Bangladesh Today

[Nafees]

Source: BBC NEWS | South Asia | Bangladesh poll date is announced

Bangladesh poll date is announced ​

General elections will be held in Bangladesh on 18 December, election authorities say, with 13 November the deadline for nominations.

Political parties had feared that the elections might be delayed.

Since January 2007, Bangladesh has been run by a military-backed interim government, which promised to curb corruption and hold free elections.

Authorities have also said local government elections would be held on the 28 December.

The Bangladesh Election Commission has said it has recorded the identities, fingerprints and photographs of more than 80 million voters to ensure that the elections will be free and fair.

The authorities claim that the new register is the most accurate in Bangladesh's history.

The government came to power a year and a half ago President Iajuddin Ahmed cancelled general elections and declared a state of emergency following months of street violence.

 

[Nafees]

Source: Ban Ki-moon hopes Bangladesh contributes more to UN peacekeeping operations_English_Xinhua
English_Xinhua 2008-11-02 21:50:16

Ban Ki-moon hopes Bangladesh contributes more to UN peacekeeping operations

DHAKA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said here Sunday he hopes that Bangladesh can contribute more to UN peacekeeping operations.

Ban disclosed to media at a press conference held here Sunday that he asked the Bangladeshi government to do more for UN peacekeeping operations by dispatching more peacekeepers.

Ban said that during meeting with Bangladeshi Army Chief General Moeen Ahmed Sunday morning they discussed how to strengthen partnership in peacekeeping operations.

The secretary general said he felt grateful for Bangladesh's tremendous contribution to UN peacekeeping efforts around the world.

Bangladesh is the second-largest contributor of personnel to UN peacekeeping operations, with more than 9,000 troops and police officers serving in UN peacekeeping missions right now.

"You are not only building your own country, but you are contributing to peace and better lives everywhere you go," Ban said.

Ban Ki-moon arrived in Bangladesh on Saturday for a 2-day visit. He will leave for New York this evening. Bangladesh is the third leg of Ban's South Asian 3-nation visit, following India and Nepal.

 

[donrahul]

Ban Ki is outta his mind.. BD, Pakistan, India are developing nations and the UN should come forward to help us out of the mire from which we have been struggling to come out of since the liberation from the colonial powers.. Instead he is asking us to help them. Since when did UN Peacekeepers helped in keeping Peace? Role of Peacekeepers is to go to war torn countries and see the blood shed happening between the rival factions.. Remember Bosnia? These guys should go get a life!!

 

[Nafees]

"You are not only building your own country, but you are contributing to peace and better lives everywhere you go," Ban said.

This is misstatement regarding world peace by the person who hold this position of UN.......I will tell..and everybody know it well.....................

 

[Nafees]

Source: Cricinfo - Resurgent Dhaka make it three wins in a row

Resurgent Dhaka make it three wins in a row

Cricinfo staff

November 3, 2008

Dhaka Warriors 181 for 7 (Nazimuddin 48, Karim 45*, Gillespie 3-29) beat Ahmedabad Rockets 168 for 8 (Goodwin 59, Rafique 3-31) by 13 runs


Dhaka Warriors continued their march up the table with their third straight victory, beating Ahmedabad Rockets by 13 runs. Dhaka, who after four games were at eighth place and seemingly out of contention for the semi-finals, have now stormed to No. 2 in the points table.

Nazimuddin gave Dhaka a manic start with a couple of boundaries in the first over. Jason Gillespie struck in the next, removing Shahriar Nafees, but the runs continued to flow. Four sixes came in the space of seven balls as even the mis-hits flew over the boundary; Dhaka were 42 after 3.3 overs.

Aftab Ahmed fell soon after and the tempo flagged with left-arm spinner Sumit Kalia sending down a couple of tidy overs. Nazimuddin still had a couple of sixes left in him before he holed out to midwicket for a 29-ball 48. Alok Kapali made 26 but Habibul Bashar struggled to maintain the momentum.

