Insurance sector issues lead Dhaka stocks' gain

Dhaka stocks gained slightly Tuesday led by insurance sector issues for the second day in a row, amid a persistent decline in the turnover.Trading on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) was positive for the opening hour. But later it went...

Call to allocate fund for setting up spl agro-based EPZ in Rajshahi

RAJSHAHI, June 17: Executives of NGOs, local elite and businessmen of Rajshahi have placed a seven-point charter of demands to be included in the proposed budget.They placed the demands through a recent press conference at the auditorium of Barendra Unnayan...

Argentina debt level higher than in 2001

Argentina's debt levels are now higher than they were when the country crashed into the biggest sovereign debt default in history in 2001, and a worsening crisis of confidence in the government brings the spectre of a new default closer,...

Delivering the goods to the poor

Alleviation of poverty is a big issue that the successive governments of the country have been trying to address over the years. Not in the distant past, the United Nations (UN) and the leaders of the rich nations at their...

UK minister Shahid Malik arrives in city

A UK junior minister for international development, Shahid Malik, arrives in Dhaka Wednesday on a two-day visit to discuss the political situation and development projects in Bangladesh, the local DFID office said in a statement.Malik is the fourth UK minister...

Oil slightly lower after nearing 140 dollars

SINGAPORE, June 17 (AFP): Oil prices fell slightly Tuesday after surging to all-time highs close to 140 dollars amid uncertainty that a reported pledge by Saudi Arabia to increase output would curb costs, dealers said.The main New York futures contract,...

Casson, Clark seal series win

Beau Casson fought off some harsh treatment from Dwayne Bravo to help Australia grind their way to an 87-run win in Barbados to secure a 2-0 series victory. The visitors' success was not without some tense moments after Bravo and...

Sectarian attack kills four in Pakistan

KOHAT, (Pakistan), June 17 (Reuters): Suspected pro-Taliban militants shot and killed four Shi'ite Muslims in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday in what appeared to be the second deadly sectarian attack in two days. Pakistan has a bloody history of violence between...

Govt. physicians urged to stop practice in private hospitals

Speakers at a roundtable Tuesday called for stopping practices by the public sector physicians in the private sector hospitals and clinics to provide quality treatment to patients, reports BSS."Private hospitals and clinics must have their own full-time doctors to ensure...

corporatewatch

12pc stock dividendThe board of directors of Standard Bank Limited has recommended 12 per cent stock dividend for its shareholders for the year 2007 subject to obtaining no-objection from Bangladesh Bank. The annual general meeting (AGM) of the company will...

Four Harkatul Jihad cadres jailed for 20 yrs

MAGURA, June 17 (UNB): A court here Tuesday sentenced four members of banned Islamic outfit Harkatul Jihad to 20 years rigorous imprisonment (RI) for possessing huge quantities of explosives.The court also fined Maulana Mokaddes Ali, Baki Billah, Khalilur Rahman and...

Tough on costs and the causes of costs

First, a salute to the ingenuity of the publisher. With oil and other commodity prices rising, and consumer demand falling, what businesses need is some clear guidance on managing costs.As luck would have it, here is a crisp new book...

Beckham would love to captain England again

LONDON, June 17 (AFP): David Beckham has admitted he would love to captain England on a permanent basis again.Beckham, who stepped down as captain after the 2006 World Cup, led his country for the friendly win against Trinidad and Tobago...

Guava cultivators in southern region may incur huge loss

JHALAKATI, June 17 (UNB): Guava cultivators in the southern region may incur huge loss this year due to production shortfall caused by the fury of last year's severe cyclonic storm "Sidr".Local sources said Sidr damaged some 60 per cent to...

Govt attitude over release of top political leaders still unchanged: Hossain Zillur

The caretaker government's (CG) attitude towards releasing detained political top brass through coordinating legal process and humanitarian considerations has not yet changed, Hossain Zillur Rahman said Tuesday regarding release of ex-PM Khaleda Zia, reports UNB.At a post-dialogue joint press briefing...

