UN adopts 'Empowerment of people' proposal of Sheikh Hasina   (PID, 27 December 2011)

The United Nations General Assembly adopted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's proposal on 'People's Empowerment' in the form of a resolution on December 22, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. She made the proposal at the last UN General Assembly session in New York. On November 22, the UN Economic and Development Council at its second committee meeting unanimously adopted the resolution. The proposal envisaged the ways of people's empowerment, removal of discrepancy, development of human resources, women development and prevention of terrorism. The Foreign office also said Bangladesh would host an international conference in Dhaka on the Prime Minister's proposed model on 'Empowerment of the People'.

Bangladesh ranks first among the South-Asian countries in taxation services and 12th among the 19 Asia-Pacific countries, according to a latest study report. A report on "Good Governance for International Business Asia Pacific 2011" revealed the findings. Singapore-based corporate advisory firm, Vriens & Partners PTE LTD, unveiled the study. The firm has collected information from World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and business executives of Asia-Pacific countries for its study. The report has followed six pillars to assess 19 Asia-pacific countries. The indicators are -- rule of law, openness to international trade & business, political stability, taxation and corruption,  The 19 countries are: Bangladesh, Myanmar Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Cambodia and Laos. Among the South-Asian countries, Bangladesh ranked first on taxation pillar while India second and Sri Lanka third. The report has appreciated the taxation part of Bangladesh in its study. "Bangladesh scores remarkably well on the taxation pillar as the current government has looked to reform the country's outdated tax code," the report said.

Asia's mega ICT event begins today (PID, 01 December 2011)

Dhaka is hosting Asia's prestigious Information and Communication Technology (ICT) event "eAsia 2011" from today with the slogan "Realising Digital Nation" at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. The three day long mega event will feature a number of international seminars and course exhibitions, focusing on themes like e-Gov, telecentre, digital learning, eHealth, etc. The main objectives of the sessions are to reinforce technology and enhance knowledge-centric growth. The event is organised by Bangladesh Computer Council and ICT Division of the science and ICT ministry along with India's Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS), official sources said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the 5th annual eAsia event while President Md Zillur Rahman is expected to be present at the closing ceremony.

Wulff leaves pledging larger trade, investment cooperation (PID, 01 December 2011)

German president Christian Wulff left Dhaka yesterday for Indonesia after a three-day visit with pledges for making more German investment as well as providing support for climate change adaptation. President Md Zillur Rahman was present to see off his German counterpart at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

Germany wants stronger relations with Bangladesh (PID, 30 November 2011)

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said “Bangladesh always gives high importance to its relations with Germany, which is its second largest destination of export and one of the main development partners.” The Prime Minister said this during a meeting with the visiting German President Christian Wulff at a city hotel yesterday. She told the President about her government's firm commitment to strengthening democratic values, practices and institutions. Besides, the government was determined to wipe out terrorism, a task in which it had been working jointly with the international community, she said. The PM sought German support in the energy sector and global climate change negotiations. She also requested German collaboration with Bangladesh universities and research institutions, especially in medicine, bio-technology, generic engineering, applied disciplines and ICT areas. The German President acclaimed Bangladesh as a 'stabilizing force' in South Asia and praised the development activities that have been taken up by the government. President Wulff is leading an 84-member delegation, including a strong business team. He said the large business delegation accompanying him was a strong sign of Germany's intention to boost economic relations with Bangladesh. “We want to proceed bilaterally to explore new avenues of cooperation in areas of trade, investment, power and development along with existing multilateral linkages,” Wulff said. The German President arrived on Monday on a three-day state visit to Bangladesh and is scheduled to leave Dhaka today.

Danish environment minister visits Bangladesh (PID, 27 November 2011)

Environment minister of Denmark Steen Gade will arrive in the city today to attend a dialogue on health and climate change on November 29, said a press release yesterday. Steen Gade is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaker Abdul Hamid, Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque, State Minister for Forest and Environment Hasan Mahmud and Election Commissioner Sohul Hussain. The Danish minister is expected to deliver a lecture on the dialogue at ASA University on Tuesday and leave Dhaka the same day.

Joint Bangladesh–Sweden Policy Seminar on Air Quality and Climate

Ministers from Bangladesh and Sweden and high level representatives, scientists, governmental and non-governmental organizations from 15 countries, both within the region of South Asia and internationally, and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) met in Dhaka on 17–18 September 2011 to participate in the Joint Bangladesh–Sweden Policy Seminar for the South Asian Region on Near-term Air Quality and Climate Benefit – Promoting International Co-operation and Facilitating Action. The seminar was hosted jointly by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Bangladesh and the Ministry of Environment, Sweden (with the Minister Lena Ek participating) and co-organized by Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). The overall aim of the seminar was to share experience and practice to promote strategic action nationally, regionally and globally on short-lived climate forcers (SLCF). Several specific sources of SLCFs and ways to mitigate them were discussed at the seminar. For black carbon these included brick kilns, cook stoves, open biomass burning, and transportation which currently are responsible for a large fraction of the emissions in South Asia. Important sources for methane include: livestock, rice cultivation, coal mining, biomass burning, gas production, solid and waste water treatment. See the programme for the Dhaka seminar. Read a full report from the seminar.

