Al Amin : Renowned American economist and Nobel laureate Robert Lucas once asserted that attracting foreign capital requires more than just cheap labor and raw materials; a country needs a conducive investment environment and reliable financial policies. This insight has proven particularly relevant for Bangladesh, as evidenced by the latest UNCTAD report. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) “World Investment Report 2024” reveals that Bangladesh’s efforts to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) have remained largely stagnant. For...
Reza Mahmud : Recruiting agencies are reportedly facing significant hurdles in obtaining services from the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET), which is hindering the growth of manpower exports. Businesspeople from various recruiting agencies allege that whenever they seek services from BMET, a section of dishonest officials creates obstacles and demands unethical benefits. Veteran Freedom Fighter Ali Haider Chowdhury, Secretary General of BAIRA and director of East West Human Resource Center, told The New Nation, “We have resolved many...
Noman Mosharef : InterContinental Dhaka owner Bangladesh Services Limited (BSL) suffered declining business performance throughout three quarters of fiscal year 2024. About a decade ago, the state-owned hospitality firm borrowed nearly Tk574 crore from Agrani Bank for renovating the InterContinental Dhaka as per the InterContinental Hotel Group (Asia Pacific) standards. Thanks to interest charges, the loan amount has now swelled up to more than Tk900 crore increasing the firm’s finance costs and eventually throwing the company into losses. This slump...
Gazi Anowar : The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) flagship index, the DSEX, is experiencing its worst session ever, hitting a 52-week low. Despite slight improvements in two trading days this week, DSEX fell to the 5244.13 during last Thursday (June 20) trading session, underscoring the severity of the situation. A year ago, in June 2023, the DSEX’s position was 6,300 points. Comparatively the benchmark index fell to 1056 points as per the latest market last Thursday. However, during the trading...
Business Report : The proposed budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 raises the supplementary duty (SD) and value-added tax (VAT) for the telecom sector, leading to increased sales costs for two of the three listed telecom companies on the capital market: Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC, Robi Axiata Ltd, and Grameenphone Ltd. The two key tax increases are a rise in supplementary duty (SD) on SIM/RUIM cards for mobile services, from the current 15 per cent to 20 per cent, and...
AFP, Moscow: North Korea’s relations with Russia have reached a new high point and President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang will further strengthen ties, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Wednesday. Putin landed in North Korea earlier, in a trip set to boost defence cooperation between the two nuclear-armed countries as Moscow pursues its offensive in Ukraine. “Relations between our countries are entering a new era of blossoming, which cannot be compared even with the period of Korean-Soviet relations of...
NN Online Report: Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said motorcycles and easy bikes are causing the highest number of road accidents across the country. Quader said this during the exchange of Eid greetings at his ministry’s conference room in the Secretariat at 11:30am. “It’s very unfortunate that lately, motorcycle accidents have become more frequent. Looking at the accident data, motorcycles account for the highest number of accidents, followed by easy bikes. Reckless driving also plays a significant...
NN Online Report: At least nine people including eight Rohingyas were killed in landslides caused by heavy torrential rain in Ukhiya refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar this morning. The deceased could not be identified yet. Confirming the number of deaths, Mohammad Samsudduza, additional refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, told that the landslides took place at camps no. 9 and 10. “Nine bodies have been recovered so far,” he said, adding that one of the deceased is from the local community....
NN Online Report: Banks in Bangladesh reopened with a new office timing today after the Eid-ul-Azha holidays. From today, banks will remain open from 10:00am to 6:00pm and the transaction hour will end at 4:00pm. However, transaction has yet to get momentum as clients and bankers are still in festive mood, said bankers. A senior official of state-run Sonali Bank’s principal branch told that businessmen and other customers, who have urgent needs, are the ones coming to the branches today....
NN Online Report: Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Wednesday warned that no one will be spared if they are involved in corruption, no matter how powerful they are. “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has declared ‘zero tolerance’ against corruption, and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has full freedom,” he said while addressing a press conference on contemporary issues at the AL President’s office in the city’s Dhanmondi, reports BSS. Quader said it is no...
NN Online Report: Ekushey Award-winning poet and novelist Asim Saha passed away on Wednesday while undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) hospital. He was 75. “Asim Saha breathed his last at around 2:15 pm today . . . He was undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit of the BSMMU with parkinson, constipation, and diabetes,” poet Mahbuba Rahman Laki, a family friend of the late poet, told BSS. He left behind his wife Anjona Saha, who is...
