Bangladesh most affected by climate change : Report

AFP, Copenhagen, 8 December : Bangladesh, Myanmar and Honduras were the countries most affected by climate change over two decades from 1990, a new report revealed on the second day of crucial climate talks in Copenhagen.
Berlin-based Germanwatch, in its 'Global Climate Risk Index 2010' report, said the top ten most affected countries were all developing nations in the low-income or lower-middle income country group.

BD seeks15%climate fund
Some 15 % of any UN climate adaptation fund should go to the most vulnerable small islands, LDCs and African countries and it should come from developed countries, the Bangladesh delegation to Copenhagen said on Tuesday.
Bangladesh made the plea on behalf of least developing countries and those most vulnerable to climate change, at a press conference at the Bella Conference Centre in the Danish capital. It also demanded a legally binding framework for the adaptation fund. န File Photo : Reuters

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West Bengal govt favours railway factory in Singur

Kolkata, 8 December : West Bengal government Tuesday sent a letter to the railway ministry asking it to set up industries on the plot of land abandoned by Tata Motors in Singur.
“We’ve sent our proposal to the railways and we’ve said that if they want to set up industries in Singur, they are welcome,” Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty told reporters here. He said if the railway ministry wants to set up a coach factory in Singur, the government would cooperate with it.
Earlier, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had evinced interest to set up a rail coach factory in collaboration with the state government or on a public-private-partnership (PPP) model at the abandoned Nano project site in Singur.

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BSNL launches 3G in Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Port Blair, 8 December : State-owned telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has launched the much-awaited commercial 3G services in remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands, officials said today. DP Parihar, Chief General Manager, BSNL's Andaman and Nicobar Telecom Circle, launched the service at Port Blair yesterday.
Apart from Port Blair, 3G services are planned to be launched in the cities of Rangat, Mayabunder and Diglipur of North and Middle Andaman for which equipment installation work is in progress. 3G services in these three cities are likely to be launched by March 2010. GM further said the Third Generation mobile network is capable of providing many more services like live TV, video streaming, video, music download, online games which are likely to be available to the 3G customers in near future in a phased manner.

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Two National Liberation Front of Tripura insurgents surrender
Agartala, 8 December : Two insurgents of banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) have surrendered at Gandacherra in Dhalai district, police said today.
Churiya Tripua (32) and Hapingsa Tripura (45) surrendered before the Assistant Sub-inspector of Special Branch yesterday and deposited one hand grenade and seven live cartridges of AK-47.

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Solar photovoltaic power plant commissioned in ASL

Asansol, 8 December : India’s first 2MW solar photovoltaic power plant was commissioned Tuesday at Jamuria's Seebpur village by Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah, who said the National Solar Mission has fixed a target of adding 1300 MW of solar energy in the next three years.

“We will add 1300 MW of solar energy, including both grid and non-grid supply, in the first phase of our mega scheme of generating 20,000 MW solar power by 2022,” Abdullah said after commissioning the power plant at Seebpur in Jamuria Block near here. The National Solar Mission aims to add 1300 MW of solar energy by 2012 at a Rs.20,000 crore investment, he said. West Bengal Power Minister Mrinal Banerjee said it would be difficult to attain the solar power generation target if the raw materials used for such plants are not produced in the country.
The Rs.36 crore Seebpur plant, promoted by West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation Ltd and supported by DPSC Ltd, got a soft loan from Power Finance Corporation at a debt-equity ratio of 70:30. DPSC will purchase the power at Rs.5 per unit, sources said. န Photos : Niraj Modi

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Non-stop Duronto train between Howrah-Bangalore soon
IANS, Bangalore, 8 December : Indian Railways will operate a Duronto (quick service) train between Bangalore and Howrah in West Bengal soon.
“I am gifting the people of Karnataka a non-stop Duronto express between Bangalore and Howrah (a distance of 1,962 km). The service will begin soon by the South Western Railway,” Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee announced here Tuesday.

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PM Hasina orders to conserve forests, flora, fauna in tourist zones
Dhaka, 8 December : Bangladesh Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina has directed the authorities concerned to take effective measures for conserving the country's forests and flora and fauna in all the tourist zones.
At the same time, the premier asked the ministries and departments concerned to remain vigilant so that the public living in the coastal and forest areas are not harmed anyway regarding their houses and other sorts of property. Briefing the media, PM's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad said the Cabinet approved a draft law styled Bangladesh Tourism Preserved Zone and Exclusive Tourist Zone Act 2009.

