Arefin Siddique: Journalism loses a guardian

I was in deep sleep in the middle of the night, when the call came with the shocking news of my dear friend Arefin’s passing away. A few days earlier I had heard Arefin fell ill while trying to draw...

Modernising rice breeding

In the face of mounting challenges like population growth, climate change, and shrinking arable land, Bangladesh must urgently reform its approach to rice production. As the backbone of the country's food security, rice constitutes 97 per cent of grain production...

Advance sale of bus and train tickets

A festival time is also a chaotic time. This is so almost everywhere but in this part of the world where the population size is overwhelming compared to the geographic area, the chaos is at its extreme. The two Eids...

A world left twisting in the wind

A Danish humanitarian organisation that protects refugees and internally displaced people in its report published last Friday forecasts an unprecedented spike in global refugee crisis and people forcibly displaced or to be displaced from their homes this year, next year...

RADP sees highest block allocation

Although all of the ministries and divisions of the government collectively placed their demand for Tk 1.91 trillion to implement all of the ongoing development projects in the current fiscal year, the Planning Commission has allocated Tk 248.87 billion (13.02%)...

Metro rail yet to benefit from CO2 emission cuts

Although the metro rail operation in Dhaka reduces carbon emission significantly, the dedicated rail company is yet to harness full benefits through a lack of initiative at its planning stage.The Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has been implementing...

THE QUARTET

The world is at a new dawn with development in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). In this new age, AI will change industries and professions, enabling humans to work faster, better, and smarter. The geniuses behind AI and...

Why Square Pharma performs poorly in equity market

Square Pharmaceuticals' valuation in the secondary market does not reflect its growth in earnings in the last more than a decade. The company earned a profit of Tk 3.62 billion in FY12, which gradually rose to Tk 20.93 billion in...

ADR in resolving labour disputes

Bangladesh's economy is labour-intensive, where the contribution of workers is immense. To ensure sustainable development and stability in the industrial sector, it is crucial to maintain smooth labour-management. However, incidents of labour unrest have long-term negative impacts on the economy....

A visionary who built more than businesses

How blessed is a person whose passing is mourned not just by his family and close associates, but by an entire nation? Syed Manzur Elahi was one such person. He was a leader whose impact was so great that the...

Messy clinical waste management

The cruel irony is that hospitals and clinics in the country have become sources of both health and diseases. A look at the hospital environment and disposal of clinical waste will make the point clear. Healthcare centres, especially the public...

Trade with China and India: is there any shift?

Whether the political change in Bangladesh on August 5 has made an impact on the country's bilateral trade with India is a matter of discussion for understandable reasons. The media has already shed light on the matter, linking it with...

Kuwait likely to fund ERL unit II

CHATTOGRAM, Mar 14: As S Alam Group's partnership with the Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL) has been cancelled, the second unit of the ERL will now be built under the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) with state funds along with a foreign...

Cybersecurity, foreign interference key risks in banking sector

The National Security Intelligence (NSI) has identified some internal and external risks for the country's central bank and the overall banking sector, sources said. "Although efforts are on from the central bank to restore discipline in the banking sector, some...

BB to borrow 2.2b in Chinese Yuan from AIIB

Bangladesh bids to borrow variable-spread credits worth 2.2 billion RMB, equivalent to Tk 36.96 billion, from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to ensure fund flow in Cottage, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (CMSME) sector.The central bank will implement a...

Reflections by IG Chowdhury

The book is a collection of events during the author's journey across the globe in different roles from teaching to consulting to working in business. The articles have been previously published in newspapers and now compiled into a volume. Divided...

Is dividing the country into four provinces logical?

The interim government of Bangladesh formed an 11-member Administrative Reform Commission in October 2024, led by Abdul Muid Chowdhury, to recommend ways to make public administration more people-centric, accountable, efficient, and impartial. On February 15, 2025, the Commission submitted its...

Approach road work likely to be extended until Dec

CHATTOGRAM, Mar 13: The Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges is going to extend the deadline for building the six-lane 11.50-km Karnaphuli Tunnel connecting road by one more year until December 2025.The previous deadline ended in December 2024.According to sources,...

Eight projects proposed to enhance gas reserves

Eight new projects are proposed for survey, exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons to enhance gas reserves in a latest push to cut Bangladesh's dependence on foreign-exchange-sapping imported petroleum fuels.Sources say the total cost of the projects, put forward by Energy...

Restoring due process of law

The astounding scale of enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings under Sheikh Hasina's 16-year despotic rule stands as incontestable evidence that without due process of law, justice becomes arbitrary, the rule of law collapses, and authoritarianism thrives.Had there been even...

Moody's lowers outlook for BD banking

Moody's Ratings downgrades the outlook for Bangladesh's banking system to negative from stable one as the US-based agency cites adversities like rising asset risks, poor corporate governance and slower economic growth. In its latest report, released Wednesday, the global ratings...

Building social resistance against women's oppression

The modest achievements in women's empowerment that the country can now justly claim are threatened by the growing incidents of repression and violence against women reported from different areas of the country. Crimes against women are many and are taking...

Canada and the rise of Mark Carney

Mark Carney should be able to provide strong leadership to Canada. With his accomplishments, essentially in economics (he has served well as governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England and indeed in every other position he...

A tribute to an iconic, ideal entrepreneur

If anyone wants to mention the names of the country's iconic entrepreneurs and businessmen, the late Syed Manzur Elahi is definitely one of them. He is not only iconic, but also an ideal businessman who has contributed a lot to...

Saudi Arabia's big push to boost tourism

It was more than a century ago, a man from Kashmir in British India travelled to Hejaz, western part of today's Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). At that time, the region was a part of the Ottoman Empire and the...

Incentivising digital payments key to make a cashless society

City Bank PLC is committed to enhancing its card services and customer experience by improving digital platforms and introducing innovative payment solutions, the bank's head of cards has said."We're also expanding our network of partner merchants to offer a wider...

Sehri scenes in Dhaka

Dhaka's midnight vibes hits different these days. As the city-dwellers observe Ramadan amid religious zeal, Dhaka's nights take on a lively energy, with the streets buzzing until after midnight. Sehri is more than simply a meal, it is a precious...

NBR targets 500 bank accounts

The tax intelligence has targeted 500 bank accounts through which tuition fees have been sent to students studying abroad.It has already collected information on 50,000 accounts from five banks to scrutinise whether the parents or guardians have shown the expenditures...

Five daily habits to help you stay focused and quit brainrot

In today's fast-moving digital age, with constant notifications from the phones and infinite minutes of scrolling through brain rot reels - it's so much easier than before to get distracted. Sometimes, we do not even realize how much time we...

Affordable drinks to combat dehydration, fatigue, and muscle strain

Ramadan in Bangladesh often coincides with the scorching summer heat, with temperatures soaring above 35°C (95°F) sometimes. The air is heavy with humidity, making even the simplest outdoor chores feel like a marathon. Streets are bustling during suhoor (pre-dawn) and...