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Indian SC clears Lafarge's limestone quarrying case

2007-11-25 00:00:00

FE Report The Indian Supreme Court (SC) in an interim order Friday allowed operation of the limestone quarrying in forest areas of Meghalaya and supply of raw material to French cement giant Lafarge's US$255-million cement plant in Bangladesh based on...

Pak EC confirms Musharraf as president

2007-11-25 00:00:00

ISLAMABAD, Nov 24(Agencies): Despite their protests that parliamentary elections will be a sham, Pakistan's political opposition seemed to be lining up for a chance to take part - with one former prime minister readying her candidates and another taking steps...

Fixed charge hits freight forwarding business

2007-11-25 00:00:00

Jasim Uddin Haroon The country's freight forwarding business has been experiencing a downturn mainly due to the imposition of fixed charge by the government on the import consignments.Moreover, cancellation of the terminal handling charges is also blamed for the slump...

1.8m tonnes of crops lost to natural disasters this yr

2007-11-25 00:00:00

An eminent economist said Saturday that natural disasters have cost the country at least 1.8 million tonnes in destroyed crops this year alone, reports bdnews24.com. Bangladesh Economic Association president Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad made the estimate at a seminar on climate...

1000 more cyclone shelters to be built

2007-11-25 00:00:00

The government is planning to build 1000 more cyclone shelters for people and mud-forts as cyclone shelters for cattle-heads to face the natural calamities like flood and cyclone, reports UNB.Food and Disaster Management Secretary Dr Mohammad Ayub Mia made the...

US ships ready to take part in relief operation

2007-11-25 00:00:00

Two US navy ships ready to join relief operations were waiting in the waters in the Bay of Bengal Saturday, reports bdnews24.com. USS Essex and USS Kearsarge will take a day or two to begin their operations since the US...

C'wealth names new secy-gen

2007-11-25 00:00:00

KAMPALA, Nov 24 (AP): Kamalesh Sharma, currently India's ambassador to Britain, has been chosen as the new Commonwealth secretary-general.The Commonwealth leaders Saturday chose the new secretary-general for their organisation as they continued informal talks on climate change, democracy and trade.The...

SAARC CEC meet begins to bolster intra-regional trade

2007-11-25 00:00:00

FE Report The 13th meeting of the 'Committee on Economic Cooperation (CEC)' of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) began in Dhaka Saturday aiming to bolster intra-regional trade.High-powered delegations of the eight-member SAARC, comprising Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal,...

Wild tree could be fruitful for rural poor

2007-11-25 00:00:00

Amy Yee, FT Syndication ServiceNEW DELHI: Pongamia, or Indian beech tree, is indigenous to India and grows wild along roads and in forests. For many years Indians have used oil from its large, oblong nuts as fuel for lamps and...

developments in the region and abroad

2007-11-25 00:00:00

Iran has produced enriched uranium fuel pelletsTEHRAN, Nov 24 (AP): Iran has produced its own nuclear fuel pellets of enriched uranium for the first time to power its under construction heavy water research reactor, Vice President Gholam Reza Aghazadeh said...

Six die in Dhaka slum fire

2007-11-25 00:00:00

At least six people, including three children, died in a slum fire in Rayerbazar Saturday night, police and witnesses said. The fire gutted more than 1,000 shanties. Many failed to save their belongings. The deputy police commissioner for Tejgaon, Mahbubur...

HC stays ACC notice on Khaleda

2007-11-25 00:00:00

The High Court Sunday stayed the wealth statement notice served by the Anticorruption Commission on former prime minister Khaleda Zia. It also issued a rule nisi to the ACC chairman, home secretary and an ACC deputy director to explain within...

Hassle-free receipt of passports

2007-11-25 00:00:00

CORRUPTION in government offices in this country is a systemic problem. But the level of corruption varies from one office to another. The incidences of corruption are relatively high in the offices that handle issues involving the needs of the...

Overcoming threats to the apparel sector

2007-11-25 00:00:00

Shahiduzzaman KhanDESPITE inclement weather caused by the Hurricane SIDR, the three-day Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition-2007 (BATEXPO '07), concluded in the city recently amid much enthusiasm. The exposition received spot orders worth $53.43 million by showcasing the country's entire range...

