US president Barack Obama should revoke Bangladesh’s beneficial trade status if the country doesn’t comply with US benchmarks to improve labour and safety standards, congressman George Miller, who visited garment factories in Bangladesh recently, said on Friday. Bangladesh participates in a US programme known
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EU cos buying Bangladesh apparels ‘must share responsibilities’
Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Elmar Brok has reminded that the European companies purchasing readymade garments from Bangladesh must share the responsibilities, and exercise control and promote acceptable standards in factories. He made the remarks during a meeting with foreign
US lauds Bangladesh’s counterterrorism efforts
The United States has lauded Bangladesh for its endeavours to fight terrorism in 2012, saying that Dhaka’s counterterrorism efforts made it harder for transnational terrorists to operate in or establish safe havens in the country. In the ‘Country Reports on Terrorism 2012’ released on Thursday by the State Department in Washington, the US also said ... Read more
US officials watching factory conditions
The United States officials are in touch with their counterparts in Bangladesh about the concerns over conditions in the factories in the country, US State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Thursday. “I will tell you that our officials are, of course, in touch with officials in Bangladesh about the conditions in the factories there,” ... Read more
Bangladesh enters elite club of 10cr mobile users
Bangladesh, as the twelfth country, entered the elite club of 10 crore mobile users at the end of April, according to the latest data released by the telecom regulator. The regulator—Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said the total number of active SIM stood at 10.12 crore in April from 9.98 crore in March as the ... Read more
BNP blames govt for reluctance to hold talks
The BNP acting secretary general, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, alleged on Thursday that fresh talks between the Opposition and the government over election-time interim government has not yet been held due to the latter’s “reluctant attitude” to take any such step. “Our party chairperson Khaleda Zia has expressed her intention to sit across the table
33 million Internet users in Bangladesh
The number of Internet users in the country touched the 33.43 million mark at the end of April this year, according to a senior official of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). About 95 per cent of them use the Internet through mobile phones, while the rest use broadband Internet from Internet Service Providers (ISP), ... Read more
Muhith at it again
The finance minister, AMA Muhith, on Thursday once again differed with the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics estimate on the country’s GDP growth of 6.03 per cent for the current fiscal year saying that the growth would not be less than 6.3 per cent. The minister did the same thing in the previous
Kruif’s presence in Super Cup a possibility
The Bangladesh national football team’s Dutch head coach, Lodewijk de Kruif might tour Dhaka in the middle of June to observe the local players’ condition in the upcoming Super Cup. The Bangladesh Football Federation invited de Kruif to monitor the Super Cup, which is scheduled to begin on June 14, in order to select the ... Read more
No compromise with safety: Hasina
Voicing a strong resolve that Bangladesh would never compromise on the safety issues while constructing the nuclear power plant, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday urged the local nuclear engineers and related manpower to improve management efficiency and update their knowledge. “We’ll have to develop local competence in all areas including
PM reaffirms Dhaka’s commitment to global peace, security
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said her government is firmly committed to continuing its efforts to establish global peace and security. “Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman set ‘Friendship towards all, malice towards none’ as the country’s foreign policy on the basis of which
Dhaka must meet compliance in RMG sector: US congressman
US congressman George Miller, who came to Dhaka on Saturday on a five-day visit to inspect conditions of garment industry after the deadly Tazreen fire and collapse of Rana Plaza, said on Wednesday that Bangladesh must meet the international standard of compliance with a new sense of urgency; otherwise the apparel industry would face severe ... Read more
Exporters call brands to pay right RMG price
Garment exporters on Wednesday urged the importer brands not to leave Bangladesh and to pay the right prices for garment items for the betterment of the workers. At a meeting with the US congressman George Miller at Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association office in the capital the BGMEA leaders said it
Loblaw outlines Bangladesh relief plan to Ottawa
Loblaw Cos on Tuesday outlined its plans to create better protections for garment workers in Bangladesh as well as reaffirming a company commitment to remain in the country, reports Global News. ‘Our approach is a combination of actions specific to
Private sector key for Dhaka-Washington economic ties: US official
The visiting US assistant secretary for economic and business affairs on Sunday said that private sector could play an important role for the development of the bilateral economic relationship between the United States and Bangladesh. ‘The private sector like water and electricity can
US congressman in city to inspect RMG factories
George Miller, a senior member of the US Congress, arrived in the city on Saturday to personally inspect RMG factories in Bangladesh, which is under microscope due to frequent disasters. The US Congressman will meet workers, victims,
30 extrajudicial killings, 10 enforced disappearances in 2012, says AI
Some 30 alleged extrajudicial killings took place in Bangladesh in 2012 alongside at least 10 enforced disappearances, said the Amnesty International in its report on the state of human rights across the world. State security forces were implicated in torture and other ill-treatment and the government failed to protect ‘indigenous communities from attack by
Ministers decry AI’s report
Three ministers on Thursday turned down the assessment of the Amnesty International on Bangladesh’s human rights situation in its annual report, terming it error-ridden and lopsided one. Home minister MK Alamgir said, the figure given by the Amnesty International on the number of the incidents of extra-judicial killings, disappearances and killing
EU urged to act to prevent factory accidents
Following the recent fires and building collapse at factories in Bangladesh, Members of European Parliament on Thursday called for justice for victims and EU action to prevent similar events in future. The Parliament recalls in the resolution adopted on Thursday that Bangladesh benefits from duty and quota-free access to the EU market and that these
Machines make big inroads into rural farms
A majority of farmers in Bangladesh use modern equipment, such as two-wheeler power tillers and four-wheeler tractors, for farming, according to a recent study. The USAID-funded study revealed that the use of mechanical power for farmland preparation in Bangladesh was quite high as 72 per cent of farmers at the national