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Bangladesh "National Youth Day" celebrated
Dhaka, 8 December : The National Youth Day was celebrated in the country today with a call for the youth to play a pioneering role in its socio-economic uplift.
`Youths to Build Digital Bangladesh’ was the theme of the day this year. President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in separate messages on the occasion greeted the country’s youth community. In his message, the President called on the youth to step forward with their energy and enthusiasm for helping the government build a `Digital Bangladesh’. “I believe the youth will be active in maintaining peace at every sector besides contributing to the national development as per their capacity with the spirit of patriotism,” he said.
The Prime Minister in her message termed the youth as the main driving force of a nation, saying that it is possible to build Bangladesh as a modern and prosperous country with their talent, skill and leadership.

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West Bengal state Assembly may be adjourned again
Kolkata, 8 December : After the failure of the new sound system in the West Bengal Assembly on 1 December, leading to it being adjourned till 10 December, Speaker H A Halim today said some deficiencies still existed and the House could be adjourned further if they were not rectified.
"The sound system is working, but there are some deficiencies. Let us give it a trial. If it does not work, we will adjourn the House again," Halim told reporters. The new system system was installed and the company entrusted with the work were done without consulting him, Halim said.

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Bangladesh wants legally binding cuts: FM Dipu Moni

Dhaka, 8 December : Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni said on Bangladesh wants to see the Copenhagen deal ensure carbon emission cut targets "legally binding" for all emitters by 2010.
Currently, emission cut targets of the gas is a "politically binding" for developing countries, but legally binding for developed nations. If the Copenhagen agreement has legally binding provision for the emission cut targets for the emitters, the developed and developing countries will have to reduce burning fossil fuels, which generate carbon di-oxide and other harmful gases responsible for earth's temperature rise. The "politicall binding" emission cut targets give the polluters a chance not to slash emissions.
"There is an effort in the climate negotiations for keeping provision of politically binding emission reduction," Dipu Moni told reporters Monday at a press conference at the foreign ministry.

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Sheikh Hasina may now visit India 10-11 January, '10
Dhaka, 8 December : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may visit New Delhi in January next year as her December visit has been rescheduled since leaders of both countries will be busy at the Copenhagen climate summit, Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni said yesterday.
‘The Bangladesh prime minister’s visit has been rescheduled. Though the fresh date has not yet finalised, but the tour is expected to take place 10 January or 11 next year,’ Moni told reporters. According to the earlier programme, the Bangladesh leader was scheduled to visit India 18 to 21 December.

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HIV therapy units to come up at Block health centres

Kolkata, 8 December : To mitigate the harassment faced by HIV/AIDS patients, the West Bengal State Aids Prevention Control Society (WBSACS) has decided to set up Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) centres at the block primary healthcare centres.
The decision has been taken in view of problems faced by HIV positive patients in remote areas who have to travel miles to reach a nodal ART centre located in the state-run hospital for medicinal needs. Currently, there are five nodal ART centres in WB - School of Tropical Medicine, North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, Burdwan Medical College, Malda District Hospital and RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Two other new nodal centres at M R Bangur Hospital and Islampur sub-divisional hospital are expected to come up by the end of this year.
According to WBSACS, by the end of this month, two ART centres are supposed to come up at Raghunathpur in Purulia and Murshidabad. The new ART centres would now allow the HIV patients residing close to these areas to collect their dose of HIV medicines without much hassle.
The project is being funded by the National Aids Prevention Control Society (NACO).

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Another Janajuddho men killed in gunfight with police

UNB, Bagerhat, 8 December : Sheikh Murad, a leader of the outlawed Purbo Banglar Communist Party (Janajuddho), was kelled in a gunfight with police early on Tuesday at Fakirhat of the district.
The 32-year-old PBC cadre was earlier sentenced to death by a court in connection with a murder case involving the death in 2001 of SM Farhad Hossain, a local Awami League leader and an industrialist. The gun battle took place at around 4am(BDST) Tuesday in a mahogany plantation near Shubhash Mallick's house in Brahmanrakdia village under Fakirhat Upazila.

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