North Korea imports from Bangladesh in FY 2014
The North Korea spent over US$146,000 to buy medical supplies from Bangladesh in the fiscal year 2014, the Washington-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported, citing trade statistics from the Bangladeshi Export Promotion Bureau.
The figure is more than double the $68,000 tallied in the fiscal year 2013. The country closes its books in June.
The North likely chose Bangladesh as its trading partner because the latter can copy patented drugs and sell them abroad for now as per an international agreement brokered by the World Trade Organization, the Dhaka office of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency said.
Sonadia Port dilemma: Is the US Navy the answer?
Bangladesh faces a tough challenge in going ahead with plans to set up a deep seaport at Sonadia due to various implications for both national security and regional stability. The naval strategies of China, India, and the United States are on a collision course, as all three naval powers are vying for a strategic presence in the Bay of Bengal. A presence in the Bay is aimed at furthering the strategic objectives of these external powers in the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, including the positioning and counter-positioning of naval fleets, establishing naval bases and surveillance stations, and ensuring accessibility to key ports via joint naval exercises.
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Girl trafficked in India, pushed into flesh trade
A 17-year-old girl from Bangladesh was allegedly sold and pushed into flesh trade in Thane, Mumbai and Bangalore, police said today.
The teenage girl, hailing from Muldhar village in Faridpur district of Bangladesh, has alleged in her complaint filed yesterday with Thane’s Kalwa police, that her friend’s acquaintance repeatedly raped her in April, while promising marriage at her native place, Sub-Inspector Sachin Ambre said.
In the same month, he sold her to agents (involved in trafficking) in Bangladesh who in-turn sold her to their counterparts in India, he said.
The girl was subsequently brought to Maharashtra’s Thane dis...
In the same month, he sold her to agents (involved in trafficking) in Bangladesh who in-turn sold her to their counterparts in India, he said.
The girl was subsequently brought to Maharashtra’s Thane dis...
Bangladesh can learn from China’s response to quake
The prompt response of the Chinese government to the strong earthquake in Yunnan Province and its effectiveness and openness were highly appreciated by Bangladesh experts and leaders including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Mahbuba Nasreen, director of Dhaka University’s Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, said, “what was much impressive to me this time was the way China responded to the quake,” adding that Bangladesh should take some lessons from China, reports Xinhua.
She said, “They are well planned because they have ample re...
She said, “They are well planned because they have ample re...
‘Infoladies’: women who get villages connected
In rural Bangladesh, dozens of women on wheels are biking into remote villages and hooking up poverty-stricken families to the net. Thanks to ‘Infoladies’, tens of thousands of people are connecting with social media, chatting to loved ones, and getting government services.
The project is the brainchild of a local development company called D.Net and was formally launched in 2010. It grew out of a previous program that used ‘Mobile ladies’ to hook rural villages up to the wider world with mobile phones. Then along came the Infolady association: young, educated women from rural backgrounds who bike into isolated villages with a laptop, giving people the chance to get online. But that’s not the only service they provide. They also dish out advice on health – including taboo subjects li...
WB changes approach to tackling corruption in BD
After the much-publicised Padma bridge episode, the World Bank (WB) has now realigned its approach to tackling corruption in projects.
Previously, the multilateral lender would wash its hands off projects as soon as allegations of corruption surfaced. But now, in essence, it will carry on with the projects but will work with local authorities to identify and snuff out the issues.
“When evidence of corruption comes to light, its response should not be to disengage, but to engage differently,” it said in its Country Assistance Strategy Progress Report.
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