Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has described Brian Lara as "sheer class", saying he never felt confident whenever he bowled to the West Indies legend. Afridi and Lara locked horns only twice in Test cricket but the former Pakistan skipper said the left-handed batting great had quite an "effect" on him.

"I got him out a few times but whenever I was bowling to him I always had the feeling in the back of my mind that he is going to hit me for four the next ball. He had an effect on me. I never bowled with any confidence to him," Afridi was quoted as saying by Wisden.

The 40-year-old Afridi, who snapped 395 and 48 wickets in 398 ODIs and 27 Tests, lavished praise on Lara, saying he had a brilliant footwork. "He was a world-class batsman who dominated the best spinners he came up against, even the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka," said Afridi. "His footwork against spinners was brilliant and the way he batted against such bowlers was a wonderful sight. He was sheer class."

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A number of proposed tax changes intended to boost Dutch competitiveness and combat tax avoidance have been included in the official agreement between the four parties forming the next Government of the Netherlands.

Singapore will hike its seven percent goods and services tax rate to nine percent some time between 2021 and 2025, Singapore's Finance Minister, Heng Swee Keat, announced in the territory's new Budget.

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France's Directorate General of Public Finance confirmed in a statement issued on February 10, 2020, that companies liable for the country's digital services tax can delay payment of upcoming installments of the tax until December 2020.

Belgium's tax authority has announced corporate tax return filing deadlines for the 2019 tax year, with a concession for those with a deadline prior to September 26, 2019.

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Malaysia today signed the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement‎, re-confirming its commitment to implement automatic exchange of financial account information in time to commence exchanges in 2018.

Switzerland, represented by Ambassador Ulrich Lehner , today deposited its instrument of ratification for the multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters ("the Convention") in the presence of OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría.

