Bangladesh to submit claim

Definition of Continental Shelf

The continental shelf is an undersea extension of a continent which can stretch for many miles out to sea in some cases. Many nations have asserted mineral and land rights to their associated continental shelves, since this region of the ocean is rich in natural resources such as marine life.

Minerals on the continental shelf are also significantly easier to extract than minerals on the floor of the ocean, since the continental shelf is relatively shallow by comparison. By convention, many countries defend their continental shelves as territorial waters, since they are concerned about the exploitation of their natural resources.


There are actually several parts to the continental shelf. The first part is the shelf itself, which starts below the shoreline of a continent. The shelf slopes gently as it stretches towards the deeper part of the ocean, until it reaches a certain point and drops off sharply, causing the waters above to rapidly become much deeper. This drop is called the continental break, and it occurs uniformly at around 460 feet (140 meters) of depth. It has been theorized that the continental break may mark the former sea level of the world's oceans.

After the continental break, the continental shelf takes a sharp downward turn, creating a geological feature called the continental slope. This feature transitions into the continental rise, a deposit of sediments which forms as a result of river and stream run off from the neighboring continent. Beyond the continental rise, one finds the ocean floor, along with a host of fascinating plant and animal life which remains largely unexplored due to the inaccessibility of the ocean floor.

In some instances, the continental shelf is very short, as is the case in subduction zones where one tectonic plate is being sucked below another. A well known example of a subduction zone can be found in the waters off the coast of Chile. In other cases, the continental shelf stretches for many miles out to sea. The feature is often visible from overhead, if the viewer looks for a marked change in the color of the water which reflects a sudden change in depth.

Dial 2000 from your GP mobile for latest news
Dhaka, Jan 9 (bdnews24.com) – The government is going to make its official submission in February to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for demarcating the outer limits of its continental shelf.

"We've taken our best preparation to make our claim and after vetting by the ministries concerned draft claim will be approved by the cabinet. Hopefully, we can submit it by the end of February," foreign minister Dr Dipu Moni said after an inter-ministerial meeting on the issue on Sunday.

According to the continental shelf formula of 1982, a country can claim over 350 nautical miles outer limits from its coastline.

"We're submitting he proposal five months ahead of the schedule, as the sooner we submit the better it is for us," she said.

Bangladesh was scheduled to submit the report by July this year and it is the 53rd country in the world making the claim.

"The government will validate its claim by producing all relevant data and analyses, and it'll take eight to 10 years to reach a conclusion," Dipu said.

India and Myanmar have already submitted their claims on the outer limits of the continental shelf and Bangladesh has lodged 'objections' against their claims, she said.

"It's possible that they will also lodge similar objection to our claim and all the claims will then be taken into consideration when all of us will withdraw our objections," she explained.

Additional secretary Khorshed Alam said, "We've claimed over 400 nautical miles the size of the continental shelf is as big as Bangladesh."

The main dispute with India and Myanmar is that they have claimed on the basis of equidistance but Bangladesh has claimed on the basis of equity. "We've a good chance to win the claim as in 1967 Germany won similar claim against the Netherlands and Denmark," he said.

Bangladesh has already filed legal dispute against India and Myanmar for settlement of sea delimitation.

bdnews24.com/ssz/mr/1820h

Bangladesh Plans To Launch Telecom Satellite Soon

Bangladesh.

Bangladesh wants to enter space-age soon as the government plans to launch a satellite into the space for the development of the country's telecommunications services.

The Bangladeshi Post and Telecommunications Minister Razi UddinAhmed Raju made the announcement at a press conference Thursday, according to the private news agency UNB.

He said the satellite to be installed in the space will be used only for business purpose.

"The Post and Telecommunications Ministry has already negotiated with some countries like Germany, Russia and China for the launch of the first ever satellite of the country," he said.

"If we get technical supports from those countries, we will be able to launch the satellite into space soon," he added.

He also informed that many foreign investors expressed their willingness to invest in the country's telecommunications sector.

Source: Xinhua News Agency

Bangladesh property fairs in UK, Italy in July

Bangladesh property fairs in UK, Italy in July
Star Business Desk

Bangladesh Property Fair 2010 will be organised in two European countries in July.

