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Development partners at the Paris aid conference have agreed to the need for changing the outdated aid policy and adopt result-based strategy instead of imposing ‘so-called’ conditions.
   They also stressed timely disbursement of aid and reducing the number of donors’ review missions that affect other government activities. ‘These were incorporated in the Paris Declaration,’ the finance minister, Saifur Rahman, told reporters on his return Monday.
   He raised the concerns of the aid-recipient countries while making his keynote speech on March 2 at the on ‘Joint Progress towards Enhanced Aid Effectiveness: Harmonisation, Alignment, Results’ to make aid more effective.
   Saifur led a four-member delegation to the February 28-March 4 forum, attended by 55 partner-countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal, and 35 bilateral and 25 multilateral agencies.

The youths have to be prepared themselves as future leaders of the country and that is why they should be properly educated both in Bengali and English medium, said Enayetullah Khan, the editor of New Age and Holiday, while inaugurating the 3-day long Tarunyer Mela in Khulna city as the chief guest on Monday morning.
   A local non-governmental organisation, Rupantar, organised the fair with the help of International Republican Institute in the city on the gymnasium ground near the Khulna Stadium.
   Enayetullah said, ‘We have many achievements like liberation war for which we feel proud though we have some sorrows.’
   The IRI director, Alex Satan and a popular television performer, Dr Abdun Nur Tushar, addressed the function as special guests.
   The general secretary of the Khulna district Krira Sangstha, Moniruzzaman Moni, the Rupantar chief executive, Swapon Guha, and director, Rafiqul Islam, also spoke.
   Following the inaugural session, a seminar on ‘Journalism for the next generation’ was held where the New Age editor was the main speaker.
   The Ntv executive producer, Parvez Choudhury, the weekly 2000 executive editor, Golam Mortuza and the New Age staff correspondent, Mahfuz Siddique also spoke.
   Besides, 5 seminars entitled ‘good governance and democracy’, ‘involvement of the youths in curbing trafficking women and children’, ‘view of the youths towards hartal in Bangladesh’, ‘an active city corporation: involvement of local government’ and ‘voluntary works and involvement of mass people’ were held on the first day of the fair at 3 pavilions.
   A total of 33 stalls were set up at the fair. Different non-government organisations, the Australian embassy and the New Age participated in the fair and displayed and sold their publications and products. 4 other stalls of sweetmeats and foods were also opened.
   Hundreds of youths, mostly school and college-going students, took part in the fair on the first day. The fair will remain opened from 10 am to 4:30 pm everyday till its closing tomorrow. Six seminars will be held everyday on the fair premises.

Gas reserve in Bangura field might be around 455 billion cubic feet, Tullow Oil plc, which discovered the gas in November 2004, on Monday said.
   The Irish company at a meeting with the Petrobangla officials informed of the probable reserve at the field in Debidwar of Comilla under block No 9.
   Around 40–45mmcf gas could be produced daily from the field after setting up a supply pipeline and processing plant, the company officials said.
   The company, however, did not want to make the commercial discovery announcement right at the moment, Petrobangla officials said.
   ‘It wants to make the announcement after test production for six months from November or December,’ said an official.
   Another high official told New Age that it was a probable estimation. ‘The reserve may vary. However, we can confirm it after Petrobangla scrutinise Tallow’s claim,’ he said.
   Officials of Tallow said after many tests, it found six prospective zones, and gas was detected in five of the zones.
   Tallow also proposed for setting up a pipeline and developing a processing plant at Bangura for producing 40–45mmcfd gas.
   Petrobangla signed a production-sharing contract with Tullow, ChevronTexaco and Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company for block 9 in April 2001.
   Under the contract, Tullow as operator of the block had an abortive drilling at Lalmai in Comilla. Later, it conducted drilling in Bangura and found presence gas.

Marking the international women’s day United Nations Population Fund launched the ‘Male Platform for Zero Tolerance to Violence against Women’ at the national press club on Monday.
   Male representatives of different sectors signed an oath which said they would assist individuals and communities engaged in activities to end violence against women.
   Secretary to the ministry for children and women affairs, Mortuza Hossain Munshi, president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Kutubuddin Ahmed, former secretary to the ministry of energy, Taufiq Elahi Chowdhury, country representative of the Population Council, Obaidur Rab, former professor of the department of Bangla of Dhaka University, Dr Anisuzzaman, director general of the department of family planning, MA Akmal Hossain, country representative of the Gender Health, Abu Jamil Faisal, teacher of the department of population science of Dhaka University, Professor Nurunnabi, director general of the Islamic Foundation, AZM Shamsul Alam and film actor, Elias Kanchon signed the oath.
   Suneeta Mukherjee, the UNFPA country representative in Bangladesh who moderated the ceremony said domestic violence is no more an issue at an individual level or family level; it is an affair of the community and the media nowadays.