BTRC finalises draft guidelines for telecom value-added services

After receiving instructions from the Posts and Telecommunications Division, Bangladesh Telecommuni-cation Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has finalised…

Nearly all areas to come under internet coverage by 2021

State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim yesterday said most parts of the country will come under internet coverage by 2021, reports UNB. Talking to the news agency, Tarana Halim said her ministry is working to that end as mobile internet connectivity has been the key for rapid development.…

Move underway to create 9,000 MW power generation hub at Payra

A move is underway to create a 9,000 MW power generation hub at Payra area of Patuakhali in the southwestern region of Bangladesh, reports UNB. Disclosing the plan, State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid said Payra will be another power hub like the two others being created in Maheshkhali…

Lafarge Surma approves acquisition of Holcim for Tk 504cr

Lafarge Surma Cement has approved the acquisition of Holcim Bangladesh for over Tk 504.81 crore, a price set by the Bangladesh Bank, according to a Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), reports BSS. The company has further informed that it has given its Chief Executive Officer power to complete the deal process,…

REHAB Fair bags 19,000 visitors in 4 days

Around 19,000 visitors thronged the venue of the real estate sector’s annual showcase, “REHAB Fair 2017”, in its first four days, reports UNB Abdur Rashid, public relations officer of Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB), yesterday informed the media that 1,200…

China-Bangladesh joint venture online shopping co set to hit market

A China-Bangladesh joint venture online shopping company, ‘10takabuy.com’, is going to be launched in Dhaka very soon aiming to ensure the delivery of quality and timely products at reasonable prices for local and international customers, reports UNB. An agreement to this end was signed…

4G to spur growth of ICT, e-commerce

Leading IT operators and IT businessmen have expressed their firm opinion that Bangladesh would see an expeditious growth with the introduction of the 4G telecommunication service in the fields of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and e-commerce, reports BSS. They said high speed internet…

Traders in Old Mosul rebuild their ruined market

AFP, MOSUL: Fed up with waiting for assistance from the Iraqi authorities to materialise, traders at the ravaged Bab al-Saray market in Mosul’s Old City are rebuilding their shattered businesses themselves. After months of silence, the sound of construction work and returning commerce is finally…

Could the ‘curve’ be warning of a US recession?

AFP,NEW YORK: The US economy may be basking in the warm glow of solid growth, but economists are nervously eyeing a trend in the bond market that could spell stormy weather ahead. Even though President Donald Trump is touting unemployment at its lowest level in 17…

Stocks open week down

Stocks witnessed a sluggish trading on the first day of the week yesterday as most indices on the country's both bourses-Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE)…

Bitcoin slump sees trades suspended

Bitcoin plunged on Friday, extending a fall that saw the crypto-currency lose almost a third of its value from a record of nearly $20,000 (£15,000), reports BBC. The crypto-currency's price dipped below $11,000 on Friday, according to the Coindesk exchange website, before recovering to above…

Oman opens sprawling oryx reserve to ecotourists

AFP, HAIMA: The Gulf sultanate of Oman is looking to carve itself a new niche in ecotourism by opening up a sanctuary for one of the desert’s most fabled creatures—the Arabian oryx. Once extinct in the wild, the rare member of the antelope family famed for its elegant horns has been dragged…

Hot US new homes market sees biggest jump in 25 years

AFP, WASHINGTON: New US home sales saw their largest monthly increase in more than 25 years in November, with buyers in the fire-stricken West snatching up new houses at a rapid rate, according to government data released Friday. The increase pushed the volume of sales to a fresh 10-year record,…

Barakat, Jamaluddin elected president, gen secy of BEA

Prof Abul Barkat and Dr Jamaluddin Ahmed have been elected president and general secretary of Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA) respectively for the…

Moazzam elected BMCCI president, Shabbir secy-gen

Syed Moazzam Hossain, managing director of SMH Engineering Limited and Shabbir Ahmed Khan of Khan and Deen Traders were elected president and honorary…

Mercantile Bank inks deal with Moody’s

Mercantile Bank Limited (MBL) has recently signed an agreement with Moody’s at the head office of the bank in the capital, the bank said in a press statement. Under the agreement, Moody’s, a renowned international Credit Rating Agency, will conduct the credit rating of MBL on the basis of…