IAEA to help Bangladesh set up nuclear power plant

DHAKA, June 19 -- Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will assist Bangladesh with technical assistance in setting up a nuclear power plant to meet its growing energy need.

A three-member Bangladesh delegation headed by SM Wahiduzzaman, secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the caretaker government, recently visited Vienna at the invitation of the IAEA and got the assurance after talking with IAEA officials.

A government official who declined to give his name told Xinhua Thursday the talks of Bangladesh delegation with IAEA officials were fruitful.

"We got assurance from the agency beyond our expectations," he said.

The IAEA has developed a program for providing the technical assistance to Bangladesh who topped the list of eight developing countries received clearance from IAEA for setting up nuclear power plant last year.

The Bangladesh delegation apprised the IAEA officials of their country's existing infrastructural facilities for implementing the plant.

About cost of the plant, the official said, one Megawatt of such energy will now cost around 1.52 million U.S. dollar. Initially Bangladesh will go for a plant of 600 to 1,000 MW.

About availability of fund, the official did not name any country, but said several countries are interested to provide the required fund.

"Fund is not a problem," he said.

Bangladesh generates around 4,000 MW power a day against its demand over 5,000 MW. Due to inconsistent power supply, the economy of the country particularly the industrial and agriculture productivity are the worst hit.

Czech Republic to invest over $3b in Bangladesh

Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Mireck Topolank has said Bangladesh is an emerging economy and his country considered it as a best destination for investment.

He said his government is considering to invest more than 3 billion dollars in oil refinery, fertiliser, IT, energy and defense sectors of Bangladesh.

He disclosed this during a meeting with Mahabubur Rahman, Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Bangladesh last week.

During a week-long visit, Mahabubur Rahman also called on Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel Schwarzenberg and President of the Senate and Parliament of the Czech Republic, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (Economy and Trade), Director General of Czech Export Bank and high officials of the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

During the meetings, Czech authorities expressed their sincere desire to help Bangladesh in its development efforts.

Bangladesh April exports up 37 pct on year before

DHAKA, June 12 (Reuters) - Bangladesh exports in April surged 37.6 percent from a year earlier to more than $1.2 billion, mostly boosted by higher volumes since prices were steady, Export Promotion Bureau data showed on Thursday.

In July to April, the first 10 months of 2007/08 fiscal year, export earnings grew 14.73 percent to $11.37 billion, short of a target of $11.64 billion. Export volumes increased by 15.73 percent while prices fell 1.07 percent.

Earnings from knitwear garments during July-April grew almost 20 percent to about 4.4 billion, only 0.09 percent above the target while woven garments exports increased 9.73 percent to nearly $4.2 billion, more than $151 million short of target.

"If we can ensure a stable political environment our export performance will be far better," said Atiur Rahman, a professor of development studies at the Dhaka University.

"The U.S and European markets are our main destinations and both the markets at present are suffering from a slow economy, meaning a fall in demand for garment exports, the key export earners," he told Reuters.

The projected 2007/08 export target for knitwear is $5.46 billion, up 20 percent from the last fiscal year. The target for woven garments is $5.4 billion, up 16 percent.

"We are hopeful to exceed the target in this fiscal year," said Shahab Ullah, the vice chairman of government's Export Promotion Bureau.

Exports hit a record $12.18 billion in the last fiscal year that ended in June, of which more than $9 billion came from garments.

Bangladesh has been under a state of emergency since an interim government took office in January last year following months of political violence. It has banned political and other protests including strikes and transport shutdowns.

The government has vowed to hold a free and fair election before the end of this year after cleaning up corruption.

Bangladesh has set a $14.5 billion export target for the year to June 2008, up 19 percent from the previous year.

($1= 68.52 taka)

Bangladesh ex-PM departs for medical treatment in U.S.

Thu Jun 12, 2008
By Anis Ahmed

DHAKA (Reuters) - Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, released from jail on parole, left Dhaka on Thursday for the United States for medical treatment.

She boarded a British Airways flight to London en route to the United States, officials at the airport said.

