Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

1

DSEX 647 Gold (Ounce) $128200 Dollar 8083 (Buy) 8083 (Sell) CSCX 895 Oil (Barrel) $5205 Euro 9510(Buy) 9511(Sell)

PACKAGING MATERIALS OF IMPORTED GOODS TO FACE CUSTOMS DUTY 2

GOVT LAUNCHES lsquoPAYPALrsquo TODAY AMID CONFUSION 3

BRAC BANK BAGDOOM LAUNCH SME LOAN FOR E-MERCHANTS 4

BERNICAT RMG SECTORSrsquo PROBLEMS LIE WITH LEAD TIME 4

HUNGRY NAKI EXPANDS TO NEW AREAS 5

AIRTEL LAUNCHES MEGA WINBACK CAMPAIGN 5

MAKE 4G GUIDELINES MORE INVESTMENT FRIENDLY 6

LABOUR LAW TO BE AMENDED BY NOV 7

NOMAN GROUPS PRODUCTION HIT BY GAS CRISIS IN TONGI 8

MORE RICE ON WAY FROM INDIA THAILAND 9

BIMAN A POPULAR AIRLINE AMONG NEPALESE 10

DHAKA STOCKS FLAT AS TURNOVER FALLS 11

DHL GLOBAL FORWARDING ASIA PACIFIC CEO VISITS BANGLADESH 11

CHITTAGONG STOCK EXCHANGES SHARIAH INDEX REVISED 11

12

12

ণ 13

13

lsquo rsquo 14

lsquo ট ট rsquo 15

৩৩৩ ট 16

17

18

১০ 19

ট ট 19

20

21

ণ ণ 21

৫০০ ট 22

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

2

PACKAGING MATERIALS OF IMPORTED GOODS TO FACE CUSTOMS DUTY Packets and packaging materials which are integral part of imported goods will face customs duty according to a ruling of the National Board of Revenue Customs wing of the NBR on October 9 issued the ruling to its field level offices for calculating the prices of packets and packaging materials for determining the customs valuation of those imported goods which are sold to consumers intact The ruling also asked the customs houses and land customs stations for recognising the compliant businesses as trusted traders and completing customs procedures of their consignments within minimum time to facilitate honest traders The ruling will be applicable for those packaged products like cosmetics perfume shampoo toys auto parts pencil nail polish chocolate chips biscuits coffee and other goods which are placed to customs authorities as single item without separating the goods and packaging materials and sold to consumers in the same way Customs officials will now determine the dutiable value of the main goods calculating the weight-based prices of packing container or packing materials it said Officials of the revenue board said that in some cases the prices of packet and packing materials of the goods remained included within the value declared by the importers But in many cases the prices of packing materials are not included within the value of imported goods and importers also do not declare the prices separately they said The differences in price declaration of such goods are creating confusion among the field level customs officials in determining the value of the products for customs duty they added The decision will not be applicable for those packet or packing materials such as pallet container wood box and similar materials which are used for safe transportation of imported goods and the materials are not supplied to the clients with the main goods Packing materials of such products are considered as dutiable factor in neighboring India Sri Lanka and Pakistan it said The ruling signed by NBRrsquos customs policy member Md Lutfor Rahman was issued to remove the confusion they said The decision will also extend trade facilitation through minimising customs intervention reducing lead time providing even handed opportunity to all traders and expediting customs procedures for releasing the imported goods according to the ruling It also said that importers and exporters would be evaluated as trusted traders if they make correct declaration about the consignments and submit accurate bill of entry and other documents including invoice packing list letter of credit contracts and purchase agreements Consignments of the trusted traders will be released within shortest possible time it said The declaration must consist of accurate product specification brand name model art no and part no weight amount in number and quantity HS code price and other information Officials said that the revenue board had decided to introduce trusted traders in the country to encourage importers and exporters to be compliant with customs laws in international trade Trusted traders or authorised economic operators are the terms of World Customs Organisation which are now being adopted globally as best practices they said Currently there are no prescribed benefits for the trusted traders in the customs laws or any other regulations of the revenue board But the NBR may specify some benefits for the groups while customs houses may also offer some benefits like minimum customs intervention and priority valuation of consignments imported by the trusted traders

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

3

Imported consignments of trusted traders will also face fewer physical inspections instead of 100 per cent they said Source httpwwwnewagebdnetarticle26439packaging-materials-of-imported-goods-to-face-customs-duty

