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PRESS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH

DHAKA MOST URGENT FROM: PIO, PID, Dhaka FOR: BANGLADOOT, ALL MISSIONS Fax: 9540553/9540026 MSG: 101/2016 E-mail: [email protected]

Date: Friday, 27 May 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was accorded a red carpet reception as she arrived in Nagoya

(Japan) yesterday on a four-day official visit to attend the G7 outreach programme where she will take

the leadership role in four basic subjects. She will attend the programme of G7 nations, a grouping of

seven advanced economies, and will deliver her speech today at the invitation of Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday sent a 20-kg consignment of Padma hilsha to Kolkata for

Mamata Banerjee, just a day ahead of her swearing-in as West Bengal Chief Minister.

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday said Bangladesh has been recognised as the

33rd safest state in the world now while incumbent Prime Minister of the country Sheikh Hasina stands

13th out of 100 heads of the governments in the globe. He said this while speaking as chief guest at a

view exchange meeting with the leaders and workers of Dhaka city South and North units of Awami League at Mohanagar Natyamancha in Dhaka.

Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury yesterday lauded the installation of closed-

circuit television in the capital. She said this while inaugurating a well-equipped CCTV control room at the Dhaka North City Corporation.

A sedition case was filed against BNP joint secretary general Aslam Chowdhury yesterday for

allegedly hatching a conspiracy with an Israeli leader to topple the Awami League government.

A five-member delegation leaves Dhaka for Manila today to join an 11-country meeting aimed at

making further headway in rounding up perpetrators of Bangladesh Bank‘s $101 million reserve heist.

The team comprises three officials of Bangladesh Bank and two others from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The government has taken a move to send medicines and other medicinal products to Sri Lanka

for its flood-affected people. The medicine will be sent on Friday as per the directives of Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is interested to work in Bangladesh for the development of

IT sector to produce skilled manpower towards the journey of ‗Digital Bangladesh‘. A three-member

ADB delegation, led by Rudi Van Dael, Senior Social Sector Specialist, Bangladesh Mission, shown their keenness while meeting UGC Chairman Prof. Abdul Mannan at the latter‘s office yesterday.

The adverse effect of global warming in the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region will pose a

severe threat to the downstream countries like Bangladesh in the days to come. A high official of

Bangladesh's Environment and Forests Ministry said this to a regional conference in Nairobi. The Hindu

Kush Himalayan (HKH) Partnership for Sustainable Mountain Development was launched during a

ministerial-level panel discussion organised on Tuesday on the sidelines of UNEA 2 in Nairobi, Kenya,

in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal, according a message received in Dhaka yesterday.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) and International Organization for Migration (IOM)

have agreed to strengthen their collaboration in Bangladesh around activities of common interest, in

particular safe and skilled migration. Srinivas Reddy, ILO Bangladesh country director, and Sarat Dash,

IOM Bangladesh chief of mission, signed the cooperation agreement on Wednesday to see the

organisations work more closely together. The signing ceremony was organised on the sidelines of a

discussion on ‗Maximising the Potential of Labour Migration through Skills Development and Accreditation‘ organised by IOM and ILO, said a statement of ILO yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, increased to 4,388 points, adding 0.50 per cent or 21.97 points yesterday.

A K M Shameem Chowdhuri

Principal Information Officer

Ph: 9546091

mailto:[email protected]


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PRESS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT

GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH

DHAKA MOST URGENT FROM: PIO, PID, Dhaka

FOR: BANGLADOOT, ALL MISSIONS Fax: 9540553/9540026

MSG: 96/2016 E-mail: [email protected]

Date: Friday, 20 May 2016 [email protected]

Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

Mentioning that a meaningful cooperation is possible with Bangladesh in many sectors, Bulgarian

President Rosen Plevneliev has said both his country and Bangladesh could jointly explore prospects in the

fields of education, IT and other sectors. He said this to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina when she met him

at the Bulgarian presidency building on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday sought Bulgarian investment in Bangladesh‘s different

sectors, including agriculture, energy, ICT, marine and tourism, availing of the business-friendly facilities‘.

She made the request when a 15-member delegation of Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

(BCCI) met her at Sofia, Bulgaria.

The government of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has started issuing visa for recruitment of male

workers along with their close female relatives from this month, said officials. Subsequently, a large number

of Bangladeshi workers will get employment opportunity there.

Jordan Foreign and Expatriates Affairs Secretary General Mohammad Tayseer Bani Yaseen will

arrive in Dhaka on a three-day official visit today. This will be the first-ever official visit from Jordan side at

the level of foreign secretary to Bangladesh. During the visit, he will hold official talks with his Bangladesh

counterpart where the whole gamut of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Jordan will be discussed,

said an official at the foreign ministry.

Amid confusion in the wake of media reports, Turkish embassy in Dhaka has said the embassy in Dhaka

is open and fully operational. Earlier, the Turkish Envoy to Bangladesh Devrim Öztürk had been called home

by the Turkish government for consultations and in one sense, which is normal diplomatic practice, the

embassy said in a statement yesterday.

Bangladesh's Ambassador in Manila, John Gomes yesterday said the Philippines must immediately return

millions of dollars recovered from a high-profile hacking theft. But Filipino officials warned resolving the

embarrassing case could take months, reports AFP.

The government is planning to issue bonds to mobilise fund from the international capital market to

implement projects in the power sector, said State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid yesterday.

Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir yesterday cautioned four state-owned commercial banks and

instructed them to grant loans maintaining due diligence so that their financial health improves. The warning

comes as default loans in Sonali, Janata, Agrani and Rupali soared in the first quarter of the year.

The manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has awarded three of its best performing project

teams for the year 2015 in Bangladesh as part of its initiative to promote efficiency in project implementation,

according to a statement.

ICT Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak said investment by large foreign companies like Carmudi, foodpanda

and Kaymu will help the country in accelerating the dream of Digital Bangladesh. He said this while speaking

at a roundtable event organised by Rocket Internet in Gulshan yesterday. Carmudi, foodpanda and Kaymu are

portfolio companies of Europe‘s largest technology firm, Rocket Internet.

Federal Assembly Speaker of Russian Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the commonwealth of

Independent state chairperson Valentina Matvienko at the Tavricheskiy in Russia said bilateral trade between

Bangladesh and Russsia has crossed now 1 billion dollar. He said this while he met Bangladesh Jatiya

Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin shirmin Choudhury yesterday.

Ministry of Education has reinstated the suspended Headmaster Shyamal Kanti Bhakta of Narayanganj

and dissolved the school governing body over public humiliation of the teacher on allegation of hurting

religious sentiments.

A deep depression in west-central Bay of Bengal, and adjoining the south-west Bay, turned into a

cyclone yesterday morning and was codenamed ‗Roanu‘ (or as a twisted rope is called in the Maldives). If it

gains strength and maintains a north-north-eastward journey, then it may arrive at the northern Bay of Bengal.

In that case, it may twist its way towards the Bangladesh coast making a landfall on late tomorrow night or

early Sunday on its southeast coast, senior meteorologist said to the media yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, increased by 0.65 per cent, or 28.56 points, to close

at 4,392.87 points yesterday.

A K M Shameem Chowdhuri Principal Information Officer

Ph: 9546091








Date: Thursday, 19 May 2016 [email protected]


News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the global community to work together to

create a safer environment for women and girls alongside empowering them as agents of social

transformation. She said this to the inaugural function of the Global Women Leaders' Forum at

Bulgaria's National Art Gallery as the keynote speaker.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has approved the long pending guideline on 'mobile number

portability' (MNP) that will empower subscribers to switch operators by keeping their current

numbers. The service will intensify competition in the market and push it to maturity, according to

telecom experts.

Referring to the Bangladesh Bank‘s reserve heist, President Md. Abdul Hamid yesterday

underscored the need for putting up a united resistance against the misuse of information technology.

He said this while addressing the opening ceremony of the programme marking the World

Telecommunication and Information Society Day-2016 in Dhaka.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has alleged that the BNP-Jamaat nexus has joined hands with

Israel to oust her government. She said they are working against the country and Islam. She said this

to a discussion at St James Court-Taj Hotel London on Tuesday. The UK chapter of Bangladesh

Awami League arranged the discussion on the occasion of Homecoming Day of Sheikh Hasina.

The government yesterday briefed the visiting US delegation on diplomatic security about the

security measures taken for diplomatic missions, clubs and residences to make sure the foreign

diplomats are safe. Appreciating the security measures taken by the government for diplomats, the

delegation members said the United States will help Bangladesh police enhance its capability. The

delegation, led by US assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security Gregory B Starr, held long

discussions separately with State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam and inspector general

of police AKM Shahidul Hoque on safe and secure environment for the US diplomats in Bangladesh.

With Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government vowing ‗zero‘ tolerance, Bangladesh is

working closely with neighbours, the US and friendly countries to eliminate all forms of terrorism

and religious extremism, said Ambassador to the US Mohammad Ziauddin. He said this while

meeting Congressman Edward R Royce, also the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign

Affairs, at Capitol Hill on Tuesday, says a press release from the Bangladesh embassy in

Washington.

Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (BEZA) yesterday signed an agreement with a

software development company Business Automation Ltd to ensure One-Stop Service to the

investors through installation of an integrated automated system. One Stop Service is a system of

providing service that will help the unit investors in getting better services in the way of investment

in an automated way.

Primary and Mass Education Ministry is going to appoint 28,000 panel teachers in

government primary schools across the country. The ministry completed all the preparations to

appoint the teachers soon, the ministry sources said.

The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, a platform of 28 North American retailers and

brands, appointed former US Ambassador James F Moriarty as country director on Tuesday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, finished at 4,364.31 points, adding 0.87 per

cent or 37.67 points yesterday.




A K M Shameem

Chowdhuri Principal Information

Officer Ph: 9546091


DHAKA

MOST URGENT FROM: PIO, PID,

Dhaka


MSG: 94/2016 E-mail:

[email protected]

Date: Wednesday, 18 May 2016 [email protected]


News brief Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to leave the United Kingdom today for Bulgaria

on a three-day official visit to attend the 'Global Women Leaders' Forum'.

The United States has said they are now working in ‗new ways‘ to help the government of

Bangladesh deal with the ‗new contours‘ of threat of violent extremism. Nisha Desai Biswal,

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, said this while giving her testimony

on FY 2017 budget priorities of the US for South Asia. She also said they are hopeful that, with a

determined partnership, they can also help Bangladesh to defeat the extremists and terrorists that

threaten ‗vibrant society‘ in Bangladesh.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Gregory B Starr arrived in Dhaka

yesterday to discuss security of American diplomats with top civil and security officials.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday said the supply chain and stock of essential

commodities are adequate and it will continue during the month of Ramadan. He was addressing at a

meeting with the businessmen and leaders on supply, price and stock of the essential commodities at

the ministry conference room.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to lay the foundation stone for a new India-

Bangladesh railway project on May 27, Indian daily the Business Standard reports quoting a top

railway official yesterday.

Leading Bangladeshi software company DataSoft has started full-fledged operations in

Japan, the company said in a statement. Rabab Fatima, Bangladesh's Ambassador to Japan,

inaugurated DataSoft Japan Inc's office in Josui Kaikan in Tokyo on Monday.

Despite being one of the most vulnerable sector to climate shocks, Bangladesh agriculture has

been playing a leading role in reducing poverty since 2000, said a World Bank report.

Bangladesh has become a role model for the developing world for its excellent development

performance and success in family planning and reproductive health services. Speakers made the

remarks at a press conference yesterday on the sidelines of a week-long international conference

titled ‗Sahel-Bangladesh Knowledge Exchange on Population Policy and Reproductive Health‘ that

kicked off at a Hotel in Dhaka on Saturday. A 40-member high-profile delegation from six Sahel

countries (Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Cote d‘Ivoire, Chad and Burkina Faso) is taking part in the mega

conference.

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and UNICEF Bangladesh have joined hands to

enhance basic services for poor urban communities and thus improve their overall wellbeing and

reduce the service gaps between slum and non-slum areas. Both the DNCC and UNICEF Bangladesh

signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and a joint work plan yesterday to implement their

common objectives.


commodities are adequate and it will continue during the month of Ramadan. He was addressing at a

meeting with the businessmen and leaders on supply, price and stock of the essential commodities at

the ministry conference room.

BGMEA leaders yesterday said through the overall remediation of the country‘s apparel

industries is progressing, the renovations of most of the Accord and Alliance listed companies will

be completed by 2016. They made the remarks while meeting with Ambassador and Head of

Delegation of the European Union to Bangladesh Pierre Mayaudon at the latter‘s residence in the

capital. The BGMEA leaders expressed their thanks to the Ambassador for the friendly support of

the European Union for betterment of Bangladesh‘s apparel industry.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, increased to 4,326.63 points, rising by 0.88 per


A K M Shameem

Chowdhuri





Ph: 9546091





Date: Tuesday, 17 May 2016 [email protected]


News brief Today is the 35th homecoming day of Awami League President and now Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina. On May 17, 1981, she returned to Dhaka after a long exile.

Bangladesh and United States of America (USA) have agreed to work together to combat

militancy and terrorism in the country. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday said to

the media after a meeting with the visiting US Department of State's Principal Deputy Assistant

Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs William E Todd at his office in Secretariat. A 15-

member US delegation led by Todd will meet some government officials to discuss bilateral issues,

the current security situation and regional integration.

Bangladesh and Indian border guards will jointly investigate any border killings, heads of

both forces have decided in a five-day discussion held in Dhaka. Director General of Bangladesh

Border Guard (BGB) Major General Aziz Ahmed said this to the media yesterday.

Dhaka yesterday lodged a strong protest with Naypyidaw over the recent mortar shell attacks

and repeated intrusion by Myanmar security forces inside Bangladesh territory. A note verbal sent to

the Myanmar government through the Myanmar embassy in Dhaka in this regard.

Dhaka urged Beijing to create opportunities for Bangladesh business sector to explore the full

potential of cooperation particularly with the provinces of China which are geographically closer to

Bangladesh. During a meeting with visiting Senior Adviser (Ministerial level) Zong Mian of Yunnan

government of China, State Minister for Foreign affairs Shahriar Alam also requested him to

encourage the investors of his province to invest in the special economic zone designated for Chinese

investors.

Country‘s top business leaders yesterday said the Japanese entrepreneurs would be benefited

by relocating their industries in Bangladesh through exploring the facilities offered by the

government of Bangladesh for the foreign investors. They also requested their Japanese counterparts

for facilitating more export of Bangladeshi products to Japanese market. The leaders of the

Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) expressed the views during

a discussion meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Masato Watanabe at the FBCCI

office in the capital.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith will leave Dhaka for Indonesia yesterday to

participate in the 41th annual meeting of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) group board of

governors at Jakarta.

Bangladesh should focus on closing digital divide by making internet universal, affordable,

open and safe alongside much broader digital development strategies compared to ICT strategies,

says a new World Bank report titled ‗World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends‘. It was

published in Bangladesh yesterday. The country can accelerate growth, create more jobs and deliver

better public services by enhancing access to digital technologies, it added.

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court yesterday upheld a decision taken by the

International Gateway Operators Forum (IOF) that fixed a rate of US 2 cents per minute for

terminating international calls. The apex court also cancelled the High Court verdict that observed

that ‗increasing the rate of International call termination should be disposed of through arbitration‘.

Two Bangladeshi police constables on the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali were killed in a

storm on Sunday, said a press release of police headquarters in Dhaka yesterday.

The government has appointed Farid Hossain, a senior journalist and former bureau chief of the

Associated Press (AP), as the Minister (Press) at Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi on a

two-year contract, said an official circular published on Sunday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,288.64 points, adding 0.30 per

cent or 13.16 points yesterday. A K M Shameem Chowdhuri Principal Information Officer

Ph: 9546091





DHAKA

MOST URGENT FROM: PIO, PID, Dhaka



Date: Monday, 16 May 2016 [email protected]


News brief Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived in London yesterday afternoon en route to

Bulgaria on a three-day official visit to Bulgarian capital Sofia to attend the Global Women

Leaders‘ Forum. Bangladesh high commissioner to the UK Abdul Hannan received her at the

airport. Prime minister‘s ICT affairs advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy was present at the airport.

About 56.6 percent of the recommended remediation works have been completed by the

member garment factories of Accord, a platform of 210 mostly Europe-based retailers.

The Malaysian high commissioner to Bangladesh, Nur Ashikin Binti Mohd Taib,

yesterday said her government would start the process of opening the labour market for

Bangladeshi workers at the end of June this year. She said this to the media after a meeting with

the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Md Shahriar Alam, at the latter‘s office in the capital

yesterday.

BNP leader Aslam Chowdhury has been arrested for his suspected link in a 'conspiracy'

with Israel to topple the incumbent Bangladesh government. He came under spotlight recently

after a Bangladesh daily ran a report on a meeting between him and Israel's ruling Likud party

leader Mendi N Safadi in India along with a photo of the two. Dr Mohammad Farashuddin, chief of the government probe body on the Bangladesh

Bank reserve heist has said the Brussels-based Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial

Telecommunication (SWIFT) was ‗directly responsible‘ for the $101 million stolen from

Bangladesh's treasury account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He said Bangladesh

Bank officials showed their gross ignorance in dealing with the case. Replying to a query he said

the malware that the cyber criminals used in the hacking was made from Pakistan and North

Korea. The parliamentary standing committee on the finance ministry has called for global pressure

on Manila-based Rizal Bank to retrieve the $81 million fund wired illicitly to the Philippines

from Bangladesh Bank‘s account with the New York Fed. Abdur Razzaq, chairman of the

committee said this after a meeting yesterday.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) is investigating Bangladeshis named in the Panama Papers

purportedly for using offshore entities to evade taxes. BB said this to the parliamentary standing

committee on the finance ministry about the probe yesterday. The World Bank (WB) is going to release the World Development Report (WDR) 2016

in Dhaka today. The report will be on digital technologies that have delivered digital dividends

by boosting growth, expanding opportunities and improving services, said a WB official.

Law Minister Anisul Haq yesterday said Bangladesh would be freed from stigma by

holding trial of all war criminals. He was addressing a rally organized by Monpura Upazila

Awami League after inaugurating a newly built court building at the upazila headquarters,

Bhola. Border Security Force of India yesterday suspended seven of its personnel over shooting

dead a Bangladeshi schoolboy and torturing his friends at Chuadanga border on Saturday

morning, officials said quoting visiting BSF delegation to Bangladesh.

A special team of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit of DMP

arrested a suspected member of 'Ansarullah Bangla Team' in connection with the killing of

USAID staff Xulhaz Mannan and his friend Mahub Tanoy from Kushtia district on Saturday.

Police arrested three people in connection with the killing of a Buddhist monk from different

areas in Naikhongchari upazila on Saturday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, declined by 0.53 per cent, or 23.17

points, to close at 4,275.47 points yesterday. A K M Shameem Chowdhuri

Principal Information Officer Ph: 9546091





DHAKA




Date: Sunday, 15 May 2016 [email protected]


News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaves Dhaka for London today en route to Bulgaria on

a three day official visit to the Bulgarian capital of Sofia to attend the ‗Global Women

Leaders Forum‘. Apart from joining the forum, she will hold official talks with her Bulgarian

counterpart Boyko Borissov.

Charge d‘Affairs and Head of Mission of the Embassy of Palestine in Dhaka Yousuf

S.Y Ramadan yesterday categorically said that friendship of Israel, which is perpetrating

atrocities on Palestinian people, would be a ‗political suicide‘ for any party in Bangladesh.

He asserted that Bangladesh‘s relation with Palestine is solid as all Bangladeshi irrespective

of political and religious beliefs are very supportive of legitimate cause of the oppressed

Palestinians. He said this after a press conference marked the 68th

anniversary of the ‗Nakba

Day‘ in India.

Law Minister Anisul Haque yesterday said Pakistan violated the 1974 tripartite

agreement as it did not take back their stranded citizens in Bangladesh. He came up with the

remarks while talking to the media after a programme on ‗Budget Discussion of Law and

Justice Division‘ in Dhaka.

Amid Pakistan‘s threat to approach the United Nations over the execution of Jamaat-

e-Islami leaders for war crimes, Awami League leader Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim yesterday

said Bangladesh will try with UN support, if needed, the 195 soldiers of the Pakistani Army

accused of committing crimes during the Liberation war. He said this at a function in Dhaka.

Apparently showing their affection for war criminals being tried in Bangladesh for

their crimes against humanity, Pakistan has said the relations between the two countries

should not be clouded with a single issue. Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aziz Ahmed

Chaudhury said this to a Bangladesh media delegation at his office.

A delegation comprising Ambassador to Russia Dr. S M Saiful Haque visited the

Novovoronezh neuclear power plant in Russia, as the reference project for the under

construction Rooppur NPP in the country. He expressed his satisfaction with the high

standard of safety maintained at the nuclear power plant, the release said.

The Bangladesh embassy in the Philippines is confident that the entire amount of the

stolen money from the central bank‘s reserve will be recovered. Bangladesh Ambassador to

the Philippines John Gomes said this in a letter to the foreign ministry recently.

A bilateral meeting between Dhaka and Washington has been started on money

laundering issue. A high level delegation from Bangladesh left Dhaka to attend this meeting.

Bangladesh has offered to develop four special economic zones across the country for

Indian investment, according to source of Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority.

Adventurer Wasfia Nazreen, who became the first Bangladeshi to scale the seven

summits last year, is going to receive National Geographic Society‘s prestigious Emerging

Explorer Award.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, lost 0.19 per cent, or 8.15 points,

over the week to close at 4,298.65points.


Ph: 9546091





DHAKA




Date: Thursday, 12 May 2016 [email protected]


News brief Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the filmmakers to make such films which

could contribute to education and social reforms alongside providing entertainment. She said this

while addressing a function marking distribution of the National Film Award, 2014 held at the

Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday reaffirmed Bangladesh's support to the people of

the brotherly country of Palestine. She extended the support when Palestine charge d' affaires

Yousef S Y Ramadan made a courtesy call on her at her official residence Ganobhaban. Indian External Affairs Secretary Dr Subramanyam Jaishankar yesterday said India and

Bangladesh have set ‗a model‘ in bilateral cooperation as he called on Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina after his arrival on a two-day tour. He also said a number of Indian companies have

shown interest to set up a deep seaport in Bangladesh. She said proposed deep seaport could be

established through a consortium. He thanked the Bangladesh government for its support to India

for its initiatives for launching SAARC Satellite. Bangladesh and Nepal yesterday struck a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to

eliminate the technical barrier to trade (TBT) to boost bilateral trade. Bangladesh Standards and

Testing Institution (BSTI) and Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology inked the MoU at the

end of two-day Commerce Secretary Level meeting at the secretariat. Senior Secretary of

Commerce Ministry Hedayetullah Al Mamoon said this to the media yesterday. Swedish Minister for Justice and Migration Morgan Johansson yesterday advocated creating

a policy framework to foster ‗orderly and well-managed‘ migration process as it is the most

crucial global issue. He said this at a public lecture on ‗Emerging Global Migration and

Mobility, Trends and Issues: Swedish Perspective‘ in Dhaka. State Minister for Foreign Affairs

Md. Shahriar Alam, Foreign Secretary Md. Shahidul Haque and Swedish Ambassador to

Bangladesh Johan Frisell also present at the function. In the wake of playing an appreciating role by Bangladesh's peacekeepers in Darfur and

Sudan in peacekeeping as well as protecting civilians, facilitating humanitarian aid and helping

political process, the United Nations (UN) has assured of recruiting more police personnel from

Bangladesh. Assurance came at a recent meeting of African Union-United Nations (AU-UN)

Special Representative for Head of African Union-United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur

(UNAMID) and Joint Chief Mediator Martin Ihoeghian Uhomoibhi with a visiting Bangladesh

delegation led by Senior Secretary of Home Ministry Dr Mozammel Haque Khan. Abdul Matlub Ahmad, the president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of

Commerce and Industry, who is leading a 24-strong trade delegation to Iran, mentioned cars,

petrochemicals and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as three main products the delegation is

negotiating to import from the Islamic Republic, he said this to the Tehran Times on Monday. A gallery dedicated to the Buddhist tradition in Bangladesh was opened at the

International Buddhist Museum in Sri Lanka. Cultural affairs minister Asaduzzaman Noor on

Friday opened the room with Bangladeshi high commissioner to Sri Lanka Tarik Ahsan and the

Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic chief executive Pradeep Nilanga Dela in attendance, according

to a press release issued by the ministry.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, lost 0.27 per cent, or 11.87 points, to close








DHAKA






News brief The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) yesterday approved the

expansion of rural electrification operations in Sylhet division project and developing physical

facilities at Rural Electrification Board (REB) headquarters at cost of Tk 1,417.10 crore, aiming at

providing 3.20 lakh new rural power connections. The approval came at the ECNEC meeting held at

the NEC conference room with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday laid emphasis on enhancing bilateral trade and

investment between Bangladesh and Sweden. She also sought Swedish cooperation in shipbuilding

and developing the RMG sector in Bangladesh. She came up with the remarks when visiting Swedish

Minister for Justice and Migration Morgan Johansson met her at her official residence Gono Bhaban.

Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami was hanged at the Dhaka Central Jail after

yesterday midnight for crimes against humanity committed during the liberation war in 1971.

Law Minister Anisul Huq yesterday said the existing laws of the country, where provision of

death penalty for serious offences were incorporated, will remain in force. The provision may not be

included in the new laws, which will be formulated in the future, he said while talking to the media

after a meeting with a five-member Swedish delegation at his secretariat office. Swedish Minister for

Justice and Migration Morgan Johansson led the delegation.

Pakistani newspaper editors have regretted the bad times of 1971 when atrocities were

committed in the then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). They were sharing views with a media

delegation from Bangladesh in Karachi on Monday.

Bangladesh has proposed duty-free market access facility for its 56 items to Nepal when the

commerce secretaries of both the countries began two-day talks on bilateral trade yesterday in

Dhaka. Senior secretary of Commerce Ministry Hedayetullah Al Mamoon is leading an18-member

Bangladeshi group in the meeting and his counterpart Naindra Prasad Upadhaya is leading a 9-

member Nepalese delegation.

Representatives from six South Asian countries assembled in New Delhi yesterday to discuss

a long-term vision and a ten-year roadmap of mutual cooperation. They made the discussion at the

second Regional Consultation Workshop which is a part of the ADB-supported South Asia Sub-

regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) initiative, said a release. Country delegates comprising

senior government officials from ministries responsible for finance, transport, trade facilitation,

energy and economic corridor development from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and

Maldives are participating in the deliberations.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Bangladesh Bank and SWIFT have vowed to work

together to recover the $81 million that Bangladesh lost in a reserve heist three months ago. The

three parties yesterday held a meeting in Basel of Switzerland to discuss the cyber fraud that took

place in early February.

US investigators suspect the theft by computer hackers of $81 million from Bangladesh‘s central

bank was partly an inside job—the first hint of culpability in a case that has exposed new

vulnerabilities in the international banking system, reports Wall Street Journal.

A 5-day Director General-level conference between the Bangladesh and India border security

agencies will kick off tomorrow in Dhaka. A 21-member Indian delegation, led by the Director

General (DG) of the Border Security Force of India Shri KK Sharma, is scheduled to reach Dhaka

today to take part in the conference.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, inched down by 0.02 percent, or 0.92 points,

to close at 4,330.31 points yesterday.



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News brief

The size of the Dhaka city is going to be doubled as the government yesterday cleared a

proposal to incorporate 16 more unions into the two Dhaka city corporations. As per the government

decision, eight unions in the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and eight other unions in the

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) will be merged to provide better civic amenities to the

inhabitants of those areas. The proposal, prepared by the LGRD ministry, was approved at the

meeting of the National Implementation Committee for Administrative Reforms (NICAR) held at the

secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The cabinet yesterday approved in principle two drafts, ‗The Communicable Diseases

Prevention, Control and Eradication Act 2016‘ and ‗The Cadet College Act 2016‘, as part of

upgrading existing laws. The seal of approval was given at the weekly cabinet meeting held at the

secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The government has taken a number of projects worth Tk 1848 crore for modernising the

handloom industry of the country to meet the growing domestic demand and also compete efficiently

in the world market.

Commerce Secretaries of Bangladesh and Nepal will sit for their third meeting in Dhaka

today for discussions on some crucial pending issues of connectivity aiming to boost bilateral trade.

Senior Secretary of the Commerce Ministry Hedayetullah Al Mamoon will lead a 18-member

Bangladeshi delegation in the discussion with his Nepalese counterpart Naindra Prasad Upadhaya

leading a 9-member delegation.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon announced yesterday that Australia

has relaxed its ban on air-cargo import from Bangladesh. He said this to the media at the

Secretariat. He also hopes that ban by UK will be lifted on air-cargo import from Shahjalal

International airport very soon.

The United States, India and Bangladesh are on the ‗same page‘ in fighting terrorism and violent

extremism. The US ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat said this to the media after her meeting

with Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque yesterday that all three countries would work together in

fighting extremism.

Bangladesh and India yesterday identifies areas of mutual cooperation on exploring marine

resources on the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Foreign Ministry Secretary Md. Khurshed

Alam (Maritime Affairs Unit) and Indian External Affairs Ministry Secretary Sujata Mehta led their

respective sides in the first meeting of the joint working group held at the foreign ministry.

Bangladesh once again summoned Pakistan‘s high commissioner to Dhaka Shuja Alam and

handed over a strong protest letter over the ‗illegitimate comment‘ by Islamabad following the

Supreme Court‘s dismissal of war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami‘s review plea. The Pakistan high

commissioner met Secretary (bi-lateral) Mizanur Rahman at the foreign ministry yesterday. Rahman

handed him over a protest note to convey to Islamabad.

Morgan Johansson, Sweden's Minister of Justice and Migration, is scheduled to arrive in

Bangladesh today for two day visit. The main purpose of his visit is to ‗deepen‘ relations between the

two countries in the key area of migration, in light of Bangladesh's chairmanship of the Global

Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD), the Swedish embassy has said.

The United States Embassy in Dhaka will launch a series of Facebook chats about the US

elections as part of its Road to the White House initiative. Starting from today and running through

the presidential inauguration in January 2017, the Embassy will host a US expert each month who

will conduct a one-hour Facebook chat on a specific election-related topic. US Ambassador Marcia

Bernicat said this in a statement issued yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,329 points, shedding 0.24

percent or 10.67 points yesterday.

Mohammad Ishtaque Hossain

For Principal Information Officer Ph : 9546091





DHAKA MOST URGENT FROM: PIO, PID, Dhaka FOR: BANGLADOOT, ALL MISSIONS Fax: 9540553/9540 MSG: 87/2016 E-mail:

Date: Monday, 09 May 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said most of the army camps in the Chittagong Hill Tracts

have been withdrawn and there will be only four brigades in the area. She said this while speaking at a

function marking the foundation stone-laying of ‗Parbatya Chattagram Complex‘ (Chittagong Hill Tracts

Complex) at the capital's Bailey road. The government will also amend the Land Reform Act, 2001 to

gear up the activities of the CHT Land Reform Commission, she added.

Expressing frustration over a statement made by Pakistan about the apex court verdict on

condemned war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami, Dhaka yesterday asked Islamabad to stop interfering in

Bangladesh's internal affairs. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said this while talking to

the media yesterday.

The government yesterday filed a petition with the Supreme Court (SC) seeking a stay on the High

Court verdict that scrapped the 16th constitutional amendment empowering parliament to impeach its

judges for misconduct or incapacity. The attorney general's office submitted the petition with the SC on

behalf of the government.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) yesterday reshuffled portfolios of its six general managers against the

backdrop of $101 million reserve heist. The central bank on the day issued an office order in this

connection. Meanwhile, BB has taken a new step to put pressure on the Federal Reserve Bank of New

York and SWIFT in a bid to retrieve the $81 million that ended up in the Philippines. As part of the

effort, a delegation led by BB Governor Fazle Kabir left Dhaka yesterday for Switzerland to hold talks

with top officials of SWIFT and the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

The World Bank has provided Tk 800 crore additional funding for further develop and expand

technical education of Bangladesh being implemented by Skills and Training Enhancement Project

(STEP) under the Ministry of Education. In this connection, a launching workshop was organised in

Dhaka yesterday. Minister for Education Nurul Islam Nahid was present at the launching ceremony as the

chief guest.

The Power Development Board (PDB) has taken up a mega project at a cost of around TK 1100

crore in order to bring a radical change in power distribution system in greater Chittagong. The project

includes construction of 1,150-kilometre-long transmission line, facelift of old lines, installation of 14

new substations.

South Korea has donated 130 computers to the ICT Division for distribution among nine

pourasavas of the country, aiming to close the digital gap between rural and urban areas. State Minister

for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak attended the distribution ceremony as the chief guest held at Bangabandhu

International Conference Center (BICC) in Dhaka yesterday.

To conserve and boost marine fish stock, the government this year has decided to impose a ban

on fishing by commercial trawlers in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Bay of Bengal for 65

days from May 20, said a fisheries and livestock ministry's press note yesterday.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) has launched a full-fledged Thalassemia

centre at the outdoor of the university with a coordinated treatment facilities for the thalassemia patients

of the country, said a university release yesterday.

Bangladeshi scientist Prof Habibur Rahman is now the most revered man within the scientific and

the farming fraternities of Canada. He has been working on oilseeds for a long time, and this year, his

perseverance gifted the North American country its long-awaited answer to clubroot, the most significant

disease threat to canola. Canola -- one of world's top traded edible oil -- is Canada's number one cash

crop, fetching the country an annual business of $20 billion. Over a fifth of global canola export volume

comes from Canada. However, in recent years, Canadian canola farmers lost up to one fifth of their

potential yields to the disease.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, increased to 4,340.06 points, adding 0.77 per



for Principal Information Officer Ph: 9546091







Date: Sunday, 08 May 2016 [email protected]


News brief

Describing the Bangladesh tour as productive, US Assistant Secretary of State for

South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal said the trip helped advance

cooperation on countering terrorism and extremism. She tweeted this after returning home

wrapping up her two-day visit to Dhaka.

