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AL wins 19, BNP 15 councillor seats at Narayanganj city
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Councillor candidates backed by the Awami League have won the majority of regular and reserve seats at the Narayanganj City Corporation election.

A total 156 candidates competed for 27 Ward councillor seats in the election held on Thursday.

Awami League-supported candidates won in 13 Wards while those with BNP’s endorsement won in 12. Jatiya Party and Socialist Party of Bangladesh each won one councillor post.

As for reserved women councillor seats, 38 were in the race for nine positions. Six backed by the Awami League won, while the rest three went to BNP-backed contestants.

The unofficial results were announced by Returning Officer Md Nuruzzaman Talukder from the Control Room set up at Narayanganj Club on Thursday night.

The mayor post went to Awami League’s Selina Hayat Ivy who defeated BNP’s Sakhawat Hossain Khan by a huge margin to ensure a second straight term.
 
US Bangla Airlines starts Singapore, KL, Qatar flights from Dhaka (sorry Bangla only)

কুয়ালালামপুরে ফ্লাইট শুরু করতে যাচ্ছে ইউএস-বাংলা
নিউজ ডেস্ক | বাংলানিউজটোয়েন্টিফোর.কম
আপডেট: ২০১৭-০১-২৩ ৫:৫৬:৩১ পিএম


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ইউএস বাংলা এয়ারলাইন্স

ঢাকা: ব্যবসা সম্প্রসারণের ধারাবাহিকতায় এশিয়ার অন্যতম গন্তব্য মালয়েশিয়ার রাজধানী কুয়ালালামপুরে ঢাকা থেকে বোয়িং ৭৩৭-৮০০ এয়ারক্রাফট দিয়ে ফ্লাইট পরিচালনা শুরু করতে যাচ্ছে ইউএস-বাংলা এয়ারলাইন্স। আগামী ১ মার্চ থেকে ইউএস-বাংলা প্রাথমিকভাবে সপ্তাহে পাঁচ দিন ঢাকা থেকে কুয়ালালামপুর রুটে ফ্লাইট পরিচালনা করবে।

ঢাকা-কুয়ালালামপুর রুটে ওয়ানওয়ের জন্য সর্বনিম্ন ভাড়া ১৮,১২২ টাকা এবং রিটার্ন ভাড়া ২৫,১২০ টাকা নির্ধারণ করা হয়েছে। ভাড়ায় সকল ধরনের ট্যাক্স ও সারচার্জ অন্তর্ভুক্ত।

প্রাথমিকভাবে শুক্র ও শনিবার ব্যতীত প্রতিদিন সপ্তাহে পাঁচটি ফ্লাইট ঢাকা থেকে রাত ৮টায় কুয়ালালামপুরের উদ্দেশে উড়াল দিয়ে সেখানে পৌঁছাবে স্থানীয় সময় রাত ২টায়। আর কুয়ালালামপুর থেকে শনি ও রবিবার ব্যতীত প্রতিদিন স্থানীয় সময় রাত ৩টায় ঢাকার উদ্দেশে রওনা হয়ে পৌঁছাবে ভোর ৫টায়।

ঢাকা-কুয়ালালামপুর-ঢাকা রুটের ফ্লাইট পরিচালিত হবে ১৬৪ আসনের বোয়িং ৭৩৭-৮০০ এয়ারক্রাফট দিয়ে। বোয়িং ৭৩৭-৮০০ এয়ারক্রাফট ৮টি বিজনেস ক্লাস, ১৫৬টি ইকোনমি ক্ল‍াসের আসন ব্যবস্থা রয়েছে।

কুয়ালালামপুরের পাশাপাশি স্বল্প সময়ের মধ্যেই সিঙ্গাপুর, দোহা ও গুয়াংজু রুটে আন্তর্জাতিক ফ্লাইট পরিচালনা শুরু করতে যাচ্ছে ইউএস বাংলা।

ফেব্রুয়ারি মাসের মধ্যে আরো একটি বোয়িং ৭৩৭-৮০০ এয়ারক্রাফট ইউএস-বাংলা এয়ালাইন্সের বহরে যুক্ত হতে যাচ্ছে।

১৭ জুলাই ২০১৪ সালে যাত্রা শুরু করে ইউএস-বাংলা এয়ারলাইন্স বর্তমানে সকল অভ্যন্তরীণ রুট ছাড়াও আঞ্চলিক রুট কাঠমাণ্ডু ও কলকাতা এবং মধ্যপ্রাচ্যের অন্যতম গন্তব্য মাস্কাটে ফ্লাইট পরিচালনা করছে। সপ্তাহে প্রায় ২০০টির অধিক অভ্যন্তরীণ ও আন্তর্জাতিক রুটে ফ্লাইট পরিচালনা করে থাকে ইউএস-বাংলা।

যাত্রা শুরুর পর ইউএস বাংলা গত আড়াই বছরে প্রায় ২০ হাজার ফ্লাইট পরিচালনা করেছে, যা বাংলাদেশে বিমান চলাচলের ইতিহাসে একটি রেকর্ড।

ইউএস-বাংলা এয়ারলাইন্স লিমিটেড এর ডিজিএম (মার্কেটিং সাপোর্ট অ্যান্ড পিআর) মো. কামরুল ইসলাম স্বাক্ষরিত এক প্রেসবিজ্ঞপ্তিতে সোমবার (জানুয়ারি ২৩) এসব তথ্য জানানো হয়।

