Global food prices spiralling again

Global food prices shot up last month due to extreme weather conditions, says the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The price spike has raised the spectre of a food crisis like the one in 2007-2008 that badly hurt the world's poorest.
Unveiling a report on Thursday, the FAO said its food index rose 6 percent in July from June after dropping for three consecutive months.
The rebound of the index, which measures the monthly change in the international prices of staple foods, was driven by a sharp rise in grain and sugar prices.
Extensive drought in the United States pushed up maize prices by almost 23 percent in July, said the Rome-based UN agency. The US is the world's No. 1 exporter of maize.
During the same period, wheat prices surged 19 percent, as dry weather worsened production prospects in the Russian Federation.
July also saw a sharp increase in the price of sugar. The upturn, ending a steady fall since March, was triggered by untimely rains in Brazil, the world's largest sugar exporter. Poor rains in Australia also contributed, the FAO said.
A drought-like situation in some states of India, one of the world's largest food producers and consumers, may dent the production prospects of grains, sugarcane, pulses and oil seeds and cotton this season.
A piece of good news is that international rice prices remain mostly unchanged, as do dairy prices. The FAO's meat price index also fell.
The UN body closely monitors global food prices, as the cost of food is of constant concern for the poor. Hikes in recent years have led to riots in some countries.
Meanwhile, as a food-importing country, Bangladesh is alarmed by the looming crisis.
Making things gloomier is the lack of enough rain threatening a setback in domestic production of Aman rice this year.
Food Minister Abdur Razzaque said, "We are worried at the below-normal rainfall at home this year."
He added that his ministry had sought weather projections and relevant data from the meteorological office and the Water Development Board (WDB) to assess the situation.
The minister was talking to The Daily Star on Tuesday, hours after the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) issued a statement warning that the most severe and extensive drought in the US since the 1950s was adversely affecting production of maize and soybeans, driving up prices of agricultural products.
Considering the gravity of the situation, the Washington-based food policy think-tank asked for a halt to biofuel production from maize.
According to the Economic Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture, about 40 percent of maize and soybean, and 44 percent of livestock are produced in areas experiencing severe drought.
The IFPRI statement read, "Prices of maize and soybeans have already started to rise rapidly and could increase further depending on the degree of severity and extent of the drought. In the past two months alone, US export prices for maize and soybean increased by 30 and 19 percent respectively, with prices of both crops reaching record highs."
Abdur Razzaque said that in a little over a month, Bangladesh's import price for wheat rose from $280 to $335 a tonne.
"We'll be seriously affected if US drought situation pushes further, particularly in the prices of soybean oil and poultry feed (prepared from de-oiled soybean meal)."
Bangladesh is the 7th largest importer of soybean oil, and along with Brazil and India, the US is also a source country for its edible oil supplies, Razzaque added.
The food minister said if the pattern of less-than-normal rainfall persisted, it would have a negative bearing on the rain-fed Aman, now in the fields.
Met office figures show -- except for Chittagong and Rangpur -- all divisions in the country experienced less than average rainfall last month. Rainfall in Rajshahi was 33 percent less than the average, in Sylhet 31 percent, Dhaka 22 percent, Barisal 21 percent and in Khulna 6 percent less.
Farmers in the country's rice-rich northern region are awaiting a good shower so that they don't require any supplementary irrigation for the Aman production.
Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, a sub-divisional engineer at the WDB Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre, told this correspondent that the country experienced less than normal rainfall both in June and July.
Explaining the weather charts from the Met office, Arifuzzaman said there was no prospect of a good rainfall in the first half of this month either. He, however, pinned high hopes on the prospect of a downpour in the later part of the month.

