What to consider in selecting best bargains from insurance stocks

More than 90 per cent of insurance stocks have experienced a significant decline in value in the last one year but their popularity as manipulative stocks makes it tricky for investors to select the best bargains. The stock market has...

A reputed school in decline

To say it is incredulous is an understatement. But the news carried in a contemporary based on its reporter's visit to the spot and queries from all concerned cannot lie. The contention of the report is that peon (office bearer),...

Message of 54th Victory Day

The 54th Victory Day of Bangladesh will go down in history as one that followed yet another unique revolution, the student-led mass uprising of August 5 that has changed the course of the nation's history. The Victory Day of Bangladesh...

Resistance at Feni during the Liberation War

The present-day Feni district was a subdivision under Noakhali district during the liberation war. It had a huge strategic importance during the war, as both the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway and the Dhaka-Chittagong Railway passed through the town. The first battle of...

'Hajar bochhor pore abar eshechhi phire'

This morning we celebrate the year 1971. The middle-aged citizen of today is no more the youth of yesterday. The freedom we enjoy in these times is far removed from the tortuous struggle we waged for liberty in those times.And...

Exporters to get paperless services from January 01

Domestic exporters are all set to reap the benefits of the fully automated bonded-warehouse facility from 01 January 2025, thereby enabling them to access paperless services.The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has completed all required modules for this system under...

Govt discards four ill-conceived projects after Tk 6.74b spent

The interim government has decided to terminate four of less-priority projects , including three named after Sheikh Hasina and her family members, on which Tk 6.74 billion has already been spent.Three of the projects under the annual development programme are...

Why trustees fail to protect mutual fund investors

A majority of the financial institutions are reluctant to play the role of a trustee of mutual funds as they say they do not have the power to check scams committed by asset management companies (AMCs). Trustees have been blamed...

China's global strategies and Bangladesh

China's foreign policy has emerged as a three-pronged multidimensional framework anchored by three ambitious global initiatives: the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilisational Initiative. These strategic frameworks aim at reshaping global governance by strengthening China's...

BADC's failure to ensure quality seeds

It is alarming that what initially appeared to be a gesture of goodwill towards farmers has in the end turned out to be a threat to their livelihoods in particular and national onion production as a whole. Recent media reports...

Government bonds need diversification

There is a growing demand for bonds in the country's financial market, and the existing tiny corporate bond market has still a long way to go to meet demand. Government bonds are also inadequate in meeting the growing appetite for...

How University of Dhaka won

Moot court competitions are where legal theory meets real-world action, giving law students a stage to challenge their skills and put their academic prowess to the test. These competitions are a fast track to mastering the art of advocacy, gathering...

Tourism restriction harms Saint Martin's economy

Access restriction has badly affected the economy of Saint Martin's, the only coral island and one of the most popular tourist spots of the country.This downturn during the peak season of tourism is causing frustration among Saint Martin-centric businessmen as...

Missing tickets throw DMTCL efficiency into question

Some 200,000 single-journey tickets (SJTs) of metro rail went missing in the last two years, causing losses of around Tk 60 million and raising questions about Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited's (DMTCL) functionality and efficiency.Over 250 cards went missing every...

The making of a nation against all odds

The making of a nation has many turns and twists, particularly when it has to emerge first out of the grip of a colonial power and then from an equally, if not more exploitative, intriguing and brutal neo-colonial regime. Those...

Stocks see sharp fall as confidence crumbles

The benchmark equity index dropped sharply this week as jittery investors continued to offload their holdings amid concerns over the prevailing macroeconomic situation.Market analysts said the lack of investor confidence, coupled with heightened uncertainty, led many to refrain from making...

Fire-damaged Banglar Jyoti, Banglar Shourabh to be sold as scrap

CHATTOGRAM, Dec 13: The Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) has decided to scrap the MT Banglar Shourabh and MT Banglar Jyoti following a fire accident. This marks the end of an era for the two old ships of BSC, with the...

BDT skipped again as headline currency

The government has once again deferred the use of taka as the headline currency in fixing airfares in Bangladesh until July 2025 from this January deadline, according to officials.In this case, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism has cited...

Unity of patriotic forces matters most

At this critical juncture of time there is a need for rock-solid unity of the people. The regime deposed during the July-August mass uprising pursued and promoted divisive politics with the ulterior motive of creating disunity among the masses so...

BR to introduce two commuter trains Sunday

Bangladesh Railway (BR) is set to introduce two sets of commuter trains on the highly demanding Dhaka-Joydebpur-Dhaka route on Sunday to facilitate mainly the city-bound office-goers.Officials said the Joydebpur commuter train with seven broad gauge coaches will have the capacity...

Illegal foreign nationals make most of lax law enforcement

In a global village, Bangladesh is certainly not a dream destination for migrant workers from around the world. Actually, the reverse is the case. A small country with an oversize population, has to look for works for the inflating ranks...

76 apply for DMTCL MD post

Some 76 resident and non-resident Bangladeshis have shown interest in holding the managing director (MD) post in the metro rail company after it was opened for the first time to a qualified national or international expert.As the application deadline for...

Scam-hit Janata Bank seeks Tk 200b urgent bailout

Hit by alleged big-business lending scams, the state-owned Janata Bank has sought some Tk 200 billion in an urgent bailout as its capital base plummeted into negative territory, sources said. Bankers and sources in the banking circles said much of...

National financing strategy much needed for bond market

The absence of a national strategy for long-term financing hinders the growth of the country's bond market, said the chief of Prime Bank Investment. Limits should be set for fund collection from different sources, cutting dependency on bank loans. That...

Air pollution posing grave threat

For years now, Dhaka has been making world headlines, but for all the wrong reasons. Seemingly, it is continually competing for the dubious distinction of being the world's most polluted city. Were air pollution an Olympic event, no doubt Bangladesh...

A new Syria in a crises-enveloped world

The speedy fall of the Bashar Assad regime in Syria brings about a dramatic change in the politics of the Middle East. In the first place, it changes the dynamics in Syria, given that the 54-year family domination of the...

Bangladesh's hunger situation improves

Bangladesh's ranking in the global hunger index (GHI) improved slightly with a score of 19.4 this year, narrowly escaping the category of serious-hunger group. The country ranks 84 out of127 countries, graduating to the category of moderate hunger from serious...

Many AL-time entities losing infinite tax largesse

Many beneficiaries of tax largesse offered by the past regime for indefinite period are among those losing out under a current trimming that limits waivers to maximum five years. Officials say the government's revenue authority has started implementing Sunset Clause-like...

Education must not be discriminatory

Bureaucrats have once again displayed the complex mentality of considering themselves and their descendants as superior to common people, from whose money they receive their pay and perks and whom they are duty-bound to serve. Only those public servants who...

Re-visiting the concept & practice of soft state

The term ‘soft state’ was first used by the Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal in his magnum opus ‘Asian Drama’ (1970) to find out what lay behind the slow and stumbling progress of most of the newly independent countries in the...