DHAKA: Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus had a meeting with Senator Leoluca Orlando, Mayor of Palermo at the Mayor’s office Villa Niscemi in Sicily's capital on Thursday.

In the meeting, Mayor Leoluca invited Yunus to launch a social business to address the problem of youth unemployment in Palermo city.

He proposed Professor Muhammad Yunus to apply the idea of Social Business in a joint project for women and youth with the use of assets confiscated from Mafia.

The President of the Municipal Council Salvatore Orlando and the President of the Council of cultures Adham Darawsha attended in the meeting among others. Mayor Orlando has successfully clamped down on the notorious Mafia of Palermo, and has confiscated a large part of its assets.
  
During his visit to Mayor’s office nearly 50 Bangladeshis came to meet Professor Yunus. Three elected Bangladeshi council members joined the Mayor in his discussion with Professor Yunus. Mayor announced that Bangladeshi community has become the largest foreign community in Palermo as of last month.

University of Palermo with 50,000 students offered to confer an honorary degree to Professor Yunus during his next visit and the university Rector expressed his interest in getting his faculty members and students involved in social business project in Palermo. Professor Yunus also had a lunch meeting with the faculty members.

BDST: 1130 HRS, AUG 10, 2014