বাংলাদেশ সময়: ১৭৫৩ ঘণ্টা, জানুয়ারি ২৩, ২০১৭
আরআই

ফেব্রুয়ারিতে সিঙ্গাপুর, মার্চে কুয়ালামপুর ও কাতারে ইউএস-বাংলা
স্টাফ করেসপন্ডেন্ট | বাংলানিউজটোয়েন্টিফোর.কম
আপডেট: ২০১৭-০১-১৯ ১১:৪৩:৪৭ এএম


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আন্তর্জাতিক আকাশে আরও বিস্তৃত হচ্ছে ইউএস-বাংলা

ফেব্রুয়ারিতে সিঙ্গাপুর ফ্লাইট চালু করতে যাচ্ছে ইউএস-বাংলা এয়ারলাইন্স। আর মার্চেই শুরু হবে কুয়ালালামপুর ও কাতার রুটে ফ্লাইট অপারেশন্স।

এর মধ্য দিয়ে আন্তর্জাতিক আকাশে দেশের প্রধান বেসরকারি এয়ারলাইন্সটির ডানা আরও বিস্তৃত হচ্ছে।

আর এই ফ্লাইট অপারেশনে পুরোপুরি প্রস্তুত ইউএস-বাংলা।

ফেব্রুয়ারিতেই এর বহরে যোগ হবে একটি বোয়িং ৭৩৭-৮০০ উড়োজাহাজ। আগে থেকেই রয়েছে এমন দুটি উড়োজাহাজ, যা দিয়ে ঢাকা-কাঠমাণ্ডু-ঢাকা, ঢাকা-মাসকাট-ঢাকা ফ্লাইট চলছে।

ঢাকা-কলকাতা-ঢাকা রুটেতো রয়েছে প্রতিদিনের ফ্লাইট। রয়েছে চট্টগ্রাম থেকে সরাসরি কলকাতার সংযোগ। যা চলছে বোয়িং-৭৩৭ দিয়ে।

সেবা ও মানে ইউএস-বাংলা আগে থেকেই এগিয়ে। এখন একে একে বাড়ছে প্রতিষ্ঠানটির উড়োজাহাজের সংখ্যা। দেশের আকাশের সবকটি রুটেই রয়েছে ইউএস-বাংলার ফ্লাইট। যা গুনগত মানে সকল ফ্লাইট অপারেশন্সকে ছাপিয়ে।

সর্বোচ্চ যাত্রীসেবা দিয়ে যথা সময়ে ফ্লাইট অপারেশনে সুনাম কুড়িয়েছে প্রতিষ্ঠানটি।

নিরাপদ আকাশ ভ্রমণে দক্ষ হাতে ফ্লাইট অপারেশন ইউএস-বাংলার অঙ্গীকার। ফলে এর ওপর যাত্রীর আস্থা রয়েছে।

ধীরে ধীরে এশিয়ার সবচেয়ে নির্ভরযোগ্য, যাত্রীর কাছে সবচেয়ে অগ্রাধিকারের এয়ারলাইন্স হয়ে উঠতে চায় ইউএস-বাংলা। আর একসময় তার ডানা বিস্তৃত করতে চায় আরও দূরে আন্তর্জাতিক পরিমণ্ডলে। নতুন নতুন আধুনিক উড়োজাহাজ যুক্ত করার এই ধারাবাহিকতা অব্যাহত রাখার মধ্য দিয়েই একদিন তা সম্ভব করে তুলবে প্রতিষ্ঠানটি।

বাংলাদেশ সময় ১১২৮ ঘণ্টা, জানুয়ারি ১৯, ২০১৭
এমএমকে
 
Rail official objects as north Dhaka Mayor Annisul Huq orders demolition

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But rail officials present at the scene objected to the demolition, saying that the land had been legally leased from the railway for the construction of the buildings.

Dhaka City Corporation Executive Magistrate Mohammad Sajid Anwar led the demolition operation on the ‘Cafe Banani’ and ‘Tehari on Wheels’ restaurants in the capital on Thursday.

At the request of the magistrate, the goods and furniture inside the stores were removed prior to the bulldozers commencing demolitions.

Although the land belonged to the railway, said Dhaka North Mayor Annisul Huq, the buildings had not received the permissions required from the Dhaka City Corporation.

The mayor also asked Railway Division Property Official and Executive Magistrate SM Rezaul Karim how he had been granted permission to lease the non-commercial land to two restaurants.

“This is the railway’s land,” responded Rezaul Karim. “The license to operate was given to the restaurants because, from the railway’s perspective, this is commercial land.”
“Is this a commercial road,” asked the mayor. “What does ‘from the railway’s perspective’ mean? The government has one unified perspective. Can you lease without the permission of RAJUK?”

“We followed regulation in doing this, sir,” responded Rezaul.

Annisul Huq also wanted to know whose signature had gone on the leases to the two restaurants.

“I asked the minister and I asked the secretary, but they did not know anything about the matter.”

Various ministries around the city were giving away land in such a manner, the mayor told reporters, and the burden of the problem ultimately fell on the city authorities.

“They see this as a commercial area. How did they license it out without the permission of the city corporation, I don’t know. We haven’t provided any licenses, and yet this has become a commercial area.”
The Cabinet decided to remove all buildings illegally constructed on non-commercial land, the mayor said.
“Buildings will even be demolished in commercial areas if they have been built without the appropriate permissions. Even then, one site had done so.”

Senior railway officials have been informed of the demolitions, said the mayor.

“They have said our demolitions are in accordance with the law. I have spoken to the minister. I have spoken with the secretary thrice today. He told me ‘the buildings are illegal, please proceed with the demolitions’.”
The mayor also requested the different ministries to check with the city corporation regarding allotments.