Nasa's Morpheus lander in fiery crash

A small Nasa lander being tested for missions to the moon and other destinations beyond Earth crashed and burned after veering off course during a trial run at the Kennedy Space Centre on Thursday, officials with the US space agency said.
There were no injuries after the prototype, known as Morpheus, burst into flames near the runway formerly used by Nasa's space shuttles.
The insect-like vehicle, designed and built by engineers at Nasa's Johnson Space Centre in Houston, had made several flights attached to a crane before Thursday's attempted free-flight.
Morpheus' engines, which burn liquid oxygen and methane, appeared to ignite as planned, lifting the 1,750-pound (794 kg) vehicle into the air. But a few seconds later, Morpheus rolled over on its side and plummeted to the ground.
Nasa video showed the vehicle engulfed in flames and then rocked by a spectacular explosion, presumably due to the fuel tanks rupturing.
“"Failures such as these were anticipated prior to the test, and are part of the development process for any complex spaceflight hardware," Nasa said in a statement.
An investigation is under way, the statement added.
Project Morpheus began in partnership with privately owned Armadillo Aerospace, which is developing re-usable, suborbital vehicles that take off and land vertically.
Nasa, which has spent about $7 million on the project over the past 2-1/2 years, is interested in developing technologies that could be used to fly cargo to the moon and other future missions beyond Earth orbit.
Project Morpheus was an example of what the former project manager called "“Home Depot engineering" - low-budget projects that use existing resources and partner with non-traditional aerospace companies.
“"The Morpheus lander is kind of our poster child. It's one of our first attempts to do these kinds of projects," former project manager Matt Ondler said in an interview with Reuters last year.
“"Instead of building some elaborate test structure, you go to Home Depot and build something very quickly that gets you 80 percent of the answer and allows you to keep moving forward," he said.
Morpheus arrived at Florida's seaside space centre in July for three months of increasingly rigorous test flights, including automated landings in a mock moonscape, complete with craters and boulders.
The lander was designed to deliver about 1,100 pounds (500 kg) of cargo to the moon, Nasa said on its Project Morpheus website.
Technologies being developed include a propulsion system that uses liquid oxygen and methane -- green fuels that could be manufactured on other planetary bodies, Nasa said.
The accident happened as Nasa scientists were still hailing the Mars rover Curiosity's descent and landing on the Red Planet earlier this week as a "“miracle of engineering."

Bolt makes history with 200m gold

Usain Bolt became the first man to retain both Olympic sprint titles as he led home a gold and green Jamaica clean sweep in the 200m.
Bolt matched Michael Johnson's then world-record time from the Atlanta Games of 19.32 seconds as he held off training partner Yohan Blake in silver and Warren Weir in bronze.
Blake had beaten Bolt at the Jamaican trials, his last race over the distance before London, but the double 100m championran a brilliant bend from lane seven to lead by a metre coming into the straight.
Glancing to his left he was aware of Blake closing in a fraction at 150m, but held his form to cross the line with a finger to his lips.
"This is what I wanted and I got it. I'm very proud of myself," the 25-year-old told BBC Sport.
"After a rough season I came out here and did it. I thought the world record was possible. I guess I was fast but not fit enough.
"I could feel my back strain a little bit, so all I did was to keep my form. I'm very dedicated to my work and London meant so much to me."
Blake's 19.44 secs was a season's best, while 22-year-old Weir set a new personal best with 19.84 secs to complete the Jamaican party.
But this was Bolt's race, and these have once again been Bolt's Games.
A month ago, his form questionable and his hamstrings and back giving him serious problems, there was genuine doubt whether the 25-year-old could retain one Olympic title here in London, let alone two.
Bolt has made those misgivings seem laughable. He now has five Olympic gold medals, the most decorated Jamaican Olympian of all time, and with the 4x100m still to come can make it six before he heads home to the embrace of an ecstatic nation.
On a warm, still summer evening perfect for sprinting, Bolt had clowned around as he waited to be called to his blocks, as ever a study in easy relaxation despite the magnitude of the occasion.
He flirted with the girl looking after his kit and then gave a regal wave before taking his rivals apart from the moment the gun sounded.
While there was no new mark on Thursday evening, this was the joint fourth fastest 200m in history - a display to rank among the best the event Bolt calls his own has ever seen.

