marathi as major languages but the official language was Persian not only at the court but throughout the state administration.

    Out of two centuries of Adil Shahi reign in Bijapur, a hundred years each were covered by Shia and Sunni rulers.

    “During the reign of Shias, Iranians known as afaqis dominated the court and naturally, Persian language and literature flourished. During the reign of Sunni sultans, local Deccanis and other native sections prospered which resulted in a wonderful linguistic phenomenon known as Deccani,” Shakeeb explained.

    MANUU vice-chancellor Mohammad Miyan noted that both Urdu and Persian were integral part of Deccan culture, which was cosmopolitan in nature. Describing Urdu as daughter of Persian, he said unlike others, Urdu adopted the culture and native languages.

    Mohammad Sharaf-e-Alam, former vice-chancellor, MMH Arabic and Persian University, Patna, observed that Urdu would have no existence without Persian.
    He did not agree that Persian is a dead language. “It is mother tongue and official language of four to five countries. It is a language of business in some Arab countries. It has made a special place for itself in modern Arab world,” he said.

    He explained that the scope for learners of Persian are huge given its use in tourism, embassies, business and relations among countries. He advised students to develop command over the language and hone their skills in reading, writing and interpretations to tap the opportunities.

  12. মাসুদ করিম - ২৭ ফেব্রুয়ারি ২০১৩ (৬:৩৫ অপরাহ্ণ)

    কাজাকস্তানের আলমাটিতে ইরানের সাথে ছয় বিশ্বশক্তির নিউক্লিয়ার আলোচনা কোনো সিদ্ধান্ত ছাড়াই শেষ হয়েছে। অবশ্য পরবর্তী সময় বৈঠকের স্থান ও সময় নির্ধারণ করেই শেষ হয়েছে এই আলোচনা।

    179713270

    Iran Nuclear Talks End With No Breakthrough

    Talks between Iran and six world powers on the Islamic Republic’s disputed nuclear program ended in Almaty, Kazakhstan without agreement on Wednesday, but the two sides have pledged to hold further meetings in the coming weeks.

    The six world powers – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States – had proposed scaling back sanctions against Iran in exchange for the closure of its underground Fordo enrichment facility and an undertaking to halt the enrichment of uranium to 20 percent.

    A level of enrichment greater than 20 percent is the very minimum needed to make a crude nuclear device, scientists say, although most nuclear bombs use the heavy metal enriched to 90 percent.

    Western powers believe Iran is attempting to build an atomic weapon, but Tehran insists its program has entirely peaceful purposes and has decried international pressure as unacceptable interference in its sovereign affairs.

    Iran’s chief negotiator, Saeed Jalili, said on Wednesday the talks had seen a modicum of progress, and proposals by the world powers were “closer to Iran’s position.”

    “Their proposals seem more realistic and positive,” he said.

    And despite the lack of a breakthrough at the first talks between the sides since last June’s meeting in Moscow, Russia’s chief negotiator at the two-day talks, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, described the negotiations as “extremely useful.”

    “A number of aspects to the resolution of the issue and means of increasing trust were considered,” he said, without elaborating.

    The two sides agreed to meet again at expert level in Istanbul on March 17-18 and to hold high-level talks in Kazakhstan on April 5-6.

    Iranian state television earlier said the atmosphere at the talks was “very serious.” The country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reiterated in comments two weeks before the Almaty negotiations that Iran was not seeking an “Un-Islamic atomic weapon,” but said there was nothing the United States could do if it were.

    US suspicions that Iran wants to build an atomic weapon date back decades. A February 1992 report by the US House of Representatives suggested that Tehran would possess “operational” nuclear weapons by April of that year.

    Both Israel, widely believed to possess undeclared nuclear weapons, and the United States have refused to rule out an attack on Iran over its disputed atomic program.

    New US Secretary of State, John Kerry, said on Monday the opportunity for negotiations could not “remain open forever.”

    International sanctions against Iran have hit the Islamic republic’s economy hard, and seen the near collapse of its national currency, the rial.

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