“No permissions can be granted without the cooperation of the city corporation. We beg every ministry, please check whatever allotments you have given. The honourable prime minister has said so herself: no illegal buildings will be allowed.”

At this Railway property official Rezaul told reporters, “Not all files reach the minister or the secretary, so they don't know about them. But all of the allotments were made according to the rules. This is the railway’s land. The railway has its own policies for granting allotments. The matter had been settled according to those policies.”

“The city corporation does not have the jurisdiction to conduct demolitions on railway land. If any illegal buildings have been constructed they should have informed the railway through a letter and we would have conducted the demolitions ourselves,” he said.
The demolitions caused damage to the railway light posts, restroom and systems for online ticket sales, Rezaul objected.

“We had a gentleman’s agreement,” he said. “That they would demolish the structures that went beyond our allotments ... and the rest will be left alone. But they’ve demolished all of them.”
Mayor Annisul Huq alleged that the restaurants occupied land outside the area allotted by the railway.

“I have heard that 108 square feet had been allotted, but the restaurant constructed takes up 1,800 square feet,” he said. “The other allotment was 70 square feet, but the restaurant occupies 700 square feet.”

The extensions of the Boishakhi and Purobi hotels in Kakoli were also demolished. The demolition of other illegal storefront constructions had also been planned, but was postponed for two days at the request of owners.

The mayor ordered these constructions to be demolished in two days’ time.
 
Smartphone imports in Bangladesh soar 46pc
Mobile phones worth Tk 8,000cr imported in 2016

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Star Business Report

Smartphone imports through legal channel shot up 45.72 percent to 82 lakh pieces in 2016 from a year earlier, driven by the expansion of 3G services in Bangladesh.

Mobile imports through the legal channel crossed the three-crore mark for the first time, said Ruhul Alam Al Mahbub, president of the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association (BMPIA), at a press conference held at it headquarters in the capital yesterday.

It stood at 3.1 crore, up 11 percent year-on-year, with the total value of the imports coming to about Tk 8,000 crore. Smartphone imports accounted for Tk 6,500 crore.

Samsung, which has been in the second position in the smartphone category, brought in 15 lakh units in 2016. Walton, another local brand, imported about nine lakh smartphones, to round off the top three spots.

“Our handset market is still dominated by feature phones, but smartphones will rule in future,” Mahbub said.

The importers are expecting that smartphones will account for 60 percent of the total mobile imports in 2017 and 80 percent in 2018, according to Mahbub.

“Although the sales of smartphones in 2016 did not meet expectations, we are optimistic about this year,” said Rezwanul Hoque, general secretary of BMPIA.

He went on to tip the smartphone market to treble in the next five years.

The official smartphone import figure would have been higher: a big chunk of the smartphones that are sold in Bangladesh enters the country through the illegal channels.

For instance, almost 90 percent of the Apple handsets available in the market at present are brought into the country through illegal channels and 40 percent of the Samsung handsets, according to Mahbub.


The reason for the big chunk of illegal smartphone imports is that there is about 25 percent tax to be paid if brought in through the legal channel.

“If the government reconsiders the tax issue then smartphone penetration will be huge over the next few years,” the BMPIA president said.

In 2016, the government logged in Tk 1,300 crore in duty and value-added tax from mobile phones.

“We can give the government this amount of money if they reduce the tax even more as sales will increase then,” he said.

Meanwhile, many local and international companies have shown interest in establishing an assembly line in Bangladesh but are put off by the tax structure, said Mohammed Mesbah Uddin, joint secretary of BMPIA.

Currently, the average price of a smartphone in Bangladesh is about Tk 3,000, and it is Tk 1,000 for basic and feature phones.

Bangladesh's mobile phone industry got a boost in 2012 and 2013 -- especially in the smartphone segment -- after the roll-out of 3G services.

In 2012, only 3 percent of the total mobile imports were smartphones, which climbed to 7.88 percent in 2013, 19.7 percent in 2014 and 21 percent in 2015, according to BMPIA.

Raquibul Kabir, senior vice-president of BMPIA, and ATM Mahbubul Alam, treasurer of the association, were also present at the event.

ICT State Minister Proposed 20% Cash Incentive For Software & IT-Enabled Services Export
February 4, 2017
Nahid Farzana
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ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak met Honorable Finance Minister Mr. Abul Maal Abdul Muhit and proposed 20% Cash Incentive for Software & IT-enabled services export, TAX holiday for venture capital and TAX exemption for eCommerce. Finance Minister has assured that he will consider the recommendations and he further asked the officials to probe into the feasibility of the recommendations.

bdskill.com- portal for IT sector employers and employees inaugurated
February 13, 2017
Faisal Mahmud
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Bangladesh’s first technological field’s youth employment & placement portal www.bdskills.com might be the right place for one to seek employment answers.

On Monday, at the premise of Institute of Business Administration (IBA) of Dhaka University (DU) where hundreds of job seekers went to attend the Dhaka IT and ITES fair 2017; the new portal was inaugurated by the State Minister of ICT Junaid Ahmed Palak.

Organized by the ICT Division and 'Leveraging ICT' for Growth, Employment and Governance (LICT), with assistance from Bangladesh Computer Council, Ernst & Young, IBA, and 'Bikroy.com', this job fair gave the aspiring tech savvy youth chances to get jobs in the IT and ITES sector.

Speaking on the occasion, Palak said that the opportunities for the tech graduates are aplenty in the country. “You are the future torch bearers for development of Bangladesh.”

