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RAKHINE STATE: The Rakhine State government, in Myanmar, has invited private developers to accelerate construction of an airport at the ancient city of Mrauk U in northern region of the state, according to a report by  www.ttrweekly.com . Situated on the western coast, Rakhine state borders Chin state in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and Chittagong, Bangladesh, to the northwest. Irrawaddy media quoted the regional transport minister, U Aung Kyaw Zan, saying the state government has called on private investors to bid for a build-operate-transfer contract that would speed up completion of an airport, now years behind schedule. “We are calling on international and local companies to invest and to continue the project…it is estimated the finished project would cost 26 billion kyats (USD18.9 million).” inside no 3With support from private investors, the government expects to finish airport construction in three to five years. However, not all of the project plans and proposals have been received and the government will need time to complete negotiations with successful bidders, the minister said.-Asfar  ....

Published at: 2017-02-21 00:00:04

Los Angeles had the world's worst traffic in 2016 -- supplanting Moscow for the top spot in the rankings released by traffic firm INRIX on Monday. According to the survey, L.A. motorists spent an average of 104 hours stuck in traffic last year, reports UPI. "A stable U.S. economy, continued urbanization of major cities, and factors such as employment growth and low gas prices have all contributed to increased traffic in 2016," Bob Pishue, senior economist at INRIX, said in a statement. "The demand for driving is expected to continue to rise, while the supply of roadway will remain flat." Moscow fell to second place, followed by New York City, San Francisco and Bogota, Colombia. Atlanta (No. 9) also made the top 10. San Francisco leaped forward seven spots, from No. 11, over its 2015 rank. Miami ranked 11th, Washington, D.C., was 15th, Dallas was 16th, Boston was ranked at No. 18 and Chicago at No. 19. In addition to time-consuming congestion studied in more than 1,000 cities in 38 nations, the research also revealed that American drivers spent about $300 billion in wasted fuel and productivity due to the gridlock. That comes out to about $1,400 per driver. In Los Angeles, the average driver saw a loss of $2,408. Though INRIX has previously conducted traffic rankings, a new methodology was used for 2016 -- which "calculates the percentage of time that drivers spent in congestion at different periods of the day/week and on different parts of a city's road network. ... Cities were ranked by the peak hours that the average driver spent in congestion, the busiest part of the day when the most people are affected." The study concluded that the United States ranked as the fourth-most congested country in the world, tied with Russia, with a driver average of 42 hours spent in traffic during peak hours. The most congested U.S. road was found to be Interstate 95 West in New York City, which saw 86 hours of delay in 2016. Chicago's I-90/I-94 was second with only one fewer hour. New York's I-95 East ranked third. Los Angeles' most congested road was Interstate 10 East, which ranked fifth nationally.-Asfar....

Published at: 2017-02-21 00:00:04

The government has completed almost all preparations to ensure that International Mother Language Day and Amar Ekushey (February 21) is observed in Dhaka city and elshewhere in the country smoothly and befittingly. On Tuesday, the nation will pay homage to the martyrs, who sacrificed their lives in the historic Language Movement of 1951 for recognition of Bangla as a state language. Besides Bangladesh, the day will also be observed in 192 countries across the world as the International Mother Language Day, declared by the UNESCO on November 17, 1999. - source BSS, UNB  ....

Published at: 2017-02-20 00:00:09

Ferry services on Paturia-Daulatdia route in the Padma River resumed after three hours of its disruption due to thick fog. Mohiuddin Russell, manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) at Aricha, said they kept suspended the ferry services on the route from 6am to 9am due to poor visibility caused by dense fog, reports UNB. Two ferries 'Kaberi' and 'Kumari' with a number of vehicles and passengers were stranded in the mid-river, he said.  ....

Published at: 2017-02-20 00:00:09

Bangladesh must build strong institutions, including centres of excellence in education, to prosper in a globalised economy, a US-based expert said while delivering the keynote address at a seminar organised by Cosmos Foundation in Dhaka on Saturday. Prof Haider Khan, John Evans Distinguished Professor of Economics at the University of Denver, said for developing countries like Bangladesh, the ultimate end is development, not just liberalisation or protection, and therefore a hybrid approach to globalisation might be the best solution. “There should be a hybrid architecture, with institutions that will have a global aspect but will also address local concerns,” he said adding, “When it comes to globalisation, one size does not fit all.” Prof Khan, an eminent economist who has been an adviser to the United Nations Development Programme, Asian Development Bank Institute, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and many other development organisations, was delivering the keynote speech at the inaugural Cosmos Dialogue, a series of discussions on critical, contemporary issues organised by Cosmos Foundation. – source UNB  ....

Published at: 2017-02-20 00:00:09