Weekly News Clippings (May 30, 2014)

JS body suggests high duty on polythene raw materials (New Age, May 30, 2014)
The parliamentary standing committee on textiles and jute ministry on Thursday recommended the government for imposing high import duties on raw materials of polythene with a view to discouraging polythene bags and encouraging jute-packing. We want to increase the domestic use of jute-goods and low price of polythene has been identified as major obstacles in this field. “We have recommended imposing high import duties on raw materials of polythene,” said the committee chief, Saber Hossain.

Divided Dhaka nearly out of service (The Daily Star, May 29, 2014)
The division of Dhaka City Corporation without any financial capability assessment has resulted in severe fund crisis for the southern part of it, stalling almost all its development work.  The north city corporation, which is comparatively healthy in overall annual budget, is also complaining of a fund crunch in basic public services like road repairs and mosquito control.  At least half of around 2,500km city roads are in a battered state requiring urgent attention, according to information available and field visits.

City's garbage management in a shambles (The Daily Star, May 29, 2014)
The garbage management service of the two city corporations has reached a pitiable state. Many of the city streets have heaps of waste lying in the open, emitting foul odour and causing public nuisance. The city service managers, however, blame mainly the shortage of land for setting up primary garbage collection points, from where the wastes are collected for final disposal. Shortage of manpower and vehicles is another hurdle to proper waste management, they say. According to the city corporations, the city generates 5,000 tonnes of garbage every day of which at least 500 tonnes remain uncollected. The two city corporations have around 8,000 street sweepers and drain cleaners around 500 garbage carrying vehicle.

ILO: Developing countries see swelling middle class (Dhaka Tribune, May 28, 2014)
Workers in developing countries are increasingly moving to better jobs and joining the middle class, but 839 million workers still earn less than $2 a day, the International Labour Organization said. According to the agency’s annual World of Work Report released yesterday, between 1980 and 2011, per capita income in the developing countries like Senegal, Vietnam and Tunisia on average grew 3.3% each year, which is far faster than the 1.8% growth seen in advanced economies. In its analysis of the situation in 140 developing and emerging economies, the ILO concluded that nations that tackled working poverty, invested in creating quality jobs and in getting workers out of precarious employment had weathered the global financial crisis far better than those that did not.

Frozen food exports set to top $600m this year (The Financial Express, May 28, 2014)
Bangladesh's frozen food shipment is set to exceed US$600 million this financial year on the back of price hike in the world market earlier this year, exporters say.  According to a senior vice president of Bangladesh Frozen Foods Exporters Association (BFFEA), the price rose following the bacterial infection known as 'Early Mortality Syndrome' that struck shrimp farms in China, Vietnam, Thailand and Vietnam. Last month, the price of 31-40 count shrimp was US$ 7.0 per pound and  the price of 16-20 count was US$ 9.50 per pound, although the price came down to $ 5.0 and $ 8.0 respectively.

Half-built seven footbridges await completion (Dhaka Tribune, May 27, 2014)
The construction of several footbridges at key points of the capital has remained suspended because of alleged negligence by the authorities concerned. Under the World Bank-funded Clean Air and Sustainable Environment (CASE) project, seven footbridges have remained under-construction for more than a year. Since the project was launched in mid-2009, authorities concerned have, however, completed the construction of 13 footbridges, while the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has also installed an escalator as part of a footbridge in the capital’s Banani.

Mandatory installation of solar panels on building roofs goes (The Financial Express, May 27, 2014)
The government has decided to withdraw the mandatory requirement of installing solar panels on the rooftop of buildings for getting new electricity connections to households, officials said. According to the new rule, a customer will have to deposit the cost of a solar panel to the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) fund which will help build green power plants for rural areas that are still out of electricity. In November 2010, the government made it mandatory for the customers to install solar panels for getting new electricity connections to households but it was very expensive and the government failed to achieve its desired goal. Following the rule many customers have taken electricity connections hiring solar panels.

Bangladesh's per capita income sees rise (Global Post, May 27, 2014)
Bangladesh's per capita income is expected to reach nearly 1,200 U.S. dollars in the current 2013- 2014 fiscal year ending next month. Quoting provisional statistics, the state-run statistical bureau official said that "per capita income in 2013-2014 fiscal year will rise about 14 percent to $1,190." Poverty in Bangladesh stays one of the highest in the world. According to the governmental statistics, about a third of its population is living below the poverty line and earn less than two U.S. dollars a day.

Govt urges Accord to compensate workers during production halt (The Financial Express, May 27, 2014)

The government has formally requested the Accord to share the workers' payment with the factory owners during closure of any garment factory after inspection, sources said. Appreciating the Accord's contribution to improve workplace safety in  Bangladesh's garment industry, Labour Ministry sent Monday a letter to the Accord, requesting the platform of more than 150 global apparel companies, brands, retailers and trade unions, to pay wages for at least three months. "For the greater interest of the workers, completion of the inspection as per schedule and payment of at least three months wages during closure of factories may be one idea," it said. 

46% food products in market adulterated (Dhaka Tribune, May 27, 2014)

The tests, which were carried out over the last two years at the Public Health Laboratory (PHL) in the Institute of Public Health (IPH), show that 100% of the samples of food products like chocolate, cake, Chhana, yogurt, pickles, dried fish, fruit syrup, sesame oil and vegetable oil (dalda) were adulterated. Around 80-99% of other popular items in the market including ghee, juice, honey, Roshogollah,  candy, soybean oil and powdered milk were also found to be adulterated. According to the IPH reports, the laboratory tested 5,322 samples of 50 food items in 2012 and 4,967 samples of 42 food items last year, and found 46 percent of those adulterated. Health specialists say that there has been no nationwide research on food adulteration and its affect on health in spite of the fact that food adulteration is a leading cause behind the increase in non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cancer, stroke, hypertension, and heart and kidney-related ailments.

Google, Costco and Facebook best employers: US poll (The Financial Express, May 26, 2014)

Google, Facebook and wholesale retailer Costco offer the best pay and benefit packages in the United States, according to employee ratings compiled by the US job site Glassdoor. Apart from Costco, whose generous social benefits stand out, four of the five top employers are high-tech firms, according to the survey. Google came out frst, where a software engineer earns an average base salary of $119,000 a year and where employees have free access to a gym, laundromat, billiards and pet boarding.