Dhaka reached a formidable total thanks to Mahbubul Karim's late blitz. He used his feet well against the spinners, repeatedly coming down the track and hitting them inside out over long-off. Reetinder Sodhi's shorter deliveries were dispatched to the square boundaries while Jason Gillespie was lofted over midwicket. Sixty-three runs came off the last six overs and Ahmedabad were left needing 182 for victory.

Their openers, Murray Goodwin and Ryan Campbell, had raced to 27 after three overs before Campbell was bowled by Tapash Baisya. Goodwin slammed Mohammad Sharif for three fours in the next over and Sodhi, pushed up the order, launched Mohammad Rafique over midwicket. The next ball from Rafique was a quicker one which foxed Sodhi, crashing into his off stump.

Goodwin kept the fours coming but with Damien Martyn struggling to find the boundary, the asking-rate started to mount. Goodwin finally perished, finding Farhad Reza in the deep, after his third half-century of the tournament.

The chase fell apart after his dismissal with only 27 runs coming off the next five overs and the spinners taking wickets periodically. Ahmedabad's slim hopes of making the final four ended with this loss and the result also pushes the Delhi Giants closer to elimination.

© Cricinfo

 

[Nafees]

Source: :The Daily Star: Internet Edition

Indians kill one
Our Correspondent, Dinajpur

At least one Bangladesh man was killed by Indians just across the border in Borshshi village in Boda uapzila of Panchagarh in the early hours of Tuesday, according to BDR and family sources. Another man is missing.

The dead was identified as Md. Anwar Hossain Alam, 30, of Nurpara village under bordering Borshshi village. The name of the missing man is yet to be found, BDR said.

........................

Four of them returned home but on is still missing.

BDR said they have asked BSF to trace the missing man and return the body of the victim. They also protest such unlawful and aggressive behaviour of Indians.

 

[Nafees]

Sources: Myanmar and Bangladesh meet over sea dispute - International Herald Tribune

The Associated PressPublished: November 7, 2008

Myanmar and Bangladesh meet over sea dispute

YANGON, Myanmar: Chances of a maritime confrontation between Myanmar and Bangladeshi appeared to have eased, with officials from the two countries meeting to resolve their dispute over offshore waters that are being explored for oil and gas.

At the same time, Bangladeshi officials said Friday they had received a letter from the South Korean oil company exploring the waters off its southeast coast that said it was withdrawing its exploration equipment from the disputed area.

In 2005, Myanmar awarded exploration rights in the area to South Korea's Daewoo International Corp., which conducted initial feasibility studies in 2007. Daewoo began formally exploring the concession area in September.

On Monday, Bangladesh accused Myanmar of intruding into Bangladeshi waters by sending several ships — apparently for prospecting — into the contested deep sea area, believed to contain hydrocarbon reserves.

Dhaka urged Yangon earlier this week to immediately withdraw its ships and stop exploration until the sea boundary dispute is resolved, saying Bangladesh would refrain from exploration. It sent naval vessels to the area, but vowed to use diplomatic methods to solve the dispute.

Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, an adviser to Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told The Associated Press by phone Friday that he received a letter from Daewoo saying that it has started dismantling its oil and gas exploration equipment in the area in the Bay of Bengal.

"We have reconfirmed the matter with the Korean government," he told the AP. "The company has told us that the withdrawal will take a few days."

Attempts to confirm Chowdhury's comments with Daewoo International offices in Seoul and Myanmar were not immediately successful.

Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain headed a four-member delegation that met Thursday with Myanmar's deputy foreign minister Maung Myint, the state-run New Light of Myanmar reported.

It gave no details of the meeting, which took place in Myanmar's capital, Naypyitaw.

But a government statement issued on state radio and television news broadcasts Thursday evening indicated a lack of progress.

The statement said Myanmar would continue exploration in the waters and called Dhaka's demand "unlawful and wrong." It was the first official response to tension over disputed waters that flared over the weekend.

The two sides have been engaged in long-standing talks to delineate their maritime border, with the next discussions slated to take place Nov. 16-17 in Dhaka.

