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Daily Local &
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Local News
>>This
Months Top Sustainable Development News from Bangladesh
30-5-2001
28-5-2001
27-5-2001
- The
rice that never reached Bangladesh
A parliamentary probe committee
report revealing a food import scam involving Tk 30 crore about a year
back has not yet been placed before the parliament despite repeated
reminders from the committee to...
- 'Journalists
must unite to resist increasing attacks'
Journalists at a daylong seminar in the city yesterday called for
unity to protect themselves from repression....
- India
helps change face of Silicon Valley
The aptly named Sunnyvale, a sun-drenched city in the heart of
California's Silicon Valley, has officially become the centre of the
exploding Indian migration to high-tech America....
- FBCCI
seminar on IT policy tomorrow
Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry will
hold a seminar titled 'IT Policy of Bangladesh' at its auditorium here
on Monday....
- International
environmentalists to visit the Sundarbans
Two international environment activists yesterday exchanged views
with members of the Forum of Environmental Journalists, Bangladesh (FEJB)
on the possible impact of exploring oil from a block adjacent...
- Training
on social research begins
A special training course on Social Research Methodology for
Trainers began at the conference room of Bangladesh Public
Administration Training Centre at Savar yesterday....
24-5-2001
- Venezuela
agrees to cooperate in IT & energy sector
Dhaka, May 24 (bangla2000)-Bangladesh and Venezuela yesterday agreed
to cooperate in energy and gas, information technology and rural
development sectors apart from boosting bilateral trade.
- Bangladesh
& India signed new visa agreement
Dhaka, May 24 (bangla2000) – Bangladesh and India yesterday signed a
new visa agreement replacing the September 1972 accord.
- Cyclone
alert sounded in western India
PANAJI, MAY 24 (bangla2000) - Authorities sounded a cyclone alert on
Wednesday and warned fishermen to stay on shore as a severe cyclone
hovered near a popular tourist destination in western coastal India
- Powell's
African trip to focus on AIDS
WASHINGTON, MAY 23 (bangla2000) - President George W. Bush suggested
his Africa policy would "encourage a brighter future." Colin
Powell, the first black U.S. secretary of state, was heading for the
continent carrying Bush's promise of continued engagement.
23-5-2001
21-5-2001
- 'Bangla
has the quality to become UN language'
President Shahabuddin Ahmed has
underscored the need for creating public opinion across the world to
establish Bangla as one of the official languages of the United
Nations....
- ECNEC
approves Tk 1449.93cr projects
The Executive Committee of
National Economic Council (ECNEC) yesterday approved seven projects
worth Tk 1449 crore 93 lakh and 44 thousand, including project
assistance of Tk 209 core 94 lakh and 94 thousand....
- S
Asian businessmen to talkways to rejuvenate SAARC
Asian business leaders are
hoping a major trade conference here this week will help revive the
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and prepare
it to compete with other blocs....
- Workshop
on 'one house-one farm' held in city
A day-long workshop on 'one
house ( one farm' concept of the Prime Minister was held at Bangladesh
Public Administration Management Institute yesterday....
- 'US
may back away from germ warfare treaty'
Washington may be backing away
from endorsing an international treaty that would ban germ warfare,
after a confidential White House report panned the draft accord, the
New York Times reported Sunday....
20-5-2001
- Amartya
Sen economic advisor to WB govt
The Communist Party of India-Marxist CPIM-led Left Front
government in West Bengal has decided to appoint Nobel laureate
Amartya Sen its economic advisor in an effort to combat the impact of
WTO and breathe...
- Globalisation
vs. workers
- ADAB
to launch 'electionawareness' campaign
Non-governmental organisations
who have a major stake in the country's development activities will
again play their role in the run-up to the national election,
campaigning against war criminals, fundamentalists,...
- Principles
on Freedom of Expression and Protection of Reputation
ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for
Free Expression, published a set of principles concerning freedom of
expression and protection of Reputation....
