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6 months of the Coronavirus: Separating fact from fiction
It’s been just over six months since COVID-19, caused by coronavirus, cases were first reported in China’s Hubei Province. The highly contagious virus was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in mid-March.
Positive policies helping Bangladesh move towards inclusion in education: UNESCO
Bangladesh has taken many positive initiatives towards inclusion in education but needs to do more in removing remaining barriers, says a new global report.
Safe drinking water crisis grips Amphan-hit Sharankhola
People in Amphan-hit Sharankhola upazila have been facing acute drinking water crisis as saline water gushed into villages during the cyclone destroying their sources of safe water including ponds and tube-wells.
Coronavirus: confusion over red zone lockdown mounts up
The overall situation regarding implementation of lockdowns in two city corporations of the capital has reached a chaotic state as DSCC and DNCC authorities are unable to lock down all red zones announced by the health authorities at once.
High cost of Covid-19 test at pvt hospitals raises concern
Although widespread testing to detect and isolate COVID-19 patients is crucial to combat the transmission of the disease, high testing cost at private hospitals has become a burden for many who are being forced to go there to get tested due to huge pressure at government hospitals.
Coronavirus: Doctors’ mortality rate in Bangladesh ‘highest in the world’
Although healthcare workers on the frontline of the coronavirus battle are falling victim to the virus across the world, experts say the pandemic seems to turn deadly for Bangladeshi doctors in terms of mortality rate.
‘Red zones’ in Barishal remain abuzz
As part of the government’s move to tackle the coronavirus outbreak, Barishal city has been divided into red and green zones based on the severity of COVID-19 cases.
Covid-19: Emirate Airlines gets nod to operate flights from Dhaka
Covid-19 pandemic grounded flights across the world, disrupting air communication and forcing the aviation industry to count unprecedented losses.
Mandatory Returns Submission: FM’s gambit may fall flat for other reasons
Government's move to increase income tax collection by making income tax return submission mandatory for every Taxpayers Identification Number (TIN) holder might not have that significant an impact on revenue collection for the national exchequer.
"There is an inbuilt system in the law that TIN holders will submit their returns, this new proposed system will remain a call, it does not seem that a good number of TIN holders will be responding," former National Board of Revenue (NBR) chairman Muhammad Abdul Mazid told UNB.
A senior NBR official also said that due to understaffing the revenue collection agency may anyway fail to get the whole fruits of this proposed law.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal while placing the budget proposal for the 2020-21 fiscal proposed to amend the Income Tax Ordinance to make submission of tax return mandatory for all TIN holders.
"When comes into force, this provision will potentially seal the scope of tax evasion, and significantly increase the number of return filers," he said in his budget speech in Parliament on Thursday last.
Jashore florists devastated by coronavirus pandemic, cyclone
Coronavirus outbreak and subsequent cyclone Amphan have severely affected the flower farmers in Jashore who incurred loss of an estimated amount of Tk over 50 crore in the last two and a half months.