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Samsung Electronics Co Ltd set out to wipe the slate clean in New York on Wednesday with a new Galaxy Note 8 phablet, hoping features such as dual rear cameras and its biggest-ever screen will extinguish memories of its fire-prone predecessor. The world's largest smartphone maker by market share has put safety at the centre of a phone-cum-tablet that is likely to compete for pre-holiday season sales with a widely expected 10th anniversary iPhone from US rival Apple Inc. The unveiling comes five months after the release of the Galaxy S8 smartphone. Analysts said brisk sales of that device indicate recovery in Samsung's standing, after battery fires prompted the October withdrawal of the Galaxy Note 7 just two months into sales at an opportunity cost of $5.48 billion. The fires briefly lost Samsung its number one rank, showed data from researcher Counterpoint. It has since regained ground, with Strategy Analytics putting its April-June share at 22 percent - more than Apple and China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd combined. Cumulative sales of the S8 and S8+, released in the period, were 15 percent over those of the S7, Samsung said in July. Samsung's Note series usually sport bigger screens than the S series and come equipped with a removable stylus. The trademark curved screen of the latest incarnation measures 6.3 inches corner to corner, a mere 0.1 inch bigger than the S8+. The South Korean firm has been a principle driver of growth in handsets with 6 inch-plus screens, a category which Strategy Analytics expects to grow 10 times faster than the overall market next year. Samsung has also installed dual rear cameras on a handset for the first time, adding the Note 8 to a trend which promises improved photographic control and picture quality. Other features include security technology, such as facial recognition and fingerprint and iris scanning, and artificial intelligence in the form of Samsung's Bixby voice-command assistant. The Note 8 will be sold from mid-September, Samsung said, without elaborating on place or price. – Reuters  ....

Published at: 2017-08-24 05:00:04

Stocks posted a marginal loss Wednesday, snapping a two-day winning streak, as investors booked some profits ahead of Eid Festival. Brokers said the some investors opted booking some profits on stocks that saw significant gains in the past two sessions as Eid festival nears. There are only six trading sessions are left before Eid-ul-Azha vacation as trading on the bourses is secluded to be closed from August 31. Meanwhile, BBS Cables emerged as the day's worst loser, slumping by 9.94 per cent after recent unusual price hike, as securities' regulator formed an enquiry committee to investigate into unusual price increase of the company's shares. The market started with an upward note and the key index of the major bourse rose more than 18 points in the mid-session, but a section of investors put sale pressure to take modest profit in the final hour, closing the market to the negative territory. Finally, DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), finished at 5,856, shedding 6.46 points or 0.11 per cent, after adding nearly 43 points in the past two consecutive sessions. International Leasing Securities, a stockbroker, said, "Stocks witnessed correction amidst the mixed trading behaviour of the investors". The stockbroker noted that the market started with positive tune as the opportunist investors continued their buying spree to take positions on lucrative price levels while the final hour profit booking sell pressure wiped out the early gain. "Investors' selling spree was observed in different stocks, especially from engineering, cement, telecom and bank sectors where travel, food and pharma sectors observed buoyancy," the stockbroker added. The two other indices also finished lower. The DS30 index, comprising the blue-chips, fell 1.03 points or 0.05 per cent to settle at 2102. The DSE Shariah Index (DSES) lost 3.14 points or 0.24 per cent to close at 1304.    Trading activities also fell to Tk 8.76 billion, which was more than 10 per cent lower over the previous day's Tk 9.78 billion. Block transaction contributed Tk 95 million to the day's total turnover where stocks like Quasem Drycells, ACI, Green Delta Insurance, IFIC Bank and National Polymer dominated the block trade board. Engineering sector emerged as turnover leader, grabbing 25 per cent of the day's total turnover, followed by banks 14 per cent and financial institutions 13 per cent. LankaBangla Securities, a stockbroker, said, "Index started the day with positive movement and remained positive most of the session. However, during the final 30 minutes of the session, index started to go downward and closed red at 5,856". A total number of 0.137 million trades were executed in the day's trading session with trading volume of 239.39 million securities. The total market capitalisation of the DSE stood at Tk 3,959 billion, which was Tk 3,967 billion in the previous session. Most of the large-cap sector showed negative performances. Engineering posted the highest loss of 1.19 per cent, followed telecommunication 0.95 per cent, banks 0.32 per cent, power 0.08 per cent and financial institutions 0.05 per cent. Food & allied and pharmaceuticals gained 1.31 per cent and 0.18 per cent respectively. The losers took a modest lead over the gainers as out of 331 issues traded on the DSE, prices of 164 securities declined, 117 advanced and 50 remained unchanged. Bangladesh Building Systems dominated the day's turnover chart with shares of Tk 862 million changing hands, followed by LankaBangla Finance, BBS Cables, Fortune Shoes and ACI Limited. Anlimayarn Dyeing was the day's top gainer, posting 4.67 per cent rise while BBS Cables was the worst loser, with 9.94 per cent fall. The port city bourse, the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE), also finished lower with its Selective Categories Index - CSCX - losing 22 points to settle at 10,985. Losers beat gainers as 134 issues closed lower, 90 closed higher and 30 remained unchanged on the CSE. The port city bourse traded 20.51 million shares and mutual fund units worth Tk 681 million in turnover. babulfexpress@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-08-24 05:00:04

Miscreants have forced poison down the throat of a young woman, whose father is a prosecutor in the seven-murder case, in Narayanganj, reports bdnews24.com. A student of A-level, 'Pappi' was attacked around 6:00 pm Wednesday, a day after the High Court confirmed death penalties for 15 convicts in the high-profile case.       She was stopped by an unidentified man while she was coming out of her coaching classes opposite the Narayanganj Club, her father Wajed Ali Khokon told the news agency. "He asked her to go to a restaurant with him. She refused and that is when two others joined him to force poison down her throat." The men then left in a microbus and Pappi called her father from a rickshaw to inform him of the attack.       Khokon is a public prosecutor at the Narayanganj District Judge's Court, which in January passed judgment in the case over the 2014 murder of seven people in the city.  ....