- The
trial of Public Safety Act 2000
Of late, Public Safety Act 2000
(PSA) has been on the dock, its validity has been challenged. In fact
from the very beginning of its enactment, it created many furores....
- Economy
not quite in the clear
An election-centred development
spending spree and a steadily sliding foreign exchange reserve pose
the major challenges for the country's economy, which has otherwise
been marked by healthy indicators....
19-5-2001
- Govt
to take action plan to make Dhaka pollution-free
Industries Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday said the
government would take a comprehensive action plan to free Dhaka City
from the environment pollution. | "Government has no option but
to take comprehensive act...
- Dhaka
seeks aid to fight dengue, arsenic menace
Health Minister
Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim has urged the international community to
extend financial and technical assistance to Bangladesh to tackle its
growing dengue and arsenic problems. | The minister made ...
- Power
disruption will persist
Sufferings of the of the city
dwellers due to power supply disruption and low voltage is likely to
continue at least for the next two months due to further delay in
implementation of a number of DESA projects...
- CMCH
revives dengue surveillance body
A dengue scare has prompted
Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) authorities to revive its
Dengue Surveillance Committee and take up preparedness programmes to
face the situation in the event of...
- BIBM
workshop on financial risk analysis concludes
A 3-day workshop on
"Financial Institutions' Risk Analysis" conducted by the
Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) concluded on Thursday,
says a press release....
- BDRCS
carrying out ECHO-funded project
The Bangladesh Red Crescent
Society (BDRCS) with the financial support of European Community
Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) is carrying out a 500,000 euro project
in the flood-hit areas of the country's...
- PCP
founding anniversary tomorrow
Pahari Chhatra Parishad (PCP)
will celebrate its 12th founding anniversary and hold a conference
tomorrow....
- Rivers
in eight northern districts drying up
Rivers flowing through eight
northern districts are drying up, posing serious threat to ecological
balance in the region....
- Polluted
rivers in and around Dhaka city
Ecological situation is
reportedly in a horrendous state as rivers in and around the Dhaka
city continue to be used illegally as dumping ground for industrial
waste and sewage with no regard for the necessary...
18-5-2001
17-5-2001
- Exports
face first jolt this year
The country's export earnings
slowed down significantly in the third quarter of the current fiscal
year, sparking new concern for the fragile balance of payment (BOP)
situation, which was only US$ 1....
- Record
distribution of micro credit in last five years
Under its "Poverty
alleviation programme", the government has set a record in
granting small credits among the underprivileged people in the past
five years, an official publication said....
- Mysterious
disease claims 50 lives in Meherpur so far
- World
help sought to help fight dengue, arsenic problems
- Asian
currencies firm as US Fed cuts interest rates
Asian currencies were mostly
firmer in late trade Wednesday after interest rate cuts by the Federal
Research raised hopes of economic recovery in the world's major growth
locomotive....
- HSBC
launches Phonebanking service
The Hongkong and Shanghai
Banking Corporation Limited (HSBC) in Bangladesh has recently launched
Phonebanking, a state-of-the-art automated telephone banking service
for its customers, says a press release....
- World
Telecom Day today
The 33rd World
Telecommunication Day will be observed in the country as elsewhere in
189 member countries of International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
today....
- Caretaker
govt. will have to review too many actions
With just 58 days left for the tenure of the present government to
end, there has been hectic activities to enact new laws, give
promotions to the loyals or transfer them to prime places, so on so...
- Dhaka
Zoo will be modernised thru' increasing facilities
Dhaka Zoo will be turned into one of the best zoos
in Asia within a decade through increasing the existing facilities,
infrastructure development, monorail connection and providing better
environment...
- Dhaka,
Delhi agree to maintain peace along frontiers pulling out troops
PANCHAGARH, May 15: Bangladesh and India agreed to
maintain peace and order along the frontier pulling out troop
reinforcements deployed during recent border skirmish, reports UNB. |
At flag meeting held here t...