Before leaving, Hasina briefly met senior leaders of her Awami League political party at the airport and asked them to remain united in her absence.

"We assured her of the party's unity," Syed Ashraful Islam, general secretary of Awami League, told reporters. He said Hasina also asked them to prepare for a parliamentary election due in December.

Political analysts said Hasina's freedom, temporary though it may be, had moved the Awami League and the military-backed government towards a "win-win situation" that would help push the political process forward.

"People would now hope the government might offer a similar olive branch to Hasina's rival Begum Khaleda Zia and release her from detention," said Professor Ataur Rahman Khan, president of the Bangladesh Political Science Association.

"The government is trying to (say) that the judicial process and politics can continue side by side, and the parties may buy it in good faith," he told Reuters on Thursday.

Special courts prosecuting Hasina for alleged corruption ruled on Monday the trials could continue in her absence, after a government-appointed medical board suggested she be sent abroad immediately.

Hasina has been suffering from high blood pressure, eye problems and hearing impairment caused by grenade blasts at a rally she addressed in Dhaka in August 2004, which killed 23 people.

The interim government, headed by former central bank chief Fakhruddin Ahmed, arrested Hasina in July last year for alleged corruption, but it granted her an eight-week parole on Wednesday for treatment abroad.

UNCERTAINTIES LOOM

"But despite an offer of goodwill (by the government), uncertainties loom large," political analyst Ataur said, adding "what or how much the government can do for the fellow former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia will be a major decider."

Khaleda, also in detention since last September on charges of corruption, has rejected advice by a separate medical board to go abroad for treatment.

But she has asked the government to let her ailing sons, Tareque Rahman and Arafat Rahmanm, travel abroad for treatment.

Some analysts believe once Hasina leaves she will not be allowed back, and that if Khaleda left the country that would also be her fate.

That could enable the military-backed interim government to re-shape Bangladesh's politics ahead of nationwide polls in December.

However, Hasina told her party leaders and four advisers to the interim government late on Wednesday that she would return immediately after the treatment to actively take part in politics.

She also wants to contest a parliamentary election planned for December, said Ashraful, the Awami general secretary.

Retired Major-General Syed Mohammad Ibrahim, a defence and political analyst, told Reuters Hasina's release and permission to go abroad was a "positive response by the government to meet a challenging political situation".

Masud appointed Bangladesh envoy to Italy

The Government has appointed Masud Bin Momen, currently serving as Director General (UN and Human Rights) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the next Ambassador of Bangladesh to Italy.

A career diplomat, Masud joined Bangladesh Civil Service Foreign Affairs in 1988, a foreign office press release said on Sunday.

He served in the Bangladesh Permanent Mission in New York, Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad and as Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi.

He also served on deputation as director at the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu, the release said.

Masud is married and blessed with one son and one daughter.

Bangladesh Trade Deficit Widens To Over $3.92 Billion

Dhaka, Bangladesh (AHN) - Bangladesh's overall trade deficit widened by
65.16 percent to $3.921 billion in the first nine months of this fiscal
due to price hike of essential items in the global market.

"Higher prices of most of the essential items, including food grains and
fuel, in the international market have pushed the trade deficit further
higher," a senior official of the Bangladesh Bank (BB), the country's
central bank, told AHN Media Corporation in the capital, Dhaka on
Saturday.

The overall trade deficit rose to $3.921 billion in July-March period of
fiscal 2007-08 from $2.374 billion during the corresponding period of
the previous fiscal.

During the period, export earnings stood at $10.045 billion against the
import payments of $13.966 billion, according to the central bank
statistics.

"Despite larger deficit in trade balance the current account balance
recorded a surplus of $390 million during July-March, 2007-08 against
the surplus of $605 million during July-March, 2006-07 due mainly to
larger current transfers of $6.233 billion," the central bank says in
its Major Economic Indicators: Monthly Update for May, 2008.

The overall balance of payments, however, recorded a surplus of $215
million at the end of March last as against a surplus of $809 million
during the same period of the previous fiscal due to surplus in capital
account and current account amounting to $390 million and $358 million
respectively, according to the Update.