Aimed at ensuring peace and harmony in the country, Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina's government is dealing with terrorism, militancy and all sorts of criminal

activities with iron hand. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said this to the media on

Friday. He also said a vested quarter is trying to hatch conspiracy in the name of IS

militants to destabilize the country by killing people.

India has approved the setting up of another trade consulate of Bangladesh in

Guwahati, the capital of northeastern state of Assam. Dhaka also proposed to strengthen

its existing trade consulate in Agartala, the capital of Tripura state, as the two countries

agreed to expedite visa clearance in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya state, according to

an official statement.

Bangladesh will participate in the fifth ministerial meeting on D-8 industrial

cooperation to be held in Cairo, Egypt from May 9-11. Industries Minister Amir Hossain

Amu will lead a three-member Bangladesh delegation in the meeting. The delegation

leaves Dhaka for Cairo today, said an official at the industries ministry yesterday.

Turkish entrepreneurs are exploring opportunities in Bangladesh with a view to

strengthening trade relations with Bangladesh, said Halef Ozkurt, President of the Turkey

Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce Industry. He said this while exchanging views with

delegation of Sylhet Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Industry recently.

Voting in the 4th phase election to 703 union parishads in 87 upazilas of the

country's 46 districts concluded yesterday.

In the years before hackers stole $81 million from a Bangladesh central bank account

at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, senior Federal security officials examined the

risk of such an attack -- but judged the prospect unlikely, bank sources said to Reuters.

Banking giant HSBC terms Bangladesh a growth market as the country, with a

booming economy, offers huge business opportunities.

The Chittagong port yesterday opened a modern car parking shed to store imported

vehicles before delivery. Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan inaugurated the Tk 24 crore

parking shed on an area of 1.92 lakh square feet that can accommodate 950 vehicles.

DSEX, the key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, increased by 2.65 per cent, or 111.10

points, over the week to close at 4,306.80 points on Thursday after shedding 247.36

points.


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DHAKA






News brief

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) yesterday

approved 'Padma Bridge rail link' project involving an estimated cost of Tk 34,988.86 crore

in a bid to set up improved rail connectivity between the capital and the southwestern part of

the country through the Padma Bridge. The approval came from the ECNEC meeting of the

current fiscal year held at the NEC conference room with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in

the chair.

A red carpet was rolled out as Kuwait Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-

Hamad Al-Sabah arrived in the city yesterday on a three-day official visit at the invitation of

his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina.

A small high-profile team of the International Criminal Police Organization,

INTERPOL, has arrived in Dhaka from their regional headquarters in Singapore yesterday, to

assist the Criminal Investigation Department in their investigation into the $101milion stolen

from the Bangladesh Bank reserve with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York early

February.

Stressing on the need for strengthening the bilateral relationship, new High

Commissioner of Malaysia to Bangladesh Nur Ashikin Mohd Taib said that she will work for

enhancing the bilateral ties further between Malaysia and Bangladesh in the coming days.

She made the remarks at a reception programme organised by the Bangladesh-Malaysia

Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Dhaka on Monday.

World Bank (WB) yesterday held out the assurance to support shipping ministry in its

different developmental activities including, the dredging project of Dhaka-Chittagong-

Ashuganj water way, capacity building of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority

(BIWTA), development of 14 launch terminals, four passenger terminals and construction of

two cargo terminals. WB Country Director to Bangladesh Qimiao Fan yesterday gave the

assurance to the Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan at a meeting at secretariat.

Newly appointed Ambassador of Thailand to Bangladesh Panpimon Suwannapongse

presented her credentials to President Md. Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban yesterday.

US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal

will arrive in Dhaka today for a two day official visit to Bangladesh. While in Dhaka, she

will meet with government officials to discuss the broader bilateral relationship and issues of

shared concern regarding security, according to a media note issued yesterday by the Office

of the Spokesperson in Washington DC.

Singapore authorities have arrested eight Bangladeshi workers on militancy charge in

April, said the Singapore home ministry on its website.

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday handed death sentences to four war

crimes accused from Karimganj, Kishoreganj and life term until death to another. They were

found guilty of committing various crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, rose by 2.41 per cent, or 100.77

points, to close the day at 4,272.17 points yesterday.

Mahfuzur Rahman for Principal Information Officer

Ph: 9546091





DHAKA






News brief

The Cabinet meeting endorsed two drafts of agreements that would be ratified soon between the

governments of Bangladesh and Kuwait. Of those, one would be signed between the two countries for

promotion and reciprocal protection of investment of the Kuwait government in Bangladesh and another

would be signed for allowing visa exemption for the diplomats, government officials and special passport

holders. The approval was given at the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at the Bangladesh

Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Kuwait‘s Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah arrives in Dhaka today on a

three-day official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. During his visit, the two prime

ministers will discuss ways of increasing cooperation in trade and investment, defence, manpower, visa-

free travel arrangements for diplomats and officials and some common interests relating to regional and

international aspects, the foreign ministry said yesterday.

Stressing the importance of ensuring the basic rights of workers, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on

Sunday urged all to show proper respect to workers and farmers. Terming workers and farmers of the

country as the main force for the country‘s economy, she said their efforts will keep the economy vibrant

and make it run properly. She was speaking at a programme at Bangabandhu International Conference

Centre observing May Day organised by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The new government in Myanmar will proceed with an approach of resolving all the problems

through ‗discussions‘ in a ‗peaceful‘ manner with Bangladesh, as the ruling National League for

Democracy (NLD) values Myanmar‘s all neighbours with equal respect. U Tin Oo, veteran patron of

NLD, said to the Bangladesh media, at the party office yesterday.

China is the largest apparel supplier having a 41 percent global market share; Bangladesh is the

second largest with a 6.4 percent share. Bangladesh is likely to be benefitted from the shift of work orders

from China, as the economic giant is losing its market share due to higher costs of production. The WB

Bangladesh office shared the findings of the study at a seminar at the Bangladesh Institute of

Development Studies (BIDS) in Dhaka.

Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen has approved a five-year programme for Denmark's

development partnership with Bangladesh. The programme is aligned to the Bangladeshi Government's

7th Five-Year Plan that sets out the course for the country's journey towards Middle-income status.

Danish Ambassador in Dhaka Hanne Fugl Eskjaer said this in a statement on Sunday.

An initiative was launched in Dhaka yesterday to improve the overseas employment policy and

strengthen public and private institutions so as to ensure decent work for Bangladeshi migrant workers.

The Application of Migration Policy for Decent Work for Migrant Workers project, executed by the

International Labour Organization (ILO) and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and

Cooperation (SDC), will run until March 2018. A further three-year phase is likely with a total budget of

USD 7.25 million until 2021. The initiative will be implemented in close collaboration with the Ministry

of Expatriates‘ Welfare and Overseas Employment along with workers‘ and employers‘ organisations.

Finance Minister Abul Mal Abdul Muhith has said that the government is committed to bring those

involved in the Bangladesh Bank cyber heist to book. He gave the statement in response to a tabled

question in the Parliament yesterday.

State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak has urged the US IT companies to invest in

Bangladesh‘s information technology (IT) sector availing themselves of attractive incentive packages for

investing in the country‘s IT parks. He made the call at a roundtable discussion held in New York on

Friday, according to a message received here from New York yesterday.

Bangladesh will reject another cargo of 50,000 tonnes Russian wheat on concerns over the quality of

grains after refusing two cargoes previously, a senior official said yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, declined 0.57 per cent, or 24.29 points, to close at

4,171.40 points yesterday.


Ph: 9546091





DHAKA




Date: Thursday, 28 April 2016 [email protected]


News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday stressed the need for speedy implementation of the

Fast Track projects saying that the country's overall development depends on proper and

successful implementation of those. Strongly denouncing the recent killings, she also said such

killings are being carried out in a planned way to destabilise the country. She said this while

presiding over the 4th meeting of the Fast Track project monitoring committee at her office.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the hacking of money from Bangladesh central

bank's account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York will have no impact on the country's

economy in the long run. She said this while responding to a question from Awami League MP

KM Jahangir in Parliament during her question-answer session.

US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat yesterday said what has been happening here in

Bangladesh is not the 'characteristics' of Bangladesh at all as it has a long tradition of tolerance,

free speech and certainly the diversity of religions and cultures. She said this while connecting

by CNN live through Skype from Dhaka yesterday to know her reactions on the recent killings.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and US President Barack Obama have institutionalized

Dhaka-Washington bilateral relations paving ways for holding partnership dialogue, security and

military dialogues and trade and investment dialogue on regular basis for mutual benefit of the

two nations. Mohammad Ziauddin, Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA, made the remarks

while delivering a lecture on 'Bangladesh's Policy Priorities and Its Relationships with the United

States and Regional Power' at Harvard Kennedy School of Government on Tuesday, according

to a message received in Dhaka from Washington DC yesterday.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu yesterday urged the entrepreneurs of United States to

invest in the country‘s Ready Made Garments (RMG), fuel, electricity and infrastructure

development sectors saying Bangladesh offers most flexible investment policy. He said this

while addressing as the chief guest at an international seminar on 'Sustainable SME

Development in Bangladesh' at Harvard University in US.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $30 million loan to BRAC Bank to

finance the construction and upgrading of Ready Made Garment (RMG) factories in Bangladesh.

The initiative comes as part of the steps the country has taken to meet globally agreed standards

for structural improvements, and worker rights and safety in RMG sector. Following approval

from the Manila-based lender‘s board, ADB and BRAC Bank have reached a loan agreement to

this end, said a release yesterday.

State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque Chunnu yesterday said as part of

a massive campaign for industrial safety since the Rana Plaza tragedy three years ago, the

government so far ensured safety of 3,046 RMG units across the country. He said this to the

media at secretariat office.

Ambassadors of Slovenia, Kyrgyzstan, Hungary and Greece to Bangladesh separately

presented their credentials to President Md. Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban yesterday. All the

non-resident envoys are Jozef Drofenik of Slovenia, Samargiul Adamkulova of Kyrgyzstan,

Gyula Petho of Hungary and Panos Kalogeropoulos of Greece. Welcoming the ambassadors, the

President mentioned the socio-economic development of Bangladesh and said foreign trade is

now gradually increasing here.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, nosedived to almost a one-year low of

4,238.94 points, shedding 1.003 per cent or 42.98 points.


Ph: 9546091





DHAKA




Date: Wednesday, 27 April 2016 [email protected]


News brief

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) yesterday approved the

cross-border road network improvement project involving an estimated cost of Tk 2,472.93 crore,

aiming to ensure uninterrupted and safe regional and sub-regional road communication systems. The

approval came at the 28th ECNEC meeting of the current fiscal year held at the NEC conference

room with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali has met his Saudi counterpart Adel bin Al-Jubeir and

discussed various issues of mutual interest. They exchanged views on bilateral issues as well as

regional and international issues of mutual interest, at the meeting held at the Saudi Foreign Office

on Monday, said a Foreign Ministry statement in Dhaka yesterday.

Policymakers and business leaders from Bangladesh yesterday reiterated the country‘s potential

as a top investment destination after China and India. The necessary conditions for taking off the

Bangladesh economy have been created, said Finance Minister AMA Muhith in his keynote speech

at the fourth Bangladesh Investment Summit, Asia, held at Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Hong Kong.

The Asian garment and textile sector has been growing fast and will continue to do so in the

next four years, where the retail value of garment and textile consumption in just India and China

will be more than double to $750 billion by 2020, from approximately $300 billion at present. So

Bangladesh should focus on the growing Asian apparel market, said a Swiss textile expert Christian

P Schindler. He was in Dhaka to discuss the global textile and garment industry with Bangladeshi

spinners and weavers on Sunday.

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between eGeneration, a leading IT consulting and

technology based company, and UAE based company Spider Digital Innovations was signed for

improving information security ecosystem in Bangladesh. Chief Business Development Officer of

eGeneration Monowar Hossain Khan and Chief Innovation Officer of Spider Digital Innovations

Kazi Monirul Kabir signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations.

Bangladesh and Germany have vowed to work together to address the ‗scourge‘ of terrorism and

violent extremism terming those as global problems. Both the countries exchanged views on the

ongoing refugee and migration crisis focusing on Europe and further discussed migration and

mobility within the context of the upcoming Summit on Global Forum for Migration and

Development to be held in Dhaka in December this year. The issues came up for discussions at the

foreign office consultation between Bangladesh and Germany held at the federal ministry of foreign

affairs in Berlin on Monday.

Philippine‘s department of justice yesterday assured that the money stolen by hackers from the

Bangladesh Bank will be returned as soon as possible but procedures have to be followed.

Department of justice acting justice secretary Emmanuel Caparas said this after the ambassador from

the Bangladeshi government visited him, Philippine daily inquirer reported.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday said tough actions will be taken against any

attempt to hike essential prices by creating artificial crisis in the market during the month of

Ramadan. He said this to parliament while responding to a supplementary question of lawmaker

Mamtaz Begum.

Expressing concern over the rise in murders and violent attacks in Bangladesh, the US, the UN,

the UK, Germany, Norway and Denmark have called for effective and speedy investigations into the

incidents to bring the perpetrators to justice.

DSEX, the key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, lost 0.91 per cent, or 39.69 points, to close the

day at 4,281.93 points yesterday.


Ph: 9546091





GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH DHAKA




Date: Tuesday, 26 April 2016 [email protected]


News brief

The Cabinet approved the draft of 'The Supreme Court Judges (Investigation) Bill, 2016' having

provisions to investigate the allegation of 'misconduct' by the judges of the High Court and the

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court and impeach them by parliament. The approval was given

at the regular weekly meeting of the cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina in the chair yesterday.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has said that 146 Bangladeshis were killed along

borders with India by the neighbouring country's border guard BSF and civilians in the past four

years. He said this in reply to a question in Parliament yesterday.

Chief Executive Officer of Bangladesh International Arbitration Centre Muhammad A.

Rumee Ali signed a Co-operation Agreement with Vu Anh Duong, Secretary General of Vietnam

International Arbitration Centre (VIAC) in Hanoi, Vietnam on Thursday. This Cooperation

Agreement is intended to explore areas for co-operation in respect of the use of facilities and services

of both the centres on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), the BIAC said in a statement.

UK-based global financial consultancy giant, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), last week opened

its office in Dhaka on being attracted by Bangladesh's vibrant economic activities and dynamic

workforce to provide professional services in areas of advisory and taxation. On the day of

inauguration, Chairman of PwC Bangladesh Deepak Kapoor shared the company's vision, objectives

and reasons of their footprint in Bangladesh in the context of the emerging economy in an exclusive

interview with the Financial Express.

Players in the denim sector both in home and abroad yesterday said the denim, sub-sector of the

apparel sector in Bangladesh is growing fast and it has huge prospect as famous global brands and

retailers are becoming interested in the Bangladeshi denim products due to competitiveness. They

made the remarks at Bangladesh Denim Expo at International Convention Center at Bashundhara

city sin Dhaka.

The country‘s foreign exchange reserve crossed US$ 29 billion mark for the first time.

The attackers who stole $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank probably hacked into

software from the SWIFT financial platform that is at the heart of the global financial system, said

security researchers at British defense contractor BAE Systems. SWIFT, a cooperative owned by 3,000

financial institutions, confirmed to Reuters that it was aware of malware targeting its client software.

The government has appointed Dr Muhammed Sadique as the new chairman of

the Public Service Commission (PSC). The public administration ministry issued an order yesterday

in this regard.

Bangladesh has a huge young and productive workforce that will continue to increase until 2030

and can contribute to dramatic socio-economic development. After 2030, the share of aged population

would go up to create pressure on the fiscal management, according to the UNDP's Asia-Pacific

Human Development Report 2016, which will be released today in the capital.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dhaka University (DU) and Third Institute of

Oceanography (TIO) of State Oceanic Administration (SOA), China was signed yesterday.

Bangladesh has climbed to the 5th

place in the ODI rankings, Bangladesh Cricket Board President

Nazmul Hassan has said on his return from the ICC meeting.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, lost 0.38 per cent, or 16.16 points, to close at


Dr. Mohammed Hannan for Principal Information Officer

Ph: 9546091








Date: Monday, 25 April 2016 [email protected]


News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government is making constant strides to reach

the immigration and passport services to the doorstep of the people. In this regard, she said the

government is working to make the country's immigration and passport procedure completely

modern through introducing safe travel documents including electronic passport. She said this while

inaugurating 'Passport Seba Saptaha-2016' and new buildings of 10 divisional and regional passport

and visa offices at a function at the Department of Immigration and Passport (DIP) office in the

capital. The newly inaugurated passport offices are -- Dhaka Divisional Passport and Visa office and

regional passport offices in Kishoregonj, Manikganj, Brahmanbaria, Patuakhali, Feni, Munshiganj,

Kushtia, Pabna and Dinajpur.

The government has cut the prices of octane and petrol by Tk 10 a litre and diesel and kerosene

by Tk 3 per litre to pass on to consumers the benefit of low fuel prices on the international market.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral resources Nasrul Hamid said this to the media at the

secretariat yesterday.


commodities are adequate and it will continue in the month of Ramzan. He was addressing at a

review meeting with the businessmen and leaders of the trade bodies on supply, price and stock of

the essential commodities at the ministry conference room, according to release.

Acknowledging tangible progress on the ground, the European Union (EU) has said it will remain

closely engaged to bring lasting improvement to Bangladesh‘s garment industry and helping to spur

prosperity into Bangladesh through EU‘s open market, according to a message received here from

Brussels.

Hundreds of rural women of five northern districts will get a comprehensive training so they

could find their desired jobs in the country‘s readymade garment (RMG) sector. The training is

designed under the World Bank (WB) supported Northern Areas Reduction-of-Poverty Initiative

(NARI) project, which aims to economically empowers poor and vulnerable women from the

northwestern region by facilitating their access to jobs in apparel sector.

The government yesterday launched a health call centre to give health services to people across

the country over telephone. Now people would be able to get health advice and other services by

calling 16263 anytime and from anywhere. Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim

formally inaugurated the health call centre at a function at the conference centre of the health

ministry. He said the inauguration of the government call centre was one more epoch-making

initiative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to reach health services to the doorsteps of the people.

State Minister for Finanace and Planning MA Mananan said yesterday it may take time to bring

back the stolen reserve money from the Philippines. He said this to the media yesterday at

Bangladesh Secretariat.

SIMs and RUIMs which will remain unregistered after April 30 will be deactivated shortly after

the deadline, said State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim yesterday. She

said this to a rally at Dhaka University's TSC.

Three people, including a Myanmar national, were arrested with 1,200 pieces of Yaba tablets,

worth around Tk 3 lakh, in Mohajonghat area of Chittagong city yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, dropped 0.04 per cent or 2.09 points to close at

4,338.24 points.

Dr. Mohammed Abdul Hannan for Principal Information Officer

Ph: 9546091








Date: Sunday, 24 April 2016 [email protected]


News brief Bangladesh has signed the historic Paris Climate Agreement, aiming to take various measures to save the

world from the disastrous consequences of climate change. Some 175 countries, including China and the

USA, signed the deal at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday. Environment and Forests Minister

Anwar Hossain Manju signed the agreement on behalf of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has urged the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to serve as a platform for meeting the

demand for energy and also to increase share of renewable one in energy mix. Bangladesh also observed that

through the ISA countries could collaborate to plough substantial amount of investment required for

development and transfer of solar technology. ‗Huge energy inequality exists among and within countries,‘

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said while addressing the ministerial meeting of the International Solar

Alliance (ISA) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, on Friday. He is now in the US city to

attend Paris Agreement signing ceremony.

Bhutanese Foreign Minister Lyonpo Damcho Dorji arrived in the northern divisional city Rangpur

yesterday on a three-day visit to boost bilateral ties with Bangladesh. During the visit, he would join a number

of meetings in Bangladesh to enhance cooperation in socioeconomic field with different institutions including

chamber body, medical college and university.

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) is going to set up an aviation wing at Baitul Ijjat in Bandarban

district aimed at combating cross-border terrorism and ensuring security at unguarded border with Myanmar.

To set up the aviation wing for the paramilitary force, 84 posts in different categories including a post of

Deputy Director General and seven posts of directors have already been approved by the secretary committee

on administrative affairs recently.

Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited the Padma bridge project site

yesterday at the invitation of Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader. The high commissioner

noted the progress achieved in the construction of the bridge, completion of which would increase the GDP of

the country and significantly reduce the travel time from western Bangladesh and India to Dhaka and other

parts of the country.

Tripura Power Minister Manik Dey yesterday agreed to provide Bangladesh another 100 megawatts

(MW) of electricity, on condition that the federal government maintains a steady gas supply to the project in

Sepahijala district generating it. Bangladesh has been getting 100MW since March 23 from a project in

Gomati district and recently wrote to the Indian government seeking 100MW more from Tripura.

Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet are ranked among the 20 cities most vulnerable to earthquakes, said a

press release referring to the observations of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the

Comprehensive Disaster Management Project (CDMP). Revealed in a joint seminar of JICA and Public

Works Department (PWD), it was informed that an estimated 22 million inhabitants of these cities are in

extremely vulnerable condition.

State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Tarana Halim yesterday said her ministry has written to

the Finance Ministry to review the tax and VAT structures on mobile handsets and accessories, with a

particular view to making smartphones affordable for all and promoting local manufacturers. She said this

while addressing a roundtable seminar on 'Mobile Handset and its Role in Building Digital Bangladesh' in the

capital.

Haoliang Xu, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Director, UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia

and the Pacific, arrived in the capital yesterday on a four-day visit. His visit marks the celebrations of the 50

year anniversary of UNDP around the world and over 40 years of UNDP support in Bangladesh. This is his

third visit to Bangladesh and the UNDP is looking towards a more strategic partnership with Bangladesh as it

rapidly emerges as a middle-income country, said a press statement.

Journalist Shafik Rehman had direct contact with convicted former FBI agent Robert Lustyk and Rehman

can be put on trial in the US for his involvement in obtaining documents through bribery, said Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy in a Facebook post on Friday.

Bangladesh pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman proved his worth once again and his magical spell helped

Sunrisers Hyderabad post third successive win in IPL 2016 yesterday against Kings XI Punjab at the Rajiv

Gandhi International Stadium, reports IPLT20.com.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, dropped 1.55 per cent or 68.30 points over the week to

close at 4,340.34 points on Thursday.


Ph: 9546091








Date: Thursday, 21 April 2016 [email protected]


News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday stressed for taking more initiatives so that the country‘s poor

and meritorious students have a greater access to education. She said this while presiding over the 3rd meeting

of the Advisory Council of her Education Assistance Trust Fund.

The cabinet committee on public purchase approved yesterday a total of eight projects involving over Tk

9.20 billion that include rebuilding of Chinki Astana-Ashuganj railway track lines. Finance Minister AMA

Muhith presided over the meeting at the Cabinet Division of Bangladesh Secretariat.

Dhaka has sought a detailed report from New Delhi on India-Nepal river-linking project, fearing that

diversion of waters upstream of the Himalayan river Sharda may hit Bangladesh hard, a lower riparian

country. The water resources ministry last week expressed worry to its Indian counterpart through the

diplomatic channel. The ministry also conveyed its concern that Bangladesh would not get its due share of

waters from the Ganges under the 1996 water sharing treaty with India if the Indian plan to divert Sharda

waters was executed.

Bangladesh has moved two notches up to the 144th place among 180 countries in this year's World Press

Freedom Index. Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), in its flagship annual report released yesterday.

The United States provided assistance to Bangladesh in its investigation that unearthed the plot to abduct

and kill Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's son in the US, a senior American official has said, a day after the

police claimed to have uncovered the conspiracy. The comment was made in response to a query about reports

that the justice department and the FBI provided evidence of links of opposition BNP mouthpiece Amar Desh

editor Mahmudur Rahman to the plot to kill Hasina's son Sajib Wazed Joy.

A three-member government panel probing the $101 million Bangladesh Bank (BB) heist submitted its

interim report yesterday. Former BB governor Mohammed Farashuddin, who led the panel, handed the report

to Finance Minister AMA Muhith at the secretariat.

The World Bank now mulls over adjoining cyber-security issues with its next couple of financial-sector

projects in Bangladesh as the central bank heist rang out a wake-up call. Economic Relations Division (ERD)

officials said yesterday a WB appraisal mission is now in Dhaka to meet the Bangladesh Bank, Banking and

Financial Institution Division and the ERD during its nine-day visit for a firsthand view of the two proposed

projects for state-owned banks and insurance sector.

Korean Ambassador in Dhaka Ahn Seong-Doo yesterday inaugurated the Saemaul Communities Centre

in Nalka Union of Raiganj Upazila of Sirajganj district. The Saemaul Communities Centre has been

established with financial support from Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the Grant Aid

Agency of Korean government, in collaboration with UN WFP and Partner Organisation GNB under the

‗Saemaul Zero Hunger Communities Project‘, said a press release.

Bangladesh can earn more than Tk 100 crore annually by developing its agarwood sector and exporting

agar products abroad, according to officials of Bangladesh Forest Research Institute (BFRI). BFRI organised

the workshop on ‗Agarwood cultivation and Agar Industry Development‘ at CIRDAP auditorium in the

capital yesterday.

India is seeking high premium rate to export diesel through the 130-kilometre cross-border pipeline from

Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) in Assam to Parbatipur fuel depot in Bangladesh.

State-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) held meetings with an NRL delegation on April 18-19 in

the presence of State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid and Indian State Minister for Petroleum

and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan to settle the premium.

US army Pacific contingent is expected to arrive in Bangladesh to join the first ever biggest multinational

exercise on earthquake, to be held in the country‘s three highly vulnerable cities by the end of September this

year, defense officials said. Armed forces division(AFD)of Bangladesh defense was tasked to organise the

total exercise in Dhaka, port city of Chittagong and Sylhet, drawing participants from 12 foreign countries

including USA, UK, Japan, Chile, Malaysia, Turkey, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives

respectively, they added.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, finished at 4,359.39 points, adding just 0.04 per cent or

1.76 points yesterday.


Ph: 9546091











News brief

The government has revised a project to lay a 129-km rail track from Dohazari to Gundum near

Myanmar border via Cox's Bazar at a cost of Tk 18,034 crore. The revised project would connect Bangladesh

with the Trans-Asian Railway, a network across Europe and Asia, and boost the country's trade with

Myanmar, China and Thailand. The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec)

yesterday approved the project titled 'Construction of Single Line Dual Gauge Railway Track from Dohazari

to Cox's Bazar via Ramu, and Ramu to Gundum near Myanmar'. The approval came at the ECNEC meeting

held at the NEC conference room at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the city with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the

chair.

Bangladesh has reiterated its support for an independent and sovereign Palestine state and the legitimate

movement for self-rule of the Palestinian people. Bangladesh Ambassador and Permanent Representative to

United Nations (UN) Masud Bin Momen expressed the support at a daylong open discussion at UN General

Assembly (UNGA) in New York on the Palestine and Middle East situation on Monday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government will not allow anyone to set up industries

indiscriminately destroying farmlands and forests. She said this at Krishibid Institution, Bangladesh in Dhaka.

Eastern Refineries Ltd or ERL yesterday awarded a contract to Engineers India Ltd as a consultant for the

Bangladeshi company in the installation of its second unit. The project involving $1.7 billion will have a

three-million-tonne capacity. Moslem Uddin, director for operations at Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation,

the owning company of ERL, and Upendra Maheswari, executive director for marketing of Engineers India,

signed the agreement in Chittagong. Dharmendra Pradhan, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister of India, and

Nasrul Hamid, State Minister for Energy, Power and Mineral Resources, were also present at the ceremony.

Police yesterday claimed journalist Shafik Rehman admitted having more than one meeting in the US

with those allegedly involved in a 'conspiracy' against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy.

Additional Commissioner Monirul Islam of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said this to the media at the DMP

media centre.

Casino junket operator Kim Wong has returned another P200 million ($4.34 million) to the Anti-Money

Laundering Council (AMLC), which was believed to be a part of the alleged $81million stolen funds from

Bangladesh's central bank. AMLC Executive Director Julia Bacay-Abad confirmed during yesterday

resumption of the hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee that Wong's company, Eastern Hawaii Leisure

Co Ltd through its lawyers, turned over the money to their office 'for safekeeping' on Monday.

Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam B.Sc. yesterday appreciated the

labour wing officials of Bangladesh missions abroad for upholding interests of migrant workers and protecting

and expanding country's labour market. He made the appreciation at a consultative workshop joined by former

labour wing officers at the Ministry for Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment in Dhaka, said an

official release.

Fitch, a leading global credit rating agency, has maintained its 'BB-' rating for Bangladesh, due to its

foreign currency earnings and high and stable real economic growth. Strong and relatively stable foreign

currency revenue from remittances and garment exports support the external balances and overall credit

profile, the New York-based agency said yesterday.

The fourth edition of Bangladesh Denim Expo will begin in Dhaka on April 25 to showcase the latest

denim products. A total of 49 companies from 13 countries will showcase their products at the two-day fair to

be held at International Convention City Bashundhara. Of the participating companies, 37 are from countries

such as India, Pakistan, Thailand, Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Japan and Singapore, according to a

statement from the organiser of the show.

Robi, the third largest mobile operator in Bangladesh, yesterday rolled out free Wi-Fi services on 100

buses and 100 taxicabs to provide high-speed internet to its subscribers.

A three-day workshop on ‗International Trade Finance, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Logistics and

Business Development‘ will begin in Vietnam from April 21 for Bankers from Bangladeshi Banks.

International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh and Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry are jointly

organising the workshop, according to a press release.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, dropped by 0.76 per cent, or 33.78 points, to close at



Ph: 9546091










News brief The Cabinet yesterday approved a draft bill for setting up an institute, aiming to innovate new

varieties of crops through research and applying nuclear techniques. The approval to 'The

Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) Research Bill, 2016' came from the weekly

regular meeting of the Cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in

the chair.

The government is going to scrap the traditional tender floating system and introduce a full-

fledged online tendering method for all public purchases from December, said planning ministry

officials.

Dhaka and New Delhi yesterday signed an agreement to set up a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)

handling plant in Chittagong to meet the growing energy demand in Bangladesh and north-eastern

India. Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) inked a

memorandum of understanding in Dhaka. New Delhi had made the proposal for the LPG plant.

Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) is set to import 1.3 crore barrels of petroleum

products from two Singapore-based entities, a move which will save the government $1 per barrel.

The deal will be carried out under the new petroleum policy, which has made open bidding

mandatory for 50 percent of the country's petroleum imports. Emirates National Oil (Singapore) and

Unipec Singapore have landed the job of supplying 1.3 crore barrels of petroleum products by

offering the lowest premium rate, said a BPC official.

Internet connections rose 37 percent year-on-year to 6.13 crore in the first quarter this year,

according to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission. Mobile internet accounts for

more than 94 percent of the total connections.

Bangladesh has expressed deep shock at the casualties and destructions following the recent

devastating earthquake that shook Ecuador. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said this in a

message yesterday to his Ecuadorian counterpart Charles Flanagan.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said a conspiracy to abduct and kill her son Sajeeb

Wazed Joy was unearthed in the United States, and the names of Shafik Rehman and Mahmudur

Rahman came up in this connection in a US court. She was said this at a discussion at the Krishibid

Institution, Bangladesh (KIB), organised by the Awami League to mark the historic Mujibnagar Day.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) claims to have identified 20 foreign nationals

involved in the $101 million cyber theft from the Bangladesh Bank account with the New York

Federal Reserve Bank. The CID official came up with the statement a couple of days after two CID

teams returned from the Philippines and Sri Lanka with their findings on the cyber heist.

SWIFT, which provides the network through which banks make international transfers, has

warned its user banks in Bangladesh on the potential cyber threats as a result of the weak IT

infrastructure in the country.

A mobile testing laboratory for waste water and sludge generated by effluent treatment plants in

the readymade garment (RMG) factories was inaugurated in the capital yesterday, aiming to help

reduce pollution. The laboratory is equipped with sampling and measuring instruments and

accessories and offers on-the-spot testing and sampling services for washing, dyeing and finishing

plants in the RMG sector. During the inauguration of the lab, the keys to the vehicle were handed

over to Bratin Roy, vice president, TÜV SÜD Bangladesh, by Deputy Head of the Embassy of

Germany in Dhaka Dr Ferdinand von Weyhe.

A Bangladesh national was gunned down by members of Indian Security Force (BSF) in

Behular Char area of Rowmari border point in Roumari upazila, Kurigram on Sunday.

The key index of the bourse, DSEX, fell marginally by 0.04 per cent, or 1.92 points, to close at



Ph: 9546091











News brief Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday sought support and cooperation from all the

neighbouring countries in her government's efforts to make Bangladesh a developed country. She

came up with the call when visiting Indian Minister of State on Independent Charge for

Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan met her at her official residence Ganobhaban.

On the other hand, Mr. Pradhan has said his country is ready to build an oil pipeline with

Bangladesh for boosting cooperation in energy sector and the sector as a key area of cooperation

between the two neighbouring countries

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed deep shock over the loss of human lives and

massive destructions following the earthquake at Kumamoto and southern Japan. She wrote this

in a condolence message to her Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday said the government has already ensured the

rights of all workers, especially in Ready Made Garments (RMG) sector aiming to create a

congenial environment in factories and accelerate the economy as well. He said this to the media

at his secretariat office.

The government has formed a high-powered monitoring committee to oversee

implementation of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) project and assist in providing overall

security in the project area. The Cabinet Division issued a notification yesterday, signed by its

Additional Secretary Maksudur Rahman Patwari in this connection.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) has sought assistance from the World Bank in retrieving $81 million

from Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation as its private sector arm, the International Finance

Corporation, has equity investment in the Filipino lender. The request was made when Kevin

Stephenson, a senior financial sector specialist at the Financial Market Integrity Unit of the WB,

and Priyani Malik, a financial sector specialist of the IFC, met BB Governor Fazle Kabir in

Dhaka yesterday. Meanwhile, BB has decided not to file suit against the New York Federal

Reserve Bank of the US and the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, Philippines (RCBC),

according to a source.

