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Food and multiple micronutrient supplements from early pregnancy reduce infant mortality, a study of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) revealed in the city Thursday, reports BSS. The study titled MINIM at (Maternal and Infant Nutrition Interventions in Matlab Bangladesh), said infant death has reduced by more than 60 per cent of those mothers who received food and multiple micronutrient supplements from early pregnancy compared to those who took late food supplements and iron-folic acid capsules, a press release said. Additionally, the nutrition interventions during pregnancy found to be influencing the height growth of children, cognitive function, social conditions as well as chronic disease risk indicators at around five years, it added. In the fifteen-year randomised factorial cohort study revealed at the icddr,b, scientists and their partners have found possible ways to break a vicious cycle of malnutrition across generations. Maternal and child under-nutrition is estimated to be the underlying cause of 3.5 million annual deaths globally and almost half of the total disease burden in under-five children. Nutritional imbalance in fetal or early life is associated with short- and long-term health consequences and chronic disease risk in adulthood. The MINIM at study commenced in 2001 and recruited 4,436 women who were given food supplements and micronutrients from early pregnancy. This group of women and their children have been followed overtime and also initiatives have been taken to follow the children up to 15 years of age. The study has also included analyses of health consequences of early life exposure to environmental toxicants, such as arsenic and cadmium via drinking water and food. It has also addressed child growth, cognitive function, and social conditions and health. Dr Shams El Arifeen, senior director, Maternal and Child Health Division, icddr,b, Sheema Sen Gupta, deputy representative of UNICEF Bangladesh, Marcela Lizana, first secretary (health), Embassy of Sweden attended the event while Syed Monjurul Islam, deputy executive director, icddr,b chaired the concluding session. Participants from partner organisations and other NGOs attended the programme.....

Published at: 2017-08-11 05:00:03

It's been learnt that although some 2.43 million (24.3 lakh) potentially first-time voters were registered during the latest voter roll update, the number fell over a million short of the Election Commission (EC)'s 3.5 million forecast, reports UNB. The door-to-door data collection for the update concluded on Wednesday, a process that lasted 16 days. "Enumerators collected data of 2,437,331 possible voters throughout the country," Director (PR) at the EC Secretariat SM Asaduzzaman told UNB. Of the new cohort, the Dhaka region -- the EC's demarcation divides the map into 10 regions --contributed highest 447,515 names to the electoral roll, followed by 339,870 in Rajshahi. In third, leading a group of similar-sized contributions to the voter list was Mymensingh, with 265,754. Only a shade ahead of the 263,242 from Rangpur, and also outnumbering Khulna (250,134), Chittagong (234,977) and Sylhet (224,820). Then 156,280 in Faridpur, 136,462 in Barisal and 118,277 in Comilla round off the new names added to the electorate. The EC's enumerators were also able to confirm just over 1.3 million deaths of voters in the existing rolls -- 1,333,002 or two more than 13.33 lakh to be precise - whose names will now be removed from the list. It means the net increase in the number of voters on the roll comes to just slightly over a million. During the data collection, 60,876 people applied to shift their voting addresses, he added. The photographs and fingerprints corresponding to the new names will be collected in three phases from August 20 to November 5. Earlier, the EC appointed 55,000 enumerators to work with 11,000 supervisors in collecting data of all citizens born on or before 1st January, 2000. In 2015, the EC had in advance collected the data of citizens who would be eligible to get enrolled as voters until January 2018, but clearly that round swept over many segments of the populace who would be eligible, with the onus on self-registration.....

Published at: 2017-08-11 05:00:03

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed her doubt as to whether those who deny the contributions of Bangabandhu to the Liberation War believe in the country's independence, reports BSS. The PM made the remark while exchanging views with leaders of the Hindu community at her official residence Ganabhaban in the city on Thursday afternoon on the occasion of Janmashtami. She said when Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared the country's independence on March 26 in 1971, the then Pakistani president not only arrested Bangabandhu, but also blamed only Bangabandhu for it. Sheikh Hasina said Yahya Khan in his address on March 26 did not mention the name of any other leaders except Bangabandhu. He put signature on the verdict of the execution of Bangabandhu through a farcical trial, she said. State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Narayan Chandra Chanda, State Minister for Youth and Sports Dr Biren Shikdar, Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad president Jayanta Sen Dipu, Janmashtami Udjapan Parishad, Bangladesh president Debashish Palit, Mohanagar Sarbojonin Puja Committee president DN Chaterjee, former president of Janmashtami Udjapon Parishad Ramesh Ghosh and Janmashtami Udjapon Parishad general secretary Advocate Chandan Talukdar spoke at the function. Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad general secretary Advocate Taposh Kumar Paul delivered the welcome address at the function. PM's International Affairs Adviser Dr Gowher Rizvi, Gyan Prakashananda Moharaj and Srimat Swami Sudarshananda Moharaj were present on the dais. At the outset of the function, a minute's silence was observed as a mark of respect to the memories of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other martyrs of the August 15 carnage.....

