Gearing up for WTO MC14

With just six months to go, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is gearing up for its 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14), a crucial event that most members appear indifferent to. Scheduled to take place in Yaoundé, Cameroon, from March 26 to...

A saga of wastage and despair

The news appeared in newspapers rather quietly - and it did not attract much public attention either. May be, it was not an exciting issue or it did not represent a loud emergency. But in the absolute analysis, it reflects...

Exploring Ctg's rural charm and history aboard Nazirhat Commuter

Jhal muri, jhal muri (spicy puffed rice) - the man in an off-white shirt and checked lungi chanted. Holding a finger of her father, a toddler walked around, her pink squeaky shoes making the adorable sound. Several bare-chested and lungi-clad...

Revenue board to be linked to multiple public agencies

The government plans to launch a new digital transformation initiative to integrate siloed, fragmented, and duplicative data from public agencies across multiple ministries and divisions, say Planning Commission sources.The initiative aims to link the National Board of Revenue (NBR) with...

A lens on regional growth in Islamic SME financing

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have persisted as vital engines of economic diversification and employment creation for the last few years. However, the rapid growth of this sector has accelerated remarkably with dedicated support of international institutions like the Islamic...

Fighting the devil called loneliness

Loneliness and being alone are not synonymous. One can feel lonely in a crowd while someone else can seek solitude and enjoy being alone away from the known social circle. Loneliness is marked by emotional and social detachment or withdrawal....

Two debt systems: US recycles, Bangladesh bleeds

Every country pays for its debt — but not every country pays with its dignity, institutions, and future. In the United States (US), the headlines scream of fiscal disaster as the national debt crosses US$36 trillion, with nearly $950 billion...

BD sets fresh target of GHG emission cut by 2035 in NDC 3.0

Bangladesh has set a fresh target of green house gas (GHG) emission reduction, 26.74 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2eq), by 2035 in its latest Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), a national plan to show global commitment to the...

BIDA wavers over permitting tobacco sector investment

A proposed export-oriented joint venture in tobacco sector has put Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) in wavering over investment permission because of restrictions from the top court and health ministry. Officials say the issue came to the spotlight after a...

Addressing the problem of loss and waste of food

Loss and waste of foods have ever remained a cause for serious concern. This has prompted the United Nations (UN) to observe the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) since 2020. Clearly, the global attention to...

Digital payment: a catalyst for cashless economy

With the proliferation of smartphones, mobile apps, and online platforms, peoples have countless options at their fingertips for conducting payments, transfers, and purchases. This transformation in the payment landscape has not only modernised transaction processes but also impacted consumer behaviours,...

Little progress made on Tk22.58b development project in three yrs

Rajshahi Medical University (RMU) has made little progress on its Tk22.58 billion development project, with only a portion of the boundary wall completed in the last three years since land acquisition and project approval in July 2022, leaving a majority...

Move underway to import refined soybean oil in bulk

A move is underway to import refined soybean oil in the bulk form to be sold in bottles at subsidised prices under the TCB's sale drives.The state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) in a recent letter sought consent from the...

Sudden fiscal measure draws more ire than revenues

A much-debated mid-year fiscal measure hiking taxes earns more ire than additional revenue income to uplift Bangladesh's low tax-to-GDP ratio in the past fiscal year.Fearing a large shortfall in tax-revenue collection in the bygone year, the interim government imposed increased...

Regulator outlines measures to protect retail investors in bank merger

The securities regulator wants the new entity-set to emerge from the merger of five troubled Islamic banks-to issue shares to all existing general shareholders, based on the banks' sale value.Talking to The FE, representatives of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange...

Caring for the elderly

The International Day of Older Persons was observed on October 1 with the theme, "Older Persons Driving Local and Global Action: Our Aspirations, Our Well-Being and Our Rights." The theme highlights that older persons, far from being passive beneficiaries, can...

BDBL seeks Tk 50b from govt to help support its operations

The state-run Bangladesh Development Bank PLC (BDBL) has sought Tk 50 billion as financial support from the government to help expand its overall operations, sources said.Managing Director and CEO Md. Jashim Uddin in a letter made such a request to...

Taste of home: Global dishes with local ingredients in Dhaka streets

Walk down almost any street in Dhaka and the change is hard to miss. Every corner of this city is filled with a variety of restaurants-Dumplings steam in roadside stalls. Sushi rolls appear in small restaurants. Burgers are sold alongside...

Nepal's revolution and India's backyard diplomacy

Kathmandu’s blazes of this month are not just Nepal’s issue—their peril is for South Asia. The explosion of protests by Nepal’s impatient youth against corruption, elitism, and inequality toppled Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and rattled the very foundations of...

DWASA to sign contract with two more Chinese companies today

Two more Chinese companies are set to receive work orders for two additional components of the Saidabad Water Treatment Plant (WTP) Phase III, paving the way for full-scale physical work on the long-delayed project, more than a decade after its...

Partial exporters can import raw materials duty-free against bank guarantee

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has allowed partial export-oriented industrial enterprises to import raw materials duty-free against bank guarantee under a move to help expand the country's export trade.To this effect, the revenue authorities issued a notification on Monday.Enterprises...

WB offers budget support credit for smooth transition

Bangladesh expects US$300-500 million in fresh budget support from the World Bank as the WB has offered the credit to assist with its smooth graduation from the least-developed country (LDC) status in November next year, officials say.A delegation of the...

Six-month wait and no payout yet for unitholders

Unitholders of Asian Tiger Sandhani Life Growth Fund have yet to receive their dues, even six months after the fund's closure, with uncertainty deepening as the delay drags on.The trustee of the mutual fund said the payment could not be...

What is happening to hilsa?

Is hilsa really leaving the shores of Bangladesh? Reports of constantly falling hilsa catch during the peak monsoon breeding season (July to October) is indeed concerning. Though hilsa's share of the nation's total fish production is only 12 per cent,...

Health sector steeped in unhealthy practices in procurement, equipment use

High-value medical equipment purchased over a year ago remains largely unused, exposing critical gaps in resource utilisation and public money's value. Such neglect and waste officially detected under the Expansion of the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital (NINS) project...

Envoy Textiles' go-green pursuit has economic motive too

Envoy Textiles has begun operations at its second fabric recycling plant to convert all waste into recycled yarn, in a bid to meet buyers' growing demand for environmentally friendly products.With the new plant running, the company's recycling capacity now stands...

Dengue's economic toll in Bangladesh

In July 2025, twelve-year-old Joya from Barguna fell ill with what first seemed like a simple fever, but within days she was diagnosed with dengue and rushed to a private clinic in Barishal as public hospitals were overflowing. Her eight-day...

Universities with no allocation for research

Of the 106 private universities in Bangladesh, 28 had no allocation for research. The annual report of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh for the year 2023 has revealed this disquieting development. Even the funds other varsities set aside...

An emergency, dengue calls for urgent action

Dengue, a vector-borne killer disease, remains largely unaddressed by the government. Of course, the hospitals are doing their best to treat the patients brought in critical conditions. But such patients usually succumb to their conditions despite the best of doctors'...

Government to relocate planned vaccine hub project to Munshiganj

Bangladesh's long-awaited vaccine research and production hub is being relocated from Gopalganj to Munshiganj in a move that will push up project costs and extend the timeline by two more years.First approved in 2023 to cut reliance on vaccine imports...