Haque Specialized Group's News

Five people, including a child, were killed and 16 injured as a bus plunged into a roadside ditch at Jumarghar on Dhaka-Rangpur Highway in Gobindaganj upazila under Gaibandha early Sunday, reports UNB. Officer-in-charge of Gobindhaganj Highway Police Station Abul Bashar said a Dhaka-bound bus of 'Shakil Paribahan' skidded off the road and fell into the ditch while overtaking a truck around 3:00am, leaving four passengers dead on the spot and 17 others injured. The injured were sent to Gobindaganj Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared one of them dead, said the OC, adding the deceased are yet to be identified.....

Published at: 2017-03-19 00:00:05

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has taken a move to hold a series of meetings with private sector stakeholders before it starts drafting the new income tax law. The board has plan to place the first draft of the income tax law by September this year for public scrutiny and submit it in the form of a bill before the Parliament in the budget session for the fiscal year (FY) 2018-19. The income tax wing of the revenue board has recently sent letters to all of its income tax field-level offices, asking them to hold meetings with their respective taxpayers and stakeholders and seek their opinions on the new law. On the board's instructions, Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU) of the income tax wing has decided to sit with representatives of the country's scheduled banks, non-banking financial institutions, mobile operators, sadharan bima companies and life insurance companies. The wing will also hold meetings with retired income tax commissioners and other former senior officials of the NBR seeking their suggestions. A senior income tax official of the NBR said income tax department has taken an initiative to form a committee for drafting the direct tax law. The committee will comprise both local and foreign experts, he added. Officials said the new income tax law will be framed in line with the existing income tax ordinance 1984. Earlier, a draft 'direct tax code' was prepared by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), but the NBR found it too complex. The new law was scheduled to be passed by the Parliament in 2016-17 replacing the existing income tax ordinance 1984. But later on, the NBR rescheduled the enactment as it is going to implement the new Value Added Tax (VAT) and Supplementary Duty Act-2012 from July 01, 2017. Replacement of two major laws might affect the government's internal revenue collection adversely, officials fear. The law will be in Bangla in line with the directives of the High Court (HC). The existing income tax ordinance 1984 will be transformed into income tax act. In the draft direct tax code, there are three parts -- income tax law, gift tax law and wealth tax law. doulot_akter@yahoo.com....

Published at: 2017-03-19 00:00:05

Financial leaders of the world's biggest economies dropped a pledge to keep global trade free and open, acquiescing to an increasingly protectionist United States after a two-day meeting failed to yield a compromise. Breaking a decade-long tradition of endorsing open trade, G20 finance ministers and central bankers made only a token reference to trade in their communique on Saturday, a clear defeat for host nation Germany, which fought the new US government's attempts to water down past commitments. In the new US administration's biggest clash yet with the international community, G20 finance chiefs also removed from their statement a pledge to finance the fight against climate change, an anticipated outcome after US President Donald Trump called global warming a "hoax". In a meeting that some said was at times 19 against one, the US did not yield on key issues, essentially torpedoing earlier agreements as the G20 requires a consensus. Still, the dialogue was friendly and non-confrontational, leaving the door open to a future deal, officials who attended the meeting said. "This is my first G20, so what was in the past communiqué is not necessarily relevant from my standpoint," US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the German resort town of Baden Baden. "I understand what the president's desire is and his policies, and I negotiated them from here," Mnuchin said. "I couldn’t be happier with the outcome." Seeking to put "America first", Trump has already pulled out of a key trade agreement and proposed a new tax on imports, arguing that certain trade relationships need to be reworked to make them fairer for US workers. "We believe in free trade, we are in one of the largest markets in the world, we are one of the largest trading partners in the world, trade has been good for us, it has been good for other people," Mnuchin said. "Having said that, we want to re-examine certain agreements." International trade makes up almost half of global economic output and officials said the issue could be revisited at a meeting of G20 leaders in July. While some expressed frustration, like French Finance Minister Michel Sapin, others played down the dispute. "It is not that we were not united," German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said. "It was totally undisputed that we are against protectionism. But it is not very clear what (protectionism) means to each (minister)." He added that some ministers did not have a full mandate to negotiate since they were not fully in charge of trade issues. Others suggested that the G20 leaders' meeting in Hamburg this July could be the real opportunity to bring the US on board. "It is not the best meeting we had, but we avoided backtracking," EU Economic Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said. "I hope in Hamburg the wording will be different. We need it. It is the raison d’etre for the G20," Moscovici said. CLIMATE PLEDGE DROPPED The communique also dropped a reference, used by the G20 last year, on the readiness to finance measures against climate change as agreed in Paris in 2015, because of opposition from the United States and Saudi Arabia. Trump has suggested global warming was a "hoax" concocted by China to hurt US industry and vowed to scrap the Paris climate accord aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions. Trump's administration on Thursday proposed a 31 per cent cut to the Environmental Protection Agency's budget as the White House seeks to eliminate climate change programs and trim initiatives to protect air and water quality. Asked about climate change funding, Mick Mulvaney, Trump's budget director, said on Thursday: "We consider that to be a waste of money." The G20 did, however, show continuity in its foreign exchange policies, using past phrases on currency markets. "We reaffirm our previous exchange rate commitments, including that we will refrain from competitive devaluations and we will not target our exchange rates for competitive purposes," the G20 said. Leaders also upheld their commitments to financial sector regulation, supporting the finalisation of bank rules known as Basel III, provided they do not significantly raise overall capital requirements.   ....