16-5-2001
- Discussion
on HIV/AIDS
Imam Training Academy under Islamic Foundation and the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) yesterday organised a discussion
meeting in the auditorium of Ashkona permanent Haji Camp on
"prevention...
- Int'l
Day for Families 2001 observed
"The International Day of
Families-2001" was observed in the country as elsewhere in the
world with a renewed pledge to uphold the traditional values of family
life....
- LDCs
need more investment, aid to fight poverty
Bangladesh yesterday urged the
rich nations to complement efforts of the least developed countries (LDCs)
to come out of poverty trap with more aid and investment, market
access and debt relief....
15-5-2001
14-5-2001
- PMO
pushes revised ADP upward
For the first time this year,
the revised annual development programme (ADP) for the current fiscal
is being stretched by over Tk 500 crore at the dictate of the Prime
Minister's Office (PMO)....
- 5
brokerage houses searched for stolen DSE software
The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE)
yesterday conducted a search at five brokerage houses to recover a key
market administration and control software stolen from the bourse....
- HP
to open office in Bangladesh
Hewlett-Packard (HP), a leading
global computing and imaging solution giant, yesterday announced that
it would open a corporate representative office in Bangladesh....
13-5-2001
- Its
Mother's Day today
PEOPLE all over the world
celebrate Mother's Day today in celebration and memory for moms. It is
a time of family gatherings and a time to tell everyone's mom how
important they are to one....
- 9th
National Immunization Day observes today
Dhaka, May 12 (UNB) – As part of the global effort to make the world
polio-free, the second round of 9th National Immunization Day (NID)
will be observed today(Sunday) across the country.
- International
workshop began on Nutrition
Dhaka, May 12 (UNB)- An international workshop began here today with a
call for concerted efforts to resolving the malnutrition problem by
changing behaviour that raise malnutrition.
- Govt
wakes up to save Buriganga 'at any cost'
A government appointed
committee to prepare a coordinated environmental guideline for Dhaka
city has finalised its recommendations, suggesting among other things,
measures to save the Buriganga 'at any...
- IMF
supports Asian currency network
A senior official at the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Friday that the fund welcomes
and supports fresh progress made by 13 Asian nations toward setting up
an Asian-wide currency safety network....
12-5-2001
- Asia
urges rich nations to boost flagging global economy
Asia's struggling developing countries Thursday called on the world's
major economic powers to play their part in boosting the flagging
global economy to prevent another regional financial crisis.
- Another
dengue tragedy looms
DENGUE fever has struck again.
Four cases have been discovered in the city and there is apprehension
that there may be unidentified cases elsewhere....
10-5-2001
- Stolen
DSE computer, surveillance software recovered: 2 held - The Daily
Star
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) yesterday recovered a
computer with a key surveillance software, which was earlier stolen
from the IT department of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE)....
- Dhaka
rejects Indian minister's allegation - The Daily
Star
Bangladesh has dismissed allegations by an Indian minister that Dhaka
triggered last month's border skirmishes near Roumari that claimed the
lives of border guards on both sides....
- Editorial :Wayward
diagnostic centres - The Daily
Star
WE are dealing with double deviousness here. First, many private
diagnostic centres in the city pay a hefty portion of their earning to
doctors as 'commission' for referring patients to seek their
services....
- NBR
SRO sends red signal to agro-processing industry - The Daily
Star
A recent National Board of Revenue (NBR) order that slapped 10 per
cent regulatory duty on imported crown corks used in local juice and
beverage industries has taken the business circle by surprise....
9-5-2001
8-5-2001
7-5-2001
5-5-2001
4-5-2001
3-5-2001
2-5-2001
- May
Day observed - Bangla2000
Dhaka, May 2 (Bangla2000) – Memorable May Day was observed in the
country as elsewhere around the globe yesterday amid a growing demand
for free flow of labor as of capital and products following
globalization.