"The country's overall balance of payments is maintaining a surplus
trend due to higher inflow remittances and foreign aid," another BB
official told AHN Media Corporation in Dhaka.

Bangladesh received $7.163 billion from expatriate Bangladeshis during
the July-May period of fiscal 2007-08 against $5.462 billion in the same
period of the previous fiscal, the BB said.

On the other hand, the net receipts of foreign aid recorded higher at
$877.74 million during the period against $537.52 million of the
corresponding period of previous fiscal, thanks to huge donors'
assistance for the floods and cyclone victims, officials confirmed.

Bangladesh expat remittances rise 32 pct in May

DHAKA, June 7 (Reuters) - Money sent home by Bangladeshis working
overseas rose almost 32 percent to nearly $733 million in May, up from
$557 million a year earlier, the central bank said on Saturday.

In July-May, the first eleven months of the 2007/08 financial year,
remittances from more than 5 million Bangladeshis working abroad
totalled more than $7.16 billion, more than 31 percent higher than the
same period of 2006/07 fiscal year, the bank said in a statement.

Remittances hit a record $5.98 billion in the 2006/07 financial year
that ended in June for a rise of 24.52 percent on the previous fiscal
year.

A central bank official said he expected the inflow of remittances would
rise at the rate of more than 60 percent over the next couple of years,
boosting a key source of foreign exchange for the impoverished
majority-Muslim country.

"We have in recent times focused on raising the skills of workers which
is driving demand for Bangladeshi labour," the official said.

"Moreover, the central bank has been seriously encouraging Bangladeshi
workers to remit their hard-earned foreign exchange through legal
channels," he said.

The majority of the expatriate workers are in the Middle East, the
United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore.

Remittances from Bangladeshis are the country's second biggest source of
foreign income after ready-made garments, which earned more than $9
billion in the 2006/07 fiscal year.

($1= 68.52 taka)

(Reporting by Serajul Islam Quadir; Editing by Ben Tan)

Brick wall discovery indicates ancient Bangladesh university

Dhaka, June 8 A brick wall discovered beneath the 1,500-year-old Vasu
Bihar in northern Bangladesh's Bogra district indicates the possibility
of a university campus, an archaeological expert has said. "We think a
university campus lies buried there. Maybe the Pala dynasty built the
Vasu Bihar on the structure knowingly or unknowingly," said Nahid
Sultana, leader of a government archaeological excavation team.

She called the discovery "a major breakthrough", but told The Daily Star
newspaper that much work needed to be done.

She complained of lack of funds that led to the project being wrapped up
in January.

The wall built on a concrete floor and doorway to a room date back to
pre-Pala era. The team, which began its digging Nov 23 last year, found
a 12.70-15.24cm floor three-four metres beneath three rooms of Vasu
Bihar.

Despite fund constraints, archaeologists have undertaken excavation work
in Bogra, Dinajpur, Sirajganj and other areas in northern Bangladesh,
and have come up with discoveries that link the region to historical
sites and monuments at Nalanda, Bihar in India.

During a three-year archaeological dig that started 1973-74, some 30
cells, a hall and other brick-built structures were found along with a
number of artefacts including 40 bronze statues belonging to 10-11 A.D.,
said Sultana, who is also custodian of Rabindra Memorial Museum in
Shahjadpur of Sirajganj.

"This time, we have found bricks and concrete floors under three cells
which are 10-14 feet long and 9-10 feet wide," she said.

Almost all the brick structures are still intact, the first known case
in Bangladesh, she added.

"If the Vasu Bihar and Bihar Dhap, divided by a one-km road and
cultivable land, could be excavated and studied properly, the patterns
of a university complex could be found," Sultana said.

Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang had seen 700 monks and religious educational
institutions including temples at the site during his South Asia visit
in 639-645 A.D., according to historical documents.

Bangladesh party rejects unity offer from rival

DHAKA (Reuters) - A call for national unity by the party of detained
former Bangladesh prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia was immediately
rebuffed on Friday by its main rival in a sign the country's political
cracks are as wide as ever.

