The Council of Advisers approved in principle the Upazila Parishad Ordinance 2008 to create two seats of vice-chairman in the local-government body, one reserved for women. A meeting held in Dhaka yesterday with Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair, also approved amendment of the National Board of Revenue Order 1972. Under the amendment, the government will now appoint Secretary/Additional Secretary to the government as the chairman of the board, newspapers reported.

President Professor Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed as the head of his household filled in the form of Agriculture Census 2008 at Bangabhaban yesterday, as a countrywide survey on the agricultural sector is now underway. The President laid emphasis on protecting agriculture land in the backdrop of its reduction due to unplanned industrialisation and urbanisation, newspapers reported.

President Professor Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed said that trade, investment and economic relations between Bangladesh and the UK have expanded over the years as the UK at present is the third largest destination for the Bangladesh’s export with an annual growth of 15 per cent. When the outgoing British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Anwar Chowdhury, paid a farewell call on him at Bangabhaban yesterday, the President also appreciated the role of the UK for duty and quota-free access of Bangladeshi goods to the European Union market and hoped that the UK government continued its support for the LDC-friendly Rules of Origin.

Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed said, Bangladesh can now share her experience with the international community in the field of poverty alleviation and women empowerment and show way of emancipation to others. He said this when the outgoing British High Commissioner, Anwar Chowdhury, paid a farewell call on him in Dhaka yesterday. The envoy said, the UK recruits manpower from abroad under five categories as professionals, skilled manpower, unskilled workers, students and youth exchange, adding that Bangladesh can take advantage from it, newspapers reported.

Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed will join the farmers in Cheradangi under sadar upazila of Dinajpur district today in harvesting Boro paddy, in recognition to their hard efforts in achieving bumper production this year. Talking to newsmen in Dinajpur yesterday, prior to the Chief Adviser’s visit, Agriculture Adviser Dr. C S Karim said, the government would help the farmers by providing all kinds of agri-inputs to enable them become self- reliant by doubling their crop yields in future, newspapers reported.

President Professor Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed and Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday expressed deep shock at the loss of lives and property in a devastating earth quake in China. They conveyed deepest and sincere sympathies for the bereaved families of the earth quake victims, newspapers reported.

The government yesterday invited 13 more political parties to the electoral reform dialogue, which will begin at the Chief Adviser’s office from May 22. Talking to newsmen yesterday, Commerce Adviser Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman said, the letters were sent keeping in mind the political parties that participated in the dialogue with the Election Commission and also in the pre-dialogue meetings with the government earlier last month. About inviting civil society members to the dialogue, he said, guidelines regarding this were being prepared, newspapers reported.

A review meeting held in Dhaka yesterday with Commerce Adviser Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman in the chair, took some fresh measures to create a competitive and domestic rod market, that include creation of a competitive market for imported scraps, removal of disparities of duties on various ship scraps, easing import of chemicals required for preparation of MS rods. It also decided that the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Industries would jointly take a long-term plan for overall development of the country’s scrap sector, newspapers reported.

Communications Adviser Major General (Retd) Ghulam Quader yesterday expressed his deep sock at the deaths of eight people in Ashuganj train accident on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Railway authorities formed an inquiry committee to probe the collision between two trains that left at least fifty others injured, newspapers reported.

Foreign Adviser Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury condemned in the strongest terms the bomb explosions in Jaipur, India, that led to many deaths and injuries.

The Director of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, Sultan Allana, met Foreign Adviser yesterday and showed keen interest to invest in Bangladesh in areas like health and education.

Foreign Adviser received the Algerian envoy resident in Islamabad and accredited to Bangladesh, Ambassador Nadir Larbaoui, in Dhaka yesterday, saying, the Algerians import goods worth nearly $7 billion annually, and we agreed that some of these imports could come from Bangladesh, newspapers reported.

Food Ministry will send a letter to the Bangladesh Bank today urging it to ask private commercial banks not to provide loan facilities to individuals who might use it for stock pilling rice. The initiative is aimed at making the current Boro procurement drive successful and stabilising the price of rice, newspapers reported.

Management of the Equity and Entrepreneurship Fund (EEF) will be handed over to private banks and other financial institutions from the Bangladesh Bank to give the private sector easy access to equity, the Daily Star reported.

Grameenphone launched its network service on trial basis in Rangamati yesterday. Meanwhile, Brigadier General (Retd) M A Malek, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, will formally inaugurate the TeleTalk network expansion in the three hill districts today, the Daily Star reported.

Distribution loans under the post SIDR rehabilitation programme has been progressing fast in nine southern districts of the country. Bangladesh Bank sources said, the government planned to disburse over Tk 495 crore under the programme and on an average 65.60 per cent of the loan was distributed till March last, the New Age reported.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will extend technical assistance and support to Bangladesh to set up nuclear power plants. A delegation headed by Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Information Technology left for Vienna at the invitation of IAEA for setting up a nuclear power plant of 1,000 MW, the New Nation reported.

The Finance Ministry granted Tk 1,000 crore to Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) for financing its oil imports. Earlier in April, the government lent BPC Tk 1,000 crore for the same purpose, the Independent reported.

The Bangladesh Bank asked three international companies including Japan Credit Rating Agency Limited, Moody’s Singapore and Standard & Poor’s International, LLC to submit bid documents by the end of June aiming to prepare the country’s credit rating, the Financial Express reported.

The country’s salt production posted a robust 14 per cent growth to 1.21 million tons this year due to favourable weather condition, the Financial Express reported.

The government planned to implement the recommendations put forward for fixing minimum export price for Hilsha aiming to combat smuggling of the fish out of the country, sources in the Commerce Ministry stated yesterday, the New Age reported.

Dhaka Electric Supply Authority yesterday signed a MoU with Citibank. NA, Bangladesh, which will enable DESA clients to check and pay their monthly electricity bill online, newspapers reported.

Biman Flight Catering Centre and the Etihad Airways signed a catering contract in Dhaka yesterday. The Etihad Airways, under the agreement, has started taking catering services from the centre located in Dhaka for its flights on the Dhaka-Dubai route, the New Age reported.

NTT DoCoMo, Japan’s leading mobile phone company, submitted a bid to buy the 30 per cent of AKTEL share owned by A K Khan and Company, a stake previously valued at over $300 million, the Daily Star reported.

A special taskforce of the National Coordination Committee launched a probe into suspected irregularities and corruption in Haj agencies, the Financial Express reported.

The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday sued Bangladeshi ambassador in Abu Dhabi, ATM Nazimullah Chowdhury, on charges of causing loss to the state exchequer through misuse of power and deception, the Daily Star reported.

Ritz Textiles Limited, a local home textile producer, will invest Tk 7 crore this year to double its production as the company is getting increased export order, the Daily Star reported.