GOVT LAUNCHES lsquoPAYPALrsquo TODAY AMID CONFUSION Information and Communication Technology ministry as part of its earlier announcement will inaugurate lsquoPayPal servicersquo in the country today amid confusion whether the service will be actual Officials of the ICT division said PayPal a global online payment system would start its service in Bangladesh today paving the way for hassle-free electronic money transfer and ensure increased access to foreign consumers as well as ease the collection of money for the IT freelancers of the country State minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak on October 9 had also told reporters that the service of PayPal established in 1998 and now one of the worldrsquos largest internet payment companies would be inaugurated on the second day of the three-day ICT EXPO 2017 that started on Wednesday Following the ministerrsquos announcement confusion surfaced among the freelancers about what service of PayPal would be launched in the country as PayPal officials denied that it was going to launch its operations in Bangladesh Besides the operation of Xoom payment service which was bought by PayPal in 2015 has been in operation in Bangladesh since 2015 Freelancers have been waiting for last few years for the launch of actual PayPal service with inbound outbound remittance and wallet services as the government has time and again claimed that PayPal would introduce its services in Bangladesh As Palak came to severe criticism over the announcement of PayPal launch he on Wednesday in a Facebook post said that the Xoom service would be launched with the facility of inbound service of PayPal lsquoInitially PayPal account-holders would be able to send fund to Bangladesh from USArsquo he said The outbound fund transfer would be launched gradually he added Palak did not mention anything about the wallet service Palakrsquos Facebook page has been flooded with comments from social media users including freelancers mostly criticising him about his latest clarification lsquoFreelancers were arguing with the governmentrsquos declaration as the inbound service of Xoom is already available in the country and itrsquos not PayPal So there is nothing new herersquo SM Mehedi Hasan managing director and co-founder of Coder71 Ltd a freelancing firm told New Age on Wednesday lsquoWe were demanding for all the services including inbound outbound and wallet services not only the inbound service as all the services are very much essential for usrsquo he said The inbound service can meet only 10 per cent of the freelancers demand he added Following queries by freelancers PayPal through its social media platforms said lsquoPayPal is not currently available in Bangladesh and we donrsquot have news to share right now regarding future plansrsquo lsquoHowever Xoom a PayPal service has been live in Bangladesh since November 2015rsquo it said lsquoThrough Xoom people in the US can send money to loved ones by depositing money to leading banks in the country including Sonali Bankrsquo Xoom said The ICT division state minister could not be reached for his comments State-run news agency BSS reported that Sajeeb Wazed Joy information and communication technology (ICT) adviser to prime minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the PayPal service at a function at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the city An official of ICT division said customers can receive the service from nine commercial banks including Sonali Bank Rupali Bank and Social Islami Bank and the service will be extended gradually

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

2

PACKAGING MATERIALS OF IMPORTED GOODS TO FACE CUSTOMS DUTY Packets and packaging materials which are integral part of imported goods will face customs duty according to a ruling of the National Board of Revenue Customs wing of the NBR on October 9 issued the ruling to its field level offices for calculating the prices of packets and packaging materials for determining the customs valuation of those imported goods which are sold to consumers intact The ruling also asked the customs houses and land customs stations for recognising the compliant businesses as trusted traders and completing customs procedures of their consignments within minimum time to facilitate honest traders The ruling will be applicable for those packaged products like cosmetics perfume shampoo toys auto parts pencil nail polish chocolate chips biscuits coffee and other goods which are placed to customs authorities as single item without separating the goods and packaging materials and sold to consumers in the same way Customs officials will now determine the dutiable value of the main goods calculating the weight-based prices of packing container or packing materials it said Officials of the revenue board said that in some cases the prices of packet and packing materials of the goods remained included within the value declared by the importers But in many cases the prices of packing materials are not included within the value of imported goods and importers also do not declare the prices separately they said The differences in price declaration of such goods are creating confusion among the field level customs officials in determining the value of the products for customs duty they added The decision will not be applicable for those packet or packing materials such as pallet container wood box and similar materials which are used for safe transportation of imported goods and the materials are not supplied to the clients with the main goods Packing materials of such products are considered as dutiable factor in neighboring India Sri Lanka and Pakistan it said The ruling signed by NBRrsquos customs policy member Md Lutfor Rahman was issued to remove the confusion they said The decision will also extend trade facilitation through minimising customs intervention reducing lead time providing even handed opportunity to all traders and expediting customs procedures for releasing the imported goods according to the ruling It also said that importers and exporters would be evaluated as trusted traders if they make correct declaration about the consignments and submit accurate bill of entry and other documents including invoice packing list letter of credit contracts and purchase agreements Consignments of the trusted traders will be released within shortest possible time it said The declaration must consist of accurate product specification brand name model art no and part no weight amount in number and quantity HS code price and other information Officials said that the revenue board had decided to introduce trusted traders in the country to encourage importers and exporters to be compliant with customs laws in international trade Trusted traders or authorised economic operators are the terms of World Customs Organisation which are now being adopted globally as best practices they said Currently there are no prescribed benefits for the trusted traders in the customs laws or any other regulations of the revenue board But the NBR may specify some benefits for the groups while customs houses may also offer some benefits like minimum customs intervention and priority valuation of consignments imported by the trusted traders

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

3

Imported consignments of trusted traders will also face fewer physical inspections instead of 100 per cent they said Source httpwwwnewagebdnetarticle26439packaging-materials-of-imported-goods-to-face-customs-duty

GOVT LAUNCHES lsquoPAYPALrsquo TODAY AMID CONFUSION Information and Communication Technology ministry as part of its earlier announcement will inaugurate lsquoPayPal servicersquo in the country today amid confusion whether the service will be actual Officials of the ICT division said PayPal a global online payment system would start its service in Bangladesh today paving the way for hassle-free electronic money transfer and ensure increased access to foreign consumers as well as ease the collection of money for the IT freelancers of the country State minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak on October 9 had also told reporters that the service of PayPal established in 1998 and now one of the worldrsquos largest internet payment companies would be inaugurated on the second day of the three-day ICT EXPO 2017 that started on Wednesday Following the ministerrsquos announcement confusion surfaced among the freelancers about what service of PayPal would be launched in the country as PayPal officials denied that it was going to launch its operations in Bangladesh Besides the operation of Xoom payment service which was bought by PayPal in 2015 has been in operation in Bangladesh since 2015 Freelancers have been waiting for last few years for the launch of actual PayPal service with inbound outbound remittance and wallet services as the government has time and again claimed that PayPal would introduce its services in Bangladesh As Palak came to severe criticism over the announcement of PayPal launch he on Wednesday in a Facebook post said that the Xoom service would be launched with the facility of inbound service of PayPal lsquoInitially PayPal account-holders would be able to send fund to Bangladesh from USArsquo he said The outbound fund transfer would be launched gradually he added Palak did not mention anything about the wallet service Palakrsquos Facebook page has been flooded with comments from social media users including freelancers mostly criticising him about his latest clarification lsquoFreelancers were arguing with the governmentrsquos declaration as the inbound service of Xoom is already available in the country and itrsquos not PayPal So there is nothing new herersquo SM Mehedi Hasan managing director and co-founder of Coder71 Ltd a freelancing firm told New Age on Wednesday lsquoWe were demanding for all the services including inbound outbound and wallet services not only the inbound service as all the services are very much essential for usrsquo he said The inbound service can meet only 10 per cent of the freelancers demand he added Following queries by freelancers PayPal through its social media platforms said lsquoPayPal is not currently available in Bangladesh and we donrsquot have news to share right now regarding future plansrsquo lsquoHowever Xoom a PayPal service has been live in Bangladesh since November 2015rsquo it said lsquoThrough Xoom people in the US can send money to loved ones by depositing money to leading banks in the country including Sonali Bankrsquo Xoom said The ICT division state minister could not be reached for his comments State-run news agency BSS reported that Sajeeb Wazed Joy information and communication technology (ICT) adviser to prime minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the PayPal service at a function at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the city An official of ICT division said customers can receive the service from nine commercial banks including Sonali Bank Rupali Bank and Social Islami Bank and the service will be extended gradually

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

3

Imported consignments of trusted traders will also face fewer physical inspections instead of 100 per cent they said Source httpwwwnewagebdnetarticle26439packaging-materials-of-imported-goods-to-face-customs-duty

GOVT LAUNCHES lsquoPAYPALrsquo TODAY AMID CONFUSION Information and Communication Technology ministry as part of its earlier announcement will inaugurate lsquoPayPal servicersquo in the country today amid confusion whether the service will be actual Officials of the ICT division said PayPal a global online payment system would start its service in Bangladesh today paving the way for hassle-free electronic money transfer and ensure increased access to foreign consumers as well as ease the collection of money for the IT freelancers of the country State minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak on October 9 had also told reporters that the service of PayPal established in 1998 and now one of the worldrsquos largest internet payment companies would be inaugurated on the second day of the three-day ICT EXPO 2017 that started on Wednesday Following the ministerrsquos announcement confusion surfaced among the freelancers about what service of PayPal would be launched in the country as PayPal officials denied that it was going to launch its operations in Bangladesh Besides the operation of Xoom payment service which was bought by PayPal in 2015 has been in operation in Bangladesh since 2015 Freelancers have been waiting for last few years for the launch of actual PayPal service with inbound outbound remittance and wallet services as the government has time and again claimed that PayPal would introduce its services in Bangladesh As Palak came to severe criticism over the announcement of PayPal launch he on Wednesday in a Facebook post said that the Xoom service would be launched with the facility of inbound service of PayPal lsquoInitially PayPal account-holders would be able to send fund to Bangladesh from USArsquo he said The outbound fund transfer would be launched gradually he added Palak did not mention anything about the wallet service Palakrsquos Facebook page has been flooded with comments from social media users including freelancers mostly criticising him about his latest clarification lsquoFreelancers were arguing with the governmentrsquos declaration as the inbound service of Xoom is already available in the country and itrsquos not PayPal So there is nothing new herersquo SM Mehedi Hasan managing director and co-founder of Coder71 Ltd a freelancing firm told New Age on Wednesday lsquoWe were demanding for all the services including inbound outbound and wallet services not only the inbound service as all the services are very much essential for usrsquo he said The inbound service can meet only 10 per cent of the freelancers demand he added Following queries by freelancers PayPal through its social media platforms said lsquoPayPal is not currently available in Bangladesh and we donrsquot have news to share right now regarding future plansrsquo lsquoHowever Xoom a PayPal service has been live in Bangladesh since November 2015rsquo it said lsquoThrough Xoom people in the US can send money to loved ones by depositing money to leading banks in the country including Sonali Bankrsquo Xoom said The ICT division state minister could not be reached for his comments State-run news agency BSS reported that Sajeeb Wazed Joy information and communication technology (ICT) adviser to prime minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the PayPal service at a function at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the city An official of ICT division said customers can receive the service from nine commercial banks including Sonali Bank Rupali Bank and Social Islami Bank and the service will be extended gradually

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

4

lsquoThe PayPal authorities have taken the decision after reviewing the potential and market of Bangladeshrsquo he added The official said the ICT adviser has provided all sorts of cooperation to lsquolaunchrsquo the PayPal for providing the worldrsquos most popular online money transfer service to the countryrsquos people PayPal available in more than 200 markets around the world enables its account holders to receive money in more than 100 currencies withdraw funds in 56 currencies and hold PayPal account balances in 25 currencies Source httpwwwnewagebdnetarticle26438govt-launches-paypal-today-amid-confusion

