Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) - The BBN has prepared the morning business round up compiling reports, published by different newspapers and news portals in Bangladesh.

Banks see sharp decline in NPLs during Q4 of 2014

The amount of classified loans in the country's banking system recorded a sharp decline in the final quarter of the calendar year 2014 following rescheduling, write-off and recovery, officials said. The volume of non-performing loans (NPLs) fell by more than 12 per cent to Tk 501.56 billion in the fourth quarter (Q4) of the last calendar year from Tk 572.91 billion in the preceding quarter, according to the central bank statistics. During the Q4, the share of NPLs in the total outstanding loans of the banking system came down to 9.69 per cent from 11.60 per cent in the previous quarter.

Classified loans of Bangladesh’s 11 banks rise in Q4
Classified loans of the country’s 11 banks increased in the final quarter of 2014 despite of falling trend in non-performing loans in the banking system. Three private commercial banks (PCBs), six foreign commercial banks (FCBs) and two development finance institutions (DFIs) have failed to reduce their volume of classified loans, according to the Bangladesh Bank (BB) statistics. Among the 39 PCBs, the amount of classified loans of the AB Bank Limited rose to BDT 4.95 billion during the October-December period of the last calendar year from BDT 4.56 billion in the previous quarter.

Saudi jobs up for gentle workers
Dhaka and Riyadh are expected to strike a deal to resume recruitment from Bangladesh on a gradual basis, beginning with domestic helps and drivers. The deal is likely to be signed today, the last day of the visit by a powerful Saudi delegation led by Dr Ahmed Al Fahaid, deputy minister for international affairs of the Kingdom's labour ministry. “We issued around 1.3 million new visas last year for recruiting foreign workers…we need the same figure of workers. So, there are huge opportunities of employment of Bangladeshi people,” said the Saudi minister after a meeting with the Bangladesh delegation in Dhaka yesterday.

No AIT on local LCs for executing export orders

Deduction of advance income tax will not be applicable on the payment against local letter of credit which is opened to purchase goods for execution of export orders, officials of the National Board of Revenue said. They said that income tax wing of the revenue board would issue a clarification soon to remove confusion over deduction of AIT at the rate of 3 per cent on the value of local LCs opened by the 100 per cent export oriented companies to implement export orders. A high official of the NBR said that income tax field offices and banks remained in confusion on the issue as it was not clear in the article 52U of the Income Tax Ordinance-1984.

16 Bangladeshis connections found with Swiss HSBC

At least 16 Bangladeshi clients had 31 accounts in a Swiss subsidiary of the HSBC (Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation) Holdings Plc, a multinational British bank. These 31 accounts had deposits worth $13 million, presumably laundered from Bangladesh. The largest deposit linked to a Bangladeshi client amounted to $4.4 million. The leaked HSBC list of Swiss bank account-holders from 203 countries revealed this information. According to the list, Bangladesh ranks 148th among the countries in terms of fund held.   

Target to double software exports
Bangladesh expects to earn over $250 million through software exports in the current fiscal year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said yesterday. Exports of IT and IT-enabled services stood at $124.72 million last fiscal year, according to Export Promotion Bureau. Bangladesh exports software to over 50 countries, and the government has attached the highest priority to building a nation educated in IT, Hasina said. She said her government has kept a provision for special incentives for the investors in the ICT sector and developed infrastructures to attract foreign investment.

Delhi picks Kejriwal again
By 9:00am as votes were counted in the Delhi elections, the Aam Aadmi Party had pulled way ahead of the BJP and seemed headed for a massive win. There are celebrations at the party's office. AAP is leading in 36 seats now, the BJP ahead in only 10, trailing in at least 12 seats it had won the last time.  The Congress is leading in five seats, reports NDTV.

Bangladesh’s stocks see merginal gain

Bangladesh’s stocks inched slightly up on Monday for the fifth running sessions as investors continued on buying lucrative stocks amid political unrest across the country. DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), went up further by 10.96 points or 0.23 percent to close at 4,712.56 points. The two other indices also closed in green.

BBN/SSR/AD-10Feb15-10:19 am (BST)

Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)-One day after suffering severe injuries in a hand bomb attack, a van driver succumbed to his injuries in Bangladesh Tuesday morning.