- India
ready to discuss matters with Bangladesh
- Bangla2000
Dhaka, Apr 30 (UNB)-India expressed willingness to sit with Bangladesh
to discuss all pending matters relating to Indo-Bangladesh border in
the wake of recent border skirmish that left 19 dead–three BDR and
16 BSF personnel.
- RMG-Green
Channel - Bangla2000
Dhaka, Apr 30 (UNB) – Imported raw materials for readymade garments
can be cleared through green channel of the Chittagong port from
tomorrow (Tuesday).
1-5-2001
- May
Day today - The Daily Star
The May Day will be observed
in the country as elsewhere around the world today amid a growing
demand for free flow of labour as well as capital and products in the
context of globalisation....
- Death
sentences of 3 more upheld, 3 acquitted
- The Daily Star
A single-member High Court
Bench yesterday upheld the death sentence of twelve former army
officers and acquitted three of the 15 sentenced to death by a trial
court in the Bangabandhu murder case....
- MOEF
secy made OSD - The Daily Star
Mamunur Rashid, Secretary,
Ministry of Forests and Environment (MOEF) has been made an
Officer-on-Special Duty (OSD) at the Establishment Division....
- World
Press Freedom Day May 3 - The
Daily Star
World Press Freedom Day 2001
will be observed in Bangladesh and across the globe on May 3....
- WorldTel
gets licence but Indian firm to install telephones
- The Daily Star
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam
Limited of India has reportedly struck a deal with WorldTel, which
signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Post and
Telecommunications for 300,000 new fixed-line...
- StanChart,
BTTB sign deal to collect phone bills thru' ATMs
- The Daily Star
Standard Chartered Bank has
signed an agreement with the Bangladesh Telephone and Telegraph Board
(BTTB) for telephone bill payment service through ATMs....
- BDR
renews call to reduce BSF forces to ease tension
- The Daily Star
Reinforcement of BSF forces,
provocative night patrol and forward deployment of Indian Army
regulars close to some frontier positions were reported from different
border areas yesterday....
- Indo-Bangla
meet in Delhi from May 22 - The
Daily Star
India has expressed
willingness to discuss with Bangladesh all pending matters relating to
Indo-Bangladesh border in the wake of recent border skirmish that left
19 dead three BDR and 16 BSF personnel....
- Outbreak
of diarrhoea - The Daily Star
AS the number of diarrhoeal
deaths and those afflicted by the waterborne malady steadily rises
across the country, we feel that the time has come for the authorities
to take a long, hard look at whatthey...
- Kibria
blasts bank apathy in recovering classified loans
- The Daily Star
Finance Miniter SAMS Kibria
yesterday blasted the banks for not improving their classified loans
significantly, saying there was a total slackness in recovery
drive....
- IMF
policymakers see quick recovery of global economy
- The Daily Star
IMF policymakers Sunday brushed aside angry demands from militant
demonstrators and reaffirmed their commitment to globalisation and
unfettered trade....
- Southeast
Asian ministers to debate ways to create new jobs
- The Daily Star
Southeast Asian labour
ministers will meet here next week to map out new projects to create
more jobs in the region amid the US slowdown, a Malaysian minister
said Monday....
- Star
Computer gets ISO 9001 - The
Daily Star
Star Computer Systems Ltd,
an IT company established in 1991 has become the first ISO 9001
Certified Company in IT sector, says a press release....
- SAARC
energy experts due May 8 - The
Daily Star
At least 15 energy experts
from four SAARC countries will arrive in the city on May 8 to share
experiences of the country's Rural Electrification Board (REB), a
press release said yesterday....
- Int'l
Child Labour Elimination Day observed
- The Daily Star
The International Child
Labour Elimination Day was observed yesterday to create awareness and
mass movement against worst forms of child labour nationally and
internationally....
International News
>>This
Months Top Sustainable Development News Around the World
-
Delegates
at UN meeting on world's poorest States back global anti-AIDS fund
16 May – At a major United Nations meeting on the world's poorest
countries being held in Brussels, participants today expressed strong
support for the establishment of a global fund to fight AIDS and other
infectious diseases which was first proposed by Secretary-General Kofi
Annan last month.
