Attack on Pakistan school a game-changer

There were outbursts of grief and anguish all over Paksitan after Taliban militants stormed into an Army-run school in the north western city of Peshawar on December 16, 2014 and killed 148 people, including 132 students, in one of the...

Inequality of income: The \\\'makers\\\' and the \\\'takers\\\'

The world is moving on the fastest track with the advancement of science and Information Technology (IT). Conglomerate progress and development have taken place in the developed and developing economies. The life-styles and standard of living have changed of both...

Reading of literature and its use to teach language

Literature is an umbrella term covering a wide range of activities. However, when it is treated as a subject of study, it is seen as an activity involving and using language. Literature is an important component of a total language...

Power Division may get Tk 102.12b in next fiscal

The government has primarily fixed an allocation of Tk 102.12 billion for the Power Division in the budget for the next fiscal year (FY), 2015-16, officials said. The proposed allocation would be Tk 9.28 billion higher compared to that of...

Hunt to start against 3-wheeler import on false declaration

A section of importers of diesel-run three-wheelers are set to face customs action as they allegedly managed to get their vehicles released from the port on false declaration. Officials said the customs wing of the National Board of Revenue (NBR)...

Education and welfare

"Public education does not serve a public, it creates a public. The question is, what kind of public does it want?" asked Neil Postman, an American author, media theorist and cultural critic.  Traditional economic theories developed since the 1960s embrace...

Manpower export: Doing the equation

Without any empirical justification, it has been advocated that export of skilled manpower will bring economic prosperity. However, Alam and Haque (2010) have empirically proved that the 'brain drain' from a developing nation provides neither economic nor social benefits. They...

BSC set to miss deadline again in signing deal

Syful Islam The Bangladesh Shipping Corporation (BSC) is set to miss deadline again in signing a financial deal with the Chinese Exim Bank for procuring six vessels for its fleet, officials said. The Chinese bank had extended the deadline until...

Year-end, political uncertainty extend bearish trend

Stocks extended their losing streak for the third straight weeks that ended Wednesday as investors were fearful about volatility in the political arena. "Fear of political instability in the coming days and lacklustre participation ahead of the year-end dragged the...

Scope for e-courts and e-judiciary in Bangladesh

The Constitution of Bangladesh itself ensures the basis of the legal aid mechanism through its different articles though there is no explicit and unambiguous expression in any article on the subject matter concerned. Firstly article 27 says that all the...

In the mind of Salvador Dali: His mysticism and madness

In addition Dali described the conditions in Spain before the Civil War when society was ridden with and torn by a hundred conflicting isms and ideologies and his description of the politically troubled pre-war Spain of those times appears to...

Agricultural development in Thailand

For many years I had been waiting for a visit to Thailand. I heard about its all-round development, especially in the agricultural sector, and thus wanted to see the land. In November, my dream came true and as part of...

Fresh feasibility study for deep-sea port planned

The government has decided to conduct a feasibility study anew before going for construction of a deep-sea port at Sonadia in Cox's Bazar, officials said. The decision has been taken as a previous feasibility study of 2006 has become outdated...

Single-tier VAT for edible oil import on the cards

The government is set to offer a single-tier Value Added Tax (VAT), instead of existing three tiers, on import of crude edible soyabean, palm and palmolin oil in a bid to ease process of release of the essential consumer item....

Taka depreciates against US dollar on higher import payments

Depreciating tendency of the Bangladesh Taka (BDT) against the US dollar increased on the last two working days as there were increasing import payment obligations before ending this calendar year, bankers said. The BDT depreciated by 0.02 per cent against...

Dilemma of climate change and food security in Asia

Feeding the planet puts a lot of stress on the environment. Farming already takes more than 40 per cent of the dry land and half the world's available fresh water. The simplest way to grow more food is to use...

Pvt firm selection process on

The process of selecting private firm for building the four-lane Dhaka bypass road from Joydevpur to Madanpur is progressing, sources said. In this connection the Public Private Partnership (PPP) office is going to issue request for qualification (RFQ) in February....

Biman reinsurance system up for major overhaul as it costs too high

The reinsurance system for Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BBA) is set to undergo a massive overhaul for ensuring transparency and accountability in the process which is presently done on the London market. Under the move, the government has formed a five-member...

A decade of Western aid in Afghanistan - mission unsustainable?

Afghanistan has new roads, sections of which many deem too dangerous to use. It has a turbine to fill electricity needs that remains in pieces. Sixteen transport planes given to the Air Force were scrapped having barely flown. International aid...

DSE turnover dips below Tk 2.0b-mark

Stocks ended marginally lower for the second running session on Wednesday with turnover dipping below Tk 2.0-billion level as investors followed cautious stance. DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) went down by 15.06 points or 0.31...

Bourses see downward tend at opening

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw negative trend in early hours of trading on Wednesday amid choppy trading, the 4th session of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went down by...

Banks’ NPL size: No magic wand this time

Country's central bank last week asked the banks to bring down the share of the non-performing loans (NPLs) in their respective outstanding volume of loans to below 10 per cent by the end of the current month, meaning the end...

Kids\\\' wear gaining world market share

Bangladeshi kids' wear is taking a vantage position on the world markets with international retailers and fashion brands showing interest in sourcing the clothing item from here, industry-insiders said. They said the local baby-wear manufacturers are providing diversified items which...

MoF advises BSEC to protect investors\\\' interest

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has advised the securities regulator to ensure strict implementation of relevant rules and regulations while determining the prices of primary shares for the greater interest of general investors, officials said. The Ministry's advice came in...

The conundrum of microcredit

A few days ago Professor Muhammad Yunus has observed in two articles in The Financial Express that every person is an entrepreneur and should be viewed as such. He rightly blamed the current trend of education which prepares students as...

Ukraine crisis: Western sanctions and Russian resilience

Recession, skyrocketing prices, and a huge devaluation of Russian ruble against US dollar are tormenting Russia. How long will Moscow be able to sustain before changing its policy on Ukraine? The pro-establishment mainstream Western media groups - both print and...

Oil spills in the Sundarbans: The buck stops with the authorities

The incident happened in the early morning of December 09, 2014 when an oil container (OT Southern Star 7) carrying more than 350,000 liters of furnace oil collided with another cargo vessel 'Total' amid dense fog. It was reported that...

Stocks slip into red again

Stocks slipped in the red again today (Tuesday) after previous session’s upturn with falling turnover as investors remained  cautious. DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) went down by 29.83 points or 0.61 per cent to close...

RAK Ceramics price down on company share sell-out news to Julphar

The stock price of RAK Ceramics declined to Tk 57.8 per share today (Tuesday) against Tk 60.9 of yesterday despite the disclosure that Middle-Eastern drug manufacturer Julphar and its partners will acquire a 77.5 percent stake in RAK Pharmaceuticals. UAE-based...

DSE, CSE down at opening

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw downward trend in early hours of trading on Tuesday, the third session of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went down by 5.68 points or...