Western Union and bKash, in collaboration with MasterCard, yesterday launched

international remittance receiving service through which Bangladeshis living abroad can send

money directly to the recipient‘s bKash account.

Bangladesh is expected to be world‘s 23rd economy within next 35 years, hope many

international agencies, according to a special report published by the vernacular Indian

newspaper, The Anandabazar, in its online version yesterday. It said Bangladesh has emerged as

surprise to many, including the World Bank, IMF, Asian Development Bank, who predicted a 6

percent GDP growth at best.

Walton brand products are receiving good response from the foreign visitors at the ongoing

5-day long 119th China Import and Export namely Canton Fair-2016, the world‘s largest expo

for electronics products that began at Guangzhou province in China on April 15.

Along with the Chinese visitors, a good number of entrepreneurs from Asia, Middle East, Africa,

America, Europe and Australia are showing their keen interest to import the ‗Made in

Bangladesh‘ labeled Walton products in their countries due to some distinctive features like

world-class quality, eye-catching designs and colours, and reasonable rates.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, fell by 0.34 per cent, or 15.29 points, to

close at 4,393.34 points yesterday.

Mohammad Ishtaque Hossain for Principal Information Officer

Ph: 9546091










News brief

The nation celebrates today the historic Mujibnagar Day, commemorating the formation of the

provisional government of Bangladesh in 1971. On April 17, 1971, senior leaders of Awami League led

by Tajuddin Ahmed gathered at Baidyanathtala at Meherpur, Kushtia formed the provisional government

of Bangladesh.

Pahela Baishakh – the 1st day of Bengali New Year, was celebrated on Thursday with much

enthusiasm. But unlike the previous years there was a huge campaign against the invented must-have-

hilsa culture, particularly by the social media. And it worked well.

Japanese investors are eager to be part of Bangladesh's development drive on a higher scale as a

Bangladesh-Japan public-private joint economic dialogue in Tokyo offered them a new impetus. Such a

note of optimism was carried in an official statement issued in Dhaka yesterday on the business dialogue

that concluded Friday in Tokyo. Principal Secretary of Prime Minister's Office Md Abul Kalam Azad led

the second-of-its-kind dialogue from Bangladesh side while Takayuki Ueda, Vice Minister for

International Affairs of METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry), from the host side.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University (BSMRMU) signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with Indian Maritime University on Friday. Vice-Chancellor of BSMR Maritime

University Rear Admiral ASM Abdul Baten and Vice-Chancellor of Indian Maritime University Shri K

Ashok Vardhan Shetty signed the MoU on their respective side. Indian Minister of Shipping, Road

Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Jayram Gadkari was present on the occasion.

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has asked all the ministries and departments to provide information

on their steps taken to build digital Bangladesh, officials said. The MoF has recently sent a letter to the

ministries and departments seeking the information by April 30, 2016. Indian Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan

arrives in Dhaka today on a three-day visit. Several proposals for cooperation both in the private and

public sector, including petroleum, LPG and LNG sectors are under consideration of the two sides. He,

arriving here at the invitation of his Bangladesh counterpart Nasrul Hamid, will be accompanied by a

high-level delegation, according to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka.

Some 183 more rural households, including three commercial and four charitable establishments, got

new power connections in five villages under Bagha upazila in Rajshahi on Friday. For the purpose, local

office of Rural Electrification Board (REB) installed 2.50 kilometers of power distribution line and nine

transformers at a cost of Tk 5 million. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, inaugurated the

power supply schemes at Pakuria, Kishorepur, Alaipur, Bazubagha and Chandipur villages under Pakuria

Union Parishad.

For the first time in the history of the country‘s paramilitary force, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB),

retired army officials up to the ranks of Captain and Major, are going to be appointed on a contractual

basis for two years to fill up a number of vacant posts of field-level officials soon, top officials in the

BGB and the Home Ministry said.

The Detective Branch of police arrested journalist Shafik Rehman from his Eskaton residence in

Dhaka on Saturday morning. The 82-year-old journalist was later remanded in custody for five days for

interrogation in a case filed on May 31, 2015 on charge of ‗plotting to abduct and kill Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina‘s son Sajeeb Wajed Joy three years ago in the United States.

Bangladesh Tourism Board has started to train youths of Sundarbans region as eco-guide for

ensuring responsible tourism in the world's largest mangrove forests. Civil Aviation and Tourism

Minister Rashed Khan Menon said this yesterday.

Out of five sites identified by the government for a second nuclear power plant, three are close to the

Sunderbans, said officials. The three sites close to the Sunderbans include Rampal in Bagerhat,

Gangamati in Patuakhali and Mazher Char in Barguna.

The DSE‘s key index, DSEX, lost 0.77 per cent, or 34.42 points, over the week to close at 4,408.64

points on Wednesday.

Mohammad Ishtaque Hossain for Principal Information Officer

Ph: 9546091










News brief The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) yesterday approved the National

Agricultural Technology Programme-2nd Phase (NATP-2) in a bid to improve the overall socio-economic

conditions of farmers and alleviate poverty with an estimated cost of Tk 1,878 crore. The approval came from

the 26th ECNEC meeting of the current fiscal year held at the NEC conference room at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar

in the city with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Bangladesh has called for unity and solidarity among Muslim countries under the Organization of Islamic

Cooperation (OIC) to bring back justice, peace and stability for the Ummah addressing all the challenges.

Foreign Minister Mahmood Ali said this while addressing the foreign ministers‘ meeting of the 13th Islamic

Summit Conference in Istanbul, Turkey yesterday.

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has said India attaches highest importance to its relations with

Bangladesh and the Indian government is determined to further strengthen the relations. He said this when

Health Minister Mohammed Nasim and Environment and Forests Minister Anwar Hossain Manju met him at

Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi yesterday.

Hilsha fish would not be on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina‘s menu during this year‘s celebration of

Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bangla New Year, said a press release yesterday.

The 10th Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between Bangladesh and China was held yesterday when

the two countries reviewed the progress of current cooperation and discussed future areas of collaboration.

Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque and his Chinese counterpart Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Kong

Xuanyou led Bangladesh and the Chinese sides respectively at the bilateral discussion held at state guesthouse

Meghna in the city.

The Ministry of Finance has decided to prop-up nine state-owned ailing banks with huge foreign loans,

giving focus solely on their mounting capital shortfall, installing IT infrastructure and protecting cyber

security. All branches of nine banks across the country, numbering around 8,000, are set to be brought under

the latest shore-up initiative of the government. A credit line of $140 million from the World Bank will

finance the initiative, as the multilateral bank and the finance ministry past week agreed the broad terms and

conditions to shore-up the struggling nine banks.

The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has cancelled her two day visit to Turkey to attend the 13th Islamic

Summit Conference of the Organisation of Islamic Conference.

Bangladesh has made a significant progress in energy management, moving 10 steps up in a major global

energy index, prepared and released by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The Geneva-based global WEF in

its 'Energy Architecture Performance Index (EAPI) 2016' put Bangladesh at 106.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh has allocated a separate scanner for fruits and vegetables at

the Dhaka airport following calls from exporters, many of whom were failing to make their shipments due to

delays in screening since March 21.

The High Court yesterday issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain why they should not

be directed to take necessary steps to recover the stolen money of Bangladesh Bank.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, the Philippine lender implicated in the theft of $81 million from

Bangladesh Bank's foreign reserves, would consider repaying a part of the funds that cannot be recovered, its

President Lorenzo Tan said this to a five-hour Senate hearing in Manila yesterday.

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal yesterday criticised the World Bank, as the global lender in a

report on Sunday lowered Bangladesh's GDP growth forecast to 6.3 percent for the current fiscal year.

Provisional data of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics released last week suggests the growth will be 7.05

percent this fiscal year.

The government should impose carbon tax on petroleum products while fixing their retail prices, in order

to reduce carbon emissions, the World Bank (WB) has said. Country director of the WB Qimiao Fan said this

in a letter to Finance Minister AMA Muhith last month.

The United States has reiterated its support to Bangladeshi bloggers who are at ‗imminent danger‘ by

giving them shelter under ‗humanitarian parole‘, said Mark C Toner, deputy spokesperson, US department of

state, in Washington, DC.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,407.52 points, adding just 0.13 per cent or













News brief

The Cabinet yesterday approved amendments to the National Hajj and Umrah Policy, 2016 and Hajj

Packages, 2016 bringing some major changes in the existing Hajj policy and packages as per the agreements

signed between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. According to the revision, the government will now send a

total of 10,000 pilgrims under the government management to Saudi Arabia instead of 5,000 allotted for

Bangladesh. The approval was given by the regular weekly meeting in the cabinet held at Bangladesh

Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair yesterday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the finance ministry to allocate Tk 1,000 crore to the

textiles and jute ministry for arrear salaries and wages of jute mill workers and modernisation of the state-

owned jute mills to make them profitable. She said this in the regular weekly cabinet meeting at the

secretariat. Out of the total amount, Tk 600 crore will be spent on arrear salaries and wages of the jute mills

employees while the rest on modernising the age-old jute mills owned by Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation.

British Prime Minister David Cameron wrote back to her Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina a couple

of days ago, saying the British government was happy with the improved security at Dhaka airport, a

diplomatic source in Dhaka said this to the media yesterday.

The government yesterday announced cash incentives on exports of furniture and plastic products in a bid

to boost exports. Furniture exporters will get 15 percent and plastic products 10 percent as cash incentive

against their exports based on 'freight on board' value. Bangladesh Bank issued two separate notices in this

regard yesterday. The government will form a high-powered committee aiming at determining the rehabilitation process,

land prices and settling other related issues for implementing series of projects having capacity to generate

8,320MW of electricity at 5579 acres of land at Moheshkhali energy hub upazila in Cox‘s Bazar. The Ministry

of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MoPEMR) yesterday took the decision at a meeting with State

Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid in the chair. Pran, a food processor and agribusiness company, has bagged its maiden $3 million export order from

New Zealand for cassava, a tuber used to produce starch and glucose. Cassava is a staple crop in parts of the

world. It is used much like potato and admired for its versatility in cooking.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali left Dhaka for Turkey yesterday to attend the 13th Islamic Summit

Conference being held in Istanbul.

The Department of Justice is set to start today the preliminary probe on the money laundering charges

against Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito stemming from the

$80.9 million stolen by hackers from the Bangladesh Bank, reports Philstar, a media outlet of the Philippines

yesterday.

Bangladesh has been included in a list of 50 countries for its growth in areas of smartphone uptake,

mobile broadband and high-speed internet access in 2016. The country rank is 49th in Huawei's Global

Connectivity Index 2016.

The US-based computer maker Dell has announced the launching of new data centre solutions for the

local market aiming at what it said making enterprises and workforce ready for the future with upgraded data

centres. In continuation of its ongoing ‗Dell Bangladesh Future-Ready 2016‘ programme in the country, the

computer giant yesterday introduced the new additions to its portfolio of commercial products at a function at

city‘s Bangbandhu International Conference Centre (BICC).

International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based independent organisation, in its latest report released

yesterday suggested Bangladeshi opposition parties to sever ties with political allies who use violence to

destabilise the government. It also suggested opposition to commit to peaceful opposition, including by

preventing party activists from using violence to subvert the political order.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has taken tight security measures throughout the capital, particularly

in Ramna, Suhrawardy Udyan and Shahbagh areas, during Pahela Baishakh celebrations. A large number of

law enforcers, both in uniform and in plainclothes, will be deployed to ensure security on the first day of the

Bangla New year.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,401.78 points, shedding 0.66 per cent or














News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday underscored the need for developing the country's

jail as correction centres so that prisoners could leave their dark past and return to the normal life

after serving their jail terms. She was addressing a function marking the inauguration of the

newly-constructed Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, Dhaka.

The first phase of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) is expected to go for power

generation in 2022 as the government is working relentlessly to complete its construction in

time, Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology M Serajul Huq Khan said this to the

media while a media team visited the project area on Saturday.

Dhaka is likely to seek another tranche of $2,694.24 million (Tk 21,149.75 crore) from

Tokyo to expand the power plant in Matarbari by opening 3rd and 4th units with a combined

capacity to produce 1,200 more megawatts, a top official said yesterday.

Summit Group plans to invest $3 billion to develop the country's primary energy sector as a

need of the time to face future energy challenges. Muhammed Aziz Khan, chairman of the local

conglomerate said this to the media yesterday.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $50 million credit to Bangladesh to help

improve capacity and safety of the local railway system. The Manila-based lender and the

government yesterday signed a loan agreement in this regard at a function at city‘s Economic

Relations Division (ERD). ERD Senior Secretary Mohammad Mejbahuddin and ADB‘s Country

Director Kazuhiko Higuchi signed the loan documents on behalf of their respective sides.

Medtronic, a global medical technology development company, plans to expand its business

in Bangladesh to cater to the growing healthcare industry, said Omar Ishrak, chairman and chief

executive of Medtronic. Medtronic, which operates in more than 155 countries and generates

more than $27 billion in annual revenue, is also interested in setting up an international standard

cardiac training centre in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh's four friends-the USA, Denmark, Brazil and the Netherlands - have joined

hands to inspire Bangladeshi young women 'dream big' and help develop leadership qualities

among them to lead the country in the coming days. US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat, Danish

Ambassador Hanne Fugl Eskjær, Brazilian Ambassador Wanja Campos Da Nobrega and Dutch

Ambassador Leoni Cuelenaere held a joint press conference on the initiative to promote young

women's leadership at the American Club yesterday.

Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) and Cooperatives Minister Engineer

Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the government has taken an initiative to extend the

Hatirjheel project and widen its roads. He said this to the media after a cabinet committee

meeting on the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) at the Secretariat.

The Supreme Court yesterday rejected the review petition against its verdict cancelling a

High Court judgment that acquitted Relief and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain

Chowdhury Maya of graft charges.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, fell by 0.26 per cent, or 11.93 points, to














News brief

Bangladesh Railway (BR) has taken an initiative to upgrade all the rail routes across the country

to double-track ones in a bid to improve its services amid the growing number of train passengers.

Sources at the Bangladesh Railway said 323 km out of 2877.1 km rail lines across the country have

already been made double-track ones. An agreement was recently signed among Bangladesh

Railway and Dohna Engineering Company Ltd. Korea, Oriental consultants Global Company

Limited, Japan, Balaji railroad Systems Ltd, India, and Development Design Consultants Ltd,

Bangladesh, for monitoring the consultation of the 72-km Akhaura-Laksam double-track project.

Transport companies are expanding free WiFi services for the passengers of city buses. Bus

passengers can now enjoy free WiFi on their journey from Mirpur to Motijheel, and Azimpur to

Gazipur, along with several other long routes.

Bangladesh will receive a ship from Malaysia this month for carrying out survey on marine

resources in the Bay of Bengal, officials concerned have said. The ship 'RV Meen Shandhani' has

already started its voyage towards the country from Malaysia. The country had to spend over Tk 65

crore for procuring the ship. Fisheries and Livestock Minister Muhammed Sayedul Hoque, who is

now in Malaysia, inspected the ship at Telukintan seaport of Malaysia yesterday.

Turkish businesses showed an interest in increasing the trade volume between Bangladesh and

Turkey in the field of textile and clothing, saying Bangladesh can be the promising market for good

quality fabrics while Turkey can be an important export destination for value added RMG products.

Business-to-business and government-to-government initiatives are necessary for that to happen.

They said this to the media yesterday.

Granting of duty free – quota free (DFQF) access of Bangladeshi products to the United States

market will help curb the threat of extremism and terrorism in Bangladesh, said Bangladesh

Ambassador to US Mohammad Ziauddin. He made the remarks during a meeting with

Congresswoman Jane Harman, Director, President and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson International

Center for Scholars, a Think Tank in Washington DC, on Friday, according to a press release

forwarded by the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington yesterday.

Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Masud Bin Momen has said the

multi-faceted cooperation of the Armed Forces of Bangladesh and the US is growing. He said this

while a 26-member delegation from US Army War College headed by Colonel Mark Howitz visited

the Mission, said a mission press release.

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) has sought a sum of Tk 22.50 billion from the government to meet

cash incentive/subsidy demands from the local exporters. The central bank has recently sent a letter

to the Ministry of Finance (MoF), seeking the fourth tranche of cash incentive/subsidy. Nepal‘s Agriculture Minister Herible Proshad Gujral expressed his interest to jointly work with

Bangladesh to develop in agricultural sector. He expressed his desire while he was visiting the

Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) in Gazipur on Friday.

Investigation into 35 more cases of crimes against humanity during the War of Liberation in

1971 is going on, senior officer Sanaul Haque of the investigation agency of the International Crimes

Tribunal said this to the media yesterday. Around 650 allegations of crimes against humanity have so

far been submitted to the investigation agency.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed the week at 4,443.07 points on

Thursday, gaining 1.96 per cent, or 58.53 points. Before that, the index had lost 126 points in the

previous three weeks.











Date: Thursday, 07April 2016 [email protected]


News brief

Stressing the importance of providing world-class healthcare facilities in the country, Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government is working to that end so that people do not

have to go abroad for treatment. She said this at a programme after laying the foundation stone of

Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery in the capital.

The World Bank (WB) Group has endorsed a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) to

help Bangladesh achieve its vision of reaching the middle-income country status by 2021 from its

current lower-middle income status, according to a statement issued by the WB yesterday.

Overseas employment rose by more than 75 per cent in the three months to March helped by

higher recruitment by Arab countries, the government said. A total of 190,868 Bangladeshis travelled

abroad with jobs in January-March period of the year, up by 82,159 to 108,709 in the same period of

2015, the state-run Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) statistics showed.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon yesterday said government has taken

a project of Tk 400 crore for expansion of runway of Osmani International Airport in Sylhet. He said

this while exchanging views with the leaders of ATAB (Association of Travel Agents of

Bangladesh) in the region.

A four-day international tourism fair with the participation of eight countries will kick off in the

capital on April 8 to attract more tourists in the country. Bangladesh Monitor, a travel publication,

will organise the fair styled ‗Novoair Dhaka Travel Mart 2016‘ in Dhaka. Novoair, a leading private

airline of the country, is supporting the event as the Title Sponsor while Bangladesh Tourism Board

(BTB) and national carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines as the partners of the fair.

Dhaka has expressed disappointment with Manila over the delay in handing over $5.43 million

of Bangladesh Bank‘s stolen money which was returned by the Philippines casino businessman Kim

Wong. Bangladesh ambassador to the Philippines John Gomes on Tuesday told the Philippines

media that he had already signed an acknowledgement receipt for receiving $5.43 million and made

necessary arrangements to send the money to Bangladesh, but the Philippines authorities were yet to

hand him over the money.

A three-member investigation team of Bangladesh Police left here for Sri Lanka yesterday to

gather information about the sensational money heist from Bangladesh Bank‘s (BB‘s) reserve

account.

A total of 27 Bangladeshi illegal migrants reached home back from the United States yesterday.

Their repatriation process was completed in collaboration with Bangladesh Embassy in Washington

and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a high official said to the media yesterday.

There is no threat to celebrate the programmes on the occasion of Pahela Baishakh, as all-out

security measures have been taken to maintain law and order across the country. Dhaka Metropolitan

Police additional commissioner Monirul Alam said this to the media in the capital on Tuesday.

Top leaders of Sindh, a key province of Pakistan, are keen to improve relations with Bangladesh

and suggested that enhancing trade-ties between the two countries can be a vital step towards

achieving that goal. Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, and Governor Ishratul Ebad,

expressed such identical views while talking to a journalist delegation from Bangladesh in Karachi,

capital of Sindh on Tuesday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, gained 0.09 per cent, or 4.12 points, to close at




Ph: 9546091






MOST URGENT FROM: PIO, PID, Dhaka FOR: BANGLADOOT, ALL MISSIONS Fax: 9540553/9540026 MSG: 67/2016 E-mail: [email protected]

Date: Wednesday, 06 April 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

The GDP (gross domestic product) growth in Bangladesh touched 7.05 percent breaking the

6 percent cycle of economic growth while the per capita income reached USD 1,466 in the

current fiscal year, according to the Bangladesh bureau of Statistics (BBS).

The National Economic Council (NEC) yesterday approved a TK 93.894.68 crore Revised

Annual Development Programme (RADP) for the current fiscal year, including self-financed

projects, down from the original ADP outlay of TK 100996.92 crore apparently due to the slow

pace in implementation. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting held at the

NEC conference room in Dhaka.

Exports accelerated 9.27 percent year-on-year to 2.83 billion dollar in March on the back of

higher shipments of garment, leather and leather goods, and jute and jute goods, according to the

Export Promotion Bureau.

State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid has urged Qatar to set up an LNG

terminal and invest in the country's petrochemicals sector. He made the request when Qatari

Ambassador in Bangladesh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al- Dehaimi called on him at his office in

the Bangladesh Secretariat yesterday.

Casino junket operator Kim Wong promised yesterday that he would return US 9.73 million

dollar of money stolen from Bangladesh Bank's reserve account at New York Federal within 15

to 30 days.

Bangladesh has called on Foreign Envoys to help ensure participation of ministers concerned

and renowned IT firms of their respective countries in the upcoming digital world-2016. The

request was made on Monday at a function styled 'Ambassadors Night' held at the State Guest

House Padma in Dhaka where 26 countries envoys were present.

The government has sought assistance from the European Union (EU) in widening the scope

of safe, orderly and regular migration of Bangladeshi nationals to EU countries. Dhaka made the

call at the first-ever dialogue on migration between Bangladesh and the EU at State Guest House

Meghna yesterday, according to a statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

The United States has highly appreciated Bangladesh's progress in the education sector and

assured of its all-out cooperation in maintaining the achievement in the days to come. Both the

countries also agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation in

the education sector. The issue came up for discussion when US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia

Bernicat met Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid at the latter's office yesterday.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday got bail in five cases, including a sedition case.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, fell by 0.49 percent, or 21.93 points, to

close at 4,409.72 points.








Date: Tuesday, 05April 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

The cabinet yesterday asked all concerned to relocate their business establishments from the

residential buildings in the capital and other cities in six months. It asked the authorities to disconnect

utility services including power and water supplies to the business establishments and cancel trade

licenses in case of failure to meet the deadline. It was decided in regular weekly cabinet meeting held at

Bangladesh Secretariat chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The cabinet also assured mobile phone

users that their privacy and safety would not be endangered after the biometric registration of their SIM

cards. It said in case of any misuse of their personal data, carriers would be fined Tk 300 crore.

The government yesterday revised the cash incentive scheme for the current fiscal year of 2015-

2016, raising the rate of incentive for textile products export to the eurozone area and leather goods.

Potato starch will also get 20 percent cash incentive against export proceeds. Bangladesh Bank yesterday

issued a number of circulars in this regard. According to a circular, the government increased the rate of

cash incentive for export of textile products to the eurozone area to 6 per cent from the current 4 per cent.

Bangladesh is ready to ratify the trade facilitation agreement of the World Trade Organisation,

committing to an easy flow of goods across borders and lowering the costs of doing business, said

Hedayetullah Al Mamoon, Senior Commerce Secretary.

The government has decided to widen its diplomatic ties with foreign countries by opening nine new

diplomatic missions abroad. The 9th meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on Foreign

Ministry, held at Sangsad Bhaban yesterday, came up with the disclosure. The European Union (EU) has requested Bangladesh to bring back 80,000 irregular Bangladesh

nationals, now living in the European countries while Bangladesh wants their regularisation, if there is

any scope. A visiting EU delegation, led by Christian Leffler, Deputy Secretary General for Global and

Economic issues of the European External Action Service (EEAS), made the request during their meeting

with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan at the latter's Secretariat office yesterday.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited all world leaders to sign on April 22 the

historic climate agreement, reached in Paris in December last year. Environment and Forests Minister

Anwar Hossain Manju will represent Bangladesh at the signing ceremony. The signing event will take

place at UN Headquarters in New York. The government will cut the prices of octane, petrol, and diesel within a week by up to Tk 10 a litre

following persistent low oil prices in the international market. Nasrul Hamid, State Minister for Power,

Energy and Mineral Resources, said this to the media at the secretariat yesterday. He also said the fuel

prices would be cut in three phases, and the first phase would be executed within a week.

The Asian head of SWIFT Global, a leader in providing secure financial messaging services, is now

in Dhaka to see whether its platform with the Bangladesh Bank needs upgrade following the $81 million

heist. Alain Raes, chief executive of Asia Pacific for the Brussels-based organisation, sought an

appointment with BB Governor Fazle Kabir, said Subhankar Saha, spokesperson for the central bank.

Filipino businessman Kim Wong has returned another 0.83 million dollar of stolen Bangladesh Bank

funds to anti-money laundering authorities in the Philippines.

Joerg Motel (Jörg Motel), head of financial institutions Asia at Commerzbank AG, arrived in Dhaka

yesterday for a 4-day official visit, said a news release.

Four Nigerians among five people were arrested from a flat in the capital's Shah Ali area yesterday

for extorting money from people.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, increased to 4,431.65 points, adding 1.19 per cent

or 52.42 points.


Ph: 9546091






Date: Sunday, 03 April 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government would make 'permanent arrangements' like formation

of a trust fund for the country's disabled children so that they do not remain neglected in absence of their parents. She

said this to a programme on the occasion of the 9th World Autism Awareness Day.

Chairperson of the National Advisory Committee on Autism in Bangladesh and member of the WHO's Advisory

Panel on Mental Health, Saima Wazed Hossain, on Friday said 14 ministries are now working coordinately in

Bangladesh to ensure rights of the persons with disabilities, especially autism, their access to education, employment and

other socio-economic activities. She was addressing as a panelist at a discussion on 'Bridging the Inequality Gap (Goal10

of SDGs)' at the UN while attending the inaugural session of the day-long programme by the UN in observance of the

World Autism Awareness Day, according to a message received here from Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the UN in

New York. The first trial run of cargo vehicle on Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala route under the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal

(BBIN) sub-regional framework was not satisfactory. Dr Pritam Banerjee, a senior director of DHL South Asia, made

these observations yesterday in Dhaka while presenting feedback on cargo trial run at a working session of the public-

private dialogue on promoting trade in BBIN. The two-day dialogue has jointly been organised by Metropolitan Chamber

of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Dhaka, SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry and The Asia Foundation.

British firm Redline Assured Security, hired last month to supervise security at Dhaka airport, began work at

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a host of security-related issues, including helping the authorities to redesign

airport security arrangement.

Bangladesh is highly interested in connecting rail links on five routes with India as soon as possible as well as in

taking necessary initiatives, including establishing Customs and immigration facilities, for boosting regional trade,

according to sources in the Prime Minister‘s Office (PMO). The five routes are Benapole–Bangaon, Birol–Radhikapur;

Banglabandha –Siliguri– Nepal; Akhaura–Agartala, and Khulna–Kolkata. The issue of Bangladesh‘s interest came up at

the latest meeting of the Bangladesh-India agreement on sub-regional development cooperation, held at PMO in mid

February, with the Economic Affairs Adviser Dr Mashiur Rahman in the chair. Two officials of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) left home for Manila yesterday to help the Bangladesh ambassador to

the Philippines in recovering the $81 million stolen from its New York Reserve Bank account through a cyber heist. On

the other hand, a three-member Criminal Investigation Department (CID) team is scheduled to leave the capital for

Manila Monday in this connection. Two teams are set to attend the fourth hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee

on Tuesday, according to the officials.

Other casino junket operators and remittance firm Philrem Services Corporation should also surrender any portion

of the $81 million stolen from Bangladesh that is still with them after junket operator Kim Wong returned $4.6 million,

senator Bam Aquino said on Friday.

The Energy Ministry has for the first time prepared a policy for petroleum import to make the process transparent.

The policy, which has kept scope for import through both government-to-government contracts and open tenders, was

approved on Wednesday by the cabinet committee on economic affairs.

Bangladesh's efforts to regain trade privileges under generalised system of preferences for its exports to the US have

hit a wall, largely due to a lack of responses from the US government. Bangladesh has twice submitted workplace safety

progress reports, prepared on the basis of the Bangladesh Action Plan, to the United States Trade Representative in the

hope of regaining the GSP, which was suspended in 2013. But the USTR did not respond to the Commerce Ministry.

Bangladesh government's negotiator for the issue, Hedayetullah Al Mamoon, senior secretary to the ministry said.

Two ministers, who had been convicted of contempt of court for making derogatory comments about Chief Justice

Surendra Kumar Sinha, have paid the fine as directed by the Supreme Court. On March 27, the apex court fined Food

Minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq Tk 50,000 each for the offence and

ordered the ministers to pay the money to charity organisations Islamia Eye Hospital and National Liver Foundation of

Bangladesh within seven days.

The government has taken steps to impart training to 55,000 students on ICT to create skilled manpower in the next

two years, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said. He said this while addressing the inaugural session of

daylong National High School Programming Contest-2016 at Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology

(RUET) yesterday.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has pushed back 29 Rohingyas to Myanmar through Ghumdhum border at

Bandarban's Naikkhanchharhi, a day after they crossed over. BGB Cox's Bazar Battalion-17 Commander Lt Col Imran

Ullah Sarker confirmed bdnews24.com of the Saturday's push back.

DSEX, the key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, fell by 0.30 per cent, or 12.96 points, over the week to close at

4,357.54 points on Thursday.







DHAKA


Date: Thursday, 31 March 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government wants to improve the

country's road network to boost its socio-economic development. She told this while

inaugurating the Saat Rasta to Holy Family Hospital part of the Moghbazar-Mouchak

Flyover in the city.

The United States said it will remain beside Bangladesh in the ongoing fight against

violent extremism and terrorism. US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian

Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal said this while addressing a function at Bangladesh Embassy in

Washington, DC on Tuesday, marking Bangladesh's Independence Day.

The United Nations has invited Bangladesh's National Advisory Committee on Autism

Chairperson Saima Wazed Hossain to present the keynote paper at a seminar at its

headquarters in New York on the occasion of World Autism Awareness Day on April 1.

US-based National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has called for further

improvement in fire safety measures in Bangladesh's garment factories. The non-profit

organisation has also suggested short-term and long-term recommendations that provide a

roadmap for sustainable electrical, fire and life safety in the apparel units.

China will construct a rail route between Dhaka and Jessore through the Padma bridge,

cutting travel time significantly and boosting national and regional connectivity. The cabinet

committee on economic affairs yesterday approved the proposal.

Voting in the second phase of the country‘s first-ever partisan Union Parishad (UP) polls

begins today.

Honouring their great contributions to the country‘s national economy, 12 industrial units

have received the first-ever President‘s Award for Industrial Development.

President Md. Abdul Hamid handed over the awards to the recipients at a function held at

Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city yesterday.

A Dhaka court yesterday issued arrest warrants for former prime minister and BNP

chairperson Khaleda Zia and 27 others in a case filed against them on charges of killing and

injuring bus passengers with a firebomb at Jatrabari in the capital during the BNP-led

alliance‘s blockade-hartal programme on January 23 last year.

The two-day BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) talks ended yesterday without

finalising two draft protocols for sub-regional connectivity. The Bangladesh side told the

meeting that it would not sign the protocols without Bhutan as per the agreement in this

regard. The meeting was held in Dhaka. Delegations from the BBIN countries, headed by a

joint secretary-level official from the roads and highways ministries of each country,

attended the meeting.

The government should spend at least $200 million on branding Bangladesh as an

attractive IT hub, entrepreneurs in the sector said at a workshop yesterday. They also called

for efforts so that Bangladesh's IT brands get global recognition, which will help the sector

achieve an export target of $5 billion by 2021.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,335.29 points, adding by

0.54 per cent, or 23.49 points yesterday.


Ph: 9546091






Date: Wednesday, 30 March 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) yesterday

approved eight development projects with an outlay of Tk 1,442.42 crore, including one to set up

the second campus of Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University involving Tk

238.87 crore. The approval came from a meeting at the NEC conference room with Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Bangladesh-China Power Company Ltd (BCPCL) yesterday signed a $1.56 billion contract

with a Chinese consortium for engineering, procurement and construction of a 1,320MW coal-

fired power plant in Payra, Patuakhali. BCPCL is a 50:50 partnership between North-West

Power Generation Company of Bangladesh and China National Machinery Import and Export

Corporation.

National Board of Revenue (NBR) has decided to establish income tax and customs wing in

ten foreign missions of the country aiming to check money laundering and evasion of duties. The

wings will be attached to Bangladesh missions in the USA, India, China, Japan, Malaysia,

Singapore, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Italy and Thailand.

Bangladesh Bank is now liaising with its counterpart in the Philippines to recover the rest

$81 million of the reserves stolen from its US Federal account, while one suspect wants to return

part of the booty. The suspect, Kam Sin Wong, says he is willing to surrender 450 million pesos

(equivalent to $9.72 million) that he claims to have received as payment for a debt, media reports

said yesterday. He expressed his willingness in the Philippines' Senate Blue Ribbon Committee

hearing in Manila on yesterday.

Bangladesh Bank has decided to appoint a permanent consultant to oversee its IT and overall

security measures, a senior official said.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid yesterday urged the affluent people of the society to

extend their help to promote ICT-based education. He said this while inaugurating the country‘s

first-ever educational content sharing portal in Dhaka.

Australian oil company Santos is luring state-run Bapex to joint extraction of gas from a

complicated structure in an offshore block with realisation of $23.1 million the company already

invested in the exploration since 2008. State Minister for power, energy and mineral resources

Nasrul Hamid said to the media that he had received the proposal and the government was

considering it positively.

The High Court yesterday upheld a government decision to evict Urdu-speaking people who

live outside their designated camps from government land. It also ordered the government to

rehabilitate any evicted person, who has national identity card and is loyal to Bangladesh, as

soon as possible.

The Bangladesh women's basketball team left for Nepal on Monday to take part in the First

South Asian Basketball tournament involving hosts Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives

alongside Bangladesh. Bangladesh will take on Nepal in their first match of the tournament

today.