ICT trade bodies demand VAT-free internet (The Daily Star, May 25, 2014)

Leaders of three ICT trade bodies yesterday urged the government to reduce or erase 15 percent value-added tax on internet use in the next budget. Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS) and Internet Service Providers Association Bangladesh (ISPAB) made the call at a pre-budget dialogue in Dhaka. They asked the telecoms ministry to request the finance ministry to remove or cut the VAT on internet use in the next budget. The telecoms ministry proposes Tk 3,700 crore for the ICT sector in the budget, which was Tk 1,250 crore last year. The use of internet will get a boost if the VAT on the internet is removed, they said.

Private investment falls for second year (The Daily Star, May 25, 2014)

Private investment dropped for the second year on the back of political uncertainty. In fiscal 2013-14, private investment as a proportion of gross domestic product stood at 21.39 percent, down 0.36 percentage points, according to a provisional estimate from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Public investment, on the other hand, rose 0.66 percentage points to 7.30 percent, to take the overall investment-GDP ratio to 28.69 percent, up 0.30 percentage point year-on-year. Zahid Hussain, lead economist of WB's Dhaka office, said while the disrupting political unrest has dissipated for now, the risk of it making a comeback hovers around. He went on to recommend setting up of special economic zones to insulate the economy from the effects of political turbulence, as production there would be conducted in a secure environment.

Weekly News Clippings (May 23, 2014)

Dhanmondi playground half open (The Daily Star, May 23, 2014)
The Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club authorities have closed the main gate of the Dhanmondi playground on Road-8 on Wednesday but children have access to the ground through a side gate. The Dhaka South City Corporation opened the playground to public on April 24 following a High Court order. Its Administrator Md Alamgir told The Daily Star that the club authorities locked the gate and that they are waiting to hear what the Prime Minister's Office has to say about this since the club is named after Sheikh Jamal, the son of the Father of the Nation. The DSCC demolished a workers' shed of the club on May 18 but again spared three large semi-concrete structures housing the club just so that it could say that it complied with a 2011 High Court order that directed freeing the playground of illegal structures except those meant for sports.

Mid-income status not far off (The Daily Star, May 22, 2014)

Income per capita grew by 12.90 percent to $1,190 this fiscal year to take the country closer to the middle-income bracket, according to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Bangladesh will be regarded a middle-income nation if it achieves at least an average per capita income of $1,026 for three consecutive years, with the figures being inflation adjusted. The per capita income last fiscal year was $1,054.According to the World Bank, the income thresholds are: low income $1,025 or less; lower middle-income $1,026 to $4,035; upper middle-income $4,036 to $12,475; and high income $12,476 or more.

Bangladesh must exploit green energy potential (The Daily Star, May 21, 2014)

Bangladesh has strong potential to exploit wind power and meet growing demand for green electricity. According to AnetteGalskjøt, commercial counsellor of Danida Business Partnerships of Denmark in Bangladesh, the 700km-long coastline in the coastal region of Bangladesh provides good prospects to develop offshore wind energy. Anette spoke at a discussion between Nordic and Bangladeshi companies, organised by the Danish and Swedish embassies. A total of 20 Danish companies, one Swedish company and an investment fund attended the session under the three-day Nordic trade delegation on green growth. Nordic companies can offer years of experience in wind power, solar energy, biogas, water treatment, recycling systems for waste and garbage and organic food production.

Bangladesh tea prices plunge on poor local demand (Reuters, May 20, 2014)

Tea prices in Bangladesh dropped on Tuesday at the second auction of the new season on weak demand from local buyers despite the arrival of fresh and good quality leaf, brokers said. Bangladeshi tea fetched an average of 183.82 taka ($2.3) per kg at the auction, down from 194.27 taka at the first auction of the new season, an official at National Brokers Limited said. Major buyers were back at the market on the arrival of fresh leaf as new season started, although demand were still weak that left huge volume of tea unsold, the official said.Bangladesh's tea production in 2013 rose 1.6 percent from ayear earlier to a record 63.5 million kg due to favourable weather.

Bangladesh seeks export privileges to US on climate vulnerability grounds (Eco Business, May 20, 2014)

Citing its increasing vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, Bangladesh has sought exemption from quotas and duty for all its exports to the United States.US trade representatives have said they will consider the call for “duty free, quota free” privileges, according to Bangladesh’s commerce secretary, Mahbub Ahmed.Such a rule change, if adopted, would make Bangladesh one of the first countries to receive duty reductions for “economic vulnerability” because of climate change.Increased emissions of greenhouse gases are blamed for a rise in global temperatures which is causing climate change are having increasingly serious effects on the economies of many low-lying countries, including Bangladesh, widely judged one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change.

Bangladesh a potential in fisheries, UN says (Dhaka Tribune, May 20, 2014)

Bangladesh, a leading country for fisheries produce, can play a significant role in the growing food demand for the world in the future. According to the latest report of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Bangladesh is the fourth leading country in the world for inland fisheries production. The report highlighted the growing role of fish and aquaculture in feeding the world. “Asian countries are expected to account for 91% of world aquaculture production in 2022, with Bangladesh, Thailand, India and China experiencing highest growth rates,” the report said.However, the report warned that to continue to grow sustainability, aquaculture needs to become less dependent on wild fish for feeds and introduce greater diversity in farmed culture and practices.

59pc employers reluctant to hire marginalised women (The Daily Star, May 19, 2014)

More than half the employers in the private sector believe that marginalised women and physically-challenged people are less productive than men, a study by Swisscontact, a Zurich-headquartered nongovernmental organisation working in Bangladesh. Employers consider them a risk to profitability and remain reluctant to hire them, according to the study.Around 59 percent of employers do not want to hire the marginalised women because it might hinder profitability and sustainability of the institutions, Around 260 sample employers in six districts -- Dhaka, Jessore, Bogra, Nilphamari, Kurigram and Sunamganj -- were interviewed between February 2011 and March 2014 by MIDAS for the study. Only 41 percent employers hire women, while 55 percent do not have additional facilities for women, she said. 

Asia Naphtha-Bangladesh to sell naphtha at highest price since March 2013 (Reuters, May 19, 2014)

Bangladesh Petroleum Corp (BPC) will sell 170,000 barrels of naphtha to MRI Trading in May at a premium of $1.15 a barrel to Singapore quotes on a free-on-board (FOB) basis, the highest price in more than a year and sharply up from a previous sale.Five firms competed for the tender, which was reissued on short supply, for loading over May 28-30 from Chittagong, a BPC official said.This was the highest bid that BPC has received since March last year.BPC is importing 1.3 million tonnes of oil in 2014 for the Eastern Refinery, up more than 8 percent from a year earlier.

