Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday held a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora in Dakar, after the conclusion of the OIC Summit. The envoy praised the role of Bangladeshi peacekeepers and said they would welcome the peacekeepers in Lebanon, newspapers reported.
The 11th summit of the OIC concluded in Dakar on Friday with the adoption of a new charter of the Islamic Conference and the Dakar Declaration pledging to preserve world peace and security, face the challenges of the Muslim Ummah unitedly and ensure development of the member states. The summit leaders pledged to make contributions amounting to $10 billion, to the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development, established within the Islamic Development Bank. The Declaration called for a speedy human resource development process of high quality, in OIC member states, under the Ten-Year Programme of Action, newspapers reported.
Earlier, Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed called for using vast resources of Muslim countries to assist the Muslim Ummah and meet its various needs. Addressing the general discussion of the OIC Summit on the second and concluding day in Dakar on Friday, he stressed the need for examining in greater depths the possibilities of the Islamic common market. He said, the Muslim Ummah must demonstrate its commitment towards good governance, the rule of law, freedom of expression, human rights, compassion for the poor and equality of women, newspapers reported.
Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed, who led Bangladesh delegation to the 11th Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Summit, was on his way to London form Dakar last night for a 5-day visit to UK. On March 18, he will have a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London. Besides, he will meet the Bangladeshi community and British Bangladeshi journalists in UK, newspapers reported.
Besides, Foreign Adviser Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said, Bangladesh wants an action-oriented OIC that would emphasize implementation of resolutions rather than remaining satisfied with their adoption. During a briefing to international media on conclusion of the OIC Summit in Dakar on Friday, he said, Bangladesh has been experiencing a series of fundamental transformation in her own society through homegrown ideas like micro-credit and non-formal education, and is keen to share it with others in the Islamic Ummah, including the brotherly countries of Africa, newspapers reported.
Finance Adviser Dr AB Mirza Md Azizul Islam said, the budget for the next fiscal would give priority to poverty reduction, human resource development, education and heath sectors. It would also give importance to social safety net expansion and infrastructure development, he said, during a pre-budget exchange of opinion meeting in Chittagong yesterday. He stressed on proper implementation of Annual Development Programme and said, dependence of foreign aid should be reduced by increasing revenue collection, newspapers reported.
Commerce Adviser Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman disclosed that the government is planning to recast the recently designed fertillizer-distribution system to put an end to fertilizer crisis at farming level across the country. Speaking at the special edition of BBC Bangladesh Sanglap titled 'Rural Economy' held in Dhaka yestarday, he said, the government would also take an initiative so that the subsidy given on fertilizer reaches direct into the hands of farmers, specially small and poor cultivators, newspapers reported.
Agriculture Adviser Dr. CS Karim urged the university teachers and researchers to utilise their knowledge and experiences for the development of the country. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of 30th Bangladesh Chemical Society Conference in Chittagong yesterday, he urged the government and non-government organizations to come forward to provide better facilities for quality researches, the Daily Star reported.
Chief of Army Staff General Moeen U Ahmed formally inaugurated a new Golf course and unveiled cover of a book 'Golf and Golf Courses in Bangladesh' in Rangpur yesterday. The course was initiated by the army in view of the brighter prospects of developments in all sectors by involving all people in Rangpur and the region and expansion of Golf in the area, newspapers reported.
Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda said, the Commission is considering announcement of a tentative date for national elections after June as the final draft of voter list will be in their hands by then. He was talking to newsmen, after a meeting with a five-member UNDP delegation, headed by visiting UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis in Dhaka yesterday, newspapers reported.
Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd. yesterday signed a MoU with Boeing company to procure eight modern aircraft. The company would supply four Boeing 777-300 ER in 2013 and four Boeing 787-8 in 2017 at a total cost of US $ 1.26 billion, newspapers reported.
India approved duty-free import of eight million pieces of garments from Bangladesh per year without restriction on raw material sourcing. The approval was given at a meeting of Indian cabinet presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday night, the Daily Star reported.
The government authorised the US company Chevron to conduct 3D seismic survey in the Lawachhara Reserve Forest. Chevron would pay compensation in case of any damage to the forest during the survey, the News Today reported.
The anonymous philanthropist, who earlier promised to donate $ 130 million to rebuild schools and battered lives of the SIDR victims, has deposited the money in the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). $ 20 million will be spent on livelihood development of the cyclone hit areas, while the rest on rebuilding schools and schools-cum-cyclone shelters, newspapers reported.
Bangladesh received $1,107 million in foreign aid during July-February period of the current fiscal year, which is the highest-ever disbursement by bilateral and multilateral donors during the same period in past years, New Nation reported.
The Advisers' Committee on Public Purchase, presided by Dr. AB Mirza Md Azizul Islam on Thursday, approved two tender proposals for the import of 20,000 tons of non-boiled rice from Myanmar. Two private firms of Myanmar will supply 10,000 tons of rice each, at 395.50 per ton, newspapers reported.
Anti-Corruption Commission Chairman Lt General (Retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury reaffirmed the Commission's commitment to stamp out corruption from sociey, saying that no corrupt, whoever he or she is, would be spared. Addressing a gathering prior to leading a grand anti-corruption rally in Chittagong yesterday, he said, the ACC has been relentlessly working to build a social resistance against corruption and create a mass upsurge against the vice, newspapers reported.
Highspeed Shipbuilding and Engineers Company Limited, ship builders of the country, would earn $87 million by exporting eight MPC (Icc Class) vessels to the Netherlands, newspapers reported.
The government planned to set up the long-awaited central Effluent Treatment Plants in all the EPZs by next 18 months, to stop indiscriminate dumping of toxic and environmentally hazardous industrial wastes, the Financial Express reported.
Bangladesh outperforms India and Pakistan in many areas concerning women's status and gender equality, said a World Bank report. It said, Bangladesh stands out as a shining new example in South Asia achieving impressive gains in gender equality despite being a poor country, newspapers reported.
An international judging panel awarded the 2008 Commonwealth Writers' Prize Best First Book Award for the Europe and South Asia region to 'A Golden Age' by Tahmima Anam. The novel, a lyrically written narrative set during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence, was praised as 'sensitive and evocative', the Daily Star reported.