| SDI Home | SDNP Issues | Guest Book |

Local News
»This Months Top Sustainable Development News from Bangladesh

30-1-2002

• Gas export royalties will end power problem: Study
• WB team discusses health sector with Saifur
• Telemedicine: Patients urged to access websites
• Economics of information: How it helps us in our policy issues
• Saifur tells bankers to give loans to small, middle scale industries
• Making livestock farming environment-friendly

26-1-2002

• 6000 brick kilns around city emit toxic fumes
  While the government is seeking to amend the Environment Conservation Act to make it
  more effective, nothing is being done to update the Brick Burning Ordnance to improve
  quality of air in the city, especially..
• Bitter-sweet experience of the last 100 days
  The 100-day programme announced by the BNP-led alliance government ends today with success in some areas and failure or inaction in some others...
• Medical Update seminar held
  Senior physicians of National University Hospital (NUH) of Singapore yesterday delivered
  lectures on recent advancements in cardiac, orthopedic and pediatric treatments...

23-1-2002

• Donors want govt to prepare poverty paper for more aid at Paris meet
  Donors have categorically said the government needs to prepare a medium-term poverty strategy for development to get more foreign assistance at the coming so-called Paris Club meeting in March..
• Bangladesh Human Development Report 2000: A message of hope and confidence
  "Some time in the recent past, there was a perceptive change in the way West approached Bangladesh as a case study of development. At the turn of the new
  century it took a pronounced turn...
• Thirty days to evaluate gas reserve and resource
  In an unusual directive, the government has asked a gas committee, recently formed, to assess the gas resource potential of the country and ascertain the recoverable reserve with updating the proven, probable..
• Workshop on non-farm rural economy begins
  Speakers at a workshop organised by Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Tuesday highlighted the importance of Rural Non-Farm Economy (RNFE) in the overall development and poverty alleviation..
• BGMEA apprises WB of garment sector problems
  A senior official of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) yesterday apprised a World Bank delegation of the current state of garment sector in Bangladesh...
• Seminar on ensuring safe drinking water
  A seminar titled " Commitment to ensure pure and safe drinking water-2002" were held at Singair upzila in Manikganj....

22-1-2002

• Privatisation of some governmental functions needed to raise administrative efficiency
  Many regulatory functions that government is still performing are characterised by traditional bureaucratic hassles, inefficiency and corruption...
• Polybag alternatives fair in city Jan 26
  A week-long fair of bags made of jute, cloth and paper begins in the city on January 26 to popularise alternatives to polythene shopping bags...
• Seminar on Bioinformatics
  A seminar on "Bioinformatics ( The Latest Information Revolution" organised by the
  Department of Natural Science and Mathematics and the Department of Computer
  Science, BRAC University, was held at the.
• Divine blessings sought for nation, Ummah
  The Biswa Ijtema concluded yesterday with myriad hands raised in Akheri Munajat praying for peace and wellbeing of the countrymen as well as Muslim Ummah both in this
  life and in the hereafter.
• Prime Bank, ATDP-II sign MOU to support agribusiness
  Prime Bank Limited and ATDP-II/The Louis Berger Group Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in the city, recently to assist agri-business credit clients, says a press
  release...

21-1-2002

• First direct polls to women's seats in city corpns
  The Election Commission (EC) will soon ask the district administrations concerned for
  fresh delimitation of wards of three city corporations to pave the way for holding their long
  overdue elections sometime...
• Teknaf port opens tomorrow to boost trade with Myanmar
  Bangladesh will open a river port at Teknaf tomorrow to boost trade with neigbouring
  Myanmar....
• Students unlikely to get textbooks even by Feb
  Students of primary and secondary levels are unlikely to get board textbooks even in
  February, with the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) failing to distribute
  the books till yesterday, according..
• Opinion :Arsenic, cricket and the WB
  AS an occasional visitor to Bangladesh and intermittent reader of The Daily Star, it was a
  delight over the past few days to read the sardonic pieces by Afsan Chowdhury both in
  the op-ed section (on Arsenic)..
• Seminar on recent developments in design with digital media
  A seminar on 'Recent Developments in Design with Digital Media' organised by the
  Department of Architecture, BRAC University was held yesterday at the university
  building at Mohakhali, in the city, says...