Bangladesh’s BoP surplus dwindles to over $3.89bn (Daily Times, May 19, 2014)

Bangladesh’s overall balance of payments or BoP surplus decreased by nearly 16 percent to $3.89 billion in the first three quarters of the current 2013-14 fiscal year ending next month, hit by moderate export growth and lower inward remittance, according to a Bangladesh Bank (BB) official. “Overall BoPregistered a surplus of $3,885 in July-March period of 2013-14 fiscal year, “he said. However, as export growth dipped and remittance income plunged, the BoP surplus slumped, meaning the country’s economy absorbed more than that it produced in the months.

US-Bangladesh Tech Investment Summit 2014 starts this week (Bangladesh info.com, May 19, 2014)

Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) has organized US Bangladesh Tech Investment Summit 2014 in Silicon Valley, Santa Clara, California, USA on 17 May, 2014 To further encourage and attract US Investors & investment.

Alliance reveals flaws in 30 garment factories (The Daily Star, May 18, 2014) 

Engineers of 26 US retailers and brands under the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety have so far closed down one factory in Chittagong, a year after the Rana Plaza collapse killed 1,138 people.The platform has suggested the review panel close down five more garment factories as they did not meet the standards of Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC).It found a wide deviation between the approved drawings and actual construction supported by the evidence of cracks and a need for repair. The inspection teamalso found a lack of fire alarms and a need for better enclosure and maintenance of electrical wiring.The Alliance, which had that started on March 12 with seven teams, has inspected 508 out of the 626 factories in Dhaka and Chittagong.

RMG accessories makers assured ofpolicy support (Dhaka Tribune, May 18, 2014)

The government would provide policy support to garment accessories and packaging manufacturers to help the sub-sector grow parallel to the apparel industry.State minister for finance MA Mannanmade the statement at the inauguration of funded by the Bangladesh government and the European Union, which aims to develop SMEs in the country.The project, INSPIRED, endeavors to enhance competitiveness and sustainable pro-poor growth of SMEs in selected sub-sectors of the economy, such as, sectors like agro-processing, natural fibres, leather, plastics, light engineering, electronics, furniture and textiles. Under the Programme, €6.5m will be provided to business intermediary organisations to improve their competitiveness. The country has more than 1,200 garments accessories and packaging factories, employing more than 3 lakh people.

Weekly News Clippings (May 15, 2014)

Bad governance holds the country back (The Daily Star, May 15, 2014)
A lack of good governance from budget formulation to implementation is holding back Bangladesh from achieving higher levels of economic growth. According to speakers at a pre-budget discussion, the economy will continue to grow by 5 percent even if the government “falls asleep”, given the strong level of remittance and agricultural production, garment-dominated exports and women participation in rural economy. The discussion was organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh and the Prothom Alo, a leading Bangla newspaper. The speakers also suggested a massive reform in the budget system, which has been in practice for more than 40 years.

Mobile operators demand further cuts in SIM card duty (New Age, May 15, 2014)

Mobile operators have urged the government to reduce corporate tax by 10 percentage points to 30 percent for listed and 35 percent for non-listed operators. They also urged the government to eliminate the Tk300 SIM tax, which was supposed to be paid by customers but is paid by the operators. The corporate tax rate for general listed companies is 27.5 percent and for the non-listed ones 37.5 percent. Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh organised a press briefing at Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka to share the operators' budget proposals. Mahtab Uddin Ahmed, chief operating officer of Robi, said Bangladesh has the highest corporate tax levels for the mobile sector; it is 35 percent in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, 33 percent in India, 30 percent in Thailand and 25 percent in China. 

Bangladesh tea prices up on arrival of quality leaf (Reuters, May 14, 2014)

Tea prices in Bangladesh rose on Wednesday at the first auction of the new season, on arrival of fresh and good quality leaf, brokers said.  Demand was good for good quality tea and major buyers were back to the market on the arrival of fresh leaf at the first auction of the new season. Bangladeshi tea fetched an average of 194.27 taka ($2.5) per kg at the auction, up from 68.03 taka at the previous sale after the auction season, typically to end-March, had been extended through April, an official from National Brokers Limited said.  Sales volume also rose this week although a good quantity of tea remained unsold, he added. 

Leather industry hits record exports: $1b (The Daily Star, May 14, 2014)

Leather businessmen are now confident of meeting the export target of $1.21 billion set by the government for this year. Between July and April, the leather industry exported $1.06 billion of products, whereas the exports receipts for the whole of fiscal 2012-13 stood at $980.67 million, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau.  M Abu Taher, chairman of Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leather goods and Footwear Exporters' Association, said many buyers are diverting orders from China, where the production cost has increased significantly. Taher said the sector will be able to earn as much as $2 billion next fiscal year if the present trend continues.

Bangladesh’s garment exports grow 15.38% in July-April (fibre2fashion.com, May 13, 2014)

The exports of readymade garments from Bangladesh increased by 15.38 percent to US$ 19.97 billion during the first ten months of the ongoing fiscal year 2013-14, as against exports of $17.307 billion made during the corresponding period of the previous fiscal, as per the latest data released by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). The 15.38 percent growth in clothing exports was greater than the 13.18 percent growth registered in overall exports from Bangladesh during the period under review.

London tops super-rich city list : Survey (The Financial Express, May 12, 2014)

 London has more billionaires than any other city in the world, and Britain has more billionaires per head of population than any other country, new data showed on Saturday. London is home to 72 of Britain's 104 sterling billionaires, well ahead of Moscow in second place with 48 people worth the equivalent of 1 billion pounds or more. New York is in third place with 43 billionaires, San Francisco in fourth place with 42, Los Angeles next with 38 and Hong Kong in sixth place with 34.

Why Green Jobs Are Booming in Bangladesh (The Altantic, May 12, 2014)

Bangladesh has become a top hot spot for renewable energy jobs, creating a green workforce as large as Spain’s in 2013. Bangladeshi’s are installing small photovoltaic systems at a rate of 80,000 a month, says the report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). In a country where only 47 percent of the population had access to electricity in 2009, according to the Asian Development Bank, solar is increasingly becoming a way to leapfrog the need to build a bigger power grid. In the past 10 years, the number of solar systems in Bangladesh has jumped from 25,000 to 2.8 million, according to IRENA. That in turn has created some 114,000 jobs. Solar energy accounted for 2.3 million of the world’s 6.5 million renewable energy-related jobs in 2013, according to the report.

