News from Bangladesh-Updates and Discussion

[Avisheik]

Why is MIST disqualified??

 

[integra]

If any one of you have time to spare visit the IUT campus,
designed by one Turkish architect, the scale of the campus is quite
amazing in some places.

 

[boltu]

I was quite disappointed after seeing IUT's Bot because it looked very much basic,but now totally amazed by them.These guys have raw talent.BRAC said they would get 600 points easily because they used kinect and other wireless sensors but what i see here it didn't happen.Any reason why MIST got disqualified ?

 

[kobiraaz]

it looks very ordinary

 

[kobiraaz]

Brac

Military Institute of S&T

 

[eastwatch]

Brac

Military Institute of S&T

Thanks for the pictures. The campus has very beautiful architecture. The campus makes the BD citizens proud.

 

[Al-zakir]

bdnews24.com journalists attacked in office
Mon, May 28th, 2012 10:12 pm BdST

Dhaka, May 28 (bdnews24.com) – A gang of criminals attacked the journalists of bdnews24.com in front of its Amtoli office in the city's Mohakhali, leaving several, two of them critically, injured.

The incident took place on the fifth floor of the Building-99 near the Government Ban Bhaban (Forest Building) around 9pm on Monday.

bdnews24.com Sub-Editor Newaz Mohammed Rifaat and Correspondent Salahuddin Wahid Pritom received serious injuries in their legs.

They have been rushed to the United Hospital in the city. Doctors there said the duo were "out of danger".

Criminals attacked Ruhul Amin, an employee of Bangladesh's first internet newspaper, around 8:30pm when he was staying outside of the building.

On information, the journalists from the office rushed to his aid and captured the criminal and handed him to police.

Angered at this, the local criminals, armed with sharp weapons, swooped on the journalists.

The criminals opened the shutter of ground floor and attacked the newsmen.

Rifat and Pritom were stabbed indiscriminately in the legs.

bdnews24.com/mi/skb/nir/bd/2210h

^^
I only wonder if this Awami dalal news site would come to it's senses after this incident.

 

[Major Shaheb]

http://www.defence.pk/forums/bangla...lass-guided-missile-frigates.html#post3001091

 

[Zabaniyah]

Padma Bridge Financing - WB lays out 5 conditions

The World Bank has finally broken the ice over its financing of the Padma bridge project proposing five new conditions for the government to ensure corruption-free implementation of the project.

In a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina early this month, WB Vice President Isabel Guerrer elaborated the steps the government has to take to get WB funding for the massive project, finance ministry sources told this correspondent on Wednesday.

In September last year, the WB suspended its funding of the $2.9 billion Padma Multipurpose Bridge project on graft allegations. It had committed $1.2 billion.

In her letter, the WB vice president said a high-powered investigation team has to be formed to probe the allegations of corruption in the bridge project.

An independent firm has to be appointed to monitor implementation of the project, the letter said.

According to the WB proposal, the independent firm will not be under the government or any co-financier of the bridge project. It will make its recommendations independently, and the authorities concerned will implement those.

The persons against whom there are allegations of corruption regarding the bridge project would not be in its implementation.

Another condition is that the co-financiers will have to be actively involved in the procurement process for the bridge.

Besides, the WB suggested that as a long term step, the government will take initiative to increase the capacity of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Contacted, a high official of the finance ministry said top policymakers discussed the WB letter in the last few days, and the government replied to it on Wednesday.

The government has disagreed with some of the conditions, and asked the WB to revise those. The two sides will soon discuss the conditions in detail, added the official, requesting anonymity.

On the corruption allegations concerning construction of the bridge, the WB submitted a report to the government in September last year. In April this year, the bank submitted a second report based on the findings of the Canadian government's investigation into allegations of graft in appointment of a supervising consultant for the bridge.

The WB and other co-financiers have extended loan effectiveness deadline several times and the last one will expire on July 27.

Work on the bridge project has remained stalled since September last year.

Against this backdrop, the government has taken initiatives for finding alternative sources of fund. And it has signed recently a memorandum of understanding with Malaysia for funding the bridge project.

Meanwhile, WB Country Director Ellen Goldstein on Wednesday held a meeting with representatives of the project's co-financiers -- Asian Development Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency -- at the WB office in Dhaka.

The WB's letter to the government and its reply were presented at the meeting, officials of the co-financiers told this correspondent yesterday.

