ISIS threatens Baghdad

The woes of Iraq, historically a land of civilisation in the Arab world, know no bounds. It lands from one crisis to another and this has been particularly noticeable since the toppling of the Saddam Hussein government by the United...

Economic impact of World Cup soccer

The opening ceremony of the World Cup took place  at Sao Paulo's Arena Corinthians Stadium on  June 12. American star Jennifer Lopez added glamour to the colourful ceremony. This was in contrast to the violent anti-tournament protest in the city....

Merchant bankers seek reduction of corporate tax

The merchant bankers have proposed to incorporate three proposals, including reduction of corporate tax in the national budget of the fiscal year (FY) 2014-15, BSEC officials said. The Bangladesh Merchant Bankers Association (BMBA) has placed their proposals to the ministry...

Local manufacture helps B\\\'desh break reliance on glass imports

The country's glass manufacturing industry is thriving on the back of domestic demand, helping the nation to reduce reliance on imports of glassware, top industry captains said. Local manufactures are capable of meeting more than 90 per cent of the...

UN peacekeepers need to expand further in Mali\\\'s north: Ban

U.N. peacekeepers should expand further into the volatile north of Mali, beyond cities and towns, amid fears that militants will step up their attacks against international and Malian troops and threats to civilians, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said last week....

Abe unveils plan to cut corporate tax rate to spur growth

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe unveiled a plan last week to cut the corporate tax rate below 30 per cent in stages to help pull the economy out of two decades of sluggish growth and deflation. Investors have been scrutinising...

Stocks close flat amid cautious trading

Stocks closed flat on Monday after previous session’s sharp decline as investors went for late hours selling spree amid cautious stance. The market opened with a positive note, but could not sustain as session progressed. Eventually, DSEX, the prime index...

Stocks open positive

The prices of most of the shares on Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) witnessed positive trend in early hours of trading on Monday, the second trading session of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the...

ADB for investment in infrastructure projects

Visiting Asian Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao has laid emphasis on significantly increasing the investment-GDP ratio for infrastructure projects by steadily strengthening the revenue collection as it is very important to support the country's socio-economic development. At a press conference...

TCB truck-sale leaves no visible impact yet

The state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has enhanced its sale of some selective items through trucks to keep their prices stable ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, though the drive is yet to make any visible impact on...

Indo-Bangla trade thru\\\' land ports hampered

Trade between Bangladesh and India through land ports is being seriously hampered because of poor infrastructure and long procedural delays, officials have said. Bangladeshi officials in the upcoming meeting with their Indian counterparts will raise the issues and call for...

Tk 4.4 billion social fund by cellphone cos lying idle

More than Tk 4.4 billion contributed by the telecom operators as social obligation fund (SOF) has been lying idle with the government for long mainly for lack of rules for utilisation of the money, competent sources said. They said though...

The dilemma of higher education

Easy availability of higher education has, ironically, turned out to be a big problem for our country. It has created an unemployment problem and the mismatch between the cost of education and the return has become a perennial problem. Graduates...

Drive against formalin frenzy

Pages of newspapers are splashed with pictures of vehicles or even bulldozers massacring enormous amount of summer fruits in the capital. Different TV channels also show this act of demolition on the small screen. The reason why fruits are seized...

Are they \\\'fatkabajes\\\' or something else?

Finance Minister AMA Muhith last Thursday again took a swipe at 'fatkabajes' whom he held responsible for destabilising the stock market. "They are not investors at all. They are a band of fatkabajes responsible for destabilising the market, Muhith said...

Myanmar panel deals blow to Suu Kyi\\\'s chances of becoming president

Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's hopes of becoming Myanmar's president next year have been dealt a blow when a parliamentary committee voted not to change a constitutional clause that bars her from the post, two of the panel members...

Modi kicks into gear with defence, dam projects

India's new government kicked into gear this week, clearing billions of dollars worth of long-delayed defence projects, including a big navy base, as well as approving the scaling-up of one of the country's biggest dams. The decision to give the...

DSEX dips below 4,400-mark

Stocks saw sharp decline Sunday with the key index of the prime bourse dipped below 4,400 points mark as investors remained frustrated due to imposition of higher capital gain tax in the proposed budget. DSEX, the prime index of the...

DSE, CSE down

Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw negative trend in early hours of trading on Sunday, the first trading day of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went down by 3.17 points or 0.07...

Deal with Chinese firm to be signed on June 17

 Signing of the contract with the Chinese company for construction of the much-awaited Padma Bridge at a cost of Tk 121 billion will be held on June 17 (Tuesday). The Bangladesh Bridge Authority, the executing agency of the US$2.9 billion...

Govt teams to prevent price-fixing machinations

In a move to check a surge in prices of essential commodities, the government has formed inspection teams that will monitor the price movements and prevent abnormal situation in the city markets, especially in the wake of an upcoming buying...

PM\\\'s visits to China, Japan: \\\'Look East\\\' policy beneficial to BD

Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina is just back from a five-day visit to China and the outcome of the talks she had with the Chinese leadership is seen as "productive", contributing significantly to further strengthening the cordial ties between the...

Conservation of rainwater

Experts at a meeting held in the city last week stressed the need for conservation and use of rainwater in major cities. They expressed apprehension that indiscriminate extraction of groundwater will cause land subsidence and increased salinity. WaterAid and Bangla...

BJMC takes steps to realise outstanding dues against jute goods supplied to Iraq

The state-run Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) has taken a move to realise the outstanding payment against supply of jute goods to Iraq, officials said Saturday. The BJMC supplied 37,975 bales of Binola jute sacks to the Grain Board of...

No monitor in sight to curb illegal VoIP

There is no end in sight soon to the illegal VoIP business, as putting in place a central monitoring system is facing a tender imbroglio. The government invited tenders for appointing a firm for doing the job. But the bid...

Mobile handset prices to rise 20 per cent

Mobile handset importers have contradicted with the finance minister's budget speech saying that he actually proposed imposition of "fresh" 15 per cent VAT at import stage instead of increasing it from 10 to 15 per cent. In his budget speech...

India\\\'s economy poised to rebound

Tax consultants in India are now saying that the economic growth rate will improve to 6.2 per cent in current fiscal and can go up to 8.0 per cent in the next three years on back of favourable domestic and...

It\\\'s not too late to love your father

Today is Father's Day. Children will show their respect and love to their fathers. Cards and gifts will be pouring into fathers' mailboxes. There will be festivals around the world, honouring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence...

Need for quick baggage handling at SIA

As the Shahjalal International Airport (SIA) is the gateway, many of our expatriate workers arrive there daily and they have to go through many hassles. Surely, these workers, who earn for the country precious foreign currency, do not deserve such...

Concerns about possible escalation of Ukraine crisis have risen: ECB

The European Central Bank said last week concerns have risen about a possible escalation of tensions between Ukraine and Russia which could affect the euro zone via trade, financial links and oil prices. Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region in...