He said that the goal of Digital Bangladesh is to reach $5 billion landmark on export revenue within 2021 and to create 2 million IT professionals as well.

“We have organized this fair as part of fulfilling that Goal. We are hoping to organize this sort of Event in different areas of our country on a regular basis.’’

About the new job portal, Palak said, it’s a great platform for all sorts of people in the IT sector. “If you visit that portal, you will see that there are provisions for registrations for IT graduates, IT faculty as well as for IT entrepreneurs looking to hire new graduates.”

“It’s a great matchmaking site under the direct supervision of the LICT,” he said adding that the portal also provides information about the upcoming training programs and certificate courses.

Component Team Leader of LICT Project Sani Ahmed said, LICT Project is providing technical training throughout the country to provide skilled manpower in Information & Technology Sector.

Ernst & Young, one of the largest professional services firm in the world is working in partnership with Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) on some major LICT projects. Till date, 30,000 graduates are being trained according to the industry standards under this programme for the IT and IT enabled services sector.

Currently over 5,000 graduates have successfully completed training per international standards and have been certified by international assessment agencies, informed Ahmed.

“In Bangladesh, the main problem however is that most of the times these trained IT graduates do not get jobs according to their ability and skill. On the other hand, employers such as IT Companies face challenges to select the right employee with ease and in time.”

He said that initiatives like the portal - www.bdskills.com and IT and ITES job fair can make the hard task of matchmaking an easy one.

Meanwhile, the job fair was success with more than 11000 online registrations. Around 25000 visitors showed up at the fair. In terms of job offers, it was a new milestone as 10000 resumes were collected. A total of 377 potential job seekers have been selected primarily for various companies on the spot.

At the closing ceremony organized during the job fair, Pro Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University Professor Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman was present as the special guest. Acting Director of IBA Professor Farhat Anwar moderated the event. The welcoming speech was given by LICT Project Director Md. Rezaul Karim NDC & Assistant Professor of IBA Md. Rezaul Kabir.

Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) President Mustafa Zabbar, Managing Director of Data Soft Mahbub Zaman, Managing Director of Aamra (WE) Group Syed Farhad Ahmed, Managing Director of Microsoft Bangladesh Sonia Bashir Kabir, Marketing Director of Bikroy Misha Ali and Director of Ernst & Young Kamlesh Vyas were present AND participated in the panel discussion at the event.
 
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Biman operated an all-women crew flight on March 7, 2017 for the first time in Bangladesh's history in honor of International Women's Day!

BG-0603 was operated by Captain Tania Reza and First Officer Sarwat Siraj Antara and their six female crew members who flew out a 737-800 to Sylhet from Dhaka. The flight was scheduled to take off at 1.15 pm from the domestic terminal. On top of that security personnel and ground handling staffs deployed for the flight was also an all women team.

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon has said that this initiation proves women empowerment is advancing in Bangladesh.

Kudos to all the women out there setting these type of examples worldwide.
 
Dude - you guys as a tiny nation are punching wayyy above your weight.

Number of Muslims will easily exceed the number of Christians by 2050. You can fool around with your covert 'cultural assimilation' efforts for a few more decades, but barely. In the Western US, California (The seventh largest economy of the world) makes almost all notices available in Spanish, the language of immigrants, a majority of them economic ones just like the North African ones you have.

You guys are so laughably 1950's.....:-)

If there is ever a Muslim boycott of your country and its exports, your country will be essentially neutered. Religious unity is a very powerful force....

The world is changing, get a clue please. You (the dutch) need the world, world doesn't need you. Piss off the rest of the world by doing non-conforming things and find out.

It's a good thing the smart people who run your country aren't hotheads...

Poor comparison: Spanish is the second most spoken language in the USA. But not necessarily of immigration! Rather, because the current US incorporated former Mexican territory.

The Territorial evolution of Mexico after independence, noting losses to the USA (in red, white and orange).
528px-Mexico%27s_Territorial_Evolution.png


USA
Official languages : none.
Main languages: English 80%, Spanish 12.4%, other Indo-European 3.7%, Asian and Pacific island languages 3%, other languages 0.9% (2009 survey by the Census Bureau).
Main immigrant languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, Tagalog, French, Vietnamese, German, Chinese, Spanish.

English was inherited from British colonization, and it is spoken by the majority of the population. It serves as the de facto official language. Some states, like California, have amended their constitutions to make English the only official language, but in practice, this only means that official government documents must at least be in English, and does not mean that they should be exclusively available only in English.
Spanish was also inherited from colonization and is sanctioned as official in the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Spanish is also taught in various regions as a second language, especially in areas with large Hispanic populations. In Hispanic communities across the country, bilingual signs in both Spanish and English may be quite common. A 2009 American Community Survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau, showed that Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by over 35 million people aged 5 or older, making the United States the world's fifth-largest Spanish-speaking community, outnumbered only by Mexico, Colombia, Spain, and Argentina
French, is the fourth-most-common language (when all varieties of Chinese are combined and separate yet related languages such as Haitian Creole are counted as French). It is spoken mainly by the Louisiana Creole, native French, Cajun, Haitian, and French-Canadian populations. It is widely spoken in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and in Louisiana.

Spanish_in_the_United_States_by_county.gif


Netherlands
Official languages: Dutch (>90%).
Main immigrant languages: varieties of Arabic (1.5%), Turkish (1.5%), Berber languages (1%).
Main foreign languages (as spoken by the Dutch): English (90%) German (71%), French (29%), Spanish (5%)
Knowledge of foreign languages in the Netherlands, in percent of the population over 15, 2006.
275px-Foreign_languages_Netherlands%2C_2005.png




As for muslim boybcots of Dutch exports, lets see who the Netherlands exports to:
netherlands-export-partners.png

61% of our exports are to Germany, Belgium, France, UK and Italy.

