The government has formed a 22-member committee to address the challenges that Bangladesh will face as a result of its transition from a least developed country (LDCs) into a developing one.

The budgetary allocation meant for the poor and vulnerable is set to go past Tk 1 lakh crore mark for the first time as the government sets aside additional funds to support the needy during the coronavirus-induced income collapse.

School banking is increasingly gaining popularity among students as the total deposits in such accounts reached around Tk 2,000 crore last year, sidestepping the pandemic-induced economic hardship.

BioNTech plans to set up a regional centre and a new factory in Singapore for its vaccines, it said on Monday, boosting its presence in Asia as a debate over patents rages and pressure grows on drugmakers to raise output of Covid-19 shots.

With Eid less than a week away, smiles have returned to the face of retailers after sales picked up as customers thronged shopping centres, defying the risk of contracting the deadly coronavirus.

Alibaba founder Jack Ma, largely out of public view amid a regulatory clampdown on the group, made a rare visit to its Hangzhou campus on Monday during the e-commerce giant’s annual “Ali Day” staff and family event, company sources said.

UK’s Provident Financial said on Monday it was exiting its 141-year-old doorstep-lending division, adding that it has begun a consultation process for 2,100 employees, as the pandemic delivered the final blow to the loss-making business.

While the DSEX, the Dhaka Stock Exchange’s benchmark index, witnessed its lowest level in nearly seven years since January 2013, Vanguard Asset Management managed an open-end mutual fund showcasing noteworthy performance even amidst the pandemic.

World stocks ticked up to new peaks on Monday on bets interest rates will remain low and the economy continue its recovery, while oil prices jumped after a cyber attack on a US pipeline operator unnerved markets.

Some Toyota Motor shareholders have criticized its President Akio Toyoda for questioning Japan’s plans to ban conventional cars only days after the firm said it was reviewing its climate lobbying and aimed for carbon neutrality by 2050.

G7 countries should invest $10t to stoke an investment-driven recovery that puts Covid-19 vaccines in arms and triggers a sweeping energy transformation to slow climate change, according to a report requested by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The White House was working closely with top US fuel pipeline operator Colonial Pipeline on Sunday to help it recover from a ransomware attack that forced the company to shut a critical fuel network supplying populous eastern states.

If Sweden’s government gets its way, Bromma airport on the western edge of Stockholm will shut down and be used to build around 30,000 new homes, helping to ease a housing shortage that has sent prices in the capital soaring.

BioNTech, the vaccine maker that has partnered with Pfizer on its Covid-19 shot, will be designating Singapore as its regional headquarters for South-east Asia, and will set up an mRNA manufacturing facility here.

PHP Float Glass Industries, a concern of PHP Family, has started manufacturing reflective glass for the first time with plans to export it on meeting local demand.

Gas heat recovery has become the name of the game for efficiency in the textile and garment industry to remain competitive in business and for a green transformation to save the environment and the next generation.

Md Jashim Uddin, a representative of the Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association, has been elected president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) for 2021-23.

Singer Bangladesh has commenced manufacturing washing machines at its Savar plant that has a capacity to produce 420,000 units per year.

The government may allocate Tk 225,324 crore to implement development projects in the next fiscal year, which is 14 per cent higher than that in the revised budget.

The government should provide cash support to the poor and the low-income groups to protect their consumption and boost domestic demand as the socio-economic impact of the pandemic will linger for them, said the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh yesterday.