A three-day Bangladesh single country trade and tourism fair will begin in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on 4^th December 2009.

Dhaka International Exhibition Company Limited and Palli Bangla Unnayan Shahajogita Sangstha will jointly organise the ‘Bangladesh Single Country Trade and Eco Tourism Fair 2009’ at Merdeka Square (Independent Square) in Kuala Lumpur.

Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohammad is expected to launch the exhibition while civil aviation and tourism minister GM Quader will attend the event as special guest, said a DIEC release on Saturday.

A total of 70 manufacturing, service and tourism organisations of Bangladesh will display their products and services at the fair.

The main magnetism of the fair is to launch vote campaign for the Sundarbans to nominate it as one of the seven wonders of nature in the world.

A 20- member cultural team will also perform at the fair while leading Bangladeshi businessmen will be awarded by Global Economist Forum.

A 14-member all party organising committee, headed by Bangladesh high commissioner in Kuala Lumpur AKM Atiqur Rahman, has been formed to make the upcoming fair a success.

KDDI, Japan’s second largest telecom company announced yesterday that it would invest $9M (JPY800M) on Bangladeshi largest ISP bracNet next January.

The rate of the diffusion of the Internet service in the country is as low as 2% despite the country is ranked as the world’s 7th in the number of the population.

With this investment, KDDI aims at developing infrastructures in the country and providing reasonable Internet services to the people.

Japanese cellco KDDI plans to acquire a 50% stake in Brac BDMail Network (bracNET), a Bangladesh-based ISP, through a third-party allotment of new shares by the Dhaka-based firm.

BracNet was co-founded by Tokyo- and San Francisco-based venture capital firm Defta Partners and and Dhaka-based non-profit organization BRAC in 2005, and is also known as the ISP edition of the country’s well-known community financial service Grameen Bank who has won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, bracNET failed to make the payments on 2.3GHz WiMAX spectrum which it won in an auction last year; its returned licence was subsequently bought by Mango Teleservices, which is also licensed for international internet gateway (IIG) services.

KDDI will send their four persons to the ISP’s board.   The ISP now owns and operates 110 Internet cafes all around the country  and it also provides Internet connection service nationwide.

www.albd.org
European Commission (EC) delegates praised PM Sheikh Hasina’s role in climate conferences
November 01,2009
The European Commission (EC) today praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s time-befitting proposals and recommendations in different international fora for tackling the grim challenges of global warming. The appreciation came when visiting EC delegation led by Member of the European Parliament Nirj Deva paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister at her office here. Members of the delegation said the positive and praiseworthy proposals and recommendations put forward by the Bangladesh premier in different international fora to tackle climate change challenges have brought her along with Bangladesh to the “forefront” of the international community. They said the proactive role of Sheikh Hasina in these forums also brightened the country’s image across the world. During the meeting, the Prime Minister reiterated her call for formation of an international committee under the UN supervision to oversee efforts of tackling the adverse impact of climate change and assisting and rehabilitating the victims. About the international climate change fund, Sheikh Hasina categorically said it has to be separated from other development funds for its effective and target-oriented utilization. Holding a detailed discussion on the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, she called for international support to increase capacity of the worst affected countries including Bangladesh to face the challenges of global warming. Sheikh Hasina said a comprehensive measure has to be taken in a coordinated manner to face the possible global challenges, specially to save the poor countries, those who are going to be the most affected. The Prime Minister said Copenhagen summit has to be considered as the beginning of the new journey against climate change for the international community rather than a final destination. She sought support of the European Commission in Copenhagen for a new legal regime under UNFCCC Protocol ensuring social, cultural and economic rehabilitation of the climate migrants, and establishment of International Adaptation Center in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh, supposed to be one of the worst affected countries of global warming, is taking preparations of its own on how to face the natural disorder and its impact on the people. The Prime Minister regretted that despite having a very negligible contribution to global warming Bangladesh is now compelled to undertake a huge preparation involving its own money and wealth against the calamity.
In this context, she said her government has taken up a $100 million climate change action plan along with the beginning of river dredging and setting up green belt along the coastal areas, she added.
Sheikh Hasina said her government also attached special priority to increase food production, diversify crops to make them friendly to the changing environment and set up more silos and godowns for food stock to face any situation.
Besides, the Prime Minister said other countries, those who will also be affected by the climate change later, have to take cautious preparations from now to face the probable challenges.
The EC delegation included Ms. Franzisca Keller from Germany, Noccolo Rinaldi from Italy, Jean Lambart from the UK and John Attard Montalto fro Malta. European Commission Ambassador in Dhaka Stefen Frowein accompanied the delegation.