Earlier on Wednesday, Goldstein said the WB did not shelve the Padma bridge project and it was still talking with the government on the issue.

“I remain hopeful, very hopeful about the Padma bridge,” she said at a meeting organised by American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Bangladesh.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=238509

 

[boltu]

A rare video of Khaleda Zia and her sons just after Zia's assassination....

 

[Avisheik]

Locals looting antique boat

A group of local people are looting precious brass sheets from joints of the ancient boat that has recently surfaced from beneath the sandy beach of Kuakata.

The wooden boat, believed to be belonging to the first Rakhaine settlers from Arakan province in Myanmar over 200 years ago, is now attracting hundreds of visitors.

This historic boat must be protected at any cost, villagers said.

While the Department of Archaeology is yet to send any official to the spot, Dedary Alom Maksud Chowdhury, upazila executive officer of Kalapara and administrator for Kuakata municipality, has formally asked the Kuakata police to keep an eye on the wooden boat so none can dismantle it.

But residents of the area said thieves were slowly dismantling the boat by stealing the joints which were made of brass. The boat was found last Friday on the beach near the tamarisk garden during the low tide.

The boat is 72 feet long and 22.5 feet wide and only two feet of its upper portion has emerged from the sandy beach. Salim Akon, 42, of Kuakata, said a similar boat was found on the beach 25 years ago and a gang looted everything, including its timber.

Uchasi Matubbar, 70, a leader of the Rakhaine community in Kuakata, said that over 150 Rakhaine families had come to the area, fleeing atrocities in Myanmar in 1784.

"Those people on 50 boats fled the torture of Bodpaya who had defeated the king of Arakan province Thamada and had taken over power. This boat might be one of those," said Uchasi. The government must take immediate steps to protect and preserve it in a museum, he added.

Afroza Khan Mita, assistant director of the archaeology department, told The Daily Star that one from the department's Khulna office would soon go to Kuakata to assess whether or not it was a matter of ethnic antiquity.

"Meanwhile, we are asking the local authorities to protect the boat," said Mita.

The boat seems very old and is made of timber of Gorjon tree. The wooden body is covered by brass plates. Rumours have abounded in Kuakata that the plates are made of gold, spurring thieves to steal those.

Abu Bakor Siddique, additional superintendent of police in Patuakhali, said they would protect the boat until the archaeologists arrived.

According to Mostafa Majid, author of "Bangladesher Rakhaine", Rakhaine families had sailed 50 wooden boats through the treacherous sea and reached Rangabali island under Patuakhali district. They were the first settlers in the region covered at the time by thick mangrove forests and wild animals.

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Sometimes i lose faith in my own countrymen

 

[Avisheik]

Gas found in Comilla

Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration Company (apex) hit a natural gas reservoir at Srikail in Comilla yesterday, seven years after a failed attempt in the area.

Bapex Managing Director Mortuza Ahmad Faruque believes the reservoir might be medium in size but bigger than the Sangu and Semutang gas fields.

He said they had found a gas flow at the rate of 15 to 16 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) with a pressure of 1,900 pounds per square inch %r8psi) during a test run in an exploratory well in Srikail in the morning.

The Bapex chief expects the gas pressure would reach up to 2,700 psi at the well head when the field is ready for commercial production.

He said Bapex had resources almost ready to produce 25 to 30 mmcfd of gas from DecemberJanuary.

The country is now at least 500 mmcfd gas short in supply which is affecting the power generation and burner usage in homes. This discovery is considered big, but it would not solve the crisis entirely.

This is the second gas discovery in the present government's tenure. The first one, discovered last year also by Bapex, is in Sundalpur of Noakhali. The small field has been producing 10 to 12 mmcfd gas for the last few months.

The lone national exploration wing that presently produces 85 to 90 mmcfd gas from different small gas fields, tried to find gas in Srikail in 2005. But instead of gas, it found water and sand in the first exploratory well.

In 2007, Bapex conducted a seismic survey to understand the prospects better. Upon completion, it prepared a project to drill a new exploratory well. Accordingly, it started drilling a well on May 5 this year and completed the task of drilling up to 3,214 metres on June 30, in less than two months.

It started testing the well from July 12.

“We started getting gas from a depth of 3,020 metres. The gas layer is 15 metres thick. We have found another layer 2,970 metres below the ground which will be tested later,” said the Bapex MD.

