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Topics - Showrav.Yazdani

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1
Teaching & Research Forum / BTRC scraps 124 VSP licences
« on: February 19, 2020, 11:00:51 PM »
n a notice on August 5, the telecom regulator said that 106 VSPs failed to pay their dues while 18 others did not apply for renewal properly
 

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has cancelled the licences of 124 VoIP service providers which failed to pay government dues.

In a notice on August 5, the telecom regulator said that 106 VSPs failed to pay their dues while 18 others did not apply for renewal properly.

BTRC also asked the VSPs to clear their dues within one month, otherwise, the regulator would file cases to realize the dues under the Bangladesh Telecommunication Act-2001 and Public Demand Recovery Act, 1913, said the notice.

The government in January 2013 issued 844 VSP licences in a bid to discourage illegal VoIP business.

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Using the data they collect, the team will work with local and national partners to inform solutions, fill knowledge gaps, and help drive a long-term positive change
 

As part of the global 'Planet or Plastic?' initiative,  team of National Geographic Society has made their way to Bangladesh for the second time to begin the second phase of the Padma River expedition to identify solutions to help tackle the global plastic crisis.

The expedition titled  ‘Sea to Source: Ganges’ will also focus on documenting how plastic waste travels from source to sea and filling the critical knowledge gaps around plastic flow, load, and composition, reports UNB.

Aiming to mobilize a global community of experts to help tackle the global problem of plastic pollution, the team will measure post-monsoon plastic pollution levels in the river and surrounding communities, and will conduct interviews and solution workshops at each site.

Using the data they collect, the team will work with local and national partners to inform solutions, fill knowledge gaps, and help drive a long-term positive change.

Back in October, a team of scientists and engineers, co-led by National Geographic Fellows Jenna Jambeck and Heather Koldewey, began a two-month long expedition, traveling the full 2,575 kilometres (1,600 miles) of the mainstream Padma — from the Bay of Bengal to the river’s source in the Himalayas.

The “Sea to Source: Ganges” river expedition is also supported by Tata Trusts in India.

“Ocean plastic pollution is a global crisis. Every year, about 9 million metric tons of plastic are added, with rivers acting as major conveyor belts that move plastic debris into the ocean,” said Heather Koldewey, National Geographic Fellow, Explorer and scientific co-lead of the “Sea to Source: Ganges” expedition.

“Our focus on this expedition is to understand how people and plastic connect with the Padma River and ultimately the ocean, using our data to raise awareness and identify solution,” she added.

The first phase of the river expedition took place in May-July of this year where nine community workshops were conducted on solutions to plastic waste.

3
Chinese officials reported 1,886 new cases — the first time the daily figure has fallen below 2,000 since January 30 — bringing the mainland China total to 72,436
 

China reported on Tuesday its fewest new coronavirus infections since January and its lowest daily death toll for a week, but the World Health Organization (WHO) said data suggesting the epidemic had slowed should still be viewed with caution.

Apple Inc warned that its sales would suffer as the epidemic hurt its supply in China and its demand both, an announcement that knocked the wind out of global stock markets.

The head of a leading hospital in China's central city of Wuhan, epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, died of the disease on Tuesday, becoming one of the most prominent victims since the disease first appeared at the end of last year.

Chinese officials reported 1,886 new cases — the first time the daily figure has fallen below 2,000 since January 30 — bringing the mainland China total to 72,436.

A figure of 98 new deaths also marked the first time the daily toll in China had fallen below 100 since February 11, bringing the total to 1,868.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Chinese data "appears to show a decline in new cases," but any apparent trend "must be interpreted very cautiously."

Outside China, there have been 827 cases of the disease, known as COVID-19, and five deaths, according to a Reuters count based on official statements. More than half of those cases have been on a cruise ship quarantined off Japan.

4
The UGC will issue a notice on the admission test outline and test procedure soon
 

Central Admission tests for public universities will be held from the 2020-2021 academic year. 

The decision was taken at a meeting held at the University Grants Commission (UGC) office on Wednesday, with the vice chancellors of 12 universities in attendance.