The country Netherlands is located on the continent of Europe. It stands at Rank 8 in Exports.
Total Exports $576.9 billion (2013 est.) / $550 billion (2012 est.)
Top Export Partners Germany 26.5%, Belgium 13.7%, France 8.8%, UK 8%, Italy 4.5% (2012)
Top Export Commodities Machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs
http://www.exportgenius.in/export-import-trade-data/netherlands-export.php

The country Netherlands is located on the continent of Europe. It stands at Rank 10 in Imports.
Total Imports $511 billion (2013 est.) / $498.5 billion (2012 est.)
Top Import Partners Germany 13.8%, China 12%, Belgium 8.4%, UK 6.7%, Russia 6.4%, US 6.1% (2012)
Top Import Commodities Machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing.
http://www.exportgenius.in/export-import-trade-data/netherlands-import.php
netherlands-import-partners.png


Others= rest of the world
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_trading_partners_of_the_Netherlands

OECD says:
The Netherlands is the 8th largest export economy in the world and the 15th most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI). In 2015, the Netherlands exported $428B and imported $454B, resulting in a negative trade balance of $26.1B. In 2015 the GDP of the Netherlands was $750B and its GDP per capita was $49.6k.
The top exports of the Netherlands are Refined Petroleum ($38.3B), Crude Petroleum ($14.4B), Computers ($14.2B), Petroleum Gas ($13.6B) and Packaged Medicaments ($13.3B), using the 1992 revision of the HS (Harmonized System) classification. Its top imports are Refined Petroleum ($34.9B), Crude Petroleum ($34.8B), Computers ($17.9B), Telephones ($14B) and Packaged Medicaments ($11.8B).
The top export destinations of the Netherlands are Germany ($91.3B), Belgium-Luxembourg ($60.1B), the United Kingdom ($44.4B), France ($26.6B) and Italy ($22.4B). The top import origins are Germany ($72.1B), Belgium-Luxembourg ($43.3B), China ($41.2B), the United States ($34.9B) and Russia ($32.2B).
http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/nld/

Export destinations: http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/nld/#Destinations

By comparision, where are the muslims located:
640px-Muslim_Percent_Population_v2.svg.png


So, how much impact do you think a muslim boycot of Dutch products would have on our exports (or imports)?
 
Poor comparison: Spanish is the second most spoken language in the USA. But not necessarily of immigration! Rather, because the current US incorporated former Mexican territory.

The Territorial evolution of Mexico after independence, noting losses to the USA (in red, white and orange).
528px-Mexico%27s_Territorial_Evolution.png


USA
Official languages : none.
Main languages: English 80%, Spanish 12.4%, other Indo-European 3.7%, Asian and Pacific island languages 3%, other languages 0.9% (2009 survey by the Census Bureau).
Main immigrant languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, Tagalog, French, Vietnamese, German, Chinese, Spanish.

English was inherited from British colonization, and it is spoken by the majority of the population. It serves as the de facto official language. Some states, like California, have amended their constitutions to make English the only official language, but in practice, this only means that official government documents must at least be in English, and does not mean that they should be exclusively available only in English.
Spanish was also inherited from colonization and is sanctioned as official in the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Spanish is also taught in various regions as a second language, especially in areas with large Hispanic populations. In Hispanic communities across the country, bilingual signs in both Spanish and English may be quite common. A 2009 American Community Survey conducted by the United States Census Bureau, showed that Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by over 35 million people aged 5 or older, making the United States the world's fifth-largest Spanish-speaking community, outnumbered only by Mexico, Colombia, Spain, and Argentina
French, is the fourth-most-common language (when all varieties of Chinese are combined and separate yet related languages such as Haitian Creole are counted as French). It is spoken mainly by the Louisiana Creole, native French, Cajun, Haitian, and French-Canadian populations. It is widely spoken in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and in Louisiana.

Spanish_in_the_United_States_by_county.gif


Netherlands
Official languages: Dutch (>90%).
Main immigrant languages: varieties of Arabic (1.5%), Turkish (1.5%), Berber languages (1%).
Main foreign languages (as spoken by the Dutch): English (90%) German (71%), French (29%), Spanish (5%)
Knowledge of foreign languages in the Netherlands, in percent of the population over 15, 2006.
275px-Foreign_languages_Netherlands%2C_2005.png




As for muslim boybcots of Dutch exports, lets see who the Netherlands exports to:
netherlands-export-partners.png

61% of our exports are to Germany, Belgium, France, UK and Italy.