The key index of DSE, DSEX, increased by 0.21 per cent, or 9.22 points, to close at



Ph: 9546091






Date: Tuesday, 29 March 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

The Cabinet gave yesterday the final approval to the draft of 'The Bangladesh Civil Aviation

Authority Bill, 2016', aiming to upgrade country's all airports to international standard. The approval

came from the regular weekly cabinet meeting held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday strongly denounced Sunday‘s cowardly terrorist

attack in Lahore and reaffirmed her government‘s stance against terrorism. In a condolence message

sent to her Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif, She said, at this moment of grief, we firmly stand

beside you in your fight against terrorism.

Islam retained the status of state religion as per the eighth amendment to the Constitution,

with the High Court yesterday rejecting a writ petition challenging the legality of the constitutional

provision of state religion.

A taskforce is likely to be formed by this week for recovering $81 million that was stolen

from the central bank reserve with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and laundered to the

Philippines. The taskforce would be headed by either Finance Minister AMA Muhith or Bangladesh

Bank governor Fazle Kabir, said a top Finance Ministry official.

The government yesterday decided to lift ban on export of raw jute with effect from April 3,

officials said. The ban on export of raw jute was initially imposed for a month on November 3, 2015

to ensure supply of jute to the local jute mills and to implement the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act

2010.

BIMSTEC Secretary General Ambassador Sumith Nakandala said regional cooperation in the

Bay of Bengal region will be successful only if member-states are politically committed to make it

happen. Trade and investment was the key area that the seven members of the Bay of Bengal

Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) should now focus on,

he added. He said this at a seminar titled ‗BIMSTEC at 20: Agenda for 2017 and beyond‘ in Kolkata.

A United States inter-agency delegation arrives in the capital today to hold a series of

meetings with the Bangladesh side to discuss issues including aviation security. Led by US Assistant

Secretary for International Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Alan Bersin, the

delegation will comprise of officials from DHS, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the

Department of State, said a press release issued by the US Embassy in Dhaka yesterday.

Bangladesh Embassy in the Libyan capital of Tripoli has asked Bangladesh nationals living

there to restrict their movement and remain alert to avoid any untoward incident as the trouble-torn

North African country sees growing violence. Through a Facebook post, the Bangladesh Mission

also advised its nationals to avoid roaming at night.

Law minister Anisul Huq yesterday said Food Minister Md Qamrul Islam and Liberation War

Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq were under no legal obligation to resign from the cabinet

although they were convicted for contempt of court.

Teachers and employees under Monthly Pay Order (MPO)-enlisted schools, colleges and

madrasas will get salaries and allowances with six months' arrears under the new pay scale in April.

MPO-enlisted teachers will get six-month arrears from July to December, 2015 under new pay scale.

The government would within a week reduce furnace oil price by Tk 15 to Tk 20 per litre to

cut down electricity generation cost, energy division officials said to the media yesterday.

DSEX fell sharply by 1.22 per cent, or 53.36 points, to close at 4,302.57 points yesterday.


Ph: 9546091







Date: Monday, 28 March 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said with the materialisation of Bangladesh, Bhutan,

India and Nepal initiative, road connectivity is improving among these countries which will

ultimately create an opportunity for further promoting trade and business in this region. She said this

when outgoing Bhutanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Pema Choden made a farewell call on her at

her office.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said his country wants to further 'synergize' Bangladesh-

China's development strategies under the framework of the 'Belt and Road' initiative. He said this in

a congratulatory message on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of Bangladesh's Independence and

National Day to his Bangladesh counterpart Md. Abdul Hamid.

The government yesterday signed an agreement with a Japanese firm to develop and construct a

depot on the metro rail line-6. Mofazzal Hossain, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit

Company Ltd, and Hiroshi Asakami, authorised representative of Japan's Tokyu Construction Ltd,

signed the deal in presence of Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, in Dhaka.

India should show liberal attitude toward its neighbour countries like Bangladesh on trade-

related issues, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said yesterday. Although all Bangladeshi goods,

except for tobacco and alcohol, get duty-free access to the Indian market at present, exporters are

unable to reap full benefits of trade privileges for tariff and non-tariff barriers, he said. For instance,

garment, Bangladesh's main export item, is subjected to 12.5 percent countervailing duty for entry to

the Indian market.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) wrote a letter to the Federal Reserve chair seeking assistance to recover

its funds stolen by cyber thieves. BB Governor Fazle Kabir also sent similar letters to Bangladesh's

permanent representative in the United Nations, the governor of the Philippines' central bank and the

head of its anti-money laundering council.

The home ministry, through a circular yesterday, imposed stringent measures for issuing official

passports against the backdrop of allegations that some were used in human trafficking last year,

according to the Department of Immigration and Passports.

The Supreme Court yesterday convicted Food Minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War

Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq and fined them Tk 50,000 each for committing contempt of

court by making contemptuous and derogatory comments about Chief Justice Surendra Kumar

Sinha.

Four people were killed in a gunfight between two rival groups in Benghazi of war-torn Libya

yesterday. Ashraful Islam, labour counsellor at the Bangladesh embassy in Tripoli, said in an email.

Saudi authorities yesterday executed a Pakistani convicted of killing a Bangladeshi woman, an

interior ministry statement carried by the official SPA news agency said.

A court yesterday framed charges against 25 people, including Hallmark Group managing

director and its chairman, in nine separate cases filed in connection with much-talked-about Sonali

Bank loan scam.

DSEX, the benchmark index of the premier bourse, declined 14.55 points or 0.33 percent,

finished at 4,355.93 points yesterday.


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News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said with the materialisation of Bangladesh, Bhutan,

India and Nepal initiative, road connectivity is improving among these countries which will

ultimately create an opportunity for further promoting trade and business in this region. She said this

when outgoing Bhutanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Pema Choden made a farewell call on her at

her office.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said his country wants to further 'synergize' Bangladesh-

China's development strategies under the framework of the 'Belt and Road' initiative. He said this in

a congratulatory message on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of Bangladesh's Independence and

National Day to his Bangladesh counterpart Md. Abdul Hamid.

The government yesterday signed an agreement with a Japanese firm to develop and construct a

depot on the metro rail line-6. Mofazzal Hossain, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit

Company Ltd, and Hiroshi Asakami, authorised representative of Japan's Tokyu Construction Ltd,

signed the deal in presence of Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, in Dhaka.

India should show liberal attitude toward its neighbour countries like Bangladesh on trade-

related issues, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said yesterday. Although all Bangladeshi goods,

except for tobacco and alcohol, get duty-free access to the Indian market at present, exporters are

unable to reap full benefits of trade privileges for tariff and non-tariff barriers, he said. For instance,

garment, Bangladesh's main export item, is subjected to 12.5 percent countervailing duty for entry to

the Indian market.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) wrote a letter to the Federal Reserve chair seeking assistance to recover

its funds stolen by cyber thieves. BB Governor Fazle Kabir also sent similar letters to Bangladesh's

permanent representative in the United Nations, the governor of the Philippines' central bank and the

head of its anti-money laundering council.

The home ministry, through a circular yesterday, imposed stringent measures for issuing official

passports against the backdrop of allegations that some were used in human trafficking last year,

according to the Department of Immigration and Passports.

The Supreme Court yesterday convicted Food Minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War

Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq and fined them Tk 50,000 each for committing contempt of

court by making contemptuous and derogatory comments about Chief Justice Surendra Kumar

Sinha.

Four people were killed in a gunfight between two rival groups in Benghazi of war-torn Libya

yesterday. Ashraful Islam, labour counsellor at the Bangladesh embassy in Tripoli, said in an email.

Saudi authorities yesterday executed a Pakistani convicted of killing a Bangladeshi woman, an

interior ministry statement carried by the official SPA news agency said.

A court yesterday framed charges against 25 people, including Hallmark Group managing

director and its chairman, in nine separate cases filed in connection with much-talked-about Sonali

Bank loan scam.

DSEX, the benchmark index of the premier bourse, declined 14.55 points or 0.33 percent,

finished at 4,355.93 points yesterday.


Ph: 9546091






Date: Sunday, 27 March 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

The nation celebrated its 46th Independence and National Day yesterday paying homage to three

million martyrs of the Liberation War. On this day in 1971, Bangladesh broke the shackles of Pakistani

suppression and declared its independence by its great leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday called upon the children to prepare themselves to lead the

country in a better way in future. She said this to a rally of children at Bangabandhu National Stadium.

The Dhaka district administration organised the programme to mark the Independence and National Day.

India yesterday extended greetings marking Bangladesh's 46th Independence and National Day and

expressed confidence that relations would scale new heights. President Pranab Mukherjee in a message to

his Bangladeshi counterpart, Md. Abdul Hamid, said, 'on behalf of the government, the people of India

and on my own behalf, it gives me immense pleasure to extend warm felicitations and best wishes to you

and to the people of Bangladesh on the occasion of your National Day'. In a Twitter post, Prime Minister

Narendra Modi said, 'Independence Day greetings to the people of Bangladesh. We cherish our long-

standing ties and I am sure our relations will grow even further'.

Chinese Prime Mnister Li Keqiang congratulated his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina, on the

occasion of the 46th Independence and National Day. In the message, he said that over the years, the

China-Bangladesh traditional friendship has been continuously deepened, and bilateral communication

and cooperation in all fields have been fruitful, Xinhua reported.

Search engine giant Google has created a new doodle on its homepage, marking the Independence

Day of Bangladesh. The special Doodle was changed on Friday midnight with red and green colours as

the national flag of Bangladesh consisting of a red disc on top of a green field.

Transactions through mobile phones rose 47.7 percent year-on-year to Tk 16,745.27 crore in

January. It is a great increase of economic activities at the grassroots level, according to Bangladesh Bank

data.

Reliance Group, an Indian conglomerate, will now set up a 750MW gas-fired power plant in

Bangladesh instead of a 3000MW one due to 'land constraints'.

Leading Indian security analyst Jaideep Saikia said yesterday Bangladesh has played a significant

role in battling militancy in the region, especially in the Northeast of India, and the Sheikh Hasina-led

government should be thanked for that.

US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Sarah Sewall will

visit Dhaka later this week, said a US State Department media note yesterday.

SWIFT Global, whose service was used by hackers to transfer Bangladesh Bank's (BB) $101

million, should set up an office in the country to reduce the risks that arise from cross-border

transactions. If SWIFT had an office in Dhaka, the BB could have detected the February hacking much

earlier, the bankers said.

Unidentified men abducted two Bangladeshi youths from a kitchen market in the Libyan capital

Tripoli on Friday.

As a part of the ongoing digitalisation, Press Information Department (PID) has become fully

digitalised from yesterday marking Independence Day. PID said from yesterday it would stop sending

hard copies of the news to media houses and would provide online services, said a Friday press

release. Through http://www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd, PID would provide the press releases, pictures

and invitation letters of the press conferences.

Bangladesh hit their lowest ebb in a T20 game when they were bowled out for 70 in 15.4 overs

against New Zealand at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata yesterday.


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DHAKA



News brief

Noting that the Bangladesh-India relations have reached a new height in terms of bilateral

cooperation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said regional interconnectivity will further expand the

potentials of regional cooperation. She said this while expressing New Delhi‘s interest to support

Dhaka in the space sector, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday said India and

Bangladesh is a ‗classic case‘ of showcasing to the world how two neighbouring countries can

cooperate with each other for mutual gains. They made the remarks when jointly launched the much-

talked-about bandwidth export and power import by Bangladesh through videoconferencing.

Bangladesh has strongly condemned Tuesday's terrorist attacks at the Brussels Airport and

Metro Station that took away so many innocent lives. In a message to Prime Minister of the

Kingdom of Belgium Monsieur Charles Michel, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina along with the people

and the government of Bangladesh expressed deepest condolences, according to a Foreign Ministry

press release yesterday.

Global banking cooperative SWIFT has advised its user-banks in Bangladesh to employ

appropriate security measures to eliminate risk exposure to malicious software in the wake of the

attack on the central bank's reserves, wrote Gottfried Leibbrandt, chief executive officer of SWIFT,

in a letter. The letter was sent to all user-banks in the country on March 20. Headquartered in

Belgium, SWIFT is a member-owned cooperative that provides international codes to facilitate

payments between banks globally.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) has taken a hard line against the Federal Reserve Bank of New York by

appointing a lawyer to explore the scope of taking legal action against the US Fed for transferring

money from BB‘s reserve fund, to Philippines, without additional authentication, a top central banker

said.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation offered 'sincerest apologies' for the involvement of its

personnel in the money laundering scheme which is now the subject of investigations by the Senate

Blue Ribbon Committee and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC), according to Philippine

Daily Enquirer, a leading English newspaper in Manila.

International Development Enterprises (iDE), a US-based nongovernmental organisation, has

launched a project to provide clean energy to off-grid hatcheries and communities in southern

Bangladesh. The project -- Powering Aquaculture: Innovating Clean Energy Development for Off-

Grid Hatcheries and Communities in Bangladesh -- will be implemented in several coastal districts

until June 2018.

Food minister Qamrul Islam yesterday said the government was searching new markets in

African countries to export rice. Bangladesh is now the fourth in the world in terms of rice

production. At present we have the scope to export one to two lakh tonnes of rice every year. He was

speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural programme of the international exposition of agro and

food processing sector of Bangladesh titled ‗Food and Agro Bangladesh International Expo-2016'.

The government yesterday halted plying of all kinds of cargo vessels through the Shela river

inside the Sundarbans permanently. Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan said to the media after a

taskforce meeting, formed to protect the country‘s rivers, including four city rivers, at the Secretariat.

Bangladesh came close to producing the biggest shock in the ICC World T20 before they throw

it away in the last three balls to suffer a heartbreaking one-run loss to India in Bangalore yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, declined by 0.65 per cent, or 29.05 points, to



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News brief

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council approved yesterday six development projects

involving Tk 12.19 billion, including one to construct some 672 residential flats for government officials and

employees at Aliganj in Narayanganj. The approval was given in the NEC meeting held yesterday with Prime


Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday sought cooperation from the country's Islamic scholars in spreading

the message among people that there is no place for militancy and terrorism in Islam as it is a religion of peace. She

said this at a programme organised by the Islamic Foundation at the capital's Bangabandhu International

Conference Centre. Bandwidth export to India is going to be inaugurated formally today, as both the countries have already

established commercial connection through Akhaura-Agartala frontier. Import of electricity from India will also be

inaugurated on the day. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi would launch the

much-talked-about bandwidth export and power import by Bangladesh through video conference. Sheikh Hasina

would click the button for inaugurating the 10 GBPS Internet bandwidth while Modi would switch on the button of

supplying 100MW electricity.

The central bank now sought World Bank (WB) cooperation in the hunt for recovering the stolen foreign-

exchange reserves from the Philippines, officials said, as drives so far saw little headway. The appeal was made at a

meeting with a three-member WB team at the central bank headquarters in Dhaka yesterday with Bangladesh Bank

(BB) new Governor Fazle Kabir in the chair.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has started interrogating Bangladesh Bank officials in

connection with the stealing of $101 million from the central bank‘s reserve account with the US Federal Reserve

Bank.

A team of the US State Department arrived in Dhaka yesterday to discuss various issues related to cyber

security and strengthening the collaboration in this area.

Canada has offered its green technologies to help Bangladesh's apparel sector achieve sustainable growth

through adopting a green approach in their production process. Canadian High Commissioner in Dhaka Benoît-

Pierre Laramée put forward his country's offer while speaking at a seminar in the city on Monday. Canadian High

Commission in Dhaka and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) jointly

arranged the seminar, titled 'Greening RMG as CSR in Bangladesh' at the BGMEA Apparel Club.

Bangladesh and Russia have agreed to establish an intergovernmental commission on trade, economic,

defense, and technical cooperation to further strengthen the mutual collaboration in these sectors. The decision

came at a Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between Bangladesh and Russia held in Moscow, a foreign ministry

press statement said yesterday.

Around 91 percent of Nordic companies doing business in Bangladesh are contemplating to expand their

business activities in Bangladesh over the next 3-years period, Nordic Business Confidence Survey 2015 showed.

The Nordic Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bangladesh (NCCI) together with the Sweden Bangladesh

Business Council (SBBC) and the three Nordic Embassies (Embassy of Sweden, Royal Norwegian Embassy and

Royal Danish Embassy) conducted the survey titled 'Business Confidence Survey 2015'. Commerce Minister Tofail

Ahmed formally launched the survey at a function.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon yesterday said UK will lift its ban on direct air

cargo from Dhaka as the government has taken all steps following the guidelines of British security experts. The

minister's reaction came as newly appointed British Redline Aviation Security Ltd began the work to upgrade the

security management and training of personnel at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The Law Commission has drafted the Liberation War Denial Crimes Act, 2016 with a provision for five years'

imprisonment as the highest punishment for denial of historically established facts and settled issues. Any act of

undermining, misinterpreting, distorting, disrespecting and running propaganda campaigns against the historical

facts about the Liberation War would be deemed as offences under the proposed law.

A three-member UNESCO delegation team arrived at Mongla yesterday to visit the Sunderbans to assess the

possible impacts of the proposed coal-based Rampal power plant near the world‘s largest mangrove forest.

Bangladesh will take on hosts India today in their Super 10 clash of ICC World T20 in Bangalore.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, fell by 0.71 per cent, or 31.92 points, to close at 4,410.22 points yesterday.







DHAKA


Date: Tuesday, 22 March 2016 [email protected]


News brief

The Cabinet yesterday approved the draft of 'The National Industrial Policy 2016', aiming to

facilitate the rapid industrialisation in the country through updating the existing one. The approval

was given at the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime


President Md. Abdul Hamid yesterday said the scope of expanding trade and investment in the

region will get a boost once the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement

is implemented. He said this when outgoing Bhutanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Pema Choden

made a farewell call on him at Bangabhaban. He also said Bhutan can use Mongla and Payra ports

for increasing its trade.

China has expressed its willingness to cooperate with other countries in helping Bangladesh

build its first deep seaport at any location, as the Bangladesh government no longer considers the

previously proposed Sonadia site as appropriate. The Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka Ma Mingqiang

made the remark while interacting with diplomatic correspondents at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday.

Amkodor, a leading company in Eastern European country Belarus, has expressed its interest to

invest in joint ventures with Bangladesh for producing heavy vehicles, equipments and construction

machineries. A visiting delegation of Amkodor, one of the leading manufacturers of road

construction, utilities, snow removal, airport, timber, agricultural and other specialized machinery

and equipment in Belarus, conveyed it during a meeting with Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu

held at his Barisal city residence yesterday.

India has evinced keen interest to invest for developing the Payra seaport in Bangladesh in a

move to further strengthen the existing ties between the two neighbouring countries. The interest was

shown while Indian high commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla paid a curtsey call

with Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan in his secretariat office yesterday.

With the launch of a new trade portal, the government has made ‗doing business in Bangladesh‘

easier and less costly, a World Bank report said. The report was released last Thursday.

The government yesterday signed an agreement with a British firm, Redline Aviation Security

Ltd, to improve the security system at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The Philippines' failure to address loopholes in anti-money laundering safeguards could affect

even foreign investments in the infrastructure space, a conduit for which is the Aquino

administration's flagship Public Private Partnership (PPP) program, according to Philippine Daily

Inquirer. The scheme involved the theft of funds from Bangladesh's central bank.

The Philippine central bank, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), would take action against the

banks and the bankers involved in $81 million laundering from the account of the Bangladesh Bank

with the US Federal Reserve Bank in New York. BSP deputy governor Nestor Espenilla said this to

the media on Saturday.

The countrywide Union Parishad elections begin today with balloting set to take place in 718

UPs in the first phase.

Bangladesh cricket team put up good fight before going down by three wickets to Australia in

their second match of the ICC World Twenty20 Super-10 in Bangalore, India yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,442.15 points, increasing by 0.26

per cent or 11.86 points yesterday.


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DHAKA



News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reaffirmed Bangladesh's firm commitment to combating all forms of

racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. She said this in a message on the eve of the

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the country's architects to design structures bearing in

mind the constraint of land resources and protection of the environment. She was inaugurating the newly

constructed building of the Institute of Architects Bangladesh (IAB) in Dhaka. Civil aviation authorities have appointed British firm Redline Assured Security yesterday to supervise

security at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for the next two years, as part of efforts to have the

recent restrictions on direct cargo flight between Dhaka and London lifted. US cyber security firm FireEye, which is charging Bangladesh Bank $400 an hour to probe the $101

million heist, is hunting for a malware that it believes is still hiding in the bank's network. The firm installed a

software in all computers at the BB a week after the heist. The software is being used to find out the path the

hackers used to plant the malware in the BB network. FireEye investigators will monitor the computers for

600 hours from Washington before submitting a final probe report in two weeks, according to BB officials.

The World Bank (WB) has proposed to help the Bangladesh Bank (BB) recover the stolen money and

enhance cyber security, according to a WB letter sent to the BB yesterday. If needed, the multilateral lender

said, it is ready to extend support to the BB in resolving any issues with the US Federal Reserve.

The new governor of Bangladesh Bank, Fazle Kabir, has vowed to strengthen the regulator's IT security

system to prevent a repeat of cyber attacks that robbed the central bank of $101 million from its reserve

account. He said this to the media after taking charge as the new governor yesterday.

The Criminal Investigation Department officials yesterday sought ‗immediate‘ assistance from the US

Federal Bureau of Investigation to identify the ‗hackers‘ and their origin, in order to stop ‗recurrence‘ of such

digital theft. They said this in an hour and a half meeting with an FBI official in Dhaka at the CID

headquarters. The investigators also said they sought assistance to identify the Bangladesh Bank officials who

had benefited from the scam by tracing back the route of the laundered money.

Switzerland's investment flow into Bangladesh will gain pace provided the political, business and

investment climate is further bolstered, Swiss Ambassador Christian M Fotsch said yesterday. Switzerland is a

major foreign investor worldwide and all the major Swiss companies are operational here, but Swiss

investment in Bangladesh is still not impressive, he added. He said this at a luncheon meeting of the Canadian

Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (CanCham) in Dhaka. Three Francophonie chambers -- CanCham

Bangladesh, France Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Switzerland Bangladesh Chamber

of Commerce and Industry -- jointly organised the event as part of Francophonie Week.

The government yesterday published its draft guidelines for the public servants on social media use. The

11-point guideline, which advises government officials on how to use their official and personal accounts in

the social media, will be applicable to all ministries, divisions, directorates, agencies, field-level offices,

education and training institutions.

The government has decided to appoint SM Abul Kalam, a leader of Chittagong Awami League as the

next ambassador of Bangladesh to Kuwait, said a foreign ministry press release yesterday.

Minister for Religious Affairs Principal Matiur Rahman yesterday said the pre-registration of intending

hajj pilgrims of the year 2016 will begin on March 23.

Bangladesh will be looking forward to overcome the shock of losing two of their premier bowlers —

Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny and take on Australians in the ICC World Twenty20 at the Chinnasswamy

Stadium, Bangalore today.

DSEX, however, closed at 4,430.28 points, shedding by 0.35 per cent or 16 points after declining by



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News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said two submarines will be inducted into

Bangladesh Navy this year for the first time, aiming to transform it into a three-

dimensional force. She was addressing the commissioning ceremony of three new

warships at the Naval Berth of Bangladesh Naval Academy in Chittagong.

Two engineers of SWIFT have come to Bangladesh to review its servers with the

central bank -- 38 days after a band of hackers breached the payment system in an

attempt to steal about $1 billion. The Bangladesh Bank asked SWIFT Global to review

its system in Bangladesh as soon as it found out about the security breach on February

7. Headquartered in Belgium, SWIFT Global provides a network that enables financial

institutions worldwide to send and receive information about financial transactions in

a secure, standardised and reliable environment.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the cyber heist of $101

million from Bangladesh Central Bank's account at the Federal Reserve Bank in New

York, reports the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The government will sign a contract with a British security company by today for

foolproof security screening at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. The

cabinet committee on economic affairs and the cabinet committee on purchase will

approve a technical project proposal (TPP) yesterday.

The government has taken action against 29 vegetable and fruit exporters for

violating rules while exporting items to Europe and West Asian countries.

A ‗goodwill train‘ from India carrying 2,200 tonnes of diesel reached Parbatipur

railway station in Dinajpur district yesterday. The Prime Minister‘s energy adviser,

Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, the state minister for power, energy and mineral

resources, Nasrul Hamid, and the Indian high commissioner, Harsh Vardhan Shringla,

welcomed the train at an official ceremony at Parbatipur oil depot around 12 noon.

The government is going to cut more than Tk 10,000 crore from the annual

development programme in the current financial year because of sluggish progress

in implementation of projects and poor utilisation of foreign funds.

Bangladesh's ICC World Twenty20 campaign received a setback yesterday as the

International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that they had found the bowling

actions of both Arafat Sunny and Taskin Ahmed to be illegal.


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DHAKA


Date: Wednesday, 16 March 2016 [email protected]


News brief

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday stressed the need for further strengthening cooperation between

Bangladesh and Bhutan saying the scope has widened following the BBIN initiative undertaken by the

Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal. She came up with the remarks when visiting president of Bhutan Queen

Mother Tshering Pem Wangchuck met her at Ganabhaban.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government would try its best to rehabilitate the

country‘s homeless people. She said this while presiding over a review meeting on implementation, progress

and future action plan of Ashrayan-2 project, one house one farm project, cluster village project, Ghorey

Phera programme and housing fund project at her office. The meeting was informed that there are some 10

lakh landless families now in the country while the number of homeless families is 2.80 lakh.

A major shakeup in Bangladesh Bank's (BB) administration took place after the resignation of Dr. Atiur

Rahman as governor yesterday. Immediately after his resignation, former finance secretary Fazle Kabir was

made the new governor of the central bank. The government have removed the Bank and Financial

Institutions Division secretary and two BB deputy governors over the cyber heist. The government formed a three-member panel, with former Bangladesh Bank governor Mohammed

Farashuddin as its head, to investigate the heist of $101 million from the BB account with the Fed. The panel

will submit a preliminary report in 30 days and a full report in 75 days, according to a notice issued yesterday.

The Bangladesh Bank yesterday filed a case in connection with last month's heist of $101 million from

its account with the Fed. The case was filed with the Motijheel police station against anonymous persons

under the anti-money laundering law and the Information Technology Act.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) yesterday night issued a death warrant to Badar Commander

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Matiur Rahman Nizami for his crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in

1971.

Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) yesterday signed a power purchase agreement with

NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) of India to import 100MW electricity from Tripura.

Acting BPDB secretary Mazharul Haque and NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd chief executive officer Nanda

Kishore Sharma signed the PPA during a preparatory meeting on inauguration of the power supply from India.

Bangladesh's MV Horbour-1 will sail from Chittagong Port on its maiden voyage to Krishnapatnam Port

in India tomorrow, as coastal shipping services between the two countries were launched yesterday. The

vessel will operate between the east coastal Indian ports in Kolkata, Haldia, Paradip, Vishakhapatnam,

Kakinada, Krishnapatnam and Chennai, and Bangladeshi ports in Chittagong, Narayanganj, Ashuganj, Paira,

Khulna, Mongla and Pangaon terminal.

The government has started lobbying with the British government for lifting the embargo imposed on

direct cargo flights between Dhaka and London. Law minister Anisul Huq held a meeting with British under

secretary of state for transport Lord Ahmad yesterday and requested reconsidering the embargo, officials said.

Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Mohammad Ziauddin has urged the US government to

allow Duty Free and Quota Free (DFQF) access of Bangladeshi products especially the ready-made garments

to the US markets. He made the remarks when he met US Congressman Mike Kelly in Washington yesterday.

A four-day trade show, titled ‗Thailand Week 2016', begins in Dhaka today aiming to help expand trade

relations between the two countries. The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), Ministry of

Commerce, Thailand and Royal Thai Embassy in Dhaka will jointly host the event in two phases.

Bangladesh will start their Super-10 campaign of the ICC World Twenty20 taking on Pakistan in a

Group-2 match today at the cricketers' dream venue -- Eden Gardens -- in Kolkata.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,475.89 points adding 0.18 per cent or 8.27

points yesterday.


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DHAKA



News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed disappointment and concern over the

Bangladesh Bank heist. She talked about the matter with her colleagues at the weekly cabinet

meeting at the secretariat.

The Cabinet yesterday approved in principle the draft of the Bangladesh Press Institute Bill,

2016, aiming to give legal shape to the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) and make it more time-

befitting one alongside improving its operations. The approval came from the regular weekly

meeting of the Cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the

chair.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday wrote back to her British counterpart David Cameron

and requested a review of the ban on direct air cargo from Dhaka to London. In reply to his March 8

letter to her, she also wished to work together with the British government on meeting all the global

security requirements of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Contacted over phone, a diplomat at

the Bangladesh High Commission in London confirmed that her letter has reached him.

The civil aviation and tourism ministry has taken some key steps as part of improving the

security at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA). After removing the chairman of the Civil

Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), the government has now replaced the secretary to the

civil aviation and tourism ministry after the UK banned cargo in direct flights from Dhaka.

The Philippines' Anti-Money Laundering Council is preparing charges against a number of

people allegedly involved in the illegal transfer of more than $80 million from a Bangladesh Bank

account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to a number of Philippine accounts, according to

Wall Street Journal.

The United States is looking for ways to strengthen collaboration with Bangladesh in a number

of areas including security, cyber-security, democratic rights, labor, and trade. To that end, a number

of US officials will be visiting Bangladesh in the coming weeks to discuss issues of mutual interest

with Bangladeshi counterparts. The US officials will be visiting in three separate groups, Foreign

Ministry sources said.

Bangladesh, for the first time, is holding a 3-day international conference on hydrographic

survey for the development of ‗blue economy‘ at a local hotel here. Hosted by Bangladesh Navy, the

conference has been able to attract 57 concerned delegates from 26 countries, either member or

associate member or observer, of the North Indian Ocean Hydrographic Commission (NIOHC), said

an ISPR press release.

Biman Bangladesh Airlines will introduce much-desired direct flights on Dhaka-Delhi route

from this April. The national flag carrier will also look into the possibility of introducing flights on

the Dhaka-Guwahati route. The issues came up for discussion when Indian High Commissioner in

Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla met Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon at the

latter‘s Secretariat office yesterday. Currently, Biman operates direct flights on Dhaka-Kolkata route

between the two countries only.

Queen Mother of Bhutan Tshering Pem Wangchuck, now in city on a five-day visit, yesterday

visited Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhaka.

Bangladesh's left-arm pace bowling sensation Mustafizur Rahman has bagged the Best Debutant

award at this year's Maruti Suzuki ESPNcricinfo Awards, announced yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, fell by 0.28 per cent, or 12.56 points, to close



Ph: 9546091






Date: Monday, 14 March 2016 [email protected]


News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday called upon the well-off section of society and business

organisations to donate buses to educational institutions to help reduce pressure on private cars on city

streets. She said this while handing over keys of seven buses to the authorities of Beershreshtha Lance

Naik Noor Mohammad School and College and Beershreshtha Lance Naik Abdur Rouf School and College at Peelkhana in the city.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday said he would take action against Bangladesh Bank

(BB) for keeping him in the dark for more than a month about the theft of $101 million from the BB account with the New York Federal Reserve Bank.

A forensic team of international IT experts is examining all computers of Bangladesh Bank to detect

how a malware hacked into the payment system of the central bank and stole $101 million. The detection

will be done with the help of a monitoring software programme that is already examining some 5,000

computers of the BB. The team will hand its report by next two weeks, detailing how the fraudulence

took place and if any BB officials were involved in the heist. The BB said this to a team from the Banking Division of the finance ministry when it visited the central bank yesterday.

Sri Lankan authorities have launched a massive probe into a dubious NGO was involved in the

theft of $101 million from Bangladesh central bank reserve with the US Federal Reserve Bank in New York, reported The Sunday Times, a newspaper in Sri Lanka.

The government is considering outsourcing the supervision of security of Hazrat Shahjalal

International Airport as a part of its decision to comply with almost all proposals of the UK government to improve airport security, officials said.

The UK expert team yesterday firmly reiterated that they wanted ‗almost all‘ the security requirements met at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport within March 31.

The Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday expressed deep concern over the UK's

and Australia's ban on direct cargo flights from Bangladesh, the leading chamber said in a statement yesterday.

The Malaysian High Commission in Dhaka is pursuing the telecom regulator on the proposed

merger of Robi and Airtel, saying the move will further strengthen relations between the two countries' business communities, according to a letter to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.

Malaysia plans to set up a 1,320-megawatt power plant at Moheshkhali and provide 70 percent of

the project cost as loans to Bangladesh. The cabinet committee on purchase yesterday in a meeting

chaired by Finance Minister AMA Muhith gave the project the go-ahead. The government and Malaysia will each have a 50 percent share of the plant and Bangladesh will bear 30 percent of the project cost.

With just the click of a button, anyone can now gather information on the government's internal and

overseas trade and investment policies as the commerce ministry yesterday launched the Bangladesh

trade portal. The ministry launched the website as local and foreign businessmen sometimes complain

that they do not get adequate information on the country's export, import, investment policies and current economic situation. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed launched the ceremony of the website in Dhaka.

Bhutan‘s Queen Mother Tshering Pem Wangchuck is due in Dhaka this morning on a four-day visit.

She would lead a seven-member delegation that included Princess Chimi Yangzom Wangchuck, foreign ministry said in a press release.

Tamim Iqbal kept his promise and scored a century to set up a crushing 54-run win for Bangladesh in the ICC World T20 qualifier against Oman at Dharamsala yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,480.18 points, shedding 0.09 per cent or 4.34 points yesterday.


Ph: 9546091







News brief

To stop any further hacking of its network, Bangladesh Bank (BB) is installing monitoring software

on all its computers that would instantly alert the IT department of any cyber attack or suspicious activity.

This would also help BB officials to monitor whether any malicious software got installed.

A typing mistake by hackers thwarted the second attempt of hacking US$870 million from

Bangladesh Bank US account, according to the Reuters report. The Philippines government is taking tough steps about the recovery of $81 million cross-border

money laundering scam and in order to recover the hacked money it is also cooperating with the

Bangladesh central bank. The amount was transferred to the Philippines Rizal Commercial Banking

Corporation (RCBC) branch in Makati City by unknown computer hackers from an account of

Bangladesh Bank (BB) maintained with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The Malaysian Cabinet has decided to halt the recruitment of new foreign workers into the country,

said the country's Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. 'This means that the initial

plan to bring in 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers was also officially scrapped,' he said to the media.

