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How AI can promote social good

Hala Hanna and Vilas Dhar | 2019-10-10 00:00:00

Artificial intelligence is now increasingly present in corporate and government decision-making. And although AI tools are still largely in the hands of institutions that focus on profit before purpose, these new technologies could be equally powerful in promoting social good.To...

Digital technology and telemigration

Richard Baldwin | 2019-10-10 00:00:00

Globalisation is simple. Arbitrage drives globalisation. When the cost difference across countries is larger than the trade cost, companies exploit the cost gap by buying low and selling high. Traditionally, this arbitrage mostly concerns trade in goods because it is...

From agro-based economy to industrial powerhouse

Helal Uddin Ahmed | 2019-10-10 00:00:00

As the Chinese nation celebrated the 70th birth anniversary on October 1, the whole world looked in awe and amazement at the most populous country on earth and how it transformed itself from an under-developed agricultural economy to an industrial...

BB sounds tough as July-Aug farm credit drops

Siddique Islam | 2019-10-09 00:00:00

Farm credit disbursement dropped by nearly 6.0 per cent in the first two months of the current fiscal year (FY) in the wake of flood as well as seasonal effect. Disbursement of agriculture loans came down to Tk 19.70 billion...

Consultancy fees go up by 46pc

MUNIMA SULTANA | 2019-10-09 00:00:00

The fee for supervision consultancy work on bus rapid transit line project has increased by 46 per cent due to delay in completing the construction work on dedicated bus corridor from Gazipur to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.The cabinet committee on...

Govt risks losing sizeable revenue

DOULOT AKTER MALA | 2019-10-09 00:00:00

The absence of a definition of inputs in the VAT law has put at risk the target of revenue mobilisation from manufacturing companies, officials say.Under the VAT law, manufacturers are entitled to get refund or adjust the VAT they pay...

Universal pension scheme an option for Bangladesh?

Bazlul H. Khondker and Mohammad A. Razzaque | 2019-10-09 00:00:00

Currently almost 8.50 per cent of the world population is over the age of 65 years. This figure is projected to increase to about 17.0 per cent by 2050. Older people are less likely to work, and traditional sources of...

Revenue shortfall and tax evasion

Asjadul Kibria | 2019-10-09 00:00:00

Collection of incremental taxes becomes a big challenge for the country's tax authority. In the past fiscal year (FY19), collection of tax revenue by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) stood at around Tk 2.24 trillion. Though the collection posted...

Govt for transport master plans for all cities

MUNIMA SULTANA | 2019-10-08 00:00:00

The government has taken a move to formulate transport master plan for all cities in the country.In this regard, the government has taken an initiative to transform the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) into a national authority. No other city...

Taka weakens further against US dollar

Siddique Islam | 2019-10-08 00:00:00

The exchange rate of local currency depreciated further against the US dollar on Monday mainly due to higher demand for the greenback for settling the import bills.The Bangladesh Taka (BDT) lost its value by 5.0 poisha in the inter-bank foreign...

Hinduism in medieval Bengal

Helal Uddin Ahmed | 2019-10-08 00:00:00

A clear distinction can be drawn between religion and society in ancient and medieval Bengal on the basis of historical developments. Although there were separate religious communities of Hindus, Buddhists and Jains in the ancient era, they had their origin...

Reducing energy gap - a key facilitator for poor countries

Sarwar Md Saifullah Khaled | 2019-10-08 00:00:00

It is universally accepted that energy is a sine qua non for the all round development of a nation - socially, industrially and agriculturally. But poor countries are lagging behind in this vital sector compared to the developed ones. Under...

Of tainted foreign trips

Shamsul Huq Zahid | 2019-10-07 12:00:00

A team from the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) late last week reportedly conducted a drive in the Medical Education and Family Welfare Division (ME&FWD) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in response to an allegation about irregularities in nominating...

Dhaka to seek duty-free access of 300 products

TALHA BIN HABIB | 2019-10-07 00:00:00

Bangladesh will request Nepal to allow duty-free market access of its 300 products during the upcoming bilateral technical committee meeting in Kathmandu, Nepal this month.Besides, issues of offering long term business visa for Bangladeshis as well as ensuring roads and...

Train journey a chilling tale for two shaky bridges in Sirajganj

EMDADUL HAQUE | 2019-10-07 00:00:00

SIRAJGANJ, Oct 06: Passengers inevitably have to undergo a frightful experience while making train journey along a particular stretch in Ullapara upazila of the district because of two bridges lying dilapidated for a long time. Some 20 trains including Dhaka-...