America loses faith in imperialism

2007-11-25 00:00:00

Gideon Rachman WELL, that was quick. In 2003, the idea of empire became fashionable in Washington, DC. But the flirtation has lasted little more than three years. The imperial eagles are being put back in the cupboard. The challenge for...

Robo-trains given human touch

2007-11-25 00:00:00

Mure DickieCHINA has taken an unusual step in preparation for the opening of its first "driverless" automated mass transit rail line - by hiring drivers.The Financial Times has discovered that more than 70 trainee drivers - all male, under-25, with...

Share market : Risky developments

2007-11-25 00:00:00

I read with interest the article by Enayet Rasul on the above subject last month. It described the upsurge in the share market as unsustainable and called for caution and appropriate policies on the part of the regulators. There were...

Challenges to macro-economy

2007-11-25 00:00:00

Maintenance of macroeconomic stability will be a major challenge this year, particularly after the successive natural disasters -- floods and cyclone. The extent of damage caused by such disasters is quite severe. The supply-shocks in areas of food and other...

Democratic reform in Arab world: Mirages and realities

2007-11-25 00:00:00

Fred Halliday The issue of political reform in the Arab world has over recent months acquired a new importance for two quite different reasons: in the United States and Europe because of the newfound enthusiasm of the Bush administration for...

Arabs' dollar losses increase pressure to sever pegs

2007-11-25 00:00:00

Matthew Brown and Aaron PanWhen central bankers in the Middle East say they have no plans to end their fixed exchange rates to the dollar, the currency market hears the opposite. Merrill Lynch & Co. predicts either the United Arab...

Regional integration good for growth: Paulson

2007-11-25 00:00:00

Sarah McGregor from Dares SalaamThe momentum towards regional integration in East Africa received encouragement from the U.S. this week, with U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson saying that it should boost economic growth in the five-member East Africa bloc."This is a...

New world trade deal within weeks, British PM hopes

2007-11-25 00:00:00

KAMPALA, Nov 24 (Reuters): British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said today he hoped for agreement on a new world trade deal within weeks. Brown held talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of a summit of the...

China to be cautious with HK investment plan: Wen

2007-11-25 00:00:00

BEIJING, Nov 24 (Reuters): China will proceed prudently with plans for a landmark scheme permitting mainland residents to invest directly in Hong Kong stocks for the first time, Premier Wen Jiabao said in remarks reported Today. Wen told visiting Hong...

Vietnam trade deficit tops $10b

2007-11-25 00:00:00

HANOI, Nov 24 (AFP): Vietnam's trade deficit has surged past the 10 billion dollar mark so far this year, a 142-per cent rise over the same period last year, state media reported today quoting government estimates. High costs of imports...

New world trade deal within weeks, British PM hopes

2007-11-25 00:00:00

KAMPALA, Nov 24 (Reuters): British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said today he hoped for agreement on a new world trade deal within weeks. Brown held talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of a summit of the...

EU, southern African states agree trade deal

2007-11-25 00:00:00

BRUSSELS, Nov 24 (Reuters): The European Commission and four southern African countries agreed a new trade deal yesterday, opening the way for what Brussels hopes will be a series of agreements with scores of former European colonies. In a breakthrough...

Oil prices firm after run at 100 dollars

2007-11-25 00:00:00

NEW YORK, Nov 24 (AFP): World oil prices pushed closer toward 100 dollars a barrel today as traders worried about tight supplies and geopolitical jitters in key oil producing states. New York's main contract, light sweet crude for January delivery,...

Indian sugar mills face more losses as state sets cane price

2007-11-25 00:00:00

MUMBAI, Nov 23 (Bloomberg): Indian sugar makers, battered by falling prices of the sweetener, face more losses after the nation's biggest producing state forced them to buy cane at above market prices. Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd., the nation's second-largest producer,...

Grain stock to hit 35-year low next yr

2007-11-25 00:00:00

Grain stocks worldwide are expected to fall to their lowest level in 35 years in 2008, raising concerns that the economy will be hit by a double whammy of soaring grain and oil prices.The Korea Rural Economic Institute reported that...

Palm oil industry closer to "green" labelling

2007-11-25 00:00:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (Reuters): A certification process was launched Thursday enabling palm oil producers meeting stringent environment standards to label their products as eco-friendly.Palm oil companies that meet the criteria set by an industry-led initiative, the Round Table on...