World Bank approves $60m for VAT reforms (The Daily Star, May 11, 2014)

The World Bank has approved $60 million (about Tk 470 crore) in interest-free credit to help modernise Bangladesh's value added tax (VAT) administration and increase tax revenue. The credit has been offered under a VAT improvement programme that will increase the number of active registered VAT-payers to 85,000 within the next five years compared to around 35,000 now. The project will introduce automation, including online VAT taxpayer services, and improve transparency in the VAT administration system.

176 garment factories closed in post-Rana period (The Financial Express, May 11, 2014)

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association have confirmed that over 176 factories producing garments in Bangladesh have closed since the Rana Plaza disaster in April 2013. Shahidullah Azim, vice-president of the BGMEA, said the reasons for the shutdowns include compliance issues, western retailer audits, higher wages and political disruptions. Many buyers are also “no longer placing orders in units located in shared or rented buildings”, and that some owners willingly closed their factories because they could no longer afford to run them.

11 items picked for expansion of export (Dhaka Tribune, May 11, 2014)

The government has taken a set of measures to diversify exports with a special focus on 11 manufactured products, including pharmaceuticals, furniture, rubber, ICT, frozen food, electric home appliance, home textile, jute and jute goods, printed and packaging material, among others. “Policy supports and cash incentives will be given to these 11 products to boost export earnings,” said a commerce ministry official. He said steps will also be taken to help maintain quality and compliance in line with the international standard, and to increase productivity.

Bangladesh, India strike electricity corridor deal (Khabar South Asia, May 10, 2014)

The Bangladeshi and Indian governments tentatively struck a power cooperation deal for 2017 that would allow India to transmit electricity from its northeastern states to Bihar through Bangladesh territory. In exchange, Bangladesh would get a daily minimum of 500 to 1,000 in additional megawatts. However, the northeast power project will not be economically viable unless the two countries connect their grids or establish a power corridor in Bangladesh, said Professor Mohammad Tamim, head of the Petroleum and Mineral Resources Engineering Department at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. While some question whether India would give Bangladesh its due share of electricity, others support the bilateral deal provided it helps Bangladesh meet its chronic energy shortage.

Bangladesh 4th most polluted in world (The Daily Star, May 9, 2014)

Bangladesh has been ranked fourth among 91 countries with worst urban air quality in the latest air pollution monitoring report of World Health Organisation (WHO), while three Bangladeshi cities have been put among the top 25 cities with poorest air. The 2014 version of the Ambient Air Pollution (AAP) database consists mainly of urban air quality data of 1600 cities from 91 countries. In the city-wise assessment, Narayanganj has been marked as the 17th city with worst air quality whereas Gazipur and Dhaka have been ranked 21st and 23rd respectively. In the report, six of the top 10 cities with highest air pollution were from neighbouring India with Delhi taking the first spot.

Weekly News Clippings (May 1, 2014)

Tk 1,500cr (15 billion) lost for graft in 6 years (The Financial Express, May 1, 2014)
Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) suffered revenue loss of at least Tk1,500 crore in last six years due to corruption, revealed a TIB study yesterday. Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) identified tampering with the BTCL's international call records as one of its major corrupted areas.  The state-owned telecom company during this period lost around Tk 1,500 crore in revenue due to tampering with international call records.

World Bank calls on Bangladesh to raise domestic natural gas prices (Business Day, April 30, 2014)
The World Bank has asked Bangladesh to raise its domestic natural gas prices after five years without an increase. Domestic natural gas prices in Bangladesh currently range from 93 cents/Mcf across residential, industrial, commercial and power generation sectors. The country purchases natural gas from international oil companies operating in the country in the much higher range of $2 – $4.50/Mcf. Bangladesh has not raised domestic natural gas prices since August 1, 2009, when tariffs for all types of consumers excluding CNG were raised by 11 percent.

NBR to slap higher taxes on new factories in Dhaka (The Daily Star, April 30, 2014)
The National Board of Revenue plans to impose higher taxes on fresh investments in setting up industrial units in Dhaka and its surrounding areas."It is often said that Dhaka has become an unlivable city for increased congestion and industrialisation. According to the NBR Chairman MdGhulamHussain, new industrial plants should not be allowed in Dhaka and its adjacent areas for the sake of livability of the city.

Viyellatex cuts carbon emissions by 25pc (The Daily Star, April 29, 2014)
Viyellatex Group, one of the leading garment exporters havereduced carbon emissions by more than 25 percent over the five years since 2009. According toSystain, a Germany-based environmental consulting firm, the management of the company has put major focus on improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. Viyellatex replaced conventional fluorescent tube lights with efficient ones and replaced all conventional sewing machine motors with servo-motors, which require half the electricity, to reduce emissions.The group also installed a heat recovery system to form condensate from steam in the dyeing section, and uses it to pre-heat feed water for the boiler. Viyellatex also recovers heat from generators to use in a similar way and uses evaporative cooling instead of conventional air conditioning.

Telco prices Bangladesh’s first dollar bond (Finance Asia, April 28, 2014)

Banglalink sold $300 million five-year notes—the first dollar-denominated bonds from Bangladesh—as the mobile operator plans to boost its business and refinance existing debt.A bond is a debt instrument that enables the issuing company to raise funds by promising to repay a lender in line with terms of a contract.Banglalink's bonds will have a re-offer price of 99.008 percent with a yield to maturity of 8.875 percent, it said in a statement. The transaction is expected to close on May 6. Banglalink, the nation's second largest mobile operator after Grameenphone, is rated B1 by Moody's and B+ by Standard & Poor's—both with a stable outlook. 

40pc food poisonous (The Daily Star, April 28, 2014)

Banned pesticides that cause serious health hazards have been found in fruits, vegetables, milk and milk products and dry fish, according to a FAO-sponsored test at a government laboratory. The presence of toxic substances in the food samples was three to 20 times the limits set by the European Union. Forty percent of the 82 samples contained pesticides that had been banned more than one and a half decades ago for high toxicity.The banned pesticides include DDT (Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane), Aldrin, Chlordane and Heptachlor that are extremely harmful to humans.Carrot, bean, tomato, lettuce, capsicum, banana, apple, pineapple, mango and milk were contaminated with highly toxic pesticides, which heavy metals were detected in  samples of rice, turmeric, poultry meat and fruit juice. Arsenic and chromium were present above safe limits in three of 13 samples, and formalin was found in coriander, mango and shrimp and antibiotics were found  in chicken and fish.

