Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday alleged that foreign and local quarters conspired to topple an elected government on May 5. “But they did not succeed eventually as people of the country are with the Awami League. I firmly believe that no conspiracy will work as long as the public support remains with us,” Sheikh ... Read more
bangladesh
Buyers ditching Bangladesh, seeking new sources: NYT
With Bangladesh’s readymade garment factory failing to live up to the expectations, buyers around the globe have started to look for greener pastures, according to a New York Times report. The New York Times report mentioned of one Bennett Model who had helped pioneer the exporting of garments from China in 1975, the year before ... Read more
Walmart won’t sign RMG sector accord
It will inspect all factories in the country US retailer Walmart said on Tuesday it did not plan to sign a Bangladesh fire and building safety accord drawn up by labour groups because it believed its current safety plans would get faster results, reports Reuters. While AFP said the retail giant would conduct in-depth
Bangladesh accord to cost global retailers only $2.5m each
At least 24 retailers, including Hennes & Mauritz and Inditex, each have agreed to contribute as much as $2.5 million over five years toward the cost of improving fire and building safety in Bangladesh, reports Bloomberg. The companies, also including Marks & Spencer Group,
Sonali Bank, Indian Polaris launch JV for banking solution
The state-owned Sonali Bank and Indian financial technology service provider PolarisFT on Wednesday launched a joint venture company to provide banking solutions in Bangladesh. The new company, Sonali Polaris FT Limited, will provide various banking solution to Sonali Bank and others banks of the country.
Civil admn loses dynamism
After four years of the Awami League-led government, the civil administration has become unstable due to promotions against duty posts, bypassing seniority, tendency to post many competent officials as officers-on-special duty (OSDs), and non-implementation of recommendations of administrative reform committees. The pyramid structure of the country’s civil
Forge unity thru talks to uproot militancy: Inu
The information minister, Hasanul Haque Inu, has reiterated his call to the BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, to sit for dialogue to forge a greater national unity aimed at uprooting militancy. ‘If you agree to sit for dialogue, you have to boycott militancy first otherwise we will not be able to give democracy an institutional shape,’ ... Read more
Dhaka, Tehran JEC meeting in city today
The 5th Joint Economic Commission meeting between Bangladesh and Iran begins in Dhaka today with the aim of boosting bilateral business and economic cooperation between the two countries. Bangladesh finance minister AMA Muhith will lead the home side and Iran industry, mine and trade minister Mehdi Ghazanfari will lead the 37-member
RMG workers are human beings, not slaves: Yunus
The Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus on Monday said that the wages of the garments workers should be at such a level so that they can live as human beings not as slaves. “We want to show the world that we are living as human not as slaves,” he said addressing as chief guest at ... Read more
Religious radicals worsening pre-poll situation: Taranco
The rise of social-religious elements like Hefazat-e-Islam is ‘exacerbating’ the situation in Bangladesh in the lead up to the general elections, observed the visiting United Nations Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, Oscar Fernández-Taranco. “It will complicate the situation further ahead of the general elections,” he was quoted as saying by a senior Foreign Ministry
JTC meeting begins in Thailand today
Dhaka to seek duty-free market access to Bangkok The Joint Trade Commission meeting between Bangladesh and Thailand begins today in Bangkok aimed at increasing Dhaka-Thai bilateral trade. Officials in the commerce ministry said in the three-day JTC meeting, they would mainly focus on duty-free market access to Thailand and investment in Bangladesh.
US to retain GSP facilities: Quader
Govt to sign TICFA with US soon Commerce minister Ghulam Muhammed Quader on Saturday said the United States would retain the Generalised System of Preferences facilities enjoyed by certain Bangladeshi goods in accessing its market. The GSP facilities will even be enhanced in the future, he said while speaking as the chief guest of a seminar ... Read more
China fashion retailers find trade scope in Bangladesh
The visiting fashion retailers of China on Saturday said there was a scope of doing business of billion of dollars between Bangladesh and China. Feng Dehu, vice-president of China National Garment Association, at a press conference said that the China retailers had started to build up their relationship
EU for politically agreed formula for fair polls
The European Union (EU) has expressed hope that the political parties in Bangladesh will soon reach a consensus about the form of government that will be in place during the election. The 27-member bloc has also urged the parties to engage in constructive dialogue to agree on a politically acceptable and constitutionally viable mechanism for ... Read more
ERD team goes to Delhi next week for loan negotiation
India releases second tranche of $200m grant A six-member of delegation of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) will go to New Delhi next week to negotiate on disbursement of $ 800 million Indian credit to for 14 development projects in Bangladesh. The Indian government had made the credit commitment
BSCCL to sell bandwidth at lower price
The state-run Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited will sell bandwidth to the local internet service providers by launching the internet protocol transit service. As per the new service the BSCCL will buy bulk bandwidth from the large vendors and sell it to the local International Internet Gateway service operators
PM for enhanced trade ties with Manila
The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has stressed the need for enhancing bilateral trade between Bangladesh and Philippines and implementation of the bilateral agreements and MoUs signed between the two countries. She also underscored the need for regular holding the meeting
‘60m people very poor’
Eminent economist Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad said 50-60 million people are still very poor in the country despite anti-poverty efforts by NGOs. “Bangladesh has achieved success in many sectors and the rural economy is a real boost”, he said while addressing a national convention in the city on Friday.
Japan keen to build local nurses’ capacity
The Japan government is keen to provide assistance to Bangladesh for building capacity of the country’s nursing system through providing various kinds of skill development training as well as institutional support to nurses. The Japan government is planning to provide its
PM urges BNP, Hefazat to postpone programmes
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday urged the opposition BNP and Hefazat-e-Islam to postpone their planned protests in Dhaka scheduled for March 4 and 5 respectively taking into consideration the ongoing rescue operations for the Savar victims. “It is their democratic rights to hold peaceful rallies anytime anywhere in Bangladesh. However, I request