20-1-2002

• 'Help formulate IT policy'
  Commerce Minister Amir Khasru Mahmood Chowdhury yesterday urged the entrepreneurs to come forward with suggestions to help the government formulate a comprehensive national policy on Information Technology...
• e-commerce drives demand for IT
  Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury (middle) speaking as the chief guest at a round-table on "Recent Challenges of Information Technology: Our tasks' organised by the IT related monthly...
• Complete IT policy soon
• Dhaka may initially send troops for de-mining
  Dhaka, poised to play an important role in rebuilding war-ravaged Afghanistan, has decided to participate in the two-day international conference on Reconstruction and Rehabilitation of Afghanistan in...

19-1-2002

• 'Privatise telecom sector for growth of ICT'
  Information Communication Technology (ICT) experts from home and abroad yesterday reiterated the need for privatisation of telecommunication sector, an effective policy and an independent regulatory body...
• Microsoft announces major strategy shift towards security, privacy
  Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates announced a major strategy shift across all its products, including its flagship Windows software, to emphasize security and privacy over new capabilities....
• Poetry-reading sessions
  Two poetry-reading sessions will be held at the British Council Centre in the city on Sunday and Zia Memorial Hall in Chittagong on Tuesday at 6pm....
• Draft revised population policy reviewed
  A meeting on "Review of Draft Revised Population Policy of Bangladesh" was held at BRAC Centre in the city on Thursday with Health and Family Welfare Secretary M Fazlur Rahman in the chair....

17-1-2002

• Banks under new strap
  A new stricture of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) to bridle the freedom of commercial banks to give large loans has created a sharp repercussion in the banking circle....
• Bypolls to 5 JS seats today: AL boycotts
  By-election to five parliamentary seats vacated by the President, the Leader of the Opposition and a senior Awami League leader takes place today with the AL boycotting it....
• Convention begins tomorrow to help share technologies
  A three-day convention aiming to bring investors and experts from home and abroad to share technologies kick-starts in the city tomorrow....
• IT education in 700 schools from this year
  The government will introduce Information Technology (IT) education in 700 schools in the current fiscal year and in 10,000 schools by next three years....
• Global confce on water ends today
  The 5-day global conference on "Water, Indigenous Knowledge and Practice: The Role of Media" will conclude in the city today. The concluding session will begin at CIRDAP auditorium at 9:30am...

16-1-2002

• 6000 children under five die of blood cancer a year
  About 6000 children under five die of blood cancer without any treatment a year in the country, as revealed at a press conference yesterday....
• Immediately implement separation of judiciary
  The argument for the delay in separating the judiciary from other organs of the state is becoming an uneasy matter....
• Computer dealers demand 2pc of rev budget for IT
  Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS) yesterday demanded allocation of two per cent revenue budget for accelerating the computerisation in the country....

15-1-2002

• DUTP gets snarled
  The Dhaka Urban Transport Project (DUTP) to improve the capital's traffic situation is itself stuck in a nasty snarl-up....
• Project to link mobile, fixed phone networks uncertain
  A much-awaited project to interconnect the country's four mobile phone operations to the fixed telephone network of the Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) faces uncertainty due to differences...
• Facing arsenic disaster
  If organising and attending conferences is any indication of the seriousness of this government in facing the arsenic disaster then we are into happy times....
• Int'l Childhood Cancer Day today
  International Childhood Cancer Day is going to be observed for the first time in the country today as elsewhere across the globe with a call to the parents to be united to help the kids suffering from...
• Most people in Gaibandha Know nothing about sanitation
  Over 62 per cent people of Gaibandha are yet to be brought under sanitation system. Most of the people in this district know nothing about sanitation....
• Dhaka-Oslo jt study indicates 41 TCF gas reserve possibility
  The joint study by Hydrocarbon Unit (HCU) of the Energy Ministry and Norway Petroleum Directorate (NPD) has strongly recommended undertaking scientific study by conducting new drilling and seismic activities...
• Int'l workshop on arsenic mitigation begins
  A three-day international workshop on 'Arsenic Mitigation in Bangladesh' began in the city yesterday with the participation of more than 150 experts from home and abroad....

13-1-2002

• CCCI to launch massive anti-polybags campaign
  Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) will launch a massive campaign demanding a ban on the use of polybags and old vehicles in the port city to check pollution....
• Tele service weekbegins today
  Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board will observe Telecommunication Service Week from today to provide better services to the subscribers....