Bapex will conduct a three dimensional seismic survey there in October to properly assess the size of the gas field. It will drill more wells based on the study.

“To avail this gas commercially, we will need a gas processing plant and install a three-kilometre feeder pipeline to connect the Srikail field with the nearby gas transmission system of Bakhrabad fields,” the MD said.

Since installing a processing plant is time consuming, Bapex plans to create a makeshift arrangement to process the gas through alternative means.

“We were approved of a project cost amounting to Tk 81 crore. Of this, Tk 60 crore has been spent on drilling and with the remaining funds we can easily go for an early commercial production,” Faruque said.

For Bapex, this is the most productive period. Right now, all its five drilling rigs are in operation in different locations.

“One rig is ready to start drilling in Sunetra from July 16,” he said.

Sunetra in Sunamganj-Netrakona is Bapex's biggest hope. Based on a seismic study, Bapex believes it has a gas structure with the promise of getting no less than two to three trillion cubic feet reserve.

Another rig is ready to start drilling the 17th well of the country's biggest and oldest gas field Titas. Two other rigs are now drilling in Salda and Kailastila fields.

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Its a very good news It will help us in our development

 

[kobiraaz]

ভারতের সঙ্গে সরকারের তাঁবেদারি বন্ধুত্ব‘
মাজেদুল নয়ন, স্টাফ করেসপন্ডেন্ট
বাংলানিউজটোয়েন্টিফোর.কম

ঢাকা: দুর্বল পররাষ্ট্রনীতি, বিশ্বব্যাংক ইস্যুতে সরকারের অবস্থান ও এর ভবিষ্যত নিয়ে বাংলানিউজের সঙ্গে কথা বলেছেন ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের আইন বিভাগের অধ্যাপক ড. আসিফ নজরুল। জনগণের টাকা দিয়ে পদ্মাসেতু তৈরির ব্যাপারটিকে জাতীয়তাবোধ উসকে দিয়ে সরকারের দ*ুর্নীতি ঢাকার চেষ্টা বলে মন্তব্য করেন তিনি।

গত রোববার বাংলানিউজকে দেওয়া এক একান্ত সাক্ষাৎকারে আসিফ নজরুল বলেন, কোনো “সরকার এতোটা বন্ধুহীন এর আগে কখনোই ছিল না। বাংলাদেশের এখন একমাত্র আন্তর্জাতিক মিত্র হলো ভারত। বাংলাদেশ বিভিন্ন পদক্ষেপের মাধ্যমে মধ্যপ্রাচ্যের বিভিন্ন দেশ, ইউরোপিয়ান দেশ এবং আমেরিকার বন্ধুত্ব হারাচ্ছে। বাংলাদেশ সরকারের যে পররাষ্ট্র নীতি, তা মারাত্মক বিপদজনক বাংলাদেশের স্বার্থের জন্য। কারণ আন্তর্জাতিক বিশ্বে শক্তিশালীভাবে দর কষাকষি করতে হলে, নিজের অবস্থান ধরে রাখতে হলে, বিভিন্ন দেশের সঙ্গে বন্ধুত্ব রাখতে হবে, এটা ব্যক্তিগত জীবনের মতোই।”

তিনি বলেন, “সকলের বন্ধুত্বকে সন্মানজনকভাবে মূল্যায়ন করতে ব্যর্থ হলেও, ভারতের ক্ষেত্রে এক ধরনের তাঁবেদারি বন্ধুত্ব বজায় রেখেছে সরকার। এ তাঁবেদারি বন্ধুত্বের কারণেই ভারত একতরফাভাবে বাংলাদেশের কাছ থেকে তাদের পাওনাগুলো আদায় করে নিতে পারছে, স্বার্থ আদায় করছে। কিন্তু বাংলাদেশ পারছে না।”

সার্বিকভাবে এ সরকারের আমলে একমাত্র মিয়ারমারের সঙ্গে সমুদ্র জয়ের মামলা ছাড়া, সাফল্যের আর কোনোরকম নজির নেই বলে মনে করেন আইন বিভাগের এ অধ্যাপক।