Rebels pull back in Syria's Aleppo, UN says no one will win

Syrian forces have pushed rebels back from a strategic district of Aleppo, but skirmishes continued in the city and the United Nations said the conflict engulfing Syria would have no winner.Diplomats told Reuters that veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi could be named next week to replace the UN-Arab League Syria envoy Kofi Annan, who resigned in frustration at the international deadlock on how to end the violence.
But they warned there could be last-minute changes if a key government had concerns or the candidate had second thoughts.
Assad, engaged in an all-consuming fight with his mostly Sunni opponents, appointed a Sunni as his new prime minister on Thursday after his predecessor fled on Monday in the highest-level defection so far in the uprising that began 17 months ago.
Wael al-Halki, from the southern province of Deraa where the revolt began, replaces Riyad Hijab, who had spent only two months in the job before making a dramatic escape across the border to Jordan.
Assad's authority was already shaken by the assassination last month of four of his top security officials and by rebel gains in Damascus, Aleppo and swathes of rural Syria.
But he has persevered with a crackdown on opponents seeking to end half a century of Baathist rule and topple a system dominated by members of the president's minority Alawite sect.
He has focused his fierce army counter-offensive on Syria's two main cities, reasserting control over much of the capital Damascus before taking the fight to the northern commercial hub.
Rebels fighting in the Aleppo district of Salaheddine, a southern gateway to the city, said they had been forced to fall back from frontline positions on Thursday by a fierce bombardment which had reduced buildings to rubble.
"There have been some withdrawals of Free Syrian Army fighters from Salaheddine," rebel commander Abu Ali said.
Others said the main frontlines in the area, which had been held by rebels for more than a week, were now deserted.
ECHO OF ARTILLERY
The centre of the district, near Salaheddine mosque, was abandoned when Reuters journalists visited on Thursday. The only sound was the constant echo of artillery shelling. There were no rebels, no security forces, and only a few residents darting in and out to pick up belongings - while evading army snipers.
One rebel field commander, who did not want to be named, said 250 people had been killed in Salaheddine in the last three days, mostly by shelling and air attacks.
Rebels said sporadic clashes continued in the district and that while the government had at least 80 tanks stationed in various parts of Aleppo, it appeared reluctant to engage in close combat, preferring to use helicopters and fighter jets.
Sheikh Tawfiq, commander of the Nur al-Din Zinky brigade based on 15th street in Salaheddine, said the army's formidable weaponry was offset by apparently faltering morale.
"At the 10th street front line we are face-to-face with the army and can hear them make orders on their radios -- we hear their commanders give orders to soldiers to advance and they keep urging them to, but the soldiers don't and are hesitant.
"The commanders have even taken away the soldiers' mobile phones so that we don't have a chance to call them and create more defections," he said.
As the battle for Aleppo raged, Iran, Assad's closest foreign backer, called for "serious and inclusive" negotiations between the Syrian government and opposition.
Assad has repeatedly said he is ready for dialogue, but he has vowed to crush the armed rebels he says are terrorists. His opponents say he must step aside before any talks, arguing negotiations would be meaningless while the bloodshed persists.
Iran made the call after gathering diplomats from like-minded states in Tehran for talks on the conflict not attended by Western and most Middle Eastern states, which have demanded Assad end his family's 40-year rule.
The violence has already shown elements of a proxy war between Sunni and Shiites Islam.
"There will be no winner in Syria," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement read by a UN representative to the conference in Tehran.
"Now, we face the grim possibility of long-term civil war destroying Syria's rich tapestry of interwoven communities."
AIR ATTACK
Already stretched by rebel activity in many parts of the country, the military, despite its advantage in tanks, warplanes and helicopters, has had to cede ground elsewhere as it struggles for control of Aleppo.
As part of a broader army offensive, Assad's forces attacked rebels on several fronts, including a neighbourhood near the airport in southeast Aleppo, several eastern districts, and a town on Aleppo's northwestern outskirts, state media said.
Despite the violence, the Red Cross delivered food and medical supplies to Aleppo, the first time one of its aid convoys managed to enter the city in several weeks.
Reuters journalists in Tel Rifaat, 35 km (20 miles) north of Aleppo, watched a Syrian air force jet diving and firing rockets, causing villagers to flee in panic.
Explosions rang out and black smoke billowed from an olive grove. A truck was engulfed in flames. Six children and a crying woman fled their tiny home.
One woman held the Koran above her head, kissing it, and another banged her head with her hands. Men stared at the sky and threw their arms up in despair.
Though sympathetic to the rebels, Western powers, Turkey and Sunni Arab states have not intervened militarily.
Russia and China have blocked United Nations action against Assad, while Iran has tried to bolster the Syrian leader in an Arab world where many view non-Arab, Shiites Iran as a menace