The Asianised World has arrived

Jonathan Woetzel and Jeongmin Seong | 2019-10-07 00:00:00

In the nineteenth century, the world was Europeanised. In the twentieth century, it was Americanised. Now, it is being Asianised - and much faster than you may think.Asia's rise has been swift. Home to more than half of the world's...

Could ultra-low interest rates be contractionary?

Ernest Liu, Atif Mian, and Amir Sufi | 2019-10-07 00:00:00

The real (inflation-adjusted) yield on ten-year US treasuries is currently zero, and has been extremely low for most of the past eight years. Outside of the United States, meanwhile, 40 per cent of investment-grade bonds have negative nominal yields. And...

14 new scanners soon to beat duty evasion

DOULOT AKTER MALA | 2019-10-06 00:00:00

The revenue board is going to procure some 14 new scanners at an estimated cost of Tk 5.0 billion to check duty evasion through under-invoicing and misdeclaration.Only four scanners are now in operation in Chittagong customs house while a minimum...

GP, Robi to skip BTRC response

Ismail Hossain | 2019-10-06 00:00:00

Network operators Grameenphone and Robi have decided not to respond to the showcause notice of the telecom regulator over the non-payment of Tk 134 billion dues found in audit.The deadline for the replying to the notice of the Bangladesh Telecommunication...

Omera Petroleum to float IPO

Mohammad Mufazzal | 2019-10-06 00:00:00

Omera Petroleum Ltd. (OPL), a leading operator in the country's LPG sector, has moved to raise capital through IPO (initial public offering) under the book building method.The company will raise capital for the purpose of repaying loans, purchasing an ocean...

A new Eurafrican partnership: A reset in Europe-Africa relationship

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Mo Ibrahim, and Etienne Davignon in Abuja, Nigeria | 2019-10-06 00:00:00

Europe and Africa are inextricably linked by history, geography, and economic ties. Today, securing a peaceful and prosperous future on either continent requires cooperation by both - but not the donor-supplicant relationship that has defined "cooperation" in the past. Instead,...

Retail banking -- A way of diversifying banking portfolios

Tapash Chandra Paul | 2019-10-06 00:00:00

The banking industry in a country is considered the lifeline of the economy, playing an influential role in initiating and supporting economic growth, especially, in developing countries like Bangladesh. Banking in Bangladesh has already passed a long period and the...

BB changes observers in AB Bank, Padma

Siddique Islam | 2019-10-05 00:00:00

The central bank has reshuffled its observers in two private commercial banks (PCBs) to further strengthen its supervision of the banks for improving their financial condition, officials said.Under the latest measure, Lila Rashid, a general manager (GM) of the Bangladesh...

Indian textile lobby presses for NTBs

SYFUL ISLAM | 2019-10-05 00:00:00

The Indian textile lobby is pressing its government to impose fresh non-tariff barriers on Bangladesh's apparel exports against the backdrop of rising shipment to the neighbouring country, officials said.The pressure came at a time when readymade garment exports to India...

Vision 2021: Fisheries ministry readying for digital service

TALHA BIN HABIB | 2019-10-05 00:00:00

The ministry of fisheries and livestock (MoFL) has adopted a master plan to boost the two sectors with a view to achieving the government's Vision 2021, officials said. The roadmap will also help ensure full automation of the ministry's activities...

BR's own land now to host container handling facilities

Munima Sultana | 2019-10-05 00:00:00

Bangladesh Railway (BR) now plans to set up container handling facilities on its own land at Bazarihat in Sirajganj instead of the earlier location near the Bangabandhu Railway Bridge planned to be built over the Jamuna.The facilities will be used...

Stocks slip into red amid volatile trading

Babul Barman | 2019-10-05 00:00:00

Stocks slipped into the red in the outgoing week that ended on Thursday as investors mostly followed cautious stance amid ongoing bearish market trend.Week on week, DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), went down by 31...

Weed management in boosting food output

Prof. Sarwar Md. Saifullah Khaled | 2019-10-05 00:00:00

Weed in the crop field is a real hazard that reduces the yield of food nay all crops per hectare. Crop field's weed competes with crops for light, nutrients and water thereby resulting in yield loss of crops up to...

At our journey's end: Adieu Kanyakumari

Nilratan Halder | 2019-10-05 00:00:00

The day is bright and a sense of nomadic urge lingers on. However, we realise that this is our last day at Kanyakumari and from here we will only be heading for home. But so long we have postponed our...

An opportunity for students to express gratitude to teachers

Mir Mahmudul Haque Chowdhury | 2019-10-05 00:00:00

World Teachers day is a special day celebrated through out the world on October 05 to express respect, honour and love towards teachers. It is also known as International Teachers Day. It is extremely important to acknowledge the contribution of...