High Commissioner of South Africa Geoff Doidge visited the World Trade Centre (WTC) in

Chittagong and exchanged views with president of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Mahbubul Alam at the WTC at Agrabad in the city. He said Bangladesh is progressing very fast and its

private sector is getting stronger. He called for using South Africa's experience and technology in setting

up environment-friendly coal-based power plants and its development. He emphasised the introduction of

direct banking channel between the two countries as there are as many as 0.25 million Bangladeshis are

working in South Africa.

The government has taken harsh measures to prevent jobseekers from resorting to illegal ways for

going abroad using visit, short visit and student visas as well as professional and social visit passes (VPs).

Sources at the Expatriates‘ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry said the ministry has already

issued a letter with three directives to all official concerned to prevent the illegal migration.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday requested India to remove the countervailing duties on

locally-made products, saying the country's exports to India are facing difficulties due to such tariff and

non-tariff barriers. He said this at the inaugural session of 'Bangladesh India Cotton Fest-2016' jointly

organised by Bangladesh Cotton Association (BCA), Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) and

Indian Cotton Association Ltd (ICAL) in Dhaka.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon yesterday hoped that the UK will

withdraw its ban on direct cargo flight from Dhaka, alleging substandard security condition of Hazrat

Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA). He said this while examining the security measures of Cargo

Complex at HISA.

Bangladesh has been elected as a host country for arranging 'World Congress on Information

Technology (WCIT)-2021, the largest event of the world in information technology. At a meeting, World

Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) yesterday selected Bangladesh to host the

WICT in 2021 as the country bagged its majority votes defeating Australia, the ICT Division sources

said.

Pre-registration for online Hajj applications will begin from 20 March, according to Religious

Affairs Minister Principal Motiur Rahman. He said this while speaking at the inauguration of the 9th

annual Hajj and Umrah Fair yesterday, which was organised by Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh

(HAAB) at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC).

Bangladesh will meet Oman in their last Group 'A' match of the qualifying round of the ICC World

Twenty20 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, India today.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, rose by 0.26 per cent, or 11.69 points, to close at

4,484.53 points on Thursday.







DHAKA



News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday directed the authorities concerned to construct

Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park turn it into a full-fledged ICT city, giving due importance to environmental

aspects. She gave the directive while presiding over the first meeting of the Board of Governors of

Bangladesh Hi Tech Park Authority at her office.

Bangladesh will only take part in any military operations anywhere in the world if those are

approved by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made

it clear to Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir, a senior government official said to the

media yesterday.

The government yesterday signed an agreement with Indian EXIM Bank to receive $2 billion

Indian Line of Credit against 14 development projects in the country's various sectors. Economic

Relations Division (ERD) Senior Secretary Mohammad Mejbahuddin and Chairman and Managing

Director of EXIM Bank of India Yaduvendra Mathur signed the credit deal on behalf of their

respective sides at the NEC-2 conference room. Bangladesh and Russian Federation will soon sign the proposed agreement to establish

'Intergovernmental Commission' on trade, economic, science and technology for strengthening

bilateral relations on all fronts. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali reassured the outgoing Russian

Ambassador Alexander A Nikolaev about signing the deal between the two governments soon. The

assurance came when the Russian diplomat met the Foreign Minister at the latter's office yesterday. With sincere and relentless efforts the present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Haisna

has undertaken a project of Installation of Single Point Mooring (SPM) with Double Pipe Line aimed

at saving over Taka 1,000 crore annually, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources

Nasrul Hamid said this to the media yesterday.

Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Qatari Prime Minister and

Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani are likely to visit Bangladesh

separately soon, according to a message received from Bangladesh Embassy, Doha, Qatar.

Bangladesh India Cotton Fest 2016 will be held in Dhaka on March 12 in a bid to ensure better

cotton sourcing of the country from India. The Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, the Bangladesh

Cotton Association and the Indian Cotton Association will jointly organise the event at Radison Blu

Hotel in Dhaka.

Computer hacking suspects tried to steal about $1 billion from the Bangladesh Bank‘s reserve

through its account with the New York Federal Reserve Bank and succeeded to transfer $101

million, said central bank officials and Philippine media reports yesterday.

As part of a set of interim measures, the British government has said cargo will not be allowed

on direct flights from Dhaka to the UK until further notice, the UK government said this in a notice

issued on March 8.

Bangladesh beat Netherlands by eight runs in their first Group 'A' match of the qualifying round

of the ICC World Twenty20 Cricket held at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in

Dharmasala, India yesterday.

DSEX, the key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, finished at 4,457.80 points, adding 0.08

percent, or 9.39 points yesterday.


Ph: 9546091







News brief

The government has taken up a new project involving Tk 6,915 crore to provide electricity

to 15 lakh rural people. The government-funded project was approved at a meeting of the

Executive Committee of the National Economic Council with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in

the chair yesterday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday assured Saudi Arabia of extending all support to its

counterterrorism efforts. She said this in a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir at

her official Ganobhabhan residence yesterday.

The Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence awarded to Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir

Quasem Ali for crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York yesterday said that it had no evidence of any breach

of its systems related to an account held there by Bangladesh Bank (BB). The denial by the US

Federal Reserve Bank that any Bangladesh government's fund deposited with it has not been

stolen has further complicated the issue as raised by the BB.

Finance Minister A M A Muhith yesterday said case will be filed against the US Federal

Reserve Bank of New York for the hacking of Bangladesh money. He said this to the media at

the secretariat. The Bangladesh Bank is not at fault for this incident of hacking, he added.

Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) yesterday signed four separate deals with a

Bangladesh-Korea joint venture consortium to construct 132/33kv sub-station at Bhaluka,

Mymensingh, Bariarhat and Ramganj. The PGCB will spend Tk 106.30 crore to implement the

project under JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) support.

Brazil has requested Bangladesh to lift its ban on export of raw jute so that Brazilian jute

industries can get the item. In a note verbal issued yesterday, Brazil‘s embassy in Dhaka

informed the Bangladesh foreign ministry that the country was seriously considering to find out

alternative source of jute.

Dhaka has asked the Maldives to hire more skilled manpower from Bangladesh. Expatriates'

Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam, came up with the request when

Maldives High Commissioner in Dhaka Dr Mohamed Asim met him at his office in Dhaka

yesterday.

Swedish retail giant H&M will increase the volume of work orders for garment items from

Bangladesh although the company is looking for alternative destinations for sourcing, said

Hendrik Heuermann, sustainability manager of H&M in Germany. He shared his plan when a

group of Bangladeshi journalists visited his Hamburg office in Germany on March 4.

Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla said yesterday India would continue to

extend its all-out cooperation to Bangladesh for the development of health sector. He said this

while he made a courtesy call on Health Minister Mohammad Nasim at Bangladesh Secretariat.

Bangladesh Tigers will start their ICC T20 World Cupcampaign taking on the Netherlands

in the qualifying round Group-A match at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium,

Dharamsala, India today.

Malaysian police in a raid in Taman Sungai Puyu yesterday rescued 27 Bangladeshi men

who were victims of human trafficking, reports Malaysian state news agency Bernama. They

also arrested three men believed to be members of a human trafficking syndicate.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, added 0.23 per cent, or 10.25 points, to



Ph: 9546091







News brief

The cabinet yesterday approved in principle a draft law to regulate the planned

'bus rapid transit' a traffic system aimed to reduce the notorious traffic jam in the

capital and its outskirts. The approval has come from the regular weekly meeting at

Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Envoys of seven American and Caribbean countries paid homage to Father of the

Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing wreaths at his portrait at

Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in the capital yesterday. The Ambassadors/High

Commissioners/Heads of mission are from Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador, Venezuela,

Guyana and, Trinidad and Tobago.

For the first time in Bangladesh the Bangladesh Accreditation Board (BAB) has

accredited Qtex Solutions Limited under the scope of workplace environmental

condition inspection for complying the international standard ISO/IEC 17020:2012.

As a result now the reports generated by Qtex Solutions Limited will be nationally and

internationally recognized.

Foreign Ministers of eight countries belonging to South Asian Association for

Regional Cooperation (SAARC) are set to meet in Nepal next Week to fix the dates of

the next SAARC summit to be held in Pakistan, said sources concerned.

The United Kingdom will continue to help Bangladesh's stride in eradicating child

marriage and stopping violence against women giving both girls and women 'safe and

secure' lives and ensuring their independence, outgoing DFID (The Department for

International Development) country representative Sarah Cooke said to the media in

an interview yesterday.

Hong Kong based Must Group is going to set up a garments industry in Ishawardi

Export Processing Zone. This fully foreign company will invest 30 million US dollar.

Bangladesh has opened its resident Mission in Addis Ababa, the capital of

Ethiopia, on March 1 to usher newer avenues for trade and commerce and social

development, said a foreign ministry press release.

The Bangladesh Bank yesterday admitted that money was transferred online by

hackers to the Philippines from the Bangladesh Bank's foreign exchange reserve

through its account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, rose by 0.18 per cent, or 8.16

points, to close at 4,443.63 points yesterday.


Ph: 9546091







News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday declared that jute and its products will be

considered as agro-based ones so that this foreign exchange-earning sector could get

all the facilities like the country's other agro-based ones. She said this at a programme

organised by Textiles and Jute Ministry at Bangabandhu International Conference

Centre (BICC) to award individuals and organisations that played a pivotal role in

implementing the Mandatory Jute Packaging Act 2010.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina provided cash assistance of one million US dollars

(Tk 8 crore) for the people of Fiji who were affected in a recent devastating cyclone,

said a PMO press release yesterday.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, now in Jakarta, attended the ministerial

preparatory meeting of the fifth extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic

Cooperation (OIC) yesterday. The meeting finalised a draft resolution and a

declaration, titled 'The Jakarta Declaration on Palestine and Al Quds Al-Sharif', for

adoption by the heads of delegations at the Summit today.

State Minister for Labour and Employment M Mujibul Haque yesterday said the

Ready Made-Garments (RMG) sector will be established as a role model to the world

as the government has been providing remarkable facilities to further accelerate the

industry. He said this while addressing as the chief guest at the inaugural session of a

two-day workshop on 'Stakeholders and Buyers Forum Better Work Bangladesh' in

Dhaka, said a press release.

Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque yesterday urged the Latin American

countries to work together with Bangladesh as good friends for fighting for equality

and justice and getting economic and social benefits. He said this at a seminar, titled

'Bangladesh's Relations with Latin American Countries: Unlocking Potentials' was

jointly organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Bangladesh Institute of

International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) in Dhaka.

Two non-traditional markets like Japan and Australia have appeared as promising

export destinations for Bangladeshi exporters as an encouraging export earnings

growth has been registered from the markets for last couple of months, according to

the Export Promotion Bureau yesterday.

Qimiao Fan would start working today as the World Bank's new country director

for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, said a WB press release yesterday.

India snatched the T20 Asia Cup championship trophy by defeating Bangladesh by

8 wickets yesterday in the final match at Mipur stadium.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, fell by 0.83 per cent, or 37.37










News brief

Bangladesh has received a high appreciation from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), UK for its

commendable successes in achieving MDGs, poverty reduction, women empowerment, and transformation of its

economy in the recent years, reports UNB. The appreciation came at a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary

Group on Bangladesh at the British Parliament recently, according to a message received here from Bangladesh

High Commission in London on Friday.

Bangladesh yesterday ruled out any fresh negotiation on the Teesta River water sharing agreement, hoping

that the deal would be signed shortly based on the draft earlier agreed on by Dhaka and New Delhi. Prime

Minister‘s International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi said to a question at a session yesterday on the

concluding day of the two-day long seventh round of Bangladesh-India Friendship Dialogue jointly organised by

Foreign Ministry, Friends of Bangladesh and India Foundation in Dhaka. He also said to the session chaired by

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam that Bangladesh is not happy over the killing of Bangladeshis by

the Indian Border Security Force along the border. Visiting BJP national secretary general Ram Madhav yesterday said Bangladesh has got stable under Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina's dynamic leadership. He also said that the country's political parties have to remain on the

track of democratic process like elections. He made this remark when he met the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at

her official residence Ganobahban.

The Ford, US motor manufacturing company, has started primary negotiations with Anwar Group of

Bangladesh to have a joint venture for assembling of different types of vehicles especially cars in Bangladesh. This

was disclosed yesterday at the end of a three-day US Trade Show, which began on Thursday last. The US Trade

Show, an annual event, organized by the US Embassy and the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh

(AmCham). Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed inaugurated the Trade Show.

A process is underway to award a contract for the construction and operation of two jetties at Mongla Port

under the public-private partnership (PPP) to enhance its capacity. According to official sources, the Shipping

Ministry has already selected a private consortium of foreign and local firms to build the two new jetties in the

country‘s second largest sea port.

Energy adviser to the prime minister Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhurty yesterday said that the government was

planning to invest together with the international oil companies in oil and gas exploration in the Bay of Bengal to

facilitate the search for new deposits. He was addressing a seminar, hosted by the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce

and Industry, on prospects and challenges for industries in the energy and power sector in the 7th Five-Year Plan at

the DCCI auditorium in Dhaka.

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is going to provide $ 248.3 million credit assistance to Bangladesh

against three projects-in power sector, sustainable housing for low-income urban communities and development of

a technical teacher training institute.

South Korea is interested to provide both financial and technical support to Bangladesh for rural

development. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC) Dr Sang Mu Lee said

this on the sideline of a conference in the capital yesterday. Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Abdul Matlub Ahmad yesterday

said that the BBIN (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal) initiative would not be successful if the entry points on the

border were kept restricted for Bangladeshi people by Indian authorities. He said this at a session on economic

cooperation between Bangladesh and India at the two-day Bangladesh-India Friendship Dialogue held in Dhaka.

Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury yesterday said that the South Asian countries have

together set a bright example in paving ways for women leadership and making quick national progress under their

able leadership. She said this at the plenary of a women legislator's conference hosted by the Indian Parliament. Dhaka is finding it difficult to facilitate Delhi with full-fledged transit and transshipment facilities through

the waterways, because of lack of adequate depth in the key river routes. Shipping ministry officials said the time-

consuming process of dredging was necessary to ready the rivers routes with the adequate draft of more than two

metre for goods-carrying vessels, as demanded by Delhi.

Five Bangladeshi workers were killed and two others injured when a trailer hit their bus as they were going to

their workplace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia yesterday.

Highly spirited host Bangladesh will take on favourite India today in the final of the Asia Cup T20 at the Sher-

e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

DSEX, the key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, fell by 2.07 per cent, or 94.73 points, to close at 4,472.84

points on Thursday.


Ph: 9546091







News brief Visiting BJP national secretary general Ram Madhav yesterday said Bangladesh has got stable under Prime















the Indian Border Security Force along the border. The Ford, US motor manufacturing company, has started primary negotiations with Anwar Group of














Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Abdul Matlub Ahmad yesterday




South Korea, is interested to provide both financial and technical support to Bangladesh for rural


this on the sideline of a conference in the capital yesterday. The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is going to provide $ 248.3 million credit assistance to Bangladesh


a technical teacher training institute. Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury yesterday said that the South Asian countries have


able leadership. She said this at the plenary of a women legislator's conference hosted by the Indian Parliament.


their workplace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia yesterday. Dhaka is finding it difficult to facilitate Delhi with full-fledged transit and transshipment facilities through the

waterways, because of lack of adequate depth in the key river routes. Shipping ministry officials said the time-

consuming process of dredging was necessary to ready the rivers‘ routes with the adequate draught of more than

two metre for goods-carrying vessels, as demanded by Delhi.

Highly spirited host Bangladesh will take on favourite India today in the final of the Asia Cup T20 at the Sher-


DSEX, the key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, fell by 2.07 per cent, or 94.73 points, to close at 4,472.84 points on Thursday.


Ph: 9546091







News brief Visiting BJP national secretary general Ram Madhav yesterday said Bangladesh has got stable under Prime















the Indian Border Security Force along the border. The Ford, US motor manufacturing company, has started primary negotiations with Anwar Group of














Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry president Abdul Matlub Ahmad yesterday




South Korea, is interested to provide both financial and technical support to Bangladesh for rural


this on the sideline of a conference in the capital yesterday. The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) is going to provide $ 248.3 million credit assistance to Bangladesh


a technical teacher training institute. Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury yesterday said that the South Asian countries have


able leadership. She said this at the plenary of a women legislator's conference hosted by the Indian Parliament.


their workplace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia yesterday. Dhaka is finding it difficult to facilitate Delhi with full-fledged transit and transshipment facilities through the

waterways, because of lack of adequate depth in the key river routes. Shipping ministry officials said the time-

consuming process of dredging was necessary to ready the river, routes with the adequate draught of more than two

metre for goods-carrying vessels, as demanded by Delhi.

Highly spirited host Bangladesh will take on favourite India today in the final of the Asia Cup 20 at the Sher-


DSEX, the key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, fell by 2.07 per cent, or 94.73 points, to close at 4,472.84 points on Thursday.


Ph: 9546091






Date: Thursday, 3 March 2016 [email protected]


News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said it will be easier to free this society from

corruption by making the best use of technology. She said this while simultaneously

inaugurating the Upazila ICT Training and Resource Centres (UITRCEs) in 125 selected

upazilas through a videoconference at her office.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali yesterday met his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj

in New Delhi and discussed various bilateral issues, including water and security held at the

office of Indian External Affairs Minister. They agreed to hold the next meeting of the Joint

Consultative Commission (JCC), co-chaired by the two Ministers, in Dhaka in July this year,

according to a message received here from New Delhi.

Bangladesh stormed into the final of the Asia Cup Twenty defeating Pakistan by five

wickets in their last league match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur

yesterday.

The government decided to set up a 290km pipeline to facilitate supply of imported gas

to a power plant to be set up by Indian company Reliance at Meghnaghat in Narayanganj.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said this to the media

yesterday.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu said Saudi Arabia would ink bilateral investment

agreement with Bangladesh soon to extend cooperation in industrial sector. The minister,

who is now in Saudi Arabia on an official visit, disclosed it after having a meeting with Saudi

Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) Deputy Governor and National Composite

Centre President Saud K Al-Faisal at SAGIA headquarters, said a ministry press release

yesterday.

Bangladesh and the Russian Federation are in negotiations to reintroduce direct flights on

Dhaka-Moscow route that will help expand economic, cultural and educational ties between

the two countries. Outgoing Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander A Nikolaev has

said discussions between a number of Russian flight operators and Civil Aviation Authority,

Bangladesh are going on in this regard. He said this when he met State Minister for Foreign

Affairs Shahriar Alam at the latter‘s office yesterday, said a Foreign Ministry handout.

Bangladesh is increasingly becoming a destination for denim business because of the

country's well-established ability to supply huge volumes at comparatively lower prices, said

Thomas Dislich, head of Europe and Asia region for Vicunha, the world's largest denim

maker yesterday.

Bangladesh has urged the Singapore government to ease and speed up the visa process

for its citizens. State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam made the request when

non-resident High Commissioner of Singapore Chan Heng Wing met him at the Foreign

Ministry yesterday.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) is closely monitoring the developments in alleged laundering of

money amounting to US$100 million to the Philippines, a senior central banker said to the

media yesterday.

A cattle trader was gunned down by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) on Johorpur

frontier under Shibganj, Chapinawabganj yesterday. DSEX fell by 0.48 per cent, or 21.86 points, to close at 4,462.17 points yesterday.









News brief

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) yesterday approved the

construction of small bridges and culverts (up to 12 metres) on rural roads across the country with an

estimated cost of Tk 3,684.36 crore, aiming to further improve the rural communications system. The

approval was given at the 22nd ECNEC meeting held at the NEC conference room with Prime


The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) has honored Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina with 'special certificate and crest' for her outstanding success in 'disaster

management'. IFRC Secretary General Elhadj As Sey formally handed over the certificate and the

crest to the Premier at a simple ceremony at her official Ganobhaban residence on Sunday, a press

release of the Prime Minister's Press Wing said.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali left Dhaka for New Delhi yesterday on a three-day visit. He

was invited to attend the ‗Raisina Dialogue‘. He is likely to have a bilateral meeting with his Indian

counterpart Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of the event, said a diplomatic source.

Bangladesh ICT-Expo-2016 is set to kick off on March 3 at Bangabandhu International

Conference Centre (BICC) to promote local hardware industry in efforts to transform Bangladesh

into a leading manufacturing country, State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak said this

at a press conference at the BICC, Dhaka yesterday.

Bangladesh is making tremendous progress economically and that is the key attraction for the

investors, especially those who look for pouring foreign investments. Nurul Islam, President of the

American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) said this while speaking at a press

briefing in Dhaka yesterday.

The 24th

three-day annual 'US Trade Show' begins in Dhaka tomorrow, aiming to boost

economic ties between Bangladesh and the United States. The US Embassy in Dhaka is partnering

with the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) to organise the trade

extravaganza at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel.

The United Nations yesterday lauded the role of Bangladesh Police in establishing peace across

the world, said a press release from police headquarters.

An agreement was signed yesterday in an effort to increase the export of Bangladeshi products

to Saudi Arabian market, says a press release.

Remediation process has remained stuck in the readymade garment factories which have been

inspected under government-ILO joint initiative due to the unwillingness of the factory authorities,

said people involved with the process.

Scores of Bangladeshi women have been lured with the promise of a good job in the Middle

East and then trafficked to war-torn Syria, where they are forced into domestic or sex work, a senior

Bangladeshi police official said.

Prime ATM fraud suspect the Ukraine national Piotr Szcdepan Mazurek has told detectives that

around 50 people and firms were involved in the forgery.

Bangladesh will take on Pakistan in the crucial match of the Asia Cup T20 at the Sher-e-Bangla

National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur today.




Ph: 9546091







News brief

Keeping a provision of seven years‘ imprisonment and a penalty of Tk 2 crore for illegally

entering Bangladeshi airspace, the cabinet yesterday approved the draft of the Civil Aviation Act

2016. The approval was given at the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at Bangladesh

Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Chittagong Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (CWASA) yesterday signed a contract

with two Korean and Japanese firms for implementing Karnaphuli Water Supply Project (Phase-

2). 'Colon Global Corporation (CGC)' of South Korea and 'Kubota Construction Corporation

(KCC)' of Japan will implement the project under a loan contract of Japan International

Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Government of Bangladesh (GoB). Managing Director

(MD) of CWASA Engineer A K M Fazlullah signed the agreement on behalf of CWASA while

Jung Chang Dou signed it on behalf of the two contractor firms at Hotel Radisson Blu

Chittagong.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is considering funding over US$ 5.0 billion for the

country's road and metro-rail development in the next five years.

South Korean company CS Bangla Limited will invest $25 million to establish a tent and

outdoor camping items manufacturing industry in Mongla Export Processing Zone in

Bangladesh. This company, fully foreign-owned, will produce annually 4.3 million pieces of

tents, sleeping bags, camping chairs, bags and other accessories. CS Bangla Ltd will create

employment opportunity for 1500 Bangladeshi nationals. An agreement to this effect was signed

between the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) and CS Bangla Limited at

BEPZA Complex in Dhaka yesterday.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu yesterday sought direct or joint investments from

Albanian entrepreneurs and investors in Bangladesh industrial sectors. He said this while

participating in a meeting with an Albanian delegation led by Pellumb Salillari, Chief Executive

Officer of Salillari Limited, at the office of the industry ministry.

Bangladeshi veterinary scientists have invented the preventive vaccine for cattle's foot and

mouth disease (FMD), a major viral ailment that causes the country an estimated loss of Taka

10,000 crore annually, State Minister for Livestock Narayan Chandra Chanda said to the media

yesterday.

A top expert Simon Maxwell, executive chair of London-based Climate and Development

Knowledge and Network said developing countries like Bangladesh should not worry about

financing projects aimed at climate change adaptation and making their industries green as funds

are plenty globally. He said this to The Daily Star in a recent interview in Dhaka.

The government has extended till 31 March next the deadline for the registration of online

news portal, said a handout yesterday. It said the registration form can be submitted to the Press

Information Department (PID) by this time.

Pakistan kept their Asia Cup hope alive after defeating UAE by seven wickets at Sher-e-

Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, shed 0.54 per cent, or 24.87 points, to









Date: Monday, 29 February 2016 [email protected]


News brief

Bangladesh is weighing a deal with Bhutan to invest around US$1.0 billion in hydropower in the

landlocked country to re-import the electricity, officials said. It's part of a regional power trade. The

International Finance Corporation (IFC), an enterprise of the World Bank Group, has already assured

the government of financing regional power trade involving Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan.

The government signed a deal with a consortium of five companies yesterday for the

consultancy services of the 72-km Akhaura-Laksam double rail line project in Dhaka- Chittagong

route. The five companies include Dohwa Engineering Co Ltd (Korea), Korea Rail Network

Authority, Oriental Consultants Global Ltd (Japan), Balaji Railroad Systems Ltd (India) and

Development Design Consultants Ltd (Bangladesh).

High officials of the Bangladesh Armed Forces have expressed interest to purchase more

military equipments from Russia, and Moscow will seriously consider if the request is made by

Dhaka, outgoing Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Nikolaev said yesterday. He said

this at a programme organised by Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh at the

National Press Club yesterday.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday laid the foundation stones of 10 economic zones, the

first of its kind in the country. With the setting up of economic zones, she said, the ‗living standard‘

of the people would be further developed as those will generate employment, alleviate poverty and

infuse dynamism into the economy.

The final agreement between Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and the Indian

state-owned National Thermal Power Corporation for the development of 1320 m.w. coal fired

power plant at Rampal of Begerhat district has been deferred until the March 2016. Earlier it was

scheduled that the final ink would take place yesterday, February 28, 2016.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu yesterday said Bangladesh is trying to get European

Union‘s (EU) permission for exporting honey to the European market. He said this while speaking at

the opening ceremony of a 3-day honey fair at Krishibid Institution of Khamar Bari.

Summit Technopolis, a joint venture between Summit Group of Bangladesh and Infinity

Infotech Parks of India, yesterday started construction to build the country's biggest hi-tech park in

Gazipur.

Bangladesh Army has deployed a contingent under the leadership of a woman officer for the

first time ever in the UN peacekeeping mission in Ivory Coast (United Nations Operation in Côte

d'Ivoire). A 56-member medical team of army left Dhaka by a UN flight from Hazrat Shahjalal

International Airport on Saturday, said a press release issued by the Inter Service Public Relations

Directorate (ISPR) yesterday.

Director general-level meeting between Border Guard Bangladesh and Indian Border Security

Force, which was postponed on December 22, will be held between March 19 and 24 at the BGB

Peelkhana headquarters.

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh in Geneva M Shameem Ahsan

becomes the chairperson of WTO committee on Balance of Payments Restriction for 2016,

according to a press statement.

A total of 1,01,758 hajj pilgrims will perform the holy Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage to

Mecca, in Saudi Arabia this year.

The Tigers defeated Sri Lanka by 23 runs in their crucial match of the Asia Cup Twenty20 at

the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka yesterday.

President Md. Abdul Hamid yesterday left Dhaka for London for medical checkup.



Mahfuzur Rahman

For Principal Information Officer Ph: 9546091





DHAKA


Date: Sunday, 28 February 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

The facilities extended to foreign investors are set to be increased in the new industrial

policy in yet another bid to bump up the disappointing inflow of investment from abroad. For

instance, foreign investors who take up green, high-tech or transformative projects will get a

special financial incentive package. There will be an integrated one-stop service, country-

specific economic zones or industrial parks for foreign investors, as per the draft of the

Industrial Policy 2016. The draft was approved on February 24 by the cabinet committee on

economic affairs.

Speakers at a seminar said yesterday commercial, trade and investment disputes in South

Asia could be resolved through alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to transform the region

into a 'global growth centre'. The observations were made at the seminar titled 'The Role of

SARCO as an Arbitration Centre in the Region' held at the auditorium of Dhaka Chamber of

Commerce and Industry (DCCI). Bangladesh International Arbitration Centre (BIAC), DCCI

and SAARC Arbitration Council (SARCO) jointly organised the programme. Law Minister

Anisul Huq was present as the chief guest.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government has a plan to construct an

international standard theatre complex as there is no such hall in the country for producing

good stage dramas. She said this while inaugurating programme of newly constructed

Bangladesh Mahila Samity Complex Building at city's Bailey Road.

The government is set to open two press wings--one in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the

other in Tokyo of Japan—soon. The move is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations with

the two countries. The information ministry, in cooperation with the ministry of foreign

affairs, has already completed the ground works necessary to open the two press wings,

sources at the information ministry said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will open Mirsari Economic Zone along with other 10

economic zones through video conference today, Chittagong Deputy Commissioner (DC)

office sources said.

The government lost Tk 208 crore in revenue from international call termination business

in four months as the international gateway operators bagged a huge sum using regulatory

loopholes. According to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission officials,

the IGW operators are bringing calls at the rate of 2 US cents but sharing revenue with the

government at the rate of 1.5 cents.

Bangladesh exported 550 tonnes of honey worth Tk 550 million in the last financial year

(FY'15).

The pioneer denim show organised by Denimsandjeans.com will start on March 2, 2016

with its 5th edition having the theme ‗Denim in Fashion‘.

India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in a low-scoring match of the Asia Cup

Twenty20 Cricket at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka yesterday.

DSEX, the key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, shed 0.44 per cent, or 20.10 points, over

the week to close at 4,567.56 points on Thursday.

Tasir Ahmed






DHAKA


Date: Thursday, 25 February 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the authorities concerned to stay alert so that

the Jamaat-Shibir activists and those involved in terrorist and militant activities could not be

recruited in the police force. She said this to the house yesterday.

Kuwait Ambassador in Dhaka Adel Mohammed Hayat praised contribution of some 200,000

Bangladeshi in the development of Kuwait, an oil-rich country in the Middle East. He said this

while hosting a reception marking the 55th National Day and 25th Liberation Day of Kuwait at a

city hotel on Tuesday. Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam BSc

was present as the chief guest on the occasion.

LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Engineer Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain called upon

Singapore to exchange experiences, research findings and implementation strategies with

Bangladesh to face climate change impacts. He made the call during a meeting with Singaporean

Minister for Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli at his office in Singapore. The

minister led a delegation to Singapore to exchange experiences to face climate change impacts

recently.

The Jatiya Sangsad yesterday passed the Paira Port Project (land acquisition) Bill-2016

making a special provision for filing appeals to the divisional commissioner by aggrieved

persons for determination of compensation against land acquisition. The bill was passed with

voice votes with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.

Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a platform of the European brands and

retailers, has terminated business relations with four more readymade garment factories in Dhaka

due to their failure in implementing workplace safety measures.

The World Bank (WB) has decided to revise its lending strategy for Bangladesh, asking the

latter to make available at least 10 per cent of the total cost of a development project from its

own coffer to be eligible for its (WB) funding. Officials at the Economic Relations Division

(ERD) said the WB has incorporated the condition into its proposed Country Partnership

Framework (CPF) for next five years.

Bangladesh can exercise the least power in the world while taxing the multinational

companies operating on its soil, said a report of ActionAid yesterday. The report, examined more

than 500 international tax treaties, revealing which ones most take away poorer countries‘ ability

to raise taxes on multinational companies. Bangladesh is the country which has given up the

most power to tax multinational companies — it has the largest number of very restrictive

treaties. Bangladesh has 18 very restrictive tax treaties that restrict the government‘s power to

tax global companies doing business.

The traffic system of the capital collapsed after a 10-minute nor'wester accompanied by

hailstorm and heavy rainfall swept it yesterday noon, inflicting sufferings on the city dwellers.

Two Bangladeshi students were killed and another was critically injured in a tragic road

crash in Sydney of Australia on Tuesday, reports ABC news.

A sublime innings by a fortunate Rohit Sharma, India condemned Bangladesh to a 45-run

loss in the Asia Cup T20 in Mirpur, Dhaka yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,579.52 points, shedding 0.40



For Principal Information Officer

Ph : 9546091






Date: Wednesday, 24 February 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the initiatives on regional cooperation like BBIN

(Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal) and BCIM-EC (Bangladesh, India, China and Myanmar-Economic

Corridor) will generate greater economic activities among neighbouring countries accelerating their

development. She came up with the view when visiting Indian Air Chief Marshall Arup Raha met her at her

office.

The Bumiputera Entrepreneurs Club of Foreign Worker Suppliers and Management (D‘Kelab), Malaysia

yesterday asserted that 1.5 million Bangladeshi labourers will not add to the existing foreign worker pool as

feared. Instead, it claimed that these will replace foreigners whose contracts are due to expire, primarily

Bangladeshi workers here that are on permits that will run out within the next two years, reports The Malay

Mail Online.

A Bangladeshi national was allegedly shot to death and another injured by members of Indian Border

Security Force (BSF) in Mohommadpur Danger-para area of Daulatpur, Kushtia on Monday.

Bangladesh has continued to be an attractive destination for Japanese companies to do business due to its

lower production cost and labour wage compared to those of 19 countries in Asia and Oceania. In comparison

to Japan, the cost of production in Bangladesh is less than half, (49.5 percent), while it is 81.9 percent in

China, 73 percent in Vietnam and 80.6 percent in India, according to the latest survey of Japan External Trade

Organisation (JETRO).

Bangladesh and Sweden yesterday signed a cooperation agreement on poverty alleviation, strengthening

democracy, human rights, gender equality, and sustainable development, said a Swedish embassy press

release.

German Ambassador Thomas Prinz has said Bangladesh is a reliable source of high-quality garment for

his country. He said this at a press conference at the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters

Association headquarters in Dhaka yesterday.

