Briefs, January 25, 2013
Bangladesh will buy its first submarines to boost its naval power in the Bay of Bengal, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed said, only days after she signed the country's largest defence deal. The announcement is the latest sign of Hasina's willingness to spend heavily on defence, coming only nine days after she signed a US$1 billion arms deal in Russia. Hasina did not give details of how many submarines would be purchased or from where, but an army general has said Bangladesh is in negotiations with China.
DHAKA - Bangladesh will buy its first submarines to boost its naval power in the Bay of Bengal, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed said, only days after she signed the country's largest defence deal. The announcement is the latest sign of Hasina's willingness to spend heavily on defence, coming only nine days after she signed a US$1 billion arms deal in Russia. Hasina did not give details of how many submarines would be purchased or from where, but an army general has said Bangladesh is in negotiations with China. AFP
WASHINGTON - Child soldiers are still being recruited in Myanmar despite recent political reforms, an advocacy group said, as it urged better monitoring of the powerful military. Myanmar's government agreed last June to a plan with the UN to end the practice and 42 children have since been released. But London-based Child Soldiers International said the army, border troops and rebel groups still used children. It said the army faced internal pressure and successful recruiters got bonuses or early leave. AFP
HANOI - Vietnamese police have detained the former chief executive of the country's largest lender by assets, state-owned Agribank, in connection with losses on loans to a failed textile factory, newspapers said. Pham Thanh Tan was accused of "lacking responsibility that caused serious consequences" during his work at unlisted Agribank, the state-run newspaper quoted police minister Tran Dai Quang as saying. put the loss to the bank at 3.9 trillion dong (HK$1.45 billion). Reuters
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict received the secretary general of Vietnam's Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, in an unusual gesture marking a desire for "fruitful collaboration" between the Catholic Church and the party, the Vatican said. The meeting on Tuesday was rare because the pope usually reserves private audiences for heads of state and Tuesday is traditionally Benedict's day of rest. The Communist regime in Vietnam has been accused of restricting religious practice amid reports of the persecution of Christians. AFP
