04-01-2021

MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2021 8
Brexit sparks fears of disrupted
food, drug supplies
First Security Islami Bank Ltd. launched e-KYC based solution 'FSIBL Freedom' to facilitate client's
instant bank account opening from anywhere anytime. On the first working day of New Year, 03
January 2021 Syed Waseque Md. Ali, Managing Director of First Security Islami Bank Limited inaugurated
instant new account opening e-KYC based solution 'FSIBL Freedom' through video conference.
Among others, Mr. Abdul Aziz and Md. Mustafa Khair, Additional Managing Director(s), Md.
Zahurul Haque and Md. Masudur Rahman Shah, Deputy Managing Director(s), Division Heads of
Head Office, all Zonal Heads and Branch Managers along with other officials were participated in
the conference.
Photo: Courtesy
LONDON : Despite the
free trade deal signed by
London and Brussels,
suppliers of food and
medicine fear the rapidly
introduced changes will
disrupt supplies and
increase costs,
undercutting government
claims of a post-Brexit
dividend, reports BSS.
While Boris Johnson
had promised an "ovenready"
deal a year ago, the
British prime minister
eventually "delivered us
four working days", the
Food and Drink
Federation complained
ahead of Britain leaving
the EU's single market at
the close of 2020.
Minette Batters,
president of the National
Farmers' Union, said
members "do anticipate
that there will still be
disruption to trade at the
border", despite the deal
signed on Wednesday.
As many companies
rushed to order in more
stock or fulfil orders
delayed by coronavirus
lockdowns, England's
Channel ports,
particularly Dover, were
already overflowing ahead
of the deal's
announcement.
The situation worsened
when a number of
European countries
closed their borders with
Britain for two days ahead
of Christmas, seeking to
curb the spread of a new,
more contagious variant
of Covid-19.
Thousands of lorries
heading to ports got stuck
in vast traffic jams and it
took several days and the
help of the armed forces to
unravel the situation.
Ian Wright, chief
executive of the Food and
Drink Federation, said
"last week's chaos at
Dover and the last-gasp
nature of this deal means
that there will be
significant disruption to
supply and some prices
will rise".
While the compromise
deal between London and
the EU lifted the threat of
quotas and tariffs, all the
new checks and forms to
fill will take up time and
push up costs for food and
drug companies, trade
associations complain.
Around 30 percent of
the food eaten in the UK
comes from the EU.
Britain imports almost
half of its fresh vegetables
and most of its fruit.
But John Allan,
chairman of the marketleading
Tesco
supermarket giant, sought
to reassure consumers,
telling the BBC that the
new administrative costs
would "hardly be felt in
terms of the prices
consumers are paying".
But smaller food
businesses do not enjoy
the heft of Tesco. And the
changes also affect the
import and export of
medicines amid the
pandemic.
The deal does not
remove difficulties over
"the flow of vital supplies
into the UK", Mark Dayan
of the Nuffield Trust, an
independent healthcare
think-tank, said in a
statement.
He praised the deal for
agreeing "mutual
recognition of inspections
for medicine factories,
and some cooperation at
customs", but cautioned
that "the red tape required
to get vital products in and
out of the UK is still going
to be multiplied".
This will make it more
difficult and expensive to
"get supplies to the NHS
(National Health Service)
or to sell them
competitively into
Europe", he warned. It
was also not clear whether
the deal provided for
mutual recognition of
standards for ventilators
and face masks essential
to combat Covid-19, he
said.
In the case of medicines
with a short shelf life,
Britain's health
department "has asked
companies to ensure that
they can fly these
medicines in from the EU
in the event of supply
disruption", according to
the Royal Pharmaceutical
Society. It also said the
government has secured
extra warehouse space
and more ships including
priority for cargos of
medicines on ferries from
certain ports.