The country Netherlands is located on the continent of Europe. It stands at Rank 8 in Exports.
Total Exports $576.9 billion (2013 est.) / $550 billion (2012 est.)
Top Export Partners Germany 26.5%, Belgium 13.7%, France 8.8%, UK 8%, Italy 4.5% (2012)
Top Export Commodities Machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs
http://www.exportgenius.in/export-import-trade-data/netherlands-export.php

The country Netherlands is located on the continent of Europe. It stands at Rank 10 in Imports.
Total Imports $511 billion (2013 est.) / $498.5 billion (2012 est.)
Top Import Partners Germany 13.8%, China 12%, Belgium 8.4%, UK 6.7%, Russia 6.4%, US 6.1% (2012)
Top Import Commodities Machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels, foodstuffs, clothing.
http://www.exportgenius.in/export-import-trade-data/netherlands-import.php
netherlands-import-partners.png


Others= rest of the world
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_largest_trading_partners_of_the_Netherlands

OECD says:
The Netherlands is the 8th largest export economy in the world and the 15th most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI). In 2015, the Netherlands exported $428B and imported $454B, resulting in a negative trade balance of $26.1B. In 2015 the GDP of the Netherlands was $750B and its GDP per capita was $49.6k.
The top exports of the Netherlands are Refined Petroleum ($38.3B), Crude Petroleum ($14.4B), Computers ($14.2B), Petroleum Gas ($13.6B) and Packaged Medicaments ($13.3B), using the 1992 revision of the HS (Harmonized System) classification. Its top imports are Refined Petroleum ($34.9B), Crude Petroleum ($34.8B), Computers ($17.9B), Telephones ($14B) and Packaged Medicaments ($11.8B).
The top export destinations of the Netherlands are Germany ($91.3B), Belgium-Luxembourg ($60.1B), the United Kingdom ($44.4B), France ($26.6B) and Italy ($22.4B). The top import origins are Germany ($72.1B), Belgium-Luxembourg ($43.3B), China ($41.2B), the United States ($34.9B) and Russia ($32.2B).
http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/nld/

Export destinations: http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/nld/#Destinations

By comparision, where are the muslims located:
640px-Muslim_Percent_Population_v2.svg.png


So, how much impact do you think a muslim boycot of Dutch products would have on our exports (or imports)?

Good points all - but let's open a separate thread and include a link here or invite me there. This is not the venue for this discussion.
 
Good points all - but let's open a separate thread and include a link here or invite me there. This is not the venue for this discussion.
The venue for that discussion was closed by mods. Still, I wanted you to see the respons I had been working on.
 
The venue for that discussion was closed by mods. Still, I wanted you to see the respons I had been working on.

I appreciate the time you took in preparing the detailed response.

In hindsight I wish I was not as provoking in my terms I addressed the OP with - and in terms I addressed the Netherlands in general. This being an OT topic here, I will be brief in why I think a boycott can harm the Dutch economy.

The Dutch economy is largely a trading economy, meaning it imports (and then re-exports) a lot of items very efficiently (Rotterdam being the largest port in Europe and Amsterdam being the largest airport there as well).
That explains the spectacular import and export figures you mentioned. If exporters in Muslim countries simply refuse to export through Rotterdam etc., that alone could have quite a bit of impact on the Dutch economy, which depends heavily on shipping consolidation, logistics and exchanges.

However that also highlights how much the Dutch economy is dependent on trade with other economies. The Muslim countries may not be economic powerhouses now, but they hold the key to future powerhouse status, viz.,
  • Young populations
  • Low cost labor
  • Motivation to work
  • Trade among countries in Asia independent from Europe or US
Yes things maybe unstable for _some_ of these countries, but the largest ones (Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Egypt, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan) aren't really as unstable now, and their buying power is growing (along with their importance in the world economy), to the point that they will at some point become major potential consumers of Dutch products, or are already (list below).
  1. ING Group
  2. Royal Philips Electronics
  3. EADS
  4. Rabobank Group
  5. Akzo Nobel
  6. Damen Group (a personal favorite for a Dutch Company - although small)
These are brand new emerging economies with excellent potential for business and trade, unlike the saturated economies of Europe, like Holland.

Therefore - alienating these large Muslim populations with Geert Wilders' or Rutte's extremist manifesto is not wise for the longer term, which the Dutch people probably are well aware of.

Picking fights with major Muslim economies (like Turkey recently) will also not help the Dutch economy. Although I suspect Turkey's actions aren't totally non-circumspect.

Regarding buying products from Dutch companies, Muslim economies could simply choose a supplier choice that is becoming more and more obvious - China, or they could form their own common market at some point, as they did before. Geert Wilders' (or the newly hatched Mark Rutte's) actions will simply ensure that this happens more rapidly.

You see - the economic decline in Europe is beginning to become clear, and alienating followers of an entire religious group (destined to be the largest in short order) may not be the wisest of decisions. These people will become Holland's cultural bridge and ambassadors to those Muslim economies someday, just like in Denmark or elsewhere in Europe.

Asking older people to speak Dutch may be unwise, although I suspect younger Muslims in Holland will speak Dutch with no enforcement anyhow, as a matter of acculturation.

Now as for Californians used to speaking Spanish - I suspect you have never visited Los Angeles. If you did, you'd see how widespread the use of Spanish is.

And Spanish is the language of immigrants coming in largely after WW II. Not because US annexed any part of Mexico (other than a small number of Tejano population in Texas and Mestijos in California and Arizona).

All state and county notices, court summons, public notices are issued with Spanish translations (and sometimes other common languages) included. See below for some evidence about the whole United States. None of these actions troubled anyone, or people didn't get hysterical for older immigrants to speak English.

iu
 
Last edited:
By the way @Penguin - take a look at this projection, see where the Netherlands will be in a few years and where some of the Muslim economies will be. The Netherlands is a friendly country to most Muslim economies and we'd like to keep it that way. Demagoguery and prejudice has no place in Europe......

DyW9N6d.jpg
 
I say, go ahead. We've always been dependent on trade and have done quite nicely throughout the centuries. See if you can get non-Dutch products shipped via Rotterdam boycotted (how would a consumer know how a product on the shelf in a ship was or was not shipped via NL?). As indicated our main export and import partners are not countries of which the populace is predominantly muslim. Besides, see if you can united all the muslims (Looking at the varieties within Christianity and how well they get along, getting 'muslims' to united may be more difficult than you would think: the homogeneity of muslim as a group is an illusion. Plus, we will not be blackmailed over the likes of Geert Wilders, who's ideas are not at all representative of the overwhelming majority of Dutch and who will likely never end up in a position in government.