The UNEP supported project Atmospheric Brown Cloud (ABC) has played a major role in the development of our understanding of the occurrence and impacts of SLCFs in Asia. In Sweden, the Dept. of Applied Environmental Science (ITM), and the Department of Meteorology (MISU) at Stockholm University have been closely involved in the ABC project. Associate Professor Örjan Gustafsson at ITM now coordinates a Sida funded partner driven Swedish-Asian collaboration project on ”Brown Air” in northern India during the period 2010-12. Örjan Gustafsson participated in the Dhaka seminar along with Prof. Henning Rodhe from MISU.

Regional climate summit ends (PID, 20 November 2011)

Four Himalayan nations yesterday concluded a two-day regional climate conference agreeing to cooperate on four major issues: security of food, water, energy and biodiversity in the Bhutanese capital of Thimphu. A joint ministerial declaration was signed in this regard among the four countries -- Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal. The conference titled 'Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas, Bhutan 2011' was attended by around 500 participants which include members of the diplomatic missions in Bhutan and international observers, various development partners and international NGOs. Bhutan organised the summit at the Convention Centre of Thimpu. The summit started with the inaugural remarks of the summit president, the Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Yoeser Thinley. Environment and Forest Minister Dr Hasan who attended the conference said, 'we are the innocent victims of climate change impacts. That is why the regional cooperation framework has got strong relevance to the lives and livelihoods of tens of millions living in the region and this is going to be a very good example of regional cooperation in the south-south context'.

Dhaka finds Japan as new destination for women workers (PID, 20 November 2011)

Bangladesh has sent 11 female garment workers to Japan as technical intern last week as the Far Eastern nation appeared to be a new manpower market for women workers, officials said yesterday.“They are the first batch of women workers to go to Japan after they received training for overseas job,” Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Dr Zafar Ahmed Khan told the reporters yesterday. He said a private manpower exporting agency, Radias International Limited, recruited the 11 female workers and trained them under a technical intern programme. He hoped 10 more female workers would fly within a short time. Apart from Japan, Singapore for the first time proposed hiring 45,000 female domestic workers from Bangladesh on a pay higher than the Middle Eastern countries. The government has established at least 38 technical training centres across the country.

Dhaka proposes more partnership with UN (PID, 15 November 2011)

Bangladesh yesterday proposed newer areas of partnership with UN and setting up two UN offices -- UN Office of Science, Technology and Innovation (UNOSTI) and a global LDC Secretariat -- in the capital. Foreign Minister Dipu Moni made the proposal during a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at a hotel in the city yesterday. She said UNOSTI was proposed with an aim for transferring technology for development and bridging the digital divide while establishment of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Secretariat in Dhaka for a stronger voice and representation of LDCs in the global trade. She also sought greater civilian representation from Bangladesh in UN's leadership positions, especially in the departments of peace-keeping and political affairs, and in UN country and field level offices. During the talks, Ban Ki-moon applauded Bangladesh's achievements in realising Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and expressed optimism that the country will achieve its target within the stipulated 2015. He praised Bangladesh for delivering on innovative development solutions, for its rapid digital connectivity and for living up to its ambitious economic growth targets for graduating from an LDC to a middle income country by 2021. He also appreciated Bangladesh's unprecedented leadership role in various UN peace-keeping and political missions. Other issues including Bangladesh-UN partnerships in e-governance, electoral reforms, counter terrorism, women's empowerment, early marriage, girls' education, maternal and child care and nutrition and Climate change issues, were discussed during the talks.

Provide more climate help (PID, 15 November 2011)

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged development partners to come forward with new and additional support besides development assistance to meet the additional cost burden on vulnerable countries due to climate change. The Prime Minister urged this while addressing the inaugural session of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), 2011 in a hotel in the capital yesterday. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as special guest also addressed the programme jointly organised by the Foreign Affairs and the Environment and Forests Ministries. The PM said funds generated for the period of 2010-12 are falling far short of the commitments made in Cancun. Similarly, there is no clarity about how the global community would raise funds between 2012 and 2020 to make the Green Climate Fund operational. The Prime Minister told the CVF ministerial conference, "initial thoughts on modalities for the release of 'fast start finance' do not inspire our confidence." No evidence of direct and easy access to fund and technology were seen so far, she said, adding, "the conditions and criteria seem to favour the countries with greater capacities. We now have a situation where the most vulnerable countries, which deserve the highest level of priority, are failing to access whatever support that is being realized. She said the forum is a response to the fact that the pace of international climate negotiations is "very slow and inadequate" and "we do not see any concrete move to support nationally determined adaptation initiatives taken up by the vulnerable countries. In this regard, she mentioned that Bangladesh has already adopted Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund Act in 2010 and so far allocated $280 million from its own resources to the fund. She said with this fund Bangladesh is implementing 62 projects to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change while implementing 134 adaptation and mitigation action plans. The Prime Minister said it is widely accepted that the gravest effect of climate change will be migration. Last year, 42 million people were displaced by rapid onset of natural disasters (throughout the world). Extreme weather events are already displacing many more people than that of violent conflicts. For instance, over 300,000 deaths were caused by climate change last year with an additional economic cost of around $130 billion. The PM said the CVF should aim to influence global decision making and make global governance responsive to our imperatives and challenges and should seek to articulate their demands in all policy making platforms such as G-8, G-20, the Bretton Woods Institutions, and of course the United Nations and its concerns.

