Private companies allowed to get more foreign loans

Private companies will be able to get access to more foreign loans -- amounting to an aggregate sum of US$71.75 million -- from overseas sources shortly to help expand their business activities, officials said. Twelve cases for their obtaining loans...

BD, US sign TICFA deal

Bangladesh and the USA signed the much-talked-about Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (TICFA) deal in Washington on Monday aiming to bolster bilateral trade and investment, officials said. Bangladesh's commerce secretary Mahbub Ahmed and United States Deputy Trade Representative Wendy...

Bangladesh seeks investment for telecom sector in ITU summit

Most of the third world countries including Bangladesh sought funding and investment opportunities from donor agencies and telecom giants for development of telecom infrastructure, especially for fiber optics connectivity. The authorities of those countries raised the issue at the "Connect...

Process of reviewing mid-term budgetary expenditure begins

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has initiated the process of the reviewing the medium-term budgetary expenditure for the current fiscal year (FY) 2013-14, official sources said. Besides, the budgetary wing of the MoF will also project budgetary allocations for the...

Mohan Mia: A politician of exceptional qualities

In remembering Yusuf Ali Choudhury, popularly known as Mohan Mia, one is struck by the fact that since his death on November 26, 1971 at the age of 66, there has not appeared in our political scene another kingmaker so...

Economic uplift of the ultra poor

Nur Banu, aged 35, can possibly hit headlines of newspapers on her heroic economic performance. Hers is a tale of how she graduated from ultra poor status to a moderate poor in her village in only two years.  It may...

Arms Trade Treaty: How far from expectation?

Following the dire need for non-proliferation of both nuclear and conventional weapons, world leaders -- mostly from the West -- have come forward to build a 'nuclear weapons-free world' by agreeing to an international arms trade treaty. This year, the...

Iran nuclear deal boosts world peace

Major world powers and Iran have reached a landmark deal on Tehran's nuclear programme as the global community heaved a sigh of relief following the development, which is expected to remove a highly dangerous international source of tensions. The accord...

Can aquaculture net food security gains in Bangladesh?

It is difficult to find a country feeling the negative impacts of climate change more severely than Bangladesh. Name any alarming, seemingly far-off effect of a warming world being discussed in the halls of Washington or the summits of Copenhagen,...

Some CAs making false audit reports for corporate taxpayers, NBR finds

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has identified a section of Chartered Accountants (CAs) preparing fake and false audit reports causing substantial losses in corporate taxes to the public exchequer. In a recent study, the revenue board has found massive...

Gold smuggling all-time high

In the absence of an appropriate import policy on gold, Bangladesh is being used as a transit point for smuggling of the precious metal. The detection of smuggling bids this year has crossed all past records. Jewellers, police and customs...

NBR badgers MoC to allow board to clear imported cars older than 5 years

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is repeatedly requesting the ministry of commerce (MoC) for providing clearance permits (CPs) for cars older than five years, which will be a violation of the present import policy order, sources said. The government...

German finance minister says no more risks of contagion in euro zone

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said early this week that there were no longer any risks of contagion in the euro zone, and Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras stressed his country did not need a further bailout. Schaeuble said Greece's...

Five Kushtia villages form a rice hub serving country\\\'s needs

JHENIDAH, Nov 24: Kaburhat, Dastopara, Ayilchara, Khajanagar and Ballavpur -- five interconnected villages of Battail union of Kushtia district covering four kilometres area beside Bottail-Poradah road have turned a big rice hub meeting a large-scale demand for rice throughout the...

BB continues to purchase US dollars from banks

The central bank has continued to purchase US dollars from the commercial banks directly aiming at keeping the inter-bank foreign exchange market stable, officials said Sunday. "We've strengthened our intervention in the foreign exchange (forex) market recently to protect the...

In pursuit of a treasure trove

Saints and holy men are known for miracle dreams. There are others who try to present themselves as wielders of great spiritual or miraculous power. It is indeed difficult to differentiate the genuine holy men from the pretenders. When men...

Rationalising cost of doing business

The crossing of 32-kilometre Sitakundu section of the Dhaka-Chittagong highway can be likened to the crossing of the world's largest ocean, the Pacific. This was how the head of the Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) wanted to explain last Saturday...

Minimum wage in RMG sector from global perspective

Most of them used to work as maids in urban kitchens, in most cases, for subsistence known as 'pete-bhate' in Bengali. Then came the opportunity to work in the manufacturing sector, more specifically, in the readymade garments sector (RMG). They...

Political stalemate: Is there still any chance for unlocking gridlock?

Bangladesh is fast approaching its next general elections, but its overall political environment is charged with animosity and bitterness. Divergent positions, taken by the government and the main opposition alliance, under whose authority the polls will be held, has made...

NBR fears sharp fall in revenue collection

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) fears a massive fall in revenue collection in the current fiscal year (FY), as all the major tax collection indicators are showing a negative trend amid the ongoing political turmoil. Tax collection from service...

Protecting rivers around metropolis

A large portion of the river Buriganga in Lalbagh area has been filled with earth. The site is now being used as a parking lot. A photograph published in a local daily on November 19 last showed how the river...

India behind AL: BNP

BNP sees an 'Indian hand' behind ruling Awami League (AL) acting tough against opposition parties and deciding to go ahead with polls without them, reports bdnews24.com. A senior leader of the party has accused the neighbouring country of provoking the...

Aman rice procurement starts early December

The procurement of Aman rice is likely to start from the first week of next month (December) aiming to ensure country's food security, a high official said. In this connection the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee (FPMC) under the ministry...

Service rules for tourism board soon

After three years of formation, Bangladesh Tourism Board (BTB) is going to get its service rules soon. The organisation, conceived to emerge as an effective promoter of the country's tourism sector, has so far been suffering from manpower shortage to...

Car, spares manufacture still a far cry in B’desh

Corruption, mismanagement, bureaucratic complexities and lack of policy support have ruined the possibilities of manufacturing automobiles and spare parts in the country. Industry sources said, four decades have passed but the opportunities for manufacturing motorcycles, small and medium sized cars...

Tackling gas draught in Chittagong

Resumption of gas supply to the Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited (CUFL) after 10 months of suspension has further aggravated gas crisis in the port and industrial district. Gas supply to all power plants in the Chittagong region now remains suspended....

Teaching English: In quest of the right approach

The key motivation for me to write this article is to give the readers a special message. I'll start with a snapshot of my typical experience as a language teacher at a private marine academy that shapes merchant mariners for...

Bangladesh under international scrutiny

Two editorials, a hearing in the US Congress and a resolution in the European Parliament suggest that the concerns of the international community about the current political situation has intensified following the formation of the controversial all-party government for overseeing...

TICFA, at last: Keeping our fingers crossed

Ending all speculation and not a little uncertainty Trade and Investment Co-operation Framework Agreement (TICFA) will be signed in Washington DC today (November 24). With plodding progress the Agreement has been long in the negotiation stage. Having initiated America was...

Local co to get licence for mineral exploration in 2 Kurigram UZs

The Carbon Mining Bangladesh Limited (CMBL) is going to be awarded the mining licence to extract ilmenite, zircon, garnet and mineral sand from 2,400 hectares of land in two upazilas (UZs) under Kurigram district, sources said. The Energy and Mineral...