Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) – Highlights of Sunday’s newspapers:

The Financial Express:

— The Planning Commission (PC) has given its consent to a 90-kilometre-long gas pipeline project aimed at supplying Liquefied Natural gas (LNG) from the proposed terminal at southern Maheshkhali to the national grid, officials said Saturday.

— The government expects an appraisal mission of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) anytime to negotiate for a Japanese soft loan for the US$ 2.76 billion metro rail project, officials said.

— The government’s domestic borrowing has been rising due to the widening gap between the Mid-Term Budgetary Framework (MTBF) resource projections and the actual revenue collection, according to an independent research organization, Unnyan Onneshan (UO).

The Daily Star:

— Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured Leader of the Opposition Khaleda Zia that his country would not take any steps on the Tipaimukh project that would impact adversely on Bangladesh.

— Experts and environmentalists in India have expressed concern over the possible impact of the Tipaimukh dam on the ecology of Bangladesh and of the Indian state of Manipur.

— The government’s borrowing from the banking sector is increasing fast although it has received Tk 3,184 crore in licence renewal and spectrum fees from mobile operators this month.

The New Age:

— A plan to partially reopen the Adamjee Jute Mills Limited, initiated at the instruction of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, has been pending for her approval for over three months.

— Leaders of the national committee to protect oil, gas, mineral resources, power and ports along with academics at a grand rally at the Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday called on the Awami League-led government not to lease out the gas and coal fields to international oil companies.

— Bangladesh will need to invest $60 million to get linked up with the second submarine cable and maintain uninterrupted internet connectivity with other Asian and the European destinations.

BBN/SI/SSR-27Nov11-10:07 am (BST)