US deeply troubled by Yunus’ removal

Foreign diplomats in Bangladesh have sharply reacted to the government's move to remove Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus from Grameen Bank and none of them took it positively.

They said they never thought that the government could make such an extreme move against an internationally reputed personality like Yunus.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh in Dhaka James Moriarty yesterday said the United States is deeply troubled by the government removing Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus from the office of the managing director of Grameen Bank and termed it "an unusual way to handle a Nobel Laureate".

"We are deeply troubled by the process here by this letter going forward trying to remove the professor [Yunus]," he told the journalists emerging from a meeting between diplomatic corps, development partners and the finance minister at Bangladesh Secretariat yesterday.

Kaspersky setting the pace

Even a couple of years back Harry Cheung, managing director of Kaspersky Lab Asia-Pacific, one of the world's top four leading IT security software companies, didn't really care about Bangladesh market. But for the past two years when he saw the figures grow it amazed him and right now to them it is one of the main countries in South Asia other than India.

Cheung admitted this during an exclusive interview with The Daily Star few days back when he flew down to Dhaka for the first time during a corporate product launch.

Kaspersky has been present in Bangladesh for the past three years and so far for the past two and half years or so Cheung has seen a phenomenal growth in this market and according to him the numbers kept on jumping and the growth rate was very close to 100 per cent a year. He gave the credit to their partner Office Extracts, sole distributor for Bangladesh and Bhutan, who have been doing a very good job in this market.

Diesel electric train to be introduced in satellite towns of capital, port city by 2014

The government has taken an initiative to launch Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) train in a bid to reduce traffic congestion as well as to serve the commuters residing in and around the capital and the port city of Chittagong.

With this objective, the government will procure 20 sets (3 units in one set) DEMU train through which at least 6,000 commuters will be able to travel at a time. The DEMU train routes will be Dhaka-Gazipur, Dhaka-Narayanganj, Dhaka-Narsingdi and Chittagong-Feni.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has recently approved a project titled `Procurement of 20 sets (3 unit in one set) DEMU’ at a cost of Tk 654.42 crore to be entirely borne from the government exchequer. The project is expected to be completed by June 2014.

Of the total project cost, an allocation of Tk 51.70 crore has been earmarked for the current fiscal, Tk 14.44 crore for 2011-12 fiscal, Tk 585.30 crore for 2012-13 fiscal and Tk 2.97 crore for the 2013-14 fiscal.

According to sources at the Bangladesh Railway, the DEMU is a modern and fast train communication system which will unveil a new era in the country’s rail communication. Once introduced, it is expected to reduce the traffic congestions of the satellite towns of Dhaka and Chittagong to some extent.

Why you're seeing Ronald McDonald less

As McDonald's Corp. (NYSE: MCD - News) morphs into a more upscale chain, there's one person you won't see munching salads, sipping a cappuccino and surfing the Web: Ronald McDonald, age 48.

While Ronald still plays an ambassador role, he isn't tied to the menu, says spokeswoman Danya Proud. Even as mascots like Burger King's King shill on TV and the Web, Ronald has ceded the limelight to budding singers and dancers who sell mochas and frappes -- not Happy Meals.

"We haven't been seeing a lot of Ronald McDonald," said Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. "They're beginning to appeal to much more sophisticated individuals."

The No. 1 food for beating hunger

By Shaun Chavis

Ever grab a snack but then feel hungry again 20 minutes later? Next time, reach for a banana. It’s loaded with Resistant Starch (RS), a healthy carb that fills you up and helps to boost your metabolism. Slightly underripe medium-sized bananas have 12.5 grams of RS—more than most other foods. Ripe bananas give you 4.7 grams of RS, still enough to keep hunger pangs away. Check out these tasty ways to work in this wonder food.

Health.com: 8 reasons carbs help you lose weight

Banana "Ice Cream"
Peel, slice, and freeze 1 small banana. Place frozen banana pieces in a blender with 3 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk; blend until thick. Top with 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts.