CDA to build Karnaphuli Riverview Park

CHATTOGRAM, July 18: The Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) has taken a step to build 'Karnaphuli Riverview Park' on the outer ring road from Chaktai to Kalurghat along the bank of the Karnaphuli River. It will be one of the city's...

SC moves to fully digitize company courts

The resolution of corporate disputes is expected to gain fresh momentum as the Supreme Court administration moves to fully digitize the proceedings of the country's company courts. Paperless proceedings have already commenced in one of the three company benches in...

One-year extension proposed despite 99.8pc completion

The commencement of commercial operations of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport's (HSIA) third terminal is facing unusual delays due to emerging risks during the testing phase and poor coordination between the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and Biman Bangladesh...

A scholar-civil servant-diplomat remembered

He was a voracious reader, a prolific writer, a spellbinding raconteur, a committed nationalist.It is time to reflect on the life and career of Syed Najmuddin Hashim. This reflection becomes necessary given not only the enlightenment which underscored Hashim’s personality...

A tale of finding the family origins

Bullying and ragging in educational institutions are problems generally ignored by the authorities and accepted by society. When it turns into a severe case, only then are some remedial actions taken. Otherwise, in most cases, the victims are left to...

SSC results expose yawning educational divide

The recently published Secondary School Certificate (SSC) results have raised more questions than can be answered. A drop of 14.95 per cent in the pass rate from the last year's 83.04 per cent has triggered a debate not only among...

2.5-yr project sees 70pc progress in 11 years

A government project launched more than a decade ago to establish a technical school and college in 100 upazilas each has not finished yet, despite being scheduled for completion within two years and a half.Approved in early 2014 with an...

Why central bank independence matters

In a landmark step toward central bank independence, the interim government has reportedly drafted the 'Bangladesh Bank Order, 2025', aiming to elevate the central bank to the status of a constitutional body. Currently, the central bank operates as a 'body...

Central bank buys $313m in fresh move

In a renewed effort to stabilise the exchange rate of the US dollar against the Bangladesh Taka (BDT), the central bank stepped into the foreign-exchange market once again on Tuesday, with a buy of US$313 million through an auction.This marked...

CCH calls auction for 475 containers of goods

CHATTOGRAM, July 15: The Chittagong Customs House (CCH) on Tuesday called auction for 475 containers of goods kept in the port jetties for a long time.The auction will be held in two phases. The process of E Tender for auction...

Reducing the costs of just transition for Bangladesh's RMG workers

Climate change is no longer only an environmental phenomenon. It is now the greatest justice challenge of our time. Its worst impacts are suffered by those least responsible, especially low-paid workers in the Global South. In Bangladesh, the ready-made garment...

Gas crunch halts production at CUFL, bleeds govt funds

CHATTOGRAM, July 14: Production at the Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL) has remained suspended since April 11 due to a persistent gas crisis, leading to significant financial losses for the government.The state-owned urea fertiliser company stopped operations after Karnaphuli Gas...

BB backup to falling dollar balances taka-dollar exchange

Bangladesh taka (BDT) depreciated by nearly 50 paisa against the US dollar Monday as regulatory backup to the falling greenback balanced the exchange-rate reversal of the previous working day.The reference rate in the US currency and BDT rose to Tk...

Jute exporters count addl $100/tonne as freight cost

Jute-goods exporters now wobble under pressure of mounting transportation costs for using sea route, stakeholders say, as Indian land-port ban on Bangladeshi exports takes its toll. Due to the restrictions-in a trade spat evidently following the July uprising in Bangladesh--millers...

Poultry industry likely to shrink as prices of eggs, chickens, day-old chicks have collapsed

Thousands of small farmers are making losses as prices of broiler chickens and eggs have fallen. Hatcheries are also losing money as prices of day-old chicks have fallen.Farmers in the northern region recently sold eggs at Tk 7.5 per egg,...

Media reform: A roadmap for the interim government

With Bangladesh poised to transform its media landscape in tune with a free and enlightened society, the following strategic areas are the subsequent crucial pillars. These are not long-term goals; these are immediate actions, poised for execution right now, to base our progress on transparency, fairness, and honesty.Legal and Policy Overhaul: In a just society, the law must protect the vulnerable, ensure liberty, and prevent abuse of authority....

US tariff challenge and BD's exports

Industry leaders in the Readymade Garment (RMG) sector should have been elated by the fact that in the last financial year (FY2024-25), export of their products to the USA registered a sharp rise by 14 per cent compared to the...

Media reform: Strategic actions awaited eagerly

“The media is the most powerful force on the planet. It has the power to make the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent — and that’s power.” — Malcolm X.Bangladesh stands at the crossroads—a time weighed down by history and...

Eight new gas wells to be drilled

The government is to drill eight new gas wells - five in Bhola and the rest in three other districts - in a bid to ramp up domestic gas production and reduce dependence on costly imports, officials said.This will be...

Import revenue from US goods drops 11pc in amid LNG duty waiver

Bangladesh's import revenue from United States-origin goods fell by 11.41 per cent in the just-concluded fiscal year 2024-25, largely due to a government tax waiver on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) -- the country's second-largest import item from the US.According to...

Regulator intervenes to rescue sinking dollar

In a maiden such intervention in the foreign-exchange market, the central bank Sunday bought US$171 million from banks through an auction to buttress falling dollar. The Bangladesh Bank's latest move came in the wake of a falling trend in the...

Extortion and corruption eat into vitals of society

The killing of a scrap metal trader in old Dhaka has jolted the national conscience. Killings of innocent members of public by muggers, dacoits, anti-social elements including teenage gangs have become so common that the entire country is turning into...

Time to unite against criminal gangs

The dastardly murder of Lal Chand, alias Sohag, a scrap metal trader of Old Dhaka in front of the Sir Salimullah Medical College (Mitford Hospital) on Wednesday last afternoon has jolted the nation to its core. The killing perpetrated reportedly...

The right to self-defence and Israel

Israel has been waging a full-scale war from land, air and sea against Hamas in Gaza for the last 21 months killing more than 57,000 Palestinians and injuring hundreds of thousands. Its armed incursions in the West Bank have also...

NBR to frame ethics code to help build trust

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is set to introduce a formal code of ethics and professional conduct by September 2025, fulfilling a key condition of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under its ongoing $4.7 billion loan programme. In a...

DMP's new bus plan risks undermining BRT corridor

A proposed bus service by Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), involving 2,000 buses on the Gazipur-Dhaka route, has sparked concern among stakeholders for potentially threatening the long-awaited Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor project.The government's plan to launch a dedicated corridor with...

Stabilisation Fund set for mandate overhaul for better investor protection

Capital Market Stabilisation Fund (CMSF) is going to be transformed into a statutory fund to strengthen its legal status so that the main purpose of ensuring protection of investors' money is well served. It will not only get a different...

Bursting the GPA-5 bubble

It was, to be honest, necessary to burst the GPA-5 bubble. For years, the number of students achieving the coveted GPA-5 (A+) in both Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams had been escalating at astonishing rates....

Trump out to reset the global trade

Notwithstanding the tariff blitz initiated by the United States (US) President Donald Trump three months ago, global trade registered a modest growth in the first half of the current year. It remains uncertain whether the pace of growth will continue...

Heavy rain pushes power generation at Kaptai plant to record high

CHATTOGRAM, July 11: Due to heavy rain during the current monsoon season, the power generation at the Kaptai plant has increased to its highest level this year compared to the generation in the past few years. The Kaptai Hydroelectric Power...