BRAC BANK BAGDOOM LAUNCH SME LOAN FOR E-MERCHANTS BRAC Bank Limited and lifestyle e-commerce platform Bagdoomcom on Wednesday introduced the countryrsquos first even SME loan product for the e-commerce entrepreneurs said a news release The product styled lsquoBRAC Bank ndash Bagdoom Merchant Financing Platform eMPOWERrsquo an SME loan programme to financially empower the merchants of Bagdoomcom and assist in their business expansion was launched at a press conference at the BRAC Bank Head Office in Dhaka Under the agreement between BRAC Bank and Bagdoom the merchants exclusively associated with Bagdoomcom can avail loan facilities with the minimum of collaterals and lowest of interest rates from BRAC Bank Managing director and CEO of BRAC Bank Selim RF Hussain executive chairman of eGeneration Group and Bagdoomcom Shameem Ahsan CEO of Bagdoomcom Mirajul Huq head of SME banking division of BRAC Bank Syed Abdul Momen were present at the event along with the high officials of both the organisations Upon launching of the programme Shameem said lsquoThe biggest obstacle for entrepreneurs in the ICT and e-commerce sectors is the lack of investment BRAC Bank and Bagdoomcom have launched this platform to solve the problem The financing platform will facilitate thousands of new e-commerce entrepreneurs and enterprises entering the market and creation of new jobsrsquo Selim said lsquoWe are very pleased we are being able to offer SME loan facility to the merchants and sellers of Bagdoomcom With this loan facility the entrepreneurs will be able to further expand their businesses We will work together with Bagdoomcom to promote the countryrsquos e-commerce sectorrsquo Source httpwwwnewagebdnetarticle26436brac-bank-bagdoom-launch-sme-loan-for-e-merchants

BERNICAT RMG SECTORSrsquo PROBLEMS LIE WITH LEAD TIME A lack of efficiency in Bangladeshrsquos ports is largely responsible for the decline in earnings from the RMG export to the US said Md Siddiqur Rahman president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Following a meeting with US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat on Wednesday he said ldquoThe great problem facing Bangladeshrsquos RMG sector lies with lead time In todayrsquos competitive markets buyers want their goods delivered within a very short time But manufacturers in Bangladesh require unreasonably longer lead time compared to other countries As a result our exports to the US have seen a declinerdquo The BGMEA leader further said to reduce the lead time it was necessary to improve the efficiency in the ports to make sure products were delivered in time ldquoAlso we need to establish more textile mills to meet our local demands to reduce the lead timerdquo he said The meeting was aimed at discussing the reasons for the drop in RMG export earnings from the US the largest single export destination for Bangladeshi garment products

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

5

According to Otexa data between January and August of this year Bangladeshrsquos RMG exports to the US reduced by 564 dropping to $35 billion from $371 billion during the corresponding period last year US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat too suggested enhancing the capacity of the countryrsquos existing ports If Bangladesh does not make the ports more efficient it will fall behind other competitors she observed ldquoWe have talked about the RMG sector It ishellip important to emphasise and recognise how important the sector has been to the development of Bangladeshi economyrdquo she said The US envoy further said as the RMG sector would remain an important part of Bangladeshrsquos economy for years to come it was a crucial period for the sector for which the US wanted to work together as a partner of Bangladesh to make sure the industry was strong and that both labour rights and safety of RMG workers were ensured Calling the Rohingya problem an enormous humanitarian crisis she commended the response of Bangladesh and its people to Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Rakhine Myanmar ldquoWe want to see the end of the violencehelliprdquo she said urging the Myanmar government to take measures in line with the recommendations made by Advisory Commission on Rakhine State to ensure that the refugees are safe and can return home Bernicat also said the US was ready to help the Bangladesh and Myanmar governments in the repatriation process Source httpwwwdhakatribunecombusiness20171018inefficiency-bangladeshi-ports-behind-drop-rmg-exports-us

HUNGRY NAKI EXPANDS TO NEW AREAS Popular online food delivery service HungryNakicom announced they have added more areas of Dhaka under their service coverage Now the residents of Kallyanpur Agargaon and Shyamoli 1234 will be able to order through HungryNaki HungryNaki was already serving most of Dhaka city Chittagong and Sylhet city are also under their coverage areas HungryNaki is first online food delivery service in Bangladesh and is a 100 Bangladeshi venture Their website says it was launched in 2013 Today Hungrynaki is partners with more than 850 restaurants It has a vast menu of more than 100000 items for people to choose from Source httpwwwdhakatribunecombusiness20171018hungry-naki-announces-its-new-coverage-areas

AIRTEL LAUNCHES MEGA WINBACK CAMPAIGN Airtel a leading telecommunications company in Bangladesh recently launched a new winback campaign for their customers on Wednesday The campaign offers an exciting combination of special call rates and data bonuses over a period of 10 months Customers can check if they are eligibile by dialling 999 to enjoy 05paisasec rate for internet calls to any Airtel and Robi numbers and 1 paisasec rate for any local calls for 30 days by just depositing Tk21 in their phones In addition to special rates Airtel customers will also receive 1GB Facebook and 1GB data internet data valid for 10 days