The single country housing expositions are going to be held in London of the United Kingdom on July 10-12 and in Rome of Italy on 17-19 July, as announced at a press conference at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel yesterday, according to a press release.

Curry Life Events of the UK and Expressions Ltd of Bangladesh will arrange the fairs with the support from Janamat, the British Bangla weekly, Nandan Group and UK-Bangladesh nBusiness Council.

Syed Belal Ahmed, editor of the Curry Life, Ramedu Majumder, chairman and managing director of Expressions Ltd, were present at the press conference.

source:http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=135925

A little political will can do miracles in Bangla-India relations

It is one of the strange paradoxes of life that neighbours, who should have the greatest interest in living together peacefully, are often at loggerheads with each other. India and Bangladesh have also followed this pattern for the last quarter of a century. Happily for both countries, however, saner counsels seem to be prevailing now. The result is that after an unconscionably long period of mutual recriminations, India and Bangladesh have started to mend their relationship.

Much of the credit for this must go to the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, who won a historic election in December 2008. The promise of change came in the Awami League manifesto in the 2008 election. The manifesto was a comprehensive document covering the entire range of issues relating to security, terrorism, fundamentalism, economic development with social justice, improved communications and infrastructure, and the need for good relations with India.

Although on all these issues, Sheikh Hasina’s perspective is a nationalist one, she has not lost sight of the need to improve relations with India. Her ideas for change have provided the template for moving India-Bangladesh relations forward. So, after the Hasina government came to power, the goodwill for India in Dhaka has increased and both sides are working to address their differences and promote cooperation in a wide range of areas, including commerce, railways and power.

It was perhaps for the first time that eminent participants from Bangladesh in a recently concluded Track II Dialogue organised by the Asian Institute of Transport Development stressed that Bangladesh should allay Indian concerns regarding security and terrorism. The game-changer has come in the form of Bangladesh’s highly cooperative and much appreciated attitude towards India’s security concerns. To mark its seriousness and to underline the fact that it recognises these concerns, Bangladesh has, in a significant gesture, handed over to India one of its most wanted fugitives from Assam.

India had invested so much in the birth of Bangladesh in 1971. Now that the atmospherics are favourable, India should lend its helping hand once again. A secular, democratic and stable Bangladesh is in India’s long-term interest. Getting Bangladesh on board for pursuing anti-terrorism is particularly important to keep at bay those who have often used that country as a base to destabilise India. From Bangladesh’s perspective, it can take advantage of India’s strategic opening to the east and be a partner in the growing economic integration of the region.

There appears to be a feeling in India that it is only Bangladesh that would benefit from the India-Bangladesh engagement. But the truth is that there is a great deal that India can also learn from Bangladesh, especially in the area of service delivery to the poor, be it in health, education, microfinance or the empowerment of women. On all these indicators, Bangladesh has outperformed India by a significant margin.

Because of asymmetry of size and resources, India should not necessarily insist on immediate reciprocity in all matters. It has greater options and can afford to wait awhile for the dividends that will come with growing trust and confidence. Issues like the unresolved land and maritime boundaries, exchange of enclaves, improved connectivity and sharing of water resources are capable of early resolution given a modicum of political will and pragmatism on both sides.

Illegal migration remains a contentious issue, but India will have to recognise the fact that prosperity attracts not just capital — as can be seen from capital inflows — but also labour. More rapid development in Bangladesh, with Indian assistance, and the ability to exploit economies of scale by tapping the vast Indian market could provide a powerful stimulus to the Bangladesh economy and generate additional jobs and opportunities that would restrain labour outflows.

While there are 25 trading points between India and Bangladesh, infrastructure facilities are woefully inadequate. Cumbersome transshipment procedures at borders, lengthy documentation required at the check-posts and deficiencies in smooth transportation — all put constraints on trade activities. Traders on either side of the border are required to furnish multiple documents that need to have about 250 signatures of different officials on both sides.

It takes around five days to transport goods over a distance less than 100 km from Kolkata through Petrapole in India to Benapole in Bangladesh. Complex regulations have been instrumental in the proliferation of usurious intermediaries and a rise in 'informal' trade, a euphemism for smuggling and criminal activities.