UN chief assures development support (PID, 15 November 2011)

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said through the free, fair and neutral election of 2008, the people of Bangladesh gave an overwhelming mandate in favour of her party. She said this during a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon when he met her at her office yesterday, the first day of his three-day visit to Bangladesh. The Prime Minister also mentioned her government’s efforts like forming all the parliamentary standing committees in the first session of parliament by making opposition lawmakers chairman in seven such committees. Citing the barbaric grenade attack on Awami League meeting on August 21, 2004 and a series of bomb attacks on August 17, 2005, she said her government had curbed militancy and terrorism with strong hand. She also informed the UN chief of the safety net programmes they have taken for the poor and freedom fighters. The UN Secretary General said the United Nations is ready to provide all sorts of technical and logistic support to Bangladesh in its development endeavours. The UN chief highly praised the leadership and commitment of Sheikh Hasina for improving the lot of the people especially in empowering women and ensuring child rights. The UN Secretary General invited her to attend the Rio+20 Earth Summit scheduled for June next year in Brazil.

UN chief in Dhaka (PID, 14 November 2011)

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Dhaka last night on a three day visit of Bangladesh. The State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury received him at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. He will address a climate change conference in Dhaka. He is leading a 24 member delegation on the first stop of his tri-nation visit that will also take him to Thailand and Indonesia. Ban Ki-moon will showcase the progress and leadership of these countries in the context of the “Every Woman Every Child” effort he had initiated last year, according to his spokesperson. Today he will join Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the inauguration of the Ministerial Meeting of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) at a city hotel.

Bapex hits more gas at Saldanadi (PID, 13 November 2011)

Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Ltd (Bapex) hit more gas in the second zone of Saldanadi gas field in Kasba Upazila of Brahmanbaria district. Bapex officials said they would get at least 20 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcfd) from the third well of this gas field which would be supplied to the industries in the port city.

N-power plant deal signed with Russia (PID, 03 November 2011)

The government yesterday struck an agreement with Russia to set up a two-unit nuclear power plant at Rooppur of Ishwardi upazila in Pabna, with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts each. Yeafesh Osman, Minister of State for Science and ICT, and Sergey V Kirienko, Director General of State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) of Russia, signed the deal on behalf of their respective sides at the Prime Minister's Office in the city. Under the contract, Russia will extend all necessary support for setting up the plant and supply of nuclear fuel, Kirienko told a joint press briefing at the auditorium of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theatre. He said the project would be under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The first and foremost part of the deal is assurance of safety.

Abed gets first WISE prize for education (PID, 02 November 2011)

Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, founder and Chairperson of BRAC, has been awarded yesterday the first Prize in the third World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha for Education in recognition of his 40-year career dedicated to alleviating poverty through education. His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, presented Abed with the prize, a major award for education, at the opening session of the WISE. With the theme of “Changing Societies, Changing Education”, this year's WISE summit is discussing how education can become more effective in tackling social, economic and political challenges, and promoting sustainable development in a rapidly evolving world. A total of 1,300 representatives and 48 speakers from 104 countries across the world are taking part in the summit, organised by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

key of Pajero Sports Utility Jeep assembled by Progoti Industries Ltd handed over (PID, 02 November 2011)

Industries Minister Dilip Barua handed over the key of a Pajero Sports Utility Jeep assembled by state-owned Progoti Industries Ltd to the Prime Minister at a function at her office yesterday. Managing Director of the state-owned industry Md Ali Chowdhury informed the Prime Minister that the industry has now become a profitable one as it has been following her direction. It has made Tk 80 crore profit even after giving Tk 42 crore as revenue in the last fiscal.

Bangladesh and Germany agree to boost bilateral ties (PID, 26 October 2011)

Bangladesh and Germany agreed to further explore bilateral trade and cooperation in the areas of sustainable development, climate change, health and social safety net programme. “Our development cooperation is very good. We have discussed how to strengthen our economic ties,'' German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the reporters at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after a luncheon meeting at German Chancellery yesterday. The two leaders also discussed cooperation in renewable energy, and primary and secondary education for the young people of Bangladesh. The Chancellor praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her government's role in tackling the Bangladesh economy despite the global economic downturn. Describing Germany as a time-tested friend of Bangladesh, the Prime Minister said Germany actively supported Bangladesh's War of Liberation in 1971 and since then “we have been receiving uninterrupted support''. The PM extended her thanks to Merkel for facilitating the signing of two joint declarations -- one for cooperation in the field of health and the other for climate change. She invited Merkel to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time, which she gladly accepted. The PM arrived in Berlin on October 22 to attend the World Health Summit and bilateral meeting with the German leaders.

HPM seeks investment, environment-friendly technology from Germany  (PID, 26 October 2011)

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said German investors could make big investment in Bangladesh, exploiting the facilities her government offers to foreign investors. She invited the German investment as Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Dirk Niebel met her at Hotel Adlon Kempinski. “Germany can invest in infrastructures, power generation, seaport, deep-sea port, and international airport under the public-private-partnership (PPP)”, said the PM. The Prime Minister also sought German's support to duty and quota-free access of goods from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to G-8 (advanced economies) markets. Sheikh Hasina also held another meeting with Federal Minister for Environment Norbert Rottgen at the same hotel yesterday and sought German assistance in Bangladesh's adaptation and mitigation action plans to fight climate challenges. She also called for transferring Germany's high quality environment-friendly technology to Bangladesh. She said her government has undertaken 194 action plans in six areas to battle against changing climate. vulnerable countries. The German Minister highly appreciated the Prime Minister’s leadership and said Bangladesh achieved tremendous successes in agriculture, education, health, and women empowerment.