-
World's
poorest countries falling further behind developing world: UNICEF
15 May – The world's poorest countries slipped further behind other
developing nations during the 1990s, keeping hundreds of millions of
people - almost half of them children - mired in abject poverty,
according to a report released today by the United Nations Children's
Fund (UNICEF).
-
60%
of children in Europe, Central Asia report aggression at home: UNICEF
poll
16 May – Six out of ten children in Europe and Central Asia say they
face aggressive behaviour and violence - shouting and hitting - within
their families, according to the just-released results of a poll
funded by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
-
CHENEY PROMOTES INCREASING SUPPLY AS
ENERGY POLICY - New York Times
Internet: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/01/politics/01CHEN.html
Vice President Dick Cheney said
today that oil, coal and natural gas would remain the United States'
primary energy resources for "years down the road" and that
the Bush administration's energy strategy would aim mainly to increase
supply of fossil fuels, rather than limit demand. In his most
comprehensive comments to date on the energy task force he is heading
on behalf of President Bush, Mr. Cheney dismissed as 1970's-era
thinking the notion that "we could simply conserve or ration our
way out" of what he called an energy crisis.
-
BUSH CALLS IN EXPERTS TO HELP SET COURSE
ON CLIMATE - New York Times
Internet: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/28/politics/28CLIM.html
In the wake of its rejection of an
international treaty to curtail global warming, the Bush
administration is seeking advice from a wide array of scientists,
economists, business representatives and policy experts as it tries to
forge a new approach to the contentious issue. Most of those
consulted, senior government officials said, are asserting that the
science pointing to a serious problem is sound, and that there is need
for concrete action to stem rising levels of carbon dioxide and other
heat- trapping greenhouse gases emitted by smokestacks and tailpipes.
Although the new effort is mainly taking the form of cabinet briefings
behind closed doors, it is widely seen as a substantial broadening of
a process that until recently was so tightly controlled by a small
circle of advisers that cabinet members themselves often gave
conflicting accounts of President Bush's plans.
-
KAWAGUCHI OPTIMISTIC ON CLIMATE CHANGE
TALKS - Japan Times
Internet: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20010501c2.htm
Climate change negotiations are
steadily progressing behind the scenes and some subtle changes could
portend breakthroughs, reappointed Environment Minister Yoriko
Kawaguchi said. Talks
focusing on the Kyoto Protocol, an international climate change
accord, will likely dominate Kawaguchi's time for the next few months,
as Japan and other countries prepare to resume climate change talks in
Germany in July. Since the United States said in March it would
abandon the agreement and put together its own proposal, Japan and
other countries have been struggling to entice it back to mainstream
negotiations.
-
PREPARATORY MEET TO BE HELD IN STOCKHOLM
AHEAD OF COP6 CONFAB
Kyodo News
Internet: http://home.kyodo.co.jp/fullstory/display.jsp?newsnb=20010424145
BRUSSELS April 24 Kyodo - A cabinet
minister-level preparatory meeting will be held in Stockholm on May
22-23 to follow up Saturday's U.N.-sponsored informal talks in New
York on climate change, the Swedish government said Monday. Sweden,
which currently holds the European Union (EU) presidency, said the
preparatory meeting will be held prior to the sixth Conference of the
Parties (COP6) to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change,
scheduled to resume in Bonn on July 16-27. Environment ministers and
representatives from about 40 countries participated in the New York
talks, which made little progress on reaching an agreement on rules
for implementing targets set by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to curb global
warming. The United States said March 28 it was quitting the Kyoto
Protocol.
-
SMALL ISLAND STATES STEP UP TO COMBAT
GLOBAL WARMING - Asia Times
Internet: http://atimes.com/oceania/CD25Ah01.html
UNITED NATIONS - The 37-member
Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis) has called for strong and
credible action to tackle the international threat of climate change.