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

6

Source httpwwwdhakatribunecombusiness20171018airtel-launches-mega-winback-campaign

MAKE 4G GUIDELINES MORE INVESTMENT FRIENDLY The government should revisit its recently-approved 4G guidelines to make them more investment-friendly and help operators roll out the fourth-generation technology said the president of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh Erik Aas said all the major operators have expressed willingness to embrace 4G technology ldquoThe industry believes the guidelines as they are now are not investment-friendly because there are many conditions that are not pragmatic at allrdquo he told The Daily Star in an interview on Sunday He said the operators will only participate in the process if all of their concerns are addressed and the guidelines are made favourable for further investment Aas served as the chief executive officer of Grameenphone from October 2004 to October 2007 Later he joined a mobile operator in Indonesia as its top executive and worked for seven years before joining Banglalink in 2015 as its chief executive ldquoAt Banglalink we are technologically prepared and we have already started making SIMs ready for 4G One of our partners has successfully tested 4G on our networkrdquo said the CEO of the third-largest operator The guideline was issued last month The AMTOB has raised 23 concerns over the 4G guidelines and is waiting for a response from the government He said they have found many unrealistic conditions in the guidelines ldquoIf these conditions remain in place it will discourage our shareholders to invest in 4G rolloutrdquo Operators fear they would not see return in the near future on an estimated Tk 22600 crore investment that would be needed to deploy the 4G technology Aas said 4G is nothing but technological neutrality of 3G However the authorities have added a number of conditions that are not related with the 4G technology at all A conversion fee has been set to make all 2G spectrum technology-neutral which Aas said will only push up investment requirement He said spectrum price for auction is significantly higher than that in the associations proposals The government plans to earn Tk 11000 crore from spectrum sale ldquoBangladesh is one of a few countries where spectrum scarcity for mobile operators is very high High spectrum prices are always an obstacle to a robust rollout because the service-delivery cost becomes high making it difficult to offer better servicesrdquo If the government cuts spectrum price mobile operators would be able to offer 4G services at affordable prices He said mobile operators are investing heavily in technology and would continue to do so but it has to be within a regulatory regime where investment will yield right return The AMTOB said some conditions would create challenges for the operators to make positive decision on 4G Some operators are unable to source funds locally said Aas The guidelines also stipulate that operators would have to store data for 12 years ndash a provision that will also be a challenge for the operators Pierre Boutros Obeid chief technology officer of Banglalink said technologically it is possible to offer 1Gbps speed in 4G but it will require huge investment ldquoWe look forward to launching 4G services as we continue to transform our network to make it affordable for our customers and help bridge digital dividerdquo He said Banglalink is committed to offering the best in 4G to ensure digital inclusion of everyone Aas said mobile operators are already burdened with some of the highest taxes in the world and higher fees which have made it challenging for them to expand the existing network and roll out future technology

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

7

He said the current tax policy in Bangladesh is really an impediment to the growth of the telecom industry with unpredictable and uncertain financial regulations ldquoIf regulatory requirements rise because of the guidelines it will practically be impossible for us to convince our shareholders to invest further in Bangladeshrdquo Aas said right now there has not been a viable business for 4G in Bangladesh and the high costs and an unfavourable regulatory environment will further deteriorate business case Only 5 percent people in Bangladesh use 4G-enabled handsets he said When the third-generation technology was introduced in Bangladesh in 2013 the penetration of 3G-supported handsets was very low But now it stands at 35 percent while mobile operators have brought 65 percent of the entire country under their 3G network according to the GSMA which represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide Aas said the 3G service still cannot be termed as a successful business case Four years ago spectrum price was too high As a result operators were not able to mobilise enough funds to buy spectrum Total investment for 3G was Tk 32000 crore whereas the return has been only Tk 6000 crore so far When asked about the future of 2G and 3G after the launch of 4G services Aas said developed countries are switching off 2G networks because of cost efficiency ldquoBut here the industry is looking forward to technology neutrality as it will allow them to offer any service in any band which will lead to reduction of cost of doing business and improve service qualityrdquo Aas said ldquoAlthough the technology neutrality fees have been slightly revised I believe there should be no fee for technology-neutrality There are several countries where there is no such conversion feerdquo Source httpwwwthedailystarnetbusinesstelecommake-4g-guidelines-more-investment-friendly-1478512

LABOUR LAW TO BE AMENDED BY NOV The government is on course to amending the labour law within the stipulated timeframe of November although a coalition of rights groups yesterday claimed the progress was very slow At the International Labour Conference in June Bangladesh committed to amend the labour law by the end of November The amended labour law is expected to be passed by the parliament in the next session said Mujibul Haque Chunnu state minister for labour and employment ldquoSo we are well ahead of schedulerdquo he said adding that the draft copy of the proposed amendment of the labour law has been forwarded to the International Labour Organisation before the deadline of August 31 for their consultation The draft of the amendment to the labour law was prepared in consultation with the stakeholders of the tripartite council that was formed for the garment sector in April the minister said Chunnu denied the allegation that Bangladesh is lagging behind in amending the labour law as per the commitment He also denied the allegations of the international rights groups that labour and union leaders were being harassed by police ldquoI have not heard any information regarding the harassment of labour leaders I have been holding meetings with labour leaders frequently on different issues Nobody complained to merdquo the minister said The development comes as the European Union has long been urging Bangladesh to show tangible progress on labour rights to avoid losing the generalised system of preferences (GSP) benefit that allows the country duty-free export to the 28-nation bloc