Published at: 2017-08-24 05:00:04

The country's oil import volume as well as payment in this regard is set to surge by one-third from the existing level, said officials. It will happen, as the government has approved awarding of some new diesel and furnace oil-fired power plants with the total capacity of 2,555 megawatts (MW) over the next two years, they added. A senior official of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) said the oil import is expected to increase from March 2018, as some 1,768-MW diesel and furnace oil-fired power plants are expected to come online by then. He assumed that some 650,000 tonnes of diesel and 750,000 tonnes of furnace oil will be required to import for operating the new power plants, of which 800-MW would be of diesel-fired and 968-MW would be of furnace oil-fired. On August 09, the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase (CCPP) approved awarding these power plant projects to their respective sponsors, selected through unsolicited offers under Speedy Supply of Power and Energy (Special Provision) Act 2010. The law has a provision of providing immunity to people involved with the quick-fix remedies for power generation. The government has decided to build these power plants 'abruptly' to ramp up the country's overall electricity generation before the next summer ahead of the general election, said a senior official of Power Division under Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources. The election is slated to be held between October 2018 and January 2019. Separately, on April 05, CCPP also approved awarding seven new furnace oil-fired power plants to generate around 787 MW of electricity. The power plants were awarded through competitive tendering process, which will come online by October 2019, the official further said. Some 600,000 tonnes of furnace oil will be required to import annually for operating the power plants. Most of the sponsors of the new power plants might be entitled to import furnace oil directly to run their power plants, the official added. BPC imported petroleum products worth over Tk 270.23 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2014-15, which was Tk 365.87 billion in FY 2013-14. The country currently imports around 3.50 million tonnes of diesel and 1.50 million tonnes of furnace oil per year to meet the domestic demands of various sectors, including power plants, irrigation, transportation and industries. The country also imports around 5.90 million tonnes of crude oil and refined oil combined annually. The government has already waived oil import duties for private companies and also offered 9.0 per cent service charge on the import. The country began expanding its oil-based power generation capacity in 2010, amid a natural gas deficit caused by depleting upstream reserves and rapid industrialisation. It brought almost 40 new oil-fired power plants online by the end of 2016, and subsequently, Bangladesh became a furnace oil importer in mid-2010. Prior to that, it was a regular fuel oil exporter, with cargoes coming from the state-owned BPC's subsidiary Eastern Refinery Ltd. Since 2012, Power Division has awarded many contracts to build gas-fired and coal-fired plants, but these projects have faced delay, forcing the government to extend the contracts of the oil-fired plants. Currently, Bangladesh has over 50 operational oil-fired power plants, being run with diesel and furnace oil.     Azizjst@yahoo.com....

Published at: 2017-08-24 05:00:04

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will invest a big sum of money to give a new lease of life to Bangladesh Railway through adding more locomotives, wagons and other equipment. Officials said Tuesday the Manila-based lender is expected to provide Tk 27.40 billion for upgrading the struggling rail operator to meet a surging demand for the popular mode of mass transport. Under a Tk 36.46 billion umbrella project titled 'Upgrading Bangladesh Railway's rolling stock operation', the ADB will provide the funds to the state-owned rail-service provider. The BR reels from a shortage of locomotives (engines), vans and wagons, which makes it lag far behind the requirement for smart operation and passenger services across the country. The government over the last six to seven years has invested huge funds in improving its railway services, which is still a far cry, the sources said. A senior BR official said the ADB has come forward with its larger support which is expected to improve the train services in Bangladesh within a couple of years. "This project is a part of the ADB support. The development partner is also helping us to set up double-track line between Dhaka and Chittagong and a fresh line on Dohazari-Cox's Bazar-Ghundum route, procure carriages and locomotives, and improve the railway infrastructures," he added. "We have recently sent the Tk 36.46-billion-cost project proposal to the Planning Commission (PC) for getting approval," the BR official said. He said they would procure 40 broad-gauge (BG) diesel-electric locomotives, 75 metre-gauge (MG) and 50 BG luggage vans, 400 MG and 300 BG bogie covered wagons, and 180 MG and 120 BG bogie open wagons for improving the shabby fleet of the BR. Besides, the diesel-electric-locomotive workshop, DEMU workshop and central locomotive workshop will be upgraded under the ADB-supported project. The railway official said the project is scheduled to be completed by June 2021. When asked, Assistant Chief of the PC Mizanur Rahman Mian said they were scrutinising the BR's project before giving the seal of approval. The Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) will sit in the second week of September for examining the pros and cons of the scheme, he added. If the PEC recommended approval for the project, they would place it before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for giving the go finally. kabirhumayan10@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-08-24 05:00:04