Author: Asian Bangla

Asianbangla, Dhaka : The central bank will take punitive actions against 10 private banks for failing to attain their farm loan disbursement target in the last fiscal year. The banks are AB Bank, First Security Islami Bank, Meghna Bank, Modhumoti Bank, NCC Bank, NRB Global Bank, Shimanto Bank, South Bangla Agriculture and Commerce Bank, Farmers Bank and Union Bank. As a punishment, the Bangladesh Bank will block 3 percent of the undisbursed farm loan amount of the banks from their current accounts with the BB. A BB official told reporter yesterday that the central bank would return the fund to…

Asianbangla Desk : Police commandos arrive to take their positions during the first session of the lower house of parliament, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Monday, Aug. 13, 2018. Photo: AP Dawn Online The first session of the 15th National Assembly ended yesterday after 328 members of the lower house of the parliament took oath following their election in the July 25 countrywide polls. Earlier, it was reported that 329 lawmakers would take oath but MNA Sahabzada Muhammad Mehboob Sultan from Jhang was unable to attend the session. Outgoing NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq administered the oath to the MNAs-elect in the 342-member…

‘ Asianabangla Desk : Egypt is yet to prosecute members of the security forces over a bloody 2013 crackdown on protesters that left hundreds dead, Human Rights Watch said yesterday, urging “justice” for the killings.Afp, Beirut Five years ago on August 14, 2013 security forces moved in to disperse a sprawling Islamist protest camp in Cairo’s Rabaa al-Adawiya square demonstrating against the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi a month earlier. The US-based rights group says that at least 817 protesters died in a matter of hours in “the largest mass killings in Egypt’s modern history”. Since then hundreds of Islamists,…

Asianbangla, Dhaka : The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has ordered the telecom operators to introduce the minimum uniform call rate of Tk 0.45 a minute from today. The uniform charge will remove the call rate disparity and help the telecom watchdog establish a level playing field for all the operators, said Md Jahurul Haque, acting chairman of the commission. “The abolishment of the different call rates will put pressure on the mobile phone operators to improve their service quality to attract customers.” This is the first time in 10 years that the BTRC has revised the tariffs for voice…

Asianbangal, Dhaka : Veteran journalist Golam Sarwar, editor of Bangla daily Samakal, passed away last night at a hospital in Singapore. He was 75. Sarwar, also president of the Editors’ Council, breathed his last at Singapore General Hospital around 9:25pm (BST). He had been suffering from heart diseases and respiratory complications. He left behind his wife Saleha Sarwar, two sons, a daughter, and a host of relatives, admirers, well-wishers and fellow journalists to mourn his death. Sarwar suffered a heart attack on July 29 and was admitted to LabAid Hospital in Dhaka. He was taken to Singapore on August 3.…

Asianbangla, Dhaka : The cabinet yesterday approved in principle the draft of a law framed to recognise top Qawmi degree Dawra-e-Hadith as equivalent to master’s in Islamic studies and Arabic. The proposed law will bring some 15 lakh Qawmi madrasa students under the mainstream education system, said Cabinet Secretary M Shafiul Alam. A cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office, gave the approval, he told reporters after the meeting. On April 11 last year, the prime minister had announced that Dawra certificates would be recognised as equivalent to master’s degrees. Two days later, the education ministry…

Asianbangla, Dhaka : Almost all quotas in civil service should be abolished and merit-based recruitment prioritised, suggests the committee formed to evaluate the quota system. The panel, however, would seek the Supreme Court’s opinion about the 30 percent quota for freedom fighters’ children and grandchildren. Cabinet Secretary M Shafiul Alam, who leads the seven-member committee formed on July 2, told this to journalists at the Secretariat after a cabinet meeting yesterday. He said time has come for open competition and this is the key finding of the committee, which has almost finalised its recommendations. There is an SC verdict regarding…

Asianbangla Desk: A study has found women who work for 45 hours or more a week may be associated with nearly 70 per cent increased risk of diabetes. On the other side, longer-working men however did not face this risk. The researchers noted that the reason may be because women might work longer hours, when all the household chores and family responsibilities are taken into account, the researchers said. According to the study, long working hours might also prompt a chronic stress response in the body, so increasing the risk of hormonal abnormalities and insulin resistance. The length of the…

Asianbangla Desk : Lactating mothers should eat some special foods with their regular menu so that they can breastfed their babies enough. Here are some of the healthiest foods you can eat for breastfeeding. Pure drinking water : Though water is not a food but drinking throughout the day is important for your milk supply. Without enough, you’ll also be dehydrated and low on energy. Not a good thing— especially when you’re already sleep-deprived. Don’t worry too much about hitting a quota, just drink for thirst. Salmon : An excellent source of protein, salmon is rich in vitamin B12…

Asianbangla, Dhaka : Shipment delays and late presentation of documents to Bangladesh’s authorities are among the most critical challenges faced by the country’s garment sector, according to a survey. Some 66 percent of the exports could not be delivered on time while late presentation of documents, which poses a money laundering risk, occurred 53 percent of the time, said the survey of the Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM). Inadequate knowledge of domestic and international regulations was also to blame, it said. The BIBM revealed the findings of the “Trade Facilitations in RMG by Banks: Risks and Mitigation Techniques” survey…