Only democracy can lead to sustainable dev: PM  (PID, 26 October 2011)

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that only democracy can lead to sustainable development of peoples and nations. The Prime Minister, who is now in Berlin to attend the World Health Summit, said this while addressing a dinner hosted by the German-South Asia Parliamentary Group (GSAPG) at a hotel on Monday. "We have been trying hard to establish democracy firmly through strengthening our parliamentary practices and our media, empowering our women, as well as through establishing other democratic institutions such as the commissions on Election, Human Rights, Anti-corruption and Information," the Prime Minister said. She said in the local government elections, 45,000 women contested and nearly 13,000 were elected to seats reserved for women. In parliament, the number of reserved seats for women has also been increased to 50 from earlier 45. She said that during her first tenure, the Prime Minister's Question Hour was introduced in parliament to ensure transparency and accountability. Her government has also introduced live television coverage of the parliamentary proceedings for the benefit of the people.2, she added Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to leave Dhaka for Australia today on a four-day official visit to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). The meeting will focus on a host of global issues, ranging from the financial crisis and democracy to climate change and food security. The Prime Minister will lead a 50-member delegation to Perth. Besides attending the CHOGM, the PM is scheduled to have bilateral meeting with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. On the sideline of the meet, she is expected to hold meetings with a number of world leaders at the 54-nation Commonwealth that brings together former British colonies. The Prime Minister is scheduled to return home on Sunday.

Manpower export sector giving positive signal  (PID, 13 October 2011)

Overseas recruitment has made a major turnaround in a timely boost to the country's foreign exchange reserve. Data released by the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), a government agency, showed 52,929 Bangladeshis were hired by foreign nations during the month of September. The figure is a 24-month high and driven by a spurt in recruitment in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman and Singapore. September's figure records an 83 per cent growth. Over 7.0 million Bangladeshis are now working abroad. They sent home a record $11.65 billion in the 2010-11 fiscal year that ended in June.

More women work in Bangladesh than global average  (PID, 28 September 2011)

More women work in Bangladesh than many other countries, as some recent reforms enhanced their economic opportunities, according to a World Bank (WB) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) report released yesterday. According to the report, the women population in Bangladesh is over 80 million (eight crore). Among them, 62 percent is included in the workforce, which is significantly higher than the global average. Globally, women represent 49.6 percent of the population, of which only 40.8 percent is involved with the workforce in the formal sector. The report shows that economies with greater legal differentiation between men and women have lower female participation in the formal labour force. It, however, identifies 41 law and regulatory reforms enacted between June 2009 and March 2011 that enhanced women’s economic opportunities in countries including Bangladesh.

90pc BD products to get duty-free access to China  (PID, 27 September 2011)

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Zhang Xianyi said that China will grant duty-free market access to 90 per cent of the products originating from Bangladesh to its market soon. "At present, the duty-free market access is open for about 70 per cent of China's total import of 4762 products from the least developed countries including Bangladesh," said the Chinese Ambassador while addressing a 'meet the press' programme. The National Press Club organised the 'meet the press' at the club in the city on the occasion of 57th founding anniversary of People's Republic of China. The Ambassador said the volume of bilateral trade between Bangladesh and China is expected to cross $8.0 billion this year exceeding last years' $7.0 billion trade. "We would like more exports from Bangladesh and we will take extra measures in the near future to lessen this trade deficit” he said.

1.0tcf gas found in Rashidpur field  (PID, 27 September 2011)

The government announced discovery of new reserve of an estimated 1.0 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas in Rashidpur gas field in northern region in a major boost to the country's energy sector. Petrobangla Chairman declared the new discovery of gas at a press briefing at Petrocentre in the city yesterday. He said the newly discovered structure –eastern flank – of Rashidpur gas field has 967.2 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas reserve under low to medium risk category. The probability of finding gas from it is 80-90 per cent, he said. Besides, there are potential gas reserves of around 2.41 tcf in high risk category in the same 'eastern flank' of the Rashidpur gas field and the probability of finding gas is below 50 per cent, he said. Petrobangla announced the fresh discovery of gas following a 3D seismic survey conducted by Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Ltd (Bapex) in Rashidpur gas field spanning over an area of 325 square kilometres.

UN Secretary General is expected to visit Bangladesh  (PID, 25 September 2011)

UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon is expected to visit Bangladesh in November this year. The UN Secretary General expressed his interest in visiting Bangladesh at a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the UN headquarters on Friday, said a News World report yesterday. Ban ki-Moon said the purpose of his trip is mainly to visit rural infrastructures in Bangladesh. The empowerment of women in Bangladesh, he said, could be a model for other countries. During the meeting, the Prime Minister discussed with him the steps taken by her government, especially for infrastructure and human resource development. The issue of indigenous people of Bangladesh also came up for discussion during the meeting, the report said.

UN's speech of Hon'ble Prime Minister  (PID, 25 September 2011)

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday endowed the world with her new peace model based on people's empowerment, saying that cherished global peace can prevail under a multidimensional democratic approach with six mutually reinforcing multipliers. The multipliers, she said, are: eradication of poverty and hunger, reduction of inequality, mitigation of deprivation, inclusion of excluded people, acceleration of human development and elimination of terrorism. The Prime Minister introduced her peace model while addressing the 66th annual session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the main policymaking organ of the United Nations, in Bangla here. "In fact, my lifetime experience has inspired me to come up with the new peace model based on people's empowerment... I call it the 'people's empowerment and a peace-centric development model' that reaffirms that all people should be treated equally and emphasizes the scope of human capabilities which can be realized through peace," she said. The Prime Minister added prosperity is achievable with the removal of injustices in an environment of peace. "This is possible by individual nations through sincere implementation of what is right, or sometimes under the guidance of the UN.” She told the world body, “let us all try to test this model of peace which I believe has the potential to transform our world of seven billion people into one where our future generations may prosper and live in happiness." Reposing her trust in peace as the basis for development, she said, "I believe peace prevails when justice prevails. Therefore, justice at home and abroad is important for ensuring a peaceful mediation and settlement of disputes." In her about 20-minute statement, she touched upon some vital issues of national importance including settlement of long running border problem with India through discussion, mediated settlement of the BDR mutiny and trial of the perpetrators responsible for 1971 war crimes. “The LDCs like Bangladesh need international support. The support must come from granting us market access, removing trade barriers, fulfilment of ODA, combating climate change, as well as giving us equal voice in the Bretton Woods Institutions,” she said. The commitments made in Istanbul this May on agriculture, energy, infrastructure, water and migration would also strengthen the economic stability of the LDCs, the PM continued. "Now, it is time for the development partners to implement the commitments made in Monterrey, Paris, and Brussels before the conclusion of the Doha Development Round. Support must continue to enable LDCs to fulfil their MDGs.” She said that in COP-17 in Durban this year, the nations must have a binding agreement on cuts of greenhouse gas emissions, burden sharing, relocation of climate migrants, free transfer of technologies, and real contribution to the internationally agreed “Climate Fund”. The Prime Minister reiterated her demand that Bangla be made one of the official languages at the UN. "Bangla is spoken by over 300 million people worldwide. I earnestly appeal to you to back my proposal to declare Bangla as one of the official languages of the United Nations," she told the general assembly. She also sought UN support for Bangladesh's annual flagship resolution "A Culture of Peace", which she launched in 2000 during her first stint as Prime Minister. She said that in the UN Peace Building Commission, as NAM Coordinator, Bangladesh is always advocating peace building, development and preventive diplomacy in post-conflict societies. "Sadly, we remain woefully underrepresented at planning and strategy levels of the DPKO, an issue calling for a speedy resolution." The PM welcomed South Sudan as the 193rd member of the United Nations and congratulated the people of the newest state on attaining their freedom and independence. She said as member of the UN Human Rights Council and the ECOSOC, Bangladesh consciously promote democracy, secularism, justice and rule of law; and equal rights of women, children, minorities and other vulnerable groups. Moreover, she said, as the executive body member of UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNESCO and FAO, Bangladesh is committed to setting global norms and standards in development practices. On resolving bilateral issues with India, the PM said the government has mediated and signed MoUs with India on the border demarcation, an issue that had been pending for the last 64 years obstructing the everyday life of the Bangladeshi people. "I am committed to settling all our problems with neighbouring India through discussion," she said. Describing the 2009 BDR mutiny as one of the most dangerous challenges, the Prime Minister said this time also she chose a mediated settlement, avoiding possible further loss of life. About the trial of the war criminals, she said since there can be no peace without justice, the government has established an independent International Crimes Tribunal to try those responsible for war crimes committed during the Liberation War in 1971. Reiterating her administration's ‘zero tolerance policy against terrorism’, she said the government's aim is to break the nexus between terrorism, extremism and radicalization, and eliminate them all from Bangladesh, a state party to all UN counterterrorism conventions. Referring to the winning of the UN award for MDG-4 on reducing child mortality last year, The Prime Minister said Bangladesh is on track on MDG-1 on poverty alleviation, MDG-2 on universal primary education, MDG-3 on gender equality and MDG-5 on reducing maternal mortality. "Our Poverty Reduction Strategy is in tandem with the MDGs and intends to raise 12 million people out of poverty by 2015." On women empowerment, she said education for female is free up to class XII and steps are on for their free tuition till graduation.

Global health award for PM  (PID, 21 September 2011)

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday received the Global Health and Children's Award for her contribution to develop Bangladesh's health sector by using the Information Communication Technology (ICT). The award was given at a function held at the Astoria Waldorf Hotel in presence of heads of states and governments of different countries and celebrities. The Prime Minister dedicated the award to the people of Bangladesh at the South-South Awards night held with a slogan “Digital Health for Digital Development” In her speech she said, “This is indeed the recognition of all the hard work that my government has put in improving ICT conditions during the last two and a half years of its tenure.” She said her government has established over 11,000 community health clinics in rural areas and almost all these have been brought under the digital reach. The organisers in its souvenir said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has played a critical role in the development of a digital Bangladesh. “She has also been an active advocate of the use of digital technology to improve the health care system in her country, overseeing the use of mobile phones in hospital to share information, and the implementation of a free programme that delivers advice to pregnant women via SMS,” the souvenir said. The award night was jointly organised by UN Economic Commission for Africa, International Telecommunication Union (ITU), South-South News, Permanent Missions of Antigua and Barbuda, Malawi, Dominica, Zambia, Tajikistan, El Salvador and Honduras to the UN. Bangladesh received MDG-4 (Millennium Development Goals-4) Award for its success in reducing child mortality in 2010.