Nevertheless, Dayan,
writing in the British
Medical Journal, said that
given the need for a
"major logistical and legal
shift overnight" and the
fact that Britain has
suffered shortages of
generic drugs in recent
years, it would "take a lot
of bravery to promise no
shortfalls would occur".
"There will be changes,"
Johnson conceded in a
BBC interview
Wednesday, while
insisting that Brexit would
lead to a trading boom
through "free trade deals
with other countries
around the world".
Deputy Minister of Education Mahibul Hasan Chowdhury Nawfel as the chief guest was present at
the inaugural ceremony of the local e-commerce marketplace Khajana.com.bd at four star hotel The
Peninsula Chittagong recently. Md. Yaqub Alam Ovi, Chairman and CEO of Khajana.com.bd, was
present at the Trinamool through Khajana.com.bd.
Photo: Courtesy
Digital Campaign Season- 9
Free fridge in every hour on Walton
fridge, washing machine purchase
Bangladeshi multi-national
electronics brand Walton
started the 'Digital Campaign
Season-9' with some
customers' benefits to mark
the celebration of Happy New
Year 2021, says a press
release.
Under the Season 9,
customers are offered free
fridge every hour or crores of
taka worth sure cash
vouchers upon the purchase
of either refrigerator or
washing machine from
Walton Plaza, distributors'
outlets or online sales
platform E-Plaza all over the
country.
The benefits, declared
under the campaign Season-
9, have come into effective
from January 2, 2020 and to
be continued until the further
announcement.
The announcement was
made at a 'Declaration
Programme of Digital
Campaign Season-9' held at
Walton Corporate Office in
the capital on Saturday
(January 2, 2021).
Walton Group's Director
SM Ashraful Alam attended
the declaration programme
virtually while Walton Hi-
Tech Industries Limited
Managing Director Engineer
Golam Murshed announced
the launching of Digital
Campaign Season 9 across
the country.
The event was also
attended, among others, by
the company's Deputy
Managing Directors SM
Nazrul Islam Sarker, Eva
Rezwana Nilu, Amdadul
Haque Sarker and Humayun
Kabir, Executive Directors
SM Zahid Hasan, Uday
Hakim, Mohammad Rayhan,
Firoj Alam, Anisur Rahman
Mollick, Ariful Ambia, Amin
Khan, Dr Md Shakhawat
Hossen and Toufiq-Ul-
Quader.
Walton Refrigerator's Chief
Executive Officer Anisur
Rahman Mollick said that
they have been conducting
the digital campaign across
the country to create
customers database for
bringing the after sales service
operation under the online
automation. During the
campaign, some details such
as customer's name, contact
number and the product's
model number have been
stored on Walton server. As a
result, the users of Walton
products will easily get the
desired after sales service
even if they have lost the
product's warranty card.
Customer database will also
Walton's higher officials attend the 'Declaration Program' of Digital
Campaign Season 9 with the titled 'Free Fridge Every Hour' held at Walton
Corporate Office in the capital recently.
Photo: Courtesy
help the service center's
representatives getting
customers' feedback about
their respective Walton
products' service. To
encourage customers'
participation in the
campaign, the local brand has
been offering special
customers' benefits like cash
back, cash vouchers etc.
Walton is now
manufacturing and
marketing more than 150
models of frost and non-frost
refrigerator, freezers and
beverage coolers. Customers
can buy a Walton fridge
between Tk 10,990 and Tk
80,900.
According to Walton
authorities, every fridge of the
local brand is being marketed
after getting the quality
testing certificate from the
international standard
Nusdat-Universal Testing
Lab. Walton brand
refrigerators have received
several standard certifications
at national and international
level, including BSTI's 'Five
Star' energy rating, ISO,
OHSAS, EMC, CB, ROHS,
SASO, ESMA, ECHA, G-
Mark, E-Mark etc. Walton
made refrigerators are being
exported to different
countries of the world as well.
World's latest technologies
like intelligent inverter, nanohealth
care and anti-fungal
door gasket are being used in
Walton refrigerators.