US urged to cut duty on RMG (The Daily Star, April 28, 2014)

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed has urged the visiting delegation of the United States Trade Representatives to reduce discriminatory duty on shipments of garment items to make Bangladeshi products more competitive in the American market.Bangladesh pays the second highest duty for export to the US but as one of the least developed countries it was supposed to enjoy zero-tariff benefit from the American market, he said.The duty structure for Bangladeshi products is discriminatory as other competing countries pay much less tariff on exports to the US.Of the yearly export of Bangladeshi products to the US market, 95 percent are garment items. Ticfa is a platform for settling trade disputes between the two countries. The deal was signed in Washington in November last year.

17,500 RMG workers lose jobs following inspection (Dhaka Tribune, April 27, 2014)

Some 17,500 workers became jobless following the closure of 16 garment factories in Dhaka after the inspection by Accord, an association of European garment buyers.President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Atiqul Islam said that the number of jobless garment workers would reach 100,000 in next three months and 500,000 in next 5 months if the inspection continued.He also said that the buyers would start detailed engineering assessment of the factory structures from July next and about 1.5 million workers were at risk of losing their jobs.He said Dhaka had 769 factories in shared buildings, while 1,434 factories are located in multipurpose buildings.

Bangladeshranks 31st in Hopkins professor's index (Dhaka Tribune, April 26, 2014)

Bangladesh has been ranked 31st among 90 countries in an index, a research by a professor at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.The index was calculated by summing the unemployment rate, lending rate and inflation rate minus the percent change in real GDP per capita, author Hanke said in his paper.Venezuela topped as the most miserable country in the world with a index of 79.4%, with inflation as its major contributing factor. Bangladesh was ranked at 31 with a index of 20.8% with interest rate as its major contributing factor. However, Bangladesh is better-off compared to South Asian neighbours India and Pakistan which are ranked at 21 and 28 respectively in the list. The least miserable country was Japan with an index of 5.41%.

Study: Bangladesh Factories Remain Dangerous (Wall  Street Journal, April 25, 2014)

A year after the deadly collapse of the Rana Plaza building, many factories in Bangladesh remain dangerous places to work. Data released this week by Asia Inspection, which audits factories in 45 countries for global brands, said the number of audits focusing on worker safety, child labor and building inspections rose 136% in the last year. Even so, factories received lower scores on these audits this year than in 2013, according to Asia Inspection. Bangladesh factories scored an average of 5.85 this April, down from 5.98 a year ago, on a scale of 0-10, where 10 represents the best score.

Weekly News Clippings (April 24, 2014)

CPD recommends commission for Rana Plaza victims (The Dhaka Tribune, April 24, 2014)
The Centre for Policy Dialogue has suggested the government to establish a national commission with strong executive authority to solve the problems affecting the Rana Plaza victims and the garment sector as a whole. Rehman Sobhan, chairman of the local think-tank, said the commission would be headed by a high-powered person with other responsible people from within and outside the government, particularly from the civil society. Sobhan also said there should be full transparency and accountability about the funds being mobilised in the name of Rana Plaza victims from both domestic and international sources. Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of CPD, said the government would have to see whether April 24 could be declared Workers' Safety Day.

Understanding the pain of the victims (The Daily Star, April 24, 2014)
During the months of March and April this year, a multidisciplinary research team from Brac conducted a study to find out the present conditions of the survivors who received rehabilitation assistance from Brac. For the study, data was collected on the socioeconomic status of 26 survivors, their physical and mental condition, demographic information, assistance received from other sources, the treatments they sought in the last one year and their future goals and aspirations. As revealed through the research, the survivors mentioned that they are no longer receiving the free treatment they were once promised. Of the 26 survivors, 11 are amputees who received prosthetic and monetary support from Brac, the study reveals.

Bangladesh hardly benefited from duty-free Indian market, trade experts say(Dhaka Tribune, April 23, 2014)
Bangladesh has failed to take advantage of the duty-free access to Indian market due to reasons, including lack of leadership, coordination, infrastructure bottlenecks and cumbersome export procedure. According to trade analysts, Bangladesh needs to diversify its export base, in order to enhance exports to the market. India allowed all but 25 Bangladeshi products duty-free in their market in 2011, though the opportunity was used only to buy trucks instead of developing the infrastructure.

Bangladesh factory victims get fund payout(SBS, April 23, 2014)
A fund created to compensate victims of Bangladesh's worst industrial disaster has made its first payments as the country marks the first anniversary of the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse. The fund is paying about 3000 people - survivors or families of the dead - 50,000 taka each as an advance against their claims. So far, only $15 million has been collected in the trust fund managed by the International Labour Organisation against the required amount of $40 million. Of the 29 retailers, only British retailer Primark has put in $10 million.The nine-storey factory complex, where dozens of Western retailers were making clothing, collapsed on April 24 last year, killing 1138 people and injuring more than 2000.

Rajuk asked to identify unauthorised buildings (Dhaka Tribune, April 23, 2014)
The parliamentary standing committee on public accounts has asked Rajuk, the city development authority, to prepare, within a month, a list of the buildings constructed in the capital violating laws as well as to initiate departmental action against its officials who were involved in destroying the files and allowed the realtors to construct high-rise buildings in prime locations in the capital.

BGMEA, GIZ join hands to bring sustainable dev in garment industries(The Financial Express, April 23, 2014)
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) with a view to bringing sustainable development in the garment manufacturing industries in the country.   Under the MoU, the GIZ, an international enterprise operating in more than 130 countries worldwide, will implement a joint project undertaken by the governments of Bangladesh and the Germany to increase the environmental capacity of the local apparel industries, which are lagging behind to comply with the environmental issues.

Hero to set up plant in Bangladesh (Press Display, April 22, 2014)
India’s largest motorcycle maker has announced a joint venture with Bangladesh’s Nitol Niloy group. The two plan to invest around $40 million over the next five years. The joint venture, in which Hero MotoCorp will hold a 55% stake and the rest will lie with the Bangladeshi partner, plans to set up a new manufacturing facility which will have an annual capacity of 150,000 units when fully functional by the second quarter of 2015¬. The diversified Nitol Niloy group has interests in various sectors and also markets vehicles in Bangladesh.