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Business Confidence in Indonesia decreased to 104.82 points in the fourth quarter of 2019 from 105.33 points in the third quarter of 2019. Business Confidence in Indonesia averaged 106.75 points from 2000 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 122.50 points in the second quarter of 2000 and a record low of 95.12 points in the first quarter of 2006. In Indonesia, the Business Tendency Index (BTI) measures the expectations of entrepreneurs about current business income, production capacity, average working hours and future domestic and foreign orders, selling prices and raw materials. The survey covers a sample of around 2000 managers from large and medium companies from almost all regions of the country and from the main sectors of the economy (Agriculture, Mining and Quarrying, Manufacturing, Electricity, Gas and Water, Construction, Trade, Hotels, Transportation and Communication, Financial and Services). For each of the variables measured, the proportion of positive, negative and neutral answers is computed, and the final index is reported as a weighted average of those proportions. The BTI above 100 indicates an improving outlook and below 100 a deteriorating outlook. This page provides - Indonesia Business Confidence - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Business Confidence in Faroe Islands increased to 35 points in the first quarter of 2020 from 13 points in the second quarter of 2019. Business Confidence in Faroe Islands averaged 13.64 points from 2006 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 40 points in the second quarter of 2013 and a record low of -36 points in the first quarter of 2009. In Faroe Islands, the indicator and balances for the primary sector and other industries show development, current situation and expectations based on 15 questions asked twice a year in a survey of 35-40 companies. The questions refer to i.a. trends in production, possible limiting factors, expected employment, expected changes in prices, order books, production capacity and market trends home and abroad. The indicator is average of balances ranging from -100 to +100. Any single value only makes sense when compared to previous answers to the same question. This page provides - Faroe Islands Industrial Confidence- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Business Confidence in Maldives increased to 77 points in the fourth quarter of 2019 from -5 points in the third quarter of 2019. Business Confidence in Maldives averaged 9.35 points from 2014 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 91 points in the fourth quarter of 2018 and a record low of -82 points in the second quarter of 2019. The Quarterly Business Survey is conducted by the MMA with the aim of obtaining a quick assessment of current business trends and expected future economic activity. The respondents of the business survey are senior managers or top management of businesses who has an overall view of the business situation. The questions cover the views of the senior management (for the past quarter and expectation for the next quarter) on the direction of change in various business variables such as sales, output, prices, exports, capacity utilisation and employment which are useful for analysing and predicting economic activity. The qualitative response for these questions takes the form of either increase, decrease or no change. The business survey conducts for the main sector of the economy which is tourism. This page provides - Maldives Business Confidence- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Business Confidence in South Africa decreased to 18 points in the first quarter of 2020 from 26 points in the fourth quarter of 2019. Business Confidence in South Africa averaged 43.29 points from 1975 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 92 points in the third quarter of 1980 and a record low of 12 points in the fourth quarter of 1977. In South Africa, the BER Business Confidence Index covers 1,400 business people in the building sector, 1,400 in the trade sector and 1,000 in manufacturing. The survey assesses the level of optimism that senior executives in the companies have about current and expected developments regarding sales, orders, employment, inventories and selling prices. The index varies on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 indicates an extreme lack of confidence, 50 neutrality and 100 extreme confidence. This page provides - South Africa Business Confidence - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Business Confidence in Gambia increased to 72 points in the fourth quarter of 2019 from 68 points in the third quarter of 2019. Business Confidence in Gambia averaged 51 points from 2017 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 72 points in the fourth quarter of 2019 and a record low of 7 points in the third quarter of 2017. This page provides - Gambia Business Confidence- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Business Confidence in Italy decreased to 89.50 points in March from 98.80 points in February of 2020. Business Confidence in Italy averaged 102.19 points from 1991 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 121.52 points in February of 1995 and a record low of 71.50 points in March of 2009. In Italy, the Manufacturing Confidence Index covers 4,000 Italian companies. The questionnaire focuses on the current trend of order books, production and inventories, short-term forecasts on order books, production, prices and the general economic situation. The business confidence index is adjusted for seasonal effects and fixed to a base year of 2005. The value 100 indicates no evolution in business sentiment, a value over 100 shows increasing confidence and a value under 100 indicates low expectations. This page provides the latest reported value for - Italy Business Confidence - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Business Confidence in Japan decreased to -8 points in the first quarter of 2020 from 0 points in the fourth quarter of 2019. Business Confidence in Japan averaged 1.47 points from 1983 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 53 points in the second quarter of 1989 and a record low of -58 points in the first quarter of 2009. In Japan, the quarterly Tankan Index of Sentiment at Large Manufacturers covers about 1,100 companies with capital over 1 billion Yen. The survey is done by mail or e-mail and asks participants to evaluate current trends and conditions in the business place and their respective industries as well as their expected business activities for the next quarter and year. The indicator is calculated by subtracting the percentage share of enterprises responding on the negative side from the share giving positive assessments. The index varies on a scale of -100 to 100 such that a value above zero indicates business optimism, a value below zero pessimism and 0 indicates neutrality. This page provides - Japan Business Confidence - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Business Confidence in Australia decreased to -66 points in March from -4 points in February of 2020. Business Confidence in Australia averaged 5.48 points from 1997 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 21 points in April of 2002 and a record low of -66 points in March of 2020. The NAB monthly survey of business confidence is based on a telephone survey of around 600 small, medium and large size non-agricultural companies. The Survey measures the expectations of business conditions for the upcoming month and is a simple average of trading, profitability and employment indices, reported by respondents for their company. The indices are calculated by taking the difference between the percentage of respondents nominating good or very good, or a rise and those nominating poor or very poor, or a fall. This page provides - Australia Business Confidence - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Business Confidence in Ukraine decreased to 110.50 points in the first quarter of 2020 from 112 points in the fourth quarter of 2019. Business Confidence in Ukraine averaged 114.58 points from 2006 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 140.20 points in the fourth quarter of 2007 and a record low of 72 points in the first quarter of 2009. Business Confidence in Ukraine measures presidents/managers assessments of the current and future business activity, inflation and exchange rate expectations, and changes of the business environment in the country. The Business Confidence Index is based on a sample size of around 1236 enterprises covering all industry sectors, including small, medium and large enterprises from different regions. This page provides - Ukraine Business Confidence- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Business Confidence in Ireland increased to 13 points in the fourth quarter of 2019 from -26 points in the third quarter of 2019. Business Confidence in Ireland averaged 16.06 points from 2011 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 50 points in the fourth quarter of 2014 and a record low of -26 points in the third quarter of 2019. The ISME Quarterly Trends Survey measures the level of optimism that people who run small and medium companies in Ireland have about the performance of the economy and how they feel about their organizations’ prospects. The survey is based on responses from