Khandaker Delwar Hossain, secretary-general of the Bangladesh
Nationalist Party (BNP) whose leader is in detention awaiting a
corruption trial, appealed to the Awami League for unity ahead of
elections scheduled for later this year.

"Please respond positively to our call for unity at least once, for
God's sake and in the interest of the country," he said late on
Thursday.

But the offer was immediately rejected.

"We have already made our principled stance known ... that unity with
the BNP, even amid a crisis, is not possible," said Awami general
secretary Syed Ashraful Islam.

"Their policy and ideology are different from us. They make allies of
fanatics and foes of the country. They help terrorists," he told
reporters.

The Awami League, whose leader Sheikh Hasina is also in detention on
graft charges, has criticised the BNP for an alliance with
Jamaat-e-Islami, the country's biggest religion-based party.

Awami and its allies accuse Jamaat of helping the Pakistani army in
human rights violations during Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence
against Pakistan, which Jamaat denies.

They also accuse Jamaat of harbouring Islamist militants responsible for
a series of bomb and grenade attacks in 2004-05 when Khaleda was in
power.

An army-backed interim government headed by former central bank chief
Fakhruddin Ahmed took charge in Bangladesh in January 2007, following
deadly violence between supporters of Hasina and Khaleda.

It imposed emergency rule, banned political activity, cancelled an
election planned for Jan. 22 last year, and detained hundreds of key
political figures including Hasina and Khaleda, for alleged corruption.

The two women have told separate courts the charges against them were
"false and politically motivated" and designed to stop them from
contesting the election due next December.

They also said the interim government was trying to perpetuate its power
by delaying the election or electing hand-picked people to parliament
through a farcical vote.

Election Commissioner M. Sakhawat Hossain said on Friday the polls would
be held on time to revert the south Asian country to democracy by
January 2009.

"We are firmly committed to abide by the election deadline," he told
reporters.

Hasina may be granted parole and sent abroad for medical treatment,
officials have said, but they gave no details.

On Friday, a government-appointed medical board checked Hasina's health
and reported to authorities.

"If required she may be sent abroad for treatment," a prison official
told reporters.

Hasina suffers from high blood pressure, eye problems and hearing
impairment suffered in a 2004 grenade attack at a rally.

Hasina has long been asking for treatment abroad, preferably in the
United States, where she was once treated.

Bangladesh unveils pro-poor budget

DHAKA (AFP) - Bangladesh's government on Monday unveiled huge subsidies
and welfare measures in a 14.6 billion dollar budget it hopes will
shield the poor from soaring food and other key commodity prices.

Finance Minister A.B. Mirza Azizul Islam announced the budget for the
2008-09 fiscal year, beginning July 1, in a pre-recorded speech
broadcast on television and radio.

The military-backed emergency government's second budget since taking
power in January last year would see some 30 percent of the 999.62
billion taka (14.6 billion dollars) budget being spent on subsidies and
social protection measures, Islam said.

"In the backdrop of the negative impacts of international price hikes of
oil, food and fertiliser, together with internal shocks, an expansionary
fiscal policy to protect the poor and the low-income group of the
community has become essential," he said.

The minister said the government would spend 20 billion taka to create
jobs that would give two million unemployed people 100 days of work.

In an effort to help Bangladesh's poor in the wake of rapidly rising
food costs, the government will buy at least 3.2 million tonnes of grain
from both within the country and overseas.

Three million tonnes of rice -- double the amount from the previous year
-- will be distributed for free or sold at a subsidised rate.

"The impact of the global food shortage has fallen on the poor and the
lower middle classes. The government is fully conscious about the need
to provide social security so that their living standard does not
deteriorate further," he said.

Islam said some 58.3 percent of the proposed budget would be spent on
"direct and indirect poverty reduction programmes."

The monthly stipends for the poor, destitute women and disabled have
been increased substantially while the government's nearly one million
employees have been given a 20 percent increase in salaries.

