CABI: A unique research organisation

Established in 1910 as an Imperial Entomological Committee in England and earning membership of the old Commonwealth Countries, it was renamed as the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux (CAB). Thereafter, with the passage of time, British colonies attained independence and these newly...

Electricity disasters around the world

While writing this article my pen is churning with joy and pride as we have overcome the disaster of November 1 with almost no unexpected happening. During this countrywide blackout many mishaps could have happened but this great nation has...

Reflecting on Bhashani\\\'s politics

Frankly speaking, it is a matter of both pleasure and pain for septuagenarians to have seen or followed Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani's politics and the National Awami Party (NAP) founded by him in 1957 till his death on November...

Oceanic and avian cataclysm

Imagine a world where the seas are without fish and sky, woods or water bodies without birds. An oceanic or avian cataclysm is right on the cards. Research conducted by the University of Halifax in Nova Scotia has prompted scientists...

Banks\\\' credit flow rises despite falling deposits

The overall flow of credit in the banking system marked a substantial rise recently despite a declining trend in deposits, bankers said. As of October 2 last, the overall outstanding loans excluding inter-bank ones in the banking system grew by...

BTRC, cos developing device to verify papers

A digitalised system to verify documents will be developed soon to thwart sale of unlawfully-registered SIM (subscriber identity module) cards in the country, officials have said. According to them, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and the mobile phone operators have...

Qualifying for climate fund

A discussion on "Good governance in climate financing: Global and national perspective" organized by the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) ascertains that Bangladesh has not qualified for the $9.3-billion international green climate fund. The reason cited for this failure is the...

Combating an advanced cyber threat landscape

The cyber world is continuously evolving. Organisa-tions and consumers alike are witnessing complex threats which not only possess the ability to disrupt business operations resulting in information leakage and also cause serious financial losses. For instance, a recent news article...

Performance measurement in public administration

Performance measurement in public administration is a management process whereby the quality and success of a government programme can be ascertained. It entails continuous collection of data on progresses achieved towards realising the set objectives of any organisation. Performance indicators...

Participants to draw up action plan for boosting sector

Participants of the upcoming meeting of the Asia-Pacific fisheries industry to be held in Dhaka early next month (December) will draw up an action plan for boosting the sector, officials said.   The 29th Governing Council meeting of INFOFISH, an intergovernmental...

DSE turnover dips below Tk 3.0b mark

Stocks closed marginally higher amid volatile trading on Thursday with turnover on the major bourse dipping below Tk 3.0 billon mark as investors remained reluctant to make fresh exposure amid weak sentiment. DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock...

Stocks open positive amid volatility

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) saw positive trend in early hours of trading on Thursday amid see-saw, the last session of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went up by 9.24 points...

Road Fund starts getting shape from next month

The long-awaited Road Fund will start getting a formal shape from next month with the concerned authority empowered to spend money for carrying out regular road and highway maintenance works. The Road Fund, the first of its kind, will get...

VAT on commissions for drug sales raised

The government's revenue authority raised the rate of Value Added Tax (VAT) on commissions of distributors and retailers of all types of pharmaceuticals. Officials said the VAT wing of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued an order with policy...

For many young British Muslims tug of peace is stronger than pull of war

For some British Muslims, the path to jihad and the path to peaceful aid work can traverse much of the same terrain. From an office in Britain's second largest city, Waseem Iqbal and a friend are planning a trip to...

Grooming our leaders of tomorrow

Youths are the greatest wealth and strength of any nation. The future of a nation lies in the hands of its posterity. That is why a society that prepares its youths for the future will not only ensure its future...

Trade deficit: The picture is not as gloomy as it appears

The economy encountered an unpalatable experience in the first quarter of the current fiscal year. The trade deficit almost doubled during the period and rose to $2.4 billion due to rising imports and falling exports. Import growth of 13.62 per...

Prerequisites for prosperity

The other day we had a long debate with some professionals on how we can start with big dreams and make life worth living. When will Bangladesh become a middle-income country? To accomplish the 'Vision 2021' by a least developed...

Ferguson puts US race relations under scanner

The Grand Jury (GJ) to investigate the death of unarmed African-American young man Michael Brown in the hands of white police officer Daren Wilson has given its dreaded verdict. It has decided not to indict the police officer, which means...

BD moves again to sign transit deal with Bhutan

Bangladesh has now again moved to sign a bilateral transit deal with land-locked Bhutan aiming at smooth transportation of goods to and from there, official sources said. The fresh move, taken again after one-year pause, was made last week when...

Ebola combat: Not just a fight against a disease but for the economic survival of a nation

The approximation of deaths by deadly disease Ebola in West Africa now stands at a staggering toll of around 5,000. The outbreak has caused mass hysteria all around the world, for the danger it carries for human lives and livelihoods....

Biman flights on sale!

Middle East-bound Biman flights are on sale. Crew are purchased and they are running these flights. Gold, medicines and foreign currencies stuffed in aircraft are consigned to Bangladesh en route to potential markets. Dishonest staff members and officers of different...

Anatomy of negative perceptions

"It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently."    — Warren Buffet "Reputation is important and should be handled carefully. A good reputation will precede you,...

Corruption has its origin in moral decay

Admittedly, corruption is one of the national problems in Bangladesh. Not long ago, Bangladesh was five times champion in the corruption perspection index published by the Transparency International, a Berlin-based rights organization. Although corruption is marking a decline, albeit very...

A ballad of Baro-Bhuiyans of Bengal

The Baro-Bhuiyans were predominant and had ruled a vast land in Eastern Bengal prior to the arrival of Turkish noblemen who established the Sultanate in Bengal in the eleventh/twelfth century AD. It is believed that those Bhuiyans who had fought...

Political challenge confronting economic development

The politico economic nexus is a universal Phenomenon. It is not confined within the developing or less developed countries. Like nature and environment it knows no political boarder. The rich and the mighty nations of today's world are as much...

‘Is there any hope for the LDCs in global trade?’

Are Least Developed Countries (LDCs) destined to remain "marginalized"?  This is a common thought that runs through the mind of any person living in these countries.  In 2013, the LDCs had a total population of 898.3 million, which is about...

Blue economy and green living

Movements and deliberations around the world on environment have brought to the fore the environment friendly models one after another. Of these models, green economy model was at the centre of discussions until Professor Gunter Pauli presented in 1994 the...

PPP still long way off: Projects piling up

Around 40 projects are likely to be ready to run under public-private partnership (PPP) in next three to four years, in a belated takeoff. The PPP projects waiting to get the go-ahead, which were only a few in number two...

Backdated telecom policy blocks umpteen economic prospects

Although very limited access created so far, people in Bangladesh are enjoying unlimited benefits of 3G (third generation) mobile technology. One step forward now in this ICT field, LTE (long-term evolution) 4G, a standard for wireless communications to facilitate handsets...