A British business delegation is visiting Bangladesh for three days to drive forward the partnership

between the United Kingdom (UK) and Bangladesh for growth and prosperity of both the countries. The

visiting UK companies, experts in the field of development and humanitarian aid-work, will meet a wide

range of development partners, government officials, and non-government organizations, said a press release

yesterday. Bangladesh has called for a 'special processing support' from the Immigration Bureau of Thailand for

Bangladeshi businessmen and professionals as Bangladesh has some specific concerns over visa issue.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Thailand Saida Muna Tasneem made the call during a meeting with Commander

of Immigration Bureau of Thailand, Police Maj Gen Supapone Arunsit in Bangkok yesterday. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday said Poland has shown keen interest to invest in various

sectors like coal, preservation of agricultural products and food processing sectors as the country has long

experience in those sectors. He said this to the media after meeting the six-member Polish delegation led by

Deputy Minister for Economic Development Radoslaw Domagalski-Labedzki at Tofail's secretariat office.

The United States has strongly condemned 'cowardly acts' that target members of a community with

historic roots in Bangladesh and that strike at Bangladesh's traditions of diversity and harmony, US

Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat said this in a statement yesterday.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has handed the government a three-pillar recommendation for

improving the overall financial health of the state-owned commercial banks (SoCBs). Ensuring good

governance in banking, recapitalisation, and completing automation process of all branches of the SoCBs by

the end of this calendar year form the bedrock of the recovery recipe, Changyong Rhee, director of IMF's Asia

and Pacific Department, told the FE recently.

Observing that there is no particular set of rules to investigate graft allegations in cricket, the

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) yesterday urged the authorities concerned to appoint an

ombudsman for cricket, aiming to cut corruption and irregularities in the popular game.

Bangladesh will take on India in the opening match of the Asia Cup Twenty20 at the Sher-e-Bangla

National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) in Mirpur today.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, increased to 4,598.34 points, adding 0.45 per cent or


Mahfuzur Rahman






DHAKA


Date: Tuesday, 23 February 2016 [email protected]


News brief

President Md. Abdul Hamid yesterday cautioned students against dangers of ‗blind faiths‘

asking them to remain alert so such dogmas could not impede their creativity. He said this to the 70th

founding anniversary celebrations of Ashek Mahmud College, Jamalpur yesterday.

Most apparel makers are facing difficulty to secure access to fund created for financing

garment units to ensure building safety code due to high rate of service charges and stringent

conditions, insiders said. They said, the donor agencies, including JICA, IFC and USAID, have

started disbursing funds as per their commitment through the concerned government agencies with

1.0 per cent service charge.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) cancelled

membership of some 78 apparel-manufacturing units at its board meeting as they failed to comply

with the terms and conditions, including subscription fees. BGMEA Vice President Faruque Hassan

said this to the media yesterday.

Air Canada will launch Toronto- Dhaka flight via New Delhi soon under Air Service Agreement

between Bangladesh and Canada. This was revealed yesterday while Canadian High Commissioner

to Bangladesh Benoit-Pierre Laramee held a meeting with Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister

Rashed Khan Menon at his secretariat office.

The European Union (EU) and United Kingdom (UK) yesterday condemned the Sunday‘s

killing of a Hindu priest in the northern district of Panchagarh.

Police have arrested a Polish citizen Piotr Szczepan Mazurek and three other bank officials for

their suspected involvement with the recent ATM card scam in Dhaka in which miscreants swindled

out money from the booths by using duplicate cards.

The D-8 member countries have agreed to implement the preferential trade agreement from

July 1, keeping Bangladesh's proposal regarding the local value addition criteria hanging.

Bangladesh has been demanding 30 percent local value addition for its goods to be exported to the

D-8 nations. In other words, if Bangladesh can add just 30 percent value to the product locally, it will

be considered as manufactured in Bangladesh. The rest of the D-8 countries have agreed on 40

percent local value addition.

President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI)

Abdul Matlub Ahmed has urged the newly elected BMCCI (Bangladesh-Malaysia Chamber of

Commerce and Industry) leaders to work towards enhancing trade with Malaysia by three fold over

the next two years. He made the call when the Board of Directors of the BMCCI by its President Md

Alamgir Jalil met him at the latter‘s office yesterday.

A team from the UNESCO will visit the proposed site of the 1320MW Rampal power plant on

March 8 to assess the environmental impacts of the controversial coal-fired plant on the Sundarbans,

the world‘s largest mangrove forest.

India's state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd or BHEL has won a deal to build the much-

debated Rampal coal-fired power plant in Bangladesh.

Ferdous Ara Begum, a former member of the UN CEDAW committee, has been appointed as

member of the board of trustees of HelpAge International, Bangladesh. HelpAge is an international

NGO that helps older people claim their rights, challenge discriminations and overcome poverty.

Ferdous Ara is the first woman board member from South Asia, said a release sent by I-NGO office

in Dhaka.



Tasir Ahmed Principal Information Officer

Ph: 9546091





DHAKA




News brief

The world community joined the Bangalee nation in observing International Mother Language Day

(Amar Ekushey), paying floral tributes to the language movement martyrs for their heroics in establishing

Bangla as their vernacular.

Undocumented Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia are passing days fearing they would be arrested

as the immigration police there are cracking down on illegal foreign workers, Mohammad Shaheen, a

Bangladeshi, told The Daily Star over phone from Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

India and Nepal yesterday signed agreements for strengthening cooperation in transportation

sector that, among other things, will provide transit facility to Bangladesh. According to the pact, goods

transportation on rail would be facilitated from Vishakhapatnam to Nepal, reports PTI.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will fund $1.5 billion for building a rail line that will

connect Cox‘s Bazaar, Bangladesh‘s beach resort, to neighboring Myanmar as part of a larger Trans –

Asian Railway network. Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2011 opened construction work on

the rail line but it has been on hold due to lack of funds, Xinhua reported.

State-owned Petrobangla has placed a nine-point recommendation including assurance of

uninterrupted gas supply to implement Indian Reliance sponsored 750 megawatts Meghnaghat Power

Plant. As per the plan, a floating storage and re-gasification unit (FSRU) will be set up before

commissioning the plant to ensure supply of fuel for it.

Five Bangladeshi nationals, including a couple, were killed and three others injured in two road

accidents in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

The New York-based international rights body Human Rights Watch yesterday called for the

withdrawal of all criminal charges brought against the editors of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, said in

a statement.

The US embassy in Dhaka yesterday released a special video message for the Bangladeshi people

in the city, marking the International Mother Language Day. In the video, the embassy's staff paid their

homage to those who sacrificed their lives to preserve the Bangla language, and wished the people of the

country saying 'Amar Ekushey' (Immortal 21st) in their respective mother tongues.

Bangladesh is set to become a major exporter of foodstuff and commodities as its vast alluvial

farmlands are gradually being brought under an enhanced production programme to deliver three crops

per year. This was disclosed by top government officials during a news conference in Dubai on Saturday

in connection with Gulfood, which started yesterday.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) yesterday

urged the use of books and textbooks in local languages to support education in mother tongues, which

promotes linguistic and cultural diversity and serves as the foundation for all social, economic and

cultural life.

Indian Air Force Chief Arup Raha arrived in Dhaka yesterday on a five-day official visit to

Bangladesh. Diplomatic sources said the visit, till February 25, is intended to take the existing defence

cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries to the next level.

MasterCard has launched the third phase of its financial literacy programme in collaboration with

BURO (Basic Unit for Resources and Opportunities) Bangladesh and Bangladesh Bank, to train an

additional 25,000 women this year, taking the total to 135,000 since 2013. The project offers training to

ensure an efficient use of microfinance loans for women entrepreneurs nationwide, the company said in a

statement, Asia News Network said.

India has invited applications from eligible Bangladeshi nationals for admission to the medical,

dental, engineering and pharmacy courses at reputed colleges and institutions in the country under its

self-financing scheme for the academic year 2016-2017. The courses are: MBBS, BDS, BE/diploma in

engineering, and B pharmacy/diploma in pharmacy, said a press release of the Indian High Commission

yesterday.

Tasir Ahmed






DHAKA



News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged Qatar to recruit more workers from

Bangladesh to meet the manpower demand of the Middle Eastern country on the occasion of

the World Cup football to be held in Qatar in 2022. She made the request when newly

appointed Qatari Ambassador to Bangladesh Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al-Dehaimi paid a

courtesy call on her at her office.

Abdul Matlub Ahmad, President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce

and Industry (FBCCI) yesterday sought Turkish investment in the country's Ready-Made

Garment (RMG) and furniture sectors. He made the appeal at a meeting between the FBCCI

delegation and Turkish 23-member business team in the city.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed her government's interest in joint

venture collaboration with the Maldives for fishing in deep sea alongside tapping the huge

potentials of food processing industries. She showed the interest when newly appointed High

Commissioner of the Maldives Dr Mohamed Asim met her at her office.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested five persons, including three foreigners in

money embezzlement cases using Facebook. They were detained from the capital's Niketon

and Bashundhara Residential Areas on Tuesday. Major Rumman Mahmud, Legal & Media

Wing Deputy Director of the elite force said that the arrested three foreigners are Nigerian

citizens.

Ms Alison Blake, the first woman British High Commissioner to Bangladesh concluded

her two-day visit to Sylhet yesterday. During her visit, she held meetings with senior

government officials, business leaders and hosted a reception for a cross section of the local

community and expressed her hope to strengthen bilateral ties with local people due to their

contribution to the British economy, politics and other sectors.

Immigration services at Banglabandha land port in Tetulia of Panchagarh, and the

corresponding Fulbari land port in Jalpaiguri of the Indian state of West Bengal will begin

today. Home Minister of Bangladesh Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Indian Minister of State

for External Affairs Vijay Kumar Singh jointly inaugurated the immigration services through

the ports yesterday.

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in separate drives recovered 1.9 lakh

pieces of Yaba tablet and arrested a Myanmar citizen in Teknaf, Cox‘s Bazar yesterday.

With a view to making the tie stronger between two South Asian neighboring countries,

people of Bangladesh and India will jointly celebrate the International Mother Language Day

21 February on Sunday on Bangladesh-India no man's land at Benapole check post.

Excessive growth of bacteria in the small intestine could be damaging to the gut of

young children, leading to stunting, according to a new study done by icddr,b, the University

of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,580.79 points, adding by

0.04 per cent or 1.93 points yesterday.


Ph: 9546091







News brief

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the

construction of 12 new barracks in different units of police. The approval came at a meeting

of the ECNEC held yesterday. The barracks will be constructed at the cost of Tk 219 crore.

Members of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) picked up a Bangladeshi fisherman

from the Teesta River in Dimla, Nilphamari on Monday.

Japan is keen to invest in the proposed Bangabandhu International Airport, one of

Bangladesh's major infrastructure projects, with modern facilities using its state-of-the-art

technology. The development came at a meeting held between Planning Minister AHM

Mustafa Kamal and Japanese Ambassador to Dhaka Masato Watanabe and JICA(Japan

International Cooperation Agency) Chief Representative to Dhaka Mikio Hataeda, says an

official statement yesterday.

A tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed to strengthen family

planning service provision within the premises of garment factories. Directorate General of

Family Planning (DGFP), Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association

(BGMEA) and Engender Health Bangladesh (EHB) signed the MoU at BGMEA conference

room in the capital yesterday.

A three-member British parliamentary team led by Sir Keir Starmer yesterday paid a

courtesy call on Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury at her office.

They discussed various issues including parliamentary activities, mini parliament, women

empowerment and the leadership of Bangladesh in Commonwealth Parliamentary Union and

Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Describing terrorism and militancy as 'global challenges', Foreign Minister Abul Hasan

Mahmood Ali yesterday said Bangladesh would always work with the international

community to establish global peace by fighting the twin demons. He came up this remark

while replying to a question in the House.

The United States has stressed continuing joint efforts to help plan for a safer and more

resilient Bangladesh with better preparations to the constant threat of cyclones and other

storms, US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat said yesterday. She was addressing a

function in the city, arranged to handover equipment to the Fire Service and Civil Defense

(FSCD) donated through USAID‘s Strengthening Earthquake Resilience in Bangladesh

(SERB).

Nanyang Polytechnic International (NPI) of Singapore will provide special training to

1,150 teachers of different polytechnic institutes and officials of technical education in

Bangladesh. An agreement was signed in Singapore yesterday in this regard, says an

Education Ministry press release.

A 10-member delegation of British Labour Party at a meeting with BNP leaders

yesterday voiced concern over democratic condition in Bangladesh, BNP standing committee

member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan said to the media after the meeting.

Bangladesh promotes mediation, conciliation and arbitration for conflict prevention and

resolution as the measures stipulated in the United Nations charter. Bangladesh's Permanent

Representative (PR) to the UN Masud Bin Momen stated this while taking part in a daylong

open debate at the UN Security Council in New York on Monday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, fell marginally by 0.13 per cent, or

6.18 points, to close at 4,578.85 points yesterday.








Date: Tuesday, 16 February 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief The government-to-government plus (G2G plus) agreement between Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur

will be signed on Thursday (February 18), Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister

Nurul Islam saidyesterday. Under the agreement, some 15 lakh Bangladeshi workers will be sent to

the country through private recruiting agencies in the next three years, he said.

Visiting three MPs of British Labour Party yesterday said they will work for the restoration of

UK visa centre in Bangladesh. The three British MPs-Sir Keir Starmer, Stephen Timms and Steve

Reed-made the commitment when they met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her Sangsad Bhaban

office with other eight members under the banner of Labour Friends of Bangladesh.

Over 200 Bangladeshi migrant workers, who have been repatriated by their employer from Iraq,

yesterday brought allegations of cheating against their recruiting agency and demanded proper

compensation. They demanded that the government take stern action against the alleged agency

Techno-Foki (Bangladesh) Ltd and arrest its owner and officials.

British Minister for Immigration James Brokenshire has raised with the Foreign Minister Abul

Hassan Mahmood Ali the issue of returns of Bangladeshi nationals staying illegally in the UK. He

informed Brokenshire that it was a 'longstanding policy' of Bangladesh government to bring back its

nationals living in 'irregular' situation anywhere in the world. He also said that Bangladesh first

verifies the nationality of the person in question through an 'established process' before repatriation.

The advisory board of the ILO‘s RMG programme in Bangladesh has recently agreed on

principle to extend the project up to 2020 from 2017 in an aim to maintain quality and sustain the

benefits of the project, the ILO said.

Twelve Bangladeshi fabric and garment makers will showcase their products at the 38th

Texworld, a four-day garment exhibition that began in Paris yesterday (February 15). Bangladeshi

companies are taking part in the exhibition under the auspices of the Export Promotion Bureau,

Messe Frankfurt, the organising company, said in a statement yesterday.

Starting February 18, the Banglabandha Land Port will facilitate travel of people across the

border on highways linking Bangladesh, India, Bhutan and Nepal. Indian State Minister for External

Affairs General (Retd) Vijay Kumar Singh and Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan

Kamal will together inaugurate the immigration activities of the land port, sources in the Home

Ministry and the land port authorities said.

Commander-in-Chief of Royal Thai Army General Teerachai Nakwanich has expressed interest

to get Thai Army officers trained at the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training

(BIPSOT) towards their deployment to UN peacekeeping operations. During a meeting with

Bangladesh Ambassador to Thailand Saida Muna Tasneem yesterday, he also praised Bangladesh

peacekeepers for their professionalism and leadership in the UN Peacekeeping operations.

Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDP) yesterday signed a deal with Haor Bangla-

Korea Green Energy Ltd (HBKGEL) to install 32MW solar power plant in Sunamganj. Company

secretary of BPDB Mazharul Islam and Chairman of HBKGEL Ki Young Le signed in the

agreement on behalf of their respective companies.

Bangladesh ranked 63rd among 197 countries in terms of providing court access to children to

protect their rights, according to the first ever global ranking by the London-based Child Rights

International Network (CRIN).

Investigators, assigned for handling the murder case of blogger Avijit Roy, yesterday hoped that

the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) would soon send reports of DNA tests.

The blue-chip index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,585.04 points, adding by only


Tasir Ahmed







Date: Monday, 15 February 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday reiterated her government's stance of zero tolerance to

terrorism and said no one would be allowed to use Bangladesh's soil for insurgent acts against any

country. She made the remarks when visiting Minister for Power, Urban and Rural Development and

Transport of the Indian State of Tripura Manik Dey met her at her official residence Ganobhaban.

Sixty readymade garment factories, which are suppliers of European retailers and brands, have

completed all remediation work suggested by the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh

and are waiting for the recognition from the European buyers‘ platform.

Terming Bangladesh an 'unflinching proponent' of Palestinian just causes, Palestinian President

Mahmoud Abbas has expressed deep gratitude from the people and the government of Palestine to

Bangladesh for its continued support and assistance to Palestine. He made the remark during his brief

stopover in Bangladesh yesterday, while continuing his tour of three other Asian countries.

The visiting UK Minister of State for Immigration James Brokenshire yesterday emphasised on

building joint efforts to combat global threats of terrorism and illegal migration. He said this when he

called on Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali at the latter‘s office in Dhaka.

Danish ambassador in Dhaka Hanne Fugl Eskjer yesterday paid a courtesy call on Planning

Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal at his ministry office. During the meeting, they discussed various

bilateral issues including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and investment environment in the

country, said a release.

The visiting Afghanistan parliamentary delegation yesterday termed Bangladesh a role model

for empowerment of women. The six-member delegation led by Afghan parliament women affairs

committee chairperson Fawzia Koofi expressed the view during a meeting with Bangladesh Jatiya

Sangsad Speaker and Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Chairperson Dr. Shirin

Sharmin Chaudhury at her parliament office here, said an official release.

Home Minister Assaduzzaman Khan yesterday said that regional policing under SAARC should

be equipped with dynamic knowledge for facing challenges as crimes have also been globalised. He

said police departments in the region should have to look beyond their own territories to combat

transnational crimes.

Bangladesh Bank has said that the country‘s scheduled banks, non-governmental organisations,

and other financial organisations are now able to operate business with Iranian organisations in line

with United Nations Security Council‘s resolutions. The BB issued a circular to managing directors

and chief executive officers of all financial institutions including banks and NBFIs on February 11

saying that the UN had recently withdrew sanction on Iran.

A group of Canadian scientists have come up with a simple antidote to arsenic poisoning which

is lentil, a daily staple for most Bangladeshis, especially in villages. The Canadian lentils got enough

selenium, a mineral that fight against arsenic.

Malaysia police detained 65 illegal migrants, including four Bangladeshis, in a crackdown in

Ops Sapu of Kluang on Friday.

Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BWCCI) President Selima Ahmad has

been selected for Uganda election observer mission of Commonwealth.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,580.55 points, shedding just 0.01



Ph: 9546091





DHAKA



News brief

Bangladesh will work with the United Nations in implementing the UN chief‘s new

action plan to prevent violent extremism. The plan was along the lines of Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina‘s ‗Zero Tolerance‘ policy towards radicalism, Bangladesh‘s Permanent

Representative to the UN Masud Bin Momen said during a discussion at the UN General

Assembly on Friday.

The United States Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon has

underscored the necessity of strengthening the bilateral relations to a new height with

Bangladesh, saying his government considers Bangladesh as an important partner. He made

the remark when State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam met with him,

according to a message received here from Washington yesterday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked civil servants, including the female ones,

to ensure quick implementation of the government's development programmes and thus steer

the country towards prosperity. She made the directive while addressing the fifth founding

anniversary of the BCS Women Network at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre

(BICC), Dhaka.

Bangladesh Ambassador to Thailand Saida Muna Tasneem yesterday urged the

Bangladeshi business leaders to take initiatives for boosting trade and investment between

the two countries. She made the call during her meeting with leaders of the Federation of

Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) at the FBCCI Bhaban.

The Bangladesh Bank (BB) is set to send in probe teams to banks today to investigate the

complaints of surreptitious withdrawal of money from clients' accounts through hi-tech

burglary now, BB spokesperson Shubhankar Saha said to the media yesterday.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) has begun surveying undocumented

Rohingya Muslim population in six districts. The survey began simultaneously on Thursday

in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Bandarban and Patuakhali districts,

and it will end on February 17.

The National Committee to Protect Sundarbans yesterday demanded suspension of all

development activities of Rampal power plant and the adjacent private Orion power plant

until a fresh environment impact assessment (EIA) by a United Nations-led neutral team.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali received Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at

the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport early today (Sunday) during the latter's first

stopover here on his way to three Asian countries.

Bangladesh Under-19 Cricket team finished third in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World

Cup beating Sri Lanka Under-19 Cricket team by three wickets in the third place play-off

match at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, increased by 0.22 per cent, or 10.23

points, to close at 4,581.35 points on Thursday.


Ph: 9546091




DHAKA


Date: Wednesday, 10 February 2016 [email protected]


News brief

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) yesterday approved the 'Inter-

District Border Road Construction: Mymensingh and Netrakona Districts Part' with an outlay of Tk 457.30

crore, aiming to boost connectivity and trade between Bangladesh and India. The approval came from the 20th

ECNEC meeting of the current fiscal year held at the NEC conference room with Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina in the chair.

The Indo-Bangla Joint Committee for monitoring and sharing of the Ganges waters is scheduled to hold a

meeting in Dhaka on Friday in the wake of drastic fall in the flows of the common rivers. Bangladesh is also

expected to raise the issue of the sudden fall in the Teesta, another trans-boundary river the two countries

share, to its Indian counterpart on the sideline of the 62nd meeting of the Joint Committee that operates under

the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty signed between Bangladesh and India in 1996.

Six years after the finalisation of a new India-Bangladesh railway project, the Indian government has

sanctioned Rs.580 crore for the vital rail link. Tripura government's Ttransport Secretary Samarjit Bhowmik

said to the media yesterday, reports Indian newspapers. The Agartala (India)-Akhaura (Bangladesh) railway

project was finalised in January 2010 when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met then Indian Prime

Minister Manmohan Singh during her visit to New Delhi.

Apparel makers are now switching over to environment-friendly manufacturing as demand for 'green'

products grows. A total of 26 local garment factories have received Leadership in Energy and Environmental

Design (LEED) certification from the US Green Building Council (USBC), while more than hundred are in

pipeline to join the new era of eco-friendly technologies within the next couple of years, BGMEA President

Md Siddiqur Rahman said.

British High Commissioner in Dhaka Alison Blake yesterday assured Foreign Minister AH Mahmood

Ali of looking into how the country can ease the visa process. The issue came up as the newly-appointed

diplomat met him in his office to discuss bilateral issues. Health Minister Mohammad Nasim said the government will bear the full cost of treatment of any person

found infected with Zika virus in Bangladesh at a press briefing yesterday. Inter-Parliamentary Union President Saber Hossain Chowdhury said drug issue is at the heart of the

Sustainable Development Goals as it lays impacts on the global society, economy and environment. He was

addressing the two-day Annual Parliamentary Hearing that began on Monday at the UN headquarters, says a

press release sent from Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations.

A delegation of the European Parliament (EP) is scheduled to arrive here today to discuss issues with the

interlocutors that include politics, freedom of expression, labour rights and human rights. Jean Lambert

(Green Party), Chair of the Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia, the European Parliament,

will lead the four-member delegation, said an official yesterday.

Bangladesh and Thailand agreed to carry out a feasibility study on the Chittagong Port's capacity and

facilities aiming to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on establishing direct coastal shipping links

between the two countries. The visiting delegation of the Port Authority of Thailand and the Ministry of

Shipping (MoS) officials reached the consensus after they discussed the issue in a meeting held at the ministry

yesterday.

The government of Japan will provide Bangladesh with 490 million Yen or nearly Tk 313.9 million as

grant aid for improving quality of primary education. An 'Exchange of Note' and 'Grant Agreement' were

signed yesterday at the Economic Relations Division (ERD) at Sher-e-Banglanagar in the capital.

Bangladesh began exporting bandwidth -- 10 gigabits a second -- to India's northeastern state of Tripura

on Monday, in line with a deal signed with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd last year.

Bangladesh's per capita income has risen to $ 1,316, says the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, rose by 0.20 per cent, or 9.24 points, to close at



Ph: 9546091





DHAKA



News brief

The Cabinet yesterday approved the draft of a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) with Malaysia with a target of sending 15 lakh (1.5 million) Bangladeshi

workers there in three years. The approval came at the regular weekly meeting of the

Cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the

chair.

A high profile 12-member delegation from the Port Authority of Thailand arrived

in Dhaka yesterday on a three-day visit to assess the feasibility of direct coastal

shipping between Chittagong seaport and Ranong Port of Thailand.

Amid diplomatic row between Bangladesh and Pakistan, Bangladesh High

Commissioner in Islamabad Suhrab Hossain was summoned by Pakistan Foreign

Ministry yesterday.

The government claims that Pakistan owes Tk 18,000 crore to Bangladesh in

heads like donations and reserve. Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday declined

to say anything about the fate of the money Pakistan owes to Bangladesh in different

heads while responding to a supplementary question as to when Bangladesh would be

able to have the money from Pakistan in the house.

Netherlands (Dutch) has shown interest to import plastic products from

Bangladesh, said Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed. He said this to the media after

completing a meeting with the newly appointed Netherland Ambassador in Dhaka

Leoni Margaretha Cuelenaere at his office in the city yesterday.

Exports raked in $3.19 billion in January, the second highest in the country's

history, on the back of a surge in garment shipments.

The National Board of Revenue has approved a policy on giving duty and taxes

waiver on imports of plant machinery, capital machinery and spare parts for

expediting the release of the items from ports through removing complexities and

hassle the importers face in the existing customs procedures.

Country‘s trade gap with India stood at $ 597 crore in the last fiscal year 2014-15.

During the last fiscal, country‘s import from India was $652 crore while the export

was only $55 crore, according to the data of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).

Setting a new SA Games record, Bangladesh swimmer Mahfuza Khatun Shila

clinched her 2nd

gold medal in the Women's 50-metre Breast Stroke of the 12th

South

Asian Games in Guwahati, India yesterday.

The blue-chip index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, declined to 4,560.76

points, shedding by 0.43 per cent, or 19.72 points yesterday.

Tasir Ahmed






DHAKA




News brief

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon phoned Prime Mnister Sheikh Hasina yesterday and offered

Bangladesh to be member of a UN high-level panel to be formed on water which she has readily

accepted, said her press secretary Ihsanul Karim.

Qatar is interested to recruit Bangladeshi workers for different sectors like business, health,

engineering, education and information technology, said Expatriates Welfare and Overseas

Employment Minister Nurul Islam. During his recent visit to Qatar, his counterpart Administrative

development, Labour and Social Affairs Minister Issa Saad Fafali Al- Nuaimi Assured him of

recruiting three lakh workers from Bangladesh in next two years. He said this at a press conference at

his office.

The Prime Minister‘s Office (PMO) is keen to turn the existing border haats into ‗broader‘ haats

along the India-Bangladesh frontiers to allow all Bangladeshi and imported goods to be traded,

instead of only locally produced goods. PMO is also in favour of doubling the current threshold of

transaction to US$ 200 and simplifying border haat management criteria to make their operation

simple and attractive for frontier population of both the countries, a top official source said.

Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla yesterday said New Delhi

gives its highest priority to its relations with Dhaka and wants to carry forward the ties to a 'new

height'. The Indian envoy came up with the remark when he met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her

office.

India agreed in principle not to carry out investigations relating to anti-dumping and

countervailing duties on jute goods exported from Bangladesh, a senior Commerce Ministry official

said yesterday.

Earthquake resiliency of old government office buildings would be extended using modern

technology to ensure safety of the lives of people. The government has launched a pilot project

'Urban Building Safety' involving Taka 571 crore which would cover 10 Thanas of Dhaka districts.

Planning Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal said to Japanese technology would be used with the

financial assistance of JICA for the project.

Newly appointed British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Alison Blake yesterday said that

Britain would continue to support Bangladesh in the country's development efforts. She said this

when she made a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office.

The government will provide about 50,000 improved latrines to rural poor households in 33

districts to help them improve their sanitation standard. The World Bank is providing about US$ 75

million for the project scheduled to end in 2017.

The country‘s export earnings in the July-January period of the financial year 2015-16 hit

$19.19 billion with 7.85 per cent rise from $17.79 billion in the same period of the FY15, showed

provisional data of the Export Promotion Bureau.

Lifter Mabia Akhter and swimmer Mahfuza Khatun clinched the gold medal for Bangladesh in

the 12th South Asian Games in Guwahati India yesterday.

The four-day Dhaka Art Summit, one of the largest platforms for South Asian art, will be

concluded today at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka.

DSEX, the key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, added 0.20 per cent, or 9.37 points, to close at


Mahfuzur Rahman








News brief

President Md. Abdul Hamid yesterday urged all concerned to remain alert so that university

students do not get involved in militant activities. He made the call while addressing the fifth

convocation of Southeast University at International Convention Center, Dhaka.

Around two million illegal foreign workers, including Bangladeshis, in Malaysia will be given

valid work permits from February 15 under the Home Ministry's ‗rehiring‘ programme. The rehiring

programme aims at registering around two million undocumented foreign workers nationwide,

according to the Malaysian daily New Straits Times.

A large number of BGMEA members have shown their reluctance to provide necessary

information of their workers for developing a biometric data base at BGMEA headquarters. The

development of the biometric data base is one of the conditions put forwarded by the US government

to get back the GSP facilities in the US market.

Border Security Force of India shot at Bangladeshi cattle traders, leaving one of them wounded

at Nurpur inside the Indian territory opposite Zohorpur of Chapainawabganj yesterday.

Iran is keen to invest more than one billion US dollars in Bangladesh. Iranian Ambassador in

Dhaka Dr. Abbas Vaezi conveyed the interest on behalf of a visiting Iranian delegation at a joint

press briefing in the capital on yesterday.

Bangladesh will seek compensation from Niko Resources Ltd as the government was compelled

to go for costly oil-based power generation due to scarcity of low-cost gas following two blow-outs

at Chhatak gas field in Tengratila in 2005. State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid said to

daily sun.

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh in separate drives arrested a Myanmar citizen and

recovered 80,000 pieces of Yaba tablet from different areas in Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar district

yesterday. India has launched an anti-dumping investigation into imports of jute goods from Bangladesh to

see whether the export prices are set below the fair market prices. In October, the Directorate

General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) under India's Commerce Ministry opened the

probe as part of its plan to impose anti-dumping duty on jute items imported from Bangladesh. The

move came after the Indian Jute Mills Association accused Bangladeshi exporters, for the first time

in 40 years, of selling jute products at prices lower than that in India's domestic market. Cyprus ship MV Pintail left Mongla port with 21,000 tonnes of substandard wheat on Friday

after being stranded there for three months and twenty three days, impoted from France. The food

department in Khulna decided not to accept the wheat as laboratory tests found it substandard and

unfit for human consumption.

Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Mohammad Sayedul Huq yesterday said Bangladesh is

now a self-reliant country and not dependent on any state in the world. he said this while speaking as

the chief guest at a fresher's reception at University of Information Technology and Science (UITS)

at Baridhara, Dhaka.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday extended her heartfelt congratulations to Bhutanese

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on being blessed with his first child. She said this in a

message sent to the Bhutanese King. The Dutch-Bangla Chamber of Commerce & Industry will organise Dutch-Bangla Expo 2016 at

Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre in the Netherlands in April 14-15. A kick-off conference on the

Expo was held at a restaurant in Dhaka yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, fell by just 0.05 per cent, or 2.47 points, over

the week to close at 4,571.12 points on Thursday.

Tasir Ahmed Principal Information

Officer Ph: 9546091








News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday ruled out the apprehension of any affect to other

ongoing development projects for construction of the multi-billion dollar Padma Bridge

scheme. She quite confidently came up with the remarks while replying to her question-

answer session in the House.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday said to Parliament that the Trade and

Investment Cooperation Framework Agreement (TICFA) with the United States would not

be effective until restoration of the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) for Bangladesh.

he said this while replying to a supplementary question in the house.

Qatar has shown interest to recruit about three lakh overseas jobseekers from Bangladesh

over the next two years. Qatar Administrative Development and Labour and Social Affairs

Minister Issa Saad Al-Jafali Al-Nuaimi said this at a bilateral meeting with the visiting

Bangladesh delegation, headed by Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Development Minister

Nurul Islam in Doha.

Saudi Arabia has agreed to recruit more Bangladeshi female workers along with an equal

number of their close male relatives as a result of successful diplomatic efforts of the present

government. Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam BSc said

this in the Jatiya Sangsad yesterday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the authorities concerned to complete the

work on Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant within the stipulated time. Sheikh Hasina made the

directive while presiding over the 4th meeting of the National Committee for monitoring and

providing necessary directives for properly implementing the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant

Project at her office. Bangladesh has been elected member of the World Food Programme's executive body

for next three years (2016-2018). The election was held at the UN headquarters on Tuesday

and all UN member states unanimously elected Bangladesh as member of the executive

board, according to a message received here from New York.

Bangladesh received $1.15 billion in remittance in January, which is 7.25 percent lower

than the same month a year ago, according to data from the Bangladesh Bank (BB). A BB

official said low oil prices have hit the incomes of Middle Eastern countries where most of

Bangladesh's migrant workers reside.

Chairman and President of Export-Import Bank of the United States Fred P Hochberg is

now in the city on a two-day visit with a strong commitment to ramping up business and

investment in Bangladesh. The objective of his trip is to have discussions with government

officials and business leaders with the intention of expanding commercial interaction

between the United States and Bangladesh, said a US embassy press release issued in Dhaka

yesterday.

The World Cancer Day will be observed today in Bangladesh as elsewhere across the

world for raising awareness and education about cancer and pressing governments and

individuals to take action against the disease as there are 12 lakh cancer patients in the

country, according to World Health Organisation.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,573.33 points, shedding


Tasir Ahmed


Ph: 9546091







News brief The government yesterday approved the 'Super Specialised Hospital of Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujib Medical University (BSMMU)' project with an outlay of Tk 1366.34 crore, aiming to expand

BSMMU's scope of health services. The approval came from a meeting of the Executive Committee

of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) held at the NEC conference room with Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The Foreign Minister, AH Mahmood Ali, yesterday ruled out any possibility of cutting

diplomatic ties with Pakistan although the bilateral diplomatic relations are tensed over Pakistan‘s

alleged support to militants in Bangladesh. He said this to Parliament yesterday while replying to a

supplementary question from the treasury bench.

