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'Health, nothing else, should get priority in next budget'

FE REPORT 2021-05-24 12:53:15

Noted economists and health experts at a discussion on Sunday suggested adopting balanced policies that would help sustain both 'life and livelihood' amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead of imposing a...

Corruption, bureaucracy impede growth of bilateral trade with US

FE ONLINE REPORT 2021-05-23 18:50:48

Speakers at a discussion blamed corruption, weak infrastructure, and unfriendly bureaucracy as impediments to the growth of bilateral trade and attracting investments between USA and Bangladesh. Addr...

Enhanced access to electricity important, says former BB governor

FE REPORT 2021-05-23 10:49:45

Ensuring access to electricity has been pivotal for the macroeconomic success of Bangladesh, former governor of Bangladesh Bank (BB) and Chairperson of Unnayan Shamannay Dr. Atiur Rahman said on Sat...

Fears of revenue shortfall push down government allocations

FHM HUMAYAN KABIR 2021-05-23 10:31:32

The government had to allocate Tk 414.49 billion less fund than the demand placed by different ministries under the new annual development programme (ADP) for the upcoming fiscal year (FY) due to a po...

Hard times for money changers, thanks to Covid restriction

JASIM UDDIN HAROON 2021-05-23 08:23:57

Money changers, who mostly trade in foreign currencies with individuals on physical counters in the open market, are struggling to survive for a drastic fall in the movement of international passeng...

China says its rover takes first drive on surface of Mars

Reuters 2021-05-22 15:34:46

A remote-controlled Chinese motorised rover drove down the ramp of a landing capsule on Saturday and onto the surface of the Red Planet, making China the first nation to orbit, land and deploy a land...

Mega projects, not Covid priority areas, secure more allocations

FHM HUMAYAN KABIR 2021-05-22 08:21:55

The government allocated one-fourth of the next year's development budget to 10 mega projects notwithstanding their unimpressive implementation rate. Like the previous fiscals, the government has k...

Bangladesh surpasses India on per capita income

-- 2021-05-21 21:15:35

Bangladesh, which outpaced India in many indices of economic or human development, has surpassed its giant neighbour on per capita income. “Once described as a bottomless basket by US Secretary...

Trade deficit crosses $14b in nine months

FE ONLINE REPORT 2021-05-20 18:31:44

Bangladesh’s trade deficit has widened by more than 20 per cent in the first nine months of the current fiscal year (FY) because of rising import payment pressure on the economy, officials said....

Amazon faces five new racial, gender bias lawsuits

REUTERS 2021-05-20 18:17:21

Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) was hit on Wednesday with five new lawsuits by women who worked in corporate or warehouse management roles, and accused the online retailer of gender bias, racial bias or both....

Remittance grows by 18.4pc in 2020

SIDDIQUE ISLAM 2021-05-20 09:16:46

The inflow of remittance into Bangladesh grew by 18.4 per cent to US$21.7 billion in 2020, defying the gloomy projections and inspite of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic globally. This growth in inward...

Corporate tax cut likely next fiscal year

FE Report 2021-05-20 08:31:55

Corporate taxpayers might see a cut in their tax rates in the upcoming fiscal year (FY), 2021-22, while individual's tax rates and tax-free ceiling might remain unchanged. Officials said the corpor...

An open China a boon to global economy

-- 2021-05-19 17:41:33

Some 1,300 global brands including Swatch of Switzerland, Swarovski of Austria, Shiseido of Japan, and America's Dell and Tesla gathered at the first China International Consumer Products Expo in Ha...

British inflation rate more than doubles to 1.5pc in April

-- 2021-05-19 15:58:37

British consumer price inflation more than doubled in April at the start of what the Bank of England hopes will be a temporary surge as the economy recovers from last year's COVID slump. Consumer pri...

China bans financial institutions, payment cos from cryptocurrency business

-- 2021-05-18 21:02:13

China has banned financial institutions and payment companies from providing services related to cryptocurrency transactions, and warned investors against speculative crypto trading, reports Reuters....