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

8

Meanwhile a coalition of labour organisations yesterday called on the European Commission to launch an investigation into the Bangladesh governments failure to make necessary reforms to protect workers rights The abuses in the report show that the government is in violation of the sustainability compact it signed with the European Union in August 2013 committing to responsible business behaviour and ensuring workplace safety ldquoThe government of Bangladesh is consistently failing to meet its obligations under international law to protect workers rightsrdquo said Sharan Burrow general secretary to the International Trade Union Confederation Subsequently in light of the new evidence the trade unions and labour organisations are renewing their calls to the European Commission to make good on its promise to launch a trade investigation into Bangladesh EU is Bangladeshs largest trade partner and its action could spur significant change in the country the letter said On behalf of the European Trade Union Confederation Confederal Secretary Liina Carr stated ldquoWe call the European Commission to be consistent with its ldquoTrade for allrdquo agenda to promote the respect of labour rights around the worldrdquo Trade between EU and Bangladesh should be an opportunity to raise labour standards ldquoWe need to break up the vicious circle of workers exploitation in the garment industry in Bangladesh that ultimately affects European workers too in a race to the bottomrdquo Carr added Source httpwwwthedailystarnetbusinesslabour-law-be-amended-nov-1478506

NOMAN GROUPS PRODUCTION HIT BY GAS CRISIS IN TONGI Noman Group the first Bangladeshi garment exporter to cross the $1 billion-mark is staring at losses of more than Tk 20 crore thanks to the gas crisis in Tongi area over the last one month Production in the companys factories which are set up on 125 bighas of land at Tongi slumped more than 40 percent due to the gas crisis Mohammad Abdullah Zaber deputy managing director of Noman Group said yesterday For running the factories in full capacity gas pressure of 8 pounds per square inch is required but the pressure has lowered to about 2 PSI now he said ldquoThe other factories in Tongi are also facing the same problemrdquo Noman Group exports home textile and linen fabrics worth $480 million a year from the Tongi units alone according to Zaber Mir Mashiur Rahman managing director of the state-owned Titas Gas Transmission amp Distribution Co Ltd which supplies gas to the belt acknowledged that the current gas pressure in Tongi is low The reason being two wells of Shahjibazar gas field at Brahmanbaria were damaged ldquoThe field concerned has been working to repair the damage I am hopeful the damage can be repaired by next weekrdquo Rahman added But for a large scale exporter like Zaber the production shortfall means he will have to make the expensive air shipments to maintain the strict lead time set by the international retailers Even with air shipments there is a problem of space as many airlines have either slashed their capacity or stopped carrying cargoes from Bangladesh after Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport was announced a red zone by the European Union in June The airlines have also increased the fares for carrying cargos due to the need for re-screening in a third country airport he said ldquoAnd if we ship from the Chittagong port we have to face other challenges Two gantry cranes were damaged in June so shipment is slow-movingrdquo Zaber said The group counts retail giants like Ikea HampM Kmart Walmart and Carrefour as its major customers It hit the milestone of $1 billion export receipts in fiscal 2012-13 and has maintained the figure ever since ldquoOur target is to grow our exports 30 percent in the next three yearsrdquo

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

9

For that end the group is set to establish seven new units for Tk 1300 crore including a textile chemical unit At present Noman Group has 36 units including spinning home textile and garment where 72000 workers are employed The total number of workers will cross one lakh if the proposed expansion plans are executed properly over the next two years Zaber said The group is also planning to expand its operations in Nice Denim as the demand for denim garment items is on the rise worldwide Currently Nice Denim produces three million yards of denim fabrics a month Source httpwwwthedailystarnetbusinessnoman-groups-production-hit-gas-crisis-tongi-1478500

MORE RICE ON WAY FROM INDIA THAILAND

The government is set to import 1 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice from neighbouring India under a state-to-state arrangement as part of its aggressive push to boost stocks The development comes after the cabinet committees on economic affairs and purchase yesterday approved the proposal for import of rice for $455 per tonne -- $15 less than what the government paid to bring in the food grain from Vietnam earlier This comes after the committees last week approved the import of 1 lakh tonne of white rice from Myanmar for $442 per tonne under a similar arrangement Earlier in June the government imported 50000 tonnes of parboiled rice for $470 per tonne from Vietnam under a government-to-government arrangement Another 15 lakh tonnes of rice will soon be brought in from Thailand for $465 per tonne said food ministry officials In recent months the government has moved to import rice through competitive bidding which tends to be lower than the price obtained under government-to-government arrangements For instance last week 50000 tonnes of parboiled rice was imported through competitive bidding -- for $427 per tonne Under state-to-state arrangement rice price is usually higher But the government opts for such arrangement as the supply is ensured and the quality is also better Since June the government took up an aggressive approach to import rice after production was badly struck by flash floods and fungal attacks The flash floods in the six northeastern haor districts and fungal attacks (rice blast) in 19 districts during the boro season led to the loss of 20 lakh tonnes of the staple according to the food ministry Subsequently the government also decided to import 20 lakh tonnes of food grains -- 15 lakh tonnes of rice and 5 lakh tonnes of wheat -- this fiscal year

