Swiss bank makes no secret of secrecy

NEW YORK, July 1: Tax evasion is a global phenomenon. So is stashing ill-gotten wealth in off-shore banking. The government leaders in Bangladesh often say that they are seeking repatriation of stolen money kept in foreign banks, They frequently say...

Essar still eager to set up steel plant in any location

Indian conglomerate Essar alongwith its Bangladeshi partners have renewed their willingness to invest $500 million for setting up a steel plant in any location in the country where power supply can be ensured, said an official Tuesday.The Indian steel producer...

How oil burst the American bubble

THE economic bubble that lifted the stock market to dizzying heights was sustained as much by cheap oil as by cheap (often fraudulent) mortgages. Likewise, the collapse of the bubble was caused as much by costly (often imported) oil as...

Chaos in the transport sector of capital city

WITH the increase in the size of the population and the number of surface transport, the traffic movement becomes difficult in a mega-city. That's why the city planners and transportation engineers of other cities have been engaged in solving this...

In support of constituency demarcation

THE Election Commission (EC) has recently redemarcated parliamentary constituencies. Preparation of the voters roll and delimitation of constituencies are vital responsibilities of the EC, which it has been doing or is in the process of doing. The voters' roll is...

Conditions on yarn import through Benapole relaxed

The government has relaxed conditions on import of yarn through Benapole land port for 100 per cent export-oriented knitwear industry enjoying bonded warehouse facility.The measure came into effect from Tuesday (July 1).Yarn import through the land port remains almost standstill...

Rising global food prices are causing grave concerns

THE Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has signaled that several more quarters of weak economic growth lie ahead for most of its 30 members, and weak economic growth in the United States is effectively dragging down its overall...

Budget: Goals and realities

The national budget for fiscal 2008-09, which is one of the few of its kind born outside the parliament since country's independence and the second one in succession for this interim government, came into effect last Tuesday.Starting from presentation down...

The tenacity of American militarism

RECENT polls suggest that Americans trust the military roughly three times as much as the president and five times as much as their elected representatives in Congress. The tenacity of this trust is both striking and disturbing. It's striking because...

Food export ban producing opposing results

NEW YORK, June 30: Growing fear about the world facing an acute shortage of food at an affordable price has led to hoarding by farmers, traders and consumers all over the planet. Whether the fear is perceived or real is...

Regional meets and task of the leadership

A ministerial level meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) among seven Bay of Bengal rim countries is scheduled to be held on July 9 in Dhaka. The issues that will occupy the...

news digest

legitimate: Ban Ki- moonTOKYO, Jun 30 (AFP): UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Monday criticised Zimbabwe's election in which President Robert Mugabe won another term as "deeply flawed," saying the result was not legitimate. "The secretary-general has said repeatedly that...

Pakistan on alert after Taliban warning

and Jon Boone in KabulFT Syndication ServicePakistan stepped up security around airports, government buildings and diplomatic missions last Sunday after Islamic militants warned of reprisals for a military campaign by up to 20,000 troops targeting Taliban strongholds around Peshawar, the...

USA: All the world's her stage

IN Kenya, reluctant women find strength to tell their stories of female genital cutting. Israeli and Palestinian women share tales of terror and trauma -- and acts of resistance. Indian sex workers talk among themselves of their experiences in Kolkata...

Stock price downturn persists

Erosion in share prices in the country's main bourse -- the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) -- continued for the eighth consecutive trading day on Monday.However, the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Faruq Ahmad Siddiqi Monday found no...

Education must be in tune with the time

EDUCATION is no more looked at in isolation from a country's economic or developmental goals nowadays. Rather, it is recognized as the single most important factor in promoting economic growth and development through the creation of human resources. Thus, Southeast...

Cellphone cos opting for direct listing to get 10pc tax rebate

Mobile phone companies by going public through direct listing will be entitled to enjoy a 10 per cent rebate on their payable income tax, according to a provision incorporated in the national budget for the fiscal 2008-09.To enjoy the tax...

500-bed hospital to be set up in city at $38m

A local company in collaboration with the UK based Dominion Financials Limited will establish a 500-bed hospital at a cost of $38 million in the capital to provide advanced tertiary care of international standards at reasonable costs.The investment with the...

Egyptian currency bonds suffer from high inflation

MOODY'S, the ratings agency, has lowered its outlook for Egypt's foreign currency bonds from stable to negative, citing inflation that has reached its highest level in 20 years.Analysts said that the announcement could affect plans for a eurobond to raise...

Indifferent regulator

Opening of a beneficiary account (BO) is a must for an investor willing to apply for primary shares or to take part in trading in the secondary market. Such a requirement has been made mandatory by the capital market regulator,...

Study loan schemes of PCBs now attractive among students

Study loan schemes are increasingly becoming an attractive product for private commercial banks (PCBs), which are expanding their business portfolios to meet the demand of the growing number of students in private and public educational institutions.But some students found the...

Bush's China policy likely to outlive presidency

THE Bushes are heading for Beijing. By the busload. Visiting the Chinese capital last week, I was told that President Hu Jintao hopes to greet three generations of America's first family at the opening ceremony for the Olympics. That must...

The machine that spun the world around

PUBLISHERS see world-changers everywhere. There is a book called Tea: The Drink That Changed the World. There is Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World and that paean to Japanese motor manufacturing The Machine That Changed the...

King Abdullah seeks stability by reaching out on religion

A photograph of King Abdullah, Saudi Arabia's ruler, walking through a palace in Mecca flanked by two other notables was no doubt exactly the type of image the kingdom's leaders hoped to portray. Clearly, too, it was one intended for...

Need is more realistic, more enjoyable curriculum

THE world is changing everyday and so our institutes need to change their own curriculum. How much our educational institutes are changing curriculum? Probably the percentage is very low. Current curriculum for Bangladeshi educational institutes needs to be made more...

Bangladesh can become the next BPO destination

Many offshore vendors face communication or language challenges, especially over a forum that does not allow companies to see facial expressions -- and e-mail can be worse.Due to time zone clash: Many of the firms in Asia have as much...

Manpower shortage forces BPO to refuse Tk 21.6m Titas offer for bill distribution

Bangladesh Post Office (BPO), hamstrung by manpower shortage, has refused a Tk 21.6 million annual offer for distribution of bills of the Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL)."We cannot receive this lucrative offer from TGTDCL due to shortage...

Visualising the steps to reach goals helps students concentrate on studies

CONCENTRATION is what students require the most in order to succeed in studies. Why do students lack in concentration? There can be many reasons for this. One of the main reasons is not remembering the aim in life all the...

Draft of consumer protection ordn to be finalised this week

The draft of the Consumer Protection Ordinance-2008 prepared to consolidate the rights of the customers will be sent again for approval of the advisory council next week.A top official of the Ministry of Commerce Saturday said this as the government's...

Fellowship news

The Social Science Research Council (SSRC), the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP), and the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) announce the annual Abe Fellowship Program competition. Funding for the Abe Fellowship Programme is provided by CGP. Application...