around 1000 SME owner managers across all sectors of the economy and is presented as a balance of sentiment for twelve indicators including: business expectations and environment, profitability, employment, sales, investment, exports and economic uncertainty. The result is a simple balance between positive and negative answers. This page provides the latest reported value for - Ireland Business Confidence - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Business Confidence in France decreased to 82 points in April from 98 points in March of 2020. Business Confidence in France averaged 100.06 points from 1976 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 124 points in June of 2000 and a record low of 66 points in March of 2009. In France, Business Climate measures industrial entrepreneurs’ sentiment about current business situation and expectation about business conditions. The survey sample comprises about 4,000 enterprises in the manufacturing and mining industries. The indicator is calculated using factor analysis technique. The index is then calculated in a way to measure the current sentiment in relation to the historic index values of the period 1993-2011. A value over 110 indicates unusually high optimism and a value under 90 indicates unusually high pessimism. The value 100 indicates neutrality. This page provides the latest reported value for - France Business Confidence - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Business Confidence in the United Kingdom decreased to -87 points in the second quarter of 2020 from 23 points in the first quarter of 2020. Business Confidence in the United Kingdom averaged -4.08 points from 1958 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 55 points in the third quarter of 1959 and a record low of -87 points in the second quarter of 2020. In the United Kingdom, the Business Optimism Index is published by the Confederation of British Industry's in its Industrial Trends Survey. An average of 400 small, medium and large companies from the manufacturing sector is surveyed each quarter. The Questionnaire accesses the overall sentiment regarding general and export business situation, investment, capacity, order books, employment, output, stocks, prices competitiveness regarding domestic, EU and non-EU markets and innovation and training. For each assessment is computed a sub-index as the percentage of positive answers minus the percentage of negative answers. The composite index is then computed as the weighted average of the sub-indices. An Optimism Index of +100 indicates that all survey respondents are much more confident about future prospects, while -100 suggests that all survey respondents are much less confident about future prospects. An index level of 0 indicates neutrality. This page provides - United Kingdom Business Confidence - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Business Confidence in Czech Republic decreased to 73.80 points in April from 93.10 points in March of 2020. Business Confidence in Czech Republic averaged 96.65 points from 1993 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 112.80 points in February of 2007 and a record low of 69.10 points in March of 1999. In Czech Republic, the business confidence survey measures the level of optimism that people who run companies have about the performance of the economy and how they feel about their organizations’ prospects. Czech Statistical Office business confidence indicator is a weighted average of seasonally adjusted confidence indicators in industry, construction, trade and in selected services. This page provides - Czech Republic Business Confidence - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Business Confidence in Turkey decreased to 66.80 points in April from 99.70 points in March of 2020. Business Confidence in Turkey averaged 99.25 points from 1987 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 123.30 points in December of 1987 and a record low of 52.60 points in December of 2008. In Turkey, the Business Tendency Survey (BTS) compiles the assessments of the senior managers on the recent past, current situation and their expectations regarding the future course of business environment in the manufacturing industry. A score above 100 indicates an optimistic outlook to the economic activities while below 100 points to a pessimistic outlook. . This page provides the latest reported value for - Turkey Business Confidence - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Business Confidence in Brazil decreased to 34.50 points in April from 60.30 points in March of 2020. Business Confidence in Brazil averaged 54.42 points from 2004 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 68.50 points in January of 2010 and a record low of 34.50 points in April of 2020. In Brazil, the Industrial Entrepreneur Confidence Index (ICEI) measures the current situation of businesses and its future prospects. The survey covers about 2,500 companies in construction, mining and manufacturing industries. The questionnaire is made by phone and focuses on: production trends in recent months, order books, export order books, stocks and production expectations. The indicator varies on a scale of 0 to 100 where 50 indicates neutrality, 0 indicates extreme lack of confidence and 100 extreme confidence. This page provides - Brazil Business Confidence - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Business Confidence in Angola increased to -4 points in the fourth quarter of 2019 from -7 points in the third quarter of 2019. Business Confidence in Angola averaged 2.33 points from 2008 until 2019, reaching an all time high of 31 points in the second quarter of 2009 and a record low of -34 points in the second quarter of 2016. In Angola, the Economic Climate Indicator (ECI) provides indication of the level of optimism executives have about current and expected developments in production, sales, employment, inventories, etc. The indicator is based on a sample of around 630 companies, representing different sectors of the economy and located in Luanda, Benguela, Huíla and South Cuanza. For each of the indicators measured, the net difference between the number of positive responses and the number of negative responses is computed. The final global index (ECI) is then calculated as a simple average of those balances. The ECI above the average value (10) of the series indicates an improving outlook. The ECI below the average value of the series indicates a deteriorating outlook. This page provides the latest reported value for - Angola Business Confidence - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Business Confidence in Poland decreased to -44.20 points in April from -1.10 points in March of 2020. Business Confidence in Poland averaged 3.68 points from 1993 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 24.90 points in May of 2007 and a record low of -44.20 points in April of 2020. In Poland, business tendency survey in manufacturing is based on a survey of 3500 companies producing consumer, investment and supply goods. The business tendency questionnaires contain questions related to the basic features of the economic situation in industry: general economic situation of the company, order-books, production, stocks, financial situation, employment, prices, production capacity, capacity utilization, duration of assured production, limits to activity, competitive position. On the basis of gathered replies indicators are calculated. These indicators are weighted by the value of sold production of manufacturing in current prices and their range varies from -100 to +100. Positive value means good business situation, negative – bad one. Increase (decrease) of indicator means improving (worsening) of the business situation from the enterprises point of view. This page provides the latest reported value for - Poland Business Confidence - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Business Confidence in Portugal decreased to -0.70 points in April from 1.80 points in March of 2020. Business Confidence in Portugal averaged 1.69 points from 1989 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 5.10 points in March of 1989 and a record low of -4 points in November of 2012. In Portugal, the National Statistics Institute (INE) economic climate indicator on three terms moving averages is calculated in order to receive a timely composite indicator for the several sectors of economic activity. It is estimated using balances of questions from the Manufacturing Industry (1179 companies), Trade (1102 companies), Construction and Public Works (822 companies) and Services (1427 companies) surveys. The calculation is based on the factor analysis and the estimated series (the common component) is calibrated using the GDP change rates. The use of moving averages smooths out the series by removing the irregular movements, allowing the detection of the short-term trends. This page provides the latest reported value for - Portugal Business Confidence - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Business Confidence in Croatia decreased to -29.40 points in April from -1.60 points in March of 2020. Business Confidence in Croatia averaged -3.28 points from 2008 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 17.70 points in February of 2018 and a record low of -29.40 points in April of 2020. This page provides - Croatia Business Confidence- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.