The overall budget deficit will shoot up to five percent of gross
domestic product or around 300 billion taka -- financed from external
aid and domestic borrowing -- due to the massive increase in subsidies
and the expansion of welfare.

The government has trimmed its annual spending on infrastructure,
education and health by at least 3.3 percent to 3.7 billion dollars to
make more money available for subsidies and welfare measures.

In previous years, the government set aside between 35 and 50 percent of
the budget for developing infrastructure such as roads, power plants and
gas lines, but this year the amount will be around 25 percent, he added.

Food prices have almost doubled in Bangladesh due to a shortfall caused
by two major floods last summer and a devastating cyclone in November.

Inflation on food has spiked to about 10 percent since the floods last
year.

Bangladesh is home to 144 million people, 40 percent of whom live on
less than a dollar a day. More than 70 percent of people live in rural
areas and depend on farming for their livelihoods.

The interim finance minister announced a slew of fiscal incentives,
including a sharp cut in corporate taxes and import duties and made
agro-processing, farming and software development industry tax-free to
boost economic growth.

The government has targeted 6.5 percent GDP growth in the next fiscal
year, up from an estimated 6.2 percent in the current year, he said.

Bangladesh to create seven million new jobs

Dhaka, June 4 (Xinhua) Bangladesh's caretaker government will create
more than seven million new jobs in the next three years to reduce
poverty in the country, a senior official said Wednesday. The new target
has been set to fulfill the objectives of the second version of the
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), which will come into effect
July 1, an official of the planning ministry said.

In March 2003, Bangladesh presented its first three-year plan to achieve
sustainable economic growth, tackle poverty and initiate social
development projects.

The PRSP has projected an employment growth of 4.67 percent between 2008
and 2011. The total number of jobs generated would be 50.58 million
during the period.

The projections were made on the basis of the expected growth of the
country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at seven percent during the
period.

Number of poor rises sharply in Bangladesh

DHAKA (AFP) - The number of people living below the poverty line in
Bangladesh has risen sharply in the last few years because of spiralling
food prices, a leading think-tank said Tuesday.

A study by the Dhaka-based Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) found that
48.5 percent of people in Bangladesh do not have enough money to buy
basic food such as rice, compared to 40 percent in 2005.

CPD executive director Mustafizur Rahman told AFP he blamed the increase
on a steep rise in food prices -- particularly rice, a staple in
Bangladesh.

"Some 40 percent of our people lived below the poverty line when the
last household income survey was conducted by the government in 2005.
But the number has gone up to 48.5 percent due to massive increase in
food prices," he said.

Rahman said that meant an extra 12.2 million people out of the country's
144 million had fallen below the poverty line since the last study.

The figure was calculated by comparing household incomes to the cost of
a basket of food totalling 2,122 calories, enough to feed one adult for
a day.

Although yet to comment on the latest study, the government has
acknowledged that the price of rice has doubled since January 2007
because of shortages as a result of last summer's floods and a
devastating cyclone in November.

The price of rice is a key issue in Bangladesh, where households are
estimated to spend nearly 70 percent of their income on food.

In April, the country's food and disaster management minister said the
disasters and global food price hikes have created a "hidden hunger" in
the country. Inflation has been more than 10 percent since July last
year.

Bangladesh is one of the world's poorest nations but it witnessed a
sharp fall in poverty in the first half of the decade due to impressive
economic growth in the past 15 years.

The economy has grown by more than five percent annually since the early
1990s and six percent in the last four years.

Bangladesh army witnesses major reshuffle

The interim government in Bangladesh has effected a major reshuffle in
its army with four top brass being transferred or appointed, according
to highly placed sources.

Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of Armed Forces, Division Lieutenant
General Masududdin Chowdhury, was yesterday transferred as chief of the
National Defence College (NDC).

He had held the crucial command of Nine Infantry Division based in
suburban Savar during last year's proclamation of the state of emergency
and installation of the current interim government.