Published at: 2017-03-19 00:00:04

Real Madrid extended their lead at the top of La Liga to five points with a narrow win against Athletic Bilbao at the San Mames Stadium on Saturday, reports BBC. Second-placed Barcelona, who have already played the same amount of games as Real, host Valencia on Sunday. Real, who are chasing their first league title since 2011-12, went ahead through Karim Benzema on 25 minutes. Veteran striker Aritz Aduriz equalised on 65 minutes, before Casemiro scored the winner three minutes later.  ....

Published at: 2017-03-19 00:00:04

Rock and roll legend Chuck Berry has died aged 90, police in the US state of Missouri report. The singer was found unresponsive at lunchtime on Saturday, St Charles County police said. Berry's seven-decade career boasted a string of hits, including classics Roll Over Beethoven and Johnny B. Goode. He received a lifetime achievement Grammy in 1984 and was among the first inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. In a statement on Facebook, the St Charles County Police Department said they were called to reports of an unresponsive man at 12:40 local time (17:40 GMT). "Unfortunately, the 90-year-old man could not be revived and was pronounced deceased at 1:26pm," the statement continued. "The St. Charles County Police Department sadly confirms the death of Charles Edward Anderson Berry Sr., better known as legendary musician Chuck Berry." High-profile musicians were quick to pay tribute to Berry's talent and influence. Motown legends The Jacksons tweeted: "Chuck Berry merged blues & swing into the phenomenon of early rock'n'roll. In music, he cast one of the longest shadows. Thank You Chuck." Singer-songwriter Huey Lewis described him as "maybe the most important figure in all of rock and roll". "His music and influence will last forever," he added. Beatles drummer Ringo Starr quoted one of Berry's own lyrics on Twitter, saying: "Just let me hear some of that rock 'n' roll music any old way you use it." "I am playing I'm talking about you," he wrote. Both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones covered Berry's songs, as did The Beach Boys and scores of other acts - including Elvis. "If you tried to give rock 'n' roll another name," John Lennon once said, "you might call it 'Chuck Berry'." Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones said that Berry "lit up our teenage years and blew life into our dreams". Singer Bruce Springsteen called him "a giant for the ages". The novelist Stephen King noted that Berry had a long life for a consummate rock'n'roller, tweeting: "Chuck Berry died. This breaks my heart, but 90 years old ain't bad for rock and roll. Johnny B. Goode forever." Berry was born in St Louis, Missouri, in 1926, and had his first hit, Maybellene, in 1955. Last year, he announced he would be releasing his first album in nearly four decades. He dedicated it to his wife of 68 years, Themetta "Toddy".    ....

Published at: 2017-03-19 00:00:04