Good job done-TIB finds 31pc pledges implemented, 60pc in progress, says Bangladesh proves it can tackle disasters like Rana Plaza (The Daily Star, April 22, 2014)
The anti-graft organization, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has released a report which assessed the country's progress in improving labour standards and working conditions since the garment industry saw its worst disaster on April 24 last year. The report praised the government for turning the factory inspection directorate into a full-fledged department, amending labour laws, formulating occupational and health policy, allowing trade unions, appointing more inspectors and raising minimum wages. In the previous assessment, the TIB identified 63 areas of governance challenges that Bangladesh needed to overcome to ensure a better workplace for more than four million garment workers

MCCI pushes for higher tax-free income ceiling(The Daily Star, April 21, 2014)
The Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) has urged the government to increase the tax-free income ceiling for individuals and cut corporate tax. The chamber recommended that the corporate tax rate should be lowered to 20 percent from 27.5 percent now for publicly traded for listed companies and to 25 percent from 37.5 percent for the other companies.  The chamber also suggested reducing the flat corporate tax rate for banks, insurance companies and non-bank financial institutes to 35 percent from 42.5 percent.

$500m remittances flow in, 11 days into April (Dhaka Tribune, April 19, 2014)
In the current fiscal year of 2013-14, Bangladesh received a total of $10.479bn in remittances until March. According to a Bangladesh Bank statement, non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) living abroad have sent a total of $495.86m from April 1-11 of the current year. Of this, $160.63m came into the country in the first four days while the remaining $335.23m flowed in between April 5-11. The most significant portion of remittances entered the country through private banking channels.

Bangladesh files contempt case against British reporter (AFP, April 18, 2014)
Bangladesh's war crime tribunal launched a contempt case against a Dhaka-based British journalist, David Bergman, for allegedly criticising the court in his writings and questioning the death toll from the nation's 1971 independence war. The International Crimes Tribunal -- a domestic court set up by the country's secular government to try suspected war criminals including opposition leaders and key Islamists -- initiated the case after rejecting Bergman's assertion that the articles were "accurate".

Bangladesh seizes properties of owner of collapsed factory(Global Post, April 17, 2014)
The Bangladesh government has seized properties belonging to the Sohel Rana, owner of a building that collapsed and killed 1,138 garment workers, the worst industrial disaster in the country's history. The government announced the property seizures months after the High Court ordered them confiscated, and just one week before the first anniversary of the tragedy in the industrial district of Savar.

Weekly News Clippings (April 17, 2014)

Export tax cuts concern IMF (The Daily Star, April 17, 2014)
The International Monetary Fund has sought a concrete action plan from the government to counter the impact of export tax cuts. The cuts are expected to bring in revenue losses of around Tk 2,000 crore over the next 15 months. Last month, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) slashed the export tax on ready made garments to 0.3 percent from 0.8 percent and on all other products to 0.6 percent from 0.8 percent, in a bid to make up for the losses incurred last year due to political turmoil.

Banks reluctant to mobilise deposits (Dhaka Tribune, April 16, 2014)
Deposit growth in the banking sector dropped substantially in last one year as banks are reluctant to mobilise funds at higher rate due to lack of credit demand and sluggish investment climate. It decreased to 16.48% in February from 20% in the same month last year. The credit growth of the banking sector decreased to 7.44% from 12.73% during the same period, according to the Bangladesh Bank data.

WTO raises outlook for global trade in good sign for economy (The Financial Express, April 16, 2014)
Global commerce is set to grow by 4.7 per cent this year with recovery in rich economies expected to mitigate risks in developing nations, says the World Trade Organization. According to WTO’s earlier forecast, trade would expand by 4.5 per cent in 2014, up from an estimated rate of 2.1 per cent in 2013. So the latest forecast points to substantially more than a doubling of the growth achieved last year. Trade is a key measure of the health of the global economy which it both stimulates and reflects. Asia will continue to fuel growth rates, the WTO said, although China's exceptionally strong expansion is slowing. In addition, Europe and North America's recovery is also set to be a key driver on both the import and export fronts.

Bangladesh factory owner faces murder charges over deadly collapse (Australian News Network, April 15, 2014)
The owner of a nine-storey building that collapsed and killed more than 1,100 Bangladeshi garment workers in April last year is to face murder charges, police said. Sohel Rana, owner of the Rana Plaza factory complex would be charged in connection with the disaster. If convicted Rana, a junior official in the ruling Awami League party, could be sentenced to death. It was the first time police have said they would file murder charges against Rana, who was arrested on the western border with India as he tried to flee the country days after the April 24 disaster.  Survivors recounted how thousands of them were forced to enter the compound at the start of the working day despite complaints about cracks appearing in the walls.

Realtors call for relaxing lending rules (The Daily Star, April 15, 2014)
Realtors are urging financial institutions to provide more loans to the real estate sector due to the higher demand. The current demand for housing in urban areas is 30,000 units annually and is expected to cross 60,000 units in the next five years while the real estate sector is only producing 17,000-18,000 units per year. Realtors further said that banks should make investment in the real estate sector considering their heavy investment in its backward linkage industries such as steel mills, cement and tiles industries.

Seek buys 25% of Bangladesh's Bdjobs (The Australian Business, April 14, 2014)
Listed job search site Seek has acquired 25 per cent of fast-growing Bangladeshi jobs site Bdjobs, for $5 million in cash, as it continues its growth strategy in Asia. The acquisition was made using Seek's cash reserves, facilitated via a proportional sell-down by early stage investors. It grants the Australian company representation on Bdjobs' board as well as typical protections relevant to a minority shareholding. The jobs site -- Bangladesh's largest -- posted a net profit after tax of $US900 million ($A957.81m) in the 2013 calendar year. Bdjobs' chief executive and founder Fahim Mashroor remains its biggest shareholder.

Over hundred sub-contracting apparel factories close down (The Financial Express, April 14, 2014)
More than one hundred sub-contracting apparel factories, mostly non-compliant ones, have been closed and many others are at the verge of closure mainly for want of sufficient work. According to the industry insiders, the sub-contracting factories have long been facing dearth of work as big garment makers, who take work orders directly, are either turning away from the third parties or are opting for the compliant ones in the face of strict monitoring of safety measures by the buyers. Sources said, the sub-contracting factories randomly engage child labour in production and other safety measures like fire safety, exit facilities and their timely payments are rarely maintained.