 

[Nafees]

Bangladesh Has a Surprisingly Energetic Telecoms Sector

Source: Bangladesh Has a Surprisingly Energetic Telecoms Sector - MarketWatch

Bangladesh Has a Surprisingly Energetic Telecoms Sector

DUBLIN, Ireland, Nov 07, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Research and Markets ( Bangladesh - Key Statistics Telecom Market Overview & Forecasts - Market Research Reports - Research and Markets) has announced the addition of the "Bangladesh - Key Statistics Telecom Market Overview & Forecasts" report to their offering.
Bangladesh is one of the poorest, most densely populated, least developed countries in the world. Apart from its lowly economic status, major impediments to growth have included frequent cyclones and floods and the slow implementation of much-needed economic reforms. The country has a reputation for the inefficiency of its state-owned enterprises. This report looks at the country's surprisingly energetic telecoms sector, in particular, the effort that has been going into building telecom infrastructure and the progress that has been made on regulatory reforms. Some key measures of the status of telecommunications in Bangladesh are also provided.

 

[Nafees]

Source: World Bank approves $109 mln loan for Bangladesh | Reuters

World Bank approves $109 mln loan for Bangladesh​

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh will get a $109 million loan from the World Bank for efforts to repair infrastructure and restore the livelihoods for thousands of families affected by last year's cyclone Sidr, the bank said on Saturday.

The cyclone caused extensive damage to property, livestock, and crops, with total damage and losses estimated at $1.7 billion. Overall 30 districts and about 9 million people were affected, leaving some 3,000 dead and more than 55,000 people injured, the bank said in a statement.

The finance will assist emergency efforts started after the cyclone in 2007 to construct or improve some 300 multi-purpose shelters and renovate 100 kilometres of coastal embankments with cyclone-resistant building techniques.

It will also support activities in the agriculture sector that will help farmers prepare for the next growing season and strengthen their ability to cope with future disasters.

"This is vital for Bangladesh as it is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to natural disasters and climate change," said Xian Zhu, World Bank country director for Bangladesh.

The project will also finance preparation of future schemes for river bank improvement, coastal embankment strengthening, disaster shelters, and upgrading of the rural road network.

By the end of the project period, it is expected to have helped around 57,000 poor farming households.

It brings the Bank's support for Bangladesh's cyclone response to $259 million.

The loan from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's concessionary arm, is for 40 years with a 10-year grace period and carries a service charge of 0.75 percent.



© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved

 

[Nafees]

Source: :The Daily Star: Internet Edition

Myanmar withdraws warships

Tension yet to die down as both countries mobilise troops on border
Star Report

Myanmar withdrew its warships, the oil and gas exploration rig and the fossil fuel exploration vessels from Bangladesh waters yesterday but tension between the two countries still exists as both the nations mobilised more troops along their border.

"We want peaceful solution to the dispute not confrontation or war," Foreign Secretary Md Touhid Hossain told a press briefing at the foreign ministry yesterday. He said the Myanmar ships left the territory around yesterday noon.

Terming the action of Myanmar "unexpected" at a time when the two nations are enjoying good relations, Touhid hoped that the tension would diffuse gradually.

He said Dhaka would soon hand over detailed maps of its exclusive economic zones to Myanmar authorities so that Myanmar cannot resume fossil fuel exploration in Bangladesh territory.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh reinforced Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and Bangladesh Navy efforts with the deployment of Bangladesh Army troops on the Myanmar-Bangladesh border since Myanmar mobilised huge forces on the other side of the border.

Our correspondent in Cox's Bazar reports: Several thousand army personnel have been deployed at Narkel Bagan barrack of Ramu upazila around noon yesterday. A large convoy of troops was also on its way to the border with Myanmar from Chittagong.

Tension remains high at the border area as Myanmar mobilised more forces to its border with Bangladesh, said the correspondent quoting locals. In response, Bangladesh also beefed up its security measures.

Trade at Teknaf Land Port came to an almost halt yesterday due to the heightened tension between the two nations.