12-1-2002

• 7 MoUs including two on power projects signed
  Dhaka and Beijing yesterday emphasised their desire to further boost bilateral economic and commercial cooperation and as a manifestation of growing ties signed seven accords including one on infrastructure...
• Massive campaign to combat arsenic menace soon
  Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr....
• Int'l confce on arsenic menace opens today
  The 4th international conference on groundwater arsenic contamination in Bangladesh opens in the city today....
• DITF opens today
  The month-long Dhaka International Trade Fair (DITF) begins in the city today. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will inaugurate the fair at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar at noon....
• Finance Minster demands better income tax collection
  THE directive by the Finance Minister that major tax evasion cases should be detected and a report finalized within two weeks is welcomed....
• Int'l confce on arsenic ends today
  The two-day international conference on "Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater: Media Strategy" will conclude at CIRDAP auditorium today....
• President urges Rotarians to help contain arsenic poisoning
  President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury yesterday called upon the Rotarians to contribute to health education....

10-1-2002

• BGMEA to intensify efforts to win greater access to US
  Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is to intensify its efforts at home and abroad to help the highest export earning sector survive the ongoing slump in export and wingreater
• Bangladesh cell phone users to top 10m within 2 years
  On the back of recent rapid growth in mobile telephony in the country President of Ericsson Asia Pacific, Ragnar Bäck, believes that the mobile telephone subscribers here will reach 10 million figurein...
• Global conference on water begins Jan 13
  A five-day global conference on "Water, indigenous knowledge and practice role of media" begins in the city on January 13....
• Int'l confce on arsenic begins tomorrow
  A two-day international conference on "Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater: Media Strategy" begins in the city tomorrow to formulate the future communication action plan for Bangladesh and other arsenic-affected...
• Workshop on women & health
  Rajshahi University Vice Chancellor Prof Faisul Islam Farooqui yesterday said our national goal is to improve the standard of living and enhance social position of women in society....
• Arsenic poisoning: We are at risk
  By drilling hundreds of thousands of tube-wells -- both for irrigation and safe drinking water in the villages -- the authorities and planners unwittingly exposed millions of the rural Bangladeshis...

8-1-2002

• Cabinet okays scrap of PSA
  In a major policy decision, the government yesterday approved scrapping the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA)....
• SAARC pledges to fight terror and poverty
  SAARC has pledged to eradicate poverty and terrorism at the end of the Kathmandu summit. Given the realities of the region these are two of the most apt objectives....
• Int'l confce on arsenic Jan 12
  The Dhaka Community Hospital (DCH), one of the leading organisations dealing with arsenic problems, has changed the venue of its two-day international conference beginning on January 12....

7-1-2002

• SAARC pledges to tackle terrorism, poverty
  South Asian leaders agreed to devote more resources to battle the scourges of terrorism and poverty in a declaration from a summit....
• Telecom deals cost country over 7 lakh dollars
  The country incurred a loss of more than US$700,000 in two telephone exchange expansion deals sealed last year....
• Govt keeps pvt operators off international routes while dollars drain out
  Anti-private airliner policies of the government on the pretext of protecting the Bangladesh Biman are depriving the country of nearly one billion US dollars a year to foreign carriers....
• Leaders pledge draft SAFTA treaty by Dec
  South Asian leaders at a key summit here pledged Sunday to establish a free trade area in the region and agreed to finalise a draft treaty by the end of 2002....
• Govt urged not to increase prices of fuel, gas, electricity
  Participants in a roundtable discussion on "Buyer-Consumer Interest" yesterday urged the government not to implement the decision of raising prices of fuel, gas, electricity and water....
• Citizens protest caging of wild birds
  Wild birds myna and munia have almost disappeared from forests of Bangladesh due to their indiscriminate catching for over thirty years now....

