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The Chinese growth target for this year has been cut to around 6.5 per cent, down from 6.5 to 7 per cent last year, Premier Li Keqiang announced on Sunday. He was addressing the country's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC), which has gathered in Beijing for its annual session. The Chinese economy expanded at its slowest pace in 26 years in 2016. Li said he would tackle state "zombie enterprises" producing more coal and steel than the market needed. Similar pledges in the past have proved hard to fulfil. More than 3,000 legislators are meeting in the Great Hall of the People. The NPC and its advisory body hold ceremonial meetings every year known as "lianghui" or "two sessions". The advisory body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, began its meeting on Friday. NPC leaders are tolerating slightly slower economic growth this year to give them more room to push through some painful reforms to deal with a rapid build-up in debt, Reuters news agency reports. State news agency Xinhua said legislators and advisers would, among other issues, discuss globalisation "at a time when certain Western powers are retreating into protectionism and isolation". The meetings are the first since the election of US President Donald Trump, who has called for higher tariffs on Chinese imports. Xinhua also reported that national defence and relations with Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau would be discussed. Prime Minister Li is also expected to provide more detail on Sunday about the country's defence budget, which is planned to rise by 7 per cent. This year's "lianghui" comes ahead of a major Chinese Communist Party congress, due to be held later this year. That congress will confirm party chief and president Xi Jinping's second term in office, as well as announce changes in the party's top leadership.....

Published at: 2017-03-05 00:00:04

A local Awami League leader was shot dead by miscreants at Undarchar village under the Noakhali Sadar Upazila early Sunday, reports UNB. The victim has been identified as Abul Hashem, 40, president of ward No-4 of Undarchar union unit of AL and son of Abu Taher, a resident of the same village. Anwar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Sudharam Model Police Station, said a gang of miscreants swooped on Hashem near his house around 12.30am on his way back home. At one stage of the scuffle, the miscreants opened fire on Hashem and fled the scene immediately, leaving him in a moribund condition. Hearing the victim's screams, locals rescued Hashem and took him to Noakhali General Hospital where duty doctors declared him dead. Upon receiving the information, police recovered the body and took it to the hospital morgue for autopsy.....

Published at: 2017-03-05 00:00:04

Mexico has opened legal aid centres at consulates in 50 US cities, in a move designed to protect its citizens from tougher immigration enforcement, reports BBC. Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray reaffirmed concerns about the human rights of Mexicans in the US. But migrant defence centres would not "promote illegality," he said on Saturday. Mexico is worried about the impact that guidelines issued last month by President Donald Trump will have on the lives of its citizens. Trump ordered federal agents to join local police and immigration officers to enforce deportation procedures. Millions of Mexicans who have lived in the US for many years are suddenly facing the prospect of fighting a lengthy and costly legal battle against deportation. The new defence centres will provide free legal assistance for Mexican citizens who feel that their rights in the US are being threatened. 'Concern and irritation' Bilateral relations have reached its lowest point in decades. A week after being sworn in January, Trump reaffirmed his intention to build a wall along his country's southern border, which extends for 3,200km (2,000 miles). He insisted that Mexico would have to bear the cost of the proposed wall. The remarks prompted President Enrique Pena Nieto to cancel a visit to Washington on 31 January and to announce extra funding to protect the rights of Mexican citizens in the US. During a visit to Mexico by last month by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Chief John Kelly, Videgaray said President Trump's policies towards Mexico were a source of "concern and irritation". There are an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the US. Six million of them are reportedly Mexican citizens.....

