A glance at the most important news of the day
Among a number of incidents taking place on Saturday (18 January), take a quick look at some of the most important news items The Business Standard has compiled for you…
Debapriya criticises govt for not presenting clear economic manifesto to overcome crisis
Economist Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, who led the committee responsible for drafting a white paper on the country's economic situation, has criticised the interim government for not presenting a clear economic manifesto to overcome the ongoing crisis. Speaking at an event in Dhaka today, he argued that this lack of a cohesive policy framework made it difficult to evaluate the situation.
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Govt gathering opinion of political parties, other stakeholders for July Proclamation: CA Press Wing
The interim government is gathering opinions for the July Proclamation from political parties and other stakeholders as the next step after last Thursday's (16 January) all-party dialogue in this regard. In a release today, CA Press Wing asked interested individuals to send their opinions via letter to Mahfuz Alam, adviser at the Chief Adviser's Office.
BNP demands withdrawal of VAT, duty hike, calls for focus on direct taxes
The BNP has urged the interim government to focus on increasing direct taxes instead of raising indirect taxes, demanding the withdrawal of its "imprudent" decision to impose value-added tax (VAT) and supplementary duties on over a hundred products, citing public suffering. Indirect taxes affect people across all income groups almost equally and place an additional burden on the lower-income population, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir stated at a press conference today.
Raise remittance incentive from 2.5% to 4%, experts urge govt
Experts and stakeholders have proposed raising the remittance incentive from the current 2.5% to 4% to encourage overseas workers to send money through legal channels. The proposal was presented at a seminar titled "Measures to Increase Remittance Income" held today in the capital.
1,246 Bangladeshis repatriated from Lebanon; 47 arrive today
Forty-seven more stranded Bangladeshi nationals were repatriated from war-torn Lebanon today at full government expense. So far, a total of 1,246 Bangladeshi nationals have been repatriated from Lebanon on 19 flights, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Israeli cabinet approves Gaza ceasefire accord, due to take effect Sunday
Israel's cabinet approved a deal with Palestinian fighter group Hamas for a ceasefire and release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Saturday, a day ahead of the agreement's scheduled start.