Published at: 2017-08-11 05:00:03

Bangladesh and Thailand will conduct a joint feasibility study on signing the proposed bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) between the countries for doubling two-way trade to US$ 2.0 billion in next five years. The agreement in this connection came, among others, during the ministerial meeting of Joint Trade Committee (JTC) of Bangladesh and Thailand at a city hotel on Thursday. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed and his Thai counterpart Apiradi Tantraporn led the respective side. Besides, Bangladesh and Thailand signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to import 1.0 million tonnes of rice from Thailand in next five years. Food Minister Qamrul Islam and the Thai commerce minister signed the MoU on behalf of the respective government. The 4th JTC meeting, held after an intervention of four years, was represented by senior-level government officials and private sector high-ups of both the countries. The JTC meeting began on Wednesday with senior-level officials, and concluded on Thursday with minister-level discussion. In a joint briefing after the two-day meeting, the commerce ministers of Bangladesh and Thailand shared the consensus, reached by both sides. They said the two countries will work together in a number of issues, including development of agriculture and fishery sectors. Both sides also agreed to engage private sector of their respective countries more for meeting the target of doubling trade in five years, he added. During discussions Thailand showed interest in bilateral FTA, but Tofail Ahmed said Bangladesh requested the country to provide duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) facility for 36 Bangladeshi products until the FTA is signed. "We seek duty-free facility for 36 products on priority basis to help reduce the huge trade imbalance that exists between the countries for meeting the trade doubling target." He told the journalists that Bangladesh's export volume to Thailand is only $ 36 million. Both Bangladesh and Thailand are the 3rd largest bilateral partners in the respective regional forum of south-east Asian and south Asian nations. The two-way trade volume was recorded $ 995 million with the Thai share of $ 960 million. According to the statistics of Bangladesh Embassy in Thailand, growth of Bangladesh trade to the country increased 38 per cent in last one year, which had been almost stagnant since 2012. Thailand exports mainly poly-raising, clinkers, machineries, cosmetics, toiletry and food items to Bangladesh. The country, however, lost the market of Jute in Thailand mainly due to imposition of duty on it. In recent years, Bangladesh started exporting ready-made garment and pharmaceutical products there. Though Thailand provides DFQF access to nearly 5,000 products of Bangladesh, the commerce minister said Bangladesh placed a new list of 36 products, including RMG, as it can hardly get any benefit from the existing list. Tofail Ahmed said Bangladesh has lost the jute export market in Thailand due to competition with India, which enjoys FTA benefit with the country. Five per cent duty is imposed on Bangladeshi jute in absence of FTA, he added. He also said Bangladesh enjoys duty-free facility as a least developed country (LDC), and can get the benefit from Thailand as a developed country, according to World Trade Organisation. Both sides also agreed to sign MoU soon on issuance of common certification of products. The Thai commerce minister told the media that Thai entrepreneurs want to increase their investment in Bangladesh apart from working to meet the trade doubling target. "We've proposed strategic partnership to strengthen Bangladesh-Thailand relationship," she added. She said Thailand has scopes to invest in Bangladesh's light-engineering and handcraft sectors, as the latter has potentials in these sectors. The Thai minister also said she will discuss about signing a coastal shipping agreement, proposed by Bangladesh, with her country's ministry concerned, adding that her government will review the list of DFQF products as per the request of Bangladesh. Both sides also agreed to hold the 5th JTC in 2018 in Thailand. smunima@yahoo.com....

Published at: 2017-08-11 05:00:03

The Cambodian apex rice industry body has been meeting this week to discuss ways of nailing down a potentially massive deal with Bangladesh, which earlier this month inked a memorandum of understanding to purchase 1.0 million tonnes of Cambodian rice over the next five years. Bangladesh has been shopping around to fill its silos after devastating floods earlier this year reportedly wiped out a potential 700,000 tonnes of rice under cultivation, leading to a severe food shortage. Its government has reportedly discussed import deals with Thailand, Vietnam and India, but has yet to settle on a supplier. The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) convened on Tuesday for a strategy session aimed at clinching Bangladesh's initial order of 250,000 tonnes of rice, according to a report by phnompenhpost.com. The shipment calls for 200,000 tonnes of white rice and 50,000 tonnes of parboiled rice to be delivered in October. CRF Vice President Hun Lak said the federation's board and members discussed whether Cambodia was capable of filling the large order, and if it could compete on price. "According to our members, we have sufficient rice to supply Bangladesh, but we must first see what the terms and prices are," he said yesterday. "It's too early to make any conclusions on our [offer] price as we're waiting to see how prices fluctuate on the international market." Lak said the CRF was working with state-owned rice exporter Green Trade to prepare the offer price as well as its terms, with Green Trade to take the lead on firming up a contract with Bangladesh. Norng Veasna, director of sales and marketing at Nikoline Rice Mill, said local millers were ready to supply rice to Bangladesh but would need support - such as reduced electricity tariffs or logistics costs - to lower their price.....

Published at: 2017-08-11 05:00:03