The UGC will start working from the first week of March on finalizing the process of the admission tests. 

Four universities --- Dhaka University, Chittagong University, Jahangirnagar University and BUET --- however are yet to decide on their inclusion in the process. They will announce their decisions after discussing the matter with their academic committees.

UGC Chairman Prof Kazi Shahidullah told reporters that some universities, including Dhaka University (DU), did not disagree but they said they would take the decision soon.

Later DU VC Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman said the university authorities would discuss the issue at their academic council meeting before taking a decision.   

5
Commerce / Richest 1% to own more than the rest
« on: February 19, 2020, 10:19:56 PM »
Wealth amassed by the richest 1% will overtake the amount owned by the rest of the people in the world, according to a study by charity group Oxfam.

The richest 1% of people will see their share of global wealth increase to more than 50% in 2016 at the current rate of growth.

Their wealth increased from 44% in 2009 to 48% last year, said the group.

Oxfam's report warns that the "explosion in inequality" is holding back the fight against global poverty.

Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International asked whether people really wanted to live in a world where the 1% own more than the rest of the people combined.

"The scale of global inequality is quite simply staggering and despite the issues shooting up the global agenda, the gap between the richest and the rest is widening fast," she said in a statement on Monday ahead of the annual World Economic Forum in Davos.

Of the remaining 52% of global wealth, almost 46% is owned by the rest of the richest fifth of the world's population, Oxfam said.

The remaining population account for just 5.5% of global wealth and their average wealth was $3,851 (£2,544) per adult in 2014.

That compares to an average wealth of $2.7m per adult for the elite 1%.

Ofxam said it will push for urgent action to stem the "rising tide of inequality", starting with a crackdown on tax evasion by companies.

The study comes just a day before US President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, in which he is expected to call for tax increases on the wealthy to help the middle class.

In October, a report from banking giant Credit Suisse also said that the richest 1% of people own nearly half of the world's wealth.

6
Commerce / BTRC declines to accept Tk100 crore from GP
« on: February 19, 2020, 10:19:16 PM »
We offered Tk100 crore to show our willingness for negotiation'
 

The telecom regulator on Wednesday declined to receive Tk100 crore the leading mobile operator Grameenphone offered to pay out of its unpaid audit claims a day before a review petition hearing is due to resolve the dispute.

The GP move came a day before a review petition hearing in the Appellate Division on the audit claim of Tk12,580 crore when the court directed the GP to pay Tk2,000 crore by Sunday.

On January 26, GP filed the review petition with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, expressing that they were willing to pay only Tk575 crore, instead of Tk2,000 crore, by the deadline.

“We offered Tk100 crore to show our willingness for negotiation. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) did not accept our money,” Hossain Sadat, director and head of regulatory affairs at GP, told reporters in a press meet at a Dhaka city hotel.

He said the company was always ready to resolve the audit dispute through discussion.

Asked why the company did not respond to a government call to deposit a certain amount of the audit claim for negotiation three months back, he said, “We were ready for it and working on formulating an agreement so that we can pay some amount in an official manner. But through media reports we came to know that government was set to appoint an Administrator at GP. So, to protect the interest of our investors we had to rush to the court.” 

7
Commerce / WB projects 7.2% GDP growth for Bangladesh in FY19-20
« on: February 19, 2020, 10:18:36 PM »
On September 25, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) projected 8% GDP growth in Bangladesh
 

The World Bank (WB) has projected 7.2% gross domestic product (GDP) growth for Bangladesh in the current fiscal year (FY2019-20), while 7.3% in the following fiscal year.

Bangladesh, the third-largest economy in the region, fared better than India and Pakistan, with the growth officially estimated at 8.1% in FY2018-19, said the World Bank in its Global Economic Prospects published on Thursday.

On July 31 last year, Bangladesh Bank in its one-year monetary policy statement (MPS) for FY2019-20 hoped to achieve the 8.2% GDP growth keeping the inflation rate within 5.50%, reports UNB.

On September 25, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) projected 8% GDP growth in Bangladesh.

The growth in Bangladesh is projected to remain above 7% through the forecast horizon.