6-1-2002

• Reactivate SADF with a capital of $500m
  Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday proposed the reactivation of the South Asian Development Fund with a minimum capital of 500 million dollars to boost regional trade and commerce....
• State of primary education: How to salvage it
  Poor performance of primary schools and how they short-change children is not news. The new findings are consistent with other evidences of student achievement we had in the past....
• Adequate CNG filling stations to be set up
  Communications Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda yesterday said adequate number of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) filling stations would be set up across the country for turning all petroleum driven motorised...
• Science & Tech Vision '20 being formulated
  The government is formulating 'Science and Technology Vision 2020' with a view to ensuring highest contribution of science and technology towards economic development of the country....
• Citizens' rally protests air pollution
  A citizens' rally was held yesterday in front of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) office to protest the rising air pollution in the city and its subsequent threat to public health....
• South Asian leaders voice support for common market
  South Asian leaders yesterday stressed the need for a common market and greater cooperation to fend off pressure from an increasingly global economic environment....
• Committee on gas use for full transparency
  The committee on optimum use of gas at its first meeting at Petrobangla office yesterday adopted a resolution that it would maintain "full transparency" in filing its report to the Prime Minister....
• Arsenic-free tap water for a village in N'ganj
  Supply of arsenic-free tap water through underground pipeline system in rural area was introduced for the first time in a village in Narayanganj district yesterday....
• Scientists urged to help develop human resources for industrial sector
  Industries Minister M K Anwar yesterday urged the scientists to endeavour in improving the quality of education and research for the welfare of the people....

5-1-2002

• Dhaka proposes review of water sharing treaty
  Bangladesh has proposed a review of the 30-year Ganges water sharing treaty with India signed in 1996....
• SAARC Summit
  TILL the very last moment the Summit looked uncertain. That, in our view, says all about the status of this regional body....
• Arsenic in urban water sources now
  ARSENIC has now been found in a number of urban water supply reservoirs. They have been traced in deep tubewells which many water experts had once thought always safe....
• Grameen Bank: Culture and counter culture in banking in poor countries
  PROFESSOR Yunus took great pains to explain Grameen's position in The Daily Star of December 20, 2001 in response to an article published in the Wall Street Journal on November 27....
• Actual software export 10 times higher than official figure
  Actual export earning from software service is 10 times higher than the official figure of US$ 15 million, Professor Jamilur Reza Choudhury, Chairman of the national taskforce on IT, told a seminar....
• Global confce on water begins Jan 13
  A five-day 'Global conference on water, indigenous knowledge and practice: Role of media' begins in the city on January 13 to focus on the governance and management of water resources....
• Quality at all levels stressed for sustainable development
  The sixth annual convention of Bangladesh Society for Total Quality Management (BSTQM) began here yesterday with a call for achieving perfection in industrial, business and other institutions for sustainable...

3-1-2002

• Blair due today
  British Prime Minister Tony Blair is due to arrive at 7 pm today on a one and a half days " working visit" to Bangladesh amid an evolving peace process in Afghanistan and mounting tension in South Asia....
• Agenda for 11th SAARC summit adopted
  SAARC Foreign Ministers began their pre-summit meeting here yesterday 'in best of tones,' taking up a substantial number of agenda items....
• Revamping traffic is on in city
  ROADS are seeing fewer traffic jams in the last few days as the government has come down on old and run down vehicles ordering them off the roads. This has made the thoroughfares look more sane....
• The poor SAARC to save the day now
  When SAARC was first mooted in the regional capitals at the initiative of president Ziaur Rahman in late seventies it was received with mixed reactions......
• Bangladesh trade fair begins in Nepal
  A five-day Bangladesh trade exhibition began in Kathmandu yesterday, says a press release. The fair was inaugurated by Nepalese Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Purna Bahadur Khadka....
• Seminar on e-commerce at IBA on Jan 10
  The Institute of Business Administration of Dhaka University in collaboration with DeltaSoft Limited will hold a seminar on "Electronic Commerce and its Application to Business" at IBA Auditorium, Dhaka...
• New medicine for type-2 diabetes
  Aventis Pharma has introduced a new medicine Amaryl for the treatment of type-2 diabetes patients with ischemic heart disease, says a press release....
• Private pressure and political overkill in the gas sector
  We would like to remind our readers that at least around 2500 MMCFD of gas will be needed to produce the planned 15,000 MW of electricity by 2020....

2-1-2002

• Barapukuria set to become another 'white elephant'
  As financial viability of the Barapukuria coal mine scheme has become uncertain its costly coal-fired power generation project component is becoming a huge financial burden on the country....