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Save planet from climate change fallout  (PID, 21 September 2011)

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the global community to exert all efforts accepting their own shares of responsibility to save the planet from the wraths of climate change. She made the call while addressing a dialogue arranged by the presidents of Mexico and South Africa at a hotel in New York yesterday. Former US President Bill Clinton also addressed the dialogue. The Prime Minister said her sincerest hope is to see in Durban the much-sought-after legally-binding agreement on carbon emission reduction. “It is imperative to realise the commitments by industrialised countries to cut carbon emissions based on the principle of common and differentiated responsibilities,” she said. The PM said they would also like to see greater voluntary action by non-Annex-A parties of the Kyoto Protocol, based on equity. Ahead of the Durban climate conference, the Prime Minister expects five commitments from the international community: A global pact to face climate change challenges in the four recognised tracks of action--adaptation, mitigation, financing, and technology transfer; a balance between adaptation and mitigation to meet the present requirements as well as the priorities of the future; Concrete and robust support of the international community in the areas of transfer of technology for adaptation and mitigation actions; External support to vulnerable countries as they identify climate change-related challenges and seek to convert them into opportunities for green development; Operationalisation of the 'Green Climate Fund' as soon as possible and provisions for compensatory grants through UNFCCC to meet the full cost of adaptation for most vulnerable countries. “Copenhagen rekindled our hope for consensus building on carbon emissions, while Cancun kept the hope alive. At the end of this year, Durban beckons us to act and deliver over these endless negotiations,” she said. The Prime Minister said while adaptation to climate change is of immediate priority, mitigation is the key to a green and a secure future. “Therefore, the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy includes a 134-point adaptation and mitigation action plan.” For immediate implementation of these plans, Bangladesh has set up a Climate Change Trust Fund with $ 300 million from its own resources, she told the audience. The Prime Minister said Bangladesh is deeply concerned about the sea-level rise due to global warming, and the consequent displacement of people in coastal areas. “A one-metre rise at sea level will submerge a fifth of Bangladesh, displacing over 30 million people,” she said. “Therefore, we want to see an international framework being created, addressing climate change-induced displacement, including its internal and external dimensions,” she said.

Bangladesh, US begin naval exercise  (PID, 19 September 2011)

Bangladesh and the US navy yesterday began a joint exercise for eight-day maritime safety and security in Chittagong. This is the first-ever Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Bangladesh 2011, said a press release of the US embassy in Dhaka. The exercise formally began at BNS Issa Khan in Chittagong. It marks the first time Bangladesh has participated in the 17-year old CARAT exercise series, which the US Navy conducts with navies of seven other Southeast Asian nations. CARAT participants now include Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. There are four US Navy ships and approximately 500 US personnel participating in the exercise.

BD-Nepal rail transit opens up again  (PID, 18 September 2011)

A rail transit between Bangladesh and Nepal had been opened up again as India had allowed using its Singhabad rail line for bilateral trading, railway officials said. They said both the countries can now use rail transit through Singhabad of Indian territory for goods trading as per a protocol signed under overland transit traffic between Bangladesh and Nepal during the Indian Prime Minister's recent visit to Dhaka. Bangladesh Railway (BR) had long been requesting the Indian railway to allow its Rohonpur-Singhabad metre gauge rail line for bilateral trade with the landlocked Himalayan country since Birol-Radhikapur rail transit was suspended, the sources told the reporters yesterday.

Pragati launches newly assembled Pajero Jeep  (PID, 15 September 2011)

Pragati Industries Limited, the state-owned automobiles assembly factory, yesterday launched its newly assembled Pajero Sports Jeep (CR-45) for the local market. Industries Minister Dilip Barua was the chief guest at the launching ceremony held at Pragati’s Dhaka Sales Centre at Tejgoan Industrial Area. This new model sports utility vehicle of the Mitsubishi Japan will cost about Tk 70 lakh whereas its present imported price is Tk 1.2 core. Speaking on the occasion, Barua lauded the achievement of Pragati saying that local customers would now be able to buy this popular version of Pajero Sports Jeep at an affordable price.

SAARC carnival planning underway  (PID, 15 September 2011)

SAARC Energy Ministers are meeting in the city today in a bid to build up consensus on regional energy trade and introducing a regional power grid. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the 4th SAARC Energy Ministers' conference at a city hotel. Energy Ministers of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan will attend the meeting while senior officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Maldives will attend it on behalf of their respective ministers. Officials close to the meeting said to the reporters a number of agenda, including SAARC regional energy trade, framework agreement for cooperation and regional power exchange, will dominate the conference.

Santos to start Bangladesh offshore drilling program (PID, 13 September 2011)

Australian firm Santos will start the much-awaited hydrocarbon exploration in the new offshore structures in the Bay of Bengal from next week in a major boost to the country's energy sector, officials said Monday.