S Korea's Lee visits disputed islands

South Korea's president is visiting islands also claimed by Japan, in a move set to raise diplomatic tensions.
Lee Myung-bak flew to the islands, which are known as Dokdo in South Korea and as Takeshima in Japan.
A Kyodo news agency report said Japan had summoned South Korea's ambassador to protest against the visit.
Both South Korea and Japan say they have a historical claim to the islands, and the issue has been a long-standing thorn in relations.
The islands, which are roughly equidistant from the two countries, are small but lie in fishing grounds which could also contain large gas deposits.
South Korea has controlled them since 1954 and stations a small coastguard detachment on them.
Lee is the first South Korean leader to visit the islands. The visit was announced by his spokeswoman early on Friday.
"If the visit is made, it would go against our country's position and so we strongly urge its cancellation," Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba told journalists.
"We must respond to it firmly."
He said the visit "would definitely have a large impact" on ties.
The South Korean president was first due to visit Ulleung Island before flying on to the disputed area, his spokeswoman said.
Lee's visit comes with the two countries' football teams due to play off for the Olympic bronze medal later in the day.
It also comes shortly before South Korea marks the anniversary of the end of Japanese colonial rule.

Apple’s iPad banned in Israel Bans

The Israeli Communications Ministry has ordered customs agents in the country to confiscate all Apple iPads from overseas passengers


The Ministry took the decision because apparently the ministry's engineering staff could not find a means to test the iPad's compatibility with Israel's wireless networks.

According to a newspaper statement: "The iPad device sold exclusively today in the United States operates at broadcast power levels [over its WiFi modem] compatible with American standards. As the Israeli regulations in the area of WiFi are similar to European standards, which are different from American standards, which permit broadcasting at lower power, therefore the broadcast levels of the device prevent approving its use in Israel."

The Israeli customs already confiscated a man’s iPad placing it a customs warehouse. To get the iPad back, the man will have to apply to the Israeli government to have it shipped back to the U.S.

In an announcement, Apple stated that it has sold 500,000 of the tablets since its April 3 debut, and due to the increased domestic demand, the company decided to delay international sales for one month, until the end of May.

T-Mobile Expands Its Galaxy Lineup With the Samsung Galaxy Note™

The Samsung Galaxy Note is expected to be available at select T-Mobile retail stores and online via www.T-Mobile.com in the coming weeks.
T-Mobile USA, Inc., the No. 1 mobile operator brand in Samsung Galaxy S^™ sales, and Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S. and the No. 1 smartphone provider worldwide¹, today announced the upcoming availability of the Samsung Galaxy Note^™. One of T-Mobile’s fastest devices leveraging its 4G (HSPA+ 42) network and running on Android^™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Samsung’s Premium Suite, the Galaxy Note provides an innovative, all-in-one experience that is perfect for work, play and everything in between.

