The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCCI) has had a director elected.

Friends will hug and pints will be pulled as swathes of the British economy reopened on Monday, giving 65 million people a measure of freedom after the gloom of a four-month Covid-19 lockdown.

China’s factories slowed their output growth in April and retail sales significantly missed expectations as officials warned of new problems affecting the recovery in the world’s second-largest economy.

Saudi Arabia plans to soon reopen to foreign tourists, a senior tourism official said on Monday after the kingdom announced the lifting of quarantine restrictions for certain foreign arrivals.

Japan’s biggest lender, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) said it will aim for net zero emissions in its finance portfolio by 2050, responding to pressure to align its business with the targets set in the Paris Agreement on climate change.

France, Germany and Spain said on Monday they had reached a deal over the next steps of the development of a new fighter jet, Europe’s largest defence project at an estimated cost of more than 100b euros ($121.4b).

Japan’s top lender Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc (MUFG) posted on Monday a better-than-expected 47 per cent rise in full-year net profit, after last year’s earnings were hit by an impairment charge on its units in Southeast Asia.

The government will allocate Tk 47,283 crore to 12 mega projects, including those on the fast-track list, from the development budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

Next Digital Ltd shares were suspended on Monday after authorities froze assets of its jailed owner Jimmy Lai under a new national security law in Hong Kong, while the tycoon pleaded guilty to taking part in an illegal protest in October 2019.

Microsoft conducted a probe into co-founder Bill Gates’ involvement with an employee almost 20 years ago after it was told in 2019 that he had tried to start a romantic relationship with the person, the company said on Monday.

The European Union has agreed a partial truce with the United States in a dispute over US metals tariffs imposed by former president Donald Trump as the two sides start discussions on addressing global overcapacity in steel and aluminium.

The National Board of Revenue will keep its tax offices open during the ongoing countrywide restrictions on movement.

The country’s per capita income has increased to USD 2,227 (Tk 188,873) from USD 2,064.

Turnover at the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) crossed Tk 1,500 crore today for the first time in around four months thanks to the buying pressure from the investors.

Some 1.06 crore of mobile phone users left Dhaka until May 15 after the exodus began on May 4 despite strict restriction on movement to curb the spread of Covid-19 infections, according to data of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

The central bank yesterday ordered banks to permit branches, liaison and representative offices of foreign companies promptly if they want to move their accounts to another lender.

Bangladesh Bank yesterday instructed lenders to continue their limited banking operations until May 23.

Banks cannot appoint their former managing directors as independent directors at their respective board as per the provisions of the Banking Companies Act 1991, Bangladesh Bank (BB) said last week.

Despite giving special focus on the health sector, the government could implement only 26 per cent of the sector’s Annual Development Programme in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year.

The benchmark index of Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) went past 5,800 yesterday after around four months thanks to increased participation of investors.