Former legendary footballer Syed Abdus Samad, also widely referred to as ‘Magician Samad’ due to his exploits was commemorated through a memorial book by the Bangladesh Sports Press Association at the Bangladesh Olympic Association auditorium on Friday. Shamsuzzaman Khan, director of Bangla Academy
Month: June 2013
National Cricket C’ship
The first round of the 33rd National Cricket Championship concluded on Friday at different venues of the country with Khulna, Pabna, Gaibandha and Mymensingh Districts registering wins over Meherpur, Natore, Kurigram and Kishorganj Districts respectively. Khulna prevailed by 155 runs over Meherpur at Satkhira,
Sharmilee evaluates contemporary artistes
Sharmilee Ahmed has achieved popularity acting the role of mothers these days. The seasoned actress, however, has experiences of acting for over five decades in diverse characters in films and teleplays. From her vast experiences as a regular artiste, Sharmilee had the chance to scrutinise the entertainment industry very closely indeed. The seasoned actor observes ... Read more
Delving deep into mysticism
Renowned singer Farida Parveen entertained a large audience by rendering Monomohon’s songs at the Music and Dance Centre of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Wednesday. Parveen was able to convey the devotion inherent in the lyrics and compositions of the songs to the listeners through her poignant presentation of mystic numbers like Amar monpakhi mishite chay,
Manipuri dance to be taught
A three-year manipuri dance training project titled Dhrumel has been initiated jointly by dance troupe Sadhona and Moulvibazar based troupe Manipuri Theatre to train up enthusiastic dancers at Kamalganj in Moulvibazar. The project was inaugurated with a short workshop that was held from 2nd to 4th June with participation of
Amitabh Bachchan to act in TV series
Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan says he’ll make his television acting debut in a new series this year, said AP. Bachchan announced the new and yet untitled show to reporters in Mumbai on Wednesday. The series, to be aired on the Sony Television channel, will focus on social issues. The show will be the first fictional ... Read more
All options about GSP under consideration
The United States administration will announce its decision on GSP benefits for Bangladeshi products by the end of this month and all options are under consideration, including possible suspension, limitation, or withdrawal of the facilities. “The Administration will announce a decision on the petition by the end of June; and all options remain under consideration,
Muhith budget tows populist line in poll year
Finance Minister AMA Muhith, on Thursday, unveiled a Tk. 222,491 crore populist budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year, in Jatiya Sangsad, by avoiding imposition of any significant tax burden and by expanding social safety net programmes. The budget, having a deficit of 4.6 per cent, eyes 7.2 per cent GDP growth for the next fiscal ... Read more
Budget in the eyes of leading economists
Prominent economist Mirza Azizul Islam has described the prevailing political uncertainty in Bangladesh as the main hurdle in achieving the goals prescribed in the budget proposals placed before Parliament on Thursday. “If the present political uncertainty is not resolved, most of the goals prescribed in the budget proposals are not likely to be achieved. We ... Read more
Govt will not take any decision on coal policy, says Muhith
Finance minister AMA Muhith in his budget speech on Thursday announced that the present government will not take any decision on the coal policy, although it has chalked out plans to produce around 7,000 MW of electricity from coal-based power plants. “We have prepared a report on the coal policy. However, we would like to ... Read more
FBCCI calls budget ‘growth-oriented’
Terming the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2013-14 as growth-oriented, investment and business-friendly, Bangladesh’s apex trade body, the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), said that the implementation of the budget would largely depend on the country’s political stability. Finance minister AMA Muhith presented the
People’s aspirations, hopes not reflected in budget: BNP
Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has said the hopes and aspirations of the people have not been reflected in the proposed budget for fiscal 2013-14. Giving an instant reaction to reporters at the media centre at Parliament soon after the placement of the national budget for fiscal 2013-14, BNP leader MK Anwar said the prices of ... Read more
Muhith skirts Padma Bridge issue
Finance minister AMA Muhith, in his budgetary speech, has not said anything about implementation of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge (PMB) project. He, however, said: “I’m confident that we’ll be able to start construction of the main bridge, as well as river training-related work pertaining to the project during
Dipu Moni shares recent domestic issues with envoys
Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni has discussed with the ambassadors and heads of missions from South Asian and ASEAN countries the issue of dialogue amongst all political parties regarding the modalities of an interim government leading up to the upcoming general elections. While briefing 20 diplomats on recent developments in the country at the ministry ... Read more
Tax system simplified for housing sector
With the aim of providing housing facilities to every citizen, the government has simplified the tax system relating to investments in the country’s housing sector. This new system, the finance minister explained, would inject more dynamism into the stagnant housing sector. Under the new system, investors will have to pay
Pay more for smoking: Bidi tax up, cigarette costlier
After four years, the government has decided to increase tax on biri. Cigarette price has also been increased in the current budget. Rate of supplementary duty (excise tax) on biri has been increased from 20% to 30%. Moreover, the ‘tariff value’ (used as the base price for taxation) has been hiked from Tk. 3.16 to ... Read more
Six Bangladeshis killed in UAE fire identified
The Foreign Ministry on Thursday revealed the identities of six Bangladeshis who died in a chemical factory fire in Sharjah of the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. All the six victims were from Shariatpur district, said a press release, issued by the ministry. The deceased have been identified as Md Alamin Mollik, Ali Akbar,
Permanent pay commission for govt employees
In the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2013-14, the grand alliance government has decided to form a permanent pay and service commission for the government employees. In the budget speech, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said, “We significantly enhanced the pay and allowances of the government employees with effect from 2009 following the recommendations
Budget portrays a rosy picture of economy
The hopes and aspirations as reflected in the budget of the upcoming year must be assessed in the light of the prevailing hard economic and political realities of Bangladesh. The global economic environment is also pertinent in this context. Like any other annual budget of the country, the proposed one also portrays a rosy picture ... Read more
Newspaper industry to face severe blow
Owners and editors on Thursday expressed concern over the budgetary proposal to withdraw the concessional facility to import newsprint, saying that it would deal a severe blow to the newspaper industry. They expressed the concern after Finance Minister