U.S. to provide nearly $1B over five years to Bangladesh for poverty, health, agriculture programs

A U.S. Embassy statement on Saturday said the U.S. would provide nearly $1 billion to Bangladesh over the next five years "towards alleviating poverty and malnutrition, as well as family planning and the fight against infectious diseases," Reuters reports. "The funds will also be used to support research in improving farm productivity and deal with the impact of climate change," the news service writes, adding, "As of 2011, the U.S. government has provided over $5.7 billion in development assistance to Bangladesh" (Quadir, 1/14).