HK economy grows 9.6pc in first quarter

HONG KONG, June 17 (Xinhua): Hong Kong's economy continued to expand fast in the first quarter with its gross domestic product (GDP) mounting 9.6 per cent to 409.3 billion HK dollars (52.47 billion US dollars), according to latest figures released...

National women's handball deferred by 13 days

The final round of the Exim Bank 19th National Women's Handball Championship, scheduled to begin Tuesday at Mirpur Indoor Stadium, has been deferred by 13 days, reports UNB.The four-day final round of the national handball meet will now kick off...

Burrell rejects claims about sex trysts with Diana

Princess Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell, and his brother-in-law engaged in a war of words in London tabloids this weekend over new sensational allegations about the royal family, according to Internet.The former butler's brother-in-law, Ron Cosgrove, told the British newspaper,...

Pubali Bank holds workshop

All bank officials should have a clear concept about core risk management to become a successful banker in the competitive global banking arena.Pubali Bank Managing Director (MD) Helal Ahmed Chowdhury made the observation while speaking as the chief guest in...

Ridding economy of inefficient SoEs

FINANCE and Planning Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam early this week pointed out some hard facts about the state-owned enterprises (SoEs). His observation may not go well with the exponents of state control and market intervention. Speaking at a discussion meeting...

Indian Textile Expo begins tomorrow

A four day-long Indian Textile Exhibition (ITEXPO) - 2008 begins tomorrow (Thursday) at the city's Bangladesh China Friendship Conference Centre (BCFCC) displaying the latest range of textile products by leading manufacturers and exporters of the neighbouring country.Textile Adviser Anowarul Iqbal...

Frozen food exports fetch $500m in 10 months

The country fetched nearly half a billion U.S. dollar in the first ten months of outgoing fiscal from frozen foods exports despite external and domestic odds.In the first ten months of the current fiscal, Bangladesh's exports earning from frozen foods...

Proposed corporate tax rate on dividend income needs review

THE proposed national budget FY 2008-2009, as it appears, has been prepared to address major national economic problems. Adequate budgetary allocation for social safety net, women and children welfare, and disaster management is, indeed, a welcome move by the Finance...

Eurozone inflation hits record 3.7pc in May

BRUSSELS, June 17 (AFP): Inflation in the 15-nation Eurozone hit a record 3.7 per cent in May, pushed by soaring oil and food prices to the highest level since the single European currency was launched in 1999, official figures showed...

Bangladesh play hosts S'pore today

Bangladesh national hockey team will play hosts Singapore today (Wednesday) in the third Pool A of the 3rd Men's AHF Cup Hockey Championship at 5pm (BST).Dominating the Pool A with all-win record, beating Brunei Darussalam 6-1 and Chinese Taipei 3-2...

Pacific Islands hit by high world food prices

WELLINGTON, June 17 (AFP): While leaders from around the world argued about how to blunt the impact of soaring food prices in Rome earlier this month, Pacific Islanders were wondering how they would feed their families.In the Northern Mariana Islands,...

Training course on 'start your own business' ends

A five-day training course on 'start your own business' concluded at the MIDAS head office in the city recently.The course was designed on a German model called Competency-based Economics through Formation of Enterprise (CEFE) successfully implemented in more than 50...

Riyadh set to test power to move market

Carola Hoyos and Andrew England, FT Syndication ServiceRIYADH: Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has had only four energy ministers in its modern history and not many more shifts in its oil policy.The previous changes - every decade or...

Terms of trade affecting Bangladeshi workers

Favourable terms of trade gear up domestic economy and welfare of the workers engaged in export industries. It is essential to identify potential items from among our exports and explore new items to widen the list of export merchandises for...

Schedule for city corpn, municipality polls within couple of days

The Election Commission (EC) announces schedules for city corporation and municipality elections within a couple of days as the requite rules are now in the EC following finalisation by the caretaker government, reports UNB.Election Commissioner Brig (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain...