Bangladesh:
In pursuit of freedom (The Deccan Herald, July 11, 2014)
Kerry Kennedy, an American human rights activist and writer talks about her experience in visiting Bangladesh. She is also the seventh child of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy. In her own words: “What an amazing place, what an amazing country. As we in America celebrate our own Independence Day these days, I hope we can take inspiration from the people of Bangladesh and rededicate ourselves to democracy and freedom, knowing that the price may be high, but the sacrifice is well worthwhile.”
Bangladesh 2013-14 inflation quickens as food price rises (Reuters, July 10, 2014)
Annual inflation in Bangladesh accelerated to 7.35 percent in the fiscal year ending in June, from 6.78 percent the previous year exceeding its target of 7 percent on food prices. According to the Bureau of Statistics, last month, the country's central bank raised banks' reserve requirement ratio by 50 basis points, its first increase since 2010. Food prices went up in the last financial year as supplies of basic foodstuffs were boosted by frequent transport blockades and other unrest in the run-up to elections in January. Annual inflation, however, fell to 6.97 percent in June from 7.48 percent in May as food prices rose at a slower pace as unrest eased after the polls.
Bangladesh urged to withdraw draft law on NGOs (Business Standard, July 10, 2014)
The Bangladesh government has proposed a law that would impose strict restrictions on NGOs. The draft law is to be presented to the parliamentary standing committee for consideration. According to the Human Rights Watch, the law would have the authority to "inspect, monitor and assess the activities" of groups and individuals and to close groups and cancel their registration if it sees fit. "The draft law can easily be misused to limit perfectly legitimate activities of NGOs and to attack critics," said Phil Robertson at Human Rights Watch.
Bangladesh exports up 11 pct in 2013/14 as garment sales surge (Reuters, July 10, 2014)
Kerry Kennedy, an American human rights activist and writer talks about her experience in visiting Bangladesh. She is also the seventh child of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy. In her own words: “What an amazing place, what an amazing country. As we in America celebrate our own Independence Day these days, I hope we can take inspiration from the people of Bangladesh and rededicate ourselves to democracy and freedom, knowing that the price may be high, but the sacrifice is well worthwhile.”
Bangladesh 2013-14 inflation quickens as food price rises (Reuters, July 10, 2014)
Annual inflation in Bangladesh accelerated to 7.35 percent in the fiscal year ending in June, from 6.78 percent the previous year exceeding its target of 7 percent on food prices. According to the Bureau of Statistics, last month, the country's central bank raised banks' reserve requirement ratio by 50 basis points, its first increase since 2010. Food prices went up in the last financial year as supplies of basic foodstuffs were boosted by frequent transport blockades and other unrest in the run-up to elections in January. Annual inflation, however, fell to 6.97 percent in June from 7.48 percent in May as food prices rose at a slower pace as unrest eased after the polls.
Bangladesh urged to withdraw draft law on NGOs (Business Standard, July 10, 2014)
The Bangladesh government has proposed a law that would impose strict restrictions on NGOs. The draft law is to be presented to the parliamentary standing committee for consideration. According to the Human Rights Watch, the law would have the authority to "inspect, monitor and assess the activities" of groups and individuals and to close groups and cancel their registration if it sees fit. "The draft law can easily be misused to limit perfectly legitimate activities of NGOs and to attack critics," said Phil Robertson at Human Rights Watch.
Bangladesh exports up 11 pct in 2013/14 as garment sales surge (Reuters, July 10, 2014)
Bangladesh's exports in the 2013/14 financial year that ended in June rose 11.65 percent from a year earlier to nearly $30.18 billion, boosted by stronger clothing sales, the Export Promotion Bureau said on Thursday. Garments are a vital sector for the South Asian nation, whose low wages and duty-free access to Western markets have helped make it the world's largest apparel exporter after China.
EU
spurs Bangladesh to do more for factory safety (The Daily Star, July 9, 2014)
Bangladesh has significantly improved the workplace safety standards and labour rights in the last one year, but still has a lot to do said EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht during the first anniversary of the signing of the Sustainability Compact. Under the agreement, Bangladesh is committed to improve safety standards and labour rights, and the EU will observe the progress of the commitments for one year before taking any trade action against Bangladesh. However, the labour ministry is yet to formulate the regulations to implement the law at the field level.
Bangladesh
Oil Exploration Prospects Boosted by UN Border Ruling (The Wall Street Journal, July 8, 2014)
A United Nations court drew a new maritime border in the Bay of Bengal, awarding more than three-quarters of a disputed sea area to Bangladesh and opening the way for more energy exploration in the region. The ruling by the U.N.’s Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, made public on Tuesday, settled a long-running territorial dispute between Bangladesh and neighboring India. Both countries said they would abide by the court’s decision. The triangular Bay of Bengal, which covers over two million square kilometers, is important for shipping and fishing and holds significant oil and mineral reserves.
Global
device sales shifting to mobile (Dhaka Tribune, July 8, 2014)
Global sales of electronic devices including PCs, tablets and mobile phones hit 2.4 billion units this year, with the mobile segment leading the way. According to a survey by Gartner Inc. a moderation in the declining PC market, predicts that tablet sales will overtake the traditional computer by 2015.
Remittance
inflow drops first time in 12 years (Dhaka Tribune, July 7, 2014)
Remittance inflow into the country has dropped for the first time in the fiscal year 2013-14 after a steady upward trend during the last 12 years. The inflow of remittances by millions of non-resident Bangladeshis in the 2013-14 fiscal year concluded in June reached 14.23 billion U.S. dollars, according to an official who preferred to be unnamed. He said the inflow of remittance, one of the key sources of foreign exchange reached 14.46 billion U.S. dollars in the previous 2012-13 (July 2012-June 2013) fiscal year. Sources said the decrease in total inflow of remittance were due mainly to sluggish overseas employment and political instability surrounding the country's national elections.
Malaysia
to help build 8,400 flats in Uttara (The Daily Star, July 7, 2014)
The government has made a deal with Malaysia to build about 8,400 flats in Uttara after local contractors failed to deliver. The cabinet committee on economic affairs at a meeting yesterday approved a proposal to construct 100 buildings under technical and financial management of the Malaysian government on a design-build-transfer basis. Two Malaysian firms will construct the 16-storey buildings using industrialised building system (IBS), according to the proposal of the housing and public works ministry.
PM
plans Hong Kong-like city near Padma (bdnews24, July 6, 2014)
“A city like Hong Kong will be built on the banks of the Padma once the bridge has been constructed,” said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last Saturday. She says she discussed urbanisation in that area with the finance minister, specifically mentioning a “state-of-the-art” conference halls and recreation centres. The government has initiated the construction of Bangladesh’s largest infrastructure, the 6.5 km long Padma Bridge at Munshiganj’s Mawa.
Only
one factory shuts after inspection by Alliance (The Daily Star, July 6, 2014)
Only one garment factory was shut out of 600 units inspected by Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, a platform of 26 US-based retailers and brands. Of the 605 factories inspected, the Alliance recommended closure of seven factories in its first week of inspection but a review panel allowed five units to continue production, while a decision on one factory is due tomorrow. Alliance engineers detected some flaws in the factory buildings such as electrical safety problems, overloading of goods on different floors, insufficient exit capacity, and absence of sprinklers.
Most
illegal VoIP calls travel through Teletalk (The Daily Star, July 6, 2014)
Three mobile operators urged the telecom regulator to take action against state-run Teletalk, which they said did not block its SIMs used for carrying illegal international calls. Chief executives of Grameenphone, Banglalink and Robi wrote a letter to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission on June 29, after analysing call flows to their systems from different operators. The average duration of calls coming from Teletalk to the three operators was higher compared with other operators last month.
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