Walton is giving one-year
replacement guaranty as well
as 12 years compressor's
guaranty.
In additon, customers are
getting Walton brand's 14
models of energy efficient
washing machine at the
prices from Tk 6,900 to Tk
48,000. Walton is giving up
to 12 years guaranty on the
motor of its automatic
washing machine.
Global Islami Bank starts
journey forward
From the beginning of new year, Global
Islami Bank started its journey forward
with full-fledged Shariah based Islami
Banking operations. Its former name
was NRB Global Bank. Since, the first
two days of new year was government
holiday, the Islami Banking Service
actually started from 3rd January 2021,
a press release said.
On the occasion, Quran Khatam, Milad
Mahfil and Munajat were arranged at
the Head Office of the Bank. Managing
Director Syed Habib Hasnat
inaugurated the Islamic Banking
Operations as Chief Guest. Additional
Managing Directors Md. Golam Sarwar
and Kazi Mashiur Rahman Jayhad,
Deputy Managing Directors
Mohammad Shamsul Islam and Ataus
Samad, Department Heads and other
officials of the Bank have attentded the
program.
This 4th generation bank has been able
to achieve the trust of all its customers
by rendering conventional banking
service with "Great Experience", for
which it is now switching to a shariahbased
service of "Banking with Faith".
Earlier, the bank received official
permission from Bangladesh Bank and
changed all its portfolios to Islami
Banking Mode, based on Shariah
principles.
A competent Shariah Supervisory
Committee supervises and guides the
overall activities of the bank from
shariah point of view. This committee
consists of renowned Islamic Scholars,
Learned Educationists and Faqeeh.
Following their prudent guidance and
supervision, from now on, the Bank will
run its business complying all Islami
Shariah Laws.
Serving its customers since 2013 the
bank successfully managed banking
activities throughout the country. It
offers a strong banking network having
its footsteps around the country with
highly experienced and professional
bankers. The Bank has 80 Branches, 25
Sub-branches and 78 ATM Booths.
US imposes new tariffs on French, German
products in Airbus-Boeing spat
WASHINGTON : The United
States announced Wednesday that it
will impose additional tariffs on
French and German products as part
of a long-running dispute over
subsidies for aircraft manufacturers
Airbus and Boeing, reports BSS.
The tariffs are on "aircraft
manufacturing parts from France
and Germany, certain non-sparkling
wine from France and Germany, and
certain cognac and other grape
brandies from France and Germany,"
which will be added to the list of
products taxed since 2019, according
to a statement from the US Trade
Representative.
It said the move was in retaliation
to tariffs imposed by the European
Union which it considers unfair.
The decision is the latest twist in the
16-year trade battle over aircraft
subsidies that turned increasingly
sour under the protectionist instincts
of US President Donald Trump, and
comes despite hopes for a trade truce
following Joe Biden's election.
The EU was authorized this year by
the World Trade Organization
(WTO) to levy additional customs
duties on American products.
But Washington believes it has
been penalized by the method of
calculation chosen, which, according
to the Trump administration, has led
to an excessive amount of customs
duties levied on American products.
"In implementing its tariffs… the
EU used trade data from a period in
which trade volumes had been
drastically reduced due to the horrific
effects on the global economy from
the Covid-19 virus," the USTR
statement said.
"The result of this choice was that
Europe imposed tariffs on
substantially more products than
would have been covered if it had
utilized a normal period. Although
the United States explained to the EU
the distortive effect of its selected
time period, the EU refused to change
its approach," the statement said.
As a result the US "is forced to
change its reference period to the
same period used by the European
Union," it continued.
The aviation feud predates Trump,
but Washington quickly embraced
the opportunity to impose $7.5
billion in tariffs against Europeans
after also being cleared to do so by the
WTO last year.
Washington imposed punitive
tariffs of 25 percent on iconic EU
products such as wine, cheese and
olive oil and put a 15 percent tariff on
Airbus planes in March.