The Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) has realised around Tk150.21 crore as irrigation charge in the last 2014-15 fiscal, less by Tk 28.22 crore over the previous 2013-14 fiscal, BSS reports from Rajshahi. Recovery of less irrigation charge indicates that the farmers got more rainfall…

AFP, SINGAPORE: Singapore’s United Overseas Bank (UOB) said yesterday it will partner with state-linked investment firm Temasek Holdings to provide up to $500 million in venture debt financing to start-ups in China, India and Southeast Asia. The partnership will lend to “high-growth, innovative…

AFP, BEIJING: Foreign investment into China rose 8.0 per cent in the first half of this year as mergers and acquisitions by overseas companies more than quadrupled in value, the commerce ministry said yesterday. Foreign direct investment (FDI), which excludes financial sectors, totalled $68.41 billion…

AFP, SINGAPORE: Oil prices fell further in Asia yesterday, with US crude falling below $50 a barrel as demand for the dollar-priced commodity takes a hit from a strong US currency, analysts said. Expectations of more Iranian crude flooding the oversupplied global market within months following a deal…

Share price indices at the country’s two stock exchanges yesterday rocketed to cross the higher level as post-Eid market was predominantly bullish on strong demand, reports BSS. The broader price index of Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) gained a substantial 1.61 per cent or 75.17 points to cross the…

AFP, SYDNEY: Australian farmers yesterday welcomed a breakthrough which paves the way towards exporting up to one million live cattle to China each year, with the government saying the new market could open up within months. Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce announced late Monday that Australian and…

AFP, SHANGHAI: Chinese budget carrier Spring Airlines said it plans to buy 21 Airbus A320 planes for 12.45 billion yuan ($2.04 billion), citing growth in both international and domestic air travel. The Shanghai-listed company intends to fund the purchase in part through a private placement of shares…

The world’s largest technology services company said that their revenue fell by 13.5 per cent to $20.8 billion, while net profit fell by 17 per cent to $3.5billion, reports BBC. IBM has reported a fall in sales for the 13th consecutive quarter. The strong US dollar and IBM’s decision to…

AFP, TOKYO: Tokyo's benchmark stock index bounced back to a near 18-year high yesterday, lifted by a weak yen and a rally on Wall Street. The Nikkei 225 at the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose 0.93 per cent, or 191.05 points, to close at 20,841.97, just shy of the 20,868.03 reached last month, its highest…

AFP, BANGALORE, India: Indian software giant Infosys Technologies reported a five per cent rise in quarterly net profits yesterday, aided by a weak rupee and strong demand from the United States. The country’s second largest IT services exporter said profits for April to June notched 30.3 billion…

AFP, SHANGHAI: A new $100 billion international bank dedicated to the emerging BRICS countries opened in China’s commercial hub Shanghai yesterday, officials said, as an alternative to other multilateral lenders. The “New Development Bank”, backed by the so-called emerging BRICS nations…

AFP, TOKYO: The president of Toshiba and seven other executives resigned yesterday over a $1.2 billion accounting scandal blamed on their overzealous pursuit of profit that has battered one of Japan’s best-known firms. Hisao Tanaka and vice chairman Norio Sasaki—also a former president—were…

AFP, AMMAN: Natural wonders it has in abundance, but natural resources are lacking. And now one of Jordan’s main money-earners—tourism—is being killed off by regional conflicts. A haven of peace surrounded by war, Jordan is turning to contingency measures to try to revive its tourism…

AFP, WASHINGTON: The US Federal Reserve set Monday tough new capital surcharges for the country's eight largest banks in a new post-economic crisis effort to reel in "too-big-to-fail" institutions. But of the eight, only one is currently below the new capital threshold: JPMorgan Chase,…