Touhid said during his recent trip to Myanmar, he made three proposals before Myanmar deputy ministers Maung Myint and Kyaw Thu to resolve the crisis.

The government had sent Touhid to Myanmar last week after Myanmar ships intruded into Bangladesh waters.

"Removal of the drilling rig as it was on Bangladesh waters, continuation of talks on maritime boundary issues and withdrawal of both countries' ships were the proposals I put forward," he said.

The foreign secretary said Myanmar had refused to pull back the drilling rig during the talks. "My counterparts told me that they would decide after discussing it with their superiors," he added.

Touhid said the Myanmar authorities claimed of exploring fossil fuel on the eastern side of the so-called friendship line between Bangladesh and Myanmar, which is incorrect.

Before Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent Touhid to Myanmar, it decided to confront the situation through a tri-nation diplomatic manoeuvre. Bangladesh had approached Myanmar's closest ally China and South Korea to put an end to the crisis.

"I had meetings with the ambassadors of China and South Korea in Dhaka and informed them of the situation clearing Bangladesh's position," he said, adding that he told the Chinese envoy that Bangladesh wants a peaceful solution to the problem.

The Korean envoy was, however, urged to ask Daewoo, the Korean company carrying out the exploration job for Myanmar, to pull out from the disputed territory.

He said the Korean envoy told him that the Korean exploration vessels would be removed.

The foreign secretary said despite the dispute in the Bay of Bengal, the scheduled bilateral talks between the two countries on maritime boundary issues would be held during November 16 and 17 in Dhaka.

"The talks will also cover construction of a road between the two neighbours," he added.

A correspondent in Bandarban reports: BDR reinforced its troops at the border between Naikkhangchhari upazila and Myanmar yesterday. The troops were deployed in response to the building up of Myanmar forces on the other side of the border.

Our staff correspondent in Chittagong reports: Bangladesh Army is prepared to face any untoward situation along Bangladesh's border with Myanmar. Sources said forces are ready to move towards Cox's Bazar if the situation demands.

Director General of BDR Maj Gen Shakil Ahmed is expected to visit the border areas today.

Myanmar ships started exploration activities 55km southwest of St Martin's Island on November 1, ignoring Bangladesh Navy warnings of trespassing.

 

[Imran Khan]

BD court jails three ex-ministers for graft


Tuesday, November 11, 2008
DHAKA: A Bangladeshi judge jailed three former members of ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Cabinet after they surrendered to a special anti-corruption court on Monday. Judge Amar Kumar Roy denied bail and sent the three defendants to Dhaka Central Jail. The next hearing in the case will take place on Thursday.

The former ministers are charged with allegedly making a deal with a foreign company - ignoring other lower bidders – to develop a coal mine in northern Bangladesh. Lawyers for Motiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujaheed, Saifur Rahman said their clients were innocent and the charges were “politically motivated.’’

Rahman is a former finance minister. Nizami and Mujaheed are leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh’s largest Islamic party that was part of Zia’s 2001-06 alliance government. All three were influential members of Zia’s Cabinet.

In February, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed a graft case against Zia and 15 others for irregularities in awarding a contract to a Chinese company - which was the highest bidder - to operate the Barapukuria coal mine. They were formally charged in court last month.

Zia, who faces several other graft cases, is free on bail. Another defendant, former Energy Minister Mosharraf Hossain, was sent to jail on Sunday. The others accused in the case were either released on bail or are fugitives.

Zia has also repeatedly said that all the graft charges against her are a conspiracy to destroy her political image. The 2005 coal mine deal with the China National Machinery Import and Export Corp allegedly cost the state nearly 1.6 billion takas, according to court papers.

Bangladesh’s military-backed interim government arrested several top politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen in an anti-corruption drive after taking over in January 2007. But many of those accused or convicted of corruption under emergency rules - including Zia’s main rival, Sheikh Hasina - have been released on parole or bail ahead of Dec 18 national elections.