Big Indian investors likely to visit Bangladesh next month  (PID, 11 September 2011)

At least seven large Indian investors including Tata Steel, Bharat Heavy Electricals, Airtel, and RPG Group (CEAT Tyre) are expected to visit Bangladesh early next month to submit their large investment proposals to the government. This was disclosed by India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) President Abdul Matlub Ahmed yesterday in Dhaka. "The big Indian investing companies are interested to invest in gas drilling, tyre manufacturing, gas pipeline, power grid project, railway and telecommunication sectors in Bangladesh," the IBCCI President told a briefing arranged at a local hotel to analyze the impact of recent visit of Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Bangladesh. A Special Economic Zone for Indian investment is being planned at Chhatak, Sylhet on 100 acres of land, which is owned by Nitol Group, he added.

At the invitation of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh, paid a State visit to Bangladesh from 6-7 September 2011. The highlights and outcome of the visit can be seen in the briefing notes presented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh.

• Briefing notes on the visit of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh

Highly saline-tolerant rice to be released soon  (PID, 29 August 2011)

Highly saline-tolerant rice developed by Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) is expected to be released at the end of this year for cultivation at farmer level. "We have completed final trial successfully and expect to release it at the next boro season," Principal Scientific Officer of the BINA Dr Mirza Mofazzal Islam told the newsmen yesterday. The possible name of the variety is BINA-9, he said adding the newly developed variety is the highest salinity tolerant rice in the country as it could tolerate 12-14 Desi Seimens per meter.

More primary learning centres in remote areas  (PID, 25 August 2011)

Government is going to set up 15000 new primary learning centres in remote areas. Prime Minister and Leader of the House Sheikh Hasina yesterday said this in parliament while replying to a question from a treasury bench member. The Prime Minister said the government has been working to ensure enrollment of all school going children to the school by 2011. "The rate of the net enrollment of the school going children to the school is 99.34 percent," the PM said. The Leader of the House said the steps the government has taken for removing illiteracy from the country include providing free textbooks to the primary students, providing scholarships to 78 lakh primary students at the rate of Taka 100-125, introduction of school feeding activities in 10 districts. She said school feeding programme was launched in the 86 poverty-stricken upazilas this month. The Prime Minister said, to ensure primary education for all children, a plan is being implemented to set up 1500 new primary schools in those areas where there is no such school. Besides, the PM said, the government has taken measures to providing education to dropped-out poor and working children under the Reaching Out School Children Project in 86 upazilas and in the city areas under Hard to Reach Project to achieve 100 percent literacy rate by 2014. Responding to a supplementary from Jatiya Party lawmaker Mujibul Haque, the Prime Minister said her government has been giving priority to technical education under the new education policy. In reply to another question the PM said her government has taken effective measures to face autism. The prime minister said the health ministry has allocated Tk 634 million for autism following the application of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU).

PM for job-oriented education to cope with modern world  (PID, 21 August 2011)

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government was underscoring diversification in the education for time-befitting, job-oriented and science-based education for all. The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating the admission process of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University (BSMRSTU), Gopalganj at her official Gono Bhaban residence. She said the present government had been making all out efforts to build a country free from poverty and illiteracy as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The government had constituted a Tk 1000 crore trust fund to make easy access to higher education, she informed. "Poor and meritorious students will be provided scholarships from this fund for higher education," she said. She called upon the well-off people of the society to come forward for the development and expansion of education and said tax waiving facilities would be given to those who contribute to the development of education. She said the previous Awami League government enacted a law for establishment of 12 public universities. Of them, she said, academic activities of four universities had already begun. About 'Digital Bangladesh' programme, the PM said a silent revolution of digitalisation had taken place in different sectors including admission to educational institutions, banking, tender and bill payments of different utility services. Referring to the establishment of union information service centres (UISCs) across the country, she said the centres had empowered people by ensuring their easy access to all the necessary information. Later, the PM inaugurated the admission process of the BSMRSTU through mobile phone SMS.

No indigenous people in Bangladesh  (PID, 10 August 2011)

There is no existence of 'adivasi' (indigenous) in the Indian subcontinent, including Bangladesh, and no people had ever invaded the Chittagong Hill Tracts before 1400 AD, experts told a seminar yesterday. The experts, including former military officials, lawyers, teachers, freedom fighters and leaders of indigenous people, said a vested quarter along with some foreign NGOs have been conspiring to create divisions in the hilly region raising the demand for recognition of adivasi among the ethnic minorities. Coalition of Local NGOs, Bangladesh (CLNB) organised the discussion at the National Press Club marking the International Day of the World' s Indigenous People with Pahan community leader Nabin Pahan in the chair. While addressing the program, Advocate Sanjida Khanam, MP said the government is trying to solve all sorts of problem and meet the basic rights of the ethnic minorities living both in the hilly and plain lands.

Exports rise 28pc in July  (PID, 09 August 2011)

In July, Bangladesh earned $2.34 billion from its overseas trade, while the amount was $1.81 billion in the corresponding month last year marking an increase by 28.7 per cent, according to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data released yesterday.

EMTS wins prestigious mBillionth Award  (PID, 04 August 2011)

Bangladesh Post Office’s (BPO’s) software for Electronic Money Transfer Service won the prestigious ‘mBillionth Award South Asia 2011’ for providing money transfer service through mobile phone. Apart from wining the award under m-business and commerce/banking category, the EMTS service was also marked as the most innovative digital service in the entire South Asia in the mBillionth International Mobile and Telecom Congress and Award Gala in New Delhi last week, BPO Director General Mobasherur Rahman told the news agency yesterday. The EMTS software has been made by the joint effort of Kamrul Hasan, a freelance Bangladeshi software consultant, and a team of the postal department, the BPO Chief said.

