Institutionalising health and education for all

'Institutionalizing Health and Education for All' is a  book jointly produced by Colette Chabbott and Mushtaque Chowdhury which introduces  the readers to  the key international organizations and movements in the field of education for development; provides a unique interpretation of...

China can help boost BD tourism sector

By one account, against the global total of 6,000, Bangladesh is home to 500 Buddhist ancient monasteries and temples. Researchers in the tourism sector think if a small segment of the Buddhists, who account for around a third of world...

Dangerous development on the language front

TS Eliot in his "The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock" and "The Waste Land" referred to shallow men and painted a grim picture of a barren land where human beings are too mechanical to make a sense of life....

Coal-laden vessel not salvaged 3 days after it sank in Sundarbans

No step has yet been taken to salvage a coal-laden vessel which sank three days ago in Pashur River in Bagerhat’s Mongla upazila near the Sundarbans. ‘MV Zia Raj’, carrying 510 tonnes of coal, ran aground on Wednesday near Chandpai...

Suspension of four SoCBs’ CSR activities to go soon

The suspension on CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities of four state-owned commercial banks (SoCBs) is likely to go soon after re-examination of the existing guidelines, officials said. Finance Minister AMA Muhith asked officials of the Banks and Financial Institutions Division...

Progress for Children: Achieving the MDGs

At the Millennium Summit in September 2000, the global community committed to achieving changes on a massive scale for the world's people. With a view to building a more peaceful, prosperous and just world, the heads of government have identified...

Making railway premier mode of transportation

A leading Bangla contemporary has painted a grim picture of the lives of loco masters in this country. They have to run goods trains for 13 to 20 hours at a stretch. This is humanly impossible. That the engine of...

Infrastructural road to modernisation is flung open

From the earliest records available, it is clear we have a tradition of buying our Qurbani animals in the "haat" (informal market run privately) than from government-sponsored arrangements, just as the "konar dokaan" (corner store) exposes a business instinct so...

Impact investment - a new horizon for investment

More than 1.6 billion people in South Asia - Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar - have experienced substantial economic growth over the last decade. But, the population lives on less than USD 1.25 per day and a...

Stocks edge lower with high turnover

Stocks extended their losing spell for the fourth running sessions on Thursday with improving turnover as investors were active both side of trading. The market opened with an upbeat note, but could not sustain till closed the session. DSEX, the...

DSE, CSE open higher

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) witnessed upward trend in early hour of trading on Thursday with marginal volatility, the last session of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went up by 19.66...

CSE to issue new TRECs

Chitattgong Stock Exchange (CSE) has moved to issue new Trading Right Entitlement Certificates (TRECs), a pre-requisite for obtaining licenses of stock brokers, in an effort to boost the turnover value and diversify the market, officials said. The decision of issuing...

Upcoming international student conferences

International student conferences have grown to become a mega-platform for global interaction among the young minds. Exchange of ideas and familiarising an assortment of culture could not have found a more balanced stand without these. There are numerous opportunities to...

The art and practice of leadership under spotlight

Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre (BYLC) is the country's first and only leadership institute. Situated at Baridhara, Dhaka it is working with a vision to create a poverty free Bangladesh driven by the next generation home-grown leaders. People at BYLC work...

The grand finale of CreADive\\\'15 culminates

The team "Je Ne Sais Quoi" from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) of the University of Dhaka came out on top and won BDT 1 lac prize money. The other teams "Second String" and "Mind over Miles," both from...

An elegy for a quiet but fiercely patriotic friend

It is always difficult to write obituary of a friend with whom you have passed a significant time in your life. Nizamuddin Ahmed is such a person. We not only spent time together but also shared many things in our...

What\\\'s wrong with labour markets?

Around the world, labour markets are in disarray. Unemployment is high in many countries, especially among the young. At the same time, many companies report having trouble finding qualified workers. Record numbers of people are going into retirement, but many...

US sends China a strong message

Despite some exchanges between the US and Chinese militaries, South China Sea has become a major point of contention between the two governments. Within a month of Chinese president Xi Jinping's US visit, US Navy ship Lassen (a missile destroyer)...

Stocks extend losing spell, turnover dips further

Stocks extended their losing spell for the third straight sessions on Wednesday with turnover falling further as most of the investors remained cautious. The market opened with a downbeat note and the negative vibe sustained till end of the session...

Bangladesh falls in doing business index

Bangladesh slipped its position from last year’s 172 to 174 in the World Bank’s Doing Business 2016 ranking, which was released on Tuesday. It means, doing business in Bangladesh becomes slightly more difficult after a year. The World Bank (WB)’s...

Twin-bourse tumbles: Low turnover at DSE, CSE

The country's twin-bourse – Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) – witnessed downward trend in early hour of trading on Wednesday, maintaining the previous day’s negative trend. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went down by...

Russian soldier dies in Syria

The body of the first Russian serviceman confirmed dead in four weeks of air strikes in Syria was delivered on Tuesday to his parents, who said they were not convinced by the military’s account that their 19-year-old son had hanged...

Change in two social safety net recipes soon

The government has moved to bring about major changes in its two key social safety-net (SSN) recipes. The aim is to make the help more purposeful and target-oriented, officials said. Under the move, agriculture ministry recently submitted a proposal to...

BB launches $300m investment fund

The central bank launched a US$300 million investment fund for helping the country attain maximum economic growth through accelerated productive activity.     Officials said with this end in view, the funds would be used for boosting medium-and long-term investment, particularly in...

Regulatory magnanimity!

One can guess well the state of accountability and transparency in the operations of most registered companies and firms in Bangladesh from a report that was placed at a seminar in Dhaka.   The World Bank country office in Dhaka and...

Planned flyover set to be dropped from RSTP

The RAJUK-planned flyover from its Jhilmil project to Shantinagar is poised to be dropped from the revised strategic transport plan (RSTP) the draft of which has been finalised without incorporating the project, sources said. They said Japanese consultants have drafted...

Income inequality and Seventh FYP

While Bangladesh has done remarkably well in terms of some socio-economic indicators, it continues to grapple with rising gini ratio of income inequality. All the celebrations of success conceal the cruel reality that poverty-stricken Kuril slum lies in the heart...

Iraq War continues to haunt Tony Blair

Tony Blair, British Prime Minister for a decade between 1997 and 2007, was one of the world politicians highly respected everywhere up to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Until then, he had the potential to be in the...

One Net, one future

Once upon a time, two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, held summits to reduce the danger of a nuclear war. Today, the summitry is between the US and China, a large part of which is to reduce...

Shakib tops them all

Bangladesh’s multiple world record-holder Shakib Al Hasan stayed best all-rounder in the globe. The 28-year-old ace cricketer retained the top position in the International Cricket Council (ICC)’s all-rounder ranking in Tests with 384 points. The rankings were released this (Tuesday)...