A solid macroeconomic framework, political stability, implementation of planned public infrastructure projects, and ongoing reforms to improve the business environment underlie this projection, said the report.

8
Commerce / Export earnings fall 17.19% in October
« on: February 19, 2020, 10:18:00 PM »
The stats was given in the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data released on Tuesday
 

Bangladesh export earnings declined 17.19% to $3.07 billion in October for the third consecutive month compared with the corresponding months of last year.

The fall is driven by the negative growth in apparel sector, which contributes over 84% of total exports earnings.

According to Export Promotion Bureau data, the country earned $3.07 billion in October, down by 17.19%, which was $3.72 billion in the same month last year.

Export earning was $2.92 billion in September, down by 7.3% compared to the same month of last year while in August, the country earned $2.84 billion exporting goods, down by 11.49% compared to the same month last year.

According to the EPB data released today, Bangladesh earned $12.72 billion during July-October period of the current fiscal, which is 6.82% less compared to $13.65 billion in the same period a year ago.

The apparel sector, which accounts for 84% of total exports, witnessed a 6.67% decline to $10.59 billion in the first four months of the current fiscal year, which was $11.33 billion in the same period last year.

As per the data, knitwear products earned $5.53 billion, down by 5.73%, which was $5.87 billion in previous year.

Woven goods fetched $5.04 billion, posting a 6.09% fall against $5.46 billion in the same period last year.

For the negative growth, exporters and economists have blamed appreciation of taka, economic slowdown in Europe and trade tension between the US and China.

9
Business & Entrepreneurship / Bangladesh's export earnings decline further
« on: February 19, 2020, 10:16:49 PM »
In October, the exports earning saw 17.19% decline to $3.07 billion
 

Bangladesh export earnings have declined by 10.70% to $3.05 billion in November for the fourth consecutive month compared with the corresponding months of last year.

The fall is driven by a negative growth in the apparel sector, which contributes to over 84% of total exports earnings.

According to Export Promotion Bureau data, Bangladesh earned $3.05 billion in November, down by 10.70%, which was $3.42 billion in the same month last year.

In October, the exports earning saw 17.19% decline to $3.07 billion.

Export earning was $2.92 billion in September, down by 7.3% compared to the same month last year while in August, the country earned $2.84 billion from exporting goods, down by 11.49% compared to the same month last year.

10


Under this agreement the employees of Taufika Foods would enjoy privileged services in their My Salary account from NRB Bank, said a press release
 

NRB Bank Limited signed a payroll agreement with Taufika Foods and Agro Industries Ltd in Dhaka recently.

Under this agreement the employees of Taufika Foods would enjoy privileged services in their My Salary account from NRB Bank, said a press release.

Md Khurshed Alam, deputy managing director of NRB Bank Limited and Md Ekramul Haque, managing director of Taufika Foods & Agro Industries Ltd (TFAIL) signed agreement documents on behalf of their organizations.

Among others, Oli Ahad Chowdhury, head of retail business of NRB Bank Ltd, Engr Md Kamruzzaman, chief operating officer and Mustaque Ahmad, chief financial officer of Taufika Foods & Agro Industries Ltd were also present.


11
Business & Entrepreneurship / NPLs down by Tk21,957cr in 3 months
« on: February 19, 2020, 10:15:41 PM »
Relaxed rescheduling policy, one off exit scheme start paying off
 

Banks’ non-performing loans (NPLs) declined by Tk21,957.31 crore in three months till December last year thanks to relaxed rescheduling policy of Bangladesh Bank that brought down the sour loan to 9.32% in the sector.

At the end of September last year, the amount of NPLs in the banking system were to the tune of Tk1,16,288.31 crore, or 11.99% of the total disbursed loans, according to the latest Bangladesh Bank (BB) data.

However, NPLs rose by Tk420 crore in 2019 over last year.

Bankers said the large scale loan rescheduling took place in the final quarter of last year that helped reduce the high amount of NPLs in the banking sector.

Last year, NPLs amounting to Tk50,434 crore were rescheduled, up 117.29%   from a year earlier, according to BB data.

Banks rescheduled Tk23,210 crore in 2018.