1-1-2002

• FBCCI seminar calls for IT industry modernisation
  Speakers at a workshop yesterday stressed the need for modernising Bangladesh information technology industry in order to keep pace with the rapidly changing world scenario....
• Jute bags to regain old glory today
  With the ban on polythene shopping bags taking effect from today, different city markets are stockpiling environment-friendly jute bags....
• Low-cost services offered to promote women entrepreneurs
  In an effort to protect and promote women entrepreneurs, two legal and IT training firms, also owned by women, offers low-cost services. The firms Dr....
• Bangladesh Gas Fields earns Tk 50.78cr profit
  Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Limited earned a net profit of Tk 50.78 crore during the year 2000-2001, says a press release. The company earned a Tk 1126....
• Youth Fair-2002 begins today
  The Youth Fair-2002 begins at city's Ramna Batamul today. Housing and Public Works Minister Mirza Abbas will inaugurate the 10-day fair at 3 pm....
• SAARC to initial 2 conventions
  Sex slaves and the use of children as prostitutes and soldiers will be among the issues in focus when South Asian leaders meet in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, this week....
• Bill to repeal PSA soon
  The 'controversial' Public Safety Act (PSA) is likely to be repealed in the coming session of the Jatiya Sangsad....
• Economy poses biggest challenge for new year
  Fatema strolls on the Gulshan Avenue at high noon when she was supposed to be at work in her garment factory. But, things change fast maybe too fast for her....

30-12-2001

• BTTB's submarine cable project delayed by 6 months
  The much-coveted submarine cable project of the Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) has been delayed by at least six months, mainly due to the authorities' lack of vision and selection ofan
• BARI, Syngenta sign MOU for seed research
  Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) an Syngenta Bangladesh Limited signed a memorandum of understanding on Friday for development of seeds and improved farm technologies including mechanisation...
• Workshop on GIS activities begins
  A two-day workshop on GIS activities and its impact on agricultural research and development began at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BRAC) auditorium, Dhaka yesterday....
• IT village will be set up in Khulna
  An Information Technology (IT) village will be set up in Khulna city aiming at creating opportunity for the citizens of the southern region to have easy access to the latest technology....
• Lone observatory centre not capable of monitoring quake
  The lone seismic observatory centre of the country located in Chittagong city is not adequately capable of monitoring earthquake, experts said yesterday....

International News
»This Months Top Sustainable Development & Other News Around the World

• Ice field loss puts Alpine rivers at risk, Guardian
• Spain Says Climate a Priority of its European Presidency, ENS
• Concerns Over Criticism Stall Decision on Pollution Rules, LA Times
• NEW YORK: Clean air concerns, Times Union
• Rare Winter Storm Leaving South, AP
• Renewable Energy Potential in Developing Countries Examined, EarthVision
• Renewable Fuels Could Save Money, Environment, ENS
• Suit Brought Against Federal Agencies on Alternative Fuel Rule, EarthVision
• Ten freeze to death in Russia, Reuters
• Wyoming hills become energy battle, AP
• Japan cools on climate pact, BBC
• "Ten Shades of Green" illuminates sustainable architecture, ENN
• Magic and pollution in Disneyland's air, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• An Enron Tale of Strange Bedfellows, LA Times
• Antarctic Experts Warn of Global Warming Meltdown, Reuters
• Bangladesh raises fuel prices ahead of plan to stop panic buying, hoarding, AP
• Icebergs imperil penguin breeding, AP
• Japan bets on fuel cells for tech-toy power, Reuters
• JAPAN: Creators of basic energy law need to get back to the basics, Asahi Shimbun
• Online Energy Advice Shows How To Cut Costs, Realty Times
• Scientist: Bush Fires Part of an Ancient Cycle, Reuters
• Western drought tops Canada's extreme weather list, Reuters
• Did Planetary "Belch" Cause Prehistoric Warming?, National Geographic
• EPA eases clean gasoline rules for US refiners, Reuters
• EPA set to revise air pollution rules, Reuters
• NEW ZEALAND: Greenhouse gas cuts inevitable, New Zealand Herald
• Non-polluting ethanol increases in demand for blending with gasoline, Reuters

>> Archive:
2002 - Jan. 
2001 - Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | Apr. | May | Jun. | Jul. | Aug. | Sep. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec.
2000 - September | October | November | December |

| About us | Bangladesh | Success Stories | Documents | SEMP  | Links | News | Partners | Environment | Tech.Info |

© Copyright and Fair Use . SDNP Bangladesh holds the © copyright to its publications and web pages but
encourages duplication of these materials for noncommercial purposes. Proper citation is required. 
Sustainable Development Networking Programme (SDNP)
E-17 Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh. Email: info@sdnbd.org