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

10

This is 11 lakh tonnes more than the governments earlier projected food import volume of 9 lakh tonnes Due to food crisis the import of rice at both the government and private levels have picked up From July 1 to October 4 1078 lakh tonnes of rice was imported of which the government brought in 294 lakh tonnes Last fiscal year the government did not import any rice However at the private level 1330 lakh tonnes of rice was imported a major portion of which was towards the end of the year 6 TV STATIONS UNDER CHINESE FINANCE The cabinet committee on purchase also gave the approval to a Chinese state-owned firm to build six full-fledged TV stations in six divisional cities The Chinese company Aerospace Long-March International Trade and Radio Film amp TV Design and Research Institute will jointly make the studio and architectural design of the administrative building for about $125 million which is equivalent to Tk 999 crore The total project cost is Tk 1391 crore of which the Chinese government will provide Tk 999 crore as loan The six TV stations will be set up in Khulna Rajshahi Rangpur Sylhet Barisal and Mymensingh and the total cost has been estimated to be Tk 1391 crore China will provide 72 percent of the sum as buyers credit After a detailed discussion BTV and the Chinese company have prepared the draft commercial contract said an information ministry official It will be activated after the financial agreement is signed Last year during the Chinese presidents Bangladesh visit China committed to give loans to 27 projects one of which is the one for TV stations Source httpwwwthedailystarnetbusinessmore-rice-way-india-thailand-1478491

BIMAN A POPULAR AIRLINE AMONG NEPALESE Biman Bangladesh Airlines has celebrated its 43 years of operations in Nepal The national airliner started flying on the Dhaka-Kathmandu-Dhaka route in 1974 as its fourth international destination Since then it has carried 25 lakh passengers on the route said M Ali Ahsan Bimans director for marketing and sales Since the inception the Dhaka-Kathmandu-Dhaka route has remained one of the profitable destinations of the national carrierrdquo he told a ceremony celebrating the occasion in the Nepalese capital on Tuesday At the programme Biman awarded five top travel agents based in Nepal Ahsan said Biman has gained popularity among tourists as it offers quality service at cheap fares on the route Biman now operates a brand new Boeing 737-800 ER aircraft on the route every day offering more pleasant trips to its valued passengers he added Shakil Meraj general manager of Biman for public relations said the number of passengers using the Dhaka-Kathmandu-Dhaka route is increasing Currently a good number of businesspeople and Nepalese students are travelling on Biman apart from tourists Besides many Nepalese workers use Dhaka as a transit on their way to different countries in the Middle East and South East Asia and they travel by Biman he added He also said Bimans Bangladesh Airlines Training Centre has made remarkable contribution in increasing the technical skill of the staff of Royal Nepal Airlines Razib Hasan Bimans country manager to Nepal presided over the ceremony which was attended by representatives from the Nepal Civil Aviation Royal Nepal Airlines computer reservations system Galileo the Nepal-Bangladesh Chamber and local travel agents Source httpwwwthedailystarnetbusinessbiman-popular-airline-among-nepalese-1478479

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

11

DHAKA STOCKS FLAT AS TURNOVER FALLS Turnover on the Dhaka Stock Exchange continued to fall as Tk 530 crore worth of shares were traded in the premier bourse yesterday down 142 percent from the previous day The amount was less than half of the turnover of Tk 1092 crore recorded on October 11 Merchant bankers and stockbrokers said many investors were inactive and adopted the wait-and-see approach As a result the market ended flat with the DSEXmdashthe benchmark indexmdashadvancing by 647 points to 6025 Of the traded issues 155 advanced 141 declined and 35 closed unchanged Among the major sectors non-bank financial institutions food and allied engineering fuel and power and pharmaceuticals and chemicals posted positive returns Banks and telecoms fell Aamra Networks was the most traded share with a turnover of Tk 1755 crore Wata Chemicals was the highest gainer posting 10 percent return Meanwhile Quasem Drycells Ltd announced 18 percent stock dividend for the year that ended on June 30 2017 The company also announced its business expansion plan to establish a line to manufacture food and beverage can and expand capacity of its existing battery manufacturing plant this fiscal year The company has also taken a decision to rename itself Quasem Industries Limited from Quasem Drycells Limitedrdquo Source httpwwwthedailystarnetbusinessdhaka-stocks-flat-turnover-falls-1478476

DHL GLOBAL FORWARDING ASIA PACIFIC CEO VISITS BANGLADESH Kelvin Leung CEO of DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific came to Dhaka on Tuesday on a two-day visit The visit covered country-focused business reviews as well as meetings with key stakeholders and employees and served to recognise Bangladeshs status as a rising economy and emerging market for DHL Global Forwarding Leung was accompanied by Thomas Tieber CEO for DHL Global Forwarding Asean and South Asia the logistics company said in a press release yesterday Leung is currently in charge of chartering the business growth of DHL Global Forwarding the leading international provider of air sea and road freight services for the Asia Pacific region He first joined Danzas AEI now known as DHL Global Forwarding in 2002 as managing director for Hong Kong South China and Macau Leung has a Masters degree in general engineering science from the University of Cambridge DHL Global Forwarding Bangladesh is led by Country Manager Nooruddin Chowdhury Source httpwwwthedailystarnetbusinessdhl-global-forwarding-asia-pacific-ceo-visits-bangladesh-1478452

