Dhaka - A Bangladeshi rights group Saturday called for recognising environmental refugees with free economic migration rights under UN covenants as it estimated some 30 million people of the South Asian country are already exposed to climate change.

Making their demands public for recognition of the environmental refugees as "universal natural person" the Equity and Justice Working Group Bangladesh, said it was planning local and international campaigns in favour of the people under climate threat.

Dhaka  - The chief of Bangladesh's anti-graft authority resigned Thursday, saying that new leadership is needed to fight graft in the country's changed political landscape.

"You all know the present situation. There is no need to explain it again. I don't want to go into details. I would only say the circumstances demand a new leadership for the commission to gear up its activities," said Mashhud Chowdhury, confirming his resignation.

Dhaka

Dhaka, Apr. 2 : The Government of Bangladesh has taken its first step towards tackling the menace of corporate corruption, which exists on a large scale in the country.

Corporate corruption is a force that is as destructive as the cyclones that have ravaged the country's coastline in the past.

Last week, Bangladesh''s newly elected government took its first high-profile swipe at the problem.

Dhaka - Bangladesh and Russia on Tuesday began a three-day dialogue toward signing an agreement for the peaceful use of nuclear energy that could pave the way for cooperation in setting up nuclear power plants in Bangladesh, officials said.

"We will discuss the possible deal to pave the way for cooperation in this field," said MM Neazuddin, a joint secretary of Bangladesh's science and ICT ministry, who is leading the Bangladeshi side to the talks.

Dhaka  - Bangladesh's economy is expected to grow at its lowest rate in five years during the current fiscal year, mainly due to the impact of global recession, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) projected Tuesday.

The ADB Outlook 2009, the annual publication of the lending agency, said that the country's GDP growth would fall to 5.6 percent from 6.2 percent in the 2008-09 fiscal year.

It also projects a further decline in growth to 5.2 percent in the 2009-10 fiscal year.