Published at: 2017-03-05 00:00:04

The government still sticks to its plan to acquire Chevron's Bangladesh stakes and appoint Scotland-based consultancy firm Wood Mackenzie soon to assess the US firm's asset value, State Minister for Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said. "We want to see first whether acquiring Chevron's stakes in Bangladesh would be profitable or not," he said. Wood Mackenzie would analyse the value of assets, which include remaining reserve in three operational onshore gas fields of Chevron in Bangladesh, condition of the fields and its overall liabilities, said Mr Hamid. Bangladesh's price quote on Chevron Bangladesh assets would depend on the assessment, he added. "Wood Mackenzie would complete the job within 40 days of awarding of the job," state-owned Petrobangla Chairman Abul Mansur Md Faizullah told the FE. A contract would be inked with the firm within the next few days, he expressed the hope. The government has taken a hurried move to appoint Wood Mackenzie to assess Chevron's assets in Bangladesh following a recent report, published by Reuters, that Chinese Zhenhua Oil has signed an initial deal to buy Chevron's Bangladesh assets at an estimated cost of around US$2 billion. Petrobangla, however, holds the right of first refusal on acquiring Chevron's assets, as per the contract signed with the US firm. According to existing agreements between Chevron Bangladesh and Petrobangla, Chevron would not be able to sell or hand over its stakes to any company without prior approval from Petrobangla, said its officials. Petrobangla is the supervising authority of Chevron's operations in Bangladesh's oil and gas sector. Officials said, if Bangladesh purchases Chevron's Bangladesh stakes, it would be the second such incident that the country purchased Bangladeshi stakes of any international oil company. Earlier on August 9, 1975, the country's then President Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had bought all shares including five onshore gas fields from the then Shell Oil Company at a cost of around 4.4 million British pounds. Petrobangla's subsidiary Bangladesh Gas Fields Company Ltd, or BGFCL, derived its origin from the then Shell Oil Company in 1975. When asked about its latest update on its sale plan, Chevron Bangladesh's Communication Manager on External Affairs Shaikh Jahidur Rahman said, "We can confirm that Chevron has been in commercial discussions about our interests in Bangladesh.  We will not comment on negotiations as a matter of long-standing policy." The US firm is currently producing around 1.55 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf) of natural gas from three of its onshore gas fields -- Bibiyana, Jalalabad and Moulvi Bazar -- located in blocks 12, 13 and 14, respectively, in the northeastern Sylhet region, which accounts for around 56.3 per cent of the country's total supply of 2.74 Bcf per day, according to Petrobangla data as on March 01, 2017. Chevron Bangladesh has separate production-sharing contracts, or PSCs, with Petrobangla for three of its gas fields none of which would expire before 2028. Chevron Bangladesh in late 2013 had sought an enhanced gas price of around 3.0 per cent annually to install a compression station to enhance gas production from Bibiyana gas field, which was denied by Petrobangla. Bibiyana is currently Bangladesh's largest producing gas-field and is supplying around 1.24 Bcf per day of gas. Chevron Bangladesh is currently getting US$2.76 per unit (1000 cubic feet) for the gas from the Bibiyana field. Mazizur.rahman@outlook.com....

Published at: 2017-03-05 00:00:04

Patients have been hit hard as interns at different medical colleges and hospitals across the country continued their strike protesting the suspension of four interns of Bogra Medical College Hospital over the assault of a patient's relative. Interns at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital in Bogra started their work abstention on Thursday protesting a Health Ministry directive suspending its four interns -- Dr Nurjahan Binte Islam Naz, Dr Md Ashiquzzaman Asif, Dr Md Kutub Uddin and Dr MA Al Mamun -- for six months, reports UNB. Later, interns at several medical colleges and hospitals in Rajshahi, Barisal and Sylhet expressed solidarity with the strike of interns at Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital and went on work abstention. In Sylhet, interns at different medical colleges and hospitals --Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, Ragib-Rabeya Medical College Hospital, Northeast Medical College Hospital and Sylhet Women' Medical College Hospital--started their work abstention on Saturday, demanding withdrawal of the suspension order of the four Bogra interns. In Barisal, interns at Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) in Barisal also began the strike from Saturday noon. In Rajshahi, interns at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH) abstained from work from Saturday morning to push for the same demand. The trouble began on February 9 when a group of interns of the hospital beat a patient's attendant following an altercation. According to hospital sources, Alauddin Sarkar, 60, of Konagati in Sirajganj, was admitted to the hospital at midnight. Soon after his admission, Alauddin's son Rauf locked into an altercation with an intern over switching on a fan. At one stage of their argument, the intern called his colleagues, took Rauf to a separate room and beat him up. Later, the agitators locked the emergency unit of the hospital and went on an indefinite strike, citing that they were insulted by Alauddin's relatives. A probe body led by additional secretary Habibur Rahman was formed to investigate the incident on February 23 and the offenders were punished following the submission of the probe report.  ....

Published at: 2017-03-05 00:00:04