Beware of workplace demons!

Is your workplace infested with corporate cockroaches? Let me be a little straight. Is your workplace psychologically safe from the verbal bites of some crooked creatures? Have you ever experienced any discomfort within the hierarchy, especially at the top, due...

Politics, a poor man's spouse

Perhaps none of the words in the title needs any explanation except for the last one. ‘Bhouse’ is a bangla colloquial term widely used in rural Bangladesh. This means wife or spouse of an elder brother. The most refined form...

Fuel charge mooted to raise funds for road maintenance

The road maintenance authority has finalised a draft guideline of the 'road fund' with a provision of paying charge for fuel use.Fuel charge is one of the options mooted to increase funds for maintenance of the national road network.Officials said...

Dec net bank borrowing target likely to be Tk 22b

The government is set to fix the net bank borrowing target at Tk 22 billion for December to finance budget deficit partly ahead of the general election, officials said.It may take up to Tk 136 billion as gross borrowing from...

NBR relaxes provision for cotton imports

Raw cotton importers will now get their customs assessment done before submitting plant quarantine certificates in a relaxed facility that will speed up goods release.But the customs authorities will only release the imported consignment of cotton after getting the certificate...

Tea production higher than last year’s

SYLHET, Nov 29: The country's tea production this time would be higher than the last year's, officials said. Since the national production is already 3.5 million kgs more till the end of October than the corresponding period last year, the...

Political economy: Bangladesh perspective

Political economy focuses on the links between economy, politics, and society. As a result, it largely belongs to interdisciplinary studies and draws on economics, political science, law, history and sociology to explain the critical role of political factors in shaping...

Getting benefits, undeservedly

'Eker por ek subida sarkari chakureder' (there are facilities galore for government servants) was the headline of a story published on the back page of the last Thursday's issue of a mass-circulated vernacular daily. In fact the perks and privileges...

Fighting gender-based violence

On the 27th anniversary of an international campaign run for 16 days beginning with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25 and ending with the Human Rights Day on December 10, it is only...

Further cut in tax on more Internet services likely

Further reduction of taxes on some Internet services is likely to come into effect from December as consumers are not getting the benefit of the cutback.The reduction of VAT by 10 per cent for International Terrestrial Cable (ITC), International Internet...

AIIB confirms $3.0m grant for two RHD projects

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has assured Bangladesh of providing necessary technical support for preparing two regional road connectivity projects to be funded by the lender. During their visit to Bangladesh from November 17 to November 22, an AIIB mission...

Multilateralism undermined by globalisation's discontents

On 24 October 24, 1945, the world's most inclusive multilateral institution, the United Nations, was born to "save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, … reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, … establish conditions under which justice and respect...

Economic data and national election

As the 11th national parliamentary election is knocking at the door, the relevance of economic data becomes a key tool for all the stakeholders. From the party in power to all political parties aspiring to contest in the election, from...

Authority ferrets out anomalies over source tax deduction

The revenue board has unearthed irregularities in tax deduction by some of the companies, firms and other deducting authorities.Officials of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) said the withholding entities keep the tax at source unpaid for three to four...

Trading sector eats up 51pc of SME financing

The trading sub-sector gets more than 51 per cent of the loans and advances disbursed by the banks and financial institutions to the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector, according to official figures.On the other hand, the manufacturing and services...

Govt bonds’ yields rise notably

Yields on the government treasury bonds (T-bonds) increased significantly on Tuesday, as the banks were reluctant to invest their funds in the long-term securities ahead of the national polls.The cut-off yield, generally known as interest rate, on 15-Year Bangladesh Government...

Asia-Pacific takes stock of development targets

Ministers and senior policymakers across Asia and the Pacific are gathered in Bangkok this week (November 26-28) to focus on population dynamics at a crucial time for the region. Their goal: to keep people and rights at the heart of...

Cold War 2.0: When Trump and Xi meet in Buenos Aires

The meeting between US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires this week is being viewed as a make-or-break moment for the world economy and financial markets. But even if no agreement...

PD banks for six-month tenure auction calendar

The primary dealer (PD) banks have sought introduction of a six-month tenure auction calendar instead of the existing single-month one to manage fund efficiently.The appeal was made at a review meeting, held at Bangladesh Bank (BB) headquarters in Dhaka on...

PPP Act up for amendment

Three years after its enactment, a move has been taken to amend the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act for incorporating a new concept in it facilitating government-to-government (G to G) investment initiatives.Sources said the amendment to the act had been necessary...

Demand for mutual funds continues to be at a low ebb

The market prices of around 90 per cent units of closed-end mutual funds (MFs) are below their face value as investors' participation in trading is thin.The prices of most of the funds have been below the face value for a...

Sustainable polar bear tour educates tourists on environmental impact

It's almost always cold in Churchill, Manitoba, a remote coastal community on Hudson Bay in Canada's subarctic region. Today (November 26), a month before winter officially begins, it's -25 degrees C with a fierce wind coming off Hudson Bay which...

Infrastructure development: Mobilising resources domestically and globally

One of the key themes shared by the narratives of rapid economic rise of Japan, South Korea, China, and the Asian Tiger economies, has been the expansion of global trade. As Bangladesh continues its own growth journey, one needs to...

NBR weighs further tax cut for RMG exporters

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is reviewing a proposal for further tax benefit for the readymade garment (RMG) exporters.The review comes a month after apparel makers got the benefit of cut in tax at source.In September last, the income...

Governance failure major risk to doing business in BD

The failure of national governance becomes a major risk to doing business in Bangladesh and also in two other South Asian nations Nepal and Sri Lanka, according to a recent report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF).The report titled...

ACME to launch commercial operation of steroid, hormone, penicillin

The ACME Laboratories has registered a steady growth in profit earnings during last five fiscal years riding on 'efficient' management.During the period, the company's revenue, earnings per share (EPS), net profit and net operating cash flow rose gradually.The company's target...

NRB Bank to set up 300 agent banking outlets by next year

NRB Bank Limited has planned to set up more than 300 agent banking outlets across the country by 2019, aiming to bring the unbanked people in the banking network, the bank's top executive has said.The private commercial bank (PCB) has...

Shortage of cargo ships hits goods transportation

The government is set to increase the number of freight vessels to overcome the supply and demand mismatch, officials said.Presently, the country has been facing an acute shortage of lighterage ships, which is hampering transportation of goods across the country,...

Nationalists of the world, unite?

Steve Bannon's extensive travels in Europe this year have not drawn as much attention as they should have, given that he is the key theoretician of US President Donald Trump's signature brand of nationalism. Bannon now wants to build a...

Culture, migration and the rise of nationalism

The recent rise of nationalism in some western countries has been fuelled by an anti-immigration campaign based on the assumed negative influences migrants may have on the host country's "culture". Nationalists seem to conceive culture as a static concept. However,...