Bangladesh, an impoverished nation of 150 million people, has been labelled one of the world’s most corrupt countries by Berlin-based anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International.

 

[Nafees]

Source: GSMA urges Bangladesh to licence 3G to expand broadband | Industries | Technology, Media & Telecommunications | Reuters

GSMA urges Bangladesh to licence 3G to expand broadband

DHAKA, Nov 12 (Reuters) - GSMA, the global trade body representing the mobile industry, called on Bangladesh to issue 3G licences soon to make broadband services more widely available.

Licensing the 2100 MHz spectrum band for 3G services would enable Bangladeshi operators to launch mobile broadband services, which their customers can use to gain fast and easy access to the Internet and online services, it said on Wednesday.

Bangladesh's mobile sector has grown rapidly, with user numbers reaching more than 45 million at end-September from 200,000 in 2001, while the country has only 1.32 million fixed-line phones.

"Laying new fixed-line connections is expensive and inefficient, so high-speed mobile networks are Bangladesh's best bet to realise the many social and economic benefits that arise from widespread access to broadband services," said Ricardo Tavares, senior vice president for public policy at the GSMA.

Analysts predict the number of subscribers could top 70 million by 2011, nearly half the country's population of more than 140 million people.

Many developing countries, including Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Kenya and South Africa, have already deployed mobile broadband services enabling their people to get easy access to information on health, education, job opportunities and agriculture.

There are six cellphone carriers in Bangladesh, including five foreign operators.

Grameenphone, controlled by Norway's Telenor (TEL.OL: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), leads the market with 20.82 million subscribers, followed by Egyptian company Orascom Telecom's ORTE.CA Banglalink, then AKtel, majority owned by Telekom Malaysia International (TLMM.KL: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

Although nearly half of the country's population is still below the poverty line, the country has been one of the world's fastest growing cellular markets. (Reporting by Ruma Paul, editing by Will Waterman)

 

[Nafees]

Source: :The Daily Star: Internet Edition


3G licences by March

BTRC chief assures mobile operators

Star Business Report

The telecom regulator yesterday assured mobile phone operators that it will issue 3G licences by March next year, at the time when WiMax will be ready for launch.

Manzurul Alam, chairman of Bangladesh Tele-communication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), said: “The 3G licences will be issued within the first quarter of the next year, according to our deadline. Definitely, the licences would be awarded through an open auction."

Alam's declaration came as a relief to the operators, as they may regain business by providing mobile broadband in Bangladesh.

Experts said licensing the 2100 MHz spectrum for 3G services would enable Bangladeshi operators to launch mobile broadband services, with which customers can get fast and easy access to the internet and other online services.

However questions were raised as to which technology, 3G or WiMax, will truly be relevant to Bangladesh market. The BTRC chief said: "Let the customers and the market decide which technology is suitable for Bangladesh."

"3G will spread much faster than any other forms of technology," Alam said.

The BTRC disclosed its plans to introduce 3G at a workshop yesterday on 'Broadband for All', organised by GSMA, the global body for mobile industry.

The GSM signal covers about 95 percent of Bangladesh's area, but the mobile broadband marker remains untapped. If mobile broadband can be provided at affordable prices, the number of subscribers of 47 million will reach 70 million by 2011.

Bangladesh has the world's lowest internet usage rate, having less than 1 percent internet penetration. The whole broadband market is dominated by local ISPs (internet service providers).

Operators, however, are anxious about what the auction price will stand at, when BTRC arranges for the auction for 3G. The WiMax operators recently hiked Tk 215 crore for each licence. The operators will have to launch WiMax by March next year.

Among the three WiMax licence holders, only one could pay the licence fee within the deadline.

Speaking at the workshop, experts discussed the EU 3G auction model, where operators failed to provide 3G broadband at affordable costs, as they hiked the price to an 'unpractical' level.

Referring to the EU auction model, Oddvar Hesjedal, the chief executive officer of Grameenphone (GP) said, "It was a mistake made by the EU. For that mistake, regulators should not be blamed only, operators had the same responsibity for calling high price at the auction."

