For many years, Maryknoll Fr. Bob McCahill has been sending an annual letter to friends at Christmastime, chronicling his experience living among the people of Bangladesh. Since 1984, NCR has published his letter every year in the Christmas issue. Following is an edited version of his 2013 letter.
Dear Friends,
During a visit to one of the 10 towns I have lived in in Bangladesh, I was walking on a side street when the face of a young man coming toward me lit up with astonishment. “Do you know who I am?” he asked. I did not. “I am Razzak,” he said before adding with a big smile: “The queen’s boy!” Then I remembered. Razzak had been a perilously emaciated child whom I took, along with his mother, to Save the Children Nutritio...
Bangladesh's state grains buyer said it received no bids for the import of 50,000 tonnes of wheat in an international tender that closes on Thursday amid political turmoil ahead of next month's elections.
The tender was reissued earlier this month after the winning bidder failed to supply wheat on time.
Tens of thousands of troops fanned out across Bangladesh on Thursday in a bid to stem political violence ahead of elections.
Violent protests, shutdowns and blockades over the Jan. 5 election,...
Bangladesh, due to its geographical location, is in the frontline of the battle against climate change. The country has faced over 200 natural disasters in the last 40 years with increasing frequency and intensity. Cyclone Sidr in 2007 was amongst the most devastating, affecting nine million people across 30 districts in southern Bangladesh. The Emergency Cyclone Recovery and Restoration Project (ECRRP) is helping the affected community recover from the damage caused by the Cyclone Sidr by providing support for infrastructure and agricultural livelihoods. The project is also working for better long-term disaster preparedness through building and reconstructing of cyclone shelters and embankments that will protect coastal population from...
The Cambodian worker’s unions are pressing for higher wages and better working conditions, an issue that has been in the spotlight following recent deadly disasters in Bangladeshi factories.
Several thousand garment workers pressing for higher compensation joined opposition activists in protests in Cambodia’s capital on Thursday, adding to pressure on Prime Minister Hun Sen.
[caption id="attachment_2197" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Cambodian garmen...
Pakistan's Minister of State for Commerce Khurram Dastagir Khan will meet Commerce Minister Anand Sharma to review a roadmap for bilateral trade when he travels to India next month for a SAARC business event.
The meeting will the first of a few likely to be held in the coming months as the two countries gradually resume their peace process after months of tensions over violations of the ceasefire on the Line of Control.
Khan will visit India during January 15-17 to attend a SAARC Bu...
DAILY INDICATORS
Thursday Previous
Taka/US $ (inter-bank) 77.75-77.7525 77.75-77.7525 Call money rate (inter-bank) 06.75-08.00 05.75-08.00 Dhaka Stock Exchange index 4,200.96 4,228.91
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MONTHLY
CURRENT PREVIOUS Growth in: Consumer price index (BBS) Change yr/yr (pct) Nov. 7.15 7.03
M2 supply (bln taka) (BB) Oct. 6,403.17 6,267.23 Forex reserves ($bln)(BB) Nov. 17.11 17.35
Exports(FOB) ($mln)(BB) Nov. ...
