It's a famine of human disposition

Are we languishing in a famine of disposition? This is how theatre personality Mamunur Rashid thinks. He made the comment like this: 'We have fallen in a trap of' what he termed in Bangla 'ruchir durvikhha'. He elaborated, 'from this...

Supporting economy's informal sector

When the informal sector of the economy employs 72 per cent of the workforce, according to a World Bank (WB) report, it is not hard to understand why the benefits of growth do not trickle down to the masses. The...

BTTC recommends 10pc cash incentive

A government body has recommended providing 10 per cent cash incentive on the export of home and kitchen appliances (non-electric) with an eye to enhancing the export growth and competitiveness of the sector.Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC), which works...

Trial train run likely in Nov

CHATTOGRAM, Apr 08: The trial train run on the Chattogram-Dohazari-Cox's Bazar-Gumdhum (CDCG) route is expected in November next. Sources said construction of the route was continuing in full swing. The authority is trying to complete the project before the extended...

BD to make e-seal, lock mandatory for transit goods from India

Bangladesh is set to make use of the electronic seal and lock mandatory for the transit and transhipment of goods from India in a bid to ensure full-proof security during movement between the countries.Under the agreement for the use of...

Sluggish global trade and Bangladesh

Global trade posted another year of growth, in the process of a rebound, despite war and inflation coming in the way. Overall trade reached a record US$32 trillion in last year against $27.6 trillion in 2021. The trade in goods...

Axe falling on digital betting anywhere

Anyone engaged in gaming on stakes, no matter in or outside the country, will be charged under a new anti-gambling law Bangladesh is making to stem a tide of such digital betting. Officials said ‘The Gambling Act 2023’ would replace...

Eid shopping gains momentum in Ctg

CHATTOGRAM, Apr 07: As Eid-ul-Fitr approaches, city dwellers in Chattogram are flocking to various shopping centres to purchase their preferred attire.The festival is the biggest celebration for the Muslim community, and many shoppers have received their salaries at the beginning...

Supply chain in Ramadan

As I write this, 15 days of the holy month of Ramadan have already passed. Ramadan is a time of spiritual reflection and self-discipline for Muslims around the world, but it can also have a significant impact on supply chain...

A sad tale of rivers in this small country

Rivers are lifelines of a country. Bangladesh could not be the land it is if its major three rivers the Padma ---main distributary of the Ganges, Jamuna ---main distributary of Brahmaputra, and Meghna along with the numerous small rivers did...

The need for international universities in Bangladesh

The need arises mainly for three reasons. One is economical, second is economical, and the third is obviously economical as well. After the Covid-19 and Ukraine war, and the meltdown of the desired supply chain, and price rise due to...

Ctg elevated expressway set to partially open by Dec

CHATTOGRAM, Apr 06: The Chattogram Elevated Expressway, the city's first-ever elevated expressway, is set to be completed by next year, with a portion of the roadway scheduled to open to traffic by December of this year in conjunction with the...

Jute sector surges 59pc in a year, unscathed by weak financial data

Jute stocks' extraordinary performance on the Dhaka Stock Exchange last week could not go unnoticed. At a time when the index remained mostly flat, the jute sector soared 10 per cent in terms of market value to Tk 3.42 billion...

Healthcare in Bangladesh, motorised, industrialised and urbanised

Despite all the progress made by Bangladesh over the last few decades in achieving several of the key health indicators, new disease patterns associated with changed socio-economic trends and demographic shifts are creating new challenges. Epidemiological transition -- the changing...

Making broiler meat safe for human consumption

Broiler chicken has been making screaming headlines for sometime now. First, it was the record price hike of the cheapest source of animal protein and then because of the drastic cut in prices following a meeting between the Consumer Protection...

Bangladesh moves to remove Indian port hurdles, NTBs

Bangladesh has moved to remove the existing hurdles exporters facing at different Indian ports, in order to boost trade with the neighbour as duty-free market access remains underutilised, sources said.To this end, commerce ministry has sought information about the bottlenecks...

MoF's two divisions give opposite data

Two divisions under the Ministry of Finance (MoF) have revealed opposite pictures on tax-revenue-collection data of the first half (H1) of the current fiscal year (FY), 2022-23, creating confusion over the country's major income sources.Tax revenue collection data is one...

Advance ticket sales start tomorrow

Bus and train operators are set to start selling tickets in advance for Eid trips of home-bound passengers starting from April 16.However, preparations for safe journey are yet to start by the authorities concerned, although hundreds of thousands of people...

ICB finalised deal to expand free float to 10pc

The state-run Investment Corporation (ICB) of Bangladesh has reached the final stage to increase its free float from 3.51 per cent to 10 per cent of the shares outstanding to comply with the public issue rules. That entails selling of...

Working as a game product manager

According to Newzoo, the global games market will generate around US$ 211 billion by 2025 and mobile games alone will generate more than US$ 100 billion. The popular mobile games that most of us know such as Candy Crush and...

The nation ... in April 1971

In April 1971, the struggle for Bangladesh's liberation assumed an organised, strategic shape. History has recorded the events, indeed the measures which were adopted by the political leadership, even as the Pakistan occupation army intensified its genocidal attacks on the...

Bangladesh's journey of agricultural exports: unleashing the potential

Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in the agricultural sector over the past few years. The country's fertile land, favourable climatic conditions and proper policy support by the government have created enormous opportunities for agri-business. With increasing demand for high-quality agricultural...

Bhandal Jhuri water plant work to end by June

CHATTOGRAM, Apr 04: The work of Bhandal Jhuri Water Supply Project, a water supply plant undertaken by Chattogram Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Ctg WASA), is going on in full swing.More than 90 per cent work of the 60-million-litre capacity...

Is Artificial Intelligence the Frankenstein's monster?

Mary Shelley, wife of poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, created the fictional figure of a mad scientist, Frankenstein, whose arcane research led to the development of a human resembling a real life one, both in image and conduct. Frankenstein's euphoria at...

Padma Bridge train trial run today

First train through the Padma Bridge will be operated on trial basis today (Tuesday), 10 months after inauguration of the country's longest rail-cum-road bridge.Bangladesh Railway (BR) will operate the train from Bhanga to Mawa through the 6.15-kilometre bridge, officials said.Railway...

How to minimise risk when regulator demands more money into the bearish market?

The recent regulatory decision to increase minimum investment by mutual funds from the existing 60 per cent to 80 per cent in the capital market will squeeze risk diversification opportunities and scope of generating profits, according to asset managers. Against...

Water on the moon

Water trapped in tiny, shiny multicoloured glass beads has been found in the lunar dirt brought back to earth by Chang'e 5, China's fifth lunar exploration mission, in early December 2020. It was also that country's first lunar-sample return mission....

Expanding & diversifying exports to the UK

Bangladesh and the United Kingdom (UK) have a longstanding and multifaceted relationship with a strong focus on trade and economic cooperation. Utilising duty-free market access and relaxed rules of origin (RoO), Bangladesh's UK-bound exports expanded from US$500 million in FY2000...

BD cosmetics, toiletries replacing imported ones

The country's cosmetics and toiletries products are gradually substituting the imported ones - following intensified efforts of local manufacturers on research and innovation to launch new items.Industry sources said a good number of consumers of personal and homecare products have...

Buoyant business helped Eastern Housing fly on Dhaka bourse since July

Eastern Housing's stock price more than doubled in eight months in the bearish market, driven by its high profit growth in recent quarters that seemed to have boosted investors' confidence.The country's lone publicly-traded realtor's share price soared 113 per cent...