Echoing GP boss, BTRC chairman said it is up to the operators as to how an auction should go. It is not a matter of pressure tactic, he said.

About the rational pricing model for 3G, Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, secretary to the post and telecommunications ministry, said operators should try to find a balance between capital expenditure, auction price and tariffs.

Taxes remain a major barrier to growth of this sector in Bangladesh, said Ricardo Tavares, senior vice president (public policy) of GSM Association. "These are unfair barriers."

“Bangladesh, which has a very few fixed-line connections, could realise major social and economic benefits from the widespread and availability of mobile broadband services,” said Tavares.

The country has a huge demand for communication and information services that can improve people's lives and make businesses more productive, he said.

Rob Nicholls, consultant of Gilbert+Tobin, Supun Weerasinghe, chief operating officer of Dialog Mobile, Sri Lanka, Martin Backstrom, vice-president, (network, market unit South East Asia) of Ericsson, Bimal Dayal, vice-president and country manager (business development) of Qualcomm India and South Asia, Bidyut Kumar Basu, chief commercial officer of AKTEL, Azmat M Khan, deputy general manager (strategic, planning and business development) of Warid Telecom took part in the daylong workshop.

 

[Nafees]

Source: Bernama.com ver 5.0

Bangladesh Eyes Tie-ups With Malaysian Investors

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 (Bernama) -- Members of a delegation from the Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce are keen on tie-ups with Malaysian businesses in sectors like energy, manufacturing, building materials and plastics.

Tan Sri Soong Siew Hoong, secretary-general/chairman of the international trade and industry commitee of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM), said Malaysian companies were encouraged to form joint ventures with Bangladeshi companies and further tap the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

The SAARC countries are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan.

"Don't follow the traditional way to import. Try joint venture or free trade zone," Soong said at the trade and investment interaction forum with members of the Bangladeshi delegation Friday.

He said ACCCIM was focusing on the development of real economy and has no reason to reject business opportunities.

-- BERNAMA

 

[Al-zakir]

NESL gets Tk 7cr contract to build trawler Fish Mark-1




NATION BUSINESS REPORT



Narayanganj Engineering and Shipbuilding Ltd (NESL) has obtained a Tk 7 crore contract for building a deep-sea fishing trawler, Fish Mark-1, from a Bangladeshi sea-fish catching and preserving company named 'Fish Mark Complex.'

Maj Gen (Retd) Syed Mohammad Ibrahim BP, Managing Partner of Fish Mark Complex and Saiful Islam, Chairman of NESL yesterday inaugurated the keel laying of the trawler at NESL's shipyard premises at Nabiganj, Narayanganj.

All the deep sea fishing trawlers engaged in deep sea fishing in the coastal waters of Bangladesh are imported. But this will be the first time that a shipyard in Bangladesh has designed and is building this fishing trawler, which is capable of both bottom and surface water fishing. The trawler would cost two times higher than that of present price, if it were imported from abroad.

Saiful Islam said the same quality boat would cost about Tk 14 crore if Fish Mark were imported from abroad.

He expressed gratitude to the banks that agreed to finance both of the companies. "Due to the cooperation of AB Bank and Prime Bank huge amount of foreign currencies is saved."

Saiful Islam confidently said that the NESL would be able to deliver the trawler in time and maintain international standard.

He seemed to be worried about the critical situation of the country. "The image of the country tended downward four years from now. But the shipbuilding industry changed it. I am urging the future government to sustain that image", said the Chairman.

Ibrahim mentioned that they are saving one million dollar foreign currency by building this vessel in Bangladesh.

He hoped that Bangladesh would be able to manufacture ship of international standard.

NESL sailed its journey as SK Banerjy Shipyard in 1928. It was named Narayanganj Dockyard in 1951. Since then it has been manufacturing ferry and pontoon for BIWTA and Road and Highways. It started anew journey with new management and named it Narayanganj Engineering and Shipbuilding Ltd (NESL) in 2003.