Consumers are demanding larger smartphone screen sizes. In fact, a recent T-Mobile survey² showed 77 percent of consumers prefer a device with a 4.5-inch or larger display rather than a smaller screen. The Galaxy Note speaks directly to that demand with a 5.3-inch HD Super AMOLED^™ touch screen — the largest screen on a T-Mobile^® smartphone. The device is elegantly designed to handle both business and home tasks with ease.

The Galaxy Note with Premium Suite provides a range of productivity-enhancing features, such as the S Pen^™, S Note, S Memo^™ and Polaris Office. Now T-Mobile customers can write notes, to-do lists and annotate documents; share ideas and edited content; and create documents, presentations and spreadsheets to maximize efficiency while on the go. S Note helps to professionalize communications by providing templates for seven commonly used documents such as an idea note, travel notes, diary entry, meeting notes and recipes. S Note also allows you to import and annotate a PDF file and convert dictated or handwritten memos to text with the Continual Voice Input and Handwriting-to-Text features. With S Memo, Galaxy Note users have one-touch access to creating a typewritten, handwritten or voice dictated memo; researching information during creation; and adding an image.

The Galaxy Note also has the SAFE (Samsung Approved for Enterprise^™) designation, which means it has a full suite of enterprise-ready features and capabilities, including comprehensive IT policy support for top-tier mobile device management (MDM) providers, on-device AES256-bit encryption, enhanced support for Microsoft Exchange, as well as integrated support for a range of virtual private network (VPN) solutions. The Galaxy Note also provides Wi-Fi Calling capabilities and, with a qualifying rate plan, can act as a Smartphone Mobile HotSpot for up to five devices.

“In addition to larger screens, today customers demand more from their devices — from having safeguarded access to corporate email and other productivity features to being able to rely on a speedy network for streaming content,” said Andrew Morrison, vice president, product management, T-Mobile USA. “With the unique and highly innovative Galaxy Note in our lineup, we are even better equipped to help our customers strike the perfect balance as they juggle both professional and personal activities.”

The Samsung Galaxy Note also offers the T-Mobile 4G Pro App Pack, an aggregation of key applications, such as Dropbox, Evernote, Square, TripIt, CamScanner and LinkedIn, that can reduce the complexity and effort associated with finding and downloading business-related applications. By providing an easy path to cloud services such as Dropbox and Evernote, T-Mobile helps professionals easily store and access the documents, files, images and notes that will help them better manage their work from virtually anywhere.

Featuring a snappy Qualcomm^® Snapdragon^™ S3 Processor with 1.5 Ghz Dual-Core CPUs, the Galaxy Note provides customers with incredible 4G experiences, making it the perfect all-in-one device to maximize efficiency and productivity, in addition to fun. The Galaxy Note offers a variety of entertainment experiences, such as T-Mobile TV in mobile HD³ for watching live TV programming, Samsung Media Hub for renting and buying the latest movies and TV shows, and Google Play Music for streaming and purchasing music. The Galaxy Note also features an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, to capture pictures and HD videos to share with friends, family and social networks.

Statement: T-Mobile Introduces Its Latest Budget-Friendly Smartphone: T-Mobile Prism

Powered by Android^™ 2.3 Gingerbread and featuring a 3.5-inch HVGA touch screen, the new 3G smartphone enables T-Mobile customers to easily surf the Web, access their favorite social networking sites and choose from thousands of applications to download from Google Play. The  T-Mobile Prism also makes it simple to capture and share photos and videos via its 3.2-megapixel camera with digital zoom and video recorder. With the T-Mobile Prism, customers can sync multiple email accounts, including Microsoft Exchange, Google calendar and contacts, T-Mobile contacts, and more.

