Syful Islam A move is afoot to start direct banking arrangement and border trade to accelerate business between Bangladesh and Myanmar. A Bangladesh delegation led by Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank Ziaul Hasan Siddiqui will visit Myanmar from February 19 to 26 to have detail discussion with proper authority. Other members of the delegation include ... Read more
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LGC sees red light 4 months into formation
Rakib Hasnet Suman The initiative for ensuring local government bodies’ transparency and accountability and the balanced development across the country is likely to be hampered as the local government commission (LGC) is set to lose its effectiveness. The parliamentary special committee recommended not to ratify the ordinance on LGC, which the caretaker government promulgated last ... Read more
Ecnec to decide MRP fate today
Rejaul Karim Byron The much-awaited machine-readable passport (MRP) and visa project will be placed at a meeting of Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) today. The five-year project will be implemented at a cost of Tk 350 crore although the last BNP-led alliance government attempted to undertake the project with an estimated cost ... Read more
Cabinet okays 10 ordinances
Staff Correspondent The cabinet yesterday approved in principle 10 of the 54 ordinances the parliamentary special committee recommended for making into laws. More ordinances out of the remaining 44 are likely to get the cabinet nod Wednesday, sources said. The special committee, formed to examine the ordinances promulgated by the last caretaker government, recommended 54 ... Read more
Chavez wins bid to scrap Venezuela term limits
Agence France-Presse . Caracas The president, Hugo Chavez, and his supporters celebrated victory Monday after Venezuelans voted to scrap term limits on elected posts, paving the way for him to seek re-election in 2012 and beyond. Chavez, a flamboyant and tireless campaigner said he intended to stand for a third term in 2012. ‘The doors ... Read more
Speaker turns down 50 BNP notices
Staff Correspondent Jatiya Sangsad speaker Abdul Hamid on Monday rejected all 50 notices submitted in parliament by the opposition lawmakers seeking discussion on issues of ‘public importance’ by adjourning the day’s business. ‘The ministries concerned will take appropriate measures to address some of the matters while solution to a few other issues are possible within ... Read more
Reformists must be ousted
Two groups of BNP grassroots leaders locked in scuffles Staff Correspondent Two groups of BNP grassroot leaders and activists were locked in scuffles and chase and counter chase at Mowlana Bhasani party office at Nayapaltan on Monday. As part of party reconstitution process, Ahmed Khalil Khan, president of Chandanaish thana BNP at Chittagong south and ... Read more
Pakistan hails anti-terror taskforce plan, opposes war crimes trial
bdnews24.com, Dhaka Pakistan is all for a South Asian taskforce against terrorism proposed by Dhaka, the president’s special envoy said on Monday. Mirza Zia Ispahani, the special envoy who came to Dhaka earlier in the day on a three-day visit, met foreign minister Dipu Moni and hailed the move to form the taskforce. He, however, ... Read more
Govt sticks to GDP growth at 6.5pc despite negative WB forecast
Inflation revised at 7pc from earlier 9pc Staff Correspondent The government has decided to stick to the initial projection of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 6.5 per cent in the current fiscal, despite negative forecast by a lending agency. The decision for sticking to the initial projection, set by the immediate-past interim ... Read more
Border market and banking transactions to be discussed
BANGLADESH-MYANMAR TRADE Border market and banking transactions to be discussed Khawaza Main Uddin Dhaka is sending a technical team to Yongon next week to work out the modalities of banking transactions and of making the planned ‘border market’ operational to increase trade between Bangladesh and Myanmar, a pariah state with huge business potential. According to ... Read more
Land commission to resolve CHT problems soon
Staff Reporter The government will form a land commission to resolve land problem issues for all aboriginal communities in Chittagong Hill-Tract districts as the ownership of land was not established on the basis of birthright. Food and Disaster Management Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque said this to a delegation at Secretariat. The seven-member delegation was led ... Read more
No concrete plan to tackle power, gas crises
UNB, Dhaka There is no concrete action plan in sight to tackle the looming power and gas crises even though the country has started seeing load-shedding well before the summer. Power and Energy Ministry officials said the country is set to face a severe energy crisis as the policymakers of the new government are now ... Read more
DUJA demands removal of fine arts teacher
DU Correspondent Dhaka University Journalists’ Association (DUJA) demanded immediate removal of DU Fine Art teacher Shishir Bhattacharya for allegedly provoking students to beat up it’s five reporters over ragging a female admission seeker Sunday. The association also demanded expulsion of the attacking students, treatment for the injured reporters and return of the snatched cameras, mobile ... Read more
Demand for sci-fi books on rise
Rakib Ahammed Three boys of class X — Russell, Mithun and Jewel — were moving from one stall to another to find some newly arrived science fictions at the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela. The boys have been saving money for last couples of months. “We have bought three science fictions by Muhammad Jafar Iqbal and ... Read more
India goes for big defence budget
Mumbai attacks prompted govt to a 34pc hike Our Correspondent, New Delhi India today announced a 34 percent hike in its defence budget keeping in view the security scenario in the wake of Mumbai terror attacks last year. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who presented the interim budget in parliament, said the allocation has been increased ... Read more
Special economic zone in Sylhet can attract more FDI from expatriates
BSS, Dhaka A special economic zone on 1000 acres of land in Sylhet district could attract more FDI from expatriate Bangladeshis to help set up industrial projects there. Talking to BSS on Sunday, Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Junnun Mahmud Khan said that the business leaders of the district have planned to take ... Read more
SMEs need crisis mitigation fund
Staff Correspondent The country’s small and medium enterprises in a pre-budget discussion on Sunday suggested setting up an economic crisis mitigation fund to help them grow. The growth of the country’s SMEs has slowed down in the last few years, an expert of the Central for Policy Dialogue told the discussion at the National Board ... Read more
Huawei, Intel develop new WiMAX test lab : Global leaders join forces to drive interoperability and WiMAX-ready devices
Huawei Technologies (Huawei), a leader in providing nextgeneration telecommunications network solutions for operators around the world, together with Intel Corporation, on Wednesday (February 11) announced the launch of a new WiMAX Interoperability Testing (IOT) laboratory in Beijing. Jointly designed and built by Huawei and Intel, the completion of the testing lab represents another milestone in ... Read more
Rupayan set to offer 800 low-cost flats in N’ganj
Kawsar Khan Rupayan Housing Estate Ltd has constructed around 800 small and medium-sized apartments at a satellite township in Narayanganj that the company officials said were built targeting the middle-class families as clients. The apartments are housed in 28 buildings over a 19-bigha land in Bhuigar area of the district, a nine-kilometre ride from the ... Read more
BTI constructing major building project in city
NATION BUSINESS REPORT BTI (Building Technology and Ideas) on Saturday said it is constructing country’s one of the largest building projects in the city, which will accommodate at least 117 houses and shopping complex with modern architectural design. BTI is implementing the project styled Premier Plaza on 400,000 square feet land area at Rokeya Sarani, ... Read more