CHITTAGONG STOCK EXCHANGES SHARIAH INDEX REVISED Chittagong Stock Exchanges (CSE) Shariah Index has been revised on the basis of the performance of the bourse listed companies The new index will be effective from October 29 CSE said in a statement yesterday adding that 31 new companies have been included in the list A total of 128 companies are now in the list of CSE Shariah Index after the revision CSE Shariah Index is reviewed once a year Source httpwwwthedailystarnetbusinesschittagong-stock-exchanges-shariah-index-revised-1478449

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

12

( ) গ

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Source httpwwwarthosuchakcomarchives380245

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গ ২৪১

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

13

- ১৬২ ৭২ গ ৩৩

ও ২৪৫ ২৭ গ ৮৬৮

ও গ ৩৪৬৮ ৮৫ ৪৭

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Source httpwwwkalerkanthocomprint-editionindustry-business20171019555271

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Source httpwwwkalerkanthocomprint-editionindustry-business20171019555275

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Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

14

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Source httpwwwsharenews24comindexphppage=detailsampnc=1ampnews_id=6115

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Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

15

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Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

16

গ গ

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৩৩৩ ট - গ

৯ - ৫০ -

ও ১১৩ গ গ ৮ ৪৫ ৩ ১৫৯ ৩৩৩ ৩৬

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

17

গ ৩ ১৫৯ গ গ ৩৩৩ ৩৬

গ ১২৫

৯ ১২৫ ৫০

ও গ ও -

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৫০০ ১৪৭ ১৯৯৭ ৎ

২০১১ ২১

Source httpwwwdailystockban - -

গ ও

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Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

18

৩০ ও

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Source - -

- ৎ ও ( ) -

-২০১৬- গ ২৩ ৪ ও ৎ

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২০১০ ১৯ ৩৫

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ৎ ৪ ৬৩ ৎ ২১ ৮

ও ৎ ও ও

গ ১৫ ৯৪৫ ২০১০ ১১ ৪৭৯ ও

১৩ ৩৫৩ ১৪ ১৫৬

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৪৭ ৭০

৫২ ৩০ ২০১০ ৫৪ ৮১

ও গ ২০১০

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- ও

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গ ও ২০১০ ২৫ ১২ ২০১৬ ৩০ ৫০

ও ৪৯ ১২ ২০১০ ৩৮ ৪৬

ৎ গ গ

২০১০ গ ৩২ ৩ ৎ ঋ

ঋ ২৯ ৭০

Source httpwwwsamakalcomtodays-print-editiontp-industry-tradearticle17103607 - - - -ও- ৎ -

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

19

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২০১৭-১৮ ( - ) ( ) ১০ ২১

ও গ ও গ ( )

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ও গ ১৬ ৭৫৫ ১০

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গ ২০১৬-১৭ ও গ ১০ ৭৮৯ ও ৮

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গ

ও গ ও

Source httpwwwsamakalcomtodays-print-editiontp-industry-tradearticle17103606 - - - -১০

ট ট ও

ৎ ৎ

গ

( ) ও

গ (ও )

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

20

ও ও ও

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ও

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Source httpwwwsamakalcomtodays-print-editiontp-industry-tradearticle17103604 - - -

গ ও গ ও ও

ও ৪৭ ৪৩ ৪৭

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গ ও গ গ ও গ

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ও গ ৎ ও

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- ও ও

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গ ৫৫৫ গ ১০১ ৩২ ১৫

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ও গ গ ৩০ ২৫ ৪৮

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- ও ১১

২১ ২০

ও ৎ ১৮ ১২ ও গ

ও ২

Source httpwwwsamakalcomtodays-print-editiontp-industry-tradearticle17103603 গ - - ও- - -ও-

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

21

ও

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গ গ ২০১৬-১৭

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২০১৬-১৭ -

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৩ ও ২ ৬৮ ৩০ ৪৭ ৪৭

১৪ ১০ ও ৮

Source httpbonikbartanetbanglanews2017-10-19135307 - - - - -

ণ ণ ঋ ২০১৩ ঋ ৮৩ ৪৩৭

২০১৬ ১ ৩৬ ১৭৬ ঋ গ

ঋ ৬৩ ঋ ও

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৯৮ ৩৩ ২০১৫ ১ ১২ ঋ ২০১৬

ঋ ১ ৩৬ ১৭৬ ১ ৩৩ ৮৫৩ ঋ

৭৯ ১৭৭

গ ও ঋ

গ ও ৎ ঋ

Daily News Flash 19th October 2017

22

গ গ ( )

ঋ

ৎ ঋ ও

গ ঋ ২৩ গ ৎ

৬৩ ৮৮ ও ১২ ২৪ ও

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ও ও ঋ

- ও গ ঋ

ঋ গ ঋ

গ গ ৎ ঋ গ

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ঋ ও

ও ঋ ঋ

ঋ

Source httpbonikbartanetbanglanews2017-10-19135365 -ঋ - - -

৫০০ ট ৫০০

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Source httpwwwsharebazarnewscomarchives88495