The T-Mobile Prism is expected to be available at Best Buy starting May 6, at Walmart starting May 9 and available nationwide at T-Mobile retail stores, online via www.T-Mobile.com and at select dealers beginning May 23. The T-Mobile Prism is expected to cost $19.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate card with a two-year service agreement and qualifying Classic voice and data plan or $149.99 via no annual contract.

T-Mobile Proves That Two Is Better Than One

T-Mobile is showing customers how two is better than one. For a limited time, customers who purchase a select 4G T-Mobile^® smartphone will receive a second smartphone of equal or lesser value for free, after a mail-in rebate card, making it more affordable than ever for families to upgrade and have amazing 4G experiences on America’s Largest 4G Network^®. The promotion will take place from Friday, May 18, through Monday, May 28.
T-Mobile’s “Magenta Deal Days” Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO) promotion offers customers a mail-in rebate card worth up to $329 toward a new device with the purchase of a select T-Mobile 4G smartphone or mobile broadband device. Customers can choose from T-Mobile’s latest and fastest devices, including the HTC^® One™ S 4G, Samsung Galaxy S^® II 4G, HTC Radar™ 4G, Sonic^® 4G Mobile Hotspot and the Samsung Galaxy S^® Blaze™ 4G, among others, running on America’s Largest 4G Network^®.

“Our latest ‘Magenta Deal Days’ promotion continues our commitment to giving our customers the ability to enjoy all the 4G experiences of a smartphone on our best plans ever,” said John Clelland, senior vice president of marketing, T-Mobile USA. “What’s better than getting one of the sleekest, fastest 4G devices on the market? That would be getting two for the price of one.”

New and existing eligible (meaning 22 months or more on their current contract) customers can take advantage of this promotion and receive their second device for free after a mail-in rebate card when they sign up for a new two-year contract on any qualifying Classic Plan™¹ or paying a $0.00 down payment after mail-in rebate card on their second device when signing up on a qualifying Unlimited Value™² plan.
Below is an example of pricing for the BOGO promotion on either T-Mobile’s Classic or Unlimited Value plans. The devices listed do not reflect all of the devices available during the BOGO promotion.

T-Mobile USA Opens 1,000th T-Mobile Premium Retailer Store

The Pompano Beach store, which is owned and operated by Catcorp Inc., will host an official grand opening celebration on June 2. Based in Tulsa, Okla., Catcorp has been a T-Mobile branded retailer since 2009 and operates 38 additional stores in the Miami, Atlanta, Tulsa, Wichita, Kan., and Springfield, Mo., markets.

The TPR program is one of T-Mobile’s highest-caliber, branded retailer programs and provides customers with a seamless shopping experience, offering them the same quality level of products and service as company-owned locations.

“Our TPR program has been a huge success for the company and our branded retailers and customers alike — reaching this 1,000th store milestone is an impressive moment,” said Mike Sentowski, vice president of national dealer programs for T‑Mobile USA. “We’ve seen great momentum, and in just the past 18 months alone, the program has grown approximately 120 percent, demonstrating the strong relationships and commitment between T-Mobile and our branded retailers.”

This newest TPR location will offer Pompano Beach-area customers innovative products running on America’s Largest 4G Network^® combined with a best-in-class retail experience. The store features the company’s new global design format, created to help simplify the consumer retail experience and make it more personal for each customer.

“Through the unparalleled support and training we receive from T-Mobile and the cache of their brand, along with their innovative products and nationwide 4G network, our business relationship has proven to be a model that works,” said Carl Ducato, president, Catcorp. “We look forward to continuing to grow our business with T-Mobile and providing customers high-quality products and customer service.”

T-Mobile’s TPR program began in late 2007 and has been a great asset to the company’s branded distribution strategy. Currently, T-Mobile has a nationwide branded presence through approximately 2,000 company-owned and 1,000 TPR stores. T-Mobile will continue its expansion in 2012, with plans to open more than 350 retail locations, in both company-owned and branded retailer formats, as well as continuing to provide customers with new and exciting products.