Grain Exporters’ Protectionism Bangladesh may feel the heat Bangladesh might get hurt by rising world agricultural prices due to protectionism of grain exporting countries. “Export taxes and export restrictions lower prices domestically [in exporting countries] but increases world food prices, thereby affecting food importing countries like Bangladesh,” said Antoine Bouet, a senior research fellow of ... Read more
dhaka
Durga Puja ends today
The five-day celebration of Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of Hindus, winds up today with the immersion of the goddess’ idols across the country. Devotees will bid a solemn farewell to their deity Durga and her children Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh through immersion after inviting her to return next
1800 secondary schools are under-performing
Around 1,800 secondary schools are performing poorly or not at all, yet the teachers at such institutions are continuing to receive salaries from the public exchequer, the government has found. Education ministry officials said that warnings will be sent to the heads of every blacklisted school. If the schools fail make improvements within a short ... Read more
Hungry for more
Siddikur Rahman rose to stardom when he became the first Bangladeshi golfer to win an Asian Tour event (Brunei Open in August 2010). Since then, he has been there or thereabouts amongst the top Asians wherever he played, even though he hasn’t managed to win another tour event. Hungry for more success, Siddikur now feels ... Read more
Puja in the air
Puja days are here again. A time to look back on what the festival meant in days gone by and how it’s celebrated now. Pijush Bandyopadhyay After a year, Sharodiyo Durga Puja is back again. My heartiest well wishes to all. During our childhood we’d wait eagerly for the Puja festivities to begin. Buying new ... Read more
Application called for Miss University
Miss University Bangladesh 2011 calls for application from university going female students to take part in the primary audition round which will start from October 8, said a press release. The programme will go on air on Ekushey TV from mid of November. Celebrated actors, fashion designers, models and TV programme producers will judge the ... Read more
GP clears stand on regulator’s claim for Tk 3,034cr
Grameenphone yesterday refuted the claim of the regulator that the mobile operator will have to pay Tk 3,034 crore in unpaid revenue and tax. Kazi Monirul Kabir, chief communications officer of the company, said they “strongly disagree” with the numbers the regulator has claimed in a letter sent to GP on
ICAB gives out awards for transparent reports, accounts
Prime Bank has bagged the top award given by Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) for publishing reports and accounts. This is the seventh time in a row that the bank has won this award. ICAB hands out awards to honour banks, insurance houses, nongovernmental organisations
Farzana Chhoby plays widow in Shontoron
Less-educated Swarna is married to a professional Lathial, who lives by wielding a designed bamboo. Within a year, her husband goes missing. A few days later, he is found dead. And, the story of a widow’s struggles begins. This is the story of Shonotoron, an ongoing TV serial on Maasranga TV. The viewers will catch ... Read more
Hi-tech driving licence on cards
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority is set to start producing hi-tech driving licences to prevent the use of fake licences by drivers, a problem that is attributed to accidents on roads. A total of 11.50 lakh licences will be issued in five years at the cost of Tk 37 crore from the public exchequer. The licences ... Read more
Trend setter — just needs little fixing
Safety Net Schemes Trend setter — just needs little fixing Int’l policy workshop sees land scarcity, huge poverty-struck population as major challenges to ensure food security Bangladesh spent 2.8 billion dollars last year on social safety net programmes (SSNPs) and is a global leader in dimensions of social protection. But with 27 million of its ... Read more
Govt to build 20,000 flats for middle class
Ecnec okays Tk 9,031cr project The government will build 20,000 flats in the capital’s Uttara in the next five years for low and middle income people. The project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the
German trade show set for a big start
The second biennial German trade show will begin in Dhaka on October 27 to showcase products of both the countries, organisers said at a press conference yesterday. The three-day fair at the city’s Bangabandhu International Conference Centre will showcase products at 100 German and Bangladeshi stalls
Remittance hits six-month low
Inward remittance fell below $1 billion in September — for the first time in six months. The central bank said the fall is seasonal and was mainly driven by a post-Eid slowdown. In September, the remittance inflow came down to $843 million, whereas Bangladesh recorded more than $1 billion in remittance a month since
Rush to set up LPG plants
Surging demand for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the fast-expanding housing sector is forcing entrepreneurs to quickly install plants and grab a share of the growing market. About a dozen companies are in line to join the existing six, which include two state-owned firms. But some 30 companies have applied to the government, seeking permission ... Read more
Regulators put restrictions
The Securities and Exchange Commission has made changes to Securities and Exchange Commission (Public Issue) Rules, 2006 for unlisted securities, known as placement shares, restricting number of placement holders within 100 and made tax identification numbers mandatory for its holders. According to a SEC notification released on Sunday, shares allotted through private placement
Teletalk likely to get BTRC nod this week
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission is likely to award a temporary permission for operating a test-run of 3G mobile phone service to state-owned Teletalk, initially for a period of six months, ending weeks of tussle with the telecommunication ministry. A formal assurance in this regard is expected to come within a week, sources in BTRC
New mark set for solar home system project
The Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (IDCOL) has beefed up its target for installing solar home system (SHS) to 2.5 million units by 2014, company officials said. The previous target was to set up 1 million SHSs by December 2012, which the non-bank financial institute achieved by June this year. “If the current trend continues, we’ll ... Read more
Kona @DS Cafe
Kona is one of the most popular singers of the time, mesmerising audiences with her well-trained voice. She has lent her voice to jingles and playbacks, along with trying her hand at acting as well. The talented artiste was at DS Cafe recently to answer questions from her admirers. Ataullah, Notre Dame College, Dhaka: If ... Read more
Tariq Anam’s remarks on current TV drama trends
Renowned TV and theatre personality Tariq Anam Khan has already become a distinguished name in Bangladesh’s entertainment arena. This experienced and prudent persona has been caught up in an exclusive interview with New Age where he shared his observations, experiences and thoughts on current situation of TV plays and theatre productions. While some seniors