Major General Abdul Mubin, the general officer commanding of the 24
infantry division based in northeastern port city of Chittagong, was
appointed as the new PSO, media reports here quoted the sources as
saying.
While, NDC commandant Lieutenant General Abu Tayab Mohammad Zahirul Alam
has been appointed as the new Bangladesh envoy to Australia, the area
commander of the northeastern Bogra was transferred to replace Mubin in
Chittagong. The changes came two months after President Iajuddin Ahmed
extended the tenure of Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed by one year.

Young girl from Bangladesh overcomes blindness obstacle

Young girl from Bangladesh overcomes blindness obstacle

By Don Diehl

Sumpa Akhter, a young blind student at Jenks, demonstrates the value of braille computer upgrades in allowing her to read and write fast.

JENKS - Sumpa Akhter has faced some significant challenges in her short life. The native of Bangladesh lost her eye sight following an illness and high fever when she was about 4 years old.

After her family moved to the U.S., Sumpa began school at age 9, but faced the difficult challenge of learning English and braille at the same time.

Her dedication and perseverance, combined with service for the visually-impaired and a braillist provided by Jenks Public Schools, have proved beneficial for the 14-year-old.

Sumpa recently received national recognition for the many hour of hard work she has logged in her studies. Sumpa took part in the Braille Readers Are Leaders contest which ran from Nov. 1-Jan.4.

The contest is sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind, and during the contest, Braille readers across American were racing to see who could read the most pages in Braille. Sumpa read more than 2,000 pages for which she received a certificate and a ribbon.

Although she has previously participated in this national contest, this year Sumpa entered a new award category with the goal of winning the Jennifer Baker Award.

Winners for this category were picked from across the nation, and in addition to learning braille, these students also had to overcome additional obstacles in their personal lives.

This award category required a letter of recommendation from Kathy Denton, Sumpa's Braillist, and Sumpa had to write a short essay about how Braille has helped her in life.

Sumpa was one of only five recipients of the Jennifer Baker Award. As a winner, she won a $50 cash prize, a Brailled T-shirt, a certificate, and an all-expense-paid trip for herself and her parents to Dallas, Texas, to attend a 7-day National Federation of the Blind convention being held in July.

Her parents, Rehana Akhter and Naazam Uddin, operate A.J.'s Store on South Union. Sumpa works at the store some, but besides reading a lot of her time is focused on baby sister Anisha and her grandmother's current visit from Bangladesh.

Being in the Jenks School District has been a great benefit to Sumpa and her family, since the district offers services to the blind or visually impaired.

Sumpa has just completed the eighth grade and is moving to Freshman Academy this fall. Her braillist, equipment and computer software are going with her.

Sumpa can only see some faint shadows, but after learning "the lay of the land" at Freshman Academy with the help of student aids, will be able to get around. Incidentally, the room numbers in Jenks Public School buildings also are in braille.

Of course, today's computerized braille machines, are a big help. Sumpa's goal is to get faster and faster at reading. And writing. She can type nearly 60 words per minute. Sumpa also has a talking calculator, that will be a big help next year as she tackles literally boxes of math problems.

"She is really a bright student," said Denton, who also moves to the Freshman Academy with Sumpa.

Bangladesh implementing minimum wage in garment industry

DHAKA, June 2 -- The Bangladeshi caretaker government is to take stern
action from August 1 against owners of garment factories who failed to
implement compliance issues like providing minimum wage to workers.

Fyzul Haque, a spokesman of the Commerce Ministry, said a meeting of the
government's committee on Social Compliance for Ready-made Garments
(RMG) made the decision on Monday.

Commerce Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman told reporters after the meeting
that all concerned should remain alert and work together so that the
garment sector should not face any labor unrest on the ground minimum
wage issue.

The setting of the minimum wage at 1662.50 taka (25 U.S. dollars)
follows months of unrest in the apparel sector in Bangladesh, which
began in early 2006 and saw hundreds of factories vandalized and dozens
torched by hundreds of thousands of angry workers.

Bangladesh exported garment items worth 9.27 billion U.S. dollars in
last fiscal (from July 2006-June 2007). The figure accounts for some 76
percent of the country's 12.18 billion U.S. dollars annual export.