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Democratic Left Alliance (DLA) rejected national budget of Bangladesh. DLA organized a protest rally and procession at 17 June 2009 in Dhaka. Ruling government submitted proposed national budget in national parliament recently. DLA criticize government in the rally that they permitted black money to be white, no allocation for Jute sector and wages of garments or other workers. Leaders declared that the proposed budget is pro-black money holders and against of poor people.

This is to inform you that on 7 June 2009 the joint District Conferences of Bangladesh Krishok Federation (BKF) and Bangladesh Kishani Sabha were held in Barisal City. 15 hundred delegates were present in the conferences who are mostly peasants, landless, agricultural and rural workers, both men and women. The participation of women was most significant. The meeting had two sessions---Inaugura l and Council. Besides, big procession was brought out in the city and paraded different streets of the city.

The district conference of Barisal was very successful program. I have arrived in Dhaka today after attending the conference. You know that Barisal is the southern district of Bangladesh and strong base area of BKF and BKS. Local leaders from all sub-districts of Barisal were presented in the conference. A strong new district committee of BKF and BKS were formed by this conference. According to our constitution district committee will be 15 members. So, new committees are BKF- 15 (peasants) and BKS- 15 (women peasants) total 30 leaders.

Original Publication Date:
28 May, 2009
Source: SUNS #6708

Geneva, 27 May (Kanaga Raja) -- The WTO General Council on Tuesday decided to convene its seventh Ministerial Conference in Geneva from 30 November to 2 December, nearly four years after its last conference in Hong Kong-China in 2005.

The Marrakesh treaty establishing the WTO mandates a regular Ministerial Conference at least once in two years. Article IV: 1 of the Treaty stipulates that there shall be "a Ministerial Conference composed of representatives of all the Members, which shall meet at least once every two years."

The sixth WTO Ministerial Conference was held in Hong Kong-China in 2005, and another should have been held in 2007, but was not.

The general theme for discussion at the seventh Ministerial Conference shall be "The WTO, the Multilateral Trading System and the Current Global Economic Environment."

On the auspicious occasion of International Peasants' Day 2009, we, the rice farmers, peasants and activists representing larger peasantry and 1.2 million members of ANPFa and representatives from Bangladesh, Malaysia, the Philippines along with Japanese activists primarily from rice growing areas of Asia met in Pokhara on April 17-18, 2009 for closer discussion on various aspects of rice and found rice as our life pattern and dignity, source of livelihood, culture and security against hunger.