What economic decline?

EU member states GDP (nominal) in billions of € 2011-2016
Netherlands: 642.929 / 645.164 / 652.748 / 663.008 / 676.531 / 696.871 (change 2011-2016 in %: +8.39)
European Union: 13,192.554 / 13,448.556 / 13,558.630 / 14,002.583 / 14,714.003 / 14,819.583 (change 2011-2016 in %: +12.3)
Eurozone: 9,747.693 / 9,780.314 / 9,874.278 / 10,098.565 / 14,714.003 / 14,819.583 (change 2011-2016 in %: +52.03%)

EU member states GDP (nominal) per capita in €Netherlands: 38,500 / 38,500 / 38,900 / 39,300 / 40,000 / 40,900 (change 2011-2016 in %: +6.23)
European Union: 26,100 / 26,600 / 26,700 / 27,600 / 28,900 / 29,000 (change 2011-2016 in %: +11.12)
Eurozone : 29,500 / 29,500 / 29,700 / 30,100 / 30,900 / 31,500 (change 2011-2016 in %: +6.78)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_European_Union#Wealth

EU member states GDP growth rates 2008-2016 + total and average growth 2004-2015
Netherlands: 1.7 /− 3.8 / 1.4 / 1.7 / − 1.1 / − 0.2 / 1.4 / 2.0 / 2.1/ 12.0 / 1.1
European Union: 0.4 / − 4.4 / 2.1 / 1.7 / − 0.5 / 0.2 / 1.6 / 2.2 / 1.9 / 10.6 / 1.0
Eurozone: 0.4 / − 4.5 / 2.1 / 1.5 / − 0.9 / − 0.3 / 1.2 / 2.0 / 1.7 / 8.9 / 0.8

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_European_Union#Economic_growth

Speaking as someone who migrated and lived/worked abroad for a decade: nobody (naturally) will learn Dutch just so that I can fit in better or easier in the society that I chose to migrate to (and which was gracious enough to let me in). Only an idiot expects that from the folks in the host country. Not speaking or learning another language will hamper not only your own chances in education, for gainfull employment, and a rich social life, but also that of your children (since you would then not speak the local language at home as they grow up, which will make them lag behind others in their education and social life as they grow up).

The assumption that "younger Muslims in Holland will speak Dutch with no enforcement anyhow" is flawed: this is not in fact the case (moreoften than not, at home and in peer groups the language of the parents home country is spoken, and mastery of written and spoken Dutch often remains poor)

As for my knowledge of LA, please be advised not only that I lived in the US for a decade, I also have relatives on both coasts as well as friends (of US and non-US origin) all across that country. I am much aware of what is spoken where and by whom. Showing a picture which shows 'second language' by state does not give insign into the percent of population that speak English and that speak Spanish AND THE AMOUNT OF DIFFERENCE between those two percentages i.e. it is contextless information that proves very little about how often Spanish is spoken or dominant.

common-slate-correction.png

https://conversationallyspeaking.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/common-slate-correction.png

As evident from a 2009 survey by the US Census Bureau: English 80%, Spanish 12.4%, other Indo-European 3.7%, Asian and Pacific island languages 3%, other languages 0.9%. Spanish is the second most common language in the country and is spoken by approximately 35 million people. The US population of as of March 16, 2017 is 324,7 million people, so 12.4% today would be 40 million.

638px-Tree_map_of_languages_in_the_United_States.png


California: spoken languages (Native languages as of 2007):
  • English 57.4%
  • Spanish 28.5%
  • Chinese 2.8%
  • Tagalog 2.2%
Clearly, California is not representative of the US as far as distribution of languages is concerned.
CLEARLY, CALIFORNIA IS NOT REPRESNETATIVE OF THE US AS FAR AS DISTRIBUTION OF LANGUAGES IS CONCERNED. THIS HAS TO DO WITH ITS HISTORICAL ORIGINS.

Besides Mexico, California borders U.S. states of Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona

Oregon: Starting in 1842–1843, the Oregon Trail brought many new American settlers to Oregon Country. For some time, it seemed that Britain and the United States would go to war for a third time in 75 years (see Oregon boundary dispute), but the border was defined peacefully in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty. The border between the United States and British North America was set at the 49th parallel. The Oregon Territory was officially organized in 1848. Like the US, Oregon de jure has no official language and de facto it is English. The state's most populous ethnic group, non-Hispanic white, has declined from 95.8% in 1970 to 77.8% in 2012. In 2010, 78.5% of the population was white alone (meaning of no other race and non-Hispanic). Hispanics or Latinos made up 11.7% of the total population. As of 2009, Oregon's population comprised 361,393 foreign-born residents. Of the foreign-born residents, the three largest groups are originally from countries in: Latin America (47.8%), Asia (27.4%), and Europe (16.5%). Despite the fact that Russians account for only 1.4% of the population, Russian is the third most spoken language in Oregon after English and Spanish