The government yesterday summoned the Pakistan High Commissioner in Dhaka and handed

over a diplomatic note protesting at the incident of the Bangladesh High Commission staff in

Islamabad gone ‗missing‘.

Members of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) picked up a Bangladeshi young man from

Kamalpur frontier in Shibganj upazila, Chapainawabgonj yesterday.

A sculpture marking the International Mother Language Day has been placed at Dag

Hammarskjold Plaza in front of the United Nation headquarters in New York City of the United

States. Ambassador and permanent representative of Bangladesh mission to the United Nations M

Masud Bin Momen unveiled the sculpture, said a press release.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said yesterday that the United States has offered to send an

expert on IS (Islamic State) to Bangladesh to share information about the activities of the

international militant organisation. US ambassador Marcia Bernicat made the proposal at a meeting

with home affairs minister Asaduzzaman Khan at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

Japan is keen to provide assistance to Bangladesh in building third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal

International Airport, the country‘s major aviation hub. This was revealed yesterday while Japanese

ambassador Masato Watababe called on civil aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon at

his secretariat office.

A four-member European Union (EU) parliament delegation led by Ms. Jean Lambert (Green

Party) will arrive in Dhaka on February 10 on a 3-day visit. Ms Lambert is the chair of the delegation

for relations with countries of South Asia. The EU delegation will focus on the overall political

situation including human rights and freedom of expression in Bangladesh. The Movement for Mass Trial of International War Criminals (MMTIWC) yesterday published

a list of 200 Pakistani military officers, who committed war crimes during the Liberation War in

1971. The list included the names of their commander, Lt Gen AAK Niazi, and the infamous Maj

General Rao Farman Ali, responsible for civilian affairs. People should not be unduly worried about Zika virus infection as the virus, which spreads

through the aedes mosquito, is still to appear in Bangladesh, according to Prof Mahmudur Rahman,

director at the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).

Speaker of Bhutan's National Assembly Jigme Zangpo made a courtesy call on President Md.

Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban yesterday. During the meeting, the President said Bangladesh and

Bhutan enjoy excellent bilateral relations.

The hosts Bangladesh took a giant stride towards the ICC Under-19 World Cup quarterfinals

pounding lacklustre Namibia by eight wickets in a key Group A match yesterday at Sheikh Kamal

International Stadium in Cox‘s Bazar.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,591.09 points, adding by 0.67 per


Tasir Ahmed


Ph: 9546091







News brief The government yesterday gave final approval to the draft 'Bangladesh Citizenship Bill, 2016,' containing

a provision that those holding constitutional posts like Supreme Court judges, MPs, members of armed forces

and public services will not be allowed to possess dual citizenship. The new law expanding scope for dual

citizenship for Bangladeshis was approved at a weekly cabinet meeting held at the Prime Minister‘s Office

with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The month-long Amar Ekushey Book Fair started yesterday. While inaugurating the historic Book Fair

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked the authorities concerned for the translation of classical and well-selected

Bangla literature works into different international languages to introduce the world readers with the ocean of

Bangla literature.

President Md. Abdul Hamid yesterday advised Bangladesh Navy to utilise the potentials of the sea-based

'blue economy' with a view to accelerating the country's economic development. He made the statement when

newly appointed Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Mohammed Nizamuddin Ahmed made a courtesy call on

him at Bangabhaban.

Malaysia‘s thriving job market remained almost closed to Bangladeshi workers over the last seven years.

Due to the failure of the G2G system, the authorities in Bangladesh allowed private recruiters to send

educated professionals to Malaysia.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion recovered a huge cache of firearms and ammunition at a hillock at

Kalapani in Bhurusha border area of Nalitabari upazila in Sherpur yesterday. The arms and ammunition

include 43,000 bullets, two sniper rifles, 2,000 antiaircraft ammunition, six walkie-talkies, 37 magazines, two

chargers and some military equipment at four spots.

The foreign secretary-level meeting between Bangladesh and India yesterday discussed ways on how the

‗multi-sectoral cooperation‘ can be expanded, and laid emphasis on sub-regional and regional cooperation.

The meeting held in New Delhi discussed issues, including Teesta water-sharing, border killing, security and

connectivity.

Despite having smaller per capita arable lands, Bangladeshi farmers have topped the cereal crop

productivity list in the South Asian region, thanks to the farmers' efficient cropping skill, according to a

research of India-based Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS International).

Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh Masato Watanabe yesterday said the women of Bangladesh, like

female community of Japan, would go forward in all spheres and move the country‘s development

programmes ahead.He was speaking as the chief guest at a ceremony on inaugurating a dormitory of OP-Seed

Co (BD) Limited, a Japanese electronics manufacturer, for its female workers at the Chittagong EPZ.

The state-run Power Development Board yesterday signed a $260 million loan contract with the HSBC

Bank to increase the capacity of one of its old gas-fired power units installed three decades ago at Ghorashal

Power Station, in Narsingdi. The power board will pay the entire fund to its contractor— a consortium of

Swiss company Alstom and China National Machinery Imp and Exp — for engineering, procurement and

construction services for repowering the plant.

Stressing the need for improving corporate governance, credit policies and asset quality at state-owned

banks, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has suggested adjustment of yield rates of the government-run

savings instruments in line with the market rates. The statement was issued on February 01 after the Executive

Board of the IMF concluded the 2015 Article IV consultation with Bangladesh recently.

Bangladesh is vulnerable to Zika virus because of presence of Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries the

deadly germ, said a spokesperson of the government disease monitoring wing yesterday.

A staffer of Bangladesh High Commission to Pakistan, Jahangir Hossain, returned to his Islamabad

residence yesterday after remaining missing for about six hours.

Police yesterday held a staff member of Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka for 'suspicious movement'

and later freed him. The staff member was carrying 3,500 Indian rupees, and police were interrogating him to

know if he was carrying the currency legally. He was taken to Gulshan Police Station. And after his identity

was confirmed, he was handed over to the second secretary of the high commission, the DMP official said.

DSEX, the key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, closed at 4,560.42 points, adding 0.43 per cent or 19.53

points.


Ph: 9546091






Date: Monday, 1 February 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the Speakers and parliamentarians of South Asia

for allocating budgets enabling the countries to fully implement the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs) as it is a collective journey. She was addressing the closing session of the first-ever South

Asian Speaker's Summit on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) at a city hotel.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday said export order at the Dhaka International Trade

Fair (DITF) has exceeded by about Taka 71.02 crore than previous year. He said this at the closing

ceremony of the DITF. He also said a huge number of visitors visited the fair which turned it into a

national festival.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith yesterday assured the country‘s apparel exporters of

considering their demand for a reduction in corporate tax. He gave the assurance during a meeting

with the top leaders of three leading garments associations — BGMEA, BKMEA and BTMA— at

the conference room of the finance ministry.

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Alison Blake has expressed satisfaction over the

various steps taken by the government on aviation security issues. She was talking to Civil Aviation

and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon at the latter's Secretariat office yesterday.

Bangladeshi and Indian pharmaceutical manufacturers yesterday singed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) agreeing to supplement each other's initiatives to exploit their full potentials

as an international Pharmaceuticals exposition was underway in the capital. Bangaldesh Association

of Pharmaceutical Industries (BPPI) signed the MoU with Indian pharmaceutical Machinery

Manufacturers' Association (IPMMA) on the sidelined of the 8th Asia Pharma Expo at the

Basundhara International Convention City.

A visiting US professor Dr. Kenneth Hall yesterday underscored the need for more regional

cooperation and integration among the South-east Asian countries to explore the potential of

economic growth. He also said the maritime era prior to 1500 AD was an age of relatively open

competition and multiple maritime diaspora, who shared ports and trading routes in this region. He

said these at the first BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative Multi-Sectoral, Technical and Economic

Cooperation) Foundation Lecture at its Secretariat in Dhaka.

The government‘s disease monitoring agency has identified a new bacterial disease that can be

fatal, if left untreated. IEDCR (Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research) director

Prof Mahmudur Rahman said they identified leptospirosis while testing food-borne illnesses in 10

hospital patients under a new surveillance system that went from May 2014 to Dec 2015. Diarrhea,

cholera, typhoid and hepatitis were the common foodborne illnesses they found during the

surveillance. The rate was higher in 2015 than 2014.

The government will soon publish a list of those who are involved in funding militants in the

country, announced Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu yesterday.

Bangladesh‘s export to Australia by air cargo has remained suspended for more than a month

following restrictions imposed by the Australian government on security grounds, which is causing a

huge loss to local readymade garment (RMG) manufacturers and exporters, industry insiders said.

The government is actively considering enactment of the Liberation War defamation law. Law,

Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq said this in Parliament yesterday.

Hosts Bangladesh confirmed their quarter-final berth in the ICC Under-19 World Cup with a

comprehensive win over Scotland at the Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium in Cox‘s Bazar

yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, declined by 0.71 per cent, or 32.69 points, to


Tasir Ahmed


Ph: 9546091






Date: Sunday, 31 January 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh is now a business hub in South Asia region. She said

this while addressing a function marking inauguration of World Trade Centre (WTC) and centenary

celebrations of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) on the WTC premises at

Agrabad, Chittagong yesterday.

The US ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat has advised Bangladesh to further

improve the working environment and safety of its workers in the apparel sector to attain higher export

growth and regain GSP privilege. She made the suggestions at a discussion on Bangladesh's target to

raise readymade garment exports to $50 billion in the next five years, in Dhaka yesterday.

About 20,000 Bangladesh domestic workers, both males and females, arrived in Saudi Arabia in last

six months, said Bangladesh Ambassador in Riyadh Golam Moshi, a Jeddah datelined report published

by the daily Arab News yesterday. He said also that the new recruitments was the result of a recent

meeting between Saudi Labour Minister Mufrej Al-Haqabani and Bangladesh Expatriate's and Welfare

Minister Nurul Islam in Riyadh.

Terming water-sharing issue between Bangladesh and India, a 'sensitive', Bangladesh has said it is in

favour of setting up of a joint basin management system for common rivers. Bangladesh High

Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali said this mentioning that the relations reached a new height

between the two countries, Indian media reported on Friday from Agartala.

The South Asian Speakers in a summit yesterday stressed joint efforts and sharing best practices to

successfully implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) giving an improved life and better

future for people in the region. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Bangladesh Parliament and

Washington-based organisation Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK) are jointly hosting the summit-

South Asian Speakers' Summit on achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at Pan Pacific

Sonargaon Hotel Dhaka.

Bangladesh and India will have a foreign secretary-level meeting in New Delhi tomorrow to review

the existing relations and expand 'multi-sectoral cooperation' between the two countries. Foreign

secretary M Shahidul Haque leaves Dhaka for New Delhi today on a three-day visit to attend the meeting

at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Dr S Jaishankar, said an official. Bangladesh side is expected to

focus on water issues apart from discussing other bilateral matters.

The South Asian Regional Standards Organisation (SARSO) has developed SAARC (South Asian

Association for Regional Cooperation) standards for six products to facilitate intra-regional trade and

create scope for a wider global market access of the items. The commodities are: refined sugar, biscuit,

hessian, cotton drill, cotton twill and jute twine. The standards body for the eight-member of SAARC has

also finlased the code of hygienic practice for the dairy sector, said SARSO Director General Syed

Humayun Kabir.

India is keen to provide all-out cooperation to Bangladesh in its development efforts, said visiting

Speaker of Indian Lok Sabha Sumitra Mahajan. She made the remarks when she met President Md.

Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban yesterday. She also said that Bangladesh has made a significant progress

in socioeconomic development.

The Malaysian police have rescued a Bangladeshi worker who was kidnapped from a store. He was

employed in Subang Jaya, a suburban city located about 20 km west of Kuala Lumpur, the capital.

Former Indian Army Chief General KV Krishna Rao, who played a key role in the 1971 Bangladesh

Liberation War, passed away following a cardiac arrest at the military hospital in Delhi yesterday. He

was 92, reports PTI.

Eyeing to assure the quarterfinal berth, Bangladesh will take on Scotland in their 2nd Group A match

of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup at the Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium (SKICS) in

Cox's Bazar today.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, shed 1.81 per cent, or 84.37 points, over the week

to close at 4,573.59 points on Thursday.

Tasir Ahmed


Ph: 9546091





DHAKA


Date: Thursday, 28 January 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

A delegation of the United States has arrived in Dhaka to discuss workers' rights and

factory safety issues as the government and its global partners have mounted efforts in

recent years for better working condition in the country's garment industry. A statement

of the US Embassy said the delegation led by Michael J Delaney, Assistant US Trade

Representative for South and Central Asia, Office of the United States Trade

Representative (USTR), would join the Sustainability Compact review meeting beginning

today.

Four former Chinese ambassadors who had served in Dhaka between 1997 and 2009

are amazed to see Bangladesh's progress. They expressed their views when they met State

Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam yesterday.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid yesterday

said Bangladesh will start importing 100 megawatts more electricity from Tripura, India

by February next. Bangladesh is now importing 500 megawatts of power from India.

Bangladesh pursues a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian question in

accordance with the relevant UN resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and Quartet

Roadmap, Bangladesh's Permanent Representative (PR) to the UN Masud Bin Momen

has said. He made the comments while participating in a daylong open debate at the

Security Council (SC) on the situation in the Middle East including the Palestine question

at the UNSC, New York on Tuesday.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) yesterday pushed back 26 Rohingyas to Myanmar

following the detention of 32 Myanmar nationals along with a suspected trafficker from

Shah Parir Dwip in Teknaf upazila of Cox‘s Bazar.

Bangladesh got off to a flying start in the 11th ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup by

beating defending champion South Africa by 43 runs in the tournament opening match at

Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday.

A battalion commander-level flag meeting between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)

and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) was held at Tukergram in India on Tuesday.

Corruption increased in the country again in 2015, showed Corruption Perceptions

Index 2015 released globally by Transparency International yesterday, in which

Bangladesh ranked the 13th most corrupt country by going up one step amongst most

corrupts.

New York-based rights agency Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said freedom of

expression came under severe attack in Bangladesh in 2015.The agency said this in a new

report released yesterday.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, fell by 0.52 per cent, or 24.13


Tasir Ahmed






DHAKA


Date: Wednesday, 27 January 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

Terming Bangladesh a very important country, visiting Chinese delegation leader Wang

Chungui yesterday said China will 'intensify' its investment in Bangladesh to help it reach the

next stage of development.

The leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA)

yesterday claimed that they made significant progress in improving work place safety and labour

rights in the country's apparel industry. BGMEA member factories have been maintaining a 'zero

tolerance' policy on these issues as per guidance of different buyers' forums including Accord

and Alliance.

The International Republican Institute (IRI) says on the basis of survey that Bangladeshis are

increasingly becoming optimistic about their better economic future. The survey conducted by

the US-based institute's Centre for Insights in Survey Research says sixty-four percent of

respondents believed Bangladesh was headed in the right direction, citing improvements in

education, transportation and the economy as the three greatest reasons for the country's positive

trajectory.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith mentioned that the government would go for commercial

borrowing alongside taking low-cost credits from development partners for funding big projects.

He said this to the media after a meeting with visiting executive director of the International

Monetary Fund (IMF) Subir Gokarn at his secretariat office yesterday.

State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim yesterday said the

thumbprints which are being collected during the re-registration of cellphone SIM cards would

be integrated with airport security system to trace the movement of terrorists. She said this while

exchanging views with the newly elected executive committee members of Telecom Reporters'

Network, Bangladesh (TRNB) at her secretariat office.

Praising the country's political stability and investment-friendly atmosphere, Non-Resident

Bangladeshis (NRBs) yesterday said President Md. Abdul Hamid that they want to be

Bangladesh's development partners. A delegation of British-Bangladeshi Entrepreneurs, led by

Mishbaur Rahman, chairman of Desh Foundation of UK, made a courtesy call on him at

Bangabhaban.

Appreciating efforts by Bangladeshi youths, US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat has

said they are building a Bangladesh that is prosperous and democratic. She said this in a video

message released marking her one-year anniversary as the US Ambassador to Bangladesh.

Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla yesterday hoped that Bangladesh and

India will cooperate with each other on various issues to further strengthen the relations between

the two countries. He said this after inaugurating a function marking the 67th Republic Day of

India at Dhaka.

A four-day international textile machinery exposition is going to kick off in the city form

tomorrow in a bid to help the thriving local textile industry adopt latest technology for further

expansion.

The prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) settled at 4,610.11 points, losing

10.20 points or 0.22 percent yesterday.

Tasir Ahmed






DHAKA


Date: Tuesday, 26 January 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

The Cabinet yesterday approved the draft of the 'Expatriates Welfare and Overseas

Employment Policy, 2016' to ensure safe migration as well as protect migrants and their family

members. The approval was given at the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at

Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday sought cooperation from Saudi Arabia in the

government's development efforts to make Bangladesh fully free from poverty and turn it into a

developed and prosperous country. She said this when a seven-member delegation of Saudi

Arabia, led by Director of the General Intelligence Presidency of the Kingdom Khalid Bin Ali Al

Humaydan met her at her residence Ganobhaban.

Bangladesh yesterday sought help of Turkish government for modern equipment to face the

situation arising out of natural disaster like earthquake. The Disaster Management and Relief

Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya came up with the request when Turkish

Ambassador to Bangladesh Debrim Ozturk paid a call on at his office.

Chief Minister of Indian Meghalaya state Dr Mukul Sangma has invited investments in

regional connectivity through Meghalaya into North Bengal, Bhutan and Nepal from

Bangladesh. He made the remarks in his inaugural speech at the two-day Bangladesh Investment

and Policy Summit 2016 that concluded in Dhaka yesterday.

The foreign aid in Bangladesh increased by 6.05 percent during the first six months of the

current fiscal year in comparison to the same period in the previous fiscal, Finance Minister Abul

Maal Abdul Muhith said yesterday.

The arrest of 26 Bangladeshi workers in Singapore for their suspected link to terror groups

will not affect the labour market in Singapore and the Middle East countries, said Expatriate

Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Nurul Islam BSc yesterday.

The high officials of the ministries of Home affairs and the Foreign affairs have received

lists of about 7,000 Bangladeshis, who are reportedly staying illegally in the USA, different

countries of the European Union (EU), Australia and Japan.

Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque has briefed foreign diplomats stationed in Dhaka on the

Rohingya issues especially the upcoming census of undocumented Rohingyas in Bangladesh

yesterday.

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) detained three Indian citizens for intruding

into the Bangladesh territory through Putkhali border, Benapole, Jessore on Saturday.

Federation of Bangladeshi Associations in North America (FOBANA) and International

Business Forum of Bangladesh (IBFB) have agreed to work together for creating investment

opportunities in Bangladesh by Bangladesh origin US citizens. The organisations have also

agreed on promotion of trade among FOBANA and IBFB members. The agreements were signed

at a meeting between FOBANA and IBFB leaders in Dhaka on Sunday, said a press release.

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan said 195 officers of Pakistani occupation forces must have

to face trial for committing war crimes during the Liberation War. He said this while addressing

a discussion as the chief guest at the conference lounge of Jatiya Press Club (JPC) yesterday.

DSEX, the key index of Dhaka stock Exchange, fell by 0.12 per cent, or 5.81 points, to close


Mohammad Ishtaque Hossain For Principal Information Officer

Ph : 9546091






Date: Monday, 25 January 2016 [email protected] Web: www.pressinform.portal.gov.bd

News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday reassured all the local and foreign investors of her

government's highest level of commitment to quickly facilitate their pragmatic proposals and

simplification of investment procedure so that they can make the best use of their money. She

said this while inaugurating the two-day Bangladesh Investment and Policy Summit 2016 at

Dhaka. She also said her government is going to establish 'Bangladesh Development Authority'

to facilitate their business.

Bangladesh government and the World Bank launched yesterday the Global Financing

Facility (GFF) initiative to mobilize additional domestic and international resources required to

scale up and sustain essential health services for women, children and adolescents in the country.

GFF will provide a unique opportunity to explore innovative mechanisms to leverage financing

from the private sector, in addition to public sector resources, and support collaboration with

civil society and the non-governmental entities.

In the first six months of the current 2015-16 fiscal, foreign exchange earnings from

Bangladesh-made life saving drugs has touched the Tk 3 billion mark. The WTO has granted

Least Developed Countries relaxation on intellectual property rights until 2033 and two

Bangladeshi companies have secured permission from the US Food and Drugs Administration

(FDA).

The country earned foreign currencies equivalent to Taka 98,466.57 million from foreign

tourists, who traveled Bangladesh over the last five fiscal years. Civil Aviation and Tourism

Minister Rashed Khan Menon informed the Jatiya Sangsad.

A delegation of former Chinese Ambassadors to Bangladesh, scheduled to arrive

yesterday on a five-day visit, will talk on Bangladesh-China relations at a function in the city on

Tuesday.

The government will export raw jute to Nepal as jute millers of the Himalayan nation

have urged Bangladesh to help save their local industry, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said

this at a meeting with a Nepalese business delegation at his secretariat in Dhaka yesterday. There

has been a ban on export of raw jute from Bangladesh since November 2 last year.

The Facebook authorities have assured Bangladesh government that they will cooperate with

it on issues like cyber security, abuse of women and religious hatred, State Minister for Posts and

Telecommunications Tarana Halim has said this in Dhaka yesterday. She also said the

government has sought investment for Teletalk from the Malaysian government as part of its

efforts to turn the state-run mobile operator into a vibrant company.

The IMF (International Monetary Fund) has asked the government to stop the sales of

national savings tools to contain the interest expenses and costly borrowing, as a mad rush for

the lucrative instruments continue to be a growing fiscal burden.

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu yesterday laid emphasis on taking necessary steps

to make tourist spots attractive among the local and foreign visitors. He said this while

addressing as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of a three-day photography contest at

Daffodil International University (DIU) premises.

DSEX fell by 0.68 per cent, or 31.80 points, to close at 4,626.13 points yesterday.


Ph: 9546091





DHAKA


Date: Sunday, 24 January 2016 [email protected]


News brief

The US continues to be the single largest export destination for Bangladesh's garment

items, accounting for 21.28 percent of the shipments in 2015.

Nepalese Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa has sought India's support to activate 'the

shortest trade route' with Bangladesh for increasing bilateral trade. He was speaking at the

first-ever Nepal-Bangladesh business forum on Friday hosted by the Asian Institute of

Diplomacy and International Affairs (AIDIA), a Nepal-based think-tank in Kathmandu.

Two separate platforms of the western buyers and retailers have recently cut business

relations with four more readymade garment factories on charge of their failure in

implementing workplace safety measures. Out of the four factories, the Alliance for

Bangladesh Worker Safety, the consortium of North American Buyers, suspended three from

its suppliers‘ list.

A Bangladeshi national was shot dead by members of Indian Border Security Force

(BSF) at Adatala border point in Sapahar upazila, Naogaon yesterday.

Two teens were arrested on Friday for beating a Bangladeshi man in New York on

January 16, reports New York Daily News.

The government has decided to get Bangladeshis living abroad with families registered

to bring them under converge of the welfare fund run by the wage earners‘ welfare board,

said officials. The registration of the Bangladeshi diaspora would entitle them to get wage

earners‘ welfare board‘s membership by paying fees in foreign currency the amount of which

would be fixed later.

Aiming to boost tourism through enhancing regional connectivity, the government has

launched a project for up-gradation and modernisation of Cox's Bazar Airport. Under the

project, take-off and landing facilities at the airport would be expanded for large aircrafts.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has cleared the

project: 'Development of Cox's Bazar Airport (1st phase)', with a cost of Taka 1193 crore.

The country‘s first-ever battery charging solar station started its journey at Ruhitpur in

Keraniganj, Dhaka on Friday. The Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) had

constructed the 21-KWP capacity solar station at a cost of Tk 5.1 million under a government

pilot project, says a press release.

The Dhaka office of the iBacs, founded by Bangladesh-born ISIS computer hacker Saiful

Haque Sujan, was used as a centre to transact funds for terror activities. Intelligence

personnel arrested five persons on charge of their alleged involvement in this racket and

recovered around $50,000 from them. A British-educated Bangladeshi ISIS jihadi computer

expert Sujan was killed by a US-airstrike near Raqqa, the terror group's capital in Syria.

The key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, DSEX, closed at 4,657.94 points on Thursday.

Tasir Ahmed








News brief

The government has been striving to build a developed and enlightened nation within the

structure of democracy, eradicating vengeance, bloodshed and political confrontation. It has been

running state affairs, taking up the challenge of achieving socioeconomic targets while upholding

democratic practices, President Md. Abdul Hamid said yesterday while addressing the ninth session

of the present parliament.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emphasised securing the concept of wellbeing and dignity of

migrants in different countries and advocate the issue with maximum efficiency. The Prime Minister

expressed the view when a seven-member delegation, headed by Special Representative to UN

General Secretary for international Migration Sir Peter Sutherland, met at her Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban

office yesterday.

Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) have agreed to begin discussions on the possibility

of having a BBIN Rail Agreement drawing on the draft SAARC Regional Rail Agreement template.

It was also agreed that land ports and land customs stations will be given a special attention. An

expert group will be constituted for exchanging best practices in water resources management and on

specifics of the identified projects, power trade, inter grid connectivity, flood forecasting and other

areas of possible cooperation. The four South Asian countries reached the consensus at the two-day

third Joint Working Group (JWG) meetings on Sub-Regional Cooperation on Water Resources

Management and Power/Hydropower and on Connectivity and Transit that ended in Dhaka

yesterday.

Police have arrested 14 out of 26 expatriate Bangladeshis who were recently deported from

Singapore for allegedly being members of a jihadi terror cell. The other 12 have been allowed to go

back to their families. A Singapore home ministry press release circulated yesterday in its official

website said the authorities arrested 27 Bangladeshis between November 16 and December 1 last

year for ―supporting armed jihad ideology of terrorist groups such as Islamic State (IS) and al-

Qaeda‖.

Finance Minister A M A Muhith while briefing the newsmen at his secretariat office yesterday

said Bangladesh would not take Chinese loans on wholesale basis in order to avert becoming a

debtor country in reversal of its clean record. The finance minister made a visit last week to China to

attend the inauguration of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

The cabinet committee on public purchase approved 13 projects worth Tk 26.97 billion that

include one on importing fertilisers from different countries at a cost of Tk 21.32 billion. Besides, the

cabinet committee on economic affairs approved three projects. The approvals came at two meetings

of these committees at Bangladesh Secretariat yesterday presided over by Finance Minister A M A

Muhith.

The business delegation of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry

left the capital yesterday for Nepal for attending the second Bangladesh Expo there. They will also

join in the Bangladesh-Nepal Business Seminar to be held today in Kathmandu. The Bangladesh

Expo will be held from January 21-25

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu while addressing at an 11th

International Plastic Fair-

2016 in Dhaka said that the government has planned to set up a plastic industrial park in Munshiganj

with a view to promote environment-friendly green plastic industry. The project has already been

approved at the ECNEC meeting, he said adding that costing Tk. 133 crore. A total of 360 plastic

industries will be established in the park.

Stocks slipped into the red yesterday. After hitting above 4,700-level in the intra-day trading,

DSEX, the benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), settled at 4,669.51, falling 27.99

points or 0.59 per cent.


Ph: 9546091







News brief

Newly appointed Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla and

newly recruited British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Alison Blake at the president's

official residence. Welcoming Harsh Vardhan, Hamid expressed gratitude to India for expanding

cooperation during the 1971 Liberation War. The President also welcomed Alison Blake and said

the relation between the UK and Bangladesh was growing day by day.

The government moves to build two more LNG terminals to facilitate the import of the

liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet a mounting demand for the fuel in the country. Under the

plan, one of these land-based LNG terminals will be built at Moheshkhali in Cox's Bazar district

and another at Payra under Patuakhali district.

The government yesterday recognised 10 non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) as

commercially important persons (CIPs) for their outstanding contribution to the economy by

sending remittances in 2014. Nurul Islam, expatriates' welfare minister, handed over CIP cards

along with certificates to the expatriates at a function in the city's Probashi Kalyan Bhaban.

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Haque yesterday said the

government is moving to enact a number of laws to ease the process of doing business as well as

making way for foreign direct investment. He disclosed that new Company Act and Customs Act

are at the final stage in the respective ministries.

A six-day digital ICT fair-2016 begins today at Computer City Centre in the city with a view

to promoting the use of information technology among the country's people. Information

Minister Hasanul Haq Inu is expected to inaugurate the fair as the chief guest.

State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak yesterday said Bangladesh is in the process of

establishing digital economy, and e-commerce will play an important role towards that goal.

Transaction-wise, the e-commerce market size is very nominal now, but it will be much higher

after two to three years, and by 2021, Bangladesh will reach a notable position, Palak said at the

launch of a new e-commerce site.

Denmark's employment ministry yesterday rolled out a programme to train labour inspectors

in Bangladesh to ensure better and safe working conditions in garment factories. The training

programme was inaugurated by Jørn Neergaard Larsen, Danish minister for employment, and

Mujibul Haque, state minister for labour and employment of Bangladesh.

The embassies of Denmark, Norway and Sweden officially moved their missions in

Bangladesh on a joint premise yesterday.

DSEX, the benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange, rose 10.3 points or 0.21 percent,

finishing the day at 4,697.5 points.


Ph: 9546091






Date: Tuesday, 19 January 2016 [email protected]


News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday assured agitating public university teachers that she

would see their demands so that the stalemate over 'disparities' in the new pay scale could be

resolved in the quickest time possible, claimed teachers. During the meeting with a delegation of

Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers' Association at Gonobhaban, the premier also urged

them to resume classes immediately at the universities.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday spent a pleasant time at her official residence as a tea

party was held there for the country‘s eminent citizens and professional groups, including

litterateurs, university teachers, lawyers, journalists and cultural activists.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday said Abdur Rauf Daud Merchant, a

suspected associate of underworld don Daud Ibrahim, would be repatriated. An initiative had been

taken to send Daud Merchant back as his jail terms expired, the minister said while briefing reporters

at his Secretariat office.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday sought duty free market access to Malaysia for a

number of Bangladeshi products, including RMG, medicines and battery of motor vehicles to reduce

trade gap between the two countries. Bangladesh has a trade deficit with Malaysia and if Bangladesh

is given duty free market access, it will help reduce the trade gap, said the minister during a bilateral

talk with Malaysian International Trade and Industry minister Mustapa Mohamed at the latter's

residence in Kuala Lumpur. Tofail Ahmed said the move is underway to sign a Free Trade

Agreement with Malaysia for the mutual benefits of the two countries.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu yesterday called upon motorbike assemblers and

importers to set up manufacturing units in the country eying both local and overseas customers. He

said the government would provide all kinds of support to the investors to speed up the process.

The government yesterday signed an agreement with Microsoft Bangladesh to develop skills of

the women working in state-run digital centres and also help them to become entrepreneurs. Sonia

Bashir Kabir, managing director of Microsoft Bangladesh, and Kabir Bin Anwar, project director of

the Access to Information (a2i) programme under the Prime Minister's Office, inked the

Memorandum of Understanding.

A four-day international plastic summit-2016 begins tomorrow to highlight business and

investment prospects of the industry. Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters

Association and Chan Chao International Company Ltd are jointly organising the event at

Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city.

The 2nd

South Asian Countries' SME Summit is set to commence on Thursday in the capital with

a view to develop the region's small and medium enterprises, and integrating its economies. Some

300 businessmen, representatives of different SME forums and sector experts, along with

policymakers from the SAARC countries will join the summit this year.

The central bank advised yesterday the four state-owned commercial banks to focus more on

SME lending than lavishing out large loans to cut risks. Banks owned by the state are mostly bearing

heavy loads of non-performing loans (NPLs), due to largely risky lending in bigger volumes. In view

of presence of large volume of NPL, the banks were directed to bolster loan-recovery drives and

replenish their capital shortfall.

The number of new mobile phone connections rose 11.11 percent year-on-year in 2015, while

internet subscriptions grew 24.01 percent, the telecom regulator said in a report yesterday. At the end

of the year, the number of active connections stood at 13.37 crore.

The benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) yesterday settled at 4,687.20, edging

up 12.37 points or 0.26 percent.


Ph: 9546091





DHAKA



News brief

President Abdul Hamid yesterday sought more Korean investment in Bangladesh as

lucrative incentives are on offer here for foreign investors. The President said this when visiting

Deputy Speaker of South Korea Jeong Kab Yoon met him at Bangabhaban.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will sit today with a delegation of public university teachers

agitating over ‗disparities‘ in the eighth national pay scale to discuss the ongoing stalemate at the

universities.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday stressed the need for introducing direct air link

between Bangladesh and Canada for the mutual benefits of the people of the two countries. The

Prime Minister came up with the view when newly appointed Canadian High Commissioner to

Bangladesh Benoit-Pierre Laramee met her at her office.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged garment owners to help complete the work on Garment

Village at Gazaria in Munshiganj for further development of the country's readymade garments

industry. The Prime Minister said this when the newly elected office-bearers of Bangladesh

Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association met her at her office.

Bangladesh has been working with a target to produce 2,000MW of electricity from

renewable sources by 2020. State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid announced this

while presiding over a session of the two-day 6th ministerial meeting of International Renewable

Energy Agency (IRENA). The meeting, which was held in Abu Dhabi of the UAE, began on

Saturday.

Indian power company Bhel has been selected to construct the 1,320-megawatt coal power

plant in Rampal. The Bangladesh-India Friendship Company has chosen Bhel out of three

bidders and issued it with a notification award for the $1.5 billion job. Bhel would have to

arrange the finance from the Indian Exim Bank on behalf of the Friendship Company. Of this

finance, $1.39 billion will be in foreign currency and another $101 million in local currency.

Country's lone oil and gas exploration company - BAPEX - is willing to carry out its maiden

offshore drilling in the Bay of Bengal tying up with Australian firm Santos. The state-run

Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Ltd (Bapex) has already inked a

'confidentiality agreement' with Santos for forming up a joint venture to drill offshore Magnama

structure.

Lifting of the long-imposed global economic sanction on Iran has created an opportunity for

Bangladesh to explore a vibrant market and crude oil at a cheaper prices from the country. Iran is

a big economy and it is already importing a lot. So there is an opportunity for Bangladesh to

explore the Iranian market. Traditionally, Bangladesh used to export jute and jute goods to Iran.