Govt plans circular railway line around Dhaka city (PID, 20 July 2011)

The government has planned circular railway line around Dhaka city to cut tremendous traffic pressure on the capital, Communications Ministry officials said. They said they had taken up a project for feasibility study of the proposed scheme and determine its routes and costs which will cost them Tk104.4 million. We plan to set up the railway circular line in three alternative routes around the capital city, home to more than 14 million people, the sources said to the reporters yesterday.

GDP of Bangladesh reaches $110b in FY'11 (PID, 15 June 2011)

The size of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) at current market price has reached nearly US$110 billion (Tk 7,874.95 billion) in the outgoing fiscal (2010-11), as the manufacturing sector is playing the driving role, officials said yesterday. The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) said the GDP size has swelled by over $9.0 billion to reach 109.4 billion from $100.6 billion of the previous fiscal (2009-10), marking a rise of 13.42 percent.

Japan to fund the metro rail in Dhaka City (PID, 12 June 2011)

Japan has "agreed" to fund the planned US$1.7 billion metro rail in the capital, officials told the reporters yesterday. A fact-finding mission of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has said the project is a "promising candidate" for Japanese state loan in its current fiscal year ending in March 2012. After a nine-day long consultation with the Bangladesh government, the JICA team said that Japan was now ready for signing a loan deal on the project in January-February next year, said a senior communications ministry official.

Industrial Sector Contribution to GDP Increases in FY'11 (PID, 12 June 2011)

The share of the industrial sector in the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has increased by 0.40 percentage point in the outgoing fiscal, according to the latest official survey report. The Bangladesh Economic Survey 2011 estimated the share of the industrial sector at constant price to the country's GDP at 30.33 per cent in fiscal 2010-11 against 29.93 per cent in the previous fiscal.

More 1,922 MW of electricity has been added to the national grid (PID, 12 June 2011)

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that after the present government assumed office in 2009, so far 31 new power plants have been set up and 26 others are under construction while process of signing a number of agreements is underway for another 34 power plants. The PM said so far, 1922 MW of electricity has been added to the national grid while the system loss has been brought down to 12.7 percent from 15 percent. With the completion of the 26 power plants, 3303 MW of electricity will be added to the national grid, she said. The PM was speaking at an opinion-exchange meeting at Meghnaghat while formally inaugurating a 100 megawatt (mw) furnace oil-fired Quick Rental Power Plant at Meghnaghat yesterday. She also laid the foundation of a 335 mw dual-fuel combined cycle power plant at the same place and inaugurated another 25.17 mw captive power plant.

24,002 industrial units set up during present government (PID, 08 June 2011)

A total of 24,002 industrial unites have been set up in the country during the present government. Commerce Minister Faruk Khan yesterday told the Parliament on behalf of Industries Minister Dilip Barua, in a reply to a written query. The Minister also informed the House that during the same period a total of 385 industrial units with 100 percent foreign investment and joint venture have been registered with the Board of Investment. "The total capital of these enterprises is 4,772.325 million US dollars," he said.

Tk 60cr climate projects get approval (PID, 25 May 2011)

Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (CCTF) yesterday approved six public sector projects involving around Tk 60.78 crore. The approval was given at the 12th meeting of the Trusty Board held at the conference room of the Ministry of Environment and Forests with State Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud in the chair, official sources said. The projects include production, processing and distribution of disaster-tolerant paddy, wheat, and oil seeds; Ichamoti river re-excavation in Manikganj; MoEF capacity building; safe water, sanitation and improvement of biogas technology; improvement of water and sanitation in flood prone areas; and coastal embankment retention and Bak Khali River bank projection.

UNWTO to provide all possible support for tourism in Bangladesh (PID, 16 May 2011)

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) will provide all possible support for flourishing tourism in Bangladesh as the country can use tourism as one of its major tools to cut poverty, Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism GM Quader told the news agency yesterday. The UNWTO assurance came when the Minister took part in the special tourism event at the 4th UN Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDC-IV) in Istanbul last week.

Export of fruits, vegetables from Bangladesh shows outstanding performance (PID, 16 May 2011)

Fruits and vegetables are leading the export track of agricultural products by showing an outstanding performance in first ten months of the current fiscal, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). The agricultural products maintained their export track by exporting items worth $ 266.91 against the target of $213.84 million from July to April of 2010-11 fiscal year (FY) which indicated an 18.08 per cent growth compared to the matching period of 2009-10FY.

GDP growth maintains healthy trend: BB review (PID, 03 May 2011)

Country's GDP (gross domestic product) growth is currently maintaining a healthy trend despite rising inflation that stood at 8.36 per cent in March this year. The actual GDP growth will be very close to 7.0 per cent in the current fiscal and is likely to exceed 7.0 per cent next year, according to an economic review of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) released yesterday. It says expansion of agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors supported by increasing export earnings and growth in remittance inflow put the country's GDP growth on firm-footing..

Bangladesh introduces another salinity resistant rice variety to fight climate change (PID, 31 March 2011)

Bangladesh Rice Research Institute is going to introduce another salinity-tolerant rice variety for cultivation in the country’s southern region to cope with the fallout of climate change. The variant called BRRI-55 has already been certified by the Seed Certification Agency. Chief Scientific Officer of BRRI Jibon Krishna Biswas said yesterday.