12
Business & Entrepreneurship / 12 banks face Tk10,797cr provision shortfall
« on: February 19, 2020, 10:15:00 PM »
Experts said that some of the banks faced provision shortfall because they lent beyond limits set in banking regulations
 

A dozen banks faced a combined provision shortfall of Tk10,797.87 crore in the fourth quarter of 2019, exposing their faltering financial health.

The banks are Sonali Bank, Agrani Bank, Rupali Bank, BASIC Bank, AB Bank, Bangladesh Commerce Bank, Dhaka Bank, Mutual Trust Bank, National Bank, Standard Bank, Social Islami Bank and Trust Bank.

Experts said that some of the banks faced provision shortfall because they lent beyond limits set in banking regulations.

Talking to Dhaka Tribune, former governor of the Bangladesh Bank Salehuddin Ahmed said, “Provision shortfall is a bad sign for a bank, which indicates its weakness caused by fall in depositors’ funds.”

The capital base of those banks would erode significantly as they must keep provisioning as per the central bank rules, he added.

13
Business & Entrepreneurship / Taking debate to new heights
« on: February 19, 2020, 10:14:04 PM »
In recent years, Bangladesh has seen many young debaters impress the audience with their wit and talent. Sourodip Paul and Sajid Khandaker of Team IBA DU A secured the 11th ranking among 434 teams from more than 350 universities in this year's World Universities Debating Championship (WUDC), which is considered the World Cup of Debate in Thailand. Bangladesh's performance this year was the best one so far.

'Khandaker and Paul', their official team name, became an undeniable duo in debating tournaments.  Together, they have won 11 major championships so far. Their WUDC journey started back in 2018 with WUDC, Mexico. They participated in WUDC South Africa in the following year. They secured the 17th position in Mexico and the 23rd position in South Africa last year. They were announced as the best team in Asia, both in Mexico and Thailand this year.

Sajid has been a debater since he was a ninth grader. From participating in the World Schools Debating Championships to WUDC, his passion for debate grew over the years. "I had some of the best debaters as my professional trainers back in my school days, which made my transition to international competitions easier," shares Sajid.

14
Business & Entrepreneurship / How Bangladesh is outperforming India
« on: February 19, 2020, 10:13:15 PM »
Frankly, I blame Henry Kissinger. Way back in the 1970s, he called Bangladesh "an international basket case". At the time, no doubt, it was. Television images of the frequent devastating floods it suffered confirmed this characterisation. So the description stuck.

Today, Bangladesh is a different country. The world may be slow in changing its opinion—although I am not so sure of that—but we in India have no right to be trapped in the 1970s. Yet, that's precisely what the junior home minister revealed last weekend.

"Half of Bangladesh will be empty (vacant) if India offers citizenship to them," said minister of state for home, G Kishan Reddy. "Half of Bangladeshis will come over to India if citizenship is promised." Apart from the fact that he was undiplomatic and offensive, Reddy also revealed that he's ignorant of the true state of Bangladesh. Worse, he doesn't know that, in comparison to India, Bangladesh is performing far better on many, if not most of the indices that determine quality of life.

First, Bangladesh is growing at a rate that we in India can only envy and hope to achieve two or three years down the road. Whilst we slip below 5 percent, Bangladesh is racing ahead at 8 percent.

Second, while Nirmala Sitharaman desperately strives to attract investment leaving China by offering 15 percent rates of corporate tax, Bangladesh is one of the two countries where it's actually going. Consequently, high streets in London and New York are brimming with clothes made in Bangladesh, but very few produced in Ludhiana and Tirupur. No wonder Bangladesh's merchandise exports grew in double digits in fiscal 2019; India's sharply fell.

15
Business & Entrepreneurship / Square Pharma to set up subsidiary
« on: February 19, 2020, 10:12:02 PM »
Square Pharmaceuticals is set to establish a subsidiary company named Square Lifesciences to manufacture pharmaceuticals oral solid dosage products.

The estimated cost for the subsidiary would be TK 350 crore.  The amount would be internally generated, according to a statement.

The plant is expected to be complete by June 2023, the statement added.

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