With the victim, the BNP-led 20-party alliance-sponsored non-stop blockade and frequent strike took the lives of at least 50 people in the mindless arson attacks across the country in last 29 days.
The middle-aged van driver died around 4:00am at the burn unit of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), hospital sources said.
The man had gotten severe injuries Monday evening on Dhaka-Laxmipur highway when blockade supporters hurled hand bombs at his rice-loaded pick-up van in Laxmipur, a south-eastern district of Bangladesh.
At first, the victim was admitted to Laxmipur Sadar Hospital.
Later, he was shifted to DMCH as his condition deteriorated.
The BNP-led 20-party alliances have been enforcing the blockade coupled with frequent strikes in Bangladesh since January 5 demanding a fresh election.
They also protest the confinement of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her party Gulshan office and arrest of party leaders and activists.
Khaleda called the blockade after she was barred from coming out of her Gulshan office.
BNP said its party chief was “confined” but the government denied the allegation though it had put additional law enforcers and sand-laden trucks in front of Khaleda’s office.
The government however removed the security barriers after 16 days on January 19.
Several hundred people including law enforcers were also injured during the blockade and strike.  
Hundreds of vehicles were also torched and vandalised in the political agitation.
BBN/AS/AD-3Feb15-11:30am (BST)

The shutdown will begin from 6:00am Thursday.
Earlier Wednesday afternoon, the alliance declared a dawn-to-dusk shutdown in nine districts – Dhaka Gazipur, Narayanganj, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Tangail, Narsingdi, Kishoreganj and Mymensingh – for Thursday.
They had kept the Dhaka city out of the purview of the strike.
Later, they revised the decision and also called a 24 hour strike in Dhaka city.
, said BNP spokesperson.
The shutdown was called protesting filing of an arson case against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and three-day remand of the party acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in another arson case.
On Sunday, Khaleda and 31 leaders of the alliances were made accused in an arson case while a Dhaka court, for the first time, placed Mr Alamgir on the remand in another arson case.
BBN/ASI/AD-28Jan15-8:00pm (BST)

The body was kept there for nearly two hours for the party leaders to pay their respects.
Koko’s body was flown in from Malaysia at 11:40pm and was taken straight to the Gulshan office of his mother for the last tributes of his mothers, friends, well-wishers and others.
Koko’s elder brother, BNP’s Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, who has been staying in London since his parole in 2008 took part in a Gayebana Janaza in East London.
BBN/ASI/AD-27Jan15-7:00pm (BST)

Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)-The body of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s younger son Arafat Rahman Koko is likely to be brought back to Bangladesh on Tuesday, an official of Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur said.
The high commission has completed all the necessary formalities to send back the body of Koko, the official said Sunday.
Arafat Rahman Koko, who had been living in Malaysia on parole, died of cardiac arrest at Kuala Lumpur around 1:30pm Saturday.
It the matter of Koko’s family members when they will take back the body home,” the officials said mentioning that the body is likely to be sent on Tuesday.
“From our part, all the formalities have been done. We’ve handed over the permission letter Sunday morning,” the official told UNB over phone preferring anonymity.
The Bangladesh Mission in Kuala Lumpur also endorsed all the necessary documents, including passport, death certificate and other relevant papers.
Party insiders said there is a flight booked for Tuesday and a Malaysian Airlines flight, carrying Koko’s body will depart Kuala Lumpur around 9:40am Tuesday and land in Dhaka at 11:30am.
Khaleda Zia’s younger brother Shameem Iskandar is communicating with the Bangladesh Mission in Kuala Lumpur.
BBN/ANS-25Jan15-5:00pm (BST)

Shairul Kabir Khan, media wing member of Khaleda's Gulshan office, confirmed this.
Koko was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Malaysia, he added.
Detail of the incident however was not known immediately.
Tarique Rahman and Koko, both the sons of Khaleda, also a former prime minister of Bangladesh, faced different corruption charges in the country after the 1/11 political changeover in 2007.
After their release on parole in the next year, Koko flew to Thailand.
Later, he moved to Malaysia and had been staying there.
BBN/ASI/AD-24Jan15-4:30pm (BST)