India can help in improving the transport infrastructure of Bangladesh, particularly its rail system. Railways, as a mode of transport, need a critical mass in terms of network and volumes of traffic to sustain themselves. Bangladesh Railways lack both. Indeed, the partition of the subcontinent has in a way meant the death of smaller railway systems dismembered from the subcontinent rail network.

Hence, the imperative of connecting once again with the Indian Railways network to provide through movement of goods to the north-eastern states of India. In the process, Bangladesh Railways would gain the required volumes to become a viable entity. “Connect” was the mantra given by the well-known British novelist E M Forster to mend ties between countries, races and civilisations.

The visit by Sheikh Hasina should hopefully help to connect the two countries at political, strategic and economic levels. Indeed, it could well mark a turning point in their relationship for the good of the people, particularly the poor of the subcontinent who live at the margins of existence.

source:the economist

Turkey eyes $3b trade with Bangladesh

Turkey eyes $3b trade with Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks at a bilateral meeting with visiting Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Prime Minister's Office in Dhaka yesterday. Photo: PMO

Star Business Report

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said bilateral trade between Turkey and Bangladesh will cross the $3 billion mark by 2015.
In the first 10 months of 2010, bilateral trade increased to $742 million from $648 million in 2009, despite the global financial crisis.

When the incumbent Turkish PM’s party assumed power in 2002 through a general election, two-way trade between Bangladesh and Turkey was only $47 million.

“Our target is to increase the bilateral trade to $1 billion at the end of the year and $3 billion at the end of 2015. The target is achievable, because we have determination,” said Erdogan yesterday at a luncheon meeting of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel.

He suggested Bangladesh utilise Turkish expertise in construction and infrastructure development as his country boasts skills to carry out those jobs.

Turkey achieved 11 percent economic growth in the first six months of this year, ranking number one in Europe and third globally, he said.

“The rate of unemployment has been increasing worldwide in the wake of the global recession, but Turkey successfully cut its unemployment rate by maintaining significant economic growth,” the Turkish PM said.

Tourist arrivals in Turkey are increasing while neighbouring Spain and Greece have been losing the numbers, Erdogan added.

Erdogan added that the most important asset of Bangladesh is the country’s young and dynamic people, which Bangladesh should utilise for achieving overall development.

He urged the government to enforce the trade and investment protection agreement signed between the two countries in 1987 to boost trade.

At the meeting, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said mutual cooperation and investments between the two countries must be enhanced as Turkey has already made considerable advancements in this regard.

“Direct flights between Turkey and Bangladesh are all set to begin next month,” he added.

FBCCI President AK Azad said major export items from Bangladesh to Turkey include knitwear, woven garment products, raw jute and jute goods, hides and skins, crockery, cutlery and handicrafts.

On the other hand, the goods imported from Turkey include machinery and mechanical appliances, base metal, textile and textile articles, vehicles, aircraft, vegetable products, mineral products, plastic and rubber products and prepared foodstuff.

The Turkish investors have opportunities to invest in textiles, tourism, energy, construction, natural gas-based industries, telecommunication, fisheries and agro-based industries in Bangladesh, he said.

BILATERAL TALKS

Emerging from bilateral talks yesterday, the Bangladesh and Turkey prime ministers held a joint press conference.

Erdoðan said his government and the private sector of Turkey will continue to offer and provide support and assistance to help Bangladesh emerge as a mid-income country by 2021, according to news agency UNB.

“There is huge potential to increase the trade up to a minimum $3 billion by 2015,” he said.

About the direct Dhaka-Istanbul air-link, he said it would strengthen cooperation between the two countries in various sectors, especially tourism.

Erdoðan hoped the economic and cultural collaboration would be further strengthened in the future.

He also said the Turkish government is interested to see an increase in the number of Bangladeshi students studying in Turkish educational institutions at graduation and under-graduation levels.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged her Turkish counterpart to encourage Turkish investors to invest in infrastructure development, energy production, river dredging, machinery and equipment plants, ICT, tourism, textile and particularly agro-based industries.

source:http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=162610