Reuters : Beijing warned on Friday that escalating frictions with the European Union over electric vehicle imports could trigger a trade war, as Germany’s economy minister arrived in the Chinese capital with the proposed tariffs high on his agenda. Robert Habeck’s three-day trip to China is the first by a senior European official since Brussels proposed hefty duties on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles to combat excessive subsidies. That has unleashed countermeasures by China and harsh criticism from Chinese leaders....
Reuters : JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) is seeing signs of an improving economy in China that will bolster the bank’s business in the country after a sluggish period, its CEO of asset and wealth management Mary Erdoes said. US companies are assessing their prospects in China as its economy recovers unevenly and relations worsen between the two nations. For banks, sluggish capital markets have weighed on activity in China, and investors are watching the effect of government support measures on the...
Noman Mosharef : InterContinental Dhaka owner Bangladesh Services Limited (BSL) suffered declining business performance throughout three quarters of fiscal year 2024. About a decade ago, the state-owned hospitality firm borrowed nearly Tk574 crore from Agrani Bank for renovating the InterContinental Dhaka as per the InterContinental Hotel Group (Asia Pacific) standards. Thanks to interest charges, the loan amount has now swelled up to more than Tk900 crore increasing the firm’s finance costs and eventually throwing the company into losses. This slump...
Business Report : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will emphasise on Line of Credit (LoC) agreement of $7.36 billion to Bangladesh during her upcoming visit to Delhi, where it will be a key topic at the summit meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bangladesh and India initiated their first Line of Credit (LoC) agreement 12 years ago, with India pledging $7.36 billion to Bangladesh; however, as of last December, only $1.65 billion has been disbursed. Following the formation of...
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AFP : Paris on Friday reported nearly 200 cases of cholera on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, which is struggling to contain the deadly epidemic. “As of June 18, 2024, 193 cases of cholera have been reported in Mayotte,” France’s SPF public health agency reported in its weekly update. Of those, 172 were locally acquired cases, while 21 were in people infected abroad in the neighbouring Comoros archipelago and countries on the African continent. Cholera is an infectious...
CNN : A massive explosion on Tuesday evening near Chad’s capital city of N’Djamena killed at least nine and injured 46 others, according to a statement from its foreign minister. Video authenticated and geolocated to the international airport in N’Djamena shows a massive fireball and sparks rising in the night sky. Satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies shows that 17 structures at the ammo depot were destroyed. In the satellite image, the structures destroyed in the explosion were spread out, and...
Sheikh Arif Bulbon : Tareen Jahan has been wandering in showbiz for almost four decades. Although she acted powerfully on the small screen, she was far away from the big screen. However, in recent times, Tareen has crossed that distance and is acting in movies. She was seen in Hridi Haq’s movie ‘1971 Shei Shob Din’ last year. In April of this year, the first Tollywood movie ‘Eta Amader Golpo’ starring Tareen was released in the theatres of West Bengal....
Entertainment Report : Popular small screen actress Rukaiya Jahan Chamak has secretly got engaged to the man of her choice. The actress herself confirmed the news of the engagement by publishing two pictures with her husband-to-be on Facebook last Monday. However, she did not say anything about when the engagement took place. While talking in this regard, Chamak said, “Friends, we are in love with each other! With our heavenly love and your prayers we have officially exchanged rings. Soon...
Entertainment Report : Rapper Aly Hasan, who came to prominence with his unique rapping style in popular Coke Studio Bangla song ‘Ma Lo Ma’, has been served a legal notice for alleged contempt of court over his song ‘Nana-Nati,’ which was released during Eid-ul-Azha. The notice was sent by Advocate Fahim Hasnain, Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) of Sherpur District Judge Court, on Wednesday. The song ‘Nana-Nati,’ performed by Aly Hasan and Marzuk Russell, was published on a YouTube channel on...
Sheikh Arif Bulbon : Sheikh Runa is a talented dramatist. Sometimes she acts as a hobby. Now again she is very active in politics. That’s why she is not regular in producing dramas like before, but if she gets a good story and good producer, Runa produces dramas even though it is difficult. Just like a piece of drama ‘Daring Lady’. Runa said that the production of ‘Dearing Lady,’ written by Sohel Rana, has already been completed. Some new artistes...
