By Pascal Laureyn Suva, Fiji, Dec 20 (IPS) – “Today’s youth should think of new solutions for old problems like climate change and social injustice.”
Category: Economy
UN: “American Dream” rapidly becoming “American Illusion”
Geneva, 19 Dec (Kanaga Raja) – “The American Dream is rapidly becoming the American Illusion as the US now has the lowest rate of social mobility of any of the rich countries,” said Professor Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur…
Tokyo stocks open higher after global rallies
Tokyo stocks opened higher Tuesday following global rallies the previous day, as Wall Street notched fresh records with US tax cuts in sight.
Rivers continue to lose mindless mining battle
Undoubtedly sand is essential part of river ecosystem. Like flow and fish it helps rivers stay healthy. It’s critical for ground water recharge, replenishes the nutrients in moving water, supplies lean season flow to rivers and provides habitat to numerous…
Small-scale sustainable agriculture best way to reduce hunger
A report by the More and Better Network gives an overview of the global situation of investments in agriculture. It provides examples from some countries and presents recommendations for future investments in small-scale sustainable agriculture.
Japan trade surplus drops sharply on higher oil imports
Japan’s trade surplus fell sharply in November, the government said Monday, as the rising cost of oil and smartphone imports outweighed strong exports of cars and steel.
One million BD migrant workers get jobs abroad in ’17
Dhaka – Bangladeshi workers going on jobs abroad are expected to exceed one million (10 lakh) this year and it would the highest ever number in a year in the expatriate sector in the country, said minister for expatriates’ welfare…
America’s missing workers: matching jobs to the jobless
A few years ago, Derek Hobbs could not find a job. He had three strikes against him: his age, 55, a criminal record, and a drug addiction that kept him out of the formal workforce for more than 25 years.…
Money talks at One Planet Summit in Paris
By Paris Correspondent Paris, Dec 14 (IPS) – As funding to combat climate change has lagged behind lofty words, the One Planet Summit in France this week invited governments and business leaders to put money on the table.
Civil society to be more radical to deal with global crises
By Amy Taylor Suva, Fiji, Dec 15 (IPS) – Our strategies have failed us. We can no longer respond to the crises facing us in the same way. We have to be more radical, more creative — together — to…
Migrants’ contribution to society needs to be fully recognised
Migrants’ contribution to society needs to be fully recognized, and states should encourage discussions about them to be positive, inclusive and facts-based, a group of UN human rights experts has said. In a call to mark International Migrants’ Day that…
Riyadh unveils $19.2bn stimulus package for pvt sector
Saudi Arabia has unveiled a SAR72bn ($19.2bn) stimulus package to boost the private sector in 2018. The plans form part of a four-year stimulus programme announced last year. They include 17 different initiatives the government hopes will create direct and…
WTO Ministerial Confce-11 collapses as US blocks outcomes
Buenos Aires, 14 Dec (D. Ravi Kanth) – The World Trade Organization’s eleventh ministerial conference (MC11) collapsed here on Wednesday like a house of cards, after the United States single-handedly blocked outcomes on mandated decisions and the draft ministerial declaration,…
Bangladesh requires additional US$ 7b for environment by 2021
Bangladesh will require an additional US$ 7 billion to meet the targets of environmental development projects by 2021 under the government’s seventh Five-Year Plan, according to Bangladesh Country Investment Plan for Environment, Forestry and Climate Change.It reveals that the government…
Saudi govt to increase electricity, fuel prices
The Saudi government has announced plans to increase prices of electricity, car and aviation fuel and diesel in the first quarter of next year. The announcement coincides with the first payments under a citizen’s account programme announced in December last…
Fungi-resistant potato to save farmers Tk. 100 cr. a year
Dhaka, Dec 13 – Each year farmers in Bangladesh grow close to 10 million tonnes of potato, well surpassing the domestic demand of the tuber crop and export the surplus to 20 countries. But to save the prime vegetable from…
BD takes up $7b plan to combat climate for 5 years
Dhaka – The government has prepared a 5-year country investment plan (CIP) to combat climate change impact and would invest US$ seven billion (Tk 56,000 crore) in this sector.
US, EU and Japan up the pressure on China at WTO
The United States, European Union and Japan jointly rounded on China’s “market-distorting subsidies” at the World Trade Organization conference in Argentina Tuesday.
Bangladesh Citizen ’s Declaration 2017 on SDGs
Adopted at Citizen’s Conference on SDGs in Bangladesh 2017 held in Dhaka on 6 December 2017. We, the citizens of Bangladesh, inspired by the spirit of our great War of Liberation, and in response to the call by the Citizen’s…
EU must do more for its young NEETs
Poverty was earlier a key (but not exclusive) issue for the international community, largely developing countries (see here) but since then the 2008 crisis has drastically affected the standard of living in the EU and raised poverty’s profile in the…
SWBEC to boost southwest region’s output to $148b by 2050
With well-coordinated implementation of the proposed Southwest Bangladesh Economic Corridor (SWBEC), the total output for the country’s southwest region is estimated to reach $148 billion by 2050, about 3.3 times higher than the as usual estimation, says a new study…
Non-State Actors reaffirm 13 priority proposals on climate finance
On the eve of the One Planet Summit, non-state actors on climate reaffirm their 13 priority proposals on access to climate finance.
Govt to bring 460 upazilas under 100pc electrification by 2018
With a view to reaching electricity supply to every house of the country, the government is working relentlessly to bring 460 upazilas under 100 percent electrification by December 2018.
Credit Wholesaling Programme of SME Foundation gets momentum
The ‘Credit Wholesaling Programme’ of the SME Foundation is getting momentum with significant rise in its credit recipients, according to SME Foundation official.
PM leaves for Paris to attend ‘One Planet Summit
Dhaka, Dec 11 – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka for Paris on Monday morning on a three-day official visit to attend ‘One Planet Summit’.
China’s consumer price inflation slows in November
China’s consumer inflation slowed more than expected in November and factory prices decelerated sharply, official data showed Saturday, as economic pressures persist despite robust exports and manufacturing.
Obaidul says corruption of Zia family already proved
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Saturday said the corruption of Zia family, including Khaleda Zia and Tareque Rahman, has already been proved and there is no need to prove it again. At a press conference at party president…
Stocks sluggish for second week in row
Indices on the Dhaka Stock Exchange and Chittagong Stock Exchange passed another sluggish week as investors focused on profit booking. Week-on-week basis, the benchmark DSE General Index dipped 58.63 points, or 0.93 percent to 6,248.23 points. Four out of five…
UAE implementing 5pc value added tax on Jan 1
The UAE’s Federal Tax Authority has announced a final list of products and services that will be subject to an impending 5 per cent value added tax rate on January 1. Other select goods and services will be zero-rated or…
BNP wants PM say sorry for ‘fabricted’ stance on Khaleda
Dhaka, Dec 8 – The BNP on Friday accused Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of providing ‘false and fabricated’ information about party chairperson Khaleda Zia and her family members’ assets in Saudi Arabia and threatened to take a legal step against…