Rising wages squeeze Bangladesh garment makers as factories await upgrades(Chicago Tribune, April 13, 2014)
Bangladesh garment factory owners say they are soaking up much of the cost of nearly doubling wages as some global retailers balk at price hikes, leaving less money for safety improvements urged by apparel chains after last year's Rana Plaza disaster. The task of coping with a 79 percent increase in the minimum monthly wage to $68, imposed last December at the urging of some retail chains, comes as competition intensifies among emerging markets producing garments for stores like Walmart and Zara. That is squeezing sales in Bangladesh's main export industry. Some buyers have shifted orders to countries like India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia because of concerns about workshop safety, higher wages and political uncertainty.

Facebook restricted content access in Bangladesh (Dhaka Tribune, April 13, 2014)
Facebook, the top social network in the world, had restricted access to content in Bangladesh. The restriction was implicated upon Bangladesh government request, says Facebook. A total of 3 contents were restricted according to the Facebook report. However, Facebook has not disclosed any details about the restricted contents. Earlier, Bangladesh government had asked for personal information of 12 Facebook users to the Facebook authorities from January to June in 2013. In the recent report, India requested to restrict 4765 contents, which is the highest among the countries. United States government asked for 18,715 user account information, which is highest in this regard.

Non-traditional markets show great promise for garments(The Daily Star, April 13, 2014)
Garment exports to non-traditional markets are rising at a faster rate than to the traditional markets owing to the stimulus package and duty benefits by emerging markets for Bangladesh. In fiscal 2012-13, garment exports to non-traditional markets such as Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and so on rose 29 percent year-on-year to $2.98 billion, according to data from Export Promotion Bureau. In contrast, exports to traditional markets of the US, Canada and European Union stood at $18.54 billion last fiscal year, up 10.93 percent year-on-year.

Good IMF grades to Bangladesh (The Daily Star, April 12, 2014)
The International Monetary Fund has said it is not concerned over Bangladesh's economic performance as the growth rate is hovering around 6 percent.  According to Changyong Rhee, director of IMF's Asia-Pacific Department, the 6 percent growth rate or close to 6 percent is not a bad performance. Bangladesh's GDP growth prospects are slightly brighter than its Asian peers: the IMF expects Asian growth to improve to 5.4 percent in 2014 and 5.5 percent in 2015, up from 5.2 percent last year. Asia will remain the global growth leader, as Rhee said the main growth drivers are improved external demand, which has lifted exports, healthy labour markets and robust credit growth.

Rutgers joins push for safer working conditions in Bangladesh (newsworks, April 11, 2014)
Rutgers, New Jersey's state university, is the latest of 17 schools requiring manufacturers of its collegiate apparel to sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. International workers rights groups are praising a decision by Rutgers University that could help eliminate sweatshops in Bangladesh. That accord requires factories to establish workplace safety rules and agree to independent inspections, said Judy Gearhart, executive director of the International Labor Rights Forum.

Bangladesh: Skills and Training Enhancement Project (The World Bank, April 11, 2014)
To ensure better employment opportunities for the Bangladeshi labor force, in both local and overseas job markets, skills development and vocational education have to be aligned with the market demand. The Skills and Training Enhancement Project (STEP) aims to strengthen public and private training institutions, to improve the quality of skills training and employability of trainees, both at home and abroad, including those from disadvantaged socio- economic backgrounds. Since the project was approved in 2010, 69,000 diploma students from 93 polytechnic institutions received stipends and 29,700 trainees received training from these training providers, 25% of them being women.

Weekly News Clippings (April 10, 2014)

Political unrest ate up $1.4b (The Daily Star, April 10, 2014)
Bangladesh has suffered a production loss of $1.4 billion (around Tk 10,857 crore), which is more than 1 percent of its gross domestic product, in the current fiscal year due to political turmoil from July last year to January, according to a World Bank study.  The WB revealed the findings yesterday at the launch of Bangladesh Development Update Report 2014 at its Dhaka office. The economic loss Bangladesh suffered in the current fiscal year was more than one percent of the country's GDP of around $130 billion, according to the WB. Of the losses, 86 percent was in the service sector, 11 percent in industry and the remaining 3 percent in agriculture, it said.

Study: Only 7 out of 126 RMG trade unions active (Dhaka Tribune, April 9, 2014)
Only seven out of 126 registered trade unions in the readymade garment industry are actively working to promote the rights of workers, a new study says. The key impediment for most trade unions not being functional is harassment and assaults by the factory management, finds the study, conducted by Solidarity Centre,  titled “Organising Trade Unions in the RMG Sector 2010-14.” Alonzo Glenn Suson, executive director of Solidarity Centre, said around 20% of the workers engaged with the trade unions found it difficult to operate due to torture by the members of the factory officials.

At long last, WHO certifies Bangladesh polio-free (Khabar South Asia, April 9, 2014)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has finally declared Bangladesh as "polio-free" and praised it as "one of the world's vaccination stars".  Through a robust national immunisation programme, Bangladesh mostly rid itself of the crippling disease in 2003. But the country reported a final case of polio in March 2006, and then had to wait for three years without detecting any polio cases. For Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, and North Korea, that long-awaited certification came on March 27th in New Delhi, during the 7th meeting of the South-East Asia Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication.

Bangladesh tea prices plunge on poor grade leaf (Reuters, April 8, 2014)
Tea prices in Bangladesh plunged again at a weekly auction on Tuesday, after a brief rise in the previous session, dragged down by inferior quality leaf near the end of the season, brokers said. Nearly 1.18 million kg was offered at the country's sole auction centre in Chittagong, and 46 percent remained unsold. At the previous auction, more than 2 million kg was offered, of which nearly 60 percent went unsold.  Buyers sought huge discounts to buy end-of-season tea that tends to be of inferior quality, the official said.

New building code to see a number of changes (The Financial Express, April 8, 2014)
The updated Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC), aiming to avoid disasters, is likely to receive approval by June this year. A good number of changes will take place for the first time after twenty years since the drawing up of the code in 1993. The new changes are made on the basis of US Building Code 2012 whereas the existing code is based on US Code 1989. Building codes are reviewed every two years in the US and other developed countries but in Bangladesh it is going to take place after more than two decades and the country is yet to form an authority to implement the BNBC.

European retailers yet to recruit local engineers for factory inspection (The Daily Star, April 8, 2014)
The platform of European retailers is yet to recruit 25 local engineers as promised although factory inspections are going on in full swing. The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a platform of around 150 retailers mostly headquartered in Europe, earlier said the recruitment of 25 local engineers would be completed by early March. At present, 60 foreign engineers recruited by Accord are conducting the factory inspections, with assistance from 52 Bangladeshi nationals, for structural integrity and fire and electrical safety.