Bangladesh govt to borrow Tk 55b more in May to meet budget deficit

SIDDIQUE ISLAM 2021-05-18 14:01:22

The government has amended the auction calendar to borrow Tk 55 billion more from the scheduled banks to meet the budget deficit only for this month as a falling trend of surplus funds in its accounts...

Starting a business: Unlike Bangladesh's 19.5 days, OECD nations need 9.2

FE REPORT 2021-05-18 12:59:26

Starting a business in Bangladesh needs 19.5 days, whereas the same in South Asia requires 14.5 days and just 9.2 days in the high-income OECD countries. A construction permit in Dhaka requires 281 d...

Next budget may skip facility of legalising black money

DOULOT AKTER MALA 2021-05-18 12:38:28

Despite disclosure of a record amount of 'undeclared' funds during the first three quarters of the current fiscal year (FY), the government may discontinue the softest-ever black money whitening pro...

Japan's economy shrinks 4.6pc in FY 2020

-- 2021-05-18 11:28:53

Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) in the fiscal year 2020 shrank 4.6 per cent in real terms, down for the second straight year, government statistics revealed Tuesday. The figure logged the larges...

World Economic Forum cancels 2021’s annual conference

REUTERS 2021-05-17 22:30:47

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has cancelled its annual meeting - the blue riband event for the global elite to discuss the world's problems - due to be held in Singapore later this year, the organise...

Thailand's GDP contracts 2.6pc in first quarter

-- 2021-05-17 14:50:15

Thailand's economic growth contracted 2.6 per cent from a year earlier in the first quarter of 2021 as continued coronavirus outbreaks dent consumption and the tourism sector, official data showed Mon...

3.7b people still lack internet access across globe, says UN Chief

-- 2021-05-17 11:38:14

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital transformation across the planet, millions worldwide still lack Internet access, the UN Secretary-General said on Monday, highlighting why inform...

Less than 50pc ADP executed in July-April period

FE REPORT 2021-05-17 10:40:28

The government has implemented only 49 per cent of the development projects in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year (FY), with the health ministry performing poorly again, officials said on...

Bangladesh government likely to finalise Tk 2.25tn development budget

FHM HUMAYAN KABIR 2021-05-17 10:22:18

The government is likely to approve a Tk 2.25 trillion worth of annual development programme (ADP) for the next fiscal year with a special priority to the health sector, officials said on Sunday. The...

Dhaka sees record $2.9b private investment pledge in 2020: World Bank

FE REPORT 2021-05-17 10:13:10

Bangladesh last year witnessed a record $2.9 billion investment commitment for its infrastructure development from private sector sponsors, according to a latest report published by the World Bank. "...

Next budget set to offer sweeteners to businesses

DOULOT AKTER MALA 2021-05-17 10:05:03

The government is set to offer a wide-range of tax relief for the businesses in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year (FY) to help the latter survive the Covid-19 pandemic onslaught. The government...

No charger with phone – Curbing e-waste?

Sofia Noor 2021-05-15 21:21:53

Tech giant Apple took a much talked about decision of not including chargers in their iPhone-12 boxes. Back in October 2020, the brand declared its phone box with no chargers and labelled it a step to...

Myanmar's crumbling economy runs low on cash

REUTERS 2021-05-14 18:00:41

If you need cash in Myanmar, you have to get up early. Queues start forming outside banks at 4 am, where the first 15 or 30 customers are given a plastic token that will allow them to enter the bank w...

How big is Bitcoin's carbon footprint?

Reuters 2021-05-13 17:29:39

Tesla boss Elon Musk's sudden u-turn over accepting bitcoin to buy his electric vehicles has thrust the cryptocurrency's energy usage into the headlights. Some Tesla investors, along with environmen...

Italy's regulator fines Google $123 million

Reuters 2021-05-13 14:36:09

Italy's competition watchdog said on Thursday it had fined Google 102 million euros ($123 million) for abuse of its dominant position due to its Android mobile operating system and app store Google Pl...