First time in 63 years, RU sees female contestant for VP post

For the first time in its 63-year history, a female student will contest for the Vice President (VP) post in the upcoming Rajshahi University Central Students' Union (RUCSU) election. On Friday, Tasin Khan, a student of the Institute of Education...

Investors likely to return empty-handed from NBFI liquidation drive

Investors are unlikely to recover anything from their stakes in the non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) now heading for liquidation under a Bangladesh Bank initiative.The central bank has recently decided to wind up nine out of 35 NBFIs in what marks...

Old wine in new bottle!

The interim government is all set to replace the existing "Control of Essential Commodities Act 1956" with a new one titled "Essential Commodities Act 2025" with the express aim of stabilising market. Mere change in the name of any law...

How wise is it to go entirely digital?

The call for making financial transactions of the country fully digital has of late reached its crescendo. Experts at an event titled, "Cashless Bangladesh Summit 2025", organised last week, acclaimed an economy without physical money and made a strong case...

Another 2-year extension on the cards

The much-hyped Japanese Economic Zone project at Araihazar in Narayanganj is heading for another two-year extension, with the Chief Adviser's Office now seeking a second revision to complete the pending infrastructure works.Approved in 2019 with a June 2023 deadline, the...

Metabolic health for high-achieving professionals

In conversations about health and fitness, few words carry as much weight as ‘metabolism’. We often hear people lamenting their "slow metabolism" or desperately seeking ways to ‘rev it up’, though many remain unclear about what this actually means or...

When oversight becomes ritual: Stock queries that change nothing

Junk stocks rally abnormally quite frequently and manipulation is what is suspected behind the rallies.The bourses discharge their supervisory duties only by asking the relevant companies whether there was any undisclosed price-sensitive information (PSI) behind the price escalation. The respondents...

Govt bond market shows vibrancy

The bond market's performance last fiscal year was truly exceptional, particularly in the secondary trading of fixed-income government securities. The annual volume of secondary transactions in these securities soared to an unprecedented high, marking a significant 88 per cent growth...

Govt to fund installation of rooftop solar at all state-owned buildings

The government will provide funds from the public exchequer for setting up solar panels on the rooftop of all state-owned buildings, aiming to generate some 2,000-megawatt to-3,000-MW electricity.However, the state-owned entities, which have their own income, will have to fund...

New commodities law soon to thwart price manipulations

A new essential commodities law incorporating strict punitive actions against market manipulations is in the making with an array of items on the shopping list to protect consumers across Bangladesh, sources say.The proposed law, titled 'Essential Commodities Act 2025', is...

How precious health is not understood unless one falls ill

There are people who boast that age is nothing but a number. Indeed, blessed are those people who lead a healthy life even at their terminal age. But not all people are fortunate enough to enjoy a life free of...

Local signalling system in 7 city intersections from tomorrow

The Dhaka city is set to get a local-model signalling system at its seven busy intersections from Jahangir Gate to Hotel Intercontinental, which will be manually operated on an experimental basis for two weeks, beginning on Saturday (tomorrow).The intersections are...

Eastern Housing hit hard by Rajuk's IT breakdown

Real estate company Eastern Housing Ltd fears an increase in the cost of doing business for a wholly unexpected reason - the breakdown of the design approval mechanism of Dhaka's urban development authority.It sought approval of the design of a...

Making Chittagong Port a regional maritime hub

Bangladesh's logistical paucity is endemic. It ranges from all ports -- land, sea and air -- to digital system to road and rail communication to distribution and supply chains. It goes to the credit of the interim government for making...

Bangladesh moves to amend treaty with Pakistan

Bangladesh has moved to amend the double taxation avoidance treaty with Pakistan to boost bilateral trade and investment in the wake of the recent diplomatic correspondence between the two countries.The initiative to amend the treaty, signed with Pakistan in 1981,...

Can the Asia-Pacific region deliver clean, affordable energy by 2030?

The future of the global energy landscape will be shaped by Asia and the Pacific. Over the past two decades, our region has been the principal driver of global energy demand and emissions. Energy has powered prosperity, lifted millions out...

All those deaths, all that mystery

There are all the mysteries remaining unsolved. There are the questions which have not had answers. Perhaps we will never arrive at circumstances where our enquiries will be looked into, to our satisfaction. In a world where some of the...

DTCA-DMTCL dispute over metro rail authority persists

The conflict between two offices under the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges over the authority of the metro rail company has not ended yet. Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) has blamed Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) for bypassing...

BGMEA opposes providing REX facility to BGBA

The country's apparel makers have urged the government not to provide the existing Registered Exporter (REX) facility to Bangladesh Garment Buying House Association (BGBA) as such buying houses are not directly involved in production and exporting activities, sources said.According to...

More than a dozen major projects overspend lifespan, needing cure

Thirteen large development projects with an aggregate cost of Tk 924.76 billion have spent over five years against their approved lifespans, warranting a government review soon for remedies. Official statistics show only one-third financial progress has been made in the...

Ctg port to have 4 terminal projects under PPP model

CHATTOGRAM, Aug 27: The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is set to implement, upgrade, and operate four major terminal projects under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, officials say, aiming to elevate the port to international standards and enhance its capacity for...

SDC2025: a global convergence for sustainable future

The 11th Sustainable Development Conference (SDC2025), held in the vibrant city of Bangkok from July 15 to 17, stood as a testament to the unwavering global dedication toward creating a sustainable, equitable, and resilient future. Over these three days, an...

The reform conundrum

The rubric reform is not new to Bangladesh. In the past, whenever an unelected government took office, reform of various sorts gained currency. Whether this was a ploy to divert public attention from illegal use of power or a genuine...

Reimagining Asia's future

In an era of shifting global power, climate urgency, and rapid technological disruption, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) remains a central force in shaping Asia’s development trajectory. A timely new book, The Elgar Companion to the Asian Development Bank (Edward...

Providing incentives to garbage pickers

World Bank (WB) estimates say, some 646 tons of plastic waste are collected in a day in Dhaka. This amount of waste plastic is only about 10 per cent of the total waste generated in the country. However, there are...

Ctg city to get new bus terminal by Feb

CHATTOGRAM, Aug 24: After more than three decades, Chattogram city will get a new bus terminal at Kulgaon in Hathazari, with the city corporation planning to finish it by January 2026 and start operations in February.The last time the port...

BPDB seeks 'clear directive' from Power Division

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has sought a "clear directive" from the Power Division to decide on the fate of 34 solar power plants, officials said.The BPDB in a recent letter sought the directive after its board of directors...

Five reform projects not taken up for execution in 2 months

The Planning Division will sit with the relevant state agencies today (Monday) to brainstorm as to why implementation of five projects aiming to reform key government agencies could not be begun even nearly two months after getting approval. The projects...

Financial Inclusion: driving inclusive growth

Bangladesh’s journey toward financial inclusion has become a hallmark of development-driven central banking in South Asia. The first part of the article (published on August 23) outlines the progress: developing the inclusive regulatory frameworks, promoting digital financial innovations, and aligning...

Decentralisation and standardisation of school education

When all roads lead to one destination, the consequent rush is unavoidable. In Dhaka, usually the commercial or administrative hubs are located at a stone's throw distance. Then the stadiums too are destinations of sport-enthusiastic fans, particularly on mega sports...