B’desh, Iran sign deal

DHAKA: Bangladesh and Iran signed an agreement to cooperate more on trade and investment, the two countries’ commerce ministers said. Iran has agreed to invest in Bangladesh’s tea, jute and automobile industries, and to import products from this country, said Bangladesh commerce minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury. The agreement will help Bangladesh export its laborers to Iran, he told reporters after signing the agreement, along with his Iranian counterpart Mohammed Shariatmadari.—AFP

US, China textile row

SHANGHAI: European trade commissioner Peter Mandelson is to hold talks in Shanghai on Friday to settle a dispute over rising Chinese textile exports that is threatening to spread to the shoe industry. Mandelson will meet with Chinese Commerce Minister Bo Xilai shortly after arriving in China’s commercial hub early on Friday, said Li Mingxia, an official with the European Union Delegation.—AFP