United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has projected that Bangladesh would achieve 6.8 per cent GDP growth in the current fiscal year of 2016-17 against the government's target of 7.2 per cent, reports UNB. The ESCAP also forecast that the country's GDP…

The overall remediation progress rate of safety issues identified in initial inspections reported or verified as fixed has reached 77 per cent, says Accord in its May issue. Remediation is close to completion at more than 400 Accord factories which have completed more than 90 per cent of the remediation.…

Two anti-tobacco organsiations PROGGA and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) yesterday proposed to raise tobacco taxes with a view to getting higher revenue and saving the lives of many people in the country, reports UNB. They also urged the government to reduce tax slabs of cigarettes to prevent tax…

AFP, HONG KONG:  Asian and European markets mostly rose yesterday following a Wall Street rally as dealers cheered a strong US jobs report, but the…

AFP, THE HAGUE:  The world’s leading paintmaker AkzoNobel on Monday snubbed a new takeover bid from US-based rival PPG, saying it still glossed over the Dutch company’s true value. “The PPG proposal undervalues AkzoNobel, contains significant risks and uncertainties, makes no…

AFP, MOSCOW: Valeriya Yevseyeva and her husband Alexei bought a flat last year in a five-storey brick building near a Moscow park where they love to cycle.…

Facebook has broadened its campaign to raise awareness about fake news, by publishing adverts in the UK press, reports BBC. The ads, in papers including The Times, The Guardian and Daily Telegraph, carry a list of 10 things to look out for when deciding if a story is genuine. They include checking…

European Union (EU) Ambassador to Bangladesh Pierre Mayaudon yesterday said the next review meeting on Sustainability Compact will focus on what needs to be done in the days to come as ‘fantastic work’ has been done since its adoption, reports UNB. “This is a very important meeting.…

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is on schedule for implementation from July 1 and will not lead to any significant increase in prices of goods although cost of some services may see a marginal hike, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said yesterday, reports PTI. Hailed as the biggest tax reform since India’s…

Major General (retd) Muhammad Imrul Quayes, ndc, psc has been appointed as secretary of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB), a…

Bank Asia recently selected Oracle to help modernise its core banking operations and gain more rapid operational insight, faster online banking and better support for future growth, a press statement said yesterday.  The move is part of the bank’s commitment to using cutting-edge technology…

AFP, BEIJING: Chinese exports rose for the second consecutive month in April, official data showed yesterday, boosted by improving global demand, but at a slower pace than in the previous month. Exports were up 8.0 per cent year-on-year to $180 billion, while imports were up 11.9 per cent at $142 billion.…

US electric car maker Tesla announced it plans to expand the scale of its global charging networks this year to save charging time for drivers, reports Xinhua. Tesla said it will significantly expand its public charging networks to provide convenient charging services for drivers during long distance…