An untapped gem called Sitakunda

Have you ever imagined reaching, within just a few hours, a place where you can lose yourself in lush green hills, soak in the cool waters of serene waterfalls, and then find solace at a quiet seaside with endless blue...

From disaster response to risk reduction

Bangladesh is a breeding ground for a wide array of natural disasters, owing to its geographical location, subtropical climate, and flat topography. The territory is known for the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded, the 1970 Bhola Cyclone, which killed at...

Tajuddin Ahmad at 100

Tajuddin Ahmad would be a centenarian on 23 July. He was a mere fifty years old when he was assassinated in November 1975. Yet in those brief five decades of his life, he achieved a feat rare in the history...

Ctg port tariffs poised for steep rise

Bangladesh's external trade is set to get costlier as the government Thursday approved a proposal for increasing tariffs on both goods and vessels at Chittagong seaport, in some cases up to 10 times or above, officials said. The ministry of...

ICDs' handling charge hike to affect export trade

Bangladesh's external trade, especially export, is now up against the wall and the factors behind this are of both domestic and international origin. At a time, when the government's ongoing talks with the current Trump administration of the US, which...

Taka weakens further as central bank intervention

The Bangladesh Taka (BDT) continues to weaken against the US dollar as the central bank's ongoing interventions in the foreign exchange market aimed at stabilising the exchange rate.As part of its efforts, the Bangladesh Bank (BB) purchased $10 million from...

Unfinished power project faces probe over missing funds, lapses

A land acquisition project for the Patuakhali Thermal Power Plant, undertaken by Ashuganj Power Station Company Ltd (APSCL), was abruptly closed despite key components remaining unfinished and Tk1.49 billion in public funds going unaccounted for, according to a latest review...

Why conducting flight training over populated areas?

Bangladesh is not at war, nor does it wish to engage in any conflict in the foreseeable future. However, with the drumbeat of war growing increasingly louder across the globe and several nations bearing the brunt of foreign aggression, Chief...

Contractor demands additional cost

Aviation Dhaka Consortium (ADC), the joint venture responsible for implementing the Third Terminal Project at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka, has submitted a claim to the government for an additional 3 per cent over the original contract value,...

Bond yields tumble as liquidity-rich banks flock to BGTBs

In a striking shift, the yield on long-term treasury bonds plunged by 187 basis points in a single day, as banks scrambled to park surplus liquidity in risk-free government securities amid tepid credit demand from the private sector.The cut-off yield,...

A data-driven push to beat urban boil

Dhaka is set to gain its clearest picture yet of where heat strikes hardest and how rainfall patterns are evolving, a crucial step toward equipping city planners with actionable climate data amid rising urban temperatures and persistent water-logging woes.The Institute...

Mixed signals from the economy

Television news two days ago told of rise of prices of essential goods in retail markets. Rice price has increased by Tk 10 per kg. The price of edible oil also has gone up Tk 20 per litre. Prices of...

BTTC suggests cut in edible oil prices

The Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC) has suggested reduction of palm oil and soyabean oil by Tk 19 and Tk 1.0 per liter respectively.The state-owned BTTC has also recommended re-fixation of the cooking oil prices through discussions with the...

Giving education system a human face

Every year, publishing of the Secondary School Certificate(SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exam results is followed by mixed reactions from the participating students. And it is only expected that successful candidates will celebrate, while the unsuccessful ones will be...

Health project stumbles over plagiarism

The Planning Commission has flagged a proposed Tk 19.66 billion health project for plagiarism in its feasibility study, overlapping activities with another similar project, and inconsistencies in planning and budgeting.The project, titled "Implementation of Unfinished Essential Family Planning, Maternal, Child...

Outbound container-handling charges set to surge 81pc

Container-depot owners have announced a steep hike in charges of outbound goods-laden box handling up to 81 per cent which exporters term a fresh blow amid troubling reciprocal- tariff tussle with the United States.Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA) has...

Tariff threat may shut Bangladesh out of US drug market

Bangladesh is not alarmed by Trump's proposed 200 per cent tariff on imported drugs due to the country's relatively small volume of pharmaceutical exports to the United States, but industry insiders caution that the country could lose the US market...

SPM operation held back until next year

CHATTOGRAM, July 20: Although the construction work of Single Point Mooring (SPM) with double pipeline ended in March 2024, its operation will not begin until next year due to procrastination in the appointment of operations and maintenance (O&M) contractor.The SPM...

Why fogging in morning instead of evening?

Morning fog is quite natural but certainly not at this time of the rainy season. But recently the residents of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) have been experiencing fog that envelops roads and alleys for a while. This fog is,...

Comprehensive drive against dengue needed

Of late, a lurking public health emergency, dengue, does not hit the headlines, since the media is now obsessed with absorbing or exciting political news. Despite the relative public as well as official inattention, the vector of the disease, the...

Ailing tea sector seeks lifeline

Having sold products at lower than the production costs for years, the Bangladeshi tea industry is now experiencing severe hardship and seeks the government's policy and financial support to survive.Bangladesh Tea Association, a body of private tea garden owners, in...

Bangladesh spends Tk 200b yearly on cash management

Bangladesh has to pay a penalty for overlooking digital finance as it spends approximately Tk 200 billion annually on cash management for a lack of a robust cashless infrastructure, policy framework, digital literacy and adoption.The costs include management of idle...

How youths are tackling climate change

Ever thought of combining your business ideas with environment-friendly manufacturing processes? Greenpreneurs of Bangladesh are doing the same thing. Their startup ideas not only serve the purpose of commercial success but also serve the environment by manufacturing eco-friendly products and...

Forging resistance against crime

A heroic scene was enacted in the capital's Wari area on last Sunday when collective action of local people saved a boy's life and led to the apprehension of two members of a teen gang. It happened in the rush...

FDI and external debt management

Are the foreign investors sensing a gradual improvement in the country's business climate? Did the much-hyped four-day investment summit in April instil some confidence in foreign businesses to invest in Bangladesh now? These two questions seem pertinent in light of...

Retracing Jamuna's defunct rail ferry route

“Where you are sitting now was my home long ago, until the river devoured it,” said the old man with a long, white beard, pointing at my brown plastic chair.We were in a floating eatery in the northern Gaibandha district’s...

Metro rail costs under scrutiny, as contract terms prompt concerns

Despite a longstanding and friendly partnership between Bangladesh and Japan, recent developments in Dhaka's metro rail projects have aroused concerns over costs and terms of contracts agreed under the previous Awami League regime. The relationship between Dhaka Mass Transit Company...

Govt seeks $300 million loan assistance from S Korea

The government is seeking $300 million in loan assistance from South Korea's Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) to upgrade 64 technical training centres (TTCs) and six institutes of marine technology into centres of excellence, said officials concerned. Modernising these institutions...

Reform: Can Bangladesh's judiciary finally break free of executive control?

The Judiciary Reform Commission (JRC), born out of the student- and people-led July Uprising of 2024, has come to symbolise more than mere institutional repair - it represents a renewed national demand for justice free from political manipulation. At the...

Human relations have become a casualty courtesy of modern gadgets

Relations between and among people are increasingly getting unstable and even strained. Social scientists may explain this trend of human relations in general terms under different categories. But each individual is a complete unit of complex dispositions, mind and mentality...