তিনি বলেন, “পদ্মাসেতুর মতো অন্যান্য ইস্যুতে সরকার যদি এ ধরনের গোঁয়ার্ত*ুমি অব্যাহত রাখে, তাহলে বিশ্বব্যাংক এবং অন্যান্য দাতা প্রতিষ্ঠান যদি অন্যান্য প্রকল্পের কাজও বন্ধ করে দেয় এবং অন্যান্য ঋণ বাতিল করে, সেটার চাপ রাজনৈতিক ও অর্থনেতিক দু’ভাবেই সামলানো কঠিন হয়ে পড়বে। বিশ্বব্যাংকের অনুজপ্রতিম প্রতিষ্ঠান এডিবি এবং এর ঘনিষ্ঠ সহযোগী হিসেবে যেসব উন্নয়ন অংশীদার প্রতিষ্ঠান কাজ করে থাকে, তাদেরও বহু প্রকল্প রয়েছে বাংলাদেশে।”

আসিফ নজরুল বলেন, “বিশ্বব্যাংকের সঙ্গে বন্ধুত্ব নষ্ট হলেই যে আর্ন্তজাতিক শ্রমবাজার ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত হবে সেটা এ মুহূর্তেই বলা যাবে না, তবে এটুকু বলা যায়, আন্তর্জাতিক বিনিয়োগ মারাত্মকভাবে হ্রাস পাবে।”

উন্নয়ন সহযোগীরা সবাই যদি অসন্তুষ্ট হয়ে যায়, এটার প্রভাব আর্ন্তজাতিক ও বৈদেশিক বিনিয়োগের ওপর পড়বে। এটা বিদেশের বাজারে আমাদের পণ্যের ওপরও প্রভাব পড়তে পারে বলে মনে করেন তিনি।

নিজ অর্থায়নেই সরকার পদ্মাসেতু নির্মাণের ঘোষণার ব্যাপারে আসিফ নজরুল বলেন, “সরকার তার দুর্নীতি ও বিভিন্ন সন্দেহজনক কর্মকাণ্ড আড়াল করার জন্য এখন জাতীয়তাবাদী চেতনা উসকে দিতে চাইছে। ২০০৯ সালেই যদি সরকার নিজ অর্থায়নে পদ্মাসেতু তৈরির ঘোষণা দিতো তবে সেটা গ্রহণযোগ্য হতো। কিন্তু বিশ্বব্যাংক মুখ ফিরিয়ে নেওয়ার পর এ ধরনের ঘোষণা যুক্তিযুক্ত নয়।”

তিনি বলেন, “বিশ্বব্যাংকের বিরুদ্ধে অভিযোগ রয়েছে যে তারা পছন্দসই প্রতিষ্ঠানকে কাজ দেওয়ার জন্যে চাপ দিয়েছিল। এ অভিযোগ অস্বীকার করার উপায় নেই। বিশ্বব্যাংকের মধ্যেও কেউ দুর্নীতি করে থাকতে পারে। এছাড়া বিশ্বব্যাংকের পরিচালনা কাঠামো অগণতান্ত্রিক ও অস্বচ্ছ। বিশ্বব্যাংক দেশের সম্পদকে আন্তর্জাতিক পুঁজির অধীন করে ফেলে, উন্নয়ন সাহায্যের নানা শর্ত জুড়ে দেয় বলেও অভিযোগ রয়েছে।”

নজরুল বলেন, “তবে এসব সমালোচনা সত্যি হলেও বাংলাদেশের যেসব শাসকগোষ্ঠী যুগের পর যুগ বিশ্বব্যাংক ও উন্নয়নসহযোগীদের নির্দেশনা মেনে আসছিল। কিন্তু দুর্নীতির কথা বলায় হঠাৎ করে বিশ্বব্যাংকের সমালোচনা শুরু করাটা শোভা পাচ্ছে না।

ঋণ বাতিল করায় প্রতিক্রিয়া হিসেবে যে সমালোচনা করছে সরকার, সেটা মারাত্মক পরিণতি বয়ে আনতে পারে বলে মনে করেন এ অধ্যাপক।”