"We are least responsible for, but most vulnerable to the effects
of climate change, and so we find ourselves at the forefront in the
fight against global warming," says Aosis chairman Ambassador
Tuiloma Neroni Slade of Samoa. The Alliance says it is
"profoundly concerned and disappointed" by the recent US
decision to reject the 1997 Kyoto Protocol which requires the global
reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to prevent dangerous human
interference with the earth's climate system. "While all regions
are likely to suffer, the scientific evidence has singled out small
island communities as being the most vulnerable to climate
change," it notes.
-
U.S. REPUBLICAN SUBMITS PLAN TO BATTLE
GLOBAL WARMING - Reuters
Internet: http://news.excite.com/news/r/010424/18/environment-emissions
-
GREENPEACE TARGETS ESSO IN CLIMATE CHANGE
PROTEST - ENN
Internet: http://www.enn.com/news/wire-stories/2001/04/04272001/reu_oil_43261.asp
-
CORPORATIONS SEEK GREEN POWER - ABC News
Internet: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/abc/20010425/bs/greenpower010426_1.html
-
GLOBAL WARMING SCHEME LANDS FIRST AWARD
FOR LOCAL AUTHORITY
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - Independent
Internet: http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/story.jsp?story=68176
-
NASA BLAMES GREENHOUSE GASES FOR
WINTERTIME WARMING - UniSci
Internet: http://unisci.com/stories/20012/0424011.htm
-
CLIMATE TALKS TO TAKE NEW TURN AFTER US
SOFTENS ITS POSITION
Bangladesh Daily Star (excerpt)
Internet: http://www.dailystarnews.com/200104/23/n1042309.htm#BODY2
-
TAIWAN'S FUTURE ENERGY SOURCES - Taipei
Times
Internet: http://www.taipeitimes.com/news/2001/04/28/story/0000083525
-
WETTER UPPER ATMOSPHERE MAY DELAY GLOBAL
OZONE RECOVERY - Science Daily
Internet: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/04/010418072442.htm
NASA research has shown that increasing water-vapor in the
stratosphere, which results partially from greenhouse gases, may delay
ozone recovery and increase the rate of climate change. Drew Shindell,
an atmospheric scientist from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space
Studies (GISS) and Columbia University, NY, used the NASA/GISS global
climate model with satellite and other remote sensing data to
investigate long-term stratospheric cooling and ozone depletion. This
study is the first to link greenhouse gases to increased ozone
depletion over populated areas. Shindell found that he was able to
best simulate the behavior of temperature and ozone in the upper
atmosphere when he added water vapor data into the climate model.
-
MALAYSIA LAUNCHES PALM-FUEL BURNING, SEEKS
MORE CLIENTS - Reuters
Internet: http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=10508
PRAI, Malaysia - Malaysia, the world's biggest producer of palm oil,
yesterday officially launched its first large-scale scheme to burn the
crude oil in power plants and use it in other industries. The move is
part of a project to prop up sagging prices and ease stocks. Primary
Industries Minister Lim Keng Yaik told reporters at Tenaga's plant in
Prai district in the northern state of
Penang, that the government was sticking to its original plan to use
up 400,000 tonnes of the oil this year. Originally it had
planned that all this palm oil should be burned in plants of the
country's largest power company Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).
-
SIX IN 10 SAY U.S. SHOULD JOIN KYOTO
TREATY - ABC News
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/poll010417.html
April 17 - Six in 10 Americans say the United States should join the
Kyoto treaty on global warming, rejecting President Bush's
economic arguments against the accord. Bush, saying it "makes no
economic sense," has declared that the United States will not
participate in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which calls on the United
States and other industrialized nations to reduce emissions associated
with global warming by 2012.
-
EARTH DAY BRINGS CRITICISM FOR BUSH
- New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Earth-Day-Rdp.html?searchpv=aponline
Activists, politicians and celebrities gathered for Earth Day
celebrations and clean-ups Sunday, but the event's founder and
others criticized what they fear will be a rollback of environmental
progress.
>>
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