Bangladesh raises duty on sugar and tea imports (Reuters, April 7, 2014)
Bangladesh has increased regulatory duty on imports of raw and refined sugar and on tea to discourage overseas buying amid a drop in local prices due to ample supplies, a senior tax official said on Monday. The duties on imports of raw sugar will now be 2,000 taka ($26) a ton from 1,500 taka earlier, said the official at the customs wing of the National Board of Revenue. Duties on refined sugar imports will be raised to 4,500 taka from 3,000 taka. The duty on imports of tea has been increased to 15 percent from 5 percent earlier, the official added.

Bangladesh to order probe into gold crests scam (Gulf Times, April 7, 2014)
The government has decided to investigate the reported adulteration in the gold of crests given to ‘foreign friends’ in recognition of their contribution to Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971, one and half years after the anomaly was detected. The adulteration in the gold was detected when the liberation war affairs ministry sent a sample of the crest on October 18, 2012 to the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution for testing. The crests  which were supposed to have 11.66 grams of gold each, are found to have only 2.63 grams of gold. The BSTI test also confirmed that the crests, which should have been made of 351 grams of silver, had no silver at all. They were made of an alloy of brass, copper and zinc. The ministry paid the manufacturer Taka 263,325 for each of the 324 crests.

Cash incentives may lead to 70pc growth in furniture export in next fiscal year(The Financial Express, April 6, 2014)

Furniture export may register 70 per cent growth in the next fiscal if the sector gets cash incentives from the government, industry insiders said.  The President of Bangladesh Furniture Exporters Association KM Akhtaruzzaman, the furniture industry stressed on skilled manpower along with modern- tech facility to increase the export. Furniture is one of the most rapidly growing sectors in Bangladesh and accounts for 0.29 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). At present, local manufacturers sell furniture worth around Tk 140 billion a year in the domestic market. About 2.5 million people are now engaged in the sector. The US is the key market for furniture exports.

Leather sector eyes $5b from exports (The Daily Star, April 7, 2014)
Bangladesh will be able to earn at least $5 billion in exports from leather, leather goods and footwear in the next decade if it can properly address health, environment and compliance issues in the sector, analysts said yesterday. “We have all the elements, such as cheap labour and raw materials to grab more orders,” Bazlul Haque Khondker, an economics professor at Dhaka University, said at a roundtable. But the country lacks environment friendly tanneries to process leather, posing as the main bottleneck to increasing exports, he said. Bangladesh now exports leather, leather goods and footwear worth around $1 billion a year, which accounts for only 0.005 percent of the global market worth $230 billion.

ADB to channel $110m loan for pvt infrastructure dev(The Financial Express, April 7, 2014)
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide US$110 million in loan to Bangladesh for developing the private sector infrastructure including renewable energy. The credit line will support the second phase of Public-Private Infrastructure Development Facility under the state-owned Infrastructure Development Company Ltd. (IDCOL), said a statement. The World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency will co-finance the project with $99.5 million and $96 million respectively. Private sector investors will also contribute $50 million as equity financing, and debt funding. The loan will help IDCOL to bump up investments in power generation, water and sanitation, transportation, and information technology. IDCOL currently has a pipeline of eight energy projects with a total investment amount of around $235 million. 

Bangladesh inflation quickens again in March on food prices(Reuters, April 6, 2014)
Bangladesh's annual inflation rose to 7.48 percent in March, fired up by food prices, the country's Bureau of Statistics said on Sunday. March's inflation rate was up from 7.44 percent a month earlier. Food prices in March were 8.96 percent higher than a year earlier, up from February's 8.84 percent increase. In contrast, non-food inflation rate eased to 5.26 percent from 5.37 percent. 

New tech power plant to save costs, reduce emissions(Dhaka Tribune, April 5, 2014)
As part of the government’s plan to turn Cox’s Bazar into the country’s biggest energy hub, the Power Development Board (PDB) has decided to construct a 1,400MW coal-fired ultra supercritical thermal power plant at the district’s Maheshkhali upazila. It is the first power plant where PDB is going to adopt the latest ultra supercritical technology for setting up coal-based thermal power plants. Currently, the 250MW Barapukuria plant is the only coal-fired power plant running on subcritical technology in the country.

Bangladesh does better than most S Asian nations(The Daily Star, April 5, 2014)
Bangladesh has done better than most South Asian countries in social progress, according to a report by Washington-based organisation Social Progress Imperative. Ranked 99 among 132 countries, Bangladesh has scored higher than India, Pakistan and Nepal, losing out only to Sri Lanka in the region. The evaluation was done based on the performance of these countries over the past one year.
The Social Progress Index, a multi-country analysis report, was released on Thursday. According to the index, Bangladesh's relative strength lay in bringing down child mortality, achieving gender parity in secondary school enrollment, improving life expectancy, showing respect to women, and its increased demand for contraception.  

Four More Shipbreaking Workers Die in Bangladesh(Environment News Service, April 4, 2014)
Four shipbreaking workers were killed and three others were critically injured on Thursday when a gas cylinder exploded in a shipbreaking yard in Chittagong. The four workers died after inhaling carbon dioxide. Shipbreaking involves the dismantling of old ships for scrap recycling of their steel and other equipment on board. Around one million tonnes of steel are dismantled in Bangladeshi shipyards every year. The country’s shipbreaking industry  provides direct and indirect employment for about 200,000 people. “Shipbreaking workers are not well trained, their work is not supervised and they are either not provided with safety gear or no checks are made to ensure that they are actually able to properly use protective equipment,” said Muhammad Ali Shahin, Bangladesh coordinator of the NGO Shipbreaking Platform, a Brussels-based coalition of environmental, human rights and labor rights organizations working for safe and clean ship recycling worldwide.

Bangladesh: factories faced with expensive fire safety requirements (fashionunited.co.uk, April 3, 2014)
As far as fire safety is concerned Bangladesh’s readymade garment (RMG) factory owners will have to spend at least Tk 40 billion (331.5 million pounds) to meet requirements of various international buyers. Britain is going to launch three new projects to help improve working conditions and safety standards in Bangladesh’s garment industry, its international development minister says. Alliance, a body of retailers of European buyers, and Accord, another platform of North American retailers are looking after fire and building safety activities in Bangladesh alongside the government’s initiative. The deadly incidents at Rana Plaza building, which took lives of 1134 workers and injured many, and the fire incident in Tazreen Fashions, with 113 casualties, have seriously pushed forward the issue of workplace safety in Bangladeshi factories.