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...

Tariff renegotiation triggers worries about local, foreign investments

Power-sector investors, particularly in the renewable-energy sector, get in dilemmas over government move to renegotiate tariffs as they say contract-time and current costs make a mismatch. The rate re-fixing is especially disadvantageous for those who have already started electricity generation...

Road conditions in Chattogram worsen amid monsoon rains

CHATTOGRAM, July 11: Heavy rainfall in the current monsoon season left most of Chattogram's roads in severely dilapidated condition, causing immense sufferings to people.Cracks, potholes, ditches and water-logging left the city unfit for traffic with the continuation of rainfall from...

Three science ministry projects to be axed to stop further fund drain

The Ministry of Science and Technology has sent a proposal to the Planning Commission to cancel the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Space Observatory project after spending Tk 62.27 million on construction.The project was initiated four years ago to set up...

How to impress your boss and advance your career

Technically savvy professionals who are proficient in cybersecurity are valued in any organisation. These individuals serve as the first line of defence against cybersecurity threats. However, maintaining cybersecurity professionals can impose a significant financial burden on an organisation which most...

Sports and games: where one ends, the other begins blurring the margin

There may hardly be a healthy child on this planet, who has not taken part in any kind of games and sports in childhood. But when it concerns outdoor games and sports, only a small fraction of the urban children...

Trade shock and policy response

Trade has long been a cornerstone of economic development and international diplomacy. By enabling the exchange of goods, services, and resources, it allows nations to specialise based on comparative advantage-driving efficiency, productivity, and improved living standards. From the ancient Silk...

Drive against old city buses from July 20

Like the metro-rail, the government is going to introduce e-ticket service on some bus routes from July 20 for handling the present chaotic traffic situation, piloting it in the BRTC and three circular bus services as well as expressway in...

Tk 5.16b more sought amid delays, design flaws

The Bridges Division under the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges has sought approval for an additional Tk 5.16 billion for the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway project, pushing the project's cost beyond its already-revised outlay of Tk 175.53 billion.If approved, the...

CPA calls for more wagons to ease container congestion

CHATTOGRAM, July 10: Amid growing container congestion, the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has called on Bangladesh Railway (BR) to urgently increase the number of wagons and locomotives to ensure uninterrupted operations at the Inland Container Depots (ICDs) connected to the...

Trump's aggressive reciprocal tariff may backfire

Donald Trump's aggressive tariff policy smacks of a could-not-care-less attitude. In a way he has antagonised the rest of the world except perhaps Israel. No American president has ever flaunted his country's superiority so blatantly although its military might and...

DSE mobile app users vanish in large numbers as market return evaporates

The number of active users of the DSE mobile app dropped to an eight-year low due to the prolonged depressed market trend and the imposition of service charge on app users.The number of mobile app users was 26,067 at the...

Waterlogging keeps Ctg submerged for five days

CHATTOGRAM, July 09: Monsoon rain has been leaving the low-lying areas of Chattogram under knee-deep water daily for the past few days since July 5, causing residents and traders immense suffering.On Wednesday, several hours of torrential rains left the inhabitants...

Understanding what youths want

There is apparently a broad agreement in the country that some of the most insurmountable obstacles to good governance are corruption, political nepotism and cronyism, and deteriorating law and order. This is what the citizen realise in everyday life and...

Corbyn, Musk and rise & decline of parties

Political exigencies often necessitate the coming into being of new political parties. It is an exercise which has in modern times been undertaken in a very large number of countries around the globe, especially after the end of the Second...

Hilly regions in Ctg face landslide risk

CHATTOGRAM, July 08: Continuous monsoon rain from Saturday has left tens of thousands of people living in the hilly regions of Chattogram in high risks of landslides.Rainfall continued till the filing of this report on yesterday (Tuesday) evening from Saturday...

Nearly half of production capacity remains unutilised in a decade

Nearly half of the production capacity at the Shahjalal Fertilizer Factory-established at Fenchuganj in Sylhet at a cost of around Tk 50 billion to reduce import dependence by producing 580,800 tonnes of urea annually-has remained unutilised even after ten years...

Japan-only bidders, fat quotes and no room to negotiate

A fresh dilemma has emerged in Dhaka's ambitious metro-rail expansion as the state-owned operator faces exorbitant bids from a narrow pool of Japanese firms.Despite interest from companies worldwide, restrictive Japan-specific tender conditions have effectively sidelined all but a few players,...

Bilateral treaty only means to readjust domestic tariffs for US

Government revenue authorities find limited scope to satisfy the Trump administration by reducing tariffs for US imports unless Bangladesh goes for bilateral treaty -- the only byway to skip set world trade rules.Though import duty on 110 products has been...

Bangladesh's LDC graduation: risks & readiness

Bangladesh is at a landmark in the nation’s life—one of jubilation and an invitation to strategic contemplation. Bangladesh. With its anticipated graduation from the United Nations’ List of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) by 2026, the nation is poised to turn...

Fines nothing but way to cover up failure to punish market frauds

The imposition of fines by the securities regulator is nothing but a symbolic action with rare occasions when it translates into meaningful punishment for stock market fraud. The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) still prefers levying monetary penalties to...

Readying for global microchip market

Tasked with preparing a roadmap so Bangladesh may explore its potential as a player in the world's booming semiconductor market, the National Semiconductor Taskforce (NST), which was formed in early January this year, has come up with a set of...

DMTCL drafts long-awaited service rule, organogram for 3,800 metro rail staffers

Almost a decade after its formation, the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has finally drafted its service rule to ensure the proper functioning of its employees, and has proposed an organogram of more than 1,800 staff.However, the total number...

Empowering students to step confidently into corporate world

BRAINIACS 2025 took place inside the BRAC University Auditorium recently, gathering students from nearly every major public and private university in Dhaka for a day that promised to do more than simply inspire. Organised by the BRAC University Business Club...

Blue-chip stocks back in dominance in equity market. Here is why

Appreciation in the market value witnessed by blue chip companies played a pivotal role in the rising turnover and return from the broad index of the premier bourse over the last one month. The market recovery, driven by fundamentally-strong stocks,...

Bangladesh needs to accelerate green transformation of the leather industry

Leather industry is one of the oldest industries in Bangladesh. While the global demand for leather and leather goods is constantly increasing, the leather industry of Bangladesh is grappling with challenges that, unless redressed effectively, stand out as hurdles for...