Nevada: Nevada became a part of Alta California (Upper California) province in 1804 when the Californias were split. With the Mexican War of Independence won in 1821, the province of Alta California became a territory (state) of Mexico As a result of the Mexican–American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, Mexico permanently lost Alta California in 1848. The new areas acquired by the United States continued to be administered as territories. Like the US, Oregon de jure has no official language and de facto it is English. In 1980, non-Hispanic whites made up 83.3% of the state's population. According to the 2010 census estimates, racial distribution was as follows:
  • 66.2% White American (54.1% Non-Hispanic White, 12.1% White Hispanic)
  • 8.1% Black American (African American)
  • 7.2% Asian American
  • 4.7% Multiracial American
  • 1.2% American Indian and Alaska Native
  • 0.6% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander
  • 12.0% some other race
Hispanics or Latinos of any race made 26.5% of the population.
The principal ancestries of Nevada's residents in 2009 have been surveyed to be the following:
  • 20.8% Mexican
  • 13.3% German
  • 10.0% Irish
  • 9.2% English
  • 6.3% Italian
  • 3.8% American
  • 3.6% Scandinavian (1.4% Norwegian, 1.4% Swedish, and 0.8% Danish).
Large numbers of new residents in the state originate from California, which led some locals to feel that their state is being "Californicated"

Arizona: During the Mexican–American War (1847), the U.S. occupied Mexico City and pursued its claim to much of northern Mexico, including what later became Arizona. Like California, this State borders Mexico. Official language is English. The spoken languages (As of 2010) are
  • English 74.1.%
  • Spanish 19.5%
  • Navajo 1.9%
  • Other 4.5 %
Arizona's five largest ancestry groups, as of 2009, were:
  1. Mexican (27.4%);
  2. German (16.0%);
  3. Irish (10.8%);
  4. English (10.1%);
  5. Italian (4.6%).

THE PROPORTIONS OF POPULATIONS OF MEXICAN DESCENT INDICATE THESE TERRITORIES WERE ANNEXED FROM MEXICO, NOT NECESSARILY THAT THERE IS A LARGE INFLUX OF MIGRANTS FROM MEXICO (WHICH IS A MUCH NEWER PHENOMENON).

English Prevalence
640px-English_USC2000_PHS.svg.png


us_non-english_map_2000.jpg

Spanish_in_the_United_States_by_county.gif

bfadefd0ca7aaf8bfbfe10af43653abd.gif

euvP8Jm.jpg
 
Nor anywhere else, for that matter (if you were thinking about my posts, please also see your own posts)


Does this come with a source (i.e. who made this projection, and how, by what methodology?)

I wasn't thinking of you brother - I was thinking of people like Wilders when I said it. The chart I believe came from a Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) report of Feb 2017, here (chart is on page 23),

http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/world-2050/assets/pwc-the-world-in-2050-full-report-feb-2017.pdf
 
ps: In this table, Netherlands goes from position 26 (of 32) in 2016 to 32 (of 32) in 2030 and then remains are 32 in 2050. If we accept that markets such as India, China etc will further emerge - and therefor that it is inevitable that there will be some shifts - this isn't at all a poor result for us in Holland, particularly not when you consider we are only 17 million people today and probably will be 17.8 million by 2030 and 18 million by 2060. So, on a per capita basis, we go from about $50,850 in 2016 to $60,675 in 2030 and $83,100 by 2050. That's not bad at all. And, I bet you, these numbers will be fairly close to Germany's GPD per capita (which is of course a much bigger economy and goes from position 5 to position 7 to position 9 in the GPD ranking).
http://www.euromonitor.com/the-netherlands-in-2030-the-future-demographic/report
http://nltimes.nl/2014/12/22/dutch-population-jump-18-million-2060

Or would that be 'demagoguery and prejudice'?

I wasn't thinking of you brother - I was thinking of people like Wilders when I said it. The chart I believe came from a Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) report of Feb 2017, here (chart is on page 23),

http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/world-2050/assets/pwc-the-world-in-2050-full-report-feb-2017.pdf

upload_2017-3-24_16-3-14.png

upload_2017-3-24_16-3-36.png

upload_2017-3-24_16-6-1.png

It's a projection.
It uses "a robust econometric growth model, based on a review of the academic literature"
If you follow that link ( http://pwc.blogs.com/economics_in_business/2016/11/what-drives-emerging-markets-growth.html ), you find:
"It is useful to look in more detail at what was driving growth during this earlier ‘golden era’ for emerging markets. To do this we used a standard growth model in which initial GDP per capita, investment, government debt and education levels were the key explanatory variables for real GDP per capita growth between 2000 and 2015 in emerging market and developing countries. We then augmented the model with primary commodity exports as a percentage of GDP.
As the table below indicates, we found that all these variables had a statistically significant impact on growth. Our model explains around 40% of the variation in real GDP per capita growth across countries, which is pretty good for a simple cross-sectional regression of this kind"
Appendix A provides better details
upload_2017-3-24_16-17-52.png


A lot depends on assumptions therefor, and under different assumptions you get different model results.

Notably, PwC assumes "broadly growth friendly (but not perfect) policies" and "no major civilisation threatening global catastrophies (e.g. nuclear war, asteroid collisions) over the period to 2050.

upload_2017-3-24_16-19-59.png


Before declaring this report to represent 'truth' one should take a good look at the underlying assumptions.

For example, about the assumption of no major civilisation threatening global catastrophies, see
https://global4cast.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/2020-warning-part-iv-v2016-11-08.pdf
Patterns in war dynamics reveal disturbing developments

Predicts major war (worldwar like systemic war) by 2020 ....
 
Predicts major war (worldwar like systemic war) by 2020 ....

Well let's hope that never happens......

We have pinned very high hopes on a country like Holland, that's all....

Somehow it is disappointing to see the recent developments there.....
 
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