Asian stocks extend rally on rate cut optimism

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Oil prices dip as traders assess supply risks

Gold surges toward $4,500 on geopolitical tensions

Aerospace & Defence

Pakistan agrees multibillion-dollar arms deal with Libyan National Army

World

New Zealand agrees free trade deal with India

Asia

Bangladesh’s remittance inflow up 9.5%

Asia

World Bank approves $700mn loan for Pakistan tax reforms

World

Bolivia sees nationwide protests after fuel subsidies end

World

BP appoints Meg O’Neill as new CEO as Auchincloss steps down

World

Venezuela may shut oil wells as storage fills amid US blockade

Asia

Bangladesh forex reserves at $32.48bn

Spotlight

The US is already at war with Venezuela

On Wednesday, the United States hijacked an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela – a new move in the ongoing aggression against the South American nation by the administration of US President Donald Trump.

Can Canada wait out the trade war with the US?

Canada`s Prime Minister Mark Carney appears in no rush to resume trade talks with the US.

‘Elite capture’: How Pakistan is losing 6 percent of its GDP to corruption?

Islamabad, Pakistan – A new assessment by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has concluded that corruption in Pakistan is behind an economic crisis driven by “state capture” – where public policy is manipulated to benefit a narrow circle of political and business elites.

How the Nexperia chip crisis upended auto supply chains - again

A factory next to a weed-ridden lot in China`s industrial south has become a global choke point for automotive chips, upending a sector that just a few years ago swore it wouldn`t be caught again by supply-chain disruptions.

Creating space for renewables

As a nation dealing with challenges with respect to our energy needs and also the impact our chosen energy mix will have on our environment, it is important that Bangladesh gets this right.

Opinion

The US is already at war with Venezuela

‘Elite capture’: How Pakistan is losing 6 percent of its GDP to corruption?

Creating space for renewables

Cloudflare, AWS outages expose hidden weaknesses in the Internet

How to really deal with climate change?

Paying heed to IMF’s revenue warning

As the shutdown drags on, here’s how it can drag down the economy

The predictable unpredictability of Trump’s oil sanctions

Asian Biz

Asian stocks extend rally on rate cut optimism

Asian equity markets climbed again on Tuesday, extending a global rally as expectations of further US interest rate cuts and easing concerns over artificial intelligence spending lifted investor sentiment ahead of the Christmas break. Gold and silver also rose to fresh record highs.

Asian stocks jump on rate cut hopes, AI worries ease

Asian markets advanced on Monday, tracking gains on Wall Street as fresh US economic data raised expectations of further interest rate cuts, while concerns over heavy spending on artificial intelligence eased. Gold also climbed to a new record on the softer rate outlook.

Bangladesh’s remittance inflow up 9.5%

Bangladesh’s remittance inflow grew by 9.5 percent year-on-year to $2,172 million in the first 20 days of December, according to the latest data released by Bangladesh Bank on Sunday.

World Bank approves $700mn loan for Pakistan tax reforms

The World Bank has approved $700 million in new financing for Pakistan to support tax reforms, improve budget transparency and strengthen governance, despite limited progress under earlier lending programmes.

World Biz

Oil prices dip as traders assess supply risks

Oil prices edged lower in early trading on Tuesday as markets weighed potential supply risks linked to Venezuela and Russia against expectations of adequate global supply.

Gold surges toward $4,500 on geopolitical tensions

Indonesia finalises tariff deal with United States

New Zealand agrees free trade deal with India

Tech

UK govt says plans crypto regulation from 2027

Nvidia weighs boosting H200 chip output amid strong China demand

US states move to block Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee

Bitcoin’s 2025 rollercoaster may end on a low

Aerospace & Defence

Pakistan agrees multibillion-dollar arms deal with Libyan National Army

Pakistan has struck a weapons deal worth more than $4 billion with Libya’s eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA), Pakistani officials said, despite a long-standing United Nations arms embargo on the conflict-hit North African country.

US approves record $11.1bn arms sale to Taiwan

The United States has approved $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, marking the largest weapons package ever authorised for the self-ruled island amid rising military pressure from China.

Ukraine prepared to drop NATO membership demands

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that Ukraine is prepared to drop its demand for Nato membership in exchange for strong security guarantees from the United States and European partners, as efforts intensify to advance peace talks with Russia.

Global pilots raise alarm over India’s decision to relax rest rules for IndiGo

Global pilot groups have voiced strong concerns after India temporarily relaxed strict pilot rest regulations for IndiGo, saying the move could compromise aviation safety by worsening pilot fatigue.