তিনি বলেন, সরকারের মন্ত্রীরা এখন বিশ্বব্যংকের সমালোচনায় মুখর এবং জনগণের কাছে সরকারকে স্বচ্ছ প্রমাণের চেষ্টা চালাচ্ছেন। তবে বাংলাদেশের যদি পর্যাপ্তভাবে নিজ অর্থায়নে পদ্মাসেতু তৈরির ক্ষমতা থাকত কিংবা পদ্মাসেতু প্রকল্পে বিশ্বব্যাংকের খবরদারি অগ্রহণযোগ্য বলে জনগণের কাছে প্রমাণ করতে পারত, সেক্ষেত্রে সরকার ব্যাংকটির সমালোচনায় মুখর হলে হয়তো কিছুটা গ্রহণযোগ্য হতো।

সরকারকে সতর্ক করে দিয়ে তিনি বলেন, একটি ব্যাপার বিশেষভাবে উল্লেখযোগ্য হবে, সরকার যেভাবে বিশ্বব্যাংকের পাল্টা সমালোচনা করছে, নিশ্চয়ই বিশ্বব্যাংকও তার শক্তিশালী প্রচারণা কাঠামোকে কাজে লাগাতে পারে। এ ক্ষেত্রে সরকারকে বাস্তবতা বিবেচনা করেই এগোতে হবে। সাময়িক বিবেচনায় কোনো ধরনের ভুল সিদ্ধান্ত নেওয়া যাবে না।

তবে পদ্মাসেতু প্রকল্প বাস্তবায়নে সরকারের আহ্বানে এ দেশের জনগণ বা প্রবাসীরা অংশ নিতে ঝাঁপিয়ে পড়বে বলে মনে হয় না। এ মুহূর্তে দেশের সে অবস্থান নেই বা সরকারের সে বিশ্বাসযোগ্যতাও নেই বলে মনে করেন আসিফ নজরুল।

 

[Zabaniyah]

Bangladesh taken out of unsafe civil aviation list

International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has cleared Bangladesh off the list of countries having unsafe civil aviation system after keeping blacklisted for the last three years.

Bangladeshi aviation industry is now expecting a boost in business, as due to being on the significant safety concern (SSC) list local airlines did not get approval to operate flights on international routes for the last three years. Now these companies will get permission to fly on new international routes.

In addition, Bangladeshi aircrafts are likely to overcome restrictions imposed by several European countries to land and take-off at their airports.

This is also a step forward for the country to resume Dhaka-New York flights, as the SSC listing was a major obstacle in this regard.

This will also help Bangladesh be upgraded Category-1 from the existing status of Category 2. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2006 demoted Bangladesh to Category 2.

“We have received a letter from the ICAO sent on July 19 saying that Bangladesh has been cleared off the list of SSC countries,” said Wing Commander S M Nazmul Anam, director of flight safety and regulation of CAAB.

“We have been able to satisfy the ICAO with an all-out effort to comply with their instructions to ensure safety in flight operations,” said Anam. Citing the letter he said, "The collective actions of Caab in addressing and resolving the safety threats were found satisfactory."

Bangladesh had been on the list of SSC countries, which is considered as ‘blacklist’ in aviation industry, since May 2009 when the country failed in an inspection.
Bangladesh taken out of unsafe civil aviation list

Phew!

 

[boltu]

BELA chief Rizwana wins Magsaysay


Dhaka, Jul 25 (bdnews24.com)—Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association's (BELA) Chief Executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan has won Ramon Magsaysay Award 2012 for her campaign for environment justice.

"She is being recognized for her uncompromising courage and impassioned leadership in a campaign of judicial activism in Bangladesh that affirms the people's right to a good environment as nothing less than their right to dignity and life," the Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation announced on its official website.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus had also won the accolade.

Six individuals from Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Taiwan will receive the prize, Asia's highest honour and widely regarded as the region's equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

The six 2012 Magsaysay awardees join 290 other laureates who have received Asia's highest honor to date.

They will be formally conferred the Magsaysay Award during Presentation Ceremonies to be held on Aug 31 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

Established in 1957, it celebrates the memory and leadership example of the third Philippine President, and is given every year to individuals or organizations in Asia who manifest the same sense of selfless service that ruled the life of the late and beloved Filipino leader.

For her contribution in environmental campaign, Rizwana earlier won 'Environment Award' of the Ministry of Environment and Forest in 2007 and international 'Goldman Award' in 2009.

US-based Time magazine in 2009 branded her an 'Environmental Hero'.

Born in 1968, Rizwana obtained her law degree from Dhaka University and joined BELA in 1993.

BELA chief Rizwana wins Magsaysay | Bangladesh | bdnews24.com