China, India fast-track BCIM economic corridor project
China and India are adding fresh momentum to the establishment of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) economic corridor, which is expected to develop gradually before more ambitious goals are achieved.
Chinese officials acknowledge that unlike in the past, when it was perceived to be dragging its feet, India is now showing enthusiasm over the project, which will link Kolkata with Kunming, the capital of China’s Yunnan province, passing through Myanmar and Bangladesh, with Mandalay and Dhaka among the focal points. The focus on linking provinces and States — in this case, Yunnan and West 
Extrajudicial killing, disappearance on focus at US report
The United States has said extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, some restrictions on online speech and the press, poor working conditions and labour rights were the most significant human rights problems in Bangladesh last year.
While political affiliation was sometimes a factor in the arrest and prosecution of members of the opposition parties, the government did not prosecute individuals solely on political charges, the US said in a new report on human rights.
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French banks say ‘no’ to Rampal coal plant
Three French banks have said they will not invest in the Rampal power plant, Bangladesh. Six months earlier, two Norwegian pension funds pulled out their investments from India’s National Thermal Power Corporation that is building the project.
During his visit to Bangladesh on 6 June 2015, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi endorsed the 1,320 MW Rampal coal- based thermal power project. He said,
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Coal-fired thermal power plants belch toxic gases that could impact ...
Coal-fired thermal power plants belch toxic gases that could impact ...
How migrants business flourish for decades in Bangladesh
Torture, rape, corruption, and ransom demands – the horror experienced by migrants has been allowed to flourish for decades, according to a source inside the Southeast Asian trafficking industry.
Each year thousands of Rohingya refugees flee from Myanmar to camps at Cox’s Bazar across the border in Bangladesh. Seeking to continue their journey to countries such as Malaysia, they are vulnerable to the gangs who organise boat travel.
“We have to pay the local police (in Bangladesh) before making any voyage,” said Munirol, a broker for 
Giving a voice to women representatives
Around 2,000 female public representatives of rural Bangladesh will be trained this year for promoting their leadership skills, says Unicef.
The UN body and the National Institute of Local Government (NILG) have initiated the programme for the elected women representatives of Union Parishads (UPs) and Upazila Parishads (UZPs) in 20 
selected districts.
The overall goal of the initiative is to build capacity of elected women representatives and officials of local government institutions focussing on improved awareness of child rights...
selected districts.
The overall goal of the initiative is to build capacity of elected women representatives and officials of local government institutions focussing on improved awareness of child rights...
Ill-earned money of corrupt politicians flies abroad
Be it shutdown or blockade, their fortune is safe. A section of Bangladeshi politicians, young or old, who have made easy fortunes, are increasingly investing their questionable wealth abroad to ensure a secure future for their families.
A number of leaders of both the Awami League and the BNP—from the central level to associate student bodies of the two parties—are learned to have secured their future overseas, by winning citizenship for their families through investment visas or business migration schemes.
The list is getting longer every month, given the political instability in the country, a good number of politicians, businesspeople and bureaucrats have told The Daily Star.
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