The European Union (EU) has highly appreciated Bangladesh's role in maintaining global peace and security as one of the highest troops and police contributing countries for the UN peacekeeping operations. Both sides agreed to intensify collaboration on matters of regional and global interests such as connectivity, migration, terrorism. These issues came up for discussion at the second diplomatic consultations between Bangladesh and the EU held in Brussels recently.

The Federal Court of Canada has labelled Bangladesh Nationalist party (BNP), one of the leading political parties in the country, as a 'terrorist organisation'. The bench of Justice Henry S Brown of the Canadian apex court on January 25, while dismissing an appeal for immigration of a BNP activist, found "reasonable grounds to believe that the BNP is, or was, a terrorist organisation." The officer in his rejection order states: "The BNP's continued reliance on strikes as a tool to coerce the government by creating significant economic disruption as well as the incidences of violence that resulted from the implementation of the strikes caused by BNP members are sufficient to find that the BNP constituted terrorist acts."

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

Aiming to mitigate the waterlogging crisis in Chittagong city, Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) has taken up a project involving US$ 3 billion. Other objectives of the project include making the city free of flood, improving the city's drainage system and preventing saline water intrusion. Under the project, regulators in 40 canals of the city and about 2.7km of retaining wall will be constructed, said BWDB officials. Apart from these, 27.497km of flood wall with 1km slope protection will be constructed and 100 pumps with generator facilities will be installed in 10 big canals including Chaktai, Moheshkhal and Rajakhali.

The Weather Index-Based Crop Insurance (WIBCI), introduced as a pilot project in 2013, gained huge popularity among the farmers owing to its credential features. Farmers of three districts- Noakhali, Sirajganj and Rajshahi- have already benefited directly from 5399. This scheme is much viable than the analogue data-based schemes. Owing to its effectiveness, the government took the project in 2013 with the assistance from the ADB and the project was extended till mid2017.

TRADE AND INVESTMENT

The first container ship, MV Nou Kollan-1, arrived from Kolkata at Pangaon Inland Container Terminal in Keraniganj this week, opening up a new horizon for bilateral trade between the countries. According to experts, buyers from home and abroad would be benefited from the operation of the Pangaon container terminal while booths of several banks, including the state-run Sonali Bank, would be opened there for providing banking facilities to businessmen.

INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL COOPERATION

Russia will complete the delivery of BTR-80 amphibious armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to peacekeepers in Bangladesh this year, the vehicles' developer told Sputnik on Monday. The 2014 contract reportedly entails the delivery of some 330 Russian-made BTR-80s to Bangladesh. This development stands out as a testament to the height of the mutual cooperation between Bangladesh and Russia in this respective field.

DIGITAL BANGLADESH

A new move has been stepped up to set up science and technology club at upazila headquarters across the country. A circular regarding the decision has been served by the Department of National Science and Technology Museum under the Ministry of Science and Technology to each upazila nirbahi officer (UNO). According to the approved constitution, a committee has to be formed in each upazila headed by UNO at each upazila headquarters, while, one laptop, one multimedia projector and other logistics and funds are under active consideration of the government.