Agencies : Popular playback singer Alka Yagnik has recently announced on her Instagram account that she has been diagnosed with a rare hearing disorder. “To all my dear fans, friends, followers, and well-wishers: A few weeks ago, as I stepped off a flight, I abruptly found myself unable to hear. It took some time to gather the courage, but I now want to address my absence for those who’ve been wondering. My doctors have identified it as a rare sensorineural...
AFP, Atlanta : World champions Argentina opened their bid for back-to-back Copa America titles with a 2-0 win over Canada in front of a crowd of 70,564 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday. Julian Alvarez put Argentina ahead in the 49th minute but a combination of inspired goalkeeping from Canada’s Max Crepeau and Lionel Messi’s surprising lack of precision in front of goal ensured that the underdogs were in the game until Lautaro Martinez settled the contest in the 88th minute....
BSS, Dhaka : An abysmal batting effort led Bangladesh to a 28-run defeat to Australia on DLS method in their first game of the T20 World Cup (WC) ‘Super Eight’ phase on Friday at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. Bangladesh put up 140-7 after being asked to bat first but Australia made it the cake-walk, reaching 100-2 in 11.2 overs following the rain-interruption twice in the match. After a wicketless first spell, Cummins claimed his hat-trick across overs...
AFP, Germany : Livewire winger Nico Williams was irresistible in Spain’s 1-0 win over Italy at Euro 2024, the pick of a selection of exciting young stars who are raising hopes of a return to the glory days for La Roja. The 21-year-old Athletic Bilbao left-winger ran Italy right-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo ragged in Gelsenkirchen as Spain made it two wins from two at the tournament to clinch top spot in Group B and a last-16 berth. The only wonder...
Agency : Bangladesh faced a comprehensive defeat against Australia, losing by 28 runs (DLS) in their first ‘Super Eight’ match of the ongoing T20 World Cup in Antigua. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto expressed his disappointment over the team’s inability to post a competitive total. Bangladesh managed to score 140 for eight, while Australia reached 100 for two in 11.2 overs, securing the win via the DLS method in the rain-affected match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. “Wicket looked good,...
Argentina star Lionel Messi became the most-capped player in Copa America history on Thursday as he reached 35 appearances in the opening match of the tournament against Canada. The 36-year-old had shared the record with Chilean goalkeeper Sergio Livingstone (34 caps) since appearing in the final of the 2021 Copa America in Brazil, where Argentina triumphed. Messi’s appearances have been spread across seven editions of the Copa, starting with the 2007 tournament in Venezuela....
Campus Life : University of Asia Pacific (UAP) organized an orientation program...
Campus Life : Jointly organized by the NSU School of Health Science and the University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill, USA, a certificate course titled “Analytics & Machine Learning Techniques for Maternal and Health Interventions” was held at the NSU campus on 17 July, 2023. The event aimed to explore the applications of machine learning in improving maternal healthcare and brought together renowned experts and professionals in the field.The lead speaker at the event was Dr. Javed Mostafa, an...
Logan P Jones :Have you ever dreamed of working for yourself, being...
Campus Report : The UAP Law Orators Debating Club (UAPLODC) is committed to the development of a debating community among the students of the Department of Law and Human Rights at the University of Asia Pacific (UAP). In addition to fostering creativity via debating, the club’s objectives include sharing and critiquing the work of peers; develop excellent oral and written communication skills, excellent critical thinking skills, and effective tools for research, organization and presentation. Debate helps students become more interested...
Campus Desk : Over 20 students of ULAB Radio CampBuzz of the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) took part in a workshop on creating successful podcasts.Oleg Dmitriyev, an advisor at the Sputnik International News Agency and Radio, held the latest session of the SputnikPro project for future journalists in the online format, says a press release issued on Sunday.The participants thanked Sputnik for the relevant and diverse content.The students were interested in various issues, such as picking a subject,...
Campus Desk : A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Department of Geography and Environment of Dhaka University (DU) and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) was signed today January 31, 2023 at the VC’s Lounge to share knowledge through research, innovation and training. Vice-Chancellor of DU Prof. Dr. Md. Akhtaruzzaman presided over the signing ceremony. Treasurer of DU Prof. Mamtaz Uddin Ahmed and Secretary General of BDRCS Kazi Shofiqul Azam signed the MoU on behalf of their respective institution. Chairman of...
Campus Desk :A primary school-focused campaign is initiated to ensure an accessible...