Washington, April 5 – The Executive Directors of the World Bank today unanimously selected David R. Malpass as President of the World Bank Group for a five-year term beginning on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. The Board expressed its deep gratitude…
Category: Economy
SDGs: Ambitions are affordable for Asia and the Pacific
BANGKOK, Thailand, Apr 4 2019 (IPS) – Three years of implementation of the transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific shows the region has some catching up to do. Despite much progress, the region is not on…
Full and good employment
Within the Democratic Party in the United States there is a flourishing of initiatives, promoted by Bernie Sanders, regarding ‘guaranteed work’. This recognises the urgency to concentrate every effort on the revival of public and private investments. The Democrats reaffirm…
BD among world’s top 5 growing economies: WB
Dhaka, Apr 4 (UNB) – Bangladesh is among the top five fastest growing economies in the world, said the World Bank. The report titled ‘The Bangladesh Development Update April 2019: Towards Regulatory Predictability’, published Thursday, said this growth, despite of…
Has privatization benefitted the public?
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Apr 2 2019 (IPS) – In most cases of privatization, some outcomes benefit some, which serves to legitimize the change. Nevertheless, overall net welfare improvements are the exception, not the rule. Never is everyone better off. Rather, some…
Bangladesh’s GDP growth to hit 8pc in FY19-20: ADB
Dhaka, Apr 3 (UNB) – Bangladesh’s economy will grow at 8 percent in 2019-20 fiscal, according to the Asian Development Outlook 2019 released here on Wednesday. “Bangladesh experienced a strong GDP growth in FY2018-19. The country will continue to achieve…
Ex-Customs Commissioner sent to jail on illegal property charge
Dhaka, April 01 – A Dhaka court on Monday sent a former Customs Commissioner and former member of Customs, Excise and VAT Appellate Tribunal to the jail in a graft case filed for acquiring illegal property. The Metropolitan Sessions Judge…
DU students demand removal of outsiders from dorms
Dhaka, Apr 1 (UNB)— Residential students of Dhaka University’s SM Hall demonstrated on early Monday against outsiders staying at the dormitory. They demanded that outsiders and non-students vacate the hall immediately. More than 400 students are forced to stay at the…
SDGs and Bangladesh: Progress, challenges, missing links
‘Despite various challenges Bangladesh is on track to achieve Sustainable Development Goals’, a recent government report claims. The report titled Sustainable Development Goals: Bangladesh Progress Report 2018 says, Bangladesh is performing well in various aspects including poverty reduction, gender equality,…
Bank loan interest rate to be brought down: PM
Dhaka, Mar 31 (UNB) – Expressing here government’s firm stance to bring down the interest rate of bank loan to a single digit, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said the government will take measures again to reduce the interest…
66 pc buildings in BD capital Dhaka unplanned: Minister
Dhaka, Mar 31 (UNB) – Around 66 percent buildings in capital Dhaka and its adjoining areas under the jurisdiction of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) have been constructed in an unplanned way, said Housing and Public Works Minister SM Rezaul Karim. “Of…
Rising inequalities in Asia-Pacific a major obstacle to progress
BANGKOK, Thailand, Mar 28 2019 (IPS) – 2019 will be a defining year for the 2030 Agenda; and the regional forums will pave the way for our first stocktaking on the SDGs in the General Assembly in September. Asia-Pacific is a…
Bridging the gaps for the disabled
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 29 2019 (IPS) – People with disabilities are being left behind, and steps must be taken to ensure their inclusion in the world of education and work. Approximately 15 percent of the world’s population, or an estimated one…
Safe menstrual practices important for progress
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 28 2019 (IPS) – As menstruation continues to be shamed in many communities, one organisation is rising up to the challenge to ensure “safe menstruation for all women of Bangladesh.” Half of the approximately four billion women around…
Dr Kamal slams govt for ‘making economy bankrupt’ with loans
Dhaka, Mar 28 – Jatiya Oikyafront Convener Dr Kamal Hossain on Thursday alleged that the government is making the Bangladesh economy bankrupt by imposing a huge burden of loans on people in the name of develop projects. “The government is…
World Bank financializing development
KUALA LUMPUR and SYDNEY, Mar 26 2019 (IPS) – The World Bank has successfully legitimized the notion that private finance is the solution to pressing development and welfare concerns, including achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Agenda 2030. A recent McKinsey…
PM opens digital financial service ‘Nagad’
Dhaka, Mar 26 (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday inaugurated Bangladesh Post Office’s digital financial service, ‘Nagad’, to meet the growing demand of mobile banking among people. At her official residence Ganobhaban in the afternoon, she also released a…
Domestic workers are the slaves of modern Asia.
Singapore case of the worker from Myanmar who was forced to eat own vomit and barred from using toilet has again laid bare Asia’s toxic reliance on cheap labour Experts say some live in slave-like conditions and all grapple with…
Additional investments, focus on rural dev in Global South
IFAD Vice-President at global conference to call for additional investments and focus on rural development in Global South Buenos Aires, 20 March 2019 – The world needs to harness the power of exchanges between countries in the Global South if…
Reverse engineering for SDGs
ROME, Feb 20 2019 (IPS) – When young people from small towns and villages seek higher education they have to usually migrate to big cities leaving their local communities behind. On completion of their degree from the Universities, they generally prefer…
Green money without inflation
To what extent can the money created by the central bank be used to finance investments in the environment? This is a question often asked today. The green activists respond with enthusiasm that the central bank—and, in particular, the European…
Sri Lanka seeks to send more migrant workers to the EU
The 5th meeting of the Joint Readmission Committee between Sri Lanka and the European Community was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Colombo on 11th March 2019, the Foreign Ministry said recently. The Meeting was co-chaired by Additional Secretary…
Dilapidated gas pipelines in capital Dhaka to be replaced
Introduction of smart prepaid metres also on cards Dhaka, Mar 18 – The Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd has planned to replace its dilapidated gas pipelines in Dhaka city with new ones as well as to introduce smart…
Was slavery world’s first human rights violation?
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 7 2019 (IPS) – The United Nations, which diligently monitors human rights violations worldwide, believes that centuries-old slavery still exists worldwide. The UN mandate on “contemporary forms of slavery” includes, but is not limited to, issues such as:…
Gender gap in disaster risk management: Why it matters
Submitted by Caren Grown, co-authors: Cristina Otano Over the past decade, the practice of disaster risk management (DRM) has evolved and matured. From mainly focusing on disaster response, local and international actors alike now emphasize the importance of preparedness and…
A quarter of eligible countries haven’t accessed Green Fund
Interesting findings surface in the evaluation of Green Fund’s readiness programme Kathmandu/New Delhi, 8 March (Prerna Bomzan and Indrajit Bose) – At the 22nd Board meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) held in Songdo, South Korea from 26-28 February,…
Hasina for proper dev strategies suiting local soil, water, climate
Dhaka, Mar 2 (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged engineers to concentrate more on research for innovating newer technologies so that Bangladesh can take proper development strategies suiting the local soil, water and climate. “We want you…
The unbearable unrealism of the present
by Paul Mason What characterises the present moment in history is a pervasive sense of unrealism among elites. Official discourses are no longer used as guides to action, laws are not applied and regulations are ignored. The ultimate symbol of…
Commercial, industrial prices of gas may rise sll: Minister
Dhaka, Mar 2 (UNB) – State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has said the government has moved for raising gas prices, mainly for commercial and industrial consumers and for power plants to offset the losses caused…
The misconceptions of contraception
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 1 2019 (IPS) – In light of rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancies, governments are exploring ways to tackle taboos around condoms. In a new study, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) reviews the availability and…