New products, like ready-made garments, can be exported from Bangladesh.

The Qatar government has appointed RasGas Company Limited for exporting liquefied

natural gas (LNG) to Bangladesh under a G to G arrangement. State Minister for Power, Energy

and Mineral Resources Nasrul Humid said yesterday. He also said, talks are underway with the

Qatar government to fix the LNG price and other related issues.

The prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) yesterday settled at 4,674.82, falling

20.12 points or 0.42 percent.

Tasir Ahmed For Principal Information Officer

Ph: 9546091





DHAKA



News brief

President Abdul Hamid yesterday sought more Korean investment in Bangladesh as

lucrative incentives are on offer here for foreign investors. The President said this when visiting

Deputy Speaker of South Korea Jeong Kab Yoon met him at Bangabhaban.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will sit today with a delegation of public university teachers

agitating over ‗disparities‘ in the eighth national pay scale to discuss the ongoing stalemate at the

universities.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday stressed the need for introducing direct air link

between Bangladesh and Canada for the mutual benefits of the people of the two countries. The

Prime Minister came up with the view when newly appointed Canadian High Commissioner to

Bangladesh Benoit-Pierre Laramee met her at her office.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged garment owners to help complete the work on Garment

Village at Gazaria in Munshiganj for further development of the country's readymade garments

industry. The Prime Minister said this when the newly elected office-bearers of Bangladesh

Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association met her at her office.

Bangladesh has been working with a target to produce 2,000MW of electricity from

renewable sources by 2020. State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid announced this

while presiding over a session of the two-day 6th ministerial meeting of International Renewable

Energy Agency (IRENA). The meeting, which was held in Abu Dhabi of the UAE, began on

Saturday.

Indian power company Bhel has been selected to construct the 1,320-megawatt coal power

plant in Rampal. The Bangladesh-India Friendship Company has chosen Bhel out of three

bidders and issued it with a notification award for the $1.5 billion job. Bhel would have to

arrange the finance from the Indian Exim Bank on behalf of the Friendship Company. Of this

finance, $1.39 billion will be in foreign currency and another $101 million in local currency.

Country's lone oil and gas exploration company - Bapex - is willing to carry out its maiden

offshore drilling in the Bay of Bengal tying up with Australian firm Santos. The state-run

Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Ltd (Bapex) has already inked a

'confidentiality agreement' with Santos for forming up a joint venture to drill offshore Magnama

structure.

Lifting of the long-imposed global economic sanction on Iran has created an opportunity for

Bangladesh to explore a vibrant market and crude oil at a cheaper prices from the country. Iran is

a big economy and it is already importing a lot. So there is an opportunity for Bangladesh to

explore the Iranian market. Traditionally, Bangladesh used to export jute and jute goods to Iran.

New products, like ready-made garments, can be exported from Bangladesh.

The Qatar government has appointed RasGas Company Limited for exporting liquefied

natural gas (LNG) to Bangladesh under a G to G arrangement. State Minister for Power, Energy

and Mineral Resources Nasrul Humid said yesterday. He also said, talks are underway with the

Qatar government to fix the LNG price and other related issues.

The prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) yesterday settled at 4,674.82, falling

20.12 points or 0.42 percent.


Ph: 9546091





DHAKA


Date: Sunday, 17 January 2016 [email protected]


News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said called upon the affluent section of society to

come up and supplement the government efforts to spread the light of education across the

country. She said her government wants to build Bangladesh in such a way where there will be

no superstition, myopic attitude, religious extremism and militancy. The Prime Minister said this

while distributing Kazi Mahbub Ullah Awards 2015 among four distinguished personalities at

the National Theatre at Shilpakala Academy.

The second phase of three-day Biswa Ijtema, concludes today with Akheri Munajat seeking

spiritual well-being and welfare of the Muslim Ummah.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan at an assembly of the United Nations has said

Bangladesh government has taken a zero tolerance policy to combat extremism and terrorism

while addressing the assembly at UN Trusteeship Council in New York on Friday. He shared

various measures, taken by Bangladesh with the participation and cooperation of women, civil

society, religious leaders, local elite, grassroots people and media, for combating extremism.

Rejecting the Transparency International Bangladesh's findings on the garment sector,

knitwear makers yesterday said the report will encourage 'conspiracy' at the local and

international levels against the country's highest export earner. Bangladesh Knitwear

Manufacturers and Exporters Association or BKMEA alleged that the TIB report might be part

of a conspiracy against the apparel industry. On Thursday, the TIB released a report on the

supply chain of the garment industry, is plagued by irregularities and corruption, for which the

international apparel buyers are also responsible.

The government will build road upto Bangladesh's fifth highest mountain Keokradong to

attract tourists in the hilly district of Bandarban. Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges

officials said the Bangladesh Army had decided to build the road from the upazila city of Ramu

to the mountain.

The government is considering formation of a panel of experts for the metro rail project to

take its advice in decision-making on different technical and crucial aspects of the project from

the context of Bangladesh.

The micro credit regulator has asked micro-finance institutions to cut their high-rated

interest on agricultural credits to 25 percent from the existing 27 percent. The Microcredit

Regulatory Authority issued on Thursday a circular lowering the ceiling to give more farm-credit

facility to the marginal clients.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission plans to build a Tk 200 crore

building in the capital as its head office. The BTRC has recently sought the Telecom Division's

permission to spend Tk 100 crore from its own fund for the 13-storey Telecom Tower.

Many listed companies of engineering sector showed better performance last week as the

sector attracted investors. The sector was on the top of the weekly turnover board with a rise of

17.6 percent. DSEX, the key index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, rose by 0.40 percent, or 18.87

points, over the week to close at 4,694.95 points on Thursday after adding 46.44 points in the

previous week.


Ph: 9546091





DHAKA



News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called upon private sector entrepreneurs yesterday to support milk

and fish production, preserve and process those to meet the local demand and export abroad. The

Prime Minister came up with the call while inaugurating the loan distribution programme 2016 at

Krishibid Institution, Dhaka. Bangladesh Bank has launched the Tk 2.0 billion (200-crore)

refinancing scheme to expedite the country's dairy farming. At the function, the Prime Minister

handed over cheques for loan among 13 selected beneficiaries of the scheme.

The country secured 22nd position in Global Service Location Index (GSLI) this year, according

to the ranking released on Monday by AT Kearney, the world's leading management consulting firm.

Foreign machinery, yarn and fabric makers are looking at Bangladesh to expand their business

as the demand for raw materials and modern technology for the apparel industry. Keeping this in

view, more than 200 overseas firms from 30 countries are taking part in three international sourcing

trade shows on the garment industry under one roof in the city to display their products in the

country. Bangladesh is a 'lucrative' alternative destination of China for the garment industry due to

its cheap labour and quality products.

The 14th

Dhaka International Film Festival is scheduled to kick off today at the National

Museum at Shahbagh in the capital. Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu will be the chief guest at

the inauguration while State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam will preside over the

session.

The 6th

South Asian Conference on Sanitation concluded yesterday with a commitment to ensure

adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030. The three-day conference was

organised by Bangladesh at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. LGRD and Cooperatives

Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain attended the closing ceremony.

The Bangladesh Bank is expected to unveil its second half-yearly monetary policy today aiming

to boost investment, particularly in productive sectors, for achieving maximum economic growth in

this fiscal year, 2015-16.

The Probashi Kallyan Bank (PKB) will be turned into a commercial bank. Expatriates' welfare

minister Nurul Islam BSc yesterday assured his ministry's support for conversion of the PKB into a

scheduled bank.

A new institution is set to start journey soon to provide specialist services to small and medium

firms, helping them boost exports of leather and leather goods, which fetch over US$ 1.0 billion a

year.

Agreements on motor vehicles and railways to enhance connectivity among countries belonging

to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) appear to be back on

track.Transport ministers from eight members of the regional body will meet in Kathmandu next

month to finalise the deals.

New British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Alison Blake arrived in Dhaka yesterday. She

succeeds Robert Gibson.

New Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla is coming to Dhaka

today to replace Pankaj Saran.

The prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), settled at 4,686.05, advancing 20.61

points or 0.44 percent.


Ph: 9546091







News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina highlighted her government's various development activities in

different sectors in her address to the nation yesterday. In her speech to mark the completion of two

years of the present Awami League led government, the Prime Minister vowed to make Bangladesh

a middle income state by 2021 and a developed country by 2041.

Bangladeshis are the most optimistic people in the world though the country intermittently faces

various challenges, according to a global survey. Bangladesh topped the list of 68 countries in the

hope index and secured the second place in the economic optimism index, shows the WIN/Gallup

International's annual global End of Year survey released last week. In both categories, the country is

ahead of all other South Asian nations, including India and Pakistan.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday inaugurated newly constructed seven school-cum-

cyclone shelter centers built at Amtoli in Barguna under the ‗Fael Khair‘ programme of King

Abdullah Bin Abul Aziz International Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation of Saudi Arabia. The

Prime Minister inaugurated the cyclone shelters through a videoconference from her official

residence Ganobhaban.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked all officials and employees of Biman Bangladesh

Airlines to take good care of the airline and ensure better passenger services. The Prime Minister was

speaking at a function marking the induction of two new Boeing 737-800 aircraft -- Meghdoot and

Mayurpankhi -- to the Biman fleet at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka.

Bangladesh is on track to log in the second best economic growth figure this year out of 93

countries, according to American news organisation Bloomberg. Bloomberg forecasts that

Bangladesh's economy will grow at 6.6 percent in 2016, a joint second rank with Vietnam. The rate

is the second fastest pace after India, which is expected to clock in 7.4 percent growth.

The 62nd

Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference will be held in Dhaka on September 1-10

next. Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, also the Chairperson of Commonwealth Parliamentary

Association, apprised President Abdul Hamid of the information when she made a courtesy call on

him at Bangabhaban yesterday.

The first board meeting of the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is set to be held

on January 16 in Beijing, where major policy decisions including the interest rate on its loans may be

taken. Bangladesh, one of the 57 founding members of the Beijing-based bank, is sending a three-

member delegation led by Finance Minister AMA Muhith to the two-day meeting.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Dr. Atiur Rahman yesterday said the central bank has initiated

a US$ 200-million refinancing fund to manage transition to 'green' manufacturing, especially for

textiles and leather sectors. He said entrepreneurs of export-oriented industries will secure funds

from the Green Transformation Fund at lower interest rate through the banking channel to further

strengthen Bangladesh's position in global export market in the era of green economy.

The South Asian Regional Standards Organisation has finalised uniform standardisation of six

products aiming to increase regional trade. The products are sugar, biscuits, hessian, two types of

cotton and jute. SARSO Director General Syed Humayun Kabir said the uniform standardisation will

take effect in the region as well as international market after the final concurrence of all the eight

members of the SARRC in March.

The prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), inched 1.81 points or 0.03 percent up to

settle at 4,665.43, after remaining down in the past three consecutive sessions.


Ph: 9546091







News brief

President Md Abdul Hamid yesterday said developing effective maritime policies at national,

sub-regional and regional levels was important to advance economic development of the Indian

Ocean region. He also said a combined effort was necessary to overcome the adverse impacts of

climate change and deal with natural disaster. He said Formulation and effective implementation of a

'Blue Economy' is a demand of the time for the economic well-being of the region, which can be

achieved by efficient use of resources at sea.

President Md Abdul Hamid yesterday stressed the need for putting best efforts in generating

innovative and sustainable solutions to ensure a healthy and hygienic atmosphere and build a

prosperous South Asia. He said water, sanitation and hygiene were taking centre stage in the post

MDG era.The President made the statement while addressing the Sixth South Asian Conference on

Sanitation (SACOSAN-VI) held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the city.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday sought more investment and cooperation from Saudi

Arabia for developing Bangladesh in different sectors, including ship building. She said we have to

find out other areas of economic cooperation for mutual benefits of the two brotherly countries when

visiting Saudi Prince Turki bin Abdullah Aziz Al Saud and his brother Prince Badar bin Abdullah

met her at the Gono Bhaban.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will address the nation today marking the completion of two

years of her government. The address will be broadcast simultaneously over Bangladesh Television,

Bangladesh Betar as well as private TV channels and radio stations.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed has urged the Indian government to withdraw the

countervailing duty (CVD) on Bangladeshi exports to help boost trade between the two countries.

CVDs are tariffs levied on imported goods to offset subsidies made to producers of the goods in the

exporting country. ―Bangladeshi businesses have been facing challenges in exporting to India due to

the CVD.

A delegation of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) led

by its President Md Siddiqur Rahman yesterday met Ambassador and Head of Delegation of

European Union (EU) to Bangladesh Pierre Mayaudon. They discussed various issues related to

readymade garment industry including future cooperation between the EU countries and Bangladeshi

exporters at the meeting held at the EU envoy's residence.

The government is set to take up a massive automation programme with financial assistance

from the World Bank for nine state-owned banks to facilitate the central bank's monitoring. The

estimated cost for the programme is $200 million, of which the WB will provide $150 million.

A vegetable fair and national vegetable exhibition begins on Sunday to ensure safe vegetable

production and its smooth supply to the consumers at city's Milky premises (Khamar bari) at

Farmgate with a view to displaying nearly 142 varieties of vegetables of the country.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) yesterday launched 'online payment system' for its clients to

deposit fees required for getting information and data. The introduction of online payment system,

the DSE clients would able to deposit training and other fees easily at home.

The Prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), settled at 4,663.62, falling 11.21 points

or 0.23 percent.

Tasir Ahmed








News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated her government's stance of zero tolerance to terrorism

and said no one would be allowed to use Bangladesh's soil for insurgent acts against any country.

The Prime Minister made the remarks when visiting Minister for Power, Urban and Rural

Development and Transport of the Indian State of Tripura Manik Dey met her at Ganobhaban in the

city yesterday.

The government is going to make a new law for ensuring cyber security, Law Minister Anisul

Huq said yesterday. "All the contradictory sections of Information and Communication Technology

Act, including section 57, will be removed through the proposed Digital Security Act," he told the

media. Teachers of 37 public universities in the country go on an indefinite strike today to press

their demand for removal of disparities in the new pay scale. The Federation of Bangladesh

University Teachers‘ Association has called the strike. Meanwhile, the officials of different

functional services, including Prokrichi (engineers, agriculturists and doctors) and 26 cadres, will

observe a two-hour work abstention for a week beginning today demanding revival of the time scale

and selection grade as well as the end of disparity between cadres and non-cadres.

Garment makers expect robust export growth this year due to continuity of political stability. In

December last year apparel shipments rose 14.56 percent year-on-year to $2.67 billion, in November

14.74 percent to $2.22 billion, and in October 18.40 percent to $1.79 billion, according to Export

Promotion Bureau.

Tripura opened a new land customs station at Srimantapur to deepen trade with Bangladesh. The

station is located at Sonamura in Sepahijala district of Tripura on the India-Bangladesh border. The

corresponding station on the Bangladesh side is Bibirbazar under Chittagong commissionerate.

Overall trade deficit of the country widened slightly as of November with import cost

outstripping export earnings, officials said. The overall trade deficit rose to US$3.03 billion during

the July-November period of the fiscal year (FY) 2015-16 from $3.02 billion during the same period

of the previous fiscal, according to the central bank.

Attaining the status of a role model for its neighbours, Bangladesh has become an open

defecation free country from 34 percent to 99 percent sanitation coverage in the last decade, said

representatives of South Asian countries at a discussion yesterday. The discussion organised by

Community-Led Total Sanitation Foundation India and Geneva based Water Supply and Sanitation

Collaborative Council, was held in Dhaka on the occasion of ―The 6th South Asian Conference on

Sanitation‖ (SACOSAN-VI) that starts today at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

The government has initiated a move to appoint commercial counsellors at Istanbul and

Kunming missions considering trade potential. The Commerce Ministry has discussed the officials of

different ministries to revitalise the missions' activities needed to gear up the country's exports,

senior secretary of the ministry Hedayetullah Al Mamoon told the media.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate a school-cum-cyclone shelter (SCCS)

in Barguna on Tuesday as part of the Fael Khair Programme for relief of cyclone victims in

Bangladesh. Saudi Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, also the Chief Executive

Officer of the King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz International Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation,

Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group President Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali Al Madani will also

join the ceremony with the Prime Minister through videoconferencing, according to an official at the

IDB.

The country's power and energy sector companies will be allowed to issue bonds worth US$500

million to US$1.0 billion in the offshore market to mobilise foreign investment for development of

the sector.

The prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) yesterday settled at 4,674.83, inching

down by 1.24 points or 0.02 per cent.

Tasir Ahmed








News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina criticised the students and teachers who came up with a sudden

demand for changing the route of metro rail saying that it was done just to block development activities.

Prime Minister made the remarks at the Central Working Committee meeting at Ganabhaban yesterday.

She said the alignment of the metro rail has been done after a long process, even there was a discussion

with the Dhaka University authorities. Meanwhile, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader

yesterday said that the construction of metro rail will begin at the end of next month. He said while

addressing at a roundtable titled 'Padma Bridge-New Lifeline of Development' at The Daily Star Centre

in the capital.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed urged the Indian government to remove the tariff and non-tariff

barriers to boost bilateral trade between Bangladesh and India. The Commerce Minister made the call

while exchanging views with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on the sideline of the Global

Business Sumit-2016 in Kolkata yesterday.

Bangladesh will buy 100 megawatts of electricity from India's Tripura for a reasonable rate of Tk

6.44 per kilowatt-hour, officials said. The rate was announced at a press briefing in the capital yesterday

following a meeting between Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power of Bangladesh, and Manik Dey,

minister for power of the Indian state of Tripura. The meeting fixed the electricity tariff at $0.08 per unit.

The approved cost for the Padma bridge project is not too high if issues such as expenditure in

similar projects around the world, appreciation of the dollar and escalation of prices with time - are taken

into account, an analyst said. Jamilur Reza Choudhury, chairman of the government's panel of experts on

Padma bridge, said it would cost $5,000 per square metre for the 6.15-kilometre bridge. It was $2,500 per

square metre for the Bangabandhu Multipurpose Bridge over Jamuna river. The cost has doubled in the

last 18 years, which is not unusual, he said. He said the project's cost is not too high compared to that of

other bridges around the world.

Country‘s export earnings from the US market achieved a double-digit growth of over 11 per cent in

the January-November period of last year. The earnings from the US in that period grew by 11.66 per

cent to $5.19 billion compared with that of $4.64 billion in the same period of 2014, according to the data

released by the Office of Textiles and Apparels under the US commerce department on yesterday.

The longevity of the people in the country has increased on an average by 20 years in the last four

decades. According to the latest estimate of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the average longevity of the

people in the country is 70.7 years now. It stands at 69.1 years in case of the males and 71.6 years for the

females.

The use of mobile financial services is fast rising, as people are becoming increasingly comfortable

with the banking platform. In November 2015, Tk 14,915.59 crore was transacted through mobile

banking channels, up 54.2 percent year-on-year, according Bangladesh Bank.

The 45th Homecoming Day of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will be

observed in the city as elsewhere in the country with elaborate programmes today. On January 10 in

1972, Bangabandhu, the undisputed leader of the nation and supreme commander of the country's

Liberation War, returned to the sacred soil of independent Bangladesh from his captivity in Pakistan.

Power generation capacity more than doubled from 4,942MW in 2009 to 13,883MW currently, with

around 74 per cent of the population having access to electricity. Director General of Power Cell under

the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Mohammad Hossain told the media that sincere

efforts and timely initiatives along with relentless monitoring helped a lot to get rid of load shedding.

The first phase of three-day Biswa Ijtema ends today with the Akheri Munajat seeking spiritual well-

being and welfare of the Muslim Ummah.

DSEX, the benchmark index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, rose 46.44 points, or 1 percent, to close the

week at 4,676.08 points.

Tasir Ahmed








News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked the students yesterday to play their due role in building

poverty and illiteracy-free middle-income 'Digital Bangladesh', utilising their talents so that the

country could stand rising its head high. She said this while addressing the Prime Minister Gold

Medal Award distribution ceremony at her office. She said the University Grants Commission

(UGC) will be transformed into the Higher Education Commission and a draft law in this regard is at

final stage. She showered praises on teachers saying that their dignity is above everything as there is

no way to compare teachers with others.

Bangladesh's economy will grow higher at 6.7 percent rate in the current fiscal year, spurred by

increased public investment in infrastructure development and government employees' wage hike,

says the World Bank.

Export earnings from the USA, the largest export destination for Bangladesh products,

witnessed a robust 16.79 percent growth during the first five months (July-November) of the current

fiscal (2015-16), mostly due to the RMG sector's good performance.

At least one close male relative of each female worker can now get jobs in the Kingdom of

Saudi Arabia in the housekeeping sector, which can offer them better protection, while lessening

their homesickness, said the expatriates minister.

The government will auction a fourth generation (4G) spectrum for mobile phone services

within this year, State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Tarana Halim said yesterday. This

bidding will be open to all operators. She also said Mobile phone users will have to be compensated

for every case of call drop and network failure.

The government is going to review the proposed aide-memoire of the World Bank on

modernising the country's banking and insurance sectors. State-owned banks would get top priority

for reforms and modernisation under the initiative, under a World Bank project, titled, 'Modernisaton

of state-owned financial institutions and Bangladesh insurance and pension market development'.

Overall interest-rate spread in the country's banking sector increased a bit as the interests on

deposits were lowered more than that on lending. The weighted average spread between lending and

deposit rates offered by the commercial banks rose to 4.81 percent in November 2015 from 4.77

percent in the previous month, according to the central bank's latest statistics.

The Indian cabinet yesterday gave retrospective approval to a memorandum of understanding

(MoU) with Bangladesh for Mode of Operation of Border Haats signed in 2010. Border haats, which

promote traditional system of marketing of local produce through local markets on a currency or

barter basis, will be established after identification of locations in consultation with Bangladesh and

the States concerned.

Thousands of Muslims have started congregating on the bank of the Turag River in Tongi,

Gazipur for the three-day Biswa Ijtema that starts tomorrow. For the first time, the Ijtema will be

held in four phases. People from 33 districts will take part in the first two phases this year while

those from the remaining 32 districts will take part in two more phases next year. But foreigners will

be able to join every phase.

Train travel times will be shorter on different routes in Bangladesh Railway's east zone as the

newly installed 64km double track line of Dhaka-Chittagong route opens today.

The benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), settled at three month high level at

4,679.80, after advancing 36.55 points or 0.78 percent.

Tasir Ahmed






DHAKA



News brief

Exports raked in $3.2 billion in December last year, which is the highest export earning in a

month in the history of Bangladesh. Increased shipments of garments, jute and leather products

account for the record export earnings. December's figure is an increase of 12.66 percent from the

previous year. It also exceeded the target for the month by 7.31 percent, according to data from the

Export Promotion Bureau. Garment exports in December were $2.67 billion, the highest monthly

earnings in 2015.

The government has again enhanced the Padma Multipurpose Bridge construction cost by 40

percent to Tk 287.29 billion through a revision of the project outlay. Officials said the approval came

from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in its meeting with

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair yesterday.

Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu yesterday urged people and the authorities concerned to

raise demand for halting tobacco cultivation in the country, aiming to protect public health. He said

this is the high time to raise demand for stopping all kinds of tobacco cultivation to control the use of

tobacco. He said this as the chief guest at an anti-tobacco seminar at CIRDAP auditorium in the city.

The government has moved to utilise coal bed methane (CBM) to be extracted from the

country's deepest coalmine at Jamalganj in Bogra to meet the country's energy demand. State

Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid inaugurated the feasibility study

work for the extraction of coal bed methane adjacent to Jamalganj coalmine as the chief guest

yesterday.

The central bank asked the commercial banks to investment hugely in productive sectors,

particularly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), for achieving maximum economic

growth by this yearend. Such instruction regarding banks' role in boosting the economy for the New

Year 2016 came at a meeting of bankers at the central bank headquarters in Dhaka yesterday.

The World Bank (WB) will provide $100 million grant for development of the country's primary

education. WB signed a deal with the government in Dhaka for disbursing the grant from Global

Partnership for Education fund yesterday.

A record 103,718 female workers went abroad with jobs in the calendar year 2015 due to

significant recruitment of domestic helps by Saudi Arabia, according to official data.

Expatriate Bangladeshis have remitted around $7.5 billion in the first six months of the current

fiscal, a little less than what they did in the same period in the previous financial year.

Inflation rose slightly in December from the previous month. Consumer prices increased 5 basis

points to 6.10 percent in December, compared to the previous month, according to data from

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

The Bangladesh Railway will run 28 special trains for devotees willing to attend Bishwa Ijtema,

the second largest congregation of Muslims worldwide, which will be held in two phases from

January 8 to 10 and January 15 to 17 on the banks of the Turag at Tongi. Besides, the Bangladesh

Road Transport Corporation has decided to run 228 special buses in two phases from January 6 to 19

to ferry the devotees.

The benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), finished at 4,643.25, gaining 25.52

points or 0.55 percent.

Tasir Ahmed






DHAKA



News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday directed the secretaries concerned to examine the new

pay scale's "discriminatory provisions" involving different sections of professionals, including public

university teachers, and take steps accordingly. Sheikh Hasina sat with the secretaries after several

senior ministers raised the matter at yesterday's cabinet meeting at the Secretariat.

The cabinet yesterday gave its final approval to the draft of ―The Jute Law, 2015‖ modifying the

existing ―Jute Ordinance‖ of 1962 and including a maximum three-year imprisonment or one lakh

taka fine or both. The draft has 32 sections on encouraging production, carrying out research, issuing

licences, appointing agents and brokers, fixing values, imposing development fees and registering

contracts. The cabinet also endorsed the draft of an ―Air Transport Agreement‖ with the US based on

a Memorandum of Consultation signed on August 15, 2013.

The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety has struck off 23 garment factories from its

approved list for their lack of interest in implementing corrective action plans. ―Safety is our first

priority. If a factory does not want to improve its safety measures, we cannot maintain a relationship

with it,‖ said Mesbah Rabin, managing director of the Alliance, a platform of 27 North American

retailers. There are 676 active factories on the Alliance list. Engineers inspected 846 units to improve

their safety measures.

Saudi Arabia has lifted its "informal restriction" on Bangladesh, allowing the country to now

send male workers there, the expatriates welfare and overseas employment secretary has said in a

press briefing at the foreign ministry yesterday.

Five people died of heart attacks in Bangladesh and over 100 were injured in panic-related

incidents when a 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit Manipur of India, some 353 kilometres away from

Dhaka. Many in Bangladesh woke up to the tremor at 5:05 that was felt for around a minute. In the

cold, the panicking people rushed to the streets while some jumped off their balconies, leading to

injuries.

Dhaka is sending the foreign minister to Riyadh to know the detailed outline of the Saudi

Arabia-led 34-state Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism amid serious criticism over joining

the alliance. The foreign ministry on December 15 however claimed Bangladesh decided to join a

Centre in Riyadh to coordinate efforts against terrorism and extremism. The role of the Centre would

be coordinating efforts, exchanging experiences and providing support where needed, said the

ministry in a press statement. Following severe criticism at home for joining such a military coalition

with no UN mandate, diplomatic sources said the foreign ministry immediately sought the minister's

visit to Riyadh to meet his Saudi counterpart for further details.

Remittance increased 2.5 percent year-on-year to $1.31 billion in December last year due to

seasonal effect, according to data from the Bangladesh Bank. The amount is an increase of 14.53

percent from the previous month.

Bangladesh is set to start transmission of bandwidth export formally to India next week this

month in line with a bilateral deal struck earlier this year, which would pave the way to the country

to earn over Tk 90 million annually, said officials.

The Jatiya Sangsad goes into the ninth session of 10th parliament on January 20. President

Abdul Hamid convened the session yesterday, said a release of parliament secretariat. It will be the

first JS session of the New Year. The president is scheduled to deliver his speech on the first day of

the session which is approved by the cabinet.

At the end of the session, DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), settled at

4,617.73, losing 6.28 points or 0.13 percent.

Tasir Ahmed






DHAKA



News brief

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stressed on changing the fate of marginal people for the country's

overall socio-economic development. She made the comments while addressing a function marking

the distribution of stipends among students of Small Ethnic Groups under 'Development Assistance

for Special Areas' programmes at her office yesterday. Prime Minister said her government has

attached the highest importance to education to build a modern and science-based educated nation as

well as establish a poverty and illiteracy free, prosperous country in South Asia. Steps have been

taken for the development of all groups irrespective of religious faiths, cast and creeds, including

small ethnic communities, to ensure the balanced development of the country, she added.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said Bangladesh's bilateral cooperation with the Maldives

would be expanded further with the full-fledged resumption of Maldivian High Commission in

Dhaka. He made the remarks when newly appointed High Commissioner of the Maldives Dr

Mohammed Asim met him at the Foreign Ministry. Mahmood Ali said Bangladesh wants to work

with the Maldives in exploring marine resources as the Maldives has experiences in deep-sea fishing.

The High Commissioner also sought Bangladesh‘s assistance in higher education and training in

different sectors and expressed interests of recruiting more doctors in Maldive.

The fifth biennial conference of Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), a voluntary initiative

to increase maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean Region, will

begin January 10 in the capital. President Md Abdul Hamid will inaugurate the four-day conference

to be attended by the representatives of 36 countries.

The inflow of remittances registered a slow growth in the just-concluded calendar year despite a

significant rise in outbound jobs taken up by Bangladeshi nationals. Bangladeshi overseas workers

remitted $15.31 billion in 2015, marking a 2.47 percent growth comparing to that of the previous

calendar year, according to the central bank statistics released Sunday.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has extended time by

one month for preparing workers' biometric database to identify the real number of workers and

factories after its member factories failed to introduce the system. Earlier, the BGMEA had set

December 2015 as deadline for its members, which now has been extended to January 31, they

added.

The government will make the use of Pangaon inland container terminal mandatory to transport

a part of imported cotton and capital machinery in and around Dhaka. ―We hope the move will make

the terminal dynamic,‖ said Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan at a programme of the Chittagong Port

Authority at the capital yesterday.

Eleven firms took part in competitive bidding and one of them offered $15.5 billion, the highest

amount, for Payra Deep-sea Port construction, said Rear Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed, chairman of

the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA). He was replying to a question from the media at a press

conference arranged by the CPA to mark its operational achievement of handling 2.0 million 20-

foot-equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo containers.

No foreign devotee will be allowed to enter the country without prior permission of the Markaz

(Dawat-e-Tabligh) of the countries concerned, or the Markaz of Bangladesh, to attend Biswa Ijtema

on security grounds. Biswa Ijtema will be held in Tongi on the banks of the Turag from January 8 to

10 and from January 15 to 18. Barring the 60 foreign countries where there are Bangladesh

missions, the devotees must obtain the Tobligh Ijtema (TI) visa, sources in the Home Ministry said.

Stocks closed almost flat on the first trading day in 2016. DSEX, the benchmark index of Dhaka

Stock Exchange, declined only 5.62 points or 0.12 percent, finishing the day at 4,624 points.


Ph: 9546091







News brief

The government is in talks with Iran to set up a fertiliser plant in the gulf country, Industries

Minister Amir Hossain Amu said this while addressing at a discussion on the upcoming

industrial policy, organised by the Newspaper Owners Association of Bangladesh in Dhaka

yesterday.

The Malaysian government will select Bangladesh Recruiting Authorities through online

system supervised by a [Malaysian] company. The Bangladesh government will not have any

control to ensure whether any recruiting agency will get work or not, reads a December 6 letter

from the Bangladesh mission to the expatriates' welfare ministry in Dhaka.

The Bangladesh Coast Guard and Indian Coast Guard will conduct a joint operation in the

sea, including sea territories of both countries, to combat transnational crime and ensure

maritime safety. Bangladesh Coast Guard headquarters has already formulated Standard

Operating Procedure (SOP) to conduct the operation as per a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) signed by the two maritime safety forces on June 6.

The telecom regulator has started its work on forming a separate public limited company

which will look after all issues related to the country's first commercial and broadcast satellite

Bangabandhu-1. The company will be called Bangladesh Satellite Communication Ltd. The

telecom watchdog has recently applied to the Office of the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies

and Firms to get approval for the new entity, said Md Golam Razzaque, project director of

Bangabandhu-1 satellite.

Containerised cargo handling by Bangladesh's main seaport in Chittagong hit an all-time

high at 2.0 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2015, ranking it among the busiest

ports in the region, officials said. The maritime port grew significantly by 17.0 per cent in the

past calendar year.

Around 43.68 lakh voters were listed as new voters during the voter registration programme

conducted by the Election Commission in 2015, an EC press release said. The EC said the rate of

voter increase was 4.5 per cent, as existing voters stood at 9,62,26,542.

The country‘s Chittagong Hill Tracts has huge potentials for development, especially in

tourism sector and production of a number of high-value agricultural products like fruits and off-

season vegetables and seeds. With its majestic beauty, the region can attract millions of tourists

from around the world, and it could be promoted as a world-class tourism site too, according the

report prepared by Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

The achievements in India‘s relations with Bangladesh, with the elimination of safe havens

for anti-Indian insurgents, transit arrangements, power supplies and so on, should be

consolidated in 2016, said a former Indian Foreign Secretary. Kanwal Sibal, in his article titled

‗Delicate diplomacy: Narendra Modi‘s neighbourhood policy will be tested in 2016‘.

Bangladesh has been awarded the rights to host the 2017 South Asian Football Federation

(SAFF) Championship as well as the inaugural Club Cub Championship later this year. The

decisions were made at the executive committee meeting of the SAFF in Trivandrum yesterday.

DSEX, the key index of the DSE, rose by 0.46 per cent, or 21.32 points, in last week to close

at 4,629.64 points on Thursday after increasing by 87.45 points in the previous week.


Ph: 9546091




Mahfuzur Rahman For Principal Information Officer

Ph: 9546091



Dr. Mohammed Hannan for Principal Information Officer

Ph: 9546091

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